#TCCLife Issue 2 - October 2024

Issue 2: October 2024
#TCC
Celebrating Kindness
Mr Land’s ‘Be Kind’ Award has inspired
a celebration of kindness across Year 8!
Read more on page 16
The new newsletter celebrating life across the Thurston
Community College and Thurston Sixth community
Joining TCC
Our 2024 Open Evenings were a
resounding success, read more
on page 4
Wellbeing
Find out about resources to
help keep young people with
their wellbeing on page 22
Sports Success
Our sports teams have plenty to
be proud of, read all about their
adventures on page 18

Welcome!
from the Principal
As we approach the
end of this first half
term, I want to
celebrate what a great
start to the year we
have had. Students
have approached
their learning in a
calm and purposeful
way and we have seen
a positive culture
continue to develop in the college.
We had two hugely successful Open Evenings,
welcoming families of future students joining in
Years 7 and 12 and we look forward to meeting
them again soon. In addition, we have
welcomed Year 7 families to meet the tutor, lots
of places on residential trips have been signed
up for, Year 10 are planning for work experience,
Year 11 have started their first set of internal
exams and Year 13 are preparing for these after
half term.
I have been so impressed with our student
community, our student leaders, and those
engaging with clubs and other events, they are a
credit to themselves, their families and to the
College.
I also want to say a huge thank you to all of the
staff who work so hard every day to offer high
quality learning experiences for our students,
alongside bespoke wellbeing support, and the
range of extra-curricular opportunities which
make TCC such a special place to be!
In re-reading our TCCLife newsletter, I have been
blown away by what a lot is going on and it just
shows that when you get hundreds of fabulous
young people, supported by hard working staff
and hugely supportive families, we cannot fail to
develop Thurston Community College and
Thurston Sixth as communities and places of
excellence.
Maéve Taylor
Key Dates For Your Diary
Autumn Term 2024
Friday 25 October 2024
Final day of half term
Tuesday 05 November 2024
All students return to school
Year 12 Consultation Evening
Thursday 14 November 2024
Year 9 Consultation Evening
Tuesday 19 November 2024
Year 7 Science Fair
Wednesday 20 November 2024
#TCCTalk!
Tuesday 03 December 2024
Performance: Last Choir Standing (Year 7)
Wednesday 04 December 2024
Year 10 Consultation Evening
W/C Monday 09 December 2024
Christmas dinner week (Thurston campus)
Wednesday 11 December 2024
Performance: Winter Showcase
Thursday 12 December 2024
Christmas Jumper Day
Year 13 Consultation Evening
Friday 13 December 2024
Christmas Dinner (Beyton Campus)
W/C 16 December 2024
Inter Form Sports Festival
Friday 20 December 2024
Year 7-13 Reports Published
Friday 20 December 2024
Final day of term
Monday 06 January 2025
All students return to school
For events taking place further ahead
visit www.thurstoncollege.org/calendar
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In this issue…
Joining our community… 4
Celebrating exam results 7
News from Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects 7
Student Leadership 8
Year 7: Head of Year’s Update 10
Year 8: Head of Year’s Update 11
Year 9: Head of Year’s Update 12
Year 10: Head of Year’s Update 13
Year 11: Head of Year’s Update 14
Head of Sixth Form’s Message 15
Celebrations as Mr Land wins a national ‘Be Kind Award’ 16
TCC Will Rock You this coming February! 17
Sports Success 18
Día Europeo de las Lenguas (That’s Spanish for ‘European Day of Languages’) 20
Wellbeing 22
What would you like to see in future editions
of our #TCCLife Newsletter? Email your
suggestions to admin@thurstoncollege.org.
Don’t forget to follow us on Social
media to stay up to date with all
things TCC and Thurston Sixth.

Joining our community…
Thank you to all of the Year 5 and 6 families who attended our Open Evening in September and
helped to create such a brilliant atmosphere across the College.
An update from Team Transition
It has been a very busy start to the year for the transition team here at TCC and
we have loved getting to know lots of our local Year 6 community in the process.
Our Open Evening gave us the opportunity to meet so many Year 6 families,
welcoming them into classrooms buzzing with energy and excitement to give a
flavour of everything that is on offer here at TCC. Our student news team
captured some of the action in a news report which can be enjoyed on our
socials.
Two days to remember made up our Year 6 Team-building Sports Festival where our fantastic
Year 8 Sports Captains supported hundreds of local Year 6s in completing a range of fun
challenges; we were lucky to have the sun shining on both days!
