Dover Grammar School for Boys
THE "FIRST THURSDAY"
NEWSLETTERSCHOOL LIBRARY
Book Week - 16th-20th March
This will be our first such event and as many pupils as possible will be involved. There will be a range of planned events and organised activities by myself along with the English and Art Departments. Together with author and poet visits there will be quizzes, competitions and readings, a visiting mobile bookshop and a Top Ten Favourite Book Poll.
Kent Libraries are due to launch a new Teen Logo and have asked for our help. Following Book Week a trip has been planned with one Year 7 class who will visit the Library for an hour's induction to its services, serious sticking and Library study skills. This will not only be fun but consolidates the in-house skills programme all Year 7 have been receiving since Christmas.
Tesco Computer Appeal '98 update
I am pleased to report that we have got off to a cracking start and collected 2,350 vouchers. Obviously we have got a long way to go but with maintained support and enthusiasm we can reach our target. Please keep on shopping!!
Lenten Appeal - 9th-13th March
As the annual appeal approaches I am compiling the second Library Book Quiz - Fifty Questions for £1. It was enjoyed by last year's participants who gave me a good run for money pitting their wits, and the research skills can only have improved. It will be open to all pupils and staff with prizes for the top three.
Mrs L George - Librarian
A ROOM WITH A VIEW - History Department
Year 7 have been taking a close look at medieval times - and a rough time it was especially for children. Only 1 in 10 survived to Year 7 age so there were not many jobs for secondary teachers! Lessons have been taking place in the new Room 18 classroom above the Dining Hall. Understanding castle design and importance is made real when instead of studying the photograph in the book you can look out the window across the valley and see the castle for yourself that is referred to in your book!
As well as castles, knights and kings are associated with the Middle Ages. In February the Royal Mail issued five stamps in a strip commemorating the Queen's beasts that appear on flags and coats of arms. The main reason for the issue was the 650th anniversary of the Order of the Garter. The story goes that King Edward III was having a dance with the Countess of Salisbury when one of her garters fell to the ground. To spare the ladies blushes Edward gallantly picked up the garter as his own and put it on his leg. He told off the courtiers who were sniggering with the words "Honi Soit Qui Mal y pense" meaning "shame on him who thinks evil of it or evil to him who evil thinks" - and so a tradition was born.
Year 7 have been working out their own coats of arms and other local heraldic badges. The Lion of England is one which was soon discovered. 1989 is the 800th anniversary of Richard I taking the lion to heart! Two of the Heraldry stamps show this. The History Department will be marking the event by presenting special illustrated first day cover of The Queen's Beasts stamps issued by the Heraldry Society. It will be one of just 200 which will be specially stamped and signed by J P Brook-Little Clarenceux, King of Arms and President of the Heraldic Society. The cover will be awarded to the Year 7 student who has shown, through their approach to and work on Medieval History, a desire to achieve excellence. The successful student's name will be published in a future First Thursday newsletter. Just as a student with a drive for excellence becomes a sought after employee so this cover is likely to become a sought after collectors item in years to come.
Mr M Birt
FULCRUM CHALLENGE - AFTER EXPEDITION
India! The land of Kipling's elephant with the long nose and Blake's "Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright". India is the only country where you can find lions and tigers in the same jungle. No, unfortunately we didn't see any of them, but we did see some spectacular sights and were left with many lasting memories.
India has to be one of the most amazing countries in the world - its people, its places and its general atmosphere intermesh to create an unforgettable experience for the overseas traveller. As soon as you step out of the airport into the city you are engulfed by the real India. Even at four in the morning (when we arrived) the streets of the cities are restless with bustling humanity. Beggars and street urchins vie for position with cows, rickshaws and rubbish dumps. The unique Indian aroma assails unwary nostrils even before the plane touches down at the airport. The noise is unbelievable - sounds from the thronging crowds form an incredible crescendo with the incessant beeping of vehicle horns.
