Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Dalek Club

  Fri 01 Apr 2022

  The Dalek continues to grow

  In Dalek Club, our very keen group of engineers have continued to work hard as they aim to build a full-size working Dalek by the end of this academic year.

   

  You may recall that in an earlier newsletter we showed photographs of their work so far. By November last year, students had managed to create the head dome, the voice changer and they had cut out and taped together the panels to make the skirt. Since then, the students have made steady progress and we now have the bare bones of the full-size Dalek from the Doctor Who TV series.

  Doctor Who fans out there will recognise that this will be a New Series Dalek from the 2005 TV series.

   

  The Club students have now managed to get the Dalek skirt constructed and mounted on its wheels; they have made the gun box, the neck and the head dome does rotate from side to side. Given that students are only able to work on the project for two short lunchtimes each week it is really pleasing to see just how far they have managed to come. Soon they will be working on the decoration of the skirt to include the iconic dome shapes and then it will involve a great deal of filling, sanding and painting to hopefully get the Dalek to be fully functioning.

  The students have also given the Dalek a name and we look forward to seeing ‘Cornelius’ become fully operational in the near future.

  

• St. Simon Stock Governance Committee

  Fri 01 Apr 2022

  St. Simon Stock Governance Committee would like to invite applications to join the

  Committee as either a Parent or a Foundation Committee member.

   

  Members need to have a keen interest in the Academy and be prepared to play an

  active role in the Governance Committee’s work, but no special qualifications are

  needed as the relevant training will be supplied.

   

  If you have between 20 and 25 hours a year that you would like to spend supporting

  the Academy, please send an expression of interest (no more than 250 words) to the

  Clerk for the Governance Committee to: mboxall@kcsp.org.uk

  

• Science Week 2022

  Fri 01 Apr 2022

  On 17 March, as part of National Science week, the Science department and 170 intrepid Year 7 students headed to the Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux. It was great to be on a school trip and students and staff were also fortunate to be blessed with excellent weather for the day's activities.

  Whilst at the Centre, students competed to see which team could build the highest tower and who could work the best as a team to both build and disassemble a bridge. Congratulations to group 8, with Mr Smith, who built the bridge in the fastest time and group 10, with Miss Swyny, who built the tallest tower. Group 1, with Mrs Smith, took the overall prize with a score of 20 points from the two team challenges. Mrs Hobbs’ group, and group 12 with Mrs Cardwell, came a very respectable joint second place with 18 points each. It was wonderful to see the students work together with purpose and a very competitive spirit!

  All the students got involved in the experiments and during the Science Show they were entertained by scientists who encouraged audience participation. The theme for this year’s show was space travel and students learnt how astronauts use the toilet in space and what happens when it escapes. Plus, they also found out what happens to the human body when it goes into space – demonstrated using a marshmallow version of Tim Peake.

  Once again, astronaut food was a popular item purchased in the shop by students. The water area was enjoyed by all and the outdoor area provided some entertaining moments, especially when the students tried to balance on the giant balance board.

  Mrs Cardwell is pleased to say that the staff at Herstmonceux commented on how 

  Science Week 2022

  On 17 March, as part of National Science week, the Science department and 170 intrepid Year 7 students headed to the Observatory Science Centre at Herstmonceux. It was great to be on a school trip and students and staff were also fortunate to be blessed with excellent weather for the day's activities.

  Whilst at the Centre, students competed to see which team could build the highest tower and who could work the best as a team to both build and disassemble a bridge. Congratulations to group 8, with Mr Smith, who built the bridge in the fastest time and group 10, with Miss Swyny, who built the tallest tower. Group 1, with Mrs Smith, took the overall prize with a score of 20 points from the two team challenges. Mrs Hobbs’ group, and group 12 with Mrs Cardwell, came a very respectable joint second place with 18 points each. It was wonderful to see the students work together with purpose and a very competitive spirit!

  All the students got involved in the experiments and during the Science Show they were entertained by scientists who encouraged audience participation. The theme for this year’s show was space travel and students learnt how astronauts use the toilet in space and what happens when it escapes. Plus, they also found out what happens to the human body when it goes into space – demonstrated using a marshmallow version of Tim Peake.

  Once again, astronaut food was a popular item purchased in the shop by students. The water area was enjoyed by all and the outdoor area provided some entertaining moments, especially when the students tried to balance on the giant balance board.

