1 Issue No 27/2015-2016

Thetford Grammar School

The small, friendly school that gets results for individuals.

6th May 2016

Dear Pupils and Parents,

The arrival of the warmer spring weather has

been delightful for us all this week. I do hope

that the higher temperatures provide us all

with even more splashes of vibrant colour in

our already beautiful school gardens. As part

of our involvement in the Breaking New

Ground project, we have recently installed a

Bee and Butterfly Garden, near Fulmerston

Hall, and a Heathland area, on the top sports field. These will be part of the outdoor,

experiential learning opportunities for children across the school phases.

We had two major events that concluded last week’s activities at the school. The first was a

presentation to the Sixth Form by Professor Richard Scase, TGS Patron and former President

of the Old Thetfordian Association, and Mayor Robert Kybird, Chair of the OTA, where they

provided a warm welcome to the OTA’s newest members. The second, in the evening, was

the official launch of David Seymour’s ‘Thetford Grammar School, Fourteen Centuries of

Education’. Almost seventy people attended the event including former and current pupils,

members of staff, notable friends of TGS and prominent members of Thetford and the

county. The audience were fascinated by the informative and detailed presentation about

the school and its long history. My thanks to Mr David Seymour for allowing us further

insight into our school and signing many copies of his book, and to Mr Phil McGahan,

School Bursar, for organising the evening.

The Preparatory School visited the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, earlier this week. By

all accounts the children and staff had a wonderful time exploring and enjoying the exhibits

and artefacts. My appreciation to all the staff who escorted the children and particularly to

Mrs Nicki Peace, Head of Prep School, and Mrs Lucy Perry for coordinating the trip for the

benefit of the children.

I am certain that Year 8 will enjoy their trip to the Houses of Parliament today. I shall wish

them a safe, fun and informative trip to learn more about politics and citizenship, under the

guidance of Mrs Heather Pringle, Head of KS 3, and Mrs Juliet Boyce, Head of Drama.

If you are available, do come along to visit Thetford Grammar School’s stand and say hello

at the South Suffolk Show at Ampton Racecourse on Sunday 8th May. It was particularly nice

to see and speak to so many friends of TGS at the recent East Anglian Game and Country

Fair, held at the Norfolk Showground.

I do wish you and your families a happy and restful weekend.

Mr Mark S. Bedford

Headmaster

2 Issue No 27/2015-2016

MOBILE PHONE & ICT POLICIES

Earlier in the school year we sent out updated mobile phone and ICT policies to parents for

completion. If you have not yet returned the signed forms of agreement on the policies could

you please do so as soon as possible. Forms will be sent out with the half term reports for

those that are still outstanding.

Mrs Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

BOOK LAUNCH

To commemorate the 450th anniversary of the refoundation

of the school under the terms of Sir Richard Fulmerston’s

Will, Thetford Grammar School Patrons, Lady Kay Fisher

and Professor Richard Scase joined the Chairman of

Governors and more than 60 other guests at the official

launch of David Seymour’s new book on the History of

Thetford Grammar School. The Chairman of Breckland

Council together with the Mayor of Thetford, current and

former members of staff and current parents heard David

give a fascinating talk on early 20th century life at Thetford Grammar School in what is

hoped to be the first of an annual series of Richard Fulmerston lectures. At the drinks

reception, David was kept busy signing copies of the book which is now on sale from the

School Office.

Mr Philip McGahan

Bursar

BREAKING NEW GROUND Last Friday Mia Witham from the Breaking New Ground

project was back in school to complete the next phase of our

joint project with Y6 and Y12.

On the previous Wednesday Mia

had cleared the grass from 2 areas

in our school grounds; one over on

the sports field and one near the

DT room where half the

group planted 74 perennial plants

and scattered wildflower seeds to create a bee and butterfly

garden. Over on the field 10 turf strips from Breckland Heath were

planted which will hopefully spread to fill the cleared area over the

next few months. We are all looking forward to seeing how our

seeds will grow over the next year as well as looking forward to

our trip to a heathland in a few weeks’ time.

