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?

As mentioned in Mr Gray's Headlines, in February 2023, 3 members of staff and 14 year 12 and 13 students travelled to The Gambia to visit our partner school in Farafenni. We had been fundraising to get the school chairs for their school hall, as they were spending money to rent them out. We were also fundraising so that they could get exam desks. When the students sat their trials and formal exams, the rest of the school would close as the desks from the classrooms were being moved from the classrooms, meaning there was nowhere for other students to work.

This week, we received an update from the school that they have been able to buy 225 chairs and get the material for the students to make 225 in their design lessons. This has meant that the school is able to remain open during the Year 11 trials, which you can see pictured here. From both myself and Farafenni Senior Secondary High School, we would like to say a massive thank you to all of the staff, students and families that supported us in our fundraising. The impact that you have made is huge.

We are currently looking for an ITT Administrator for the Alban Teaching School Hub, an Assistant Operations Manager, a Teaching Assistant and Exam Invigilators to work at our fantastic school.

Please share with friends who may be interested. More information is available on our website https://sandringham.herts.sch.uk/vacancies/

Another plea for help with the FO$S Christmas Fair on 2nd December 11am - 3pm. 

Stall Holders Wanted:  The Christmas market has always been a popular part of the fair. They currently still have some spaces left so if you would like a stall at our event, please contact Fo$S using the email address friendsofsandringhamschool@gmail.com or contact Tara on 07921001591

Volunteers: Fo$S always appreciate anyone who can volunteer to help us out on the day. They need volunteers to help cook, serve food and drinks, run the tombola, plus help clear up afterwards.  If you can spare an hour or more of your time please sign up here.

Donations for Tombola & Raffle: Donations of sweets, chocolates or drinks would be very gratefully received.  You can either drop off your donations to the main reception (please note: if donating alcoholic drinks they must be brought in by an adult), or donate to our tombola money pool and FO$S will purchase items to go on the tombola. Link here.

This week, our annual Year 7 speed stacking competition took place with a great turnout! Congratulations to Fawcett House for the win, but well done to all of the Year 7s who came and supported the competition so brilliantly. 

Overall in House News- Fawcett retain the top spot this week with 5764 points with Newton, Turing and Shakespeare not far behind. Well done this week to Valen C (8J), Hannah P (8J) Luke H (8J) Heather T (7H) and Josh B (8S) who all gained over 12 points this week and to Austen house for gaining the most points this week overall.

Coming up we have house Year 7 and Year 8 Rugby on Monday 13th November and Year 9 and 10 Rugby and Netball on Monday 27th November. Do follow @SandHouse for more updates!

As mentioned previously, Treeasy provide an excellent quality tree delivery and removal service, whilst also raising money for the school. For every tree sold through Sandringham, donations of between £3.50 and £6.50 (size of tree dependant) are given to Fo$S. The company specialise in top-grade, non-drop Nordmann Fir Christmas tree, which they deliver free of charge direct to your home and there are also recycling and log ordering options available too.

Ordering is simple- just go to www.christmastreeasy.co.uk and follow the instructions. Or for more information you can call 07710 407149 or email enquiries@christmastreeasy.co.uk. Please make sure you mention your school in all correspondence to ensure a donation to your school.

Our Year 13 A Level German group had a fabulous day at the British Film Institute this week exploring themes in German cinema. A very educational and fun day for all which we hope inspired them for their current studies.

As mentioned last week, the Music Department was proud to shine a spotlight on some of our many new musicians and ensembles alongside some more familiar faces in the Autumn Soiree. This concert saw performances showcasing highlights from our curriculum in Years 7, 8 and 9 as well as some stellar performances from our exam groups and ensembles. This included several student led groups; Ceilidh group led by Darcey in Year 12 and the newly established Jazz Combo, led by Ryan in Year 13 that featured outstanding improvised solos from the performers. Huge thanks to the Music and Sandpit team, as well as to our Year 12 Music Tech A level students, who not only performed on the evening but also supported backstage and in the sound.

The following student experiences may inspire fellow musicians or others to come along to our next music event or join one of our fantastic music clubs!

