P R E N D E R G A S T V A L E C O L L E G E

Voice of Vale 1

Voice of Vale

Student SnapshotWhen I was in primary I believed Secondary School was going to be horrible and boring. Prendergast Vale is far from that. Firstly look at the building and then, look at it again. Is your mouth wide open like mine was on my first day? The facilities are amazing, fully equipped and with stunning design. The teachers are really understanding and help you with any problems you have - academically and emotionally. I’m so glad I came to this school and even happier with the people I’ve met.Sasha Holdway 7 Cibber

‘look at the building and then, look at it again’I am Indiya and I am in Year 8 and I am a student here at Prendergast

Vale College. When I was in primary school I thought that I wasn't going to fit in without my friends but I think I do as I’ve made loads of new ones. Here at Prendergast Vale we have a brilliant thing that we call Enrichment. All the students in the secondary phase get to choose their option of what they would like to do on a Wednesday afternoon. There are choices such as kickboxing, philosophy, running club and new technologies. We have things like prep which is where we get to finish our homework and have one to one tutorials with our house tutors who check our progress.Indiya Wright 8 Lemoine

Prendergast Vale College Experience - Japanese Club!Overall my experience of Prendergast Vale College is great, the food, the classes and the playground. One of my favourite

‘in perpetuum discimus’ - we are forever learning

Fire Station VisitYear 2 visited Lewisham Fire Station on 19th October

and had a fantastic time. The students particularly enjoyed squirting the hoses at all the cars.

School CouncilAfter a lively hustings we have successfully elected our school council reps. In the Primary we have two reps for each Year group. In the secondary we elected a male and female rep for each House group. Representatives meet once a fortnight.

Debate Mate 2012 launch 12/11/12Forty PVC students visited Euston for the launch of Debate Mate. We watched a live debate between university students and last years winners. The atmosphere became heated when the topic of banning exams was debated.

Prefects

We have proudly chosen our school prefects for 2012/13. Each prefect has a specific responsibility to help out in the school community.

Harvest AssemblyWe held our first Harvest Assembly on 25th October. Many of the Primary children provided foods that were donated to the Jericho Road Project. Parents and careers commented how they particularly enjoyed the lovely singing.

Local VisitYear 8 students visited Lewisham to conduct some firsthand research for their English projects on promoting Lewisham as a tourist destination.

Our Newsletter Issue No 1 December 2012

The Master and the Leathersellers visited the school

on Tuesday 23rd October and took a tour around the site to see

the new facilities

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parts are the clubs and the one I’m going to be talking about is my experience of Japanese Club. The club is run during Wednesday lunch and we go to the Spanish classroom. Japanese Club is run by two teachers that know Japanese really well. There is only a small attendance to this club, about 6-9 children but they are regulars. Japanese is a very fun club, there’s a lot of games. Its learning and fun at the same time. Prendergast Vale College is a great school!Nicole Swiergul 7 Thornton

‘a school high above any others’Prendergast Vale College is a school high above any others in Lewisham, maybe even in London, with its unique features and hi-tech equipment. One special thing that our school offers are house groups, a new addition to the federations exclusive things. The houses are Williams, Hall, Cibber, Lemoine and Perkin. These houses are named after Leathersellers’ with exciting pasts. Another feature is that the school has clubs during and after school, run weekly by teachers generously giving up their spare time. This is truly a brilliant school.Ibrahim Uddin 7 Cibber

Message from a PrefectSpeech DayFor me, Speech Day was a great time for achievement. I was called up on numerous occasions. Once for effort in P.E, once for Olympic ticket competition and my favourite of all, for the the Head Teachers Cup (Secondary). It is a time for celebration of everybody's achievement.James Wardlow 8 Lemoine

Physical EducationIt’s been an extremely busy start to the academic year with an array of sports fixtures being held over a variety of year groups here at Prendergast Vale College.  Below are just some of the sporting highlights. FootballYears 7 BoysThe boys have been training hard for more than six weeks now looking at phases of play and adopting different formations.  The students lost a closely fought game against St Matthews Academy in the Quarter Finals of the Lewisham Cup.  The London Cup Competition now beckons. Year 8 BoysWith a busy schedule with three fixtures played already the Year 8 have shown great enthusiasm.  A victorious win in the London Cup saw them go through to the quarter finals.  The other two games have been a close affair with Prendergast Vale unfortunately losing.  The students have never let spirits drop and are determined to taste success again in the near future. Year 7 and 8 GirlsOne of the strongest teams within the College who have a desire to succeed.  The team have been training hard which was shown on the pitch when they narrowly lost to Prendergast Ladywell Fields College who reached the semi-finals of the London Cup.  Well done girls, keep it up. LacrosseThe fastest game on two legs has not worried the girls team who have been training twice a week with coach Ms Bounds.  We are currently in deep negotiations regarding fixtures.  Watch this space. 

