2 August 2019

As I reflect on my first 6 months at FICS I am amazed at how much the students have done and achieved. I hope that this newsletter gives you a flavour of the experiences they have had.

Awards evening has been the highlight of my year when I was inspired by the pride the award winners had in their achievements and by Brigadier Nick Sawyer who reminded us to be the best we can be and to always stand up for what is right. John Rimicans McLeod’s rendition of the “The Crags of Tumbledown” will stay with me for a very long time.

The students at FICS continually impress me as their curiosity develops at a pace. I am pleased to see so many of them fully engaged in their learning. They ask amazingly insightful questions and they are working hard. They are increasingly willing to go “a little further”. I was very delighted to introduce our Senior Students and Sports Captains to the school in June. Marvis Chipunza, Jackie Clarke, Elliana Ferriby, Hamish McKee, Temis Smith, Malachi Budd, and Lane McKay outlined how they planned to work together to ensure that FICS is a place where everyone can enjoy learning and where school spirit is encouraged through a variety of social, charity and sporting events.

Student Leaders (Top Left) Temis Smith, Lane McKay, (Middle Left) Malachi Budd, Hamish McKee, (Bottom Left) Marvis Chipunza, Elliana Ferriby, and Jackie Clarke.

Their desire to look at how they could contribute to conservation in the Falkland Islands has left me in no doubt about the moral purpose of FICS students. The Year 8 girls have continued with their project working with inspirational women from MPA, FICS and the local community. Everyone they have interviewed has commented on their good manners and positive approach. They have been magnificent ambassadors for FICS. Year 8 boys – watch this space for your own project! Year 10 have stepped up their efforts as they continue on their GCSE journey. Year 9 have chosen their Options carefully and Year 7 continue to be exuberant and resilient. We had a very successful Transition Day in July and we look forward to working with the remarkable Year 6 students and their supportive parents in the new academic year.

The teachers at FICS have continued to focus on our core business of teaching and learning. We have undertaken an extensive KS3 curriculum review and thought about how we will measure progress and report it to parents. There will be a number of Information Evenings in September for parents to talk through this work. We will continue to work on improving our teaching: not because we have to but because we can. I would like to thank those teachers who are leaving us for their hard work and service. We wish Mrs Barclay, Mr Davies, Mr Downie, Mr and Mrs Farrow, Mrs Igao, Mr Muncaster, Ms Smith, Mr Sokolsky, and Mrs Wilson well in their next adventures.

As we finish a busy and productive term, I would like to return to what I said at Awards Evening: It is my privilege to work with amazing young people, dedicated teachers and supportive parents and I know that if we continue to work together we can create a secondary school of which we can be proud. It truly is a time to be optimistic and positive, so that together we can guide the young people of the Falkland Islands towards the ambitious and adventure filled future they deserve.

FICS Awards Evening 2019

On Friday 7 June 2019 students, parents and invited guests gathered at the Town Hall for the annual FICS Awards Evening. 70 awards for academic achievement, outstanding effort and sporting achievements were presented to 50 students by Brigadier Nick Sawyer Commander BFSAI and MLA Stacey Bragger. The Margaret Thatcher Prize for Service to the School was awarded to Mrs Pauline Iago in recognition of 30 years of service teaching Mathematics. Her award was greeted with the loudest applause of the evening: highlighting the huge appreciation of her work.

In his address, Brigadier Sawyer remembered the teachers who had inspired him in his secondary years and encouraged students of FICS to continue to work hard and “to be the best they could be”. He went on to encourage the students to treat everyone with dignity and respect; have the moral courage to stand up for what is right never let their integrity be questioned and have the self-discipline to do the right thing even when no one is watching.

The large crowed was entertained by music from John Rimicans MCleod and the Ukulele Group.

The evening saw a range of students receiving awards: Kelly Harris and Greg Smith shared the Headteacher’s Commendation for Endeavour and Thomas McGhie was presented with the Pilgrims’ Award. Ross House was crowed the champions for the year.

