Habs Boys Middle School Bulletin - March 2024

Head of Middle School’s message

We have enjoyed a range of enriching assemblies this half term with fantastic student leadership modelled, celebration of successes, raising awareness of important issues and musical enchantment.

We welcomed Brook to Habs on 12 March who delivered lessons to Year 9 on Relationships, Sex and Health Education and an introduction to Sexual Health and Consent Students engaged positively with these important sessions and listened attentively

Our Year 11 students have been leading the path and impressing with their hard work as they prepare for the GCSEs; they have heard from different colleagues to help continue preparations with a specific focus on revision strategies. Further information and revision advice is included in the following pages. We are also looking ahead with Years 9 and 10 towards their internal exams next term and developing revision skills. We have been joined by Elevate Education who delivered training workshops on study skills supporting our students in learning effectively.

Spring has certainly arrived at Elstree and I am grateful to Joel S (9J) for his design of this edition’s front cover: a drawing of daffodils from his front garden – thank you, Joel I am looking forward to accompanying Year 10 students to Valencia with the Spanish department over the Easter holiday and exploring the city and culture for the first time. To all students enjoying school trips over the break, I hope they go brilliantly, and you have lots of fun.

Wishing you and your families a restful holiday and to all our students revising and consolidating schoolwork a purposeful and positive time.

With best wishes,

Mr Adam Lawrence Head of Middle School

Notices – Keeping Valuables Safe

“Stealing is forbidden” (School Rules)

Habs is a safe and secure environment for all However, we have become aware that a number of thefts have taken place recently and we write to share this in the spirit of openness and transparency so that as a community we can work together to keep students and belongings safe.

In our last Middle School bulletin, a notice was shared that encouraged students to use lockers to store valuable items and set out what we advise against being brought into school

Over the last few weeks, we have been notified of a handful of thefts from changing rooms and are reviewing and putting into place further measures to minimise opportunities of theft in these areas While these are being put in place, please note the following pieces of advice to keep valuable items safe:

• Any valuable items brought to school must be locked in a locker.

• Do not bring personal items of value to school that you would be upset if they went missing

• Do not leave any valuables in blazer pockets in changing rooms

• Everything should be labelled in the hope that it can be returned if it goes missing (this includes a label on mobile phones / cases / headphones).

• Do not bring cash into school unless essential and there should be no occasion for bringing more than £20

• If any students have an exceptional reason for bringing a valuable item into school and it does not fit in a locker, they are welcome to speak with Mr Lawrence who can store it in a locked office for the day.

• If you have information on any thefts, you can speak with any member of staff or submit via our anonymous reporting system

• Stealing is a breach of the School Rules and if a student is caught stealing, the school sanctions will be very serious Stealing is a criminal offence which may be reported to the police

Notices – Attendance and Absence

Improving attendance is everyone’s business

Attendance is the essential foundation to positive outcomes for all pupils. We aim to build relationships with families, to listen and understand barriers to attendance, and to work with families to remove them.

Our target attendance rate is 95% excluding study leave We monitor attendance patterns and trends Where a pattern of absence is at risk of becoming problematic, we will support students and parents by working together to address any in-school barriers to attendance Where absence intensifies, so will the support provided, which will require the School to work in tandem with the local authority and other relevant partners.

Please be reminded of the following:

• Parents wishing to take their child out of school for an appointment which is less than half a day should write to their child’s Form Tutor and the absence email address: Absences@habsboys org uk as far as possible in advance and by the very latest by 8 35am on the morning of the absence

• For exceptional reasons (such as attending a funeral or wedding, religious observance, elective surgery, or involvement in a regional or national extracurricular competition) which require absence of longer than a half day, parents must seek authorisation for the absence by writing to the Head of Section (Mr Lawrence) in advance of the proposed date(s) of absence Mr Lawrence will confirm whether the circumstances meets the definition of ‘exceptional circumstances’ for which leave of absence may be granted by the School.

