December 2011

Issue 78

The Christs Chronicles

Welcome to the latest issue of Christs Schools newsletter
Future events for your diary
Monday, 19th December Tuesday, 20st December Wed. 4th January 2012 Thursday ,12th January Student Christmas Lunch Last day of term, School closes at 12.30pm Spring term begins for students Year 10 Science Modules Year 9 Options assembly Year 11 Mock Examination presentation Year 10 Parents Evening 3.30 to 6.30pm appointments Year 11 Science module examinations

Special points of interest:

Reviews Coming

Events
Sports News Messages Requests Advertising

Friday, 13th January Tuesday, 17th January Thursday, 26th January

Inside this issue:

PTA Fireworks Lord Haskell Citizenship Day Operation Xmas Speaking Comp. Young Journalists Hampton Court 2 3 3 4 4 4/5/ 7

Humanities Society 7

Miss Tabers
Spanish Exchange

8/9
10

Please check the school sports board for up to date weekly fixtures You can also check the school events calendar, which is updated regularly for more diary dates on our website at www.christs.richmond.sch.uk

Christmas Card etc 11 Sports 12/5

Ruths Message Borneo

16 17

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Reviews
PTA FireworksFriday, 4th November 2011
The PTA Fireworks fundraiser event went off with a bang! It was fantastic to see the return of the Firework event this year. Mr Burke opened the show with a few words reminding people that this event first took place 7 years ago, and he thanked the PTA for all their hard work and support. Harriet Warne of class 7A, who won the Firework poster competition, had the privilege of pressing the button to start the fireworks off. Local primary schools and our local Scouts were also invited which made it a real community event. There were many stalls including a hog roast, burgers and bangers, cakes, mulled wine and more. Students also put on a musical show in the form of rock bands, it was great to see and hear them really enjoying themselves, and for the audience to appreciate their talent. The fireworks were spectacular and seemed to last forever, and there was even a juggling man on stilts who later turned into a fire eater for our entertainment. Huge thanks to everyone involved and to everyone who came along to make it such a friendly successful evening."

Photographs with compliments of Vicki Sharp Jack Petchey Award

NOVEMBER 2011 AWARD WINNER: Frankie Storer

CITATION: Frankie is awarded the Jack Petchey Achiever Award for November for her willingness to take on unexpected challenges. At the last minute she was nominated to take part in a Young Chefs Competition and despite the lack of preparation time she was prepared to give it a go. She always has an excellent attitude to her work which is to be commended.

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Lord Haskell visits Christs Friday, 25th November 2011

As part of the Peers in Schools programme, Deputy Lord Speaker Lord Haskell visited Christ's in November to talk year 11 through the work of the House of Lords. He explained what the House of Lords does, who works there and why it is important before taking a variety of excellent questions from the floor. Mr Butler

Citizenship Day - 2nd November 2011

Year 11 held the annual Young Citizens display day in the Sports Hall in November. This event is the culmination of 6 months hard work on their active citizenship GCSE project which saw each group research an issue, communicate with people in a position of power or influence, then finally raising awareness at the citizenship day. Local MP Zac Goldsmith, local councillors, parents and younger pupils were all impressed by the range and quality of displays. Issues ranged from lack of disabled access at Barnes station to sustainable fishing, and fair trade to homophobia in sport. The MP stayed well over his allotted time and later tweeted to Mr Butler; "I was very impressed with the breadth of issues and passion of the year 11s at Christ's School". Mr Butler

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Operation Xmas Child

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our students and staff we were able fill over 60 shoeboxes filled with goodies, to be sent to children around the world living in orphanages by the Samaritans. The response from students across all 5 year groups was fantastic and the boxes soon stacked up. In addition to this a small group of year 8 girls worked hard making fleece hats to go into the boxes to keep the recipients warm! In total they managed to hand make over 30 hats, during their lunchtimes, showing great diligence and team skills. The response was so overwhelming that we actually had more donations than shoe boxes and so we also sent off 3 large boxes full of toiletries to the Samaritans to be added to shoeboxes at their collection points. Finally, we also sent a 70.00 postage donation, raised from cake sales run by 8E. What a great way to start Christmas! Ms Perkins

