June's Monthly Newsletter

Welcome to Kensington's June newsletter edition, the last of the academic year 2020/21

A WELCOME FROM THE HEADMASTER, Mr Michael Bayes

This most unusual of school years has ended on a very high note indeed. During the final morning of term three delightful assemblies were held with the sound of joyful clapping resonating around the building from the gym and canteen as students of all ages received awards for their outstanding achievements. The celebratory spirit of Sarria Theatre, our normal venue for such prize giving ceremonies, pervaded the school as countless pupils were awarded certificates of all descriptions in addition to books, trophies, Sant Jordi gifts and valuable store vouchers.

Sadly, of course, this is the time of year to say farewell to those members of the Kensington community who will not be returning in September. Whether you are heading off to another country, going up to university or changing schools our message is the same – do stay in touch, visit us when you can, strive to achieve your best and keep working hard.

We offer our very best wishes to all leavers for future success. Although you may have left the school building you are still, and will always be, members of our Kensington family. To echo the words of Mr Duncan Giles in the senior school assemblies this is, at its very core, very much a family school which will keep its distinctively homely identity at a time when so many other schools are becoming corporate entities.

Special mention must be made of two teachers who are embarking on a richly deserved retirement. Both Mrs Douglas and Miss Nock have given their entire professional lives (together amounting to over 80 years!) to serving generations of Kensington's younger pupils. Their belief in traditional educational values has enriched the lives of literally thousands of children. They will, of course, be sorely missed and we wish them many happy and healthy golden years.

The owners, every summer, invest in a large capital project to ensure that our facilities are constantly being updated and improved. Two years ago the sports pitch was radically transformed and the focus last summer was on the splendid new theatre. These developments have significantly enhanced the day-to-day school experience for our pupils and in the coming months yet another project will be realised.

We are providing exciting new spaces for our Junior School children with two multi-purpose rooms for educationally creative pursuits in addition to a huge improvement to our Nursery.

Given the extent and broad scope of these works there is simply not enough time in July and August to complete the upgrade but the final result will be well worth the small logistical inconveniences of September.

Looking forward to the next academic year we very much hope that our school lives will return to a more normal structure. Clearly that will depend on the evolution of the pandemic but our Kensington Covid-19 committee is optimistic that, following our August meeting, we will be able to announce a far less restrictive modus operandi for 2021/22.

On that cautiously optimistic note I will conclude by wishing all members of our vibrant and very diverse Kensington Family a very happy, relaxing and safe summer vacation. We look forward to greeting you again at the school gate on Monday September 6 th recharged, refreshed and raring -to-go to acquire even more skills, values and knowledge – and have fun in the process!

Happy Holidays

A NOTE FROM THE HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL, Mr Steve Evans

June has been a month packed with assessments, performances, fun excursions and goodbyes. Congratulations to all the staff and pupils upon completion of our toughest year.

We bid farewell and wish a happy long retirement to two our dearest and long-standing teachers: Miss Nock and Mrs Douglas. They have been teaching at Kensington for over 40 years and have made such an impact on all the children who have passed through their classes. We will miss them but hope they enjoy a very well-deserved next chapter!

In September we look forward to welcoming Miss Lucy, our new language teacher, and Miss Sonya who will teach J4.

Well done to the children from J2-J6 who all made very promising progress with their reading assessments. Thanks are owed to our wonderful parent volunteers who gave up their time throughout the year to help some of pupils with additional reading sessions online.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer with hope that September will bring back the usual routine.

EARLY YEARS

Every week Reception students have been making edible treats, to end of the term they made ice creams using 3D shapes.

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J1 & J2

Can Rigol

J1 and J2 had a lovely day out at Can Rigol farm to end the term. They were introduced to all the animals and had the chance to hold and touch many of them.

They fed the goats and Orielletes the donkey gave them a ride in the cart. The children then worked hard, mucking out the donkeys’ stable. As it was a very hot day, they cooled down under the water spray. They also had fun playing in the wooden dens and sandpit.

What a great way to end a weirdly wonderful academic year!

