Blog week ending 16th October

Celebrating Achievement, Inclusivity and Kindness. As approach the end of the term, I’m delighted to reflect on the incredible spirit of our school community. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen our values of achievement, inclusivity and kindness come to life in the most inspiring ways.

Our recent celebration House Assemblies were a joyful reminder of the hard work, dedication and progress our students have made, both academically and personally. It was wonderful to see students recognised not just for their grades, but for their resilience, leadership, and contributions to our school culture.

Our House Assemblies allow us to come together in recognition and celebration … and with added rewards!!

Star Students. For each House we award a KS3, KS4 and KS5 student who receives a star badge in the colour of their house and a privilege card which allows them to skip the lunch queue and leave class first with a plus one!

Golden Tickets. Congratulations to all those students awarded Golden Tickets for demonstrating excellence in terms of work and attitude. Students post their Golden Tickets into the House Boxes, and every term, a winner is drawn out of the box during assembly then presented with a £10 Amazon voucher.

Tutor Breakfasts are back! The tutor group with the most House Points from each year group will enjoy a breakfast in their tutor room – as well as a sharing box of sweets! For this Term congratulations to 7G, 8F, 9C, 10E, 11D, & 13B

Please join us in congratulating the below students on their achievements ..

Pictured below, Junior receiving his £10 Amazon Voucher and Lionel and Robyn receiving their Star Student awards during the Johnson House Assembly.

In support of World Mental Health Day, we hosted a series of workshops and activities focused on wellbeing, self-care and emotional resilience. These sessions sparked thoughtful conversations and gave students practical tools to support themselves and one another, reinforcing our commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. One activity, Forest School, saw student creativity flourish!

Mrs Bains explained “the students were given a table of resources from Shorne Wood Country Park which we collected at the weekend with our own children, we even had a cheeky hot chocolate with marshmallows at the end of the walk!”

Forest school is about students using their own imagination to be creative, working in a team whilst gaining confidence, social skills and physical, cognitive development. Being outdoor in nature leads to higher levels of motivation boosting physical health and wellbeing. The resulting artworks and decorative bookmarks were taken to our local care home, hospital and fire department.

Students commented “I like to look after older people and make them feel safe”

“I have really enjoyed this, can we do it every week. I feel calm and ready to learn!”

Kindness remains at the heart of everything we do. Whether it’s through peer mentoring, charity initiatives, or simply the everyday acts of compassion we see in our corridors, our students are showing us that success is not just about what you achieve, but how you treat others along the way.

Additionally, we all took part in the ‘Wear it Green & Yellow’ initiative to raise awareness and vital finds in support of the Charity, Young Minds – our corridors were a sea of green and yellow!

Introducing – Head of Art, Mr Edwards. “As a teacher, I seek to inspire, support and develop young people to achieve. I believe in the importance of building strong positive relationships with students. I have been teaching for over 18 years and have experience both as a pastoral and curriculum leader, but my passion is in the classroom teaching Art. I am dedicated to unlocking the potential in every student and providing a positive learning environment for students to flourish.” 

“To me, Art provides the opportunity to feel empowered, provides a space to express, communicate and give courage to young people to overcome a challenge. My aim is to grow the fantastic Art department at Stone Lodge, provide opportunities for our students to explore a wide range of skills and introduce new and exciting opportunities for trips, workshops and A Level Photography.”

In the featured Year 10 GCSE Art lesson, students have been perfecting their tonal drawing to produce realistic images. Students used natural science stimulus to produce drawings using at least five different shades with smooth blending and a range of techniques such as crops-hatching and stippling.

Mr Edwards Year 7 Art students have just started a new topic – Pop Art, and have been learning about key artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Using artworks from prominent Pop Art artists as inspiration, students have started creating their own interpretations of Pop Art. Well done class, some thoughtful and astute contributions to class discussions!

The MFL Department will be offering a new Cultural Club for Year 7 after the half term holiday.  Learning a language is also about being aware of traditions and cultural differences between this country and Spanish speaking countries.  Spanish is the third most spoken language in the world and the countries where it is spoken vary immensely.  They share a common language, but their traditions, food and music vary from one country to another.   Year 7 can enjoy a journey into understanding different cultures through games, films, music and we will finish off by making a Pinata ready to enjoy at home for Christmas.  They will learn where the custom of Pinatas comes from and when they are used in Mexican culture.

Mrs Masoud’s GCSE students have been exploring Hooke’s Law in their current Physics topic. Students took part in a practical investigation to investigate the relationship between Force and Extension, in this case, on a spring. Students tabled their findings and using the equation W=mg, conducted a scientific analysis of the results.

