July 21 2016 - The Sandon School

The Sandon School
Newsletter
21 July 2016
Dear Parents/Carers and Students,
As we reach the end of the school year I would like to thank students, parents, staff, governors
and the local community who have supported the school in numerous ways throughout the year.
We can all be justifiably proud of our work which was celebrated in our Prizes and Awards
Evening last week.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish those staff who are moving on to new challenges
every success for the future, and offer special thanks to Marguerite Gill who will be retiring from
The Sandon School after 26 years here, and Mary Reed who will be retiring after 25 years! I
would also like to welcome the following staff who have either joined us recently or will be
starting in September:
Mrs J Blackman (Maths)
Mr L Percival (Head of Geography)
Miss G Browne (PE)
Miss O Davies (English)
Miss E Duncan (Science)
Miss M Hulme (English)
Miss K Adams (Music)
Miss E Santry (Technology)
Mr J Gransaull (Science)
Miss G Crowley (Science)
Miss L Cook (Cover Supervisor)
Mr M Parkin (Site Team)
Mrs K Matthams (Learning Support)
Mrs J Knowles (Learning Support)
Mrs D Keighley (Science Technician)
As you will see from the rest of this newsletter, this term has continued to be extremely busy
right up to the very end. I would therefore like to take the opportunity to wish you all a restful
summer break and we look forward to the results days in August and welcoming our new year 7
students in September.
With best wishes
J C Wincott
Headteacher
REMINDER - EARLY FINISH TOMORROW!
School will finish at 1 pm tomorrow (Friday) for the Summer break. Year 7 will return on Friday,
2 September, which is also the Sixth Form enrolment day. The remaining years returning on
Monday, 5 September.
YEAR 10 GCSE TRIP TO COLCHESTER ZOO
On Friday, 15 July, Year 10 GCSE Art went on a trip to
Colchester Zoo to contribute towards their coursework
and to also give a taste of the Year 11 work we will be
completing.
We walked around the Zoo in groups and were allowed
to choose where we wanted to go and what we wanted
to see. Due to the sunny weather, we were able to take
good photos and shots of all the animals. We visited
many of the African enclosures, including the elephants,
lions, zebras and giraffes, along with the wetter animals,
such as penguins and fish.
During our time at the Zoo, we had an art session,
during which we were able to get up close with skulls
and skins that were part of a previous living animal.
There were leopard, snake and crocodile skins, as well
as turtle shells and bird feathers. We then sketched, took pictures and rubbings of these objects
and were also given much information while doing so by the Zookeeper. This was very helpful to
us, as we could understand more about the animals themselves and will have more knowledge
when writing about them in our coursework. Thank you to Miss Poole for organising the trip and
to all the other teachers who helped out; we learnt more about the animals, along with having fun
with our friends.
Will Moss
Year 10
PRIZES AND AWARDS
EVENING
Last Thursday we had the
opportunity to celebrate the
diverse achievements of our
students over the past year.
This selection of photos
shows the prize winners in
each year group.
Every one of them is a
deserved winner and we
congratulate them all on
their achievements.
FOR THE ATTENTION OF ALL YEAR 10 PARENTS
There are only 9 places left on the upcoming English trip 'GCSE English in Action' at University
College London on 11 November.
This exciting trip will allow students to practise essential skills
necessary for their two English Language examinations which
students will be sitting in the Summer of 2017. The total cost of
the trip is £45 and you can pay via Parentpay at any time. Please
ensure you complete a consent form which can be collected from
any English teacher and return it to Student Services when we
return in September.
If you have any questions about the trip please get in touch with me.
Miss McKenna
English Department.
BRITISH OUTDOOR SPEED SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alex King (year 8) competed in the British Outdoor Speed Skating
Championships in Birmingham over the weekend of 9 and 10
July. Alex won the gold medals and British titles in all four of his
events: the 300m time trial, 500m, 2000m points and 3000m
elimination. Alex also competed in a relay with brother Daniel
and another team mate from his club, Essex Inline Skaters, and
won.
Alex will be competing in his next international skating event in
Belgium and a skating endurance event at the Olympic Park in
Stratford during August.
Congratulations to Alex and Daniel, and good luck for the next
competitions!
RECENTLY ADOPTED POLICIES
At the Full Governors meeting last week, governors adopted the following policies:
Drugs
Recruitment
Safeguarding
Financial Regulations
Health & Safety
Security
Most policies are available on the school website under the ‘Information’ tab. All others are
available via Reception.