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Can Caralleu

Students enjoyed a Forest School activity, (in Can Caralleu), led by Jerry. He asked them to think about the differences between the woods and the city and about how we should respect the natural world. The children set off to explore the woods and found what appeared to be a dried up riverbed. Jerry told them that it was forecast to rain soon and that some small creatures, (which the children thought must be fairies), would return to live by the river. The children decided to help by building them some houses, schools and so on.

J3

Junior 3 students go on an end of year trip to Vallparadis as well as a fun filled and exciting trip bowling.

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J5

Junior 5 student's have been on three trips this month, a few joint with the Junior 6 students which has been a special treat to be out of school with the older students who will soon move up to the Senior School. Take a look at all they have been up to!

Aventurina

J5 and J6 enjoyed a trip out to Can Fusteret Aventurina. They took part in several workshops, learning how to break up and recycle glass and were also able to make and decorate their own glass souvenirs to take home.

La Granja

J5 and J6 took part in a day of adventure and team building activities at La Granja, near Montseny. The pupils learnt how to work together in groups to solve different challenges and in pairs, guiding their blindfolded partners around an obstacle course. We had a great day out and learnt lots of interesting ideas as well.

Olympic Canal

For the final trip of the year, J5 and J6 went to the Olympic Canal for a day of fun activities. We started with archery and then the pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the inflatable obstacle course on the canal. To end the day we had great fun in two man kayaks, where most of the pupils also enjoyed a swim at the same time!

Debate Week

In the last week of school, J5 enjoyed a debating week. The pupils were challenged to work in a small team to research and write their own speeches, before delivering them to the class at the end of the week. We enjoyed listening to two very high quality debates, one about whether zoos should be banned and one about whether space travel is a waste of money. All pupils impressed with their public speaking abilities.

Visit to Pueblo Español

J5 and J6 visited El Pueblo Español. They learnt about Las comunidades autónomas y Las fiestas españolas. They took part in a scavenger hunt and had fun in the slides.

J6

Junior 6 students have been on a series of trips to replace summer camp at the end of this term. They've had an absolute ball! Look at all they have been up to:

Poble Español
A trip to Poble Español organised by the Spanish department. J5 and J6 enjoyed having the opportunity to practice their Spanish. They learned about the architecture in different areas across Spain, as well as learning about festivals celebrated around Spain.

Aventurina
J5 and J6 had a wonderful time at Avenutrina. They learned about glass recycling and even made some beautiful ornaments out of glass.

La Granja
On our visit to La Granja J5 and J6 had a wonderful day in the mountains. They participated in many team building activities which fostered good relationships and gave the opportunity to speak about their feelings and emotions. Of course we also enjoyed a visit to the farm and meeting all the animals!

Olympic Canal
Our final trip was to the Olympic Canal. J5 and J6 had a wonderful day on the penultimate day of term, trying their hand at archery, making a splash on the adventure course and finished off with some kayaking!

Transition Day

As J6 come to the end of their time in the Junior School, a number of events were organised for them to get a feel for life in the Senior School before they move up in September. The first sessions took the form of 2 joint PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) lessons with the current Form 1 group who joined via Google meet.

Both classes discussed the key elements to success in the Senior School while taking part in a number of activities including problem solving "taboo", mindful meditation and creatively constructing a tower from spaghetti and marshmallows. This led on to our first "Transition Day" where J6 students were invited to go up to spend the morning in the Secondary School.

They attended lessons in English, science, maths, geography and art and got to know some of the teachers who'll be teaching them next year. One of the highlights was clearly setting their future Form 1 tutors - the fearless Mr Goodman and Ms Hewitt - on fire during their science lesson (thankfully no tutors were harmed in this experiment!).

It was a really enjoyable morning and a great opportunity for the J6's to get a feel for the change that awaits them in September!

Summer Productions

We celebrated the end of term across the Junior School. Each class put together their own productions and lucky we got them all on video!

A NOTE FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL, Ms Viv Canwell

As this most extraordinary and challenging year came to an end it was lovely to be able to organise for our students some out-of-school activities. Whilst the students in Forms 1 to 3 experienced their first Forest School lessons, we also organised for a trip to an outdoor swimming pool. At the same time the Form 4 and 5 students were demonstrating their skills in the bowling alley and the Sixth Formers attending the celebrated Escher Exhibition at the Maritime Museum.

