Looping the Loop Workshops - November 2017

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Written by Mrs A Cooper

Published: 11 November 2017

A group of year 7-9 students joined forces with students from King Ethelbert Secondary School as part of Looping the Loop Festival. Students spent two workshop days exploring the Opera Semele by Handel through vocal and physical theatre practice, creative work around the themes and performances from two Opera singers. 

As part of the two days, students worked together to compose their own scene, with music and movement which will be performed on Wednesday 15 November 2017, St Lawrence College, Ramsgate (6:00pm-8:30pm). If you would like to come along and support our performers, please reserve FREE tickets using the link below;

http://www.loopingtheloopfestival.org.uk/semele-mash-up.html 

Here is a clip from our workshop rehearsals, where our students composed their own lyrics for a scene in the Opera, featuring soloist one of our year 7 soloists:

Creative Jazz Orchestra Workshop

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Written by Mrs A Cooper

Published: 23 September 2017

On Thursday 14 September 2017, 12 students from years 7 to 12 joined two accomplished jazz musicians (one ex- Dane Court Pupil) in a Jazz Journey workshop in conjunction with The Deal Festival. Pupils learnt about improvising, leading and performed Watermelon Man (Herbie Hancock) as a group.

Students will also be working with other musicians from other schools, performing and composing their own piece. The workshops will end in a joint performance on Sunday 26 November 2017, 6:30pm at Godwin Academy, Hamilton Road, Deal, CT14 9BD.

A warm farewell to year 11

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Written by Mrs S Snaydon

Published: 07 November 2017

Today Dane Court celebrated Year 11 Red Carpet Day.
We were lucky to have fabulous weather for the students' parade, although the students may well have appreciated some air conditioning!

All agreed that they 'scrubbed up well' in sharp suits and beautiful dresses and the traditional procession up the  red carpet was supported by many parents and friends, as well as the other students during break time.

The leavers' assembly was a real celebration of five years of friendship and shared experiences. Students from all the houses enjoyed presentations, speeches (and poems!)  from their mentors past and present, and there were appearances of all the students in their Year 7 incarnations, courtesy of our photo archives. The event was a real testimony to their camaraderie and support for each other and also to the genuine fondness that their mentors felt for them. And this year they had organised a yearbook that was distributed after the assembly - well done to Evan for organising this first!

They have been a terrific Year 11, a yeargroup with huge promise and character, and we look forward to welcoming them into our Sixth Form in September. In the meantime, a long and well-deserved  summer holiday awaits!

Please note:

• Some of our photographs taken during this event cannot be published on this website.
• We cannot provide copies of photographs taken during this event.

E-safety

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Written by Mrs S Snaydon

Published: 30 April 2015

We encourage students to make use of their digital devices to support their learning. However, there are occasions when they can be used inappropriately and there have been incidents of cyberbullying that have been brought to our attention.

The minimum age to open an account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Kik, and Snapchat is 13.
For Vine, Tinder and Yik Yak it's 17. YouTube requires account holders to be 18, although a 13 year-old can signup with a parent's permission. But according to The Social Age Study by knowthenet.org.uk, approximately 59% of children have already used a social network by the time they are 10.

As a school we have a duty to safeguard our students and while we cannot police their social networking we can try to encourage responsible use. Support from parents and guardians is essential to our success in keeping our students safe, and we know it can sometimes seem an uphill task to keep up with the expansion of social networking.
The following are very useful sites for every one who has the interests of young peoples’ online safety at heart, and we would encourage you to take some time to explore them:

• thinkuknow.co.uk
• ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
• support.twitter.com/.../tips-for- parents
• internetmatters.org/online- reputation

Parent Info provides high quality information to parents and carers about their children's wellbeing and resilience.

Parents may also wish to take advantage of www.parentsprotect.co.uk
It is a comprehensive resource designed to raise awareness about safeguarding children, answer questions and give information, advice and support with particular reference to child sexual abuse and internet safety. Anyone working with or looking after children will find topics covered very helpful.

The children's charity, NSPCC and mobile 'phone service provider, O2 have created a useful up-to-date reference for parents and carers.
The website lists all the social networks popular with children along with the results of surveys and advice.

British Summer Swimming Championships

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Written by Mr M Alderson

Published: 10 October 2017

During the summer holiday’s, Olivia Miles, 10H, took part in the British Summer Swimming Championships in Sheffield.

Zimmer Vs Williams Concert Trip

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Written by Mrs A Cooper

Published: 09 October 2017

On Friday 6 October 2017, eighteen musical students made their way to The Royal Festival Hall, SouthBank Centre, London to watch a fantastic performance with The London Concert Orchestra playing all the very best film scores from two of the best composers of the 20^th century. 

We heard music from Hans Zimmer, highlights including Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception and Gladiator and music from John Williams such as Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Superman and E.T.
The group had seats in the choir stalls, with excellent views of the orchestra from above, which meant we could see all of the conductor's direction first hand.

Unexpectedly, the conductor had themed outfits for each piece and added a lot of comedy to such a fantastic night.

Wicked Trip

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Written by Mrs A Cooper

Published: 09 October 2017

On Wednesday 27 September, thirty lucky students travelled to London to take part in a musical workshop at Pineapple Studios and watch the Matinee performance of Wicked the musical.

We were incredibly lucky to have the assistant director of music (of the show), who took the students on a musical journey of how to sing short excerpts from ‘One Short Day’ and ‘What Is This Feeling’. The students learnt how to project their voice and how to add stage presence to their performance to create a convincing performance!

The matinee performance was excellent and it is likely we will be repeating the trip next year.