In the cities we were confronted by vast poverty the like of which we had never seen before. Sprawling shanty towns run alongside busy main roads and squat in the shadows of the towering Hilton and Sheraton International Hotels. Beggars of all ages vie with each other for position along the pavements. On the last day, in Mumbai, a little three year old girl tried to pick-pocket me. This was quite a shock to my western sensibilities, but we learnt to accept that occurrences like this are par for the course in India.
The most dangerous thing in India is not the tiger. Nor is it even, as you might expect, the mosquito. It is the driving. In the cities more people are killed in traffic accidents than by any other means and it's not hard to see why. The variety of 'vehicles' is quite amazing - hand-pulled carts mingle with camels, cars, elephants, donkey-carts, rickshaws, buses, scooters and bicycles. The absence of any intelligently placed road signs and markings adds to the general confusion. At cross-roads they do have traffic lights, which is good. However, they are always, from every direction, flashing amber! Roundabouts are used as required, if it's shorter for someone to go round the roundabout the correct way they will but if it's shorter for someone to go round the roundabout the wrong way .... they will!
These and a host of other experiences have confirmed for me the view that travel in itself is a very educational experience, as well as being enjoyable. I learnt a lot about India, its people, myself and the other team members.
I would like to thank the school for their generous support along with the other organisations who helped me reach my sponsorship target.
I hope the school can remain an active participant in the Fulcrum Challenge Scheme. The benefits to both will be considerable. The lucky people who are selected will receive lessons that nothing else can teach and will be better placed for whatever the future throws at them.
Namaste.
Richard Berridge - Year 13
LENTEN APPEAL
Three boys from Year 7 have already taken the plunge for the Lenten Appeal. Adam Owen-Stirna, Alex Barr and Daniel Hynes of 7R have done a sponsored swim at the pool in Dover and have raised more than £50.
Mrs S Rose
DRAMA PRODUCTION
Tickets are still available for the school drama production. Boys, along with girls from the Girls' Grammar School will be performing three short plays dealing with various aspects of contemporary life from motorbikes to murder. This promises to be an exciting and entertaining night out. Performances are on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th March both at 7.30 pm. DO COME.
Tickets are £3.00 for adults and £1.50 for students and OAPs.
Mrs L Watson
MUSIC
The next event to be presented by the school's musicians will be the Spring Concert to be given on Wednesday 18th March at 7.30 pm in the School Hall.
The programme will include a wide range of instrumental music including performances by the Jazz Group and Big Band together with solos featuring such instruments as violins, clarinet, trumpet, piano and the school organ.
During the interval a choice of wine and cheese or light refreshments will be served, to be included in the admission charge of £2.50.
The Spring Concert is one of our most popular events and we hope that a large audience will join us for what promises to be an enjoyable evening. Please make the concert known amongst family, friends and others who may be interested.
Mr R S Davies - Director of Music
CCF
During the half term holiday several cadets from the Contingent completed the South East Kent NCO Cadre, a course developing their leadership, management and teamwork skills. The course also gave our cadets the opportunity to meet cadets from other units across Kent, including Maidstone Grammar School, William Parker Grammar, Hastings, Dover Girls' Grammar, Astor School and Kings' School, Rochester. This cadre was organised by Flying Officer David Masters, a former cadet of the Contingent, now a serving police officer in Kent.
Once again, during the Easter break, the Contingent will be going to Okehampton and Dartmoor for a weeks adventurous training. Cadets can look forward to activities including abseiling, rock-climbing, pony trekking and water sports such as canoeing and windsurfing.
Also during Easter four cadets will be going to RAF Laarbruch in Germany. This is possible due to a £200 subsidy from the School's PFA, for which we are extremely grateful. The camp will give the cadets the opportunity to see how the RAF operates in Europe and they will also have the opportunity to take part in an exercise with the RAF Regiment.
Cpl Micky Islam (RAF Section) has been fortunate enough to be offered a trip to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. He will travel in a VC-10 aircraft and have the opportunity to meet the pilots and groundcrew, as well as soak up the Cypriot sun.
