Well done to Austen and Elgar for raising an amazing amount of money for the three school charities last week. The daily cake sales were a big hit and and movie night saw over 170 students in attendance.  Thank you to Mr Hill, Mr Bailey, the house captains and all of those who supported the fundraising events.

This week we feature Cameron Dunlop from Year 12, who achieved a Distinction in his Grade 8 drum exam this term.  Cameron has worked hard at the drums for many years, and this incredible achievement is testament to his dedication.  We all look forward to finding out where he can take his drumming next! Well done Cameron!

If you would like to nominate someone to feature in our student spotlight, please contact holianm@sandringham.aetrust.uk with any details and/or photographs. We would love to hear about any students who are going above and beyond!

Herts Parent Carer Involvement, the independent parent carer forum for Hertfordshire, has asked us to share their annual survey with you.  They want to hear from Hertfordshire parent carers of children and young people (age 0-25) with any Special Educational Need and/or Disability. Your child doesn't need to have a diagnosis or EHCP for you to take part.  The survey is open until Sunday 3 November and can be accessed here:

 If you would like to know more about HPCI or to become a member, you can visit their website: www.hertsparentcarers.org.uk or call 07840 360 245.

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Blandford has created our fantastic ‘Spooky Books for Halloween’ display featuring many of our horror and supernatural books. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, funny horror. . . We hope we’ve got something to tempt you! Students can also search Mysandstorm, Accessit Library Management for our full range of books. If students go to ‘Quick Lists’, ‘Books for Halloween’, they’ll find our most recent selection of Halloween reads. We hope many of our readers will enjoy the spooky book season and that our display will inspire them to try something new!

Thank you to all of those who attended the Year 9 Battlefield information evening on Wednesday. Full details of the trip can be found here. We look forward to reporting more on the trip in November.

Year 8 were fortunate enough to attend a careers assembly this week.  Lauren Christy from Sky spoke to students about opportunities in the creative industries, with a particular focus on Sky Studios in Stevenage.  They listened really well and heard about degree level apprenticeships, as well as the massive variety of roles in this field.  Huge thanks to Lauren for taking the time to talk to Year 8.

We have a double student spotlight this week, with Lauren P inYear 12 also impressing us with her achievements. Lauren has been competing for some time in the sport of Octopush. Last weekend she competed in a European tournament in Holland, representing England as one of 12 teams from 6 countries competing. They performing brilliantly, not losing a game in their draw, but were unlucky in their semi final losing 1-0. There was some silverware to be won however, as then took the bronze medal decider with an impressive 15-0. A great result for England and Lauren, who managed to score with a broken finger! Great work Lauren- we are really proud of you.

On a rainy Thursday morning , 63 members of Year 11 departed for the South Downs , hoping for dry weather and excited to start their 3 day expeditions in the South Downs National Park. The routes started down near the coast in Steynings and Bramber and headed north towards Henfield before turning east to head into Parkwood campsite. The weather steadily improved during the day. This was a low-level route for all 9 groups , walking on stretches of the South Downs way and along the banks of the river Adur. The groups made good progress although the shorter daylight hours meant that some groups arrived in the dark (shadowed by members of staff). 

After a cold night, all the groups were up early, ready for their longest day which took them up onto the Downs, visiting the Jack and Jill Windmills near Ditchling Beacon . The routes were circular with groups leaving in alternate directions which meant that as well as seeing staff several times during the day, they bumped into familiar faces going in the opposite direction. The challenges of navigating in the dark the evening before meant that all groups were mindful of timing and pace and therefore arrived before nightfall.

Another cold night followed by a drizzly morning and everyone was keen to be up and out for the final push heading for Devils Dyke for the finish point. After a morning walking through the valley, all the groups headed up either Truleigh Hill or Edburton Hill to check in with staff at the YHA which was the checkpoint. They then walked east along the Downs with views down to Brighton to all finish by 2.15 which was an amazing effort. 

A highly successful expedition with some new challenges . A massive thank you to Mr Smith, Mrs Gibson, Mrs Ellis, Dr Archer-Jones, Mr Neville and Ms Opie for their support during this expedition. 

Earlier this month, students in Years 12 and 13 took part in the Senior Mathematical Challenge run by the UK Mathematics Trust.  The Senior Mathematical Challenge is a 90-minute, multiple-choice competition.

