13th June 2013
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Working in a school we are only too aware of the annual calendar and we are already planning ahead for September and beyond, whilst much of the day job is ensuring that the students here and now get the best teaching. Parents are only too aware of the struggles this year we have encountered with recruiting staff. Having spoken to many Hertfordshire heads, this is not uncommon. However at this point, we are fully staffed for September and with the flexibilities now that exam classes bring, we are trying to cover far more of the classes internally. One of our ex students, training to be a Maths teacher, Emily Robinson, has joined us before embarking on her course. Before the end of term we will be welcoming many of the new staff for their induction before they join in September; Maths, Science, English, Music and RE. NEW THINGS TO NOTE Governors and staff have discussed the issues and problems surrounding the Open Evenings last year. The decision therefore has been taken to change the format of the Open Evenings- in fact we will have an “Open Morning”. This will be held on Saturday 28 September (9.00- 12.30). By holding the event on a Saturday morning, we can park some cars on site and generally be more creative with the space and timings. I will, for the first time, run 3 talks so everyone can comfortably listen to the message about our values and ethos. We can walk around the site, thus avoiding the congestion in the corridors and hopefully show off the beauty of our site. We therefore ask you to support us by penciling this date into your diaries. We know it is the children themselves that impress our visitors and we need them here!
Dates for your diary: 19th June
- Fun Run Fund raising event
26th June
- Sports Day 1pm3.30pm
28th June
- Year 11 Leavers Awards - PSA Ladies Pamper evening
2nd July
- Summer Concert Broxbourne
4th July
- Sports Award Evening
5th July
- School Closed for staff training
A recent newsletter has informed parents of the changes to girls uniform for certain year groups. From September year 10 girls will either wear the new plaid skirt (as will the new year 7) or black school trousers. We would like all other year groups to follow suit when they need to replace skirts. In September 2014, all skirts will be of the new colour. The hall refurbishment is now completed and a big thank you for all those who, through the PSA, have generously supported us. The PSA’s fundraising this summer will go towards their final contribution. It certainly looks so much better after many years of little more than paint redecoration. Please support the many events that will be held in the coming weeks. The annual Fun Run on June 19 looks as exciting as ever and this is where we traditionally raise most of our funds. The “Pamper Evening on 28 June and hosting the American visitors will equally enjoyable. Sports events and the Presentation Evening, the summer concert, Art Exhibition and the School Play all value your support. We are currently welcoming the new Year 7, with 168 in the wings! Our visits to primary schools have begun where we see every student and get detailed information on learning to plan curriculum continuity. This year we are holding four evenings where Year 6 families will come along and experience some of our subject areas. The response has been phenomenal with each session (16 of them in total) full! Once again, our level of parent support is incredible and this of course is so important if children are to succeed,
FUN RUN The ‘big’ event of the year will soon be upon us. This is the only event when the whole school community actively takes part in an event! Thank you to all those students and staff who have already committed money. Each year group has a fancy dress theme and we are asking everyone to both pay the entry (£5) and try and set further donations. As a school we do not ask for school funds (unlike many local schools) and so this is a great way to support what we are doing here. This year we will use the funds to pay for the refurbishments to the hall and dining room. We hope to match last year’s £5000 raised and indeed go beyond. It is a great community afternoon – lots of fun and greatly supported by all including the PSA who manage the water stations!
