Challney News July 2008 - Challney High School for Girls

1 Challney News
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Challney News July 2008
NAME: FORM:
Letter from the Head
It is hard to believe the school year is almost at an
end. Pupils and staff have worked hard throughout the
year and the thought of slowing down seems almost
unreal! I hope you enjoy this edition of Challney
News. Although I like to think I know what is going
on it still amazes me to read about it in one document.
I think I have been most impressed by the information
in this edition which highlights the work we are doing
building relationships with parents and the range of
activities undertaken by the girls particularly with
reference to helping others in and outside school. I
firmly believe that overall attainment and
achievement is enhanced by ‘branching out’ into
community service, peer group support and learning
focused competition. The activities you can read
about demonstrate the commitment of the students
and staff.
You will have read in the national press about the
failure of the company contracted to deliver Key
Stage Results. As this edition goes to press we are
promised Key Stage 3 results on Friday but I must
be honest with you and say I am not confident that
all results will be available before the end of term.
Girls worked very hard for the tests in May and we
are as disappointed as they are that the national
testing machine has failed them. Year 9 reports
contain Teacher Assessed Results and whilst these
do not indicate performance in a examination
environment, staff are skilled at moderating and
agreeing the levels of pupils’ work. GCSE results
are unaffected by this situation and we expect them
to be on time on Thursday 21 st August.
You can read inside this edition of the staffing
changes we have already had this term and that we
will have for the end of term and the start of the
September term. I would like to take this opportunity
to thank publicly the staff who are leaving for all that
they have done in the school and all they have done
for the girls in their time here. We will miss them and
hope they will stay in touch. I will, however, mention
Year 10 Peer Educators ­ see page 2
Mrs Dykes by name. Mrs Dykes is retiring – a little
early I hasten to add – this summer having served the
school for 35 years. Many, many girls have benefited
from her skills as a teacher and her commitment to
encouraging and supporting them in their growth from
children to young adults via the turbulent teenage
years. Mrs Dykes has been a valued and effective
colleague and we all wish her well at this time of
change. I am sure there are many challenges still to be
enjoyed!
Governors have agreed that this term will end at
12.50 pm Tuesday 22nd July. I would like to thank all
members of staff for their efforts this year. It is a
privilege to work with such a committed and
professional group of people. I hope you and your
family have a restful and enjoyable summer and I look
forward to working with you next year to help your
daughters achieve at the highest possible level.
School re­starts for Year 7 and 10 on Thursday 4th
September and for all students on Friday 5th September.
We anticipate Ramadan will already have begun so
school will operate at the normal times on 4th and 5th
September, but the lunch hour will be shortened from
Monday 8th September to enable a 3.00 pm finish.
M. Arthur
Inside This Issue
3 Investors in Families
6 Race for Life
8 School website
9 My Faith, My Life
11 Fuzion — written by the pupils

2 Challney News
The Strawberry Ice
Cream was lovely!
80 pupils who have opted to take Business
Studies, Food, Hospitality and Catering,
Textiles or Fashion in Year 10 took part in an
enterprise activity on Friday 20 th June. The
activity was devised by the educational
department at Waitrose and we were fortunate
to have Nicki Woulds, a Marketing repre­
sentative from this supermarket, to assist us.
Nicki provided the highlight of the day when
she brought round samples of strawberry ice
cream for the participants to get a “flavour” of
the products they were studying (for research
purposes, of course).
All those who took part now have an idea of
what producers, buyers, marketeers and
technologists have to consider in their work.
They also had the opportunity to work in
groups, planning and carrying out activities in
an “enterprising” way and. of course, the ice
cream was good.
Attendance
Workshops
Since September, 73 pupils have taken part in
an attendance workshop. The workshop
required the girls to make extra efforts to
improve their attendance, with the support of
the Learning Mentors and KSLOs. As a result,
these girls have all raised their personal
attendance and received certificates to
acknowledge their efforts.
Peer Educators
Throughout this academic year, 15 Year 10
pupils have trained as Peer Educators. The Peer
Educators have been a hardworking and
dedicated team. They have provided valuable
education to Years 7 and 8 on the topics of
personal hygiene, smoking, drugs and alcohol.
Their energy and enthusiasm was maintained
all through this year and they deserve
recognition for their brilliant efforts. Well done,
girls!
Classes for Parents
As promised, our spoken English classes have
started and we have had a fantastic response.
