Edge Grove Co-Curricular Newsletter Autumn Term 2023

Co-Curricular Newsletter Autumn Term 2023

Contents Message from Mr McManus

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Performing Arts - Music and Drama

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Sport

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Design & Technology

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Art

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Forest School

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Dates for Your Diary - Spring Term 2024

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Co-Curricular Contacts

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Message from Mr McManus Welcome to our very first co-curricular termly newsletter. Our pupils are so talented and achieve so much across all the cocurricular subjects that I felt that it was only right that we celebrate all these achievements at the end of each term.

I am extremely proud of our co-curricular subjects which are excellently managed by our Heads of Department who are always looking for new ways to encourage and engage your children to try something new and develop their already considerable skills. Engaging in areas of interest, but also developing a range of new skills and experience are vital tools to any pupil’s success in competing in the increasingly competitive outside world.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Karl Leutfeld for all his hard work in developing the Music Department over the last two and a half years as our Director of Music. I wish him all the best in his new venture, and very much look forward to Mr Dan Evans, our new Director of Music, continuing Mr Leutfeld’s excellent work.

I have been lucky enough to be able to watch a number of excellent Music and LAMDA Platforms this term as well as witness numerous successes on the sports fields. The outstanding production of Aladdin Trouble by Year 3 and 4 and the considerable creative output from our Art and Design & Technology departments, as well as great success in external art competitions, all demonstrate that our pupils are flourishing outside of the classroom, as well as within.

Your support as parents remains a vital part in the aspiration and ambition of all our pupils and I thank you for being there to encourage and motivate your children this term.

I hope that you and your families all have a very enjoyable festive break and we look forward to seeing you for the start of the Spring Term 2024 With very best wishes, Mr Brian McManus Assistant Head (Co-Curricular)

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Performing Arts Music and Drama In the realm of Performing Arts at Edge Grove, each term holds a unique significance. The Autumn Term, in particular, is a bustling, bright and busy period for the department, featuring several school events and numerous productions.

From the first week in September, preparations began for the whole-school Harvest Festival – an inclusive and diverse occasion during which we celebrated various cultures and religions and how each observes Harvest. Our youngest Junior pupils expressed their gratitude through song and movement, infusing the celebration with the spirit of Harvest, complete with plenty of fruit and vegetable-themed puns!

Performing Arts Ignite Fellows The newly formed Performing Arts Ignite Fellows had many spotlight moments to read and present during the range of events we had this term.

Performing Arts Fellows consist of pupils in the Senior Department who are further stretched and challenged outside of the classroom. Keavy, a Year 7 pupil who is an Ignite Fellow and soon to star in Mary Poppins Jr comments “I really enjoy being a Performing Arts Ignite Fellow as it gives me a sense of both responsibility and pride. I act as a role model to the younger pupils in their productions as well as getting to take part in performances for example: Matilda Jr last year. Being a Performing Arts Ignite Fellow is character building and I have lots of opportunities. I’m very much looking forward to Mary Poppins Jr next year performing alongside pupils in Years 4-8”.

Let’s talk LAMDA! We had two opportunities for pupils to showcase their Verse and Prose pieces to an audience this term during a morning LAMDA Platform.

Our Performing Arts Departmental Mission, which aligns with the overall Mission of the School ‘Integrity, Independence & Inspiration’, is to foster in ALL Edge Grove pupils the following key skills: Creativity Confidence Communication Concentration Collaboration Co-operation LAMDA examinations enhance children's development of crucial abilities in communication, expression, and performance, nurturing their creativity and confidence within a focused and collaborative setting.

We have had some fantastic achievements recently with 33 examination entrants. Of these, 24 passed with Distinction and nine passed with Merit. Eight pupils received high distinctions (90 or above out of 100). The top mark was 96 which Arhaan J and Sara LP achieved!

Well done to you all!

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ABRSM Music Examinations

Purcell School Trip

The Music Department is delighted to announce the successful participation of over 20 pupils in this term's ABRSM music examinations. It is with great pleasure that we report ALL candidates passed their assessments.

