Maths in the Spotlight
International Women’s Day
On the 8th March the Maths Department joined the rest of the school in celebrating International Women’s day. This year the theme was “Break The Bias” and we took part in a range of activities. Y11 took part in an event hosted by the Advanced Mathematics Support Program (AMSP). During the interactive, online session we investigated biases that can exist and discussed how we can address them. We also looked at gender diversity in STEM careers and heard from some inspirational women who use maths in their jobs. Later in the day students from all year groups learnt about influential female mathematicians, both past and present.
Maths Inspiration Lecture
Maths Inspiration is a national programme of interactive maths lecture shows for teenagers which give 14-17 year olds a chance to experience the UK's most inspiring maths speakers presenting mathematics live in the context of exciting, real-world applications. Our Year 12 A Level Maths students attended the Maths Inspiration show at The Phoenix Theatre in Charing Cross. We were treated to three talks from speakers which were stimulating, interactive and relevant. Zoe Griffiths gave a thought-provoking talk to help students understand misleading statistics from real news stories, Tom Crawford explained how mathematical models are an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to understanding and saving our planet and Ben Sparks explored how circles and spirals can be a source of beauty, awe and mystery. The event was hosted by Matt Parker, a recreational mathematician, author, comedian, YouTube personality and science communicator. The event allowed our A Level students to appreciate how versatile their subject is and gave them some insight as to both its practical applications and its innate beauty and creativity.
Pi Day (International Day of Mathematics)
The 14th March is often referred as Pi Day because when written in the US date format 3.14 it gives the first three digits of that wonderful constant pi. This year to celebrate the day students took part in a number of activities including:
- Make 1-100. Year 8 tried the pi challenge. They had to create calculations to give the numbers 1 to 100. They were limited to using only the first 5 digits of pi and the operators + - x ÷ and !. For many this was their first introduction to the factorial function. 5! (said “5 factorial”) means 5x4x3x2x1. During one of the lessons Cara W explained how she had memorised the first 100 digits of pi when in primary school so of course she then had to try to recite it and she did amazingly well.
- The Connected World; Year 7 investigated the idea that there is only six degrees of separation between any two people by looking at the Small World Network Theory.
- Classes listened to “A love poem for lonely prime numbers” by mathematician and poet Harry Baker
Large Whiteboards
Like many other departments at LPGS we use mini-whiteboards in lessons. They are a great way to quickly check for understanding and lots of students feel more confident trying questions when they know they can easily rub it out and try again if needed. All our maths classrooms now have large whiteboards on all the walls that students can use during lessons. They have really embraced this new way of working. It gives them a much larger space to work out ideas and collaborate with peers. It also makes it much easier for teachers to get round to all the students to offer assistance or check answers.
Intermediate Maths Challenge
On 3rd February, 144 students from Y9 and Y10 sat the UK Intermediate Maths Challenge. The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge is a 60-minute, multiple-choice Challenge run by the University of Leeds. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. The problems on the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge are designed to make students think and are quite challenging! https://www.ukmt.org.uk/imc
Here is a question from the paper which they sat.
55 students achieved a certificate. Carla F was the best in school and achieved a GOLD certificate. SILVER certificates were awarded to Lottie C, Amelia D, Stella S-M, Caitlin C, Zuzanna C, Emily H, Favour O, Isabella T, Anshika D and Rihanna D. BRONZE winners were Yasmine A, Lily S, Jupiter B, Erin R-B, Lucy B, Naomi M, Lara B, Alex T, Naomi I, Katie-Linh K, Pollyanna P-G, Sadie L, Emma R, Jade W, Mariela A, Laura S, Phoebe C, Elsie L, Agnes O, Chloe S, Ella W, Sophia S, Polina P, Isla S, Caitlyn R, Defne Y, Jessica K, Nina S, Christina O, Gracie D, Gabriella G, Marissa I, Isabella P-D, Sahar A, Daisy W, Freya M, Aurelie D, Scarlett H, Jessica M, Amelia O, Zuri B, Taina D, Violet E-E, Kayla S
Well done to all certificate winners!
Ms Hine
Science: British Science Week at LPGS
From Monday 14th – Friday 18th March we celebrated British Science Week at LPGS. British Science Week is a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths that takes place each year throughout the UK.
