1 Issue No 30/2015-2016

Thetford Grammar School

The small, friendly school that gets results for individuals.

27th May 2016

Dear Pupils and Parents,

It has been another very busy week here at Thetford Grammar School, particularly with the

start to all public examinations for Years 11, 12 and 13. My observation is that our

youngsters are well prepared and positive about their examinations. Good luck with the

continuation after the half-term break. Please be advised that all pupils half-term’s reports

from Pre-Prep to Year 10 will be provided today.

At the start of this week, a select group of parents and friends of TGS thoroughly enjoyed

the AS Level Drama examined performances in Williamson Hall, scripted by Edward Albee,

Dwayne Yancey and Peter Shaffer. I was, once again, thoroughly impressed by the

confidence and skills of all the Year 12 students – Ben, Alfie, Emily and Charles, and one

honorary Sixth Former, Gabby in Year 11, who is equally and highly talented. Well done to

all, particularly to Mrs Juliet Boyce, Head of Drama, on a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

We have particularly enjoyed specialist talks and presentations from two TGS parents, Mrs

Graham, former RAF Major, and Mrs White, Assistant Editor and Marketing Officer, About

Thetford Magazine, who have joined classes in Year 6 and Year 9 to provide information

about The Battle of Britain and Sikhism. On behalf of the teachers and the pupils, thank you

to both parents. Please do let us know if you are available to speak to our children about

your interest, skill or profession.

Red or Blue? Space Seeds update (cf. TGS Newsletter 26, 29th April 2016)

Our Rocket Science project here at TGS has been a great success for pupils from across the

phases and their scientific endeavours. Once all the results from the experiments have been

collected, Tim Peake will reveal which coloured packet contained the space seeds in a very

special video he recorded before he went into space. All pupils will have the opportunity to

watch the video during the week commencing 20th June with the results. In the meantime,

you can watch the video of Tim flipping a coin to decide which was which – but without

revealing the answer. The video can be found on the YouTube page:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUtH-8GIxX4.

TGS 2016 Leavers’ Day will be celebrated today with traditional games, barbeque and events

for both Year 11 and Year 13 classes. I shall wish our pupils every success in their future

lives.

Please do bear in mind that our TGS Summer Fair will take place on Saturday 2nd July. This

will be the final big whole-school event for this academic year. All pupils, parents and

friends are cordially invited. The event will start at 10.30am with the annual cricket match:

TGS vs OTA (top playing fields), then moving to Fulmerston site for music, theatre, games,

2 Issue No 30/2015-2016

special events, food and refreshments until 3.00pm (approx.). Do please come along to

support the school for a fun-filled, positive and (hopefully!) sunny day.

I shall wish you a very happy, healthy and restful half-term holiday. On behalf of all our

TGS staff, I shall look forward to seeing you back to Thetford Grammar School on Monday

6th June for the final few weeks before the end of this academic year.

Mr Mark S. Bedford

Headmaster

OVERVIEW

Duke of Edinburgh Presentation Y2 – Learning About Time

7H ‘Marathon in a Month’ Challenge Prep School Netball Club

Y2/3F – The Gingerbread Man Story Flu Vaccinations Y1-3

PSA Meeting Nearly New Uniform Shop Opening Times

Pre-Prep Friendships Sainsbury’s Active Kids Vouchers

French Exchange 2016 Congratulations

Salters’ Festival of Chemistry Match Results

Year 6 Battle of Britain Next Week’s Fixtures

Non-Uniform Day Lost Property

Y8 Religious Studies Attachments

Y6 Smoothie Making Forthcoming letters/Letters sent home

Year 2 Science – Life Cycles

DUKE OF EDINBURGH PRESENTATION

On Monday 16th May a special 60th Diamond

Anniversary presentation was held in the

gardens of Buckingham Palace. A beautiful day

in a stunning location followed.

Gold Awards were presented to recipients and

Plaques were presented to Direct Licensed

Centres of which Thetford Grammar School is

one. The awards were presented by over 50

celebrities along with their Royal Highnesses

The Duke of Edinburgh and The Earl and

Countess of Wessex also visiting each of the 50

plus groups. Pictured is Mr Simpson our DofE

Manager receiving a plaque from celebrity chef Marcus Wareing.