Photos courtesy of BFSAI Falklands

In her closing remarks the Acting Head Teacher, Ms Christina Robinson expressed her pride in the students at FICs and highlighted the “amazing” characteristics of the students she has come to value over her short time at the school. She focused on the students’ curiosity, growing resilience, creativity, forthrightness, sense of humour and their pride in their Islands. She expressed a hope that the young people present would have lives “filled with adventure, imagination and service” and reminded students that the community’s belief in their future prospects and their ambition for them had “no limits”.

Stacy Bragger enjoyed the evening and described it as “a lovely occasion which recognised the hard work and success of our students. It was pleasing for the school community to have the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the last academic year and to say farewell to the Year 11 students and wish them all the best for their remaining exams before they move to the next exciting chapter of their lives.”

Susan Whitley Memorial Exhibition 2019

The 35th Sue Whitley Memorial Exhibition was held over the weekend of 27 – 29 June as a celebration of her life and legacy in teaching arts and crafts. The quality of work presented was outstanding and event was a real celebration of FICS student’s creativity, hard work and talents across a range of practical subjects. The event was an extravaganza of drawing, painting, design, photography, sculpture, textiles and woodwork with over 250 separate artworks on display.

There were many examples of technical and creative craftsmanship on display ranging from fine art portrait painting, artist inspired clutch bags, beautiful hand crafted clocks and wooden dovetailed jewellery boxes. This year, there was also some experimental work where Year 7 students used their Maths knowledge to create large collaborative sculptures based on the mathematical Fibonacci sequence.

The judging, which took place on Friday night, was incredibly difficult as the quality of work in each of the 10 categories was exceptional. After much debate the Spinning Wheel Trophy for best in exhibition was awarded to Kirsty Lewis for her portfolio of work.

Everyone who visited the exhibition was totally inspired by the range of arts and crafts created by the students as they demonstrated as they did an exceptional level of skill and imagination. All at FICS were very proud of each and every student who poured their heart and soul into their project to create some really wonderful work

Transition Year 6

On 16 July, 36 IJS & CE students from Year 6, took their first steps towards making the transition to secondary school as they enjoyed their first full day at FICS. They were welcomed by staff, Senior Students and KS3 buddies and spent the first hour getting to know more about the school with a treasure hunt and quiz.

They then moved quickly on to science with Miss Dickson and Mr Brown where they worked hard to earn their Bunsen burners licences and complete a range of exciting experiments. The afternoon saw the children take part in their first House competition. The children ended their day with taster lessons in both music and PE, meaning that by the time the bell rang, everyone was exhausted but excited about starting secondary school in September.

Coppers for Conservation

The first event organised by The Senior Students was designed to encourage team motivation across all years and reward school community spirit. Referred to as “Coppers for conservation” this involved laying out pennies on the Street which were then counted and donated to Falkland Conservation. This event was a great deal of fun and raised the profile of environmental issues within FICS. We are looking forward to more charity, social and sporting events organised by our Senior Students.

Miss Christina Watson

Throughout the year, Year 10 have been working to complete their coursework in GCSE Language and Literature. The language paper content has been covered in lessons and we now have the modern novel and poetry to revisit for the GCSE Literature paper. They had the chance to practice for the real thing in their Pre Public Examinations and have been learning how to revise effectively in PSHE and are now using their newfound skills to prepare for their Year 11 examinations.

Year 9 are a little daunted but excited about moving up to their GCSE year and have been well-prepared by the Year 9 curriculum, where they have studied a modern novel, some creepy gothic literature, a wide range of poems from different cultures, and have been learning how to compare texts. They have even managed to get one of their pieces of GCSE coursework underway!

Year 8 have been preparing for the demands of next year by looking at some 19th Century writing, the modern novel, poetry and have studied some famous speeches, looking at how writers use the language of rhetoric to sway their audience. They enjoyed using their new-found PSHE Speaking and Listening skills to deliver their own persuasive composition.

