Dear ALS Community,
I am Francesca, a Sixth Form student at Arnold Lodge and I am delighted to have the opportunity to write the weekly email. I moved here in 2016, after living in Switzerland for five years, and I am currently in Year 13 working towards my A Levels in Biology, Geography and English Literature. My A Level subjects are very different to one another, however I love how diverse my timetable is; on Friday I study both gene expression and Shakespearean sonnets! I feel that being in a smaller school has given me the opportunity to study exactly what I wanted, allowing me to fully engage with my studies. In the Autumn, I hope to study Human Sciences at University College London and I am looking forward to furthering my interests in human geography and human biology through higher study.
In Year 13, we have just completed our mocks and BTEC exams. Although a gruelling time, I felt that it was valuable to strengthen our exam technique and to gain experience for the real exams (just 5 months away!). Everyone worked extremely hard, and it will definitely pay off when we get our official exam results in August.
Outside of the examinations, I have found that my overall Sixth Form experience has both had its challenges and opportunities. I realised that the jump from GCSE content to the A Level standard was much bigger than I had expected, however with the help from my teachers and my own perseverance, I was able to adapt to this new challenge. I have gained opportunities to develop myself as an individual and I have gained new skills needed for success in the working world. We have had many sessions to explore our future careers and university choices; the most recent was a Zoom call about degree apprenticeships as an alternative option to university. We have also had the opportunity to visit local universities which gave us an interesting insight into university life and the possible courses that we wanted to pursue. It is through these opportunities that I found the degree I am set on studying. In addition, our self-development opportunities, such as mindfulness workshops and life skill sessions, have also been valuable in taking away the natural stress that comes with being in Sixth Form and becoming a young adult.
On Thursday, it was Holocaust Memorial Day which remembers the victims of the Holocaust under the Nazi regime. Each year we reflect on 27th January as designated by The United Nations to mark the anniversary of the release of Auschwitz-Birkenhau, a former Nazi concentration and death camp. On this day, there is a national event with the survivors, their families and supporters to acknowledge the tragedies that took place 76 years ago. I highly recommend reading about this event on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s website. Within Sixth Form, we researched the lives of individuals who came to the UK via Kindertransport after a presentation directed by Miss Gulliver. My group chose to research Heinz Skyte who escaped Nazi Germany to Leeds via Kindertransport. His eye-witness accounts were a compelling read and prompted us to further reflect on the lives of the victims.
The school mantra for this past week comes from Dedicas (my house!): ‘Only expect from others what you are willing to put in’. To me, I view this quote as the mutual hard work and effort needed for success in both schools and in relationships. If I complete my schoolwork and the revision that is expected of me to reach my full potential, then I am a step closer to reaching my goals. I also feel that this quote shows that we must treat each other with mutual kindness and respect which leads nicely into next week’s mantra from Amicus of 'Forgive Mistakes; We all make them'. We are often quick to think about the need to forgive others however we also need to remember the importance of forgiving our own mistakes and to learn from these mistakes which at this stage of our Year 13 is so crucial.
This week for #WakeUpWednesday, is all you need to know about Triller. Triller is a social media video sharing app. Unlike TikTok and many other video sharing apps, Triller focuses more on making creative music videos. Users can film multiple takes of themselves and the app will then automatically compile the best clips and turn it into a music video. It is free to download and has amassed over 250 million downloads worldwide, including celebrity users such as Justin Bieber, Eminem and Alicia Keys. In the guide, you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as mature content, cyberbullying and unauthorised sharing of your child’s video.
Can we also please remind parents and guardians that the school day starts at 08:20am for Juniors and 08:35am for Seniors. The School gates open from 08:00am and close at 08:35am, so please do ensure that pupils are dropped off at school in time. There are an increasing number of late arrivals.
Don’t forget to put your aprons on this weekend, get out the flour, eggs and butter to enter the ALS House ‘Bake off’ competition on Monday 31st January. The request from the Heads of Houses is 6 individual cupcakes which will be sold to pupils and staff during breaks on Monday. Proceeds will go to the house charities. Ready, Steady, BAKE!
I hope that my first weekly email has helped you to understand what life is like as part of the ALS Sixth form. As the opening month of the new year ends, I hope that everyone uses this time to stay safe and look forward to the months ahead.
January 28th 2022
