issue number 41 may 2016 - dartford grammar school for girls · were magnificent to the orchestra...

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DGGS Times ISSUE NUMBER 41 MAY 2016

Dear Parents/Carers For students in Years 11, 12 and 13

(and our Year 10 Accelerated Geography and History students), the public examination period has begun and students in Years 11 and 13 are now on study leave. In the weeks and months leading up to the examinations, we have continued to be very impressed with the students’ positive approach to their studies and the significant revision that has been taking place over an extended period of time. As a school we are very fortunate that teachers have been providing many additional revision sessions and help outside of lesson time; please do encourage your daughter/son to attend the sessions or ask for help if needed. We wish all our students the very best of luck in the examinations; they thoroughly deserve to be successful in the summer.

To help prepare them for their GCSEs and develop revision techniques, students in Years 9 and 10 have been sitting internal examinations this week, and Year 7 and 8 will have their own Assessment Week at the start of Term 6. The results will inform the final report grades of the academic year, and will be used to help set targets for students in all year groups in September.

Although this is a very busy examination period across the school, there have also been an important number of trips, visits and other opportunities for students to experience. During the Easter holidays, a group of Sixth Form students went to Russia and students from Years 10, 11 and the Sixth Form enjoyed an excellent week’s skiing in Bormio, Italy. More details of both trips

can be found in the newsletter. At the start of Term 5, the superb annual Dance Show took place and we will very much look forward to the Arts & Technology Faculty Summer Festival which starts next term; please see the poster in the newsletter or on the website for further information.

On Wednesday of this last week of Term 5, students in Years 7 enjoyed a

History visit to Hampton Court, and Year 8 experienced an “Apprentice” activity as part of their Curriculum Enhancement Day, when the usual timetable was collapsed to enable the year group to work together. I was very

pleased to be a member of the Apprentice judging panel, and was very impressed with the excellent presentations and performances, and the creativity show by the teams.

The Headteacher Parents’ Surgeries for Term 6 are on Tuesday 21st June 4pm – 6pm and on Wednesday 6th July 4pm – 6pm. This is an opportunity for parents to ask any questions, put forward any ideas or raise a concern. All appointments are initially for 20 minutes, with follow up appointments made where required. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact my PA, Mrs Hamlyn, as detailed above. Parents and also encouraged to contact subject teachers, form tutors or the Head of Key Stage/Head of Year with any queries or concerns.

Finally I would like to wish all our families an enjoyable holiday week. We look forward to welcoming back all students on Monday 6th June.

Sharon Pritchard Headteacher

From the Headteacher I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Spring Concert

2016 Review

2

micro:bits come

to DGGS

3

Drama

Department News

4

Dance Show 5

News from School

Library

6

Careers Club

News

10

House News 12

Vocab Express Global Challenge 2016

13

Sixth Form Trip to Russia

14

Year 8 Port Lympne Visit

16

Visit by Rebecca Willis

18

Japanese Exchange 2016

20

FPTA 22

Sports News 24

Year 7 Food Technology

26

Dance Show 2016

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ISSUE NUMBER 41

Working together to achieve academic excellence and personal potential

Young Enterprise

On 4th May at Oakwood House in Maidstone, the Young Enterprise Company Zeus represented DGGS in the Kent and Medway Company of the Year award. Led by Naveen and supported by Helen, Tomi and Amy, the company set up their stand, engaged with the judges and presented to a large audience. Competition was stiff and the students did very well with Tomi winning the £10 Business Challenge Award and Amy again giving her excellent award winning public speech.

Well done to all the students! Rebekah Kidd

Assistant Headteacher

On 23rd March, DGGS performed an outstanding concert that showcased some of our very talented musical students. The evening began with the very powerful medley that was “Les Miserables” which included a few of the amazing soloists and duets. After this the incredibly incomparable songs that were “locus iste” “non nobis” and clear day were accomplished in a perfect manner! The evening then went on to let the other phenomenal performers broadcast their range of talents from the Jazz Band who were magnificent to the orchestra showcase. Who could forget the gospel choir, not forgetting all other students who took part and performed without fault. For me, the concert really couldn’t have gone any better – everyone was perfectly in time and predominantly confident too! However, all of this could not have been possible without the

laborious work of Mr and Mrs Dowsett, alongside other very important and helpful figures. I feel that the show was excellently organised with all students performing even better than ever before. Although everybody was exceptional, the brave soloists through the whole concert have really inspired me to be more confident with my voice as well as the amazing music played that has encouraged me to try out new things. Well done to everyone who carried the show – fantastic!!

Madeline Wesley, 9H

Spring Concert 2016 Review

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Following on from a relaxing Bank Holiday weekend, our Year 7 girls had a special assembly in which they were each given their very own computer, courtesy of the BBC. For those of you old enough to remember the original BBC microcomputers of the early 1980s, these tiny devices are 70 times smaller and 18 times faster – and you don’t even need to plug them into your TV!

The devices consist of 25 programmable LEDs which make up the device’s screen. There are two input buttons, pins to connect to other devices, such as speakers, an accelerometer to detect movement, a compass, and even Bluetooth functionality to enable it to be connected to a phone.

Many of our girls have already started programming their devices. I have seen a range of programs including fortune tellers, digital pets and games created by students keen to make the most of their devices.

In class, your daughters will need to bring their micro:bits to their computer science lessons where we will start to use them to teach key computer science skills including coding and understanding how the computers work.

They need not wait to be shown how to use them in school though. The micro:bit website (https://www.microbit.co.uk/) has lots of tutorials to get started. They can even learn to code in a variety of programming languages, including java and python. If you have an interest in computers and coding, then why not get involved too? They make great family projects and a little parental involvement can work wonders for sparking a lifelong interest in computer science.

Helen Jenson Curriculum Area Leader: ICT

micro:bits come to DGGS

Sport Relief Week at DGGS - Update

Sport Relief: Final total = £2,092.95

Congratulations and a massive thank you to all the students who took part in any events over the DGGS Sport Relief Week.

Sarah Bluett Curriculum Area Leader: Physical Education

Well done to the following students who were our top 8 fundraisers:

Hannah 8C = £180 Katelyn 7K = £120 Kiran 7K = £121 Fallon 9L = £112

Rasika 7C = £109 Lucy 7C = £107.50 Charlotte 9H = £88.70 Abbie 7C = £82.21

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ISSUE NUMBER 41


STUDENT VOICE: The department is always looking for ways to develop and move forward. On

Monday 25th April, we had a group of students from Year 7 – 12 take part in our first student voice meeting in which students discussed things they were enjoying about their Performing Arts lessons, the challenges and any improvements. The meeting was extremely beneficial and we will be reviewing and implementing feedback into future planning. Thank you to those who attended.

