Contact InformationNarcot Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Bucks, SL9 8TP

www.chalfonts.org

The Chalfonts Community

Giles ScobleVice Principal

Issue 3 - 9th October 2017Chronicle “Success is an Attitude...”

Tel: 01753 882032Fax: 01753 890716

Email: info@chalfonts.orgTwitter: @CCChalfonts

The new behaviour for learning changes seem so be working well with a

clear system of expectations and consequences. There is a new outdoor

seating area now open for all our students. This has been fully funded by

the CCCA (formerly the PTA) and has been sourced entirely from recycled

materials. The area is beside ‘The Potato Hatch’ servery and significantly

increases the space available to sit outside. See the photo and have a look

at it in person when you are next in the school.

What have we borrowed? Well there is a PTA race night coming up on October 13. I borrowed this idea from

my children’s school and I hope to see a number of you there. I hope you have seen the posters and emails

about this but it is not too late to buy tickets. See you in the Grandstand!

Something Old, Something New,Something Borrowed and Something BlueThis is now my second academic year at Chalfonts and I believe that this year

has started in a positive light. I have noticed a real improvement in uniform in

both KS3 and KS4. Perhaps this is a return to the ‘good old days’ but I would

rather see as it a new direction that we are taking the college in. We have

also just relaunched ‘Student Voice’ as we are keen to listen to what our

students think we need to do to further improve the college.

The first meeting was this week and was well attended by students with Mrs

Court (nee Miss West) and me; to listen to their ideas. I am sure you will be

hearing a lot more about this in the future.

Something Blue is the ‘Jeans for Genes day’. This is the second year we have

run this and we again raised over £1,000 for this UK based charity. I delivered

assemblies to all year groups, focussing on Cystic Fibrosis this year. Thank you

for supporting this by sending your children in jeans and making the donations.

I think we should be really proud of our benevolence in supporting such events.

Thank you for all your support to date and enjoy these beautiful Autumnal days.

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Rotary arrive to help

STEM the gap!!!On Tuesday 3rd October Chalfonts again hosted the South Buckinghamshire Rotary Design

Challenge.

Students from Chalfonts, The Beaconsfield School and Beaconsfield High School worked in teams

of four to ‘Design and Build’ a ‘Pipeline Vehicle’ to a set specification. The students were grouped

in their respective age groups aligned to their key stage; foundation, intermediate and advanced.

The day was very intensive with students having to produce a portfolio of design ideas; then

making the vehicle from card and light modelling materials including an electric motor before

having it tested in a ‘pipeline’ clearing bits of rubble.

The Rotary judges and stewards ensured fair play and scrutinised the finished entries. Some of

the judges were STEM Ambassadors that volunteer to help at a range of events that the college

offers to boost interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. These are the subjects

which lead to careers where the country is very short of qualified staff.

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At the end of the day the Beaconsfield School walked away with a prize in the foundation (KS3),

Beaconsfield High took the intermediate prize (KS4) and Chalfonts’ students claimed the prize in

the advanced section (6th Form). We are still trying to find the teachers entry!

Chalfonts is looking forward to more STEM challenges this year. Do encourage your children to get

involved.

James Giles-STEM Lead

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Fundraising Success!

Former Chalfonts Community College student James Bertrand

was presented with a cheque recently by principal Russell

Denial.

The Learning Support department have been busy fundraising to

help James with his quest to raise funds for life changing surgery

in Australia. By collecting donations, organising cake sales and

sponsored ‘funky footwear’ days an amazing sum of £2597.60

was raised by staff, students and parents.

The College was overwhelmed by the generosity of all those

involved and proud to be able to support a former student with

the challenge ahead.

You can read James’s story at:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jamesber-

trand

Friday 13th October – Race Night from 6.45pm

Weds 18th October – CCC AGM at The Greyhound Inn, 7.30pm

Weds 22nd November – Christmas Fair Extravaganza, 7-9.30pm

Friday 9th March 2018 – Quiz Night from 7pm

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Starter’s orders and they’re off, on Friday 13th October, for what is on track to be odds on favourite.

Budding jockeys can trot to the paddock from 6.45pm.

Race Night is an excellent, equine excuse to saddle up and let fun reign!

With lucky horseshoes to hand, spur each other on and place some bets on exciting real racing footage.

Tickets will not be available furlong at just £12.50, and with all proceeds going to improving the students’

outdoors area, it really is an evening you can't say neigh to!

Tickets available on ParentPay. Children welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.

Children will not be permitted to place bets at the tote.

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The Ice Warrior ComethI was privileged to be visited recently by Jim McNeill, to discuss his next expedition to the Arctic

and how The Chalfonts Community College can be involved with him and his team.

