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JAGSnews

7th July: Issue 31

Welcome from the Head

Dear Parents

Welcome to the final newsletter of the academic year, and what a fortnight it has been as the JAGS community celebrated so many different events that have brought parents, staff and students together.

It has been a delight to share our wonderful Year 13 Leavers’ Ceremony with students and parents and to bid the year group a fond farewell. They leave behind a superb legacy of leadership and commitment.

The sun shone on Saturday for our Founder’s Day as we celebrated the highlights of the year with Years 7 to 10, and then welcomed students and parents from all ages and areas of the school to join together for fun and feasting on the fields. Add in to the mix a brilliant whole school Founder’s Assembly on Friday, and a superb Founder’s Concert on Tuesday evening, and I think James Allen would be very proud of our continuing commitment to a complete education!

I have written with further details of the end of term in my letter sent to all parents, so for now may I take this opportunity to thank all the students for their complete commitment to the life of the school throughout this academic year. It has been a pleasure to share so many activities and accolades. I wish everyone a very well-deserved break over the summer holiday.

With best wishes

Mrs Alex Hutchinson
Head


Dates for your Diary

  • Monday 5 September – Induction for Years 3, 7 and 12
  • Tuesday 6 September – Term begins
  • Wednesday 7 September – 7pm Year 7 Parents’ Information Evening
  • Tuesday 13 September – 7pm Year 12 Information Evening
  • Thursday 15 September – 7pm Year 10 Information Evening


Reporting Absences

A reminder that the system for absences has changed earlier this year in the Senior School. Please use this form to report absence due to illness or to request absence for appointments. This form can also be found on our Contact page.


Teaching & Learning

Alice Mollison,

Assistant Head Teaching and Learning

As we finish the year, it is a great chance to reflect on our highlights and memories. My highlight has been seeing so many trips and other enrichment activities take place, which we’ve been so looking forward to for the past two years.

As you can see from the Department and Section news, the staff and students have been very busy right up to the very end of term with these! Collaboration has been a strong theme this year, whether it has been the numerous activity days with Dulwich College, which have been so successful, or participation in the Southwark Schools Learning Partnership events.

 

  • Dharshini David Talk

    The final SSLP ‘Thinking About….’ talk of the year was hosted by JAGS, featuring alumna Dharshini David’s discussion of the green economy.

    The talk was brilliantly hosted by Noor and Hanaa in Year 12.

    I had the honour of being given the opportunity to host Dharshini David’s online talk about the green economy. As part of my hosting job, I oversaw monitoring the Q and A function and asking the audience’s questions to Ms David at the end. It was a truly rewarding experience, the talk itself was incredibly captivating and it opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about sustainability. Being able to see all the questions asked was also interesting and hearing Ms David’s unique answers to these questions was a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed being involved in a Southwark School Learning Partnership talk and I would definitely help to volunteer with another one in the future.  Hanaa, Year 12

     

  • Climate Action Day

    Another recent event that students collaborated on was a climate action day. Here our Sustainability Lead Priya Hira, summarises the day:

    On Tuesday, 28th June, four students attended a Climate Action Event at South Bank University Academy. The students heard from a local climate activist and shared ideas about what practical changes they can make in their own schools and communities. Travel was a hot topic, and it was great to let the teachers sit back and hear what the students had to say. Our future is in their capable hands! Thank you to the student at South Bank University Academy who organised and led the event and to the school for hosting. We had a fantastic day!

  • Hear more about pupils’ experience this year

    Finally, one of the standout things about JAGS is the breadth of things for our students to get involved with as the growth of our students isn’t just about academic success. The students have clearly loved all aspects of school life this year, as you can tell from their short quotes below! Well done to all our students and staff for a great year and I wish everyone a fantastic summer break!

    During this year I have really enjoyed the variety of sports on offer at JAGS. I have started water polo, football and rock climbing and they’ve been amazing new sports!  Honor, Year 7

    One of the indisputable highlights of Sixth Form lessons at JAGS is the level of discussion and debate. Whether you’re scribbling down notes as new ideas are thrown around or are in the midst of a debate with one of your peers or even your teacher, the smaller class sizes really enable you to challenge yourself and others. The confidence and enjoyment I’ve gained is something that I’ll definitely carry with me to university and beyond.  Rawdah, Year 13

    This term, I have really enjoyed starting the Japanese pen pal program. It has been an amazing opportunity to practise my Japanese and learn more about Japanese culture! An extracurricular thing that I have enjoyed was performing chamber music in the Dulwich Festival. Sharing music with pupils from other schools was such a wonderful experience.  Hannah, Year 9

