We would like to congratulate all of our artists who made such a superb effort on their entries for the UN Creative Earth Competition. We have been incredibly impressed to see such a range of creative responses to the set brief. Creative Earth is an art competition for people aged 16 and under from across the UK, run by the UN COP26 Climate Change Conference in collaboration with WWF. As part of the Together for Our Planet campaign, young people were invited to get creative and show global leaders the world they want to live in. We wish all of the students who participated and submitted their work the best of luck in the national competition and we will also be exhibiting their work in school to remind us all of their aspirations for our planet and the key changes that need to be made in order to protect a better future for us all. Included are some of the wonderful entries from Alexandra S, Lily B, Nyah E, Freya, Emily D and Sofia. 

Free Vocal Lesson Trial Workshop!

We currently have some spaces for any students interested in receiving vocal lessons at school. Vocal lessons are very popular and cover a wide range of styles and genres from classical to musical theatre and pop. Some of our students enjoy working towards accredited graded exams and many enjoy singing for pleasure. Steve Jones our vocal coach at Sandringham is offering a free trial lesson workshop for any students interested in finding out more about what singing lessons are like. This will take place in school during the school day on a date to be confirmed before half term. If you are interested in signing up, please click here to complete the google form. I will be in touch to confirm details.

Extra-curricular clubs

We are delighted to be re-starting many of our extra-curricular musical activities this term. Please sign up on SOCS. We would be delighted to welcome new students to our activities this term.

Every week the Mathematics Faculty publish a puzzle for you to try.  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!

COVID Testing Reminder:

Students should be testing twice a week – on a Wednesday and a Sunday – and complete the two stages of result confirmation as outlined below:

• Student’s should report their result to the NHS via this website HERE
• Student’s need to let the school know via this google form: HERE

A reminder that if your child does receive a positive result they, and anyone who lives with them, should self-isolate immediately and they should get a PCR test to confirm the result. They should continue to self-isolate until they get the result of the PCR test and then follow the advice given when they get the result.  Full guidance can be found here

Families are encouraged to test adults living in households with school age students and details of how to collect or order tests can be found here

We welcome back students and staff to school this week by recognising Vaisakhi or the Sikh New Year as our whole school theme. Vaisakhi is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar and this year it was celebrated on Tuesday of this week. It marks the start of the Punjabi New Year, but it is also a day to celebrate 1699 - the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith. To celebrate Vaisakhi, Sikhs will visit places of worship called Gudwaras that we be decorated specially for the occasion and enjoy parades or special processions through the streets called nagar kirtans. The students received a fantastic assembly from our student RE ambassadors who educated students on the principles of Vaisakhi and what students can do to better understand different religions in the school community. It has been fantastic to see Sikhism become another religion that our students are more knowledgeable about as a result of our whole school theme.

DSPL7 supports parents/carers schools and further education colleges within the St Albans and Harpenden area for children and young people with additional needs. 

They offer a range of courses including:

• "Understanding Behaviour in Your Child with Special Needs"
• "Talking Families" 
• "Talking Teens"
• "Handling Anger"
• "Sleep Course" 
• "Supporting Mental Health" 

They also have various numbers you can contact for advice and support about ADHD, Autism, and additional Special Education Needs.

If you would like to find out more, you can do so at http://dspl7.org.uk/courses-for-parents-and-carers-2/

One of our ‘Sandringham Reads’ texts for Years 11 - 13, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a classic work of feminist fiction, set in the dystopian world of Gilead. Written in 1985, and set in the near future, Margaret Atwood creates an unforgettable portrait of defiance and authoritarian rule and a devastatingly powerful exploration of female oppression. ‘The Handmaid's Tale’ is a classic dystopian vision with an all-too chilling resonance for our times. Having now been adapted to an acclaimed TV series, this novel remains a relevant read for us all. 

 https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180425-why-the-handmaids-tale-is-so-relevant-today

Today’s league table sees Johnson remain at the top, with Austen and Newton taking second and third place. Shakespeare are fourth, Elgar fifth, with Fawcett, Hepworth and Turing take up the last three spots. This week sees the return of the House Quiz and with students back in school, there is everything to play for as more merits are available. Look out for further updates next week! 