Christs Wins Interschool Speaking Competition

On the Wednesday 7th December four year 10 and 11 students went to Tiffin Boys to take part in an interschool competition run by the English Speaking Union. Grammar schools and several private schools competed; however, Christs was the only state comprehensive in the borough to attend. The competition included spontaneous lively discussion and prepared speeches, where speakers were questioned on their chosen topic. Our speaker Fahris Mansour, Year 11, chose to talk about e-books and the pressure they place on the physical book. This was then followed by an intense grilling by two boys from Tiffin. Fahris kept his cool and gave a brilliant overall performance. Beth Greenwood and Stevie Hertz were the questioner and chairperson respectively. Stevies task was to lead the discussion and Beth had to ask the questions. They were given their topic an hour beforehand euthanasia; and faced an emotional speech from a Haliford pupil. However, despite this they triumphed, making a strong team between the three of them and their helpful reserve James Upton, Year 10. Thanks to this victory, the team has gone on to the next round in the competition; the public are welcome to attend, however dates and location are yet to be confirmed.

Young Journalists Get Writing

This year, three Christs students have taken up the challenge of writing an article every month for the Guardian Young Journalist scheme. They can write an article on a topic of their choice, and they have to meet a deadline by uploading it onto the Local Guardian website before the end of each month. Year 11 student Mia Frigieri-Baldwin, and year 10 students Sam Ormonde and Charlie Stillwell, have got off to a great start by meeting all three deadlines. These are some of the articles they have written: If you log on to the website at www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/yoursay/schools you will be able to see all their articles. Ms Lorenz

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Christs School Awards Evening

Every year, Christs School holds an awards evening at St Mary Magdalenes Church in Richmond. Its a special evening where proud relatives and friends can watch students receive certificates and awards for their achievements and progress. The awards are given to the students who have worked particularly hard or achieved very highly, and they are chosen by the teachers from each subject. In addition, the evening provides an opportunity for previous Christs School students to come back and be presented with their GCSE certificates. It's a great opportunity for a reunion and a chance to celebrate academic achievements, as well as successes in other areas. The certificates and badges for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award were presented and this year there were 25 year 11 students who gained the bronze award and, for the first time at Christ's, 5 students in year 11 who gained their silver award. As well as this, certificates were given out for 100% attendance and The Emlyn Wibberley Award was presented to Sasha Simpson-Vanner. The cover of this years programme was designed by the GCSE art student, Emily Young. Our guest speaker this year was the inspirational Sir Trevor McDonald. In his speech he spoke about how no-one gets anywhere without hard work and that you mustnt listen to the people who tell you otherwise. He said how, when he was young, he didn't always want to listen to speakers giving advice to him, but now that he has so much wisdom, he cant help but to share some of it. By Mia Frigieri-Baldwin

Missing Downton Abbey

On the 26th of September 2010, the period drama Downton Abbey hit our screens. It commenced with the news that the Titanic had sunk, and that the heir to the aristocratic Crawley family had died in the wreckage. From the very first episode, critics fell in love with Julian Fellowes ITV drama. I also fell in love with the acclaimed period drama, from sex scandal, to class scandal; Downton (as its known on the street) has something for everyone. It tackles issues that were not only relevant back then, but also today, for example, Lady Mary (the oldest Crawley daughter) is engaged to be married to a man who is regularly described as new money; this illustrates how we havent really changed, we are just snobbish, we criticise Tulisa on The X Factor because she cant speak English properly, its a similar sort of thing. But the critics' views are not unanimous, with The Guardian describing it as the helter-skelter theatre of the absurd (6th November). Whilst I love the show, I admit that some parts are predictable. When Lady Mary and - the awkwardly middle class among the upper classes - Matthew Crawley are dancing, you know they are going to kiss. You also know Matthew's fianc (the late Miss Levina Swire) is going to walk in and see them. In that same article, The Guardian references the show's absurd acting, but I take issue with this. From Hugh Bonneville, to Dame Maggie Smith, the standard of acting in the show is second to none; without Smith's character where else would we get the best timed one liners on television? The cast is so strong that you wouldnt know that Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley, comes from Essex, you genuinely believe she is a privileged Edwardian from the early 1900s.