On Wednesday after school, I performed in the Autumn Soiree in Jazz Band. Some of my family came to see it, and I really enjoyed performing in front of an audience. I’m looking forward to the next concert! Sophie D 9F

During the Autumn Soiree, I ended up performing in the Jazz Combo, Jazz Band and the Year 13 class ensemble. This kept me busy but was great! I enjoyed playing in different styles and having the chance to take some solos. It was a wonderful event and it was great hearing some of the performances from the younger students. The Moana rap from year 8, and Stormzy performance by Year 10 were particular highlights for me. Oli F, 13El

We have been delighted to work with all of our KS3 students to contribute to the ‘Peace Doves’ installation which will be exhibited at St Albans Cathedral in the New Year. We delivered over 700 completed doves back to the Cathedral at the weekend and they were extremely pleased to receive our contributions.  Each completed dove contained a message of peace, love and hope, written by each of our students and it was an opportunity to reflect upon their thoughts and feelings at this time. 'Peace Doves' is a large-scale art installation by Sculptor Peter Walker, featuring around 10,000 hanging paper doves on display at St Albans Cathedral from January 3 to February 13, 2024. Lit and set to music by Composer David Harper, the artwork encourages community participation to contribute to the display of hope and peace. St Albans Cathedral will also be offering 'Peace and Wellbeing Days' in January, featuring labyrinth walks, mindful yoga sessions, and reflections on peace, and 'Peace Sessions' for classes, where children can listen to poems and music, celebrating differences and creating friendship bracelets. Self-guided visits are also available, allowing exploration of the Cathedral and the exhibition simultaneously. The exhibition runs from January 3, 2024, at 10:00 am to February 13, 2024, at 2:30 pm at St Albans Cathedral in Sumpter Yard, St Albans, AL1 1BY. We do hope you are able to visit the exhibition to view and enjoy the students work on display.

We are well in the throes of the final preparations for the show and I must say that I am incredibly proud of how well the cast have brought everything together. We really can't wait to share this fantastic show with you all.

Tickets are still available on Thursday and Friday evenings, but seats are filling fast! There is good availability for the Saturday matinee performance that starts at 12:30. There are limited seats remaining for the final show on Saturday night. Please book your tickets directly on the SandPit Theatre website - don't miss out!

This week, our Engineering Club and Science Club took part in the Tomorrow's Engineers Week 2023 to learn more about the works, the insights, the skills, and personal strengths of different engineers and how to think like engineers. Students were amazed by the variety of how engineering is shaping the world in almost every aspect around us. In the coming weeks, some of the students will start their learning journey by getting involved the Big Band Challenge and learn about how to apply system thinking, decomposition, and design skills to work on their selected global challenges. We look forward to seeing the results!

Our latest display in the LRC commemorates Remembrance Day and we have put together a selection of books that pay tribute to the Armed Forces, emergency services and civilians affected by war. Our KS5 and staff autumn term read, In Memoriam, by Alice Winn takes centre stage alongside the recently published ‘Great Uncle Harry’, by Michael Palin. Both books vividly bring to life characters (real and imagined) from the First World War. For KS3 and 4 readers, the Carnegie medal winning ‘Salt to the Sea’, by Ruta Sepetys is a short chapter book that details the story of four young refugees fleeing the advancing Red Army in World War Two Germany. As ever, students are warmly encouraged to borrow the books and to suggest titles to add to the display. A huge thank you to Ms Blandford and our wonderful LRC team for all their efforts on this fantastic display.

During assemblies this week, students had the opportunity to reflect on music and Remembrance, supported by the Brass Ensemble performing an arrangement of ‘Abide With Me’ and Vocal Ensemble singing ‘Underneath the Stars’ by Kate Rusby. A huge thank you to the students for these moving performances.

In the following weeks, we will feature some interviews with the cast of Little Shop of Horrors. We hope that it inspires others to come to watch the show or get involved in some of the fantastic clubs we have at the school. Thanks for Freddie B in Year 8 for the photos.

