Newsletter 8th March 2024

Saint Nicholas School

Newsletter

Friday 8th March, 2024

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From the Headmaster's desk

There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all.' - Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis

Dear Parents and Pupils,

Dates for your Diary

7th - 14th March

School book fair

An action-packed week with so many highlights has come to an end, and not least among them was our World Book Day celebration yesterday. World Book Day has long been one of my favourite days on the school calendar, and I was delighted to see the pupils and staff so enthused by this year's theme, bedtime stories. The classroom door competition added a little 'extra spice' to the day, and I was incredibly impressed by the calibre of the doors created by our teachers, some of whom had more than a little help from our immensely talented pupils! My World Book Day assembly for lower school this year focused on reading for pleasure, and I encouraged pupils to read a wide range of books to discover their favourite genres. I also urged pupils to share book recommendations with their friends and, with that in mind, I read them a poem called 'GO-KART' by Michael Rosen from his 'Quick, Let's Get Out of Here' poetry book, which I highly recommend for children aged between 7-11 years old. Stephen King is quoted as saying, 'Books are uniquely portable magic', and I sincerely hope that this week’s World Book Day has inspired our pupils to unlock the 'magic' of reading for pleasure.

11th March

Pre-school Mother's Day pamper session

Spanish and French mock

GCSE speaking exams

12th March

Spanish mock GCSE speaking exams

14th March

Year 6 to Crucial Crew

Year 9 and Year 10 boys

Spurs coaching session at Spurs Academy

Year 11 GCSE drama practical performance and moderation

15th March

Rotary Club Young Chef cook offs

Year 1 trip to Paradise Wildlife Park

Year 11 self defense session

This week's main event was today's International Women's Day celebration, and we were delighted to welcome guest speakers from a range of different industries to present and lead workshops for our pupils throughout the day. Amongst our guest speakers, were three alumni whom it was my great pleasure to teach during my first tenure at the school, so it was a particularly special moment to welcome back Lucy Moyler, Madeline Dowd, and Katie Templeton-Knight, all 6A girls, to Saint Nicholas. It proved to be an inspirational day for all our pupils, and I would take this opportunity to thank our speakers, several of them existing parents, for being so generous with their time, and our Deputy Head Academic elect, Mrs Samantha Branford-Jackson, for organising the event.

As the end of term looms ever closer, I need to update you on one staffing change for next term in the lower school. Heidi Shubrook has made the difficult decision to depart at the end of this term, to take up a position at Howe Green House School. Mrs Shubrook has had a long association with Saint Nicholas School, and I am sure you will join me in wishing her all the very best for the future. Replacing a member of staff mid-year is rarely straightforward but I am delighted to inform parents of Mrs Shubrook's class, that Mrs Mears and Mrs Hill, two very experienced teachers who have taught at Saint Nicholas as a job share previously, have agreed to step in and teach 2S during the summer term.

As we move into the weekend, I feel certain that a reminder of Mother's Day this Sunday is not required. An unattributed quotation states that, 'Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother.' I would encourage all of those who are fortunate to have a strong female role model in their lives, to make an extra-special fuss of them this weekend.

My very best wishes for a relaxing, pamper-filled weekend.

Dates for your Diary

18th March and 19th March

GCSE Set-Task exam for Art 3D group 1

19th March

U10 ISA Regional Netball Finals at Ursuline Prep

20th March

Friends' lower school Easter film night

Year 8 ISA National Netball tournament at King’s High School, Warwick

Year 9-11 drama pupils trip to Everybody's talking about Jamie

Year 7 Parents' Evening

21st and 22nd March

GCSE Set-Task exam for Art

GCSE Set-Task exam for Art 3D group 2

21st March

Year 5 trip to Greenwich Observatory

22nd March

Prefect application deadline Rotary Club Young Chef cook offs

Year 2 History off the Page Great Fire of London day

To keep up to date with events on the school calendar

CLICK HERE

Pre School

The Butterfly children have continued their around the world topic this week. On Monday they learnt all about Spain and tried their hands at creating artwork inspired by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

The Caterpillars enjoyed making chocolate soup in the muddy area and playing pirates in the ship.

