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December 2023

Archive

  • Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief Theatre Trip

    Published 18/12/23

    Back in September, Miss Ghatore, Assistant Curriculum Leader for English, ran an Article Writing Competition for Year 9s. Some highly motivated students rose to the challenge. After a few redrafts, pieces were submitted for publication in The Heston Voice. 

    To reward students for their effort, a visit to a musical version of Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief was organised. This popular novel fuses Greek myth with American high school scenarios, and features a hero who is half-human/half-God!

    The cast were 3rd Year Drama students who attend The University of West London in Ealing. Everything from the acting, to the singing, the dancing, the special effects and the lighting was stunning. Akaila, Year 9, said, "I loved how the actors were all in snyc and on point." Harry, Year 9, was impressed by "how they didn't break character, they stayed in acting mode." Emil, Year 9, added, "It felt real".

    Heston Community School is very fortunate to have the chance to take students to free performances at the university, who want to work with us on future visits too. The director and actors were so generous with their time, even meeting with us after the performance. Students found out about how long rehearsals take, how props are made, how actors remember their lines and what GCSE and A Level options the actors took. 

    It was a fantastic and very different day out for our young people, who thoroughly deserved this experience.

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  • CULTURAL FUSION 2023

    Published 14/12/23

    Cultural Fusion was probably the best day of this year so far, the vibes, the people and the event as a whole was so fun I can’t wait for next year!

    Jaya Kaur Dhillon [9B]

    Cultural Fusion was an amazing experience to showcase all our talents!

    Everyone had great fun and the show went amazingly due to the help of the Sixth Formers. We are so grateful for getting a chance to perform and can't wait for the next one!

    Jaania Kanwar [9Y]

    Cultural Fusion was so fun! I really enjoyed playing for the audience, the crowd were wild with their shouting and singing! All the acts were amazing; the bhangra dancing, the Dhol, the singers and all the other musicians included! Everything went really well and everyone was having a good time and so did the performers. Big shout out to all the Sixth Formers who made the show run so smoothly.

    We couldn't have done it without them; we all had such an amazing evening of singing and dancing.

    Alicia Joseph [11Y]

      

      

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  • Academic Mentoring Day 2023

    Published 13/12/23

    For Academic Mentoring Day, we focused on our two core subjects Maths and English, as our parent meetings had taken place earlier in the term. In these lessons, our main focus was to practice exam style questions and to improve our exam technique. In Maths, we attempted Grade 6 and above exam style questions to prepare us for our mock and GCSE. This really helped as we were able to get support from our teachers on how to approach these difficult questions in order to achieve the highest grades. In English, we also attempted an exam style question. We focused on questions that scored the most marks and we were able to ask for help and improve our answers to get top end marks. Overall, AMD helped us as we were able to learn valuable exam skills. 

    Anerly Estibeiro 11W

    With the support of my parents and tutor, I was able to pinpoint my areas of development during Academic Mentoring Day. It really helped me to better direct my energies so that I can make good progress in my A Levels.  Furthermore, it was advantageous as it was a great opportunity to bring my parents, my tutor and together to discuss how they will support me to achieve my full potential. 

    Anureet Channa [12F] 

    On AMD, we had two sessions dedicated to boosting our preparation for the upcoming mock and public examinations. We used this opportunity to review and master some of the areas for development in at least two of our subjects.  For example, in Physics we went over exam style questions and refined our approach to maximising our marks. This was an invaluable opportunity. 

    Eliad Ahmed [13D]

       

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  • GateOne workshop

    Published 13/12/23

    On Friday, 08 December T-Level Business and Healthcare Science students across Year 12 and 13 had the opportunity to attend a workshop organised by GateOneConsultancy, a consultancy firm based in Central London. We learnt about how to write a CV and cover letter.  The focus of the session was to show us how to build our skills, develop ourselves personally as applicants to showcase what we can bring to different organisations. They introduced us to a method called the Ikigai, a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a sense of purpose, a reason for living.