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Missing Downton Abbey continued

People with too much time on their hands like to write to the Culture section of The Sunday Times and point out absurdities like the use of the phrase as if in the script. Another thing people like to moan about is how quickly Fellowes script passed through huge events in History in just a few episodes. The Guardian commentators said that they wouldnt be surprised if Lady Cora decided to become a lesbian, or if Lady Sybil joined the IRA. Whilst they have a point, we all watch Downton for a bit of middlebrow escapist drama on a Sunday evening, not to get a History lesson. All in all, Downton Abbey is not only the best period drama on tv, not only is it the best drama on tv, but it is the best show on tv, and I cant see that changing any time soon. Im going to miss my Sunday nights huddled up watching Downton and, to quote Dorcas Lane from Lark Rise To Candleford, Downton is my one weakness. By Sam Ormonde

Google Plus: Googles Knight In Shining Armour?

Google Plus, finally available to the public. This is supposedly Googles breakthrough social network, but will it live up to expectations? The first interesting feature of Plus is the Circles. These are groups in which you put your fellow Plussers (lets call them). As one could probably guess, the typical circles to have are: Friends, Family and Co-workers. You can create as many circles as you wish, each limited to ten people, and people can be in more than one circle. Also, Plussers do not know what circles they are in, so you could put them in a circle called People I Hate, without them knowing. You can name the circles you create whatever you want. Google Plus has a fairly basic news feed, showing all the people in your circles posts, but it does in fact also show the most popular posts in the world of plus. That normal chatting system is nothing special until you reach the Hangout section. This is a truly innovative idea, and is a much better attempt at video chatting than Facebooks. You can hangout with up to ten people, so in theory people could have small work conferences on Plus. You have to download the plug-in, but it is completely worth it. Your profile in Google Plus is something that you will spend hours tweaking for perfection. You can write abundant amounts about yourself. Google gives you the opportunity to write these things on the About section: an introduction, bragging rights, employment, education, places, lives, how to be contacted at home and work, relationship status, what you are looking for on Plus, your other names and your nickname. Photos are also exceedingly easy to upload. You just have to drag them from your files to your browser. Videos are also fairly easy to upload. Another great idea from Plus is the +1 button. If you see this button by something on the Internet and click it, it will pop up on your Plus page. This button is already active so one can share Youtube videos that you enjoy. All in all, Google Plus looks like it will be a real success. It is very efficient to use, and has a certain New age feel to it. It has no adverts so it beats Facebook in that respect. The Hangout feature is certainly amazing as well. Whether Google Plus will be the usurper of Facebooks throne, nobody knows yet. It is sure to be a challenger though. By Charlie Stillwell

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Issue 78

Year 8 Trip to Hampton Court Palace

On Thursday 3rd November the whole of Year 8 set out for Hampton Court Palace. We had been studying The Tudors in History class, and this was an opportunity to explore Henry VIIIs favourite Palace and try to imagine what it would have been like to live there 500 years ago. The Royal Apartments were full of portraits, tapestries and carvings that showed off Henrys wealth, but we also liked trying to work out how the toilet would have worked! It was fun to see Henry himself (an actor in costume) wandering passed us in the corridors. The kitchens were enormous, with a large fireplace where the meals for 600 courtiers would have been prepared twice a day. Thats a lot of washing up! The day ended for most of us in the famous Maze, an opportunity to run off some energy before a quick visit to the shop and getting back on the bus. Mrs Harris