Mrs Tracy Granger Mrs Philippa Weyers Miss Kim Fitch

Head of Science Y6 Science Teacher Teaching Assistant

3 Issue No 27/2015-2016

PRE-PREP LITERACY

As part of our Pre-Prep literacy scheme, phonic sounds are taught in their purest form. Each

week we focus on a different letter which we refer to as our ‘Sound of the Week’; this week

Pre-Prep are focussing on ‘L’. Pupils have been learning to sound out the letter and are

beginning to write it. Continuing on with our emphasis on ‘L’ Pre-Prep children have been

making their very own ‘Lovely Lollies’. How summery and delicious!

Miss Franchesca Atkins

Teaching Assistant

PRE-PREP PUPILS IN THE SUN!

The sun has got his hat on and so have we! Our little ones

have been learning about the importance of sun cream, hats

and drinking plenty of H2O! On Thursday we had a

beautiful day exploring our outdoor areas safely in the

lovely warm sunshine. To help our active pre-schoolers cool

down after a morning of zooming around outdoors we have

also enjoyed lovely lollies, linking to our sound of the week

– a delicious treat on a warm summers day whilst listening

to the story of ‘How to Hide a Lion’, the story of a lion who

went into town to buy a hat to keep the hot sun off his head.

Please remember to put sun cream on your children before school if it continues to be sunny.

Miss Julie Blakemore

Pre-Prep Class Teacher

4 Issue No 27/2015-2016

EUROPEAN DRAMA TEACHERS’ VISIT

On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, the Drama

department was delighted to welcome two Slovakian

visitors to our school; Lubica Bekeniova, a Drama

advisor and Renata Kopcekova, a Headteacher. Their

visit was part of an EU funded project to learn more

about how Drama is delivered as a discrete subject.

They spent two mornings being spellbound by the

talents of our students! It was a fascinating opportunity

to share experiences and to appreciate differences. Lubica is hoping to introduce Drama as a

subject in its own right in Slovakia where at the moment it is used as a tool for other

curriculum subjects. Renata’s school will be the pilot for it. They both had lots of questions

and we had some stimulating discussions about what a versatile and engaging subject

Drama is – not that I am biased, of course! They rounded off their visit with a shooting

session at the rifle range with Mr Spencer which was something they had definitely not

come across in schools before! Thanks also to Mr Young for providing a brilliant example of

Drama in English at Thetford Grammar – with a little help from Mr William Shakespeare!

Mrs Juliet Boyce

Head of Drama

YEAR 2 – YEAR 6 VISIT TO FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM IN CAMBRIDGE

Feeling inquisitive and intrepid, Years 2 to 6 ventured to

the Fitzwilliam Museum on Tuesday 3rd May in search of

Animals in Art. Our day was split into two halves – one

spent in the Museum galleries and the other in the

Museum studio. Exploring the Fitzwilliam galleries is an

inspiring and fascinating process where works of Art

from all around the world, from ancient civilisations to

modern times, are displayed to intrigue and to educate.

We were lucky to have a museum teacher lead us

through this exciting maze with animated stories of

animals and gods in Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman and

Ancient Egyptian Art.

Pupils were keen to engage and the teacher was

delighted by their thoughtful and eager participation.

Pupils sketched in the galleries and played games of

animal picture consequences to create their own

mythical hybrid animals. This theme of hybrid

animals was developed further in the studio

workshop.

5 Issue No 27/2015-2016

Presented with a wealth of art and collage materials pupils worked in small groups to create

curious and playful mythical

animals inspired by what they

had seen in the galleries. They

have brought these shadow

puppets back to school to

experiment with animating them

and to create some exciting

displays in Prep School.

Some pupils’ thoughts on the day:

“I would like to go back because I would like to see the rest of their collection!”