    This method used four questions:

    1. What I am good at? 

    2. What I love? 

    3. What the world needs? 

    4. What can you be paid for? 

    This helped me to analyse and see the variety of career paths that I could pursue based on my skills. As part of the session, we were also introduced to the STAR technique, a significant technique to use during an interview. We worked in pairs, practising the different interview questions using the STAR technique. It was challenging, as thinking on the spot was difficult, however as time passed we did learn how to use the technique and were able to refine our answers to be clear and concise. The benefits of the workshop experience was very insightful and helpful to allow us to prepare for interviews in the future.

    Wasi Syed [13F] T-level Management & Administration 

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  • Year 11 and 12 ‘Business Breakfast’

    Published 12/12/23

     

    “This morning, a group of More Able students were invited to the Sixth Form Centre to talk to Sixth Form students about how we can best approach our GCSEs. I personally found this morning really helpful as I was given revision techniques that can help me memorise my content and ways to keep my stress levels stable during exams. I have received amazing advice, which I am thankful for and will put into use as soon as possible.”

    Leila [11B]

     

    "We spoke to the Year 11s about our experience in the Sixth Form so far - discussing what subjects we take and what the workload is like. They also wanted advice on how to revise for certain subjects, like Physics and Biology and I gave them tips that I found helpful during GCSEs on staying organized and how to make their revision more efficient [such as the use of flashcards and note-taking].”

    Diya [12C]

    “We were very fortunate to spend our time working with Year 11 students and discussing tips on how to revise. They were able to ask questions regarding revision timetables, what resources to use and how to use their time efficiently. We were also given breakfast such as pain au chocolats and croissants to create a comfortable environment.  This event provided younger students with information to prepare themselves for January mocks and their upcoming GCSEs.”

    Rianna [12G]

    “The business breakfast was a great opportunity to talk to A Level students about how they cope with the jump between GCSE and A Level content. They also answered all of my questions about the type of revision techniques they used when they completed their GCSEs. Overall, it was an insightful experience.”

    Renaya [11P]

    “We discussed techniques for how to revise and study, such as the Pomodoro technique, where you study in 20 minute intervals and have 5 minute breaks in between.”

    Jagjodh [11G]

    “After engaging in conversations surrounding numerous revision strategies with the current Year 11 students, we explored effective workload management, cultivating a sense of self-confidence and encouraging them to pursue the best grades possible. Given our recent experience with GCSEs, we were able to empathise with them and address any worries or concerns they may have, equipping them with the necessary skills to excel in their January mocks, as well as any forthcoming exams. Additionally, we discussed what they wish to study in Sixth Form, and I was able to provide insight as to what is covered for certain subjects, such as English Literature as well as the jump between GCSE and A-Level.”

     Arshil [12F]

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  • Poetry workshop at Lampton

    Published 04/12/23

    Fifteen aspiring poets from across KS3 visited Lampton School to meet published poet, Neal Zeller. Zeller explained how he uses poetry as therapy but also for fun, performing a range of his own poems covering topics as diverse as frustration on tube trains, to a fear of dark alleyways, to a love of peanut butter!

    His quirky and individual poetry style engaged the students, who experimented with vocal recitation and public speaking skills, before finally working on their own poems.

    Zeller coached each student, giving them the freedom to really express themselves. Their poems covered serious topics from anxieties about exams, to gratitude to parents, to fear of darkness and uncertainty about identity. The finished poems showed emotional maturity and courage; they were also beautifully accomplished in terms of technical skill. Some will be published in the next issue of the Heston Voice and we hope they will resonate with all of our readers.

    “I really enjoyed the trip because we learnt more about poetry and different types of poems. We also got to write our own poems, which I found fun - I wrote mine about clowns! We listened to poems being read aloud and even performed a choral reading of some poems, too. At the end, we got to read our poems in front of other students and teachers, which pushed me out of my comfort zone. Overall, I found the trip interesting and educating.”  

    Kaia Hall, [9Y] 

     “The poetry trip was fun, enjoyable and an informative experience. I have learnt new writing styles and I would love to develop even more writing skills. I think this day was beneficial to all of us interested in poetry.”  

    Arlynn Rodrigues [8Y] 

     

     

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December 2023

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