Reception Class

The children enjoyed having a crafty morning with their mums. The children decorated Mother's Day plaques, completed some finger painting and decorated biscuits.

Year 2

What a fantastic day Year 2 have had at the Tower of London last week. The children were transported back to 1666 and learnt about how the great fire started and spread.

Year 3

Year 3 have started learning about bread in their DT lessons this term, so they can decide which they would like to make in a few weeks’ time. They had a very important job to taste different breads and decide which they liked, and didn’t. Pupils explored the texture, smell and appearance before tasting.

Year 5

A day of French culture and fun for Year 5 last Friday, as pupils embarked on an immersive journey into French culture. Accompanied by their teachers, they visited the Institut Français in London, renowned for its dedication to promoting French language and culture.

The children eagerly participated in language activities led by native speakers, showing both their enthusiasm for learning and their growing language skills. They also had the opportunity to explore popular Franco-Belgian comics at the celebrated Sir Quentin Blake Library, before gathering at the impressive Art Deco-style Ciné Lumière, where they loved watching the film Yakari, La Grande Aventure in French.

We are proud of our Saint Nicholas pupils, whose exemplary behaviour, language skills and pronunciation left a very positive impression on the Institute staff. "Fantastique," "très bien," "super," and "excellent", were some of the words used to describe them. A fun and enriching experience for all involved. Bravo à tous et à toutes!

An 'out of this world' day!

Year 5 had great fun during our space enrichment day. Pupils learned about life on the International Space Station, including how astronauts eat, wash and sleep in space. They tried some astronaut food and learned some interesting facts about the planets.

Junior Eco Club

Pupils had a fabulous time with our fostered animals this week. The children fed the goats, Beau and Blue and our new sheep, Pudding and Baby Jay and welcomed them to the Saint Nicholas School family.

Mathletics

Congratulations to Alexander, Leo, Evelyn and Emma who have all achieved a mathletics certificate this week. Keep up the great work.

s Year 6

Year 6 pupils visited the STEM Discovery Centre in Stevenage on Tuesday. During their visit they learned about rocket propulsion, and used a chemical reaction to decorate a tote bag with splatters of paint, as their Alka-Seltzer powered rockets took off.

M i d d l e a n d U p p e r S c h o o

They also learned about the work carried out at Airbus to design and programme Mars Rovers for the European Space Agency. As well as seeing the Mars Yard where the real Mars Rovers are tested, our pupils were also able to try out their own computational thinking skills, by programming Lego robots to follow a path and navigate around rocks on the Martian surface. The STEM Centre includes a fantastic interactive space where pupils are able to learn about science, maths and engineering through play and experimentation.

We rounded off the day with a fascinatingly disgusting science show called Things that make you go Ewwww! during which Oliver helped to demonstrate how our digestive system works by mashing up baked beans, bread, vinegar (stomach acid), washing powder(for enzymes) and cocoa powder (for colour).

M i d d l e a n d U p p e r S c h o o

Shakespeare Worskshop

The Shakespeare workshop was a wonderful opportunity for everyone who was involved. We really enjoyed the experience and would definitely do it again if we had the chance. We also had an awesome time picking costumes and helping each other with our lines.

I would like to thank Mrs Bradford and I would definitely recommend doing this.

Phoebe, Year 6

We had a wonderful day with Mrs Bradford, working on our Shakespeare monologues. It was very enjoyable to put on costumes and have fun . The day was not only for us working towards a competition entry, but was an opportunity for us to learn how to perform Shakespeare. The best way of learning is also having fun, and that’s exactly what this day was about. We all put in a lot of effort. We had to learn about our characters and what their emotions and intentions were in each of our chosen scenes. We learned lots of new vocabulary, from The Tempest to Romeo and Juliet. I think we managed to cover a fair few of Shakespeare’s plays. It wasn’t easy but it was good to set a challenge for ourselves, as when we are having fun, time just flies.

