Year 7 parents will have all received a letter regarding the Year 7 mob race, which is a cross country run taking place at Sandringham school on Tuesday 12th September. This will involve all local secondary schools and will be a great chance for your child to represent the school. Please encourage them to take part if this is something that they would enjoy and/or be good at. The first race starts at 4.15pm.

Secondly, we will be running a one-off Year 7 boys' rugby training session on Saturday 23rd September from 9-11am to try and speed up their progress ahead of some rugby fixtures before half term. All abilities are welcome but please ensure that they bring the correct kit; including boots, long socks, shorts, reversible top and gumshield. We look forward to seeing lots of students there.

We have the following open support staff vacancies:

• Resource Manager
• Cleaner
• Caretaker 

If you are interested in any of these roles, more information is available on our website here.

We are aware that several of our students in Year 9 and 10 are studying additional languages out of school as native speakers and may be interested in sitting a GCSE in Summer 2024. Although the exact timeline of next summer’s exams has yet to be confirmed, we would be grateful if initial expressions of interest could be emailed to the admin email address FAO Ms Baikie stating the student name, tutor group and the language they are studying which they wish to be examined in.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Friday 6th October. After this date we will not be able to investigate entries for Summer 2023. Once we have all the requests, we will work with families to see if we can accommodate them. Thank you.

For those new to the school, the Puzzle of the Week is a Mathematics challenge run weekly. This week's puzzle is shown above. For every entry you will receive 1 house point, if you answer correctly you will win 2 house points 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?

For our first Student Spotlight of the academic year, we feature Isla C in 8N who won her first Under 14 dance competition at the weekend in freestyle. This takes lots of hard work and training so well done Isla.

If you are new to the school, every week in the Sandprint we feature a student in the Student Spotlight who has gone above and beyond. This can be in the field of sport, the arts, science, academia, in the community- or any area where they have excelled. Teachers can nominate students or parents/carers can contact HolianM@sandringham.aat.school with a few details and/or photographs. We look forward to showcasing the amazing students we have at Sandringham over the coming year.

Year 7 have made a fantastic start to the year and are really beginning to settle into the school community. They are finding their way around the school and enjoyed receiving their new Chromebooks yesterday and today. Parents will have been sent login in details for the SOCs app and lots of students already enjoying the wide range of lunchtime and after school clubs. There is something for everyone, and students receive rewards on ePraise for participating so please do encourage your child to look for activities they are interested in - or to try something new. Students have already been engaging with the House system and a special mention to 7S , who have had a great week with highest house points for a single form so far this year. Congratulations as well to Eliza P in 7J who has achieved a whopping 12 house points already. Absolutely fantastic! Pictured here are our lovely 7N exploring the amazing functionality of their new Chrome books. Thank you to Mr Allday and the Network Support Team for all your hard work in getting the students set up with these. Finally, we look forward to welcoming families on the 15th September for the Year 7 Welcome BBQ and again on 21st September for our Peak District Trip Information Evening where we will hear about all the excitement that the trip will have in store. Well done for the great start Year 7 - keep up the great work!

On Monday morning, students in Years 7 and 12 had their individual and form photographs taken. Each student was given a card with a QR code enabling parents to register and we are excited to say that the photographs are now ready to order. Parents who have registered will receive an auto notification informing them their images are ready to view and if you have not already done so, the website to enter your codes is www.getphotos.co.uk

The online cut-off date for orders to be placed for free postage back to the school is 29th September 2023

If your child missed having their photograph being taken, there will be an opportunity for this to be done when the Year 8-11 photographs are taken in November.

All our Year 7 students and their siblings, parents & carers are invited to meet new friends and enjoy a hot dog (meat/veggie/vegan options) at our popular annual welcome event on Friday 15th September 6-8pm. Entrance is via Reception in the Main Hall.

Please book your tickets and select your hot dog options via ParentPay by 9am on Tuesday 12th September. 

