As mentioned last week, our annual online safety event for parents/carers tis being held virtually on Monday 31st January at 6:30pm. The ‘Supporting your child online’ workshop will explore risks that young people face online such as communication with strangers, sharing personal information and photos, and exposure to inappropriate adult content. Gareth Cort, an online safety specialist, will provide information to help you understand these issues, and practical advice to help you protect your child and support them to enjoy positive online experiences. Advice about parental controls and settings will also be provided, alongside the importance of having regular discussions with your child about how to stay safe online. Information on where to get help and support will also be provided and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.

We hope that you will be able to join us for what will be an insightful event. This will now be held on Zoom and the details can be found below

https://zoom.us/j/99866934333?pwd=TUpBZDRzakpJQlBrVENwZXhEL2J1Zz09

Meeting ID: 998 6693 4333

Passcode: 562603

We have enjoyed taking prospective parents on tours around our Sixth Form this week. Don't forget, if you wish to apply for Sixth Form, the closing date is Friday 4th February. All of the details on how to apply and the Open Evening information can be found here. 

Well done to Austen for closing the gap on Hepworth this week, but Miss Wills still leads her house towards House Cup victory at the moment. Keep getting those house points! 

Bookings are now open for Barracudas holiday camp. If you would like to book at a discount, the early booking offer expires on the 31st of January.

It has been a busy time getting UCAS forms ready for our Year 13 students and the process is now over for this year.  Thank you to all staff who supported students and wrote references- a massive 225 in total. We currently have 3 Oxbridge offers; Amy P, Henry N and Lottie M. And are so proud of how hard all of our students have worked during this process. 

Monday 25th January 2022 will be a date that will remain in the memory for a long time at Sandringham School- the day that a Sandringham Football team reached the semi finals of a national cup for the first time! 

After a disastrous start to 2022, where Mr Bailey saw his Senior boys A team and U16s both lose out in the last 16 & 32 of their retrospective competitions, national success now lay purely in the hands of the Boys Senior ‘B’ Team. Their first obstacle was an away fixture on Friday 21st to a strong football college Plume Academy in Maldon. A dominant display saw our boys win 2-1 and gain a place in the quarter final against Bede's.

The Sandringham boys started the game very strong and dominated possession, but they failed to create clear-cut chances. It felt that the boys needed a goal as Bede started to look more awake after their long two-hour journey. And what a goal it was! Tashev scored his first goal of the season with a 30-yard screamer which gave the goalkeeper no chance as it settled in the top corner of the visitor’s net. Sandringham were leading 1-0 at the break.

Bede’s began the second half very strong and put pressure on the Sandringham defence for the first time in the game.  It didn’t take the visitors long to level things up with another delightful chip to make the score 1-1. Sandringham then rallied after the setback and, after a few missed chances, striker Latter scored to goal he deserved with a poachers finish from a cross at the front post. The game looked to be heading for extra-time as Bede’s scored with minutes but this was ruled offside and the final whistle concluded the tie with the result ending 2-1 to Sandringham. They boys now only one game away from a National Cup Final. 

Mr Bailey and the team now await the live draw which will be on held on the ESFA you tube channel ‘ESFA TV’ at 5pm on Monday 7th February. Well done to the whole team and thank you to Mr Bailey for all of his efforts! Good luck for the next match!

Here is a little sneak preview of the set being built for our fantastic Dance show, Velocity, which takes place next week. Performances will be in the evenings of Thursday 3rd, Friday 4th and Saturday 5th February with an additional matinee on the Saturday as well. You can book your tickets now at the Sandpit Theatre website for this unmissable event!

UAL Futures Creatives are running their fantastic half term Art Classes for Children and Teenagers again. They provide inspiring art and design short courses for young people aged 7 to 17. Taught online and face to face across the UK - students learn from qualified teachers and experienced industry professionals. 

If you have taken a course with them before - don't worry, for each term, courses run with new content and different projects. We are committed to continuous learning and love to see our young creatives progress! Please click on the links below for more details.

