Dance London trip review written by Megan C

On Saturday 23rd March, Miss Davies, Miss Willmott, Miss Fryer and 31 Company Dancers went on a day trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to perform a Pre-Match and Half-Time show with Pro-Excel and other young dancers. The Pre-Game show was a mash up of songs and styles of choreography, and the Half-Time performance was to Holding Out For A Hero (from Footloose). I had a load of fun on the trip, doing all the dances and hanging out with my friends in-between performances and breaks. I would like to thank the dance department for giving me this amazing opportunity that I will remember forever!!

Well done to Year 11 GCSE dancers who have completed all their practical examinations (60%) and the dance department couldn't be prouder. Bring on the theory paper!

Two weeks ago in languages, we had the pleasure of welcoming Carmen Kilner from the Basque Children of ’37 Association, who gave an inspiring presentation to our Y13 Spanish students. As part of the Spanish A-level course students read a novel called El otro árbol de Guernica, which is the moving story of a group of children evacuated from the Basque Country during the Spanish civil war. Carmen’s talk gave our students unique insight into the issues surrounding the evacuation of Spanish children to the UK, and the historical and social circumstances in which it took place. In 1937, during the Spanish civil war, almost 4,000 children were evacuated from Bilbao to the UK. Basque Children of ’37 Association aims to advance the education of the public and students in this subject and to maintain the history and legacy of the exiled children to the UK alive. In doing so Carmen not only provided our students with a solid historical background from which to understand the Spanish civil war, but also an invaluable tool to be able understand wider world issues which are still relevant today. We are very thankful to Carmen and Basque Children of ’37 Association for sharing such an important message with our students. This is what some of our students had to say to Carmen:

I really appreciated and enjoyed the talk as it helped me to understand the whole context behind our book and especially as the personal aspect helped me empathise with the characters of the book. Having examples and stories from real life made it seem a lot realer and I now feel a much stronger connection with the Basque children. I feel the talk helped lots with my studies and also improved my understanding on a personal level and enriched me. Henry.

Thank you for giving such an insightful talk, Carmen. It has given me a deeper understanding and more personal perspective on such an important historic event that I can now apply to my studies. – Felix

I found your talk really moving, in a way it brought what I had been learning in class to life. Thank you for coming to share your mother’s story. Alice

This week it is the turn of Computer Science Club with a write up from Hinna W.

"In our club, we do a lot of programming using Python. We do a task and we get help when we need it. It is really fun - you meet new people from different classes and year groups and get to learn new skills. I really recommend joining it on a Monday in G2."

If you are a student who would like to write a feature on a club that you are enjoying attending, please contact Mrs Holian on your sandstorm email. 

We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a Modestars Accreditation for our efforts to increase levels of walking and cycling to school. This is part of of our ongoing Travel Plan and more details can be found on our website here. With such a large site and school population, our actions and decisions about travel can make a really big difference to the local area and to reducing our carbon footprint. With the weather (hopefully) set to improve after the Easter break, we ask students to consider walking or cycling to school wherever possible which is not only great for their physical health, but also contributes to cleaner air around our school and in the local area.

A reminder that Year 13 will be having their individual photographs taken from 9.15am on Thursday 18th April in the main hall. As students are timetabled to come in for session 2 on that day, please could parents remind them that this will be a slightly earlier start. Parents will be able to purchase photographs afterwards if you would like to do so. 

As the Easter Holidays approach, we are aware that some students may need additional support for their mental wellbeing. The picture above includes a useful list of services students can access, should they be feeling overwhelmed. 

We would also like to highlight again two excellent services which parents and students can access for support with their mental health and well-being. First Steps (who work closely with CAMHS, ED and NHS links to support young people who are struggling with eating difficulties, disorders, low self-esteem and poor body image) provide an excellent variety of resources. Young people can either self-refer or can be referred by someone else through their website www.firststepsed.co.uk. This is an excellent service for those experiencing difficulties, so if you would like to find out more, please visit the website or speak to Mrs Coyne in the SLA.

The Sandbox by Mindler is also an excellent free, NHS funded service to support children and young people in Herts with their mental health and well being. It offers access to internet enabled Cognitive Behavioural therapy, one to one support from professional therapist by texts, phone, online chat or video calls. Signing up is easy and doesn’t require a referral from a professional. You can visit The Sandbox website or click here to find out more details.

 A huge thank you to all of the House Captains and leaders of Johnson and Newton who organised a fantastic week raising money for our three chosen charities. There were Easter Egg sales, a brilliant Sandringham's Got Talent and a very popular "sponge a teacher" at breaktime. As you can see from the photographs, our teachers were brilliant sports (and got pretty soaked!) and our students definitely got into the spirit!

We look forward to bringing you totals of the the amounts raised so far after Easter, but thank you to all involved for helping to raise money and awareness for very worthwhile causes.

Year 10 visited the University of Hertfordshire on Wednesday.  They were able to tour the campus, attend interactive workshops and speak to current students to find out more about university life.  We hope that the students were inspired by the visit and we are sure they benefitted from the time given to them by the university.

