Albeit in a slightly different format but hopefully equally of use. If you have any articles / news items you’d like to share, then please email hn@kingdown.wilts.sch.uk We’d love to see pictures of the work being produced and being kept in the loop about the activities you’ve been up to or submit via twitter (@kingdownschool)

News you should be aware of

Home Learning Update

As Term 5 comes to an end, I wanted to share with you an update on our work setting and also say a big thank you for all your support at home for learning. Adapting to such a different way to learn has been a challenge for many students and we’ve tried to make sure that wellbeing comes first in such difficult times. The huge number of reward points awarded on G4S suggests that lots of fantastic learning is still going on – thanks for making this happen at home!

Have a break if you can

The first message from us it to make sure everyone has a break from school work over the half-term holiday, particularly if you have a very conscientious child who has been working every day.

They won’t fall behind if they have a week off. It’s a chance to get used to new ways of living as the national picture changes and spend time relaxing together if you can.

Work setting in Term 6

Secondly, we have thought carefully about how to keep our younger learners motivated and their day structured. Please see Mrs Hill’s letter if you are a parent of a Year 7 and/or 8 student. We’ve written a daily timetable for Years 7 and 8 to help make sure they feel they can achieve what has been set. Work will be set on G4S as usual for this. This follows government guidance that three hours a day is a good amount of work to do. However, we are always happy to provide extension work – just email either the class teacher or your child’s tutor if your child needs more work.

Year 7 and 8 Timetable

In Year 9, we’ve had a good look at the amount for work we are setting to try and ensure it is achievable, however if your child is struggling with the workload, please feel free to follow the shortened timetable. If you need any further support or guidance you can contact your child’s tutor.

Year 11

In Year 11, I know Mr Humphrey has been in touch to remind students that they can either work on 6th form preparation work, which is set by the 6th form team and teachers or take up one of our many careers opportunities. Following Mrs Gale and the 6th form Twitter accounts offers Year 11 and 12 students some great resources.

Completed work – a frequently asked question

Some parents have asked what to do with completed work. Teachers will say on the task how to show them it has been done – this could be a photo of the work being sent. We can’t give feedback on every piece of work students do. Some of the work will be used for revision notes and will be assessed later in a test or similar. I’d keep all work in a folder for the subject (or pile!) and be ready to share it when the student comes in. I always say though – our teachers love seeing work you and your child are proud of – send it in via a photo for reward points and to go in Kingdown Week.

Enter one of our fabulous competitions or challenges

Finally, here’s a link to last week’s Kingdown Week as we still have lots of fabulous competitions and challenges running (internal link)

Do encourage your child to take part – we’ve had some great entries already!

Mrs Carpenter

Head Student Selection

We had a fantastic field of candidates for our interviews for the positions on the Head Student team last week.  We were faced with the very difficult task of choosing between a large number of wonderful candidates; the presentations they made, their answers to  questions  and the insight they showed made choosing between them a real challenge.  They all had excellent qualities which would have made each of  them a wonderful choice.  Nevertheless we had to choose, and after much deliberation we are delighted to introduce our Head Student Team for 2020/2021:

Well done and congratulations on your success.

Year 10:  Learning in lockdown VWEX – What an experience!

So this week some of our year 10 students have had the opportunity to be part of some Virtual Work Experience in the form of “The Esteem Pavilion” COYO design challenge 2020.  A first for us all and a great opportunity for Kingdown to be part of a new way of learning!

They have worked in small teams with the brilliant support of Mr Marsh, Ms Egglestone, Mr Denny, Mrs Annetts and myself, to research, plan, measure out, design and create their own Pavilion building for a community in Dubai.  They had the chance to work remotely with industry professionals from companies like: Kier, Morgan Sindall, Balfour Beatty and  Wilmott Dixon, alongside professors and students from Heriot Watt University UK & Duabi!

They finish at 4.30 Friday 22nd and have had some long work days, 9.30am – 4.30pm (and longer so I’ve heard!).  Thank you also to all their amazing parents who have supported them at home this week and put up with cardboard and the like across their dining table – you are all truly amazing.

Here are some examples of the brilliant work they are producing:

Learn Live Virtual Work Experience platform. They also offer lots of Careers talks from industry professionals – take a look for to find out more:

https://learnliveuk.com/channel/

Miss Gale – Careers Advisor     follow me on twitter: @KingdownCareers

Virtual Work Experience Opportunity: Years 10 and 12

Apply to Miss Gale via e-mail: vjg@kingdown.wilts.sch.uk, by 2nd June end of the day.