Year 7 have stepped up to the challenges of KS3 with enthusiasm and started the year with looking at how Shakespeare presents some of his most villainous characters and enjoyed creating their own villain. They then looked at persuasive writing through the medium of animal welfare. As well as reading a class novel, they studied some challenging poetry and plays from the Romantic era.

Year 7 and 8 have been honing their Speaking and Listening skills in PSHE this term. They have enjoyed a wide range of activities designed to help them make a good impression and be effective listeners and impressive speakers. They particularly enjoyed speaking for ‘Just a Minute’ on a range of Falklands-related topics, including “Vehicles of the Falklands”, “Flying with Figas”, and “What it’s like to be a penguin”.

Miss Samantha Jardine

Year 7 started off the summer term with an exciting joint project between Maths and Art. This involved investigating the Mathematical properties of the Fibonacci sequence and linking this to the spirals and proportions we see in nature. They then extended these connections to Art, first exploring the work of Ernst Haeckel, a biologist and artist whose illustrations recreate the Fibonacci spirals in nature. Year 7 then created two wonderful sculptures that were built around the Fibonacci sequence.

Year 7 and 8 exercised their mental muscles by working through the Ninja Maths programme. This is a five minute workout completed twice a week and is designed to help improve fluency in number skills. Many worked their way up to gain black belt status. Year 8 also enjoyed a jigsaw investigation earlier in the year. This term, following their work on Pythagoras they have researched famous Mathematicians and investigating the question, “Are people square?”

Since January, Year 9 has started to prepare for their GCSE Maths following a more exam focused curriculum.

Year 10 has completed a substantial proportion of their GCSE exam syllabus and trialled a Walking Talking exam during their Mocks. Many have attended additional revision sessions, including one student who is working towards a higher level Additional Maths qualification.

Earlier in the year, some of our 9 and 10s took part in the UKMT Maths Challenge. This is a UK national competition that requires solving challenging problems outside the normal Maths Curriculum.

In the Spring Term Year 11 were industriously revising for their exams. Fuelled with biscuits and coffee, there were many regular attendees at Wednesday after school revision sessions and some very early starts with Saturday morning sessions. Thank you to Karen Rimicans for all her support with Saturday sessions and for providing the Maths department with a kettle and mugs!

Mrs Fran Wilson

Science, a Year-by-Year Account

Year 11 did themselves proud. They put in a huge number of afterschool and Saturday hours in the run up to their exams and completed a staggering number of past paper questions.

Year 10 stepped up. They have been following in the footsteps of Year 11 students, attending after school support, coming in on a Saturday to learn revision skills and facing the challenge of their PPEs head on. We look forward to more of the same positive attitude going into next year.

Year 9 continue to impress. They have learned about how biomimicry has led to innovations in Science and technology and successfully made their first steps in GCSE. Physics equations and complex practical work hold no terrors for these survivors.

Year 8 have shown us their creative side. They have written some truly gruesome horror stories to show us how much they know about the ventilation system, and their discussion skills are coming along apace as we look at climate change.

Year 7 have had an excellent first year. They really have taken the challenges of their first year of Science in their stride, investigating antacids and rafts, creating and hunting down lab bugs, and getting ‘hands on’ to produce a fantastic pH scale display.

Year 6 made their first impression count. Every one of them passed their test and earned their Bunsen burner licences. Congratulations! We are looking forward to seeing you all in the new term.

Science club was busy busy busy. They have made hovercraft, rockets, slime and fire extinguishers… to mention but a few of their exploits. The club will be back in October, so KS3 students should keep an eye on the noticeboard where they will find a clue about what the future has in store!

It must be time for a sit down and a nice cup of tea.

Mr Josh Brown & Miss Fiona Dickson

Art has completed another fantastic year at FICS. The Year 7s have created beautifully crafted 3d natural form sculptures based on the Fibonacci mathematical sequence. The sculptures were made by creating wire frames based on shells and other natural forms. Using mod rock and paper pulp fine details were created showing repeat patterns and interesting textures. Finally, all the students’ work was secured to a large board and painted with layers and layers of acrylic paint to build a very successful collaborative piece. The students worked as a team to make something that has immediate visual impact.