Mrs Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

3 Issue No 30/2015-2016

7H ‘MARATHON IN A MONTH’ CHALLENGE

When I first suggested to my form, 7H, that we ought to try raising some money for charity,

I did not fully appreciate the scale of the challenge that would lie ahead of us. In my mind I

had pictured a little bake sale or a ‘guess the weight of the Easter Egg’ competition, so you

can imagine my delight when the pupils suggested that we each undertake a Marathon!

Eventually the plan was agreed upon: each form member would aim to cover a total

distance of 26.219 miles worth of exercise within the space of one calendar month and we

would collect sponsorship in support of our efforts to raise as much money as we could for

our chosen charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.

Our challenge began on the 18th

April when I, along with all

members of the form, started to

undertake our period of

exercise. For the next 30 days our

spare time was spent running,

swimming, cycling, walking,

kayaking and rowing towards our

target of a ‘Marathon in a Month’

each and, I am pleased to report

that we were all successful in

achieving our goal.

This challenge not only taught us

the importance of sticking to our targets, even when the weather is bad and the going gets

tough, but it also helped to build our team-working skills and form morale by unifying us

with a common aim.

Our Marathon Challenge was completed on May 18th when we each ran our final 219 metres

together, out on the school field.

So far, we have raised an impressive ‘running’ total (if you will excuse the pun) of £740

which should hopefully grow once gift aid has been added on. I know that there is still

some more money left to be collected, so please do pay up if you have sponsored any of us

in our sporting endeavours.

I would like to thank 7H for their efforts in committing to such a successful charitable

venture and must commend them all for their dedication to the cause. Several members of

the group exceeded their initial targets and William Hartley deserves a special mention since

he covered more than four times his original target distance!

4 Issue No 30/2015-2016

As a form we would like to dedicate our efforts to our loved ones who have had to deal with

Cancer. Our just giving page in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support can be found at

https://www.justgiving/fundraising/7H , so please feel free to add further donations if you

would like to do so.

Miss Karen Humphrey

7H Form Tutor

Y2/3F – THE GINGERBREAD MAN STORY

Over the past few weeks Y2 have been using the story of

'The Gingerbread Man' as a stimulus for their English

grammar and writing. They have written police reports,

interviews, newspaper articles and even their own story

called 'The Chocolate Bar Girl'. The children concluded their

work by reading a recipe to help them cook their very own

gingerbread men - but they had to keep a careful eye on them

to make sure they didn't run away...

Mrs Julie Foreman

Year 2/3 Class Teacher

Gabriel Galveias Connie Foreman Elliot Bedford

5 Issue No 30/2015-2016

PSA MEETING - SUMMER FAIR 2016

The PSA Committee had a productive meeting on Thursday 26th

May discussing the Summer Fair which will be taking place on

Saturday 2nd July from 10.30am starting with the TGS v OTA

cricket match. Once back over on the Fulmerston site, after the cricket match there will be

refreshments available including a BBQ, Pimms, Ice Cream van and Cream Teas. TGS pupils

will be performing in Drama and Music displays and there will be various stalls including

Face Painting, Bottle Tombola and a Raffle. For the more competitive of you there will be

Laser Tag and a Penalty Shoot Out. We would be grateful for any donations of bottles for

the Bottle Tombola, these can be left in the school office.

Please contact the office if you are able to help out on the day – any time you can spare is

much appreciated.

PSA Committee

PRE-PREP FRIENDSHIPS

Friendships, the bonds that

pupils develop with important

peers in their lives, bring

pleasure, comfort, and almost

always important opportunities

to learn and develop in a social

world.

Pupils in Pre-Prep are learning about Raksha Bandhan a Hindu

festival that celebrates how we care for our brothers and sisters. Each pupil made a

friendship bracelet (Rakhi) for their chosen friend to receive in our classroom ceremony.

Bracelets and kind words were exchanged followed by a party to celebrate our friendships.

Pupils thoroughly enjoyed dressing in Saris and dancing with their

friends.

Pupils have shared their thoughts on what makes a good friend and

why our friends are important to us:

Sophie ‘I wish you happiness’ Holly ‘I like you playing with me’ Iris ‘I

love you’

Miss Julie Blakemore

Pre-Prep Class Teacher

6 Issue No 30/2015-2016

FRENCH EXCHANGE 2016

On Tuesday 17th May, Mr Maringue and Miss Dunsmore

accompanied 8 pupils to France to participate

in part 2 of the annual French Exchange

programme with Collège Monod, Compiègne.

