FOCUS

Half-Term Newsletter

Issue 8 - December 2004

Dear Parents and Students

As usual, the Autumn term has been a busy and eventful term, made more so by the demands of a new Senior Management Team, and the visit of the Ofsted inspectors! We now await the draft Ofsted report, and I will give you details of the report next term. The inspectors gave us some verbal feedback before they left, identifying some of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. One of the strengths which will appear in the report is the very good behaviour and attitudes of our students. I am delighted that this is now recognised as a strength of the school, as I believe the students have worked hard this term to improve their focus and their behaviour, and clearly that has been noticed. One of the weaknesses which will be identified is that there are too many students at the moment who are not achieving to their true potential. This is a challenge to us all - the students themselves need to be aware of their potential, and working hard to achieve it, and the teachers need to be providing challenge and opportunities for students to excel in the classroom and in other school activities. This has been a focus for us already, and we will be building on this further next term.

One of the factors which help students to achieve is a good partnership between parents and the school. I am very pleased with the high levels of attendance by parents and students at our Information Evenings and Parents' Evenings, where we have explained about how we set targets for the students and how we monitor their progress against those targets. This is a very important aspect of the challenge I mentioned above and it is very helpful if parents understand what we are doing so that they can provide support at home. Your next opportunity to contribute to that partnership is on our Academic Review Day on 7 January. Full details of the arrangements for that day will be sent to you separately.

Our refurbishment programme has begun! The builders moved in on 29 November (the same day as the Inpectors!) and have begun work on the changing rooms and toilets on the bottom level of the school. This is just the start. The antiquated toilets on the quad level will be next and the LEA has agreed funding for the refurbishment of the Science Labs and Technology Workshops over the next two years. They will also provide the funding needed to tackle the necessary rendering and roofing repairs. I am very pleased that the LEA has now recognised the urgent need for improved facilities at DGSB, and that our students will very soon be enjoying the quality environment they deserve.

I hope you received my recent letter about the many Christmas activities we have been enjoying at the end of the term, and I hope you have been able to join us for some of them.

As we reach the end of 2004, our thoughts turn to 2005 which is, of course, our Centenary year. The school was founded in 1905 and we will be enjoying a number of events next year to mark the Centenary. We can be proud to be part of a school with such a long tradition, and we want all members of the school community to be part of our celebrations. Representatives of all groups in the school community have been meeting to plan the year, and two of our students, Matthew Rushton and Isaak Wilson have been part of that group. They have written articles for this newsletter giving you more information about what is happening. The first event of our centenary celebrations takes place on Wednesday 5 January, the first day of the Spring term. We have a new school flag, and it will be raised in a short ceremony at 10 a.m. to which you are warmly invited. There is an invitation for the event on the back of this newsletter. We hope you will be able to come.

I cannot finish this letter without paying tribute to the teaching and support staff of the school who have worked incredibly hard this term to provide a quality education for your son, and to prepare for the rigours of an Ofsted inspection. They have shown their dedication and their ability to work as a team with the common aim of taking this school forward and making sure your son gets the opportunity he needs. I am grateful for the welcome I and my new colleagues on the Senior Leadership Group have received. We are fortunate to be working with such a committed group of staff and such a promising group of students.

Next year will be an exciting one, with lots of challenges, and plenty to celebrate. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a good break over Christmas.

Sally Lees
 

Year 13 Trip to Waterloo and Mons
By Devin House - 13 SMA

On a cold Tuesday morning the nine A-level students, Mr Gaskell and Mr Morrissey, as well as five year elevens met at the bottom of the school hill. After getting on the bus and waiting for Mr Gaskell we set off to the docks to catch the 7.30 ferry to Calais. Once through the dock in France some of us tried to catch up on some lost sleep, stretching out on the 40 seater coach that had been sent for the 16 of us, others however used the coaches DVD player to wake them up by watching 'We were soldiers'. The coach, supposedly worth £250,000 according to the driver came equipped with a coffee machine, handy for the weary looking teachers.

After a two and a half hour drive we arrived at the Waterloo battlefield named after the small town a few miles away, where the Duke of Wellington had spent the night before the battle. We then climbed the 226 steps to the top of the monument that overlooks the surrounding area. From the top of this you could see the entire battlefield, the decisive ridge that Wellington hid many of his Redcoats behind and also the decisive farm buildings of Hougoumont, La Haye, Saint and Papelotte.