The Humanities Society

The Humanities is a brand new and exciting club that has recently began at Christs. It is open to all students across the school, whether in Year 7 or Year 11. It provides students with a great opportunity to look at different aspects of the Humanities subjects that perhaps are not covered in lessons. The humanities subjects include Geography, History, Religious Studies and Citizenship which offers a wide range of topics to choose from. Twelve students, who were appointed to the roles of Humanities Ambassadors along with the Humanities Department Staff, provide their input into organising and deciding what to include in the Thursday meetings, ensuring a wide range of exciting topics. So far, during the Humanities Society, a guest speaker from the Red Cross came and spoke about what the role and purpose of the organisation is. Thirty six students attended, as well as a whole host of teachers which was a very promising start. The next meeting was on the 1st of December a guest speaker came in to talk about local gang culture. Over fifty students attended, which shows just how interested many students are in looking in more depth into various Humanities Topics. After Christmas future events include debates over topics such as Whats best? Books or E-Books? and quizzes testing students general Humanities knowledge. The winners will take home prizes including sweets and certificates! More Guest speakers will be coming in, including a parent who is a television director for US TV and a local Probation Officer. If any parents or carers feel like they can or know anyone who would want to contribute or be a guest speaker for the Humanities Society please contact Mr Roderick at proderick@christs.richmond.sch.uk Mr Roderick

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Miss Tabers trip to San Pedro

Miss Taber is currently on her year of travel in South America and has sent us her latest news. Money raised by the sponsored walk went to one of the orphanages that she has been visiting. Here is her news: We are currently in San Pedro la Laguna in Guatemala. We have been here for the past 3 weeks volunteering and taking extra Spanish lessons! (Always room for improvement!) Today has been quite an emotional day. This morning we went to our volunteering project for 3 hours. We have been helping out in a school for disabled kids. There are only 6 kids in the school but they all have different needs. We helped them paint some pictures, build houses, draw, do some maths and eat their lunch. Today was quite calm as there was myself, Andrew and the teacher but yesterday I was by myself as Andrew was ill and the teacher announced on my arrival that she had a meeting for 3 hours!! With our school we visit two poor families per teacher and deliver them some basic goods every two weeks to help them out. The money for this food comes from part of our tuition fees. Last week when we saw the very basic conditions that they have to live in, as well as their extremely sad family stories we knew straight away that here was a worthy cause for us to help out. Very kindly some family and friends have donated money towards the projects we will be working on throughout the next 10 months. Today we headed into town to buy a month worth of supplies and to put some big smiles on some families faces. When we spoke to the families they told us that it is not uncommon for them to lie awake worrying where the next meal is going to come from. Our shopping list for each family was: 50lbs of maize to make tortillas 5lbs of beans 36 eggs 3lbs of rice 15lbs of sugar Pasta Oil Washing liquid and soap Honey Juice Biscuits Nutritious drink powder This came to a total of 30. As you can see money here can go quite far and make a massive difference. The maize, eggs and beans are eaten by Guatemalans for both breakfast and dinner so they were gratefully received. Next week we will visit two more families to deliver more goods and to hopefully put more smiles on faces. I hope that you are all well Take care Miss Taber

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First family. Father died a few years ago meaning that they have no main income. Mother washes clothes to earn money

This is their only living space. The other photo shows their bunk beds in the same room. It has a steel roof and it was extremely damp.

Some of the cutest and appreciative children Ive met.

Second family & one of our teachers. The little boy in the middle had an operation last week so they have to pay debts meaning even less money to put food on the table. This is in their kitchen.

Me high 5ing Rosalia. She is 4 years old and has to walk on one foot and her knee due to a disability. Didnt stop her having fun at school though.

Music time with the other kids.

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Spanish Exchange 2011 - 25th Nov. to 2nd Dec.