Through year group assemblies we celebrated the diverse people and careers in science and engineering as we continue to ‘smash stereotypes’ in STEM professions.
Lunch time Science events
The Science Faculty ran a range of fun science events and experiments throughout the week. This year’s theme for Science Week was ‘growth’ so our lunch time activities included making ‘Eggy Heads’ where students grew their own cress in egg shells; checking out a sea monkey ecosystem and frog spawn; growing our own crystals and looking at the science behind bread by having fun with yeast!
There was an overwhelming student turn out to these lunch time sessions throughout the week with the crystal making day attracting over 60 students!
Here is what a few students had to say…
“So, on Monday we had an assembly explaining what science week was about and what activities we could go to. I decided I wanted to make crystals, so on Wednesday I went to L002 and when it was time to go in, we all put on goggles, picked up cups and pipe-cleaners and started making our crystals. While we were waiting for the crystals to start forming, we watched a demonstration on the microscope of what was going to happen. I am really looking forward to seeing my crystal when it is finished growing and am really pleased I decided to go as it was a perfect balance of fun and education ( just like year 7 and 8 science club on Tuesdays after school until 4:00 ). Thanks for the opportunity. Emily M”
“To celebrate British Science Week 2022, there were a range of clubs arranged at lunchtimes for us to attend. Although they were all very enjoyable, my favourite activity had to be the sea monkeys and tadpoles, which we did on Tuesday. It was very interesting to create an environment to allow the sea monkeys to flourish, and then put the eggs in and watch them grow into actual animals in the bottles. Seeing them turn from seeds to creatures was amazing! We learnt a lot about life cycles and habitats, and also began to establish the things living organisms need to stay alive. Overall, it was an exciting, engaging week of activities. Cerys W”
Ruxley Beekeeper’s visit
We were lucky enough to have a visit from the Ruxley Beekeepers.
The students enjoyed listening and discussing with the speaker about the life cycle of the drones, workers, the queen bee, and the whole colony. This included with how pollen is collected and converted into honey, the importance of the pollen collection to plants and getting to try some of the speaker’s bees' delicious honey.
During the talk, a lone bumble bee wandered into the classroom which was then carefully caught by the speaker and the students used a chart to state it was a Ruderal Bumblebee which had not collected any pollen yet. The bee was later released and wandered off to hopefully find some pollen.
Mr Hosie
British Science Week Poster Competition
The school took part in the annual British Science Week poster competition continuing with the same topic of Growth. This was an optional activity for all Y7-9 students whereby students simply had to design a poster on any topic about ‘growth’.
We had over 200 entries and now face the challenge of selecting only 5 entries to put forward to the British Science Week judges. Members of the British Science Association will shortlist entries, and a panel of judges will select a winner in each category. Participants could win some amazing prizes including an Amazon Echo, gift cards, science equipment, build-your-own kits, clothing and class activity packs. We will be sure to announce the 5 posters selected to put forward to the British Science Association in the next newsletter - so watch this space!
Primary School Visit
Mrs Gouldsmith was invited into a local primary school to teach the Year 2s all about digestion and how we gain the nutrients from food to help us grow! The Y2s enjoyed the fun Science demonstration following the journey of food as it makes its way through the digestive system and about the important role of enzymes in food digestion.
Here is what a few Year 2 students had to say…
“I loved it when you mashed up the food in the bowl” ~ Frankie
“I liked it when we got to squeeze the [pretend] stomach bag” – Maddy
“Thank you for teaching us about how digestion helps us grow” – Theo
“Thank you for teaching us that enzymes break up food” - Luciana
“I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with the KS1 students giving them an insight into how the body works and the importance of making good food choices.” – Mrs Gouldsmith
All in all, it was a fantastic week. The students all had fun, learnt a lot and got to experience areas of Science outside the school curriculum.
Music
Music Tour 2022 – Student Report…
This year the LPGS Music Tour travelled to Liverpool, the home of The Beatles. We got on the coach on the Friday before half term for the ‘Long and Winding Road’ to the North. Our first stop was Cadbury’s World, the perfect half way stop. Leaving with about as much chocolate as we could carry (plus some more) and still slightly shaken from our ride through Beanville, we continued to our final destination. At the hostel in Liverpool, we quickly settled in, dropping our bags in our rooms before going to dinner and bingo (run by our very own expert caller Mrs Brown).
