Latest News

Year 12 A Level Conference

Wed 28 Feb 2018

Mr Capone took a group of 10 year 12 students to London on Friday 26^th January for an A Level conference. They listened to talks by Julie Arliss on Religious Language, Dr Tim Mawson on the meaning of life and Professor Keith Ward on the ethics of Jeremy Bentham and Immanuel Kant.

The trip was a success and the students received notes from the scholars which will go on to be the basis of their revision and learning for their exams next year.

Matthew Hartley contributed to the debate on whether or not it was rational to believe in God.

Andrew Capone – Subject Leader of RE

Other Enrichment Day Activities

Thu 22 Feb 2018

With so many activities happening on Enrichment Day it could probably fill a Newsletter by itself. Instead, some information and pictures of what other students were doing on the day are below.

Year 11

Year 11 students had a great morning working on a variety of revision techniques, and then braved the stormy skies and wet pavements of Maidstone to get to the Hollywood Bowl for an afternoon of fun and relaxation, as an award for their efforts in the recent mock exams.

Mr P Chittenden

Magistrates Mock Trial Team

Our wonderful Magistrates Court mock trial team attended a court visit at Maidstone Magistrates Court in preparation for the competition. We were very fortunate to witness a number of cases in progress including an order to withhold cash following a drugs raid, an eviction notice for pitching on private property and a very unfortunate case about a homeless young man with paranoid schizophrenia who has become a victim of the system.

When the court was not in session, our team members were able to spend some time in places they will be in on the day. This included Isabelle Tillot in the defendant’s dock and Simon Davis sitting in the legal advisor’s chair. Unfortunately we were unable to take photographs due to the court’s restrictions but the visit really helped in preparing our team for their roles for the competition in March. We wish them luck!

Miss Madeley

Enrichment Day – Year 9 & 10 Staff Portraits

Fri 16 Feb 2018

During the Enrichment Day in January, the Art room became a hive of activity with mixed groups of year 9 and year 10 students drawing portraits of the staff.

Many of the images were striking – students had created recognisable likenesses of many of the staff. Drawings of Mr Wall were particularly good, along with some of Mr Sus and Mr Barber; who came out looking like strange brothers!

Mollie Marie Clegg’s drawing of Mr Barber is exceptional. At times there were 60 students working and the atmosphere was great. Well done all!

If you want to see some of the art pieces, there will be a short exhibition of all the work in B7.

Mrs Farrell

Year 12 Art Exhibition

Tue 13 Feb 2018

The Year 12 Art students collaborated to curate an art exhibition to celebrate the mini personal investigations they had been working on during term two. Each piece showcased was incredibly unique to the student as it stemmed from a topic they had the freedom to choose, resulting in a piece that radiates their talents in the best possible way.

Diversity of the artworks was evident- the work ranged from an intricate landscape painting to mannequins adorned with fashion focused projects. Year 12 and 13 photography was presented alongside the art students’ work which added to the diverse nature of the exhibition by throwing photography in the mix. Parents, friends and family were also invited to view the work of our talented KS3 extra-curricular art group, who presented a collection of charcoal drawings alongside Year 10 large-scale interior paintings.

India Thompson Yr 12

Below includes pieces from across the year groups.

Year 13 Independent Living Skills

Fri 09 Feb 2018

On Tuesday 9^th January, Year 13 students had the chance to learn and practice some independent living skills as part of their PDW education.

Form tutors led activities including shopping on a budget, laundry day, medicine cabinet, Mr and Mrs Clean and more. Students engaged with the activities well and even became very competitive after Miss McNamee’s incentive for a prize for the best balanced budget shop. Hopefully now our year 13’s are ready for their future destinations armed with products to use for toilet cleaning and how not to turn your whites pink in the wash. We wish them luck!

Miss Madeley

January STEM

Thu 08 Feb 2018

January was a busy and exciting month for STEM activities at St Simon Stock School with 29 year 7 and 8 girls visiting Dungeness Power station and all of Tear 7 attending an interactive talk on “Cool Physics”.

Pretty Curious comprised a one day event to encourage girls to consider pursuing a career in STEM subjects. 29 year 7 and 8 girls spent a day at Dungeness Power Station. We learnt about the history of the power station, how it works and how much training is involved for the staff who monitor the nuclear reactors. We also had a team challenge to build electrical pylons using paper and string. We had to read the instructions carefully to make sure that we followed the design brief.

A few comments from the students include

I learnt that a nuclear reactor makes no sound, produces no smell and no pollution! I also learnt that the turbines are rotated with super-heated steam.

I think girls in the future should go because it’s really interesting and you get to see something that you might never get to see again.

I enjoyed the trip very much and learnt 2 main things: that nuclear power (in the power station) is made by two main generators, which are totally silent.

Thank you to Mr.Platt, Miss Crossing and Mrs. Gray for joining us on the visit.

A few days later all of Year 7 attended a one hour talk called “Cool Physics” where we learnt about the different ways that particles move in solids, liquids and gases. We also saw what happens to materials such as rubber and a banana when they are frozen in liquid nitrogen. We saw how the gas in balloons freezes when it comes into contact with liquid nitrogen which makes the balloons shrink.

Some comments from year 7 students included:

I enjoyed watching the talk- especially the time when she used the kettle to make real clouds.

My favourite part of this experiment was when she had the balloons and she put about 8 in a small box and they deflated. Then she took them out and they were inflated again.

I have learnt how many amazing things you can do with liquid nitrogen. I learnt that it is -197^OC and can do lots of damage because it is so cold.

Thank you to Cordi Scott from the University of Kent for coming to give such a brilliant presentation.

Ms Whitehead

Year 13 Celebration – 2017 Leavers

Wed 07 Feb 2018

At the very start of term, last year’s Year 13’s were invited for an evening of celebration and awards. Each year students (and their parents) are invited back to highlight their achievements, take part in a quiz and see photos from their seven years of study at St Simon Stock Catholic School. This culminated in an incredible set of results for the school but, more importantly, enabled each individual who gained the grades they needed to progress onto the next step in their career.

Our special guest for the evening was none other than Mr Ben Williams who was acting Director of Sixth Form during the students’ time here in Years 12 and 13. Mr Williams has now moved on as a Deputy Head position in a new school in Sevenoaks. It was fantastic to see him again to recollect some of the more memorable events during the students’ final two years. Jack Gregory was the host for the quiz, and we thank Jack for doing a fantastic job of singing the lyrics during the music round!

Below is a gallery of just some of the photos and awards for the evening. We hope that everyone who attended enjoyed the evening and wish our 2017 leavers every success for the future. Remember, you’re always welcome back to say hello and it would be great to have you speak to the current students in the future about University, College, Apprenticeships and Employment from a past student.