Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. Those partaking in Ramadan abstain from food, drink and impure thoughts between the hours of sunrise and sunset, allowing them instead to focus on prayer and connecting with Allah. The act of fasting allows the individual to understand the pain and suffering of millions around the world who live their lives in poverty and famine, leaving the participant feeling more grounded and grateful for all that Allah has given them. At the close of the month, Zakat donations during Ramadan are made and then Eid al-Fitr is celebrated with loved ones. Eid is a great time of feasting and celebration for Muslims, with gifts exchanged between loved ones. Ramadan starts on April 2nd and ends on May 1st this year.

A huge thank you to everyone who donated to the period poverty campaign last week. We received around 250 donations which is fantastic and the students who co-ordinated the event are planning to send half of them to food banks in St Albans and the other half to charities supporting Ukrainian refugees. This is a great help to those who need them so we really appreciate everyone's generous donations.

This week was the launch and first tutorial for the Brilliant Club, Scholars Programme. A small number of Year 8 students have been selected to participate in the programme which aims to expose students to University style teaching and increase their awareness of University.  This year, the students are being tutored by Dr Radu Leon on History – Windrush, Migration and Belonging in Modern Britain. We wish them the best of luck with the programme.

We were exceptionally proud of our wonderful artists and their participation in the The Maltings 2021 Art Prize. This is a competition designed to support and encourage the development of art skills from the students of St Albans based schools and we were delighted for Katherine K who won first place overall securing £1000 for our school and £250 for her own use. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many of our students at the Awards Presentation which took place at the OVO Maltings Theatre. A huge thank you to Mrs Owens for leading this opportunity for our students and congratulations again to our very worthy winners!

A big week for House points as extra curricular participation has been added up and put towards totals, which once again sees Hepworth lead. Let's see if anyone can knock them off the top spot next term!

We have been asked by Herts County Council to share the following communication with parents and carers regarding changes to measures and guidance for managing COVID-19 in education and childcare settings from Friday 1 April.

• adults with the symptoms of a respiratory infection, and who have a high temperature or feel unwell, should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature
• children and young people who are unwell and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people. They can go back to school, college or childcare when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend
• adults with a positive COVID-19 test result should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious. For children and young people aged 18 and under, the advice is 3 days.

You can find all up to date information here 

COVID-19 vaccination

Vaccination continues to offer the best protection for ourselves and others around us from becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. There are lots of walk-in options available locally for first, second doses and boosters, you can find your nearest vaccination centre and also book an appointment here

The national booking system for healthy 5- to -11 year olds to receive their COVID-19 vaccination will open from 2 April. Parents and carers can book appointments at larger vaccination centres and in some community pharmacies. Appointments will also be available at some GP run sites, if so they will contact you directly and you can book through your practice.  Vaccinations are already available for clinically vulnerable 5- to 11-year-olds, and children in this age group who live with someone who has a weakened immune system. Until now vaccinations for this ‘at risk’ group of children have been available through GPs and special schools, but parents and carers will also be able to book through these through the national booking service from 2 April.  For more information on vaccinations for this age group visit here

There is support available locally to help people who need to self-isolate, call HertsHelp on 0300 123 4044, email info@hertshelp.net or visit www.hertshelp.net

Fo$S would like to thank everyone for coming and everyone who volunteered at their Quiz Night on Friday 18th March. In total they raised an amazing £2700 on the night! This money is bid for by the various Faculties within the school and has already been put to great use with a Piano for the musical day, the new AV system, and equipment for the Science lab. Thanks to everyone involved in making this evening such a great success.

Year 10 Bronze

All letters and forms for the Year 10 Bronze expeditions have been sent out via ParentMail this week. In addition parents/carers should have received a PowerPoint outlining the practices and procedures for these expeditions. Please can  all forms be completed by the deadline of Friday 22nd April. Payments for the expeditions and for kit hire can be made via ParentPay. There will be a break in expedition training during the period of Year 10 exams. The final training sessions for the practice expeditions will take place w/c  2nd May. 

Year 11 Silver

The Qualifying expedition will be taking place Thursday 7th-Saturday 9th July in the Peak District. Letters and forms will be sent out immediately after the Easter holidays and there will be a training session on Thursday 21st April to plan routes. Final arrangements for this expedition will be sent out nearer the time of the expedition.

As mentioned in the Headlines, Tuesday saw the return of our wonderful Spring Concert in the Sandpit Theatre. It was a fantastic event with our musical talent across the years being showcased. Well done to all of the students involved and thank you to all of those who made the event such a success. 

Year 12 geographers travelled to Swanage on  Sunday - Tuesday this week to undertake fieldwork preparation for their A level coursework. We visited Boscombe to look at deprivation in coastal areas and regeneration, Poundbury to study a sustainable settlement, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door to explore different coastal processes and landforms, and Swanage to look at coastal defences. The busy schedule enabled students to try out a range of methods for data collection so that they can start thinking about their own investigations later in coming months. It was lovely to be back out in the field, and to show students key environments and concepts which can often only be viewed in textbooks. As ever, the students worked very hard and showed great enthusiasm during the visit!