This was swiftly followed by a visit from the Tiger and Leopard classes from Thurston CE Primary
Academy who kindly came to help us with the impossible task of judging the Great European
Bake Off hosted by our MFL department as part of the European Week of Languages. The
entries, baked by our own students, were so impressive and were later sold at a charity bake sale
(well, what was left of them after our judging session!)
We've also had the pleasure of welcoming lots more Year 6 families through our doors for tours,
allowing them a glimpse into what our College looks like during the school day: Bunsen burners in
action, debates passionately taking place and dodgeball creating an exciting walk through the
gym at times!
Lastly, I have had the pleasure - with members of our Junior Prefect Team - of getting out to visit
lots of our Year 6 community in their own classrooms, giving us the chance to answer some
excellent questions, bring ideas back for inspirational enrichment clubs of the future and turn
some fears into excitement with a growth mindset challenge.
Christmas is just around the corner and it will bring further partnerships with our primary school
community; I'm looking forward to experiencing some of their festive activities as well as offering
the chance for us to work together on some Christmas charity plans.
Mrs Webdale - Transition Coordinator and Head of Year 7 - September 2025
Don’t forget to check out our #TCCTransitionTalk series and Day in The Life of a Year 7
video at www.thurstoncollege.org/transition
Meanwhile at Thurston Sixth…
The Thurston Sixth Open evening took place on 03
October 2024 and was a resounding success. We
welcomed over 200 families to our bespoke sixth
form campus in Beyton. Thank you to everybody
who came along! If you would like to find out
more about Thurston Sixth, book a tour, or apply
for your place, visit www.thurstonsixth.org.
If you are in Year 11 and haven’t already done so,
be sure to complete your application form as
soon as possible in order to be included in this
round of interviews.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Visit www.thurstoncollege.org/transition for more information on how
to apply for your child’s place.
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Visit www.thurstonsixth.org/apply to apply for your place.

Celebrating exam results
There’s plenty to celebrate!
STEM News
News from Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects
Year 13 Results
Students at Thurston Sixth have celebrated
excellent A level, BTEC and other awards with 28%
of A levels passed being at the top grades of A* - A
and 70% of BTECs passed at the equivalent
Distinction*- Distinction. In addition 71% of
students taking the EPQ qualification passed with
A*- A grades.
“All students are to be congratulated upon their
achievements”, said Maéve Taylor, Principal at TCC.
“All of these students had unprecedented
disruption to their GCSE studies, yet their
commitment to studying and to the wider sixth
form experience is commendable, with many of
this cohort having undertaken Silver Duke of
Edinburgh awards and participated in many music,
dance and drama performances, as well as raising
money for charity.” Many individual students
achieved strong grades meaning that 100% have
achieved the grades required for their choice of
university. Katy Wilson, with three A* grades and
an A* EPQ, is going to Birminingham to read
Mathematics and Music, whilst Corey Rose will
study Physics and Astronomy at Durham after
achieving three A*s. Joseph Boucher, with 3 A
grades is going on to study Veterinary Medicine at
the University of Surrey.
GCSE Results
265 students collected their GCSE results from
Thurston Community College on Thursday 22
August 2024 and there was a lot to celebrate
with strong pass rates across subjects keeping
the school’s successful performance in line with
previous years.
James Boutell is celebrating achieving twelve
Grade 9 grades, one of many students who
worked hard and received excellent individual
results.
Maéve Taylor, Principal, said, “Following the
excellent set of A level results, we are pleased
to be celebrating once again, this time with our
Year 11 students. Not only have they
performed strongly academically but
contributed to the wider community of the
school in winning sports teams, showcasing
drama, music and dance talents as well as
establishing a legacy for student leadership
over the coming years. We are delighted with
their individual and group achievements. We
wish them well in their futures and anticipate
them being equally successful as they take
their next steps in education and employment
with training."
Senior Maths Challenge Success
Earlier this month, 16 students across Year 12 and
Year 13 sat the ‘Senior Maths Challenge’. The results
are in: 6 students received a Bronze certificate, 5
Silver certificates were awarded and one student is
celebrating a gold win!
The Maths Challenge is designed to make students
think with stimulating problems ranging in difficulty -
all in aid of boosting Mathematical thinking.
Olly A in Year 13 achieved Silver (and the best result
in Y13) whilst Mila L in Year 12 achieved Gold (best
result in school), qualifying for the next round in
November and placing her as one of the top
thousands of Maths students who sat the challenge.
