We have been made aware that parents are having difficulty accessing their child’s timetable on the “new” updated My Child At School App. Our data team have raised the issue with Bromcom, who have assured us that they are looking into it. We apologise for any inconvenience caused in the meantime and hope that the problem is rectified quickly.

A warm welcome back to students and especially the new Year 7s who have had a brilliant week collecting house points. Every week in the Sandprint, we have a section for House News including students who have gained the most house points that week, the house leading for points overall and any house events that have taken place/ are coming up.

Fawcett take an early lead for the start of the 2024-25 academic year with an impressive 370 points. Hepworth and Elgar are second and third with 239 and 237 points respectively. Special mentions this week go to Max D and Harry W in 11F both with 10 points.

UPCOMING EVENTS  

• Staff 'Tug of war'
• House Assemblies
• Year 7 House Leader elections

We are looking forward to seeing the new Year 7's and their families at the welcome BBQ next Friday. If you've not yet bought your ticket please do so through this link. Tickets must be ordered by 4pm on Monday 9th September.

If you would like to join our friendly Fo$S team (Friends of Sandringham School/ PTA) meeting dates for the year are below. We will include more information on these nearer the time.

As we start the new term, we are aware that some students may need additional support for their wellbeing. Performance Directors/Form Tutors are a first point of contact for signposting any concerns. Our student wellbeing support team includes Mrs Coyne Student Wellbeing Manager, who is based in D Block and Mrs Lovett Pupil Premium Co-Ordinator who is based in the SLA and the Sanctuary lunchtime club in H block is also a club which students can sign up to attend. 

We would also like to highlight two 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. This is an excellent service for those experiencing difficulties, so if you would like to find out more, please visit the website or speak to Mrs Coyne in the SLA.

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. Signing up is easy and doesn’t require a referral from a professional. You can visit The Sandbox website or click here to find out more details.

The picture above includes a useful list of services students can access, should they be feeling overwhelmed. 

If you are new to the school, every week in the Sandprint we feature a student who has gone above and beyond. This can be in the field of sport, the arts, science, academia, in the community- or any area where they have excelled. Teachers can nominate students or parents/carers can contact holianm@sandringham.aetrust.uk with a few details and/or photographs. We look forward to showcasing the amazing students we have at Sandringham over the coming year.

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?

From school surveys it is clear 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, 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. 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.”

Classes will start 12th September, 2024. They are held after school in K3, starting at 15.10. and finishing by 16.00, students from all years are welcome to come along for a taster session. If this has whetted your appetite and you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please contact Paul McNally directly via email mcnallyp@sandringham.aetrust.uk

Dance clubs start on Monday 9th September, sign up on SOCS now!

Dance auditions are as follows:

• Tuxedo Hip Hop company – all years and genders, 5.30pm-7.30pm
• SYCD (contemporary) – Y10-13, all genders, 5-7pm
• TripleEdge contemporary – Y7-9, all genders, 3.15-4.30pm

Welcome to academic year 2024-25 from the Careers Team at Sandringham School. We look forward to offering many exciting opportunities to all of the students this year, including speaker events, mock interviews and work experience. You can follow all of the updates @SandCareers and also read our weekly updates in the Sandprint.

A big well done to year 8 to starting the year and gaining 595 house points just this week. A special shout out to Leo S in 8N for achieving the most house points this week and to form 8E for the highest form group average. Clubs start next week and it will be great to see as many students signed up as possible! Let's ensure we continue to smash the year by having all of our equipment, uniform and attitude correct. Miss Arif is proud of you all already!

The LRC would like to welcome all new students! We are open at break, lunch and after school and are located upstairs in K block. Students are welcome to browse our collection and borrow books. Books are issued on a three week loan after which students can choose to renew or return their books. If you need any help finding or selecting a book, do ask a librarian! Our large selection of books can also be browsed online through MySandstorm, Accessit – Learning Resource Centre. Librarians will be running LRC induction sessions for Yr 7 students during English lessons this half-term but you don’t need to wait for your induction session to borrow a book. We can’t wait to meet you, hear what you’ve read over the summer, and what you are planning to read next! Well done to Rasmus D, Timothy H, and Isla C, all in 7T, who were the first year 7 students to borrow a book at break time on Tuesday.

Year 7 have made a great start already finding their way around the school, enjoying lessons and making new friends. Chromebooks will be issued next week along with logins so that you can access Goggle Classroom. A reminder for parents that Peaks Trip information evening is Thursday 12th September at 17:30. Parents and pupils are to attend please! The trip itself is the w/c 23rd. You will have recieved a letter as to the timings for A and B half. Keep up the great work Year 7! 

It has been a busy week taking the individual photographs of our 1,400 Year 7-12 students. (Year 13 will have the opportunity to have their photographs taken later in the year.) Your child will have been given a form from VanCols with a link to register for updates of when they are ready to purchase. This should be in the next few weeks. If your child has lost their form, please wait until Monday 16th September to contact the admin email address as by then we should have a list of all the codes and will be able to provide the details for ordering.

A is for ... abhor [verb]

Definition: To regard with disgust and hatred.

Example:  I abhor sexism in every form. 

Synonyms: Detest, Loathe, Despise

Antonyms: Admire, Approve, Enjoy

Etymology: The word's Latin source, the verb abhorrēre, comes from the prefix ab- ("from, away") and the verb horrēre ("to bristle, shiver, or shudder").

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Karson who swam at the National Swimming Champs during the summer and achieved 2nd Place in the 50m Breaststroke

Above is a list of the upcoming fixtures scheduled so far. You can follow all the up to date results @SandringhamPE

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