SLS Library launched the Bookbuzz scheme for Year 7 and 8 students. Our first delivery from Bookbuzz arrived earlier this month, with students selecting their free book during their weekly Library lesson.

Bookbuzz is a national initiative designed to inspire a love of reading in young people. At SLS, we’re proud to take part each year, giving our new Year 7 and 8 cohort the chance to explore a wide selection of 16 exciting books. The range of books is varied this year, including fiction and non-fiction, all especially chosen for KS3 students.

What makes Bookbuzz truly special is that each student gets to choose one book to keep for their own personal collection, helping them begin their very own library at home. At Stone Lodge we believe that continuing the reading journey into secondary school is crucial – a powerful tool for personal growth and future academic success.

The Bookbuzz is a joyful way to promote independence and confidence in reading, and to remind students that reading is something to be enjoyed, not endured. This week our students watched a promotional video, put together by BookTrust, where authors talked about each book. This was to help them to make an informed book selection. The books will now be ordered and should arrive in early December. The Bookbuzz will culminate in all students in Y7 and 8 receiving their chosen book as a gift for Christmas. 

I am thrilled to see our students so engaged and look forward to seeing how their reading journeys continue to grow throughout the academic year.

Check out the BookTrust website which has lots more detailed information about each title by clicking this link: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/resources/find-resources/the-2025-bookbuzz-books/ Happy reading! Mrs Nguyen, Librarian

Beyond the school gates, we’ve also celebrated some remarkable out-of-school achievements. From sporting triumphs to personal accomplishments, our students continue to shine in their communities, and we couldn’t be prouder.

Huge congratulations to Year 13 student, Frankie who recently received his Platinum Scouting Award, the highest award you can achieve!  We are all exceptionally proud of Frankie’s dedication to his scouting journey – joining Beavers aged 5 to winning this incredibly prestigious Award and now becoming a young leader to the Scout section of his troop. 

Congratulations to Maisey of 10D who’s submission for the Young Writers competition has been selected for publication! Maisey wrote a compelling ‘mini sage’ on the competitions theme – Grim Tales inspiring students with fairy tales, folklore, myths or legends. Once published, we will definitely ensure we have a copy in our school Library.

Sports Department. We’re thrilled to share some outstanding results from our student football teams, who have been showing incredible skill, teamwork, and determination on the pitch!

• Year 9 Boys delivered a commanding performance with a 6-2 victory over St Columba’s in the North Kent Cup. A brilliant display of attacking football and team spirit!
• Year 7 Girls absolutely dazzled with a 10-0 win against Leigh Academy Bexley, securing their place in the next round of the Kent Cup. What an amazing achievement!
• Year 8 Boys continued the winning streak with a 7-1 triumph over Longfield in the Kent Cup. A fantastic result that reflects their hard work and dedication.
• Year 10 Boys battled hard for a well-earned 1-0 win against Leigh UTC in the District Cup. A tight match, but their resilience paid off!

Huge congratulations to all our players and coaches. Your commitment and passion are inspiring, and we can’t wait to see what you achieve next. Let’s keep the momentum going—onward to the next rounds!

To view the presentations from our recent Year Group Welcome Meetings – please click here News and Events – Stone Lodge School

This week, we’re also thrilled to be welcoming prospective students and their families to our Open Events. It’s a pleasure to share the energy, warmth and ambition of our school with those considering joining us next year. And tonight, we look forward to our Open Evening, a chance to showcase our vibrant learning environment, meet our dedicated staff, and hear directly from our students about what makes our school so special.

Thank you to our staff, families and students for making our school a place where everyone is encouraged to thrive. Let’s continue to celebrate each other and build a community rooted in respect, empathy and excellence.

Forthcoming Dates:

Year 6 Open Evening (no appt necessary) – 16 Oct

Year 13 SL6 Apprenticeship Event – 17 Oct

Last Day of Term 1 – 17 Oct

First Day of Term 2 – Thursday 30 Oct

Year 11 Mock Exams – 30 Oct – 7 Nov

Year 10 Art Trip National Portrait Gallery – 6 Nov

UCAS Application deadline – 14 Nov

UK Parliament Week – 18-24 Nov

Year 9 Careers Workshop – 20 & 21 Nov

Sixth Form Open Evening – 4 Dec

Year 11 Parent/Carer meeting – 11 Dec 4-7pm

Best wishes,

Catherine Cusick

Headteacher