Blog week ending 11th December

At Stone Lodge, we believe that every lesson is an opportunity to shine. Our Golden Ticket Scheme celebrates the effort, creativity, and determination of our students.

In every lesson, one student is recognised with a Golden Ticket for demonstrating something special, whether it’s outstanding work, enthusiastic engagement, a spark of initiative, or simply going the extra mile. These tickets aren’t just pieces of paper; they’re a symbol of the pride we take in our students’ achievements and the positive culture we’re building together.

The scheme ensures that recognition is spread widely across the school community, highlighting the everyday moments of brilliance that make our classrooms inspiring places to learn. It’s about celebrating not only academic success but also the attitudes and actions that help everyone thrive.

In this Blog we have shared a selection of Golden Ticket winners and the fantastic contributions they’re making. Each Golden Ticket recipient is entered into a House draw – with a winning ticket being selected by a student at random from each House box during our Celebration Assemblies. Each student drawn from the box receives a £10 Amazon voucher!

Miss Haynes Year 8 English students are studying Julius Caesar and in this lesson are exploring speeches with a focus on persuasion and rhetoric. Students contributed excellent views and points to the discussion – ‘was Brutus right to kill Caesar, or was Brutus wrong?’ Henry was the recipient of Miss Haynes’ Golden Ticket “Henry consistently makes positive and insightful contributions to class discussions”

Mr Bailey’s Year 8 Drama students have been using stock masks to support their studies of Romeo and Juliet. Students use the masks to represent a range of characters in set-pieces helping their characterisation and emotional performance. Mr Bailey presented the Golden Ticket to Jack H of 8G saying “for his brilliant contributions in class, be that during class discussions, reading aloud or performing”

Miss Dodson’s Year 10 GCSE Art students are currently working on a ‘natural form’ project. Students used a range of stimuli including the work of artist Yayoi Kusama and photographer Karl Blossfeldt to create their own pieces with accompanying notes explaining their methods and inspirations. Sam S was presented with the lesson’s Golden Ticket with Miss Dodson adding “despite working to a tight deadline, Sam has produced some stunning work with comprehensive notes”

Update from the Library – The Magic of Christmas: A Time to Reflect and Get Cosy with a BookBuzz Book! 

This week, students in Years 7 and 8 have been treated to a special library lesson, featuring the incredible Meryl Streep reading “The Three Questions”, a children’s book by Jon J Muth adapted from a short story by Leo Tolstoy.

The story is loved by children and adults alike. Nikolai is a boy (a King in the original Tolstoy version) who yearns to be a good person, but he doesn’t know how, so he asks himself three questions: “When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?”

Through his actions, he discovers that the answers are found in compassion, mindfulness, and the importance of being present for others.

At its core, the story teaches us that;

• The most important time is now.
• The most necessary person is the one you are with at the moment.
• The most important thing to do is to do good for that person.

Meryl Streep read “The Three Questions” for Storyline Online®, The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Foundation Children’s Literacy Program for which she won the Children’s and Family Emmy® Award for the narration of the book. The program aims to inspire a love of reading in children by featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books aloud. I think it is a brilliant initiative and a trusted educational resource that encourages not only reading but storytelling and supports literacy development globally.

I am also happy to share that our Year 7 and 8 students have now received a very special Christmas gift – BookBuzz books so as they get caught up in the festive whirlwind, please remind them to take a moment to curl up with the book and let the magic of reading transport them to another world. I am sure they will have many opportunities to grab a book, find a cosy spot, and get lost in a story during Christmas!

I would like to add a very special thank you to the parent that donated some beautiful books to our library – they are already in circulation!

Happy reading, and Merry Christmas! Mrs Nguyen, Librarian

Year 11 GCSE Science students are currently exploring the kinetic theory in physics – heat transfer to changes of state. In the featured lesson students were conducting an investigation into the heating curve. Mrs Masoud was impressed with the classes’ scientific approach to the investigation.

Mrs Mohankumar’s Year 7 Biologists took part in a practical lesson to dissect a chicken wing as part of their study of joints. Mrs Mohankumar was incredibly impressed at the mature way students went about their investigation, working in a scientific manner to correctly identify ligaments, joints and muscle. Great work everyone!

Mrs Burgess’ Year 8 English students have been studying Hamlet, and specifically in the featured lesson, exploring Hamlet’s soliloquy early on in the play. Using Hamlet’s soliloquy, students had to create their own blackout poem that reflected Hamlet’s thoughts and feelings. Blackout poetry involves taking a pre-existing text and using a black marker to obscure the words that the poet does not want to include.  The remaining words are then arranged to create a new poem. 

Beau K received a Golden Ticket for her excellent and evocative poem.

Year 13 Business Trip to Stratford. Year 13 Business A Level students attended an educational visit to Tutors 2 U Revision Workshop - A Level Business Strong Foundations in Stratford.  

The company took over the Vue Cinema to host many post-16 subject sessions with Business being one of them. The students got to meet various presenters who showcased a carousel of lectures to help support them with Revision techniques, Essay structure styles and various analytical and evaluative skills with physical resources to guide them as well for their upcoming exams next year.  

 The morning sessions focused on how to develop answers to get top marks, and the afternoon session was a fun and fast paced revision blast focusing mainly on quantitative skills and numerical concepts. 

Jack R said ‘The business trip was a good experience and opportunity for students to solidify their knowledge with examiners and experts with regards to structure, top tips, and any traps that may be set or seen within the questions. This was, overall, a useful activity for those who were already confident to lock in and affirm their knowledge’.

Mr Bailey’s GCSE Drama students have now completed their mock exam of Component 2 – he commented, “I am incredibly proud of our Year 10 Over the past few weeks, they have shown outstanding dedication, determination and creativity as they prepared for their practical assessments.

From memorising demanding lines to shaping detailed character performances, students have worked to bring a wonderful selection of plays to the stage. This year’s pieces included Dear England, Lord of the Flies, DNA, Polar Bears and Blood Brothers; a vibrant and challenging mix that truly showcased the range and talent within the cohort.

One class are lucky enough to have not one, but two lighting designers contributing to their work. Their collaborative efforts with the performers added an exciting professional dimension and helped bring each script to life in dynamic and imaginative ways. Well done, Year 10! Your hard work, teamwork and passion for Drama have shone through. We can’t wait to see what you create next.”

Wonderful news! Please join me in congratulating Mr Poole and his wife on the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Florence – mother, baby .. and Mr Poole are thriving!!

Forthcoming Dates;

Year 11 Parents’ Evening – 11 Dec 4-7pm (tonight!)

Student Celebration Week – commences 15 Dec

Christmas Lunch & Jumper Day – 18 Dec

Last Day of Term 2 – 19 Dec 12.10pm

First Day of Term 3 – 5 Jan

Year 13 Mock Exams commence – 19 Jan

Best wishes,

Catherine Cusick

Headteacher