RAINHAM MARK GRAMMAR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

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1 July 2021 Issue 097 RAINHAM MARK GRAMMAR SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Dear Parents/Carers It feels strange to be writing my final piece for an end of term newsletter as Headteacher. It has been a very unusual year for all of us, but our students have coped extremely well with all the bubbles, reduced access around the school, periods of remote learning, and general uncertainty about what was happening. I would like to thank you, as parents and carers, for all your support both for your children, and also for the school. Without that support from you, things would have been much more difficult. I would also like to pay tribute to the staff at Rainham Mark who, in their various roles, have worked so hard to keep the students safe, happy, and learning. I hope that when the students return in September things will be much more like normal, and that the school can return to being the vibrant community it usually is with a full programme of extra-curricular activities and lots more practical work in specialist rooms for example. As you may have heard, schools are being asked to provide lateral flow tests for students on their return to school in September and this will affect arrangements for the first few days. The details of any staggered start that affects your child will be provided in separate InTouch communications and on the school website by the middle of August when details are confirmed. Finally, I hope that you all have an enjoyable and healthy summer. Yours faithfully Mr Moore Headteacher THANK YOU, GOODBYE AND WELCOME! We are saying goodbye to a few colleagues at the end of the summer term, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank the following members of staff for their hard work and to wish them all the best for their various new positions: Miss Ryder is moving to Essex following her promotion to Subject Leader in Chinese, Miss Holmes will be relocating to a school nearer to her home town, Miss Webber-Brodkorb is taking up a post at Riverside Primary School as a primary school teacher, Mrs Wood (LSA) will be relocating to Liverpool and Mrs Fox (Cover Supervisor) will be taking up a post at Holcombe Grammar School for Boys as Pastoral Support Assistant. We then welcome the following new members of staff from September: Mrs L Barker (Headteacher), Miss L Jackson (Teacher of Maths), Miss J James (Teacher of MFL), Mr F Zandona (Teacher of MFL), Mr J Dansie (Teacher of Science), Mr B Birkitt (Teacher of Drama), Miss H Shute (Teacher of Science), Mr J Wheeler will now be a permanent member of staff and Mr N Moxham (Teacher of English). Mrs T Berry and Mrs G Clark joined the main school office this term. We continue to be heavily involved in teacher training and have appointed the following School Direct trainees from September: Miss E Campbell-Barr (Geography), Miss J Chopping (Drama), Miss E Davies (English) and Mr M Watson (History). A number of staff will also be getting married (hopefully) which most were planned for last year and will be changing their names: Miss Bertolin (no name change) Miss Clift to Mrs Hall Miss Kenaghan to Mrs Wilson and Miss White to Mrs Manderson We wish them all the very best and hope they have a very special day. Mr Moore

2 MATHS DEPARTMENT After the success of 60 students in the UK Maths Challenge, some students did so well they made it into the next round of the competition, the Kangaroo. This is a much harder competition, and I am pleased to say that 6 pupils achieved a Certificate, so well done to Chinedum, Amber, David, Samuel, Jaydon and Prisha. Even more congratulations to Alexander who scored even higher and achieved a Merit. Well done to all participants and hopefully we can look forward to even greater results next time. Mr Tomkins KENT SCHOOLS SUPER 6 ATHLETIC CHAMPIONSHIPS On Thursday 8 July 2021 we took 12 year 7 pupils from Rainham Mark to compete in the Kent Schools Athletic Championships at Medway Park. We were competing against all the best schools in Kent and did the school proud, well done. We finished 7 th and 9 th in the girls and boy s event. The list of the pupils who took part were as follows, L Barton, T Smith, E Wolfe, A Edmonds, E Connelly, J O Hanlon, J Rollings, H Wickers, E Peters, P Bonnie, X Williams, L Jacks. Mrs Clarke DIVERSITY GROUP What a month it has been! It has been heart-warming seeing the school community pull together and celebrate Pride Month, and overcome the barriers of the pandemic together. Unfortunately, due to Covid the school s new Diversity Group has been unable to meet in person and discuss topics/ projects, therefore so far this year everything has been coordinated virtually by students collaborating (with the support of teachers) on the Teams page. Although this has limited our activity we have still been able to run numerous Pride related activities (including a successful badge competition in February, Mrs