It's been another busy week of Mr Smith putting Mr Cracknell through his paces for the Sandvent calendar in aid of FareShare (working to fight hunger in our most vulnerable communities.)  You can view their daily antics online here advent calendar, and see other members of staff that they have managed to rope into their filming. Each daily challenge is also posted on Sandringham’s social media channels and you can share your stories / posts / support with the school through them. Join in as a family or go it alone, it’s a great opportunity to get active post lockdown 2.0! The challenges are accessible for all and you can do as many or as little as you like. 

Why not make a donation?

They have already raised over £500 and would love your support both completing the challenges and through a donation. As a guide, they’re suggesting £2.40 which equates to 10 pence for each challenge. FareShare reports that this can pay for up to 10 meals and it’s also roughly the price of a meal here at Sandringham. You can Donate here.

Our Sixth Form fine artists enjoyed Art in Action: The Creative Process Virtual Conference on Monday. This highly immersive day, enabled our artists to have the chance to meet and hear from four leading contemporary artists working in different areas of art and design. Speakers included Grayson Perry CBE RA, Emma Hart, Simon Roberts and Roz Hall. Our artists were able to engage with a broad range of creative viewpoints to challenge their perspectives as they complete their first term of Sixth Form study. Grayson Perry introduced students to his work and invited them to consider how to be creative in an age which embraces both traditional and digital approaches to art. Emma Hart discussed her own career pathway and the heavy symbolism which features as a recurring theme in her work. Simon Roberts discussed his work over the past decade including The Election Project exhibited at the House of Commons in 2010. Our students were especially inspired by the digital work of Roz Hall whose interactive talk explored the use of touch screen technologies in contemporary art. We would like to thank all of our Sixth Form fine artists for their exemplary behaviour throughout the day and we look forward to seeing their creative responses from the day.

In Design and Technology this week we have been discussing what we consider to be breakthroughs for humanity in the world of STEM.

The key areas of STEM (Science, technology, engineering and maths) have pushed humanity forwards in so many different ways throughout humanity’s long history. We were inspired by the recent breakthrough of the COVID-19 vaccine to create a rainbow of the different things we consider to be breakthroughs. Some are huge and some are small. What do you consider to be a STEM breakthrough?

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6br34xAiPg

On Friday the 18th December we have the annual Sandringham School Charity Day. This year’s theme is ‘fairy tales’ for which we are asking students to dress up in full fairy tale themed fancy dress for £2 or normal non-uniform for £1, this donation can be made online via parent pay.

This year we have dedicated the day to raising funds for the very worthy Fareshare charity which has gained awareness through the actions of footballer Marcus Rashford. The charity works tirelessly to fight hunger in our nation’s most vulnerable communities. All money raised on this day will be donated to the cause. We have chosen to support this charity as it has released an urgent COVID-19 appeal for donations to respond to the impending crisis. This charity needs our help in the battle to meet the huge growth in food poverty.

Congratulations to all who took part in Sandringham’s first ever ‘hybrid concert’. Monday evening was a very special night for the music faculty. It was the first time for a whole year that we were able to come together and perform in the Sandpit Theatre, albeit in a very different way. Several lower school ensembles and Year 13 soloists had been pre-recorded and these were expertly merged together by the Sandpit Theatre team with live performances from students in Year 10-13 streamed to audiences at home. There was a real feeling of celebration and joy at being able to perform live, although performing to a theatre full of desks really was a new experience for us all! We missed having a live audience to play to but we would like to thank everyone at home for watching. We really hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

On Monday, we undertook the second half of our tree planting, completing the planting around our perimeter fence. This brings the total to 420 trees and has the potential to greatly enhance the habitats and biodiversity on site, as well as contribute to mitigating against greenhouse gas emissions. The students involved from 7F, H, J and S had a great time and didn’t seem to notice the cold at all! They all got really involved and planted at least two trees each. Thank you to the staff involved with supporting the planting, and to the Sixth Form students who also offered help to encourage Year 7 and finish off the planting where needed. We look forward to the next 400+ trees arriving from the Woodland Trust in March.

As we look forward to Christmas, there are some great ideas about how to make the festivities more sustainable. Did you know that in 2018, 227,000 miles of wrapping paper were used and 4.2 million portions of Christmas dinners were thrown away in the UK?

There are some good ideas from ‘Transform the World’ here: https://www.transform-our-world.org/the-cost-of-christmas

Simple things include;

• Using plain wrapping paper which can be recycled (rather than any with foil or glitter).

• Looking for fair trade chocolate and clothing when purchasing gifts.

• Planning food carefully to avoid waste and thinking about using local suppliers rather than supermarkets for meat and vegetables. 