We look forward to seeing how she gets on next
month!
Maths
The Year 10 Further Maths group is now up and
running and students have been exploring one of the
newer topics in the curriculum - Binomial expansion
which is also in the AS level maths course. Who
knew Pascals Triangle was so useful!
Mr Germany - Teacher of Mathematics
Science
Kirsten Evans, Assistant Principal and Head of Sixth
On Wednesday 16 October, a group of Year 11
Form said, “Many of our students have overcome
students who visited Thurston Sixth to take part in a
challenges and demonstrated extraordinary
Chemistry Masterclass session. This photo shows
resilience”. Of particular note is Rose Faiers who
Staying in touch
them trying to extract limonene from orange peel.
will be studying Speech and Language Therapy at We love to hear from ex students, and will soon be
UEA. Pippa Cooper, Deputy Head of Sixth Form has
building an alumni community.
Mrs Khan - Head of Chemistry
praised her hard work and commitment to her
Visit www.thurstoncollege.org/alumni for more info as
studies. “Rose has been motivated by her personal
plans develop.
experience and desire to make a difference to the
future lives of young people.”
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Student Leadership
News from our Student Leadership Team
Student Principal Update
Left: Our full 2024 - 2025 Student Leadership Team.
Below: Senior Prefects, Year Teams, Junior Prefects,
Wellbeing Ambassadors, Student News Team, Student
Principals and Deputy Student Principals.
Student Leadership Celebration Evening
Student News: Open Evening 2024
On the 26th of September 2024, Thurston
Community College held our 2024 Year 6 open
evening. Although it was very similar to previous
evenings in the sense that there were different
stations around the school with entertaining and
interactive activities set up in different blocks
(e.g. English, Maths etc), very exciting additions,
which are likely to follow in the coming years,
were included in this year’s open evening. But
before we get into that, let’s discuss what stayed
the same and what an open evening even is.
An open evening is the opportunity for Year 6
students from different primary schools from all
around the area to visit a secondary school to
allow them and their families to see what a
bigger and perceivably slightly scarier school
than they’re used to is like, to prepare them for
the next academic year as well as to allow the
parents/carers to consider the options for where
to send their children. It is a very important
event and every year Thurston consistently
honours that.
subject teachers along with the cheerful
Thurston students helping with the event. In
addition to this, a talk that happened at 6:00pm
and at 6:45pm from Mrs Taylor (our Principal),
our Student Principals and Deputy Student
Principals, alongside other students and staff,
about the benefits of Thurston Community
College.
As well as all the different activities the children
and families could get involved in, there was the
heavy implementation of the Student Leadership
Team. Set up by Mr Morris, a former Teacher at
Thurston, in 2023, now led by Mrs Dunsdon. It
has grown massively with podcasts, live
broadcasts and, of course, articles. During this
evening, the team including myself and lots of
other students from different sectors such as
Wellbeing Team, News Team etc. helped to give
families tours around the seemingly complicated
school corridors and provided help / directions
to disoriented people at stations all across the
campus. For me personally, I believe this new
addition to the open evening is very beneficial to
the school as it allows for the students to well
represent themselves and the school while also
making parents/carers and hopefully future
Thurston students feel more welcome and
comfortable with the layout and system of the
school. I think that this night only proved further
the true potential of the Student Leadership
team and makes me excited for what might
happen next.
Some of the experiences that were available this
year included lots of science practicals such as
the dissection of a heart or the inflation of lungs,
a murder mystery in English based on the hit
novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ which students get to
study in year 9, a floor puzzle game set up in
Maths, Abstract Art making using coloured paper
in art, creation of key rings and Italian dishes in
Design Technology and so many more. In these Thomas S - Senior Student News Reporter
areas, you had the opportunity to meet the
8 9
We were delighted to welcome the families of
our Student Leadership Team to the annual
Celebration and Presentation Evening on
Thursday 19th September. Our Student
Leadership Team comprises Student
Principals, Deputy Principals, Senior Prefects
Student Heads of Year and Deputy Heads of
Year, Wellbeing Ambassadors, Student News
Team and Junior Prefects.
A special thank you goes to our Junior Prefects
for setting up and serving refreshments,
already showing great organisational skills and
confidence. During the evening we were
treated to the highlights from the year as we
watched videos from the Leadership Election
campaign and the live broadcasts, before
hearing from Ms Taylor and the Student
Principals.
The students were presented with their
badges, which they wear with pride. We are
very much looking forward to working with all
the student leaders in their different roles.