Classes have been running for seven successful
weeks with over 15 mothers attending.
The lessons are designed to allow mothers to
gain confidence to speak clearly and fluently in
everyday situations and in relation to their
daughter’s academic life.
All who have attended have worked very
hard and put a lot of effort in to the lessons.
Over the past seven weeks, topics that have
been covered include formal and informal
greetings, food, typical scenarios at the dentist,
the doctor, parents evenings and also how the
school functions.
All those attending have been an absolute
pleasure to teach and we look forward to the
classes continuing in September. If any other
parent or carer is interested in attending future
classes please contact Mrs Akhtar, Home
School Liaison Officer, at the school and you
will be placed on a waiting list.
Parent Programme
2008­9
We are pleased to tell you that our programme
of Parent Information Evenings, Parent
Consultation Evenings and Coffee Mornings
has already been drawn up for next year. Please
make every effort to support your daughter in
her learning by attending all sessions which are
relevant to her. The first term’s dates are shown
below.
Mon 15 th Sep Y10 Study Skills
Wed 8 th Oct
Mon 13 th Oct
Thu 16 th Oct
Fri 17 th Oct
Wed 22 nd Oct
Wed 19 th Nov
Fri 21 st Nov
Y10
Y7
Y6
Y7
Y11
Y10
Y10
Coursework
How to Succeed in Y7
New Intake Evening
Coffee Morning
How to prepare for GCSE
IT in Y10 to support GCSE
Coffee Morning
Wed 10 th Dec Y8 How to Succeed in Y8
Times:
Coffee mornings 9.00 pm – 10.00 am
Information Evenings 4.45 pm – 6.15 pm
IT Evenings 4.45 pm – 6.15 pm
Consultation Evenings 4.00 pm – 7.30 pm

Challney News 3
Thrift shop
We would like to remind you that we are in the
process of setting up a second­hand uniform
shop in school. If you are planning to buy new
uniform over the summer holidays because
your daughter has grown to need a bigger size,
we would be very pleased to accept her old
uniform from you. Thank you in advance for
any kind donations. Please either hand in
donations to reception or ask your daughter to
take any items to the Medical Room.
Future events in the
Specialist School
Project
Luton Astronomical Society has three meetings
planned for the Autumn Term:
On Sept 25 th Mike Pinnock from the British
Antarctic Survey will be giving a talk entitled
“Aurorae ­ from cradle to grave”.
On Oct 30 th Professor Zamecki from the Open
University will be giving a talk entitled
“Touchdown to Titan ­ The Huygens mission.”
On Nov 27 th Dr Rob Argyle from the Institute
of Astronomy at Cambridge will be giving a
talk entitled “Double Stars”.
These events will be held at Putteridgebury
Campus. Transport from school will be
provided.
The next Rothamsted meeting is on Tuesday
16 th September when there will be an open
meeting to discuss “How Science can help feed
the developing world”. Prior to this meeting we
hope to have another careers event to allow
pupils to meet Rothamsted scientists.
On Tuesday November 18 th there will be an
open meeting on “How Science can improve
your food”. These events will be held at
Harpenden. Transport from school will be
provided.
If you would like to be involved in any of
these events please see Mr Mackenzie for
details. Pupils and parents are welcome.
Summer Showcase
At the time of going to
press we were eagerly
anticipating the first Challney
Summer Showcase Event, to
which all parents and carers
were invited. The event was
planned to include: dance,
gymnastics, musical
performances, art displays, a parade of national
costumes and more. A report will feature in the
next Challney News in October.
Questionnaire results
We would like to extend a big thank you to all
parents and carers who took the time to
complete a questionnaire on Consultation Day
and let us know their thoughts about our school.
We are delighted that the feedback that you
have given us has been so positive.
Nevertheless, we would not be complacent
and we are now analysing the questionnaire
closely to see what changes we need to make to
ensure that our school continues to improve.
Once we have analysed the results, we will
report back to you early in the new school year.
Investors in Families
As part of our ongoing commitment to working
more closely with families, we have decided to
aim for Investors in Families status. As we all
know that pupils achieve best when school and
families work closely together, the benefits
should be apparent to everyone. The staff and
governors, as well as parents (through the
Challney Girls’ High School Association) and
pupils (through the School Council) have
already given their backing to the idea. We are
now working to produce an action plan and for
this we need your help.
