The Vice Principal’s Blog

An excellent resource which explains the many qualifications on offer from entry level to higher degrees.

A qualification is intended to show employers, teachers and learners what someone has learnt and can do as a result of that achievement. This page explains the key characteristics of recognised qualifications and how these can best be understood.

A full size version of the diagram below is available.

Tony Perry, in his tribute to Mary at her party on Friday 5^th June, marvelled at the extraordinary service that she has given to Bacon’s over the last 32 years. He also stated the value that we all place on the quality of our environment, maintained in such a dedicated way by our cleaning staff, epitomised in Mary.

Known as ‘wee Mary’, she has been such a good and loyal friend to so many of us and special friends like Margaret were finding the reality of her departure quite hard, whilst knowing that she will always remain a close friend.

She has smiled and laughed her way through hours of hard cleaning work, never complaining and always ready to exchange friendly words with everyone. Her soft Irish voice has cheered us up and spurred us on at the end of very demanding Bacon’s days and when we’ve all had an opportunity to relax together, she’s the one dancing.

It is all too easy to take the contribution that Mary has made to our corporate life for granted. Some of us doubtless imagined that she would always be there. She carries so much knowledge of the development and history of Bacon’s with her as she was a loyal member of Bacon’s School before it became a CTC. We all have to embrace change but that does not mean that the value of continuity should be underestimated. Mary was truly ‘a pearl of great price’ and there will someone of real value missing from all our lives with her departure.

Elizabeth James

The Hardback Book ‘The Story of Bacon’s College’ is available for £10 from Ann Nuckley.

Cheques should be made payable to ‘Bacon’s College’. 

Bacon’s College, Timber Pond Road, London SE16 6AT

Do you know how to stay safe on the internet?

Check out www.thinkyouknow.com which has some really uesful hints and tips: http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/11_16/

There is also a section for parents and carers: http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/

Stay safe everyone!

Just to get the message out there to all of our students - your Student Council now has a blog, which you can use to contact them to discuss issues which are important to you. The web address is: http://wiki.baconsctc.co.uk/groups/studentcouncil/

Gadget mad Jason Bradbury!

Four of our Year 7 English classes had a special treat yesterday. Jason Bradbury, the gadget mad presenter of The Gadget Show visited the College to promote his first book, Dot.Robot. It’s about Jackson Farley, a digital genius, who is lured by Dot.com billionaire Devlin Lear to join the top secret defence force MeX to help stop the criminial heist of the century. Are Jackson and the MeX recruits as good as Lear thinks? And how does Jackson know quite who to trust when they can never meet face-to-face? You’ll have to read the book to find out! Copies available in the library!

Jason also talked about what robots are, treated the students to demonstrations of some amazing robots he bought along, and organised a robot race. First, he set up an obstacle course using the students bags, chose 3 students who were then told they had to control one of the robots around the obstacles. The winner was the student who could do it in the fastest time. Deborah Odubade of 7C was the winner and received a free signed copy of Dot.Robot. Well done Deborah.

The winner was the student who could do it in the fastest time. Our Year 7s had a great time and Jason rounded off the visit with a reading from his book and a Question and Answer session.

More information about Jason Bradbury, The Gadget Show and his book Dot.Robot can been found on his website www.jasonbradbury.com <http://www.jasonbradbury.com>

If anyone is interested in buying a copy of Dot.Robot, please come to the library, we have some spare copies at £5.99 each.

As you all know Ryan was under the spotlight as a student profile in the last issue of Xtra time in January. Following two selection weekends Ryan has achieved his dream -he has been asked to join the England (adult) training squad for Blind Cricket. There are 20 in the Squad ranging from 14, Ryan who is 15, up to a totally blind player in his 40s!!  Most are 20-30 though! This squad will train together monthly (he is going again this weekend to Southampton -Sport England pay for Hotels and travel!!). It will be from this squad that the team to play against Pakistan in a test in England later this summer will be chosen. Ryan played cricket in Northampton on Saturday for his adult team and is in Surrey this morning for Surrey junior training. Ryan is being taken out by our PDM Mike Darragh on Wed to help coach in primary schools, and he is playing for the school on Thursday. 

Rest asssured though -his course work is up to date- he was told he is on course to get an A in Business studies course work and he will revise this afternoon for his mock maths paper tomorrow!

So everyone, you CAN be a top class sports person and also look to keep up with your studies!

Well done Ryan, you deserve this success, keep up the hard work in sport and with your studies!

Submitted by Ms Ponulak.

‘Don’t count the days, make the days count!’

Sent by Jamal D.N. Billings, 13-SMO

You the Year 13 group (2007-2009) have travelled the journey of setting up a new Sixth Form with all of us in the Sixth Form staff team.

This is one of the reasons I shall hold you all in a very special place in our joint life in Bacon’s. You have responded so openly and generously to me and to all that we have set out to do, with such amazing individual outcomes and successes. You have shaped your own futures with courage and perseverance and with a lot of humour, always needed when the going gets tough.

So I wish you well in all your futures. I know that the bonds you have formed with each other and with Bacon’s are strong and can withstand the test of time. So I really hope to keep in touch with many of you as you walk through the doorway into the rest of your life.

As ever

Elizabeth James: Director of Sixth Form