The things I’ve most enjoyed about rehearsals is getting involved with the school community. It’s such a brilliant way of socialising with older and younger years and meeting new people! Little shop of horrors is such a brilliant musical and all the principals are so fun to watch and super talented. I love how they have so much energy and really are in the mood, especially with the American accents to bring it all together. Also, don't forget about the amazing band that make all the scenes incredible! Rehearsals have allowed me to let loose and enjoy myself to my full potential. It’s such a nice activity to dance and sing along with groups of people which really helps with my confidence and bravery on stage! Everyone is also really supportive and uplifting so I always feel great about myself. The show is around the corner so in rehearsals we have been going through everything and making sure everything is show ready and refined! I’m part of Senior Ensemble and it’s a perfect role, to sing and dance altogether. I am very excited for the show and I really do recommend people to have a go at being on stage because it really is quite fun! Layla J 9H

`We were delighted to host a Life Drawing session on Friday for our sixth form art students. The workshop was the first of three sessions which are designed to support students in developing their visual recording skills. Mrs Gidden organised for a Life model to come in and supported students in completing their outcomes. This is an outstanding opportunity for our students and we are very grateful to Mrs Gidden for organising the additional opportunity for them. We look forward to seeing the students progress during the course.

A reminder that all payments for the Christmas Lunch need to be made via ParentPay before the 30th November. This year we will be holding our Christmas lunch over three days from 12.30pm as follows:  Years 7 & 9 on Tuesday December 12th, Years 8 & 10 on Wednesday December 13th and Years 11, 12 & 13 on Thursday December 14th. Tickets are now available on ParentPay at a cost of  £3.75. If students would like to purchase an alternative lunch on these days, there will be a food service in the new canteen. There will also be the usual break service and space will also be available for dining for those having packed lunches on that day.

This week’s whole school theme is Remembrance. Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. This week students received a thought-provoking assembly from Assistant Headteacher Mr Leat, in which they were asked to reflect on the sacrifices that people make on the behalf of others. As is traditional at Sandringham we also marked the occasion on Friday at 11am with the whole school paying our respects to the fallen, and observing silence together. Thank you to the whole school community for participating in such a powerful and moving service.

A write up from Conrad L-O about his fantastic dancing experience recently

Last weekend, I travelled to Blackpool for the Dance Grand Finals at the Empress Ballroom at the Winter Gardens. During the course of this year, I had entered five regional competitions so it was very exciting and an honour to get to the ‘Capital of Ballroom’ as one of the finalists.

This was my first time competing at Blackpool along with hundreds of other children whose ages ranged from 5 to 16. My category, Junior Social Dance Test, didn't take place until Saturday afternoon so we had a chance to explore the local area. Then it was all systems go as I got ready for my dances.

The atmosphere in the beautiful ballroom was electric as we showed off our Ballroom and Latin skills, for which I danced the Waltz and Cha Cha. Although I was not placed in any winning positions for either dances, I reached the semi-final for Waltz. I was the only boy in my category and the girls were fierce competitors (deserved winners too) but I was very pleased with my achievement. I really enjoyed my experience and I will be working hard to prepare for more exams and competitions, including Blackpool, in 2024!

A reminder that the closing date for deposits for the E Week trips for Year 8 and 9 is the 15th November. Letters were sent out last week and the payments are now available to make on ParentPay.  If you would like to download the relevant letters, you can do so here under letter numbers 46, 47 and 48.

A reminder also that Next Friday is a non uniform day raising money for Children in Need. Payments are available to be made for this under PayPal as well. 

For those new to the school, (and for those students who may have not accessed the link in a while) we are pleased to relaunch our Super-curriculum this week to students. Super curricular activities are those that take students' learning further, extending the subjects they study in the classroom beyond the content taught in lessons. The activities allow students to go into more depth on something picked up in the classroom, or learn about a new topic altogether. The activities are in a range of forms: reading, watching videos online, downloading podcasts, attending lectures, visiting museums or entering academic competitions. Activities can be found on the website here. There is something for everyone. If students complete a task there can complete the Google form here and students who engage in 3 or more activities will be issued with rewards. We hope that students enjoy all of the activities and that it enriches their learning experience. 

Oaklands College St Albans Campus hosted a visit for Year 11 students to showcase the subjects on offer there.  Some students were able to attend talks and tour areas including  horticulture, public services and animal management.  We hope that they enjoyed taking a look around.  Oaklands holds many open events for Year 11 students considering future options.  You can visit their website here

A fantastic write up of the Battlefields Trip from Diego D in Year 9.

