Inspiring Year 8

 Speakers4Schools

On Friday 15 March Sulle spoke to all Year 8 students (in 2 talks in Performance Space). He then did mentoring session with some selected Year 8 students and some Year 10 students.

Lieutenant Colonel Sulle Alhaji (retired) is the Ex-Director of the Army Youth Outreach Team, British Army.  He was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne. He joined the 3^rd Battalion Parachute Regiment in 1978, and had postings in Germany, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, and Belize. He then worked in army training and developing the common military syllabus. 

In 2018, Sulle received the Chief of the General Staff’s commendation for bravery. In 2019, Sulle had to retire from the services due to PTSD primarily from the Falklands war. He now does public speaking - especially to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds who need an authentic speaker so they can connect and aspire to emulate him.

On the 1st April 2020, Sulle had the incredibly rare honour of having a Troop (at the Army Training Regiment Pirbright) named after him for the inspiring work he was doing with disadvantaged youths around the country.

Sulle spoke to the students about his lived experiences of abuse, disadvantage, and racism. He talked about decisions and choices he made, and how the students can avoid conflict and confrontation. He also explained to the students his experience of rising through the ranks and being in areas of conflict over 4 decades. 

Students were given an opportunity to ask questions, and came up at the end of the talk to speak to Sulle and understand more about his experiences.

Miss Nye

Les Galettes des rois

 

Les Galettes des rois 

Eighteen Year 7 French students have taken part in a baking session lead by Mrs Fulton and our French Tutor, Marion, to learn about the history and tradition surrounding La Galette des rois (the Kings’ cake) and its significance in French culture.

Firstly, Marion helped students to practise the key ingredients in French.

Students then learnt how French families celebrate the Festival of the Kings on 6^th January, when French Christians mark Epiphany.

Mrs Fulton explained to the students that a small charm is placed inside the Kings’ cake and whoever gets the slice with the charm in it becomes the king or queen for the day and they have to wear a crown.

Mrs Futon and Marion were impressed at the students’ baking skills and how well they followed the recipe and worked as a team.

Congratulations to Isaac who became the ‘Galette des rois Masterchef Champion 2024’ and who got to wear the crown as a result!

Congratulations also go to Bonna, who was the runner-up, and to all the French students who baked and decorated such impressive Galettes!

Thank you to the Year 10 Prefects and our French and German Tutors for supporting the session and to Mrs Vadi for letting us use the Food room!

Inspiring and Inclusive

 

7WN Science Demonstration by Jessica Martin. 

7WN learnt about diffusion when they joined Barbie for a day at the beach...

Barbie was enjoying the waves when she was involved in a terrifying boating accident which severed her arm, leading to a spill of blood in the water.

Could she be rescued in time before the shark (with its ability to detect blood diffusing through the water from hundreds of metres away in concentrations as low as one part per million) got to her?

Thankfully, teacher Mrs Martin was on hand to rescue Barbie.

Ken was 'doing beach' but was nowhere to be seen.

Panathlon Event

 

Initiatives that promote inclusivity and sportsmanship are important and very much needed in the world of Sport. Winston Churchill School recently hosted a remarkable event that encapsulated these values - the Panathlon challenge for 8 schools in the Surrey District: Winston, Weydon, SJB, Kings College, Freemantles, Aurora Caterham Education Centre, Fernways and The Park, in association with Active Surrey.

A 'Panathlon' is a national charity event which hosts a series of different sporting activities that have been specifically adapted for children with physical disabilities and/or learning difficulties where there is a specified special educational need.

The sports activities were diverse, catering to a range of abilities and interests such as paddle table tennis, bean bag throwing and curling. The event was catered for students from Y7+Y8 and allowed them the opportunity to represent themselves as well as the school. Participants from all schools showcased their skills with enthusiasm, cheered on by peers, teachers and volunteers helping with the event.

The day wouldn’t have gone as well as it did if it wasn’t for our brilliant Year 10 Sport Prefect Team. They were tasked with welcoming each school as they arrived as well as effectively communicating with all children to make them feel confident to try each sporting activity that was on offer. A special shoutout to Aayush who received brilliant feedback from students participating in the event as well as staff from other schools due to his brilliant enthusiasm and communication skills throughout.

Every participant received their very own medal and certificate and the two schools with the highest scores from the event move onto the next round. Winston wishes them the best of luck in the forthcoming rounds.

A special shoutout must also be made for Gabriel Sorgi who had the role of ‘Team Manager’ for our Winston Team. He had to overcome his own fears and he stepped out of his comfort zone to model inspirational behaviour and really made a big difference to the Winston students who were participating in the event, cheering them on when they did well and motivating them during the event.

Well done to everyone who participated in the event. We look forward to running this event again next year!

#LetGirlsPlay Football

On International Womens' Day 

Winston Girls Participated

 On Friday, March 8th, 2024, Winston Churchill School participated in the #LetGirlsPlay Football event on International Women’s Day to support the campaign of championing and giving girls equal access and opportunities in football. The typical KS3 Girls PE lessons were transformed into a vibrant football festival tournament full of celebration, fun, enthusiasm, laughter and enjoyment!