Before the trips the students had individual meeting with their form tutors. For a few years we have had two or more form tutors working with each form group and this has allowed time for individual target-setting meetings to take place throughout the year. This last meeting was a chance for the students to reflect on the year just gone, for students in Form 3 to discuss their GCSE options and for the Lower 6 pupils to start to chat about their plans for university and beyond!

This has been a most difficult year for our GCSE and A level students and we were delighted to be able to offer them some extra workshops at the end of the year. The Form 5 students enjoyed their A level taster sessions during which they were able to find out exactly what studying for A levels involves. I am sure it will help them to make their final decision on the four subjects they will end up choosing in September.

As the Upper 6 students leave us we were pleased to be able to offer them a choice of workshops. To help them in their future independent life ahead we offered sessions on 'Coping with Loneliness and Anxiety at University', 'An Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation', 'Eating and Travelling on a Budget', 'Finances', 'CV Writing and How to Include Citations and References in Academic Essays'. The French department hosted a 'French Film Appreciation workshop' and Mr Vanderheyden an 'Introduction to Permaculture', and last, but definitely not least, the popular workshops on 'Philosophy' presented by Mr Voller and Mr Very.

Our final assemblies, although sadly not in Sarria Theatre this year, were occasions in which we were able to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our students throughout the year. One of our newer members of staff commented afterwards about the lovely atmosphere in the gym. Our small school does feel like one big family; everybody knows each other and is proud to celebrate each other’s successes.

I wish you all a very happy and relaxing holiday and look forward to welcoming you back to school in September.

Subject Prize Winners

Subject Prize Winners

Form prize winners

Form Prize Winners

F2

Inspired by Claes Oldenburg, Patianne Stevenson and Wayne Thiebaud, F2 students made some fantastic sculptures made out of a range of 3D materials such as cardboard, clay and modroc. Well done F2 artists!

F3

Making Gothic Movies

As part of Form 3's Gothic fiction unit in English, students learn a little about visual media. They study camera techniques; sound, lighting and editing decisions; how to position actors in the frame; and what else to include in what is seen on screen…

...and then they work in groups to make their very own movie of Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale of madness and murder, The Tell-Tale Heart.

Despite Covid restrictions and the difficulties of working as a team in such circumstances, there were excellent productions made, with a very high level of editing and directorial decision-making.

This year's winning movie, produced by Apple, Sania, Riko and JeeHo, can be seen below. Warning: not for the faint-hearted!

Art

Form 3 went on an art trip to visit the American Dream Pop Art exhibition at Caixa Forum. Students were able to view over 200 original artworks by American pop artists from the 1960’s to today, such as Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and Ed Ruscha.

The exhibition provided a fresh and diverse perspective on a period of profound change in North America: civil rights, the Cold War, the space race, the Vietnam war, rock music and counterculture, feminist movements and the questioning of the American dream due to the growing inequality between rich and poor.

The students really enjoyed the trip and will produce artwork inspired by the visit in their art classes back at Kensington. Here are some comments below!

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I liked all the colours, my favourite part was how the ‘American Dream’ dies down at the end.

Clara, Form 3

Form 4

IGCSE geography fieldwork

Our Form 4 IGCSE geography students went to central Barcelona to undertake fieldwork. The purpose of the excursion was to explore how land use and environmental quality changes with distance from central Barcelona to the outer parts of the city.

The students conducted land use surveys at two sites, one in Plaça Catalunya, and the other in El Raval. They also completed Environmental Quality Assessments at each site as well as obtaining carbon dioxide and decibel readings at each site. More sites will be surveyed at a later date nearer to the school.

The data collected will be collated in spreadsheets back in the classroom and the students will then explore different methods of analysing and presenting their findings. Fieldwork is an integral part of IGCSE geography and students are required to answer questions on fieldwork processes in their final exams.

Spanish

Form 4 went on a literary route around Barcelona to experience and see the places where the action of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's Marina takes place. As a result of the trip, the students of Spanish as a Second Language class have written this bilingual article and included some pictures.