The Battlefields Trip was an amazing experience. When we arrived in Belgium the first day, we visited the Lijssenthoek Commonwealth War Grave. As we saw the unending lines of
tombstones, we could observe the absolute devastation that the war caused and the millions of victims it took. Afterwards we went to the reconstructed trenches in Bayernwald, where we experienced what new soldiers would have lived through when they arrived for the first time in the trenches, and understood the uncertainty and fear they felt when hiding to survive in those detrimental conditions, in the rain, cold and sickness. We also went to the very interesting Passchendaele Museum where we saw original weapons, uniforms and objects used by the soldiers. Subsequently, we went to the town of Ypres and the Menin Gate, a monument erected to commemorate the tens of thousands of missing soldiers. There, we witnessed a service which has been taking place every day since the end of the war, where we kept two minutes of silence and trumpets were played to commemorate all who gave their lives in service. On the second day we visited the battlefield where the Battle of the Somme was fought. When we went through the "sunken lane", I could imagine what it would have been like for the soldiers to come out over the top with their comrades to face the enemy's machine guns. Another interesting thing to see was the Newfoundland Park, where we saw what once were the frontlines of the British and the Germans. There were also holes from the proyectiles and shells, and the places where the trenches were. I could picture this place 107 years ago when the soldiers came out of their trenches into the battlefield; however, today it is all covered with grass, and there are sheep grazing on it. We saw what the British soldiers would have seen when they came to fight. The last place we went was the Thiepval Memorial for the Missing of the Somme, where 72,000 names of missing soldiers are remembered forevermore. It was an interesting thing, learning right in the same place where all of this happened and seeing with our own eyes how devastating the Great War was. I learnt the destruction the war brought for their countries, their people, and the soldiers' families.

We are delighted to say that the individual photos for years 8-11 and form photos for year 11 are now available to order online from VanCols. Your child was given a card with a QR code to scan to access the proof. If you do not have access to this, please email the admin address and we can provide the code for you and details on how to order. 

The online cut-off date for orders to be placed for free postage back to the school is 22nd November 2023

We have not one but two fantastic budding writers today who have sent articles in to be included. Thanks to Luke C for the below about his inspiring experience with former Olympians!

Georgia and I were lucky to be invited to a mentor event in London with Elite athletes by the Everyone Active Sporting champions programme. Colin Jackson, a former world record holder in 110m hurdles, hosted the day with Olympic and Paralympic sports stars such as Richard Kilty (100m relay), Kadeena Cox (para sprinting and para cycling) and Lauren Steadman (para triathlon) joining him,

We started with sessions on social media, race day preparations, psychology with performance and mental well being. We then had a Q and A session with the athletes. At the end of the event we were able to chat to the athletes and have photos too. We even got a few autographs. It was a really inspiring event and it was great to listen to the advice they gave.

Over half term, some of the English faculty met up to say a fond farewell to our school librarian Mrs Kirby who retired earlier this year. During her extensive career at Sandringham, Mrs Kirby has contributed widely to the whole school. She has inspired countless students to expand their reading with her encyclopaedic knowledge of literature for young people. She involved students in book clubs and enabled them to take part in nationwide activities such as the Red House Children’s Book Award which  is the only national book competition judged by young people. She supported students to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteering in the school library and facilitated the annual book fair. She also ran numerous in house competitions and oversaw the move to the new library in K block.  We wish her all the best in her retirement which we anticipate will entail a lot of reading.

Part of our careers provision at Sandringham includes speakers by employers, employees and apprenticeships providers to students, to give them an insight into the world of employment and the different routes into careers.  On Wednesday 8th November, we hosted an aspirations morning for year 9.  There were speakers from Google, Sky, Computacenter, BEAR and the Met Police.  They gave fantastic careers presentations and were able to take thoughtful questions from the students. 

We are extremely grateful for their time and are sure that the students benefited greatly from the sessions.  Some of the speakers are also parents here, so a huge thank you to them!

Well done to Theo S in 7S who this week won third place in the Kumite (sparring) section of the Tiska national karate tournament today. This was his first time sparring and he won 2 out of 3 rounds. Excellent work Theo- you should be really proud of yourself.

If you would like to nominate someone for the student spotlight next week, please contact holianm@sandringham.aat.schoolwith a few details and/.or photographs.

