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26 April 2024

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Desirable Difficulties

Desirable difficulties are learning strategies that introduce certain challenges or difficulties during the learning process. While these techniques may seem harder initially, they can lead to better long-term understanding and retention of the material you're studying. Let me explain some examples:

Spacing out study sessions: Instead of cramming everything into one long study period, it's better to space out your learning over multiple, shorter sessions. This makes it a bit more difficult at first, but reviewing the material over intervals helps solidify it in your memory for longer.

Interleaving practice problems: Rather than repeatedly practising just one type of problem or concept, mix up or interleave different types during your practice. This requires more mental effort initially but improves your ability to discriminate between and understand the different concepts fully.

Retrieval practice: Instead of just re-reading notes or a textbook, practice retrieving the information from your memory through activities like answering questions or explaining concepts aloud. Recalling makes learning more effortful but strengthens memory pathways.

Varying context: Rather than always studying in the same location, occasionally change your study environments. Although transferring your knowledge to different contexts is harder in the moment, it promotes more flexible and adaptable learning.

The key principle is that while these strategies create some temporary difficulty, that difficulty is actually desirable because it enhances your ability to retain, understand, and transfer knowledge in the long run. So don't be discouraged by the initial challenge - embrace it as an opportunity to become a more effective learner. Remember, these strategies are designed to benefit you in the long term, ensuring that your learning is not just temporary but lasting.


Maths Student of the Week

Maha 10M - For being consistent with attendance, homework and classwork and always being polite! Keep it up Maha.

Well Done!


Year 9 DT students at the final of Innovate

A huge well done to Eloise, Liberta, Imogen, Rose and Claudia who were finalists out of 226 teams at the V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge Pitching and Awards Day

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Students took part in creative workshops with artists and designers, saw their work on display, and stood up in front of a full auditorium to showcase their brilliant design ideas to a panel of industry judges including Jay Blades; Maker, presenter BBC’s The Repair Shop, and Victoria Jenkins; Fashion designer, founder Unhidden Clothing.

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Thanks to their innovative idea and engaging pitch, Camden School for Girls won the Student Choice Award for their Spelling Bee design idea – an in-ear device that supports people with literacy challenges. Congratulations!

Ms Ronayne


Chemistry Olympiad

Congratulations to Zahid, Erika, Sadaf, Samir & Laura, Year 13 students,

who all gained a Silver Award in the 2024 Chemistry Olympiad!

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Y10 Science  

Y10s have been carrying out a practical to complement their studies on how plants produce starch.   

This is an image showing the areas within the leaf where starch is present (the stain proves that starch is present).
The image was taken by Halima - and was a very good example of exactly how the results should appear!


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Assembly Speakers - 22 April
Dementia Care

Sixth Form Assembly this week was a presentation by a team of people who are all involved in various ways in dementia care.

Eva Larsen is a research scientist working with UCL; Lucy Legg and Jackie Goldsmith are the creators of a multimedia project called the Lost Life of Tilly Macleod and Chloe Cooper works at a residential home called Rathmore House caring for people living with dementia.

Eva explained some of the known science behind the ways these conditions develop, how they affect the brain and also about future treatments that are being developed and long term studies that are taking place.

Chloe explained the various types of diseases that come under the dementia umbrella, such as Alzheimers, vascular dementia and Parkinson's disease. She also described her work and some of the challenges but also the joy and sense of purpose that working with people and their families gives her.

Lucy and Jackie told us about the play that is being developed entitled The Lost Life of Tilly Macleod which will be staged in August and the project's aims to share information, raise awareness, raise money and facilitate local support services for those living with dementia and their families.

There were plenty of questions from the floor about the issues raised, from both a scientific point of view but also from a personal point of view if you have family members who are affected. 

We thank them all for coming and presenting this difficult subject, which affects so many, in such an informative but sensitive way.


Casca News  

Welcome back to the summer term - we have some dates for your diary:

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING and SPRING SOCIAL
This will take place on Tuesday 7 May at 6pm in school. All are welcome to attend, meet the committee and enjoy some refreshments. The AGM part of the evening will be brief, so there will be plenty of opportunity to chat over a glass of something cold. We are looking for new members to join the committee, so come along if you’d like to find out more or just to hear about our plans.

SUMMERFEST
This will take place on Friday 21 June, 6-9pm and will include the very popular Battle of the Bands, food and drink stalls and maybe even a bouncy castle!

ANNUAL SCHOOL DANCE-ATHON
We are looking for volunteers to take over the organising of this very popular event that will take place on Friday 5 July in school. All of main school take part, with classes organising dance routines, raising sponsorship to dance the day away. A parent, Nicola Longfoot who has organised this event for several years, is looking for someone to shadow her this year with a view to taking it over next year. Email 
casca@csg.school if you are interested.

Hope to see you at one of these events,

Annabel & Sandra, CASCA Co-Chairs.


Information for parents and carers 

Child Online Safety for Parents - Workshops for Camden Parents (James Drummond, James.Drummond@camden.gov.uk)

Camden Adult Community Learning (ACL) is offering free workshops on child online safety for parents/carers of children in Camden schools. Enrolment is open now, with workshops taking place in June. This introduces parents to the main risks of using social media, streaming, online gaming, and more. Parents will be introduced to further tools and sources of information and advice, along with signposting to adult learning courses in which parents can develop their own digital skills. In summer 2024, all workshops will be online with a view to running in-person workshops in the new academic year.

Please see our Summer 2024 Course Guide for more details.
Parents can sign up now on our online enrolment page.