2 MB 18th Mar 2016 Roundup 070

RoundUp
Issue: 70
Date: 18 March 2016
Roundwood Park School, Roundwood Park,
Harpenden AL5 5AE Tel: 01582 765344
e-mail us at admin@roundwoodpark.co.uk
TelRound-up is published fortnightly on our website.
http://www.roundwoodpark.co.uk
Headlines
Dear Parents and Carers
Last week we held our elections for the new student
leadership group and the Head Boy and Head Girl
candidates. It was an excellent process, full of strong
applications, discussions on candidates, pitches in
assembly for house captains and ending with the
hustings in the hall when we heard the speeches for
the top jobs. No fewer than ten girls and five boys
stood for election and all were fine candidates.
Ultimately the students and staff elected Sochi
Ejikeme as Head Boy and Simrit Bhandal as Head
Girl. The Deputy Head Boy is Joseph McNiel and
the Deputy Head Girl is Harriet Waller. Many
congratulations go to these four students, as well as
all those who gained positions on the SLG for the
coming year. They will be a formidable group!
It is only appropriate that I should now take the
opportunity to thank the current SLG, led so ably by
Ruby Plumb and Jack Annand. They have had an
enormous impact this year and they have created a
legacy which will last for many years. Amongst their
many accomplishments are the Student Voice
Channel, where students can feed back ideas on
school improvement directly to the Headteacher via
the Head Boy and Girl, the excellent Park Times
Magazine from our communications team and the
superb House Blogs, which are already getting
positive feedback.
We are delighted to announce that the school has
submitted a planning application to build a full sized,
state of the art, floodlit all weather pitch behind the
maths/music block. Once we have planning
permission, the school will look to raise money to
fund our share of the building costs. Other
contributors will be the Football Association and
Harpenden Colts FC.
The pitch will take 6 months to build from start to
finish. Currently we are not able to run lessons, train
or compete on our playing field for a large part of the
academic year. This facility will improve the fitness,
participation and PE skill levels of all our current and
future students and benefit the entire community as we
will open the pitch when it is not being used by the
school’s students.
Please show your support for this exciting and much
needed development by posting a message on our all
weather pitch information page. Go to
http://www.roundwoodpark.co.uk/3g-pitch-news/
for pictures of the proposed design, FAQs and more.
Alan Henshall
Headteacher
Winter/Summer
Uniform
Please note that students should return to school in
full winter uniform after the Easter holidays. Summer
uniform should be worn from week commencing
Monday 25 April.
Park Times
Please follow the link below to read the latest edition
of Park Times Magazine:
http://www.roundwoodpark.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2016/03/20160316_Park_Times_Is
sue_3.pdf
Student Leadership
Group 2016- 2017
Head Boy: Sochi Ejikeme
House Captains
Wilberforce
Mandela
Owens
Scott
GT
Cadbury
Frank
Tom Allen Will Coulter & Harriet Waller*
Head Girl: Simrit Bhandal
School Captains
Victoria Akroyd
Emily Barter
Kirsty Bentley & Hana Wilkins
Louis Edbrook
Isabelle Gibbons
Oyinda Doherty & Daisy Grovestock
Conor Heaney
Joseph McNiel*
Sophie de la Mare & Lucy Scott
George McNiel
Charlotte Morris
Eleanor Housden & Gabe Morris
Pippa Newton
Emily Pearson
Georgie MacNaughton & Millie Sherwood
Eve Randall
Greg Saunders
Sophie Darby & Hugh Thomas
Delphine Stringer
Harry Thomas
*Deputy Head Girl/Boy
Hertfordshire Maths
Challenge
Well done to Gemma Stapleton (7DKE), Katie
Stapleton (7JKI), Euan Turner (7DKE), Conor
Brooke-Hughes (7SGL) for coming 4th in the
Hertfordshire Maths Challenge last month. They were
up against many schools including Watford Grammar
School for Boys, Parmiter’s and Hitchin Boys.
They participated in a number of rounds that tested
memory, estimation and pattern finding. All students
worked well as part of a team and enjoyed the
experience.
