

Saint Nicholas School


From the Headmaster's desk
'I never dreamed about success; I worked for it.' - Estee Lauder
Student of the Half Term Awards



Dear Parents and Pupils,
Welcome back to the summer term!
I trust you have all had a relaxing Easter break and have enjoyed some quality time with family and friends.
The summer term is always a magnificent mix of academia, curriculum visits, residential trips and whole-school events, and I would take this opportunity to remind you of the following key dates in the summer calendar:
8th June: Friends Summer Fayre
12th June: Sports Day
13th June: Sports Day (reserve date in the event of postponement due to poor weather)
19th June: Lower School moving up afternoon
3rd July: Sports Award Evening
6th July: Speech Day (There will be separate Speech Days for the Lower School and Middle/Upper School again this year)
6th July: Summer Ball
11th July: End of Term
22nd to 26th April
Year 10 Morrisby interview week
22nd April
Year 8 West Essex Netball final
23rd to 24th April
Year 9 DofE practice expedition
25th April
Reception to Year 9 Puzzle Day
Year 10 International Space Challenge (by invitation)
Years 7/8 Harlow Schools
Athletics League
26th April
Avon Tyrrell optional drop in meeting for parents in the Coffee Shop 8.55am9.25am
KS1 Active Essex Awards
Year 3/4 Quad Kids Festival
Year 5/6 Quad Kids Festival
29th April to 3rd May
Year 9 examination week
Lower School assessment week
Year 5 residential trip
As I am sure you are aware, the summer term is examination season and with that in mind, my senior assembly today focused on hard work and the important role an excellent work ethic plays in being successful. As part of my assembly, I showed them a TedX Talk entitled 'Talent is Overrated' and reminded them of the famous adage that 'hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard'. To conclude the assembly, I showed them a short clip called 'The World in 2050: A Peek Into The Future', explaining that although the skills required in the future job market are uncertain, there will always be a requirement for people with a strong work ethic and good old-fashioned grit and determination.
You can view the TedX Talk by clicking on THIS LINK.
As we move into the weekend, you might be interested to learn that tomorrow is Volunteer Recognition Day. Volunteer Recognition Day is the annual celebration of those who selflessly benefit the lives of others by providing a helping hand to those in need and working towards making the world a better place. Alongside the benefit it provides to others, volunteering is proven to provide an excellent platform for young people to learn and develop new skills, which prepares them for future endeavours and challenges in adult life. Volunteering forms a core part of the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award, Saint Nicholas pupils can now achieve both their Bronze and Silver Awards during their time at the school, and I would encourage you to consider involving your children in volunteering at an age that you deem appropriate. To quote fashion designer Heather French Henry, 'Volunteering is at the very core of being a human. No one has made it through life without someone else's help.'
My very best wishes for a relaxing and helpful weekend,
Dates for your Diary
29th April
Year 6 parent meeting re Bude trip
1st May
U11 girls national football qualifiers
GCSE PE moderation day
2nd May
Year 2 day trip
3rd May
KS2 Cycling Festival
Prefect appointments announced
7th May
Year 11 study leave begins at the end of the day
Year 10 geography trip
8th May
GCSE French and GCSE
Spanish speaking exams
Year 5 and Reception road safety sessions
9th May
Spanish GCSE speaking exams
Years 9/10 Harlow Schools
Athletics League
10th May
Year 3/4 Netball Festival
To keep up to date with events on the school calendar
Pre-School
It has been a busy week in the Pre-School!
To support the Butterfly children’s growing topic, they made fruit pots this week. They looked at the different fruits and spoke about where they grow. The children enjoyed looking at the stones and pips inside the fruit and had a discussion about what fruit needs to be able to grow.



The Caterpillar classes joined up, and had lots of fun running around the infant playground being brave knights and noisy dinosaurs.
Reception
Story club went on a story hunt in the library just before the holidays. Pupils had to find a non-fiction text and explain what they thought it might be about. Using our knowledge of current stories, we then explained what was happening in the books we found.
Year 3




Year 3 have been become skilled bread makers, creating their own rolls as part of their DT project. Take a look at the great results.






Mathletics
Congratulations to Donne, who has achieved a gold mathletics certificate. Keep up the great work!
Year 5 Greenwich trip
Year 5 visited the Greenwich Observatory last term to enhance their learning on Earth and Space. Pupils stood on the Prime Meridian line and saw the Great Equatorial Telescope, which is the biggest telescope of its kind in the country at over 28 feet long. They enjoyed the Universe on your Doorstep show in the Planetarium and learned lots of facts about the galaxy and beyond!







Once again, Year 6s have outdone themselves with their castles. This project takes them many weeks at home and, as always, they have done themselves proud. I genuinely wish I could keep them all. Thank you to the parents for their help and for supplying the materials.

Year 7



Year 7 have enjoyed exploring theatre design. They have designed, sculpted and painted their own commedia dell’arte masks based on the stock characters we have been learning about. This is in preparation for their Lazzi performances.



s In drama lessons last term, pupils had fun learning all about commedia dell'arte archetypes. The commedia dell’arte was a form of popular theatre that emphasised ensemble acting; its improvisations were set in a firm framework of masks and stock situations. Pupils enjoyed making their own masks and using them in performance.

