THIS WEEK AT FRENSHAM
Friday 10th February, 2023
A MESSAGE FROM RICK
Dear Parents
Many of you will be aware that Lynn Goodburne is organising a wonderful community project in the summer term. Founded by Debbie Boulter of Cherry Trees in Clandon, and in collaboration with the tailors Dapper & Suave (https://www.dapperandsuave.uk/), Lynn is organising a Self-Expression Safari on Saturday 10th June. The whole project is designed to raise awareness of the need for adaptive clothing that is funky and functional and as inclusive as possible. There is a wider team of collaborators, including students and parents, and I want to thank them for the time they have already given to the project. Lynn will be in touch with details of other awareness raising events, but this is a wonderful example of something our students can be involved in that truly makes a difference.
One of the major highlights of my job is when I get the chance to see how talented your children are. I spent an amazing half an hour on Thursday lunchtime listening to the senior school informal rock and pop concert in the music recital room. It was a mixture of seasoned performers, some of whom have been in a number of concerts, and some first-timers. They played and sang to a packed audience – we even ran out of seating, with our Year 3s sitting on the floor at the front! I was blown away at the talent on display, from sensitive and impassioned singing to virtuoso guitar playing. The concert was a perfect example of our values in action: courage to try and respect of individuality of those performing and spirit of togetherness for all those who attended.
A reminder that school returns on Tuesday 21 February, with boarders able to return on the evening of Monday 20 February. I hope you all have a wonderful half-term break.
Best wishes
Rick
SCHOOL NOTICES
HISTORY GCSE TRIP: Battlefields of France and Belgium, October 2023
Current Year 10 History students and Year 9s who want to study GCSE History have the great opportunity to visit some of the main battlefield sites of the First and Second World Wars. Please click for further details. The closing date for replies is today (10th February), but we can extend this to the end of this weekend.
GENDER IS SPORT
The second Gender in Sport Focus Group meeting was held on the 25th January. Phil introduced his PE and Sport philosophy and we discussed key topics including PE kit, girls football, gender stereotypes, mixed games and the sports on offer at Frensham. Please click here to read the notes and actions agreed.
FARNHAM FOODBANK
The foodbanks are still seeing a strong flow of people needing help with their day to day living. We will be taking the donations for January down to the foodbank during half term. However, we would like to continue supporting this worthy cause so below is a list of the items required for February. A huge thank you in advance for all your donations to Liv’s office or the 4-6 atrium.
Tinned potatoes / instant mash
Cooking sauces
Tinned tomatoes
Tinned fruit
Sponge puddings
SCL HALF-TERM CAMP
SCL will be running at Frensham Heights over half-term please click here for more information.
POSITIVE FEEDBACK
Got something amazing to shout about? Click the logo to use our Parent Voice Frensham Heights positive feedback link.
SCHOOL EVENTS
MFL GCSE MASTERCLASSES
Saturday 11th March | Aldridge Theatre
10am - 1pm: Spanish Masterclass
1pm - 2pm: Lunch
2pm - 5pm: French Masterclass
These sessions will provide students with motivational, informative and valuable revision techniques for GCSE French and/or Spanish. The sessions are specifically designed by a current senior examiner, who will give expert advice, guidance and examples - focusing on key points to maximise students’ exam achievements. The masterclasses are targeted at AQA and Edexcel GCSE students.
FRENSHAM COMMUNITY
ART EXHIBITION
In celebration of the wonderful talents past and present at Frensham Heights, our Creative Arts Department would like to invite everyone in our Frensham Community to be part of a printed Art Exhibition. Covering Art, Photography, Ceramics, Graphics and DT. There will be a launch event and the exhibition will be up in the Aldridge Theatre until Founders' Day.
Please click here to submit your artwork by 31st March, or email OF@frensham.org for more info.
FRIENDS OF FRENSHAM
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![230210 Sold Out[14].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/244947_6aa948d4364e4474ad6e87133232a908~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_914,h_514,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/244947_6aa948d4364e4474ad6e87133232a908~mv2.png)
THIS WEEK AT FRENSHAM
POETRY LIVE
Year 11 trip to Poetry Live! at the Dominion Theatre, London
Last week, Year 11 students were treated to performances by the top contemporary poets including Simon Armitage, our current Poet Laureate and Carol Ann Duffy, his transformational predecessor who held the post from 2009-2019. With their superb ear for language, they shared how they had crafted their work and found inspiration from their every day observations.