Mayes Bake with Pride competition and the ongoing project of the Pride Creative Journal - created for the sole purpose of raising awareness and spreading the love through art and other creative forms - backed by Miss Sutton) and of course the grand finale of Rainbow Friday as an opportunity for students and teachers to come in and show their support. It was wonderful to see so many bright colours and badges being worn round the school, there was a great celebratory vibe which was exactly what we were going for! On Rainbow Friday Diversity Group representatives from each year visited forms to distribute Pride month merchandise which proved very popular, and to collect donations for a local charity. Just like us is a charity that provides support for young people struggling with issues related to sexuality and empowering young people to champion LGBT+ equality. We received many generous donations from teachers and students alike totalling a massive For Rainbow Friday the hall was decked out with pride flags and draped with bright bunting - with the cafeteria selling themed food as a finishing touch. Additionally, some of the older displays have been renovated by group members, with plenty of information promoting LGBT+ equality, with contacts that could be useful to students in a conspicuous area that is accessible to all. We are proud that the Diversity group was able to count on the support of students and teachers to participate and further our mission to make the school a better, safer and more supportive place for all. We hope that everyone has enjoyed pride month this year, it is great to see the school united through a common cause and with so much enthusiasm! All of these events are progress in our school s journey to being a more accepting and welcoming place for all. S Clarke (Year 10)

3 CAREERS NEWS, POST 18 CAREERS DAY- FRIDAY 25 JUNE 2021 Our Year 12 students were able to be involved in lots of careers related learning on this memorable occasion. They began the day finding out more about what to do when applying to university with a talk from Mr Twizell and practising their team work skills in a fun filled pasta and jelly baby activity with Mr McDowell. The final structures were expertly judged by teachers and our school Enterprise Advisor, Rob Brack, who has lots of business experience and was able to talk to some students in more detail. After break, students attended a talk on degree apprenticeships and talk on university life by Naomi from Kent University. Rebekah, our Apprenticeships Representative spoke of the opportunity to get stuck in learning a job when doing apprenticeship style study. This was mirrored by some of the afternoon speakers that whether talking about degree apprenticeships available through the Price Waterhouse Cooper Flying Start Programme, working as a Medic, or working in Animal Science. We were lucky to have 19 speakers delivering careers talks that included Journalism, Acting, Banking, Engineering and Sports. Students were able to pick which two talks they most wanted to go to in advance. Some students decided to find out more about applying to Oxford, Cambridge and medicine. Healthcare talks included Occupational Therapy and Nursing, Social and Residential Work and Radiography. Here, I was able to see students help to diagnose some interesting looking X-ray pictures. I also witnessed students thoroughly engrossed in a Civil Engineering task, and ask lots of questions to our speaker from Santander. Our Careers Link Governor was able to witness the afternoon talks, and was particularly interested in the gender differences within the groups that is detailed in the table on the following page. Miss Purcell s A Level students had been successful in a national business and accounting competition for year olds across the UK. There were some inspirational speakers talking about their varied job roles at top accountancy firms, asking real life case study type questions that students were being asked to give multiple choice answers to. The impact of a negative social media post and how it could affect you professionally was something that interested us. We collected positive feedback from speakers, students and staff, which included the following: I thought both sessions were great. Well presented. Both groups I spoke with were great and I also had a couple of students come up to me afterwards to ask questions. Speaker knew what he was talking about and was very enthusiastic about his profession. He had clearly spent a long time preparing his PowerPoint for them and had rehearsed it as well. He asked the students if they had any questions and spoke in a suitable language for them. It was very interesting and great to hear from both a medical student and a consultant. It was a hugely informative day and has massively helped me with narrowing down my post-18 choices and with what I must do from now; to be able to go on my chosen career paths. A huge thankyou to all involved in bringing this day together and to the students