This Week's News from the Upper School

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Friday, 22nd September 2017

Upper School Newsletter

Upper School News

It's been an exciting, productive and fun week in Upper School and we seem to have gone into full activity mode with fundraising events, a visiting film crew, elections of Students Council & Parents Association and a sense of anticipation of trips and festivals ahead. Classes have settled and units are in full swing but do let me or others know by email, especially our new families, if you have any concerns or questions about the year ahead.

Parents Information Meeting & eAssessment

Last Tuesday we were delighted many families made the curriculum information meeting, an opportunity to find out what your child is studying this year and overviews of IB programmes from Ms. Mather and Ms. McCaffrey. There was also an important presentation and announcement for IBMYP parents that can be downloaded here. During the presentation we discussed the pros and cons of the current IBMYP eAssessment and the Upper School Leadership Team has recommended we consider reducing the external assessment load in M5 for later and better internal assessment. We value the opinions of everyone involved and have designed surveys for staff, students and parents, we would like to invite you to complete our parent survey here, the survey is available to all parents but we would particulary like the parents in M4 & M5 to participate. As this impacts the families of M4 and M5 in the short term we would like to invite parents of students in those year groups to a meeting at school on Thursday, 28th September at 6.30pm in Jubilee Hall.

Residential "Retreat" Trips next week!

I hope the students are excited about the four residential trips leaving next Monday or Wednesday. You should have received all the information by now and any last minute doubts or questions, please email the trip leaders (M1 and M3 to Mr Dacanay, M2 to Ms Villate, M4 to Ms Mills and D1 to Mr Lucas) or contact the office. Students cannot travel without your consent so this is your last chance to fill in those forms! They are all available on the Parent Portal. I would like to reiterate the purpose of these trips, which is to bond and make new friends, get into the great outdoors and learn beyond the classroom. This takes a positive frame of mind, a little courage and an open mind to get to know new people. Do talk to your children about this. I hope they all have a great time and next week's newsletter is full of great photos and stories of new experiences and new friendships. Thank you to the trip leaders for arranging these amazing trips for the students and advice to parents – no news is good news, let them disconnect and enjoy less phone time!

Dwight London Choir Festival

from 4th - 7th October
We are super excited to welcome fellow students from Dwight New York, Dwight Qibao (Shanghai) and a group from Berlin/Germany to join us for our second Dwight London Choir Festival. Our choir director, Becky Thomas of the London Community Gospel Choir and the entire music team will be doing everything they can to ensure another high energy, top quality musical extravaganza, that enjoys great popularity amongst our own Dwight London student body - more than 70 Dwight London students have expressed an interest in participating.

As students will be missing over 2 days of normal classes it is important that they plan for this well to keep on track. If you would like to see the final concert on Saturday, 7th October from 2pm - 3.30pm at Jubilee, please do not hesitate to book your free tickets here. The choir and festival band will comprise of more than 100 participating students and the seats will be in short supply - admission strictly to those that have reserved seats only! Mr Kraft hopes to see you there and do contact him with any questions: jkraft@dwightlondon.org

Student Council Elections

You may have noticed some election fever at school this week with original and witty posters seeking votes for students' council. This democracy in action has resulted in some tight races and with final ballots counted the results are:

Pioneers

Junior Student Council

M1 Georgia

M2 Pooya

M3 Veco

Senior Student Council

M4 Povi

M5 Tess

D1 Ion

Artists

Junior Student Council

M1 Auva & Herbie

M2 Moeka & Zee

M3 Ricky

Senior Student Council

M4 vacant

M5 Sterling

D1 Helena

Visionaries

Junior Student Council

M1 Rony

M2 Nikhil

M3 Haya

Senior Student Council
M4 Theano

M5 Mira

D1 Teodor

Students Councils (Junior and Senior) will meet after trips week at lunchtime so the voices of students can be heard with constructive ideas for the school.

Design Trip

On the 19th of September, IB MYP and Diploma students visited the Somerset House to see the Design Frontier exhibition - a fantastic opportunity to encounter works from 30 international designers pushing the frontiers of the design world through brilliant, innovative and sometimes, 'otherworldly' projects. As design students we had the opportunity to draw inspiration and we are hoping to be able to apply said inspiration to future school projects. It was a truly pleasurable experience, being able to dive into this world of wonders and curiosities! Teodor D1

M1 Shakespeares Globe Theatre Trip

On Monday, 25th September, Ms. Krohn is taking the M1 Drama students to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, where they will take part in a storytelling workshop and take a tour of the theatre. There is no charge for this trip, but students will need to bring a snack, some spending money (no more than £20), and a travelcard or Oyster card with enough money to travel into Zone 1. The students will be back in school by lunchtime.