This week for the whole school theme we celebrated International Human Rights Day (10th December 2020). The students were presented a fantastic assembly by English teacher, Miss Clifford, which outlined the importance of understanding our human rights. International Human Rights Day is celebrated on this date each year in recognition of the United Declaration of Human Rights that was first signed by the UN on this date 82 years ago. Students were asked to reflect on how we can protect the human rights of different individuals around the world. They also were asked to consider how they can embody human rights by following Sandringham’s three R's - Respect, Responsibility and Relationships. We hope that the students learnt more about the importance of human rights and give some thought to supporting charities such as Amnesty International to work towards a world where everyone has basic rights. 

Every week the Mathematics Faculty publish a puzzle for you to try.  You can find the puzzle in the Sandprint or on the screens around school.  For every entry you will receive 1 housepoint, if you answer correctly you will win 2 housepoints and if you are the fastest person to answer the puzzle correctly then you will win 5 housepoints!  To enter, simply scan the QR code and fill out the google form.  Good luck

If you have a pet dog, why not treat them to some turkey and cranberry bones or tasty beef “dogestives” this Christmas!? Or you could buy a lovely bag of festive catnip for your cat! 

The Year 8 Tycoons are now selling their tasty dog biscuit treats and catnip bags each every Tuesday and Thursday by the front of D Block, so if your child would like to buy some, please send them in with £3.50 to purchase a bag or speak to Miss Harding regarding the Google order form.

STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics - is celebrated, encouraged and explored at Sandringham with a range of opportunities.

Below is a festive display in fire writing for you! Rhys P in 7N sent this. He lit a trail of dried Sodium Nitrate solution and filmed it burning along the paper.

 We are starting to make plans for STEM Week in March. The theme this year is Biodiversity Loss, and we want students in all year groups to take part in activities, competitions and presentations. One of the highlights of STEM Week will be a photography competition, open to all Sandringham students. More information will follow after Christmas, but one of the categories will be Biodiversity - Britain in Winter.

This week we celebrated the GCSE success of our ex Year 11 students with a small ceremony at school. Mr Gray delivered a speech about how proud he was of their hard work during such difficult circumstances and every student collected their official certificates. Awards were then given to students who excelled in each subject and it was time to reflect on how far they have come. Special mention goes to the following for our overall awards: 

STEPHANIE M:   CHARACTER AWARD 2020

RYAAN H:           CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT

HENRY N:           CONTRIBUTION TO THE ARTS

MAYA G:             GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT AT KS4

CHRIS S:            OUTSTANDING PROGRESS AT KS4

Christmas Carol Services and other Christmas events are currently free online from St Paul’s Cathedral. Normally these events are quite expensive but due to the current situation they are showing the events for free so this is a fantastic opportunity so view them from the comfort of your own home. You can find out more at

https://www.stpauls.co.uk/christmas-services

HCC have asked us to circulate the flyer above regarding cyberbullying. If you feel that it is appropriate, please feel free to use it as a starting point to discuss the issue with your young children.

Student Services is named after Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist whose refusal to accept racial segregation in turn led to nationwide efforts to end racial segregation in public facilities.

Born on the 4th February 1913, Rosa Parks faced many challenges growing up. Although she enjoyed school, Parks left at the age 16 to take care of her dying grandmother. However, when she was 19 years old, her husband Raymond urged her to complete her high school education and she received her diploma in 1933, making her part of the mere 7% of African Americans at the time to earn the distinction.

Parks was a seamstress by trade, but was deeply active in the NAACP and Montgomery Improvement Association, working to improve civil rights in her community. Part of her duties included travelling across the state and interviewing victims of discrimination and witnesses to lynchings. After moving from Alabama to Detroit, Parks worked as an assistant to U.S. Representative John Conyers, where she helped find housing for homeless people.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks solidified her place in the history books by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger—an arrestable offence in then-segregated Montgomery, Alabama. Her quiet act of defiance became a symbol for the Black struggle for equal rights and helped kick-start the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. announced the Montgomery Bus Boycott in response to Rosa Parks’ arrest and the unjust laws, and less than a year later, the Supreme Court deemed the city’s segregated buses illegal. 

Parks continued to work as an activist for the rest of her life. For years, she continued to work with Conyers and after that, she worked as an activist against apartheid in South Africa. She also opened a centre in Detroit giving advice to black youth about careers and job opportunities. In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded Parks a Congressional Gold Medal  (the United States' highest honour for civilians) and following her death aged 92 in 2005, Parks was lain in state under the Capitol rotunda. The honour is reserved for the country’s most distinguished citizens and Parks remains the only woman and one of just four private citizens to receive it.

"Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground."

This term in English, Year 7 have been studying A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and discussing the themes of social responsibility and an individual’s ability to learn from past mistakes and change.