Here is what a few of them had to say….
“Having made it through the first stage of the competition in
first place we were looking forward to the county finals in
Stevenage. The challenge started with table questions. Two
different questions that we could work together to try and
solve. One of these questions was: James’ halves had a
perimeter of 40cm, while Sarah’s halves had a perimeter of
50cm. What was the perimeter of the original piece of paper?”
“We then moved on to the table round, six questions that we
had roughly half a minute on each to answer. After this was
the memory round. Two people in the team looked at a poster
and then had to describe it to the other two, without using
their hands. There were some mistakes we had to correct and
some extra information we could add to the poster from what
else was on there.
Woodland Trust Tree
Planting
On Thursday 10 March members of the geography club,
Ben Mason, Environment Captain and Mrs Callaghan
went to a secret location near Sandridge to plant trees
as part of Heartwood Forest with the Woodland Trust.
It was a pleasure to be involved with this initiative
which now covers nearly 247 acres of what was once
commercial arable farmland. Tree planting began at
Heartwood in 2008 and the geography club were
amongst the first of nearly 16,000 school children to be
involved in the scheme helping out that year and again
in 2010.
In all there will be over 600,000 native trees and a very
special arboretum which will contain at least one of
each of the 57 trees native to the UK. It’s well worth a
visit!
In just an hour and a half we planted 82 trees, mostly
Bird Cherry (Prunus Padus) and Field Maple (Acer
Campestre)! A big thank you to Mr Mercel who drove
us there and back in the minibus and to the participants:
Ben Mason, Harry Morris, Asha Jina, Sydney
Piepgrass, Clarissa Salmon, Alessandro de Marchis,
Milan Patel, Aman Patel, Euan Turner & Owen John.
E Turner – 7DKE
“After a short break, the team got back to work, with the
estimation round and then another team round. One of the
estimation questions was ‘How far away from the earth is the
ISS, it is about the same distance as London to Scarborough.’
A question from the final team round was ‘Greg, Josh and
James each run in two 100m races against each other. They
all run at different, yet constant speeds. In the first race, when
Josh reaches the finish line, Greg is 20m behind. In the second
race, when Greg crosses the finish line James is 10m behind.
In the third race, James vs Josh, how far behind is James,
when Josh crosses the finish line?’
The team finished 4th overall, with only one point below the
3rd place school. We really enjoyed the experience and would
like to thank Mrs Davey for taking the team and giving
support.
G Stapleton – 7DKE
Mrs Davey, Maths Department
Geography Department
Year 12 Trip to Oxford
University
This academic year an extension maths group has been
run for Year 12 students across the three Harpenden
schools by Roundwood Park. Six students from
Roundwood Park, Sir John Lawes and St George’s
have attended monthly problem solving classes to
challenge their maths skills and expose them to the type
of materials found in university entrance exams and
interviews.
This month the group went on a trip to the
Mathematical Institute at Oxford University. They
were given a tour of the Institute, a very impressive
building which contains plenty of maths, including
beautiful Penrose tiling outside. There then followed a
lecture from Dr Vicky Neal (Whitehead Lecturer at the
Mathematical Institute) which was both entertaining
and challenging. After lunch at the ‘pie’ cafe they were
able to talk with an admissions tutor for an hour before
a student led (highly entertaining) tour of Balliol
College.
Our students were made to feel most welcome and
really got a sense of what it would be like to attend the
University.
Aston Martin Visit
On Friday 11tMarch we were visited by two men from
Aston Martin and a very fancy car. The gleaming
£125,000 model took pride of place outside the Sports
Hall as Aston Martin’s school ambassador, Bal Choda,
talked about its production and design.
Bal and an apprentice came to talk about careers at
Aston Martin, mostly talking about the engineering
process from the first concept design, to clay models and
final car production. Their talk was an educational and
captivating presentation and they kept it less formal by
handing out prizes; by adding questions answered in the
PowerPoint, this meant you had to pay attention in
order to obtain one of these special prizes. Although this
was an opportunity aimed at Year 10s for their effort
and achievement at K4 there were people from Years 7,
8, and 9 who are part of the STEM club and have been
working hard designing and building miniature cars of
their own. Despite it being aimed at Year 10s, I still
managed to understand and learn from the experience,
and I am sure that other years found it the same. I think
the visit taught me mostly about how much time and
thought must go in to designing one of their cars.