In short, this isn’t any expedition, this is an expedition to the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility - 80

days and 800 miles.

This is the most distant place from land, with fiercely low temperatures, inhabited by hungry

polar bears and hundreds of miles from civilisation. Very scary! It is the last place on earth as yet

unreached by mankind, 270 miles from the geographic North Pole; I learnt from Jim that the North

Pole has four poles, not one!. Jim has his team in place, they are training, and hopefully in

February 2018 they will start the world ‘first’.

I believe this is truly the most important expedition of our time. The expedition will be a future

feature documentary to be shown in cinemas. This is the route…

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Jim has worked on film and TV alongside some of the

greatest natural history filmmakers and is a consultant to

Hollywood. His latest work was on Captain America. His

testimonials come from:

• Lord Robert Winston, FMedSci, FRSA, FRCP, FRCOG,

FRCOG (scientist, politician, writer)

• Sir Chris Bonnington, CVO, CBE, CL (19 expeditions to the

Himalayas, 4 to Mount Everest and the first ascent of the

south face of the Annapurna)

• Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, Polar Medal and many honorary

doctorates

The stories in regards to Sir Ranulph are extraordinary. Jim has been the consultant explorer and

expert on many of Sir Ranulph’s expeditions. A spectacular CV by any account in any profession.

Visit the website https://ice-warrior.com/

What Jim and I would like to do is to involve our learners in this journey developing projects in

the new academic year that we can share with other schools: the story, the history, the myth, the

discovery, the science, the geography and the wonder.

Jim is an enigmatic individual who captured my imagination and how he became to be one of the

world’s leading explorers is a fantastic story.

Jim will be visiting us on Thursday 12th October 2017 at 7pm to speak to parents, staff,

students and the wider community. He will be talking to us about the ‘World First” expedition, his

beginnings and how he became the advisor for some of the world’s great explorers. A truly

fantastic story, humble beginnings to being an advisor to Hollywood. There will be the opportunity

to talk to him in person after the presentation and photo opportunities.

Tickets will be limited for the evening at £10 for adults and £5 concessions and all sales will go

towards the expedition and the wonderful people involved. The Chalfonts Community College will

be a sponsor for Jim and his team and I am sure you will join me in watching the expedition on

the forthcoming BBC documentary.

Tickets can be obtained online via your child’s ParentPay account.

Jim and I look forward to seeing you there.

Russell Denial, Principal

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Quizzy Rascals

Year 9 History trip to

the Imperial War Museum Fifty three Year 9 history students took a coach to the Imperial War Museum in London.

Mr Leybourne produced a student quiz that ensured that the whole of the museum was visited.

On the ground floor the First World War centenary exhibition was a popular stopping off point

with new exhibitions covering the outbreak of war to its final conclusion with the Treaty of

Versailles… with all the gory bits in between. The History department will be doing the Year 9

baseline assessments about the First World War, so this exhibition was particularly relevant.

Other floors visited included a Holocaust exhibition, The Second World War, the Cold War. The top

floor contains a gallery and exhibition of Victoria and George Cross medals with individual

stories of bravery and valour. All the students deserved a medal as they were impeccably behaved

throughout the day and represented the college in the best possible light.

Steve Leybourne, Teacher of History

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Year 9 Visit

to Brunel

University

On 28th September, we took a number of our Year 9 students to see Brunel university; the first of

our university visits this year. The purpose of these visits is to raise aspirations and awareness of

what it would be like to attend university.

The students attended a couple of presentations, giving them information about university life.

The speaker talked about the benefits of taking this route and the differences between studying

in school and studying in university.

A quiz followed and, as the students had been so good at listening to the facts shared with them,

they were amazing at answering the questions! Their hands shot up so quickly and a few of

them won prizes.

A university student then spoke about life at Brunel and shared lots of interesting things about

the accommodation, sports facilities and social life.

Following lunch, we all went on a tour. We were taken to see a lecture theatre, the very large

library, the fantastic sports facilities with an indoor running track, the restaurants and night club

and the student accommodation. We were very lucky to be taken into one of the rooms of the

students who showed us what furniture the university provide and what the students needed to

supply themselves. We were also shown the communal kitchen where the students can make

their own food.

From the feedback received, the tour seems to have been the most valuable part of the day

because it really does give the students an idea of what ‘university life’ is like.

‘The trip has inspired me to go to University’

‘It makes me want to work even harder’

‘Looks like so much fun’

‘Everyone was so welcoming; it is like a small village’

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Year 10 Visit to The Waterperry GardensOn 26th September, we took a group of our Year 10 students to ‘The Waterperry Gardens’ in Oxford. We

were invited to attend an Education Day about possibilities of work experience, further education and

apprenticeships within the varied world of horticulture. There were a number of colleges present, including;

BCA, Abingdon & Witney, Evesham, Malvern Hills and Pershore.

