We are delighted to hear the news that Ralph W in Year 12 who has won the Fitzwilliam College (University of Cambridge) essay competition in History. The prompt was to write about the clash of 'old and new forces' in the year 1869 when the college was founded. This is a highly competitive competition with entries from across the country and it is huge achievement to claim first prize. Well done Ralph!

Some of our Year 8 students have formed a Young Enterprise group called Diverse and will be selling Eco Cardboard Pens next week outside the front of E Block all week at lunchtime for £1 a pen. 20% of profits will go to Ukraine. Please come along to support them, bringing cash to purchase your pens! 

This week’s whole school theme introduced students to Arts Week which will take place on the week beginning 27th June. Arts Week is always a fantastic opportunity for our students and this year students will be learning more about our work as a Trinity Champion Centre. Through Arts Week, students will have the opportunity to learn more about our Arts Award offer. As a Trinity Champion centre, we are now qualified to offer Arts Award across all levels Discover, Explore, Bronze, Silver and Gold. During Arts week, students will be able to visit daily information sessions which will help them learn more about the Arts Award. They will also have the opportunity to work with our Arts Award ambassadors and complete workshops with them to develop their skills further. In addition, every faculty area has a unique Arts offer and we are really looking forward to seeing their creative outcomes through the week. We are also incredibly excited to see the Immerse Dance show and the Visual Arts exhibition and Music concert. We know lots of our students are also incredibly excited for the Music tour. We would like to thank our students in advance for their participation.

Please note that that the dates for the GERMAN EXCHANGE VISITS will be as follows. Germans to visit us from 21st September 2022 until 28th September 2022. Sandringham students to Germany 1st March 2023 until 8th March 2023

As well as running HAPpy Camps in partnership with Herts Sports Partnership, Services for Young People is also running 2 extra programmes over the summer. While priority is given to young people receiving benefits-related free school meals for the HAPpy Camps, these extra programmes will open to all young people living or attending school in Hertfordshire aged 13-17 and will follow a similar format to the HAPpy Camps, with free, healthy food available and a range of fun activities for young people to enjoy. The camps will run for four weeks, from 25th July-19th August, every day from 1-5pm. They are a great chance to meet and socialise with other young people and enjoy free activities and refreshments. Booking is advisable, contact the Services for Young People Dacorum Team to find out more you can contact the team at SfYP.StAlbans@hertfordshire.gov.uk or call 01442 454060/Text: 07860 065195 

A big thank you to two of our caretakers, Bert and Stuart, for the difficult task of installing 23 frames and banners of student artwork around the campus recently. This is certainly no easy feat to do normally, but in a heatwave as well, it has been particularly gruelling. Our caretaking team, led by Mr Chandler, are always hard at work aroudnd the school making changes to improve student school life so we are really grateful for all their hard work.

Well done to Mr Allday, Mr Whorrod and Mr Turton, who recently attended the TES School Awards to represent Sandringham School after being nominated for the Best Use of Technology. Although the team were not the eventual winners, this was a fantastic achievement and we are all really proud of the team getting that far and all of the hard work they do maximising the students' experience. 

As mentioned in the Headlines, on Monday we held our Year 8 into 9 Module Fayre, where students were able to hear about their module options for next year. We are delighted to say that following parent and student feedback, we are now offering new modules such as Mandarin and a qualification in Personal Finance, as well as the usual wide range of choices offered in previous years. Parents of Year 8 students will have received an email detailing the process yesterday (pages 8-9 are particularly helpful.) The deadline for module choices is Wednesday 29th June and if you have any questions, please contact Dr Creaby or Ms Fryer via the admin email address.

Well done to Johnson who lead the way in House Points this week with over 500 awarded. Hepworth still hold on to their lead in the race for the House Cup, but as we saw last year anything is possible in the final few weeks, with so many points up for grabs so watch this space for more updates.

Hertfordshire County Council and Herts Sports Partnership have co-ordinated a huge range of free activities for young people who are elible for benefits-related free school meals. These are running at different venues across the county with the added benefit of a meal each day. You can search for activities using your postcode or child’s age here. Places are limited and strictly on a first come basis so please email the admin address FAO Mrs Turner for more details. 

Additionally, there are a range of online activities to look through, with ideas for learning more about history, music, and theatre, plus ways to keep children active for 60 minutes each day! View these here Their information page has links to a variety of organisations and advice parents may find useful which you can also visit here

On 14th July, Year 7 students will have the opportunity to shadow a friend or family member at their workplace.  We look forward to hearing about where they are going and how they get on.  The Work Exploration Day letter can be found here for more information:

This week, on our Careers Twitter Page we have also added some information on a Futurelearn course on ‘Protecting Our Environment’ run by the University of Leeds and  information on a volunteering opportunity at the Penny Waterman School of Dance.  Follow @SandCareers on Twitter for more information.

