Spanish

Food has been on our minds in Year 7 and 8 Spanish this term!

Pupils in year 7 created dialogues in the cafe and performed these in their final lessons this term. There were some very demanding customers and expensive items!

Year 8 were adventurous and tried lots of different hispanic dishes, including quesadillas, olives, churros, Spanish tortilla, gazpacho and Manchego cheese. All the pupils got involved with making, tasting and rating the dishes. Churros provided very popular but also Spanish tortillas.

Finally Year 9 got to grips with the controversial topic of bullfighting and discussed whether or not this should be banned.

The Wallace Collection project

This term, as part of our ongoing creative collaboration with the Wallace Collection, our Year 7 students embarked on an exciting project to create mini booklets exploring the museum's incredible artefacts. Working in groups of three, they spent the term experimenting with mixed media and drawing inspiration from the rich collection of exhibits. The result was a series of fascinating and creative works of art that showcase their collaborative efforts and artistic talents.

Art

Year 7 have been studying The Scream by Edvard Munch and used this as a stimulus for their own work. Pupils began by discussing the painting and the themes then did a tracing followed by a free-hand line drawing, and finally they created a clay model and a background in front of which to pose the model.

Below left, work by Noah, below right, work by Musa.

Swimming Championship Final

After coming first in the SEND U18 Swim Championship qualifying rounds in November, SMBS was invited to compete in the finals against secondary schools from London, Suffolk, and Essex.

SMBS won this competition in 2022 and 2023, so there was a lot of optimism upon arrival. However, it quickly became apparent that many schools had adopted SMBS’s successful template from previous years.

After a gruelling four hours of various swimming events, SMBS finished in 4th place. Despite this, the team should be proud of their great effort and attitude. They displayed excellent teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the competition. Although the students felt disappointed, they are determined to come back next year and compete on all fronts.

Football match 

SMBS KS4 students played their final competitive football match of the academic year against The Courtyard - St Mary Magdalene Academy. Knowing it was their last game of the season, the students gave it their all, resulting in an impressive 8-3 victory.

The skills and teamwork on display were comparable to those seen in this year's Euro Finals. The students demonstrated leadership, sportsmanship, and, most importantly, represented the school in the right manner.

Work Experience

In June, our Year 11 students participated in a one-week work experience placement, working with various organisations in the local community, including local primary schools, Oakray and The London Clinic.

The students thoroughly enjoyed their time away from school, engaging with a range of employers and members of the public. The experience provided valuable insights into the world of work.

Students shared lots of positive feedback, gained confidence in a short period, and built strong relationships with the organisations. Employers praised the students' work ethic, eagerness to learn, improved communication skills, and were impressed by their character.

Granville Gardens work experience

This term students have been doing workshops at the Granville Community Garden in South Kilburn. Y9 completed six weeks' work experience, doing tasks including weeding, planting, watering and running a vegetable stall as part of culture day. Some Y8s also visited as part of their intervention, where they made items for the garden such as a birdhouse and plant pots. A highlight was being able to see the flowers they'd planted as part of Enterprise Week back in November! 

Royal Academy success for Year 7 pupil

Year 7 pupil Genesis, has had a piece of his work accepted for the Young Artists Royal Academy Summer online Summer Show 2024.

The Young Artists’ Summer Show is a free, open submission exhibition for students aged 4–19 studying in the UK. Artworks are judged by a panel of passionate artists and arts professionals, with selected artworks displayed online and on-site at the Royal Academy of Arts.

More than 21,000 students participated this year and Genesis' work, Dance when happy, disco happy was selected for the online exhibition. To view the artwork online click here or go to https://youngartists.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/2024 to view the whole online exhibition.

Genesis has also had more success with his artwork, winning the 11-13 category in the Arts Depot Young Artists Exhibition 2024 for his work entitled Birthday Mummy Glasses. 

Congratulations Genesis. Well-deserved recognition for your hard work.

Free access to audio books

We would like to highlight to families these sites where children and young people can access audio books free of charge:

https://www.calibreaudio.org.uk/

https://help.libbyapp.com/en-us/6103.htm
Audio books are available for free but membership of a local library is required.