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: impudent

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: frech

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana: insolente

Thinking Question:

• How can the language we speak shape the way we view the world?

When the child – if child it is, emerges from the wilderness, no one in the village knows what to do with her. She is odd – half-wild, without speech and seems to have an unnatural bond with animals – especially the falcon, who is always circling above her. The Wise-Woman takes her in, and names her Rhodd, but the rest of the villagers remain suspicious.

Over the years, as Rhodd grows, the village realises that the river, which is their connection to the wider world, is beginning to die, and eventually a dark sickness begins to spread. Soon, too soon, the villagers turn their suspicion on Rhodd and her falcon.

And so, Rhodd sets out to discover what – or who – is causing the river to dry up . . . to protect her mother, her falcon and herself…

Theo C in 7S has recently read the book and commented that it was an ‘absolute page turner. I was the first person to have this book as it had been new to library, and it was amazing’

I is for… impudent [adjective]

Definition: Rude and not showing respect, especially towards someone who is older or in a more important position.

Example: Some of her questions were impudent.

Synonyms: Disrespectful, Rude, Presumptuous

Antonyms: Polite, Respectful

Etymology: Derives from the Latin ‘in’ meaning not and ‘pudent’ meaning ashamed.

Great running from Beckie C and Luke C in the National XC Relays last weekend. Luke came away with a silver medal and Beckie became a National Champion. Well done to you both and lots of others who were in Mansfield representing your clubs!

A successful football week with wins almost all round this week!

Huge congratulations to the U14G football team on their win over Broxbourne school in round 2 of the County Cup. The girls played tremendously against a very strong side and at full time with the score being still 0-0 it went to penalty’s where we beat them 2-1 with some great saves being made by Erin C. Penalty’s scored by: Tilly F and Beatriz S. POM: Tilly F. Well done team!

Our Year 7 teams also had a great week. With the A team progressing into the last 16 of the County Cup. And the B team playing two matches in one week, winning both. The first was a win over Knights Templar and the second progressed them to the last 64 of the National cup with a closely fought 4-3 over Brooklands as well. Some excellent football played and a great defensive effort to match. Well done! 

There was a great win in the second round of the cup for our senior girls as against a strong Haileybury side as well this week. Goals from Olivia C (2), Mimi G & Hettie T. POM- Hannah G

And our Year 8 B team had a great afternoon in the National Cup, with a tight victory against Linslade School. Fantastic performances from all the boys, but special mention to Lewis S for playing in 3 positions incredibly well!

Sadly, our Year 9 boys did fare quite as well in a tough loss to Mill Hill County high school in the National cup. Plenty of good performances and lots of chances but it wasn’t to be.

Our Year 11 boys returned to winning form on the court this week with a County League victory over Ridgeway. Some great play and a fun game to watch.

Our U16 and U14 boys competed at the district champs this week where there was some brilliant play on show. U16 boys finished 3rd and U14 boys second in their pool. Well done everyone.

A tight contest against RPS this week ended in a 25-14 defeat for our 1st XV. Tries from Harry Y & Oli R were not quite enough to beat a strong opposition.

.Last Saturday we also took on Beaumont with our Year 8 boys ending in 6-6 draw, Our Year 10 boys bowing out in a 7-0 loss despite some  big individual performances. Emil U taking MOM. And our Year 9 boys putting in an excellent performance but were narrowly defeated. It was however really great to see 4 debutants representing the school for the first time this season!

An unfortunate loss for our U19 team in the SnS Plate against Haileybury. 100% intensity from the entire team and they fought until the last minute, super proud of their play and looking forward to these two teams playing again in the county cup soon. OP - Liv, CP - Ruby

There was also a huge 47-2 win for the U14 PS yesterday against Heathfield School, taking them through to the next round of the SnS Plate competition. Some fantastic passages of play and shooting from lots of different combinations. OP - Katie and Ava. CP -

Sandringham School's Drama Faculty present their take on the deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical, Little Shop Of Horrors.

The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names "Audrey II" - after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it BLOOD. Over time though Seymour discovers Audrey II's out of this world origins and intent towards global domination!

Tickets are on sale here and cost £10-£12.50

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.