Friday, 30 November 2018

Year 7 at School

Learning at Winston

I have been visiting Year 7 lessons this week, talking to students about their work.  They are making good progress and enjoying the variety and challenge presented by our teachers.  
 Students in Design and Technology.


Year 7 Music lesson with Mr Drake

Year 7 students investigating the sustainability of our school
Year 7 dissecting chicken wings
Year 7 reflecting on the emotions evoked by Dicken's A Christmas Carol 
Year 7 developing their drawing skills

 Year 7 students in French and German lessons

Year 7 Assembly
Developing Resilience
Mr Penfold delivered a thought provoking assembly on the theme of getting stuck and building resilience to help to overcome challenges.  Students contributed some great ideas to the discussion and came away with a much better understanding that motivation has to come from within each individual.





Thursday, 29 November 2018

Something Different

Japanese Club

Twenty-one students from Years 7-10 took part in a ‘Sushi Masterchef’ competition at Japanese Club on Friday. Students enjoyed placing Sushi rice onto sheets of seaweed before adding raw vegetables and rolling it all up. They then cut their rolls into cross sections to create delicate individual portions. Some students were surprised to find out how much they liked the taste of seaweed. 

Well done to all who took part.
Have you thought of joining Japanese Club?







Visit of Prospect Theatre Company to Winston

We were delighted to welcome the Prospect Theatre Company to Winston, to run a drama workshop with our students.  Many of the company were ex-Winston students and they had planned a series of activities on devising techniques, for the Year 10 Drama classes, aimed at challenging and building confidence.  The College group told Mr Penfold that our students were by far the most receptive and produced a high quality of work compared to other schools they had visited.

Thank you to Mr Penfold and all of the students for making it such a successful afternoon.






Christmas Donations for the Woking Lions

As in previous years we will be collecting for the Woking Lions which will go to local families in Woking. 

Please consider donating:
non-perishable foods (with a Christmas theme)   🍗
Good quality children's toys 🎅
Comfort items for the elderly 🎁
Gifts should not be wrapped, but can be placed in a suitably decorated box.

Please send all donations with your child by w/c 10th December.

We will also be collecting food items for the local food bank after Christmas.

Please help us to support our community.

Wednesday, 28 November 2018

A Great Week at Winston

Shakespeare Schools' Festival
King Lear


I was delighted to attend Winston's performance of King Lear, at the Shakespeare Schools' Festival, held at GLive in Guildford.  Our students met the challenge with both confidence and skill and entertained the audience to a great, if scary, performance.  This festival provides a superb opportunity for young people to explore a challenging text and deliver to a sympathetic, yet demanding audience.

Thank you to Ethan, Eve, Evie, Grace, Alex, Vivek, Beth, Alex, Lucy, Elenor, Josh, Will,  
Yasmin, Amelie, Ella and Alex.  

A huge round of applause for Mrs Remnant, Director. 

 





TeachMeet
2015 Learning Partnership
Our partnership of five secondary schools working together to develop teaching and learning met at Winston to share good practice and network.  The event was run by the staff of Kings International and attended by teachers from Collingwood, BDB, Magna Carta and Winston.  




Governors at Winston
On Monday 26th November eight of our governors managed to take sometime out of their work to visit Winston.  They had the opportunity of taking part in a number of activities, including visits to lessons, talking to Year 7 students, understanding the work of the Learning Support Department, observing tutorials and listening to our trainee teachers.  The Governors were able to provide some feedback but the essential aim of the visits is to develop a deeper understanding of our work to inform strategic decision making in the future.

Governors visiting a History lesson


Friday, 23 November 2018

Music at Winston

Music at Winston

Our Music Department, under the leadership of Director of Music, Mr Drake, are preparing for a number of events leading up to Christmas. The posters are below and we would love to welcome you to any or all of the events.

Music has a special place at Winston, offering the largest number of extra-curricular opportunities of any school in the area.  There are over fifty students studying GCSE Music and thirty following a VCert in Music Technology.  We are expanding our offer and developing our reputation in Surrey, as a vibrant, innovative music department. 

To find out more contact Mr Drake, c.drake@wcsc.org.uk.



Wednesday, 21 November 2018

Our School

National Young Mathematician Award

Mrs French, Head of Maths, is very excited that we have made it through to the regional finals of the National Young Mathematician Award!!

Our Year 8 students will be returning to battle it out, in the regional finals, in a few weeks time and fingers crossed we'll make it through to the finals at Cambridge Uni!!!

Students involved were:

Daniel Watson
Mirsaid Abdullaev
Sarah Darley
Edward Charles

Assembly

Well Being Team: ABC

  • The theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2018 is: ‘Choose Respect’ and Anti-Bullying Week runs from 12th - 16th  November.
  • Students from the Well Being Team took our students through a national survey and talked about the statistics and what it means for an individual.  They reminded students about how to support and respect each other and what to do if they are experiencing or witness bullying.

Year 9 Careers Presentation

We welcomed a theatre company to Winston, on Monday morning, to share with our students the full range of career opportunities available in the National Health Service.  Students learnt that working for the NHS did not mean that you had to be a doctor or a nurse and that not all roles required a degree.  The presentation raised awareness of how important each role is and that there are a number of ways to enter the workplace.  Students were also directed to the 'Step into the NHS' website.




Year 9 Egg Enquiry!

Mrs Vadi's Year 9 Grammar Group have been investigating eggs.  They set up their own investigation, completing much of it for homework.  I had the pleasure of being able to look though all of the projects and the quality of the work is outstanding.  Well done Year 9.





Friday, 16 November 2018

Awards Evening

Celebrating Success

We were delighted to welcome back to Winston the Year 11 leavers, who are now attending 6th Form College or apprenticeships.  This year there was a new format to the evening and this created an atmosphere of celebration and was enjoyed by all.  GCSE certificates were handed out , along with subject awards and Year Leader Awards.  The staff were delighted to see so many of their former students and to watch the Year 6 Induction Film, saved from when the students joined the school!!

The Upper School Choir


We celebrated outcomes in all subject areas and at all levels.  

Our highest achievers included:

James McNamara with nine grade 9/8 and three A*/As
Eddie Day with eight grade 9/8  and three A*/As
Edoardo Stella with ten grade 9/8 and one A*
Lucy Matthews with eight grade 9/8
Sabina Ofori with six grade 9/8 and one A
Rohan Kalia with six grade 8 and one A