The Year 8s have completed an architecture and technical drawing project. This is a hot topic in art as earlier in the year there was a public consultation on the new education campus. Pupils have drafted interesting architectural features thinking about how Stanley and its new school will look in years to come.

Year 9 students have enjoyed using the art department’s newest acquisition of digital SLR cameras, photo editing computers and a A2 Printer. This year’s Sue Whitley exhibition was full of student landscape and portrait photography. Year 9 also helped illustrate science’s new scheme of work by creating frightening and gruesome Zombie inspired lino prints.

GCSE Students are as usual producing amazingly realistic self-portraits and fine art painting. In Year 10, they learned how to blend colours and identify tonal plains to produce realistic paintings with depth. Using this newly acquired skillset they are building a portfolio of unique and personal artworks inspired by identity and portraits. I’m extremely pleased with the standard of this year’s GCSE art students and commend their creative and technical abilities.

Mr Paul Muncaster

This year in Food Technology, we have had some really great moments with students challenging themselves while learning new skills.

Year 7s completed a number of different practical lessons where they had fun making Rock cakes, scones, flapjacks, cheesecake, pasta salad, pizzas and cupcakes.

Year 8s were outstanding in their efforts and made Brioche, fruit crumbles, vegetable soup, Thai green curry, pizza, cakes and stir-fry.

YEAR 8 BREAD MAKING – FERMENTATION IN ACTION

Year 9s were their usual creative selves and pushed the boat out with their products. Lemon drizzle cake in the shape of a rabbit, apple pie with the most perfect lattice, spring rolls, quesadillas, enchiladas, cupcakes, macaroni and cheese, the most ooey, gooey brownies, honey chicken and melt in your mouth rock cakes just to mention a few.

Year 10s were no slouch as they pushed the skill levels up with their exciting products. Jam tarts, cupcakes, pasties, empanadas, sticky toffee pudding, cinnamon roll, the ever present rock cakes, eclairs and their own choice of recipe which included chickpea curry with naan bread, bread rolls, bread rolls and Jam, show stopping cakes and lasagne just to name a few. The students also learnt how to work with spun sugar and make their own sugar baskets as part of developing their skills.

We were fortunate enough to have Mr Nigel Leach in to teach us how to debone a nice leg of lamb, which we cooked the next day with potatoes and vegetables as a treat for the students. Check out our Facebook page for images.

All the students outdid themselves with the effort they put in to their baking for the Sue Whitley exhibition. We had several parents tasting and giving really positive feedback.

Year 11s did themselves proud with the dishes they managed to make for their final exam piece. These included a range of different food from churros to stir-fry to wedges, chicken goujons, homemade burgers along with some high level demonstration of skills to make sugar baskets as garnish.

This year in Textiles, we ran two different courses: one Textiles under Design and Technology for the Years 11s and the other Textiles under Art.

The Year 10s were given the chance to sample different techniques and develop different skills through working with several specialists from the community like Wendy, Kathy, our own Mrs Leach, Richard Cockwell and the Falkland Island Conservation.

The students also displayed their work for the Susan Whitley Memorial Exhibition and did themselves and the school proud.

Miss Deborah James

Another successful, productive, colourful, and creative year for the Design and Technology department in both KS3 and 4.

Year 7

Students have designed and made colourful and eye catching travel games, using their rending and communication skills, which in turn will build and add to the skills during KS3.

Year 8

3D Picture Frame - Year 8s have produced some wonderful 3D picture frames this year, following instructions and measurements to create the basic frame and to then put their chosen theme inside to express their personality or likes.

An old project was resurrected for Year 8s in making a wall clock, using a controlled theme of Pop Art and proved very popular. There were many successful pieces, of which one went on to win a Sue Whitley Prize.