Sarah Westergaard Curriculum Area Leader: Drama

Drama Department News

‘TAKE 3’ KS3 AUDITIONS AND PRODUCTION: On Wednesday 13th April over 90 KS3 students swamped the drama studio wanting to audition for this year’s KS3 Production ‘Take 3’ which incorporates scenes, songs and dances from ‘Annie’, ‘Bugsy Malone’ and ‘Oliver’. The

department were blown away by the talent and creativity of the students and had a hard job of casting. ‘Take 3’ will be performed on Thursday 16th June at 7pm. Tickets will cost £3 for adults and £1 for concessions. Tickets will go on sale nearer the time.

THEATRE TRIPS: Year 12 and 13 students went to see a production of ‘I See You’ at the Royal Court Theatre and we have Bishop-Riley Primary school coming in to perform their latest production of Macbeth to our Year 9 and 10 students on 19th May. More theatre visits are being planned for the rest of the Summer term for all Key Stages in order to continue inspiring and further developing students’ skills and theatre knowledge.

YEAR 11, 12 AND 13 EXAM PERFORMANCES: Before Easter it was full steam ahead with Year 11, 12 and 13 practical

exams. Year 11s directed, staged and performed in chosen scripted pieces, Year 12s performed extracts from scripts using the theatre company Frantic Assembly as an influence and our Year 13s devised an extremely powerful and moving physical theatre piece entitled ‘Every 4 seconds’ which explored a young woman coming to terms with her recent diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. The standard of all the work was extremely high and we are very proud. We wish all students every success in their future exams.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Congratulations to Shannon Clinton-Copeland (10L) who auditioned and got through to be a part of The National Youth Theatre this summer. Congratulations also to Georgina Hulme (12B) who over the Easter Holidays was accepted and undertook two group workshops and a lecture at Royal Holloway School of Drama in Surrey.

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DGGS Dance Show 2016, ‘Movie Night,’ took place on Thursday 28th April. Following the success of ‘Time Flies’ and ‘Arrivals,’ this year’s show had a theme of Movies. Performances were inspired by a range of movie genres, by individual films, by movie themes or characters and by pieces of music from movie soundtracks. ‘Movie Night’ brought the world of cinema past

and present to Dartford through the medium of Dance. Where else could you go to the cinema and see classics like ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ alongside Disney animations like ‘Tarzan’ or ‘The Lion King’ then ‘007’ with ‘The Exorcist’ and musical movies like ‘High School Musical’, ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Bugsy Malone’ on the same billing as ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘The Hunger Games’? All of this and more in one evening!

As always, a show like this is only possible if the talent is there and at DGGS we are able to present shows like this because we have that talent. We also have young ladies who are prepared to put in the time and effort to be able to bring a show like this together. The evening was not just for entertainment; it was a celebration of the talent and dedication of our students.

We are pleased to continue to feature pieces by Cascade Dance who provide additional opportunities for our talented dancers. For the first time this year, we had West Hill Primary School perform in the show.

They did an amazing performance of Lion King’s Circle of Life and made masks in their class to wear on the evening. They were truly professional and a delight to have in the show. I would like to thank the Sixth Form Dance Leaders for their work with West Hill Primary, 1904 Dance Company and for being backstage and technical support throughout all rehearsals and on the evening of the show. Well done again to the amazing cast of the show – your dedication and enthusiasm is inspirational!

Please visit our school website (Picture Galleries) for more images of the Dance Show 2016. Other Dance News

Sarah Longley Head of Year 9

Teacher: Dance

Dance Show 2016

Good luck! Best of luck to Talitha Jones and Jenna Crowle as they perform

with the English Youth Ballet, at the Stag Theatre, Sevenoaks, on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st May. I am sure you will be amazing!

Congratulations, Rachael Aust Congratulations to Rachael Aust who

was offered a scholarship audition for D&B Academy of Performing Arts four years early! Rachael attended an event with her dance school from outside of DGGS and was scouted by professionals. Well done!

Mardi Gras – Sadler’s Wells Some of our Cascade Dancers will be taking part in

Mardi Gras at Sadler’s Wells on Saturday 21st May at 1pm. Dancers will be performing both Jazz and Contemporary work. Best of luck to all performers and thank you again to Sam and Ricia at Cascade Dance for giving our girls this opportunity.

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News from your School Library

I thought I would start our termly news with an overview of how the library is used on a regular basis. Over the last few months the library has become an even more proactive environment. Clubs running on a regular basis during lunchtime are: the law society, year 8

book club and careers club. The library is also used for mentoring sessions, EAL support sessions, English support as well as primary school visits and working with the recent visiting students from Japan. Sixth form students also find a quiet area in the library for private study and revision. It is lovely to have such a wide range of activities continually being delivered from the library. I am always happy to hear suggestions from students for new clubs to launch from the library, so please encourage your daughter to share any ideas she may have on things she would like to see running in the library. I am also always keen to encourage students to volunteer in the library. This can be on a regular weekly basis or a more flexible termly basis. To date I have 73 volunteer librarians from year 7-10 who come along to help out across the term. Since

September the total hours the volunteers have given has been a huge 155. This is a fabulous amount and I do value the input and ideas from the students; their commitment to volunteering is highly commendable.

Hemakshi Soni 8H has written a short review of her experience of volunteering in the library.

“I enjoy being a librarian because I get to find out about a lot of new interesting books and I also get to find out about some good authors. I also make friends with other librarians. There are a lot of jobs to do, such as changing displays, shelving, returning and issuing books on the computer. I like to recommend books to other students. Being a librarian is great because I enjoy helping out. If you are not already one, I suggest you become one!”

To enable the interest in the library to flourish I feel it is very important to provide a wide selection of subject supporting books and a range of current popular fiction titles. In order for us to obtain the most useful resources, I have a suggestion box on my desk to enable students to recommend purchases. This can be fiction or non fiction titles. I also work closely with teachers who provide purchase suggestions for library non fiction titles. Over the last six months, I have purchased books from subject areas such as Maths, Economics, History, Art and English. For our fiction selection, recent purchases have been for authors L J Smith, Meg Cabot, Zoe Suggs, Josephine Angelini, Patrick Ness, Liz Pichon, Michael Grant, Liz Kessler, Rainbow Rowell and Rosie Rowell. Do encourage your daughter to visit the library and try a new author, or to recommend a favourite author or title. Also, if any parents would like to suggest a purchase please do not hesitate to contact me. When parents support the book fairs we hold, purchase from the scholastic book club brochures or sponsor a student during the annual Readathon, this generates extra funds to enable us to select additional titles for the library thus increasing the reading opportunities for your daughters/sons. A huge thank you to all who support us in this way.