A group of students from year 9, 10 and 11 took part in a Spanish exchange with a High School called Parque de Lisboa in Alcorcon, Madrid, in Spain. Our students spent a week with their exchange partners where they immersed in the Spanish language and culture. Thanks to facebook and other forms of contact, both parties got to know each other before meeting in Madrid. This meant the students felt much more comfortable talking to each other, and getting along, when they met in real life. Our students experienced life in the Instituto (Spanish for High School) first hand. It was a big change for them as Spanish secondary schools are very different to ours: all lessons are held in the same classroom, there are no uniforms and no smartboards. The students also experienced Spanish school dinners, such as omelettes and squid bocadillos (sandwiches). We also visited a beautiful typical Castilian City nearby called Toledo situated on the top of the mountains and surrounded by the river Tajo. We enjoyed making new friends, the food, the sun, the outings and the Christmas spirit in Madrid although we could have done with the Spanish Siesta in the afternoon as the days had early starts and very late finishes. If you are interested in having a great time learning Spanish, and would be in year 9, 10 or 11 next academic year, make sure you dont miss out on this great opportunity to spend a week in the shoes of a Spanish teenager. (Limited places available.)Favourite breakfast: Churros con Chocolate

Favourite breakfast: Churros con Chocolate

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Christmas Card Competition

Congratulations to our budding Artists at Christ's school , for winning our Christmas card competition 2011. Each student has won a watercolour set, Christ credits, and the honour of adorning mantle pieces across the world! This years winners are: Simon Dos Reis Esme Gritten Charlotte Cox Josh Pacho Charlotte Oyler Aleksandra Aleksejevaite

Mr McPaul
Polar Bears by Finlay West Snow Man by Esme Gritten

Trip to the Snow Queen ..

A small group of students went to see the Snow Queen at the Rose Theatre on Wednesday 14th December. It is an enchanting tale of friendship and adventure. the unusual set design was by Su Blackwell who is known for her creative use of paper in 3D forms and as intricate cut-outs. Some of the year 10 GCSE Art students went to a workshop at the Stanley Picker Art gallery on 16th December. The Art gallery is linked to Kingston university and it hosts a range of contemporary exhibitions throughout the year. the exhibition the pupils saw was entitled 'Screen as landscape and is by Dan Hays.

Library News
This term has been busy for everyone and not less so in the Library. It appears to have become busier and more bustling in the Library at break and Lunch times. More students are coming into the Library to use the facilities but most importantly they are reading, which is such a joy to see. The film book club has been a very successful group. We have watched the Iron Giant which was adapted from the book the Iron Man by Ted Hughes, Howls Moving Castle a novel by Diana Wynne Jones and most recently How to Train your Dragon a book by Cressida Cowel. Staff book day has proven popular and has been well attended on Thursday lunch times. It has been an opportunity for members of staff to come and read the books that inspired them when they were the students ages. We have had a huge influx of new non-fiction and fiction books come into the Library and no sooner have they hit the shelves they have been eagerly taken off them. It is great to have fuller shelves and to keep filling them. Towards the end of term I have been reading from Dickens Christmas Carol every morning to the early arrivals to the Library. This has been really enjoyable especially in the lead up to the Christmas Holidays. From all of us in the Library I wish you all a very restful break and a happy start to the New Year. Mr Blaxland

