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Friday, 29th September 2017

Upper School Newsletter

Upper School News

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Retreat Trips
This week the vast majority of our students have been out on residential retreat trips, getting to know their teachers and each other better. Every day I received photos and videos from the groups that made me smile seeing the adventures and challenges they faced together. I hope your child enjoyed the trips and do send me any feedback by email so we can make improvements to the experience. You can see a range of photos from some of the trips here.

Personal Projects, Extended Essays and Futures

M5 and D2 took advantage of the trip days to push forward with two important IB programme elements – the Personal Project and the Extended Essays. I have been very impressed with the maturity of both groups in how they used the time purposefully to seek advice, make changes and further their drafts. We also had time to think of the future with M5 planning their work experience and D2 heading off to a large university fair in London. 

The future of MYP eAssessment

Thank you to the parents of M4 and M5 who attended the eAssessment follow up meeting to debate and discuss the merits and pitfalls of eAssessment. The data from surveys to staff, students and parents was analysed and the recommendation to reduce eAssessment to the Personal Project and the on-screen inter-disciplinary exam was supported by the majority of families. We will continue to listen and plan with the few families who have concerns. The presentation from Thursday evening can be found here. Parents of younger students will be given the opportunity later to be consulted.

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Year 5 came to visit!

On Thursday we had the pleasure of receiving Year 5 students from the Lower School on their first transition day to the Upper School. Ms. Delgado arranged a day of fun and stimulating lessons and activities to give the youngsters a flavour of life on both campuses. They were a delight and left excited about the prospect of classes with us in the future. You can see some more super photos here.

Choir Festival Support
As announced in last week's newsletter, the Dwight London Choir Festival takes place next week. We are very excited to be welcoming over 50 students from abroad and of course to see around 70 of our very own Dwight London students joining in.  We would be delighted if any parents would like to help at the Festival's events on 4th - 7th October at Jubilee Hall.

 

Please refer to the list of events here, to which any additional helping hands would be greatly appreciated. Please select which activities you would like to assist and we will be in touch next week with more details. Thank you very much for your consideration and help.

University Fair

3.30pm Tuesday, 3rd October

As you may be aware from our newsletter we are hosting an international university fair at Dwight this year. It will take place in the hall from 3.30-4.30pm on the 3rd of October. There will be 22 universities attending and they will each have their own stall. All M4-D2 students will attend the beginning of the fair at 3.30pm as it is still part of the school day and are encouraged to stay and meet admission tutors and ask as many questions as they can. We would love if parents could attend however we are aware that the time of the day may not be convenient for all. This is a great opportunity for anyone thinking of study outside of the UK and we are very excited about it.

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University Information Evening - 6.30pm Wednesday, 4th October
Here at Dwight we are dedicated to help your children make a smooth transition into higher education. As well as the International University fair that will be held on the 3rd of October  and in-school help the students are receiving, we are also holding a university information evening on Wednesday, 4th October from 6:30pm to 7.30pm at the Jubilee campus. 

Although this evening will be geared toward the questions and needs of D1 students and their parents/guardians, M5 students and parents/guardians are invited to attend and will surely find the majority of information useful.  We will be focusing on course selection, open days, admission processes, deadlines, and writing personal statements.  We will also have time to answer any questions you may have regarding higher education admissions.  

Work experience for M5 launched

M5 spent this Friday planning the first stages of their work experience happening in the third term. Students narrowed down their ideas and choices of career areas as well as honed their C.V.s and learned how to apply for job roles. Can I ask any parent who feels they could offer work experience places (without full commitment at this stage) at companies or organisations they work for or are connected with, to write to me (aatkinson@dwightlondon.org) so we can expand our potential offerings to students.

Hidden talent: The Upper School Media Club Report!

This week the media club went around the Dwight campus taking pictures of all the activities. We also interviewed people in a few activities. So we first started off looking at the programming club. They were doing some very important work, the work they are doing is related to what the media club is doing. We interviewed a student called Ignacio about Dwight TV.

 

So the first question we asked is what is he doing today? he said "I am creating an advert for the choir festival. We are going to put the advert on the TV in the cafe" Next we asked him what do you use to make the advert? he said "We are all using a software that helps you to make professional videos" Next we asked him what does he hope to achieve from this club? he said "I hope to be able to talk in front of an audience about the logic behind something like Dwight TV".

 

We next interviewed some from the Debate club. We interviewed a student called Hermine. The first question we asked is what are you doing in today's lesson? She answered "We are continuing to look at debating features, the week before we started it and now we are finishing it. We did one practice debate to help understand even more about it" The next question we asked is what was the motion of the practice debate? Hermine said "The motion was "This house believes convicted women should not go to prison". The last question we asked Hermine is what do you want to gain out of this club? She said "I want to be better at debating and improve my public speaking skills".

 

Finally we went to see the programming club. We chose to interview a student who just joined the school this year. His name is Ricky, We asked him first what are you doing in your lesson today? Ricky said, "we are working/continuing on coding this sample website". Next we asked him what website/programme do you use to programme/code? Ricky said "The website we are currently using is called Code Academy" The last question we asked him is what does he hope to benefit in future from this club? He said "In the future I would like to be able to code professional websites and work with advanced people in coding".

Below are some pictures of the clubs.

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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.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday - September 30, 2017
All day
 
Sunday - October 1, 2017
All day
 
Monday - October 2, 2017
All day
 
 
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Dwight School London

6, Friern Barnet Lane. N11 3LX

+44 208 8920 0600

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