Lauren P, in Year 12, had an amazing day this week speaking at Everything In Sport – Women’s Edition, at Wembley Stadium. She has written the following article about her experience- we hope it inspires other students to do the same!

On Tuesday 14th May, I was delighted to speak at an international conference on women in sport, discussing everything from grassroots to professionalism, and how sport can be a powerful force for social change.  It was an amazing experience! I was invited to be on a youth panel, with three other guests, including Formula 4 racing driver, 17 year old Chloe Chong.  We spoke about our pathways in sport, and I was very excited to talk about my journey to being a Striker for Team GB Underwater Hockey.  It was a brilliant feeling talking about my passion, at the home of so many legendary sporting moments.  We all discussed the challenges we’ve faced, the importance of the right support, and how social media can be a great tool in inspiring young people to take up sports they may not know even existed.  It was really nice to meet Abbie Raybould from TikTok, and chat about how their platform can be a big positive influence.

I was really pleased with how it went, got some great feedback after my panel, and was thrilled to meet Archie Kalyana and Giles Goford from the BBC.  They said that it would be brilliant if they could do a piece on Underwater Hockey, which would be brilliant for my sport!  I loved being part of something really positive, and seeing other sporting heroes on the day, including rugby legend Ugo Monye.

I’ve never been asked to be part of a panel before, and to speak in front of a packed room, with microphones, lights and cameras, at such a high profile venue, was a bit daunting, but I soon got over any nerves.  There were so many nice and interesting people that put me at ease, and I very soon got chatting away about the sport I love, and hopefully I might have inspired someone to give something a try that they never thought they could do before!

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?

Well done for all the Sandringham students who gave up their free time to help artist Mandy Johnson paint the huge public art mural on the wall of St Albans restaurant Bar Meze, over the last 2 weeks. The Mural was designed using ideas from local school children and features characters such as a minion and a Pokemon. It was painted by the local community, people of all ages. The mural celebrates Joy and creativity and it really brightens up our city. What a fantastic experience to be part of. We hope they enjoyed creating something lasting in the community.

Sandringham are currently looking for a Sandpit Theatre Technician, an Attendance Officer, A Front of House Theatre Assistant (casual staff) and a Sixth Form Learning Mentor to join our fantastic school. More information is available on our website here.

Please share with friends who may be interested.

Early on Sunday morning, 142 members of Year 10 embarked on their first Bronze expedition. They were divided into two cohorts and completed the venture in small groups of between 4-7.  They were following routes which they had planned in their groups and carrying everything they needed for the two day adventure in their backpacks.

Blue half started their expedition in either Great Missenden or Hyde Heath, travelling north via The Lee and Cholesbury before looping back round to the campsite at Braid wood. On day two , they headed north east towards Ashley Green before turning south and finishing in Ley Hill. Green half started their expedition at Whipsnade Common, travelled south via Jockey End and Great Gaddesden before arriving in camp at Hudnall park. Their day two saw them heading east via Martin’s Pond near Frithsden before finishing in Gadebridge Park in Hemel Hempstead.

In camp, the participants had to pitch their tents, use the camping stoves to prepare a hot meal and then learnt the important art of washing up and cleaning the pans until they shone. We were extremely lucky with the weather. Sunday was warm and dry  but there was a cooling breeze and lots of shade.  Monday was more overcast with lower temperature but this was great walking weather.

The Bronze practice is always a huge learning experience for our participants and it was clear that this was the case on this occasion too. Navigation theory is an integral part of our training but you only really learn to map read when you can apply what you see on the map to your surroundings. It became apparent over the course of the two days that some groups did this better than others. Those who initially didn’t use their primary tools of navigation( the map and their eyes) found themselves, at times, “temporarily misplaced” -the groups never get lost on DofE because they always end up where they should be , even if it takes them a bit longer. However, the navigation skills improved over the course of the two days, helped along by the practical training provided by staff as each group was supported by a member of staff for a section of their route.

As always the students were a credit to the school, with lots of members of the public commenting to staff about how great it was to see young people out and about and how friendly they were. I would like to take this opportunity to say well done to our students and a MASSIVE THANK YOU to the 16 members of teaching and support staff as well as volunteers who gave up their personal time at the weekend to make this expedition happen. It was a great experience for the participants and despite sore feet and aching muscles , I like to believe they actually enjoyed themselves. Time to do it all again in 3 weeks for the Qualifying expedition.