We then jumped back on the bus for the 45 minute drive to Mons. Our first stop here was the railway bridge over the Canal Du Centre where Lieutenant Dease and Private Godley both held off the German advance for several hours. Dease continued firing his machine gun after being shot three times but inevitably died. Godley, captured by the advancing Germans was put in a PoW camp and found out months later that he and Dease had both been awarded the Victoria Cross. The Plaque under the bridge is dedicated to the two soldiers. After this it was back aboard for the short drive to the site where Corporal E Thomas shot the first British bullet of the war, and the first shot fired in mainland Europe by a British soldier since the end of the battle of Waterloo, a century before. This site was again commemorated by a plaque. Then we headed for our final destination of the day, St Symphorien cemetery where Lieutenant Dease is buried. Also buried at this thought-provoking place are Private Parr, the first British soldier killed in the Great War. Private Ellison, the last British fatality and Canadian Private Price, the last soldier killed in the war just two minutes before the ceasefire.

We then set off on our two hour journey back to Calais, watching another film and reflecting on the day's events. When we arrived at the port we had missed the ferry by a matter of minutes and had to wait an hour until the next. Luckily we had Shrek 2 to keep us entertained. We arrived wearily back at the school at around 8.00 pm. The trip had been a useful one allowing the A-level students in particular to cement their understanding of the two very different battles and wars that these places represent. This information will be valuable as we write up our coursework that the trip was designed to help us with.

Year 11 History Trip to Berlin
By Richard Biggs - 11 Priory

On Thursday 11 November, eighteen Year 11 students left Stansted Airport on a Ryanair flight to Berlin Shonefeld, after a rendezvous with Special Agent Matt Hargreaves of MI6 at the London Airport.

Upon arriving in Germany, we took a lengthy S?Bahn (underground train) journey into Kreuzberg (formerly in the American sector of Berlin), we settled into the youth hostel.

We were allowed to sleep in until about 9.00 a.m. when we met and planned our itinerary for the day; first up was Checkpoint Charlie.

We walked through the cold streets of Berlin for about ten minutes before arriving at the gateway between East and West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie was so called because it was the third point from West to East. The museum was very interesting, ranging from the inspiring - innovative escape attempts, including home made military uniforms - to the despicable. Peter Fechter was just an 18-year-old boy when he was shot trying to cross the wall. As he lay there screaming and bleeding to death, Western soldiers were trying to help him but did not cross the wall for fear of sparking a war.

From there, we rushed off to the Stasi Headquarters. In East Berlin, the government were constantly paranoid of a coup, and so kept a tight leash on their citizens. The stasi, or secret police, were an agency with the purpose of spying on all citizens of East Berlin. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the museum from a former citizen of the GDR. The tour was very informative, and we saw lots of interesting spying techniques such as hidden cameras in watering cans.

We then proceeded to a part of the Berlin Wall known as the 'East Side Gallery'. This is the best?preserved section of the Berlin Wall, as a number of modern artists were commissioned to paint their interpretations of the social consequences of the wall. Along a 2km stretch of wall, dozens of paintings were on display.

From the East Side Gallery, we walked to Kurferstendamm - the Berlin equivalent of Oxford Street - for a late lunch. When the wall came down in 1981, the East Germans flocked to this part of West Berlin. We spent an hour and a half looking through the shops, before we met up again at the large church just off Kurferstendamm.

We then took the S?Bahn to Potsdamer Platz; undoubtedly one of the most impressive and modern parts of Berlin. The Sony Centre featured some very modern and dynamic architecture, and there was lots of interesting things to do and see.

We took a long walk to the Reichstag, and after a lengthy wait in the queue, we ascended in the elevator to the amazing architectural structure added to the top of the Reichstag. A spiralling ramp with a heavy theme of mirrors led to a high floor with glass windows to see the Berlin skyline. This would be our final sight for Friday and everyone went to bed and straight to sleep when we returned to the youth hostel.