The next morning we went to our first (but what sadly ended up being our only) concert, where our choir, string group and band performed in a church. We then quickly moved on to a tour of The Beatles museum – leaving with John Lennon-style glasses in various colours and tote bags. Our next stop was the Radio Tower, and then to bowling (with some karaoke on the way there).
‘Here comes the sun’ – or rather it didn’t, as we spent the next day at a damp Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Our second concert was cancelled due to the weather. However, we still had an amazing day out, even persuading Mr Sizer to go on a ride. We then went back to the hostel for Mr Sizer’s long awaited Big Quiz where the sixth formers triumphed! (beating the teachers' team for the first time!!)
And so, back to London, ‘Day Tripping’ at Chester Zoo – an even wetter, but very entertaining, trip that left us with many more cuddly toys than we came with. Then, after a slight delay on the coach, we were back at school!
We returned very tired but with amazing memories of such a great trip, thank you so much to the Music Department for organising, taking, (and tolerating us) on such an amazing tour! We can’t wait for next year!
Written By Anna G
Mr Sizer made a wonderful video of the tour if you would like to see and hear more…
Spring Music Festival – Part One
In addition to our fantastic tour of Birmingham, Liverpool, Blackpool and Chester, we have had a very busy term of rehearsals preparing for this week’s LPGS Spring Festival of Music. Our fantastic MAT Orchestra will have performed at 4 separate concerts by the time we break up for Easter! MAT Orchestra is a group that rehearses weekly (from October to Easter) combining LPGS and LPSB musicians which is a great opportunity for all involved to play in a bigger ensemble and tackle a challenging repertoire. This year their programme has included ‘Scheherezade’ by Rimsky-Korsokov and a medley of music from the soundtrack to ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.
At Concert 2 of the festival, the seven Yr 7-9 pianists who smashed the auditions performed at the Langley Park Learning Trust Piano Evening which included performances from all 5 of the Trust’s schools, including the primaries. It was a wonderful chance for the younger students to look up to the older ones! Well done to Grace L, Emily M, Capucine T, Orla S, Angela C, Avy K and Charlotte A!
In other news…
If the festival wasn’t keeping us busy enough this term, we decided it was time for another trip so took our A level and GCSE Music students to the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 2nd March to watch the RPO's ‘Best of Broadway’ concert. The programme not only included numbers from Hairspray but also ‘Defying Gravity’ which is one of the GCSE students exam set works. It was sung by West End superstar Kerry Ellis who gave our students a wave at the end and even commented on our Instagram post!
It is also coursework season so Year 11 and 13 have been working extremely hard on their compositions and performances as the deadlines creep ever closer. We had two excellent evenings in a row of final solo recitals from both classes and they had all noticeably stepped up their rehearsing and preparation.
In the same week, Mr Sizer turned his hand to music producing for two days, recording the Year 11 composition coursework. It made a real difference to the students hearing their pieces performed live in a recording studio rather than just on the computer! I’m sure all efforts will be justly rewarded in the results this Summer.
We still have 5 concerts left to do before the Spring break so I will report on those in the next newsletter! If you don’t already follow us on Instagram, that is where you can find regular updates @LPGSMusicDept.
Miss Sheppard
AYO Magazine
The AYO magazine is a magazine run by Year 12 students with articles focusing mainly on the arts. There are articles on books, fashion, museums, different types of art, and more! As part of Enrichment, a group of Year 12 students have been in the Media Agency run by Mr Fox-Joyce working on this.
ICT
Yr11 Computer Science Trip to the Science Museum
On a Wednesday in early January the Year 11 Computer Science class finally were able to get out on a long awaited trip; Covid had disrupted our usual planned trips for GCSE Computer Science. We made our way by train and tube and arrived with enough time for a quick stop at Starbucks! Some days before we were asked if the students would like to be given the opportunity to preview and give their opinions on a new science exhibition being planned for the museum, so we did this on entering which was an interesting insight into how they plan new exhibits.