Duke of Edinburgh
I'm Julia, and I'm in Year 9. For my Duke of Edinburgh volunteering work, I've been choreographing a dance for the Year 4s and 5s. I've loved teaching the girls this dance, as dance is something I'm very passionate about. I also attend dance lessons outside of school. This spring term, the dance routine is based on the song Broken and Beautiful by Kelly Clarkson. I chose this song because it represents the power of women. I've truly enjoyed working with these amazingly talented girls and can't wait to teach them more in the summer term.
Julia, Year 9

Rotary Club Young Chef cook off
On Friday 22nd March, we held the second round of the Rotary Club Young Chef Competition cook offs, with a further 13 teams competing for a place at the final.



British Science Week
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Science Week activities. We had lots of poster entries and it was hard to choose just five to enter to the competition! These children's posters were chosen to be submitted: Sebastian in Reception, Margot in Year 1, Hughie in Year 3, Dylan C in Year 6 and Art in Year 6. Well done to everyone who entered!
We were also pleased to see lots of entries for the Big Plastic Count. Our footprint can be seen below and shows the importance of continuing to reduce, reuse and recycle where possible. Thank you to everyone who took part in counting their plastic and submitting their data.






Baby Goat arrival
Exciting news! Just before the break we welcomed a new addition to the Saint Nicholas School community - a baby goat, named Clover! This adorable little one is already bringing so much joy to our community.
Community
Work


We were delighted to welcome back visitors from Livability UK last term, for the important task of judging our Easter Bonnet Parade. Guests received one of our community hampers to share with staff, volunteers and residents at Livability Netteswell Rectory.


Pupil News
Congratulations to India, Year 9, who during the Easter holidays qualified for Royal International on her show hunter pony. This is such an amazing achievement and the Saint Nicholas School community wish India all the very best in the final, which will be held in Hicksted in July.

Easter
During the last week of term, pupils across the school took part in many Easter activities. Here are just a few of the highlights.













We would like to say a huge thank you for all of your Easter egg donations before the Easter break. We were able to deliver hampers and treats to the following:
St Clare's Hospice, who split their hamper up to give treats to patients, families and staff at the hospice;
The Mind Wellbeing Centre;
Young carers at Churchgate Primary School; Young carers at Pear Tree Mead Academy.
These were very warmly welcomed and much appreciated.

PURA VIDA



We are so excited to announce our next destination as part of our Saint Nicholas adventure programme will be Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is, perhaps, the global capital of nature with breathtaking national parks and dazzling beaches on its 800 miles of coastline along the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. One in every 20 species on earth is native to Costa Rica: sloths, monkeys, sea turtles, tree frogs, toucans and macaws, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, tapirs, peccary, deer, coatis, anteaters, agoutis, raccoons, possums, whales, dolphins, marlin, iguanas and geckos to name just some!
This adventure will take place in July 2025, and is open to all pupils currently in Years 8 – 10.
We want to give you a flavour of what we will be doing during our time in Costa Rica. We will be touring around the country, which will allow us to experience its rich, diverse environment. We will be visiting the jungle canals of Tortuguero, enjoying a dawn safari by canoe and night-time wild-life tours, relishing the views from hanging bridges in tropical cloud forests, relaxing in the Baldi hot springs, participating in a cooking course, exploring San José and helping newborn turtles find their way to the sea.
All school trips help pupils to develop independence, self-reliance, raise ambition and promote communication skills. Visiting a country as diverse and different to our own as Costa Rica will also allow pupils to appreciate the wider world, experience learning in a way that cannot be taught in the classroom and undoubtedly create wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.
We will be sending a letter soon, via email, to parents of pupils in Years 8, 9 and 10 which will contain all key information. Please keep an eye out if you think this amazing adventure might appeal to your child.
Mrs Burchfield and Mr Russell
Dining Hall
We’re thrilled to unveil the stunning upgrade of our dining hall. We’ve redesigned our serving counter to make it super easy for our pupils to access all of their favourite dishes. With a sleek layout and pupil-friendly design, fresh menus packed with delicious options, vibrant decor and new seating, it’s an absolute delight for our pupils. Take a look at the results!







Coffee Shop
We're delighted to unveil the refreshed design of our school's coffee shop!
Families are welcome to step in and enjoy their favourite brew in our newly redesigned space.
Our coffee shop provides the perfect setting for casual conversation, whether you're grabbing a quick cup during morning drop-off or winding down after a busy day.


Athletics - Year 1/2
Over 120 pupils from 15 teams enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of athletics at Mark Hall Sports Centre. The event was divided into three heats to accommodate the large number of teams. Pupils from Years 1 and 2 participated in three track races (obstacle, 1 lap relay, and over/under relay) and four field events (speed bouncers, chest push, javelin, and standing long jump).