(The Contingent will be expecting postcards from all the cadets going abroad!)
PFA
You should soon be receiving details of a Wine & Wisdom evening that we are hoping to hold on Friday 27th March.
T-shirts, track suits, aprons and a good selection of second hand uniform is available throughout the year.
The next committee meeting will be held on Tuesday 28th April at 7.30 pm.
200 Club
The winners for February's 200 Club draw are as follows:
1st - Mrs S Ward (141) £25, 2nd - Mr M Collins (105) £15 and 3rd Mr L Delduca (56) £10.
If you wish to become a member of the 200 Club subscriptions are due now. Please send £6 and your details to Mrs C Dunstone at the school address.
WORKSHOPS
Can it please be noted that ALL pupils working the workshops MUST do so wearing their protective apron. All boys should have their own aprons which should be stored in their own lockers, not their workshop workbags as there is not enough space in the workshops.
SPORTS NEWS
SCHOOL FOOTBALL
For the first time in the last twenty five years two school teams have progressed into the semi-finals of County Cup Competitions in the same season. This is a major achievement, especially considering that over 100 schools enter these competitions, and that we are a relatively small school. The Under 12's reached the semi-final (of the Kengate-Beasley Trophy) on Saturday beating Howard School (Gillingham) on penalties after drawing 0 - 0 in normal time. The Under 15's lost 2 - 1, again to Howard School, on Friday in the semi-final of the Portex Cup.
MATCH REPORT 1 - U12 Kengate-Beasley Cup
Dover G S 0 Howard School 0
(Dover won 3 - 0 on penalties)
This was an excellent display by the Under 12's only let down by poor finishing. The team completely dominated the match, bombarding the Howard goal, but finding their keeper in irresistible form. Dnaiel Ashby in the Dover goal hardly touched the ball during the match but then saved two of the Howard penalties in the penalty shoot-out enabling us to score our first three penalties and wrap up the game. Plenty of shooting practice before the Semi-Final!
MATCH REPORT 2
Dover G.S. 1 Howard School 2
The adventure is over! After travelling all over the County, and winning through five rounds, the Under 15's lost their Portex Cup Semi Final on Friday to a strong Howard side, who had won the County Cup in Years 7 and 8. The game was spoiled by a strong wind blowing down the pitch, which was very bumpy. In the first half we played against the wind and played exceptionally well passing the ball fluently and effectively. Howard were kept at bay and we had more chances but only converted the one after a Ross Gaffney corner through Tom Evans. Unfortunately, Howard equalised through a luckily goal when a cross by a winger bounced erratically in front of Chris Wash and rebounded to a forward who followed up to score. The team thought that the hard work had been done, playing with the wind in the second half, but we found it hard to adapt with the wind and although we had most of the half it was Howard who looked the most threatening on the break. They scored ten minutes into the half when the Howard right winger cut in from the wing and surprised everybody by blasting in a fierce shot at the near post. Tom Evans pushed up, but the equaliser wouldn't come, despite our midfield dominance. It was a great team effort but the luck just wasn't on our side. Perhaps if Darren Piper and Daniel Browne had not been injured we may have done better but their deputies Jonathan Mills and Chris Stanford stood in well.
Well done everybody in the squad - you were great ambassadors for the school.
1st XI Semi Final of Dover School's District U19 Cup Tuesday 24th February 1998
Sir Roger Manwoods 1 DGSB 3
After having not played for two months the team played without much continuity and this wasn't helped by a very bumpy small pitch and a robust SRM team. Gary Beeden opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour bundling in the ball after a mistake by the SRM keeper and although we defended well it was difficult to make progress. There were some agricultural tackles going around and it was no surprise when "Chopper" James Durrant hacked down the SRM centre forward when there was no real pressure. The resulting penalty was competently converted but I was pleased that the team didn't get downhearted and Marc Garrood, who had an excellent game, expertly headed in from a corner. Shortly afterwards the game was made safe by an excellent goal by Lee Neiles when he turned and volleyed in one motion. SRM tired and we could have scored more with better finishing.