Being a Computer Science trip our main focus was the old Computer Technology. We started in the “Making the Modern World” exhibition which includes a number of interesting space exhibits as well as one of the world’s first mechanical computers known as the “Difference Engine Number 1”. Our next stop was the "Tomorrow’s World" gallery which explores the implications of new technologies with a particular focus on the environment. This was followed, before lunch, by a quick look round the “Who am I?” gallery, finding out more about the workings of the human body!
After lunch we finished up with the most comprehensive gallery of computing exhibits which is the “Information Age”. Highlights of this gallery included some of the first computers, details about the creating of the internet, lots of old games and consoles as well as the computer used to create the world wide web. It was all very interesting and helped put in to real world context a lot of our topics we learn in theory.
After a fun and informative day we arrived back at London Bridge with just enough time for some last minute snacks and drinks before heading back to Eden Park.
International Women’s Day
We have been celebrating International Women’s Day at LPGS this month. We mark this day to celebrate the social, political, economic and cultural achievements of women all over the world, but it’s also an important time to help raise awareness of what we can do to reach gender equality. On the week of IWD, students enjoyed assemblies and took part in activities related to female empowerment in their subject areas. On the day itself, we had an IWD celebration in the Hall, where students made pledges to end gender inequality and created a display about who inspires them in their everyday life. In Feminist Friday this month, each form also discussed and nominated their top 5 most inspiring women in the public eye. For example, at LPGS are inspired by amazing women such as Emma Raducanu, Lizzo, Michelle Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Naomi Osaka and Yeonmi Park, among many more.
Students have also shared their messages of positivity on our Empowerment Wall, which we hope will inspire our students as they walk past.
Feminist Society is open to all students and staff every Thursday lunchtime in T001.
Miss Artini
WOW: Women of the World
On Friday 11th March, a group of keen Year 10s, sixth formers, and I took a trip to The Royal Festival Hall in London. We listened to a variety of fascinating speakers discussing topics ranging from women empowering other women in the workplace, sexual health, superstitions surrounding women of the past and everyday challenges faced by black, Asian, and other minority women on a day-to-day basis. Personally, my favourite speaker had to be Juno Dawson, who led an incredibly inspiring conversation about unconscious bias against transgender women, and how her experiences of life as a trans woman have shaped her career in the media. As a bestselling author, social media star, screenwriter, and a valuable advocate for a variety of LGBTQ+ people, Dawson was just one of many impactful advocates we listened to at Women Of the World. Other speakers included, Adwoa Aboah (model and activist) , Sharan Dhaliwal (author), Miss Baby Sol (musician), Jude Kelly (Founder of WOW), Rakaya Fetuga (poet) , Sophia Smith Galer (journalist) and Selina Flavius (author). We had such a brilliant time, and the experience left us with valuable advice and life stories from successful women in the 21st century. I can’t wait for WOW next year!
Francesca D
Houses
Since the start of the new half term, the Heads of House have been busy speaking to subjects and departments around the school to create and plan new house events. Look out for announcements of events soon. We also have seen the end the start and end of various house competitions. Here is an update on the results of the completed events and how to get involved in events that have just started.
Photography Competition
Over the February half term, we asked students to take a photo that represented the theme ‘love’. This could be love of family, pet, hobby or even what the word love looks like. We had over 55 entries and each student who entered will earnt P Points for their house.
The Heads of House, House Captains and Visual Arts Teachers have all judged the photos based on photo composition, quality, content and link to the theme. Ms Scott also got involved in the judging competition and praised the quality and creativity of some entries. Well done to all students who entered.
Here are the results:
1st Josie H 7SG: The photo I took is about how love can be different and diverse. I have shown this through my love of chess, placing a white queen next to a black king.
2nd Amelie H 9SH: The photo I took is my succulents, a mother plant with its newly born sprout. This represents motherly love.