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Sports News
Year 7/8 Girls 6-a-side Football Competition:
On Monday 28th November a team of eight Year 7/8 Girls departed Christs to take part in a 6-a-side competition at Kingsmeadow Athletics Stadium, held by AFC Wimbledon. Despite limited success during their matches so far this year, the girls went into the tournament with much enthusiasm and excitement for the days play. Playing 16 minute matches in the small form of the game, there were plenty of positive attributes on show in the opening match, although the opposition began the match looking the better of the two sides. However once the initial nerves settled, Christs started to find the back of the net through good team play and quality finishing by our strikers. We finished game one with the first win of the season 3-0 (2 goals to Tash Blackmore and 1 to Lily Shield Polyzoides). Game two saw Christs being pushed by a more skilful opposition than what we had previously encountered. Despite this, our girls seemed to be playing a better style of football, which was creating many opportunities although we struggled to get the score on the board. After conceding a goal early in the match, the girls stuck to the game plan before Lauren Canner scored the equaliser late in the second half with an absolute bullet from the corner to finish the match with a draw at 1-1. It was another strong contest in game three, which saw Christs playing local rival Richmond Park Academy. We had played a hard fought contest during the previous encounter, only to concede in the final moments of the match. But we went into this game with a new found confidence after a strong showing in the earlier rounds and came away with a 1-0 win when Lily again showed some of her brilliance up front. Game four was always going to be our toughest against the pool favourites Holy Cross. Boasting several players on Chelsea and Fulham lists, the girls were going to have to produce something special in order to get over the line in this match. Unfortunately the Fulham striker rocketed one through in the opening 30 seconds to announce her class as a player, but this did nothing to change our frame of mind. Christs continued to mount pressure on their opposition in attack and defence, making them earn every touch. We kept the score to 1-0 at half time and still full of optimism that we could claw our way back. Staying solid in defence, we were able to restrict them to nothing until the final 3 minutes when the top tier players stood up for Holy Cross, managing to slot through another 3 goals. We finished the game with our first loss of the day 4-0 but still drawing praise from the opposition coaches who made it known that we were their toughest opponents of the day to that point. A big thank you to the team on the day, which included Sandra Arezina, Lauren Canner, Maya Regan, Agnes Brook-Sulman, Tash Blackmore, Gaby Grimstead, Lily Shield Polyzoides and Sydney Byrne-Adim. These girls represented their school with the utmost class both on and off the pitch, which added to a terrific day for all involved. Well done ladies!

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Year 7 Boys 7-a-side Football Competition

In wet and windy conditions at Twickenham Academy on Tuesday 29 th November, the Year 7 boys competed for the borough 7-a-side football championship. This was always going to be a hard fought evening in such appalling conditions but it was obvious early that our boys were up to the challenge. We played two preliminary matches, winning the first 1-0 before drawing the second 0-0. As luck would have it, our one win was enough to get us through to the Final against Teddington with almost every other match held for the evening ending in a draw. The final started in torrential rain, meaning it was going to take a lot of mental strength to out play our opponents. Christs drew first blood with an early goal and some solid play before Teddington drew level leading in to half time. We looked good in defence and were putting the pressure on them all over the park, turning the match back in our favour. Another goal to Christs with 5 minutes remaining looked like it could be enough to get us over the line when Teddington managed to sneak one through to bring the game back to 2-2 in the dying minutes. After the siren sounded and the match still tied we then went to penalties. Unfortunately after a solid save by the opposition goal keeper with our first shot on goal, the boys were unable to claw our way back into the match and went down 5-4 in the penalty shoot-out. Grand Final vs Teddington: 2-2 and 5-4 loss in penalties. Team: Amman Ferguson, Stefan Langley, Hamish Sharp, Joel Lim, Adam Hashmi, Imran Uche, Harry Whitaker, William Bowes-Smith, Jayden Jones-McGilvray

Year 8/9 Girls Basketball Competition

With a last minute withdrawal from Richmond Park Academy, it was a field of two teams left to fight it out for the Year 8/9 Girls Borough Basketball Title. Christs went into the competition as the defending champions for the age group from last year and were very keen to maintain their title against traditional rival Grey Court. Our girls were out of the blocks early, putting plenty of pressure on their opponents from both ends of the court and making it known why they were the previous years champions. At half time the match already seemed over with Christ's School winning 18-0. This continued throughout the second half as well with our girls showing they were certainly in a league of their own. The final score was Christs 40 defeating Grey Court 4. Well done to Freya Donnell, Karen Valle, Esme Gritten, India Banks-Paton and Aaliyah Blackman.

Year 9 Boys Basketball Competition

In what seems to be a strong year level in terms of our basketball ability, the Year 9 Boys headed in to the Borough Championships as reigning champions and looking to knock over some tough competition in our pool from Richmond Park Academy and Grey Court. Game one against RPA started with both teams battling to get the points on the board, but once we settled Christs then found some rhythm and the baskets started to flow with a number of fast breaks from Josh Pacho down the court. We started to look the dominant side once we began to box-out under the basket and take control of the rebounds, causing RPA to reassess their game plan. In the end our dominance was made clear with the final score Christs 18 defeating RPA 2.