RESOURCES STILL WANTED
As mentioned in previous newsletters, the following items are still needed to support lessons:
Varnish and wood stain— even tins with just a bit left!
Natural forms such as driftwood, interesting branches and tree roots, unusual shells, crab claws,
insects in cases, sea urchins, seed pods etc
Canvasses—if they already have an image on they can still be re-used
If you are having a clear-out during the holidays and find any of the above, we would love to
have them! Donations can be brought in to school and left with reception
HOUSE LOGO DESIGN COMPETITION SUCCESS
Huge congratulations to the following students:
Sam Owers:
Amy Hind:
Hayden Smith:
Harvey Groeber:
Thompson
Glennie
Blake
Russell
Each of these students has designed the winning logo for their
respective houses. Winning designs are already up on display on
the house boards!
Well done to the four winners and to all those who entered the
competition.
Miss N Poole
YEAR 8 SCIENCE FAIR
On13 July 2016, year 8 had their Science Fair. We worked hard on
our projects in groups over three weeks. We got to choose our own
topic which was good as we could do whatever we liked within reason.
We could work both at home and at school which was also fun as it
meant we could work together; it was therefore easier to get it
completed.
On the day of the Science Fair there were many different projects
which ranged from popping popcorn to testing eye colour. Everyone
set their projects up on the tables and patiently waited for voters to
come.
Overall the Science Fair was a big success as it was both enjoyable
and competitive. There is still suspense building as we await the
results to see who has won.
Maisie Brownless, Chloe Whittingham and Ella Day
YEAR 7 TRIP TO NORMANDY
On Friday, 8 July 62 students arrived at Sandon. We got on the coaches and set off to
Portsmouth to catch the ferry to Normandy. After the crossing we drove for another three hours
to the Chateau Beaumont. We arrived there at 6 o’clock, just in time for dinner- spaghetti
bolognaise and a chocolate éclair for dessert.
We woke up early the next day with a wide selection of food for breakfast including croissants.
We were all set to visit the traditional Laval market and a supermarket to be followed by outdoor
activities back at the chateau. At the Laval market we were given a fun activity sheet to
complete helping us to use French. We got to learn many different things and got taught how to
ask for things as well as trying crêpes and other foods.
After the market we went to a French supermarket and bought some things there as well. We
then headed back to the chateau for the afternoon activities. We were all split into groups and
got to do three different things such as zip wire, climbing wall, archery, team activities and a
night line trail off which the teachers helped to soak us and get us muddy. We then started our
French night with snails and frogs legs for tea and a traditional crêpe for dessert. Then came the
fancy dress and a French quiz which everyone - including all of the teachers - took part in. After
a cup of delicious hot chocolate we all went to sleep.
Our last day in Normandy was at le Mont St Michel which is an historic cathedral located on an
island. We were given a worksheet to do and learnt a lot of history about the castle and got a
little bit of a view of the abbey. There was a variety of gift shops and we all bought gifts for our
friends and family and were also able to explore the rest of the abbey. After we had finished we
got back on the coach and headed back to the chateau for our last night in France. After dinner
we got changed into our disco outfits ready for a talent show and disco. The talent show was
very good with our winning act being Mr Graham with his dance to a song by One Direction!
Next was the disco where we all had fun dancing to our favourite songs and found out that Miss
Murphy and Miss Keable are amazing dancers especially to the song Uptown Funk! After a long
night we all went to sleep very danced-out!
We all had an amazing time on the trip and would like to say a massive thank you to Miss
Murphy and all of the other teachers for organising the trip and making it such a wonderful
experience.
Holly Thompson and Ella Steward
JESSICA SIMOR QC
MATRIX CHAMBERS
On Tuesday, 12 July a leading barrister in European Law came to
school to speak to Law, Sociology, Business and Economics A
Level students. The talk began with students giving their main
arguments for and against leaving the European Union; the
decision of course had already been made that we were to leave.
Students focused on arguments such as economic instability, the
need for unity since the Second World War, free movement,
immigration control and regaining power over law-making
decisions. Students were unhappy that they were unable to vote
and would have liked the voting age to be changed to 16.
Ms Simor then went on to outline the role of each EU institution: The Council of Ministers, The
Commission, Parliament and the European Court of Justice (not to be confused with the
European Court of Human Rights). Students also learned about the types of Law that come from
the EU such as Directives and Regulations.
Ms Simor acknowledged her preference for remaining in the EU but also saw positive ways
forward regarding trade deals and hoped that the EU would now make reforms that were long
overdue, such as stopping Parliament from moving between Strasbourg and Brussels at great
expense throughout the year.