3rd Olivia A 8SH, who took a photo of her dog
4th Amber Lyna T 8SH, who took a photo of flowers in the shape of a heart with a message inside the heart
5th Annise V 7GB, who took a photo of the word Love printed on a tree
Motto for House
Last year, as part of the re-launch of the house system, we asked students to decide on selecting a figurehead to represent their house and what the names of the houses should be. The next step in our re-launch was to decide on mottos and insignias for each house. We asked all students last year, along with the new Year 7s and Year 12s who joined us in September, to create and design a motto and insignia for their respective houses. We thank all students for their innovation and thoughtfulness that went into each submission. After the mottos were collated, the Heads of House chose the top 5 mottos and insignias for each house. We asked students to decide on the motto for each house. These are the results:
Gamma: Real people aren’t perfect. Perfect people aren’t real
Kappa: You have one life, live it
Lambda: Be a voice, not an echo
Sigma: Be who you want to be in life not who others want you to be
Spelling Bee
After the success of the Spelling Bee in the Autumn term, the Heads of House ran a second round of the Spelling Bee for Year 7-9 this week. It was a great lunchtime event with students and teachers coming to support their peers and tutees. Students did remarkably well in spelling both simple and complex words to crown the ultimate Spelling Bee Champion for the Easter Term.
It was great to see Destiny Grace Academy in Sierre Leone, a school that the school and the Year 8s have been working closely with, join us for the Year 7 Spelling Bee. We are looking to strengthen our ties with Destiny Grace Academy for the house system during the rest of the year. Thank you to Miss Crawford for organising this.
These are the results for each Year group:
Year 7: Dhaani 7KC - House winner Kappa
Year 8: Millie 8GA – House winner Gamma
Year 9: Polina 9KC – House winner Kappa
Overall winning House – Kappa
Upcoming Events
During the Summer term, there will plenty more opportunities for students to participate in House Competitions. There will be subject specific events such as the Maths Challenge and Inter-House Reading Competition, which you can read more about below. Ultimately, the House System will build up to the most important event of the school calendar, Sports' Day in the Summer Term. There is still a long way to go until then, so we look forward to updating you further on the success of students at LPGS in House Competitions and revealing the overall winner.
READ WELLbeing Inter-House Reading Competition
Reading-for-pleasure has a positive impact on all aspects of learning and on our sense of wellbeing. In a busy, stressful world reading offers a wonderful way to relax. With this in mind, LPGS is launched our READ WELLbeing Inter-House Reading Competition
Students can earn points for their House, and points for themselves, by reading an inspirational story and then posting their reviews on the READ WELLbeing Firefly page. The Celebrating Reading Cup will be presented to the winning house and prizes awarded for particularly thoughtful reviews. The competition runs until the end of the summer term.
This year we have introduced an additional, enriching dimension to the competition. LPGS is now a Lit in Colour school, working with Penguin, Pearson and the Runnymede Trust. Our aim is to increase diversity in the English Literature curriculum and introduce students to a variety of books by writers of colour, that better reflects modern society and our own school community. Books have a vital role to play in challenging injustice and promoting a common sense of being, so students will be awarded double points if they post a review for books from the Lit in Colour selection.
Log onto ECLIPSE, the Library’s own website, and type in the keywords INSPIRATONAL or DIVERSITY for details of the many fascinating stories students can try.
Careers
The LPGS Careers Academy has been as busy as ever with even more interview preparation sessions for our Year 13 students having university and degree apprenticeship interviews.
Futures Fair
The Futures Fair was a great success! As a result, we already have one student interview with Mercedes Benz for an apprenticeship – well done Karim! Plus, a number of students having been offered work experience opportunities with the attending employers.
We welcomed two halls full of employers and universities as well as filling 4 side rooms, running sessions on:
1) Applying to Oxbridge - thank you Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge
2) Studying abroad - thank you UES Education
3) Taking a gap year – Thank you, LPGS Alumni, Isabelle Jeeves
4) Writing an effective personal statement - thank you University of Kent and University of Sussex
5) Careers in law and effective networking techniques (LinkedIn) – thank you Clifford Chance
A special thanks to:
- CIS Security Limited
- Kennedys (law)
- Met Police
- The British Army
- Bloomberg LP
- Barclays
- WSP (engineering)
- Laing O'Rourke (construction and engineering)
- Potter Raper (construction and engineering)
- Bailey Garner(construction and engineering)
- Crowe Accountancy
- NHS England
- Mercedes-Benz AG - thank you for bringing those cars!!! ☺️
- Kingston City Council
- Rainbow Day Nursery
- LSP Renewables
- 11KBW
- London Fashion Retail Academy
- University of Winchester
- Goldsmiths, University of London
- Ravensbourne University London
- University of Kent
- University of Sussex
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School
- University of Cambridge
- University of Hertfordshire
I am already planning next year’s one… we are going to need more space Ms Scott! 😊
10X Challenge
The Young enterprise company run a yearly competition called the 10X Challenge (previously the tenner challenge). This year we entered a massive 35 teams, made up of students in both Year 8 and Year 10. The competition has been fantastic – please check out our social media pages for all the pictures! We have entered some great sales pitch videos, and logo designs as well as the teams now finalising their journals to enter the national competition… Watch this space for news after the Easter break! I have everything crossed! The students have worked so hard and I think they’d all agree, it has been great fun too!