Art and Design Workshop in St Albans for 7 to 11 Year Olds

14/02/22 - 17/02/22 Monday to Thursday – 9.30am to 12pm

Art and Design Workshop in St Albans for 11 to 17 Year Olds 

14/02/22 - 17/02/22 Monday to Thursday – 1.30pm to 4.30pm

The theme for this week is Holocaust Memorial in honour of Holocaust Memorial Day which was recognised internationally this week on Thursday.  Holocaust Memorial Day is a day for everyone to remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution, and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.  The 27th of January marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.  The students received an excellent assembly from History teacher, Miss Constable, which encouraged remembrance in a world scarred by genocide.  The Holocaust threatened the fabric of civilisation, and genocide must still be resisted every day.  Our world often feels fragile and vulnerable and we cannot be complacent.  Even in the UK, prejudice and the language of hatred must be challenged by us all. We hope that the students found the assemblies gave students a moment to pause and reflect.

We are delighted to announce that the school has received a donation of a mixed plastic recycling box which is now situated in Student Services. 

The company behind the box, Reworked, specialise in recycling ‘hard to recycle’ waste plastic and accept any item that isn’t eligible for local recycling services or recycling bins.  Their aim is to avoid unnecessary landfill usage and turn “unrecyclable” plastic into standard boards made from 100% mixed plastic waste.  Although the school’s waste is recycled at a waste management plant, the addition of this box will make a visible on-site difference and is directly in line with the school’s ongoing focus on sustainability. If you want to find out more about the Reworked company visit, www.reworked.com/

Sandringham School would like to thank the Li-Owen family for their very kind donation.

Our Learning Resources Centre has a wide range of fiction and non-fiction literature for all ages. This week, we would like to highlight some of the books available on Gender Identity.  Remember you can search terms in our online catalogue: https://uk.accessit.online/snd02/#!dashboard,  go on MySandSTORM > Accessit Learning Resource Centre or  visit our friendly Library Team and ask them for more details. 

On Holocaust Memorial Week, we thought we would feature an article sent by Vivian C in Year 9 detailing her experience of visiting Auschwitz.

"Established in Nazi occupied Poland, Auschwitz is where many people from various ethnic groups lost their lives in the hands of the Nazis. Auschwitz was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany. Some of the most famous concentration camps in the complex were Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Auschwitz I used to be a military base but was later turned into a concentration camp by the order of Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler. Seeing as Auschwitz I had not enough space to send more people, Auschwitz-Birkenau was established, being the largest concentration camp as it stretches over 425 acres. In total, 1.3 million people got deported to Auschwitz I, 1.1 million people were Jews, 150,000 - 140,000 were Poles, 23,000 were Roma (Gypsies), 15,000 were Soviet Prisoners of war and 25,000 were prisoners from other Ethnic Groups. 

Auschwitz is a solemn place that I feel is an essential destination to visit in order to gain a better understanding of the events that took place there and the long-lasting effect it had on humanity. Many lives had been affected by the Holocaust and some people were even sent to concentration or death camps so this historic site can give you a better insight on what the many innocent people had to go through.

I hope that you like some of my pictures included and consider this quotation by George Santayana as an important one : “The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.” -

Our senior recital evening will be taking place on Tuesday 22nd February at 6.30pm in The Sandpit Theatre. This is a fantastic solo performing opportunity for students in Years 10-13 who would like to perform on their instrument or sing. Students can sign up to take part by adding their name to the list on the noticeboard in The Music Faculty or by speaking to Mrs Beaton or Miss Stothard for more information. Tickets are now on sale so please do join us for a lovely evening of high quality performances.

Free trial woodwind lessons

We would like to offer a fantastic opportunity for students to have a free trial lesson on the clarinet, saxophone or flute. Our woodwind specialist Laura Bookbinder will be running these free sessions over the next few weeks. If you are interested, please click here to complete a google form and I will be in contact to arrange a date and time for a trial lesson. You do not need your own instrument for this trial lesson.