Pupils were greeted by their host families in

the early evening and had an evening to settle

in before getting to know each other as a group

during the day trip to Amiens on the

Wednesday. Brynmor Jenkins highlighted this

event as one of the most enjoyable moments of

the week. Pupils were introduced to the prolific writing of the

father of science fiction – Jules Verne – during a tour of his house

in Amiens before exploring the beautiful aesthetic of Amiens

Cathedral. The surviving stained glass work and the Gothic sculptures were, to some,

breath-taking and provoked a number of different responses. The ambition to take a

photograph that included the group, as well as the height of the Cathedral in its frame

proved too much!

A boat ride in the Hortillonages – the Floating

Gardens - gave Alice Christian unprecedented

levels of excitement in learning the pronunciation

of new French vocabulary, including references to

the Hans Christian Andersen classic, ‘The Ugly

Duckling’ or ‘Le vilain petit canard.’

Thursday allowed for pupils and staff to spend

the day in Collège Monod with their exchange

partners, followed by an official welcome by the

Deputy Mayor in Compiègne’s Town Hall. Mr

Maringue was also delighted to be able to deliver

letters written by his Y7 classes to the equivalent aged group in our exchange school – a

prelude of relationships to come. Miss Dunsmore’s

birthday also allowed for her premiere experience

of Café Gourmand – not to be forgotten!

Friday’s activities tested perseverance and

culminated in the Bradley Wiggins Award for

Cycling Perseverance being awarded to Andrew

Forbes. At 30 kilometres in total, it was a tiring but

fantastic day, taking us through the beautiful

Compiègne forest to the vast and striking château

of Pierrefonds – the filming site of the BBC’s

‘Merlin’. In the afternoon, pupils also cycled to the

Armistice Museum containing the carriage used to sign the 1918 armistice.

7 Issue No 30/2015-2016

Finally, the weekend allowed for pupils and

staff to relax with their French hosts and while

some travelled further afield into Paris, others

enjoyed the more local festivities in Compiègne.

While the visit undoubtedly offered cultural and

educative insights into French language, living

and cuisine, the social aspects of the trip

provided an invaluable opportunity for

comradery and personal development. It was not

just a special trip for pupils, but special also, for the

accompanying members of staff. Thank you to

everyone who made this visit a success.

Mr Raphael Maringue

French Exchange Organiser

SALTERS’ FESTIVAL OF CHEMISTRY

On Wednesday 18th May, Mrs Salt, Frank, Seb, Minnie and

I travelled to the UEA for the Salters’ Festival of

Chemistry challenge. The day consisted of two challenges

and a lecture for the

pupils while the

teachers had a slightly

different programme.

The first challenge, the

Salters’ Challenge, was

a crime scene and involved chromatography, test tube

reactions, conclusion

writing and code

breaking. The second challenge, the University Challenge,

tested our recipe making and reproducibility. We had to

make different colours using universal indicator and acids

and alkalis. I enjoyed this because it was more about

experimenting and working together. The final lecture on

Kitchen Chemistry was exciting, entertaining and finally

explosive! Although we didn’t win, it was a fun day out.

Thank you Mrs Salt.

Elizabeth Wright

Y8 Pupil

8 Issue No 30/2015-2016

YEAR 6 BATTLE OF BRITAIN

A big thank you to Squadron Leader Graham for

coming in to school to talk about the Battle of Britain

and the important role of the RAF during WW2. The

pupils really enjoyed the highly informative session

and were able to ask lots of questions.

Here are some of their thoughts:

‘Thank you so much for coming this morning. I learnt lots –

one of the things I learnt was that England had radars that showed when the German planes were

taking off’ by Sophie

“I really enjoyed the History lesson. I found out that you can turn a plane quicker when you don’t

have any legs.” by Ben

“I learnt today that Britain was the first country to have

radar.” by Max

‘I really enjoyed your visit to our classroom. I learnt lots of

facts. The fact I liked the most was that the hurricane planes

were really strong and hard to destroy’ by Owen

‘Thank you for coming to speak to us about World War II.

My favourite fact was about the man with the tin legs’ by

Emily

‘Your talk was really interesting and everyone learnt a lot. I thought it was really interesting when

you told us about ‘Douglas with tin legs!’ by Hamish PS ‘Enjoy the pub!’

Mrs Kathrin Elders

Year 6 History Teacher

NON-UNIFORM DAY

The final total for our non-uniform day last week was a cracking £241.60 for Jesca our

Sponsored Child. Thank you to everyone for their generous donations.

