News

This week the Middle and Upper School Library, led by Jenny Monaghan, Lili Callon and Tina Courtney-Thompson, celebrated Charles Dickens’s 2ooth birthday in style, period style.

Year 7 and Year 8 were introduced to some of the characters and themes in Oliver Twist when the Complete Works Theatre Company came in to work with them. Through Drama workshops they thought about the differences between Dickensian times and the present day. They had a lot of fun acting out these themes.

Our Year 10 and 11 Book Group also celebrated Dickens’s birthday with a Victorian high tea. There were shawls, bonnets and cravats in evidence while we feastedon finger sandwiches and sweet treats followed by charades-Victorian novels and food were skilfully mimed by all, teachers and students.

Special thanks are due to Mia Garfield for the homemade scones and the Battenberg cake and to Dermot for a charades masterclass.

Thanks to all the students and staff who were involved and made the day a success. We had a great time and look forward to similar events in the future.

Please ask your children to stay on the paths today and not to go onto the field at anytime. The field is very icy underneath the thin layer of snow.
I hope you all have a good half-term. Dawn

Parent forums provide parents with the opportunity to have informal discussions with the senior management team on a variety of topics.  The dates of forthcoming meetings are as follows:

Year 10—23 February, 7 – 8.30 pm

Year 9—1 March, 7 – 8.30 pm

Year 4—5March, 2 – 3.30 pm

Year 2—14 March, 2 – 3.30 pm

FROM THE PE DEPARTMENT

The Year 8A netball team beat Channing School 12-9 at home. The Year 8B team also beat Channing School 10-5. Both teams had a mixture of Year 7 and 8 students. This is the first time we have ever beaten Channing School at netball!

Netball results this week:

U13A won 12-9 against Channing School

U13B won 10-5 against Channing School

U12 won 15-2 against St Marthas School

U12A lost 9-8 against Channing School

U12B lost 6-3 against Channing School

This week has been a very busy week for Netball, which has produced some excellent results. Well done girls.

Boys Hockey

U12 won 7-3 against UCS

A fantastic first game for the boys and a very well fought win.

Danny Arbiter in Year 13 has been offered a place to study jazz guitar and music at the Guildhall in October; one place per instrument per year is offered nationally.

The first ever exhibition of art produced by King Alfred School staff will be open for a private viewing on Friday 3rd February at 4.30. Everyone is welcome.

There was a speaker in the Year 11 Callover today who explained the opportunities available for Year 11 students after their GCSE examinations. ‘The Challenge’ is a charity that provides personal and physical challenges such as climbing, canoeing, abseiling and hiking in the Lake District with instructors; social challenges, such as living in a flat with other young people on a university campus and cooking on a budget whilst developing a team project in, for example, drama, business enterprise, media, photography or sport. The final challenge is presenting ideas to a panel of judges.

Full details will be available next Monday at the Y11 Parents meeting or you can have a preview at contact@the-challenge.org  or o330 111 0101 (free from mobiles) or 0207 921 4404.

More details are available from Fiona Parsons, Head of Years 10 & 11.

This was an evening that not only raised money for a good cause but also highlighted the independence of students at King Alfred School. Two students, Tom Pollack and Finn Vijayakar, both in Year 8, organised and hosted a concert in aid of Free the Children.

A representative from Free the Children, along with Hannah Owen, gave the audience a feel for the great work that the charity does around the world. Last summer, Hannah and Ethan Prior visited Kenya on a youth scheme run by Free the Children and have now become more involved with the work that the charity carries out.

Around 80 people were seated in the main hall, all pleasantly entertained by the finest musical talent King Alfred School has to offer. It was fantastic to see performances from students in all age groups across middle and upper school. Even more impressive was that students from the sixth form were collaborating with students lower in the school.

The event raised around £1200 through ticket and refreshment sales. On the night there were also several large donations up to £100 pounds.

Well done to Tom and Finn for organising the event, Connor for sound control and all that performed.  A lovely evening!

Please note that the Spring Term begins on Tuesday 10th January 2012.

A generous sum raised by KAS for National Aids Trust

Eva’s Year 7 form raised £53.38 on World Aids day which was on 25th November 2011.  The money was raised by selling pin ribbons to Students, Parents and Staff.