Alperton community spirit shines bright

By Skye (LS1)

On Saturday 13^th July, housing developers St. George held their third Alperton Summer Festival at Heather Park. The festival focused on the need for community spirit for the children of the borough. Each year the event also aims to create awareness for a local charity. This year money was raised for the Jason Roberts Foundation; a foundation that raises money in memory of Cyrille Regis, a former English international footballer who grew up in Stonebridge but sadly died in 2018. The foundation initially focused its support in Brent but now works to support young people across the UK, celebrating diversity and promoting respect. They provide “mentoring, life skills, education and training projects within its wider sports activities and work with young people at risk of offending, those excluded from school or struggling in the school curriculum, and young people with physical and learning difficulties.”

Entry was free and there was an array of live performances, music and food to give families a chance to make a day out of the event. Children were entertained with slime making and crafts, allowing them to play with friends, siblings and family but also offering an opportunity to befriend new people. It was clear that such events are important to the families who attended who wore huge smiles on their faces. Many students from Alperton Community School also enjoyed the event. When asked about their favourite part of the day, one student said “Alperton Community School’s performances… especially the drama group, the impressive steel performance…and the Dhol group, obviously, who never fail to surprise us with their performance.” 

Alperton Community School drama performance

Alperton Community School students Dhol performance

There were also performances by the soulful school choir. Other acts included a performance from a former Miss. Nepal. With her group, the women performed dance acts in traditional Nepalese dress and songs, displaying that they were proud of their culture and further highlighting diversity within our community.

The festival also featured fairground games, live music, slime Olympics, a wide variety of food stalls and an art exhibit where children could create their own crafts. Art pieces made by Alperton pupils were displayed. This presented true talent in which our school holds, giving students a chance to express themselves creatively.

A large fire truck escorted by firefighters from the local fire station also attended the festival. “We are here to let the public come and see the fire engine, give fire safety advice and just to let them know that we have an open service where people can come and talk to us.” On the importance of community, the firefighter said “It’s very important because community is who we work with, who we work for, who we serve and also live with. Because we are part of the fire brigade we also live in communities in London so it’s important to work alongside them and integrate with them.” The crew were happy to be interacting with local residents, displaying that being part of a community means a lot to them.

Another student was asked what their favourite part of being in a community was and she replied with how she likes the idea of people coming together. “Everyone is really busy with their lives, everyone’s doing their own thing and to finally come out and meet everyone and just be a part of something, feels quite special.”

A sense of community is important to many people. It is often described as a way to get close to others and to build relationships with those you never thought you would. This sense of community can be said to be particularly important in tight-knit places like the borough of Brent, an area of such diversity where everyone has to work together to make a change. We should all take on some sort of responsibility in a community like Alperton otherwise everything will stay the same. A summer festival is a great way to make this change and to break any divisions within the community.

Community means something different to everyone, but to everyone it means something.

Momo Challenge is a HOAX

BY SHREYA 7P

Parents have been incredibly frightened for their children, in fact absolutely terrified by the Momo Challenge. Many national newspapers covered this story and it was shared hundreds of thousands times on Facebook over a short 24 hour period. However, it has transpired that all of those rumours started as a result of ‘fake news’.

The Momo Challenge initially started to spread by parents and adults via social media. It was believed that a creepy looking creature popped up on the screen while children were watching videos, such as Peppa Pig, on YouTube. This creature has a distorted face, big bulging eyes and black hair. The image itself is genuinely terrifying to look at, especially for young children. Adults believed that this creature was telling their children to harm their family and themselves. A student in year 7 said, “I was horrified when knowing that false news spreads so easily.”

It is not the first time the Momo Challenge has been in the news. In August 2018, the Daily Mirror had an article about a boy’s apparent suicide as a result of the Momo Challenge. It has to be asked, why has the Momo Challenge resurfaced? It is a coincidence that the government are looking to try and put stricter controls on social media and the Internet?

As a school community it makes people feel scared as this kind of thing normally affects children. We should learn many things from this experience. We should not easily believe in things like this and research it before we start to share information so that we don’t become the distributers of fake news.

It is interesting to note that the NSPCC received more phone calls about the Momo Challenge from media outlets than concerned parents. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport recently published a report titled ‘disinformation and fake news’ in which they recommend that digital literacy should be “a fourth pillar of education alongside reading, writing and maths”. Perhaps adults also need to be better educated so that they too are more media literate. If we all have a better understanding about fake news then we’d be less likely to fall into the trap of believing fake news stories.

In year 9 media studies students are taught a unit dedicated to media literacy and fake news.

#BalanceforBetter

BY RIMA 7V

International Women’s Day is a universal day celebrating the achievements and successes of women while accelerating gender balance. This ties in well with the 2019 theme which is #BalanceforBetter as the official website states “a balanced world is a better world’.

Schools also continue to raise awareness for gender balance. Alperton Community School are having special assemblies, as they do every year. As a school community they believe that whilst some steps to move forward have been taken, International Women's Day is still necessary since there are still many places where women are disadvantaged due to their gender and they are limited because of this.

Jennifer, a student at Alperton Community School, said “I think it recognises women’s strength and what they have achieved in the past, so I believe it's good to have International Women's Day”.

MP Thangam Debbonaire told BBC news that “International Women's Day is a sign we have not yet achieved gender equality and an opportunity to look at how far we have come, celebrate our achievements and plan for future success".