Tickets to our Summer Dance show Unite are now SOLD OUT! We can't wait to show you all of the amazing performances we have been planning. It's going to be a spectacular show!

Well done to Turing who maintain their lead with 17,914 points. Austen had a fantastic individual week however with over 720 points gained. Well done to the following students with the highest points this week.

1. Emmanuel Y (7H) 11 points
2. Mia L (12S) 9 points
3. Martin N (7H) 9 points
4. Tim Cheung (8H) 9 points
5.  Sorcha T (9S)  9 points

Another sporting success to highlight in our student spotlight this week. Congratulations to Emily W (Year 11) and Maddie B (Year 13) who played in the East Regional qualifying Tournament play-offs for Abbey Flyers Netball Club over the weekend ! Their efforts culminated a year-long campaign and after winning the plays- offs they secured a place in the East Regional Senior League for the first time in the club’s history . Well done Emily, Maddie and Abbey Flyers 👏👏

This week the theme is Cultural Diversity This is an annual event, held this year on 21st May, where UNESCO leads the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity. The day highlights not only the richness of the world’s cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development. This theme is incredibly important to us as a school since we are a diverse community and strive for all students to feel celebrated and welcome. This week students discussed the roles of different cultures at the school and whether the media can exploit some cultures for entertainment. Alongside this students received a thought provoking assembly from Mr Kemp who highlighted the links between Sandringham’s three Rs (Respect, Relationships, and Responsibility) and cultural diversity around the world. 

Monday 13th May started with anticipation as some of the recent Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award achievers were invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party. We arrived at the gates in our dresses (and jackets thankfully as it was colder than anticipated), took photos and then entered the gardens. Getting the right photo in front of the palace was all important and queues formed for the photo with the large “GOLD” sign. Our focus was to secure a palace cupcake and cup of tea. Satellite stages allowed the guests to hear from various inspirational speakers across the morning. We chose Harry Judd (McFly) and his mum Emma Judd fresh from the BAFTAs after Celebrity  Race Across the World won the Factual Entertainment award. At 11am HRH the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Edward) welcomed us and we also heard from a recent Gold participant and our highlight, Tim Peake.

On the walkabout many Sandringham students spoke to the Duke. For our second satellite stage speaker we chose Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Chief Fire Officer (West Sussex) and psychologist, who overcame huge adversity to be where she is today. Finally we walked around the gardens and lake admiring the beautiful rhododendrons out at this time of year. A fantastic and inspirational morning, well deserved by all the Gold award achievers. Congratulations!

On Monday 13th May, a group of Year 8 students attended their Brilliant Club Graduation Ceremony at New College, Oxford University.

Earlier this year, these students were selected to take part in the Brilliant Club Scholars Programme. Students attended seven university-style science tutorials conducted by a university lecturer. During the tutorials they studied infectious agents and the diseases they cause, working towards completing a challenging final assignment which was marked and moderated using university grades.

Once the course was completed the students were invited to Oxford University for the day to learn about university life and tour around the buildings (including spotting famous scenes from the Harry Potter movies) before lunch in a grand dining room worthy of Hogwarts. They concluded the day by receiving their graduation certificates.

The students all worked extremely hard throughout the course, developing a range of key transferable skills including writing and comprehension, critical analysis, scientific knowledge and independent research. We are delighted that all 12 students passed, with Katelyn J, Chole C, Isabella P and Harvey S securing a First.

 Well done Brilliant Clubbers!

Last week, the entire cohort of Year 12 Biologists spent three days on a field trip in Dorset, undertaking a series of required practicals. They investigated the effect of named environmental factors on the distribution of various species. Beckie C has written the following fantastic report for us. 

There was no bank holiday lie in for us, getting to school nice and early at 7.30amon Day 1 and causing some to reconsider their A-level choices! We arrived at Osmington Bay just before lunch, while the weather was still holding up okay. However, this didn’t last long, pouring down while we spent the afternoon in the river completing our first practical. We visited two sites on the River Wey, using a variety of equipment to gather information on both biotic and abiotic factors. Everyone was relieved when we were told that there wasn’t enough time to go to site three, and we headed back soaking and hungry. 

The weather went from one extreme to another, as we lathered ourselves in suncream ready for Day 2 on the sand dunes. Here we worked along a transect, taking numerous readings to compare factors like soil pH, moisture, and temperature. We were supported by instructors who helped expand our knowledge of many species, and warned us which plants to avoid! We finished just after lunch, then headed to the beach to cool down with an ice cream, before returning back and testing our skills at archery. The accuracy was varied, with some bullseyes but the majority not quite hitting the board! Later on in the evening we spent an hour in the classroom, analysing our data and tying in prior knowledge. 

