Community Newsletter 09/02/2024

It’s the last day of Spring Term 1! We would like to say a big thank you to the whole School 21 Community for a great start to the year.

We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday 19th February. Our updated school dinner menus for next half-term are available to view here.

LATEST NEWS AT SCHOOL 21:

Parent/Carer Survey Deadline Extended

The deadline to share your feedback in our Parent/Carer Survey 2024 has been extended to Friday 23rd February. Please take a moment to complete the survey if you have not already done so.

The link has been shared via Reach More Parents, and QR code posters are available to scan in Front Office. Thank you!

Save the Date!

Some of our upcoming events in Spring Term 2:

Wednesday 28th March, Thursday 29th March & Friday 1st March – School 21 Musical ‘West Side Story’
Friday 8th March – International Women’s Day Community Event
Monday 11th March – Year 8 Parents Evening
Monday 18th March – Year 9 Options Evening/Parents Evening
Wednesday 27th March – Whole School Exhibition

Please keep an eye on Reach More Parents for further details after half-term!

School 21 Presents – West Side Story!

We are excited to present our 2024 school musical, ‘West Side Story’! Join us on Wednesday 28th Feb, Thursday 29th Feb, or Friday 1st March (6pm start) for an amazing show featuring students in Year 5 – Year 13.

Tickets are available to all members of the community via Reach More Parents now.

Sign up to the 'Friends of the Music Department' membership scheme via the link here and you can also get 2 free tickets to either the first or second night of the show!

In the meantime, enjoy a quick preview of the amazing work from parents and staff at our first band call this week!

Hair Care & Styling by Nurture Academy

Click here to register for Hair Care & Styling by Nurture Academy at School 21.

Young Voices (Year 3 – Year 6)

Last week our Young Voices Crew sang in an EPIC concert at the O2 Arena. These students from Years 3-6 became part of a 9,000-voice choir of schoolchildren and the sound was amazing.

We were at the top of the arena with the most amazing view of the whole event including special guests Nandi Bushell and Natalie Williams.

Here is the view from where we were!

Well done for all of your hard work and for bringing so much shine to School 21. And thank you to all of our staff members and parents who came to support this late night event!

School 21 Human Rights Club (Year 7-Year 11)

This week we had the first meeting of the new School 21 Human Rights Club! Students who attended from Year 7 to 11 started with some contracting about the type of space they wanted the club to be, which centered around learning, safety, and respect. We also spoke about human rights issues around the world that we would like to learn more about, from Palestine and Yemen to Sudan and the DR Congo. Students also gave mature and insightful suggestions about how we can empower one another to make our local and global community a more peaceful and sustainable place in the pursuit of justice, equality, freedom and dignity for every human being.

School 21 values of Community, Humanity, Openness, Responsibility and Excellence will be at the heart of what the Human Rights Club aims to do. Furthermore, we will be applying the School 21 approach to use our heads, hearts and hands to learn about the world with compassion and curiosity in order to understand and change it. The club will provide an opportunity for students to develop their literacy and oracy, as well as citizenship skills about how to engage in political action in an appropriate and informed way.

The Human Rights Club will be available for students to attend every Tuesday from 13.00 – 13.30. We look forward to keeping you updated about the learning opportunities and activities that students decide on. If you have any questions or suggestions about your child’s participation in the Human Rights Club, please email the club co-ordinator, Mr. Daniel Selwyn, Geography and Politics Teacher and Year 7 Coach: [email protected]

Primary English

We have been lucky enough to be picked to be a beneficiary of the National Literacy Trust in partnership with Enterprise Mobility. They have spread the joy of reading to our children by providing us with copies of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun. We can’t wait to read it!

LEARNING AT SCHOOL 21:

Year 3

Year 3 have continued to enjoy learning about the Stone Age. When we went to the forest school this week we made our own paints out of clay, mud and water. We then found and used sticks to use as paint brushes. We’re excited to develop our cave painting skills after half term, preparing our immersive cave experience ready for the Night at the Museum!

Year 5

We have had a very exciting few weeks in year 5! We began our week reflecting on our school trip to the Horniman museum. Students discussed what they had learned and how that knowledge has deepened their understanding of The Benin Kingdom! On Friday, students participated in our Times Table Rockstars celebration! They loved dressing up and playing and developing their own maths games!

Year 5 Lion King Headdresses 2024

Our legacy Lion King Headdress project is in full swing for year 5 in Art. Every year we celebrate costume design as a creative pathway and every student creates their own 3D sculpted animal headdress inspired by the Lion King theatre show. This year 5 cohort are starting to papier mache their headdresses after working super hard on building up the relief using newspaper. A long but great project is well on the way for this year's year 5s! Updates to follow!

Year 7

This week, Year 7 Food Technology Project students learned about Food labeling and how to identify allergens on a food label. Later in the project, they will continue to research healthy and tasty pre-packed snacks to sell in a school tuck shop. In the practical lesson, they learned about how to use the air fryer safely and prepared cheese and tomato toasties on wholemeal bread.

Year 8

Year 8 did a live reading of their play. The aim of our “playwright” unit was to allow students to have a real sense of playwriting. Therefore, the student drafted their plays, had 4 sessions of critique groups then each group voted for one play. It was amazing unit where we were able to see our students’ amazing playwright skills and how they incorporated some lived in experiences in their work such as culture, religion and community.

In the Food Technology class, the students learned how to make chocolate chip cookies. The students enjoyed preparing a treat for themselves in the last lesson before the half-term break.

Year 9

Year 9 Food Technology students learned how to make Mac and cheese, a hearty meal that originated in Italy and medieval England as they continue to prepare dishes from around the world.