Lots of news this week at School 21! Read on for updates about homework platforms, Black History Month, and to explore this week’s exciting learning journeys. In particular, students have been exploring themes of nature and community this week. Take a look at some of their work below!
LATEST NEWS:
Seesaw Parent Session (Reception – Year 5)
In Reception-Year 5 we use Seesaw for homework as well as documenting some of our exciting in-class learning. Please join us on Tuesday October 3rd at 10am for this virtual session to show you how to best use seesaw at home. There will also be time to answer any questions. Please check your Reach More Parents (Weduc) messages for the link to join the video call. This will be especially useful for parents who are new to the school.
New Maths Homework Platform (Year 7 – Year 11)
We are very excited to announce the launch of a new homework platform that we will be using to support students with their Maths throughout Year 7-Year 11: https://sparxmaths.com/
Full information has been sent out to all parents via Weduc, and we’ll be running parent demonstrations during the upcoming ‘Meet the Coach’ evening on 10th October.
Come and join us then to see the new platform in action, ask any questions and learn about how you can support your children to achieve their best!
Black History Month
THIS WEEK AT SCHOOL 21:
Reception
Can you bring in Autumn treasures? The Reception classes are collecting conkers and acorns. If you find any at the weekend can you bring them to B4, B5 or B6 on Monday please!
Year 1
Community Heroes! Over the past few weeks, we have been learning all about Clara Community and how we can show community in our classroom. We have been busily re-drafting our own portraits of Clara Community which have now been turned into stickers! I wonder how you could show community at home?
Year 2
Year 2 went on an adventure this week and visited Southend on Sea. We had a wonderful time experiencing the train ride through the countryside and then reaching the coastline. We built sandcastles, skimmed rocks in the estuary, paddled in the water and found lots of shells. This was a great start to a new project all about coastlines. I wonder if you know the name of the water which surrounds the UK?
Year 3
Year 3 had a great start to our Geography project "How is life different around the world?" by having an immersive afternoon of singing African songs, drumming and dancing. We ended it with a year group assembly where we performed what we had learnt.
Year 4
This week in project, Year 4 have been exploring what the water cycle is and why this is so important in the process of river formation. We have created our own ‘water cycle in a bag’ experiment, as a way to see the water cycle in action.
Year 5
We are thrilled to share some exciting updates from Year 5 as we kick off this academic year with a bang! Our students have made a fantastic start and are already demonstrating their enthusiasm for learning and their strong sense of responsibility and community spirit.
Last week was an absolute highlight for Year 5, as we embarked on an unforgettable trip to Chessington World of Adventures. The day was filled with laughter, thrilling rides, and countless learning opportunities. Our students not only had an amazing time, but they also displayed exemplary behavior and responsibility throughout the day. They were a true credit to our school, and we couldn't be prouder.
Year 6
Year 6 had an awesome day learning about fruits and veggies, with a special focus on apples. Thanks to our friends at Natoora, we had a blast! We even got to taste-test 46 different apple varieties from local grower John. It was a tasty adventure, and we're excited to share what we've learned with our school community.
Year 7
Last Friday all Year 7 students participated in the launch day for the Bertha Earth program. Bertha Earth is a youth-centred environmental organisation that promote activism and storytelling. Our Year 7’s completed a range of investigative activities with the Bertha Earth team and this week have had the opportunity to apply to join their ambassador program. The ambassador program will see 30 of our Year 7 students complete a year long environmental challenge culminating in a week-long residential trip to Jamie’s Farm.
Year 8 – Coaching
Students have been busy 'building crew' since we returned and have now been appointed to their leadership roles for the academic year:
- Crew Captains – leaders of the coaching group and deputies to the coach
- Recognition Leaders – recognise achievements of students in the coaching group and awarding stars for our values.
- Equipment Leaders – organisers of any equipment needed for coaching, holding students accountable for having the correct equipment for school and supporting with chromebooks.
- Playground Leaders – work closely with Ms Butler at lunchtime to distribute and collect playground equipment.
- Opportunity Communicators – keep an eye for upcoming events, activities and extracurricular opportunities and communicate these to the coaching group.
- Uniform Leaders – take pride in their School 21 uniform and support and encourage others to do the same.
- Wellbeing Champion – take ownership of promoting a positive and harmonious coaching group, lead on celebrations such as birthdays and plan and deliver wellbeing activities.
Students will now be launching into a PSHE project exploring Black History as part of our Black History Month celebrations.
Year 10
In Maths year 10 have started the year developing their understanding of volume and surface area for a variety of 3D shapes. They have been introduced to some important GCSE formulae and using them to accurately calculate things such as the surface area of a cylinder. Sahiba and Nyla's work shows the methodical and detailed approaches we are looking to achieve in maths!
Year 11
Year 11 at the BRIT School Open Evening! Yesterday twelve of our fantastic students attended the prestigious performing arts school (birthplace of Adele, Tom Holland and many more) to see if it was the right place for them. Performances, Q&As with students and a meeting with the Deputy Heads were all included in the evening! Please wish them luck auditioning if you see them around the school!
Six 21
We are well underway with life at Sixth Form in School 21. Year 13s have been sitting assessments this week and beginning writing their personal statements. Our biologists had two successful days at Epping Forest for their coursework. Our Year 12s have settled in well and are well underway with their courses. Tuesday afternoons have been spent thinking about their different options post 18.
A reminder that Year 12 Meet the Coach is on Wednesday 11th October!