for being so organised, polite and friendly. Our prefects really helped to make guests at ease on arrival. We would welcome your feedback as we want to continue to improve the careers programme. And If the day has inspired students to want to find out more about particular career paths or work experience then do sjobbins@rmgs.org.uk to arrange a discussion. Or perhaps you would like to discuss your university choices and personal statements in September. From September I am continuing with Year 11 interviews, having so far met with many current Year 10s on Thursdays who have requested careers meetings during tutor time drop ins. All Year 11s are entitled to this opportunity for personalised careers advice a guidance and are aware they can also to arrange a meeting. Congratulations to the finalists in the ICAEW competition: M Nunn, W Godfrey, S Bucklee and M Bell Miss Jobbins, Careers and Employability Advisor

4 CAREERS NEWS CONTINUED CREATIVE IMEDIA COURSEWORK TRIPS 24 JUNE 2021 The Year 10 Creative imedia students conducted their photoshoot in the historic town of Rochester as one of their four assignments. The shoot started in The Cathedral which was an ideal place for the students to use their knowledge when composing their photos as they had to adjust the settings in order to obtain correctly exposed images. They used tripods in order to use slow shutter speeds in low light conditions. Jim, our tour guide for the session, gave us the background history concerning the Crypt and the Chapel. In order to obtain a different perspective on Rochester and the surrounding towns, a free visit was organised to the top of the castle. The students enjoyed using the manual mode of the DSLRs, adopting composition rules and processing their portfolio. The Year 10 students demonstrated excellent behaviour and dedication throughout the day. Mr Stewart and Mrs Mayes Congratulations to our KMT Associate Teacher's Miss Jackson and Mr Rushton who have gained QTS with us here at RMGS. We wish them all the best for their future teaching careers.

5 DRAMA DEPARTMENT SSF Year 7 AMND workshops As part of our continuing work with The Shakespeare Schools Foundation, all Year 7 students had the opportunity to participate in a workshop exploring the play A Midsummer Night s Dream. This was a unique chance for students to work practically and creatively with their peers. My experience of the workshop was wonderful. The session leaders were very friendly and used several well-thought-out and captivating exercises as well as approaches to make the workshop highly enjoyable. Ian and Louie kept the session engaging and had our entire attention the whole 50 minutes we were there. I thought the workshop was educational and deepened our understanding of the play ( A Midsummer Night s Dream ) as well as being entertaining. In conclusion, I found the workshop very enjoyable and amusing as well as helpful as it deepened our knowledge of the play and characters with a streak of 'glamour'. G Bance (Year 7) The A Midsummer Night s Dream workshop we had was engaging, exciting & amazing! Thank you to the actors from the Shakespeare Schools Foundation that put on the workshop and provided an enjoyable experience. In this workshop we created actions that corresponded to a character and what that character was like. We then acted out some parts of the story and at the end, created three freeze frames of what happened. I m sure that my peers who also took part enjoyed it as much as I did. I hope I will be able to take part in another SSF workshop again soon! - C Allanah (Year 7) SSF We are delighted to again be working with The Shakespeare Schools Foundation to participate in the Shakespeare Schools Festival. From September, 30 KS3 students will have the opportunity to work on a 30-minute abridged Shakespeare culminating in a performance in a professional venue! Roles will include: acting, technical, design, front of house, social media etc. Watch this space and keep an eye out for auditions in September. National Theatre Connections We have applied for a place on the prestigious NT Connections programme. We hope to be selected to work on a newly written play with the opportunity to perform in a professional venue. This opportunity will be available for KS4 and KS5 students. Watch this space. Arts Award - Bronze Throughout Remote Learning, all KS3 students completed work which could contribute towards gaining their Bronze Arts Award. Well done to those who submitted final portfolios. We are awaiting the results of the internal moderation. Arts Award - Gold Congratulations to E Murphy, B Williams and L Foster for gaining their Gold Arts Award! These students worked tirelessly for a year to complete all areas of the Qualification and have gained themselves UCAS points! This was no mean feat in such a difficult year where plans had to be readjusted on numerous occasions due to the ever changing situation of the pandemic. A special mention should be given to L Foster who has completed her award a year early!

