THIS ISSUE:
17th December 2014 Update on the Expansion Over the past few weeks we have held a number of coffee mornings to explain to potential parents of Simon Balle, our vision and how this will soon become a reality for the youngest members of our communities, as we welcome our reception children in September 2015. In addition we met with representatives of the many residents associations in the Mangrove Road area, explaining and discussing with them the time-plan of events. We informed them of the relentless campaign we are driving for our own students to walk to school and our work with other local groups to secure funding for improvements to footpaths and underpasses. Feedback following the meeting has been highly favourable; residents are thankful for an opportunity for genuine dialogue and praised the school for the sensitivity and thoughtfulness in the way in which it was dealing with the expansion. We shall meet again in the spring to look at how the work is progressing.
Traffic on site Ever since I have been at Simon Balle, in fact over 17 years, traffic on site has been an issue. I recall how I was quizzed all those years ago by enthusiastic sixth formers as to how I could increase parking so that they could park on site! Despite increased space, this has never and never shall be a reality or indeed a priority. We know that around 60% of students walk to school and that Simon Balle is essentially a Hertford school. However many parents still continue to use the site, rather then other areas to drop and pick up. Please, especially now with work on site, I ask parents to re-consider usual patterns and think if they can use other facilities.
TRAFFIC REMINDER Would you please remember that we now operate a ONE WAY system on site. All vehicles should enter using the first gate (on the left going up Mangrove Road) and exit using the old entrance. It is important that everyone follows these instructions. Thank you for your co-operation.
Updates Traffic Reminder Non Uniform Days Year 13 English Trip Year 11 Visit Percy Smith Exhibition Year 8 Cheerleading Competition Library and English News PSA House Events Term Summary PE Update Simon Balle Choir Free School Meals ….Final word
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: 16th Dec : Simon Balle Carol Concert at All Saints Church, doors open at 6.30pm—concert commences at 7pm 17th Dec : Year 7, 8 and 12 Carol Concert 17th Dec : Christmas Lunch Year 7,8,9 and 10 18th Dec : Sixth Form Christmas Lunch 19th Dec : Christmas Jumper Day 19th Dec ; End of term, finish times per year group. Year 12 and 13 Year 10 Year 9 Year 7 and 8
12.05pm 12.45pm 12.50pm 12.55pm
5th Jan ; Inset Day 6th Jan : Students back to school
Mark Prisk We welcomed Mark Prisk at Simon Balle on Friday 12 December. Although a brief visit, Mark was eager to hear the school’s news and was very positive about All Through Education. Alison Saunders
NON UNIFORM DAYS Although we notify everyone about non uniform days we have not explained for some time our rational behind them. As this is the season of good will we felt it would be an opportune moment to do so. Non uniform days and charity fund raising are important to us as we are an outward facing school which is aware of its wider responsibilities. Each year we support the Marie Curie Charity and the Poppy Appeal and occasionally ask for donations for natural disasters. Our non-uniform days are held every half term and traditionally we always support Children in Need and Comic/Sports Relief. The other four days are selected by our students and each year group (7 to 11) nominates a charity every September. This year two cancer charities were nominated along with Help for Heroes, Water-aid and the Make a Wish Foundation. We try to get a balance between local and national charities but this is not always possible. As these days are planned well in advance it is difficult to either change the chosen charity or indeed add extra ones as we do not want to take advantage of people’s generosity. This year, for the first time, we are holding ‘wear a Christmas jumper’ morning on the last day of term and the money raised will go to a local charity which is supporting an ex-student to receive specialist cancer treatment in the USA. We ask every student to bring in a minimum of £1.00 for any of our charity appeals but they are welcome to donate more if they wish. Hopefully you will all carry on supporting the worthwhile causes selected. An update on our last non uniform day—we raised £999.52 for Children In Need. Thank you all very much. Mike Moss
Year 13 English Trip
On Monday 17th November the A2 English literature students paid a visit to the British Library’s exhibition on The Gothic. We were first given a short tour of the library itself and then went on to take part in a workshop inside the exhibit. We learnt about where Horace Walpole, the creator of the first gothic book The Castle of Otranto, got the inspiration for his work. We then saw how the gothic had evolved from Walpole’s works into what we know as the gothic genre today, looking at writers such as Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, the Bronte sisters and Matthew Gregory Lewis. For an activity in the workshop, we were divided into groups and each given a theme related to the genre to create a presentation on for the rest of the group. The resources provided by the exhibit were very useful and has given us resources needed to help us with our course at school. Georgina O’Kane
Overall the trip was very informative and has given the English Literature students some inspiration for their own analyses of the Gothic genre.
