A Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope that you are well. As I write, summer is upon us and temperatures are set to soar. Our building was not well-designed to deal with intense sunshine and many students and staff tend to find the heat inside some classrooms difficult to tolerate when it gets really hot. This is an aspect of design that I will be bearing firmly in mind as work on the plans for the new building! At this point, however, it is vital that students also have access to water. We have increased the supply of mineral water around the School and would ask that you make sure that your child carries a clear, plastic bottle which can be filled up with fresh water. Please remind your child that carbonated drinks will still not be allowed into School and may be confiscated.

The exam season is already upon us with Year 9 students having finished their SATs a week or so ago and Year 11 students began their study leave at the end of last week. GCSE and GNVQ exams have already started. I know that staff have worked incredibly hard to prepare students for these important exams, and I am sure that we can continue to rely on your support, to ensure that your child does their very best in the exams. Even at this late stage, time set aside at home for revision and preparation is vital and I hope that you will give your child all the encouragement possible to focus on their studies, so that they achieve all of which they are capable. Regular, well-balanced meals and plenty of sleep are also highly recommended! It is also quite a stressful time for students, and we must all remain mindful of that.

As always, I look forward to welcoming you into School in the very near future.

With very best wishes,

Simon Harris
Headteacher

Ability Counts!

On the 4th May 2007, the Deaf Support Base participated in the London Ability Counts Football Festival in Regents Park. The day was action packed with thriving teams competing to reach the finals of a pan-disability cross country tournament.

St. Paul's Way Under-16 girls' team got off to a brilliant start, beating the opposing team 7-0. Meanwhile, the Under-16 boys' team drew their match against Meadows FC. It was a stimulating day for all. Shamie Begum, 10P, played a leading role in the girls' team, scoring more than ten goals during the competition and the boys showed exceptional sportsmanship and passion. The girls managed to come third overall, with the boys finishing in fourth place. Both teams were awarded with medals. Well done to all the participants and the staff involved in the event.

Mr Uddin, Deaf Support Base

City of London Festival

Parisian buildings were the starting point for eleven DSB students to make their impact on this year's City of London Festival. We were invited to study aspects of a city which has close business associations with London. We chose Paris. It was a hard task to choose images of Paris as there are so many and all so beautiful!

The students developed watercolour paintings before cutting huge stencils to screen print on banners. The end results were fabulous! They will be displayed for the duration of the festival and the pupils involved will be opening the festival at the end of June. Thousands of people will be able to see to banners on their way to work.

The workshop was run by Sarah and Ayesha from Cloth of Gold. They were very impressed by the standard of work! A fantastic opportunity to work in a Textile Design studio.

Our thanks to Sarah Pimenta and Ayesha Asher at Cloth of Gold and the following artists: Boody, Agibou, Hafsa, Samiur and Ahtik of 7T, Shaheda, Nayeem, Zakirul and Criscitta of 8T, Priya of 9T and Shammi of Shammi.

Ms Taylor, Deaf Support Base

Geography Posters

The following students designed and produced very good Geography posters for Year 8 Parents’ Evening, which was held on Wednesday 16th May 2007:

8T: Mansoor Ali, Rojey Ali, Rizwan Ali, Lipe Begum, Rahima Begum, Shuma Begum, Jannath Bushra, Nazir Choudhury, Abdullah Hasan, Anwar Hussain, Lubna Ibrahim, Shamin Jitu, Shahida Khanom, Rohima Motlib, Mominur Rahman, Jahid Choudhury, Shahjahan Ali and Sabina Ahmed

8U: Haroon and Mousa Ahmed, Ruhel Ahmed, Ahmed and Mhd Azerkan, Salma Begum, Nazifa Choudhury, Misbaul Faim, Aftab Hussain, Marjana Islam, Joli Talukder, Afsara Tasnim and Nikolina Wesolowska.

Mr Jacobs, Head of Geography

Extended Schools News

Students from Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 have been working during Breakfast Club with a qualified horticulturist from the Bromley-by-Bow Centre.

Along with staff members, students have been planting seeds which will grow into sunflowers, nasturtiums and sweet peas. In two weeks time, they should be big enough to be re-planted around the School. All staff and students are welcome to join this club.

ESOL classes for parents take place on Monday mornings from 9.30-11.30am. A crèche is available on request.

Other classes include the Women's Sewing Group, which still has a few spaces available on Thursday mornings for interested parents, and adult ICT classes will be available to parents in June. Please sign up as soon as possible.

For information about any of the above, please contact the school on 020 7987 1883.

Special Mentions

Fifty-one enthusiastic Maths students took part in the Maths Department’s Maths Challenge competition, which was held during lunchtimes in recent weeks. Congratulations to all who took part.

The winners and runners up - Fahmida Hussain, 7T2, Hamida Begum, 7U2, Zeeshan Babar, 8W and Aftab Hussain, 8U - went on to proudly represent the School in the Tower Hamlets Junior Mathematics Challenge at Sir John Cass on Wednesday 23rd May 2007. Well done to you all!

Mr Crause, Maths Department

Good luck to Mr Wilks (Head of English), who is cycling fifty-five miles from London to Brighton on Sunday 17th June to raise money for two charities - The British Heart Foundation and Amnesty International.

Year 10 on Work Experience

During the past two weeks, students have been able to experience the world of work with a variety of employers. All students in the year group have had the opportunity to gain valuable life skills as well as an understanding of what life will be like when they leave school. The students would like to pass on their thanks to all staff and employers involved in being able to provide this experience.