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Readathon update. Following on from our very successful recent Readathon which

raised over £200.00 for 3 children’s charities and £42.00 in rewards to enable us to purchase books for the library through Scholastic. It was lovely for the two students who raised the most in sponsorship to receive a certificate and book token from the

Readathon team: these were presented by Manda Turnbull, Customer Service Development Librarian for Dartford Libraries and Archive Services and Anna Mead Children’s Librarian for Bexley and Bromley Library Service. The students are Anjolaoluwa Odumuyiwa 7K and Neve Pule 7P. Manda and Anna were visiting the school as part of our careers club sessions talking to students about volunteering opportunities over the summer holidays in libraries in the Kent and London areas supporting the summer reading challenge.

I stuffed it up good and proper The thought at its worst. Is quite appealing, All I’d do is step unwisely

off a pavement, At rush hour, After five days of wrestling with grief. Conscience won….. You had too much faith in me, The spirit was killing Love, death, loss… That’s what my pieces were all about in the end. So afraid of too much emotion I committed the one unforgiveable sin, Disappointing Ambition should be made Not stolen…. Tonight if I feel anything at all, It’s real death You changed my breathing But today I made the music sound dead, lifeless, Whipped along by rain, sleet, misery. The funeral was appalling, So painful to watch

You have to close your eyes on the pain The music in the church was inexcusably bad He would have been sent off with something better, Than a tuneless priest and an inept choir I get no relief from one word HOPE That was all I asked for, Why was he so reluctant, I don’t think he was, It simply didn’t concern me I have no doubt about him! He loathed them all but, Thank you he said, The charm was professional In a nutshell On balance Is blood a traitor One Two Three Four

By Polina Sinderson 8L

POETRY

CORNER

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ISSUE NUMBER 41


My junior librarians recommend: The Wind Singer by William Nicholson Secret Schemes and Daring Dreams by Rosie Rushton Carry on by Rainbow Rowell More than this by Patrick Ness Ask Amy Green by Sarah Webb The Vampire Diaries by L J Smith Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan Blueberry Wishes Kelly McKain Little Stars Jacqueline Wilson Oblivion by Anthony Horowitz

News from your School Library

(continued)

Book Reviews I absolutely love Tom Gates by Liz Pichon because of the doodles and the

stuff in the books. It is really funny and interesting to me. It is very addic-tive. It is about a boy who loves to doodle but is always in some drama! By Alesha Tasnim, 7I

I hope you enjoy this term’s book reviews shared with us by three Year 7 students. One of the reviews is from the Carnegie Shadowing list.

Room by Emma Donohugue This book is definitely one of the best, most interesting books I have ever read.

When you read it, you feel different emotions. I believe that after you’ve read the book, you have a different view on the world. I recommend this book if you want to expand your genres. What I liked most about the book was that it was written from the point of view of a five year old. I give this book five stars. By Vicresa Hyde 7I

Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine An absolutely beautiful and stunning read. This book kept me intrigued from

the start. I would also recommend this book to kids my age. The book is about a girl called Iris who releases stress by setting things on fire.

(Don’t try this at home!) Her mother and stepfather want to steal her father’s painting. Thurston, Iris’ best friend, is on the other side of the world. But most importantly, her father is dying and she barely knew him. The time that he and Iris spend together at hospital is limited. But Ernest isn’t at all what she was expecting.

Iris has a very aggressive character. She is definitely a tomboy and her harsh feelings towards her parents have a big effect on the story. By Lathan Longe 7P

Termly book recommendations I recommend There will be lies by Nick Lake.

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Following on from the visit to DGGS by Bexley and KCC library ‘recruiters’, we want to encourage students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 to volunteer at a local library during the summer holiday, as part of the Summer Reading Challenge . Volunteers need to be aged 15+ by July 2016.

There is an application process. Either ask your local Librarian for an application form or visit www.bexley.gov.uk/libraries for Bexley and www. http://www.kent.gov.uk/libraries Time2Give vacancies for Kent.

Heather Wallis is an inspiring ex DGGS student who is currently studying Dentistry at Sheffield University, having achieved top grades in Chemistry, Biology and Economics for her A Levels.

An earlier Newsletter pictured her and her Alpaca in South America on a fantastic adventure. We know that universities and employers are looking for applicants with outstanding elements in their

Personal Statement who demonstrate they explore beyond the curriculum and are curious and interested in matters away from the classroom.

Heather has been working for Dartford Library during the holidays for almost 6 years now and encourages students to volunteer for the summer holiday reading challenge:

Carnegie Shadowing This year I am excited to have a group of students taking part in shadowing the annual teen literary award which concludes with the announcement of the winner in June.

All secondary schools are invited to take part in shadowing the awards so we are joining forces with Wilmington Boys Grammar and Wilmington Girls Grammar School on the day of the announcement to discuss, debate and vote for our favourite book from the shortlist. We have ten students who have volunteered to take part, reading 8 books in just 10 weeks, writing reviews and discussing their favourites as well as the ones they have not enjoyed. It has been really interesting so far to hear each student’s view on the books they have read. We will update you in the next newsletter on how the voting goes and if we chose the same winner as the professional judges.

The books on the shortlist the students are reading are: One by Sarah Crossan The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge There will be lies by Nick Lake The rest of us just live here by Patrick Ness Five Children on the Western Front by Kate Saunders The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick Lies we tell ourselves by Robin Talley Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine

My personal favourite so far is: There will be Lies by Nick Lake. A fascinating read that grips you from the very first page.

Please do not forget to return any overdue library books to enable other students to enjoy them. We look forward to sharing more news with you next term. Wishing you all a restful half term.

Rose Buckingham Librarian and your library team

Follow Heather Wallis and Volunteer at a Local

Library in the Summer Holiday

Heather says: I initially took part as a volunteer for the summer reading challenge as an add on to my voluntary work as a computer

buddy when undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh award. However, it became so much more than that and part of the reason I stayed on. Helping as part of the summer reading challenge is engaging and varied. Many of those who take part are unsure of what to read and that is where you can help. Do you remember your favourite book as a child? Well, maybe you can pass on that to another and allow them to enjoy it just as much. The staff are both friendly and helpful. There is a real value on teamwork when taking part and it is a great experience. It also looks great if trying to get a part-time job.

