Newsletter 16th February 2024

Saint Nicholas School

Newsletter Friday 16th February, 2024 For daily news updates follow us:

From the Headmaster's desk 'Love is a lot like backache. It doesn't show up on x-rays but you know it's there.' George Burns

Dates for your Diary 17th - 25th February Inclusive Half Term break

26th February - 8th March Second Year 11 mock GCSE examinations fortnight

26th February Julian Opie, artist, in school for the day

28th February Year 10 Spanish cinema day at BFI Year 8 Parents' Evening Dear Parents and Pupils, Our final week of the half term presented us with the rarity of celebrating Saint Valentine's Day in school and, as you might expect, I took the opportunity to theme my senior assembly on the topic of Love. Before it became a significant cultural and commercial celebration of romance, Saint Valentine's Day was a Christian feast day honouring the martyred bishop, Valentine. There are several martyrdom stories associated with Saint Valentine, but a common thread is that he demonstrated love and compassion for his fellow humans, and it was showing love for the world and humanity that was the focus of my assembly today. I concluded my assembly by showing the senior pupils a Tedx talk on the power and beauty of giving service to others and I would invite you to watch by clicking on THIS LINK.

29th February Year 8 Spanish cinema day at BFI Year 5 Space enrichment day

1st March Lower school progress reports issued Prefect application launch Year 5 trip to the French Institute, London

From the Headmaster’s desk

Dates for your Diary A busy final week of the half term, which saw the interview process to appoint our new Deputy Head of Academic and Operational take centre stage. The excellent field of candidates to select from is testament to the school's excellent reputation, and, after a rigorous twoday process, I am delighted to announce that the appointment of Mrs Samantha BranfordJackson, our current Assistant Head Academic, was the unanimous decision of all involved in the interview process. I am sure you will join me in congratulating Mrs Branford-Jackson on her appointment.

As we move into the weekend and a welldeserved half term break, it might interest you to learn that tomorrow is National Random Acts of Kindness Day. Each year on February 17th, National Random Acts of Kindness Day grows in popularity. It is celebrated by individuals, groups, and organisations nationwide to encourage acts of kindness that bring joy to the receiver, but also spread positive reactions to the giver, too. An unattributed quotation states that 'Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness and love.' A sentiment that I feel we can all get behind in the current climate.

My very best wishes for a relaxing and reflective half term,

To keep up to date with events on the school calendar CLICK HERE

4th March Year 2 trip to Tower of London

5th March Reception Mother's Day workshop Year 6 trip to STEM Centre, Stevenage

6th March Lower School Parents' Evening

7th March Whole school World Book Day

8th March International Women's Day Year 7 interim reports issued

7th & 8th March School book fair

Lower School News

Reception

This week in reception, the children have enjoyed learning about Shrove Tuesday and Valentine's Day. They've made playdough pancakes, had pancake flipping contests as well as making some Valentine's Day biscuits.

Year 2 Pupils in Year 2 have been learning about conceptual art with Mr Keenleyside. They learnt that Bruce McLean copied Henry Moore’s ‘reclining figure’. The children recreated this style using blocks then themselves!

Lower School News

Year 4 Year 4 are very proud of their Hokusai style salt paintings that they have produced this week. Pupils focused on the mountain's outline and shapes. They added chalk and oil pastels to make a Northern Lights effect background. Well done Year 4.

Eco Club A huge thank you to infant school eco club parents who came along on Monday to support their children.

Pupils recycled old plastic milk cartons to make watering cans and went outside, cleared the weeds before planting spring flowers. It was wonderful to see the snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils which they planted last term starting to grow.

Lower School News

Art Club Lower school art club have created bright, vibrant pieces this week, inspired by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama also known as The Queen of Polka Dots. Pupils have enjoyed learning about her artistic style this term.

Mathletics Congratulations to Raithe, Alex, Sebastian, Mana and Safia who have all achieved a mathletics certificate this week. Keep up the great work.

Middle and Upper School News

Year 6 This week, Year 6 geography pupils have been learning about Africa’s wildlife. To enhance their learning they had a special visit from Ranger Stu. Find out what the pupils had to say about the visit below.

In geography we had Ranger Stu show us some amazing animals. He explained the rules and how we should be quiet with the animals. The first animal he brought out was a tortoise, which we were allowed to touch. The next animal was a snake then a tarantula and a scorpion. We couldn’t touch the scorpion because it had a stinger.