Rotary Club Public speaking lunch
Well done to Year 12 students; Nancy and Ife who attended the public speaking lunch at the Warren, in Hayes last week. They both spoke for 8 minutes each about their studies, their struggles, their achievements and their work experience. I couldn’t have been more proud of them both. The rotary members spoke afterwards to congratulate them on their confidence, the content of their speeches and have already invited us back next year!
UCAS Fair 2022
On Monday 14th March, all Year 12 students attended the UCAS fair at London’s Excel Centre. It was a fantastically well organised event and the students got so much information from it to help them with the important Post-18 decisions they are making.
Work experience weeks
All parents should now have received all of the information on the scheduled weeks for work experience. Please do let me know if you have not received this.
Year 12: 4th – 8th July
Year 10: 18th – 22nd July
Please encourage the students to start seeking these placements now – we have competition from all the other schools wanting those placements too. Please encourage them to talk to friends and family to help them. I am on hand for any students struggling to find a placement – please ask them to come and see me to discuss this. Can I please ask for all forms to be returned by 16th May to allow us the time to get all of the placement safeguarding checks done.
LPGS Oxbridge Programme
The Year 11 and 12 Oxbridge group has now met Grace, a 3rd year medical student at the University of Cambridge, she gave an invaluable insight to the students about the application process and what they can be doing now to prepare for it in advance. Grace went to a non-selective school and is passionate about helping students studying in a similar setting to reach their potential – her talk was inspiring, you can watch it on the Careers Academy Fire fly page. More Oxbridge mentors to follow!
The 16 students (eight from Year 11 and eight from Year 12) accepted onto the prestigious CAIUS and Gonville, Cambridge, Preparation Course are working really well and the feedback has been brilliant – well done and keep up the good work!
Year 11 post 16 destination choices
I am enjoying working with Year 11 students who are still unsure about their next steps after the completion of their GCSE examinations.
If any students are still unsure, I am here to help! Please encourage them to come and see me in my office, opposite M002. As well as looking at all of the opportunities available to them by staying at LPGS, I can also shortlist apprenticeship opportunities with them and help them with any college applications.
Lloyds Bank mentoring initiative
20 LPGS students from Years 10 and 12 were selected to take part in this 10 week mentoring programme. We are nearing the end of this first intake and the feedback has been phenomenal! The students have really enjoyed this and the mentors have been very impressed. 4 students were even invited by their mentors to attend a day’s work experience in various departments including; trading, cyber security and customer service. Lloyds have contacted me this week to ask me to start shortlisting for the next intake – a sign the LPGS students have impressed – well done!
World of Work Wednesday
Takes place every other Wednesday for Years 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 (Years 11 and 13 can watch on catch up). All speakers are recorded and they can be seen on FF under Careers Academy. Recently, we have heard from; Martha, a degree apprentice from WSP, Milly, an actress from EastEnders; Akina, an international rugby player and ‘Young Professionals’, a virtual work experience provider (this session was presented by our very own Year 12 student, Nancy, who has recently been made an ambassador for the brand).
Extra after school Speakers/helpers into school
I am SO grateful for this! I would love to hear from any parents/carers of friends of the school who may have a career they could talk to the students about and possibly offer mentorship to students interested in a particular field. Please e-mail me, hha@lpgs.bromley.sch.uk, if you may be able to help.
This term we have welcomed Chris Daw QC to come to LPGS, he spoke to all of our aspiring lawyers. His session was so informative, with many stories (this too can be watched on Firefly). He even sent us some copies of his book to reward the students who asked some great questions!