For our final day, we headed to the coast for our last practical of the trip. Disaster struck when we arrived and the tide was all the way in, but luckily it quickly retreated and we were able to begin working in the rock pools. We used transects again, placing quadrants along them at regular intervals, comparing what we saw with our identification guides. We then had the chance to search for any more species, looking under the rocks and further into the water. Even at 17 years old we were still screaming with excitement when we saw some fish! Following a busy few days, the coach was filled with enthusiasm from our adventures as we returned home. Now just to write up all of our research!

Thank you so much to the staff for giving up their time, especially on a bank holiday! It was really interesting to see our classwork come to life and an all round great time was had by everyone!

Ticket are now on sale for our annual Summer Concert: A Journey Around the World. This will take place on Tuesday 25th June in the Sandpit Theatre and is sure to be another fantatic showcase of all of the talented musicians we have here at Sandringham School. Tickets can be purchased here so don't miss out!

This week we celebrate a student who had sporting success over the weekend. Theo S, in Year 8, came 2nd place in the sparring section of the national Tiska Karate Tournament on Saturday. A fantastic achievement requiring a lot of discipline and quick reactions. Well done Theo- keep up the good work.

If you would like to nominate someone for the student spotlight next week, please email holianm@sandringham.aat.school with any details and/or photographs. This can be someone who has done something brilliant in the community, in the Arts, Sport, Sciences, or any student who you feel has gone above and beyond this week. We would love to hear from you.

Fo$S will be holiday a non uniform sale on Saturday 22nd June under the canopy by Main Reception. This will take place between 11am-midday and there will be second hand uniform on sale. Please do pop along - all money raised goes towards buying equipment for students around the school.

Also a plea from Fo$S- as several members are leaving this year, they are looking for new members to help out with this and other events. Non uniform sales are an easy way to help out and raise money. They hold 3-4 per year and the time commitment is just setting up and clearing down. Anyone interested, please contact the admin address and we can pass the message on. 

We're so excited to share with you the first 'teaser poster' for our Whole School Show. Can you guess what it could be? Watch out for our big announcement next Friday! Auditions will be after half term, so please join the Google Classroom to stay updated with all the latest news and audition material.

You can also still buy tickets for the Drama Lower School Summer Showcase: Pure Imagination. We are delighted to invite you to see our wonderful Drama Clubs take to the stage to perform a showcase of what they've been up to in their clubs this year. Come along to see all the great acting talent we have in Years 7-9.

Independent 18-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mum’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness. Rachel is gone, presumed dead. The case is dragged up from the past when the Price family agree to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal.

But then Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again …

‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ has been hugely popular here in the LRC and has been adapted into a TV series to be shown on the BBC later in the year. Holly’s books are enjoyed by students because they are pacy and contain lots of twists and turns along the way – a good choice for students who may struggle to finish a book.  

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: enrichir

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: anreichern

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana: enriquecer

Thinking Question:

• Verbs in English are always ‘to …’ in the infinitive form. In French and Spanish there are 3 different endings for verbs, whereas in German all verbs end -en. How is it that languages work so differently?

E is for ...enrich [verb]

Definition: To improve the quality of something by adding something else

Example: These trips give students the opportunity to enrich their independent studies in Geography and History.

Synonyms: Improve, Develop, Enhance

Antonyms: Spoil, Devalue, Impoverish

Etymology: Derived from the Old French ‘enrichir’ from ‘en’- meaning in and ‘riche’ meaning rich.

Congratulations to Harry R & Sam W for their selection into the Hertfordshire A and B basketball teams respectively. After several trials, with many players competing for places, this is a huge achievement- so we are really proud of you both. We look forward to hearing about your successes in the upcoming season.

Our Year 9/10 girls played really well and did the school proud in their first ever All Hertfordshire Gaelic Football tournament this week. A 6-4 to 2-2 loss in the final meant they gained a silver medal overall but a fantastic achievement and some great skill shown. Well done everyone

 County league 3 was a strong one for our squads with good points scored as we tried to consolidate top 4 positions.

Athletes of the week

• U14G - E Duncan
• U14B - F Rowland (new PB)
• U16G - J Rance
• U16B - L Daniel (new PB)

Today are squads are a Woodside for an all day event. More updates to follow @SandringhamPE

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