Ms Simor emphasised the good things to come from EU membership such as ‘The Right to be
Forgotten’. Students asked many questions, and were interested to hear that her degree was in
Geography and that this was helpful when training in Law as it had given her an overview of
politics, economics and even geology (which was
her real interest at that time).
This was a very informative talk covering the EU
departure but also global financial matters, politics,
politicians and changes in the legal framework. Ms
Simor engaged the students and this has
encouraged them to be more questioning about the
world in which they live. We are very grateful to
her for visiting us.
On a final note, when asked about her job security,
Ms Simor said that she was likely to be busier than
ever in the foreseeable future!
Mrs Reading
Head of Law
KEY DATES FOR EARLY SEPTEMBER
A full Parents’ Calendar is available on the school’s website and on iSpace
DAY
DATE
EVENT
Thursday
1 September
NON PUPIL DAY
Friday
2 September
Enrolment day for 6th Form
Friday
2 September
First day for year 7 only and Year 7 photos
Monday
5 September
Term begins for years 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13
Monday
5 September
Year 9 and 12 photos
Monday
5 September
Year 12 Parents’ Information Evening 7 pm
Thursday
8 September
Year 9 Parents’ Information Evening 7 pm
Thursday
15 September
Year 10 Parents’ Information Evening 7 pm
Monday
19 September
Year 8 Parents’ Information Evening 7 pm
SANDON STUDENTS VENTURE 'AROUND THE WORLD' IN OUR ANNUAL SUMMER VARIETY
SHOW.
Last Thursday on a hot July evening we enjoyed a fantastic
varied programme from the Performing Arts Department. Miss
Johnson asked us to prepare items that covered the topic
'Around the World' which really enabled us to explore a wide
range of cultural artists, styles and genres. Our gifted and
talented dancers excelled with brilliant performances ranging
from Hip Hop, Bollywood, Bob Fosse Jazz (America) to Oriental
dance styles. Drama produced imaginative devised work from
those students who had won the 'D' Factor earlier in the term with
role plays based around Sherlock Holmes (Britain) and the
kidnapping of Rupert Grint from Hogwarts (Britain). Alex Owers and Henry Wright gave an
entertaining ‘Morecambe and Wise’ style performance at the piano including topical jokes and puns. Two
high calibre Media films created by A Level students Alex Owers and Megan McLatchie were shown
which were influenced in their style and
intention from American films such as ‘500 Days
of Summer’ and of course James Bond.
Throughout the performance we threaded our
wonderful musicians: the Concert Band, Sandon
Voices, Chamber Choir, Guitar Band and Flute
Ensemble who gave some wonderful
performances including A Keele (Ghana), Panis
Angelicus (Latin), Entertainer(American rag
time), Sway (Mexican) to name but a few. The
evening culminated with a wonderful
performance by the concert band of Arabian Dances to which all our performers took a bow.
Special thanks and congratulations to our year 13 musicians Rachel Waters and Olivia Marks for a
beautiful performance of Stand By Me by Ben E King and some lovely words of thanks at the end.
I would like to thank all the students who participated for producing such high quality performances on a
hot summer evening. Also a huge thanks to the Performing Arts Team Miss Johnson, Mr Morris, Mr
Danko, Mr Ashley, Mrs Parkin and Mrs Tonge for their collaboration to produce such a fitting show to end
our Performing Arts events for the year. Thanks
to backstage staff and the wonderful Tech Crew
lead by Mr Enever for supporting our event so
professionally. Finally, thanks to FOSS for
providing refreshments for this show and many
shows this year; your help has been invaluable.
We now move forward as a team with an
exciting new appointment Miss Kirsty Adams in
Music and look forward to bringing new
opportunities and Arts experiences to our
students to enrich their cultural education next
academic year.
Mrs Davis,
CTL Performing Arts
Here are some exciting Performing Arts opportunities to get involved in and to pencil into your
calendar for next year:
Date
Performing Arts Event
Organiser
Other information
31.10.16
Shakespeare Showcase
At Boswells - stage
Yr 10 GCSE Drama with Mrs Davis
5.11.16
(Sat)
Chelmsford Festival of
Music, Speech and Drama
At Chelmer Valley
Yr 12 AS Drama & others interested Mr
Danko/Mrs Davis
10.11.16
Year 7 Music Concert
Miss Johnson
11.11.16
12.11.16
18.11.16
23.11.16
Chelmsford Festival of
Music, Speech and
Drama
Yr 11 GCSE Drama Page to
Stage Performance
Dance Show
At Chelmer Valley
Stage. Year 7 students evening
performance to parents
Miss Johnson & specific
musicians/choirs to be confirmed
Mrs Davis
15.12.16
An Evening of devised
theatre – A2 Level & GCSE
year 10
Christmas Music Concert
Drama Studio. Tech all day, evening
performance
All dance clubs, gifted and talented
groups.
