The MFL department will once again be opening their language café on Open Evening.  If you are planning on attending, please do pop up to see them in C8 to practise your foreign languages and grab a drink and a snack!

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?

This week, we have three Student Spotlight!

The end of A Levels mostly marks the end of hard work and the start of celebrations and holidays away with friends! But for these ex Sandringham School students, it was to be a slightly different way of celebrating. On Tuesday 25th June, Jack B, Oliver P, Jack L, Jason T and Harry C set off to complete the 3 Peaks Challenge and hike up the three highest mountain peaks in England, Scotland and Wales. These young men also decided to make the challenge somewhat harder by aiming to complete it in just 24hours! It was a fantastic moment when they completed the challenge on Wednesday @ 7.45 am. The 24 hr window was achieved and with it over £2200 raised for Prostate Cancer UK.

If you feel able to donate, please use the link here: The 3 Peaks Challenge for Prostate Cancer

Thank you to all of our guest speakers who took part in our Fit for Life week. We had videos from Matt Walker who owns The Osteo in Harpenden, Blackburn Rovers player Sam Szmodics (the top scorer in the championship this year) , Chris Gregory who works for Leap BMK funded by Sport England, the Co-Founder of Marchon in Harpenden and a football/soccer coach out in USA discussing his reasons for taking his career abroad.

We also had guest speakers in the Sandprint theatre: Sky sports presenter Patrick Davidson, Emily works for Man City and Tommy Ardener who also works in football. 

Xavier in Year 10 said of the week "It was interesting to learn from Emily how she works with all of the players to help with their media promotion and setting up interviews with Sky and the Premier League. Patrick talked to us about how he handled interviews with both winning and losing teams. He spoke about how to work under a lot of pressure, thinking about questions on the spot and ways to calm down the losing team. It was interesting to learn as well that even if you don't specialise in a subject at university, a career in sports is still an option. Fit for Life has been a great week, allowing us a chance to get involved in some new and old sports but also showing students that there are career options for everyone in sport, even if you don't necessarily enjoy playing it.

From September JustTalk, WithYouth, and The Sandbox are launching Youth Ambassadors, to engage young people in the mental health services available in Hertfordshire. By becoming a Youth Ambassador, students will be:

• Sharing positive mental health messages and information widely with other people you come into regular contact with.
• Helping to change the way young people, parents and other professionals think about mental health.

Youth Ambassador actions will help to remove the stigma they may feel and the fear that some people still experience when it comes to asking for support or help with their wellbeing and mental health. Should Ambassadors meet people who are struggling with their mental health, they will not be offering counselling or support as there are professionals in place who are able to offer this, but they will be able to share information which they may find useful, such as where to look online for useful mental health information, and where to go for support.

The initiative will be open to both primary and secondary schools and will be launching 2024. If this sounds like something that you would be interested in, please speak to Miss Durrant.

Please see above and below for more details of Sign Language courses for 12-16 year olds. This is specifically aimed for young people and can be useful for future further education or University applications.

If you are aged 12-16 are are interested in learning sign language you can do so at the BSL Centre @ Heathlands School.

Level 1: Weds 4.30pm-6.30pm = £380 + optional exams

Level 2: Weds 4.30pm-7.00pm = £575 + optional exams

(applicants must have attended a BSL Level 1 course)

To enrol or for additional information please email bsl@heathlands.herts.sch.uk or go to their website: www.heathlands.herts.co.uk

Music Tour write up from Isabelle P. 

Last Saturday, I travelled with around 60 students to Rotterdam for the annual Sandringham Music Tour. It was definitely an experience that I will never forget. When we first arrived, we had a chance to explore the city- which was beautiful and nice to get to know everyone more- especially students from other year groups. On Sunday we performed our first concert of Show Choir and Jazz Band in a square with people stopping to listen. We then went to a working museum to get to know the culture of The Netherlands more. The weather was lovely so we went to the beach and had some free time to relax. The next day, we went on a guided boat tour down the canals and then visited Delft where we performed our next concert. A couple had just got married so Jazz Band played a song while they danced which was nice to watch. After that, we explored Delft which was fun. The final activity was glow in the dark golf which was a lovely way to end a brilliant tour. I would definitely recommend joining one of the music groups at Sandringham as it gives you the chance to meet new people with similar interests to you and not only helps increase your confidence performing in front of crowds, but also allows you to experience new opportunities such as visiting new countries. Thanks to all of the amazing staff for such a wonderful trip and unforgettable experience. 

As you may be aware, the Year 7-10 Prize giving Awards are taking place during the final week of term in the main hall. If your child has won an award, you will have received an email today inviting you to attend. Please complete the google form on the letter attached to the email to let us know if you plan on attending. Timings of the events are as follows:

• Year 7: Tuesday 16th July – arrive at 9am for an 9.15am start. Finish 10.45am
• Year 8: Thursday 18th July – arrive at 9am for an 9.15am start. 10.45am finish
• Year 9: Tuesday 16th July – arrive at 11.15am for an 11.30am start. Finish at 1pm
•  Year 10: Thursday 18th July – arrive at 11.15am for a 11.30am start. Finish at 1pm

Well done also to our fantastic Year 7 student, Elsie D, who performed on stage on Sunday at His Majesty's Theatre in the West Wnd with her drama club PQA at the weekend. She performed a musical written specially for PQA called "Across The Line"and had an amazing experience. What a great achievement Elsie- we are really proud of you.

