Posted Nov 15 - 2024Headteacher's Newsletter
what's happening at Chesham Grammar
Posted on: January 14th 2022
Head's Blog
It was a privilege to watch our U16 girls play their National Cup match at CGS today.
They played brilliantly, beating Beaumont School 10-0 and thus progressing to the quarter finals where they will travel to Staffordshire to play The De Ferrers Academy. Earlier in the week our U18 girls also won their round of 16 National Cup game. They had an away fixture against Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow, winning 8-1 so are now also in the quarter finals. We are very proud. The draw has not yet taken place for the next round so we don't know who the U18s will play but we will keep our fingers crossed for a home fixture. Many congratulations to all those involved and to the PE staff, particularly Miss Cowley who coaches both teams.
There have been lots of other fixtures this week. In netball, our Senior A team beat St Mary's 31-12 while the B team lost 14-19. Our year 8 A and B teams beat Beaconsfield High School 18-0 and 5-2 respectively. Our basketball season has started well with wins for years 7 and 11 against Chalfonts Community College. The year 7s won 10-7 and the year 11s 62-5. Our year 10 boys played Walton High School in the quarter finals of the football County Cup this week. After full time, it was 4-4 but in extra time, they conceded and ultimately lost. Although they were absolutely gutted, the staff were incredibly proud of their outstanding performance in this match and throughout the competition. Click here for next week’s fixtures.
YEAR 13 PARENTS' EVENING
Those of you with a child in year 13 attended Parents' Evening last night, the last such evening of your child's long school career. I hope you found the feedback from teachers helpful and that you have a good idea of what your child needs to do in the remaining time before A level exams begin in mid May. I know that some of you have been CGS parents for a number of years, having had elder children move through the school. If your year 13 child is your youngest then this event was very much the end of an era!
EXAMS
While I mention summer exams, the timetables for GCSE and A level exams in May/June are now finalised. Please be aware that every year, there is a contingency day at the end of June when all candidates must be available in case any exams need to be moved to that date from earlier in the period. This year, the contingency day is Wednesday, 29th June. You must ensure that your child is available on that day if s/he is in year 11 or 13.
CONGRATULATIONS TO...
Well done to Luke in year 10 who has recently passed grade 3 piano and grade 5 music theory with Distinction and to Anna in year 7 and Vyshaali in year 9 who have passed grade 2 and grade 4 piano respectively. Finally, congratulations to two of our year 13s, Abi and Eden, who have each been offered a place at drama school following a gruelling audition process.
Every year, some of our year 12 students take part in Young Enterprise which requires them to set up a company and to create and market a product. They learn a huge amount about the world of business in the process. One of our teams this year, CutleRing, has asked me to give them a mention. They make 'unique, handmade rings our of upcycled cutlery'. You can take a look for yourself at www.cutlering.com.
FINALLY
Finally, can I please make a plea to you all to encourage your child to continue with twice weekly Covid testing at home and to report all results both to the school and to the NHS. At present, as you know, any positive cases must self-isolate for up to 10 days. I know this is inconvenient, frustrating and disruptive. However, the potential for disruption is much greater if a student is asymptomatic and not testing, as it is likely that there will, very quickly, be transmission of Covid-19 within that student's class. This can result in a significant number of students having to self-isolate as a consequence and can also lead to staff absence. With the way the rules are at the moment, I am sure you will understand my desire to avoid this as far as possible. You will continue to receive an email on Sunday and Wednesday evenings to remind you to encourage your child to test and to report the result and I would be grateful for your support in helping to manage the situation within our school. Thank you. On a related note, please find details here which remind everyone of our absence protocols as we begin the new term.
With best wishes for a relaxing weekend,
Annmarie McNaney
Headteacher