Mrs Dunsdon
Did you know?
Thurston Sixth has its own Student Union,
with a student elected leadership team and
a President. The Student Union connects
every student's voice to the leadership of
Thurston Sixth, allowing everybody to share
their opinions and get involved with key
decisions that affect the learning
environment and community atmosphere
of our sixth form. The Student Union
organises charity fundraising, clubs and
societies and social events.
Beau
Hello my name is Beau and I am one of your
Student Principals for this academic year. So
far I have loved getting to know everyone and
working with you to make changes that this
school needs. We have started to gather your
opinions through the Form Reps and
meetings with Student Heads of Year and
Senior Prefects. The meetings have been
really productive and we are putting together
your ideas to see what we can do first!
I am excited to get to know all your ideas and
working with you to make them happen !
Ellie
Hi, my name is Ellie and I’m one of two
Student Principals at TCC. My main ambition
for the year ahead is to improve the student
experience by finding solutions to things that
everyone sometimes struggles with. I want
every idea to be listened to, as nobody
should feel unheard.
I enjoy the opportunities that I have been
able to do so far, including visiting Suffolk
County Council in Endeavour House and
going to ITV Anglia and trying news-reading,
which is a lot harder than it looks!
Along with these, I feel the position has really
helped to build my confidence, particularly in
public speaking, as well as developing my
determination and leadership.

Year 7
Head of Year’s Message
Year 8
Head of Year’s Message
It has been a fantastic start to life at Thurston for year 7 students in their first
term. They have settled in very well, attending line-ups promptly each day in
immaculate uniform and ready to learn. Over 80 students have taken part in
Netball and Football clubs after school as well as regular attendance at lunchtime
clubs such as Basketball and Dodgeball. They have got used to timings and
routines around the College, meaning they are getting to lessons on time and
accessing the canteen and areas they are allowed to go to at break and
lunchtime.
We have also had competitions running: Congratulations to 7H who won the
most postcards sent over the summer holidays to their tutor, Emily F in 7J, Charlie C in 7L and
Matilda P in 7B, all winning star baker in the recent European bake off as part of our Modern
foreign languages week and we are still awaiting the final entries for our Taskmaster style House
competition where each tutor group were asked to create a famous landmark out of natural items
and some have been very inventive. We will be running our first student council this week and
each tutor group will have a form rep to discuss matters from around the College and allow the
students to make valuable opinions on life at Thurston.
The feedback I get from staff around the College is that the year 7 year group are extremely
polite, want to do well and are trying very hard and I am sure this will reflect in their Attitude to
Learning grade in the upcoming reports. There have been over 17,000 house points given out to
year 7 already this year which is amazing! A great start to year 7, please keep it up.
Mr Chubb - Head of Year 7
Year 8 has had the most incredible start to this academic year! It has been a
whirlwind of learning, focus, motivation, fun and experiences! Just within the
first three weeks, already our students have been awarded over 9,000 house
points!
Most recently we had the French Breakfast, during one of their life skills
lessons, it was amazing! They experienced ordering their breakfast in French
and whilst eating they could then complete the fun activity mat created for
them, to test their knowledge of everything petit-dejeuner!
Also, to celebrate languages week, we had the European Bake Off. Two of our year 8s won
prizes, Caitlin M and Erika B, one first and second prize, with two spectacular offerings. I was
devastated, that by the time I was able to go and buy a slice of cake virtually all of it had been
sold!
Our year 8s are not only rocking it within their lessons and enrichment groups, but also outside!
One student has been invited to join the Under 13s Youth Development Phase programme for
Ipswich United Football Club and another has been chosen to be part of the GB squad of artistic
skaters, flying out to Zürich to compete in the Cup of Europe this October!
As a school it is so wonderful to support and encourage our students to achieve their dreams and
encourage them to embrace all opportunities offered to them.
Ms Osborne - Head of Year 8
A Year 7 lesson on the first day in September
7H on the first day in September
Our French Breakfast café menu (see page 20)
10 Year 7 Tutor Groups on the first day in September
11
A European Bake Off competition entry (see page 20)
Well done to Bella Y who performed at the All
Out Music Festival in Thetford in September

Year 9
Head of Year’s Message
Year 10
Head of Year’s Message
This year marks the final part of the Key Stage 3 journey and as we approach
the end of the first half term I would like to say a massive Well Done and thank
you to the year group who have made an excellent start. Year 9 encompasses
a great feeling of solidarity, support and includes a huge number of positive
role models to the younger students, long may this continue. We have some
fabulous student leaders within the Year group who continue to promote the
positive ethos we are looking for across the tutor groups.
