On Tuesday, we held our final concert of the year – our Summer Concert featuring all our groups, exam classes and choirs. The students were fantastic and performed to a packed audience. Well done to everyone involved!

Henry McD in Year 9 said the following: "I was part of the Jazz Band for the music concert on Tuesday. It was a great experience playing in front of people. Our pieces were  “Pennsylvania 6-5000 and I Got You. It is really fun to be with people from other age groups and playing music from different genres. Live music is also definitely more enjoyable than listening to a recording. I would definitely recommended joining one of the bands at Sandringham as it is really fun, helps to improve your confidence and make new friends. I am also looking forward to the Music Tour next week!" 

We also showcased an amazing piano recital on Wednesday lunchtime and students around the school have enjoyed busking every day. What a fantastic amount of talent we have here at Sandringham School! We hope that everyone has enjoyed Arts Week!

Written by Elena H in Year 12

‘In order to make Culture Day on Friday 19th July the best it can be, we are requesting help from our school community. Pupils are encouraged to wear their cultural dress, which may include football shirts from their nation at this time and, if they wish to, model it in our fashion show. Should they not wear cultural dress the day will be non-uniform and payment  will be available on Parent Pay. They are also welcome to bring in dishes from home, or help to set up and run any stalls. Last year we had lots on offer, including henna, braiding, and traditional food. 

We would love for families to participate, whether it be cooking, organising your own stalls, or any other great ideas! Please do get in touch at the admin email address if you would like to help out.

As year 10 students have returned to school this week, wonderful feedback has poured in from employers.  There are too many to print, but here are a few examples:

• “It was a pleasure having Xavier… he is a great ambassador for your school”.
• “Just wanted to say it was an absolute joy having Aiden with us at Rennie Grove Peace last week”.
• “Julia enjoyed the week and was really engaged”.

Our photo is of Charlie, working hard in London.

Once again we congratulate the year 10 students for their fantastic working week.

A review of the Germany trip written by Harry L and Alex O’ N

On Day 1, after we got on the coaches at 5:30, we headed to Dover.Then we arrived at Calais and got back on the road to travelling through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It was a long day, and after arriving at the hotel in Rhineland we all ate a cold buffet for dinner and went to bed.

On Day 2, we went on a river cruise on the river Rhine. Afterwards we got back on the coaches and headed to Cochem. After arriving we all went around interviewing the local Germans. When we had finished the interview we went through the shops and  headed to the outdoor swimming pool which was fun. We then got back to the hotel we ate dinner and enjoyed some mini golf- a busy day!

Day 3 involved a 6:30 am wake up call! After Frühstück/breakfast we went out to Cologne to the chocolate museum. We walked around and ended up at the impressive Cologne Cathedral. There was also a vineyard trip, then early to sleep ready for Phantasialand.

On Day 4, We enjoyed 6 hours of free time at Phantasialand. There were many amazing rides such as Black Mamba, Taron and F.L.Y. After visiting Phantasialand we headed back to the hotel to party and get ready for the awards.

On Day 5, after waking up, packing and leaving to head back home we stopped at a Megamarket. It was a long journey back, but a great trip and nice to see our families when we got back. 

A massive thank you to everyone who came along to support the second hand uniform sale last weekend. The event raised a huge £2,200. Our best ever sale! All proceeds go to FOSS who will buy new equipment and support projects at the school so we are really grateful to Fo$S for all of their effort and to everyone who came along to support the sale. A big shout out to our amazing caretakers as well who shifted uniform in the buggy with a smile on their faces. 

As mentioned in the Headlines, this week was our Dance Unite Show. From rehearsals, to tech, to performance, all 165 students raised the bar on Wednesday evening. We hope everyone enjoyed watching the lifts, sequin jackets, BLUE, splits, musicals, Bollywood, exam work and much more!

It has been lovely to have professional dancers and ex-students return to Sandringham to deliver workshops to our dancers. From Hip Hop, to Commercial, and Musical Theatre, it's has been a lovely (and very sweaty!) dancing week! 

As mentioned in the Headlines- next week sees our Fit For Life week with a focus on Careers. This is week is always a popular one in school, designed to inform and inspire students about the benefits of physical activity and think about the various career paths available through studying sport- such as a becoming a sports marketing manager, health/wellbeing coach, PE teacher, sports technologist or a professional sports coach. During the week, there will be external speakers such as Sky Sports presenter Patrick Davidson, Emily Maclennan who works for Man City and Tommy Ardener who works in football. The week also gives students the chance to try new activities such as Japanese sword fighting, foot golf, ultimate frisbee, self defence, fitness sessions, water polo, softball and much more. On Tuesday we have our final Athletics fixture of the season, Wednesday is Sports Day, Thursday is more activities and Friday is our annual Charity Run where we aim  to raise more money for our chosen Charities. We hope that students enjoy the week, feel inspired, learn something new and raise money for worthy causes. 

Every Wednesday and Thursday a small group of students gather together to study Latin; they follow the Cambridge School Classics Project in pursuit of learning the Latin language and Roman civilisation. Why do they give up their free time? Is it for the sheer enjoyment of Mr McNally’s very funny jokes or is there a more serious motive?

One of our Year 11 students, Jessica R offered her view. “In Latin we focus on learning classical Latin through the lens of Roman civilization across what was the Roman Empire. For example, at the moment, we are focusing on the Romans in Britain, looking at the ‘client kings’ of the era, I realise how little we do know about them. Whilst Latin can be a very challenging language, in the class we have great levels of support and it makes learning the language fun and enjoyable. Latin is an interesting language to learn with lots of links to English, French, Spanish and more. It helps us to develop our critical thinking and logic. I recommend Latin to anyone particularly those who are interested in language and its structure”.