    This year marks the end of my journey through the senior school, and it has been rich in memories I will cherish. A particular highlight was when in one of our final chemistry lessons my teacher brought in her research papers for our class to look at. I was really fascinated and realised I saw her not only as a teacher but as someone with whom I share a passion.  Delphine, Year 13

    I really love playing in matches, especially water polo. I love how many different sports there are that you can have a go at.  Jess, Year 7

    The ease at which the teachers include the views of us as pupils has become so frequent and makes the lessons opinion filled and overall allows for a key sense of humour to be brought to our subjects. The balance that is so cleverly struck between being great teachers and allowing us to add our own thoughts has always led to an unexpected love of so many subjects that has only increased as I reached the final GCSE yearRosie, Year 11

    I enjoyed the Surrey Netball competition because it required a lot of teamwork and was a lot of fun for the whole team.  Megan, Year 7

    Discussions in English lessons were great this year; it was really fun to work as a team and analyse themes together. Everyone has a slightly different perspective, so I found it really interesting to hear everyone else’s opinion.  Alice, Year 11

    One of my favourite things this year has been form song, as it was my first ever form song where we got to perform live, and watch others perform, in the VWA. It was so much fun to watch Year 7 and 8. As we were in Year 9 we got to dress up and choose our very own song. It was very entertaining and all the music teachers did such a good job in helping all three years perfect their incredible performances considering most classes had only three lessons to prepare. It was definitely one of the highlights of my year and a very enjoyable experience!  Eva, Year 9

    I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my English lessons this year; we’ve studied so many interesting texts, including Shakespearean verse and modern punk poetry. The opportunities for debates with my peers have been collaborative and enjoyable. The Spanish department has taken us beyond the classrooms to give us authentic cultural experiences from dining in a taco restaurant to the immersive Frida Kahlo Experience!  Alayna, Year 10

    I think the best part about this year was all the opportunities in Sports and Drama. Whatever you love you can do here!  Thea, Year 7

    This year I have loved doing the Junior production. I have learned so much from it and gained lots of new friends. I love Drama and acting, and I couldn’t be happier with how the show went this year.  Florence, Year 7

    Learning at JAGS is special because teachers have a clear passion for what they teach. They provide a new, interesting perspective that encourages us to want to learn more and makes lessons really enjoyable and informative!  Dezi, Year 11

    This year, all my lessons have really piqued my interest in all my subjects through my amazing teachers’ ability to make every lesson different and intriguing. In Maths we are now able to carry out calculations on boards on the sides of the classroom; in my Chemistry and Biology practicals I get to have much more choice in what I’m doing and how I choose to carry it out. I’m learning so much more about the heart since we had the opportunity to dissect one!  Ana, Year 12

    There is nothing quite like a practical to spark a renewed vigour for learning in a worn- out GCSE class, a phenomenon which I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand numerous times. Teachers seem to be well aware of the magical effect that announcing plans for a science practical can have, and I have many fond memories of spending a lesson virtually salivating at the thought of a proposed experiment, completing worksheets and taking notes like the rest of my class with a new, super-human eagerness and rapidity. Whether it be a painstaking titration, intricate circuit or vivid food tests, each one is as enlightening as it is enchanting.  Iris, Year 11


Key Stage 3 Update

As the end of term draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect on all the wonderful things that have happened over the past few weeks.

Things have returned to a semblance of normality and we have been able to reinstate all of the fantastic whole school activities such as Founder’s Day, the Form Song, Chapel services and assemblies.

The weather could not have been more perfect for Founder’s Day and it was so lovely to see so many of the KS3 girls taking part in performances on the main stage. The Founder’s Concert features many of the lower school girls and the array of musical talent on display was really impressive.

A special mention needs to go to the MFL Spelling Bee winners and finalists (read more about their success later in the newsletter). We could not be more proud of them.

The girls have been reading and reviewing their end of term reports this week. It has been a genuine pleasure to read through the comments and to see how diligent, conscientious and successful they all are. They truly deserve the summer break and I wish everyone a very restful and happy holiday. Do LOTS of reading and enjoy the sunny weather. I look forward to welcoming you all back to JAGS in September.

Myfanwy Bournon, Head of KS3


Key Stage 4 Update

It has been a busy and rewarding end to the school year. We really enjoyed gathering everyone together for Founder’s Day and hearing from Year 10 students about their specific highlights has been wonderful. We welcomed Year 11 back for one final day – the 18+ choices day, where they began to think about further education and careers. A particular highlight for me was hearing our alumnae panel share all sorts of advice and wisdom about higher education with the cohort. We are really going to miss Year 11 and hope they keep in touch with the KS4 team when they are in the sixth form.