Hamish Y6

“After lunch, we went on another tour of the galleries. We played a

game called Consequences and went to see the original entrance, before

visiting the gift shop. I bought an Ankh for protection. I loved the trip

as a whole and would love to do it again.”

Cathy Y6

“The most fascinating thing I saw was

the Ancient Egyptian coffins, and how

they were decorated on the outside and

inside, and the eyes of Horus on the side for the dead people

to see through. I would like to go back to the museum to see

all of the fascinating objects again.”

Maia Y6

“At the museum we made a hybrid collage animal. We cut

up our strange and unique shadow puppets. We took other people’s body parts of their

shadow puppets and put them together with one of our own. They turned out to be

beautiful and unique. We also took a look at the Art Gallery. It was amazing.”

Cassidy Y6

“My favourite part was looking round the galleries of paintings

and china pieces because they were all very

finely detailed.” Emily Y6

“We started in Ancient Greece and Rome and

then moved on to the Egyptians. We were able

to see all the mummies and animals that were

sacrificed to the Gods.” Max Y6

6 Issue No 27/2015-2016

“We toured round the museum seeing a wide range of animal hybrids like Griffins, Cyclops,

Centaurs and Satyrs.” Freddie Y6

“We went to an Art room where we talked about hybrids. We selected an animal from some

pictures and drew a big version of one. We decorated our animal with tissue paper or

cellophane then we cut them into three parts and after that we went round and picked

another tail or body or head.”

Ethan Y6

Mrs Lucy Perry

Art Teacher

TOMORROW’S ACHIEVERS

Tomorrow’s Achievers are holding another day of exciting classes here

at Thetford Grammar School on Sunday 26th June from 10.30am –

3.30pm. There are three classes to choose from:

Animal World Learn more about the world of animals, different species and

habitats. Compare animal and human behaviour. Do you agree

with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? And lots of other exciting

and interesting games and quizzes.

Year

Groups

1 -3

Botanical Dissection

& Illustration

Discover how plants flourish by dissecting stems, leaves and

flowers, working with a magnifying glass. Learn about plant life

cycles and then learn how to illustrate your own findings from

dissection. All drawings will be available to be taken home.

Year

Groups

4 - 6

Exciting Egyptians,

Groovy Greeks and

Roving Romans

An amazing day of language discovery and fun. Starting with the

Egyptians, exploring their culture and system of writing; then

moving on to the Greeks to practise recognising and writing

Greek letters; then a Latin taster session honing your English and

literacy skills by identifying and explaining the origins of words

from Latin. Finally you can become a Roman soldier and compete

to become the Soldier Superstar.

Year

Groups

7 - 8

7 Issue No 27/2015-2016

All classes cost £38 and bookings can be made online at www.tomorrowsachievers.org

Please see the information sheet giving more details attached to this newsletter.

Mrs Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

;;;;

THE GREAT BRITISH DOG WALK

On Sunday 22nd May Ickworth Park, Bury St Edmunds, is hosting The

Great British Dog Walk to raise funds for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

For an online entry fee of £10 per adult (children go free) you can choose

to take part in a 3km or 8km walk with your canine companion. Dogs

can be sponsored to help raise extra funds if you choose and there will

be a variety of stalls there on the day including a BBQ.

Pre-registered walkers will receive a limited edition bandana for their dog and there is a free

souvenir for the owners. There will also be the opportunity to meet some trained hearing

dogs and the adorable in-training puppies.

For more information visit www.greatbritishdogwalk.org or contact Rachel Clarke at

rachel.clarke@hearingdogs.org.uk 07769901291.

Mrs Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

NEARLY NEW UNIFORM SHOP OPENING TIMES

We now have a fairly extensive range of uniform in the Nearly New Uniform

shop ranging from Blazers to PE kit being sold for up to half the

recommended selling price. If there is any uniform you need to replace then

come in and have a look. The shop will be open on Monday and Wednesday

afternoons from 3.45pm – 4.15pm manned by volunteers. If you feel you

could spare some time to help in the shop it would be very much appreciated.

