Celebrating Denefield Friday 18 June 2021
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Celebrating Denefield Friday 18 June 2021
Celebrating Denefield
I hope you and your households are all good and well. Had I been writing
this on Wednesday, when temperatures hit 30 degrees, I would have been
talking about hydration, sunscreen and safely enjoying ourselves outdoors.
Today the temperature is barely 15 degrees, and the biggest danger is
flooding. We really have seen two weather extremes in one week! I am sure
the Geography department would be in an excellent position to explain
these phenomena. Our featured department this week, however is History,
and within this newsletter you will find details of what we teach as well as
examples of excellent student work.
I am extremely proud of how students have done across the school this
week. Owing to positive Covid cases we moved Year 10 online on Monday
and Year 7 online on Wednesday. This has required resilience and dexterity both from students and
from teachers, and I am delighted with how focused and motivated students are. Years 8, 9 and 12
have remained in school, and despite the variable weather, have tackled their school work with gusto.
I wish you all a lovely weekend. If you are a football supporter, then I suspect your levels of enjoyment
will probably depend on which side of Hadrian’s Wall you hail from!
Mr E Towill MA (Oxon), Headteacher
Included in this edition...
Diary dates – academic year 2020 – 2021
Friday 25 June INSET Day
Monday 29 June Virtual Da Vinci Awards/Exhibition
Tuesday 20 July End of term
Celebrating our students …
West Berks round the world challenge
In recognition of Denefield taking part in the West
Berkshire around the world challenge we received a
£20 Amazon voucher to give to the student we felt
deserved it the most. As a department we selected
Lilly in Year 9. Over the four weeks Lilly managed a
fantastic 55k. Well done!!
Berkshire Schools athletics
Congratulations to Kaya in
Year 10 who won the Berkshire
Schools Inter girls 100m at the
weekend with a time of 12.5
seconds! Well done Kaya!
Berkshire Schools athletics
Hollie has been playing golf since she was five
years old. She has now been rewarded with
her handicap certificate! She has worked very
hard over the years and this is a huge
achievement for someone of her age.
Congratulations and very well done to Hollie!
Celebrating our
Celebrating our curriculum…
curriculum…
This edition’s subject area is…
It has been a really busy year for the History department. We would like to congratulate the students
for adapting so well to all the changes that have taken place this year, they have been extremely
resilient and patient. Since lockdown all Year 11 and 13 students worked hard revising for exams,
inside and outside of school.
Unfortunately the Year 10 visit that was arranged to Winchester has been postponed to September.
Once we have confirmed a new date, all students will be invited to sign up. It is a great opportunity to
study Norman architecture and the impact of Norman power in the country.
At the moment, all classes are preparing or have just sat end of year tests. Students have been
supported in lesson time and are producing good revision material at home. I am sure all of their
efforts will pay off!
History Heroes
The following KS3, 4 and 5 students have been recognised by their teachers for going above and
beyond in and out of the classroom. Well done to you all!
Year
7 Year
Year
88 Year
9
Ollie H
Mae T Hannah Year
Oli S McB Charlie
Daisy R
9
Tyler
Charlie Alice
Year
10 Year
12
Frankie
Jack
Sam H
Shasha
Lewis H
Tayla C
Celebrating our curriculum…
Examples of fantastic History work
The following Year 10 work has been highlighted by Mr Peacock as fantastic historians!
Celebrating our curriculum…
Year 7 History Club – Miss Plumpton
In History Club this week we have looked at our first murder mystery – who murdered the princes in the
tower? We looked at the story of Princes Edward and Richard, who in the summer of 1483 were seen
playing in the gardens of the Tower of London. Then they disappeared and were never seen again.
As a historian does, we looked at several pieces of evidence including primary sources. We analysed
the provenance of the sources before deciding what inferences we could take from each source to find
out what happened to the Princes. The outcome – we decided the Princes were murdered, but we
could not agree on who did the deed...
Next week we will be looking at the suffragette Emily Wilding Davis, and whether she intended to be a
martyr for the cause, or whether she was involved in a tragic accident.
Celebrating our curriculum…
Meet the history team
The history teachers have shared their favourite film on a historical topic. Whilst films can be very
interesting, it is important to note that they are not always historically accurate and have been created
to share a topic area in an engaging way
Miss Mennear
Just Mercy (2019)
This films shares the story of Bryan Stevenson
who, in 1988, as a young lawyer started his
career to prove the innocence of black males
on death row. It focuses on his six-year battle
to prove the innocence of Walter McMillian and
highlights in racial prejudice and injustice that
existed in the Southern states of America in the
1980s and 1990s.
