Year 11 spent ELD working on their interview skills in a "You're Hired" Day. More on this under career news, but as someone who interviewed students in the morning, I have to say how impressed I was with their thoughtfulness, confidence and considered answers. For some of them this was their first experience in an interview setting and a great chance to get some feedback on how they presented themselves and ideas to think about for future interviews. It is clear that Sandringham provides students with the life skills necessary for such situations but it was also nice to see students bring their own personal touches and show examples of situations they were proud of, how they worked well in a team, faced challenges, showed leadership skills and their plans for the future. We hope that the students found the day useful and it looks like the work force will have some brilliant candidates heading its way in the future. 

It is close at the top of the leader board now with Fawcett ending this week with 9942 points and Newton on 9887. Special mentions this week go to Hafsa K (11A) with the most individual house points this week (15) and 7S with the highest average points (81.3). Johnson had the highest overall points this week (502) and 10J still have the highest overall ‘house quiz’ score so far. (100/140)

Congratulations to all of the students who took part in the house dance competition this week- it was a fantastic event with some amazing performances. The eventual winners were Johnson 1st with Rose, Skye & Daisy, Newton 2nd with Dillon & Amber and Newton 3rd with Isla

ONGOING EVENTS

• House photography – deadline for submissions is Friday 27th January

UPCOMING EVENTS 

• Girls house football – (Year 9 & 10) TBC
• House maths – TBC
• Staff badminton - TBC

Year 7 had a great day working on problem solving for their ELD Mathematics challenge, "Location, Location." Their task was to find a suitable property for a family based on various criteria and budgets. Some of the students were quite surprised at just how expensive the cost of living can be! The day involved working on their own and also in pairs and finally presenting their findings to all larger group. All of these are important life skills, and of course it was an opportunity to test their Maths knowledge at the same time. Thank you to the Mathematics Faculty for all your hard work- we are sure the students learnt a lot from the day.

Our annual online safety event for parents / carers to be held virtually (via Zoom) on Wednesday  8th February at 6:00pm is now fast approaching.  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 opportunities to ask questions. A link to the Zoom meeting will be sent to all parents/carers ahead of the virtual information evening.

Year 10 spent ELD at Hertfordshire University learning about what life is like post school education. Ratul U gave the following feedback about his day: " We were shown around the campus by an ambassador. He was really friendly and talked about the four different types of accommodation- which all looked nice. He told us about his experience of university and said that he would recommend Hertfordshire as a good place to go. We learnt about the different clubs and societies available including the fact that you can set up your own society if you have more than 5 people. Our guide also talked about the variety of courses that are available- there was something for everyone. We then went to hear a lecture about why university is important for advancing your learning, broadening your life skills and meeting new people. I thought the ambassador was great and if I could attend Herts Uni in the future- I would." 

Students are hard at work, rehearsing for what is set to be our biggest ever Dance Show, Velocity. You can buy tickets here to come along and watch what is set to be a fantastic event. 

On Thursday, the school was treated to visits from more than 40 volunteers.  Parents and volunteers from the local community attended Sandringham to host mock interviews for our Year 11 students.  Each student was able to attend an interview during the day and the feedback from both volunteers and students has been excellent.  For many students, this will have been their first interview and we are very proud of how they handled it.  The volunteers spoke very highly of the students’ behaviour and interview skills.  The day also included an interview preparation session, a CV writing class and presentations from Herts Services for Young People, Computacenter (on apprenticeships), Elstree Screen Arts Academy, West Herts College and Oaklands College.

On the same day, Year 10 went on a trip to the University of Hertfordshire to find out more about the world of higher education.  We will report further on this trip in next week’s edition.  We hope they enjoyed the day.

Huge thanks to all of the college staff and volunteers for making this a memorable day for the students.

The whole school theme this week is World Religion Day. World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January every year, and is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. On this day, communities of different faiths have the opportunity to get together and listen to each other, as well as celebrate the differences and commonalities that the delicate intermingling of culture and religion brings. The students received an excellent assembly from Director of Learning for PRE, Ollie Lacey informing them about the 4,200 religions around the world. While many people live their lives without religion, faith in a higher being or power works for the majority of people. Whatever the reasons, we are all for the idea of people being unified despite differences, and celebrating them. Happy World Religion Day!

Year 8 spent Thursday extending their knowledge in the fields of Geography and Science. B half went to the Science Museum to learn about Science in action. They got to discover more about about famous scientists by listening to talks on headphones. They also got the chance to watch some of the interactive shows and enjoyed the planets exhibition which showed the size of earth compared to other planets. ELD is a great chance for students to spend time with the year group away from the classroom and have some independence with their friends whilst still expanding their knowledge on a specific subject. The students were well behaved and had a great time. A half walked to Verulamium park and stopped at various points to sketch the scenery and take note of the volume of traffic. They had to rate how clean the area was and it was a chance to really explore the local area. Back in school they were encouraged to make posters about what they had learnt and present it to the class. We hope that both halves found the day useful and enjoyable.

Morgan H from the Young Enterprise company, T.K. Minimum, would like to mention the following: "We have decided to recycle and repurpose clothes that aren’t being used anymore. We are asking for years 10,11,12 and 13 to bring in high quality, clean, second-hand clothes donations. Donations can be dropped off outside C block every morning next week. For each box filled with clothes, we will be donating £2 to charity. Thank you for participating!" Pictured here are the team at one of their Christmas Fairs- please support this worthwhile cause if you can.