• For absence requests more than one day, absence needs to be requested in advance by writing to the Headmaster (HM@habsboys org uk)

• Absence to fly overseas for a holiday is not an exceptional circumstance and will not be authorised by the school

Middle School Commendations

Commendations were awarded this half term to Middle School students for displaying our school values Students encouraged to strive towards collecting commendation for each of four school values

Students pastries with Mr Lawrence present the following

Courage

Ariel K 9H2

Curiosity

Jai B 11R2

Kian H 10H1

Kian B 10M2

Charlie F 9C1

Zachary O 9C2

Aarav R 9C2

James B 9H1

Daniel H 9H1

Rugved M 9H1 x 2

Veer S 9H1

Ankush V 9H1 x 2

Zaki G 9M1

Joseph L 9R1

Tobiloba A 9R2 x 2

Ambition

Krish K 11C2

Yuhki N 11H2

Kian B 11J2

Vikas K 11J2

Shravan S 11M

Patrick O 10H2

Ashish G 10J1

Nathan P 10J2

Arthur S 10R1

Oliver B 10R2

Chester W 10R2

Murilo K 10S2

Samuel R 9M2

Braveen B 9S2

Community

Milan T 11R1

Reuben K 10H1

Joshua M 10H1

Ashish G 10J1 x 2

Ayush G 10J2 x 2

Jacob S 10M2

Luke C 9J2

A celebration of Credits

We have been so pleased to recognise, celebrate and reward students for a wide array of efforts and achievements using our new rewards system of credits, alongside our Middle School Commendations The following students have received 10 or more credits and have been enjoying their Joe’s café voucher rewards! A full list of Credit recipients is on the next four pages

