Teddington School Newsletter
Friday 3 May 2024
Dear Families
I hope this newsletter finds you well as we approach the end of another productive week.
First and foremost, a huge congratulations to our students who have been preparing for exams. Well done to those who have sat their GCSE Art, PE and Modern Foreign Language assessments this week. As well as Year 10 and Year 12 students who have been completing their mocks. Keep up the excellent work!
This week, five of our Year 9 students participated in the 'Count on Us' mathematics challenge in London. I'm proud to report that they emerged victorious in their heat. Please join me in congratulating them and wishing them the best of luck as they progress to the next round.
Thank you to everyone who supported our recent PTA 80s night and plant sale. I attended the plant sale with my two younger children on Saturday and thought it was great to see a real community event being held at our school. We appreciate the continued support the PTA provide.
In other exciting news, this week I had the pleasure of meeting with representatives from Brentford Football Club to explore exciting new opportunities for our students. Keep an eye out for upcoming information regarding stadium tours, workshops, and coaching sessions at the training ground. We're thrilled to be able to offer such exciting experiences to our students, thanks to partnerships like these.
Finally, I would like to inform you that Ms Jennings is stepping down from her role as an Art Teacher to focus on her recovery after recent ill health. The school would like to thank her for her hard work and commitment in the time she has been with us, and I am sure you will join me in wishing her all the very best for the future.
As we head into the long weekend, I hope the weather warms up for us all and you enjoy some downtime. And to our Year 11 students who will begin their GCSE exams next Thursday, best of luck! Remember, you've prepared well, and we have every confidence in your abilities.
Have a lovely weekend.
Kind regards
Mr P Grills
Headteacher
Year 7 students have been learning about street art! Through what they've learned, they have been creating their own in their sketchbooks, using their names as the subject.
"The school singing group performed at the PTA plant sale on Saturday morning and then the Teddington Hockey Club annual awards ceremony in the evening. They did a fantastic job! 🎤 " - Mr Cragg
A message from Miss Metcalfe, Assistant Headteacher
We are thrilled to announce that our school has been honored with two prestigious awards for our exceptional attendance records during the Autumn Term of 2023-2024. It fills us with immense pride to reveal that our attendance figures placed us in the top 10%, and 25% of all FFT secondary schools both nationally and within similar circumstances.
We understand the pivotal role attendance plays in a student's academic journey, and this recognition reaffirms our commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where every student feels encouraged to thrive. We are equally proud of the robust pastoral support system in place, which undoubtedly contributes to our students' success. Thank you to our dedicated staff, supportive families, and, most importantly, our hardworking students for making these achievements possible.
A message from Ms Emmerton, Deputy Subject Lead of Mathematics
On Wednesday 1 May, 5 of our mathematicians from Year 9 travelled to Hammersmith Academy to take part in their heat of the 'Count on Us' Secondary Maths challenge. Competing against 11 other schools from across London in 5 different mathematical games, the team were keen to put on a brilliant performance despite feeling underprepared as they had only recently learned the games. They weren’t even put off when they saw teams from other schools practising on the train journey there but were spurred into conversations about strategy and how we would do our best.
The 'Count on Us' competition involves 5 different games testing skills in probability, data analysis, geometry, mental maths, algebra and problem solving. In every game, every member of the team put in their best performance against incredibly strong teams from the other schools. The level of mathematics on show across the schools was, at times, rather intimidating to the teacher judges.
When the organisers came to announce the winner, we were happy we’d done our best and enjoyed taking part, however, when it was announced that the winners had won the heat by a considerable margin, we were all shocked to hear it was Teddington School. Not because we doubted our mathematical ability, but because the standard had been so high in every game.
Congratulations to the winning team of Ethan Sit, Kak Lam Lau, Jake Allan, Sofia Cervjakova and Varsha Vijaykrishna who will now compete in the Grand Final to be held at City Hall in central London in June. 🎉
The ‘Helping Teens with Worries and Anxiety’ webinar will help you learn ways to support your teenager in dealing with their feelings, worries and anxiety. This webinar will give you practical ideas on how to help your teenager think more positively and develop their self-confidence. You will also be introduced to some helpful cognitive behavioural therapy concepts.
What will the ‘Helping Teens with Worries and Anxiety’ webinar cover?
- What anxiety is.
- What the cognitive behavioural model is.
- Practical strategies to help parents and carers talk to their teenagers effectively, help them regulate their emotions.
- How to get further support if needed.
How to sign up
Parents and carers can sign up to the webinars by clicking on the sign-up links below. This will take you to a google form where you will need to provide your email address, the school your child attends, and the year group they're in. Please see the webinar and sign-up information below:
- 9 May 2024, 18:00, 75 minutes, MHST Workshop: Helping Teens with Worries & Anxiety (google.com)
- 3 December 2024, 09:00, 75 minutes, MHST Workshop: Helping Teens with Worries & Anxiety (google.com)
- 5 December 2024, 18:00, 75 minutes, MHST Workshop: Helping Teens with Worries & Anxiety (google.com)