‘I would say the trip was great! The staff were clearly
passionate about their jobs and the department and gave us a
different style of teaching where we were not given the answer
but had to justify our methods instead. It was also nice to see
the life of a student at the college.’ Harry.
‘I really enjoyed this trip as it gave me an insight into how
things work at a top university. It was great to see Balliol
College - I think that looked particularly nice. Overall, this trip
was really helpful in helping me think about university
applications.’ Sochi.
‘I found the trip very interesting and informative. It gave us a
small insight into life as an Oxford student and explained the
university application process to us.’ Kate
Ewan Vaites, 8DBz
Mrs Salmon, Maths Department
Fair Trade Fortnight
Flying of the
Commonwealth Flag
On Friday 11 March the RPS geography department
raised awareness about Fair Trade products by
holding a free Fair Trade brunch....which was quickly
demolished by our students!
It has been Fair Trade fortnight in the UK and the
organisation now operates in 74 countries improving
the lives of producers in the developing world. In
addition to better contracts and an increase in wages
by up to 60%, the Fair Trade Premium is an added
bonus through which farmers and their communities
benefit from infrastructure which aims to break the
cycle of poverty.
Find
out
more
about
Fair
Trade
at
www.fairtrade.org.uk and look out for Fair Trade
products in the supermarket!
On 14 March, towns, villages and cities all around the
UK celebrated Commonwealth Day. My sister and I
were fortunate enough to attend Harpenden’s Flying of
the Commonwealth Flag, also attended by
representatives from St George’s and local primary
schools. The Deputy Town Mayor read quotes from
Buckingham Palace and The Commonwealth secretary,
imitating the official ceremony at Westminster Abbey
in London, before hoisting the Commonwealth Flag.
The event was also dedicated to commemorating the
men and women who lost their lives in World War One.
100 years ago, Europe was plunged into darkness by the
violence and atrocities of The Great War; to
commemorate this, the Deputy Town Mayor
extinguished four candles and there was a minute’s
silence. After this, two of the candles were re-lit and
poems were read, including ‘In Flanders Fields’, which
describes the fallen soldiers in France and Belgium and
how their memory lives on through us. That concluded
the ceremonies and we were invited to look through
pictures donated by the History Society of World War
One, before leaving.
Mrs Callaghan, Geography Department
Many of the photos donated by the History Society
were of young men the same age as me, many of whom
did not return home. This has reminded me of how
fortunate we are to live in a time in which our country
is at peace.
Alex Bird – Environment School Captain
Suzie Bird – Sports and Participation School Captain
House News
This Term’s House Events
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21st March: English Pitch Perfect
23rd March: Deadline for KS3 house leaders
elections
24th March P1 & P2: SLG meeting
30th March: Deadline for Yr 10 house leaders
elections
30th March 3:30: RPS Staff Bake off, (2 from
each house)
30th March 1pm: House trampolining (squad
only)
1st April P4: Mid Year Celebration
GT Charity Week: 24th - 31st March
Collecting money for Willow Foundation and
Macmillan Cancer
Results to date:
Wilberforce: 168pts
Mandela: 146.5pts
Owens: 126.5pts
Scott: 155pts
GT: 166pts
Cadbury: 152.5pts
Frank: 142.5pts
1st
5th
7th
3rd
2nd
4th
6th
Photographer – Change
of Date
Attention Parents of Years 7, 11, 12 & 13
Please note that the photographer will now be in on
Tuesday 19 April to take group photographs of the
above years instead of Friday 1 April. All students
must be in winter uniform.
Pastoral Office
Year 8 Consultation
Evening – 23 March
The Year 8 Parent Consultation Evening is on
Wednesday 23 March at 4.30 pm - 7.30 pm.
