Teddington School Newsletter
Friday 31 January 2025
Dear Families
As we approach the final two weeks of this half term, I wanted to share a few highlights from the past week.
Firstly, a huge thank you to all the Year 7 parents who attended parents’ evening this week. It was fantastic to see such a great turnout and to have the opportunity to discuss students’ progress. For parents of Year 7 B Pop students, your parents’ evening will be held next Wednesday, 5th February. You should have received your login details at the beginning of the week; please ensure you sign up if you haven’t done so already. We will also be circulating maps of the parents evening layout in advance so you can find your child's teacher easily!
Our Year 12 and 13 students were fortunate to receive a fascinating TEDdington Talk on IVF and fertility, providing them with valuable insights into this important topic. Our Year 10 students also demonstrated their public speaking skills in the Jack Petchey Speak Out challenge, showcasing their confidence and putting many of them out of their comfort zones.
On Tuesday evening the school production cast and crew from Little Shop of Horrors enjoyed a well-deserved celebratory meal at Piazza Firenze in recognition of their hard work. PE lessons took an exciting turn this week with the introduction of skateboarding, giving students a new and engaging way to develop their physical skills. Finally, our Year 9 students visited Richmond Synagogue today, a meaningful trip that coincided with the 80th Holocaust Memorial Day, deepening their understanding of event.
This week in sport:
- Year 7s are football Borough Champions! They defeated Grey Court 2-1 in the final, huge well done to the students involved, a brilliant achievement.
- Our Year 8 & 9 boys basketball team also took the win over Orleans Park of 51-25 in the Basketball Borough League
- We saw a 2-2 draw from our Sixth Form football team against Orleans Park in the Borough League. All games have been played, and we now wait to see if we make it to the final
A huge well done to our Year 13 students who have been busy submitting their UCAS applications. Out of 107 students, 95 applications have been sent off; a fantastic effort from both students and staff who have supported them throughout the process.
Our Year 11 teachers have been working hard to prepare students for their final set of mock exams, which begin on Monday 10th February. Well done to all those who are diligently revising! We encourage you to keep up the momentum as these exams provide crucial preparation for the summer exams.
Looking ahead, our PTA have planned a Quiz and Chinese night for Thursday 6 March at 19:30 for Year 7 and 8 families. Please view their post below or visit this link to purchase your tickets before they sell out.
Finally, I would like to thank you for your continued support with attendance and uniform this term. It makes a real difference in maintaining high standards and ensuring the best possible experience for all our students. With just two weeks left until half term, let’s keep up the good work!
Wishing you all a restful and enjoyable weekend.
Kind regards
Mr P Grills
Headteacher
Post Production Celebrations 🌟
On Tuesday night we took students involved in 'Little Shop of Horrors' to celebrate their success together. Pizza Firenze in Teddington were amazing at accommodating so many of us as we commandeered the whole restaurant. Students had a lovely evening singing along to some of their favourite songs from the show whilst enjoying a pizza together and planning what show we should do next year 🍕
Emma Whitney returned on Monday to deliver a TEDdington Talk to Year 12 and 13 female students on the topic of IVF and fertility.
Our students learnt some valuable information to broaden their knowledge on these topics.
Currently, we are experiencing a significant shortage of Gen Juice tokens. Cucina are ordering a minimum of 1,000 tokens each half term, but the supply is depleting rapidly. Despite our last restock being just before the Christmas break, we find ourselves in need of yet another batch already. This has led to unnecessary additional costs and logistical challenges.
To address this, we kindly request your assistance in returning any unused or misplaced Gen Juice tokens. These tokens represent drinks that your child can still redeem, and by returning them, you’ll be helping us ensure fairness and efficiency for all students.
To encourage the return of tokens, Cucina are offering a Cookie Swap initiative. For every 10 tokens returned to the canteen, your child will receive a free cookie as a small token of appreciation. This is a great way to encourage students to dig out any tokens they may have at home.
If possible, we would appreciate it if you could remind your child about the importance of returning these.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
A message from Mr Hole, Head of Year 10
A huge well done to the Year 10 students involved in the workshops on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
Students spent the day learning how to improve public speaking skills and built towards planning a short speech on a topic they are passionate about by the end of the day. Students then presented these speeches to their groups and the top three speeches were nominated to go forward to the next round which will mean presenting their speech in assembly. The overall winner will go on to the regional final at Waldegrave School. The winners presented small speeches on the following topics: taking accountability, being appreciative of what you have, why billionaires are morally wrong, social media, how everyone has something they are good at and how video games are the greatest form of storytelling.
A massive congratulations to our pictured winners Daisy, Joseph, Waseq, Daniel, Nahom and Nell who will now prepare to present their speeches in assembly, which we eagerly look forward to hearing.
It was a great experience for all students involved, and they all came out of the session having learnt something about public speaking, a brilliant life skill.
World Book Day is Thursday 6 March 2025! ✨📚
As part of our celebrations at Teddington School, we are having a mystery book sale with proceeds to benefit a charity selected by the students. Students will be able to purchase wrapped books, making their choices based on the first sentence of the story. Last year the sale was a great success, and all available books sold out within minutes. To make this sale even better, we are seeking donations of gently used books.
Donations should be in generally good condition and appeal to students between the ages of 11 - 16. Books may be sent in with students or left at reception. Please message Mrs Ricker via rickers@teddingtonschool.org with any questions.
To streamline our processes and ensure accurate attendance records, all absences must now be reported using our designated student absence form. Families need to report absence by 08:30 on each day of absence.
The form will go live on the school website from Monday 13 January and can be accessed via this link. The form can be found on our website in two places:
- ‘Parent Links’ on the top left corner
- On the ‘Parents’ section and under the subheading of ‘Attendance & Absence’
If you have any queries about our attendance procedures, please refer to our Attendance Policy.
The form has been added to all further newsletters. Please scroll down to locate.
January 27 was Holocaust Memorial Day. While not an easy topic to read about, here are four titles about the Holocaust:
- When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr: The story of a nine-year-old Jewish girl and her family in the early 1930s as they are divided, reunited, and travel from Germany through Europe to England to escape persecution.
- The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die by Peter Lantos: A story of survival - and of enduring hope in the face of unspeakable hardship - on an extraordinary journey, made by Peter, a boy of five, through war-torn Europe in 1944 and 45. Peter soon realises that this new adventure is really a nightmare, watching bombs falling from the blue sky outside Vienna, and learning maths from his mother in Belsen.
- Survivors of the Holocaust: A Graphic Novel by Kath Shackleton: An extraordinary, beautifully illustrated graphic novel that looks at the horrors of the Holocaust through the eyes of children and young people who lived through it.
- A Rebel in Auschwitz by Jack Fairweather: With exclusive access to previously hidden diaries, family and camp survivor accounts, and recently declassified files, critically acclaimed and award-winning journalist Jack Fairweather brilliantly portrays the remarkable man who volunteered to face the unknown in the name of truth and country. This extraordinary and eye-opening account of the Holocaust invites us all to bear witness.