This week we feature Sophie L in 11N who has been chosen as one of 4 people to represent St Albans Scout and Guide Gang Show in this years 90th Anniversary National Gang Show on the 9th July at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, London. Gang Show 90 will showcase the amazing talents of over 160 Scouts and Guides aged between 14 and 25 from across the UK. Shows have taken place every 10 years celebrating the anniversary of Ralph Reader’s first Gang Show that took place at the Scala Theatre in 1932 and it is set to be a fantastic event. The show starts at 7pm, and if this sounds like something you would like to watch, you can find out more information via the Eventim Apollo website. We are sure you will be amazing in the show Sophie!

Our Year 8 and 9 students took part in an international seminar this week from the Women’s Engineering Society. We heard the stories of inventors and innovators, and questions from our own students were put to the speakers! The seminar gave a wider perspective on what engineers do, with digital skills, creativity, innovation and inclusivity being talked about as essential features of modern engineering. We hope that students were inspired by the talks.

Tickets for the Jubilee Afternoon Tea, being held on Wednesday 13th July are now available to purchase via Parentpay at a cost of £3.50. Please buy tickets via ParentPay by Tuesday 7th July. Tickets will not be issued after this time. If you need a login reminder for your ParentPay account please contact Finance.

There will be no other food available from the canteen at lunchtime on this day so please ensure students either purchase something at morning break, or bring their own lunch on the day if they are not having Afternoon Tea.

This year, the Sandringham School Charity Run is taking place on Friday 8th July. This is one of the most enjoyable and inspiring events of the year where students and staff run a 7km course around Jersey Farm to achieve points for their House team, whilst gaining a real sense of pride and achievement. One of the main aims of the event is to contribute as a community to charity.

Some students run the whole course and try to beat their personal best, or even go for the course record for their age group, while other students challenge themselves by running in fancy dress. It would be great if all students not wearing fancy dress could enter the spirit of the run and wear their House colours as it is a House competition.

This year, we are fundraising to raise money for two charities: Macmillan and Motor Neurone Disease Association. Macmillan aim to support those living with cancer and those around them, whilst the Motor Neurone Disease Association raises money to improve care and support for people with MND and their families. If all students and parent/carers could support our fundraising, it would be much appreciated. The money would go a long way to help the charities who Mr Cracknell and Mr Bailey respectively have chosen to run the London Marathon for this year, after recent diagnoses in their families. You can find out more and donate here

There will be a second hand school uniform sale at Sandringham School tomorrow, Saturday 25th June between 11am - 12.30pm. It will take place at Sandringham School under the covered area near Reception and there will be lots of uniform to choose from plus revision guides as well. Payment can be made by cash or card and all money raised goes to Fo$S.

If you have any donations to give before then, please leave in the bike shed at 15 Skyswood Road. Fo$S don’t need any school shirts, boys trousers or ties.

We have some fantastic vacancies available for roles with the Alban Academies Trust including School Operations Manager, Finance Lead, IT Network Technician and Teaching Assistants. To find out more you can visit here

It is always great to hear about students' experiences so thanks to Sa’ad S from 8B who has written this fabulous report about the Rhineland Trip. (photo credit Mr Allday)

The first day, we had to arrive at the early sunrise of 5am to leave at 5:30. We stopped at services before the Eurotunnel to buy overpriced snacks and eat lunch before we got on the Eurotunnel where we could leave the hot and stuffy bus to take a much needed stretch of our legs. We could see lots of beautiful scenes of France and Belgium if we didn’t fall asleep. We finally arrived at the surprisingly expensive looking youth hostel in Cologne.

On Tuesday we ate breakfast of one of 4 different types of cereal and left on the coach to walk up to the rustic Cochem castle. We did a tour around the castle and learnt about its history. After a quick trip to the gift shop and a refreshing ice cream, we headed to the chairlift where we saw a great view of Cochem. We then questioned random strangers in German with our amazing accents. We finally got to cool down in the outdoor pool with a slide and 2 different diving boards.

Wednesday morning, we went on a river cruise on the Rhine to see the sights of Cochem. We went to the chocolate museum, and devoured the free chocolate. We stopped outside the massive Cathedral to lunch before walking inside and looking around in silence. We were then allowed to go shopping until we had burned massive holes in our pockets then messed around at the bowling alley before coming back for dinner.

On Thursday we got to Phantasialand and went on over 10 roller coasters and tried the first weightless bungee drop in Germany. On Friday we left Germany happy but exhausted from our great trip!

Year 10 students have returned to school this week after their work experience week.  We have continued to receive wonderful comments about how they got on during their placements.Here are some comments from the students themselves:

"I really did enjoy myself... I wanted to say thank you so, so much for this truly wonderful experience at Bar Meze"

“My placement was useful because it gave me first-hand experience assisting the Tennis coaches who mentor individuals of different age groups as well as a greater understanding of the role and techniques required to improve their game.”

“Overall, I found it a fun experience and it has taught me a lot of things that I consider to be important about working life such as; what are appropriate working hours?, how to schedule for the day and the rest of the week, and how to take a lunch break at appropriate times.  Overall it was a fun experience and one that I believe was worth it.”