Fo$S also need a lot of volunteers to run the event. If you are able to help us out with cooking, serving drinks or setting up, please sign up through the link below. We really appreciate any help. (Sausages are being cooked in the kitchen not actually on a bbq - so easier for volunteers) If you would like to sign up to help you can do here. Any offers are greatly appreciated.

For those new to the school, we are excited to introduce you to our house system at Sandringham School. Each student and member of staff is allocated a house (Austen, Elgar, Fawcett, Hepworth, Johnson, Newton, Shakespeare or Turing) and throughout the year we have a large array of house events where students and staff can engage in friendly (or sometimes quite competitive!) events. Students will also gain house points througout the year, which all contribute towards which house eventually wins the House Cup in July. Please see below for a list of activities which take place and encourage your child to take part in as many as possible. Last year Newton won the cup but it is all to play for again this year. We look forward to reporting more news of the events as they take place.

September

• Staff Tug of War – Friday 15th September

October

• AUSTEN & ELGAR CHARITY WEEK – 9th October – 13th October
• Last Choir Standing (Year 7) – Monday 9th October
• Speed Stacking (Year 7) – Tuesday 10th October

November

• House Rugby (Year 7 & 8) – Monday 13th November
• House Photography – Monday 20th October – 15th January
• FAWCETT & HEPWORTH CHARITY WEEK – 27th November – 1st December
• House rugby (year 9 & 10) - Monday 27th November

December

• Staff bake off – Tuesday 12th December
• Sixth Form quiz – Thursday 14th December
• CHARITY DAY – Wednesday 20th December

January

• House Dance – Wednesday 17th January
• Battle of the Bands – Monday 22nd January
• House Maths – Wednesday 31st January

February

• JOHNSON & NEWTON CHARITY WEEK – 5th Feb – 9th Feb

March

• Staff Badminton – Friday 15th March
• TURING AND SHAKESPEARE CHARITY WEEK – 18th March – 22nd March

April

• House English – Wednesday 24th April

July

• CHARITY RUN – Friday 12th July
• HOUSE CHARITY DAY – Friday 19th July

Club News: We have an exciting array of Drama clubs that have started this week. It’s been lovely to see so many of you join, but it’s not too late if you’d like to attend. All clubs will be working towards the Summer Showcase evening during Arts Week.

Year 7 - Young Actor’s Company - Tuesday lunchtime (1:25-2:00)

Year 8 & 9 - Sandringham Actor’s Society - Friday lunchtime (1:25-2:00)

Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 - Musical Theatre Club - Wednesday lunchtime (1:25-2:00)

Little Shop of Horrors

This week we officially started rehearsals with our whole cast for the Whole School Show, Little Shop of Horrors. It was fantastic to see so many new faces in Year 7 join the cast and we are looking forward to working with you all. If you are part of the cast and haven’t joined the Google Classroom yet, please ensure you do so to receive all the necessary information about rehearsals. Whole School Show Google classroom: dbyk6qw

The Careers Team looks forward to offering careers advice to students this year and inviting speakers from a wide variety of fields to Sandringham.  We regularly tweet on X using  @SandCareers.  Please do follow us there for information on work experience opportunities for students, articles and anecdotes.  We also update our careers blog every half term here:  Careers Blog.  If parents/carers are interested in speaking to students about their career, or offering work experience opportunities, please contact Mrs Eady (eadyc@sandringham.aat.school), thank you.

Mr Smith, Performance Director for Year 10, is running the 2023 Royal Parks Half Marathon on the 8th October raising money for an amazing charity, Dementia UK. He writes  "Two members of my family have been diagnosed with dementia in the last two years. One of them is my father in-law Nigel and I have witnessed first hand how quickly this disease can affect someone’s life and the impact it has on those closest to them. I want to raise as much money as possible to help Dementia UK provide support for families and care of the sufferers of this heartbreaking illness." If you would like to support Mr Smith in his efforts and feel able to donate, you can do so here. Good luck with the training and the run Mr Smith!

