Supporting Mental Health – Hertfordshire Services

As always, we value the importance of supporting mental heath within our school and wider community, and we’d like to highlight the Hertfordshire Children and Young People's Mental Health Service Directory, a valuable resource for students, carers, families and professionals.

This directory brings together a wide range of services offering both early intervention and more specialist mental health support for children and young people. Whether you're looking for advice, counselling, or more targeted care, the directory is a great starting point.

Click Here to access the directory for more detailed information and contact links.

We encourage all parents and carers to explore this resource and keep it handy should your child or someone you know need support.

HOUSE POINTS

Only 6 weeks to go until the end of term and Hepworth remain on top with a steady lead. Will anyone make a final challenge for the top spot?

1. Hepworth 22,711
2. Austen 21,711
3. Johnson 20,647

Special mentions this week:  

• O Ballard (7J) – 28 – Most points this week
• Turing for winning this weeks house points – 439
• Turing for leading this months house points – 439
• Johnson for winning house Table Tennis
• 7A , 7J, 7H for the top 3 average points in their tutor group
• H Wong (8A) leading the school for points - 288
• 9T the highest quiz score total – 170/230

Lights, Camera… Sandringham!

Next Thursday 12th June, we’ll have a professional videographer on site capturing footage for a new welcome video for the school. They’ll be popping in and out of lessons, corridors and communal areas throughout the day, so please just carry on as normal. Most of the filming will be background footage to help show off everyday life at Sandringham.

If you’ve been asked by a member of staff to take part in any speaking-to-camera moments, please make sure you’re dressed smartly, and be ready to shine!

We know not everyone is keen for the spotlight, and that’s absolutely fine, but please be helpful and supportive throughout the day. It’s a fantastic opportunity to show people beyond our community just how brilliant you all are… and the school too, of course.

Thank you in advance for being the wonderful students you are. Let’s show Sandringham at its very best.

To Our Amazing Year 11 and Year 13 Students 

We want to take a moment to say how incredibly proud we are of all our Yr 11 and Yr 13 students as you continue through your exams. You've shown real focus, determination and resilience, and it’s not going unnoticed.

You are doing brilliantly, and every exam you take is a step closer to your next chapter, and we’re all behind you every step of the way.

Keep up the momentum, pace yourselves, and don’t forget to take breaks, rest well, and ask for support if you need it.

You've got this!

Navigating Senior School with Herts Dyslexia Association

We understand that navigating secondary school with a dyslexic child can feel like a big and overwhelming step.  

The Herts Dyslexia Association is hosting an ONLINE advice evening on Monday June 16th 2025 at 7pm. Get expert guidance and tips on where to find support and discover helpful assisted technology to make the journey smoother. We will have the pleasure of hearing from the perspectives of senior staff, SEN consultants and other experts. Our experienced speakers will cover topics such as choosing subjects, managing workload, and making the most of extracurricular activities. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain insight and guidance from experts in the field.

Open to all! Whether you're a student, parent, or educator, this session is perfect for anyone looking to make the most of their senior school experience. Register now and take the first step towards a successful academic journey! HDA members attend for free, non-members pay just £5.

Further information, including booking link and FAQs can be found in the flyer.

Student Leadership 

This week’s whole school theme is Student Leadership. Sandringham has an extensive student leadership programme where students have a whole host of opportunities. Just a few examples of this being joining the SLT, helping their house as a house leader or captain, even becoming one of the head students. Recently a selection of students were also invited to take part in a conference involving students from each of the 10 schools in the Trust. This week all students received a fantastic assembly from a selection of the Sandringham students involved in this conference which explained what they did and the impact that it had. We hope that all students in the school community feel empowered to apply for a leadership position and value the performance and moral character skills these positions allow them to build.

We are thrilled to celebrate Lewis S in Yr 9, who has achieved a major milestone outside the classroom by earning his black belt in karate!

Lewis has shown outstanding dedication, discipline, and perseverance to reach this level, training to master both the physical and mental aspects of the sport. His achievement is a testament to his hard work and determination.

Congratulations Lewis... Hai!

The Puzzle of the Week is a Mathematics challenge run weekly. This week's puzzle is shown above. For every entry you will receive 1 house point, if you answer correctly you will win 2 house points and if you are the fastest person to answer the puzzle correctly then you will win 5 house points!  To enter, simply scan the QR code and fill out the google form.  Good luck! Why not play at home and see who is the quickest to get the answer?

Blazer and Tie Donations

As we approach the end of the school year, Student Services is currently running low on spare blazers and ties. 

If any Year 11 parents are willing to donate blazers or ties in good condition, we would be incredibly grateful. Your contributions help ensure that we can continue to provide uniform support for students when needed. Donations can be dropped off at Reception or given directly to Student Services before the end of term.

Thank you for your continued support and generosity.

Dance Arts Week Events

Lots of dance styles and workshops available this year and FREE to attend!

Read about the workshops and sign up now via the google form on the pdf and also posted on Dance Google Classrooms - link here. If you are not on a Dance Google Classroom but would like to take part, please email Miss Davies by Wednesday 13th June. 