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“CAREERS CLUB” NEWS

Sixth Form Student - TOM KNIGHT – PHARMACY Applicant I am currently in my final year at DGGS and intending to study Pharmacy at

university in September. I already suspect that my area of interest will be laboratory based, possibly

research, in preference to retail Pharmacy and dispensing drugs in a chemist shop.

Therefore I made the most of the opportunity that presented itself in school to discuss my ideas with Dr Stephen Hilton, Lecturer at the School of Pharmacy at University College London following his interesting careers talk to the Careers Club in March. Dr Hilton had a coffee with me in the school Library and we talked about Pharmacy and his career to date.

As a result of his visit to DGGS and that conversation, Dr Hilton invited me to visit his laboratory at University College London. In April I went up to London and did exactly that.

Before touring University College London’s School of Pharmacy, Dr Hilton demonstrated the latest UV activated synthetic polymers. This is a new and exciting area of biotechnology that is taking advantage of current 3D printing techniques to create designs that will revolutionise patient care and communication. Possible applications include turning 2D computer simulations into physical 3D models, which will permit Alzheimer’s patients to visually inspect their condition or surgeons to better understand how to approach the removal of a patient’s tumour.

I was shown a prototype device that in the future will be able to simply plug into a smart phone (which is essentially a pocket sized computer) that has the potential to scan blood samples which the phone can then analyse in order to give a diagnosis, without the need to even visit your GP.

As impressive as that is, Dr Hilton is most impressed by a feat of technology that is almost completely overlooked by all of us. The use of the internet has allowed pharmaceutic research to advance at a rate incomparable to any other point in history as researchers have immediate access to enormous drug databases and an instantaneous means of communication to research teams across the globe. All this comes with the imminent opening of The Crick Institute in London, where 1250 scientists will be concentrated and with an annual budget of £100 million, it is set to become the biggest centre for biomedical research in Europe. With UK cancer survival rates doubling in the last 40 years despite an aging population, the suggestion that now is the most exciting and optimistic time to be entering research cannot be understated.

It was a fascinating visit and I know that I was privileged to have been invited to spend time with Dr Hilton in his research laboratory.

The meeting with Dr Hilton in school and that visit have spurred me on even more to achieve the best results possible in the summer examinations and I am now looking forward to embarking on my Pharmacy degree more than ever, as I can see that I have made the right choice for me.

I would urge students to attend the Careers Club monthly careers talk.

https://www.cxk.org/

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucl.ac.uk%2Fmaths%2Ffrank-smith%2Fimages%2Fportico-frontquad&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityonlineinfo.com%2F2015%2F11%2Funiversity-college-london-london-uk.html&docid=U9YvZnShG10STM&tbnid=RB26wRBTM

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“CAREERS CLUB” NEWS

OXFORD UNIVERSITY STUDENT VISIT - Review by Vicresa Hyde 7I

On 23rd March at lunch time in the library, Frankie Buckingham gave some students a talk about Oxford University because the students wanted to know some information about university.

I liked everything about the talk, however, there were things that I really liked and I feel that they really stood out. Frankie did not just stick to the educational aspects of the university, she talked about societies that you can join and events that happened during her time at the university. I enjoyed that because it gave you an idea of the fun, social qualities of the university. Also, I liked that she gave the students tips that were useful for secondary school. Some of those tips were: make a revision table so that you can balance the amount of time that you spend on each subject and choose subjects that you enjoy for GCSEs so that you stay interested in the subjects. A piece of advice that Frankie gave the students was to take Maths for A level because it is included in a lot of topics and comes in handy. These were some very helpful tips. The talk was also really good because you could hear and understand what she was saying. Everything was clear.

Overall, I believe the talk was really informative and helpful on university and secondary school. I feel like I have learnt a lot and have an idea of how to get to where I want to be.

Frankie Buckingham is an ex student who is currently completing her Earth Sciences studies at Oxford University. Whilst at school she demonstrated a hunger for Earth Sciences beyond the confines of her A Level menu. She explored the degree level agenda by attending lectures, listening to podcasts and through wider reading, to be certain that she was embarking on her ideal degree course. Her academic success, achieving 5 A grades in her AS examinations (Mathematics, Physics,

Chemistry, Biology and Geography) at the end of Year 12, set her up perfectly to apply to Oxford University at the beginning of Year 13. Her subsequent A Level success, achieving A* Physics, A* Mathematics and A Chemistry, met her offer and confirmed her well-deserved reputation as an extremely able student whose abilities, combined with a highly-developed interest in the field, ensured that she achieved whilst at school and continues to achieve at a high level on her chosen degree course. The Careers Club is grateful to Frankie for spending time with students at DGGS.

Our next Careers Club talk will include:

Ex student Didi Enonuya will be visiting on Tuesday 7th June at 1.30pm to talk about the opportunities for students taking languages at university.

Ms Carver (Careers) and Mrs Buckingham (Librarian)

https://www.cxk.org/

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Chartwell House On 21st and 22nd April, Chartwell hosted their charity days. Many students within the school got involved

in order to raise money for two very important charities – Shine and Where Rainbows Meet. Over the course of the two days there were many activities that happened within the school such as bake sales, a photo booth and the opportunity to throw wet sponges at the head students! Thank you to anyone that got involved - the total raised was over £530.

House News

Penshurst House For the Penshurst charity days, we voted to raise money for the Cancer Fighting Fund at

DVH. In an assembly we had a guest speaker come in to talk about the work they do and to motivate the house, which certainly worked as we raised around £630 for the cause in just 2 days. Year 7s organised a fun fair with games and treats, Year 8s sold lemonade, Year 9 sold pancakes, Year 10 organised nail painting and glitter tattoos, and Year 11s ran a cake sale. Year 12 created a card to send to the cancer doctors in the Pine and Rosewood wards at DVH to say thank you for all they have done and the whole of Penshurst house plus many others signed it. Overall everyone I spoke to enjoyed raising money for this good cause and we hope DVH cancer patients benefit due to our support.

Ellenor Palmer and Patsy Dodd

Hever House Since assuming the new roles of House Captain and Deputy House Captains, we have had a fantastic start. Our

current charity is the NSPCC, and after weeks of planning collectively as a House, the 5th and 6th May were extremely successful days – so far we have raised just over £700, with more due still to come in. Years 9 and 11 started the fundraising on the 5th May by selling cakes, sweets and biscuits, as well as the popular candyfloss and popcorn sold by the Year 7s. On the 6th May, Year 10 hosted a disco in X6, which proved to be the main charity attraction of the day. Years 8 and 10 sold fizzy drinks, sweets, cakes and ice-pops which were big sellers due to the hot weather we had! A special effort was made by Maisie 8H and Raveena 10H, selling beautiful cupcakes and henna candles: we appreciate your tremendous contribution!