The next morning we took the train to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. We took a tour of the site, which featured a museum dedicated to past captives of the camp, a reconstructed 'barracks' where prisoners would be kept and an impressive Soviet memorial to Russian captives in the Nazi occupied camp. Unfortunately, the crematoria were shut when we visited the camp.

We then took the long train ride from Sachsenhausen north of Berlin, to Potsdam which is south of Berlin. We took a guided tour of the Potsdam Palace; the location for the conference that undoubtedly kicked off the Cold War. The Palace was very interesting and the guide was very informative.

After some free time in Potsdam, we went to the TV tower. This impressive structure was built in 1969 in the Eastern section of Germany to showcase 'soviet superiority'. It features a revolving restaurant which some of us ate at, while the others explored the town. We then went back to the hostel.

The next morning we had to get up extra early to catch the flight back home to arrive in England at 11.10 a.m.

Year 10 Somme Trip Report
By Sam Coates - 10 Castle

Being one of the biggest battles on the Western front, the Somme had a huge part to play in the balance of the First World War. With nearly a million casualties this campaign of trenches and artillery this battle was a perfect place to see the horror of the war and the huge reality of the Great War.

Having studied this part of World War One for the first half term, Year 10 took the Euro Tunnel to Calais and took a bus to Lochnagar Crater. This 70 by 90 foot crater was blown up by the 34th Division as a diversion for a push forward on the 1 June at 7.28 a.m. Many of these huge land craters are scattered in this part of France, but this was the biggest of all.

After ten minutes of circling this huge crack in the ground, we moved onto Thiepval, where the biggest monument of missing British and South African is built. This 150 foot tall memorial was unveiled in 1932 and has 73,537 names on it. This monument showed how so many men could go missing in a war, and all be able to be portrayed on a 150 foot monument.

We then moved to Beaumont Hamel where we saw an actual battle site and saw the lines of trenches winding through the empty space of each enemies line. With only 100 yards of No Mans Land between each, it is easy to see how a machine gun could easily cut down men running with no cover. This park is actually commemorated to Newfoundlanders, a country between USA and Canada, who fought for the Allies and of the 800 who fought on the first day of the battle here, around 650 were killed. A Caribou, statue of a Stag, represents these men who died on this plane and fought for justice in the war.

Finally we went to Serre Road Cemetery 2, the biggest cemetery on the Western Front with over 7,000 people buried here, two thirds of which are unknown bodies. The view of continuous headstones was unbelievable, as all had been men before and died around the area, and most were unable to be identified and buried back in Britain.

English Trip Inferno
By Matthew Goodbun - 11 Castle

Pupils from Mrs Clough's and Mr Thomas' Year 11 English sets went to watch 'Lord of the Flies' at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury last month. We had been reading the book as part of our English Literature GCSE course.

We were in high spirits as we set off on the short journey up to Canterbury. At least that's what we thought…

Upon reaching Canterbury we realised all was not well. Clouds of smoke covered large parts of the city and traffic had been brought to a standstill. It soon dawned upon us that we weren't going to make it to the theatre on time. We were oblivious to the fact that Courts furniture store was burning to the ground as we sat impatiently on the coach.

We eventually arrived at the theatre having missed the first part of the play. What we saw of it was very good, with impressive choreography and a well designed set. We also stayed for question and answer session with the actors and gained an insight into the world of theatre for young actors today. It was disappointing to not have seen the whole thing.

Many thanks go to Mrs Clough for arranging the trip; it was just unfortunate that it didn't run as smoothly as we had expected it to.

Year 13 Psychology Conference

A group of Year 13 Psychology students, shepherded by Ms Ball, enjoyed an interesting and entertaining psychology conference in London on 15 November.

Highlights of the varied day included a fast and furious talk about gambling addiction by Mark Griffiths, who explained the many reasons why fruit machines are so seductive. The Chief Examiner, Phil Banyard, gave the students some novel tips on how to reduce exam stress.

The climax of the afternoon was a highly practical session on hypnotism by Andrew Newton, a famous stage hypnotist. This involved the willing Dover Grammar School for Boys volunteer Joe 'Mr Purple Shirt' Williams being put to sleep on stage for several minutes, which rendered him incapable of making even a single joke about The Titanic. Other volunteers were made to forget the number 7 and even their own names. Anyone originally sceptical was left in no doubt about the power and potential of hypnotism by the time the conference had finished.