Shine Week raising funds for Cancer Research

Staff and students have been involved in raising funds from cake sales (£146), dress-up days today and planned sponsored events in aid of cancer research. Students spent time in tutor groups this week learning and discussing how their experiences of this disease that impacts so many lives. The positive approach to taking action lifts the spirit and we thank all of you who took part. The campaign continues and details can be found at:
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/dwight-london-shine-walk

Sports News

M3/M5 netball

Unfortunately our M3/M5 netballers couldn't get the win against a very strong St. John's team yesterday. However, Reika was outstanding in GA, not missing a goal and being awarded player of the match. We were also impressed with Niamh's on court leadership.

University Fair

3.30pm Tuesday, 3rd October

The TSW Study Abroad Road Show arrives in Jubilee Hall on 3rd October and is for our own students and families as well as visitors from the community. The following universities will be attending.

1. Bocconi University

2. Cape Breton University

3. Carnegie Mellon University

4. Colorado State - Pueblo University

5. Ecole Hotelliere de Lausanne

6. EDHEC Business School

7. Fontys University -

8. Grenoble Graduate School of Business

9. Humanitas University

10. IE University

11. KEA Business Academies

12. KEA Business Academies

13. LIM College

14. PACE University

15. Polimoda Institute of Fashion, Design and Marketing
16. Samford University

17.   Temple University
18.   University of California, Berkeley
19.   University of Cincinnati
20.   University of Redlands
21.   University of South Florida
22.   University of Toronto
23.   Utrecht University

Have a wonderful weekend

Kind regards

Andy Atkinson

Upper School Principal

Dwight Parent Association News and Events

Dwight School London Parents on Facebook!

Did you know that the parents of Dwight have their own closed Facebook group? If you are on Facebook, it's another way to be connected to the Dwight community of parents. Parents use it to ask questions, sell items, or recommend events coming up, school related or otherwise. Just another way to stay connected. If you are interested, search for Dwight School London Parents and ask to join.

Out and About Events for Parents

East London Food Tour

Come with us as we explore the food history and culture of the East End. Wander down the 'curry mile' while you sample samosas and Indian sweets; learn the history of the pie; taste the fish and chips voted as "Best in London" year after year; peruse the hippest food trucks in town; nosh on a salt beef beigel and finish with a sweet American import. This food tour of London is completely unique in that you design your own menu. Your guide will bring you to the best cafes and shops in East London and explain their history and specialties - but you decide and purchase what you would like to eat. Sites and topics covered on the tour:

The history of the East End
French immigration and influence on food
The history of British classics like fish & chips and pie & mash
The 'Curry Mile' and the UK's love of Indian food
An overview of the high end dining options in the area
The hot new trends of food trucks and craft beer
Jewish immigration and the local love of salt beef beigels-Modern American influence on tasty treats

Date: Thursday, 12th October

Meet: 10:15am at McDonalds, Liverpool Street Station, London EC2M 7QH

Tour lasts about 2 hours

Cost: No upfront costs for the tour. Suggested sampling costs £10-15 and a tip for the tour guide.

Tickets: Reservation REQUIRED. Click the link below to reserve your spot. Click on 12th Oct, find the 10:30am East London Food Tour, and book! Book early to avoid disappointment.

http://www.freetoursbyfoot. com/london-tours/book-online/

Please let Michele – michele@seanoneill. com know when you book so she can look out for you!

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion Exhibit @ the V&A Museum

Discover how Cristobal Balenciaga's exquisite craftsmanship and innovative designs shaped modern fashion. The exhibit examines the work and legacy of the influential Spanish couturier with over 100 pieces crafted by the master of couture, his protégées and contemporary fashion designers working in the same innovative tradition.

Date: Friday, 10th November

Meet: 9:00am West Finchley tube station or 9:45am at the V&A Museum main ticketing entrance – Cromwell Road London SW7 2RL – for a 10am timed entry into the exhibit.

Cost: £12 for tickets

Tickets: Pre-booking is essential. Click this link to book your own ticket for the 10am entrance on 10th November.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/ exhibitions/balenciaga- shaping-fashion

After the exhibit we can peruse more of the museum or have lunch as a group.

Please let Michele – Michele@seanoneill.com know when you book so she knows who is joining.