Year 10 enjoyed their Sixth Form taster day, an opportunity to experience life in the sixth form for a day, including some A Level style lessons and various talks from the Sixth Form team. Year 10 were also able to experience common room life, and hopefully this will have got them all thinking about next steps. We are really looking forward to supporting the year group throughout Year 11. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a restful and enjoyable summer.

Anna Jones, Head of Key Stage 4


Sixth Form Update

Well, that was 2021-22 in the JAGS Sixth Form community! In the end, 107 Year 13s completed their Sixth Form journey. Leavers’ Day comprised the Leavers’ Service at Christ’s Chapel, a Leavers’ photo, distribution of Leavers’ goodies and then the Leavers’ Ceremony and event in the evening.

Alongside the parents, the Sixth Form team were bursting with pride as students showcased a diverse range of talent and then collected their prizes at the ceremony. All speeches during the day highlighted the truly special qualities of the cohort – in every different sphere – and we wish them well for the future. They were encouraged to: “Stay in touch, stay safe, be kind and dance like there’s nobody watching.”

Mat Weeks, Head of Sixth Form

  • Year 12 UCAS Progress

    Whilst the Year 13s were coping so impressively with their exams, the Year 12s have made fantastic progress in researching their Higher Education futures. They have all completed some key details in the UCAS form and written a first draft of their all important personal statement and by the end of term should have had a one-to-one with their tutor which will assist them in improving the personal statement and developing an action plan of further steps to take. Lots more support will be offered next term!

  • Advice for the summer ahead

    The last few weeks have been intense with so many Sixth Form students contributing to the life of the school and their own personal goals. The most important activity over the summer for both Year 12 and Year 13 alike will be to grab some rest and relaxation. They deserve it!

Founder’s Day

After a two year break, JAGS was once again able to host a full school Founder’s Day on Saturday.

It was a truly remarkable day and we were proud to welcome so many pupils, parents and teachers onto our playing fields for a celebration of all that makes JAGS great.

The pupil jubilee themed Bake-Off Competition was hotly contested with so many amazing cakes, while the last-minute upgrade from carousel to Ferris Wheel proved extremely popular.

A special thanks must go to the JPA (JAGS Parents’ Association) for organising the raffle – all the profits of which help support our bursary programmes.

Careers

Careers trip to Credit Suisse

Our pupils travelled to Canary Wharf to take part in the Credit Suisse Inspire Program. The initiative gives female students the opportunity to experience ‘A Day in the Life at Credit Suisse’. Over the course of the day, four JAGS students took part in a range of activities to gain an insight into the various careers within Credit Suisse as well as the chance to develop teamwork, networking and presentation skills. The students worked in teams to complete challenges including a trading exercise and a branding/innovation task. Alhena in Year 9 was on the winning team of the final activity for the day!

  • Want to be a Wildlife Conservationist?

    We welcomed JAGS alumna, Dr Pria Ghosh to speak to Year 7-9 students about her career journey.

    Pria left JAGS in 2009 to read Biology at Oxford. After completing her PhD at Imperial, she joined Synchronicity Earth and currently leads the Amphibian conservation programme.

    Year 12 students Lily, Masha, Noor and India hosted the talks supported by Laura and Rachael who helped with the audience and questions. After the talk, Pria joined Y12 and Y13 students to talk about the transition to university and what they can be doing to explore future careers in the conservation field.

    Students from across the Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership (SSLP) also attended the event.

  • Want To Be A Clincal Psychologist?

    Students in Years 7-9 attended a live online talk with speakers from King’s College hosted by Kingsdale School. The two speakers gave students an insight into their career and displayed real passion and dedication to their jobs. Question time included many thoughtful questions from JAGS students including recommendations about A Level subject choices, challenges of the job and volunteering experiences that would give students an insight into aspects of the career.

  • Finance and Professional Services

    Eight JAGS sixth form students attended this networking event at Dulwich College where they had the opportunity to find out more about careers in the Financial and Professional Services sector.

    It was great to see students interacting in-person with a wide variety of professionals. Some from big companies, others from smaller more specialised areas, some well-established in their career and several early career graduates and apprentices.

  • 18+ Choices Day for Year 11

    On 4th July, Year 11 students attended the 18+ Choices Day at JAGS.

    The introduction included information about how the world of work is changing.

    This was followed by a Careers & Higher Education quiz and a session on how to make the most of work experience.