Women have been treated differently in society and the three necessities thought by stereotypes are to cook, clean and take care of the children. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, over the past 40 years, the UK has seen an almost constant rise in the proportion of women in employment. The employment rate of women aged 24-25 is up from 57% in 1975 to a record high of 78% in 2017.The drastic rise can be considered to be due to women choosing to put their career and education before having a child, whereas before women were shamed for not having children and were almost pressured. This still happens today, but as women come together to combat this it is easier to not adhere to everything society expects of you because of your gender.

International Women’s Day is annually acknowledged on 8^th March and first occurred 1911. At Alperton Community School we will continue to recognise the contributions and successes of women on this day and every day. Look out for the digital displays which will showcase women who have achieved well in particular subject areas.

Stretch to Succeed

By TIRTH 7Q

On the 27th of February 2019 the highest achieving students in year 7 and 8 at Alperton Community School were given the opportunity to attend the ‘Most Able Fair’. This fair was to stretch students’ ability and to unlock their potential.

Most able students are usually identified through their CATs score if it is above 115 or if they achieve a level 5 in English or Maths at key stage 2, which is the end of primary school. In the Most Able Fair the students are provide with opportunities such as taking part in BBC Young Reporter and other extracurricular activities. Students were also given a few revision books to extend their learning from the classroom and to challenge their young minds. 

The Y7 & 8 Most Able Fair was well attended

Neel (7L) said “the fair was helpful and I got a lot of useful advice” and Shreya (7P) felt that “the revision books will really help me for my core subjects”. However, some students said that they felt they should get more stretch work in class instead of extra work. 

Students are given free resources.

Ms. Banerjee and Mr. Merghani organised the. There were a lot of sixth form students and teachers who volunteered their time and were great at answering questions students had.

Great atmosphere with lots of questions answered.

Even though people who did not get to go to the Most Able Fair might feel a little left out, it also gives them the motivation to work harder to improve their grades and hopefully be invited next year.

The other two fairs took place on Tuesday 25^th of February for year 9 and 10 and Friday 1^st March.

Welcome Year 6

BY FARHAN 7V

Alperton Community School opened its doors to the year 6 students and their parents who have been offered a place to join our school community in September 2019. Year 6 students across the country were told on Friday which school they had been given a place for. To help with that transition Ms. Manderson set up a welcome day on Monday 4^th March.

The event was very well attended and students and their parents got to meet lots of teachers and find out more about what the school can offer them. This is a great thing because it means that students will be less nervous about having lots of different teachers when they come as they would have seen so many of their friendly faces already. Lots of the year 6 students left feeling a lot happier about the choice they have made in choosing Alperton as their preferred secondary school.

As a year 7 student I want to let you know that if you are feeling nervous about starting a new school – and a very big school – trust me, it is not as hard as you think it will be. I know this because I am experiencing it now. If you are ever struggling you can ask a teacher as they are always there to help and support you. This school does not tolerate bullying or fighting and it is a very safe place for us to be. It has a strong safeguarding team so we know we are always going to be well looked after.

This school has twelve forms and you are put into a class with other children who you do your lessons with for most subjects, but for some subjects there are sets. In form time you are with a teacher that will teach you PSHE. You will get your own form tutor who you can rely on and also a pastoral manager who is in charge of the whole year group. You will adapt to the system of the school in no time. The school ensures our safety first and then our education.

However, the education levels are still excellent. We are amongst the top 1% in the country of progression at maths. The schools education is very good as the teachers are qualified to do the job correctly. They explain the work very well and if you don't understand they will explain it to you again because they want to see you succeed.

The school also has lots of sports equipment that you can use during PE, break and lunch. They even have lots of clubs you can join for free.

We look forward to welcoming you again when you join the school in September. Good luck for the rest of year 6.

What are the odds?

BY TARIQ 7P

With just over two months left before the season draws to a close, the top three clubs are battling it out. With only one point between Manchester City and Liverpool it becomes ever more difficult to predict the champions of the English Premiere League 2019. Will Manchester City win their fourth title in a decade? Or will Liverpool finally have a chance of lifting the cup?

This season some results have been staggering and unpredictable, whilst others make a lot of sense. Here we outline the rivalry and the shift of positions in the league table of one of the most interesting cups that brings unrivalled entertainment.

This season has been a bit of a rollercoaster providing some great thrills! There was the unpredictable news with Jose Mourinho's sudden sacking from Manchester United and now their continuing streak of wins and draws since, to transfer news of world class players and rumours to the sacking of Chelsea's Maurizio Sarri.

The winners have been announced for the Carabao Cup as Manchester City stormed into victory after Raheem Sterling’s penalty skipped past the gloves of the Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga. In fact, the Spaniard would not make way for his substitute, Willy Caballero, and Sarri stormed into fury due to his player’s stubborn personality. 

As we enter game week 30, the league table hosts Manchester City as first place with 71 points with Liverpool pursing closely behind with 70. Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal are currently neck and neck, with an energising game to be hosted on Sunday at the Emirates with Manchester United visiting Arsenal. Be prepared to clench your fists for this tense game! 

However, the most jaw-dropping result of the season was in February’s fixture with Manchester City vs Chelsea. The visitors were demolished 6-0. The top scorer of the season is also very tight, with as little as one goal separating Sergio Aguero from Liverpool’s Pharaoh Mohamed Salah. 

When asked their view of their team, a Manchester United fan said of them “They are one of the greatest teams in the world!” He continues, “there is a chance of winning the UEFA Champions League and I think that tonight we will beat PSG 3-0 to advance to the next round.” A Liverpool supporter said of his team “we have a powerful team and good chance to win the Premiership, yet are players aren’t playing at 110% every match. This is founded as we drew to Man Utd. and Everton, our derby rival.”

What are the odds? Who do you think will be relegated? More importantly, who do YOU think will win? Comment below.