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Year 9 Boys Basketball Competition

With Grey Court losing 12-10 to RPA in match two, our final match of the night against Grey Court saw us looking as the favourite to take the South Pool title. However despite the shock loss in the previous game, Grey Court showed that they were not to be taken lightly in the early part of the match. They had more of a physical presence with their bigger bodied players and were obviously looking to redeem themselves after a loss. To our credit Christs stayed strong and were able to grind out the initial opposition pressure before steadying in attack to become eventual winners 12-4. The team consisted of Josh Pacho, Ollie Tugman, Akash Murali, Owen Kennedy, Elliot Churms, Michael Graham, Simon Mulumba and James Frolich.

Year 9 Boys Football Borough Finalist

After some good form in the preliminary rounds our Year 9 boys were fortunate enough to make their way to the Borough Final against Twickenham Academy. The match was played under lights at Hampton and Richmond Football Club, which was a real highlight for the team. It was a tight contest all throughout the match, with the score finishing 0-0 at full time. The pressure mounted again during extra time but still both teams were unable to find the back of the net. It all came down to penalties in what was a superb game of football and a memorable borough final. Unfortunately we just couldnt hold on in the end and Twickenham Academy finished the game victorious 4-3 in penalties. Well done to the Year 9 Boys. We hope this set-back this year will spur you to lift the Year 10 trophy next year! The team: Freddie Gough, Owen Kennedy, Elliott Churms, Hicham Hadj Lakehal, James MacAuleyClegg, Jarred Padfield, Simon Mulumba, Tyler Murphy, Terrance Van Cooten, James Lovell, Demetrious Hub, James Frolich, Ryan Nelhams, and Nasrat Lalee.

GCSE trip to Cornwall

On Wednesday 23rd November, 23 Year 10/11 students travelled down to Cornwall as part of their GCSE assessment. Over three days the students took part in orienteering, kayaking and rock climbing where they were assessed by qualified instructors during the day and participated in team based activities at night that were designed to aid group cohesion and team work as well as developing leadership qualities.

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Borough Cross Country

A team of 50 distance runners was selected to represent Christ's School at the annual Borough Cross Country meet held at Richmond Park on Friday 2nd December. Despite the mercury rising no more than a balmy 5 degrees, each athlete worked hard in the soft conditions to ensure they put all the hard work they have done during class into effect. Although Christ's School did not have any champions crowned this year, a number of up-and-comers required to race against students in the year level above them (due to the age restrictions) will be certain to make a push for the title next year.

Olympic Ambassadors Conference at Twickenham

Five Olympic Ambassadors had the pleasure of attending their second conference of the term on November 16 th at Twickenham Stadium. Not only were the students given the opportunity to tour the stadium, but were lucky enough to meet and great some of the UKs best athletes in between some memorable and inspiring speeches.

Competitive Edge Primary Schools Basketball Tournament

On Wednesday 7th December, Richmond Knights Basketball Club conducted two separate basketball tournaments at Christs for the local Richmond Primary Schools. It was a pleasure to see the hard work paying off that James Merchant and his team at the Knights have put in to developing basketball within the primary communities, as the skills and tactical knowledge of the game were a major highlight and hopefully something Christ's School may benefit from in the coming years. However the enthusiasm and sportsmanship was the main highlight on the day from all participants involved. Well done to all the competitors from Vineyard, Barnes, Lowther, Holy Trinity, and St Mary Magdalenes Primary Schools. Many thanks also to all of the staff, parents and young leaders who were involved on the day.