Recently, a select group of our young musicians from Edge Grove had the privilege of visiting the world-renowned Purcell School, conveniently located just a few minutes' drive from our own school.

Special commendation is extended to Aariya T for achieving a Distinction, an accomplishment that highlights both her dedication and talent. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our pupils and the supportive environment fostered within our Department.

There, they attended a short yet incredibly enriching 20-minute lunchtime recital, performed by exceptionally talented young musicians. This experience, immersed in beautiful classical music, was particularly significant as it allowed our pupils to witness live performances by children not much older than themselves. Such opportunities are crucial in inspiring our young musicians, reinforcing the importance and joy of live music. The visit proved to be truly inspiring, offering a unique perspective and a memorable experience for our pupils.

Music Platforms This term, our music platforms have provided wonderful opportunities for budding musicians to demonstrate their talents. We began with the All Comers’ event, an inclusive and slightly more formal after-school concert at the start of the year, where every musician was encouraged to perform.

Following this, we had the Piano Platform this halfterm, a dedicated event for our pianists to take centre stage. The performers excelled not only in their musical renditions but also in their presentation skills, confidently introducing their pieces and sharing interesting facts with the audience.

Complementing these, we were also very pleased to host two Morning Platforms, which offered a slightly less formal setting, yet were equally engaging. These morning sessions have proven to be an absolutely fantastic way to start a Monday, bringing a vibrant and inspiring start to the week.

The combination of exceptional performances and polished presentation skills across all events made them a highlight of our music calendar.

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Remembrance Service Shortly after the half-term break we held our Remembrance Service offering a solemn opportunity for reflection, blending readings and music to commemorate this poignant occasion.

The presence of different faith leaders at this event added to its significance.

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Year 3 and Year 4 Production of Aladdin Trouble Luke, who played Widow Twankey, comments “I have enjoyed watching the performance come to life over the rehearsal period and taking ideas from my peers. I have learnt how to turn from Luke into Widow Twankey and become an over exaggerated and comedic character on stage using my facial expressions, body language and voice!”

With two sold out performances, and the entire School watching the dress rehearsal, there is no doubt that this production proved a highlight of the 2023 Drama calendar. Once again, we have witnessed children bringing a Pantomime to life with energy and effervescence.

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Nursery and Junior Department Nativity Plays The Junior Department has been a hub of excitement as each year group (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) have been eagerly preparing for their Nativity production. All four performances provided very special memories for the children as they all featured songs, costumes and some wonderful acting skills.

The incredible impact this has on our youngest pupils’ confidence at such a young age is remarkable.

Nursery

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Reception

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Year 1

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Year 2

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The Drama Curriculum In the realm of the drama curriculum, Year 6 pupils began the term by immersing themselves in the fundamental concept of 'play' within the theatrical tradition. Engaging in a variety of drama activities and games, they are not only having fun but also honing essential life skills, including focus, confidence, teamwork, spontaneity, trust, imagination, and the capacity to overcome inhibitions – all essential skills needed at a Drama Scholarship Assessment Day. In the words of Peter Brook, 'To play requires much effort, but when we perceive this effort as play, it ceases to be work. A play is truly a play.

Year 5 pupils explored The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe following their study of the novel in English lessons last term. They have used their knowledge and comprehension of the story to bring scenes to life on stage, focusing on a commitment to character development.

I greatly look forward to the Spring Term being just as creative, with lots of plans in store, including Edge Grove’s Got Talent; Early Years’ Spring Concert; An Evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein with Year 5; the beginning of Mary Poppins Jr rehearsals!

I look forward to sharing these events with you, and in the meantime wish all our pupils and families a wonderful festive break - see you back at School in January!

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Sport It has been an incredibly successful term for our pupils on the sports fields, courts and astros! This does beg the question as to what is success in sport? For me, success is based on progress; we cannot just win games because we expect to win. Winning comes as a result of hard work, sportsmanship, determination, resilience and teamwork. Our pupils, with the help and support of our excellent sports staff, have shown this and have managed to complete one of our best hockey and football seasons in a number of years.

