“Ready, Steady, Action!” Block
On Thursday the 13th October, Mrs Giles’ block group visited the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield with ten students.
“The Film School was fascinating because it introduced us to new concepts and creative techniques. We had a guided tour which was lovely because the tour guides were incredibly friendly, and they showed us everything which the school has to offer. I particularly enjoyed the film sets as well as the detail used in model making for the animations. We were delighted to be able to watch the students work in the cinema. It was a brilliant trip!”
Written by Alice M, Year 11
Year 8 – Forest School
8Y had a brilliant lesson planting up and repurposing some old bath tubs which would have otherwise gone to waste.
They had to collect stones for the bottom of the bath before they could start planting.
They planted one with herbs and one with fruit and have taken on the responsibility of regularly watering them.
Year 9 Avon Tyrrell New Forest 2022
Our trip to Avon Tyrrell was fun, challenging and very rewarding. It was scary to spend the week away from our friends and family, with just a few teachers for company.
We had some highlights of the week including, an amazing disco where we dance all night. Indulging in face masks and popcorn whilst watching a movie on the last night.
Making it to the top of the Rock Climbing wall before pretending to be Mary Poppins on the way back down.
Not only having the courage to kayak and paddle our own hand crafted rafts on the lake but also being brave enough to jump in (if we wanted to) at the end.
The High Ropes were a bit of a challenge, as we got higher and higher into the trees.
The night walk was scary as it was our first activity and we didn’t have a clue what the centre looked like.
We also found sharing facilities and keeping things tidy a little tricky.
Even though we were pushed to our limits and scared at times, we have definitely gained more confidence, had fun and our proud of what we achieved whilst being away from home for the week.
Message From The Headteacher – Autumn Term
Dear Parents,
What a momentous start to the academic year.
We started the term well with a whole school trip to Cotswold Wildlife Park, where we could get to know each other better and enjoy the magnificent range of wildlife on show. This trip had been postponed from last year due to the heatwave, and proved to be a great day out. This was such a contrast to the very sad news of the death of our Queen. We have been finding out more about her reign and her life in our lessons, and have made tributes in her memory.
Our new year 7s have settled well, and some of our older girls have been elected to positions of responsibility within the school. We have appointed our sports leaders, school council and prefects, and our new head girl Jasmine and her deputy Darcey have been diligently taking on their duties, confidently speaking up in public.
In response to a request from parents, we have introduced a weekly bulletin to keep you informed and to share news. We have also increased our presence on social media. I hope you find this information useful, and enjoy a bit more of an insight into life at Alfriston.
The half term has been packed with events. I hope many of you were able to attend the Fun Day at the start of the term, when the sun shone on us and we all had a lovely time visiting the stalls, meeting friends and raising funds for the school. Thanks to the hard work of the Friends of Alfriston, and other staff and volunteers, we raised over £2000. Later in the term, we held a coffee morning in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Charity, in memory of Mandy who died last year.
Last week, our year 9 girls packed their bags and headed off to the New Forest for a week of fun and adventure. It was with a bit of trepidation mixed with excitement that they faced their week ahead. However, they all had an amazing time, with feats of courage and determination, and the staff who accompanied them were impressed with their independence and “can do” attitude, making it a trip to remember. Thank you to the staff who generously gave up their time to make this special experience happen.
The Harvest assembly last week was led by the Post 16 girls, inspired by the work that they had done with One Can. They led the assembly with confidence, and told us about how they had been helping in the community. We had many kind donations of cans and food that will be shared with those who need it most.
Our new Wellbeing log cabins are almost ready for use. The team will be moving out of their current room over the half term holiday, ready for the next half term. They are looking forward to their new habitat with a bit more space, and better facilities in which to carry out their work. I hope the girls enjoy their new surroundings, and continue to feel supported and safe in school.
We’re now looking forward to the next half term, which is the lead up to Christmas! Look out for news of more events and activities, and I hope to see many of you in the school joining in with our celebrations.
Wishing you all a very happy half term,
Jinna Male
PE Department – Adapted Cycling Festival
A group of pupils were treated to a morning of inclusive cycling at the Westhorpe Athletics Track in Little Marlow.
They were given the freedom of the track to try a variety of bikes that encourage cycling for all. This included arm cycles as well as tricycles and adapted standard two-wheeled bikes.
They all demonstrated great curiosity and embraced the opportunity to be an independent as possible. It was a fun morning with everybody encouraging and supporting one another on their mission on conquer the track!
PE Department – Tennis Festival at Halton
We were very lucky to have Tennis coaching from professional coaches during a Tennis festival. We got to play inside a Tennis Dome, which was strange to begin with as the floor had sand on it. Joe was very good at giving us lots of different activities to try, which helped us to work on our co-ordination, footwork and Tennis shots. After a warm up we played some competitive games against each other, trying to gain as many points as possible. It was very enjoyable being able to play Tennis at a proper Tennis club and with professional coaches.
Stony Dean & Alfriston Street Dance Block
This half term, our collaborative block with Stony Dean, our students have been street dancing! Professional street dancers, Luke and Maddie, have come in each week to teach the students a variety of street dance styles. They have learnt hip hop, house, popping and locking, with each of these styles providing new and challenging steps and techniques. Over the course of the six weeks, the students have put together a routine that includes sections of each street dance style. These segments have been filmed and put together to create a one-of-a-kind music video! It has been fantastic to watch the students grow in confidence as they progressed their dance skills each week and the enjoyment they got from filming their music video.
Year 7 – Forest School
7Y did some fantastic collaboration work in the woods making a crown in memory of Queen Elizabeth ll. They enjoyed finding all sorts of different items and textures to add to the design.
School Council – Charity Event
This term, School Council have organised a Coffee Morning in memory of Mrs. Levitt who passed away a year ago. We raised £676 for Pancreatic Cancer UK. This is an amazing amount of money and we know that Mrs. Levitt would have loved seeing how many people came together to celebrate her and all she did. We thank the staff and FOA parents for the cakes they donated for the day; without them, it would not have been as successful. We want to also thank you for being so generous allowing us to raise such an amount.
We will be organising more events throughout the year, so please look out for those.
Have a lovely break,
Mrs. Bentley and the School Council.
Art Department – The BIG Draw
The BIG draw is a national festival that celebrates the importance of drawing and aims to encourage everyone to draw. The festival runs every year throughout October and there are lots of events across the country. This year’s theme was #ComeBackToColour
To take part at Alfriston we have had several events taking place in October, including a lunch time BIG Draw out on the playgroup. Pupils took part by using chalk to draw all the things that bring joy and colour to their lives.
We have also had two competitions running to encourage our pupils to be creative and get drawing: our annual Christmas card competition and a competition that offers pupils the exciting chance to have artwork displayed in the performance space art gallery. This deadline for this second competition has been extended to Friday 4th November so there is still time to enter. Please see below for details. Mrs Griggs
