On Wednesday, 12 January we held our postponed [due to COVID] Christmas Chess Tournament! Year 8s and 7s battled it out to win a magnetic chess board and an awful lot of chocolate. Zayd De Silva of Year 7 and Hashir Babar of Year 8 were declared the winners with Hassaan Qureshi of Year 7 and Preyansh Thaker of Year 8 as runners up.
Well done to everyone who competed! Looking forward to the next tournament!
On Thursday 9th December Heston Community School had its first Winter Music Concert. Over 40 students took part, with the majority of students having only started playing an instrument in September. Students performed on their own, as part of ensembles or as part of choir using range of instruments including guitars, drums, piano and saxophones.
Whilst I was very nervous waiting to sing the Tracy Chapman song 'Baby Can I Hold You', the support from all my friends, teachers and the Sixth Formers, really boosted my confidence. Once I was on stage, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the concert was really fun. It made all the practice that I had completed at home and school worth it. During the concert I also really enjoyed listening to everyone else’s performance, and I was extremely impressed.
The experience was outstanding, and I only wish it had lasted longer. I can’t wait to take part in the Summer Concert.
Damini Grewal 8O
The Senior Students felt that at Christmas, a time when families want to socialise and spend time together, was not time for families in Hounslow to be worried about whether they could afford to feed their children. This is an endeavour that our entire school community takes pride in. Having it as an annual event supports our Hestonian values, in particular equality, with the sense that we are able to provide for the whole community with basic needs such as food. The conversation with the Food Box employees was eye-opening; they remarked on how much passion they have for providing those in need and how COVID has made the situation in our local community worse. They thanked us for helping them to be able to feed local families especially those with children. This is not something that only enriched our experience as students to be more productive in the community, but has sent a message to students in all other year groups allowing them to learn more about why charitable works are so important.
Manroze Purewal and Layla Januda
[Senior Students]
I was selected for work experience over the course of a week. I was able to work as a Legal Assistant at Ash Solicitors in Hounslow. This meant I was able to participate in the daily of paralegals and also to observe the routines of solicitors. I was able to observe the processes before going to court as well as to understand the timings and the casework needed for both civil and criminal case. I was very privileged to have the opportunity to work on several divorce cases and as the week progressed the divorce process from a simple petition being issues to applying for Decree Absolute was made clear. I was able to work with clients and I gained knowledge of a range of issues which can influence the complexity of their case, for example a divorce with the needs of minors to consider. By working as a Legal Assistant, I was able to understand the responsibilities of paralegals, as well as the requirements needed to become a solicitor.
Anisha Nareydoo
On Friday the 3rd of December, Year 10 students took part in a communication workshop hosted by the Speakers Trust. Speakers Trust are a charity committed to helping young people improve their speaking and communication skills, who work alongside the Jack Petchey's Speak Out Challenge Foundation, to equip students with the confidence and skills they need to share their ideas and reach their potential. The day was an incredible success and offered our students a platform to prepare for their GCSE Spoken Language endorsement. The winner of each group will be performing their speech in the Year 10's end of term assembly, and the top three students will be selected to participate in the next stage of The Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge.
It was a really gratifying experience and helped to boost my confidence. We got to share some stories and were asked questions about our experience. My mentor, Brendon, was really supportive and helped everyone overcome their anxieties about speaking in front of the class. We got into small group to write and perform our speeches at first and then delivered them to the whole class. Overall, I am very grateful for the Jack Petchey Speak Up Challenge came to our school to do this workshop.
Congratulations to our worthy winners: Kaya Vasudeva, Sanpreet Arora, Simranpreet Sandhu, Mustafa Usman, Diya Harrish, Pavleen Madhan, Shiv Padhiyar and Emily Nicholas.
Nancy Dutt [10O]
Congratulations to Eliad Ahmed, Qais Remtulla, Simranjeet Kaur and Navvya Makwana, who finished in the top 10 Schools in Hounslow and Middlesex.
A team of four Chemists, aged 14-16, were selected to compete at the Top of the Bench, Royal Society of Chemistry, inter-school competition. During the competition, we had numerous rounds of questions - each testing out chemical knowledge, under timed conditions. At the end, we played a bonus round where we were asked rather intriguing questions, such as what are metalloids? I learnt a myriad of new things, ranging from desulphurisation to the origins of elements.
Eliad Ahmed [11B]
Well done to Palvin Fernandes, Rohut Kumar Bajaj, Aya Galawinge, Yusuf Khan, Simarpreet Khurana and Minhaz Rahman who achieved a Bronze Award and Muna Abdullah and Shenoy Rego who achieved a Silver Award.