DANCE WORLD CUP 2013 Hannah Shoard has been selected to represent England again this year at the Dance World Cup 2013. Following on from her success last year she has been selected to represent England in 16 dance sections, including solos, duets, trios and groups. As well as this fantastic opportunity, Hannah recently competed at the South West heat for one of the most prestigious modern dance competitions in the UK and she was awarded, unanimously, Senior Class Prize and overall South West region winner of the Senior Section. We wish Hannah every success and look forward to hearing about her experience when she returns. Miss Traynor
OSMINGTON BAY Just before half term Year 7 spent the week in Osmington Bay. The first evening we arrived in Dorset the students took part in the Olympic Games, brilliantly showcasing their sporting talents! The staff especially excelled in synchronised swimming! The main activities began on the Tuesday. Every day the students participated in four different activities including things like, aeroball, climbing, abseiling, dragon boating, archery and many more. I was very impressed by the bravery and maturity shown by the Year group in overcoming their fears and helping to support the other students in their activity groups. We will be having an assembly on Friday morning to give out certificates for achievement over the course of the week and I look forward to seeing parents on the 1st of July for the PSHEE and Osmington Bay video evening. Mrs Bonfield
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT AND LIBRARY NEWS
NEW CHILDREN'S LAUREATE ANNOUNCED As you may have read in the press, award-winning children's author, Malorie Blackman OBE has just been appointed the new Children's Laureate. During her term of office 2013-15 she is looking to promote teenage literature in particular. For more information please go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/ books/2013/jun/05/malorie-blackman-childrens-laureate-interview We have many of her 60 popular books in our Library, including the famous Noughts and Crosses series which students and staff are welcome to borrow. Her latest dystopian novel entitled Noble Conflict will also be available in the Library soon.
YEAR 8 GLOBE THEATRE TRIP On the 5th June Year 8 went to Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London, Bankside. It was a very sunny day which put everyone in a good mood. On the way there we saw several things such as Tower Bridge, Millenium Bridge and we even got a glimpse of the Olympic stadium and the Orbit tower. When we got there we went to the gift shop and bought a mixture of things from chocolate to fake blood! We were split into 4 separate groups, then they told us about the history of the Globe, including why its called the Globe and what goes on there today, then we got shown round. Inside it looked stunning and it looked just as good on the outside as it was made to look like it did in the 1500’s. We then did a interactive session where we acted out some parts from “Romeo and Juliet”, and did some other fun drama activities. We ate lunch and went home, and to conclude it was a very worthwhile experience, thanks to Mr. Davies. Clare Brittain and Laura Dixon, 8HL
ENGLISH THEATRE VISIT TO 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD' FOR YEAR 10 Three weeks ago, a small group of Year 10 students had the privilege of seeing their set text for English Literature performed at the Open Air Theatre in Regents Park. The night was decidedly chilly, although we avoided any rain, but the play transported the audience to the heat of a courtroom in the Deep South of America in the 1930s with ease. The production was gripping, with superb use of stagecraft and the child actors were particularly good. It was, in fact, a preview and it was only the second night that the theatre had been open for this season. Our students were, as always, excellent ambassadors for the school and it was a pleasure accompanying them and listening to their opinions afterwards. We just wish we’d taken a blanket…
Mrs Cooke
In May, a s group of Year 10 English students went to see To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in a stage adaptation at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park. We travelled by train and tube and, upon our arrival, we were met with a warm welcome from the staff and the option to taste some of the (slightly overpriced) food they had on offer. The wait until we could sit in the theatre was not a long one, and the comfort of the seats was surprisingly agreeable. This was not the only surprise that evening, for, seconds before the play was due to start, George pulled from his bag a selection of chicken legs which he proceeded to devour! The staff present were not amused, hence the fact that George was volunteered to write this report. He was then asked to name someone to help him complete this task, and he chose me (Hugo) to assist him. A third surprise occurred when several seemingly ordinary audience members stood up and began reading from the novel. It turned out that the entire cast of the play had been hiding in the stalls! They then proceeded to walk onto the stage and draw out a map of Maycomb (the fictional town in which the novel is set) onto the stage while one of them played the acoustic guitar. There was also a tree on the right of the stage with a tyre swing tied to it. In the play, we were able to see many characters we know and love from the novel, such as Scout, Jem, Atticus, Tom Robinson and others, brought to life by the actors. We felt that it was an excellent production, and even with the limited time, very few parts of the original novel were omitted. We especially liked the character of Atticus; we felt that he was very well- portrayed and that the themes of his character shown in the book were excellently presented. We also liked the portrayal