Please bring your appointment lists with you.
Students to be in Full Uniform.
Thank you.
The Pastoral Office
Thursday 24th March: Yr 7 Cake sale, Scavenger Hunt
1:15
Tuesday 29th March: Yr 10 Cake sale, Music event,
Staff v students netball
Year 11 Vaccinations
Wednesday 30th March: Yr 9 Cake sale, Beat the
Goalie
Thursday 31st March: Yr 8 Cake sale, Blind football,
Yr12&13 Slave auction
Friday 1st April: Yr 11 Cake sale, Teacher Horse Race
Run
The MenACWY vaccination for Year 11 students
who have returned the consent form will take place
on Wednesday 30 March.
PTA Social Events
The PTA has started a new two-year fundraising
campaign, which will run from September 2015 –
August 2017 to raise £25,000 to benefit a new area
of the school used by all students.
Second Hand Uniform Sale
Next sale will be held in June
Please continue to donate all your laundered second
hand uniform, trainers and football boots by dropping
it off at reception.
Please note we no longer require red rugby shirt tops
and white PE tops.
Quiz Night
Saturday October 15th 7pm
Diamond Party
Saturday July 16th, 7pm for 7.30pm - 1am
Come and dance the night away at this special
evening to celebrate 60 years of Roundwood Park
School
The school hall will be transformed to create a
wonderful atmosphere for you and your guests to
enjoy our special evening. The event includes a
delicious buffet and desserts by Parker & Vine
Catering.
There will be a welcome drink on arrival and
dancing ‘til the early hours.
Live Band “Acoustic Mice” and The Mobile Disco
Invite your family and friends to join you at a table
or come along and join a table.
Tickets are £55.00 per person (over 18s only) and
tables of 8-10 are available.
Our booking form is available next week.
We can be contacted on pta@roundwoodpark.co.uk
if you have any queries about your booking.
Thank you for supporting this event - all profits will
be put towards the PTA’s fundraising goal of
£25,000.
Tables of 6-8 for our popular quiz night.
Parent Pay PTA Donations
You can support our PTA fundraising campaign by
donating on Parent Pay.
Add £1 or £5 to the PTA fundraising target of
£25,000
Buy a new school chair for £15.
Contact Us & Event Booking Forms
The PTA is a registered charity and can be contacted on
pta@roundwoodpark.co.uk. Details of all our activities and
booking forms can be found on the school web site under
“Parents”.
Roundwood Park are trying to produce some statistics on the take up of this bi-weekly e-magazine. Please
CLICK HERE if you are reading this copy of RoundUp.
Can You Help Us?
Trip Payments
Yr 9 & 8 Rhineland Trip
Interim Payment OVERDUE
Yr 9 & 8 Rhineland Trip
Final Payment due 1st April
Yr 9 & 8 Picardy Trip
Interim Payment OVERDUE
£100
£40
£150
Do you work in the TV/film/advertising industry (or
have a contact who does) and would be able to loan us
some 1950s style school furniture (eg desks, blackboard)
or 1950s style clothing which we could use for a couple
of days as part of a celebration for the school’s 60th
anniversary later this year? If so, please contact Janet
Wallis on
j.wallis@roundwoodpark.co.uk
Yr 9 & 8 Picardy Trip
Final Payment due 1st April
£130
Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Interim Payment due 24th March
£100
Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Final Payment due 18th April
£75
Yr 12 Preston Montford Biology
Deposits CLOSED
final payment to be advised
Yr10 South Wales Geography
Deposits CLOSED
final payment to be advised
She would be delighted to hear from you.
Active Kids Vouchers
We are collecting the Sainsbury's Active Kids
vouchers and have a collection box in reception.
Adverse Weather
ABSENCE LINE
In the event of adverse weather conditions, the school
will notify you of a closure by sending an InTouch
text message & email. There will also be messages on
the school answering machine and on the school
website
(www.roundwoodpark.co.uk). Announcements will
be made on Heart 96.6FM and BBC Three Counties
radio stations.
You can also check on
www.hertsdirect.org.