We have also had a number of fabulous achievements across the year group
including, performing at Dance squad, Netball and Football success in both
boys and girls, fantastic cross country performances and also a record number of Year 9s who
have gained parts with this year's production of We Will Rock You.
As we look ahead to the Options process with Year 9 I hope this positive outlook continues and
we can ensure we continue celebrating great achievements. It has been a pleasure getting to
know more about the amazing individuals we have across our year group.
Ms Allcock - Head of Year 9
As the first half-term draws to
a close and we reflect upon
the successes of the year so
far, I have been amazed at the
excellent start Year 10 has
made. Inevitably, transitioning
to Key Stage 4 and embarking
on our GCSE journey comes
with some challenges but Year
10 has risen to these
challenges with resilience, endeavour and
commitment. I have been lucky enough to be
invited into several lessons and the energy and
enthusiasm from Year 10 has been nothing less
than inspiring; I am so impressed, Year 10 and I
cannot wait to see what the next half-term
brings for you if you continue the way you have
started.
There has also been a concerted and noticeable
effort on uniform and punctuality in morning line
ups, meaning that we are getting off to a
positive start each day. Thank you to all of you
Year 10s who are getting it right everyday; the
Year Team are all incredibly proud of you.
Work Experience and Unifrog
We are very excited to be re-introducing work
experience in the summer term of Year 10
which will take place during the week of May
19th 2025. We have already launched the
Unifrog platform with students and parents
which we will be using to explore and complete
the work experience process. All students have
been sent a log-in for this to their school email
address and they have been logging in and
completing some of the quizzes to help them
build a picture of which careers might best suit
them. In addition, students have had an
assembly on work experience, a Life Skills
lesson exploring Unifrog and tutor slides
familiarising them with the timeline and process.
It is expected that Year 10 students will find their
own work experience placement and we are
very impressed that so many have already
started to contact companies and businesses,
with some students securing placements
already. It is never too early to get your
placement secured!
hand: we are incredibly lucky to have our own,
on-site Careers Hub with the expertise of Mrs
Atkins, our Progress Mentor and Mrs Johnson,
our Careers Leader who are available to help
Year 10 with any work experience questions or
concerns. Anyone struggling to find a work
experience placement is welcome to pop into
the Careers Hub during breaks and lunchtimes
to have a chat.
Enrichment and Celebration
Congratulations to our Year 10 girls netball team
who played brilliantly in a recent western area
tournament, coming third overall against some
tough competition.
Well done to also to our boys football team who
won their match against Stowmarket 4-0.
A huge well done to everyone who has been
nominated by their tutor or Year Team to receive
a praise postcard for behaviour that reflects our
PRIDE values at Thurston - there have been so
many acts of empathy, respect and integrity and
we are both proud and thankful for the little
things each of you do that contribute to the
supportive and caring community we have at
Thurston.
Finally, look out for a questionnaire on Google
Classroom over half-term about your hobbies,
interests and achievements; we want to know
all about what you get up to outside of school so
that as a community, we can celebrate
everyone’s achievements, big and small, both in
and out of school.
Mrs Tegg - Head of Year 10
For anyone needing a bit of help and support
with the work experience process, help is at
Students receiving support in the Careers Hub
12 Photos from last year’s ‘Euros Bake Off’ challenge
13

Year 11
Head of Year’s Message
I have been thoroughly impressed with the start that Year 11 have made to their
Year 11 journey. The positive attitude that they are already exhibiting as a year
group is testament to their willingness to embrace the learning opportunities
available. We recognise that their secondary school journey began in uncertain
times and that they have had missed opportunities along the way. However,
they have risen to the challenges and proved that they are a force to be
reckoned with! We hope to be able to find exciting opportunities for them to be
part of this year, ending with our Year 11 Leavers’ Assembly and Prom. The
students enthusiasm means we have plenty of volunteers to be involved in
these activities!
This Half Term has obviously seen a focus on exam preparation and looking at future
destinations. We have opened the Year 11 Hub as a space for students to study and receive
Careers and Wellbeing support throughout the coming year and hope to make this an interactive
and useful resource for all our Year 11s as they prepare for their next steps.
