Carols for Christmas

Wednesday evening saw the start of as 'new tradition' for Winston, Mr Donaldson organised a Carol Service at St John's Church.  It proved to be a warm, friendly and thought provoking experience.
Students provided the music and the readings with such confidence and clarity and the congregation had the opportunity to sing favourite carols.  Refreshments were served to round off the evening.  It was great to see so many staff, students and parents present to share this experience.  Thank you to all those involved.

                                 

A Christmas Party

Year 9 Asdan Group

These Year 9 students entertained staff to a festive Christmas Party on Tuesday.  They welcomed guests at the door and took us to our table.  They then took our orders for tea and coffee and ensured that we had plenty of lovely treats to eat.  The team were very impressive, demonstrating their customer service skills and ensuring that everyone had a great time.

Mrs Linehan & Mrs Arthur at the Party.

Christmas at Winston

The Christmas Tree has been decorated in Winston red and silver and we have experienced the Winter Concert.  So now is the time to collect your tickets for the Carol Service on Wednesday 11th December, at St John's Church, starting at 7.30pm.  I look forward to meeting you at this event.

Christmas lunch will be on Tuesday 17th December, ticket need to be purchased in advance, see the poster below.

6th December 2013

If you have been following my blog you will have realised that every week is different and busy at Winston.  The diverse range of activities enriches the experience for students and staff.  The highlights this week included:

Students making jewellery in an after school club.

This was inspired by the visit from Theo Funnell, an exclusive jewellery designer who ran workshops for our students.  Each week the students make a charm for a bracelet, using a different technique.

 Examples of the charms.

Our Year 11 boys football team achieved success in the ESFA National Cup, winning 4 - 1 against Steyning Grammar School.  Rob Atkin scored one goal and Harry Chuw scored a hat trick. They are now in the last 32 teams in the country, a record outcome for Winston.  We wish them every success in their next game.

The Winter Concert provided an opportunity for students to demonstrate their musical talents in both solo and in groups. I am in awe of the confidence and skill of the young people at Winston and the commitment that they show towards their school.  The Technical Team were essential to the success of the evening and can be seen in the photograph below.

Year 11 students have experienced a Drive Smart presentation.  It is a very hard hitting and thought-provoking session around decision making and consequences.

Drive Smart

Students in Year 9 were challenged by a number of issues in the Be Smart Be Safe Day which took place on Friday in place of the traditional timetable.  The day covered a number of social problems including drugs, alcohol and domestic violence.  The sessions were taken by a number of visiting health professionals and we are very grateful for their support.

PC Craig Matthews working with a group of students.

Winston Winners

This is the amazing Winston staff football team who turned out on Friday evening to play a charity match in aid of Movember, against staff from Woking High.

Their performance was spectacular, if not elegant and most importantly Winston won the match 3 - 1. I trust they will be fit for school on Monday. 

Well done to the team but also a big thank you to all the students who turned up to support, their behaviour was outstanding and I was very proud of them.

Year 6 The Science of Food

It was great to welcome some very talented Year 6 scientists and their parents to a Master Class looking at Food Science.  Students engaged in a number of practical activities and learnt about how substances behave in different conditions.  There was a competitive atmosphere in the lab and that was just the parents.

                                    Thank you all the staff involved in the preparation and     

                                                                   delivery of the evening.

The parents hard at work!

29th November 2013

Wednesday evening proved to be the highlight of the week, as the Creative Arts Department celebrated the range of talent across the school.  Awards were made in Art, Music and Drama and included recognition for technical support, without which none of these events could happen.  Parents, Governors and staff all joined the students to focus on the commitment and creativity of the young people from both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.

The Award Winners

Nominees for Best Actor

Nominees for Best Actress 

The Inset Day focused on Active Learning, introducing a range of strategies to engage young people in their learning to enable them to make good progress.

Progress was also the focus of the Year 10 Parents' Evening.  This is the first one I have experienced and I was very impressed with the conversations that were taking place between staff, students and parents.  Thanks should also go to Our Head boy and Head girl, Harry and Lily, for organising the Senior Prefects and the timing of the evening.

There is a delicious smell around the school recently, as the Year 10 Catering Groups baked their Christmas Cakes.  The rich mixture was carefully prepared and are now awaiting marzipan and icing.