6 YEAR GROUP STAFF CONTACTS FROM SEPTEMBER 2021 Year 7 Mrs Mayes Year 8 Mr Clarke Year 9 Mr Adkins Year 10 Mr Brown Year 11 Mr Harwood Year 12 Miss Lacey Year 13 Mr Twizell Year 12/13 Mr McDowell (Assistant Headteacher/Head of Sixth Form) KEY DATES FOR Term 1 Start of term: INSET Wednesday 1 September Staggered start. Please see the school website for details of individual year groups start of lesson day. Term 2 Term 3 Term 4 Term 5 Term 6 INSET - Teacher Training Days (No pupils in school these days) Parents Evenings All parent consultation sessions will be conducted via video calls through Edulink. The video system controls the appointments and will cut off after an allocated time so please do make use of the Notes section when you book if there is anything specific you wish to discuss. Parents/carers can make appointments from 2 weeks before the event up to 8pm the night before. Autumn Break: Christmas Break: February Break: Spring Break: May Day Holiday: May Break: If you cannot see the Parents Evening circle on your home screen, click More Year 13 and it will appear. Contact moodle@rmgs.org.uk for Edulink queries Examinations Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 Year 11 PEQ Year 12 PEQ Year 13 PEQ INSET - Friday 8 October No pupils in school INSET - Friday 22 October No pupils in school Thursday 21 October 2021 Monday 25 October Friday 29 October 2021 inclusive Wednesday 3 November (Monday 1 November and Tuesday 2 November INSET, no pupils in school) Friday 17 December 2021 Monday 20 December 2021 to 3 January 2022 inclusive Tuesday 4 January 2022 Friday 11 February 2022 Monday 14 February - Friday 18 February 2022 inclusive Monday 21 February 2022 Friday 1 April 2022 Monday 4 April 2022 Monday 18 April 2022 inclusive (Good Friday 15 April 2022, Easter Monday 18 April 2022) Tuesday 19 April 2022 Monday 2 May 2022 Friday 27 May 2022 Monday 30 May Friday 3 June 2022 inclusive (2 and 3 June - Bank Holiday) Monday 6 June 2022 (Please note it will be a week 0) Friday 22 July 2022 Wednesday 1 September 2021, Friday 8 October 2021, Friday 22 October 2021, Monday 1 November and Tuesday 2 November. Year 7 (with FT only) Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 + Options info Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 1 and 2 December and 21 April 2022, 26 and 27 April and 15 March 2022, 22 and 23 March and 6 January and 17 May and 27 January and 7 July and 8 February June November, Study leave starts 10 May June January 2022, Study leave begins 12 May 2022 Photographs for Years 12, 13 & Prefect group Individual Photographs for Years 7, 9 & 11 Open Evening Open Morning 6 th Form Open Evening Christmas Dinner Charity Week Presentation Evening - GCSE Presentation Evening - A Level Oxbridge Evening Easter Revision Days Lower School Prize Day Sports Day Thursday 9 September 2021 Friday 10 September 2021 Thursday 7 October pm to 7.00 pm Saturday 9 October am to noon Thursday 11 November pm to 8.15 pm Friday 10 December 2021 Monday 13 December to Friday 17 December 2021 Monday 13 December pm Monday 13 December pm Prov Wednesday 16 March 2022 (7.00 pm to 8.30 pm) Monday 4 April to Wednesday 6 April 2022 Tuesday 21 June pm Friday 1 July 2022