District Cross Country

Another year at the District Schools X-Country but no change in the cold and wet conditions for the students competing at Lightwater Country Park. However, with over 40 Winston students and 9 District Schools in attendance the atmosphere was lively and positive.

Although running individually, students competed within their year teams to accumulate the lowest total. This meant there was an element of teamwork and encouragement of others throughout each race. It was great to see the determination shown, sprinting towards the finish line and the astonishment of some faces who excelled past their expectations. Below are some of the best placings Winston achieved:

Year 7 Boys – 3^rd

Year 8 Girls – 5^th

Year 9 Boys – 4^th

Year 10 Girls – 3^rd

Furthermore, there were some great individual performances, which mean 8 of our students (listed below) have been selected to represent North West Surrey at the Surrey Schools X-Country Championships in January!:

Year 7 – Harry R., James B. & Tymur L.

Year 8 – Kiera S

Year 9 - Florence H., Lucy W. & Ryan T.

Year 10 – Ava P.

We look forward to working with many of these students again in the summer term in preparation for the long distance athletics events.

Wellington Inspires

Wellington College offered a chance for a small group of selected Year 8’s to attend a ‘Skills Day’ along with 8 other schools in Surrey. The day comprised of improving confidence in the classroom and changing the approach of students from a fixed to a growth mindset.

The workshops included:

Memory Matters – using creativity and imagination to make learning easier
Be Awesome, Be You – improving confidence through self-reflection
Goal Setting – looking at future aspirations and setting SMART targets

The speakers were very engaging, especially the branded ‘Mr Orange’ who was interesting to listen to throughout and gave the students many thought-provoking activities to get involved with. Hopefully it wasn’t just the fantastic lunch that the students will remember, but also the skills learnt to help them succeed in the classroom.

Bikeability Level 2 Course

A selection of students from Year 7 & 8 had the opportunity to complete a Bikeability Level 2 Course, provided and delivered by Surrey County Council. This follows on from the Bikeability Level 1 Course that some had completed in their Primary Schools. The content of the course included topics such as ‘identifying & responding to hazards’, ‘negotiating junctions’, ‘maintaining suitable riding positions’ and ‘complying with signs and road markings’. As an introduction students began the course in school before the instructors took them out onto the road for most of their training over 4 x 2 hour sessions. Upon finishing the course, our students had improved their confidence riding on the surrounding roads which has made them feel safer on their travels when commuting to school or riding with their friends on the weekends.