We also got to meet a tenrec, a small mammal which looked like a hedgehog but was related to an elephant! Ranger Stu also bought out a bearded dragon (lizard). I loved his visit so much!

Uma, Year 6

Ranger Stu came to visit Year 6 to show a range of animals. In geography we are learning about Africa’s wildlife, and the the animals that Ranger Stu brought included an armadillo, tortoise, scorpion, snake, tenrec and a tarantula. Lucas held a tarantula without gloves!

Everyone got a chance to touch at least one of the exotic animals and to experience seeing how they act. We also learned that some animals react badly to loud noises so we respected that, and did the Ranger Stu clap (a silent clap to respect the sensitive ears of the animals).

We all really enjoyed this experience, and we would like to thank Ranger Stu and all the teachers involved.

Phoebe and Barbara, Year 6

Middle and Upper School News

Valencia Soundbites Following last week’s Year 7 trip to the Spanish city of Valencia, pupils and staff have some soundbites to share.

Middle and Upper School News

Year 11 revison This week in their english lessons, Year 11 pupils have been revising for their 2nd mock, using collaborative techniques to improve their knowledge.

Year 11 Drama On Monday, the Year 11 Drama pupils were kindly invited to participate in a workshop at Gosfield school, run by well known actor James Buckley, best known for his role as Jay from The Inbetweeners. He wanted to show us the difference between stage acting and acting for a camera. In order to do that we were put into groups and each group was given a scenario, for example: Terry, Jack C, Zachary S and I had the scenario of waking up after a party knowing our parents will be home soon. So instinctively, we all jumped at imitating the inbetweeners’ characters. James was really helpful in positioning scenes so it was like a film instructing where and where not to walk.

After, we had a Q&A with James to learn about the world of acting. Finally he showed us some of the original show scripts from 2007 which was really cool. Overall, it was a great day and a surreal experience meeting James.

Jack S, Year 11 On Monday 12 February, the Year 11 drama pupils had the amazing opportunity to visit Gosfield School for a workshop with James Buckley (Jay Cartwright from the Inbetweeners). The workshop involved games, improvisation, and a Q&A with James.

It was really great to see our year 11 pupils getting involved and demonstrating lots of confidence (Charlotte we are proud of you!). It was a brilliant experience and we would like to say a huge thanks to Gosfield for inviting us.

Jack C, Year 11

Saint Nicholas School News

World Book Day 2024 We are starting to gear up for World Book Day 2024, which falls on Thursday 7th March. Lower school pupils will be given a physical voucher, and seniors, can use an e-voucher which can be downloaded from THIS LINK

Sports News

Football In the summer I trialled for ISFA (Independent Schools Football Association). I went through a long trialling process throughout the summer and October half term.

At the end of October, I found out I had made it into the team. My first match with them was in December at St George’s Park, the England training centre. I came out of it with two wins and did not concede any goals, so a clean sheet to take home.

Last weekend we had another match at St George’s Park against the best team in the country ESFA (England Schools Football Association). Unluckily we lost 4-1 but as a team, we played well as we did in December. I’ve got three more matches with ISFA, one of them being against Wales. It was an amazing experience training and playing at the England ground, and I cannot wait to go there again.

Lucy, Year 11

Basketball On Thursday 8th February, Wilf, Zac, George P, Archie, Jack and Rhys W went to Stewards School to compete in the finals of the West Essex basketball. We were put into a group stage, where we faced Davenant, Debden and Passmores. We won against Passmores and Davenant and lost to Debden. At the end of the group stage the results came. We had the same number of points as Davenant and Debden. Luckily we went through as we had scored more baskets than Debden. After this we faced King Harold in the semi finals, which we went on to win. So, we had made it to the big game against West Hatch where we played very well. It was end to end and we gave them a tough game, but sadly we lost by one basket.

It was a shame to lose in the final but great a experience. Well done boys for coming 2nd in West Essex.

Wilf, Year 8

Sports News

Athletics Equipment A big thank you to The Friends of Saint Nicholas, who purchased indoor athletics equipment for the PE department. This equipment has been on the department's wish list for some months and as you can see from the pictures below, the pupils absolutely love it!

The equipment is already being used in curriculum time throughout the lower and middle schools and will prepare pupils for indoor athletics finals on Thursday and Friday (look out for pictures and results after half term).

Sports day will be even more dynamic with this big investment of equipment.

Mr Tucker

Multicultural Dance Festival What a way to end the week! Once again, the atmosphere and collaboration of the schools and staff at the annual Multicultural Dance Festival was outstanding – made all the more thrilling by a packed audience of smiling family members.