There are five standards which we must reach
if we are to be awarded Investors in Families
status. These five standards require us to
support families to:
• keep their children healthy
• keep their children safe
• enable their children to enjoy and
achieve

4 Challney News
• help their children to make a positive
contribution
• prepare their children to achieve
economic well­being.
We would welcome your ideas about
practical ways in which we might support you
and families in these areas, ideas which we
could then include in our action plan. Please
contact Alan Palmer, Assistant Headteacher, at
the school with your thoughts. Also if you wish
to find out more about Investors in Families,
please do visit their website
www.investorsinfamilies.org.uk.
Partner school
Our plans to establish partnerships with schools
around the world have taken a step forward
with the support of The Citizens Foundation, an
organisation dedicated to establishing quality
schools throughout Pakistan. We have agreed to
pair up with a new secondary school in the
Minhalla district of Lahore called Shirin Sultan
Dossa Campus. In September we will find out
more about this exciting opportunity when
visitors from The Citizens Foundation come to
speak to us in assemblies.
Certificates awarded
Thank you to all parents and carers who came
to school to share the celebration of their
daughter’s success at her annual Certificate
Presentation Assembly on July 17th. It was
very good to see so many of you so clearly
showing your support for your daughter’s
learning. The event went a long way in
confirming the very high standards which your
daughters are achieving and in reminding us
that your daughters are most proud of their
achievements when we celebrate them together.
They have a lot to be proud about.
Fieldtrip to Hitchin
On 9 th and 10 th June 2008, the majority of
pupils who study Geography in Year 10 went
on a fieldtrip to Hitchin.
We went to Hitchin two days running to see
how the weekly market affects the town.
When we got to Hitchin we had to do
questionnaires and counts. However only our
group did the noise check to add a scientific
element to the coursework. When we finished
our work we were allowed to go to the shops
and explore Hitchin.
The trip was educational and the weather was
nice and sunny. I think everyone had a great
time.
Nevpreet Bains, 10Y
Enjoy and Achieve
Sports Day was held on Wednesday 2 nd of July
this year. The day started off well – everyone
was doing something different, their own thing.
All classes were given a country to identify
with. Our class was given Australia. We
decorated our own hats and held up an
immense banner of the Australian flag. The
atmosphere was vibrant as the school burst out
on to the field where cheerful rays of sunshine
greeted us. As the athletes competed, we stood
to one side of the field and cheered them
through their efforts. It was a lovely day.
Everyone was pleased with the competition.
Many people were having so much excitement
that they wished they were an athlete
themselves.
Sonia Hussain, 8P
Fitness
Remember the following guidelines:
• keep active over the summer
• remember to warm up and cool down
before and after exercise
• drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated
• eat healthily – you all know what to eat!
You must eat more than one meal a day to
keep in shape. If you only eat once a day
your body thinks it is starving and will
make you fatter by
conserving calories.
Check it out in Science
and Food lessons!
• take part in summer
camps at Denbigh.

Challney News 5
Many families will be aware how dangerous
smoking can be to the health of everyone in the
family, not just the smoker. As Luton Stop
Smoking Service and Luton Borough Council
launch their ‘Smokefree’ campaign we are
happy to print their campaign letter.
“Luton Stop Smoking Service and Luton Borough
Council are encouraging local householders to sign
up to pledge that they will keep their homes totally
smokefree. This is known as the 'Gold' pledge. If
you feel unable to sign up for this, then the 'Silver'
pledge might be for you. This shows that you will
limit smoking to one well­ventilated room and, in
both cases, never in front of children or in a car.
This pledge will reduce the harmful effects of
secondhand smoke on children and pets.
Registration for either can be done online at
www.luton.gov/smokefree or you can get a leaflet
sent to you by contacting Martin Grout on 546194 or
Beverley Pratt on 757638.
There will be a monthly prize draw for those
that sign up each month (only one registration per
household) and the winner will receive a £25 'Spend
Me' voucher that can be used at most of the shops
in the Arndale Centre, Luton. For those who might
be thinking about giving up smoking, this may be an
ideal opportunity. Luton Stop Smoking Service is
dedicated to helping smokers quit and has a
success rate of over 60%. It costs nothing to use
this service yet the potential savings are enormous.
Help and support is available on their website
www.lutonpct.nhs.uk or call free on 0800 013 0845.”
Martin Grout, Smoke Free Project Officer
Staff News
We bid farewell to the following members of
staff and wish them well in the future.