50+

Hugh P 9H1

40+

Reuben K 10H1

Aarav R 10H2

Holden C 10J1

Maanav N 10S2

Ankush V 9H1

Daniel H 9H1

Noel W 9H1

Suraj S 9M2

Saanidh B 9R2

30+

Ishan C 11H2

Yuhki N 11H2

Rian S 11M1

Nathan F 11R2

Yuvraj A 10C2

Kian H 10H1

Zach T 10H1

Joshua M 10H1

Arav B 10H2

20+

Albert L 11C2

Mekyle N 11H2

Alexander J 11J2

Joshua N 11J2

Rudra S 11M1

Saahil P 11M1

Oliver O 11M1

Ziqiu C 11R2

Jack G 11S1

Arjun R 10C1

Utkarsh K 10H1

Zakir H 10H1

Aaryan A 10H2

Aaron S 10H2

Francesco P 10H2

Zhenxuan F 10H2

Kush S 10J2

Shiven J 10H2

William H 10J1

Nithushan K 10M2

Richard Z 10R1

Dinil R 10S2

Charlie F 9C1

Ryan M 9C1

Ishan V 9C1

Joseph W 10J2

Rahul T 10J2

Blake S 10M1

Sohan P 10M1

Matthews N 10M1

Vivaan C 10M2

Obafemi A 10M2

Samit V 10R1

Joe K 10R1

Ravi K 10R2

Oliver B 10R2

Oliver P 10S1

Shaunak G 10S2

Noaz H 10S2

Rayan S 9C1

Joshua C 9C1

Chukwuma O 9C2

Rugved M 9H1

Veer S 9H1

William H 9H1

Alexander F 9H1

Keane M 9H1

Naftali R 9H2

Benjamin P 9J1

Aarav R 9C2

Aidan C 9C2

Shaurya M 9C2

Zachary O 9C2

Shayan D 9H1

Arnav C 9H1

Thushanth G 9H2

Aarav T 9H2

Ruwan D 9H2

Jonathan K 9H2

David T 9H2

Charlsantony K 9H2

Ariel K 9H2

Maximillian G 9J1

Victor S 9J1

Aarav T 9J2

Tobey S 9J1

Sharanjan M 9J1

Yash S 9J2

Zaki G 9M1

Harry C 9M2

Joseph L 9R1

Atharv S 9R2

Lucas M 9S1

Kyan M 9J2

Vivek K 9M1

Christian P 9M1

Advait T 9M1

Oliver S 9M2

Zac W 9M2

Avighnan J 9M2

Sanhith D 9R2

Luca F 9R2

Isaac C 9R2

Ludwig J 9R2

Harrison L 9S1

Aamir S 9S1

Mirzan D 9S2

Eshaan T 9S2

Jaiden J 9S2

A celebration of Credits

Y9 Recipients of 10 Credits

Year 9 Calverts

Arya F

Christopher C

Hamza M

Lucas C

Louis S

Joseph N

Zyad M

Jie X

Hayyan C

Ayan T

Joseph S

Shay P

Harry T

Jai P

Year 9 Hendersons

Theodoros K

Felix Z

James B

James C

Oiiver A

Year 9 Joblings

Arkansh P

Amar M

Risvithan M

Ahren D

Kyle G

Jacob S

Kaspar V R-D

Vivaan S

Oscar B

Zachary T

Aran T

Ethan L

Luke C

Chengwen L

James F

Joel S

Year 9 Meadows

Xuehan S

Aaron N-S

Nikhil V

Eesa D

Noah W

Felix A

Abhirath C

Roshan M

Andrew L-R

Samuel R

Adetayo A

Alexander M

Alexander P

Year 9 Russells

Oluwatobiloba O

Oscar R

Oluwalani J

Daivik B

Tarun S

Samuel H

Aron H

Shenul D S

Ogoyimika A

Arun B

Aaron P

Rohan P

Gabriel M

Rex Z

Tobiloba A

Ryan N

Ethan F

Noah N

Raphael S

Year 9 Strouts

Adhith P

Maximilian S

Drew P

Rohaan C

Jay S

Ronny G

James L

Joshua W

Zach R

Alexander J

A celebration of Credits

Y10 Recipients of 10 Credits

Year 10 Calverts

Rishi T

Paris K

Keshav K

Hugo P

Philip M

Lucas A

Shay P

Vivaan D

Arya M

Hari D

Adam M

Year 10 Hendersons

Moksh P

Aarav S

Liad R

Patrick O’C

Year 10 Joblings

Ashish G

Clement B

Daniel G-J

Cormack H

Jai H

Kalum K

Harry K

Nathan P

Danyal A

Yash S

Cheran S

Aaryan J

Ayush G

Year 10 Meadows

Ravjoth B

Daniel R

Shreyas S

Marcus L

Ansor D

Thakshveen T

Jacob S

Kian B

Joshua B

Year 10 Russells

Rohan L

Arthur S

Chester W

Rahil S

Leo S

Shaan M

Keaton P

Aryaveer V

Julian E

Year 10 Strouts

Jonathan E

Shayan G

Krish-Vir S

Alexander K

Murilo K

Jack E

Nazim K

Louis C

A celebration of Credits

Y11 Recipients of 10

Credits

Year 11 Calverts

Toby B

Jonathan M

Amogh A

Lorenzo Z

Neel B

Akshan R

Tasir S

Year 11 Hendersons

Nathan C

Aaryan V

Aryan N

Joshua G

Deveshu N

Neerav K

Samuel P

Year 11 Joblings

Thomas C

Jincheng H

Edward S

Alexander C

Noah M

Joe W

Oreoluwa A

Frederick A

Lakshya V

Doron Z

Kyle M

Kian B

Vikas K

Roshan D C

Aaryan A

Aaditya S

Alexander W

Year 11 Meadows

Saul G

Freddie B

Leonidas M

Zakaria H

Tom F

Mark S

Laksh P

Reuben S

Rehaan N

Shravan S

Year 11 Russells

Theo W

Jeet T

Viraj I

Zack S

Dean B

Ryan D

Year 11 Strouts

Aaron V

Sujeevan S

Assemblies…

Year 9 - Launch of the ‘Friday Programme’ (CCF/ Outdoor Education) for next year – 20 March 2024

A special assembly was held for all students in year 9 to present the ‘Friday Afternoon Programme’ for the next academic year. Continuing the work done on Field Days throughout their time at the school, and specifically the DofE preparation that has been ongoing this year, the Friday Afternoon Programme allows students to put their skills into action in one of the four available disciplines: Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force or Outdoor Education Staff and students presented year 9 with an inspiring insight into what life is really like in these sections and some of the life-changing opportunities they will enjoy. Sailing with the Navy, weapons handling with the Army, flying with the RAF, scuba-diving with Outdoor Education: these represent just some of the exciting opportunities that await.

The keys to the success of all of these ventures is the commitment, ambition and energy of all those involved, particularly the students In making their selections, boys are committing to their chosen activity for a minimum of one year, and it is our hope that they will demonstrate their commitment by remaining with their chosen activity into the sixth form.

The Friday Afternoon Programme takes place as a timetabled commitment every Friday from 3pm until 5.15pm (N.B students leave at 4pm during the Winter months – Oct half term through until Feb half term).

Students make their selections by completing this form (https://forms.office.com/e/gpnfYZtJkT).