The Old Vic is putting on a production of this popular Christmas story. The show will be performed from the Old Vic and streamed live. The production runs from 12th-24th December and tickets can be purchased from the Old Vic website www.oldvictheatre.com/whats-on/2020/old-vic-in-camera/a-christmas-carol-5

A perfect way to start the festive celebrations.

The following free sessions are available from Vista St Albans Plus if you feel that they would be useful for getting advice on setting up devices. Please click on the links to register for the relevant events. (More are available on Sunday 20th December as well if you go to their website)

Saturday 12th December (All sessions 30 minutes long) – How to set up a device for Christmas

17:00 Amazon Fire Tab

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/131027293161

18:00 iPhone & iPad

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/118891643105

19:00 Playstation

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/131017525947

20:00 Xbox

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/131018865955

21:00 Nintendo Switch

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/131022833823

Following our first successful Halloween sweet treat deliveries, next week we will be selling and delivering our Christmas themed sweet packages! If you would like to congratulate your child for the brilliant work they have done this term, what better way to show it than with a Christmas sweet bundle that you can add your own personal message to! 

Once ordered, each treat bundle will be handed out to the student in tutor time, let's bring some Christmas cheer to Sandringham! If students are struggling for secret santa gifts, why not consider sending this straight to the recipient?! 

Please visit our website to order:

https://tenacity-store.herokuapp.com/

HOUSE CUP TOTALS

Fawcett maintain their advantage as we near the end of term, but it is all to play for with each year group battling for the best Christmas Jumper today. Next week Mr Cracknell will be adding the updated House Points totals so expect a few changes in the league table!

House of the week = Hepworth Well done to Hepworth who were the most successful in last week’s house quiz.

Year group of the week = Year 8 Well done to Y8 who once again all completed last week’s house quiz.

Tutor group of the week = 8H  Well done to Miss Edwards and 8H for achieving a perfect score on last week’s SMSC House Quiz.

FUTURE HOUSE EVENTS

Charity Day is next week, which will have various house competitions including Mr Gray’s all important quiz.

A slightly different Student Spotlight today as we focus on the Drama department. A huge well done to the students below who have all excelled this week! What a plethora of talent we have at Sandringham School.

Megan C – Year 7: Fantastically funny performance for the Nativity Play Goes Wrong! A fully sustained and believable role created. 

Sam C - Year 7: Outstanding performance as narrator showing great improvisation, use of voice and creating an engaging storyline. 

Sebi W– Year 7: Hilarious performance for the Nativity Play Goes Wrong! Worked well with others to create a well-thought through performance with many comedic moments. 

 Amin H, Robert S B, Annabelle N, Lauren R – Year 7: Outstanding performance as an actor following and interpreting the story told by the narrator with use of facial expressions, miming script, and excellent collaboration with the other actors. 

Eliana S – Year 8: Fantastic use of Commedia Dell’arte stock characters to create a convincing performance that incorporates key features of this style of theatre.  

Sebi L– Year 8: Continued excellence in all lessons. Has performed brilliant pieces of theatre whilst being helpful and supportive of others during collaborative tasks. 

Lexi F-W – Year 9: Lexi has approached every task/performance with complete dedication. She consistently takes feedback on board and applies it to her next performance. It has been lovely to see her confidence flourish since the start of September! 

Sam A – Year 12: Amazing directing skills. Taking ownership of learning and responding to both performance texts in a mature way. 

CALLING ALL PARENTS - DO YOU HAVE PRIMARY AGED CHILDREN AT HOME?!

We are Tenacity, Sandringham School's Young Enterprise team and we are excited to present to you our product! We are selling an online activity book which can be downloaded and printed if you wish, ready to keep any primary school aged children entertained and educated during this difficult time. We understand that many children are unable to play with their friends which is their usual source of entertainment. Our aim as a company is to give them something fun and new to keep them occupied with our activity book! 

The activity book includes: 

• A range of colouring activities 
• Quick and yummy recipes 
• Engaging science experiments 
• DIY crafts
• Fun facts and cheeky riddles
• Outdoor treasure hunts 
• AND MORE SOLUTIONS TO INSIDE BOREDOM!

Please support us by checking out our socials and websites for more information on how to keep your primary school aged children happy and cheerful.

So get your children involved today!

Instagram: @tenacity.company

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine       - entretenir/maintenir

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana - mantener

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche       - genauso weitermachen

Thinking questions:

1. The French and Spanish are similar again this week – how could this be?
2. Both options for the French end in -tenir, which is a verb of its own meaning to hold. Can you think of any English verbs that end with another verb?
3. These verbs are all in their infinitive forms. In French, German and Spanish infinitives have certain endings ( for example -en in German or -er/-ir/-re in French) but in English infinitive verbs are to … (for example to be, to eat, to play) - why could this difference exist?