This was a fantastic opportunity which offers students the chance to develop their mathematical problem-solving skills. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. The problems on the Senior Challenge are designed to make students think. Most are accessible, yet still challenge those with more experience. 

Students that perform well are awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates, with the best performing students being invited to take an additional challenge. Overall, 24 students received a Bronze award, 25 students received a Silver award and 25 students received a Gold award.  The 25 Gold award winners qualify for the follow on rounds.

Special mention goes to Marcus L (12F) for achieving Best In Year 12, and Will M (13H) for Best in School and achieving 100% for the second year. Both these students together with Nico C (13H) and Vova Z (12T) qualified for the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad. Well done to everyone.

The top three houses for points this week are Hepworth on 4217 points, Turing on 3992, then Austen with 3899. Well done to Sylvie H for gaining the most house points this week (14) and congratulations also to the following who all gained more than 12 points: Reoz T (7E), Hinna W (8A) Chlor L (8T) Juliette D (7F) Finlay H (7E) Leo K (7F) Sofia S (7S) 

A reminder that next Monday 21st October will be the Year 7 and 8 house Netball. Year 9&10 combined competition to take place after HT.

UPCOMING EVENTS   

• Friday 18th October - Last Form Standing
• Monday 21st October - Year 7 & 8 House Netball
• After Half term – Year 9 & 10 House Netball
• After Half term – House Rugby (year 7-10)
• Year 8 Spelling Bee – TBC

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 we approach half term, 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 three 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. 

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. You can visit The Sandbox website or click here to find out more details.

Youth Talk is also one of our excellent chosen charities for school which provides free confidential counselling to 13-25 year olds in St Albans and the surrounding areas. 

As always if your child is finding things difficult in school, they can speak to their trusted adult or to one of the members of our pastoral team for support.

There was a great turnout for the Year 10 Information Evening on Thursday. The full presentation can be found here. Important dates to note for Year 10 are as follows:

• 14-16th November: Whole School Show
• 27 - 28th November: Pastoral Review Day
• 29th November: Occasional Day
• 2nd December: Charity Week
• 7th December: FoSS Christmas Fair
• 20th December: Charity Day
• 4th March: Y10 Herts University visit
• 1st April: Y10 Trial exams begin
• 25th April: Y10 Trial exams end
• 11th - 12th May: DofE Bronze practice
• 22nd May: Y10 PTC
• 6-8th June: DofE Bronze qualifying expedition
• 16th - 20th June: Y10 work experience

Look out next week for a write up of our fantastic French Exchange but in the meantime, here are a few photos of the fun activities they got up to whilst improving their language skill. A big thank you to everyone who took part, to the amazing MFL staff and to our trips Co-ordinator, Ms Shingadia, for organising. 

Well done to Olivia D and Sadie S who took part in the St Albans Athletic Club championships.  Both put in excellent performances in six events in which Sadie ended up overall champion!

Here is what Olivia and Sadie had to say about the experience: 

"Two weeks ago, we took part in a club event at St Albans Athletic Track which included hurdles, 80m sprint, 600m, long jump, shot put and javelin. There were around 100 people taking part in the event as a whole and it was across Years 4-7. It was really fun and in between we got to meet new people and make new friends from other schools. The long jump and 80m were our favourite events. There was a presentation at the end where everyone received certificates and Sadie was the overall winner. We would recommend joining an Athletics club to anyone as you get to try lots of different things you might not have tried before, and the coaches help you to improve. It's also a nice way to meet new people and improve your confidence." 

This week’s whole school theme is ‘Belonging’. This theme denotes our desire for students to feel a part of the school community. We are dedicated to ensuring all our students feel that they belong at school and although we know there will be challenges along the way, we hope that all students feel welcome and happy. There are many things that we try to do to help with this, from the house system, extra curricular activities, to the actions teachers take to get to know their students. This week students also received a fantastic assembly from Ms Wills called ‘I love school’. During this she outlined many of the reasons why she feels that the school is such a great place, and encouraged students to make use of all the excellent opportunities that are on offer to them. 

In collaboration with the World Snooker Tour and Johnstone's Paint, STEM Learning are offering young people, between the ages of 11 and 14, an exciting opportunity to design a waistcoat that will be worn by a top snooker player during the Johnstone's Paint Masters at Alexandra Palace. The winning design will be showcased live on the BBC in January 2025.