    The afternoon included a popular alumnae panel session to address student questions about 18+ choices.

    The day ended with an optional session about applying to Oxford & Cambridge and studying in the USA/overseas. Students were attentive and engaged throughout the day and went away with lots of information including research tools to explore their future pathways.


Sport

After a fantastic year of sporting achievements we have finally come to end of the 2022 Summer Term at JAGS.

The main event for the PE Department in the Summer Term is the much-anticipated Sports Day. This year we had two Sports Day events, one for Year 9 and 10 and another for Year 7 and 8. We have had some exciting results from across the two days and students’ effort and commitment to their events and houses was sensational to see. Perhaps most impressive was Year 7 pupil Marly who broke the school’s High Jump record with a huge leap of 1.47m.

Congratulations must go to Bettany who were victorious once the scores had been added together from the separate Year Groups and events. The final scores are as follows; 1st place Bettany, 2nd place Desenfans, 3rd place Holst and 4th place goes to Clarke.

 

 

 

 

 

  • A great year of sport

    The PE Department would like to congratulate all pupils who have participated, competed and achieved in sporting events across the year. We have played an incredible 400 matches/competitions across 12 different sports with close to 50% of the whole school representing JAGS in at least one competitive fixture.

  • Water Polo

    Some of our Year 7 pupils have been participating, competing and collaborating with Dulwich College for water polo in mixed teams over the last 6 weeks. Mrs Tappenden and a specialist water polo coach from Dulwich College had been working hard towards the tournament which took place in the final week of term. Great fun was had by all, and we are looking forward to seeing more water polo action from all years next year.

  • Rowing

    The Senior Rowing Team had their last race of the year at an international event at Reading Town Regatta. All the pupils have made outstanding progress and were unlucky to lose by 3 ½ boat lengths. What an amazing experience and opportunity for our pupils. We look forward to our current Year 9 and 10 pupils getting a head start on their rowing knowledge before the new term begins by attending the summer camp at Putney, being run by Dulwich College.

  • Swimming

    In news from outside school, Elsa in Year 10 has qualified for the Swimming British Nationals which will be held this July. She will compete in 50m and 100m free, and in the 4x100m free relay. This means she is in the top 20 swimmers in Britain in these events for her age group. Well done Elsa, we are incredibly proud of you!

    Continuing with the swimming theme, Martha in Year 7 has been very busy in the pool over the past couple of weeks competing in the ESSA swim championships. She finished a superb 1st for the 200m back and 2nd in the 200 IM (individual medley). She then followed this up by competing in the London Youth Games Aquathlon. Martha placed 1st for Year 7 girls (and fastest time from Year 7 and 8). Her Bromley team placed 2nd overall. In the Bromley club champs – Martha finished in 2nd place 400 free and 200IM. A very busy but successful weekend for one of our Sports Scholars!

  • Cricket

    We have had some great success in the soft ball paired cricket. There have been some fantastic performances from our U12 and U13 teams. We would like to give a special mention to Emma who took two brilliant wickets in the U15 hard ball game against Alleyn’s.

  • Tennis

    The PE Department would like to give a huge congratulations to the Doubles finalists in the JAGS Tennis Competition which took place on Founder’s Day! Well done to Emily and Rachel who overcame Annabelle and Rania in the final winning 6-4. In the singles competition, despite racing into a 4-0 lead, Sophie was unable to hold out and it was Year 10 Isla that stormed back to win 7-5. Well done to all participants and especially our finalists and winners on the day!

    The Senior Tennis squad has had an impressive year and created more history by reaching the finals of the Branston Shield (Surrey County Cup). Unfortunately, Surbiton were too good on the day and the pupils finished as runners-up but should be proud of their achievements this year. The team for the final was Rachel, Shaan, Isabel and Sofia.

  • Sport Scholars

    Our Year 7 – 10 Sport Scholars were fortunate to spend a morning with a Pilates teacher last week, who took the pupils through some stretching and injury prevention techniques to help develop performance levels in their own sports. The pupils really enjoyed and benefitted from the day and certainly managed to show better levels of flexibility than Miss Smith and Mr Golding!

    Please continue to send all your sporting success and endeavours to Director of Sport, Mr Golding – Michael.Golding@JAGS.org.uk

MFL

Spelling and Translation Bee success

Last week several JAGS students travelled to the University of Cambridge to compete in the National Finals of the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Spelling and Translation Bees.

While tens of thousands of pupils across the country entered the contest in October, the JAGS students fought off tough competition to emerge victorious in three categories.

