Well done to Newton who top the board this week with 14,043 house points. Fawcett and Austen are not far behind with 13,860 and 13,600 points respectively. Special mentions this week go to Ben T in 7N with 11 points. 8S with the highest average points overall and Hepworth for winning this week’s house points with 187.

Year 12 Biologists travelled to Dorset this week to complete fieldwork for their A Level practical endorsement. On Monday, students learnt about stream ecology, followed by a trip to the River Wey to collect lots of interesting data about the species found at different points of the river. On Tuesday, we spent the day at Studland Bay, investigating Psammoseral succession over the sand dunes. This was followed by an afternoon of rock climbing and some incredibly competitive racing! On our last day, the Biologists visited the rocky shore at Osmington Bay to collect samples using a belt transect. Each evening the students analysed their data using statistical tests to determine if their results showed a significant correlation.

The group showed real enthusiasm throughout the trip and have worked hard to develop their practical skills. Well done for being such amazing Biologists Year 12!

Students at Sandringham study a range of topics in D&T learnings new skills and techniques. Here are some of the fantastic pewter outcomes by Year 9 in Mr Bloomfield’s module! They are beautiful, well done everyone!

Congratulation to Lauren W in Year 8 for representing Herts County Netball Team at the Bedfordshire Inter County Tournament . 16 counties from around the country took part  . Herts County finished an incredible 2nd place narrowly missing out to Manchester in the final. Well done to Lauren and her teammates

Last weekend, the Arts team were delighted to take students to the Royal Albert Hall for a brillant showcase of performances. Ben E in Year 12 wrote the following of his experience. "It was a real privilege to sing in such an iconic venue last Sunday night. We performed a range of different music from choral pieces to pop songs, all of which were extremely enjoyable to sing. The acoustics in the hall were amazing and it was great to sing among other schools and a talented youth. The dancers beautifully showcased the music we performed and it was an amazing experience.

and Mylo W said " My experience at the Royal Albert Hall was nothing short of entertaining. The amazement and joy to sing in front of a huge crowd was an incredible experience, one which I won’t forget."

A huge thank you to Mrs Beaton, Miss Davies and the Arts team for organising such a great opportunity for our students. 

Last week, Year 7 were challenged to make sustainable birthday cards to celebrate Sir David Attenborough's 97th birthday on the 8th May. As part of their birthday messages, they also included a pledge to the environment, ranging from recycling, to walking to school, to planting wildflowers. They produced some absolutely fantastic birthday cards using recycled materials from home, and it was a great opportunity for them to show off their creative flair and artistic talents. Great work Year 7!

We are delighted to announce this year’s Whole School Read will be You Don’t Know What War Is by Yeva Skalietska. The book is written in diary entries and follows twelve days in Yeva’s life in Ukraine, and her journey to Ireland. Along with Yeva’s diary entries, the book features Yeva’s photographs, messages between Yeva and her friends, and daily news headlines from around the world. The Whole School Read gives us an opportunity to discuss a book as a school and as a community, and we hope you will join us in reading this moving and inspiring book. Annie M 7J who has recently finished You Don’t Know What War Is says 'Yeva is the same age as us but experiencing something so different. It was insightful to read a book about a current war, and to hear Yeva's feelings about what she was going through.'  Annie M 

Last week, 140 students in Years 7 and 8 took part in the Junior Mathematical Challenge run by the UK Mathematics Trust.  The aim of the UK Mathematics Trust is to advance the education of young people in Mathematics. The Junior Mathematical Challenge is a 60-minute, multiple-choice competition aimed at students across the UK. It is open to all students in years 8 and below.  This was a fantastic opportunity which offers students the chance to develop their mathematical problem-solving skills. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.  The problems on the Junior Challenge are designed to make students think. Most are accessible, yet still challenge those with more experience. 

Taking part in the Junior Mathematical Challenge is a stimulating and rewarding experience for all students.  To recognise the highest performers in the Challenge, students are awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates. Students that are 'Best in Year' or 'Best in School' will also receive a badge to denote this on their certificates. In addition, around 1,200 of the very highest performers are invited to take part in the Junior Olympiad and over 10,000 to take part in the Junior Kangaroo. We look forward to updating you on the results soon!

The MFL Faculty are delighted to launch the French Exchange to Annecy, in the French Alps. This will take place during November 2023 with French visitors returning in March 2024. The opportunity is open to students in Year 8 and Year 9 who study French and to those who have an interest in French language and culture. Letters have been sent home to families with all the details and we look forward to speaking to the students about the French Exchange in the next few weeks in MFL lessons. If you would like your child to take part in this exchange, we require an initial £50 non-refundable deposit.  Please make your payment via ParentPay no later than Friday 19th May. 

A reminder that it is our fantastic Junior Recital Evening on Tuesday 23rd May. You can buy tickets for what is set to be an entertaining night of music here.

This week we feature Isla C in 7N for her amazing dance skills. Over the weekend, she came 1st in her freestyle fast dance heat in a competition. This was her first 1st in her age category for fast dancing so a really great achievement. She also placed 4th in her freestyle slow and 3rd in the pairs category. Well done Isla- what a great achievement. 

If you would like to nominate someone for the Student Spotlight this week, please email Melissa.holian@sandringham.herts.sch.uk with any details and/or photographs. We look forward to hearing from you. 

