HM Blog- Tuesday 28 January 2020
This
week I am delighted to be writing the Blog on behalf of Mr Tomkins.
On
Sunday, twenty-eight Year 12 students and three members of staff – Mrs Van Mol,
Mr Rivers and Mr Tomkins- flew out to New York and Boston to take part in the
67th session of the Harvard Model United Nations. The students have
spent many hours, weeks and months preparing to take part in the prestigious
four-day event. Over 4,000 students from around the world will take part in the
international relations simulation, modelling the role of real international
decision makers, discussing and debating international issues and developing
innovative policy solutions. We wish them all the best of luck and look forward
to hearing about their experiences when they return.
Many
congratulations go to the 2nd XI
senior football team which secured a strong 7-1 victory over Oakwood Park in
the Kent Cup Quarter Final – well done boys and we look forward to seeing your
ongoing good effort in the competition!
On Thursday 23rd
January, the whole of Year 10 and 11 watched a safeguarding presentation on County
Lines and grooming delivered by the St Giles Trust, supported by Kent Police.
The exploitation of young people via so called “county lines” criminal networks
is a key safeguarding issue at a national, county and local level. The St Giles
Trust presenter focused on debunking myths and stereotypes around crime and
related issues and challenging some of the messages put out on social media and
via popular culture. He also gave students insights to help them identify
potentially risky situations and talked about strategies they might use to
overcome negative peer pressure. The presentation is part of our proactive and
preventative PSHCE and safeguarding programme. A big thank you goes to all of the
Year 10 / 11 students who proved themselves to be a fantastic, engaged audience
throughout.
Also
this week, Mr Tomkins and Cameron B in Year 13 delivered four House assemblies
on a green, environmental theme. As well as raising awareness of the wider
global climate crisis, they also focused on what we can do - both as a school
and also as individuals - to “make a difference”. One key area that we are ALL
going to focus on immediately is litter. It is vital that we take care of our
environment – in school and beyond – and looking after our immediate
surroundings for our own benefit and the benefit of others in our community is
a great place to start! Initial reports indicate that the school site is
already a much more pleasant place to be – keep up the good effort everyone.
There
is a growing number of squash players at the school and we were able to enter
teams for the Kent Schools’ Squash tournament on Friday 17th January
at the Mote Squash Club. The boys faced some tough opposition from
schools across Kent, but performed admirably with the Junior Team progressing
beyond the pool stages to the semi-finals. Well done boys!
Finally,
we are looking forward to Tonbridge House Charity Day on Friday 31st
January. There are many events planned throughout the day with the aim of
raising money for ‘Brain Tumour Research’. In addition to the usual non uniform day,
students are also invited to ‘Wear a Hat’ for a small additional voluntary
donation towards this very good cause. Good luck Tonbridge – I am sure you will
all be working hard to raise lots of money AND earn lots of points towards the
House Cup Competition.
Miss
Johnson, Deputy Head