If you look at the results across all age groups and all sports we have had some incredible achievements. I would really encourage parents to talk to their children about which sports they have enjoyed at school and investigate enrolling your child into at least one sports club outside of school, regardless of what sport it is. The Sports Department Handbook (available on the Edge Grove App) does have links to a number of different clubs which is a good starting point for parents.

Football This has been an excellent term for our footballers, with our 1st team and all our Colts teams having successful seasons. The 1st team only lost twice with one of those loses being a 1 - 0 loss against a team that got through to the semi-final of the national finals. Special mention must go to the U9A team who beat Lochinver House in their first game of the season which is an excellent result.

The highlight of the season was the U10 boys futsal team who played in the St Martin's tournament in September. Having never played futsal before the boys adapted well and dominated the tournament being undefeated and won the tournament to come home with the trophy.

Further success followed when Nathaniel H was voted MVP. Well done to Ethan, Freddie, Tommaso, Oliver, Henry, Ishaq, John and Daniel. Following on the success of this, we will be running our own futsal league at lunch times next term!

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Hockey Our hockey teams have made outstanding progress and the results have been fabulous. Our U10 teams have led the way showing huge potential and our U9 and U8 teams have improved beyond expectations.

The U11A IAPS Hockey tournament is always an exciting day of hockey and this year's team performed exceptionally well. We played five games and came out with four wins and one loss, this took us through to the quarter finals, when the final whistle blew the score was 0-0, after five minutes’ extra time the score still stood at 0-0 which led to penalty flicks. After the first two penalties the score stood at 2-2 however we then missed a shot and missed a save, this meant that we narrowly missed the semi-finals. The whole team demonstrated incredible teamwork and communication skills throughout the whole day and we are already looking ahead to next year.

Basketball Huge congratulations must go to our U11 basketball team who won the district competition and qualified to play in the county finals. This is a really exciting event with a girls team starting the first half of the match and then the second half is played by a boys team. In the finals the team performed extremely well, winning four of their matches and drawing one. We finished tied for first place in our pool and unfortunately finished second by virtue of points difference. As there was no semi-final we went through to the third place playoff and won this to finish third overall which is a fantastic achievement. With the team we drew within our pool winning the final comfortably we do feel that we deserved even better, however the team and Mr Aitchison should be very proud of their fantastic achievement. Finishing third in the county is an outstanding result! Well done to Taylor, Chloe, Alexis, Kavya, Amelie, Julia, Zara, Noham, Aiden, Isaac, Max and Blake H. Our senior basketball team has also had an excellent season with the A team winning all of the matches they have played, including impressive wins against Aldwickbury and Lochinver House.

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Table Tennis Our table tennis teams have again performed incredibly well, with our Under 11 girls’ team and Under 13 boys’ team both winning the District Competitions to qualify for the County Finals.

In the County Final, our U11 girls’ team did extremely well; however, our Number 2 seed was absent on the day and this really made the difference. We missed playing in the semi-finals on count back which was unfortunate as we won our 5th place play-off with ease.

Well done to Kavya, Alexis, Zara, Taylor and Amelie.

The boys’ team also played well and missed out on playing in the semi-final by an even closer margin. Although disappointed not to win the event, the boys should be proud of their achievement in making the County Finals. Well done to Isaac, Tobi, Karsten, Kamil and Kaelan.

Don’t forget, you can keep up to date with Edge Grove’s sporting news on Instagram

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Design & Technology D&T Scholarship Activities Year 6-8 pupils in the D&T Scholarship activity have been working on a project to make desk tidies out of plywood and acrylic. They had to draw their designs to scale and incorporate at least one wood joint: butt joint or mitre joint.

Year 8 Lessons The Year 8s have been working on creating SketchUp CAD models and then into scaled card models of their clock designs. Pupils have been accurately drawing their CAD models to scale using a variety of different tools to create their unique designs. They have all chosen to base their projects on a GCSE Design Movement as part of the project design brief.

Pupils used a wide range of tools and equipment in the workshop to manufacture their final product, such as the scroll saw, belt sander and coping saw.