We head in to the Easter break with Turning maintaining their lead on an impressive 16,344 points. Newton take second spot and Shakespeare 3rd. Well done to the following students with the highest points this week.

1. Luca F (7E) 16 points
2. Diego D (9T) 15  points
3. Kenzie B (8F) 15  points
4.  Julia E-C (8F) 14  points

Next term it is all to play for with more house events culminating in Sports Day at the end of Summer Term. 

Please find below links to an electronic and printable version of the Summer term DSPL7 parenting booklet 2024, for distribution to relevant parents. We hope that you find them useful.

Electronic version

Printable flyer

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?

Earlier this month Marelie R in Year 12, was part of the Hertfordshire u18 Tennis team who was crowned National Champions in the County Cup Competition. This was a fantastic achievement and performance that spread over three days of tough matches. Hertfordshire County often win various age group categories, but this was the first time in 20 years that the Hertfordshire Girls u18 team was crowned National winners. An amazing achievement! Well done Marelie

If you would like to nominate someone for the student spotlight next term, please contact holianm@sandringham.aat.school with any details and/of photographs. We would love to hear from you!

Pages from a journal are loosely sewn into a quilt. A quilt that lies undisturbed for more than three hundred years until it is carefully taken apart for cleaning and out of its folds fall a powerful and moving story. The story of Mary - granddaughter of a witch.

When Mary's grandmother is executed for witchcraft, Mary runs to escape the same fate - first into the English countryside and then on a boat to America where she hopes to find a new home, a place where she can be a new person. But she finds that it is not easy to escape and soon she is the victim of superstitions and suspicions that threaten to ensure she meets the same fate as her grandmother. But Mary is determined that she will not be walked and tortured and killed for the imagined crime of witchcraft.

This is a fantastically written historical novel that will have you wondering whether the pages of the journal really were sewn into quilt all those years ago. For those who need to know, this interview with Celia Rees tells all!

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: zen

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: zen

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana: zen

Thinking Question:

• This week all of the words are the same - why might this be? As new words come into the world, for examples word for technological items such as phones or laptops, why might we see more similarities between the languages?

Z is for… zen [adjective]

Definition: Relaxed and not worrying about things that you cannot change.

Example: With exams looming, a state of zen was seemingly impossible for Matilda.

Synonyms: Relaxed, Calm, Laid back

Antonyms: Stressed, Uptight

Etymology: The word is Japanese and means ‘meditation’.

A really well contested last game of the season for the U16PS vs Berko. 30-26 loss but some of the best netball they’ve played all season and incredible defensive pressure PP - Maddy W, CP - Hannah G. Super proud of their dedication this year, looking forward to next season.

As mentioned in the Headlines as well, a massive well done to the U15 squad - winners of the district plate final (+Sophie)!! Great to see Mia back on court for the first time since her injury and receiving OPM CP - Pearl M, PP - Holly W. Last game of the season for this team and they have been a pleasure to coach!

Well done to those who competed in the indoor county championships. We are please to say we ranked as follows:

• Junior girls - 1st
• Junior boys - 4th
• Inter girls - 5th
• Inter boys - 2nd

As mentioned in the Headlines- it has been a busy week for football!

After a great season of football from the U13G, they ended it on a high as District Champs. An amazing team effort secured them a 3-1 win over Beaumont School. Miss Breen says "I am unbelievably proud of them and how far they have come this season. They all work tremendously hard and should all be very proud of themselves. Some great saves were made by Erin C and some amazing goals Scored by Nell M x2 and Beatriz S x1. Well done team!"

The Year 9 boys also ended on a high with a 3-0 in the district final vs SCC. An excellent performance to finish the season. Max C with the opener inside 5 mins, Will A from the edge of the box just before the break & Sam McC with a screamer to seal the victory.

Unfortunately the Year 7 and Year 8 boys fell at the final hurdle, both losing against strong KWS sides. But all boys should be really proud of their achievements and for reaching the final. On to next season as well! 

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!

Tickets are on sale here and cost £20

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly.  I don't know why she swallowed a fly...

But the People's Theatre Company do!

And now you can too as they bring the world's best loved nursery rhyme to life just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pam Adams' best-selling book!

With a captivating combination of live action, animation and puppetry, this magical re-telling of There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly is sure to surprise and delight children and nostalgic adults in equal measure.

Tickets can be purchased here and cost £12.50

Following the fantastic success of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ & ‘Rapunzel’ our creative team are back with a Brand New pantomime adventure based on the classic tale.

 Puss In Boots and the Pea Green detective agency are ready to save Pantoland from a terrible threat!

The Hickory Dickory Dock clock has been stolen and someone is messing with the pantomime timeline. The police are struggling to sniff out a suspect and things are getting stranger by the hour! Join Puss In Boots on their epic quest to bring the time thief to justice. This sword-swinging, paw-scratching, time-stopping pantomime is an action packed treat for all ages!

Tickets are on sale here and cost from £10.00