Jessica Lee (Second prize for KS3)

Year 9

Pewter casting – Year 9 students have produced some lovely pewter castings this year. This project introduces them to new materials knowledge of metals and the casting process used.

Melting the pewter ready to pour.

Students Work

George Gould

Year 9s also have had the pleasure of having a new project introduced to the in the form of Automata’s, which introduces them to mechanisms which is a key skill they can take through to year 10 if they chosen Product Design in their options for next year

Year 10

Year 10 have had a very proactive year, with various projects to build up their knowledge and skill set to get them ready for their controlled assessment which is now in full progress, one in particular was to make a jewellery box using hard wood and finger joints.

Malachi Budd

Year 11

Controlled Assessment; students are given three briefs to choose from to then research, develop and then produce a functional prototypes for the coursework.

Sport and leisure – Design and make a creative solution to improve an individual or group sport or activity.

Education and development – Look at the specific needs of a target group and design an interesting and stimulating product that supports education and/or development.

Creative solution for a greener world – Consider the needs of future generations by developing a product with sustainability and the environment as central to its design.

Well done everyone!

Mrs Katherine Farrow

Year 7s have been looking into a number of different topics this year including mapskills. For the mapskills topics the Year 7s had a visit from Denise Blake, an environmental officer. Students were told about the different kinds of maps and what information is used to construct them. This talk was followed by an activity where an outbreak had taken place in Stanley and using the information given, students had to plot on a map where reports of sickness has taken place. By the end students could work out where ground zero was for the original outbreak. Students were engaged and enjoyed learning about various maps.

The Year 8s they have been learning about extreme environments such as polar and deserts. At the beginning of the academic year, visited the local museum as part of their Antarctica unit. Students really enjoyed seeing the topic come to life with the wooden hut, clothing and equipment used by these explorers in the harsh environment and how that has changed over the years to the scientific research that is being conducted there in the present. For the desert environment, the students enjoyed learning about different aspects of desert life, brining my experience living in the Middle East into the lessons. Students got to make desert landforms to help reinforce their knowledge and understanding of these formations themselves.

Year 8 students desert landforms

Year 9s have been studying a number of topics throughout the year to prepare them for their move to KS4. These topics have included skills they will require, for example research, graphical and analytical skills. They have finished their KS3 with a project based topic, choosing a country study of their choice. This brought together the skills they had obtain throughout the academic year and they produced some excellent work.

Country Project work by Bethany Lloyd-Addison (left), Tessa Clausen and Isidora Ortega-Acevedo (right)

KS4 have been ploughing away at their IGCSE topics throughout the year. Students have been revisiting skills acquired during KS3 and learning new ones to help them through their GCSE course. After school revision has been available throughout the year, and will continue next academic year, to reinforce knowledge and understanding for their final Year 11 examination.

Other Geography related events included celebrating World Ocean Day. On the 8th June 2019 the Falkland Islands celebrated World Oceans Day and to commemorate this event students from Geography and Ross 2 took part in activities that involved the issue of plastics in our oceans. During the week, Ross 2 made art out of plastic and set up a board outside the Geography classroom to show the issues of plastic in oceans as well as their recycled plastic art.

On Friday 7th June, Miss Ludlow (Geography Teacher) held an assembly for KS3 to talked to them about pollution in oceans and how important it is to make sure they are doing what they can in school and at home to deal with this issue. Students were encouraged to attend the World Oceans Day event that was being held in the FIDF Hall the next day, which was packed with loads of information and activities.

It has been an exciting and busy time in Geography, and I look forward to next year’s activities.

Miss Allys Ludlow

Another year seems to have flown by and we now look forward again to welcoming a new Year 7 cohort in September.

All pupils in Key Stage 3 have two one-hour lessons of Spanish per week and are taught in mixed-ability groups. In September there will be two teaching groups in Year 7, two in Year 8 and three in Year 9. Homework is set most weeks, after the second of the two lessons, as this gives pupils more time to devote to it.