Mrs Harper - Head of Year 11
Thurston Sixth
Head of Sixth Form’s Message
There has been a really positive buzz to the start of this new academic year at
Thurston Sixth and we congratulate the students who have started in year 12,
especially those who joined from other secondary schools, who have settled in so
well. Our alternative "sports day" in September was a great opportunity to develop
team work and enjoy a fun afternoon, which is important as we also establish the
habits required for successful sixth form study.
Students have had many opportunities available to them which we know they will take
the opportunity to develop over the coming months. We are interviewing those
interested in volunteering on overseas trips to Panama and Thailand which will take
place in 2025. We have other students supporting younger students in lessons to develop their
performance and sports skills. The Student Union is welcoming new members who will shape learning
and social opportunities for their peers over the coming year.
In classrooms, we have been excited to welcome visitors from local schools including some Year 11
Chemistry students from Thurston, to hear about exciting ideas for EPQ studies and to support those
students applying for Oxford and Cambridge with their early UCAS entries, with other students making
university applications in the coming weeks.
Miss Evans - Assistant Principal: Head of Sixth Form
A Year 11 Science lesson on the first day in September
Sixth form students on the first day in September
14 15
Thurston Sixth Sports Day 2024

”Kindness is a seed”
Celebrations as Mr Land wins a national ‘Be Kind Award’
The show must go on…
TCC Will Rock You this coming February!
Thurston Community College Student
Support Manager Jonny Land has won the
‘Star Teacher’ award in the national ‘Be Kind
Awards’, hosted at Chester Town Hall in July.
Mr Land and Ms Taylor at the
awards evening
The awards, which
were created to
celebrate the
incredible impact
that kindness has
within our
community,
recognising
schools, staff and
students who
consistently
demonstrate an exceptional level of empathy and
compassion and have gone above and beyond.
Mr Land was nominated by staff and students in
Year 7. Each student in every tutor group wrote on
post it notes how Mr Land had supported them
since starting their journey at Thurston Community
College.
Mr Land said “It was such a surprise and an honour
to have been nominated and to win this beautiful
award; to attend the ceremony and hear the stories
of other nominees, all of which were deeply moving
and inspiring. The support and messages from staff
and students at Thurston were overwhelming; even
some past students contributed. Many of the
accounts they recall might have felt small to me at
the time - saying hello, taking time to talk or just
listen, but it had a genuine impact on them.
Kindness is a seed. We plant it and maybe never
see it bloom, but I have been privileged through this
award to learn what a difference being kind can
make. My hope is that we can find ways to pass the
kindness on throughout the whole school, making it
normal to take any opportunity to support each
other.”
College Principal, Maéve Taylor added “It was a
pleasure to travel to the national finals of the "Be
Kind" awards in Chester this summer, and hear
about great work being done by young people and
schools across the country. Of course, it was a
huge accolade for the work undertaken by Mr Land
that he was the winner of the Star Teacher, a
wonderful recognition of what he does in his role
every day. Thurston Community College, its staff
and students, are very lucky to have Mr Land, and
many other wonderful people like him, to support
our young people.”
This has inspired a celebration of acts of kindness
amongst students at TCC, with an awards
assembly held at the end of term in memory of Evie
Carey, who is fondly remembered as a student who
championed acts of kindness amongst her peers.
Evie’s parents wanted the award to be for students
who, under the radar, carry out acts of kindness
without the need for recognition or praise, just as
Evie had throughout her short life. The nominations
were so strong, that our first ‘Evie Carey Kindness
Award’, had a winner and two runners up. Theo
(pictured) was nominated for his tireless effort after
school helping out clearing the courtyard areas
throughout the Summer term and Amber was
nominated for always looking out for others. The
overall winner, Pippa (pictured), was nominated by
her teacher. Pippa quietly asked after one lesson to
move seats to be next to a specific student. When
asked why, she said she had wanted to help the
student feel more supported and help them
integrate more within their lessons.
Mr Land with Pippa and Theo
This story featured in the Bury Free Press!
Read more at www.suffolknews.co.uk
We have been so excited to start rehearsals this term for We Will Rock You School
Edition!
Kicking off strongly by learning ‘Radio Gaga’ as a full cast we know it will be ‘A Kind of Magic’. We
have a great cast drawn from across the seven year groups who really ‘Are the Champions! ‘No
One But You’ can keep your eyes peeled for updates and when tickets are released, you don’t
want to be Under Pressure last minute and miss out! ‘These Are The Days of our Lives’ working
with these young people to make memories that will ‘Live Forever’.