Note: Gifted & talented auditions are on
19.9.16.
Drama Studio.
Miss Johnson
Stage. All musician groups and choirs
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25.1.17
AS monologues & duologues
Mr Danko
Drama Studio
9.2.17
Music Recital Evening
Miss Johnson
Stage
1.3.17 &
2.3.17
Drama Production
SHERLOCK HOLMES
Mr Danko
Stage. Auditions for year 7,8, 9 12th
September drama studio 3-4.30pm
16.3.17
Inter House Dance
Mr Ashley
Wc 13..3.17
Music recordings GCSE &
AS/A2 Level
AS & GCSE yr 10 Scripted
Performance Exam
Miss Johnson
3-5pm Drama Studio
Open to all-win house points!
A1 recordings
Mrs Davis/Mr Danko
Drama Studio- all day tech, eve
performance to parents.
Performing Arts Dance
Showcase Exam
Yr 11 GCSE Drama Concept
to Creation Dress Rehearsal
Mrs Davis
All day drama studio.
Mr Danko/Mrs Davis
All day tech, evening assessed
performance.
4.5.17
(provisional)
Yr 11 GCSE Drama Exam
From Concept to Creation
Mr Danko/Mrs Davis
25.5.17
Performing Arts Summer
Dance Showcase
Mrs Davis
All day exam-visiting examiner.
(Date to be confirmed once examiner
known)
Yr 10 BTEC Perf Arts, gifted and
talented groups, invited performers.
8.6.17
The ‘D’ Factor. Interhouse
Drama
Wonderland Arts@Sandon
Mrs Davis
8.12.16
13.12.16
22.3.16
29.3.17
25.4.17
5.7.17
A ‘new’ end of year event!
Mr Danko
Mr Ashley
Mrs Davis/Miss Johnson
& Perf Arts Team
Drama Studio 3-5pm
Open to all win house points!
Promenade performance around our
school site. Dance, drama, music,
media & more tbc
White Rabbit guided tours & Mad
Hatter’s Afternoon Tea
Mrs Ferriby
Following on from the July Maths Challenge published in the 7 July Newsletter, below is a calendar for August giving a daily Maths question.
Give it a go and see how you get on! The answers to these and the July questions will be published in the first newsletter after the Summer
break. Good luck!
DAILY MATHS
CHARANGA WORKSHOP
On Wednesday, 20 July, rapper Eyez and
fellow DJ Max came to the Sandon School
to show the year 7,8 and 9s in an hour long
lesson how to write their own raps using
the website Charanga. This site was set
up by Max and enables children and adults
to produce and create their own raps and
songs that can be sent in and reviewed by
Eyez himself!
After the first session that was given to a
handful of students in the school, Year 9
went to the main hall and were given a mini
concert of rapping and games from Eyez
and Max.
Overall it was very enjoyable and thank
you to Eyez and Max for coming in and
giving everyone a taste of what it is like to
be within the music industry and the
various different styles of rapping available.
Charlotte Livingston
Year 9
Head Student Sponging
Last Wednesday, we plucked up the courage to be
sponged by the rest of the school for charity. Every
year it is tradition for the new Head Student Team to
be sponged and this year Make-A-Wish was chosen as
our charity. The charity works hard to grant the wishes
of children with potentially life threatening conditions.
This year, we decided to step it up a level and offer
whole buckets of water to be thrown, which resulted in
some freezing Head Students but some amazing
photos!
All of us from the Head Student Team would like to say a big thank you to everyone who
participated and came to the sixth form garden during lunchtime. We would also like to thank
Alexandra Perrin and Benjamin Willbourne for taking some great photos of us all, as well as Miss
McKay, Miss Keable, Mr Robin, and Mr Mismar for their support on the day.
We managed to raise just over £75, which we believe is a record for Head Student sponging!
By Richard Jewitt,
Head Boy
Sunday, 7 August
Welcome to
3pm Free Tea and Cake
on Sandon Village Green
4pm Songs of Praise
with the Salvation Army Band
Please bring fold up chairs or blankets to sit on.
Come along and let us have a wonderful afternoon together.
In church if wet