In Key Stage 4 Spanish is an option for GCSE and pupils have three one-hour lessons per week and homework is set once a week, every week.

Hopefully, all pupils currently at FICS and continuing with Spanish next year will take the opportunity to undertake some serious revision in this subject during the August holiday and will come back in September confident that they know everything that they should do. This is important for all year groups, not just the current Year 10.

Pupils arriving at FICS in Year 7 will revise thoroughly and then continue with the course ‘Zoom Español’ that had been begun in IJS. It is a fully differentiated course, with many interactive activities. Some pupils, mainly those new to the islands or those from Camp or MPC, may or may not have studied much Spanish before, if any, but, with this systematic revision, it is surprising how quickly they generally get caught up with work missed that their peers had already covered.

The course book pupils follow is the most widely used one in UK schools and, although it uses European Spanish, as would be expected, it does cover well Latin American Spanish and countries. Spanish is a world language and any form of it, be it the Spanish of Spain, Chile, Mexico or anywhere, is perfectly acceptable.

Unit from Zoom textbook about school facilities.

Pupils in other year groups will continue with the ‘Zoom’ course. As a subject, Spanish doesn’t conceivably become much harder with time, but many new aspects of grammar and verb tenses rely heavily on previous subject matter having been assimilated successfully.

Year 11 pupils will basically have finished the course by the end of 2019, so after the long holiday time will mainly be spent on past papers and specific preparation for aspects of the GCSE exams, particularly the Speaking exam.

All text books, dictionaries, CDs, DVDs and CGP revision books are provided in school, so there is no real need for parents to buy anything for their children, not that this is discouraged. These materials, however, do not generally go home with pupils. No computer-based work is ever set as homework, although pupils are encouraged to try at home some of the computer-based activities that they have worked on in class, if they have the time and facility to do so.

A couple of websites we regularly use are:

www.languagesonline.org.uk and www.studyspanish.com

The latter is an American site, influenced by Mexican Spanish, but it covers most grammar and verb tenses required at GCSE level pretty thoroughly and provides instant feedback on how you have done. It is very good on pronunciation.

Wishing all pupils a well-deserved break and hoping they all come back in September refreshed and keen to learn.

Mr Michael Barton

The year started and has ended quietly in the music department with everybody busy on their everyday routines of lessons and after school activities. Year 7s have worked hard in lessons and have completed their first year of music at FICS. They are currently strumming away on their guitars and learning their first chords and songs. Year 8 have been busy with everything from Reggae to Baroque, starting the year with their work on ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley and rounding off completing a practical module of work playing Pachelbel’s Canon in D; so a varied year with noticeable progress from the majority of students. Year 9 have come to the end of their KS3 music work and they really have been a great group of students to work with throughout the three years of KS3. Unfortunately for me, as their choices of GCSE courses has worked out, I only have one brave student about to embark on IGCSE Music in Y10!

Theory Club has continued with successes across Y7 – Y11, Grade 1 – Grade 5 and 100% pass rate once again; this included two students gaining 100% in their Grade 1 exam. More entries are being prepared for the November examination session and the students continue to work hard towards their next exams. Well done to all of the members of the theory club for all their hard work and effort throughout the year. Thanks to ex FICS student Daniel Clarke, who has been back home from university where he is studying Music Theatre. He has been helping out at theory club throughout this half term and has also taken the rehearsals for the Community Choir. A huge thank you must also go to Mrs Blake who turns up with the most amazing bakes for the theory students to enjoy on a Wednesday afternoon while they work; very much appreciated by all in the music department! Hopefully we will have some new members joining us next term.

The ukulele group continues to rehearse together on a Thursday afternoon and they are going to be providing entertainment for the Acorns group on the 25th July at the day centre in the KEMH. Also performing that evening will be Laura Blake on keyboard, Hayden Stanworth on violin and Megan Summers and Amy Thorsen on guitar. Thanks go to Megan Middleton who continues to work with some of our guitar students and also teaches the ukulele group alongside Mrs Adams-Leach.