Leavers during the last term:
Mr Childs – Site Agent, Mr England – Premises
Manager, Mr Gyampa – Maths Teacher, Mrs
Williams – Art Teacher, Mr Jones – Teaching
Assistant and Mr Siddek – Science Technician.
Leavers at end of this term:
Ms de Vorms – English teacher, Mrs Dykes –
Assistant Headteacher, Miss Jackson – Art
teacher, Mrs Revill – Language Support Co­
ordinator, Mrs Suleman – ICT teacher, Miss
Akhtar, Miss Khalid, Miss Latif, Mrs Saleem –
Teaching Assistants.
Starters during the last term:
Mr Collinson – Premises Manager, Mr Shaw –
Site Agent
Starters next term:
Mr Zaman – ICT teacher, Mr Sauer – Maths
teacher, Mrs Choudhury – Science teacher,
Mr Purkayastha, Miss Fentor and Mrs Temple
– English Teachers, Mr Manning – Design
Technology teacher, Miss Rose – Art teacher,
Miss Orr – PE teacher, Mrs Farmer – Health
and Social Care teacher, and Mrs Allan and
Mrs Malik – Teaching Assistants.
Luton Carnival
Washout
Sadly, after all their hard work in preparing
their Japanese costumes and in practising on the
Japanese drums, our girls were not able to take
part in the Luton Carnival on Monday 26 th May
because of the torrential rain which drenched
them from head to toe. Reluctantly, the girls
were instead forced to trudge off home and dry
out.
However, they were not to be defeated. Once
back in school, the following week after the
half term holiday, the girls once again donned
their costumes to perform on their drums in
assemblies to both Years 7 and 8. This
experience has strengthened their resolve to
enter the carnival
again next year
when they will
once more have the
opportunity to
perform before the
whole town in the
carnival
procession.

6 Challney News
Masks made by Room 36 Lunch Club
The Race for Life: all smiles before the pain
The Race for Life: the girls looked
confident before the race began
Some of the My Faith, My Life competition entries
Racing for Life
On a bright and breezy Sunday morning on June
22 nd , a sizeable group of 23 pupils and six staff
congregated in Stockwood Park, sporting some
very fashionable running gear, to participate in the
5 kilometre Race for Life. They shared the
praiseworthy aim of raising as much money as
they possibly could for Cancer Research UK. We
are proud to report that all Challney entrants
succeeded in completing the course, although
some staff did take the less energetic, if
legitimate, option of walking and came home only
just before a local mother who was pushing her
child round in a pushchair.
In all, 3134 runners from across Luton took part
in the Luton Race for Life, including the
following Challney pupils: Kelly Heslop 7A,
Parysa Khalaj 9R, Sahra Shah 9R, Georgia Thorp
9R, Tereze Gaile 9B, Ridda Ali 9O, Asfia Hanif
9O, Rahila Khan 9O, Parwin Hussain 9W,
Mariam Iqbal 9W, Tayaba Kauser 9W, Momina
Salam 9W, Joanne Bailey 10D, Natalie Jones
10D, Victoria Dautovic 10E, Sobia Hanif 10E,
Esther McDonald 10S, Thameena Choudhury 10I,
Carly Fitzgerald 10I, Ieva Maselskaite 10I,
Ramona Saigol 11H, Salma Shah 11H and Henna
Khan 11G. Our congratulations go to all these
girls and to Kelly Heslop in particular who was
the fastest Challney girl around the circuit.
The sponsorship money for their efforts
continues to roll in and so far the collection has
raised £784.50.
And the Mini Race for Life….
The mini race for life was organised for those
girls who had been unable to take part in the
Race for Life in Stockwood Park. It was really
great fun. Everyone who took part ran around
the school field twice and thoroughly enjoyed
themselves. The people who organised it were
Mrs Naureen, Natalie, Joanne, Nevpreet, Zanib,
Farah and Jaspreet. It took place on 23 rd June
after school. There were pupils as well as
teachers taking part. Mr Simcox won for the
teachers and Rachel Diggle from Year 7 was
the winning pupil.
The atmosphere was extraordinary because the
people who took part were really excited.