Studying Latin in school can offer numerous benefits across various disciplines and areas of personal development. Latin is the root of many Romance languages and learning it provides a solid foundation for understanding and mastering these languages. Many English words are derived from Latin which means studying it can help students understand the roots, prefixes, and suffixes of English words, thereby expanding their vocabulary and improving their comprehension and usage of English grammar.

It requires students to analyse carefully and translate texts, fostering logical thinking and attention to detail and provides a direct connection to Roman history, literature, philosophy, and law. This enriches students' understanding of Western civilisation and its foundations. Additionally learning the language requires discipline, and practice, which can help students develop a strong work ethic and study habits that are beneficial in all areas of education. Finally many classical works of literature, philosophy, and science were originally written in Latin. Reading these works in their original language allows students to appreciate their beauty and nuance more deeply.

Overall, studying Latin not only enriches students' understanding of language and culture but also equips them with valuable skills and knowledge that can benefit them in many areas of life. For more information about the course please contact McNallyP@sandringham.aat.school

This week for our Student Spotlight, we feature Caleb M in 8S who is achieving great things in Music. He has played the tuba and the piano since he was Primary 1 in Hong Kong. Last year, he gained a Merit for his Grade 8 ABRSM Tuba Exam, and this year he gained the Merit again for his Grade 7 ABRSM Piano Exam. What an amazing achievement for someone so young! He is not only the member of the School Sinfonia and Concert Band, but also an active member of St Albans Salvation Army Brass Band. And recently, he even joined The London Central Fellowship Band, becoming the youngest member ever. We appreciate his enthusiasm in music. Keep it up Caleb!

If you would like to nominate someone for the Student Spotlight next week, please email holianm@sandringham.aat.school

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?

The race for the top 4 is heating up with the current totals as follows:

1. Turing 19,511
2. Hepworth 18,136
3. Fawcett 18,133
4. Newton 17,956

Special mentions to Dylan S (8H) and George D (8H) for getting the most house points this week and Fawcett for the most house points overall. Next week it is all to play for as points are gathered on Sports Day! 

Drama Showcase!

Thank you to everyone who came to see our showcase, Pure Imagination! We are so proud of you all. What a fantastic round up of all your hard work from our Drama clubs this year. We hope to see lots of you next year in our Harry Potter focused clubs! 

Cast News

We posted the cast list for the Whole School Show earlier today. It has been very difficult for us to make decisions this year as you all did such a brilliant job! We loved seeing how enthusiastic you all were and want to say a big thank you for showing up for auditions! Please don't be discouraged if you didn't get a role this time - there will still be lots of exciting opportunities in Drama clubs next year. We hope to bring you more show news as the new academic year begins.

This week’s whole school theme prepares students for next week’s Fit 4 Life week. Fit 4 Life week has been a staple part of the school calendar for many years. It places an emphasis on the importance of physical activity for mental and physical health and encourages students to increase their participation in sport and exercise. The students received an excellent assembly from Director of Sport, Mr Keenleyside that advertised all of the additional activities that are running next week. This includes both Sports Day on Wednesday and the Charity Run on Friday. We encourage all students to walk or run the 7km and raise as much money as possible for our three school charities.

During E-Week, Rosie A and Rachel K completed their work experience at our french exchange school, Jean Monnet Collège. During the week they took part in assisting English, Geography and PE lessons. “It was an amazing experience where we immersed ourselves into the French school system” They felt that their French improved considerably, learning many new words. They also developed their teaching skills when supporting the students in their learning. Thank you so much to the staff at Jean Monnet Collège for hosting as they had an amazing time.

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: jovial

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: Gut gelaunt

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana: jacoso/a

Thinking Question:

• How can the language we speak shape the way we view the world?

Skye’s sister died last year in a tragic accident, so this summer Skye’s parents think that a camp for troubled teenagers might help her process her grief. All of the kids at the summer camp have lost someone close, but the last thing Sky wants to do is think about the past.But when Skye starts receiving text messages from someone pretending to be her dead sister, she knows the past can’t be avoided.

Someone at the camp is making sure of it – but who, and how far will they go?

Fanya P in 7T has recently read the book and comments: “The book was great. The characters were so well-developed and interesting, and the plot kept me engaged from beginning to end. I especially loved the unexpected twists and turns. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating read”

J is for ... jocose [adjective]

Definition: Humorous or liking to play.

Example: Daniel was a man of a jocose nature.

Synonyms: Jocular, Humorous, Playful

Antonyms: Boring, Humourless

Etymology: .From the Latin ‘iocus’ meaning jest or joke.

Congratulations to Nell McK for her selection into the county football team for next season. Fully deserved after a very impressive school campaign.

Well done to Luke C who took 3rd place in the 1500m in the Herts School competition. The team, including Harry W are now through to the National stage

Congratulations also to Margot K, who has been selected to represent @HertsSchoolsAA at the @SchoolAthletics  championships in July. This is the first time she has been selected and we wish her all the best in what will be an incredible experience.

The Y8 Cricket team have progressed into the Semi Final of the district cup after a win over a strong St George’s side by 3 wickets. MOM Toby R putting up a big 59 runs and 3 catches. Well done team!

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