“They Don’t Teach It Like They Used To”

The maths department held their second “They Don’t Teach It Like They Used To” session for parents of year 7 students.  This time they focused on Algebra and looked at dispelling the fear that some parents have towards the topic.  They also used this as an opportunity to show the techniques that are used in lessons so that parents can help with maths homework that is brought home.

 

 

Come along and join the next session.

 

28th February 2014

                                                             Amnesty

Students in this group meet every week to discuss a range of human rights issues based around activity sheets provided by Amnesty International.  Anyone can join the group and all years are represented.  If you are interested in debating some very challenging issues, listening to others and want an opportunity to develop your own opinions, then see Mr Duell about joining this group on Tuesday after school.

                                  

Stranger Danger

 

Please click on the link below for some important information:

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/stranger-alert-after-schoolboy-approached-6754758

All students will be told about this in their tutor time but please could parents reinforce the need not to take risks and ways of staying safe, when going to and from school.

                                               Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

Danielle has been working towards her Bronze Award and has been cooking as part of the scheme.  This regular commitment has been monitored by by Mrs Vadi.  As part of her work Danielle has run a session for some gifted and talented students, teaching them how to make bread based pizzas.

I was able to observe some of the session, which was very well organised and students expressed their delight in being able to take part.

Winston Science Success

Winston students participated in a local Science Challenge today, with great success.  The teams were:

Winston A

Ajanth Sutharsan (Captain)

David Stacey

Sarah Bindschedler

Patricia Medina

 

Winston B

Yusuf Ismail (Captain)

Edward Phillips

Timmy Knox

Rachel Muir

 

Winston A beat Christ College A by a staggering 90-10 and went on to win the Woking region.  The team will now go on to take part in the regional finals at the end of March.

Winston B came in an honourable 4^th.

                              

       Well done to all the participants and thank you to Mr Cumner and Miss Woodyer for organising the teams.

                              

                              

Year 7 Castles

                                                            7WS History Project

I was delighted to be invited to view the castles made by students in Year 7, as part of their work in history.  Students had used an amazing range of materials and worked for many hours to produce some outstanding examples.  As you can see from the photographs below, this was a tremendous piece of work.  Well done 7WS!

Examples made in the form of a cake or with sugar 

                                                                           cubes

Lights and a drawbridge are the features of this castle

As you can see, the students rose to the challenge.

School Day Consultation

The consultation session which was originally planned for Thursday 27th February, has now been moved to Monday 10th March, to enable staff to attend.





The session will run from 4.30pm until 6.00pm, you are welcome to attend at anytime during this period to offer your views and to ask questions.





                There will be no Headteacher Open Door session on Thursday 27th February.

Half Term Activity

                                                 Year 11 English Lessons

On Wednesday I visited the English Department to see some lessons which were supporting students with their preparation for examinations later this year.  I walked into what looked like a sixth form session and was impressed by the attitude of the students and their focus on some challenging material.

                                      

·         On Tuesday, 22 students received a morning tutorial on Of Mice and Men and wrote a fresh CA in the afternoon

·         On Wednesday,  31 students received a morning tutorial for the Spoken Language study and wrote the CA in the afternoon

·         9 students attended one of the two afternoon sessions to complete a fresh creative writing CA

 

Total – 62 students attended (6 of whom came both days!)

 

The students were co-operative and appreciative of the time given up by Miss Southern, Mrs Snowden and Mrs Warburg-Gurel.

Thank you to everyone involved.

                                                             The Weather

The site team have been kept busy this week repairing the damage caused by the weeks of stormy weather, which has ripped off cladding, ridge tiles and branches.  As the water has leaked in this has caused problems with the ceiling tiles, which have had to be replaced.  We are fortunate that the site team has the skills to carry out many of the repairs to keep costs to a minimum, however, as you can imagine in a school of this size and age, maintenance is a costly business.

                                                            Support Winston

Please help the Winston School Association to support the school.  Without the extra financial support provided many of the pieces of equipment and resources provided would not be available.  Help can be given in a number of ways:

> Join the group, we urgently need new members 

> Shop online via the PTA website.  It will cost you nothing but will provide funds for the school.

> Make a donation via the PTA website

I am currently seeking funds to improve our library facility, which I can only do if the PTA has your support, as there is not sufficient funding in our delegated budget.  Please help us to provide better facilities for your child.  

Zoe Johnson-Walker

Headteacher

 

 

14th February 2014

                                             Students as Leaders

Students at Winston enjoyed playing host to learners from our local primary schools this week.  Our Maths Leaders took students through some challenging concepts and in turn enjoyed the role of teacher; perhaps realising that its not as easy as it looks!!

                                      

The Sports Leaders ran workshops on the sport of Badminton.  The visiting students worked had both in terms of developing the skills required as well as having the stamina to maintain the demanding programme.  The Student Leaders were careful to ensure that all participants warmed up and drank plenty of water throughout the afternoon.

In a new addition to our website there is now a link to enable interested  Year 5 or 6 parents to book a tour.  It can be found on the right hand side of the page and the dates are the last Friday in each month until the end of the academic year.

                                                              Raising Money for Charity

Students in Year 10 presented a cheque to the The Shooting Star Childrens' Hospice for £550.  They were shown an inspirational film as to why the funds raised are so important; it looked at all the different elements of the work of the Hospice, bringing tears to the eyes of many.  I am extremely pround that the young people of Winston take the time and make the effort to contribute so positively to the lives of others.

                                      

Students in Year 9 RE lessons have been studying issues related to freedom of speech, as illustrated in a previous blog.  Here are some Year 9 students planning and making their banners ready to protest on the patio!!

                           

We have made a number of appointments this week to complement our experienced staff team:

Mrs Markham joins us on 24th February as Head of History

Mrs Hughes joins the Science Department in September

Ms Finney joins the MFL Department in April

I am aiming to appoint a Deputy Head and a Head of Music in the coming months.

                                                         The School Day

Parents will have the opportunity to discuss the proposals for the new school day on Thursday 27th February from 5.00pm until 7.00pm. A letter has been e mailed home and information is being placed on the website.