Blog week ending 1st December

Our House Challenges and competitions are a key part of school life fostering community and a healthy dose of friendly competition and school pride.  Our current Challenge has been set by our MFL Department and is a Christmas Card competition – all entries are welcome!  The below poster outlines the full details.  Start polishing up your baking skills everyone as Our January Challenge is the Great Stone Lodge Bake-Off, with more details to follow!

We are delighted to unveil our new House badges as a visual representation of each of our Houses.

Each house is named after a remarkable historic figure who overcame various obstacles to achieve greatness.  Each has made a significant contribution to life today, whether via invention or action, these people embody the ethos of Stone Lodge School.  Each House is led by a Student House Leadership Team (details below)

Stephen Hawking (Science) was a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. Hawking was diagnosed with a slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually paralysed him over the decades. His determination was such that even after the loss of his speech, he was still able to communicate through a speech generating device and work as the director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.  He died on 14 March 2018, after living with the disease for more than 50 years.

Amy Johnson (Engineering) was a pioneering English female pilot who achieved worldwide recognition when, in 1930, she became the first woman pilot to fly solo from England to Australia. Flying solo or with her husband, she set many long-distance records during the 1930s. She flew in the Second World War as a part of the Air Transport Auxiliary and died during a ferry flight.  In her lifetime she was a fearless aviator who did much to promote equality for women.

Thomas Edison (Technology) was an inventor who has been described as America's greatest inventor.  He developed many devices such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures.  He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organised science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees, respecting the contribution of all collaborators in his work.  Edison was almost completely deaf, yet he considered his deafness a blessing as it ‘kept conversations short so he could concentrate on his work!’.

Mary Seacole (Medical Science) was a British-Jamaican businesswoman and nurse who set up the "British Hotel" behind the lines during the Crimean War. She described this as "a mess-table and comfortable quarters for sick and convalescent officers" and provided treatment for wounded servicemen on the battlefield. She was posthumously awarded the JamaicanOrder of Merit in 1991.  Despite prejudice Seacole overcame all obstacles to provide help to the wounded, she was extremely popular among service personnel for her integrity, doing the right thing even when unthinkable prejudice stood in her way. 

House	Student House Captains
Edison	House Captain- Luke Y13  Vice Caption- Kieran Y12  House Leader- Enoch/ Kadjia Y11  Deputy Leader- Mason Y9/ Lily H
Hawking	House Captain- Olivia Y13  Vice Caption- Amy Y12  House Leader- Ellie N/ Jack B Y11  Deputy Leader- Toby/MM Y9
Johnson	House Captain- Emma Y13  Vice Caption- Harvey Y12  House Leader- Margaret/ Oliver Y11  Deputy Leader- Bethany/ Lennon Y9
Seacole	House Captain- Isabelle/ Jonathon Y13  Vice Caption- Malaki Y12  House Leader- Ellis Y11  Deputy Leader- Joshua S/ Jayden T Y9

Our Current House Points Scores are .. it’s all to play for!

	Seacole – 4,536	1st
	Hawking – 4,513	2nd
	Edison – 4,275	3rd
	Johnson – 3,920	4th

On Tuesday morning, Miss Rutt and the school council representatives held their first meeting of the year! They discussed the different working parties and each of the representatives present from Year 7 to Year 10 assigned themselves to a party. The working parties are; eco-friendly school, student mental wellbeing, charities and student newspaper. The eco-friendly school party will be focusing on what needs to be actioned in our everyday school life to make us a more eco-friendly environment. The student mental wellbeing party will seek ways to promote mental wellbeing for all students as they navigate school life. The charities party will be brainstorming different ideas to help support local charities within the community as a school. The student newspaper will be gathering to write a section for the blog with the hopes of building this into establishing the first student SLS newspaper! Those responsible for each party will be gathering thoughts and ideas from students in the next week to bring to their first official working party meeting to discuss. If you have any ideas please speak to the representative from your tutor group, or find Miss Rutt or Miss Lesage!

Mr Osborne has joined us as Teacher of Geography and brings a wealth of experience as a Head of Department at a local school; and from his background in local government and Policing.  He has lived and worked in the local area for a great number of years and is committed to improving the outcomes and life chances of our children and has a decade of experience working with young people in various remits; including supporting Duke of Edinburgh and Youth Parliament.  

Currently I am working with our Year 11 students to support them with revision techniques and strategies to support their subject knowledge as they make their preparations for their GCSE examinations in the Summer.  

Mrs Pearce-Fowler joins our Science Department as a specialist Biology and Environmental Science Teacher with over 15 years teaching experience.  Mrs Pearce -Fowler is a huge advocate of STEM subjects and of the life experiences and careers that their study can open up to our students!

In the below lesson Mrs Pearce-Fowler’s Year 10 students were investigating the principles of Hooke’s Law – how adding mass to a spring affects its extension before recording and evaluating their findings.

 

Introducing Miss White, Teacher of Science who has worked in secondary education in London and on the Isle of Wight.  Miss White specialises in Biology, specifically the brain and psychology.  “I really enjoy working with our students at Stone Lodge to enhance their understanding of the world we live in and am looking forward to enhancing our science lessons with complementary extra-curicular clubs for students to extend their scientific knowledge and enjoyment!”

Year 10 students have been studying the digestive system and in this lesson enjoyed(!) a practical demonstration to follow the journey of the food we eat from mouth to toilet; in this case, sausage, beans and bread and how it is broken down into substances that our bodies can absorb and use. 

The Stone Lodge Drama Department held a successful round of auditions for our next whole school production, School of Rock. Students performed a prepared monologue from the show and sang as an ensemble. The final cast was announced with students discovering the role they were awarded. 