BasketballMr Temowo or 'Coach T' as he is known in the basketball world has been

training the Year 7 and 8 team this year.  This is the first ever Prendergast Vale Basketball team who have qualified for the Lewisham Knockout Stage tournament.  Good luck. Racquet and Golf AcademyTwo sporting areas we are promoting through an onsite academy is Golf and Racquet sports.  We have 8 budding golfers who have coaching sessions each week in the hope of becoming the next Tiger Woods. Students use a variety of clubs from pitching wedges to putters.  Mr Dewes has not let them loose with the drivers yet. Mr Baltakov runs Racquet academy where 20 students have the opportunity to participate in table tennis, badminton, short tennis and squash.  We currently have a waiting list for this academy which shows the students’ enthusiasm for sports. Primary School SportTwo sports fixtures have taken place for the primary students of Prendergast Vale.  Our first success was with the Year 6 students who competed in the Primary Cluster Athletics competition.  Prendergast Vale came 5th out of 8 primary schools which proved to be a great success and a solid foundation to build upon." Year 3 and 4 have had the opportunity to compete in the Primary Cluster Football festival.  Our record of played 4, won 1, drew 1 and lost 2 is once again evidence that we have great sporting potential in the primary phase.  Thank you to Mr Symes for leading this activity.

 Mr Dewes - Physical Education

Student SidelineThe Netball TournamentMy experience of netball was a great one because we hadn't even practised when we went to our first tournament but that didn't matter. We had about an hour to practise our netball skills then we started. We were split into two groups and started to play. At the end of the day the first team drew3-3 with last years winners Bonus Pastor. Unfortunately the second team lost 6-0 but it wasn't a bad thing because we all learnt from it. This is truly one of my best days at Prendergast Vale and I’m sure there will be many moreRhianna Yawson 7 Hall

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Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parents & Carers, It’s been an extremely busy term and we are very grateful for the support and understanding shown by all our parents and members of our extended school community as we finally settle into our new and permanent home. We are very lucky to have such an amazing building and are gradually exploring the ways in which we can use all of the resources we have available to enhance your child’s learning.

Now that we are on the one site we have been able to take advantage of the opportunities being an all through presents, most notably with the introduction of the ‘Big Brother, Big Sister’ scheme whereby once a fortnight every student in years 7 and 8 spends a lesson with younger children in the primary phase, working as reading partners and peer mentors. Our house system is now fully operational throughout the school with every child and every member of staff being identified with one of our six Leatherseller houses. Already we have run our first house sporting competitions of the academic year and we hope to extend this to other areas of the curriculum with house debating and music competitions. At our Christmas Fayre this week each house will be running individual

stalls that I hope you will be able to support by attending.

Although this is only our fourth term of existence (and our first on one site) we were subject to our first Ofsted inspection. Whilst we were disappointed to be identified as part of a large group of schools ‘requiring improvement’ we were particularly pleased to note the positive tone of the report and the fact that the leadership and management of the school was described as being ‘good’. Inspectors themselves began their report by noting that it was too early in the life of the school for the significant deficit in student achievement at the top end of the primary phase to have been closed, however we are confident that we will be judged at least good, if not outstanding when inspectors return in the coming years.

Our newly elected parent governor Ms Hamid is already actively involved in the life of the school and I’m sure she would be happy to receive your comments and represent your opinions to the other governors of the federation. I know that Mr Temowo (k.temowo@prendergastvale.com) is currently organising our PTA (‘Friends of Prendergast Vale’) and would also be grateful if any parents wanted to contact him with respect to getting more involved in the life of the school. We always value and

appreciate your feedback about our school and I would encourage you to contact my PA Mrs Halm (s.halm@prendergastvale.com) if you wish to speak to me personally about any aspect of your child’s experience of Prendergast Vale.

I hope you enjoy a restful and peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Paul O’Neill Headteacher

Vales Got Talent

On November 26th, students gathered in the main hall, for the school's first 'Vale's Got Talent' event.  The show was fronted confidently by Ibrahim Giwa of Year 8 Cibber.  On the judging panel, were Mr Botting (Humanities), Ms Wheeler (Maths), Mr Lake (Director of Music), who had the challenge of choosing between quite a few fine performances.  The winner in the end was Jack Kilby, with a confident rendition of 'Don't stop believing'. For those who missed out, look out for 'Vale's Got Talent Part 2' in the near futureMr Temowo

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Crepe Success!