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 whole school theme this week celebrates the King’s coronation. The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. Compared with previous coronations, the ceremony will undergo some alterations to represent multiple faiths, cultures, and communities across the United Kingdom, and will be shorter than his mother's coronation in 1953. The students received an excellent assembly from Assistant Headteacher Mr Kemp, asking them to reflect on how they will come together with others in their community to celebrate the new King being crowned. We hope that everyone in the school community enjoys the celebrations and the additional bank holiday! Long live the King.

Please could we ask parents and carers to make sure their child has a water bottle with them at school every day.  It is imperative they have their own bottles, especially as the weather is getting warmer, as student services are unable to provide cups and water for students in school unless it is for a medical emergency.

A reminder that the following meeting are coming up regarding the E Week trips for Year 8:

Monday 12th June- Year 8 Rhineland trip meeting

Tuesday 13th June: Year 8 France meeting

both at 6.30pm for 1 hour

We are delighted to say that two former Sandringham students have gained their first UK number 1 album. Guitarist,Rory Clewlow, and drummer, Rob Rolfe, make up half of the band Enter Shikari, along with ex Verulam students Chris Batten and Rou Reynolds. You can read more about their fantastic success here and read Chris' story here.  We hope that this news of Sandringham Alumni inspires  musicians currently at our school.

The HOP Into Apprenticeships & T Levels Virtual Careers Fair for parents and carers is place online on Wednesday 14th June from 17:30 - 19:00. This free of charge event is designed specifically for parents and carers who would like to explore the apprenticeship and T Level options available to their child. You can register and find out more information in the pdf attached. This is suitable for Year groups 10, 11, 12 and13 and is an opportunity to:

• Connect with local training providers and colleges to hear about their apprenticeships and T Level programmes.
• Hear from employers about local vacancies available for talented young people seeking their next steps.
• Ask questions and gather information from the comfort of your own home.
• Discover more about the skills and training provision being offered within Hertfordshire.you can register

Stevensons are delighted to announce a spring promotion. You will receive a 15% discount on all items between 5th - 12th of May 2023 using the OFFER CODE: SPRING15

20 Year 12 students undertook their Gold training / practice expedition in the Peak District last week. Fortunately, the weather during the day on their first couple of days was kind with the students able to develop their navigation and campcraft skills in dry, breezy conditions. However, camping overnight was very cold with near 0-degree temperatures was more challenging and less enjoyable for a good night’s sleep.

The students experienced walking in different terrain, learning to select the best routes when off path and in boggy sections. There were some interesting menu choices, and their campcraft and cooking skills became more routine over the first couple of days which stood them in good stead as the final evening was very wet putting up tents & cooking.

Students completed the 4th day of their expedition all groups spent some time walking in low cloud with minimal visibility, honing their navigation skills and providing an opportunity to experience adverse conditions. However, the students

 finished in high spirits having learned a lot about walking in wild country, how changeable mountain weather in the UK is and the necessity of carrying everything on the kit list. Their camp craft and team work were excellent with students maintaining their morale throughout. They are thoroughly prepared and looking forward to their assessed expedition in the Lake District. The students are also working hard on the other sections of their Gold Award. Thank you to the staff who were on the trip and to staff covering lessons back at school.

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants to escape. A residential programme for bright high-schoolers seems like the perfect opportunity – until she witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus . . . Eleanor W 8J who has recently read the book says 'This was an emotional read which also addressed issues of inequality. It's now one of my favourite books.'
 

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: Terrestre

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: Erd

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana: Terrestre

Thinking Question

• Language is an important part of culture and heritage. What can learning a language teach us about a culture or the heritage of a country?

T is for terrestrial  [adjective]

Definition: On or relating to the earth.

Example: Increased ultraviolet radiation may disrupt terrestrial ecosystems.

Synonyms: Telluric, earthlike, global

Antonyms: Cosmic, heavenly, otherwordly

Etymology: From the Latin ‘terra’ meaning earth. 

Congratulations to Georgia T for winning gold at the U15 Herts and Beds championships over the weekend. A very impressive 5.02 running 1500m. Well done Georgia

Well done also to our Year 11, 12 & 13 athletes finished 3rd overall in the District Championships yesterday. A very promising result which will go towards our younger years championships in June. Boys - 4th Girls - 3rd Overall - 3rd. Medalists from yesterday’s championships included Gold: B Cray (800m) Margot K (High jump) Silver: Lily T (1500m) Maralie R (Discus) Tom A (Discus) Ben W (Long jump) Bronze: O Bolarin (shot put) Martha D (100m)

Congratulations to Marelie and Kaela who were crowned U18 County Doubles Champions today for the second year running! A fantastic performance from Rosie and Melissa to finish runners up in the U14 tournament!

Please see above for upcoming fixtures. You can follow all of the latest sports news SandringhamPE

Sandringham progress in the county plate with a win against Ralph Sadler school this week. The boys chased down 95 to win by 7 wickets. Henry R produced a brilliant 44 to secure the win.

An evening of Fleetwood Mac and Cheese performed by Big Love UK featuring a 5-piece tribute to Fleetwood Mac, Plus some familiar cheesy dance floor classics! 

Flat £15. 

The critically acclaimed creative team that brought you ‘Hansel & Gretel’ are back with more fun-fueled pantomime madness; a joyful new twist on another old story, it’s not to be missed. Rapunzel saves the day (and herself!) in this action packed, magical musical pantomime adventure. Let down your hair with a cast of kooky characters as they dance and sing through this unusual, tangled tale; where people live in giant old boots and tall towers, where frog boys rap about enchanted ponds and girls with long hair battle more than split ends! Tickets cost £10-£17.50 and you can buy them here.