John Agard captured our hearts and minds when he gave one of the most exciting performances in contemporary poetry, not only in the way he delivered his poems, but also in how he talked about them, combining historical awareness, cultural insight and extraordinary humour. The poets responded to student questions and discussed how poems connect to and influence other poems so that this exam component really did come alive.
Students were also led through example answers for the unseen component by a chief examiner who broke down this tricky task. He showed them how to think about them and how to write for the best possible results. He also looked at comparing poems, whether they are studied poems or unseen, and how to write most effectively in either situation.
Experiencing poems as a form to be listened to and felt was the main message of the day. The emphasis was that this isn’t a medium that ‘has to be studied just to pass an exam’ by ‘trying to use a formula’ as this would only get you so far. Experiencing the passions of all the poets struck at the heart of the subject. As Agard said to a cheering audience: ‘ words are the most we have- use them well!’
GERMAN PLAY
German students in Years 8 - 11 watched (and some took part) in an entertaining play called Im Alten Saloon. The lighthearted play was performed entirely in German.
YEAR 6 HOSTED LUNCH FOR BRIGHTWELLS GOSTREY SENIOR CENTRE
On Friday 3rd of February year 6 (Frensham Heights School) Hosted a Lunch for Brightwells Gostrey Senior Centre. Prior to the event year 6 created and sent out invites, gathered menu choices and rehearsed performances. On the day we set up the dining space, served lunches, enjoyed getting to know our guests, performed musical pieces and cleaned up afterwards. As a class we rehearsed our performances some played a musical instrument some sung a song and we sung two class songs together. We thought it was a very enjoyable event, here are some things people said :I thought it was very interesting to interact with people of a different age.’ It was very pleasant and delightful’.
GREENPOWER: SAFETY FIRST!!
In this week's session, we talked about communications and how the system works. It was really interesting to find out more about it and we learnt that there were microphones in the helmets – who knew!
We also talked about what we would need to wear on race days and we then all tried the helmets and suits to get a feel for them and to choose the sizes we needed. We spoke about the other things we would have to wear which include a racing balaclava and gloves.
It was fun to see everyone choosing their kit, trying on the different sizes and to think about the first time we get to wear them on a race day – we're really looking forward to it!
Not long now, 79 days to go and we can’t wait to get to work on building the car!
Written by Juno Yr 7
PEACEFUL PROTEST
The weekend before last Grace in Year 6 attended a local protest in Farnham, Godalming and Guildford (part of a number of similar national actions occurring that day.) A peaceful, non-disruptive protest, to inform local residence of the damage being done to our beautiful waterways and ask for the government to step up and take action to protect them.
During the protest in the three locations, Grace took to the stage to give a very emotive 3-minute speech in front of a crowd of people, sharing with them how worried she was about her future and her frustrations at the lack of action being taken by big corporations and our government to protect not only our waterways but our planet.
Grace takes part in a number of peaceful protests to continue to demand a better world and a bright future for her generation! She will be taking part in a peaceful march through London on the weekend of 21st April, with over 100,000 other concerned citizens to demand the government take action to protect our planet.
INFORMAL CONCERT
We had another fantastic informal concert this week with a line up of very talented singers and a couple of amazing school bands.
Main House boarders's band ended the concert and entertained the crowd with their improvised blues.
YEAR 7 & 8 OUTREACH
Year 7 and 8 students visited the members of Brightwells Gostrey Senior Centre work with them to create a seasonal Valentine's Day display.
BACK TO BROADWAY
Back to Broadway (going live at the end of April) will be the culmination of a student-led ECA run by Amaryllis, Beth and Isabelle (Yr 13) and starring students from Years 7 & 8. They have been practising every week. Here's a glimpse of this week's rehearsal.
YEAR 4 AUTHOR VISIT
We were really lucky in Years 4 and 5 this week when local author Val Harris came and ran workshops with the children. She brought along her newly published book ‘A Classroom of Stars’ and shared her inspirations for her poetry and we were lucky enough to have a poetry reading from her. The children then wrote their own poems all about themselves with Val’s help. The work they produced was beautiful! A big thank-you to Val for coming and speaking to the children.