The enthusiasm and engagement among the girls were infectious from the first whistle highlighting football skills, collaboration and teamwork throughout the day. It was a sight to behold, seeing these young girls embrace the spirit of competition while also supporting and encouraging each other every step of the way.

The year 10 Girls Football Team and Leaders for the day played a pivotal role in guiding and inspiring the girls. With their encouragement and organisational skills, they helped the KS3 girls build confidence and unleash their full potential within every game of the tournament and more importantly, they served as positive role models.

They were split into 2 or 3 groups depending on the year group and played each team once in a round robin tournament. The winners of each group played a final with all the girls surrounding the pitch in support and cheering them on from the sideline creating an amazing atmosphere with music blaring out the speakers! The Year 8 and 9W final went to an intense penalty shoot out to decide the winner, whereas Year 7 and 9C group won on a ‘Golden Goal’ Final.

Winners were:

Year 8 = Team 5

Year 7 = Team 15

9W = Yellow Team

9C = Red Team

We also had a top prize for the ‘Star Performer of the Day’, which was decided by nominations from staff and the year 10 leaders on collaboration, teamwork, resilience and engagement which are all part of the Winston Skills and Competencies. The worthy winner was Jess Owen (Year 8) who won 4x Tickets to the Chelsea FC Women’s vs Arsenal FC Women’s WSL match played at Stamford Bridge (Home to Chelsea men) on Friday 15th March – Well done Jess!!

As we reflected on the day's events, it was clear that #LetGirlsPlay had made a lasting impact on everyone involved. Through sports, music, and teamwork, we had celebrated the strength, resilience, and limitless potential of girls across KS3. And as we look to the future, we are committed to continuing the journey towards a more inclusive and equitable world, where every girl can have the opportunity to play, compete, and succeed!

Ms De Bunsen

Year 11 Sporting Success

Year 11 Sports Finals

Mr Martin comments:

As the Year 11 come towards the end of their school sporting commitments, it has

been fantastic to see the boys thriving in both the Basketball and Football District

 Leagues, remaining unbeaten this year.

 

The Basketball team have had good wins against Salesians (45-41), Collingwood (69-18),

 Hoe Valley (51-24) and Woking High (59-45). In particular, the contribution of Olly T., Dom C.

and Charlie M. to Winston Basketball this year and over their time at Winston has been fantastic!

The District Final is to be played at SJB on the last day of Spring Term.

 

The Year 11 Football team have also developed into a fantastic team winning games against

Hoe Valley (2-1), Woking High (1-0), SJB (3-0) along with a draw vs. Chertsey High (2-2).

The group have been disciplined whilst playing some great football resulting in some outstanding goals.

The date for the finals day is yet to be confirmed but will take place after the Easter Holidays.

 

The boys from both squads have been independent and professional in their approach to

school sport and should be commended for their positive attitude and high ability level.

We hope that they can take that one last step this year in their final game to come out on

top as District winners.

 

Achievement outside of the Classroom

Year 8 Boys Basketball District Champions!

Congratulations

 to the Year 8 Boys who have cemented themselves as Year 8 District Basketball Champions! 

In Year 7 & 8, teams attend 3 District tournaments over the Autumn and Spring term in order to pick up points based on their standings before they are accumulated at the end of the last tournament. In the 1^st District Tournament the squad started slowly, finishing 3rd. In the remaining 2 tournaments Mr Curtis encouraged the squad to relax more, enjoy their Basketball and express themselves. As a consequence, despite some close scoring games with Woking High, Winston finished 1^st in both tournaments! The team have done fantastically well, playing some attractive Basketball in the process. 

The Winston B team also performed well, finishing 5^th overall, out of 10 teams, beating some 1^st team squads. 

Wellington College - Outdoor Ed Day

As part of Winston's continued partnership with Wellington College, a group of Yr7's & 8's had the opportunity to take part in their 'Outdoor Education Day' programme.

Upon arrival, the group met their 2 instructors who outlined the purpose of the day. They made it clear that as a group and individually they would get frustrated and annoyed throughout the challenges that were due to be set. No matter how long it would take, it would be up to the group to overcome the problems laid out to them.

To begin, the group were slow to complete tasks due to some approaching the problems selfishly as well as not planning their ideas beforehand. As the day progressed the group slowly realised that individual implementation of methods meant that outcomes were slower and less successful. The group were exposed to tasks that would require physical, mental and social resilience. 

After lunch the group attempted the telephone pole challenge which highlighted teamwork and working outside of their comfort zone. It was pleasing to see the progress the group showed over the day (especially in their final challenge) and the improvements they had made with regards to their group work and communication to effectively plan and strategize their methods. 

The final message before departing was the importance of being a team to maximise success.

Together Everyone Achieves More

Mr Martin