Social Justice and literacy – 21 February 2024

On 21 February, Mr Lawrence and Ms Hooker delivered an assembly on Social Justice and enhancing literacy. Developing our understanding of global perspectives was at the heart of this assembly which delved into the Rana Plaza disaster as a case study of business ethics and workers’ conditions

Students were challenged to consider their options and choices now and in the future in terms of the garment industry, workplace practices and thinking about what makes a business a good business

We also heard of teachers’ book recommendations and energised one another to read form different genres

A highlight of the assembly was listening to Vivaan, William, Chu and Ru perform in their string quartet. They represented the school int eh South East Schools Chamber Music Competition held at North London Collegiate School and performed in our Chamber Music Concern at LSO St Luke’s London

Photo: Vivaan C (10M), William L (9J), Chu O (9C) and Ru D (9H)

Y11 Exams Briefing – 19 March 2024

On Tuesday 19 March, Year 11 students had a special assembly with Mrs Parker (Examinations Officer) who briefed the year group on everything they need to know for the upcoming public examinations. Key headlines to share:

• Students have been sent all accompanying information by email and full details are uploaded on to Firefly (see below for information headlines)

• Candidate contracts will need to be reviewed carefully and signed by all students confirming acceptance and understanding of the regulations surrounding the GCSE examinations

• Students must be available for the exam contingency dates – 6 / 13 June (afternoon) and 26 June (all day)

• Check for timetable clashes and read the guidance carefully.

• No coaches will be running on Monday 3 June (staff training day).

• Special consideration – all enquiries regarding Special Consideration should be sent to specailconsideration@habsboys.org.uk

• GCSE results day is Thursday 22 August We look forward to celebrating with you in August!

Neurodiversity Awareness – 20 March 2024

On Wednesday 20 March, we enjoyed a student led assembly raising awareness of Neurodiversity by three Sixth Form students: Milo B (L6C), Eitan R (L6H) and Ben H (L6J). Students heard about what neurodiversity is, different types of neurodiversity and developed an understanding of ADHD, dyslexia and autism.

Students talked through neurodiversity at school and beyond in the workplace and how the landscape is positively changing to embrace neurodiversity. Key facts and figures were shared and students listened very carefully. It was an uplifting and inclusive assembly which encouraged empathy and inclusion.

Revision Skills – 20 March 2024

Mr Brennan (Deputy Head Academic) spoke with the Middle School on the topic of how to revise effectively. Key highlights were:

• Revision is an active process. It should make you think hard and challenge you.

• Make it an on-going process, spaced out over an extended period of time with opportunities to review content regularly (interleaving)

• Quality and intensity matters. It should be a purposeful use of time.

• Sleep largely impacts learning and memory. Sleep deprivation dramatically reduces the capacity to learn new ideas.

• Stress blocks learning.

Students were advised before the end of term to:

• Audit your subjects.

• Read your reports.

• Red, amber and green review to establish which areas need priority focus. This is called a RAG rating.

• Make a study plan that focuses on areas of subject weakness / concern and addresses misconceptions first.

• Focus on foundations – the basics.

• Check your notes – gaps, queries – can you utilise teacher expertise?

During the Easter holidays:

• Make each revision session challenging and stick to under 60mins/session.

• Start with the red content, followed by amber then lastly green.

• Secure your knowledge foundation before you begin to apply it.

• Space your practice and interleave topics – variety is key.

• Complete past paper questions under timed conditions.

• Ask family members to test you.

Advice for students who will be using OneNote to revise GCSE content from:

• For students who have content stored in OneNote, RAG rate every OneNote Section and every OneNote page to ensure that all the relevant content which will be examined, has been covered and work out which areas need priority and focus.

• When you are revising using OneNote, our advice is that you have your device displaying the teacher curated OneNote page,a printed copy of the specification next to you and a paper notepad (A4 or A3) which will enable you to practise recalling information and testing yourself through concept mindmaps or handwritten draft responses to questions.

• The key is to make the revision process active, challenging and to replicate the cognitive strain of test conditions.

• Your device can also be used as a tool to formatively assess your understanding in an engaging way through using online flashcard software, such as Quizlet, and/or through using online multiple-choice quizzes through online platforms, such as Seneca.

Introducing…

Middle School Student Council Reps

Louis S (9C) “The Student Council’s main priorities are the improvement of our school. To do this, the student voice is extremely important as, otherwise, many of the changes that we have made would not have come about For example, we are currently making more culture days and better advertising for events. We want to make this school the best it can be and making sure that every single person is heard and their ideas considered To reach out to us and make your ideas considered, you can either speak to your form council representative, use the form that the student council sends out with every email, send an email to any year representative, or use the student council page at the bottom of Firefly to make anonymous suggestions. It must be said that your voice really does matter to us and it can make a difference if you just suggest what you want to change I would love to hear your ideas ”

Josh H (10C) “My role is to voice the opinions of my year group to the student council, who will try to resolve any issues or concerns raised. The Student Council is a committee which empowers students: giving students a chance to have their opinions heard throughout the school, with the aim of driving positive change My priority for the remainder of this academic year is to have as many voices heard as possible I encourage year 10 students to speak with their form reps and share their ideas Feel free to come up and speak to me if you see me around school.”