YEAR 6 ASSEMBLY
On Monday 6th February Year 6 shared an assembly, our topic for this term is Conflict, Crisis and Courage. The children chose to base their assembly on the story The Journey by Francesca Sanna, they followed our English way of working and retold each plot point through dance or drama. The children worked incredibly hard on this producing their pieces without adult support. They ended by singing the song Wavin’ Flag which was written by K’Naan who fled Somalia due to conflict when he was only 13.
YEAR 6 MATHS
This week we took our maths outside to practice our algebra skills, we used natural objects to replace letters as the unknown and worked in pairs to solve the equations. It was fun to see staff having a go at break time too! We then continued the learning in the classroom solving some tricky algebraic equations.
SPORTS REPORT
U14s Hockey vs Ditcham (Mixed)
This weeks match was against who were a very strong side and played some lovely hockey. From the offset we could tell this game was going to be tough, but the team were eager to get a win. Straight away the team had to start playing defensively as Ditcham were very strong and gained possession quickly. In the first half Ditcham managed to breakdown our defence and score a few goals. After the first half we had a quick team chat and then it was on to the second half. The play in the second half had improved and there were some lovely passes towards the goal. Frensham showed determination to not let Ditcham score another goal. The defence worked hard and were constantly closing them down but unfortunately, they still managed to get around us. Overall, it was a tough game but the team should be proud of how they kept going throughout the game. Well done to everyone that played.
U10 Hockey vs Bedales (Mixed)
This weeks game was against Bedales. With the team very excited to get playing the first half was underway. With Bedales having the first push back Frensham applied pressure straight away. In the first half we had to play more defensively as Bedales were pushing for a goal. The team worked extremely hard throughout the whole game and didn’t give up which was great. It was a tough game this week but it was great to see the team working together and showing great team morale. In the second half Frensham managed to score their first goal which was followed by a second. Frensham showed some great passing up and down the pitch but we struggled to get around their defence. It was a tough game this week but the team should be proud with how hard they worked throughout the whole game. Well done to everyone that played.
U9 Hockey vs Boundary Oak (Mixed)
On Thursday afternoon the U9’s played their second game of the season. This week we played a triangular which meant everyone got to play longer which was great practise for them. The first team played really well with some lovely passing up and down the pitch which led to some lovely goals. The team worked really well together and managed to have possession most of the game. It was great to see the team enjoying themselves and everyone getting stuck in. Frensham showed some great defensive skills and were always working hard to get possession back. It is great to see the improvement in the team and their knowledge of the game improving. Final score of the first match was 3-0 to Frensham. After a quick half time the next team were on playing against Boundary Oak. After our first win the next team were eager to get a win too. Frensham did some great tackling throughout the game which soon led to their first goal. Frensham played some great defensive moves and made it difficult for Boundary Oak to get past our defence and score a goal. Everyone should be really happy with their performance with the final score being 1-0 to Frensham. After we played against Boundary Oak we played the two Frensham teams against each other for another game and for them to practise their skills. Looking forward to our next game.
U11/10 Girls Football v Ditcham
Following an amazing response to our junior girl's football ECA, we hosted our first girls football match of the season against Ditcham Park on Monday afternoon. Everyone was so excited to take what they have been learning in the ECA into the match and it was brilliant to see such a positive and hardworking attitude in their play. They came up against a strong opposition, but they didn't let this deter them and battled hard throughout the match. As the game developed Frensham were showing a good understanding of spacing and trying to pass the ball forwards to create chances. The game was end to end but Ditcham were able to make their chances count and came out on top to win the game. We can't wait to see the progress this group of girls are going to make in their football and look forward to continuing this good work in the next fixture. Well done to all 13 of you involved, it was a thoroughly enjoyable match.
U14s Hockey v Ditcham (Hockey)
The U14 hockey team on Rory's pitch played in a well spirited affair against Ditcham on Tuesday afternoon. The game was played at a high intensity and took many twists and turns with both teams having spells of possession and dangerous chances. The opposition took the lead first and then went ahead again with two well taken finishes. Frensham fought back just before half-time with Jemima slotting the ball to make it 2-1. Ditcham regained control in the second half and made the score 3-1 before a great fight back from Frensham with Adria and Sophie working hard in midfield and Ben managed to deflect in a cross from Jemima on the wing for 3-2. Ditcham again extended their lead before Frensham scored two late on following some great defending from Benjy and Jamie and counter attacking play from the midfield and forwards. The game ended in a 4-4 draw. Well done to all involved.