Please Help - Gardening Equipment for E Week

As part of E Week, a group of students will be joining Mrs Cooper to support an exciting project at Wheatfields Juniors regenerating their environmental area. The focus will be on cutting back and tidying up the space so that the Junior School can take over with planting and redesigning.

To make this a success, we are looking for;

• Battery-operated strimmers
• Any gardening tools suitable for student use.

If you’re able to lend equipment, please drop it off at Reception between Wednesday 11th and Friday 13th June. Make sure all items are clearly labelled with your name so we can return them safely.

We’re also on the lookout for volunteers with gardening expertise, so if you’re able to lend a hand or share your knowhow, please email me directly and I will be in touch.

Thank you for your support.

Step Forward - Emotionally Based School Avoidance Drop-In Sessions

Free support is available for any families experiencing challenges with school attendance or emotionally based school avoidance. Drop-in sessions run every Wednesday from 1–3pm at The Pioneer Club, Heathlands Drive, St Albans, AL3 5AY.

There’s no need to book, just come along for a friendly chat and some helpful advice.

Join the Fo$S Team

Friends of Sandringham School (Fo$S) plays a vital role in supporting our school community through fundraising, events, and parent engagement. We're currently looking for enthusiastic individuals to join the team, particularly anyone interested in taking on the roles of Chair or Secretary.

These are fantastic opportunities to make a real impact, work closely with the school, and help shape the future of Fo$S. No previous experience is necessary, just a passion for supporting the school and a willingness to get involved.

If you’re interested in finding out more, please email: friendsofsandringhamschool@gmail.com or visit: sandringham.herts.sch.uk/foss

We’d love to hear from you.

The Parent Agency by David Baddiel.

Claudia CB in Yr 8 has written an excellent review for us:

“The Parent Agency by David Baddiel is a humorous and heartwarming children's book/novel about a boy called Barry  Bennett, who is frustrated with his strict and boring parents. On the evening of his tenth birthday, he is magically transported to the United Kid-dom, a parallel world where children can choose their own parents. Over five days, Barry tries out various sets of parents—rich, famous, sporty, fun, and quirky - but he then discovers that each comes with unexpected flaws. Through these experiences, he learns to appreciate his real parents and returns home with a sense of gratitude and love. The story delivers a thoughtful message about family and acceptance, wrapped in a funny and imaginative adventure.”

French: furtif/furtive

German: gerissen

Spanish: furtivo/a

Thinking Question: What are some of the challenges you face when learning a language?

To celebrate Pride month, the LRC has created a display of some of our most popular fiction books featuring LGBTQIA+ characters. Whether you prefer real-life stories, historical fiction, romcoms, or fantasy and romantasy, we hope we’ve got a book you will enjoy reading this month. LGBTQIA+ non-fiction and history books are also available to borrow from the LRC. Thank you to Mrs Blandford for creating our fantastic display!

F is for… furtive [adjective]

Definition: Attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble.

Example: The couple spent a furtive day together.

Synonyms: Secretive, Clandestine, Covert

Antonyms: Honest, Open

Etymology: From Latin furtivus, which is linked to fur, meaning “thief. A furtive action is one done secretly, as if to avoid being noticed – similar to how a thief might behave.

County League 5

It’s been a fantastic start to a packed fortnight of athletics, with all four Sandringham teams putting in impressive performances at the first meet.

Some big points scored across the board as we push for a top-four finish. A great momentum-builder for what promises to be a busy and exciting couple of weeks ahead.

Well done to all athletes involved, keep up the energy and determination.

Athletes of the meet:

U14G - E Power 🥇🥇🥈
U14B - J Ridgeway 🥇🥈🥇
U16G - E Walton 🥇🥈
U16B - T Russ 🥇🥇🥈

Straight back to it with Athletics and Tennis dominating the weeks line-up. Hopefully the sun decides to make more of an appearance next week! Good luck to everyone competing.

A valiant effort from our Senior Boys this week in the national Glanville Cup, as they took on Aylesbury Grammar School in a closely fought match.

After a hard-fought game, the result was decided by a tie-break shoot-out, where Sandringham narrowly missed out. Despite the result, the boys showed real determination and resilience so well done, still a performance to be proud of.

A huge well done to these four talented athletes who proudly represented St Albans Athletic Club at Hurdlesfest in Chelmsford during half term.

It was a brilliant day full of standout performances, with personal bests, entry standards achieved, and even club debuts in the mix. Their hard work, focus and sportsmanship were on full display, and we couldn’t be prouder of their efforts.

Well done to everyone involved,  a fantastic day all round! 💪👏

Preparations for our Summer Concert are well underway so get your tickets now so you can enjoy an evening full of music.

This concert involves students in our ensembles and choirs and is on 24th June at 6:30pm. Tickets can be bought directly from the Sandpit Theatre here.

Tickets for CONNECT are now on sale on The Sandpit Theatre website.

CONNECT is on Wednesday 25th June at 7pm. We are expecting this to sell out quickly so please buy tickets early to prevent disappointed.