Message from the Headteacher, Ms A. Sharma:
I am very proud of our Year 11 and 13 students who have made an excellent start to their mock examinations. These are anxious times for them and thank you for your support at home in ensuring that they remain calm, organised, focussed and come well prepared for their exams. Today, we held a one minute silence to remember our world war veterans who made such huge sacrifices to ensure freedom and peace for future generations.
Sustainability is an important priority within our school development plan. It means that both students and staff at Villiers learn about what it means to live as sustainably as possible through educating ourselves about recycling, reusing and refusing where necessary. We are still maintaining our no single use plastic bottles on site policy and are ensuring that our school environment is as green as possible. There is also a continuing emphasis on lowering food waste and more recycling. This term, students will be learning about the landfill sites and their impact on the environment as well focussing on upcycling. This term, the campaign is #LetsSwap and our Eco representatives will be running stalls for swapping books, toys, stationery and old school uniform items. If you have items in these categories that you think could be used for swapping, then please encourage your child to bring them into school next week, before Friday and hand them in to their Eco reps who will be running the various stalls.
Have a good weekend.
Building mathematical structures
Ninety Year 8 and 9 students have participated in a Maths workshop this week. They used their knowledge of 3D shapes, Mathematical thinking, reasoning skills and problem-solving skills to build Mathematical structures. Using simple materials, the workshops enabled students to create complex structures such as Bridges, Skyscrapers and Shelters. It encouraged students to better understand the interconnection of STEM subjects, inspiring them to explore careers in Engineering, Architecture and Design. The workshop also allowed students to build their confidence by working together in teams, effectively communicating with each other to complete their chosen structure successfully. Here are some comments from the students about their experience:
“We enjoyed using the Maths problem solving skills to work out the best way to build our superstructure – skyscraper”
“The activity allowed me and my group to be creative when designing our bridge and thinking about how to make it sturdy – bridges”
Year 11 – Geography trip
Year 11 Geography students had a great day on the Amersham river trip. They were collecting data to look at how the River Wye’s features, such as width and depth, change downstream. They trialled a variety of data collection methods such as using a hydroprop to measure the velocity. They were able to assess the limitations of their methods confidently. They showed great resilience in undertaking fieldwork as the weather conditions were not always favourable and they did get rather wet in the rain!
Cooking Club
In this week’s Cooking Club students made rock cakes. They demonstrated different skills such as turning an oven on, sieving, measuring, rubbing-in, portioning, tray-lining and sanitising.
Science and STEM
Congratulations to our students Rida 9H and Jathushigah 9V for taking part in their first Saturday STEM masterclass session at Brunel University. On Saturday 5th November, they both toured Brunel University and were introduced to science laboratories and other STEM departments. They helped Brunel student ambassadors to work with specialist equipment such as oscilloscopes where they measured each other’s hearing range – Rida’s being 18.6kHz! We will continue to document their journey over the coming month.
Islamophobia
Students listened with rapt attention to Mr Shah and Ms Qadri who raised awareness of discrimination that Muslims face. They explained to our Year 7 students that, at Villiers High School, students with an Islamic faith and culture thrive. Students learnt that many of the teachers and school staff are practising Muslims. Learning that their teachers overcome discrimination in life due to their faith encouraged students to follow their example and live their life confidently too. Students left with a smile following Ms Qadri’s guidance that even a smile is a charitable act!
Student voice
Year 7 students’ voices have been heard and their suggestions have been taken on board by our Headteacher, Ms Sharma and Head Students, Aanya 13V and Gurkirat 13L. The school will be updating the tennis courts and a competition will be run to design a school mascot. Ms Qadri also explained the important contribution of student voice in a recent assembly.
Netball team
Well done to the Year 7 and 8 Netball team who played against Ealing Fields on Tuesday. They demonstrated excellent teamwork and commitment throughout the game.
School production
We have officially started rehearsals for this year’s production of ‘Arabian Nights’. We are very excited for you to see it! Please be aware that rehearsals run through the majority of the Winter term and do not finish until 5pm. With the dark nights drawing in, please make plans for your child to get home safely whether that involves picking them up or arranging for them to walk home with an older student in the cast. They are working very hard and we would like all of them to continue to attend.
Stretch and Challenge: Jack Petchey
Last week Mr Barber facilitated a public speaking workshop for Year 10 students. The students focused on presenting unique ideas without the aid of a PowerPoint and all students developed the confidence to present independently by the end of the workshop. Ahmed 10E, Julia 10G, Arpan 10I, Vaishnavi 10H, Jamal 10I, and Yahye 10C have gained a place in our school semi-finals, and the winner will receive personalised coaching to compete in the borough Regional Finals.
Parent ambassador
Villiers are very pleased and excited to announce the appointment of former student and Head Boy, Mohammed, as our new Parent Ambassador. As part of a three year project with the John Lyons Charity, Mohammed’s role will be to help bridge the gap between parents and school, as well as aid the integration of parents and families through engagement with Villiers and signpost other services available to both students and parents. He will initially be working closely with students and families from the Somali community by acting as a valuable link in supporting inclusion, well-being and educational outcomes, but will be working with other communities as well to support community cohesion, encouraging increased parental engagement and raising awareness of extended services in the area. Mohammed will be in school on Monday and Tuesday as he is combining his Accounting and Finance degree at the University of West London with his new role. If you would like to meet Mohammed for an informal chat or discussion, or if you have any concerns you would like to raise with him, he will be providing a drop in service between 8:30am to 9:40am every Monday and Tuesday in reception. Please drop by and say ‘hello’.
DEI in science
Please encourage your child to participate in this month’s DEI activity. The deadline is Friday 25th November and posters can be handed in to their science teacher.
Science Club
Science Club students carried out experiments to calculate the energy in cheese puffs, bread and rice cakes. The students followed the health and safety rules, used scientific apparatus, worked in teams, and carried out experiments. Their findings showed that cheese puffs provided the most energy due to their fat content. The science laboratory was beaming with their excitement and enthusiasm as they talked to their peers, and carried out practicals.
Design and Technology competitions
The DT department are running two festive competitions. Please refer to the poster for further details and the deadlines. Please encourage your child to participate.
DT donations
The DT department would appreciate any donations of the items listed on the poster. These can be sent via your child to their DT teacher.
Sustainability at Villiers
Eco Day
Do you want to reduce the waste that goes to landfill? Do you have old books, toys, stationery and uniform items that you no longer want? Would you like to #Swap them for new items?
On Eco Day (18th November), pupils will have the chance to swap books, toys and stationary with other pupils at Swap Shops for our theme #LetsSwap. If students find any of these items they can bring them into school to exchange for tokens to use at the Swap Shops. These items must be in good condition to exchange and must be brought to Ms Farrell or collected by Eco Team representatives. Please donate old school uniform items, which no longer fit your child and can be swapped for a different size. All donations are welcome and can be dropped off to the Admin Office by your child.
Key forthcoming dates
Get in touch
If you have any suggestions on how to improve the school further or any concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch via email: info@villiers.ealing.sch.uk