They then visited Year 2 to present their project, speaking confidently about the processes and machinery used. It was an inspiring presentation to which the Year 2 pupils listened with great engagement, excited to learn more about what D&T has to offer in the Senior Department.

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Year 7 Year 7s have been working on creating SketchUp CAD models with a biomimicry theme for their 3D printing project. Pupils have been accurately drawing their CAD models to scale using a variety of tools to create their unique designs. They have also rendered their models to provide a realistic visual representation of their prototypes - a brilliant effort from the Year 7s and one they should be very proud of!

They then visited Year 1 to present their recent D&T project they have been working on this term. They explained how they made their 3D printing projects, using a 3D printer and the reasons for their chosen biomimicry influence. It was inspiring to hear the Year 7s speaking confidently about their D&T and the Year 1s really enjoyed listening and asking lots of interesting questions.

D&T Clubs It has been a busy few weeks in the D&T Scholarship group and D&T clubs with pupils making and creating large props for the Aladdin production. All pupils have worked very hard and demonstrated resilience and great independence with the props they have made.

Year 1 visit to the D&T workshop Year 1 pupils then in turn visited the D&T workshop to see and understand what happens in D&T. The Year 7s did a fantastic job at demonstrating and talking about different tools, machines and materials that are used in the workshop.

The pupils were shown the pillar drill, belt sander, scroll saws, coping saw, plywood, acrylic and 3D printers. All the Year 1s listened attentively and even got to have a go at using some of the tools! All the pupils were buzzing from the experience and are really looking forward to visiting again soon!

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D&T trip to Harrow School

Extra D&T Projects - Summer holiday D&T Making

This term, Miss Ni’Man organised for the D&T Scholarship group to visit the D&T Department at Harrow School for a workshop.

Over the summer holidays, some pupils continued to explore and expand their D&T knowledge and skills through visiting galleries and manufacturing products.

The pupils were given a tour of the department and were shown a wide range of new manufacturing processes, machines and CAD softwares including pewter casting, laser cutting, Onshape for 3D model making, a lathe, a milling machine and a CNC router.

Chase, Year 7 D&T Scholar made a workbench out of plywood using lots of different tools and equipment in his workshop space at home, before turning his hand to designing and manufacturing a new office table for the Sports Department. Chase used plywood for the table and created a stencil of the school logo to spray paint in the middle of the table.

The pupils were able to design and laser cut some decorations (in time for Christmas!), make a keyring that had been pewter casted in the Foundry, and they each received a 3D printed Santa. The pupils were so impressed by the facilities on offer, and it was a great experience for them to see D&T in a secondary school setting. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable trip for the pupils.

When he brought it into school, Mr McManus was extremely impressed with the new table that he awarded Chase a Head’s Commendation for Independence for his work - see Mr McManus enjoying his table on page 2

Read more about the trip here

Grayson in Year 6 describes how he made his D&T swing project: “I wanted to make a swing using materials from home, as I really enjoy D&T. I used an A-frame to hold the swing together and made it out of wooden skewers, match sticks, lollipop sticks and blue elastic plastic.”

D&T/Environment Project Pupils have been busy planning and designing their D&T/Environment projects as part of the Edge Grove Diploma.

Pupils have some up with some very creative ideas that can help improve the School community and environment. These include a bird hotel, flower bed shaped as a flower, nature feeder, compost bins and a squirrel B&B! The pupils have started to make card models to help them visualise the product in 3D and identify any problems before they officially start making the projects in the Spring Term.

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Art Nurturing Creative Minds, Inspiring Artistic Futures It has been another fabulous term in the Art Room, with numerous successes and highlights to share with you!

As always, I am wowed by the incredible talent, enthusiasm, and creativity of our pupils, who have thrown themselves into their lessons after school activities and external competitions with such passion, again delivering some fabulous outcomes and results.... .

Competitions A Creative Challenge: Designing the Radlett Christmas Light Switch-On Poster The start of the festive season brought with it exciting opportunities for our pupils to showcase their creativity.

