Headteacher's Newsletter

what's happening at Chesham Grammar

Posted on: December 9th 2022

Head's Blog

CHRISTMAS FAIR

Raffle Thank you to all those who supported the FoCGS Christmas Fair on Saturday. It was great to see so many students and staff and I know from conversations I had during the afternoon that there were lots of Christmas gifts purchased. Huge thanks to Pru and Caroline, Co-Chairs of the FoCGS who once again did a superb job and to FoCGS Committee members and parents who gave some of their time during the day to help in any capacity. The final FoCGS fundraiser of the calendar year, the Christmas raffle, is now live on ParentPay with ticket sales closing at 9am on Tuesday 13th and the draw taking place the following day. All of the money raised this year will go towards the refurbishment of two sets of student toilets, in the maths and languages blocks. If you ask your child about them, they will tell you that they avoid using them as far as they can as they are so grotty. They simply deserve better. Thank you for your support.

CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY

Jumper Today we have held our second charity fundraising day of the school year, led by Shakespeare House. Our Christmas Jumper Day has been raising money for Save The Children and I have been admiring the jumpers students and staff have been wearing, some of which are their own creations. It has been a fun day, all in a good cause.

MR STODDERN'S NEW 10K PB!

Last week, I reported that Mr Stoddern was attempting to set a new PB for the 10k, raising money in the process for staff on the ward at Wycombe Hospital where Richard Pontin was so well cared for during his time there. He set off yesterday lunchtime with Archie and Euan in year 11, who set the pace for him. They did a brilliant job and Mr Stoddern smashed his previous PB by 2 minutes, coming in under the 36 minute target he set himself, running it in 35 mins 49 seconds. Congratulations to him and thank you and well done to Euan and Archie. Thank you also to parents who have sponsored him and helped him meet the fundraising target he set. Anyone else who would like to do so can find his Just Giving page here:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stoddern10kpb?utm_term=wGdyE6pED

ASPIRATION DAY

Next Wednesday, 14th, we are holding our Aspiration Day for students in year 10. They will get the chance to hear from and question a number of students who left CGS in the last few years, some of whom have gone on to undergraduate study at university, while others have opted for a degree apprenticeship. Some of those taking part also had a gap year, either working or travelling or in some cases, both. We know from past events of this kind that our students find it inspiring to hear from alumni, many of whom they will recognise as they left recently. Thank you to Miss Lindsay, Mrs Ware and Mrs Lovelace who have organised this. Aspiration Day takes place during period 1 and the first half of period 2 and students should ensure they bring with them their books for period 2 onwards. Last Friday, Peter Higgins, co-founder of Charles Tyrwhitt and Chairman of Me+Em, visited the school. He talked to all students in the Sixth Form about both entrepreneurship and his charity work with Mary's Meals. Inviting speakers in to talk to our students is another way in which we aim to both inspire them and give an insight into a range of options for the future and I know from talking to some of the students that they found Peter's talk interesting and thought-provoking. Thank you to Mrs Carr for arranging this.

WELL DONE TO...

Well done to brothers Oscar and Luke who have both passed piano exams with Merit. Oscar in year 7 took Grade 3 and Luke in year 11 Grade 4. Sharav in year 8 was awarded Distinction in Grade 1 classical guitar while Joshua in year 8 passed Grade 2 piano with Merit.

INFORMATION FROM OUR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM

As you will be aware, there has been lots of information in the media about a rise in Group A Strep infections in children. We have been asked to pass on this information: Group A “Strep” is a bacteria which often lives harmlessly on our skin but can also cause a variety of illnesses, most of them mild and non-invasive. Scarlet fever is a common type of Group A Strep infection, which is currently circulating at higher levels than is usual for the time of year. Symptoms of scarlet fever can include:

sore throat
high fever
a pink or red rash with a rough sandpapery feel

If your child develops any of these symptoms then then please keep them at home until they are feeling better. If you have any concerns, contact NHS 111 or your GP for further advice. The vast majority of childhood infections currently circulating are mild and easily treatable, and more severe infections (such as iGAS) are extremely rare. Buckinghamshire Council is working closely with schools and early years settings to ensure that all our children continue to be able to learn and develop in safe and healthy environments.

ELECTION OF PARENT TRUSTEE

Thank you to those parents who voted in the election for a new Parent Trustee. Mallory Hughes has been duly elected and I look forward to working with her.

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

As you will know, our mobile phone policy is that phones must not be used in school and the students know that if their phone is seen, it is confiscated and returned at the end of the week. Some students who have had their phone taken recently have told us that they need it to be returned at the end of the day for various reasons. We have reiterated our policy to students in assemblies this week and that confiscated phones will not be returned until the end of the week. If they need to make contact with a parent, we will enable them to do so. Thank you for your support.

YEAR 11 OPTIONS

Year 11 students need to make their A level options by 4pm on Monday so if you have a child in year 11, please check that they have this in hand.

SPORT

Well done to our Inter Girls and Senior Boys who represented the school at the National Cross Country Finals in Leeds last weekend. Mr Stoddern and Miss Day-Haynes were very proud of them all and very much enjoyed their company. The boys finished 12th and the girls 20th and I know from talking to some of them this week that it is an experience they will never forget.

Despite the cold weather, we have had a number of fixtures this week. In netball fixtures v Misbourne, year 7s played well though lost their game while the year 10A team won. Year 10s also played v Chalfonts Community College as did year 8s with the 10s winning 11-6 and the 8s losing 0-2. In basketball, the year 9 team beat Amersham School 20-15 in their first game of the season while in rugby, the year 10s played some very good rugby, despite losing. The same was true of the Senior football team who had a frustrating game v AGS, going 0-1 down early on. They battled hard but were unable to find an equaliser. Our U16 girls played Great Marlow in freezing conditions yesterday, beating them in the County Cup football competition. Finally, our U13 Boys Table Tennis Team played in the County Final, beating Aylesbury Grammar, John Hampden Grammar and Burnham Grammar. They now progress to the Zonal Finals in January. Fantastic! Well done. The PE and sport schedule for the last week of term is attached.