We Will Rock You on…
Wednesday 12 - Saturday 15 February 2024
TCC Performing Arts Team
We’ll be ‘rushing headlong’ to get tickets on sale soon, but in the meantime, do check out
some of our other Performing Arts events and showcases at
www.thurstoncollege.org/tickets
16 17

Sports Success
A PE department extra curricular round up
Students at a Cross Country event at the Royal Hospital School
Our U18 Football Team after a 3-0 win over Abbeygate Sixth Form
Well done to Sam B in Year 7 who won a ‘Team
Player Puck’ in a recent Ice Hockey match
outside of school
Our various sports teams have kicked off the year
and enjoyed a large number of competitive
fixtures in the opening weeks of term seeing them
travel to and hosting schools from across Suffolk
in several activities. We have won a large number
of matches, but what has been even more
pleasing to see is that all Thurston students
continue to represent the school with pride and
conduct themselves admirably.
It has been particularly satisfying to see so many
of our new Year 7s fully immerse themselves in
the range of opportunities presented to them, and
represent the school for the first of what we hope
will be up to seven years of extra curricular
involvement with us. At the other end of the
spectrum, we have had our Thurston Sixth
students juggling their academic studies with
taking part in County level fixtures in both netball
and football.
For those who simply want to take part in more
recreational level sport with friends, our full range
of lunchtime and afterschool clubs have seen
100s of students each week enjoy physical
activities with their peers.
We will continue to celebrate those representing
the school through our social media platforms and
look forward to seeing others step forward and
take part soon if they are yet to do so. We also
look forward to hearing directly as a department of
any out of school sporting successes our students
are involved in, and celebrating these with the
wider community.
Mr Lewis - Director of Learning for Sports
and The Arts
Our U12 Football team after a 5-2 win against Ormiston Sudbury Academy in the West Suffolk Cup
One of our Year 11 Football teams after a match in the West Suffolk Cup
Our Year 7 Netball Team
18 19

Día Europeo de las Lenguas
(That’s Spanish for ‘European Day of Languages’)
There was a buzz of excitement in the air this
September as our MFL (Modern Foreign
Languages) department brought students and staff
together to celebrate European Day of Languages.
This event, marked annually across Europe on 26th
September, was rolled out across the whole week
at the college, with a host of activities taking place
to celebrate the joy of language learning, our
connections to Europe and the value of languages
in building intercultural understanding.
The theme of the week was ‘Where can languages
take you?’ and this was at the heart of the
assemblies which took place across four days and
were led by Mrs Dolby and Mr Valentine. Ms Taylor
reported that the assembly ‘gave her goosebumps’
as she, along with our Year 7-10 students, heard
poetry read out both en français and en español
and listened intently as eight members of TCC staff
shared their remarkable linguistic talents. Students
were reminded of the doors which can be opened
by language learning as stories were shared about
where a knowledge of languages has taken so
many members of our TCC community. Afterwards,
one student remarked ‘I didn’t know so many
teachers in our school could speak another
language’.
important task of
2 nd place! judging our highly
anticipated Great
European Bake Off
competition. Year 6
particularly enjoyed
the tasting element
of this event, and
with the wonderful
array of Europeanthemed
cakes to
Erika B’s Swedish fruit cake choose from, found
the decision-making process quite a challenge!
Eventually, the overall winner was announced as
Caitlin M for her fantastic Italian-inspired pizza
cake, followed by Erika B in 2nd place for her
delicious Swedish fruit cake. Runners-up prizes
were also awarded to Charlie C, Emily F and
Matilda P and we would like to thank all those
students who participated and made this such a
fantastic occasion, as well as our Year 11 student
leaders for their assistance on the day.
Caitlin M - Star Baker!
Happy faces at our Year 8 French Breakfast
Some of our cake testers from Thurston Primary Academy!
Throughout the week, students embraced
opportunities to show off their own language skills
with activities such as our multilingual registers and
a language in music quiz. We were also delighted
to welcome Year 6 students from Thurston Primary
School who enjoyed lots of language-based
activities and helped out marvellously with the very
Our French Breakfast café menu
The celebrations concluded with a French breakfast
for Year 8 students, who enjoyed the French café
atmosphere brought to us by Mr Standish with
French café music and Parisian digital signage.
Students sat together in their tutor groups with their
tutors enjoying French pastries, baguettes with
French jam and juice. Year 8 particularly
appreciated the activity placemats as support to
order their breakfasts in French and enjoyed the
wonderful, warm atmosphere in the dining hall.