One of these was the task to create a piece of artwork for the front cover of the Around Radlett magazine for which the prize was the honour of turning on the Radlett Christmas Lights! Congratulations to Hridhaan (Year 4) whose colourful design was chosen as the winner!

Borehamwood Competition

Indian

Cultural

Society

Diwali

Art

Two of our pupils in Year 1 and Year 5 won prizes in the annual Borehamwood Indian Cultural Society Children’s Diwali Art Competition. This competition offers a wonderful opportunity for the young artists to showcase their creativity and foster togetherness and inclusiveness within our vibrant Hertsmere community.

Artists were invited to submit artwork on the following themes Me and My Environment, My Favourite Festival or a Rangoli Pattern. Congratulations to Anaisha and Prithvika who won second the third prizes respectively, and thank you to everyone who submitted an entry.

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Edge Grove Artists also entered the Go Ape Christmas card competition, The Big Issue competition and The Salvation Army Christmas card competition as well as creating illustrated Haiku poems on the theme of family for the Japan Society.

Pupils also enjoyed taking part in a Lego competition, and enjoyed constructing a range of Christmas-themed Lego creations...

Elsewhere, pupils threw themselves into the David Shepherd Endangered Animal competition. Here is a sample from pupils aged 7 to 11

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Closer to home, our internal competition to design the School’s Christmas Card was won by Shaina (Year 5) and the Aladdin programme cover by Sia (Year 4). Well done to you both!

Edge Grove Work on Display in Radlett If you are in Radlett over the Christmas Holidays, do pop into the Brass Monkey Cafe and see works of art by Edge Grove artists on display!

Aladdin Set Painting This backdrop was designed in memory of John Walton (1925-2023), an Edge Grove alumni and former Art Teacher, who died earlier this year. John played a significant role in creating the backdrop for Edge Grove's production of Aladdin in 1952. In remembrance of his artistic contributions and endeavours, we committed to faithfully replicating his work as our backdrops for this year’s performance. This tribute has been brought to life through the artistic talents of Mrs Green, helped by some of our Art Ignite pupils.

Read more about Mr Walton here

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Spreading Kindness in our Community Recognising the fact that over Christmas, not everyone is lucky enough to be surrounded by family and friends, Edge Grove artists have been creating works of art to help put a smile on someone's face at Christmas time.

In turn, these pieces, complete with a happy message on the reverse, were given to patients in Watford Hospital Children’s Ward and with residents in Elton House Care Home.

The Big Draw Challenge 2023 The Big Draw is a worldwide celebration of drawing and each year runs a competition open to artists pupils of any ages. The theme this year was “drawing with senses” and Edge Grove pupils set about producing artwork for the blind.

They created a range of textured artwork for the blind people of Watford to enjoy, using a variety of materials and learning about Braille as they did so.

Peace Doves at St Albans’ Abbey In January, the Peace Doves, created as part of our Remembrance Day art installation, will be relocating to St Albans’ Abbey to be displayed as part of the 'Peace Doves’ large-scale art installation created by Sculptor, Peter Walker. The installation will be made from approximately 10,000 hanging paper doves which will be in St Albans Cathedral from 3rd January – 13th February 2024.

Lit and set to music by Composer David Harper, this atmospheric piece of artwork has been designed to involve mass community participation. You can read more about the display here

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In the Art Room...

Art Industry Links

Within lessons pupils have been working hard on a wide range of activities - here is just a snapshot of all the wonderful work that has been happening in the Art Studio this term...

We continue to collaborate with artists in a wide variety of creative industries around the world, who have shared their work with us; this term alone, we have received videos from:

Year 4 and year 7 created monster worry boxes for Junior school (Mental Health Day); Diploma pupils recorded bedtime stories for the Junior Department, reading exciting art stories The Art Department collaborated with Forest School to create the wooden crosses for our Remembrance Day Service and art installation, learning how to cut wood and knot - thank you Mrs Doughty!

