Parent and pupil newsletter 31 Jan 2019

Holocaust memorial Assembly

Sunday 27th January was International Holocaust Remembrance Day where nations across the world remember the terrible events which took place in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. It commemorates the genocide that resulted in the death of an estimated 6 million Jews, 8.7 million Slavs, 1.8 million ethnic Poles, 220,000 Romani people, 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people, 312,000 Serb civilians, 1,900 Jehovah’s Witnesses, 70,000 political dissidents and homosexual men, by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

To help mark this event Mr Corcut gave a very moving assembly telling the story of Auschwitz and some of the people who suffered and died there.

Academic interviews

All students will be meeting their academic tutor over the coming days to review their work and to help them prepare for our assessment week in the week of 11th February. Tutors will talk through revision plans, homework completion and approaches to classwork.

Particle Physics Lectures

On Tuesday 5th March year 13 physics students will be visiting the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories in Oxford to take part in the particle physics lectures and masterclasses.

These events are primarily intended for those students taking modules which include particle physics at ‘A’ or ‘AS’ level, but are also open to any physics student or teacher interested in studying or teaching the subject. The masterclasses will consist of a mixture of talks given by researchers in the Particle Physics Department, hands-on practical sessions and visits to experimental facilities.

The very first masterclass at RAL was held in 1998 when they entertained 114 students from ten different schools. Popularity increased and in the year 2000 they attracted over 200 students and separate masterclasses had to be organised over two days to cope with the numbers! This demand continued in 2001 with attendance having to be restricted to 245 students from 19 schools. In 2002 the format changed to a three day format and now runs over four days accommodating approximately 1000 participants. Events such as these are an important part of preparation for exams and will help students gain the top grades at A level.