The MFL team were delighted with how well-received all the events were, saying ‘Our aim was to not only
highlight the importance of language learning and the joy it can bring but also to inspire students to
continue their language studies as they move through the college. In celebrating languages, we create a
bridge in connecting our students with communities across cultures and borders and encourage them to
think about life beyond Suffolk’. As psycholinguist Frank Smith once said “One language sets you in a
corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”
The MFL department plans to continue promoting the values of the European Day of Languages
throughout the academic year and is already thinking ahead to next year’s events! Back in the classroom,
we continue to celebrate the determination and effort shown by so many of our students in their language
learning, with our September Linguist of the Month certificates awarded to Henry M, Tyler S, Phoebe S,
Rylan B, Thomas S and Morgan M. Well done, all!
Mrs Dolby - Director of Learning for English and MFL
20 21

Wellbeing
Supporting our young people
Hello, my name is Nicolas Costa, and I am the Lead Mental Health
Practitioner here at Thurston Community College.
My role is to support students directly, promote a positive mental health culture
in the school, and connect families with external services to enhance the
wellbeing of our entire school community.
Beyond my role, I’m committed to doing everything I can to ensure that every
student feels supported, whether through individual sessions, group workshops,
or whole-school initiatives focused on emotional wellbeing. I believe that building
a positive, resilient mindset starts with a strong partnership between the school
and families, and I’m here to be a part of that journey.
How to support your child in school
1. Build positive routines - such as a consistent sleep
schedule (See next page for more information).
2. Promote Healthy Eating Habits.
3. Assist with homework and responsibilities – Be
available to help.
4. Help your child prioritise tasks and manage their time
effectively.
5. Support and encourage your child to explore their
interests.
• Why do we keep reminding your child about the importance of sleep?
Sleep is a vital activity that every organism needs to function properly. As a result,
the lack of sleep or poor sleeping patterns can have a significant impact on a
variety of essential day to day functions. For instance, memory consolidation,
body healing and metabolic regulation occur during the sleeping schedule
(Reddy, 2023).
Why is the ‘Circadian Rhythm’ important?
The Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal clock, running in the
background to carry out essential functions and processes. The body’s internal clock is naturally
aligned with the cycle of day and night - travel, work or an underlying issue can disrupt your
circadian rhythm.
The Circadian Rhythm serves many functions and help regulate, for example:
• Sleeping and waking.
• Immune system.
• Body’s reaction to stress.
Thus, disruption to the sleeping cycle can influence a person’s eating habits, digestion, body
temperature, hormone release, and other bodily functions. Ultimately, lack of sleep can negatively
affect a person’s ability to properly function and can result in many disorders.
How can a disrupted Circadian Rhythm be affecting your child?
• Difficulty in Sleeping;
• Performance Issues – e.g. difficulty focusing;
• Emotional and Social difficulties
• Fatigue
Useful wellbeing apps and websites
What’s on offer at TCC?
Our In School Referral Process
Calm Harm
Helps young people manage manage the urge the
urge to to self self harm. harm.
Calm Mindshift Harm
Helps A free app young designed people to help manage teens the and
young
urge
adults
to
to
self
cope
harm.
with anxiety
• "The Mix Wellbeing Hub” – offering support
in school.
• Various lunchtime clubs available at the
Wellbeing Hub.
• Every Friday, tutor time covers different
aspects of wellbeing and mental health.
• Wellbeing Ambassadors for peer support and
raising awareness.
• Group workshops and 1:1 session for
students that have been referred.
If you are worried about a student's mental
health, please speak directly to their Year
Leader or the Lead Mental Health Practitioner.
They can make a referral for access to mental
health support in school. The most appropriate
intervention for that young person can then be
decided.
Any students presenting with an urgent
mental health concern will need to be
referred to the Suffolk Emotional
Wellbeing Hub, 111 or A&E.
•
What’s Up
A mental health app designed to help
you with depression, anxiety, anger,
stress and more
Calm Clear Harm Fear
Helps An app young for young people people manage who are the
urge feeling to self anxious harm.
Have you seen the helpful tips and advice for parents on current topics on our safeguarding blog?
www.thurstoncollege.org/safeguarding
Superbetter: Mental Health
This app will help you build resilience,
strength, motivation and optimism
Calm
Kooth
Harm
A free website that provides
Helps counselling, young community people manage support and the
self help urge toos for self young harm. people
22 23

#TCCLife
Celebrating life at TCC and Thurston Sixth
Issue 2: October 2024
www.thurstoncollege.org