Blog week ending 16th June

Cultural Day showcased the amazing riches of our school community as students and staff celebrated the diversity of heritage and traditions represented across Stone Lodge.  This inclusive event was created and planned by the Student Council with the aim of making all students feel represented and involved in the day.  Students wore clothes and accessories to reflect and express their heritage and created a range of inventive games and competitions to share elements of their different cultures with others.  It was a truly enriching day fostering a deeper social awareness and understanding of the cultural riches of the world beyond our immediate community. 

During Form time students discussed what their culture meant to them before choosing a culture to represent on a form stall; stalls included Welly Toss, Japanese, Brazilian dance, Turkish shoes, Follow the Rainbow, Italian, Great Wall of China, Gumboot Dance, Pin the hat on the Kangaroo, Day of the Dead, European Stall, Caribbean Cup Ping-Pong, Irish Games, Chopsticks Challenge, Chinese Lanterns, Penalty Shootout, Henna, Horseracing and Sponge the Teacher!

The Student Council had so much positive feed-back, including this from 8A; “It was great to see how (after many a debate about which culture to represent) they came together to put on a display for Turkey (part of which is pictured below).  We shared traditions, food (delicious Turkish delight and Baklava).  It was lovely to hear students Hilal and Lenny speak with pride and passion to others about Turkey.  Hilal added “I could not believe that anyone would be interested in my culture and yet today the class put on activities and were so interested”

Miss Haynes's Year 7 English students have been exploring Identity, specifically the characteristics that determine or define us.  Students read the poem “Search for my Tongue” by Pakistani-British poet Moniza Alvi.  The poem is about being bi-lingual and how language is an important part of identity.  Students debated the theme of the poem and how the author presented the two different languages or ‘voices’ that made up her cultural identity.

Our Year 8 Food and Nutrition students have been learning about Mediterranean cuisine and in this practical lesson used Greek Feta cheese and couscous to create stuffed peppers.  Students learned the nutritional value of different cheeses – feta cheese is traditionally made from sheep’s milk and is a healthy choice being lower in fat and calories than aged cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan.  The finished recipe was clearly a success as most had been eaten by the time I popped in to take photos!

Our Librarian Miss Clayton is inviting all budding writers to take part in a competition to pen a ‘whodunnit’ 100 word mini-saga inspired by the crime & mystery genre.  Could your characters fight for justice? Take on the role of detective in an enthralling whodunit? Or embark on an adventure as a fugitive?  A guide on how to approach the challenge is below, for more information or to take part, pop up to the Library and speak with Miss Clayton.

Run a marathon in 14 days!  As part of our fundraising initiative for a new school mini-bus; staff, parents, carers and students (and even a few dogs!) have been taking part in the challenge to run 42 kms (26 miles) over 14 days which is due to complete on Monday 19^th June.  Students have been tasked with raising sponsorship whilst staff have been generating donations via the sale of exclusive Stone Lodge Lottery Cards!  It’s not too late to get involved .. all support and donations greatly appreciated!  On Monday 19^th June, to mark the end of the challenge our PTFA will be hosting a cake sale – please make sure your children have some spare change on Monday to enjoy the cakes!  Again .. all help (and cake donations!) appreciated. Mrs Pickard would like to thank all supporters for their commitment and fund raising skills .. it truly has been a Stone Lodge community event.

Miss Cogswell’s Year 9 Biologists have been working with microscopes to view a range of cells.  Students then calculated the total magnification combining the magnification of the objective and eyepiece lenses for a range of samples.  Next lesson students will be preparing their own plant cell slides for observation as part of their study of cells.

Our Student Council welcomed Greenwich Labour Councillor Linda Bird to discuss the roles and opportunities within local government as part of our Careers Programme.  Councillor Bird, who was previously Mayor of Greenwich has an extensive career within the education and government sectors and spent time discussing potential future further education and workplace pathways.  Flourish of Year 10 (far right of image) is the Kent Youth Councillor for Dartford and is hoping to become a member of parliament in the future.

Flourish added “It was really useful to hear Councillor Bird’s route into Government and learn more about her role, it’s definitely what I see myself doing in the future”

Year 7 and 8 students attended a Careers Workshop delivered by specialist trainers from Talent Foundry with representatives from Logicor Real Estate working to raise awareness of career opportunities around Dartford.  Students took part in a range of group activities with a work-based focus designed to support critical thinking and help students explore potential career options. 

The workshop gave students an insight into the world of logistics real estate management and a chance to get hands-on with tasks commonly confronted by Logicor team members.

Over the course of the session students were able to;

• Develop their core transferable skills, such as presentation and teamwork.
• Engage in the world of logistics real estate, learning about the global reach of one of the UK’s key job sectors.
• Use their maths skills and apply them to workplace challenges commonly confronted by Logicor team members.