Also if you have any unwanted uniform in good condition that you would like to sell on a

50/50 basis then please hand it in to me in the office and I will put it up for sale in the shop.

You can contact me on 01842 752840 or by email scsec@thetgram.norfolk.sch.uk

Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

8 Issue No 27/2015-2016

SAINSBURY’S ACTIVE KIDS VOUCHERS

Just a reminder that if you have any Active Kids vouchers from any Sainsbury’s stores

please bring into the school office or place in the Prep School foyer in the special box

provided. Last year we received some new sports equipment, games and cooking

equipment for the children to use during their break, lunchtimes and cookery lessons. Thank

you for your support in this venture.

Mrs Issy Cracknell

Prep School Secretary

PREP SCHOOL MUSICAL

We hope you all thoroughly enjoyed the Prep School Musical last week. Thank you for your

kind donations - a total of £177.61 was collected over both performances and will go towards

purchasing further equipment for our Prep School Music Department.

Mrs Nicki Peace

Head of Preparatory School

PREP SCHOOL SUMMER CAPS

New pupils who have joined Prep School during this academic year have each been given a

TGS Summer cap to wear at school this week. Please ensure that your child’s cap is clearly

named and brought to school on a regular basis if the weather continues to be hot and

sunny. If a cap is lost a replacement can be purchased from the school office for £5 each.

Mrs Issy Cracknell

Prep School Secretary

CONGRATULATIONS

The following pupils were awarded their Creative Writing certificates in assembly this

morning:

Zoe Kendall Samuel Jones Alana Wilson

Issy Curley Daisy Simons

MATCH RESULTS

Tuesday 3rd May U18 Rounders v Finborough Lost 4 ½ - 16

Wednesday 4th May U13 Rounders v Sacred Heart Won 15 – 11

Thursday 5th May U16 Rounders v Sacred Heart Won 21 - 19

9 Issue No 27/2015-2016

NEXT WEEK’S FIXTURES

Monday 9th May U11 Rounders v Sacred Heart (A) 4pm. Pick up 5.30pm

Tuesday 10th May U14 Rounders v Eccles Hall (H) 2.45pm. Pick up 4.00pm

U15 Rounders v Finborough (A) 2.30pm. Pick up 4.30pm

U15 Cricket v Finborough (H) 2.30pm. Pick up 5.30pm

Thursday 12th May U16 Rounders v Finborough (A) 3.30pm. Pick up 5.30pm

Friday 13th May U11 Rounders v Downham Prep (H) 2.00pm. Pick up 3.45pm

U11 Kwik Cricket v Downham Prep (H) at 2.00pm

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Sunday 8th May South Suffolk Show

Monday 9th May AS French Oral Exams

Tuesday 10th May Mayor Making Ceremony – Vocalease 7pm

Wednesday 11th May ABRSM Exams Old School /F22

Art A Level Photography/Art Exams

A2 French Oral Exams

Thursday 12th May ABRSM Exams Old School /F22

Art A Level Photography/Art Exams

Friday 13th May Art A Level Photography/Art Exams

Saturday 14th May D of E Bronze Qualifying

Sunday 15th May D of E Bronze Qualifying

Monday 16th May GCSE/AS Exams begin

Y12 Study Leave begins

Tuesday 17th May French Exchange Outbound departs

Wednesday 18th May Salters’ Festival of Chemistry trip – 4 pupils Y7/8

Thursday 19th May Prep School Open Morning 9.15am – 10.30am

Friday 20th May Non-Uniform Day

Monday 23rd May Y11 Study Leave begins

LOST PROPERTY

Aria MacFarlane-Kubota Y8 V neck school jumper – named

Tom Hayden Black school trousers - named

ATTACHMENTS

None

FORTHCOMING LETTERS/LETTERS SENT HOME

If you would like a printed copy of this newsletter please contact the office