We are delighted that Nabrissa B in Year 13 has won the ‘Young Person of Distinction’ award at the St Albans Mayor’s Pride Awards. The award is given to ‘an exceptional child or young person who deserves recognition for their talent, positivity, energy or strength of character’. When we saw this description, we immediately thought of Nabrissa as it sums her up entirely. The nomination detailed Nabrissa’s commitment to the school and wider community since starting in Sandringham in Sept 2020. This included leading a very successful Young Enterprise group which worked to provide resources for children during lockdown, leading the student leadership group for Equality and Diversity, and working with the World Class Schools programme to support young people and develop resources. Nabrissa has also been able to balance the demands of her studies with completing her Gold DofE award and succeeding in achieving a very competitive scholarship to study at Duke University in the US. A huge congratulations to Nabrissa for this very well deserved award!

Last week 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:

Thank you for the incredible opportunity you gave us and the unique insight we had into the hardships of the refugee children during and after the Spanish civil war. We really enjoyed hearing your personal anecdotes and all about your family’s stories, especially the bravery and strength of your mother and father. We hope you continue to educate and spread awareness because the visit gave us unparalleled awareness and understanding of historic issues that continue to permeate even today. Thank you!!! Dylan

I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and I am extremely grateful for this amazing opportunity. Through this experience I was able to learn things I wouldn’t be able to get from a textbook; it was a unique experience which allowed me to see a more personal viewpoint of the lives of the evacuated children. All my questions were answered, no matter how trivial, granting me an even better understanding of what happened. Thank you so much!!! Amy

Thank you so much for coming to visit us and sharing not only the story of the children, but also of your family's own experience - this gave us a really special insight into this important moment in history. We really appreciated the unique opportunity you gave us to learn about this important topic. You really showed us how important it is for people to know about these things that happened in the past. Thank you !Sophie

The Alban Federation are recruiting for their 22/23 cohort. If you are looking for a change of career direction or interested in applying, please contact the Federation team by phone 01727 799560 Ext 4217 or email via afgtpenquiries@sandringham.herts.sch.uk. 

We are aware from our school surveys this year that students and families are interested in studying Latin and Classics.  Whilst we don’t offer a taught session within the timetable, we are really fortunate that Paul McNally, an experienced teacher of Latin and Classics, already hosts a private Latin class at Sandringham after school each week. He is now able to provide an additional after school class for students wishing to begin studying Latin.  For those wondering ‘why study Latin?’, Paul describes it in the following way: “It is the gateway to literature:  to be a good reader of English and Irish literature alone, knowledge of the literature of the Romans offers an inestimable advantage. A charge often laid against learning Latin, apart from the absurd notion of elitism, is that it is useless. Why not learn Mandarin, people ask, or Russian or French?  Well half of our English vocabulary is made up of Latin words and roots; Latin provides the root words for all of the modern sciences; Latin is the language of law, government, logic, and theology and Latin effectively develops and trains the mind.  For me the pleasure of Latin is precisely because - aside from the points sketched above - it is "useless". Latin doesn't help to turn out mass-produced mini-consumers fit for a globalised 21st-century society. It helps create curious, intellectually rigorous children with a rich interior world, people who have the tools to see our world as it really is because they have encountered and imaginatively experienced another that is so like, and so very unlike, our own.” If this has whetted your appetite and you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact Paul McNally directly via email: paul.mcnally@sandringham.herts.sch.uk

We are excited to be launching Book Babble after the Easter break in the L.R.C. This is an informal opportunity for students to keep abreast with what is happening in the world of books and to share reading suggestions. We are looking forward to having themed sessions and giving students the chance to create and lead their own meeting around a book, topic or genre. Ms Thomas is currently reading Smart; by Kim Slater. Come along and share the books that you are currently enjoying!

Starts: Friday 22nd April 13:25-13:55

Venue: Learning Resource Centre

Year Groups: 7-9

As you will have seen in last week's edition of the Sandprint, the Sixth Form German students had a great time on their recent trip. Please click on the link below for a video from Franziska McL documenting her experience. We hope it inspires other students to take up languages and enjoy all of the extra activities on offer. 

Germany Trip 2022

The week’s whole school theme is Easter. Easter is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Even for those in the school community who are not Christain, Easter represents a time of happiness and celebration as the better weather means we can spend more time outside. The students received an excellent assembly where they reflected on the key messages of the Easter story - forgiveness, faith and sacrifice. We hope that you have a fantastic Easter break, enjoying time with family and lots of chocolate! 

We feature another amazing student as well this week. Last Friday, Nathanial M was part of the St Albans District Secondary School Swimming team who won the 2022 Hertfordshire Secondary Schools Inter-District Swimming gala. At the gala, the 6 St Albans teams Boys and Girls Junior (Years 7&8), Inter (Years 9&10) and Seniors (11-13) all won their respective age categories, the first time that a district has achieved this feat. 