Mr S Bailey
Yr 9 District Cup Football
DGSB 8 St Edmunds, Dover 1
This was a good overall team performance in spite of being unable to field a full strength side due to illness and injury. A lot of pressure in the first half found us ahead by two goals and several other chances were missed.
In the second half, playing into the wind, a further 5 goals and a penalty were scored. Some skilful inter-passing amongst the front five saw a lot of pressure on St Edmunds. One or two defensive errors were made as they had two players with some pace up front and this was one of our weaknesses.
Goals were scored by the following players:
Jason Laird 3, Dean Scoggins 2, Bobby Clements 1, Scot Guy 1 and a penalty by Kevin Fielding.
It is not known at this stage whom we play in the final.
Mr M Grant
RUGBY
Year 8 - DGSB 43 Tunbridge Wells 0
At the start of the season this was highlighted as one of our difficult games. However the final result suggests we are starting to play the kind of rugby we are capable of. Control and decision making is the key to the game and this was established to some degree early in the game. After a quick succession of tries the game became more of a training match. The backs and forwards combined well to produce some excellent moves in the backs. We should not get complacent by the result. It is still early in the season and we are a long way from giving the COMPLETE rugby performance.
Areas to work on: Hitting ball at pace in the backs.
:Hard rucking and tackling.
5 points were awarded to the whole team for a good all round performance.
Mr J Duke
YEAR 9 RUGBY - Saturday 7th February 1998 (Away Match)
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School 64 DGSB 12
An exceptionally large TWGS pack created many problems for Dover. Although the set scrums held very well and the lineouts were fairly even after we cut to 2-man the real problems lay in the broken play.
TWGS boys' sheer size and physical maturity, especially the No.8 who must at least be in the Kent team, meant that it took two or three tackles to stop a break initially. The problems was then transferred to further forwards who backed up well and were able to get possession from the first runner who was generally large enough to stand up in the tackle. TW backs were not in evidence as the team is clearly used to playing 8 man rugby.
However, Dover never let the heads drop and kept going right to the final whistle. I suppose that this was largely due to the fact that we were always in the frame until the next breakaway. Territorially the game was very even. We scored two excellent tries with one being converted by Russell Johnson. Although the forwards kept to their task the most effective player probably was Matthew Guy in the centre who made several very penetrating breaks and some effective tackles. Some practice is needed as to what to do with penalties when faced with a much stronger pack because attempted breakthroughs cannot succeed.
Mr A Gardiner
TABLE TENNIS
Dover & District Table Tennis Association Ron Edwards Trophy
Grammar 'A' 5 Whitfield 'D' 1
Grammar 'B' 5 Sandwich 1
Whitfield 'A' 5 Eastry 1
DWMC Royals 'A' 5 Trojan 'B' 3
Semi Finals - 6th April
Grammar 'B' -v- DWMC Royals 'A'
Whitfield 'A' -v- Grammar 'A'
Finals - 13th April
It is possible that both Grammar teams could play each other.
Dover Table Tennis Association Annual Championships 1998
These will be held at Dover Sports & Leisure Centre on Saturday 22nd March, 9.00 am - 6.00 pm and Sunday 23rd March, 9.00 am - 8.00 pm. Entry forms are available from Paul Skelton, Workshop Technician. (Only entries from registered players and those who attend Saturday morning Junior League). Closing date 11th March.
Paul Skelton - Workshop Technician
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Easter Holidays:
Monday 6th April - Monday 20th April inclusive.
School commences again on Tuesday 21st April.
BUT YEAR 10 PLEASE NOTE
Work Experience commences on Monday 20th April.
STOP PRESS - Further information about Book Week
Boys will be able to buy books throughout the week but particularly on Wednesday 18th March when the mobile bookshop will be in school.