Thank you to everyone who came along and donated money to such a worthy cause. Our next charity, as voted in by Hever, is The Teenage Cancer Trust. We are really looking forward to raising money for this very worthy charity over the course of the next year.

Bryony Cécil, Georgia Kowlyk and Emily Whelan

Knole House As we said goodbye to the brilliant Knole team we welcomed the new with a house assembly. Here the year

groups got together to discuss a couple of questions asked, such as ideas for the new charity they would like to support for the year. The team will then debate these ideas further in a meeting to finalise the decision.

The prefects of the team have also been visiting their year groups once a week to interact with the students with games and social development with the younger years.

The Knole board has been regularly updated with new notices for the students to read, a photo of the Knole team and we asked the house to draw their own blue Disney mascot for the board. Genie has been created by year 7, Dory by Year 8 and Sully by Year 9. Knole has raised over £500 so far this year - well done!

Megan Carter

Ightham House Ightham have been working very hard to raise money for "The Little Princess Trust" which creates wigs

for children who have lost their hair due to treatment for cancer. The house raised just under £400 for this very worthy cause. There is an upcoming competition to decorate a cake in the theme of a princess in order to continue raising money for The Little Princess Trust. Prefects are making a leaflet with details. Prefects are also enjoying getting to know their form groups and are starting to plan some competitions and activities.

Karen Stewart

Leeds House Leeds charity days in March raised money for "Make A Wish Foundation" and we are pleased to have made

nearly £350. There were plenty of cake and sweet sales and students dressed up for charity. Prefects are enjoying contributing to the house and we will be organising a Leeds House competition in June.

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MARCH 2016 RESULTS Genius Cup Results: 17th place

Challenge Cup Grande: 10th Place Over 200 Schools enrolled and over 300 000 students competed

Congratulations to our top 10 DGGS geniuses Aqila Rahman

Sophie Stewart Michaela Hill

Analni Loganathan Isabel Arias Ferrari

Rhea Madaan Rachel Jaisey

Temidayo Oyekan Phoebe Strachan

May Bui

CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO ALL OUR STUDENTS WHO TOOK PART

WE WILL BE ON THE STARTING LINE AGAIN IN SEPTEMBER

FOR THE LEAGUE OF CHAMPIONS 2016! GET PRACTISING AND GET THE APP!

Karine Kleywegt Curriculum Team Leader: Languages

The Vocab Express Challenge was great fun as I got to extend much of my German vocabulary and put my language skills to the test. We translated English phrases into German and vice-versa which therefore gave us points on both the individual category and the school scoreboard position. Each student was able to track their achievements on the scoreboards to see how high they were compared to other students from different schools and students in their own school. There were many different achievements including the Challenge Cup Grande which added up the overall student’s scores in each school which our school did well in.

It was a tough competition but the results were successful as Dartford Grammar School for Girls was positioned tenth in the Challenge Cup Grande, being one of the top ten performing schools on Vocab Express which is a fantastic achievement. I’ve gained some valuable knowledge out of this competition and the school has worked hard to get us where we are. I’m sure many other students enjoyed it as much as I did and I am looking forward to competing again next year. I definitely recommend participating in the Vocab Express Challenge as it’s great fun and beneficial if you’re interested in foreign languages.

Rhea Madaan 7K

Vocab Express Global Challenge 2016

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On Saturday 2nd April, 20 Sixth Formers flew to Moscow, Russia on a History, Geography and Government and Politics trip. On arriving in Moscow we started with a city tour on the coach taking in the different sites and culture we were to experience over the next six days from our local guide Natalia. The next day was to start too early for the Sixth Formers’ liking, but with much to do we were out and ready to visit Moscow’s famous Red Square by 8:45am. Ditching the coach we decided to travel like true Muscovites and experienced the stunning Moscow Metro decorated in remembrance of Russia’s vast and varied history.

Once at Moscow’s Red Square we visited the famous Lenin’s tomb, who was much shorter than we had always imagined and St Basil’s Cathedral for lots of group selfies with a dramatic background. Later we visited the Poklonnaya and Red Army museum both dedicated to the Soviet effort in World War Two where students were able to experience and understand one of the topics they had been studying whilst others were far more interested in the tanks! Finally after a long day on our feet it

was back to the hotel for dinner and a sleep. The Monday began with a visit to Gorki house where Lenin spent his final years. After a tour of the house and grounds, it was back to central Moscow for a tour of the Kremlin Arsenal and Cathedral Square. Here we

Sixth Form Trip to Russia

Outside the Kremlin

Moscow Metro

Red Square

were able to witness some of the stunning jewels, clothing, carriages and weapons of the Tsarist regimes, as well as the luxury designs and interiors of the Orthodox Churches. Next was Arbat Street for

St Basil’s Cathedral

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souvenir shopping and Putin memorabilia galore before heading to the train station for our overnight train to St Petersburg; with a long day behind us, the ‘sleeper train’ was definitely what we needed! Waking up in St Petersburg we were greeted by our new local guide Galina after a good breakfast took us on a tour of the city visiting Piskarovskoye Cemetery, a memorial to the lives lost in the battle of Leningrad; Peter and Paul Fortress, the oldest building in St Petersburg and resting place of the great Romanov Tsars; the Church of our Saviour on the Spilt Blood, a memorial to the assassination of Tsar Alexander II; and Usupov Palace where Rasputin was murdered. After a long day of sightseeing and selfie taking, staff and students were definitely in need of an early night by the time we made it back to the hotel. Wednesday began bright and early with a visit to Catherine’s Palace in Pushkin, home to some of the most expensive palaces in Russia. Followed by an afternoon at the Winter Palace and Hermitage Museums where our

guide Galina took us through some of the world famous collections. After a full day of culture and extraordinary wealth it was back to the coach for one final city tour to take in some of the other attractions such as Finland Station, where Lenin arrived back in St Petersburg prior to the revolution and St Nicholas Church before we went back to the hotel to pack our bags.

Our final day in Russia was given over to some last minute shopping before heading to the airport for our flight home. All in all a truly phenomenal experience was had by all, with some great memories and photos taken along the way. Thank you to all involved.