The launch of ‘My Week of Work’ Virtual Work Experience will be the 8th-12th June.

We’re delighted to be working in collaboration with Oak National Academy, Learn Live and Careers Leaders from AET to develop the week which will include a programme of sessions and employer interactions which will enable learners to gain valuable insight into the world of work.

Whilst we cannot replicate all aspects of work experience, the week-long sequence of sessions will enable young people to find out about sectors, specific roles within a range of industry partners and projects and tasks mirroring workplace challenges.

A wide range of Cornerstone Employers and provider partners have generously donated their time and resources to make the week as activity driven and valuable as possible.

What to expect from ‘My Week of Work’

Sectors that will feature during the week are:

  • Construction
  • Healthcare
  • Engineering and manufacturing
  • Creative and digital
  • Renewables 

Through the Oak National Academy platform 4 sessions per day will be scheduled Monday to Friday and these will be supported by interactive employer Q&A sessions through the Learn Live platform Tuesday to Thursday 10-2pm.

In addition, Personal Guidance sessions will be scheduled through the Learn Live platform so that young people may ask questions to careers advisors.

Miss Gale – Careers Advisor

Update from The History Department

The History Department would like to say a massive well done to all the students who entered the History Essay Competition, answering the question:

If 1066 is said to be the most important date in English history, what is the equivalent in another country?

We had entries that looked at the histories of Japan, South Africa, New Zealand, Israel, Cambodia and more!

Topics also covered a huge range of dates stretching from the 8th century BC to the end of the 20th century.

All entries showed great skill and creativity and we were really impressed by the quality of writing.

Particular well done to Grace in year 11 and Hetty in year 13 whose entries have been submitted to the national competition.

Drama Club Silent Movie

Quizlet Live Challenges from the Languages Department

Students of French and Spanish in all year groups have been benefitting from interactive team vocabulary challenges on Quizlet Live each week. This has been a huge success, with our biggest Year 7 game yet taking place last week.

These fun challenges will continue to take place after half term.

To take part, your child will just need access to a phone, tablet or laptop.

The game codes are set on Go4Schools ten minutes before each game.

Once your child has the code, they can input this into the Quizlet Live website and wait until the game starts. The children are used to playing these games in class but being able to join in with their classmates from home has given things an interesting twist.

Weekly Quizlet Live Challenge Timetable

  • Year 7 French – Wednesdays at 1pm (Miss Elliott’s class), Fridays at 1.30pm.
  • Year 8 French – Thursdays at 11.30am, Fridays at 4pm (Miss Elliott’s class).
  • Year 9 French – Thursdays at 3pm.
  • Year 10 French – Fridays at 11.30am.
  • Year 12 French – Fridays at 11am.
  •  Year 9 Spanish – Tuesdays at 2pm.
  • Year 10 Spanish – Mondays at 12pm.

Bonne chance! / ¡Buena suerte!

Kingdown Wildlife Blooms in Lockdown

While we have been keeping safe staying at home, wildlife around the school site has been flourishing. The Gardening Club zig zag garden is starting to come into full bloom with the Welsh poppies and bluebells, in particular, attracting the bees. The small wildflower area behind Creative Arts is full of buttercups, cornflowers, and ox-eye daisies. Outside the Art block, the large dusty purple poppy seeds scattered in the autumn are now in full bloom.

In the nature area, the animals are active with lots of smooth newts spotted in the pond along with dragonfly nymphs. The new bat box has yet to receive any visitors, but the badger setts look like they are still being used. Gardening Club hopes to set up a badger cam to see who is about at night. Where the nature area has not been mowed for some weeks it is now a beautiful buttercup meadow.

Half Term Activity in Warminster Park

If you are looking for an activity to get you out and about over half term, why not download the Warminster Park Town Trail.

See if you can find out about the trees and wildlife on our doorstep (external link)

Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 – YouTube

Did you know that kindness can be beneficial for our mental health? Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week here: www.mentalhealth.org.uk/mhaw

Philosophy Prep Work for Year 12

A lovely article by Prerana about The Buddha (.docs, 15kb)

Great Design Work by Lewis


Ella in Y7 – Healthy Lifestyle Guide

Pictures of your learning and activities