Mark S (11M) ”It can be an extremely daunting situation to want to improve this massive school, but you don't know who to go to, or don't want to bother Mr Lawrence or Mr Sykes with their incredibly busy days. Well this is where we come in: as student council we aim to provide both a caring and supportive platform for every student understand how small, and show how they are recent meeting, I proposed to following up on the very valid comment other day, who I quickly reassured have ”

Currently reading

What are your teachers currently reading?

Mr Lawrence (Head of Middle School)

I am really looking forward to starting my next book ‘The Escape Artist’ by Jonathan Freedland Kindly passed on to me by Mr Bardou, I have saved this to read over the Easter holiday (while I be in Valencia with Year 10 on the Spanish department trip!) April 1044, nineteen-year-old Rudolf Vrba and fellow inmate Fred Wetzler became two of the first Jews to successfully escape Auschwitz Evading the thousands of SS men hunting them, Vrba and Wetzler made the perilous journey on foot across Nazi-occupied Poland

Mr Jones (Head of Hendersons House)

I have been reading “Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Journey to the Edge of Physics” by Antonio Padilla If you have a strong interest in both Maths and Physics, then this is the book for you The author is a leading theoretical physicist at the University of Nottingham and appeared in the infamous Numberphile featuring the claim that the sum of the natural numbers is -1/12 In this book, he investigates “big” numbers, such as the googol, Graham’s number and TREE(3), as well as “little” numbers such as 0 0000000000000001 and 10^(-120) It is an ambitious and impressive book, with Padilla using these numbers as gateways to touch on many different areas of Physics, including quantum mechanics, string theory and our understanding of subatomic particles such as the renowned Higgs boson It is quite a dense book, but if you enjoy investigating the event horizons of black holes whilst digesting some mathematically anecdotes, I am sure that you will be entertained.

Miss Barron (Head of Calverts House)

‘The Great Alone’ by Kristin Hannah - I actually chose to read this book after absolutely loving ‘The Nightingale’- an earlier publication from Kristin Hannah. ‘The Great Alone’ is semiautobiographical, and explores the challenging journey of a family moving to the wilderness in Alaska. I’m definitely a lover of the great outdoors so I was immediately gripped by the vivid descriptions of the unbridled nature in Alaskan landscape- starkly beautiful in some moments, then brutal and deadly in the next. Kristin Hannah certainly knows how to make you invested in the characters too, each with their own journeys and flawed personalities This one is an intense rollercoaster which has you on the edge of your seat I would not only recommend this book, I would also go as far to say I think Kristin Hannah is becoming one of my favourite authors

Academic successes

History Essay Prize

One of our Year 10 History students, Richard Z (10R), has recently received a runners-up award and a £50 book token for his entry to the David Grossel History Essay Prize 2023 - 2024 Richard wrote a response to the question '“A Leader who brought disaster upon his people” Assess this verdict on Mao Zedong ' Richard has already presented on this topic to thirty students studying History in the Sixth Form at the Boys' School and the Girls' School who attend our Friday lunchtime History Society Richard was photographed with his current History teacher, Mr McLarin Congratulations, Richard!

The David Grossel History Essay Prize was set up in 2018 to honour David Grossel's legacy of inspiring young students of History He started his career at Habs before going on to serve with distinction in a number of leading independent school in the London area The competition is open to Year 10 and Year 11 students from Haberdashers’ Boys' School, Kingston Grammar, UCS, City of London, KCS Wimbledon and Hampton

Richard says: “In writing this essay I learnt a profound amount about the intricacies of Mao's legacy, and my conclusion constantly changed as I researched more and more, which I think was really the beauty of writing this essay, as it got me to consider the question from multiple lenses of argumentation I ended up winning an honorable mention, placing my essay in the top four of the whole competition I am incredibly grateful to my history teacher Mr McLarin, who turned out to have a wealth of knowledge on Asian history, for guiding me through the process of structuring and refining my material I truly could not have done this without him ”

Spanish Competition

On Tuesday 12 March, six students and two teachers embarked on a journey of learning and understanding Mrs Adams and Señor Cuartero accompanied three Year 9 students and three Year 10 students to a Spanish Conjugation Challenge to North London Collegiate School. The challenge tested out rapid conjugation skills and the ability to form complex sentences using the stated verb and tense

The Year 9 group prevailed valiantly and astounded their room with their quick reactions and buzzer speed. Compounded with their knowledge, this earned them an extremely impressive second place. The Year 10 group also accomplished no mean feat earning another second place and they even put a verb to song! Overall, this trip was an extremely fun way to showcase the hard work all these students put into the competition Special thanks to Mrs Adams and Señor Cuartero for taking the students on this outstanding opportunity and hopefully they can help other students prepare next year!