The gardens date back to 1932 when Miss Beatrix Havergal opened her School of Horticulture for ladies.

The large, beautiful country house accommodated the students when the school was open. The eight acre

ornamental gardens include a rose garden, water-lily canal, riverside walk, and one of the finest purely

herbaceous borders in the country. On the tour, it was explained to the students how much planning goes

into producing a border such as this.

There is also an on-site nursery, occupying large areas of the beautiful walled garden, and 5 acres of

commercial orchards, producing the famous Waterperry apple juice each year.

The students met gardening staff, various Colleges offering courses and the two recent apprentices

currently working at Waterperry. They were then taken on a tour of the gardens. They learnt about the

variety of jobs you can do: botanist, tree surgeon, health & safety roles, nursery work and tourism. One of

our students is keen to move into garden design and so this visit was extremely valuable for him.

There is also an onsite museum which is home to Ronnie Barker’s till, used in ‘Open all hours’!

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It was an extremely interesting and inspirational trip. Some comments from the students:

“I have a much better understanding of what horticulture is and the various roles you can do.”

“I have learnt today about properly sowing and trimming plants, and the many different types of trees.”

“I’m so glad I came on this trip; it was really lovely.”

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Sixth Form NewsMartyn Way

Leader for sixth form

Sixth Form Information Evening

Thursday 16th November 2016 6:30 – 8:30 PM

After half term we start a programme of guidance and support to make Year 11 students aware of

all the opportunities available to them post 16.

To initiate the process, I would like to invite Year 11 parents and their son/daughter to our Sixth

Form Information Evening, where you can find out about the range of courses we offer, and about

our excellent track record. As a result of the volume of interest in our Sixth Form in recent years

there will be two presentations in the Hall; one at 6.30pm and one at 7.15pm. After each of the

presentations there will be an opportunity to gather information about all of our post 16 courses

by speaking to the leaders of each subject in the Chikara Sixth Form Centre. A careers consultant

from Connexions will also be in attendance.

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Sammy Takes Home BronzeWe’re very proud that one of our sixth formers,

Sammy Farnfield was picked for the GB team to

travel to the 19th Modern Pentathlon Biathle /

Triathle World championships in Viveiro Spain.

This event was attended by nearly thirty nations

including the likes of Russia and South Africa with

each team bringing in excess of one hundred

athletes.

The U19 Triathle involves successfully shooting 5

targets, swimming 50m in open water and

running 800m, all repeated four times. The top

three places were taken by South Africa, Egypt

and Russia, all girls who are members of their

country’s Olympic teams, in fact the Egyptian

competed in Rio, which demonstrates the

standard of the competition.

Sammy finished 10th in 17 mins 44 seconds, a clear 3 minutes faster than her qualifying time and

was the second of four Brits home. Although initially a bit disappointed, as she felt her shooting

let her down, she brightened up when it was pointed out that she had just finished 10th, not at

school sports day, or at county or regional champs, but in the world! To make life even better, the

top three British girls did sufficiently well to come third in the team competition; you have to feel

sad for the 4th team member whose place did not count towards the team competition. Sammy

received a team bronze medal, which put a huge smile on her face.

The week in Spain competing was an amazing experience and will hopefully act as a great

foundation for the future.

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The Beijing Summer Camp was most certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity and was not only

the highlight of the summer holidays, but also in my lifetime so far.

We were able to visit some amazing places including The Great Wall of China, Tian’Anmen

Square, The Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. As well as visiting famous landmarks and

tourist sites, our group participated in all of the camp’s fun activities in which we met many

people from around the world, who I still talk to daily. On this trip I was also able to experience

the wonderful Chinese culture along with their traditions (even communicating with the citizens

after learning Mandarin), watching Beijing's famous circus and shopping! If I could have the

chance to do it all over again then I certainly would! - Olivia Rattray

I was lucky to go on this trip to China which involved a selected group of students from the UK

representing Great Britain at the 10th Anniversary of the Beijing Summer Camp where seven

countries joined together to learn about the Chinese language and culture.

I went on this trip knowing only one person. I was really blown away at how many friends I made

from seven different countries and China; my roommate was from Bulgaria. The hours at

Chalfonts learning Mandarin, and while we were there, were worth it. The culture is amazing and

the food was incredible. The people were all really nice. The outings to the Great Wall and Tian’

Anmen Square were an unforgettable experience. - Otto Summerell

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The trip was an amazing experience that I'll never forget. We made so many friends from both other

schools in the UK as well as international friends. The activities really helped me to appreciate the culture

more, as well as creating memories that I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else. It was the best kind of

trip anyone could do. - Genevieve Dibble

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We would welcome donations of PE kit that students have grown out of or no longer need. This

includes old trainers and football boots too.