Here are some comments from the fantastic employers who gave students their time:

“He was a pleasure to have, hopefully he learnt what construction can offer and may, in the future, be interested in joining the sector.” Borras Construction

“It’s our pleasure I think we enjoy it as much as the pupils do.  We look forward to it.” The 2 Wheel Centre

“It was a pleasure to meet her and provide her with a week of observation and insight into interior design practice. I hope she enjoyed her time with us.” Caroline Campbell Design

We are very proud of our hard-working year 10s.

‘The Kite Runner’ was published in 2003, and was the first novel to be written by Afgan-American writer, Khalid Hosseini. Set in Afghanistan in 1975, twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption. Suitable for students in Year 11+, ‘The Kite Runner’ is a novel about relationships, and how the complex relationships in our lives overlap and connect to make us the people we are. Read more from the author here.

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine- imiter

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche- nachnamen

SPANISH- La palabra de la semana- emular

Thinking Questions

•  Sometimes words are made up of other words. How can this help us when reading in a foreign language?
• Sometimes we don’t understand every single word in a foreign text – what can we do in this situation?

E is for… emulate [verb]

Definition: To try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass;

to rival with some degree of success.

Example: Their routines rule their lives, and they make those who cannot emulate them feel inadequate.

Synonyms: Imitate, Mimin, Mirror

Antonyms: Neglect

Etymology: From Latin ‘aemulatus’ AEMULOR, ARI meaning to rival.

We are delighted to announce that we have achieved the School Games Platinum Mark Award for the 2021/22 academic year. The School Games Mark is a Government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward and recognise school’s engagement (provision and uptake) in the School Games against a national benchmark and to celebrate keeping young people active, and we are delighted to have been recognised for our success.

We are extremely proud of our pupils for their dedication to all aspects of physical activity and school sport, including those young volunteers, leaders and officials who made our events possible. We are committed to using the School Games to try and engage those young people who haven’t previously been active or represented our school and to try and ensure that all our students have a positive experience and want to try out new activities beyond school too in our community. We believe in the power of physical activity and school sport as a school and give opportunities to those young people that need it most either as a participant, leader, official or volunteer. As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas linked to the five School Games outcomes and we are pleased that the hard work of everyone at our school has been rewarded this year. A special thanks to all of the PE staff who have contributed so much of their time to creating opportunities for our whole school community.

A massive congratulations to our 4 County league Athletics teams. As you know we are fully invested in the league of 6 matches in a very competitive county for the sport. We have been working hard to push our students hard and challenge them this year and as a result we have had much success. Both our Y10 boys and girls teams have reached the County plate finals after finishing 7th and 8th respectively and qualifying for this prestigious event on the 4th July at Jarman park in Hemel. Our Y8 Boys and Girls teams have gone one better than this. They have both made the County Cup final, reserved only for the top 4 schools in our league, an amazing achievement given the schools that exist across Herts. Our boys team finished 2nd in the league by a few points to Hitchin Boys School, whilst our girls have become County league Champions. They took the title after beating Queenswood to it in a head to head last Monday. This is a huge achievement for the team and the school. Well done girls.

Well done to the U15A and U13A tennis teams who beat Berkhamsted last night 8-4 and 12-0! A loss for the U15B team but great to see some new faces representing the school.

 Well done to our boys U13A and B, U15 Girls and Boys A tennis teams who have all qualified for the County finals next Thursday at Queenswood school. A great achievement after another superb year of tennis. We look forward to seeing these teams in action next week and hopefully bringing home more silverware for our fantastic program.

Well done to Marelie R as well who has been playing in an IFT tournament in Pretoria, gaining a win at the doubles in J4 and runners up in J5 singles. Another fantastic achivement! 

For more news and fixtures please follow @SandringhamPE

The Sandpit Theatre present their Premiere Professional Pantomime!

A fun-filled, sugar-fuelled, family-friendly pantomime adventure that reminds us ALL not to take candy from strangers (even if they wow you with a fabulous song and dance number!)

Join ‘Hansel and Gretel’ in a new take on an old favourite; with tasty tunes, magical mayhem and colourful characters (including a 7 foot yeti!) it’s simply not to be missed!

Sandringham Dance present their annual summer dance show. An evening of student choreography, exam work

and pieces from the resident companies; SYCD, Tuxedo HipHop Company and TripleEdge.

Tickets on sale from Monday 23rd May.

Tickets £7/£5

Chuckl. In association with The Sandpit Theatre bring you the very best in live stand-up comedy.

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

The line-up includes Jo Caufield (Have I Got News For You, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow) / Sarah Keyworth (Live at the Apollo, Comedy Central's Roast Battles) / Martin Westgate ("...hope he gives up soon before he starts costing me work." - Gary Delaney) / Nelson Gombakomba (Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year Finalist).

Tickets £12.50

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!

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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

From 6pm in the Visual Arts Faculty (Free)

7pm concert start time in the Sandpit Theatre – tickets £5/£4

There will be a slightly extended interval to allow parents to pop into the art exhibition