Emily Hodges LPGS alumni, Emily has just finished her Masters and came in to visit our Applied Biologists and give them an insight into her studies and pathway so far.
Jackie McDermott (Consultant Histopathologist), more fantastic LPGS alumni; Jackie has started her mentoring sessions with our Year 12 aspiring medics – as usual she has been fantastic!
Next week, we welcome Mark Robinson a criminal barrister into school, he has some great stories and I am hopeful we can talk to him about conducting a “fake trial” at LPGS next term (also known as a MOOT).
More mentors from a variety of fields to be announced after half term!
I wish all the students a great Easter break – have some rest but think about that revision and work experience too!
See you fresh and ready to go again in a couple of weeks!
Mrs Hayden, Careers Advisor
Account of Year 13 Surgical work experience
A couple of weeks ago, Giovanni and I were given the opportunity to go up to Guys Hospital in London to spend the day in Theatre with a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon (Ms Karen Harrison-Phipps). As 2 aspiring Surgeons, we jumped at the opportunity, and thoroughly enjoyed our day in Theatre!
The procedures we observed were:
- Vats right lower lobectomy and lymph node dissection for lung cancer
- Nano awake vats in a high-risk patient, pleural biopsies and drainage for cancer
- Vats pneumothorax surgery with bullectomy and pleurodesis
The main procedure that we observed however, was a 9-10hr procedure that involved: a neck dissection, laparotomy, sternotomy with mobilisation of stomach and a transverse colon mobilisation to perform retro sternal colonic interposition graft to restore GI continuity. This patient had not eaten in 2 years as his cancer had required resection of the larynx and pharynx meaning there were no tubes in his neck to allow eating or breathing. He was breathing through a tracheostomy and eating through a gastrostomy tube directly into the gut. He had had radiotherapy to the neck and at the end of the procedure the plastic surgeons were worried about the thin fibrous skin in the neck, hence they performed a further procedure to mobilise the pectoralis major muscle to better cover their anastomosis in the neck, bringing in more blood supply for healing. Overall, the procedure was successful, and the patient was left able to swallow again!
Ellie M, Head Girl
Y8 at the THE FULLY BOOKED QUIZ
Well done to our excellent Y8 team who came second in the challenging Fully Booked Quiz, held at Bromley Central Library on 22nd March.
The Fully Booked Quiz is a literary quiz for Bromley secondary schools, with six rounds of questions on anything from fairy tales to Greek mythology ... childhood classics to the latest authors.
The first round was based on the set book, When the Sky Falls by Phil Earle, and our students played their Joker, getting maximum points.
There then followed a wide range of tricky questions. We achieved consistently high scores throughout, coming just two points behind the eventual winners.
Congratulations to our doughty team:
Alexandra A, Millicent B, Holly E, Ava M, Inaya M, Lucy P, Mai P
who represented the school so well.
Mrs. Hall, Librarian
Drama
Trip to see Our Generation at the National Theatre
By Kimmy B (Year 12)
With our miniscule drama class, we went to watch the daringly 3-hour-long verbatim play ‘Our Generation’, with high hopes and perhaps slight dread knowing our attention span well. However, each moment of art combined together into a well-developed emotional build up. Despite how the lockdown cliché made us groan audibly, it was undeniable how relatable the verbatim material was. There were enjoyable comedic touches throughout, especially when comparing some of the speech trends with people we know. I think that the combination of surrealism and naturalism managed to attract everyone’s personal interest and I’m glad it was so broad for it really reached and explored a variety of people in a generation that is easily misunderstood. Particularly, the enjoyable songs, amazingly staged dance movement and the visual artwork with the projections. It was a wonderful night to discover, debate and engage with what felt like moments of my own life.
Blood Brothers Trip!
By Amelia R 10GA
Have you ever been immersed in a story and felt as though you were not just an observer of the story but somehow you were involved yourself? That’s because of the actors, portraying their characters so effectively we forget they're not real, the actors play these characters so convincingly that we become a part of their world for the duration of the performance.
That’s how it felt going to watch Blood Brothers, completely immersed in a performance, invested in characters it feels like you have watched grow up and feeling emotionally connected to them throughout the play. The performance took place at Wimbledon Theatre and was truly incredible! Every student who was lucky enough to go on the trip loved it and was grateful for the chance to go.