Barbara, Year 6

GCSE FOOD TECH

This week GCSE pupils had to make three dishes with accompaniments, to answer one of two questions set by the exam board. The results were fantastic as you can see from the photographs and the pupils worked hard to achieve a professional level of finish. Congratulations to everyone who took part.

M i d d l e a n d U p p e r S c

Year 8

This week in Year 8 PSHE lessons, pupils participated in first aid sessions, and how to respond in an emergency. The sessions were led by Mr Jackson, our Estates and Health and Safety Manager. All of the children practised CPR on training mannequins and learned how to put someone into the recovery position. The sessions have been extremely helpful to refresh memories and encourage confidence in using these skills to save lives.

British Film Institute

On Thursday, 29th of February Year 8 had an experience of a lifetime when the teachers kindly took us all to the British Film Institute. Once we had arrived we were given a booklet and got seated. We watched three short films and had to answer the questions in the booklet. After we had finished the booklet we had our lunch. After lunch, we watched a documentary about a man who made instruments out of rubbish to teach kids free of charge. We found the documentary very interesting and am sure our peers would agree.

Francesa and Olivia, Year 8

N i c h o l a s S c h o o l

S a i n t

S a i n t N i c h o l a s S c h o o

Neurodiversity week

On Monday 11th March, Kierran Pearce from the Multi-Schools Council will be working with our pupils from Reception to Year 9. He will be running an assembly for Reception to Year 4 and workshops for Years 5 to 9. The aim of his visit is to introduce neurodiversity to our pupils with a greater emphasis on ADHD and Autism. The Multi-Schools Council is a charity that works with children and young people with SEND and mental health difficulties, to break down negative stigma. The charity works with nearly 500 schools and colleges in the East of England. Through his assemblies and workshops, we hope that our pupils will gain a greater understanding of neurodiversity and what daily life is like for people with ADHD and Autism.

If you would like to find out more about neurodiversity THIS LINK has a schedule of free panel discussions run by the Neurodiversity Celebration Week website:

S a i n t N i c h o l a s S c h o o

Science Week

British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths that that will take place between 8th-17th March. This year, to celebrate British Science Week’s 30th anniversary, the theme is ‘Time!’

Children from EYFS through to year 9 will have the opportunity to design a poster based on the 'Time' theme. Once complete, Lower School children should hand their poster to their class teacher and the Upper School should hand their posters to Mrs Ivins. All poster entries will be awarded housepoints; Mrs Ivins and Mrs Cotton will then select five entries to submit to the national competition.

Across the school, we will also be taking part in the Big Plastic Count, in which we are asking pupils to count the plastic packaging that their household throws away in one week, from the 11th-17th March. Classes will be given a personalised link for each student to upload their individual results. This will then be used to generate a class footprint of how much plastic we have used collectively, and tips for how we can use the results to make a difference. The link for each class will be posted to their TEAMs page along with further instructions of how to take part.

Letters have been sent out with more information about both the poster competition and the Big Plastic Count so please refer to these for more details. Thank you for your support with these activities!

S a i n t N i c h o l a s S c h o o l N e w s

s Book Fair - Monday 11th to Thursday 14th March

We will be holding a book fair from Monday 11th through to Thursday 14th March.

S a i n t N i c h o l a s S c h o o l

Basketball

On Monday 4th March, Year 9 boys’ basketball teams played Leventhorpe. We played well together as a team with Theo, Max and Billy scoring to put us ahead. Some of our linking gameplay was very good. Well done to Wilfred, Year 8 who stepped up to play with the Year 9s

Well done to the boys and I hope to see many more wins in the future.

Theo, Year 9

On Monday, 4th of March, the Year 10 boys' basketball team played an intense match against the home team, Leventhorpe. The first half was filled with great defence for the Saint Nicholas team but lacked in the attacking aspect, struggling to make baskets and only scoring 8 points due to Leventhorpe’s defence being so hard to break through. In the second half both teams fought valiantly, Saint Nicholas especially shining by breaking down their mighty wall of a defence. By the end Saint Nicholas brought home the win 18 –14. Congratulations to Alistair, Cooper, Ethan, Guy, Zack and me.