The team won over half the races, broke four records and medalled in 42 events to claim a fifth successive meeting victory. Nathanial was part of the senior boys medley and freestyle relay which broke one of the records.

You can read the full article in the here. A huge well done to everyone who took part. 

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine- réprimander

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche- ausschelten

SPANISH- La palabra de la semana- reprender

Thinking Questions

•  Sometimes words are made up of other words. How can this help us when reading in a foreign language?
•  Sometimes we don’t understand every single word in a foreign text – what can we do in this situation?

A gothic classic, written by Mary Shelley in 1818, ‘Frankenstein’ tells the story of gifted scientist Victor Frankenstein who succeeds in giving life to a being of his own creation. However, this is not the perfect specimen he imagines that it will be, but rather a hideous creature who is rejected by Victor and mankind in general. The Monster seeks its revenge through murder and terror. On the ‘Sandringham Reads’ list for Years 9 and above, ‘Frankenstein’ is a thrilling exploration of what it means to be human, the conflict between good and evil, nature and nurture. Read more about the novel here

Our Easter Competitions were very popular – well done to all those who entered. Here are the Competition winners (Easter egg prizes):

Easter Quiz:

Olivia T 8J

Tea P-D 7F

Table Quiz

Nathan P 9S

Lexi K 7A

Wordsearch

Hadya K 8S

Vivian C 9J

Congratulations to everyone that entered.

B is for… berate  [verb]

Definition: Scold or criticize (someone) angrily..

Example: He was berated for being fickle.

Synonyms: Castigate, Rebuke, Reprimand

Antonyms: Compliment, Flatter, Praise

Etymology: From ‘be’ meaning thoroughly and ‘rate’, the origin of which is unknown.

Well done to our 3 Year 7 runners; Georgia T, Toby P and Erin R representing Herts Schools at the Y7 National XC. Georgia T came an amazing 13th place in the country, Toby P 27th and Erin R 104th . Fantastic running from all 3 of you, well done!

On Wednesday the Y9 basketball team, fresh off their County Cup victory were in action V Westcliff High School for Boys in the last 16 of the National Cup. It was a close and exciting game. After going down 20-8 in the first quarter the team put in a superb effort to bring the score back to level at half time. Westcliff had a big team that were very strong on the rebounds at both ends and made any second shot on offence hard. The 3rd quarter saw us lead by 1 point with Harry Godden and Shaun Uzus playing particularly well. The game was never more than a 4 point game after the 1st quarter and we knew we had to hold our nerve to come through this challenge. We did exactly that with the whole team contributing to a resilient win 74-71 and a place in the National Quarter final. Well done to the whole team.

A big performance from the Y9 basketball team as well to see them through to the @bballengland National Quarter Final. 74-71 win over Westcliff HSB

On Tuesday the Y7 boys football team were in the District Cup football final at Woollams playing fields V Roundwood Park. This prestigious occasion was a great opportunity for the boys to demonstrate their progress and talents from this season on a grand scale. The game was a fast paced start with 5 goals in the first 15 minutes. After going 1-0 down we then led 2-1, before Roundwood equalised again. The 3rd goal for us put us in front in a lead we saw through to half time. After the break with a defensive shape to the side we were able to weather everything our opposition threw at us to take the win and the trophy home back to school.

A huge well done to the U13 netball team for their win in the district plate competition, 23-5 vs. NBS!  Sophie was missed! OPM - Cerys M and CP - Holly!

The U14 Netball team also finished the season with a 38-34 win in the District Cup Final against STAHS - District Champions! OPM - Emily W & CPM - Charlotte H

And the U16 Netball Performance Squad finished the season with a 44-24 win over SRA. District League and County League winners!

Finally, the U14 B Netball team ended their season with a 13-2 win over Townsend! OPM - Poppy R & CPM - Mimi G

Amazing work to all of the teams and to the PE Faculty for their hard work in supporting them.

Well done to Marelie R. Bath Brit Tour Ladies Runner Up! A hugely impressive effort. 

Enjoy an evening of student bands from rock to acoustic duos as they battle it out to win the title and be crowned the ultimate music band.

To get involved please see the Music Faculty at Sandringham School.

Who will win? Have you band got what it takes? Let the battle begin!

Tickets £5/£4

IT’S TERRY!

“…Unstable and deliciously unexpected” The Guardian

It’s Terry is a brand new knock about show Introduced by the world famous character performer ‘Richie Raganoo’ - who by his own omission, says Terry Alderton is the “weakest character he does. But his most successful!”

It’s Terry has narrative, it’s a throw it up and see where it lands kind of show. So those that Know, Know, and those who don’t…will!

Tickets - £17

We can’t wait to see you back through our doors and we have some exciting shows and films coming up for you this season!

All the latest performances are on our website, www.sandpittheatre.co.uk, and you can keep up to date with what’s going on by giving us a follow either on Instagram & Twitter or give us a like on Facebook, just search for The SandPit Theatre!

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The box office is open from 11.30am – 3.30pm Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Alternatively, you can call us on 01727 799565 or visit www.sandpittheatre.co.uk