Welcome from the Head
Dear Parents
Welcome to this week’s newsletter at the end of another busy fortnight here at JAGS.
It has been a pleasure to welcome parents across the Key Stages to our Welcome Evenings throughout September, giving you the chance to meet staff, tutors and each other as the academic year begins. Our Year 11 Sixth Form Information Evening was abuzz with excitement and discussion as our Year 11 students began to think about their Sixth Form journeys and A Level choices here at JAGS!
Last Friday we welcomed back our alumnae for their 50 Year Reunion; it was such a delight to hear stories from their JAGS experiences and to see friends reunited, with some alumnae visiting the school for the first time since the 1970s! Our Five Year Reunion of alumnae takes place tonight, and we look forward to another shared evening of memories. At the opposite end of the JAGS journey, our Open Morning season has begun, and we are welcoming our prospective new JAGS families to these events which take place on weekday mornings; thank you to our fantastic Year 8 and 9 tour guides who are such superb ambassadors for the school. Our main Open Morning takes place on Saturday 7 October; tickets are sold out and we look forward to seeing all Year 7 to 10 and Year 12 students in school on this morning in their roles as tour guides and department reps.
It’s been an exciting fortnight of trips, with the Year 11 Geographers heading to Slapton Sands, our Sixth Form French students heading to Paris and the Year 8 and 9 netballers heading to Condover Hall. We’ve loved hearing the students’ feedback on their adventures, and are very grateful to the staff who have made these trips possible.
A diary reminder: it is the AGM for our JPA at 7pm on Tuesday 17 October and all parents are most welcome to join us online. Further details will be sent out to you closer to the date and a link to the meeting can be found in the Dates for your Diary below.
With my best wishes,
Mrs Alex Hutchinson
Head
Dates for your Diary
- Tuesday 3 October – 7pm – Parent Talk: Edward Watson, Online
- Saturday 7 October – 9am – JAGS Open Day
- Wednesday 11 October – 1pm – Lunchtime Concert at Christ’s Chapel, Dulwich
- Thursday 12 October – 7pm – Parent Talk: Karla Dicker, Online
- Friday 13 October
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- Year 11 Computer Science trip to Berlin
- 5.30pm – Joint Evensong with Dulwich College, Christ’s Chapel, Dulwich
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- Tuesday 17 October – 7pm – JAGS Parents’ Association (JPA) AGM
- Friday 20 October
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- Years 10-13 Classics trip to Greece
- Year 11 History & Years 10-13 German trip to Berlin
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Reporting Absences
A reminder to all parents to use this form to report absence in the Senior School due to illness or to request absence for appointments. This form can also be found on our Contact page.
Additionally, when informing a teacher of any health issues your daughter may be facing, please remember to cc or School Nurse team on Nurse@jags.org.uk.
Key Stage 3 Update
KS3 have enjoyed another busy two weeks. It was lovely to welcome so many parents to the school for our year group information evenings – it strengthens our community here at JAGS when we can gather to chat.
We welcomed award-winning author and actor Joseph Elliott to JAGS last week, with the whole of KS3 attending a special assembly before Year 7 students enjoyed a series of creative workshops.
The PHSCE curriculum this term has focused on health and wellbeing – with visiting speakers talking to students about anti-bullying strategies and presentations from our nurses regarding hygiene and puberty.In the near future, Year 9 will enjoy a skills workshop from Edward Watson to help them develop their study techniques. I’m intrigued to hear the tips he has to share with our learners.
All school clubs are now under way and it is rewarding to see how many of the students have taken our advice and chosen a wide range of activities.
Myfanwy Bournon, Head of Key Stage 3
Key Stage 4 Update
The highlight of the past two weeks was undoubtedly the engaging and helpful Sixth Form Information Evening for our Year 11 students and their parents. This is always a wonderful occasion where students begin to consider their future options and we are thankful to the Sixth Form team for putting on such an informative event.
During Form Time we have been considering what it means to be inquisitive, and Year 10 students were introduced to Unifrog, a tool which will continue to help them throughout their time at JAGS. The online destinations platform enables students to record their interests, achievements and skills, and allows them to begin thinking about the direction they may want to go in after Sixth Form.
Anna Jones, Head of Key Stage 4
Sixth Form Update
As ever, the last fortnight in the Sixth Form community has been packed full of energy and kindness as students continue to take responsibility as leaders of the school. The strength of interpersonal relationship skills displayed each day is truly inspiring; whether students are discussing an academic issue, chatting about current affairs or receiving support for some pastoral challenges.
Mat Weeks, Head of Sixth Form
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Year 12
Year 12 students have now started all of their enrichment courses; the CEP courses with Dulwich College and Sydenham High School started last Thursday. They have also received two interesting and informative talks in the lecture slot: Mrs Allan and Ms Brookes discussed the Sixth Form Higher Education and Careers programme, while Dr Parrish gave an insightful and interesting talk into why it really is ok to disagree with your friends in a diplomatic and positive way.
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Year 13
Whilst working feverishly hard on their A Level studies and UCAS applications, Year 13 students have also started their Liberal Studies Programme with Dulwich College.