As part of our Careers Programme, we welcomed guest speaker, Augusta Koroma.  Augusta spoke with our Health and Social Care students providing an insight into her studies and work experience within the Health and Social Care sector.  Students asked lots of questions regarding the BTEC Level 3 in Health and Social Care which Augusta is studying in conjunction with her role working in a residential home for adults with learning disabilities. 

Our Year 12 SL6 Engineers have recently spent time on Career projects, visits and a delicious BBQ! …

Year 12 visited BAE systems in Rochester. They had two hours each on two different flight simulators. One of a commercial plane - Boeing 737 and one of a fighter plane. Due to their high levels of security, we were not allowed to take any photos of the students on the simulators, but they all had fun trying to land without crashing. The simulators were there to test BAE's products in a real-life environment. Students were able to try out their latest Striker-II helmet which features a mounted display and night vision. 

Students remarked;

Luke B: 'It was really interesting to get an insight into the military defence sector of engineering. We learnt what they did on a day-to-day basis. Plus, it was great fun to use their state-of-the-art simulators.'

Harry M: 'It was amazing to sit in the same seat as a real fight pilot and experience some of their world'

Jonathan H: 'It was interesting to use their latest technology which is still in its development. We saw some prototypes which aren't even realised in the real world yet. I was able to take off a plane from London Heathrow and fly over to Dartford to see the school and Dartford Crossing from the sky. I even saw my own house.'

Photo 1 the commercial plane simulator

Photo 2 Striker-II helmet which was used on the fighter plane simulator

Our Year 12 SL6 Engineers attended their Gold Project presentation at Canterbury Christ Church University. Students presented in front of a panel of judges and received some tough questioning. Congratulations to students for progressing so far in the competition.

Our Year 12 Engineers also got to test out their BBQ's this week that they were making as part of their unit 5 project. Despite the wind, we managed to have three successful BBQ's with some very tasty burgers and bacon. 

Our Successful Lives Programme (PHSE) are lessons and talks delivered to support student Personal Social Health, and Economic Education.  The topics are carefully chosen to support personal development and independence and to help keep themselves (and others) healthy and safe.  This Cycle students have been studying;

Year 7 have been studying the various different types of families in our society, and the benefits and challenges this presents in everyday life. To continue the theme of benefits and challenges in everyday life, we have also been considering the effects and impacts of Cyber-Bullying, as well as how we can keep ourselves safe online on social media and safe from online predators. 

Year 8 students are studying the themes of peer pressure, consent and relationships. This is a continuation of the work we have been doing on Equality and considering the themes of Sexuality, Sexism and British Values.

Year 9 have been looking at the different Rights and Responsibilities we have as citizens in our society. This has included looking at Human Rights and how these are upheld, as well as the negative impacts of not upholding them- including the barriers to education.

Year 10 students have been studying the themes of Diversity and considering how Diverse our society is, which fits in well with the work we have done in Culture Week before half term. Year 10 students have also been looking into Extremist and Radical behaviour and what the different impacts of this can be in society, including links to Terrorism. 

Message from the office – please can we ask that parents and carers double-check that students are coming to school properly equipped.  As we come to the end of the school year, we are seeing an increased number of students coming to school unprepared for their lessons.  To help support student self-management, equipment and uniform replacements can be purchased from;

Stationery – Complete and filled pencil cases are available for purchase on ParentPay.  Individual items can be purchased individually from the office at 20p for pens, pencils etc and £1.50 for a pencil case.

Uniform – our uniform suppliers (for school specific logoed items) are available from TFS school wear and can be purchased online by clicking here   Our PTFA offer a selection of pre-loved uniform items for sale please email ptatreasurer@stonelodgeschool.co.uk for a current stock list.

We had two very special visitors this week, when Miss Daniels (currently on maternity leave from the SEN team) and Miss Ivison (Teacher of English), brought in their beautiful new babies.  Darcie Emilia Daniels-Coleman (top photo), who is just three weeks old and Max Thomas Ivison-Brown (bottom photos) who is six weeks old.  Both were extremely popular visitors and made a tour of the school, charming everyone they met.  Congratulations to both families!

Future Dates: 

Y7 and 8 all day career workshop for 40 students - 15^th June

Formal Y9 mock examinations - 19^th – 23^rd June

Year 10 Geography Field Trips - 6^th and 13^th July

Formal Y10 mock examinations - 3^rd – 7^th July

New Year 7 welcome meeting - 3^rd July

New Year 7 transition day - 7^th July

Sports Day for Y7, 8 and 9 (separate afternoon for Y10 TBC) - 7^th July

Stone Lodge Musical Production – Bugsy Malone - 12^th and 13^th July

Summer School (for new Year 7 students joining in September) - 14^th August to 17^th August 2023 

Best wishes,

Gavin Barnett

Head Teacher