Hosted once again by Saint Nicholas School, the theatre provided a fantastic back drop for the dance troops from Freshwaters, Church Langley, Henry Moore, Harlowbury and Saint Nicholas to simply shine. The audience of family members were treated to facts and information about the chosen dances before being mesmerized by dances inspired by India, Hawaii, Italy, Ghana, England and the USA, and the music of a Disneyland Paris Parade. The performers were awesome and were clearly thrilled to share their hard work. With some time remaining at the end, it was such an amazing sight to see all the dancers mix-up and perform a section from some of the dances; the staff and pupils leading everyone through the moves, with everyone having great fun! The children gave whole-hearted thanks to Mr Tucker (Saint Nicholas) for his organisation and hosting skills; the children and adults were provided with refreshments courtesy of Saint Nicholas. It really was a fantastic afternoon and well-worth the school’s staff investing their own time and efforts; the children loved it and are already discussing ideas about what to do next year!

Sports News

Football On Thursday 8th February a select group of boys from Years 10 and Year 11 went to the Spurs training ground in Enfield. This short trip involved miniature training sessions with not only some of the staff at Spurs, but some of the younger academy players too. Not only that, but we managed to play short matches and eventually rotated pitches with the other schools there. Overall the sessions were very useful, and we all enjoyed the unique experience of getting to train on such grounds.

Harry, Year 11

Futsal The Year 8 girls took part in our first futsal tournament on Tuesday at St Mark's. We had tough competition against Passmores to start but smashed in 3 goals.

Unfortunately, we lost 4-3 with one minute to go. We went on to play St Mark's and held on to a 1-0 lead with some great goalkeeping, unfortunately we conceded two late goals to lose 2-1. Well done to the team; Preet, Holly, Scarlett, Frankie, Alana and Ella.

Sports News

Netball Year 9

On Monday, our Year 9 netball team played against St Mary’s, winning 20-3 at home.

We started very well throughout the court thanks to Annabel, Scarlett and India scoring some incredible goals. In the middle court Amelie, Frankie and I made some amazing drives and some fantastic interceptions. As the opposition made their way through the court to our defence. Holly and Hollie made some incredible interceptions and marked their players out of the game so well. Congratulations to Amelie for getting player of the match thanks to her amazing space making.

Another great win for St Nicks.

Eve, Year 9

Netball Year 10 On Wednesday 7th February, the Year 10 girls netball team played an intense game of netball against Saint Mary’s. It was a close game but we won every quarter due to our determination. We won 18-13 and we were all so proud of how well we did. Well done to Sophia, Desiree, Eden, Delilah, Beth, Polly and Mia. Next game is on the 29th February vs Felstead at home.

Polly, Year 10

Sports News

London Pulse netball hub selection This season, three of our netball squad players have been selected onto the London Pulse hubs. Eve and Annabel into the U14 hubs and Polly into the U15 hub. The Hubs are the first step onto the Performance Pathway. The Hubs sit both with, and beneath the NPL Squads. The Hubs provide a greater number of athletes’ access to the London Pulse performance environment, where athletes will experience both training and competition. Hub athletes may be nominated by their Hub coaches into U17 or U19 NPL training environments at any time in the year.

We are extremely proud of the girls and the standards they are setting. They are great role models for our younger pupils and are inspiring more girls to play club netball.

Photograph credits- Mr Beasley. From L-R: Annabel, Eve, Polly I’m Annabel, I’m in Year 9 and I love playing netball. My netball position is GA, but throughout my netball journey, I have played many positions discovering what I love best. I play at club level at Turnford. Until I joined St Nicks, I had no idea what netball was, and was encouraged to give it a try. At the age of 9 I joined my first netball club outside of school, and over the years I have seen my love and play of netball improve so much. I am now playing in an England premier youth netball league, representing my team, and last September I trialled for the London Pulse netball programme which I was accepted into and have been placed in the Neptune hub. This is an incredible experience and I feel very lucky to be a part of it. I've been put up to play for county and play in a Buckinghamshire and Stanborough league. My favourite senior pulse player would have to be Lindsay Keable (‘Lindsay long legs’). She played GD and although she doesn’t play my position, I once went to a pulse netball camp and met her, and she showed me how to be the best I can be. In the future I would love to get as far as I can with netball and keep trying to be the best of the best. I would really encourage those who play netball to take it further and play for a club, as it develops your understanding of the game and individually helps you achieve the best performance and increase your fitness. You make friends with those who share the same interests as you. You train and play together whilst having fun. I used to think that netball was always pressurising, but I’ve realised you must be confident and just play your game. I’d like to thank Mrs Oakley and Mrs Sanders as they have supported me in all aspects of my netball journey and continue to do so, pushing me to be the best I can be.