The French Enrichment option group have been filling the Design and Technology corridor with the sweet smell of a successful afternoon of cooking. The group, a mixture of Year 7 and 8 students were making crepes to help them understand a little more about French culture. Following a recipe entirely in French the students whisked, stirred and flipped their crepes out of the pan and on to their plates. Miss Thorncroft was seen demonstrating some very high flips, nearly scraping the ceiling with her crepes. Of course, the best bit was spreading them thickly with chocolate sauce and testing how good they were!

Bring Your Favourite Book to School DayOn 16th November, students and staff participated in the first ever Bring Your Favourite Book to School Day. Students and staff alike brought in their most

treasured reads and shared the reasons they love to read. The activities included the launch of a new book club, discussions of books in English lessons and the start of the ‘Who’s the reader?’ competition. Staff were pictured with their favourite books covering their faces, and students will be guessing from the title and author who is the reader lurking behind. Here’s some of the pictures from a really enjoyable day. Our brand-new fully-stocked beautiful library will be ready for its official launch very soon; Year 7 and 8 students will soon be bringing new and exciting reads home to share with parents and carers, so watch this space!

 

Gothic CompetitionEvery half-term the English Department will be running a creative writing competition with fantastic prizes. This half-term Mr Goundry ran a very popular Gothic Horror competition, where students were invited to write a short story, play or poem in the gothic genre; with the prize

being a trip to see the gothic play Northanger Abbey at the Albany Theatre. The quality of entries was astonishing, and the English Department had a tough time selecting the twenty winners. Several of the winning entries were not only spectacular interpretations of Gothic literature, but would have achieved high GCSE grades.

On Wednesday 28th November the winners went to see the play. The play itself was an imaginative adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. The two actors made dynamic use of homemade puppets and put on an exciting and original performance. Prendergast Vale students conducted themselves brilliantly and engaged well with a difficult play. This is the first, of what we hope will be many, theatre trips this year.

You can read a preview of one of the winning entries by James Wardlow on the following pages. Well done to all those who entered the competition, and get your pens ready for next half-term’s competition!

Mr Cinnamon and Mr Goundry

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The Head of Caston Castle

Preview

By James WardlowNarrator:" It was the 4th march 1867 and it was the night. The full moon to soon have risen and the horror to begin.

(Samuel enters from left picks the only red book on the shelf and sits on the sofa)

Narrator:

" He sat own and opened the book he chose from the shelf. He was a little confused by the tittle, Castle Of Doom; but Samuel was a spontaneous boy and decided to read it. But he was still confused.

Samuel:

" Mother! Do you know what this book is about?

(Samuel’s mother enters from left)

Mother:

" Pardon? Oh that book. It’s nothing really; just about… well… there’s no real harm in telling you. Just read it and find out for yourself.

Narrator:

" Samuel was confused by his mother’s reaction to such a simple question. So he decided to start reading and find out himself.

Samuel:

" People go missing. Murder! Mother, mother come quick! Is this why you didn’t tell me? Because you thought I’d be scared or something.

Mother:

" I just didn’t want you to go out and wonder on a full moon.

Samuel:

" So why let me read the book?

Narrator:

Samuel’s mother didn’t answer.

Samuel:

" You don’t trust me do you?

(A Samuel exit to right and mother follows whilst shouting)

Mother:

Go to bed now!

(Curtains down)

Narrator:

" Now Samuel was fuming and wanted to leave to see what was going to happen outside.

(Curtains up. Samuel outside by gate with candle in hand)

Narrator:

" Once Samuel was out, he walked towards the ivy covered gate that was rusting away day by day. It was ajar. But only enough to just about slip through and wonder into the woods to hide until the moon was up. After about half an hour, he heard the first sign on death. The howl. He had read this as to be the first sign that tells you horror is approaching.

(Samuel jumps up runs and jumps over wall into nettles)

He ran faster than ever realising the gate had blown shut so not wanting his mother to hear him open the gate, he jumps over the wall landing into a bush of nettles. He rolled out of the nettles and climbed in through the dining hall window running upstairs to the bathroom.

(Lights out and change of scene to bathroom)

Samuel:

Arrrrhhh, Arrrrhhh.