Year 9 had a fantastic "International Day" ELD. During Sessions 1 and 2 the students watched either a French or German film with subtitles in the target language. A half watched the French film ‘La Dream Team’ while B half watched ‘Ballon’, a German film. In sessions 3 and 4 they had to work as a form to complete as many cultural challenges as possible to earn points for their house. Challenges included making a short film recreating a key scene from the film, building a model of the Eiffel Tower from the recyclable materials provided, creating a storyboard to imagine what happens next in the story, and creating alternative posters advertising the film. During Session 5, the students’ work was judged by Ms Baikie and Ms Kincaid and there was an awards ceremony in the Sandpit. Isaiah T said of the day "ELD's are good because you get a chance to work with your friends on a theme for the whole day. The film 'La Dream Team' taught us some new words in French as well." 

Battle of the Bands - 23rd January

We are looking forward to Battle of the Bands on Monday 23rd Jan. Tickets are still available from the Sandpit Box Office. Buy yours now to come and support your favourite band and listen to the fantastic music our students have prepared!

RAH Gala

We are pleased to have been invited to take part in the RAH Gala this year. If you are in Years 10-13 and in Senior or Show Choir, you should have received a letter with information about this exciting event. Speak to one of the Music teachers for more information.

Student Success

Well done to Isaac C in Year 9 for achieving Grade 8 Piano with Distinction. This is an excellent result, well done!

Well done to everyone who entered previously and got the answer right! This week's puzzle is shown above. For every entry you will receive 1 house point, 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 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?

The world's best magicians are invited to join the elite Alexandrian Society. Its members enjoy a lifetime of power and access to ancient secrets. But only five places are offered. After recruitment by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, the candidates must complete a rigorous year of arcane study. Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona are inseparable enemies and cosmologists who can control matter with their minds. Parisa Kamali is a telepath, Reina Mori understands the flow of time itself and Callum Nova can manipulate desires. The rivals must survive their trials. And if they can prove themselves, they will. Most of them. Ethan K, 11E, who has recently read the book says: 'I really liked the different character perspectives. The story was unique and the twist at the end was very unexpected.'

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: Abandonner

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: Aufgeben

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana: Abandonar

Thinking Questions

•  How do languages evolve over time?

F is for… forsake  [verb]

Definition: To abandon or leave.

Example: Romeo claimed he would never forsake Juliet.

Synonyms: disown, relinquish, remounce

Antonyms: allow, approve, continue

Etymology: From the Old English ‘forsacan’ meaning renounce or refuse.

A strong performance from Sandringham school last Saturday ended in victory against Parmiters School with the final score 12-0 to us. Some great play by both teams in tough conditions. MOM H. Regan

A really tough week for the Year 7 A Team last week. Two very respectable opponents in both round 5 of the national cup and the quarter finals of the county cup, sees us bow out of both cups. Some fantastic performances which the boys should be very proud of.

In Futsal news- Sandringham had a fantastic time across the board. The U14 Futsal team were crowned District Champions with POT - Abbie K. The U12 Girls' Futsal team were also crowned District Champions! An excellent whole squad performance but player of the tournament went to Nell M. And the U16 Girls' Futsal team came 2nd this with POT - Emma M. Well done on such fantastic performances.

The U16 Girls' Football Team also had a great 5-1 win for the in the County Cup vs Watford Girls. Emma Mc saved a pen, Liv C scored a free kick and Rebecca S scored the remaining 4 goals! PP Mimi who set up 2 goals and CPM Thyra S who was a rock in defence! Well done!

Another win for the U16 Netball Performance Squad in the national plate 65-22 over Chesham Grammar. OPM - Mimi G & CPM - Emily W

Our U12B team also put in a great performance on Monday. The team have shown huge improvement since September winning 8-4 against Samuel Ryder OPM - Mahathi V, CPM - Isla S.

Well done to the U12A netball team who have shown massive improvements in confidence and skill since the beginning of the season but unfortunately suffered a 9-1 loss to Beaumont. CP and PP Madison W with some fantastic interceptions!

A brilliant run from our superb senior girls last weekend saw us ends in second place in the Knole Run. This is a prestigious competition which goes back to the 1970’s and is set in a wonderful location. Well done Zoe H, Beckie C, Martha D, Madeleine B, Annabel H and Lily T (Capt), we are very proud of you!

We are really proud of the U15 Girls Basketball Team whose win against Dame Alice Owens means they are currently unbeaten in the County League. PP: Eliza P and CPM Bea B both were excellent! Shout out to Darcy MaC for refereeing!

A fantastic week of sports and busy week ahead! You can follow all of the results @SandringhamPE.

Enjoy an evening of student bands from rock to acoustic duos as they battle it out to win the title and be crowned the ultimate music band. Taking inspiration from the old rock legends, Led Zeppelin & Jimi Hendrix, or modern-day pop groups, bands of all types playing covers or original songs are invited to get involved.

To get involved please see the Music Faculty at Sandringham School. Who will win? Have you band got what it takes? Let the battle begin!

Tickets available here for £4/£5

Our amazing Dance Show, Velocity, will take place this term.  It is set to be bigger than ever with students across all years showing off their dancing skills. Tickets usually sell out quickly so please click here to come along and support all of the students involved!

This extraordinary I Spy game is nothing like the one you might remember from long car drives with your dad though.  Instead, it's a magical adventure full of fun, giggles and all your favourite sing along song including Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes, Sing a Rainbow, The Ants Go Marching and BINGO. I Spy with My Little Eye is based on the popular children's book by author Steven Lee and was created alongside education and child development experts to be great for kids’ minds. So, it's not just wonderful entertainment for your little ones but good for them too!

After sell-out shows from as far afield as Dubai, Dublin and Derby the cast of the wonderful People's Theatre Company are bringing I Spy with My Little Eye to The SandPit Theatre!

Tickets £12/4 for £40