of Bob Ewell, shown in all his uneducated depravity and evil. There was an interval, and by this time the cold of the open air theatre had started to bite, so many of us joined a colossal queue for the hot drinks, more for warmth than quenching of thirst. However, once the second half of the play began, the cold became part of the atmosphere as the darker elements of the story came to the surface. The tyre swing on the tree was switched with a noose, and the evil certain people are capable of was depicted in a sense that made you truly despise them. Overall, the play was excellent, and everyone really enjoyed watching it. After the play, we hurried back to the station as the temperature was dropping rapidly. By this point, it was starting to get quite late, and we arrived back in Hertford not a moment too soon, as certain members of the group were starting to fall asleep! The next day, we came into school with a more in-depth knowledge of the novel than we could have hoped for by just reading it. The trip was a positive experience for everyone involved, and we hope that the knowledge gained will help us achieve the highest grades in our exams! Hugo Turner and George Penn
YEAR 5 TASTER DAY On Wednesday 5th June 17 Year 5 students from Hertingfordbury Cowper came to Simon Balle to experience life in a secondary school. They had a fantastic day and loved the lessons they had. They started with Food Tech, then Science and Maths. They had lunch in the canteen and then went to a Geography lesson followed by music. They were rather tired by the end of the day but most of them still stayed for a PE club after school. Thank you to Mrs Jones, Mrs Kelleway, Mrs Pope, Miss Ahmet, Mr Taylor and Mr Finch. The students were looked after by three Year 7 students who used to go to Hertingfordbury. Rebecca Tether, Beth Emsley and Jake Preston did a fantastic job and ensured that nobody got lost! Miss Baynham
STUDENT FEEDBACK:
I am writing to you the teachers of Simon Balle to say how fantastic the day was when we went to Simon Balle School. The best lesson was probably the maths. Why I liked the maths the most is because it was to do with sports and that was the best maths lesson ever. Also I loved the food tech because it was very enjoyable and messy and I love cooking. The best moment at Simon Balle was playing football with the year 10’s because they were kind and played fairly. Thank you the teachers and children of Simon Balle for making me feel welcome. In the future I’ll be hoping to come to Simon Balle. From Alex Tether HertingFordbury Cowper school
Dear teachers of Simon Balle, On Wednesday the 5th of June we (Year 5 Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School) visited you (Simon Balle School) to get a taste of what secondary school is like. It was splendid. You have wonderful teachers that you can definitely be proud of. Each of your subjects I enjoyed. Food technology was my favourite, those cookies were delicious! Thank you Mrs Riddley, Mrs Yeardye and most of all Mrs Jones, who helped with our cooking. Science was brilliant, creating rainbows in tubes. Genius! The fact that the chemicals floated on top of one another fascinated me and was very intriguing . Maths was very interesting too. What I liked most was figuring out the methods for our questions. It was very challenging, but with a little bit of help from Mrs Pope (who is an excellent maths teacher) I conquered it. Your pupils are very lucky to have such a brilliant teacher like her. Lunchtime was enjoyable, some of the kind year 10 girls invited us to sit with them while they were chatting. When everybody came into lunch, I was very surprised that the majority of them were playing outside. Geography came next, watching WALLE for a couple of minutes was fun. Designing the posters was great, the same for writing the post card to our ‘home planet’. Afterwards we had music, the teacher was very serious about his music and was fabulous at teaching us as well as getting us quiet. I was playing the drums most of the time which I was very happy about. My hands ached once I got back home. All of these subjects were such good fun. When I first saw the list of what we were doing my thoughts were, “Oh no, really do we have to do maths? I thought we were here for a good day.” Thank you very much for this exceptional day. This taste of secondary school was delicious, if I go there I hope I get seconds! Looking forward to seeing you again, Yours sincerely, Lauren Simpson
COUNTY LEAGUE ATHLETICS – ROUND 5 Yesterday Simon Balle competed in the 5th Round of the County League at Westminster lodge, St. Albans. On rainy evening the teams performed very well against their toughest opposition so far. Jacob Fenwick broke the 1500m school record with a fantastic run of 5.12. Kallum Titchmarsh also ran a personal best of 4.48 in the U16 1500m. Against schools of the calibre of Hitchen, STAGs and Nicholas Breakspear it was always going to be a tough afternoon, however Simon Balle once again maintained their strong showing. Flo Fyfe again dominated the sprints as she has done throughout the series. The U16 Girls are in the top 5 in the league going into the final round. They have performed fantastically throughout the league winning 4 out of the 5 relays along with Sophie Rawlinson dominating the 1500m both yesterday and throughout the league. The U16 boys were in 2nd place after 4 rounds and still managed to score nearly 50 points last night which puts them into a great position of making the county final in July. As well as Kallum, Patrick Tarry (Hurdles & TJ), Dan Morton (Javelin) and Josh Moses (100m & LJ) have been the top performers. The U14 girls are also in the top 8 going into the final round with top performers Lily Jones (800m & LJ) and Louise Reilly (Hurdles & HJ). The next round takes place on Monday again at St. Albans, fingers crossed that all goes well.