Zanib Zafar, 10I

Challney News 7
Year 7 pupils with their attendance certificates
“Keep the noise down, Saffron”
Measuring decibel levels in Hitchin
Colourful support during Sports Day
The Mini Race for Life Team–runners and
organisers
Mrs Peacock back at work in her new
Chef of the Year uniform

8 Challney News
The Challney Girls Website
As most of you are aware, the school has its
own website designed and run in­house. It
enables us not only to get relevant information
to you quickly but also has many other features
that you may not be aware of. For instance, did
you know that there is a past newsletter archive,
or that the Challney Girls High School
Association has its own page? There are means
of contacting the school if you prefer to contact
via email or the web, and information for
parents of new and existing pupils on our
Information Page. The front page has key dates
and the calendar is regularly updated with
activities and meetings for parents and pupils
alike. Don’t forget that it is also a one stop
access to our network via remote access, email
and our newly launched Learning Gateway.
Did you know we have visitors to the site
from as far and wide as Jamaica, China and
Australia, incorporating 23 different countries,
and in the UK alone we have visits from over
116 locations, from Edinburgh down to
Bournemouth, and from Swansea across to
Hull?
Don’t just take our word for it, pay us a visit
at www.challneygirls.luton.sch.uk or
alternatively just Google us with ‘Challney
Girls’ and that will do the trick.
Applied Science
Our Year 10 students visited Brooms Barn
recently where they were able to see the work
that Rothamsted Research station does in
agricultural research. They aim to improve
wildlife conservation by testing farming
practices which help wildlife but do not affect
crop yield. Practices such as using a grass
margin in the fields and leaving areas free for
ground nesting birds could be seen.
The station monitors levels of aphid infestation
by sampling the air regularly. These insects are
known to carry Yellowing virus which damages
sugar beet and potato. Farmers are warned
when the level of these insects get too high so
they know when to apply insecticide. Some of
the scientists are breeding sugar beets that are
resistant to this virus.
Room 36 Lunch Club
We have been busy making masks in our lunch
break. Masks are an essential part of
celebration in some cultures and an essential
part of carnival. The girls have decorated these
masks by hand using a range of materials
including glitter, tissue paper, card, diamantes
and wool.
‘The Accident’
On Tuesday 1 st July Year 10 pupils from the
Health & Social Care class had an opportunity
to go to Barnfield College Rotherham Avenue
Campus. We took part in a fun, interactive
workshop providing an insight into the range of
jobs and careers available in the children’s
workforce, health and social care sector.
We reached Barnfield College at 9.00 am and
were told what would happen during the day.
There were pupils from different schools in
Luton also attending the event which was called
‘The Accident’.
Sixth Form drama students staged an
accident in the college grounds that resulted in
the emergency services having to attend. We
saw how the fire, ambulance and police
services worked together as a team to help the
casualties. Back inside, we took part in various
workshops that gave us an insight into how the
services are part of the health and social care
sectors. Later the Sixth Form students
performed a play showing us what might have
happened a year after the accident.
We would like to thank Mrs Johnson and Mrs
Mayles for enabling us to attend this fabulous
educational day.
Sofia Bi Khan10N , Faiza Khan10S and
Monisha Ilias 10E

Challney News 9
My Faith, My Life
To celebrate the 12 th anniversary of the Luton
Faith Walk, Luton Council of Faiths organised
a competition based upon the theme “My Faith
– My Life”. Pupils were invited to write a piece
of prose, a poem or draw a picture to express
the importance of their personal faith in their
lives. We are delighted to hear that Shaista
Chaudery 9A and Anisah Kauser 9I each won
£25 cash prizes for their entries and nearly 50
other Challney Girls won a Luton Council of
Faith pen. Their work was displayed at a
variety of places of religious worship around
Luton and were admired by those who
participated in the Luton Faith Walk itself on
Saturday 12 th July. The poem of Ridda Ali, who
was one of the pupils who won a pen, is
reproduced below to show the high quality of
the entries.
My Faith, My Life
I’ve wondered sometimes whether my life
Is always to do with sacrifice.
Day and night,
I wonder what makes my life shine so bright.
Is it my faith?
Or the things I believe?
That in my destiny
I hope I’ll retrieve.
As the days of my life
Fly by like leaves,
I then think wisely, and more smart,
I speak to my maker and open my heart.
For he forgives me
And gives me power
To think and do good
Each and every hour.
My life depends on what I do,
so I had better try and work hard too.
Whether I’m a Muslim, Christian, Buddhist,
Jewish, Sikh, Hindu or Atheist,
There’ll always be one thing that will remain
the same,
That I’ll believe in myself and God till the end.
by Ridda Ali 9O
UK Maths Challenge
In May twenty Year 8s entered the UK Junior
Mathematical Challenge competing against
pupils from all over the country. Twenty five
interesting, but very difficult, maths problems
were to be solved individually without a
calculator in only an hour. To make it more
difficult marks were deducted for incorrect
answers! All our pupils performed creditably
but in particular congratulations must go to
Samirah Hannan who achieved a very high
score of 82 and was awarded a Gold certificate.
