Posted Dec 19 - 2024Headteacher's Newsletter
what's happening at Chesham Grammar
Posted on: January 21st 2022
Head's Blog
Dear parent,
As you know, the recommendation that students wear face coverings in lessons was removed earlier this week. It was confirmed yesterday that face coverings will no longer be recommended in communal areas and corridors in schools from next Thursday, 27th January. Of course any students who would like to continue to wear them in school are free to do so. The announcements relating to education throughout this pandemic have been made with no advance warning to schools, leaving Headteachers little time to plan their response. I am lucky to be in a school where students, staff and the vast majority of parents have understood the position schools have been in and have supported us throughout this pandemic and I would like to thank you for this.
CONGRATULATIONS
Last weekend, our U19 table tennis team won their zone final and will now progress to
the South of England regional final in Bristol next month. Pranav, Matt, Elliot and Zach had to dig deep and played outstandingly in their final, deciding tie against Bromsgrove, to emerge as overall winners. Congratulations!
Last weekend, Issy in year 11 competed in the Hickstead Elite Qualifiers at BCA Equestrian Centre, coming 1st. She will now compete at the All England Main Arena at Hickstead in July. Well done, Issy.
Violet in year 7 recently donated 12" of her hair to The Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides free real hair wigs to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer
treatment or other conditions. She has also used this as an opportunity to fundraise through sponsorship for the charity Children with Cancer UK. Well done, Violet. We are very proud of you.
ECO CLUB
During the week, our Eco Club, organised by Mr Ellis and Chaired by Dylan in year 13, began the process of planting 75 trees around the school site as part of our 75th anniversary celebrations and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. The silver birch and hawthorns have been donated by the Sustainable Chesham group and The Woodland Trust and we look forward to watching them mature over the next few years.
BIRTHDAY TEAS
I have met a number of year 7s and 13s for birthday tea in the last couple of weeks, which has, as always, been a pleasure. Happy 12th birthday to: Charlotte, Alexandra, Amelia, Shriyans, Amelie, Sammy, Amara, Parnika, Isaac, Rebecca, Diya, Zac and Harshith. Congratulations to those in year 13 who have just turned 18: Sara, Emilia, Hannah, Alex, Anais, James, Ava, Jamie and Krishna.
SCHOOL PRODUCTION
Staff and students involved in our school production are working incredibly hard as we
move towards the opening night of Disney's High School Musical Jr. This takes place at The Elgiva Theatre in Chesham from February 9th to 12th and is sure to be fantastic. Tickets will be popular and information on how to book can be found here.
GCSE & A LEVELS
I will be talking to students in years 11 and 13 next week in assembly and will be sharing with them some of the key messages we feel are important for them to take on board in their last full term of GCSE and A levels. We are awaiting information from the Exam Boards on what modifications are being made to GCSE and A levels this summer. This information is set to be released by February 7th and there is a letter for year 11 parents about this here and one for year 13 parents here. Formal lessons for year 11s will end on Friday May 6th and for year 13 on Thursday May 12th. Each year group will then have study leave before the public exams get underway.
SPORT
There has been a good deal of activity on our sports fields and courts this week. In basketball, our year 9 team beat Princes Risborough School 24-10 in their first game for two years while our year 8s, in their first competitive basketball outing for CGS against the same opposition, lost 14-6. Our year 7 A and B hockey teams played their first match against Pipers Corner, showing great potential while the Senior A netball team played a league fixture against our Senior B team with the A team winning 35-9. Our year 10 rugby team was in action against Kings Langley School, winning 45-19. Well done everyone. Next week, there are fewer fixtures than planned in rugby. This is because the opposition school has had to withdraw from the fixtures due to Covid. I know the staff are as disappointed about this as the students. The fixtures and practices list for next week is here.
NATIONAL ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE
Next week, we look forward to taking part in the National Enterprise Challenge. This will involve our year 7s and 10s and we look forward to replicating the success we have enjoyed in this competition in the past. Many thanks to Mrs Lovelace, our Careers Leader, for organising this.
Finally, a reminder that students are asked to undertake a lateral flow test on Sunday evening and to report the results to the school and the NHS.
With best wishes for a relaxing weekend,
Annmarie McNaney
Headteacher