It is a very emotive film and really highlights
that despite legal success to support racial
equality by the 1960s, it demonstrates how
much progress is still needed. This links to
topics taught in Years 8, 11 and 12.
Mr Peacock
The Pianist (2002)
This film is an emotive account of the lives of
Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghetto during
the Holocaust. Adrien Brody plays Wladyslaw
Szpilman, a talented pianist, whose life under
Nazi occupation is documented. His journey
from freedom, through enclosure in the city,
to transportation to a concentration camp is
as heart-breaking as it is historically accurate.
It provides a brilliant way into the Holocaust –
a topic all students will study in Year 9.
Mr Wheeler
Paths of Glory (1957)
This is a brilliant WWI film directed by Stanley
Kubrick.
It tells the story of a failed French attack on a
German trench and its consequences. In
failing to take German trench, the battalions
are accused of cowardice by the French high
command. Therefore, three French soldiers,
drawn by lots, are accused of cowardice and
face a court martial. The soldiers are
defended by Colonel Dax, brilliantly played by
Kirk Douglas.
In essence, it is an anti-war film. It was
controversial at the time and was not
released in France. This links to the topics
taught in Year 8.
Celebrating our curriculum…
Meet the history team
Miss Plumpton
Invictus (2009)
Following the aftermath of the Apartheid
regime in South Africa, President Nelson
Mandela decides he will try to unite his people
through supporting the Springboks in their bid
to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
This film gives an amazing insight to the
effects of Apartheid, and the incredible
leadership skills of Nelson Mandela. Great for
any rugby and history fans! This links to topics
taught in Years 8 and 12
Miss Forde
Hidden Figures (2016)
The story of three African-American
mathematicians; Katherine G Johnson,
Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. During
the Cold War, the trio worked at Nasa’s
Langley Research Centre in Hampton as the
US raced against the USSR to put a man into
space. The intellectuals played a vital role in
the launch of the now late astronaut John
Glenn into orbit as well as in orchestrating his
safe return. The film is set in 1960s America,
where segregation, racism and sexism were
rife.
The film aims to showcase what can be done
in the face of adversity.
Coming up this term …
Find out what topics students will be covering until the end of the year
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 12
Industrial Interwar years Whitechapel; a Conflict on the South Africa:
Revolution 1918-1939 and case study of Plains and the end A End of the
World War II crime in the local of the Plains Apartheid in 1994
area Indians and SA becoming
a Democracy
USA: Interpretation
s of President
Reagan
Other news…
FUN FACTS from our Department
Word of the Week:
Luscofusco - The term Luscofusco Is a word of Galician-
WORD OF Portuguese origin that means sunrise, dawn, twilight or
THE WEEK sunset
Quote:
The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people"
Unknown
Fact:
Did you know... in Galicia, in the Northwest of Spain, -where Miss Alonso
comes from-, there are 100 words to describe the rain as in same areas it
can rain for weeks non stop. In fact, my town is known for being one of the
wettest places in the county.
And you thought Spain was always sunny, didn't you?
Parental Survey
As mentioned in last weeks newsletter, just a reminder if you haven’t already completed the parental
survey and wish to, the deadline is Sunday 20 June at 11.59pm.
In the past, we have run stakeholder surveys once a year – in November. We have done this for
parents/carers, staff and students. We had planned to ask the same questions once a year, so we can
gauge which areas we have improved in, and which areas we need to focus on more.
As there have been so many changes this year, we would like to re-run all the surveys this term.
Please take the time to complete the parent/carer survey, which can be completed in five minutes, or
longer if you wish to provide supporting comments, and can be accessed by clicking here
Calling all Year 9 footballers (from September)
AFC Whitchurch are recruiting under 14 footballers (School Year 9 born 2007/08)
for next season, starting in September 2021
We play on Saturday mornings in the Reading area and have a
(non-mandatory) training session one evening a week.
Whatever your experience, if you are interested in joining us,
even on an occasional basis, please contact:
Alex Hilton Hilts123@hotmail.com
07802 881458
Other news… Information for West Berkshire Council…
Other news… Covid-19 safety on a page
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