Last Thursday, the Year 12 German A level group took part in a film study day at the BFI (British Film Institute). The day focused on the legacy of East Germany with and through film. It was conducted mainly in German. In the morning we listened to a clip-based presentation introducing the theme, teaching film-specific vocabulary in German and analysing key scenes from a selection of German films such as The Lives of Others and Goodbye, Lenin! In addition, we took part in interactive activities aimed at supporting students in building on critical film analysis skills. In the afternoon we watched an introduced screening of Goodbye, Lenin!

It was a truly enriching experience for both staff and students. If you haven’t heard of the BFI, it’s worth having a look at the website https://www.bfi.org.uk/.  A huge thank you to Frau Webb in MFL for spotting this opportunity and organising such a great day!

On Wednesday 12th January, Year 13 Psychology students participated in a virtual lecture to compliment their study of the Paper 3 topic,  aggression.  We are fortunate to have formed a link with University College London’s Division of Psychology and Language Sciences.  The lecture was led by Essi Viding, PhD FBA FMedSci Professor of Developmental Psychopathology and Co-Director, Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit Chair, UCL’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health Strategy Implementation. 

Students gained a greater understanding of psychological, physiological and environmental factors that contribute to aggressive behaviour.  Students learned that aggression is not just the results of gene-environment interaction but also how early adversity can impact how children learn.

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine- responsable

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche- verantwortlich

SPANISH- La palabra de la semana- responsible

Thinking Questions

-          An interlanguage is when people speak a mixture of two languages – how do these come about? How do these affect the development of the two original languages that have become mixed?

His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels consisting of Northern Lights (1995), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). 

It follows the coming of age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, aged 12 when we first meet them, as they wander through a series of parallel universes. They are strong characters and in their quest for understanding and justice, they challenge the established order, come up against authority, discover who they are as individuals but also, importantly, what it means to be human.

The stories can be read on different levels: you can enjoy them as incredibly exciting adventures through multiple parallel worlds - there is intrigue, warfare, double-crossing and a huge mystery to be solved. But it can also be read as an allegory for political corruption, the power of authority to suppress challenge, and the dangers of organised religion. Readers can take what they want from it!

As the main protagonists are teenagers, His Dark Materials is generally considered to be ‘young adult fiction’ but its themes are challenging, complex and thought-provoking, including physics, philosophy and theology. The trilogy has also been considered highly controversial too.  - why not read to share in Lyra and Will’s experiences as they move from ; childhood and innocence to maturity and knowledge. Find out more here: http://www.philip-pullman.com/hdm

Next week marks the start of Safer Internet Week at Sandringham. This is swiftly followed by Safer Internet Day on Tuesday February 8th which this year explores the theme, “All Fun and Games? Exploring Respect and Relationships Online”.  Interactive entertainment spaces are constantly evolving and young people play a major role in shaping these environments. The LRC have a selection of fiction and non-fiction texts that deal with a variety of issues and scenarios to inspire conversations about using technology responsibly, wisely and creatively.

L is for… liable [adjective]

Definition: Legally responsible

Example: The UK is to make web titans liable for online harms.

Synonyms: Accountable, Amenable

Antonyms: Irresponsible, Unaccountable

Etymology: From the Latin ‘ligare’ meaning to bind or to tie.

We saw a great effort by the Girls Basketball team against Beaumont this week. Lots of positives to take, but in the end resulted in a loss.

The Year 8 boys basketball team have also been in action this week. On Monday they played St. Columba’s in a District and County double header. It was a very close match with both teams at the top of the league for this season. At half time the score was 17-12 to our hosts with Otis L-J on 4 fouls. With a battle on our hands in the second half we managed to close the gap, only for SCC to eventually take the win 52-40. The team then played Chiltern and Townsend in the Junior NBA competition. We excelled here with the boys getting two wins from two to keep our unbeaten record in the competition intact.

A great week for our football teams!

