Catching Up

Transformation of the old Library

I am delighted with the development of the old library space into two new teaching rooms for the Maths Department and a large intervention space for small group work in both maths and literacy.
There is still some amendments to make, as you can see from the first image, however, students should be using these rooms from Monday 29th April.

Improving the area outside Discovery Space.

County Football Finals

On Wednesday 24th April the Year 8 & 9 girl’s football team took part in the County Football Finals, after progressing through the District round as District Champions. We played four matches which were 8 minutes long, we drew our first game against Magna Carta finishing 0-0. We then played Hinchley Wood but unfortunately we lost 2-0. Later in the afternoon we played Royal Alexandra and drew 0-0 again. Our final game was against Rodborough School which we won in the last minute with a wonder goal from Phoebe Tickner making it 1-0.

The scores were added up and 2nd and 3rd were separated by goal difference, we eventually ended coming 3^rd in the County! Amazing Achievement!

Written by Emily Veats (8LAL)

GCSE MFL Preparation

Further to the MFL Easter holiday revision workshops, GCSE French and German students booked speaking exam practice sessions during the Inset day with Cyrille and Laura, our Foreign Language Assistants.

It was great to see so many students throughout the day working hard to prepare for their forthcoming speaking exams. - Miss Finney

Netball Trip

Trip to Surrey Sports Park

On Saturday 13^th April, Surrey Storm Netball played London Pulse at Surrey Sports Park. As our local Netball Super League team, and a team the school have watched before, this was a perfect opportunity to continue our support for the team at their home ground! Therefore, the netball teams of Winston were invited to go along and watch. Accompanied by Miss Singleton and Miss Exworth, the girls all met at school and travelled together to the Sports Park, early Saturday evening.

The first quarter started, and it was immediately clear it was going to be a close game. Battles for every ball, and fast passed passing were the difference for every goal! After the end of the first quarter- the announcer invited two of the Winston students up for the ‘Hot Shot’ competition. Matilda Tuthill and Charlotte Cuff took to the court to take three shots- all getting progressively further from the hoop, and a prize on offer for whoever made all 3 shots. Charlotte went first, enjoying the spot light, followed by Tilly. First shot in, second shot in, third shot in- Tilly Tuthill was a prize winner and the crowd at the sports park gave her a big round of applause.

The players came back out and the game continued. Lily Zimmerman and Hannah Scrivener (year 11) watched on taking on board the rapid pass and move demonstrated by the players- no one ever stood still! Charlotte and Erin Gallagher, Emma Felton, Sarah Ransom and Lillie Marsh (year 7) commented on how much the players were calling for the ball and communicating with each other throughout the game. And Elektra Geldenhuys watched on as the GK and GD positions blocked the space under the hoop, preventing attacking play under the net!

All girls enjoyed the game, made all the better as the score line read 56-53 to Storm. It was great to see such a high level of play. And as the first trip of National School Sports week, Miss Singleton, Miss Exworth and the PE department are all the more excited for what it will bring as it draws closer!

Easter at Winston

Revision Classes

Monday 8th April and students are in school and studying.  Some are completing their art work, others are in computing but by far the largest group were in English.  There were three rooms of students packed in, to refine their skills when answering those challenging GCSE questions.

GCSE PE Revision Students were working hard on exemplar questions with Mr Fricker and Mr Weale. GCSE Maths Revision Some of 11WG working with Mr Walker.   There is another session on Thursday 11th April at 10.00am. Easter Revision Sessions - 2019
Department  Qualification (e.g. Vcert, GCSE) Easter week  (1st or 2nd) Day/s Staff Room Art GCSE 1 Mon & FRI LDA/IBA A1/A3 Business Studies GCSE 2 Weds PTO T4 Computer Sci GCSE 1 Mon DFA Rm 27 English GCSE 1 Mon/Tues GCO E9 Maths 11WG GCSE 1 Wed/Thurs OWA 25 French GCSE 1 Thurs JFI & LRR ML1 German GCSE 1 Fri JFI & LAL ML1 Maths GCSE 2 Mon Maths Dept History GCSE 2 Tue (morn) GSM/GRO/LMA 19 Music GCSE 2 Tues/Weds CDE/CLA M1 Music Tech Vcert 2 Weds CDE M1 PE GCSE 1 Weds MFR/ACO/HWE S7 Textiles GCSE 1 Sat (6th) RKI 10

Other Cultures

Buddhist Temple Visit

On Thursday 4^th April, The Wat Phra Dhammakaya London, Buddhist Temple, opened their doors to eleven of Winston’s Year 10 students.