The ability to recognise different patterns, think logically and an understanding of mathematical theory were a few of the skills demanded by the Senior Maths Challenge. The biggest challenge I face while preparing for the Senior Maths Challenge was getting rid of my calculator dependency and using new tricks to solve problems efficiently without a calculator. Honing these skills helped me not only for the challenge but also for everyday use as a student. The Senior Maths Challenge was truly an experience I will treasure, from preparing to competing with the brightest mathematicians around my age.
Shenoy Rego [13]
Heston Students have taken part in a national poetry writing competition, hosted by ‘Young Writers’. Students were asked to write a poem on a topic they felt passionate about, giving them the opportunity to project their voice to the world and speak their truth. It was delightful to see many submissions entered from Heston, and the following students’ poems were selected for publication in the Young Writer’s Poetry Anthology for 2022:
Chaya Gogar, Victor Odametey, Waseem Naqvi, Umayyah Samadi, Zainab Razvi, Heer Aoja, Anita Misra, Alisha Rizwan, Manwinder Pannu, Harshal Lond, Jaania Kanwar, Navdeep Singh, Matilda McKiegue, Ahlam Ali, Damanpreet Saghal and Suleiman Khan.
Well done, everyone! Here is the entry by Chaya Gogar [8G]:
'I thought I heard it'
I thought I heard it up on the hills,
The highs and lows gave me the chills.
All the joyful peace in my life it fills,
Any sadness in me it always kills.
It flows like the water in a beautiful river
Piercing my heart like a wooden sliver,
It kills my empty soul like arrows in a quiver.
You can find more information on the poetry competition here: https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/competitions/KS3-4/empowered
Not only does writing make you and others feel happy, but it is also an effective way to express your opinion. Writing is an essential skill used in everyday life from preparing for a job interview to writing letters to the tooth fairy!
Alisha Rizwan [10G]
During October, to express the Halloween excitement, a spooky story competition took place. Students were encouraged to put pen to paper and let their imagination free as they created thrilling short stories that sent shivers down spines. I would like to congratulate Prem Ghatora [8R] on his story called “Her.”
Here is an extract…
“Breathless. Exhausted. Frederick’s breathing grew heavy. His chest ached. His head throbbed. Sweat trickled down his temples. To be honest, he was drenched in sweat. His legs were sore yet he still kept running. The barren dead trees around him made him feel small, weak. While tough gusts of wind pushed him away, the crow song could be heard in the distance. He could hear the rapid unsteady beat of his heart. The air was poisonous and repulsive, making him want to retch. This dismal place made him shiver. His legs were in agony making him want to yell, but he knew he couldn’t stop. Otherwise it would be the end. He couldn’t stop because he was being followed, hunted. By Her… Frederick didn’t even want to recall her name. It made him shudder…”
Brilliant! As a result of his terrifically terrifying tale, he was awarded a quill writing set, a journal and a collection of stories by Susan Hill. Well done, Prem!
Alisha Rizwan [10G]
The first edition of our new student newsletter, 'The Heston Voice', has just been published to an excellent reception from students and staff. As Chief Editor and designer, Lidia Goonatilaka, along with Co-editor, Roshni Barrass, lead a team of Year 13 students and contributors from across the School.
Lidia describes 'The Heston Voice’ as 'informing students on topics from the miraculous way the immune system fends off infection, to the history behind Black History Month. At its core, its aim is to engage students with a myriad of topics [particularly with things outside the classroom] to increase cultural capital, foster an appreciation of the arts, and encourage a fervour for learning. Ultimately, the team hope to connect to and solidify our School as a community, giving students their own ‘Voice’ and the opportunity to share the things they are passionate about.'
Reader, Jaya Dhillon [7B] commented, 'our School is one of a kind, it buzzes with life, not only in the playground or in the hallways but in the classes too, even maths - believe it or not! If you’re having a bad day, I assure you, the frown that you came to school with will turn into a smile by the end of the day. This newsletter does the same: it brings the school together as one, regardless of heritage, background, or race. In Heston each child really matters.'
With book recommendations, interesting articles and beautiful art work, please enjoy Issue 1 below.
Parents of Year 13 students were invited to meet with senior teachers to discuss their child's higher education apprenticeship and career plans for Post 18. Teachers also discussed attainment in the September UCAS mocks and students had the opportunity to review their targets linked to their first choice university courses and apprenticeships. Given that there were so few faces-to-face parent meeting over the last eighteen months, it was a fantastic opportunity to meet with parents in person. Parents also appreciated being able to come into school to meet with teachers and the turnout was excellent as over 90% of parents were in attendance.
Sixth Form Open Evening Thursday 18 November 18:00 - 20:00