The U14 girls reached the last 16 of the ESFA, unfortunately losing out to a strong and effective Cherwell School 4-2. PP - Roisin & Roxie

The Year 7 boys football team were able to follow up their County and National cup disappointment with a 4-0 victory at home in the District Cup over St. Albans school. Goals came from Novotny, Payne (2) and Lee.

The Year 9 boys were also at home on Tuesday in the County league V Queens. Unbeaten, the team were looking to seize the top berth in the playoffs and knowing a win will take us close to this, we were keen to perform well. A slow start in the first quarter gave our guests the lead. With a change in defensive intensity, led by Max P and Noah Z we pushed Queens back and managed to wrestle the lead from them. A final score of 51-42 saw us grab victory and remain at the top of the table

It has been another busy week of netball with the U16 girls in action twice in preparation for their Regional finals this Saturday. They beat Herts and Essex comfortably on Monday and then played Berkhamsted, who previously went to the National finals, winning 24-18. Some outstanding full squad defence and patience in attack

A great game as well from the U13A netball team for their 29-2 win against Marlborough in the semi-final of the district plate PP - Daria CP - Mia

For more news, fixtures, team sheets and results don’t forget to follow us @SandringhamPE on Twitter and at www.sandringhamsport.co.uk

An evening showcasing senior soloists on a range of instruments and voice from Sandringham Students in years 10-13.

This is an opportunity for friends and family to support and celebrate the hard work put in by our senior musicians throughout the year.

Tickets £4/£3

It’s back!  Sandringham Dance Faculty bring you the ever-growing Velocity Dance Show.  Sure to be an absolute showstopper of a show it is not one you want to miss.

Tickets (VIP) £10/£7

Other seating - £8/£6

IT’S TERRY!

“…Unstable and deliciously unexpected” The Guardian

It’s Terry is a brand new knock about show Introduced by the world famous character performer ‘Richie Raganoo’ - who by his own omission, says Terry Alderton is the “weakest character he does. But his most successful!”

It’s Terry has narrative, it’s a throw it up and see where it lands kind of show. So those that Know, Know, and those who don’t…will!

Tickets - £17

Chuckle. In association with The Sandpit Theatre bring you the very best in live standup comedy.

Enjoy some of the biggest names in comedy along with our favourite handpicked artists.

Tonight’s lineup includes Sandringham School alumni Nick Helm (Live at the Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats) / Esther Manito (Live at the Apollo) / Ben Norris (Mock the Week, “. unbelievably brilliant” - Jason Manford) / Mark Row (A1: The Long Road to Edinburgh on Amazon Prime)

Please note the lineup maybe subject to change.

Tickets are on sale now for just £16.50 each

Grab your wands, don your house robes, and apparate yourselves to the box office! A very magical improv show awaits...

The smash hit Spontaneous Potter is an entirely improvised Harry Potter comedy play, based on an audience suggestion of a fanfiction title. Hilarity ensues as an entirely new Potter adventure is magically improvised on the spot - with live musical accompaniment!

Running Time: 60 minutes

Tickets: 2:30pm - £12 / £10 or 7:30pm - £16 / £14

We now sell and accept Theatre Tokens! You can use these tokens to purchase tickets for any of our shows or buy them as gifts to be used at over 260 venues nationwide and in the West End all while supporting theatres including us!

Following Government guidelines, you must wear a face covering while attending The SandPit Theatre and must present a valid NHS COVID Pass or proof of a Negative Lateral Flow Test if aged over 18, unless you are exempt as stated in these guidelines. If you do not wear a mask or do not have a valid NHS Covid Pass/Lateral Flow Test result, you will be refused entry and your ticket will be forfeited.

Our Bar will be open during these performances 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, Wednesday & Friday. Alternatively, you can call us on 01727 799565 or visit www.sandpittheatre.co.uk

We can’t wait to see you back through our doors and we have some exciting shows and films coming up for you this season!

All the latest performances are on our website, www.sandpittheatre.co.uk, and you can keep up to date with what’s going on by giving us a follow either on Instagram & Twitter or give us a like on Facebook, just search for The SandPit Theatre!