We enjoyed our Head Girl Team’s whole school assembly which highlighted the importance of community, communication and collaboration in their vision of leadership.
The Sixth Form lecture series has also continued strongly, last week we welcomed back Esme SG from the Class of 2023 to talk about her internship with the Weizmann Institute in Israel. We are very grateful to her for taking the time to talk (and to offer some PAT admissions test assistance afterwards). We wish her every success at Wadham College (Oxford) this October.
Year 12 students have now started all of their enrichment courses; the CEP courses with Dulwich College and Sydenham High School started last Thursday. They have also received two interesting and informative talks in the lecture slot: Mrs Allan and Ms Brookes discussed the Sixth Form Higher Education and Careers programme, while Dr Parrish gave an insightful and interesting talk into why it really is ok to disagree with your friends in a diplomatic and positive way.
Whilst working feverishly hard on their A Level studies and UCAS applications, Year 13 students have also started their Liberal Studies Programme with Dulwich College.
We enjoyed our Head Girl Team’s whole school assembly which highlighted the importance of community, communication and collaboration in their vision of leadership.
The Sixth Form lecture series has also continued strongly, last week we welcomed back Esme SG from the Class of 2023 to talk about her internship with the Weizmann Institute in Israel. We are very grateful to her for taking the time to talk (and to offer some PAT admissions test assistance afterwards). We wish her every success at Wadham College (Oxford) this October.
Introducing
Ben Gould,
Head of Economics
“Joining JAGS as Head of Economics is an exciting and daunting role! In an ever-changing economic landscape, I hope to help support critical, analytical thinking by providing structure, opportunity to discover, and a sense of fun in the classroom. Already, I have been asked some incredibly challenging and insightful questions by our bright, inquisitive students.
“Coming from Winchester College, I hope to bring the holistic approach to supporting students that is necessary at a boarding school to a different environment. I’ve already seen how keen students are to engage with every aspect of school life, showing a passion for life and learning – I can’t wait to become even more a part of it.”
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Continued
“I rarely stop thinking about economic, political and social issues, as is demonstrated by the array of media shared into students’ ‘Articles’ channel on Teams. I have already ‘blessed’ their feeds with videos on topics such as the pay structure in tennis and the environmental dangers of fast fashion, as well as news of the future of the Mini Plant in Oxford – products of my evenings spent reading, watching, and trying to learn more.”
“I rarely stop thinking about economic, political and social issues, as is demonstrated by the array of media shared into students’ ‘Articles’ channel on Teams. I have already ‘blessed’ their feeds with videos on topics such as the pay structure in tennis and the environmental dangers of fast fashion, as well as news of the future of the Mini Plant in Oxford – products of my evenings spent reading, watching, and trying to learn more.”
Charity Club
Red Cross Bake Sale
Our Charity Club hosted a busy bake sale last week as they continued to raise money for British Red Cross and its vital support for victims of the devastating floods in Libya and earthquake in Morocco.
Students raised an incredible £394 in just 15 minutes!
French
Year 13 Paris trip
Year 13 French students enjoyed a whirlwind trip to Paris, soaking up the culture of the capital city, exploring its rich history and taking full advantage of the opportunity to put their language skills to the test.
Art
EVERYDAY Pop-up Exhibition
There was incredible creativity on show during the EVERYDAY Pop-up Exhibition this week.
The exhibit showcased the work our Year 13 students produced over the summer break, when they were tasked to create a series of small works everyday.
Since being back in school, they have developed their ideas and managed to create some beautiful work. From collages, video animation and drawings to ingenious blends of photography and illustration!
Geography
Year 11 Geography students visited Slapton Sands, Devon, last weekend to conduct beach profiling and sediment analysis as part of their ongoing investigations into coastal processes.
Sustainability
Year 7 Geography students took in tours of our beautiful Botany Gardens and composting station as they learnt all about sustainability here at JAGS.
Over the course of the week, four classes of students managed to compost all of the school’s weekly food waste – equivalent to around 100kg. An amazing effort!
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Horticulture Club
Elsewhere, the JAGS Horticulture Club enjoyed a special harvest session – unearthing a taste of the varied produce grown in our Botany Gardens.
Elsewhere, the JAGS Horticulture Club enjoyed a special harvest session – unearthing a taste of the varied produce grown in our Botany Gardens.
JAGS Alumnae
50 Year Reunion
It was an absolute pleasure to welcome so many JAGS Alumnae back for our 50 Year Reunion last week.
A perfect afternoon reminiscing and reconnecting with old friends.
Keep your eyes peeled for more JAGS Alumnae Association events in the coming months.
Sport
We have enjoyed a busy and successful fortnight of Sport with students competing across a number of disciplines.
Follow the links below to learn more:
Michael Golding, Director of Sport
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Cross country
Our Year 7, 8 and 9 students had their first cross country event of the year on Wednesday 27 September. The event at RGS Guildford, was a relay race with teams of four covering a total distance of 8.8km. The conditions were perfect for racing and the pace was fast from the start.
The teams all ran incredibly well and should be proud of their achievements, some racing for JAGS for the very first time.