Each successful student received their script. Now the fun begins with students learning lines and the staging of the show…

The Drama tech team, led by sixth form and Year 11 students, were extremely pleased with our new lapel mics and headsets ready for our next production! We are excited to test them out and elevate our performances.

 

SL6 Update from our Sixth Form SL6 correspondent Olivia Demetriou-Shaw.   Next week (Thursday 7th December) is our SL6 Open Event where our students and staff will showcase the opportunities for personal and academic growth that our sixth form offers.  When visiting us, or other post 16 providers make sure you’ve considered the below factors that would influence and guide your sixth form and subject decisions;

Consider what you are good at and what’s good for you.

1. Your strengths. Unsure? Ask teachers (and those who know you well) for an honest opinion. You may be guided by your GCSE choices, of course, but also look at new subjects that are on offer. Try to think beyond subject content and consider what skills you have and how you learn best.
2. What you enjoy. You'll typically have twice as many lessons in each subject at Sixth Form so you need to enjoy what you are doing. You are more likely to do well in a subject you like. It is really important that you select courses you will enjoy and flourish in. You will be studying these subjects for two years, so motivation and enjoyment is key! Now is the time you can finally have a say in what you learn – take advantage of that!
3. What might be different. Subject content and / or the way it is taught may change or develop considerably at Sixth Form. Find out what the course entails – ask lots of questions. Understand how the course is delivered and assessed.
4. A Levels or BTECS. This decision could be based on your career path or preferred learning style. A combination of the two could be a good option to help spread out workload if you prefer more practical work alongside the challenge of the academic nature of A Levels. It could be good to have a mixture of academic, creative and vocational courses. This balance if often beneficial to students and ensures they have some variety in their timetable.                                                  
5. Keep your options open. Try to look at a broad choice of subjects to ensure that you don’t limit yourself. Remember your favourite subjects now might not be in the future. Consider Humanities subject , English and Mathematics or Psychology.
6. Do your research . If you have a particular pathway in mind, find out if there are any particular course requirements before you choose your Sixth Form subjects. If you are opting for an apprenticeship route they will want top grades but may not specify the subjects. If you are considering university as an option then you will need to check entry requirements carefully, particularly if you want to go to a Russell Group university.
7. Think about future employers. University isn't the only option, you may want to go straight into work or opt for an apprenticeship. Whether you do this at 18 or 21 you will be getting a job in the future so consider what that might be and whether it has an impact on the choices you make. 

For further information please see our SL6 Curriculum Booklet here

Youth Travel Ambassador (YTA) is a peer led programme which sets out to engage students aged 11 to 18 in implementing road safety initiatives in their school community with the aim of reducing casualties amongst young people on Kent’s roads. Mr Bailey, along with a select group of year 8 students, is leading the programme at Stone Lodge with the aim to empower students to identify their own areas of focus regarding road safety and then guide them through a planning process to implement change within the local community.

Over the past few weeks, students have created some informative posters which have been placed around the school site to promote the importance of being aware and safe whilst travelling to and from school. These include tips of how to travel safely on foot, by bike, public transport and in vehicles.

The school was lucky enough to receive £200 from the YTA to support the promotion of road safety. Due to the dark mornings and evenings over the winter months, The YTA students chose to purchase a variety of colourful reflectors for students to attach to their school bags, giving them a touch of colour to their Stone Lodge uniform. Additionally, Mr Bailey was lucky enough to win an online competition with the Kent County Council to receive 500 reflector badges for students to attach to their school jackets.

"We are all justifiably proud to share the findings of our first Ofsted report.  The report highlights outstanding practices across our school with an overall ‘Good’ finding which mirrors the incredible feed-back we have been receiving from our families since opening in 2019 – summed up in the student comment “This School is like coming home”.  The full report is testament to the commitment, passion for education and ‘heart’ of every one of our school’s staff.  We are hugely ambitious for every child in our care believing every child deserves a ‘successful life’ and as we continue to develop we will build on that promise to our local community."  To read the report in full, please click here Ofsted Report - Stone Lodge School  and has been reported in the press (cutting below) Endeavour Mat Trust Stone Lodge School in Stone Lodge Road, Dartford, rated ‘good’ in first Ofsted report (kentonline.co.uk)

We are pleased to share exciting news relating to our former CEO, Donna Lodge. Many of you will remember that Donna officially retired from Endeavor MAT in Summer 2022, but she has been writing books in her newly found spare time. Her most recent book Caleb and the Ferry follows the adventures of a campervan as it travels around Europe and is suitable for young children aged 2-6 years.

Each book has an opening song and a group of students from Stone Lodge School (pictured below) were the first to record the song under the guidance of Mr Muzio. Their talent is showcased on Mrs Lodge’s website at (click this link and scroll down). The first campervan book in the Caleb series went live on the 25th November and has hit the number 1 ranking in the children’s book category on Amazon in both the UK and USA. Congratulations Mrs Lodge.

The book can be found on Amazon by clicking here

Youth Unity have shared the below information regarding the Unity Hub which is held every Tuesday from 3.15pm in Dartford Park. They will organise a variety of activities for kids including sports, music production, podcasting and film appreciation. The sessions are free. More information can be found at ww.youthunity.org

Forthcoming Dates;

Year 7 Carol Service – 6^th December 12.30 - 3.30pm & 7^th December 9.30am – 12pm

SL6 Open Evening – 7^th December

Year 11 one-to-one Career Interviews – 12^th December

Music Concert – 13^th & 14^th December 7pm

Year 13 one-to-one Career Interviews – 19^th December

Last Day of Term & Non-uniform Day – 12noon 20^th December

First Day of Term 3 – 4^th January

 

Best wishes,

 

Gavin Barnett

Head Teacher