If your child has an exam scheduled and the school
has announced that it is closed, please see the
information which will be placed on the school
website at that time. We will run exams even if the
school is closed to other students.
When you call in for absence, could
you please use our dedicated 24
hour absence line (01582 714049) or
e-mail us at
absence@roundwoodpark.co.uk
and NOT use the main school
number or form tutors’ e-mail
addresses.
Meeting Room Hire Rates

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Maximum capacity 30 persons
PowerPoint facility
Interactive White Board
WiFi
Hot drinks vending machine
Water Cooler
Prices
Room hire £22 per hour
Lunch £5 per person
(sandwiches, crisps, fruit, cake, fruit juice)
Any special requirements, please call the lettings
office on 01582 714019 or e-mail lettings on
lettings@roundwoodpark.co.uk.
RUN BY THE SCHOOL FOR THE SCHOOL
Our pop up shop will be open on Monday 4th and Monday 11th April between
10am – 4pm in reception at Roundwood Park School. We will have the full
range of uniform available to purchase. There will also be ample free parking
on site for your convenience.
If you are unable to visit the pop up shop, you can also visit our supplier’s
retail shop in Watford.
Unit 1, Paramount Industrial Estate, Sandown Road.
Watford. WD24 7XA
Tel: 0844 879 7288
Any orders placed through our website during the school holidays will be
delivered to your home address within 48 hours.
Remember, students go into summer uniform from Monday 25th April , which
is a short sleeved shirt or blouse and must have the school logo embroidered
on the breast pocket.
Calling all Roundwood Park Alumni
The Roundwood Park
Alumni Association
WELCOMES
All its former pupils
and invites YOU to visit the Alumni pages
at
www.roundwoodpark.co.uk/alumni
or to contact Dr Smith on
alumnioffice@roundwoodpark.co.uk
PLEASE make contact as we want to hear from you today.
Harpenden Plus Partnership are running some FREE parenting workshops and courses for parents and carers of
children aged 5 to 18 who attend one of our partnership schools. Places are limited and booking is essential. To register
your interest in any of the workshops/courses, or if you have any questions,
please email
familysupport@saunceywood.herts.sch.uk or contact us on 01582 623676 or 07985 330941, leaving details of your
children (age and school) and your email contact details. You will be sent a booking form and your place will be
confirmed on receipt of your booking form and deposit. Places will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis of
return of the booking form and deposit.
Name of
course/workshop
About Boys
by Parent Centred
Support
About Girls
by Parent Centred
Support
The Family Toolkit
by Harpenden Plus
Partnership
Date and times
Tuesday 22nd
March
9.30 – 2.30
Monday 25th April
9.30 – 2.30
Venue
Jubilee Room,
Sauncey Wood
School
Jubilee Room,
Sauncey Wood
School
Thursdays 5th, 12th,
19th & 26th May
Jubilee Room,
9.30 – 11.30
Sauncey Wood
(must attend all
School
sessions)
For
To cover
parents/carers of
 Listening
 Communicating
 Managing boundaries
Boys aged 5 to 15
 Rewarding
 Consequences
Girls aged 5 to 15

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Listening
Communicating
Managing boundaries
Rewarding
Consequences

Understanding your
child’s needs
Nurturing relationships in
the home
Understanding and
managing behaviour
Early child development

Children aged 5
to 18
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Thursdays 9th 16th
4 My Family (and Me!) 23rd & 30th June
Jubilee Room,
by Harpenden Plus
9.30 – 11.30
Sauncey Wood
Partnership
(must attend all
School
(formerly Families Feeling
sessions)
Safe, 4 week course)

Children aged 5
to 18


Recognising and trusting
feelings
Staying in control and
making safe choices
Improving relationships
and communication
Raising self-esteem and
personal confidence
Places are limited and booking is essential
To book a place or find out more,
please ring Claire, Jess or Oyin on 07985 330941 or email
familysupport@saunceywood.herts.sch.uk
www.keystoneworkshops.co.uk/events/eating-disorders-a-parents-guide/