The Science Waistcoat Design Competition invites young people to create a waistcoat and share their scientific inspiration behind the design. They could draw or paint the design on the template.

Join the STEM google classroom to find out more information, and let us know if you decide to enter! Keep an eye on the google classroom as there will be lots of other opportunities advertised throughout the year!

Join us using the class codes:
Years 7, 8 and 9: u5zobuf
Years 10, 11, 12 and 13: cm5iwdb

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: gratuit

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: unentgeltlich

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana:  gratuito

Thinking Question:

•  How do the connotations of "gratuitous" in English, particularly in negative contexts like "gratuitous violence," differ from its equivalents—unentgeltlich in German, gratuit in French, and gratuito in Spanish—which emphasize the notion of "without payment"?

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve. With the whole student body keeping their distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach.

‘This book is about a shy girl who wants to make a hundred friends. She doesn’t show who she is to others but then she becomes a little more confident. The illustrations are also amazing!’ Hayley T, Melis A and Alexa L. Yr 7.

G is for ... gratuitous [adjective]

Definition: Done without good reason; given or done free of charge.

Example: The film had many scenes of gratuitous violence.   Solicitors provide a form of gratuitous legal advice.

Synonyms: Spontaneous, Voluntary, Willing

Antonyms: Warranted, Deserved, Costly

Etymology: From the Latin word ‘gratuitus’ meaning given freely, spontaneous

Last Saturday saw us face KWS across Years 7-10. Year 7 produced a good win with multiple debutants representing the school resulting in a final score of 6-4.Tries from Marwan A (2), Finlay H, Jack P, James C & Hugo K.  Our Year 8's had a brilliant first half finishing 2-2 but with KWS scoring some well worked tries in the second half, they were the eventual winners. Our Year 9s also had a tough loss to a strong KWS side. The boys did both themselves and the school proud however with their effort and attitude with some excellent rugby on show. Finally, our Year 10's put in a great performance in a closely fought contest. The eventual score was a 24-21 win to us. Some really great rugby played especially at breakdowns. 

During the rest of the week, an experienced and controlled performance for our 1st XV ensured a 29-10 win against Oaklands 3rd XV. But, despite a valiant display, our Year 9's bowed out of the National Cup last night against a very strong Bedford team. They have a chance to bounce back against Beaumont tomorrow.

Our Year 11 boys unfortunately went out in the 2nd round of the National Cup on Tuesday evening losing 4-0 to a good Simon Balle team. MOM- Finn G and honourable mentions to Kyran H, Harry P and Rhys H.

The Regional finals will take place at Dulwich College on Thursday 7th November. Our Inter boys, Senior girls & Senior boys have all qualified. Well done everyone.

Please see above for our upcoming fixtures. Good luck to all of our teams. 

The U19 Netball Performance squad were back in action earlier this week against STAHS in the county league. An excellent whole squad performance to win 37-33! OPM - Emily W and CPM - Martha D

Our U14 PS also did brilliantly in a closely contested game against STAHS showcasing everything they have been working on this term. OPOM  Isabella  P  CPOM Madison W. And the Year 9 team played a composed game of netball to secure the win against SJL on Monday! Another POM to Isabella P for her excellent shooting

Finally, our u15s had an incredibly exciting and fast paced game vs @BerkoSport in the @schoolsportmag competition. Though the girls battled hard, Berkhamsted had the edge and came our victorious. OPMs Lauren W and Ella C-L. CPM Katie J

Time for dancing, drinking and the search for true love. The club's getting hot but out in the cold the Bouncers are ready for anything. Meet Ralph, Judd, Les and Lucky Eric as they relive a night in a London disco in the 80s in an outrageous celebration of the UK nightclub scene.

This production of John Godber’s ‘Bouncers’ has seen huge success at multiple Drama festivals across the UK. Most recently at the UK’s largest festival, the National Drama Festival in Coventry. Previously, the show has seen multiple awards at the Welwyn Youth Drama Festival, placing first and winning multiple awards for elements of the show, as well as sold out performances across Hertfordshire. Now, the Bouncers are on their way to St Albans.

Tickets are on sale here and cost from £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