Miss Daniella Dunsmore

Head of Charities

9 Issue No 30/2015-2016

Y8 RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Y8 Religious Studies pupils enjoyed a presentation

on Sikhism delivered by Karen White. Mrs White

was fortunate to receive funding from the British

Council for a research trip to Amritsar and

Chandigarh in Punjab earlier on this year, with a

view to developing an understanding of Sikh links

to Thetford.

The session acted as a useful revision session for

pupils, but also included practical exploration of

Sikh religious artefacts. Mrs White's first-hand

accounts of her experiences were an invaluable

addition to the Y8 work. Thank you!

Miss Daniella Dunsmore

Religious Studies Subject Leader

Y6 SMOOTHIE MAKING

Following on from the lesson last week where the pupils

tasted various smoothies a small group began to plan their

own ideas to make a smoothie.

They cut up their chosen fruit before adding this to the

blender. There were various concoctions from the unusual

tomato and blueberries to the ordinary banana, raspberry and

honey. They all enjoyed this experience, even the tasting of

their own smoothie.

Mrs Renate Dimminger

D.T Teacher

10 Issue No 30/2015-2016

Y2 SCIENCE – LIFE CYCLES

Since the beginning of the Summer Term, children in Y2 have

had fun in Science lessons literally bringing their work on

Life Cycles to life. Having taken delivery of a pot of day-old

caterpillars on the first day of term the children have taken

measurements and charted the growth of their caterpillars,

named Flynn, Fiona, Florence, Fifi and Phoebe (no prizes for

guessing the phoneme of the week!).

They have recorded their observations and have investigated the

metamorphosis stage, watching the caterpillars form chrysalides and

emerge as butterflies some ten days later.

This week saw the culmination of the project

as the children released the butterflies they

had reared into ‘the wild’. It was quite

magical to witness the sheer pleasure and

pride on the children’s faces as they gently

handled the butterflies, examining them at

close quarters and allowing them to feel the wind beneath their wings

before sending them off to begin a new generation.

Mrs Philippa Weyers

Class Teacher

Y2 – LEARNING ABOUT TIME

Y2 have been learning how to tell the time, on both analogue and digital clocks. They have

been using clocks with moveable hands to learn about 'o’clock' , 1/2 past, 1/4 past and 1/4 to

the hour. They have especially enjoyed completing the time games on our interactive board."

Mrs Julie Foreman

Class Teacher

11 Issue No 30/2015-2016

PREP SCHOOL NETBALL CLUB

Since January 2015, Holly

Simpson and Suzie Hayden

(Y13) have organised and run

a weekly netball club for Prep

School pupils. As they now

move towards sitting their

exams the Prep pupils

organised a thank you gift

and cards to show both Holly

and Suzie how much they

have appreciated their

dedication to teaching them

each week.

A huge thank you from Mrs Peace and Prep School and we wish Holly and Suzie every

success in the future!

Mrs Nicki Peace

Head of Preparatory School

FLU VACCINATIONS Y1-3

In 2015/2016 the influenza vaccination was offered to children in school Y1 and Y2 in

Primary Schools in England. This year the vaccine will be offered to Y1 and Y2 and will be

extended to include children in Y3. Consent forms will be sent out at the beginning of the

Autumn term.

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.

12 Issue No 30/2015-2016

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

Mrs Cathie Reynolds

School Secretary

SAINSBURY’S ACTIVE KIDS VOUCHERS

Sainsbury’s have now stopped giving out the vouchers but we are still able to accept them in

the office until the end of term so please continue to send them in if you have any.

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

CONGRATULATIONS

PREFECT TEAM

Congratulations to the following Y12 students on their Senior Prefect appointments for the

Autumn term.

Head Boy William Honeywood

Head Girl Megan Curley

Deputy Head Boy Patrick Taylor

Deputy Head Girl Clemency Wood

Heads of House

Reeds

Millingtons

Chronsheys

Coles

Ben Doyle, Rebecca Grimmond

Rachel Brown, Alfie Bloomfield

Evie Hindle, Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay

Esmé Holt, William Bower

Academic Support Lead Mentor Lewis Bucke

Charity Lead Rep Edward Taylor-Grant

Creative Arts Lead Mentor Rachel Brown

Duke of Edinburgh Lead Mentor William Bower

Head of Sport Charlie Stephens

Languages Lead Mentor Evie Hindle

Performing Arts Lead Mentors Charles Mead, Emily Scott

13 Issue No 30/2015-2016

Prep School Mentors Rebecca Grimmond, Esmé Holt

President of Cloisters Gus Altuccini

Public Relations & Marketing Harry Mayall

Science & Maths Lead Mentor Kirishoban Sanjeevvijay

Senior School Mentors Ben Doyle, Lewis Bucke

Student Voice Alfie Bloomfield

Technology Lead Mentor Nathan Smith

Congratulations to the following pupils who received certificates from Mrs Peace in Monday

morning’s Preparatory School assembly.