We had a number of visitors in the middle part of the year including the Forces Sweetheart, Kirsten Orsborn, pipers and a drummer from the RIC at MPC and folk musicians John and June Rowlands; we reported on these visits in the last newsletter and we hope to host some more visitors in the new academic year.

The new guitars and amplifiers that were bought with the generous donation from Bargains Galore and some of the money from the Falklands Suite are now in use in guitar club with Mr White on a Monday and in Y9 and Y10 lessons. Thanks once again to Bargains Galore for their kind donation to the department.

We are currently reviewing and revising the schemes of work and the curriculum for music along with how we assess the students’ work. This is being done in line with the new guidelines and revised framework for music in the National Curriculum and this will continue to be developed throughout the next academic year.

We look forward to welcoming our new Y7 students in September although they are not newcomers to the music department as they have been having music lessons on a Tuesday afternoon throughout the year and I’m sure many of them will make a great contribution to the music department in the coming year.

Mrs Shirley Adams-Leach

The year started with a big change to Physical Education at FICS with the introduction of a new member of staff to assist with the provision of sports and physical activity. Miss Morris has helped to diversify the sports and activities delivered and it has also meant that the curriculum has been specific to individual groups. As a result our curriculum has been varied with all groups able to access a wide range of sports from dance to dodgeball, cricket to athletics. With extra staffing all groups have been able to access the swimming twice this year, helping to improve both our swimming ability and water safety. The number of clubs and extra curricular activities has also increased to allow students to practice their performance at morning break, lunch and after school.

An additional member of staff has also opened the possibility to offer PE for primary groups from IJS. Students from year 3, 5 and 6 have had the chance to gain dedicated teaching in a range of sports throughout the year. It has been fantastic to see the younger students develop at such a fast rate with focused coaching, good facilities and equipment. The chance to learn and practice key skills at an early age will no doubt help to improve performance when they join FICS in the future. Not only have they enjoyed their weekly trip from IJS but their fitness levels have improved as well. Tests have shown that every single pupil across year five has improved both their speed and endurance with many more health benefits attached as well.

There have been many sporting highlights throughout the year both in and out of school. Our three annual sports events are always very competitive and this year proved no different. The Tumbledown run is memorable for everyone, whether you are racing to the top or just trying to complete the course. Some students were keen to beat last year’s times others had their eyes on the winner’s medals. The McGee household took top honours with wins in both the boys and girls events. Thankfully, the sun was out and the course was dry enabling a great event for all.

After several weeks of practice in lessons, students took to the field in March for the annual sports day. Three jumping events, three throwing events and track races from 100m to 1500m allowed for many students to show their potential. There are perhaps too many standout performances to mention but the highlight for me every year is perhaps not the prestige of winning that 100m race, but instead those students who give their all, time and again, to help their team be successful.

The final school event of the year was the swimming gala. Again, the competition was tight especially for the final relay races where the noise levels blew the roof. With both Nell and Ella about to head to Gibraltar for the Island Games it proved to be a great final test to prepare them for the games.

Shackleton house was successful on the day taking the overall title and completing a triple crown with wins in the Tumbledown run and Sports day event.

There have been several other major events this year. The Football Association visit in November was a great occasion with students not only able to meet and greet the visiting team, but also take part in training sessions and watch the Falkland Islands take on the England representative team. With a number of FICS students in the Falkland Islands squad it was great to see how far they had progressed in recent years. The inaugural Stanley versus MPC games also provided a great showcase for students and staff to compete sports such as swimming, hockey, football, netball, kayaking, cycling and badminton.

A lot of training goes into the preparation for such events and pupils spend many hours each week developing their fitness and skills in extracurricular clubs, both school run sessions and community clubs. Can I take this opportunity to commend all the pupils who regular attend these activities and the many coaches who have assisted the school in putting on clubs such as badminton and netball. Coaching is the key to the great success the students have, be it in the pool or the hockey pitch. My thanks go to all those who volunteer their time to help the students achieve their sporting goals.