U12s Hockey V Bedales (Mixed)
The U12s had a tough match against a strong and dynamic Bedales team in beautiful winter sunshine. Frensham fought hard and defended well but towards the end of the first half Bedales started to find a few gaps and their attacking dominance caused us a few problems. Dulcie was kept busy in goal and worked really hard saving many attempts and full stretch. Player of the game went to Erin who worked tirelessly in defence and was very effective in the midfield in the second half.
U13s Hocky V Bedales (Mixed)
The U13 hockey team fought hard against an organised Dunhurst team on Wednesday. Frensham’s loose style of play caused problems for the opposition defence many good chances were created in the first half – Johnny A converting one of them to go into half term 1-0 up. The second half started brightly for Frensham with attacks from Ava and Aflie continuing to threaten the opposition goal. Nell and Mathilda played well in midfield and Georgie defended strongly. Sulli battled well on the left hand side and Archie made some excellent runs at left wing. Some excellent saves by Richie in goal kept a flurry of opposition attacks at bay. Kathryn D was outstanding throughout, running end to end and creating some great passages of play. Dunhurst came back strongly towards the end of the match and scored 3 goals against the run of play and ultimately came away as winners. However, there was an excellent team spirit throughout and well played to all.
U15 Rugby
The U15 rugby team played four fixtures of 7s rugby at St Edmunds on Wednesday. Four tough matches awaited them, with the main focus needing to be on strong ball carrying and making tackles on the small pitches. Fixtures against Boundary Oak and St Edmunds both resulted in 10-0 losses, but the signs were promising. Strong tackles from every player, and hard ball carrying were keeping us in the games, but the off loose offload here and there were all that were letting us down.
The next fixture against Belmont was a brilliant game of rugby, with tackles flying in, line breaks, and plenty of strong carrying. From 5-0 up, the boys quickly found themselves 15-5 down, but a brilliant second half saw tries from Harry, Sebastian and Ludo add to Freddies opener to give the boys a 20-15 win.
The final fixture against a strong Ditcham side was marred by the onset of fatigue leading to errors, with the scoreline not quite reflecting the pace and flow of the match.
In all there was some great positives, and a great last minute win over Belmont showed all the progress the team have made.
U16s Hockey Vs Duke of Kent
FIRST WEEK BACK
Monday 20 February
Staff Conference Day
Tuesday 21 February
Classes Resume
13.55 - Year 8 to Year 13 School Notices (Theatre)
14.00 - Year 7 Visit from a Rabbi (Study of Judaism)
14.30 - U15 & U14 Mixed Hockey v DOK (Away)
15.50 - U15 & U14 Boys Basketball v Ditcham (Home)
16.00 - U15/14 Girls Rugby v Heath End (Home)
16.00 - Year 6 Maths Masterclass at Halstead Prep
17.30 - 20.30 - Year 10 Academic Parents Evening (on Teams)
Wednesday 22 February
13.30 - Year 12 & Year 13 PRE Trip ‘Sister Act’
14.30 - U11 & U10 Mixed Touch Rugby v Ditcham (Away)
14.30 - U11 & U10 Mixed Hockey v DOK (Home)
14.30 - U13 & U12 Mixed Hockey v DOK (Home)
14.30 - U13 & U12 Boys Rugby v Boundary Oak (Home)
14.30 - U13 & U12 Boys Basketball v St Eds (Away)
18.30 - Parent Voice meeting with ELT (Billiard Room)
Thursday 23 February
14.30 - U18 Basketball v King Edward's (Away) (Surrey Sports Park)
15.30 - U9 Mixed Hockey v St Eds (Home)
16.30 - U16 Mixed Hockey v Alton (Home)
18.30 - Sixth Form Social Event (Roberts House)
Friday 24 February
8.40 - JS Assembly (Ballroom)
9.30 - Year 7 to Year 13 Morning Talk: Tutor
15.15 - U9 Mixed Touch Rugby v Sherfield (Home)