Year

Year

British Maths Olympiad Round 2

Congratulations to Joseph L (9R) on achieving the top mark in the school (including Sixth Form students) and receiving a Merit Certificate for his success in the British Maths Olympiad Round 2. Joseph scored full marks on this question:

Intermediate Maths Challenge

The IMC took place at the end of January. 370 Middle school students and 10 Lower school students took part.

111 Gold Certificates

77 students qualified for Pink/Grey Kangaroo

27 students qualified for the Intermediate Olympiads.

The next stages took place on 21st March – results to follow!

Top results

United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad

Congratulations to Mike H (11C), Ishan C (11H) and Saahil P (11M) for their achievements in the United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad and for receiving Bronze Awards

Co-curricular successes

U15 Water Polo - National SemiFinal tournament

Mr Broadwith writes:

On 13 March, Haberdashers' hosted the National U15 Water Polo championships. Habs themselves were one of six teams competing for the right to call themselves National Champions, and were hoping to go one better than the same group of students did two years earlier when they won the silver medals in the U13 competition.

The competition started mid-morning once the teams had gathered at the Medburn Sports Centre and a healthy number of spectators settled in for a day of exciting high quality Water Polo. Habs were in a group with Whitgift School, Croydon and Manchester Grammar, who had travelled down the day before Good results in these matches would mean qualifying top of the group and being seeded for the semi final. As it panned out, strong results were what we got - Habs beating Whitgift 6-0 and Manchester Grammar 6-3 - allowing all thirteen players to participate and confidence understandably was high. Shrey K (10M) was proving a formidable rock at the heart of defence and Rishi P (10S) was showing as one of the most dominant players in the whole tournament, scoring a raft of excellent goals.

So, the semi-final line up would be Habs vs Dulwich College and Manchester Grammar vs Trinity School, Croydon The Habs Boys sat and watched Trinity School, Croydon squeeze past Manchester, setting up a potential final that would be a rematch of the U13 final two years earlier. Habs, however needed to get past a Dulwich side that had impressed so far in the competition Dulwich, however, were not prepared for a Habs team now hitting their stride - the first goal came after just 10 seconds, a perfectly worked team effort finished by Theo K (9H) who plays as a strong centre forward in a Year 10 team. In fact, Habs raced to a 5 - 0 lead without Dulwich really catching their breath The second half was a tighter affair, but already half a mind lay on the final as Habs ran out 8 - 3 winners... the rematch was on!

And so to the final The balcony of the Medburn was full to bursting and the crowd was warmed up and ready for a clash of the titans - the two best teams in the competition met in the final and it was a predictably tight affair With both goals under heavy pressure, marking was tight and open shots were few and far between. Trinity took the lead on the counter-attack half way through the first half, but Habs kept doing the basics right and responded with a goal put away on the left hand post from a seemingly impossible position. 1-1 at half time, both teams were tired and it was going to come down to the tightest of margins Those tight margins showed when a scuffle in front of the Trinity goalmouth, a 50:50 scuffle, led to a Trinity free throw, a quick thinking counter-attack and they were 2 - 1 up Habs were playing brilliantly but couldn't get the ball in the net, and the clock slipped agonizingly away. Final score was 2 - 1 and it was Silver medals for the second time. The boys were devastated, knowing that they had been the strongest side in the competition but that fate has conspired against them.

It was a tiring, highly emotional and impressive display throughout day. The crowd were amazing and contributed enormously to a remarkable and memorable day for all Mr Brkovic has done a fabulous job with this group of players, creating the forefront of a legacy that could be seen in the stands with Water Polo players from years 7 - 9 filling the stands, cheering and watching. Thanks also to Ms Hodis who managed the tournament seamlessly from start to finish - I know that the ESSA officials and visiting schools were delighted with the event as a whole

The U15 team consists of: Ravi K, Oli B, Khian C, Luke D, Shayan G, Joe K, Shrey K, Murilo K, Adam M, Rishi P (Strouts, Capt), Dinil R and Rohan S