Holden, Year 10

Football

Last Friday, the U11 boys team participated in the ISA regional football tournament. The top four teams from the tournament will get the opportunity to play at St. George's Park, England's training ground.

The Junior team consisted of both Year 5 and 6 pupils. Samuel played in the goal and made some impressive saves, keeping the team competitive. Harrison and Lennie, the midfielders, showed excellent teamwork by passing and moving well. Harrison scored five goals, while Lennie scored three. Elliot played as the striker and took advantage of the two opportunities he got, assisting with many goals. Angus scored a last-minute winning goal in one of our games, and Ollie was a great playmaker when he came onto the field.

Overall, the team played intricate football and scored in every game. We finished third in the group of seven and went on to win the playoff match with a score of 3-1. In our last game, we also allowed everyone to rotate into different positions, making it an enjoyable day.

Lucas, Year 6

Cross Country

Four pupils competed in the National ISA cross country on Saturday at Worksop College, and all came out with great results. It was a rainy day so conditions were wet and muddy, however, the races still went on and the first to compete was Henry in Year 4 who finished 49th, then Anabelle in Year 9, who finished 35th and then finally Ali and Ethan in Year 10 who finished 20th and 53rd. It was a good day out with a tough course but everyone did really well.

Ali, Year 10

Football

Last Friday Saint Nicholas School played a football tournament at Saffron Walden County High. We had a mixed team of Year 8/9s and were playing Year 9s, so the Year 8s had to step up. This was a Stortford schools tournament so we were outnumbered in options. However, we still managed to beat St Mary’s and also drew with Hockerill and Leventhorpe. We felt proud of our achievements

Rhys, Year 9

Netball

On Tuesday, the Year 8 netball team played St Mary’s. We started off against the Year 8s, who were very strong in defence, but our attack made some great movements which led onto amazing shooting, where our shooters scored 16 goals. Our defence was strong as well, and we made some great turnovers and rebounds, so we only let in 1 goal. We were able to keep the lead for the first 2 quarters, where at half time we swapped over to play against St Mary's Year 7s, who were also quite strong. Again, their defence was tough, but we fought hard and worked well together to keep the ball and make some great moves and passes. We adjusted quickly to the different level of play, and kept possession of the ball throughout the court. The final score was 11-2 to us. Well done to Frankie who got player of the match against the Year 7s, and to Scarlett who got player of the match against the Year 8s. Thank you to Mrs Oakley and Mrs Sanders for supporting us throughout both matches.

Holly, Year 8

On Tuesday 5th March we played away at St Mary’s. We had matches against Year 7 and the Year 8 team which gave us an opportunity to test our playing skills as they were both great teams to play against. We lost both games but we played with full strength and commitment and lots of teamwork. Our players were Alys, Amelie, Casta (player of the match), Clem, Dotty, Isabelle (player of the match), Kayla (Captain)and Tia. Thank you Mrs Sanders and Mrs Oakley for taking us there and the amazing support and encouragement you always give us.

Isabelle, Year 7

Rugby

On Saturday, Agatha and Scarlett played in the first ever ‘Girls Minis Touch Rugby Flood Light Festival’ in the UK, with their Harlow Rugby Club Under 10’s team. The Festival was held at Hertford Rugby Club with players from 18 different teams.

Agatha and Scarlett commented on the event:

‘Usually we play in a mixed team of boys and girls, but it was really fun to take part in an all-female team for the festival. We played 4 matches and we gave each match all our effort. We were really happy with our performance. We were the youngest competitors in our age category and we played against some teams with players that were 4 years older than us, which was a great challenge!’

The event was supported by Ella Wyrwas; England and Saracens number 9, who presented Agatha and Scarlett with their participation medals at the end of the festival.

Well done Girls!