Tabitha D and Jessica R in Year 8 are our newly appointed PRE Ambassadors, helping Mr Lacey to promote religious ceremonies in school assemblies, update boards around the school with interesting information and run competitions based on the religious characters chosen for room names. Both girls are hugely passionate about discussing philosophy, religion and ethics and believe that doing so within their Ambassador roles not only gives them the important skills of empathy, tolerance and understanding but also builds on key life skills such as using your initiative, debating and having a strong moral compass.

Tabitha and Jessica said "It's a fun group where you come with questions and leave with more questions: getting your brain working with problem-solving. We feel that it is important to include and celebrate all religions and by informing others, you can raise awareness and get rid of stereotypes and labels. Through studying PRE, you build understanding and tolerance towards other people and become ambitious through studying inspirational people. We think being an Ambassador fits well with the World Class Schools ethos as it sees you embracing other people's points of view, spreading awareness of different beliefs and coming together to create and more unified world." 

Watch this space for more announcements later in the year when there will be an opportunity for more KS3 Students to join and help them with their important work. 

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine – débordant de joie
GERMAN: Die Wort der Woche –   jubelnd
SPANISH: La palabra de la semana – jubiloso/a

Thinking Questions:

• Learning a language involves learning a lot of vocabulary, how do you learn vocabulary? Are there any other techniques you could try?
• German and Spanish are similar this week – do you know how languages develop? How do they change over time?

The final figure collected for Red Nose Day was £2,174.30. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed.

This week we focus on Molly D in 7J, who has donated 35cm of hair to The Little Princess Trust, a charity who make wigs for children dealing with hair loss mostly due to cancer.

Molly said “I have so much hair and they don’t have any, so it makes sense to give them mine.” As well as Molly’s hair donation, she is hoping to raise some additional funds for the charity as they operate solely on donations. She has already raised an impressive £295, and if you would like to contribute to this hugely worthwhile cause then you can do so here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/molly-hair-donation

What a fantastic thing to do Molly- we are very proud of you. If you would like your son/daughter featured in the Sandprint, please send any details or photographs to Melissa.holian@sandringham.herts.sch.uk

DS1, is named after Konstantin Stanislavski, a Russian businessmen who developed a seven step technique in the early 1900s to help actors create believable emotions and actions in the characters they portray. 

Born to one of Russia's wealthiest families on 5th January 1863 , Konstantin Alexeyev took up acting from an early age and his parents built him a theatre on the family estate when he was just 14. Aged 25, he adopted the stage name ‘Stanislavski’ to hide his performance activities from his parents as acting as a profession for a man of his social status was frowned upon, and in 1897 he started what was to be known as the 'Moscow Art Theatre’ with the playwright Vladimir Nemirovich Danchenko. This was a move away from the melodramatic Russian theatre of the time and move towards a more naturalistic approach to theatre; one where the actor shouldn’t only know what lines he needs to say and the motivation for those lines, but also every detail of that character’s life offstage as well as onstage.

Stanislavski experimented with the ability to maintain a character in real life, disguising himself as a tramp, a drunk or a gypsy and visiting the railway station or walking amongst the public. His system was based on a process of rigorous artistic self-analysis and reflection and he came to form the seven pillars for acting: Action, Imagination, Attention, Relaxation, Units and Objectives, Emotion Memory and Truthfulness. His famous texts include My Life in Art, An Actor’s Work on a Role, and An Actor Prepares and his theories were the basis for 'Method Acting’ which was adopted by the Americans from the 1930’s at the 'Group Theatre’. He died in August 1938 leaving behind a legacy that became the central force determining almost every performance we see on stage or screen.