Year 3 have been looking at the New Zealand Wow Show and started to create their own wearable art fashion illustrations Inspired by Sarah Graham, Year 4 have produced some excellent artwork based on sweets Year 7 have started working on textile art, using sewing machines for the first time Art Scholars are working on analytical presentations about famous artists Art Ignite Cubs and Art Scholars are working on a flipbook challenge Edge Grove Diploma pupils ran a Comic Book Club for younger pupils; House Calligram competition - creating artwork from handwriting.

Chris Bordenca (USA) who creates artwork from toys Melanie Paice, art lecturer Judy Century, professional painter Faye Bridgewater, landscape artist Sarah Graham, “sweetie” artist Jim Cascarina, animator Annabelle Losa, mixed media art Kiran Patel, digital textiles designer Anna Burnham (Australia), illustrator Nicola Cairns, Portrait artist Christopher Green, hyper-realistic painter Alexa Meade (USA) - 3D art James Willis, architectural artist

And much, much more!

Don’t forget, you can keep up to date with Edge Grove’s Art Department on Instagram

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Forest School

Having the freedom to roam in our small woodland area gives our pupils so many different opportunities, complementing all that goes on in the classroom. This term has been no exception - although the weather has certainly been exceptional, with the high of 28 degrees in September plummeting to -1 in the last weeks of term!

I, alongside our class Learning Assistants, Mrs Green and of course, our Forest School Assistant, Scoobie, have observed so many special moments this term, as we do every term. From the peaceful activity of creating spirals to the joyful noise of producing music, each child makes their own valuable contribution.

But it takes more than a bit of adverse weather to derail your remarkable children’s enjoyment of our outdoor space, and each Forest School session sees them arriving excited and ready for action, whatever the weather may have in store for them!

Our time in Forest School not only has an important role to play in connecting children with nature, but it gives them the opportunity to take calculated risks in a safe environment, and hone their skills of resourcefulness, resilience and responsibility.

Freedom, time and space in the woods allow children to demonstrate and develop independence and leadership, and give them opportunities to experience success in a natural, relaxed environment.

A wonderful term - but I for one am looking forward to some warmer sessions in the Spring Term!

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Coming next term...

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Next Term at Edge Grove Wishing all our families a wonderful festive break, and we look forward to seeing pupils back at School in January for another term, packed full of co-curricular events and opportunities; here are just a few co-curricular dates for your diary - more details to follow at the start of term - but please do always refer to the Edge Grove App for the most up to date calendar of events:

Date

Event

Friday 5 January

Inter-house Cross Country

Thursday 11 January

York House Cross Country (Year 3 and 4)

Tuesday 23 January

Purcell School Visit (Year 5 and 6 invitation)

Friday 26 January

Beechwood Park Cross Country (Year 3 - 8)

Saturday 27 January

Orley Farm U13 Basketball Tournament (Year 7 and 8 A and B)

Monday 29 January

Morning Music Platform

Friday 2 February

Strings and Guitar Platform (1645-1745)

Wednesday 7 February

York House Dodgeball Festival (Y6) Nursery “A Starry Night”

Sunday 11 February

Hertfordshire schools Individual Table Tennis Qualification Competition

Monday 12 February

LAMDA Platform Year 3 - 8 (0830 - 0900)

Tuesday 13 February

IAPS Swimming Regional Qualifiers at Aldwickbury (Year 5-7)

Thursday 15 February

Inter-House Rugby and Netball (Year 3 - 4)

Friday 16 February

Edge Grove’s Got Talent Final (1700- 1830)

HALF TERM

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Edge Grove Co Curricular Contacts Please use the contact details below to contact members of Co-Curricular staff at Edge Grove@

Assistant Head (Co-Curricular) Mr Brian McManus - bmcmanus@edgegrove.com

Director of Music Mr Daniel Evans - music@edgegrove.com

Director of Drama Miss Justine Saville - drama@edgegrove.com

Head of Art Miss Laura Harkin - art@edgegrove.com

Head of Design & Technology Miss Sandy Ni’Man - dt@edgegrove.com

Head of Forest School Miss Mim Doughty - forestschool@edgegrove.com

Activities Co-ordinator Mrs Heather Wood - activites@edgegrove.com

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