  Mrs Cardwell is pleased to say that the staff at Herstmonceux commented on how polite and well-behaved our students were all day and they were amazing ambassadors for our school. The Observatory at Herstmonceux is a fantastic place to visit for all the family. Evening sessions are available where you have the opportunity to look through the telescopes for a spot of stargazing. If you would like to find out more about the observatory, please follow this link: https://www.the-observatory.org/

   

  Well done to all the students who wrote about their day at Herstmonceux. Here are a selection of the best entries from each class:

  

• Year 8 STEM Challenge

  Fri 01 Apr 2022

  All our Year 8 students recently took part in a morning long STEM challenge. STEM incorporates the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and this challenge was run in partnership with Medway Education Business Partnership and STEM Kent. The task was called the ‘LEGO – build a house challenge’ and it involved students in solving real life problems.

  Students had to read and interpret design drawings in order to build a LEGO house to the exact requirements. From that point onwards, students had to design and build their own LEGO house and order the materials they required to a specified budget. Success was measured by how well the students own designs matched the actual physical model that they had built.

  It was great to see how enthusiastically all of our students embraced this challenge. They all worked tirelessly in their teams in order to produce the best design and model for their house. The students’ ability to work together to solve this real-world problem was amazing to see. Their communication with each other enabled every group to produce a working design that could then be manufactured into a model.

   

  Mr Simm, STEM Coordinator, commented, “I am so proud of our students for the way in which they faced this challenge. As the morning developed it was clear that most teams came across problems and difficulties, but to their credit, all students simply worked together to overcome these hurdles.”

  When reflecting on the morning, one Year 8 student said, “Thank you for such a wonderful morning with the STEM activity. I really enjoyed doing group work with my friends but also learning things in a fun way”.

  Another student simply commented, “Great morning and good to get creative again”.

  

• Careers Fair

  Fri 01 Apr 2022

  On Tuesday 22 March, we held a careers fair where a selection of universities, training providers and local businesses came together.

  The event provided our Year 10 and 12 students an experience of in-person communication and an invaluable opportunity to interact with representatives of some options available to them once they leave school.

  Students were able to approach a variety of stands and discuss routes into employment, higher education or training with the representatives that attended.

  Our students thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity; asking great questions and gathering lots of useful information. There was the opportunity to gain work experience placements, understand university student life, access apprenticeship information and they could even try out the living space of a member of our vital supply chain. They were also able to discuss careers in the trades, the Armed Forces, the NHS and associated medical fields, as well as the engineering sector.

   

  During the Fair, there was also a chance for students to win a laptop by using their problem-solving skills and digital technologies. Two students qualified to win, so Digital Kent have kindly provided two laptops as prizes.

  Feedback from the providers at the Fair praised our students; both their behaviour and their confidence in their communications. They were fantastic ambassadors for the school.

  We are hoping that this will be an annual event moving forwards. If your employer or business would like to be involved in events like this, please contact Mrs Boulton, our CEIAG Co-ordinator, at boultonf@ssscs.co.uk to express your interest.

  

• Helen Grant MP visits St Simon Stock

  Fri 01 Apr 2022

  Mrs Helen Grant, Member of Parliament for Maidstone and the Weald, visited St Simon Stock on Friday 4 March to take part in a student-led ‘Question & Answer’ session.

  Greeted by school prefects, Nimi and Finley, the two enthusiastic students spoke to Mrs Grant about their views on climate change, showed her a display they have created and handed her a letter collating their beliefs. The MP promised them both that this letter would sit on her desk in Westminster and would be with her as she made the key decisions that will impact our generation.

  The prefects then accompanied Mrs Grant to the drama studio for the planned ‘Question & Answer’ session, where a group of 27 students posed many insightful questions to the MP. These ranged from what drove Mrs Grant into politics, to her views on the recently passed Policing Bill that impacts the right to protest.

  Furthermore, the MP’s role as Special Envoy for Girls’ Education was talked about in some detail and students asked about the progress made in this field. Discussion was respectful but engaging, and students were able to voice their honest opinions. Mrs Grant made many promises and also vowed to stay in touch with a few students regarding the issues they raised.

  During the session, Mrs Grant also took the opportunity to pose her own questions to the room, interested to hear the opinions of our young people on issues such as climate change, the war in Ukraine and more. In this time, students continued to express their concern with the actions of the Government and their concern with social problems.

  The event was a success and Helen Grant noted how she enjoyed the experience and a future meeting should surely be arranged. Ultimately, the event showed our student’s aptness for politics and their interest in social activism.