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The Christs Chronicles

A Message from our Chaplain Ruth Scott

Dear Parents and Carers, This term has flown by! Most recently I have been working with staff and students preparing the Christmas Candlelit Carol Service for Parents and Carers. This took place on December 15th at 7pm. It ended with mulled wine and mince pies provided by the PTA. I hope you were able to come along for what has always been a special evening. Earlier this term it was a joy to welcome the Bishop, our Deputy Mayor, and representatives of parents, staff, students, and the groups involved in the design and building of the extension to the formal opening of the new build and the blessing of the Chapel. Its an even greater joy to see that the students are using the Chapel on a daily basis at break and lunchtime. On Monday mornings before school during Advent we have been having a staff Eucharist. The Chapel is also used by RE classes, and by staff who need a calming space for troubled students. Earlier this half term two volunteer workers, Tomas and Bram, came to visit us from the Taiz community in France. This is an ecumenical community started by Roman Catholic priest and monk, Brother Roger, which attracts thousands of young people from all over the world every week. They are drawn by the distinctive music and liturgy of the Brothers, and by the opportunity to discuss matters of faith with people of their own generation, not only from the Christian tradition, but from other faiths as well. Tomas and Bram took one lesson and spoke in a joint Yr 10/11 assembly. We asked if any Yr 10/11 students would like to go to one of the student weeks in Taiz next July (either July 1-7 or 8-15). A couple of students have expressed interest but not enough to make the trip viable this year. If your child is interested, but has forgotten to tell me, do let me know. The grand total to date raised from the Sponsored Walk and other charity activities in aid of the orphanage in South American where Emily Taber (one of our language teachers who is taking a year out) is working, is 5699.55. This is a tremendous total. Thank you for helping your child to raise all the money they did. Ms Perkins with her team of students, and with your help, put together over 50 shoe boxes of toys for the Samaritans Purse Christmas Box project. These boxes will go to children around the world who as a result of poverty or the loss of their family would not otherwise receive presents. Not only did students contribute toys they had brought, but one group made winter hats and Christmas decorations. I was delighted to learn just today that one of our Yr 11 students, Sarah Hunter, has been working with Cruise Bereavement to make two films in which she shares her experience of her father dying, and speaks in a way aimed to help other young people going through the same trauma. It is wonderful when any student contributes their gifts to support others but it is particularly special when a student uses their experience of tragedy to give hope to others. Starburkes Caf has been a great success and is used by both staff and students. We hope to be able to buy some board games for the new term, and are beginning to introduce different taster activities. The Ham Youth Club Music team are coming up this afternoon to do some music-making with any students in the caf. I hope you were able to support the Christmas Fair and the Carol Service on December 15th, and that when Christmas comes you have a blessed and joy-filled time. Ruth

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Borneo
A group of year 11 students are currently raising money to go on a volunteering expedition to Borneo in the summer of 2012 with Camps international. Camps international are an award winning expedition specialist that aims to provide life changing experiences all over the world. This expedition will involve the group taking part in conservation work in the disappearing tropical rainforests as well as constructing buildings for an isolated community and helping to teach English to local children. The group are currently raising funds for the expedition by babysitting, doing car boot sales, bag packing in super markets, taking part in sponsored events as well as selling drinks and snacks at school events, such as the fireworks evening and the school music concert.

Cartoon Strip by Sandra Arezina 8M

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The Christs Chronicles

Advertising

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Issue 78

If you would like to advertise your business or services in our newsletter please contact: Mrs J Ralph at jralph@christs.richmond.sch. uk

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The Christs Chronicles

Additional information:
To contact Staff by e-mail please use their first initial and then surname written as one word followed by generic ending: @christs.richmond.sch.uk

There is also a quick link via school website.

Christ's School Queen's Road Richmond Surrey TW10 6HW
Phone: 020 8940 6982 Fax: 020 8332 6085 E-mail: info@christs.richmond.sch.uk

Holidays:
Autumn Term Last Day of Term, Tuesday, 20th December 2011 Spring Term Wednesday, 4th January 2012 - 30th March 2012 Half Term 13th17th February 2012 Summer Term Monday, 16th April 2012 - Tuesday, 17th July 2012 Half Term 4th - 8th June 2012

Timetable for school day All students to arrive at school and be ready for registration at 08.30 Morning break 10.20-10.40 Lunch break 12.20-13.00 End of school 15.00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Winter uniform required: blazer, white shirt and school tie. To order uniform go to our website: http:// christs.richmond.sch.uk/ home

www.christs.richmond.sch.uk