Modern Foreign Languages

Thanks and well done for the good attitude and effort of those students in Year 11 who took their mock oral exams very seriously.
Mrs F Lloyd
Subject Leader for Modern Foreign Languages

Mathematics News

On 1st December a group of year 11, 12 and 13 students attended a lecture at the University of Canterbury entitled 'Magic, Mathematics and the Electric Guitar'.

The lecturer, Dr David Acheson, of Jesus College Oxford kept us entertained for an hour and a half demonstrating catastrophe theory with a curtain rod, vortex leapfrogging with a computer simulation and a mean talent for playing jazz guitar.

I was surprised that at no point did he try to plug his latest book '1089 And All That' which at a most reasonable £12.99 would make an ideal Christmas present for any secondary school student and is available from all good book sellers as well as the school library.

We are hoping to arrange further trips of a mathematical nature in the New Year so watch this space.

Finally on a seasonal note please remember that a calculator is not just for Christmas but for life (although in a number of cases it would be helpful if initially it was for Christmas).
Mr Bob Frost

School Library News

Thank you to all staff, pupils and friends who supported the Library during and leading up to the 'Book Sale' week. All donations for sale were gratefully received with many books looking brand new. I am pleased to report that to date we have raised £246.20p for the Business Enterprise Bid.
Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year.
Mrs Linda George
School Librarian

Parents and Friends Association
'2nd Time Around' Uniform

Do you need to replace an item of your sons uniform or sports kit? The PFA has a stock of 'As good as new' clothes available in most sizes at reasonable prices.
Interested? Contact Christine Neilson on 01304 360074

The PFA would like to wish all boys and parents a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Also a big thank you goes to all of you who have supported and taken part in the PFA activities organised throughout the year. Many more events are planned for 2005, the Centenary year of the school. Our first event will be the Wine and Wisdom evening in February - please see attached letter. We will be receiving £1 for £1 from Barclays Bank so please give your support on that night.

Skeletal Study

Mr Gaskell has recently started an archaeology club for boys in 7 Castle. We have been studying a 4000-year-old skeleton of a Bronze Age man, found at Haynes farm in between Shepherdswell and Eythorne.

At first we thought it was female, but then I noticed a straight edge on the pelvis, where on that of a female it is curved. Dominic West is doing fantastically with piecing together the skull for further identification.

We think the man died age 20-21, because in places the bones had not finished fusing together, and Jamie Dray confirmed this by studying the teeth.

We think the height of this man ranged between 167.29 to 168.584 cm. I would like to thank Toby Crouch for helping to work this out.

There are some bones that we do not have, as the field in which this skeleton was found has been ploughed over many times and there are some bones we have not yet identified.

My thanks for their help also go to Toby Fuller, Matthew Chant and Elliot Bullock

Congratulations to Sam Gore of 11 Channel who has been selected to attend a six week trial at Gillingham Football Club.


On January 5 2005, the first day we come back from an enjoyable Christmas (hopefully), there is the first day of the New Year and also, the first day of the school's Centenary.

When this comes around there will be a new flag and a new tie. The students will have already seen the new flag on Wednesday's assembly. The new tie, designed by Matthew Farrow of 7 Channel, will be available for purchase during the year at a price which has not yet been confirmed by Mrs Lees and the PFA. The tie will include the logo at the top of the tie and will be given, hopefully as a gift to all of the new Year 7s.

We hope you enjoy the New Year and hope that we, as a school, can make this event one of the most historical in Dover's history.
Article by Matthew Rushton of 10 Castle

As you all know next year is the DGSB Centenary Year. As part of this celebration it has been decided that we should raise a flag every day of that school year. It will be designed in quarters, one colour for each house, with the crest in the centre. The flag will be raised on January 5 by the Head Prefect and the youngest student in the school. There will be two student trumpeters to play a fanfare. As well as that the press and the BBC South East will be invited. Governors, Old Pharosians, Parents and Representatives of the community will all be there. Students can watch proudly as their school flag is raised. There will then be refreshments for the visitors.
Article by Izaak Wilson of 8 Priory