Teddington School Newsletter
Friday 5 July 2024
Dear Families
I hope this week's newsletter finds you well. It's been another busy week at Teddington filled with lots of exciting events.
On Monday, we held our annual Year 6 Transition Day. It was a huge success, with our new students settling in seamlessly. It was great to see our new Year 7 cohort enjoying themselves, making new friendships and immersing themselves in new subjects; we are all excited to welcome them in September.
On Tuesday, we welcomed back our German exchange students. Their trip was a resounding success, providing them with invaluable experiences and memories. The students gained so much from their time abroad, from cultural exchanges to improving their language skills. We are looking forward to welcoming our German counterparts over to Teddington before Christmas.
Wednesday saw us open our doors to Year 5 students from local primary schools and over 100 local parents for a Year 5 parents' event. It was a pleasure to showcase our school and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We hope to see many of these families at future events and look forward to potentially welcoming them into our school community in the near future.
Yesterday was a particularly busy day. We ran a mock election for students in all year groups and gave each student the opportunity to vote following a week of input about each on the main political parties during tutor time. Year group and whole school results will be announced on Monday. We held another STEAM Day, this time for Year 9 who participated in a range of hands-on activities and team building games centring around Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. In the afternoon we welcomed over 15 local, regional and national businesses into school for a Year 10 careers fair. It was great to see students interacting with representatives in such mature fashion. On Thursday evening, our theatre was transformed into a vibrant stage for our performing arts evening. Our students delivered various drama, music and dance pieces, showcasing their talents and hard work. Well done to all students who participated.
Next week, many of our students will be out on various end-of-year rewards trips. These trips are a great way to celebrate their hard work and achievements throughout the year. Our annual sports days will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday. These events are always a highlight, offering students the chance to compete, have fun, and showcase their athletic talents. A group of our Sixth Form students will be heading to Geneva to visit the CERN centre. This is an incredible opportunity for them to engage with groundbreaking scientific research and gain insights into the world of particle physics.
For now, I hope you enjoy a restful weekend, and we look forward to welcoming students back into school on Monday for a prompt 08:40 start.
Kind regards
Mr P Grills
Headteacher
On Saturday afternoon, the school singing group performed at the SMSP Summer Fair. They gave an excellent performance at a very appreciative audience.
Fred in Year 7 was joined this week by Shawn from Hollyfield School. Shawn has just completed his GCSEs and took the opportunity to join us for a mentoring session. We hope Shawn will come back soon!
Congratulations to Kai-Luca Ampaw on his wild card entry into the Boys Qualifying Singles tournament at Wimbledon. Wishing you all the best! 🎾
A great time was had by all Teddington students who went to Hampton Boys School for a General Election husting on the morning of Friday 28 June. The event offered a unique opportunity to hear from the six local candidates standing for election in the Twickenham constituency. The election candidates address a range of questions on both local and national issues from energy, mismanagement to taxes and VAT!
A message from Mr Hole, Head of Year 9
Thirty Year 9 students have had the experience of their lifetimes living with a German family in Konstanz for six days. Students have shown a great amount of resilience in this as they have faced many things which are different to what they are used to. During this trip we have taken boat rides across the beautiful lake Bodensee, travelled down the river Rhein and also swam in both beautiful waters.
The school exchange trip to Konstanz, Germany, was an unforgettable experience that combined cultural immersion, personal growth, and lasting friendships. The students took on this challenge and benefitted massively in so many ways. The journey began with a flight to Zurich, from where we boarded a coach to Konstanz. Excitement and nerves then filled the air as we then met our German exchange partners at Geschwister-Scholl Schule.
Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by our hosts with a beautiful buffet of typical German foods. It was great to see many getting stuck in and trying new foods straight away. From here the students then went off to stay with their German exchange families.
On the school days, Teddington students were brought to Geschwister-School Schule for the start of school (at 07:50). German students then attended lessons whilst we spent the day as a group doing various activities, ranging from boat rides across the beautiful Lake Bodensee, swimming in the Rhein or Bodensee, visiting the Zeppelin Museum, visiting and exploring local towns and walking across the countryside of Germany and Switzerland.
We now look forward to the return leg of the exchange in November and December with great anticipation.
My name is Robyn, and I am halfway through my A levels at Teddington, studying Biology, Chemistry and Geography. I have recently been accepted for a volunteer teaching placement in 2025 with the charity Project Trust.
Project Trust has over 50 years’ experience of providing international volunteering opportunities for young people. My placement will be in one of three countries - Malawi, Cambodia or Ghana. I will be teaching in local schools, both English and my chosen subjects, and be involved in youth development work where I will help mentor young people who have had a difficult start in life. I will be living, working and helping within the community for up to a year. Placements are designed to meet community needs and never take work away from local people.
I know I have a lot to offer and would love the opportunity to positively impact the lives of others in such a special way, but to make this possible I need to raise the necessary funds.
I would therefore be extremely grateful if you could donate to my fund and help me achieve my goal which is linked below this text. The money raised goes directly to Project Trust to pay for the essentials such as flights, insurance and accommodation.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and any support will be massively appreciated!
Kind regards
Robyn Boynton Lavelle
A message from Miss Steer, Assistant Headteacher
Attending the BET Sustainability Conference last week was a remarkable experience for our students. They presented on Green Week, showcasing their dedication to environmental awareness and action within our school community. Participating in various workshops, they engaged deeply with the principles of sustainability, learning innovative strategies to create a positive impact on our world.
This experience not only broadened their understanding of global environmental issues but also empowered them to become proactive ambassadors of sustainability, both within our school and beyond.