"Love art in yourself, not yourself in art" 

Here are some of the titles shortlisted for the UKLA Book Award- you can reserve these from our library. Happy Reading! 

Age 7-10+

The Highland Falcon Thief written by M.G.Leonard and Sam Sedgeman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli  

Owen and the Soldier written by Lisa Thompson, illustrated by Mark Lowery 

Check Mates written by Stewart Foster

The Girl Who Stole an Elephant written by Nizrana Farook 

Age 11-14+

Run Rebel written by Manjeet Mann 

Burn written by Patrick Ness 

Clap When You Land written by Elizabeth Acevedo 

The Undefeated written by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson 

There will be a second hand uniform sale on Saturday 24th April at 11.30am at Sandringham School.

Please could any donations of good quality uniform to be dropped at 15 Skyswood Road beforehand. 

J is for… jubilant  [adjective]

Definition: Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

Example: A large number of jubilant fans ran on to the pitch.

Synonyms: Elated, Euphoric, Exuberant

Antonyms: Depressed, Discouraged, Sad

Etymology: From the Latin word ‘jubilant’ meaning calling.

On the 22nd April, we will be celebrating Earth Day and the theme this year is ‘Restore Our Earth’. We will be discussing this with our students in assembly and raising awareness of the small things that we can each do, which together, will bring about collective action. This falls within our wider Sustainability Drive, and continues the hard work our staff and students have already done in making Sandringham more of a ‘World Class’ sustainable and responsible community. We will be inviting you and our students to participate in some initiatives such as building eco bird feeders, creating bug hotels, and leaving a patch of your lawn to become a wildlife safe-haven; we ask that you photograph your agency in restoring our earth, and communicate these to us so that we can capture the influence that our school community can have in our local area.

More information will follow, and please check Twitter for updates.

The new Unlocking World Class website is now live and Ms Finlay, Mrs Baikie and the student team have been working hard to create a hub of interesting articles and events to help celebrate and explore the values of what it means to be a ‘World Class’ school.

This week, we are excited to share with you an article in our World Class Newsletter, titled "Unlocking Issues of Trust" by Daisy B. Here, she discusses the Government's handling of the pandemic and her feelings around using your voice to determine the future. 

Unlocking Issues of Trust

We hope that you enjoy reading it and look forward to sharing more events, ideas and initiatives with you soon.

It is fantastic to see the lunch and after school sports clubs back in full swing. Students have been busy enjoying Athletics, Cricket, Tennis and Rounders with their year groups in the sunshine. We know that team sports play a huge part in many students' lives so it is great to see them back enjoying the physical and mental benefits of training together. 

Please sign up using SOCS. The opportunities available to your child will be listed under their name. 

Hailed as a masterpiece of 21st century dance, Akram Khan’s Giselle comes to cinemas for the first time, giving ballet fans the opportunity to see this award-winning production on the big screen.  One of the greatest romantic ballets, Giselle has been re-imagined by celebrated choreographer Akram Khan and English National Ballet. Tickets £13.50/£10

We hope everyone is keeping well. Through May, June, and July we have lots of exciting screenings coming to The SandPit. Including, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet, Sunflowers, and Akram Khan’s Giselle. We look forward to opening our doors soon and welcoming you all back for some well-deserved theatre.

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 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 Romeo and Juliet is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic story of love and conflict is set in the not-too-distant future in the ‘Verona Institute’. Here ‘difficult’ young people are mysteriously confined by a society that seeks to divide and crush their youthful spirit. Our two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together.  Tickets £13.50/£10

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

Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers are among his most famous works and are some of the most iconic paintings in the world. In an extraordinary exhibition, the Van Gogh Museum took a new revealing look at the five publicly owned versions of sunflowers in a vase. And once again, the Van Gogh Museum opened its doors exclusively to Exhibition on Screen.  Tickets £7/5