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(Lights on Samuel in bathroom)

Narrator:

" The pain for Samuel was unbearable. He was doing really well not to alert his mother. He strolled out of the bathroom and along the corridor towards his room when the bathroom door shut and a figure walked the opposite way. He then realised that the figure had no head. But why? What is it about the headless figure that made him think of something?

Mother:

" What are you doing up?!

Samuel:

" I, I… I went to use the bathroom mother.

Mother:

" So why do you have cuts and lumps all over your face? Let’s go to the medicine cupboard then you can tell me.

Samuel:

" I’m ok thank you mother. I already put cream on. I will tell you in the morning.

Mother:

" Ok. Don’t get up until dawn.

(Lights out)

Narrator:

" Samuel didn’t argue with his mother and walked off to his room. Still wanting to know what

that figure was he didn’t get into bed; he knew that he had to solve the unexplained mystery. That’s when he remembered where the head for the body was. Lord Caston. He was executed on a full moon and had his head put on a pike in the main room. That was the first clue to solving the mystery.

(Knock on door)

Samuel:

" What was that?

(Door opens)

Narrator:

" The door opened with a long screech. A cold shiver rushed through Samuel’s body. The room filled with fear as the figure from the hall entered. The ghostly figure walked right through Samuel then through the wall.

(Lights out)

Narrator:

" Samuel needed the toilet so went to the bathroom.

(Lights on and Samuel locks the door)

Narrator:

" He then saw his dad’ old swords that he kept in the bathroom all fall of their rack and one stayed floating taking a swing…

" " End of preview

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ArtYear 7 have been studying portraiture this term. They have learnt to use tone for shading and how to measure the proportions of the head accurately. Students have posed for their own photographic portraits and are working from these to make paintings. They have also

learnt about a variety of portrait artists including Lucien Freud and Chuck Close. The work above is an amazingly detailed study of Chuck Close’s work by Oliver Tomkins 7 Perkin

Design and TechnologyWe are so excited to be in our state of the art Design and Technology workshops. Our facilities are incredible and the work the students are producing is fantastic. The Year 7’s have produced fabulous limited edition Ugly Doll toys and the Year 8’s are using the Mac suite of computers to program the laser cutter for their Promotional Pop-Up project. After Christmas we will be heading in to the Food and Resistant Materials rooms.

If you have anything you think the Art and Technology departments could use on projects i.e spare material, wood offcuts, interesting product packaging, magazines etc please bring them in. We’d love to give them a new lease of life.

All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself - Chuck Close

We have launched our annual Christmas Card Competition with great

success. Over 40 entires we received from across the school. The winning design will be used by the school for its Christmas

correspondence.

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CalendarWe are coming to the end of our first term in Prendergast Vale Colleges new home. What a term it’s been! We warmly welcome you to help us celebrate the season with our end of term events and we look forward to an exciting 2013!

Term Dates 2012-13Autumn term End of term Friday 21 December 

Spring termMonday 7 January – Friday 15 February Tuesday 26 February – Thursday 28 March Half Term: Monday 18 February – Monday 25 February 

Summer termMonday 15 April – Friday 24 May Monday 3 June – Friday 19 July Half Term: Monday 27 May – Friday 31 May

End of term events

Tuesday 18 December EYFS/KS1 Christmas Show, afternoon performance, 2pm

Wednesday 19 December EYFS/KS1 Christmas Show, morning performance, 10am

Carol Concert and Christmas Fayre, 2:30pm

Thursday 20 December Christmas Lunch for Students

Friday 21 December School closes 12:10pm

Contact DetailsSchool AddressPrendergast Vale CollegeElmira StreetLondonSE13 &BN

Telephone: 020 8297 3540

www.prendergastvale.com

Head Teacher — Paul O’NeillPA to the Head Teacher — Shirley Halm

Telephone: 020 8297 3544

Email: S.Halm@prendergastvale.com

Executive Head Teacher — Erica Pienaar

Hilly Fields, Adelaide Avenue, London SE4 1LE

Telephone: 020 8690 3710

PVC News launches its first editionStudents taking the Journalism Enrichment have been working flat out to produce their own school newspaper PVC News. The newspaper is published online and has been written, edited and arranged by the students. Inside is crammed with great articles on arts, history and some of the events that have been happening in school. There’s an interview with Mr O’Neill and even a puzzle page to keep you entertained.

You can have a look at the great work by following this link.

http://www.boomerangmag.co.uk/flash/2012-2013/3/55