Sarah Haydon Curriculum Area Leader: PSHE

Teacher: History, Geography and Jonathan Freeman

Curriculum Area Leader : EPQ Leader: Raising Aspirations (Sixth Form) Geography, EPQ, Government & Politics

Catherine Palace

Peter & Paul Fortress

Saviour on Spilt Blood

Winter Palace

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Our Year 8 trip to Port Lympne was a great experience to get close up to these truly beautiful animals and experience their habitat in which they live. Throughout the day we learnt about animal conservation and how they survive in the wild; this was really useful as it was our next upcoming topic in geography. We received a talk from a member of staff who taught us about conservation and the history of the park. We were all given a booklet where we had to take down notes about the animals and notes from the talk, this was really helpful to use in our upcoming topic. We went on a safari ride, where we were able to get good photos of animals and learn more about them, this was a really cool experience. It was a really good day overall and was a worthwhile trip, as it really helps with the next topic in Geography.

Emily Mills and Zoe Burke 8C

Year 8 Port Lympne Visit - March 2016

In the talking session we learned so much about the different species and the red code. We also got to touch a dead lioness’ skull and it was a very interesting experience. We went on a safari and got to view animals in an environment more like their own. Some of the animals did not be-

have as we would have expected in the wild. Overall we enjoyed viewing the ani-mals and having a discussion about whether animals belong in the wild or should be kept in captivity – some of us have rather different views!

Dalia, Azra, Hana, Shan 8K

For a geography trip we went to a wildlife centre. I had a fantastic time, there were so many different animals that included wolves, giraffes, zebras, tigers, meerkats,

elephants and my personal favourite animal: lions. We went on a safari tour and saw various different types of species. We were allowed to take pictures of them as well to add to our school work. We also learned about why animals were becoming endangered and how the wildlife centre was trying to save them. On the way back we saw the beautiful views of the countryside. I think this experience has changed my view about animals even more and I have learned the horrible things that some people have done to them.

Matilda Law 8K

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Our experience of the Port Lympne trip was very enjoyable and educational. We were able to gather information from professionals and received passionate opinions on the animal kingdom. The part we enjoyed most about the trip was the opportunity to observe the animals close up and experiencing an intriguing safari ride.

Laxmi and Daisy W 8K

For our geography trip we went to Port Lympne zoo on Tuesday 15th March. We left on the coaches and it seemed to take hours to get there! Once we arrived, we got into our classes and made our way to the entrance. For about half an hour we were allowed to see the different animals and filled out an information booklet. After that we were required to attend an educational talk about the conservation activities of the wildlife park.

We learned about a few of the endangered mammals at Port Lympne and about what they do there to help the wildlife. The talk ended around half an hour later. We then went on the most exciting part of the day. It was time for the safari ride so we were separated into groups and put into safari trucks. We had a tour of the park while the driver explained what animals we were looking at, as well as giving us some interesting facts about the history of Port Lympne.

Shiksha, Mahirah, Caitlin and Katarina 8K

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On April 11th, our Art and Design Textiles and Fine art students enjoyed a visit from Rebecca Willis, who left us to study at Southampton University Winchester School of Art two years ago. Rebecca spoke to four classes of students, from years 12, 10 and 9, giving them an insight into life at university and talking them through projects that she has been working on. You may remember that whilst at DGGS, Rebecca made a name for herself by creating some wonderful pieces, especially in knit and crochet. She was featured in the national press for designing the pattern for the NHS 'Blood drop' campaign, encouraging blood donation. At university, Rebecca has continued to use her creativity to raise awareness of social issues, making an entire Christmas dinner in crochet to publicise the plight of the homeless. She has also made a stunning

illuminated 'knit bomb' installation from recycled plastics (pictured) to remind us of the impact that we have on our environment.

The students found Rebecca's account of her projects fascinating and were keen to ask lots of questions. As part of their courses, Textiles and Fine Art students are required to study the creative journey of other artists and it is invaluable for them to have opportunities like this. It also highlighted the way that art can be used to communicate a message.

Rebecca was also very happy to answer questions about university life, especially from the older students who will be making choices in the coming year.

During the day, Rebecca made presentations to over 60 students and 4 members of staff. I am sure that they will all join me in saying how much we enjoyed her visit.

Julie Evans-Wild Curriculum Team Leader: Arts and Technology Faculty

Visit by Rebecca Willis

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Japanese Exchange 2016

Maithilii from 9L shares her experience: “I was given a wonderful opportunity to host a Japanese exchange student from

Suzugamine Girls High School. I hosted Miku Kaneshige and we both had a very enjoyable time especially since we both had similar interests. She adapted to our daily routines very quickly and was extremely well-mannered. It was a great experience as I was also able to learn a lot about Japan whilst teaching her about England. Some of the things I learnt from Miku include learning how to make origami cranes, flowers and hearts. I also learnt how to use chopsticks properly, how to write my name in Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji (the three character types in the Japanese writing system) and a few basic Japanese phrases such as ’hello’, ‘how are you?’, ‘my name is…’ etc. Other things we did together include watching Japanese dramas which we both enjoyed very much and Miku also taught me part of a famous Japanese piano piece. The Sayonara party was very fun and allowed us to meet the other exchange students who were all very polite. Miku and I still remain in contact and message each other

from time to time and are good friends.”

This year’s cultural exchange with the Suzugamine High School for Girls from Hiroshima, Japan, has again shown the value of sharing our homes and our school with our friends from a land far away. Strong bonds have formed as our host families discovered our differences are not so great and our girls shared many common goals and aspirations with their visitors.

Sayonara Party on 22nd March: Japanese Students with Host families

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Japanese experience I have had a student from Japan visit twice. My first student was Ayana and my second one was Mai. We

went to quite a lot of different places. One of the places we visited more than once, was Bluewater. When Ayana was staying it was Mothers Day. We went to a restaurant as a family. Ayana and I made a cake for my mum. It was pigs in a mud bath. We wrote “Happy Mothers day” in English and Japanese. It was really tasty. We went on a family trip to Hastings with Mai. It was also a fun day out because we went on rides, played the 2 pence arcade game, ate doughnuts and had fish and chips. Both the students I had beat me on most games when we played Just Dance. I enjoyed the experience a lot and learnt some Japanese. Sayonara - Goodbye

Sophie Stewart, 10C

The partnership between academic staff was also incredibly valuable. The girls will never forget limericks with Mrs Mackenzie, making scones with Mrs Green, studying Maths with Mr Stoneham, or studying European languages with Mrs Kleywegt, as well as Drama and PE lessons. I really appreciate the support that I received from my colleagues.

We are looking forward to repeating this and reinforcing our contact in the future.