U15A Hockey – County Cup Winners

The U15A hockey team won all five of their matches on Wednesday 6 March to win the County Cup. Throughout the season, the team have shown a real hunger to improve through the manner in which they have trained and responded to feedback from Mr Cooper They play some delightful hockey, moving the ball at pace and pressing hard to retrieve possession once it has been lost They are a determined and competitive bunch; in the match against Bancrofts they worked tirelessly for the duration and were rewarded with a last gasp goal from captain and talisman Anish A In the final match, against Dulwich, Rahil S put the finishing touch on a superb team goal which saw the ball swiftly passed between the whole team before being calmly slotted away Habs Hockey has a very bright future with the U15s being a talented group with an exceptional attitude

1. Daniel R

2. Anish A (Capt)

3. Arav B

4. Zac D

5. Josh H

6. Aaryan J

7. Aarav S

8. Arya M

9. Luca P

10. Shay P

11. Zach T

12. Rahil S

VEX IQ Robotics

Over the 3 and 4 March, 2 of Habs’s Y9 VEX IQ Robotics teams travelled to Telford to compete in the VEX IQ UK Nationals

HABS_Cybersquad (Ayaan B, Oscar B, Joseph L, Atharv S, Ishan V and Jaiden J) and HABS_Dynamics (Shaurya M, William L, Max S, Tarun S, Shenul De S and Dani R) competed against 58 other teams from various schools across the UK After an early start on Sunday, they travelled to Telford to compete in the VEX IQ National Finals, along with 2 Y8 teams

After arriving, all teams passed through inspection (CyberSquad having to make some minor alterations in order to pass), and arrived at their pit display. After setting up their large pit display boards, Dynamics having installed LED controlled lighting around the pit display, which garnered some attention from passing judges, teams began practising with teams they had matches with later in the day After a delayed start, both teams began their first qualification matches, in which teams work together to get the highest score possible. Whilst teams don’t directly compete, teams that compete to become tournament champions are decided by the point average that teams try to raise

All teams competed in 13 matches each over 2 days Judging was also occurring during these 2 days, with 18 judged awards up for grabs At the end of both days, the teams came very close, with Dynamics coming 6th and Cybersquad coming 5th , only with a 0.11 point difference. This paired both teams into the 3rd best teamwork pairings, meaning that they would compete together in the ‘Finals’ matches, which decides the overall tournament champion This was the first time that 2 Habs teams had competed in Finals together at Nationals. Unfortunately, due to a technical error with the robots, the score was disappointingly low

During the closing ceremony, one of our Y8 VEX IQ teams won the ‘Judges Award’ which is given to a team that displays ‘Overall excellence’, and HABS_Cybersquad won the ‘Innovate Award’ which is given to the team with the best engineering notebook at the competition, and qualified them to the VEX IQ Worlds in Dallas, TX in May

South Wales Junior Open Winner!

Hugh P (9H) has been working very hard at his squash He competed in the South Wales junior open and was delighted to win it. He has now been asked to join the Welsh national team training squad Hugh has moved up in ranking to 50th in England A photo below of the Welsh open.

Congratulations, Hugh!

HSSA District Schools Gala

Congratulations to Felix A (9M) who swam the 100m and m breaststroke at the Hatfield Regional Qualifier last weekend Felix achieved a personal best in both races won both He posted automatic qualification times in both distances for the London Regional Championships Felix represented the school as part of the Watford District Schools Team at the HSSA Inter District gala on 23 March its 75th anniversary)

His main individual race came in 100IM Intermediate Boys (Y9/10). He took Silver in 01:09:15. It was a solid PB in a competitive race, and helped his team to well-deserved 2nd place overall and Watford District schools to 2nd on the night. Congratulations, Felix!

Hertfordshire County U13 Cricket

Ahaan D (9H) received the Batting Award in Cricket for his performances for the Hertfordshire County U13 Boys during the 2023 season. Ahaan was presented the Award during the Annual General Meeting of the Hertfordshire County Cricket Association held at Knebworth Golf Club on 7 February.

Congratulations, Ahaan!

Year 9 performance of Chaos

This is completely student led show was directed and performed by a group of year 9 students. Chaos by Laura Lomas was directed by Daniel Heese and Victor Sanitt. They performed the scratch performance on 25th March in the Lime Tree Studio. It was fantastic to see pupils being courageous and ambitious in their adaptation of this challenging piece.

Laura Lomas's play Chaos is a symphony of dislocated and interconnected scenes. A series of characters search for meaning in a complicated and unstable world. Bouncing through physics, the cosmos, love and violence, they find order in the disorder of each other.