Silver certificates were awarded to Sarah
Malik, Kausiha Baskaran and Fahmida Khan
and a further eight pupils received Bronze.
Luton Year 8 Maths
Masterclass
The six Challney girls who attended this event
were Saima Amin, Haleema Aziz, Kausiha
Baskaran, Ayesha Hussain, Wasima Hussain
and Iffra Rashid. On arrival at the Sixth Form
College they were put into groups with other
talented young mathematicians and then they
had to work together to solve not only difficult
numerical and spatial problems but also a
murder mystery. The final test was to make a
helicopter that would stay in the air the longest.
While all the groups worked with enthusiasm,
Ayesha’s group did particularly well and were
placed first, and even though Saima was the
only girl in her group they achieved second
place!
Gala 2008
On the summer's evening of Friday 27 th of June
at 6.30pm an amazing one hundred and fifty
Year 11 girls walked the red carpet to be
greeted by Miss Arthur and Mr. Palmer with a
fruit juice served in a champagne glass. The
girls had definitely gone to town and had made
a special effort with their appearance and many
looked spectacular in their magnificent and
colourful dresses. Awards were given during
the evening for most spectacular hairstyle and
dress, the most original dress and, of course, the
traditional Gala Queen.

10 Challney News
The awards went to:
Mimoza Maci – for the most spectacular
hairstyle, Selina Ahmed – for the most
spectacular dress, Hannah Montrose – for the
most original dress, Arina Vailionyte – the Gala
Queen.
The girls’ behaviour during the evening was
exemplary and they were a credit to themselves
and the school. All the girls seemed to enjoy
the evening dancing and socialising with their
friends and eating their way through the
chocolate fountain.
The school wishes all the Year 11 girls every
happiness and success in the future.
C.A.Js – Challney’s
Adrenaline Junkies!
‘Challney’s Adrenaline Junkies’, as the
Kingswood Crew have been nicknamed. Eleven
of us travelled all the way to Colomendy, North
Wales, for an extreme adventure­packed
weekend at Kingswood. We pursued thriving
activities such as abseiling, zip­wiring, fencing
– all sorts! Our favourite was most definitely
the 3G Swing! The rush of falling at a G­force
of 3 was amazing.
The weather may not have been up to our
extreme standards, but we were! Overall it was
interesting and hilarious to get to know each
other better, and that was also a major
encouragement to those of us who were
terrified of heights or of getting mud in their
faces and hair *cough cough*.
We’d love to go back any time and I’d like to
say a huge thank you to Miss Jackson and Miss
Morgan for taking care of us and being
supportive group leaders. Hooray for
Kingswood!
The C.A.J.s consisted of:
Sade Chaplin and Vaishali Shah 9A,
Zawditu Lewis 9I, Yasmin Saddler, Alice
Wheeler and Naomi Yonas 9N,
Tereze Gaile, Sisia Magaya and Miriam Kimani
9B, Maya Modi 9O and Kiran Afzal 9W.
Maya Modi, 9O
The Indefatigable Mrs
Peacock
Fresh from her success of winning the regional
School Chef of the Year award, Mrs Peacock, our
Junior Dining Room Kitchen Manager, set off for
University College Birmingham on Thursday June
10 th to take part in the national finals. She was to
compete against eight other regional winners for
the honour of being named national School Chef
of the Year 2008.
In keeping with the importance of this
prestigious event, Mrs Peacock along with all the
other contestants were wined, dined and
accommodated the night before in a local hotel so
that they would be well rested and prepared for
the competition itself the next day. “The hotel was
lovely,” she said.
Mrs Peacock, along with the other finalists, was
asked to prepare once more the dishes with which
she had already won her regional heat, so you can
imagine that the competition was very stiff. In
fact, the standards were so high that the panel of
judges took an eternity to decide who should win
the award.
In the end, after an agonising wait, Mrs Peacock
was judged to be a runner up. Was this enough to
deflate Mrs Peacock? Not at all. “The whole event
was an experience and in our own way we were
all winners,” she said. “But someone’s dish had to
be picked on the day.”