Sports Leaders were present to officiate and demonstrate events, guiding the youngest pupils through some tricky events with empathy and consideration. Although there were many outstanding performances, the most notable aspect of the event was the amazing teamwork displayed by the pupils. The children had a lot of fun and received a School Games sticker at the end of the event.
Rugby - Year 5/6
Last term, it was the turn of the Year 5 and 6 girls to participate in a tag rugby festival. Eight teams of girls took part in a series of group matches, with a focus on developing an understanding of the game rules while having fun. The standard of play improved throughout the morning's event, with approximately 90 girls developing their running with the ball, tagging, and defending skills. Following the group matches, the teams played a ranked fixture against their corresponding opponents. In the end, the final was contested between Church Langley girls and the unbeaten Year 5 Saint Nicholas girls' team.

The results of the group games were as follows:
Group 1
Y5 Saint Nicholas - 9 points
Y6 Newhall Primary 1 - 7 points
Y6 Cooks Spinney 2 - 4 points
Y6 Purford Green 4 points
Rugby - Year 6
On Wednesday 20th March, the Year 6 Rugby team travelled to St Edmunds College, for a triangular tournament against St Edmunds and Duncombe. In the first game, St Edmunds dominated at the tackle but improved our positional play. The opposition took advantage of their size and strength to score tries out wide. Our rucking technique allowed opportunities to score but the home team didn't relent, defending their line.
In the final game, Duncombe quickly capitalised on some handling errors and scored two runaway tries. We responded well by tackling and counter-rucking to win the ball and score. The game continued in the same manner as the Year 7 squad adopted a more direct approach, which kept the pressure on our opponents and won the game.
This was a great preparation for next season as we will now concentrate on our individual sports of swimming and athletics after Easter.

Basketball - Year 8
On Tuesday, March 19th, our basketball team played a league match against Avanti.
It was a highly competitive game, with both teams putting up a strong defence, and played well throughout the game, creating multiple opportunities to score. Although we were trailing by a few baskets at the end of the first half, we remained positive and worked hard as a team to secure a win. We collected rebounds, drove to the basket effectively, and most importantly, scored lots of points. We knew that having a solid defence was crucial to secure the victory. After we took the lead, Avanti managed to score one basket, putting them just two points behind us. However, we managed to score again, which gave us a significant confidence boost and ultimately resulted in a win. We played exceptionally well as a team, and congratulations to all the boys! We look forward to playing again.
Wilfred, 8N
Netball - U13 ISA National Finals
The U13 squad (consisting of Year 7 and Year 8 pupils) travelled to Warwick for the national netball finals, finishing in the top four of eight schools regionally to qualify. It was an early start and a long journey. We arrived to a drizzly start and 24 schools ready to compete in a day of netball. There was plenty of adrenaline and nerves as the squad warmed up. We had six schools in our pool, with each game lasting 14 minutes. We won our first game 6-2 against Crosfields, which boosted our confidence, and we went into the second game with a belief in our abilities. We won the second game against Tettenhall 9-1 and the third game against Shebbear 8-3. Our fourth game was more physical and we drew with Queen Ethelburga's 4-4. Our final pool game was against Lingfield College who had yet to lose a game. We started nervously and struggled to compete with the height advantage eventually losing 10-6.
The end of the pool games saw us finishing in second place and entering the Plate competition. We were up against Abbot's Hill, and at the final whistle the score was 77, so it went down to golden goal. Unable to convert our centre pass advantage the ball was intercepted and they scored beating us 8-7. This was tough to take and we needed to regroup knowing that our final game was going to be challenging due to the height advantage we faced. Our third/fourth place play off was against Farnborough Hill. It was a close first half but they nipped us to the win in the second half.
We finished the tournament in 8th place out of 26 schools. This is a fantastic achievement for the squad and our school, as it is the first time that we have qualified for nationals. We learnt a lot and this has been great preparation for our PGL netball weekend.
Thank you to all the parents for travelling with us to support and encourage the girls. We are so very proud of all the hard work and training the girls have put in and look forward to seeing their success continue next season.

Badminton
On Monday 25th March, the Middle School Badminton Cup was held. This event was open to boys in Years 6 to 8. The evening commenced with a palpable sense of nervousness among the attendees as they embarked upon the knockout tournament. Despite the initial apprehension, the pupils demonstrated admirable skill and composure as they navigated the tournament with poise and determination. The Plate trophy offers another chance to win, despite conceding in the early rounds and the Plate final ended with a close game between Alistair, Year 7, and Teddy, Year 6, with Harrison ultimately taking the honours.
Throughout the Cup and year group competitions, there were numerous ups and downs as the Year 7 participants shone and grew in confidence. Noah and Jenson managed to make it to the Cup Final, where they showcased their expertise and control, with Noah ultimately coming out on top. All of the event winners are listed below. Well done and thank you for your attendance.
Middle School Badminton Cup
Cup Winner Noah (Year 7)
Cup Runner-up
Plate Winner
Plate Runner-up
Jensen (Year 7)
Alistair (Year 7)
Teddy (Year 6)
Year 8 Winner Zac
Year 8 Runner-up
Year 7 Winner
Year 7 Runner-up
Year 6 Winner
Year 6 Runner-up

Freddie
Noah
Jensen
Harrison
Teddy