Art

F4 GCSE Fine Art students also had the opportunity to visit the American Dream exhibition with Miss Lewis at Caixa Forum in June. Joy, Ashlee, Zach and Milan enjoyed a guided tour of the exhibition, making lots of drawings and analysing the artworks, mostly screenprints, etchings and lithographs by a range of famous American artists such as Andy Warhol, Jim Dine and Ed Ruscha. F4 also enjoyed visiting the M.C. Escher exhibition at the Maritime Museum.

F5

Form 5 GCSE Fine Art students finally had the opportunity to visit the American Dream exhibition with Miss Lewis at CaixaForum in May. Marat, Lydia, Emre, Aya, Leo and Nanya enjoyed a guided tour of the exhibition, making lots of drawings and analysing the artworks to inspire their personal portfolio projects. Artwork on display, on loan from the British Museum, were mostly screenprints, etchings and lithographs by a range of famous American artists such as Andy Warhol, Jim Dine and Ed Ruscha.

PSHE

This year, to supplement our Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) curriculum, Kensington has focused on bringing in external speakers to talk to our students about a range of topics that affect their lives. Without exception, our programme of visiting experts has had a positive impact on our students.

Our first session of the year was a remote one delivered by local organisation, Fundesplai, to our Form 5 students on the dangers of drugs and how to take decisions in scenarios in which drugs might be involved. The students were very positive about the way the presenter created discussion and used technology engagingly.

Later in the year, we invited American speaker Avril Louise Clarke, a specialist in sexual education who lives locally, to come in to talk to Forms 3 and 4 about two topics: contraception and pornography. These students found the workshops extremely rewarding, commenting on how much they had learnt on a range of topics, from the sexualisation of women in the media to the different forms of contraception available.

Our final speaker of the year, Rogelio Rubiño, came in and spoke to students from Forms 3 to the Lower 6th about the scarring impact of bullying on young victims, encouraging empathy and tolerance of diversity in society. His harrowing anecdotes had a real impact and led to some students saying they will change their behaviour, for example, "by being more mindful of how harmful words can be" or "being more aware of my actions when it comes to personal relationships."



Our programme of external speakers has been so successful that we intend to invite all of them back next year and in future years to speak to different year groups coming up through the school so that Kensington students have a broad and balanced emotional education concerning real-world topics that affect them deeply.

Spanish

In the Spanish Department, we have created two books in pdf that contain the work done by our students in Senior and Junior School for the Sant Jordi Competition.

We would like to thank all the students for taking part in the Sant Jordi Competition with such enthusiasm and determination this academic year.

This year the originality and variety of the work produced by the student has made the task of choosing the winners a difficult one…

The winners of the Sant Jordi Competition 2021 are:

Juniors

Junior 1 - Mario

Junior 2 - Juhwan

Junior 3 - Marc

Junior 4 - Arman/Tiansa

Junior 5 - Arturo/Emilia

Junior 6 - Lucas/Olive

Seniors

Form 1 - Eva/Zhengyu

Form 2 - Mishel/Sofia

Form 3 - Apple/Jee-Ho

Form 4 - Renata/Zlata

Form 5 - Nikolay/Milana

Lower Sixth - Katinka

Upper Sixth - Carlos

We have created two books with all the work that the students produced in this year's edition of the Sant Jordi Competition.

GCSE Art Exhibitions

A Level Fine Art

Here are some examples of artwork from Minjia’s final A level fine art personal portfolio, investigating the theme of Freedom and captivity and focusing on endangered animals.

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Farewell to our 2021 Upper 6 Graduates

We offer our very best wishes to all leavers for future success. Although you may have left the school building you are still, and will always be, members of our Kensington family.

Prize Giving

We as a whole school celebrate all of the years achievements and accomplishments at our annual prize giving ceremony.

This year has been a challenging one everyone and we are exceptionally proud of students and staff for all they have accomplished and overcome this year.


Congratulations to all of our prize winners!

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Congratulations to all of our students in Victoria, who together won the house championship this academic year!

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