A message from Amelie Newman-Booth.

"I would like to say a huge thank you to anyone who donated towards Abdoulie’s education. With your help, Abdoulie is the first member of his community to attend university, giving him a chance to create a brighter future for himself and his family. The header photo shows Abdoulie standing outside the University of Gambia on his first day, and below is a message from Abdoulie himself. Thanks again!"

Dear Donors,

It gives me the great pleasure to write this letter to thank you for your immense support and contribution towards the funding of my university tuition fee. First of all, good thanks to everyone of you who contributed to make this scholarship possible. It has been hard for both me and my family to secure the payment of my tuition fee because my relatives couldn't afford to pay. Secondly, I am humbly happy to be the recipient of the scholarship. I will use this as an opportunity to secure a BSc in Economics and Finance. I am currently enrolled in The University of the Gambia and would like to get a few text books for my programme.

Once again, I am sending my appreciation and thanks to all of you and especially Scout for her care. With love, care and support for one another the world will always become a better place. I love you all. Thank you! Abdoulie Senghore.

Barracudas Activity Day Camps, the UK’s favourite school holiday provider for children aged 4½ to 14 years, will once again be open at Sandringham School this Easter and Summer. 80+ exciting activities are on offer including archery, swimming, football, dance and much more! Ofsted registered, high staff to child ratios and COVID-19 Secure Camps will be running with parents of Sandringham School receiving an extra £10 off per week if they quote code HSCH21 at the time of booking.

Open Easter 29th March – 9th April and summer 26th July – 27th August.

Book now at www.barracudas.co.uk or call 01480 467 567.

During the Christmas holidays please can we ask you to still inform the school if a student needs to self-isolate due to being in contact with someone who tests COVID positive or if a student themselves tests COVID positive. 

You can advise the school by emailing – absence@sandringham.herts.sch.uk

Title your email -  COVID Notification; include the students full name,  tutor group and dates of isolation.  If they have had a positive COVID result please include the date of the test and the date when symptoms first appeared. This email address will be checked on a daily basis throughout the holidays.  

S is for… Sustain [Verb]

Definition: To provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist or continue.

Example: There is not enough oxygen to sustain life at very high altitudes.

Synonyms: Assist, Continue, Preserve

Antonyms: Harm, Hinder, Hurt

Etymology: From the Latin word ‘sustinere’ - from ‘sub’ meaning from below and ‘tenere’ meaning hold.

Welcome to the Dream Shop!  You are invited to discover the mysteries of Dream Making and to share the secrets of mixing the perfect dream.  It’s important work – thousands of dreams are dreamt every single night, and they all have to be made just right.  So, join PaddleBoat Theatre Company in this magical story and discover the joy of being a Dream Maker.

Dream Maker is a perfect return to the theatre for families aged 3+ and for anyone who would enjoy a relaxed, inclusive experience. Tickets £40 (Sits up to 6)

We hope everyone is keeping well.  Through December, and January we have lots of exciting screenings coming to The SandPit.  Including, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, A Beethoven Journey and Dream Maker! We look forward to opening our doors again safely and to see you all again.

Following Government guidelines, you must wear a face covering while attending The SandPit Theatre unless you are exempt as stated in these guidelines. If you do not wear a mask you will be refused entry and your ticket will be forfeited. Our café will be during these screenings for drinks and snacks but please note we will only be accepting card payments. Alcohol is available for sale 30 minutes before the shows begin.

The box office is open from 11.30am – 3.30pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can call us on 01727 799565 or visit www.sandpittheatre.co.uk

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake comes to cinemas with a fresh look for the 21st century and is as bold and beautiful as ever.  This thrilling, audacious and witty production is perhaps still best known for replacing the female corps-de-ballet with a menacing male ensemble, which shattered convention, turned tradition upside down and took the dance world by storm. Tickets £13.50/£10

Filmed over the course of four years award-winning director Phil Grabsky follows leading concert pianist Leif Ove Andsnes’s attempt to understand and interpret one of the greatest sets of works for piano ever written: Beethoven’s five piano concertos. Against the wonderful background of Leif Ove playing these 5 pieces, we also show how these works offer a new fresh way of examining Beethoven’s life and work. Tickets £10

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella is a thrilling and evocative love story set in London during the Second World War.  The internationally acclaimed choreographer’s interpretation of the classic fairy tale has, at its heart, a true war-time romance.  A chance meeting results in a magical night for Cinderella and her dashing young RAF pilot, together for just long enough to fall in love before being parted by the horrors of the Blitz.  Matthew Bourne’s vivid story telling has never been more heart-stopping and touching and will take the audience into the heart of Prokofiev’s magnificent score. Tickets £13.50/£10