All GCSE Drama students went to view this performance, and we ALL left feeling moved and emotionally impacted, the performance had us in tears, hysterics and joy! The use of the performance space, voices, set and costume was truly the unseen beauty to the play, not as highlighted as the acting skills but just as crucial and executed wonderfully in this particular performance. The use of the costume and set to highlight the time period and social class of the characters was visible and displayed amazingly, for those of us who have studied the play; it was all we imagined and more!
Thank you to the Drama Department and teachers who gave us this opportunity.
Sixth Form
Year 12 UCAS - Excel Centre
On Monday 14th March, Year 12 visited the Excel Centre in London to raise their inspiration for their future prospects. The day included; visiting stalls from a range of universities, including Russell Group representatives; sessions on student finance; writing personal statements; visiting apprenticeship stalls and the opportunity to ask experts questions about higher education. Impressively, all students were wearing business attire and made their own way to the venue on time. They were exceptional and a credit to LPGS.
Year 13 Chemistry Olympiad
Well done to the following students who entered the Chemistry Olympiad this Year. Sarah Z, Monica P and Sophia N all achieved Bronze in the Olympiad and Ayan MJ gained the Silver Award. This is very tough competition with high levels of chemistry knowledge needed. Congratulations!
Trial Exam Results
Year 13 students have now received their results from the February trial exams. The vast majority of students have made huge improvements, and over 30% of students are meeting or exceeding their target grades in all three subjects. However, there is still much work to be done. There are just 3 school weeks left until the public exams. Within this time, we will be working hard to give every student the best possible opportunity to optimise on their current grade, so please work with us in upholding our expectations and support strategies to improve. Just a reminder that students should be doing 3 hours a day of revision or working on assignments in preparation for their exams. Students are being encouraged to see their ‘free’ periods as independent study time and the make the most of each day as we approach the next exams.
Year 13 Prom
Ella S and Martha D are working hard to raise money for the Prom this year. We hope to see as many of our Year 13 students attend as possible. This will be the first prom for two years and we want students to graduate from LPGS with happy memories of this celebratory event. The Prom Committee are busy raising funds to support the celebrations. On Wednesday 29th March they hosted a movie afternoon attended by Year 7 & 8 students.
Year 13 leaver's hoodies
We are taking in orders for leavers hoodies. Ordering is via SQuid and must be paid for in full by Friday 1st April.
Sixth Form Enrichment
The LPGS elective curriculum provides students in Years 7 - 10 and Year 12 the opportunity to develop expert learner skills beyond the traditional curriculum. For Sixth Form students in particular, their engagement with enrichment acts as a wrap-around to their programme of study and provides a wider learning experience to support applications to both university and employment. During the Spring Term, students have participated in campaigning, media, coaching, online courses and languages to name a few. We would like to thank the work experience providers who have welcomed students into placements from the primary education and hospitality sector. We are particularly happy to see developments in culinary and coffee-making expertise and we are giving some thought to how we can put this to good use in school!
Dance Department
Mix Tape Volume 2 - 31st March 2022
An extraordinary night of Dance performed by over 130 students from Year 7 to Year 13. Students had been preparing for this show throughout the spring term, in class, clubs and companies. We rehearsed in the auditorium on March 30th, students were incredibly well behaved and enjoyed so much the experience of being in a professional theatre space, with all the amazing lighting and sound possibilities. On the night of the show the atmosphere back stage was electric, students with beaming smiles, cheering on their peers. This is my 15th year of teaching and never have I felt more inspired by the journey that our performers have been on and the legacy of choreography, movement and poetry they have created for us all. A specific thank you to those students who have run extracurricular clubs both with their own peers and also with the lower school, you have been incredible role models and you have given so many students the opportunity to be part of our LPGS Dance community. The show finished with a disco finale ‘Boogie Wonderland’ featuring all members of the cast – you might have even spotted the teachers dancing in the wings. The show was recorded and we will be sharing that with you in the summer term. By Mrs White
Images by Year 12 Photography student Mia S - thank you for all your time, effort and expertise...
Credits:
Created with images by shyrokova - "Easter eggs." • sdecoret - "Close-up view of a modern GPU card with connections 3D rendering"