A special well done to the Year 9 team of; Ines, Martha, Honor and Florence who finished in 3rd place overall.
The teams consisted of:
- A Team
Ines, Martha, Honor and Florence
- B Team
India, Zoe, Amelie and Emilie
- C Team
Izzy, Jojo, Arabella and Isobel
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Hockey
A really positive start on the hockey pitch across all age groups at the start of this term. The numbers participating are trending higher than this time last year and the results have also followed suit. The First XI beat Wimbledon High 3-1 in the National Cup first round. Our U15s also progressed in the cup after a long journey to Ware to play St Edmund’s College, emerging as 6-0 victors.
Our Year 7 hockey stars of the future also had their first experience of school hockey, with a series of home fixtures against Streatham and Clapham, wins all round for the A-D teams and zero goals conceded in the four matches.
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Netball
Miss Smith and Miss Freeman took 20 Year 8 and 9 students to Condover Hall last week for our annual school netball trip.
As always, the competition was incredibly tough, but the teams played high-quality netball throughout the weekend, with the Year 9 team going through the opening day unbeaten.
Sunday is finals day and the teams again played well throughout and finished up with a 5th place finish overall in the Trophy (main tournament) for the U14s. Meanwhile, the U13s finished 3rd place in the Cup (Runners Up competition).
Well done to all students who participated and thank you to both Miss Smith and Miss Freeman for taking the students over the weekend.
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Water Polo
Congratulations to Year 9 students Martha and Bella, who recently trialled for the London Water Polo Talent Centre and both earned a place on the programme.
Martha will be playing up a year and Bella as the U14 goalie.
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Tennis
Our Year 7 and 8 LTA Tennis squad faced off against Kingston Grammar School in the National Final Day (the match having rolled over from last season).
Unfortunately, on the day the KGS team were just a bit too strong and ran out 4-2 winners. A great experience for the students, who as a group of Year 7s had played against students mostly in Year 8 throughout the competition.
- Tennis Squad
Olivia, Dom, Evie and Eliska
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Fencing
Congratulations to Year 7 student Eleanor, who had recent success in a British Fencing U14 National event. Eleanor won the bronze medal in the U14 Women’s Epee event.
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Football
Our U15 footballers crashed out of the ISFA Cup in the first round after a nine-goal thriller against The American School in London. Leading 4-0 at half time, we somehow managed to concede five goals in the second half without adding to our goals and therefore move to the Plate Competition.
Our Year 7, 8 and 9 students had their first cross country event of the year on Wednesday 27 September. The event at RGS Guildford, was a relay race with teams of four covering a total distance of 8.8km. The conditions were perfect for racing and the pace was fast from the start.
The teams all ran incredibly well and should be proud of their achievements, some racing for JAGS for the very first time.
A special well done to the Year 9 team of; Ines, Martha, Honor and Florence who finished in 3rd place overall.
The teams consisted of:
- A Team
Ines, Martha, Honor and Florence
- B Team
India, Zoe, Amelie and Emilie
- C Team
Izzy, Jojo, Arabella and Isobel
A really positive start on the hockey pitch across all age groups at the start of this term. The numbers participating are trending higher than this time last year and the results have also followed suit. The First XI beat Wimbledon High 3-1 in the National Cup first round. Our U15s also progressed in the cup after a long journey to Ware to play St Edmund’s College, emerging as 6-0 victors.
Our Year 7 hockey stars of the future also had their first experience of school hockey, with a series of home fixtures against Streatham and Clapham, wins all round for the A-D teams and zero goals conceded in the four matches.
Miss Smith and Miss Freeman took 20 Year 8 and 9 students to Condover Hall last week for our annual school netball trip.
As always, the competition was incredibly tough, but the teams played high-quality netball throughout the weekend, with the Year 9 team going through the opening day unbeaten.
Sunday is finals day and the teams again played well throughout and finished up with a 5th place finish overall in the Trophy (main tournament) for the U14s. Meanwhile, the U13s finished 3rd place in the Cup (Runners Up competition).
Well done to all students who participated and thank you to both Miss Smith and Miss Freeman for taking the students over the weekend.
Congratulations to Year 9 students Martha and Bella, who recently trialled for the London Water Polo Talent Centre and both earned a place on the programme.
Martha will be playing up a year and Bella as the U14 goalie.
Our Year 7 and 8 LTA Tennis squad faced off against Kingston Grammar School in the National Final Day (the match having rolled over from last season).
Unfortunately, on the day the KGS team were just a bit too strong and ran out 4-2 winners. A great experience for the students, who as a group of Year 7s had played against students mostly in Year 8 throughout the competition.
- Tennis Squad
Olivia, Dom, Evie and Eliska
Congratulations to Year 7 student Eleanor, who had recent success in a British Fencing U14 National event. Eleanor won the bronze medal in the U14 Women’s Epee event.
Our U15 footballers crashed out of the ISFA Cup in the first round after a nine-goal thriller against The American School in London. Leading 4-0 at half time, we somehow managed to concede five goals in the second half without adding to our goals and therefore move to the Plate Competition.