Less than 1 mile up the road, it was a surprise to learn that, for Winston, this is the first time that we have visited this beautiful temple. Nonetheless, when Miss Singleton, Mrs Strachan and the small group of students arrived, the monks and Buddhist teachers couldn’t have been more welcoming.

To start with, the students were invited to take their shoes off and kneel on the prayer mats, where they learnt about the three main teachings of Buddhists- Generosity, Precepts, and Meditation. These are the self-imposed rules that encourage individuals to live a good life, for example by being generous, not harming others, and to take time to look after themselves.

They then learnt about the difference in looking after themselves: To keep a fit and healthy body- you have to be active and move. But to keep a fit mind, you have to take time to be still and calm your thoughts. All linking back to dealing with the stresses of everyday life, school and the pressures of growing up: An important part of which- helped through meditation. The teaching monk, dressed in orange robes then talked the students through meditation. Their hands clasped on their laps, palms open, focusing on the centre of their bodies. Breathing together, all keeping still minds.

The group then had a tour of the temple. A huge old church, with areas for prayer, eating, for their VIP Monks and a ceremony hall. All maintained through donations and support from locals and people from all around the world. Staggering, and awe-inspiring.

Snacks were laid out for the students to enjoy afterwards, served by the monks. The students had a chance to ask questions and interact with them, and thanked them for their time and for welcoming them into the temple.

The group all agreed it was a worthwhile experience, coming away from it feeling calm and armed with techniques to control their stress. Miss Singleton, Mrs Strachan and the Year 10s would like to thank the people of the Wat Phra Dhammakaya London temple for their generosity and time, and we that this is the start of a relationship that will continue to teach the students of Winston valuable life lessons.

End of the Spring Term

Year 7 Celebration Assembly

Congratulations to Year 7 students! I was privileged, this morning, to watch over three hundred students receive awards for their contribution to our school and for individual performance. There was recognition for attendance, as well as for academic success and for making a significant difference to our community.  Some students were also selected to perform; this included some gymnastics as well as music. 

It was a lively event with plenty of audience participation!

Thank you to Mrs Smith and her team for making it an event to remember.

Key Stage 4 Recital Evening

Winston held a Key Stage 4 Recital Evening on Tuesday. We had 27 different solo, duet or trio performances, which makes it our largest recital evening to date and with the Key Stage 3 evening, means over 50 students performed solos across the two evenings.  The standard of the evening was very high and we will now have the difficult task of selecting our finalists for Winston Young Musician of the Year from those who performed.

Further Celebrations!

GIFTED & TALENTED PE

Recently, 15 students involved in our G&T programme took the opportunity to complete an assault course based in the Dorking countryside. The purpose of the trip was to push the students out of their comfort zone. The challenging course also promoted teamwork, planning and resilience in order to complete each obstacle. It was great to see the group supporting and encouraging one another whilst pushing themselves beyond their usual physical capabilities. Despite the cold and muddy conditions everyone had a great time and enjoyed celebrating their successes over the course after completion.

Yr10 SPORTS LEADERSHIP

51 students from Yr10 have signed up and are now part way through their Sports Leaders UK Level 1 Qualification. The qualification aims to encourage and guide students, through the medium of sport, to develop leadership, interpersonal, planning and organisational skills as well as building their confidence. This week 25 of our sports leaders had their first opportunity to participate and lead in a Primary Tag Rugby Festival held at Winston. Students planned and delivered their own activities, organised the use of equipment and acted as team assistants to warm up and guide the Yr4’s through the morning sessions. 3 rounds of fixtures were then organised and distributed to allow the primary students to play mini games. Overall it was a great learning experience for our leaders who will take many positives from the day and look forward to future festivals in the summer term. Below is some of the feedback received from the local primary schools:

“The students who moved round with the groups were great in engaging and getting to know the children.”

“I know the children and adults enjoyed it, they came back buzzing.”

“The fact the weather was miserable and they all still had a great time is a testament to the excellent nature of the event.”

Year 8 Assembly

The Year 8 Celebration Assembly recognised success from across the range of subjects and other school activities.  Students also had the opportunity to thank their Form Tutors for all the support that they have enjoyed this academic year.  The Year 8 students have made an outstanding contribution to our school.