This Week's News from the Upper School

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Friday, 21st October 2016

Upper School Newsletter

Upper School News

Interim Reports

Links to the Interim reports have now been sent to parents via Open Apply, our admissions database system. If you did not receive the link by email, please contact kstrickland@dwightlondon.org.

Sports Facilities

I am pleased to be able to tell you that we putting in place plans to replace the girls' changing rooms at the playing fields. This girls' facility has been outgrown by our numbers and is in need of refurbishment so we are currently looking at many options to improve it. The main pavilion has already been upgraded, and this now does provide a facility is more suited to our needs.

Therefore we have being trying various methods this term to make the changing room experience as pleasant as possible for our students. At present, boys and girls use the same changing facility, with one group changing before the other, and having designated spaces in which to leave their clothing. The PHE staff decide which group should change first. Generally speaking this arrangement has worked out quite well, although it is not an ideal situation. We thank you for your understanding and patience whilst we work out the best way to upgrade the facilities at the playing fields.

M3 Spanish Workshop

Our Spanish students in M3 are currently studying a unit on the world of work. The key concept is communication and they are exploring what type of information they have to provide in the context of job interviews and job applications and how to present this information to suit their purposes.

In previous years we have been fortunate to welcome a number of parents who have come to talk to our students about their jobs and their work experience as well as giving our students very useful tips for their future careers.

We would like to repeat this experience and it is for this reason that we are inviting you to take part in a workshop by sharing with our students a little bit about your job and what it involves, as well as answering some questions the students will ask on the day (writing a CV, job interviews, skills needed etc..). The workshop takes place on Wednesday, 23rd November and will last for about two hours, from 8.40-10.40am in Jubilee Hall.

If you are able to take part, please click here to let us know - Your participation is very much appreciated!

Basketball News

A successful outing for our Dwight Lions in basketball this week: our diploma team won 56 - 23 against King Alfred School on Thursday evening. There were outstanding performances by Conran, Rhett and Ray. Between the three of them we saw a number of excellent lay-ups and three pointers. Sandile, Keir, and Gabriel all had strong post up games in the paint leading the team in rebounds and sinking a number of points off the boards. The team is made up of mostly our D1 and D2 students, but our M4's and M5's also got in on the action including a three pointer by Luke. Well done boys! Go Lions!!

Parent Association Update

Thank you to all of you who came to our Parent Association (DPA) meeting on Wednesday evening. This meeting was held in advance of the AGM which was on Thursday morning, when the new office holders were chosen. Thank you to Alison Dunatov, Kate Hicks-Beach and Mano Griffiths for taking on some of the key roles.

The Parent Association will be hosting an International Evening on 23rd November, more details will follow after half-term and I look forward to seeing you there!

Upcoming Trip Information

M1 Gamelan Workshop - Royal Festival Hall, Thursday, 24th November, 10.30am - 12.30pm
As music from around the world forms a very important part of our music curriculum, the M1 students will be focusing on gamelan music in their music classes after the half term break. This genre of music originates from the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, and we are in the fortunate position that the Southbank Centre in central London owns an original gamelan set which is not only on display in the Royal Festival Hall but can also be used for workshops. This beautiful Javanese percussion orchestra was received in 1987 as a gift from the Republic of Indonesia to the people of Great Britain. As is the case with many important gamelan ensembles, the gamelan was given an original name, 'Kyai Lebdha Jiwa' or 'The Venerable Spirit of Perfection'. We have booked a workshop for our M1 students during which they will deepen their cultural understanding of the gamelan and learn to play basic patterns on these beautiful original instruments.

Itinerary:
On Thursday, 24th November, we will set off from Dwight campus at 9.00am and walk to Arnos Grove tube station to travel to Charing Cross. From there we will take the footbridge over the Thames and enjoy the views of the river and City. The workshop at the Southbank Centre starts at 10.30am and finishes at 12.30pm. Students should bring a packed lunch and a snack. Additionally, refreshments can be bought at the Royal Festival Hall Café. We will arrive back at Dwight at around 2.00pm. Mr. Flores, Mr. Kraft and our Diploma music student Jacques Jervis will accompany the M1 students on the trip.