COUNTY ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS, HEMEL On Saturday a team of 6 Simon Balle athletes competed at the County Athletics Championships in Hemel. All performed to a very high standard with the performers of the day being Josh Moses and Sophie Rawlinson. Josh jumped a pb of 11.32m in the Triple Jump to win a bronze medal. Sophie ran a tactically astute race to win bronze in the 1500m with a pb of 5.14 beating her personal best by nearly 10 secs. Ben Moses competed in the U17 boys and made the 100m final and finished a fantastic 5th in the Long Jump. Maddy Twyning made the final of the 300m where she finished a credible 6th. Lily Jones and Louise Reilly also competed in the long jump and high jump respectively. Well done to all who competed.
YEAR 9/10 GIRLS CALYPSO DISTRICT TOURNAMENT We entered 2 teams for the annual calypso cricket competition on Tuesday 11th June. The combined year7/8 team was amazing, winning all 4 of their group matches comfortably. They breezed past Sele in the semi final and were so unlucky to lose by 2 runs to Broxbourne in the final. This was an outstanding achievement for this group of girls, most of whom have just started playing cricket. Congratulations to Leah Wilkerson, Jenny Goodson, Molly Robinson, Krystina Kyriacou, Eve Blyth-Mortor, Maddy Moulder, Lucie Blackman, Gemma Moses, Megan McCormick, Lily Jones and Ruby Voss. The combined year 9/10 team also competed and for many of these girls it is the final time they will play cricket for the school team. They stormed through their group matches, beat Freeman College in the semi final and Marlborough school in the final. This team have consistently performed at high level since forming as a team in year 7.. Over the last 4 years they have been indoor district, county and South of England champions, so to finish as champions outdoors was a fitting end to their cricket career at Simon Balle. Well done to the following girls, you are brilliant. Phoebe McMurray, Abbie Bensted, Sophie Rawlinson, Yasmin Scott-Gray, Chloe Ringe, Maddy Twyning, Megan Sende, Jessie Ensum, Emily Hook and Abbey Conroy.
