Maths Student of the Week

Mariam 9T - For always challenging herself with harder extension tasks and also for helping other!

Well Done!

TeenTech Final  

Congratulations to our students on reaching the TeenTech Awards final. Out of 18,00 participants Camden School for Girls had 3 teams selected to represent their categories.

Of the 60 teams in the final event team ADHD Vest won the best Innovation in the 11-16 category for their wearable tech that helps students to better focus in the classroom.

Feedback from the judges commended their ‘brilliant idea’ and well-designed presentation. Here are some of their comments:

“Well thought through and presented fantastically. I really like that you understand and have done research with your target audience. Judges loved fact that you have made it discrete. The team have thought of an original idea related to a vest that helps students not to zone-out; whilst studying. This seems like a really simple idea that hasn’t been thought about before and could be a simple solution to helping to improve education for so many.”

Our other teams (TeenSpace, a safe exercise space for teenage girls and Safety Shell- an emergency evacuation jacket) also won skills awards for Thinking Big and Bold, Teamwork and Communication.

Well done to all the innovative and committed members of STEM Club!

Ms Ronayne and Mr Semsedini

 

Here is an overview of the day from Ramina, 9C and Amyrah 9C

On Monday we went to the Savoy for the final of the TeenTech competition. It was a great way to see how other people would tackle major problems, and we had the opportunity to talk to many important people, explaining the concept of our ideas and how it would help.

STEM club in general was such a great thing to be a part of, and the competition it led up to was so nerve-racking yet so exciting. We met many other competitors who also had such creative ideas that we could talk to them about. Overall it was an amazing experience, and I would love to do it again next year.

Ramina, 9C

When we arrived in the morning, the first thing lots of us said was “wow”, followed by “this is so fancy!”.  Every room we walked into seemed to be bigger than the first. There were already a lot of other teams setting up their stands, and they all looked incredible; many people had lights, models, products, leaflets and so much more. There were so many great ideas, and so it was very hard to choose. The judges were nice, although talking to them was a bit nerve-wracking.  We had to explain our idea to them, and answer their questions. I think the scariest part was being able to hear or see them by the stand next door, and have all this build up before they actually spoke to you.

Overall, it was a very fund experience. We met loads of interesting people with fun, ingenuitive and fascinating ways to solve everyday problems. I really recommend it, and am definitely going to enter again next year!

Amyrah 9C

Shadowing the Carnegie Medal

The Carnegie Medal is the most prestigious literary award for a book published for young people during the previous year.

The award is judged by librarians. Running in parallel is the Carnegie Shadowing Scheme whereby groups of young people in schools across the country read and discuss the shortlisted titles and vote for their own winner. 

The CSG shadowing group this year consisted of 17 keen readers from Year 7. Being part of the group requires considerable commitment. The students had to read 8 books in as many weeks, and discuss them at our weekly meetings. 

After some lively discussion, Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin was declared the CSG winner. Set in Northern Ireland in 2016 this is a story about growing up and falling in love in Northern Ireland in the legacy of “The Troubles”. 

The following are extracts from reviews the students wrote about this book and can be found on the Carnegie Medal Website.

Aidan is a Catholic and Irish whereas Iona is a Protestant and British. When Iona witnesses Aidan being harmed due to a hate crime, she decides to talk to him. Their relationship soon builds up despite their differences. This story is quite emotional and can be upsetting for readers below 13. Overall, this is excellent and one of my favourites so far. 9/10 stars.
Tahira

I liked how the perspective changes from Aidan to Iona, and how they have different views but don't disagree about it and respect each other and still care.
Amelia

A tragic story of love- beautifully written and revolves around real-life scenarios in hard times, which I found fascinating. I did find it hard to keep up sometimes, with many events happening at the same time.
Keira

The overall winner of both the actual Carnegie Medal and Shadower’s Choice Awards was October, October by Katya Balen, a title that some of the students had dismissed as “too young”. However, I thought this was a worthy winner and confidently expect the book to become a staple on reading lists for 9-12 year olds.

The plot was realistic and interesting- I kept wanting to read on and could barely put the book down! Although the ending felt slightly rushed, it tied up loose ends very well and left me satisfied. This book's writing style was absolutely brilliant and made me feel like I understood October's thoughts and feelings more than any other book I've read. I also found the descriptions of nature and nature-related metaphors used beautiful. October is a very realistic character and I related to her a lot. She was also developed very well throughout the story and I enjoyed watching her character change as I read on. Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to anyone around the ages 10-13 who wants to rewild themselves and feel connected with nature and the world around them.
Robin

Further information about all the books and the Carnegie Medal can be found on Carnegie Medal Website

We have several copies of each book available for loan in the school library.  Please do encourage your daughters to borrow them.

Susan Green  
Librarian

Gardening Club Cooking Masterclass

This week, members of the gardening club had another session as part of the School Food Matters project.

They took part in a cooking masterclass with Chef Sharon where they learnt how to make 3 summer dishes; sookhe aloo which is a spicy potato dish, carrot koshumbir which is a fresh, spicy carrot salad and raita which is a cooling yoghurt side dish.

The students learnt about how to blend flavours and use fresh spices.

Camley Street Festival
Sunday 26^th June, 11-4pm

Camley Street Underpass, Near 120 Camley Street, N1C 4PG

Join us for a fun-packed day as part of this year’s London Festival of Architecture (LFA) with fantastic performances by local musicians, complimentary food for local residents and the grand opening of ‘Connecting Camley Street’ – an art installation designed by local young people and artists, Rochester Square. 

Deputy Mayor Nazma Rahman will officially open the artwork at 1pm. 

We’ll also be sharing our future plans for the redevelopment of Camley Street, and as always we want to hear from you!

Contact us at camleystreet@camden.gov.uk with any questions!