Huge congratulations to:

Zoe (Year 7 Spanish spelling bee)

Avanti (Year 7 French spelling bee)

Madalena (Year 9 Spanish translation bee)

Read the full story HERE

  • French Breakfast

    On 24th June, Year 8 French students from JAGS and Dulwich College joined together for a collaboration breakfast. When the boys arrived we were placed into groups, each consisting of two boys and two girls.

    Together (with the help of croissants and juice) we answered questions about French language and culture. This was a great way to get us to work together.

    After the quiz came the hard bit; we carried out interviews in French with a range of Dulwich College pupils.

    This was a super interactive and educational way of getting to know all the boys and practise our French knowledge. Overall, it was a great morningDelyth, Year 8

Drama

Snowsfields

Between the 21st and 23rd June, Year 7 and 8 drama students staged a series of gripping performances for their original production of Snowsfields.

Audiences were transported back in time to 1800s Bermondsey where a horrifying creature stalked south of the river.

Each pupil gave extraordinary performances but a special mention must go to the star of the show – the memorable and terrifying Thameside Jack puppet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Experience of the cast

    Around two weeks before the actual shows we started our first rehearsals. It began with a readthrough and then began the rehearsals. Lots of these happened, some on school days and some on the weekend.

    Our practice was all worth it. We had our first dress rehearsal a couple of days before the actual performances. It was so exciting trying on our costumes. I had two very different roles so it was really nice for me to try on two costumes. Being part of the actual performances was amazing, we were coming in and out of scenes with so many people backstage helping us.

    Changing in between my scenes was a bit of a challenge but with so many people’s help I managed to accomplish it. The teachers were so helpful and always were in cheerful spirits with things like their fun warm-ups.

    Snowsfields was a wonderful play to be in and I absolutely loved my time being in it.  Asmitha, Year 7

History of Art

Reframed: The Woman in the Window exhibition

Year 12 Art Historians and students from the Year 9 and 10 History of Art Society visited the Dulwich Picture Gallery to view the Reframed: The Woman in the Window exhibition with Ms Guerrero and Mrs Marshall.

Everyone enjoyed the chance to see some amazing artworks and enjoy a picnic lunch in the lovely surroundings of the gallery gardens.

A special thanks to Year 12 Art Historians who lectured to the Year 9 and 10 students on works from the collections.

Some bright careers in Art History ahead for JAGS students!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art

House Art competition

This year’s annual House Art competition had a simple brief; to build the biggest and best structure from recyclable material.

Each team took a very different approach which delighted and entertained the onlooking judges. Some opted to grab every available piece of cardboard nearby and tape it together as quickly as possible. While for others, the slow and steady approach was preferred as they focused on the finer details of their sculpture.

In the end, there was heartbreak for some as precarious sky-high sculptures wilted and collapsed in the dying moments of the contest.

Clarke took home the prize for biggest sculpture after leading the race to reach the sky from early doors. However, the prize for best sculpture belonged to Holst for their impressive tribute to their house mascot.

I was one of the Holst house captains and we chose to focus on house spirit, hence our sculpture being the Holst mascot! We also enjoyed and benefited from having a team with members from all the year groups.  Izzy, Year 12

 

 

 

 

 

Maths

Bletchley Park Trip

Travelling to Bletchley Park was a brilliant experience, allowing us to fully understand the scale and importance of the work that was done there. Before the trip we had heard of Alan Turing and his amazing story. However other codebreakers, just as vital in the war effort had been far less celebrated. For example, the three Polish mathematicians Rejewski, Zygalski and Rózycki, who pioneered the work into breaking the enigma code, were honoured in a memorial at Bletchley. The trip also helped demonstrate why the Enigma cypher was so hard to figure out. We spent some time, using our knowledge of combinations and permutations, calculating the total number of possible codes the machine could produce; approximately 160,000,000,000,000,000,000. This emphasised to us just how talented the mathematicians at Bletchley were to crack such an advanced cypher.
What was particularly inspiring about Bletchley Park was the role women played. Despite what may be assumed, a majority of those working at Bletchley were women. Although few played a role in the actual code cracking, they were incredibly important in transporting, recording and translating messages. Not only was visiting Bletchley Park a great insight into how important the application of mathematics is, it was also great fun.  Alice and Astha, Year 12

 

 

 

 

Green Dale School Street

JAGS is working with Southwark Council regarding the implementation of a School Street on Green Dale.

In order to help with the planning, Southwark Council has launched a consultation to gather views on the scheme.

The consultation runs until 17 July 2022.

 

 

 

 

 


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