ROUNDERS RESULTS The following are recent Rounders results from the past 3 weeks; YEAR 7 AND 8 ROUNDERS V ST MARYS YEAR 7 LOST 9 AND A HALF TO 7 AND A HALF - Joint player of the match went to Kris Kyriacou and Gemma Moses YEAR 8 LOST 16 TO NINE AND HALF - Player of the Match - Molly Robinson YEARS 9 AND 10 ROUNDERS V ST MARYS CHESHUNT
Year 9 won 12 and a half to 5 and a half - Player of the match: Abbey Conroy Year 10 still remain unbeaten, winning 20 and a half to 7 and a half - Player of the match: Sophie Rawlinson May 22nd Y8s lost - 20 and a 1/2 to 10 and a 1/2. Player of the match Rosa Noxon Y7s lost - 22 and a 1/2 to 11. Player of the match Lexie Seiler ROUNDERS RESULTS v Broxbourne YEAR 7 - Lost 15 and a half to 9. POM Gemma Moses YEAR 7 A TEAM - Lost 17 and a half to 6 and a half. Player of the Match: Georgia Turville YEAR 7 B TEAM - Lost 11 and a half to 7 and a half. Player of the Match: Philippa Shattock YEAR 9 AND 10 ROUNDERS V CHAUNCY 9s lost 13 and a half to 13. Tor Hill the Player of the Match 10s won 32-6. Player of the Match was Eliza Weeks
BOYS CRICKET Year 7 Cricket • County Cup – The Boys played Richard Hale last week and lost by 3 wickets, with Jack Skelton taking 3 wickets. • District Cup – Max Lawrence had a superb match against Turnford scoring 40 runs not out. Result: Simon Balle 110-3 (14 overs), Turnford 99-6 (20 overs) Year 8 Cricket • District Cup v Sele. Won by 4 wickets. Sele batted first and score 68 for 4. Simon Balle struggled to score the runs until Rees Clark came in to bat and score a very quick 21 runs to win the game. • District Cup v John Warner. In a close game John Warner won by 4 wkts. Dan Heald had a great game scoring 31 runs and taking 2 wickets for 2 runs. Calypso Cricket. In the annual tournament held at Sele School the boys just missed out on qualifying for the Cup semi final. However in the plate competition they won the semi final v Chauncy comfortably and then beat Broxbourne in the final by 35 runs.
UPCOMING EVENTS Fun run – Wednesday 19th June Sports Day – Wednesday 26th June District Athletics Championships – Friday 28th June Sports Presentation evening (Leon Baptiste as special guest) – Thursday 4th July
PRIVACY NOTICE Please find below the latest version of the Privacy Notice
Privacy Notice - Data Protection Act 1998 We, Simon Balle School, are a data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act. We collect information from you and may receive information about you from your previous school and the Learning Records Service. We hold this personal data and use it to: Support your teaching and learning; Monitor and report on your progress; Provide appropriate pastoral care, and Assess how well your school is doing. This information includes your contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance information and personal characteristics such as your ethnic group, special educational needs and any relevant medical information. If you are enrolling for post 14 qualifications we will be provided with your unique learner number by the Learning Records Service and may also obtain from them details of any learning or qualifications you have undertaken. Once you are aged 13 or over, we are required by law to pass on certain information to providers of youth support services in your area. This is the local authority support service for young people aged 13 to 19 in England. We must provide both your and your parent’s/s’ name(s) and address, and any further information relevant to the support services’ role. However, if you are over 16, you (or your parent(s)) can ask that no information beyond names, address and your date of birth be passed to the support service. This right transfers to you on your 16th birthday. Please inform Mrs Salter, Database Manager, if you wish to opt-out of this arrangement. For more information about young peoples’ services, please go to the Directgov Young People page at www.direct.gov.uk/ en/YoungPeople/index.htm or the LA website shown below. Some of the information you supply will be used by the Skills Funding Agency to fulfil its statutory functions, issue/verify your Unique Learner Number (ULN) and update/check your Personal Learning Record. The Skills Funding Agency may share your ULN and Personal Learning Record with other education related organisations, such as your careers service, school, college, university, Government Departments and public bodies responsible for funding your education. Further details of how your information is processed and shared can be found here. http://www.learningrecordsservice.org.uk/NR/ rdonlyres/30EE21D9-0C38-4A67-85D9-923C052F2999/0/PN02PrivacyNoticesstudentsandlearnersversion13aug2012.pdf Other Institutions involved in collaborative delivery. Where secondary schools are involved in collaborative delivery with other schools / colleges and learning providers, pupil information may also be shared to aid the preparation of learning plans and use of data to achieve the objectives identified above. We will not give information about you to anyone outside the school without your consent unless the law and our rules allow us to.
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