Mrs Peacock is already looking forward to
entering next years’ competition when she will
again first have to win the regional title if she is to
qualify to compete in the nationals. “I’ve got the
bug now,” she explained, “So fingers crossed!”

Challney News 11
The page
written for
the pupils by
the pupils.
Book reviews wanted
Hey there! Read any good books lately? Well
we want to know about them.
We are holding a book review competition
for you girls. The most persuasive review is the
one that will appear in the next issue. That's not
all! The winner will also receive a certificate
which she can keep with the rest of her
achievements! Remember to keep your reviews
short and interesting.
And don't worry, girls, it’s not a race. You
can write it during your holidays, when you're
not too busy getting some sun!!
But that’s not all. We want you to spend a
little time during your holiday to write about
something you’ve done to pass the time. This
could be anything from watching a new,
interesting movie to going abroad. If you aren’t
that confident with the pen and paper, try
befriending the camera and taking some
pictures!
We would love to hear from you and include
your work in the next issue, so please don’t shy
away, be heard or better still – be seen!
Film Reviews
Hancock
Hancock is the latest superhero movie but this
time with a comedy twist. Directed by Peter
Berg, Will Smith stars as John Hancock who is
an alcoholic superhero despised by the public.
His chance to redeem himself comes when he
saves the life of a PR executive and then ….
you’ll just have to watch the movie and find
out. I highly recommend you catch this if you
can – a real winner.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince
Caspian
The Return to Narnia, the second book in the
Chronicles of Narnia from C.S. Lewis, sees
Peter, Lucy, Susan and Edmund again
magically whisked away but this time to a
beach near an old ruined castle. King Caspian
was killed by his brother Miraz so he could take
the throne. The children meet Prince Caspian
who is at first ignorant of his uncle’s evil deeds
but then learns the truth. Watch the movie to
discover the amazing adventures the kids get up
to – the must­see sequel for all ‘Narnia’ fans.
Summer is here!
F S V C S D V O L L E Y B A L L S B E I
S L E O H U T M A E R C N U S K A F L C
U A S C O K N A S N L G B U C K E T T E
M T I K P A Z B N L O M N T A H N U S C
M N N T P M I L A C E F R I E N D S A R
E A I A I F O B A T E K A F M E E W C E
R S K I L V H I C E H V I S D M L E D A
S L I L G C I N E M A E M A M A I E N M
I C B S A F L O W E R S P C R E C W A E
K A P E L A D N A S E S S A L G N U S E
S A B I K I N H O L I D A Y P U E K A M
SUMMER SHOPPING ICE­CREAM TAN FLOWERS
BEACHBALL CINEMA SUNGLASSES SUNBATHE FRIENDS
VOLLEYBALL SWIMMING SANDCASTLE BUCKETS SUN
SUNCREAM

12 Challney News
Culture Club performing on the
Japanese drums at assembly in the gym.
Sports Day Results
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10
1 st
Y E B D
2 nd
M S I E
3 rd
R R W Y
4 th
P N I
5 th
*A
*N O O N
6 th
O I R T
7th H M A S
*equal 4 th
The Kingswood Crew at Colomendy
in North Wales
Sports Day Banner Competition
Year 7 winners – 7Y China (who were also
overall runners up),
7R took third place overall.
Year 8 winners – 8R Malaysia.
Year 9 winners – 9I Sweden and (who were also
overall winners)
Year 10 winners – 10I Barbados.
Sports Day Write­up Competition
Winner Sabia Shafiq 9B – her article will appear
in the next Challney News.
Diary Dates 2008­9 Autumn Term
Thu 21 Aug GCSE Results in Wed 22 Oct Year 11 Parents Info Evening
Wed 3 rd Sep Training Day Thu 23 Oct Consultation Day
Thu 4 th Sep Term begins Fri 24 Oct Training Day
Mon 15 th Sep Yr 10 Parents Info Evening 27­ 31 st October Half Term Week
Mon 6 th Oct Book Fair Thu 13 th Nov Awards Evening
Wed 8 th Oct Year 10 Parents Info Evening Wed 19 th Nov Year 10 Parents Info Evening
Mon 13 Oct. Year 7 Parents Info Evening Fri 21 st Nov Year 10 Parents Coffee Morning
Thu 16 th Oct New Intake Evening Wed 10 th Dec Year 8 Parents Info Evening
Fri 17 th Oct Year 7 Parents Coffee Morning Fri 19 th Dec End of Term