How wonderful it is to note all the fantastic activities, events and successes that have occurred over the last few weeks. Taking some of our 6th formers to the Oxford University open day, the Yr8 & 9 Brilliant Club graduating with 1st and 2.1s from Bath University after completing their dissertations, Yr12 science trip to Bath University to experience research in areas such as nuclear magnetic resonance. It cannot be denied we are aspirational for our students and provide opportunities to participate in studies at Russel Group Universities.
Those aspirational experiences have continued over this week with events such as the Chalke Valley history festival, the physics trip to Didcot and Yr10 students attending seminars at Bath Spa University being exposed to university life. This week has been rounded off with our first Spanish trip for Yr7 since being postponed due to the pandemic. It's just amazing to have it back up and running. Cultural capitol+ at The John of Gaunt School!
I want to take this opportunity to thank all staff for giving up their personal time and their dedication to our students for all the events they have run this year. This doesn't end yet with sports day today and activities week coming up. Our students truly are lucky young people to have all these opportunities.
I want to commend our students who are still working hard, as we expect, all the way to the end of the year. Excellence every day! We have Yr10's and 12's completing GEM work following their mocks and our Yr7-9 students will being completing their GEM work as they come to the end of each learning cycle in each of their subjects. To remind you, GEM stand for Gaps, Embedding & Mastery. Depending on where each child is in their learning, we will challenge them to make progress. Filling gaps in knowledge, embedding understanding or pushing them further to apply and master that knowledge and understanding by tackling high level work.
I am looking forward to welcoming many pupils from our partner primary schools next week. I really hope they have a wonderful time experiencing what JoG life is all about - they'll love it! I am sure all our students will make then feel very welcome.
This week year 7 have been making chicken and vegetable curry to celebrate World Foods and to practice handling high risk ingredients, coincidentally year 10 have had the task to independently design and make a food product that also contains a high risk ingredient.
Well Done Everyone!
Instrumental Tuition
Interested in having instrumental or vocal lessons next academic year? Music lessons are an excellent way for students to develop their skills and understanding of music, as well as giving them the potential for a lifelong passion and opportunity for social development. Lessons are open to all students at all levels including complete beginners. We currently have lessons for the following instruments: singing, drum kit, percussion, trumpet, cornet, euphonium, piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and ukulele.
Lessons are generally taught in blocks of 10 lessons and are available for 15, 20 or 30 minute slots. The costs vary according to the teacher involved but are in the region of £30-£36 per hour. The cost for a block of 15-minute lessons works out at between £75 and £90. We are also able to fund some lessons through Wiltshire Music Connect. For students who are Pupil Premium or have a Special Educational Need then we can fund 70% of a 15-minute lesson through Wiltshire Music Connect leaving the remaining 30% to be paid by the parent/carer. For children that are Looked After we can fund 100% of a 15-minute lesson through Wiltshire Music Connect.
Lessons take place in a music practise room within school and may be before, after or during school depending on the teacher involved. Lessons are on a rotating timetable so that students don’t continually keep missing the same lesson.
If your child is interested in learning an instrument or having singing lessons please drop me an email and I will get back to you with further information: nmaguire@jogschool.org
A strong start to a 3-match cricket series vs Frome College (FCC). JOG scoring 63 off 75 balls against some strong bowlers at FCC. JOG kept the score board ticking over well, but were struggling to find boundaries to really get the run rate up!
FCC requiring less than 1 run per ball was a formidable task for JOG in the field…..HOWEVER….JOG stepped up to the challenge! Some amazing bowling and fielding really stopped FCC getting going, 50 balls into their 75 Frome had only managed 25 runs. Double wicket maidens from Harry Matthews and Jake Wells the highlights! James Asquith, Dan Maplesden, Rory March and Riley Edwards contributing with more wickets and low scoring overs! Amazing work boys! JOG were looking good for the win, but a couple of expensive late overs out of nowhere snatched the win out of JOG hands. Eventually losing it in the last over!
A strong start to the series, nonetheless, taking 8 wickets and fielding brilliantly, more runs next time, and we’ll be in with a great chance of beating the older students of Frome College! Next match Wednesday 21st!
Players of the match - Jake Wells and Harry Matthews.
Shout out to Ava Pike representing the girls in an otherwise all boys contest!
Spanish culture sheet
French culture sheet
RSE (relationships and sex education) feedback
Every year we review the RSE provision at our school and would appreciate feedback from parents. Please feel free to visit the relevant section on our school website and contact myself (mperraton@jogschool.org) or Mrs Kerr (hkerr@jogschool.org) with any possible feedback.
Last term the English Department ran a poetry competition designed by Young Writers. We have run several before, and I am very pleased to say that, in this particular edition of poems, John of Gaunt have the most entries.
There are some really touching, thoughtful and powerful poems in there from 21 students here at our school. What’s especially nice is that we have courageous students from Year 7 to Year 11 who are bravely sharing their work.
These students now have a copy of their poem published in a book alongside their classmates as well as peers up and down the UK.
Great stuff.
Co-creation Workshop
We are looking for young people aged between 16 - 25 and living with Type 1 Diabetes to help improve diabetes services for young people.
Are you, or do you know someone who is, aged between 16 - 25 and living with Type 1 Diabetes?
We would like to invite anyone aged between 16 - 25 and living with Type 1 Diabetes to come to our workshop to meet others who know what it really feels like to live with diabetes and enjoy two hours of creative activities and group discussions.
If you are interested in getting involved, please complete the questionnaire below and tell us how, when and where you would prefer to get involved by Monday 5th June. Thank you.
To sign up scan the QR code or follow the link below:
