Issue 82
February 2024
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From the Headteacher - David Hudson
Dear Parents and Guardians As ever, we have enjoyed lots of exciting extracurricular activities this month and you will see a flavour of these in the following pages. I do have to put House Music up front. It was a magnificent evening, hosted in an amazing venue, and an unbelievable opportunity for our students to develop so many musical and personal skills, values and virtues. My thanks, of course, go to Mrs Kay and so many of my colleagues who worked tirelessly to provide this special opportunity. And my particular thanks to Mr Tucker and our judging team of Mr Brewer (guitar teacher), Mr Sheikh (governor), and Ms Sutherland (trainee and performer) for their judgement - I didn’t envy them the task! It is a really important part of our mission as a school to play an active role in our community. I have been so pleased to see how our students are supporting local schools through our outreach work. You will see in this edition the work of our STEMM Ambassadors who visited a primary school recently. This is in addition to the excellent support we provide to Stocklake Park Community School (a co-educational special school) at Christmas, the science festival which we host in the Discovery Centre for Year 5 pupils, and the work of several of our departments to visit local schools.
Sixth Form Spanish Course
A group of 15 students from Year 12 and Year 13 studying Spanish at A Level went to Malaga to attend an intensive course in Spanish. As in previous years they attended lessons in the morning and did a variety of cultural activities in the evening. After an early start on Sunday morning, we arrived at the lovely and lively city of Malaga, in the South of Spain, went for a late lunch and headed down to the port and the seaside. On Monday, after spending their first night with the host families the students attended their first lesson, which wasn't too daunting (or so I have been told). After lunch we visited the Centre Pompidou of Modern Art where a guided visit, in Spanish, made the students think about how Art reflects the Society we live in and how the Society influences the Art. Then we went on a search for the most famous beach in Málaga, La Malagueta. On Tuesday, after another morning's intensive session at the Language School, Enforex Málaga, we spent the afternoon at the Alcazaba, a Moorish-style mediaeval fortress, and Gibralfaro Castle, both of them overlooking the city of Malaga and the sea.
On Wednesday we went for a day trip, visiting the ancient town of Ronda, high up in the mountains in the morning and Puerto Banús in the afternoon where Carolina met Antonio Banderas, her favourite actor (well, just the sign with his name on). On Thursday, back to school and a visit to the Thyssen Museum followed by a relaxing cruise along the Malaga coast line to see the sunset. It was a bit cloudy but thoroughly enjoyable. We concluded the evening with a dinner out. On our last day, the rain came to visit, just to say goodbye, but apart from that, we all had a great last day. In the morning, the students attended their last session at the school. We then headed to the Central Market and we ended at the Imagination Museum where we all had a great time taking incredible photos. All in all a great time in Spain, where the students were able to “live the Spanish life” with their host families and practise their speaking skills in a real environment. And to top it all we managed to achieve the RLS 600 Minute Challenge within a week! Finally, big big thanks to Mrs Bell and Mrs Johnson for their great support. Miss Falces - Lead Teacher of Spanish
RLS
Art
'Second Skin' by Kitty Findlay 6S1
6th form Art students were invited to enter the Ironstone Art Competition in January which is currently being held at the Banbury Gallery
Getting to the final judging stage was an achievement in itself, one of the judges, Deborah Smith, Director of the Arts Council Collection, enjoyed seeing the passion and skill applied by the artists. The judging panel had to make some really tough decisions and less than half of entries at the final stage were selected for the exhibition. A total of 55 artworks were finally from the local area selected which included 4 artworks for the under 21 category. We are absolutely thrilled that Kitty Findlay was selected to exhibit her work titled 'Second Skin'. Kitty attended the private view on 1st February and was overwhelmed by the tough calibre of art works on display. Kitty says "I am thrilled to be exhibiting my work alongside so many talented artists and I cannot believe my work is on display, I am so thankful for this amazing opportunity". The Art department is incredibly proud of Kitty's achievement, it is testament to her commitment and passion for the Arts, well done Kitty! This exhibition features the best recent work by artists from our region, chosen by a panel of independent judges including broadcaster and Art Dealer Philip Mould OBE, Paul Hobson, Director of Modern Art Oxford and Deborah Smith, Director of the Arts Council
Year 11 Trip to NHM Thursday 25th January From Mrs Vinall, Head of Biology
The Biology department took Year 11 students to the Natural History museum in London for a fantastic day of learning related to their GCSE Biology course. A fabulous day was had by both students and staff and as always our enthusiastic students were a real credit to the school. During the day we also bumped into an Old Latin, Neil, who is now a curator of fossil mammals at the museum. He came over to say hello after recognising Mrs Payton, his GCSE Biology teacher… As the saying goes - Once a Latin, always a Latin! From Alice du Plessis 11N: On Thursday 25th January, the Biology department took Year 11 to London to visit the Natural History Museum. Upon our arrival at the museum, the first thing we did was find Mr Jenkins' quiz and begin looking through the questions, filling in those we knew the answers to and noting where we needed to go to find the rest. Then, we went to the mammals section. I found the Jerboa (an animal I've only vaguely heard of) extremely cute with its gangly long legs.
House Music 2024
On 7th February our annual House Music event took place at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. We had nearly 200 students involved this year, and the students performed to an audience of over 600: the biggest audience we’ve seen yet for House Music! The students put on an incredible show. Myself, Mr Tucker (Head of Music) and the six House Champions (Dr Pye, Rev Harrison-Potts, Mr Dalzell, Mr Coleman, Mr Jenkins and Mr Maskery) were incredibly impressed by the professionalism and flair with which our students performed. It was an absolute pleasure to see them taking such enjoyment from their performance and their LATIN Virtues shone through by the bucketload. Most notable was the teamwork which students displayed in their Houses, looking after one another with compassion the whole time. Our judging panel of Mr Tucker, Mr Sheikh (Governor), Mr Brewer (RLS Guitar Teacher) and Ms Sutherland (trainee Music teacher and performer), found the judging was very difficult this year due to the high standard of all of the performances. In the end, Verney were triumphant and raised the House Cup at the end of the show. Well done to Verney and Mr Maskery. A huge thank you from me to all of the wonderful staff, students and parents who make House Music such a pleasure to work on. Would you believe it, students have already started planning for next year! Mrs Kay - Assistant Headteacher
From Isaiah 7V ‘House music is a great opportunity to perform and have fun with other students. In this period I have seen and worked with many extremely talented people in my house (Verney) and all the other houses. House Music shows all the Latin virtues from house captains LEADING us to older students NURTURING younger students. As it was my first time at House Music I had a fantastic time and was welcomed into the community straight away. Everybody was extremely supportive and overall the experience was absolutely AMAZING. OH……….. And we won!!!’
Triumphant Verney!
From Marcus 6S3 House Music is such a unique event that very few schools get to experience anything remotely like. It gives so many students a degree of unparalleled enjoyment - everyone I spoke to during the event and after had an absolute blast, and as houses, it's a joy to rehearse for months on end - performing at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre truly is like nothing else. For some of the students in younger years, I don't think they quite realize the extent of how unique House Music is, but I know in the 6th form it truly means a lot. For many of us, these events are quite nostalgic in a way, as we're the only years that have seen the event from its inception to now. Throughout my time at RLS, House Music events have been one of the few times where the house comes together irrespective of age, and a lot of us remember past House Captains and musicians who left their mark on our houses - I think that's quite special. We savour every moment of the event and the experience is something that will stick with us for the rest of our lives. I caught up with an alumni from last year who came back to watch, and after the event, he said to me 'I miss House Music so much'. I think that says it all right there.
The Multi-faith room is a new addition to our school community. We are blessed to have many different religions practiced and represented at the Latin and it’s important that our school community can celebrate different Holy days and festivals. The Multi-faith room is a place that students and staff can use for prayer and reflection. We look forward in the next few months to celebrate Holi, Easter and Eid. Come and join us on a Monday lunchtime!
Mr Hudson cuts the ribbon and opens the Multi-Faith room - 29th January 2024
Students from different Year groups and religions as well as our Religious Diversity Captains added prayers to the Prayer Tree and then enjoyed a delicious selection of cakes. Most religions celebrate with food so it is safe to say food will always be involved in our gatherings. From Rev Harrison-Potts - Teacher of Philosophy & Religion
British Biology Olympiad Competition February 2024 By Mrs Colville
On Thursday 1st February, a small group of our Year 13 Biology students took part in the British Biology Olympiad (BBO) Competition, which is run by the Royal Society of Biology. The BBO challenges and stimulates students with an interest in biology to expand and extend their talents. It enables students to demonstrate their knowledge and to be suitably rewarded with publicly recognised certificates and medals. The BBO is open to students in post-16 education studying at school or college. The competition consists of two, multiple choice exam papers taken online, supervised by a member of staff, to ensure it is completed under exam conditions. The questions in the papers include A-level standard questions, along with a number of more challenging questions which require students to have done extra reading in their subject, and be able to apply their ideas to a range of unfamiliar contexts. Over 10,000 students from more than 700 schools worldwide took part in this year's competition. All our entrants did extremely well and most students scored highly enough to receive an award: Our student results were: Silver Award Sophie Govan Nicholas Allen Bronze Award Rayyan Khan Our students really did themselves proud, showing excellent subject knowledge and understanding, as well as the skills needed to apply these ideas to new and unfamiliar contexts.
This month's recommendation is 'Foxlight' by Katya Balen Fiction - Young Adult - Fantasy
If you like the book above, try this: 'Kiran Millwood Hargrave creates a spellbinding world of magic, myth and adventure' Emma Carroll
Welcome to our February reading article
Family Difficulties - Adventure
From the author of "October, October" comes a heartbreaking and heartwarming story about sisterhood, found family and accepting love in the most unusual and unknown places. Fen and Rey were found curled up small and tight in the fiery fur of the foxes at the very edge of the wildlands. Fen is loud and fierce and free. She feels a connection to foxes and a calling from the wild that she's desperate to return to. Rey is quiet and shy and an expert on nature. She reads about the birds, feeds the lands and nurtures the world around her. They are twin sisters. Different and the same. Separate and connected. They will always have each other, even if they don't have a mother and don't know their beginning. But they do want answers. Answers to who their mother is and where she might be. What their story is and how it began.
From the English Department
Congratulations to everyone who signed up for the 600 Minute challenge during February! We hope you have managed to enjoy some fun activity and fresh air (in spite of the recent very wet weather!) while you racked up your 600 minutes or more. Don't forget to tell us at the end of February that you've completed the challenge, by filling in the completion form (especially for students who are then entitled to claim their 5 house points) Also, students who signed up before 9th February can claim a 600 Minute Challenge wristband from the PE department (while stocks last!) - so don't forget to your pick up yours if you haven't already. Finally, it would be great to see what everyone has been up to. Share your photos @theRoyalLatin on X (formerly Twitter) with #600MinuteChallenge
Royal Latin School Shop If you haven't yet purchased your commemorative 600th anniversary items, these are still available, along with a variety of other Royal Latin School items, at the Royal Latin School online shop. Orders can be posted to your home address or collected in school by current students. Visit: www.royallatin.org/shop
Here
CloudyIT Foundation welcomes RLS students Sixteen innovative RLS students have signed up to the next programme of IT activities offered by local IT experts CloudyIT. Over 8 weeks, students will get to experience designing and creating a Microsoft PowerApp under the guidance of tutors, partners and sponsoring businesses. They will also be able to tap into the expertise of educational mentors (including Microsoft, The Peter Jones Foundation, QA, and Bucks Skills Hub). It is no surprise that students are looking forward to developing their business, digital and interpersonal skills in what is surely a fantastic opportunity. The CloudyIT Foundation has an impressive track record of being community-minded and helping young people develop essential skills, boosting their CVs and confidence. To volunteer or partner with the CloudyIT Foundation, please see: https://cloudyfoundation.org.uk/ The CloudyIT Foundation are hosting a Charity Black Tie Dinner on March 23rd. Tickets are available