Blog week ending 28th April

Our Year 9 and 10 students participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award took part in a training course this week.  KCC trainers came in to lead a series of sessions to provide them with the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence ahead of their practice expedition on Friday 12^th May to Saturday 13^th May.  At Bronze Award level, all students must complete four challenges, skills, physical, volunteering and expedition. 

The DofE programme is a genuinely life-changing experience providing opportunities to discover new interests and talents as well as being great fun!  Students taking part gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, team-working, communication and drive, enhancing CVs and university and job applications. 

Thank you to our Drama Department and student contributors for the amazing Stone Lodge Showcase event.  It was such an uplifting and celebratory feel-good evening!  Our congratulations to all performers and stagehands and tech teams - your hard work and showmanship shone through!  It was an incredibly slick production – well done everyone!

A huge thank you must go to the amazing staff across the school who contributed to the success of the night, from the site team, office staff, catering, teachers and SLT.  And a very special thank you to all our audience members, your support, delicious pizzas(!) and enthusiasm really did lift the students!

Lastly, ‘thank you’ to parent Ms Dickinson, from The Little Lavinia Bakery, who made all participants a cupcake - a perfect, and delicious treat! 

The Drama Department had the pleasure of welcoming Sean from Frantic Assembly to the school. Frantic Assembly are a Physical Theatre company who utilise movement and music as a form of storytelling. Our Year 10 GCSE cohort and select Year 9 students had a great time exploring how to use movement as a devising tool, we look forward to applying our new skills in class. 

Mr Bailey will be auditioning for our next musical production next week .. Bugsy Malone!  The sign-up sheet is up outside the drama studio – add your name!!

Mr Bailey, Head of Drama organised a theatre teambuilding night, whereby staff watched an incredible rendition of The Bodyguard Musical at Orchard Theatre. The staff in attendance had an amazing night of bonding, singing and dancing to a plethora of Whitney Houston tunes. 

The Power of Poetry – Kings Coronation competition.  Our Librarian, Miss Clayton, has launched a special poetry competition to commemorate the Kings coronation.  Miss Clayton is hoping for lots of entries from students about community, or Royalty or Coronation … or anything else that for you, links to the Kings’ Coronation!  If any students would like any tips or for more information .. pop up to the library and speak with Miss Clayton.

Our Library word of the week this week is ‘Conundrum’ .. students are faced with the conundrum(!) of using the word in one of their English lesson this week!

Monday’s Food Club was a huge amount of fun!  It was the first session of our Year 10's (and Mr Bailey!) Stone Lodge Food Club. The group cooked a delicious Spaghetti Bolognese, introducing some cutting skills and heat control. Next session is Mac and Cheese, I cannot wait. 

Miss Arklie’s Year 7 Engineers have been finalising their miniture skateboard project.  Each skateboard has been made perfectly to scale and specification, each with a unique artistic design on the underside of the board – all beautifully finished and ready to use on their skate park ramp models!

Thank you to our friends and supporters for the generous donations of DT materials which have been deployed to extra curricular projects such as our PTA led allotment and sensory garden.  Students in our after school club are currently working on a range of bird houses and bug hotels to help support and encorage our local wildlife – we (and the local bug population!) can’t thank you enough for making this project possible!  I’ll keep you updated with developments via this blog .. as you can see from the below photo of our Head of Premises, Mr Gadd .. work has begun!

Congratulations to Lilah C Year 10, the winner of our British Science Week House competition.  Students were challenged to design their own 3-D model of a cell.  Lilah made the excellent below models of a plant cell (on the right) and an animal cell (on the left)

We are extremely proud of our many students who are members of sporting teams and clubs outside of school regularly contributing to community events and representing not just our school, but local and national teams. 

Please join me and our staff in congratulating Ollie H who is part of the Dartford Valley Boys U15 side who were recently crowned Kent Club League Champions.  An amazing achievement!!  The dedication, resilience, skill and ambition shown on the pitch is admirable – well done!  Additionally, Ollie H who is already part of the Saracens development player program is on track to be part of the Kent County Team line-up – special congratulations Ollie!

Our Dartford Valley boys are;

Year 10

Ollie H

Years 9s are:

Louie G

Jayden S (Jayden also plays up a yea sometimes for the U15s)

Fraser A

Junior D

Callum R

Michael D

Year 8s are:

Tom B 

Sam W

Mrs Aziz’ Fashion and Textiles Club is a creative hub for aspiring designers and artists alike!  Students have just completed a project to design and create a bespoke tote bag .. the finished products are all finished to a very high standard and are super stylish and uniquely personal to the creators!  All are welcome to join the club – see Mrs Aziz for more details.

Around 20 of our students took part in the St George's Day parade for Scouts and Girl Guides recently in Dartford Park. Looking particularly smart and chosen as flag bearers for their units were Kai A of 7A and Joshua VS of 8A. Despite it being a miserable morning and pouring with rain, all of our students did themselves, and their units proud!

Our Year 9 football team have progressed to the final of the North Kent Cup, and you are all invited to join me and staff on the terraces cheering them on!  I look forward to seeing you there.  All details in the below poster.

Forthcoming dates;

Year 9, plus Year 10 catch up vaccinations – April 26^th & 27^th

Year 7 Police Cadet Assembly – April 28^th

May Banks Holidays – May 1^st & May 8^th

Berlin History & Engineering Trip – May 2^nd – 4^th

Drama Trip, Annie Musical – May 4^th 7pm

DofE Practice Expedition – May 12^th – 13^th

Music workshop ‘Beat goes on’ Years 7 & 8 – May 15^th & 16^th

Last Day of Term – May 26^th

 

Best wishes,

 

Gavin Barnett

Head Teacher