Message from the Headteacher, Ms A. Sharma:
Thank you for your understanding and support, particularly on Wednesday 1st February, when some of the year groups had to stay at home due to the national teachers strike. I was very pleased with the Year 11 and 13 students, who attended as normal on this day and were excellent in terms of their positive approach and concentration in lessons.
From next week, we will be celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month and all staff and students will be learning and participating in a full spectrum of activities to appreciate and celebrate diversity. We can all learn from our past and stand together in recognition of equality for all. LGBTQ+ History Month is a celebration, and an opportunity to be our authentic selves. We need to be mindful that when our identities are not accepted, we can be subject to discrimination as well as mental, emotional and physical stress and abuse, which is never acceptable.
“It takes no compromise to give people their rights… it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression” – Harvey Milk.
Have a good weekend.
Cooking Club
In this week’s cooking club, students made leek and potato soup and demonstrated cooking skills such as, cutting; chopping; using the hand blender and seasoning.
Teenage booster vaccination
Year 9 teenage booster vaccinations took place on Friday 20th January 2023. For those students who missed their vaccination, please call the NHS for more information about catch-up sessions on 01895 485740.
Please also call the same number to schedule flu vaccination appointments for Year 7, 8 and 9 students.
Mathematical Royal Institution
A huge congratulations to Dev 9L and Sendhoran 9L for successfully completing their Saturday mathematics masterclass at the Royal Institution. They attended a series of workshops, which were led by mathematics enthusiasts from the industry to enrich students knowledge. The masterclasses aimed to inspire young people to develop a sense of enjoyment in the subject, offering in-depth investigations of topics beyond the normal curriculum. The class aimed to include and challenge all students from those who are already well-motivated and curious about mathematics to those who have just begun their journey.
Mi Personalidad
Year 9 and 10 students had front row seats at the Spanish play they watched last week, entitled ‘Mi Personalidad’ – My Personality. The play was a highly interactive comedy, entirely in Spanish, about a boy’s first days at university. He changes his whole character several times to hilarious effect, including his clothes & his hair, before realising that it is best to just be yourself. Several of our students got to interact with the actors. In the photo Ayaan 9E is answering questions in Spanish. Dilan 9H and Thanuchijan 9R also got involved with the play.
DEI in science
Please read the attached for more information regarding the science DEI competition.
Mental Health Bookmark Competition
Villiers are officially taking part in Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/ Please click here to see our school flag on the national map.
Families with children entitled to FSM
Parents/ Carers who are not currently registered as eligible for free school meals, can apply on the FSM portal if you think you might be eligible. Please click here for further information.
If your child is eligible for free school meals, Ealing Council will be providing additional financial support during the February half term holiday. You will shortly receive a supermarket voucher to support you to meet food and other essential costs over the school holiday. Please click here for further information.
Ealing food bank
Ealing food bank welcomes donations to provide help to people in crisis. Please click here for more information regarding drop off locations.
Your Life, You Choose
Year 7 enjoyed an informative day led by Your Life, You Choose, one of our school’s long-term partners. They enjoyed many sessions facilitated by the Police, London Ambulance Service, and the Daniel Spargo Mabbs Foundation. They also had some in house sessions led by Villiers Staff on topics such as healthy eating, careers and entrepreneurship, healthy friendships, and teamwork.
Students spoke highly of the sessions and felt that they prepared them to make positive choices at school and in the community. The external agencies present were full of praise for their respectful attitude and thoughtful contributions to discussions. We are very proud of the mature way our Year 7 students engaged with the sessions and represented the year group.
Drama Production – Props List
The drama department require some props for our school production of Arabian Nights. We would greatly appreciate if you have anything on props list that you are happy to let us borrow.
Creative Writing English Competition
Please read the attached for further information regarding the English department’s new competition.
DT Competition
Please see the attached for further information regarding the DT competition.
Parent Ambassador
Please read the attached parent ambassador advert and job description for a Konkani speaker.
School Production
Rehearsals for this year’s production of ‘Arabian Nights’ are ongoing and we are very excited for you to see it! Please be aware that rehearsals run through 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. Students are working very hard and we would like all of them to continue attending.
Tickets are live on ParentPay, priced at £5 for adults and £2.50 for students – www.parentpay.com
Message to Parents of Year 11 – 13 Students
Students sitting any exams this summer need to be available for the full exam period. They cannot book holidays until Thursday 29th June 2023 onwards.
They will not know their summer exam timetable until later this year, as some exams are still being moved due to clashes. However, regardless of when their last exam is, they must be available up until Wednesday 28th June 2023, as this is the contingency day, alongside two contingency afternoons on Thursday 8th and Thursday 15th June 2023.
Contingency dates are added in case there is a national or local emergency and an exam has to be moved and students must be available for this.
Sustainability Updates
Year 9- sustainability trip
Year 9 pupils attended the London Schools’ Climate Kick-Start event at the historic Chelsea Football grounds. Pupils took part in a careers workshop, where they discussed sustainable architecture and city planning. They also met a variety of industry experts in a speed networking session, where they could ask questions about careers in sustainability.
Eco Day
The Eco Team are pleased to announce that our next eco day will take place on Friday 10th March, and the theme will be ‘Travel Green, Travel Healthy’! This term we will focus on making our travel habits more sustainable, as this benefits our physical and mental health. Ask yourself:
- Can I cycle or walk to school?
- If I drive, can I car share or ‘drop a stop’?
- How can I make the area around school safer and less polluted?
Swap shops will be making a return, so please bring in any books, games or stationery that you would like to donate or swap.
Keep an eye out for events related to Travel Green, Travel Healthy!
Let’s Go Southall
Let’s Go Southall is a group of community organisations, charities and volunteers working together to help get Southall more physically active. They recently came into assemblies to discuss with pupils how to get involved, and how staff, pupils and families can get their hands on a free bike!
They provide a variety of free activities to get involved in – please see this link for a full timetable: https://letsgosouthall.org.uk/get-active/events/. They are keen for pupils and parents input. Please share your views in their travel consultation at this link: https://www.givemyview.com/southallactivetravel/surveys
Road Safety Week
Villiers’ STARS team met recently to plan a road safety week. We discussed who is at risk when crossing roads, how to calculate the stopping distance of cars, and how to stay safe on the road. They put this into practice with a road safety obstacle course! The STARS team also informed all year groups about road safety in an assembly presentation.
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