As we approach the end of term, we welcome back to school our four Islands Games competitors. Nell, Ella and Kirsty completed a very busy program in the pool picking up PBs for fun in what looked to be a fantastic competition. Congratulations also go to Soraye who gained her first win in the Badminton arena, of which I am sure there will be many more in the years to come.

‘Stanley Storm’ and the ‘Warriors’ have progressed through to the final of the five a side football competition beating off the challenge from the ‘Famous Five’ and the ‘Falkland Fire’. Best of luck to both teams in the finals. Last but no means least we wish all those travelling to Florida during the holidays the best of luck in their hockey games. For such a small school and community we are blessed with such great sporting talent and so many fantastic opportunities for them to showcase their skills.

Mr Robert Howard

It’s been a busy year in FICS for ICT and Computer Science.All of Key Stage 3 went through an overhaul in their curriculum as they were no longer just learning about ICT but were also introduced to some aspects of Computer Science. After a shaky start, all of Key Stage 3 are progressing well.

Year 7 students have been studying the following units: Computational Thinking, Data and the CPU and Information Technology.

Year 8 students have been studying Computational Thinking, Data and the CPU, Information Technology and LOGO.

Year 9 students have been studying Computational Thinking, Data and the CPU, Information Technology and LOGO, but in more depth than those of their counterparts in Year 8.

Year 10 students have been studying some of the theory of computer science such as: Binary Systems, Communication and Internet Technologies, Logic Gates and Truth Tables, Operating Systems and Computer Architecture, Input and Output Devices, Memory and Data Storage as well as programming in Python.

The Year 7’s started off the year with a poster competition about chocolate. They had to design a poster that advertised their chocolate. Here is a picture of some of the winning entries.

Towards the end of the year, Year 8s were tasked with creating posters about being safe online, which, in today’s digital world is an increasing worry for us all. Here is a picture of the winning entries.

Here’s to the next academic year 2019-2020, what surprises will be in store in the next edition of ICT & CS News.

Miss Anita Bhatti

Key stage 3 students worked productively to improve their historical knowledge and skills by completing a wide range of written activities and assignments. Impressive work was completed on the murder of Thomas Becket, the reign of Henry VIII and the sinking of the Titantic. Year 9 students also visited the museum to find out more about historical research and how to use facilities available to them on the Islands to complete effective research projects.

In Key Stage 4 students worked diligently to prepare for the GCSE examination in June and expectations are high for the up-coming results. While the Year 10 made a very impressive start to their GCSE studies, completing excellent work on Anglo-Saxon Britain, Medicine through time and medical treatment of injuries at the Western Front.

Earlier in the year, a group of Year 8 students prepared, rehearsed and delivered an excellent presentation on the role of the Falklands in the First World War as part of the 100th year commemoration of the end of the Great War. The presentation was held at the Historic Dockyard Museum.

Mr John Downie

Below are the list of 100% Attendance Lottery Winners from April 29, 2019 to August 5, 2019.

Good job in keeping your attendance well managed as it shows a lot about your punctuality and commitment to your duties in school. Congratulations!

The Hub feels very empty now that our Y11 students have left us, but staff are getting ready for the next group who will be joining from IJS&CE in September. Mr Sokolsky left us at the start of July after a very successful end of year with the Hub team. Their final trip was a round robin trip which was a fantastic experience for them all. We will have a new HUB SEND teacher in September.

The Wednesday film club that Mr Sokolsky ran is continuing, and is now being run by Mrs Clifton. This is open to everyone. Bring your lunch and watch a film, but we don’t offer popcorn!

Colin Davies working with Seba (file photo)

Colin and Eileen invited staff, students and their families for a day at Darwin to celebrate not only the end the year, but also one farewell to Colin.

Colin and Matthew have worked tirelessly with students in the Craft room and hopefully the production of log dogs/reindeers will continue!

Mrs Jenny Barclay

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