Lena Duncan Science Teacher

Japanese Exchange 2016 (continued)

Urvi from 12A shares her experience: “It all started during my tutor time when our class captain handed out some application forms. I was very happy until the end of the day when I figured it was for a Japanese Exchange. A few weeks passed and I began receiving more information about this and finally finalised my application form. On Thursday 10th March, I could not explain the excitement I felt while waiting for the Japanese student I was hosting. The moment we met was a bit awkward since both she and I were quite introverted. When we got home she gave us lots and lots of souvenirs from Japan! From chopsticks to sweets to random Japanese stationery! As the days progressed, I got to know her better even though she only spoke basic English and everyday we took the bus to and from school I (and my aunt) also made her lunch everyday. She was quite a shy person and quite clumsy but she was indeed very kind. We went to church on

Saturdays and I saw that it was very new to her. I asked her how she felt going inside a Christian church and she said it was fun. Spending two weeks with her was incredible and I got to know more about the Japanese culture too since we often had Japanese and English discussions after school. Two days before leaving, they gave us a performance and I thought that was good! We also had games and I was given a Japanese keyring as a prize! On the day she was leaving, we had a picture-taking at my house before leaving for school and after taking the photos together, she suddenly cried! I couldn’t refrain from crying too and we both cried even until we arrived in school. I felt very sad when I got home that day and I will truly never forget this amazing experience of having a glimpse into the Japanese world and will surely treasure the memories I had with her and her friends! I can’t wait to meet her there in Japan!”

Japanese students visit the Mayor of Dartford

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ISSUE NUMBER 41


Swiss Exchange

The Swiss Exchange Trip, in January 2016, was both a nerve wracking and absolutely brilliant experience!

On the 23rd January, I joined eight other students from Dartford Grammar School to attend a Swiss Exchange and Work Experience Programme which lasted for one week. Not only was it such a great opportunity to complete work experience in another country, but it was exciting to meet my Swiss partner – Lejla – and to stay with her family throughout the week.

My work experience placement was in a primary school in Rheinfelden for three days. My partner and I completed the work experience together; we helped the children in their English Lessons, conducted a presentation about ourselves, as well as answering questions from each class over the duration of the three days. This gave me a valuable insight into how English is taught in international countries and how their standard of English is so exceptional from an early age.

The rest of the week was spent on day trips with the whole exchange group. The trips varied from visiting a long-established

brewery in Feldschlösschen at the beginning of the week, to tobogganing in the Andermatt Swiss Alps at the end of the week, at a height of 1665m down a 2km run – which was by far the best day of the trip!

Experiencing the Swiss culture was also wonderful. I was fortunate enough to taste the traditional Swiss dish – ‘Raclette’, with my host family, as well as attending a Cheese Fondue evening with the rest of the exchange group on the Thursday evening after a long evening walk.

Overall, it was one of the best trips I have been on. I’m glad that I chose to go - not only have I learned a lot about another European country, I now have a very good Swiss friend whom I contact on a regular basis even after her return exchange trip to London in March. Additionally, I have made friends with people I wouldn’t have associated with if I hadn’t have signed up for the Swiss Exchange and Work Experience Programme.

I urge anyone who is offered this amazing opportunity to do it!

Bryony Cecil, 12A

Friends, Parents & Teachers

Association

The DGGS Summer Fayre will be held on Sunday 26th June, 12-3pm - please put the date in your diary.

Posters will go up around school and online soon. This year our theme is “Carnival!”

We would welcome donations for the raffle. Items such as make-up, toiletries, gift cards, stationery, small toys, games or sweets/chocolates can be left with Reception. Thank you also to those of you who have offered to have an estate agent’s board attached to your property advertising our fair. This year, we will also be selling Second hand uniform at the fair. If you have any items of uniform that you could donate, please also bring these in.

Please come along to help us raise money for our school and support our students, as they will be running many of the stalls. If you are able to help – even for half an hour, do contact us at [email protected]

As this academic year draws to a close, we’re delighted to announce that we will have a new Chair for the FPTA Committee, who will be supported by 2 new Vice Chairs. Further information will follow at a later date.

mailto:[email protected]

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The KS3 & Year 9 Exhibition

D & T, Food Tech and Art and Design, Wednesday 8th June in X11, 5-7pm

Adults £1, available on the door. Under 16s and DGGS students free ———————————————————————————————————————————

Drama, Dance and Music Present ‘TAKE 3’

Thursday 16th June in X11 at 7pm

Adults £3 Concessions* £1, available on Parentpay, with tickets collected from the Finance Office

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The KS4 and 6th Form Exhibition

Fine Art and Textiles displays by our older students, Wednesday 22nd June in X11, 5-7.00pm

Free Entry. There will be a donation box at the exhibition to fund extra Art & Design equipment

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The Fashion Show

Year 8 to 13 textiles, modelled by all years, Wednesday 6th July in the Main Hall, 7pm

Adults £4 Concessions* £2, available on Parentpay, with tickets collected from the Finance Office

*Concessions include all DGGS students, under 16s from outside DGGS, OAPs

DGGS Arts and Technology Faculty

SUMMER FESTIVAL 2016

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Sports News

DGGS Junior Girls Tennis - 6th May 2016 The following students played in round two of the Kent Tennis Championships on Friday

6th May: Lois Perryman, Precious Duru, Katie Reay and Kiran Narwan. Each student played a singles match then Lois and Precious joined up to be a doubles

pair and so did Katie and Kiran. All four students played incredibly well and Lois lost a very close match 3-6. Lois was very consistent and covered the court very well. Her overall improvement since last year appears very significant. Precious won her singles 6-1 and simply overpowered her opponent. Very well done. At number three Katie unfortunately lost her singles 4-6, but again demonstrated much determination in her rallying. Her forehand was particularly good. Kiran had stepped in at the last minute to this match and illustrated an improved underarm serve and backhand. She won at number four 6-4. This made the overall match 2 each. It all came down to the doubles and was very exciting. Lois and Precious went 1-3 down to start off with, but then managed to pull back with some excellent court coverage by Lois again. Precious was demonstrating her switching ability and they made the match 5 all. Unfortunately TWGGS won the next two games. Katie and Kiran also had a very close tough match, with it swinging one way then the other. They both played some good groundstokes and were consistent. Unfortunately TWGGS won this match 6-4. This made the overall result 4-2 to TWGGS. Despite not winning overall all four students should be very proud of their commitment, determination and match play. Very well done.

Carla Coxall Teacher: PE

2016-2017 School Sports Team Congratulations to Brooke Heywood, Olivia Willard and Nicole Rudrakumar on their

appointment as the 2016-17 School Sports Team. Brooke and Olivia have been appointed as joint Sports Captains and Nicole will be our Deputy

Sports Captain Sarah Bluett

Curriculum Area Leader: Physical Education

Olivia Willard Role: Sports Captain Sporting Hero: Tasmin Greenway (England Netball) Sport(s): Netball, Running Greatest sporting moment: Running with the Olympic Torch in 2012.