Sports News

I’m Eve in Year 9 and play Centre for Hertford Hornets, I am part of the U14 Neptune Hub for London Pulse. I took up club netball when I was in Year 4 I had been at a dancing school since I was three, but I was speedy and sporty rather than graceful.

The best thing about netball is it is so exciting playing competitive matches and being part of a team. I have made lots of friends through netball and I love that at the weekends I am busy playing in matches.

My greatest achievement so far was getting into a very strong Hornets A team after my trial last March. In my first season with my new club we won the Broxbourne Summer Netball League, winning every match and I was fortunate enough to be selected for every game. It was great to win the league as there were a lot of fantastic teams competing including Turnford and my old club!

My favourite senior Pulse player is Alicia Scholes because she is the player who is most like me - she is small, energetic and uses her speed to her advantage.

I would love to be a professional netball player and to play at the Copperbox arena for London Pulse!

I would say to the younger pupils whilst starting out, to try as many positions as you can to find what you are strongest at. Although I play centre now, I have played in many positions before finding the position that suited my strengths.

I’m Polly in Year 10, and this is my netball journey which is filled with highs and lows and amazing opportunities! I started playing netball in Year 6 for the Year 7 school team and I played GK and GD. I found out that I really enjoyed it and joined Tegate recreational club in 2019 for fun. I got asked to join Tegate’s year 8 B team in September 2021 which was the start of my journey and when I first started playing centre, which is what I still play today. I was very nervous about joining, but everyone was so welcoming. Tegate has given me so many opportunities, for example, I have played up for the Tegate A team for big tournaments and games, which has pushed me to play my best. All the coaches I have had have really challenged me and made me become the best version of myself.

The best thing about playing netball at a club, is that you get to meet so many people and make lots of friends. If you know me, I am quite a shy person, but now I have gained a lot of confidence and grown so much as a person. I love playing with my team as we get on so well.

In the summer of 2022, I went to my first ever trial, which was for London Pulse. At first, I was hesitant at doing it, but my coach pushed me, and I ended up getting chosen for the multi-sport programme. This is a programme for all round sports players who are trying to develop their skills throughout all sports, not just netball. It was a fun experience, and I had the opportunity to be taught by 3 of the London Pulse NSL players; Ashleigh Dekker, Halimat Adio and Ellie Rattu. It also included training sessions from West Ham United Foundation Coach, to improve football skills, Harlequinns Rugby Foundation players, to learn about rugby, and Sunrisers Ladies Cricket Team, to teach us about cricket.

Sports News

My biggest achievement so far is getting into the London Pulse U15 Venus Hub. This is a hub with about 20 athletes that allows you to be coached by London Pulse coaches and experience training and competition. You are challenged a lot, and it allows you to play to the best of your ability. The sessions are 2 hours long and filled with challenges and fitness. When we did the first training session, we had to do a fitness test. You had to do 30 lengths of the netball court in under 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I am so impressed with how far I have come, and it shows that pushing yourself and doing the work does make a big difference. In March, there is a London Pulse tournament, which includes all U14 and U15 hub teams which is about 20 teams. I am proud to say I got picked to be on the A team of my hub and get to play with lots of great athletes.

My favourite London Pulse Netball Super League player is Zara Everitt. She is the captain of the team and always tries her best to encourage the team and leads them to great victories. She never gives up and you can see that on court, she always puts in maximum effort.

The thing I have found hardest to overcome is negative comments and setbacks. Even though you just need to ignore those comments and focus on your achievements, it sometimes can affect you. Not just your feelings but also the way you play. Something like this shouldn’t have an impact on your playing and you should just believe in yourself and think about proving yourself to the people who said you couldn’t do something.

To any young players who love netball, I would say if you put in the hard work, you're bound to get something out of it. If it’s something you really want, you need to push yourself to aim for it, it won’t just come to you. Always remember to have a positive mindset and attitude as that will allow you to get very far. Any setbacks you come across, you should take as an opportunity to better yourself and work hard to achieve it next time. Don’t think about someone as being better than you, think about how you could improve to become just like them.

Finally, my dream is to continue playing netball for as long as I can and inspire others to do the same thing. Nothing is better than feeling proud of yourself and I would love to teach others how to do that and become what they want to be in the world of sports.