The PE department need as much spare kit as possible. It’s extremely useful for when students

forget to bring theirs in. We can then give them spares to participate.

Please deliver to reception

Chalfonts Community College is working in partnership with School Lettings Solutions to utilise

our facilities during evenings, weekends and school holidays, creating a community network with

clubs and groups within the area.

SLS have a dedicated School Leisure and Sports Manager who is responsible for taking bookings

of the facilities, ensuring that the main focus for school staff is pupil attainment and day-to-day

responsibilities.

Facilities include an astro turf pitch, gymnasium, grass pitches & much more. To hire a facility

or for more information about what SLS can offer, please visit their dedicated lettings website

http://chalfonts.schoolbookings.co.uk/ or contact the School Leisure and Sports Manager

on 0151 515 6556

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Sports Fixures

Date Year Sport Versus Home/Away Staff

ApproxPick up

time

Mon 9th Oct8 Rugby Thorpe House Home HDN 17007 County Football DCGS Home CHA 1700

Weds 11th Oct 7-10 Cross Country Cottesloe School DCY/NBL

Mon 16th Oct 12-13 Football Hazeley Home DCY 1730

Tues 17th Oct10 Football Misbourne Home FCT 1700

8 Football Amersham Away HDN 1730

Weds 18th Oct 9a/10a/10b Netball Chesham Away KTC/CHG 1730

Thurs 19th Oct 7 County Rugby Fest Aylesbury RFY Away CHA 1730

Dates for your Diary11th October - Year 6 Open Evening - 6-9PM

12th October - Year 6 Open Morning - 8:20AM - 13:20PM

12th October - Ice Warrior Jim McNeill Expedition Talk - 7pm

13th to 16th October - Y12/13 Art Trip to Berlin

13th October - PTA Race Night 7:00pm - 9:00pm

13th October - Y8/9 Language Trip to Emirates Stadium

18th October - Y9: Chelsea’s Choice’ (CSE production) - 12pm - 13:20pm

18th October - CCC AGM at The Greyhound Inn, 7.30pm

20th October - End of Half Term 1

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InformationHelp us to help you!

Do your online shopping through The College website and The College will benefit in commission.No registration or sign-up required.

Add this page to your favourites and start shopping today:

http://www.chalfonts.org/onlineshop

MedicationsStudents should not be carrying around medication, only

inhalers and Epipens which may be needed in an emergency.

If pain relief is needed, with parental consent, it should be

taken to the medical room daily where the medical

administrator will administer and record it.

Students with ColdsStudents with colds need to be in school unless they are really ill –

running a high temperature etc.

Please will parents give them medication before school and give them

throat sweets and plenty of tissues to bring with them. Providing consent

has been given, further doses of paracetamol can be given at lunch-time.

Lost PropertyThere is still a lot of ‘lost property’ being generated – please encourage students to look after theirbelongings – especially items of PE kit.

All named lost property is returned to its owner via e-mails to the students’ tutor, so please name anything that is likely to get ’lost’. Un-named lost property is put on the table in the corridor outside the medical room for anyone to claim and is recycled after a couple of weeks as there isn’t any storage space for the quantities of items received.

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Gayle Romney Medical Administrator/First Aider/Lost

Property

01753 881627gayleromney@chalfonts.org

Use of the Medical RoomReminder for students that the medical room is open at break and lunch-time for students to ‘Drop-In’.It is only open during and between lessons for accidents and medical emergencies.

Medical ConditionsIf your son or daughter are diagnosed with any medicalconditions, or are prescribed any medication that they may need during the day, please contact Miss Romney

Medical Time-Out cardsStudents diagnosed with a medical condition, which may necessitate them leaving a lesson, are issued with a Medical Time-Out card so that they can leave the lesson, without having to explain the rea-son to the teacher and with as little disruption as possible to the rest of the class.

Most students issued with these use them very responsibly but last term a small minority abused their use of them.

If your child is issued with an M T-O card, please will you remind them that they need to use it sensibly as they are issued for their benefit. i.e. they don’t need to explain to each teacher why they need to leave the room.

News from the Medical Roomand Lost Property

Students using crutches following an operation or injuryPlease advise Miss Romney if your son or daughter has an operation, or sustains an injury, and needs to use crutches on their return to school, as we need to ensure that they are given anysupport needed to keep them safe. This includes a risk assessment being carried out.

Principal; Russell DenialNarcot Lane, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards

Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8TP01753 882032

info@chalfonts.org