If you would like to nominate a student to feature in the Student Spotlight this week, please email holianm@sandringham.aat.school with a few details and/or photographs. 

And finally, we have Rose McK who, having completed her Grade 8 piano exam last year, worked really hard on her oboe and achieved a Distinction for her Grade 6 oboe exam.  In addition, Rose swims competitively for her swimming club and was awarded the Overall Winner of the Under 15 Girls category in the recent Club Championships. Well done Rose!

Write up by Rehan M in Year 7.

I have really enjoyed Fit for Life Week as there have been so many different activities that we don't usually do. For example, I have played softball and learnt Japanese Sword Fighting which was harder than I thought it would be but still really fun. Foot Golf is also a new skill I have learnt and I have played badminton every morning. It has been nice to share these activities with other year groups and meet new students. My first sports day was great- I did long jump, the relay and bench ball and won a silver medal. It was fun to be with my house, Elgar, and cheer on fellow students in our house colours with face paints. I am looking forward to the Charity Run today. I have seen people dressed up as fairies, members of a rock band and in inflatables. It will be good to run and also raise money for charity. Fit for Life Week has reinforced the message that it is important to look after your body and stay healthy. 

By Hannah N and Astrid L-J: Le mardi nous sommes allés à une usine de biscuits et de chocolats. Nous avons mangé de la nourriture. C'était amusant et cool. Le voyage était incroyable et nous sommes heureuses d’avoir fait l'expérience.

By Caleb and Evie: Jeudi matin, nous sommes allés dans une ferme d’escargot. Nous avons essayé les escargots. L'après- midi, nous sommes allés à un parc d’attractions qui s’appelle Parc Bagatelle. C'était vraiment amusant. 

By Johnny-James G: Pour la semaine d’enrichissement je suis allé en France.  Nous avons voyagé en car et en ferry et le voyage a duré six heures.  J’ai visité une ville et j’ai mangé la nourriture Asiatique.  C’était génial.  Aussi, j’ai visité un parc d’attractions.  J’adore ‘Gaz Express’, c’était rapide.  J’ai partagé ma chambre avec Harry J, Tor H-F, Sanjeev S, Zac H et Toby C.  J’adore la France.

By Erin A: Je suis allée en France.  Nous avons voyagé en car et en ferry.  J’ai visité un parc d’attractions.  J’ai mangé des frites.  J’ai adoré la chocolaterie parce que c’est intéressant.  Je suis allé à la plage et a un aquarium.

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: Le prestige

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: Der Ruhm 

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana:El prestigio

Thinking Question:

• Sometimes there is not a direct translation for a word in another language - why might some languages have words for things or concepts we don’t have words for in English?

An irresistible hybrid of prose and manga, Kutsuwada's moving coming-of-age tale recounts the experience of Yuki Hara Jones, a young girl caught up in the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Maggie G, 7H, who has recently read the book says, ‘I loved this book because even though it’s fiction it feels close to reality. The book has pictures like Manga but also text too. It has helped me to read bigger books but I still love Manga!’

K is for ... kudos [noun]

Definition: The public admiration that a person receives as a result of a particular achievement or position in society.

Example:  Being an actor has a certain amount of kudos attached to it.

Synonyms: Acclaimed, Notorious

Antonyms: Obscurity, Unimportance

Etymology: Kudos comes from the Greek word ‘kydos’, which means praise or renown.

Well done to Bea, Katie & Roisin who represented Hertfordshire over the weekend in a Gaelic football tournament. They played against teams from Scotland, Nothern Ireland & Ireland and unfortunately lost a close contest in the semi finals

Write up from Roxie K in Year 10 on the Y9/10 girls Gaelic team win their first All Britain Championship.

"We dominated all matches, firstly beating Joan of Arc who were the county champions, then getting a second win against St Michaels, and then a third win and finally beating Cardinal Wiseman in the final. This was impressive seeing as the team haven't trained together in school and it was our first tournament. Mr Clark motivated us throughout matches and made good tactical subs throughout the matches to help with our game plan. Jasmine, Katie and Bea scored many goals, Roisin and Rachel took control of midfield and myself, Tilly, Katherine and Lola were solid in defence. Rosie was brilliant in goal making many excellent saves and providing big kicks up to the forwards. It was also impressive that many of the other girls, who had never played Gaelic before, turned up and adapted well to a different setting. 

County league Cup final results:

• U14G - 6th
• U14B - 4th
• U16G - 7th
• U16B - 4th

A massive achievement to have all four teams at the cup final today and well done everyone involved on a brilliant athletics season!

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

Limitless Academy specialise in outstanding quality and high production shows.

After the incredible success with The Addams Family (2022) and Grease (2023), the team are back in St Albans with another hilarious family favourite.

A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood science-fiction smash musical, Little Shop of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years.  Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world.

Tickets are on sale here and cost from £10.00