This is an incredibly exciting time for Habs Drama and we look forward to seeing more student led work

Well done to:

William Hedges

Alexander Yfantoudas

Tobiloba Ayetan

Shenul De Silva

Tobey Samuel

Harrison Lock

Lucas Maltz

Amit Shah

Ayan Thakur

Max Spooner

Victor Sanitt

Noel Williams

Daniel Sangodele

Ishaan Vekaria

Max Gordon

Veer Sumaria

News

Digital teaching and learning update – March 2024

Feedback from staff, pupils and parents in December 2023 suggested that the next phase of the digital strategy needed to shift the pendulum back to a more balanced teaching and learning experience, which blends the best of digital with the best of traditional methods, in which pupil wellbeing, learning and handwriting remain the priority The following was recommended for implementation in the Spring Term:

• Subjects provide a jotter/class book for pupils to complete longer answer responses (c/w or h/w), drafting plans or calculations in, as the styluses were unreliable or not easy to replace –handwriting was not the same.

• Teachers use the device in lessons when it enhances pupil learning and/or records pupil learning, adopting a more blended and balanced approach to teaching and learning.

• Some lessons will be device free.

• Not all homework needs to be completed digitally. More variety of task completion done by hand and uploaded onto OneNote for digital marking/feedback.

In early March, we surveyed all pupils using the same questions to compare responses and see if any progress had been made. The main outcomes are summarised below: What have been the positive impacts of using devices?

• Organisation and access of learning – everything is in one place.

• Simplicity - work is not lost and handouts are easier to access and review.

• The teacher's lesson notes are not lost or wiped from the whiteboard, instead they are recorded on the appropriate OneNote page.

• Lessons are more engaging when teachers use online multiple-choice quizzes to check understanding.

What are your concerns still?

• Syncing of OneNote pages can still be slow in some areas of the school due to poor Wi-Fi.

• Stylus's easily break and are hard to replace.

• Still too much homework being completed digitally. This is an area we will contiinue to address in the summer term.

At the March Heads of Department meeting, we reviewed our blended approach to teaching and learning in Y9 and agreed that at the start of the summer term every department would conduct a Y9 work review to ensure there are not gaps in learning, that notes were well-organised, and any revision resources are accessible, to enable every pupil to revise effectively ahead of the summer term exams.

Looking forward to September, we will write in the summer term with a digital teaching and learning update and what we will do in September to continue to improve the learner experience.

Mr Bown Director of Teaching and Learning

Student article

Persian New Year by Arya F (9C)

Nowruz is the Persian New Year and it translates to new day It is celebrated on the spring equinox which this year is on 20th March and is the first day of the new year. Strangely, it is the year 1403 not 2024 since the calendars are completely different The day is very important for us as it signifies a fresh start, where it symbolises goodness, wealth, happiness, and love. We don’t only celebrate the New Year, but we also do festivities for Charshanbe Suri which is the eve of the last Wednesday before Nowruz and to celebrate this we jump over bonfires to get rid of our sins for the new year

We have a spread that we put out called the Haft-Sin which translates to the Seven S’s and each of them signify something that we want next year

1.Sabzeh (Wheat / Barley) symbolizing rebirth and growth

2.Samanu (Sweet pudding) symbolizing sweetness and fertility

3.Senjed (Dried oleaster fruit) symbolizing love

4.Seer (Garlic) symbolizing health

5.Seeb (Apple) symbolizing beauty

6.Somagh (Sumac) symbolizing new beginnings

7.Serkeh (Vinegar) symbolizing age and patience

We may also include other items such as Sekkeh (coins) for wealth, Sonbol (hyacinth flower) for the renewal of nature, Shirini (sweets) for happiness and joy, and many others

It wouldn’t be complete without gifts. On Nowruz, parents and grandparents give an Eidi, usually money, to their children or grandchildren They put the money in a page in a book of poems by Hafiz, a Persian poet Whatever page they put it on, the person who receives it has to read the poem to everyone Nowruz Mobarak!

RAF Field Day report by Anahad B (11M)

CALENDAR DATES

YEAR 10 REPORTS – WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH

END OF SPRING TERM – WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH

SCHOOL CLOSED INSET DAY – MONDAY 15 APRIL

SUMMER TERM STARTS – TUESDAY 16 APRIL

YEAR 11 FINAL DAY – FRIDAY 3 MAY

DAWSON ASSEMBLY – FRIDAY 10 MAY

Y9 EXAMS – MONDAY 20 MAY – FRIDAY 24 MAY

Y10 EXAMS – TUESDAY 4 JUNE – MONDAY 10 JUNE