Nicole Rudrakumar Role: Deputy Sports Captain Sporting Hero: Joe Root Sport(s): Cricket Greatest sporting moment: I was coached by Lydia Greenway (England Women), Alex Blake (Kent Men) and Geraint Jones (England men 2004-2006) and was told by Geraint Jones that I am an exceptional Batswoman.

Brooke Heywood Role: Sports Captain Sporting Hero: Casey Kopua (New Zealand Netball Player) Sport(s): Trampolining and Netball Greatest sporting moment: Being a ball girl for Surrey Storm Netball Superleague U16 County Netball Division Champions

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Ski Trip - March 2016

During the half term, a group of Year 10, Year 11 and Sixth Form students went on a ski trip to

Bormio, Italy. After an 18 hour journey, we arrived at Bormio exhausted and the early starts every morning meant that when we got back home, it took a couple of days to catch up on sleep.

Some people in the group were pro skiers and others, like me, were less so. However, this didn’t mean that we had any less fun at the piste – the trails varied in difficulty and the mountains were gorgeous. The piste side was 2000 metres high and most of us went up to Bormio 3000 where the views were even more breath-taking. After 2 hours of skiing, we would

be given lunch at the restaurant on the mountain and the ski dog kept us company. We’d then hit the slopes again for 2 more hours and then trek back to the hotel, leaving us

completely worn out. After dinner and the evening activity, we went to bed and the next day, we did the same again. We fell into a routine and when I was back home, it felt so weird to not be skiing.

One of the highlights of the trip was the Dummy of the Day announcements, where 2 people would be awarded with a dummy for acting like a dummy (pretty self-explanatory). Laughing at each other was a huge part of the trip and instead of feeling bad when we did something ridiculous (like skiing into a building, or calling the hotel manager Terry Wogan), we looked forward to seeing if we’d win Dummy of the Day.

The ski trip was one of the best weeks of my life and all too soon, we were on the coach again. The week flew by and I know I’ll be going again – though I don’t miss having pasta every single day.

Sonali Bhide, 10C

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Since the start of term 3, I have been doing food tech in FS1. I am really enjoying food tech so far because it is fun, interesting and I learn a lot!

Firstly, we discussed the hazards and the four c’s. The four c’s are cross-contamination, cleanliness, cooking and chilling.

The next lesson, we did our first practical, dippy divers. We used bridge and claw, and we learnt how to cut chives for this, and we made sure that we used the correct chopping board.

Then, in our second practical, we made pizza toast. I found this more challenging as we had to use a grill and we had to keep making sure we didn’t over cook it. We were told that it was cooked enough when the cheese bubbled.

In between these lessons, we learnt about bacteria and the Eat Well Plate. I know there are 5 key nutrients that each do a different thing: repair your cells (protein), are rich in fibre (carbohydrates), help bones and teeth (dairy), etc.

We have also used a blender, the hob, and a kettle. Out of everything, I enjoyed using the blender the most because I thought it was clever how when it spun the blade it chopped everything and mixed it all together.

I have gained lots of new skills from food tech, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it! I have learnt lots; the best part was when we made pizza toast and got to add lots of herbs and spices ( which I now add to my pizza I buy at home!); it has been a good experience so far, and I hope that others are enjoying it as much as me!

Sophie Dix, 7H

My Time In Food Tech I’m Amy from 7H and this my experience of food tech in my first term. When I first entered the school kitchen, the most I knew was how to help bake rainbow cupcakes

and they weren’t the greatest either. But as I am nearing the end of the term I feel I have definitely enhanced my kitchen abilities.

I have really enjoyed this food tech term and have improved my awareness of timing, my knowledge of kitchen safety, teamwork and reading and following instructions. This was through the series of delicious recipes we worked through in our pairs. These included pizza toast and a healthy spicy carrot soup. Through each lesson we learned new skills and improved the old ones.

With my new found confidence I have independently made some “delightful” desserts including soft centred biscuits. The reactions were positive and no one ended up in hospital!

Amy Coomber, 7H

Over the years the Design and Technology department has entertained our Japanese visitors

by asking them to participate in practical lessons. Last year they made Photo Frames with the support of their host students. This year we wanted to see how they would manage another practical element of the subject and invited them to take part in a Food Technology lesson without their hosts.

We used demonstrations of techniques to support understanding and progress. We were delighted with how engaged and enthusiastic the students were while reading the recipe and method sheet, repeating key terms, ingredients and phrases was great fun. The atmosphere in the room was packed with laughter, enjoyment and the concentration levels were intense as they carefully followed the recipe and combined ingredients. We felt challenged and so did they! They successfully made Fruit Scones to share with their host families.

Yvonne Green Head of Food Technology

Year 7 Food Technology

Food Tech host our

Japanese Visitors


It is with some sadness that I will be leaving DGGS at the end of this term and therefore this will be the last issue of the DGGS Times that I will be producing.

When I joined DGGS 7 years ago, the school did not have a regular newsletter. After a competition for students to name the new newsletter, the first edition of the DGGS Times was printed in October 2009. It has since had a complete design change and it has grown from just a few pages into what has been described by some as a termly magazine!

I hope you have enjoyed reading the variety of articles that have been included in the DGGS Times. I would particularly like to thank all the staff, students and ex-students who have contributed articles over the years, especially when you have presented me with a challenge to try to squeeze them all in at the last minute!

I would also like to wish all DGGS students the very best of luck with their exams and their studies, and best wishes for your future - wherever that may take you!

The DGGS Times will continue to be produced, but if you have any feedback, ideas or suggestions for future newsletters, please email [email protected].

Andrée Wakeman Secretary/Editor of the DGGS Times

And finally ...

The definition of philanthropy is; ‘The practice of giving money and time to help make life better for other people’. This is exactly what the philanthropic team strives and achieves in every single charity event that we organise. We aim to enrich not only the lives of others but the personal development of the students we work with in order to make it possible.

Fundamentally we just want to help other fellow human beings. We hope to give our help by raising money for charities through fun activities. We are delighted to be the new philanthropic team and aim to continue to get students involved and engaged by having a wide range of events and to invite guest speakers in for particular causes.

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

Naa Cato, Sarah Fasure, Georgie Gage and Megan Turtle

Introduction from the Philanthropic Team

...**COMING SOON**...

FPTA SUMMER FAYRE

Sunday 26th June 2016 12-3pm We would welcome donations for the raffle. Items such as make-up, toiletries, gift cards,

stationery, small toys, games or sweets/chocolates can be left with Reception.

issue number 41 may 2016 - dartford grammar school for girls · were magnificent to the orchestra...

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