LAMDA certificates and badges were awarded to the following pupils:

Isobel Tod Level 3 Certificate in Performance Acting Grade 6 Duo – Bronze

Sophie Rose-Land Level 3 Certificate in Performance Acting Grade 6 Duo – Bronze

Pippa Buckley Level 3 Certificate in Performance Acting Grade 6 Duo – Bronze

Evie Pettingale Level 3 Certificate in Performance Acting Grade 6 Duo – Bronze

Phineas Humphris Level 3 Certificate in Performance Acting Grade 8 Solo - Gold

Also, well done to the pupils who received endeavours certificates from Mr Bedford during

today’s whole school assembly.

Congratulations also to the following Senior pupils who received Commendations in

assembly this morning:

Sam Jones, Zoe Kendall, Miranda Patalidis-Thomas, Charlie Trowell, Evangeline

Bedford, Franzi Elders, William Graham, Ben Jacob-Haigh, Maddy Trussell, Tom

Buckley, Seb Floyd, Sophie Jacklin, Minnie Molyneux, Frank Summers, Oliver Peace, Kai

Rourke, Elizabeth Shelton, Kate Shelton, Grace Tod, Elizabeth Wright, Kareena

Dayanand, Eleanor Pringle, Ben Trowell, Alana Wilson, James Blackman, Issy Curley,

Sophie Gornall, James Robertson, Megan Sidery, Daisy Simons, Cameron Anderson,

Hannah Clark, Brynmor Jenkins, Georgia Reardon, Emily Tomkins, Toby Culling,

Max Hanspal Connie Foreman Albert Ballard

Fearn Bourne Jiya Changela Eleanor Culling

Oscar Foreman Alexis Goodwin Arlo Greenwood

Oscar Harris Jack Hendrie Nathan Murfitt

Sarah Henry Elmer Thomas Lyes

Ben Mason Sam Sidery Thomas Hayden

George Bullen Iris O’Reilly Flynn Clinton

Connie Foreman Kit Beaven Owen Wortley

Cathy Maia Foreman Hamish Russell

Eleanor Culling Alexis Goodwin Henry Elmer

14 Issue No 30/2015-2016

Eleanor Dickens, Max Elders, Kudzi Garikayi, Chloe Garrett, James Gornall, Clarissa

Katsikides, Tomàs Morgan, Angus Russell, Chloë Sorrell

The Reading Passport scheme has been running since Christmas in the English Department;

pupils read a selection of 4/5 books which they then have to write a review on and the

following pupils were awarded their Reading Passport in assembly this morning:

Seb Floyd Christian Eade Minnie Molyneux Frank Summers

MATCH RESULTS

Wednesday 25th May U12 Rounders v Finborough Won 7 ½ - 5

U13 Rounders v Finborough Lost 14 - 24

NEXT WEEK’S FIXTURES

Wednesday 8th June U13 Cricket v Glebe House (A) 1.00pm. Pick up 5.00pm

Friday 10th June U11 Cricket v Glebe (H) 1.00pm. Pick up 5.00pm

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

LOST PROPERTY

Aria MacFarlane-Kubota Y8 V neck school jumper – named

Sam White DT book is missing

ATTACHMENTS

None

Monday 6th June Back to school

A2 Public Examinations start

Y13 Study Leave starts

Tuesday 7th June Art/DT Exhibition

Y6 visit to Duxford

Y10 Music Controlled Assessment

Wednesday 8th June Art/DT Exhibition WH

Thursday 9th June Art/DT Exhibition WH

Teddy Bears’ Picnic Pre-Preparatory 10:15am – 12:00pm

Sunday 12th June Euston Show

15 Issue No 30/2015-2016

FORTHCOMING LETTERS/LETTERS SENT HOME

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

Y4 - 6 Area Athletics Event at Brookes Cambridge School on 14th June

Y2 Cookery

EYFS –Y2 Gressenhall Farm Visit on 22nd June

EYFS – 10 Half term reports – with pupils