Welcome back to all our musicians and welcome to all our new starters in Years 7 and 12! There are lots of choirs, ensembles, bands and music technology clubs at Sandringham and new members are very welcome. You will be able to find a full timetable of our enrichment activities on your Music Google Classrooms, as well as on SOCS so please do take a look and sign up to have a try!

Music clubs: These will be starting next week. Sign up via SOCs or just turn up! New members are very welcome in all our choirs and ensembles.

Choir auditions: Show Choir (Yr 9+)  and Vocal Ensemble (Yr 10+) are audition only. Sign up sheets for audition slots are on the noticeboard in the Music Dept.

Oboe come and play session: There is an opportunity for a free come and play session on Friday lunchtime in F6. This is a great chance to try a new instrument. Email Miss Stothard to sign up for a place.

Instrumental and singing lessons: Individual lessons will start from next week. Lesson times will be displayed on the noticeboard in the Music Department so start checking to ensure you don’t miss your first lesson. If you are new to lessons and are unsure if you have successfully been added to the timtable, contact either the Herts Music Service or Miss Stothard in the Music Department for help.

Instruments in school: Instruments can be stored in school during the day in the Music Department. Please be aware that this is at your own risk and that we cannot take responsibility for any accidental damage. Students in Years 7 and 8, and all string instruments should use the storage in F5. Older students can use the storage by F8. Ask one of the music teachers if you are unsure where to keep your instrument.

We have a fantastic array of Dance Clubs on offer this term. From Street Dance to TapNation, Jazz Club to Contemporary, Triple Edge to Bollywood and everything in between, there really is something for everyone.  Please see above for the schedule and sign up on SOCs if you are interested. We look forward to seeing some old faces and if you haven't been to a dance club before- why not come along this term and try something new?

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: l’allégeance

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: Die Loyalität

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana: La lealtad

Thinking Question:

• All three words this week are feminine nouns in French, German and Spanish. Why do you think some languages have gendered nouns?

Well done to Evan in 7J, who has written our first book review of the year! We look forward to sharing more of reviews with you over the coming weeks. Make sure to visit our friendly librarians in the LRC if you are looking for something to read. They are always happy to help.

'Can You See Me' is a book that is all about the life of an autistic child called Tally who is treated unkindly by her least favourite person, Luke. She wants to be different and “normal” like everyone else and carries a tiger mask to school for comfort for when she has anxiety. Of course, Luke is not very nice to her about that and steals the mask. The story shows the struggles of an autistic child at home as well as at school. It is upsetting as it shows that many people do not understand the differences on the autistic spectrum and think that the way autistic people react to things is bad behaviour when their actions are actually hard to control. The book is a good reminder for you to be yourself and not to feel undervalued if you are different and it is nice story about accepting people for who they are.

A is for…  Allegiance [noun]

Definition: Loyalty and support for a ruler, country, group or belief

Example: For many here, allegiance to the local community comes first.

Synonyms: Loyalty, Commitment, Dedication

Antonyms: Disloyalty, Treachery, Falsity

Etymology: Originating from the Middle English word 'alegiaunce' and from Anglo-Norman 'allegiance' meaning loyalty of a servant to one's lord.

School Swim Club starts on Monday 11th September, after school, for all. However, for the first two weeks (11th and 18th September) we would like to invite BOYS to trial for the school swim team. Please sign-up via SOCS. The first gala takes place on Friday 22nd September and the team will be chosen from those who attend. Our GIRLS are then invited to trial on Monday 25th September and Monday 2nd October, with your competition on Friday 6th October. Again, please sign-up via SOCS.

Please see above the our upcoming fixtures. You can follow all of our sporting news here @SandringhamPE. 

The critically acclaimed creative team that brought you ‘Hansel & Gretel’ are back with more fun-fuelled 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.