Year 11 visited the Percy Smith exhibition at the Courtyard Arts Centre.
To coincide with the 2014 centenary, a number of our Art students had the opportunity to visit the Courtyard Arts Centre in Hertford to see the World War 1 Drawings and Etchings of Artist Percy Smith which were being exhibited. Whilst at the centre, students were given a talk from Marion, the Artist’s great niece. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the work up close, make sketches, take photographs and ask questions. The visit proved very informative, poignant and certainly helped to bring a deeper understanding to the work on view. A huge ‘Thank you’ goes out to the Courtyard Arts team for helping us to organise this visit and to Marion for giving her time so generously.
Year 8 Cheerleading Competition
Year 8 cheerleaders performed at the annual Saracens School Cheerleading Competition at Allianz Park in London on Sunday 7th December. The girls performance was excellent and they should all be very proud of themselves. The girls have been rehearsing for the competition every Thursday morning before school for the last 8 weeks. What they accomplished in those 8 weeks was superb. Simon Balle had over 30 girls performing the largest group in the competition. The girls lifts were exceptional and really did wow the audience. Well done to all the girls involved.
Statutory Admissions Consultation 2016/2017 We are holding a consultation on our Admission Arrangements 2016/2017. The consultation period takes place between 2nd January and 27th February 2015. If you wish to make any comments regarding this consultation please email admin@simonballe.herts.sch.uk. The admission arrangements can be found on the school website.
LIBRARY AND ENGLISH DEPARTMENT NEWS Do you need reliable resources for homework/projects/research? Students and staff please note that our access details to Britannica Online have changed. On Friday everyone concerned was sent an email with the details. Britannica is a trustworthy encyclopaedia covering all Year Groups and all subjects. If you have any queries please come to the Library desk where staff will be pleased to help you. Workshops for Writing Challenge Winners and Highly Commended entries Melanie Taylor, our Festival Writer-in-Residence is currently holding creative writing workshops for our winners and highly commended students. These events are proving to be very successful and students are working towards a new project to be revealed in 2015.... News from Lower School Book Club We are currently discussing books kindly given to the school by the charity Booktrust (www.booktrust.org.uk) who gave multiple copies of 5 titles specifically for use with reading groups. Many thanks! Sincere thanks A huge thank you to our team of 17 loyal Student Librarians and Library Supervisors who work all year helping the Library to run smoothly. As a thank you all students have been given a book of their choice from Book Banter and these have been presented in recent assemblies. A special thank you to our 4 Year 12 Library Supervisors (Alex Delameilleure, Izzy Deards, Nicoletta Miller and Rachel Tomlinson) who have supervised the Library 16.00-17.00 this term. This new routine has worked well and we look forward to their continued help from January. Please follow us on Twitter Please follow @SBS_Library for details of library events and resources advice. We follow various authors, publishers, libraries and resources.
PSA Congratulations to Year 10 parent Mrs Stewart who collected her hamper after winning the PSA raffle at the Year 10 parents evening. The parents evenings for 2015 include : Year 11 Year 13 Year 12 Year 7
Thursday 11th January Thursday 26th February Thursday 5th March Wednesday 18th March
So please come with your £1 and maybe walk home with a snazzy hamper of goodies! Coming in 2015 ‘Ladies Pamper and Shopping Evening’ - look out for a date appearing in later editions of newSBytes.
ASHBOURNE
BEANE
LEA
RIB
MIMRAM
NEW
House Events As the website and recent newsletters have shown, it is lovely to see how staff and departments are engaging with the house competitions and providing different opportunities for in which a range of students can participate in. Students are really showing their passion and commitment for the house system, both within and outside lessons, and their talents are deservedly being celebrated and displayed throughout the school community. Please find below a snapshot of house events and winners, with many more events to come! House Plays At the end of November we held our annual ‘House Play’ competition. We opened this year’s competition with a vibrant chant from the mighty Mimram. Lots of energy from this large cast. Well done on some impressive staging and for choosing a super script. Our second performance was the ‘The Awesome Adventures of Percy’ from Lea. Overall a witty performance and some great stone gags! In Rib’s ‘Little Mermaid’ the sound, music and lighting were worked particularly well , as well as a good attempt at puppetry. Some very clever direction from Sam Veck, Jess Pointon, assisted by Sophie Rawlinson. After the short break we had Beane’s ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’ which was well rehearsed and drilled. Nice dragon work; very inventive and a well staged and a lively ending. New’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’ opened with the promise of a fine performance. The clear scene stealer was Reece Debnam with a stunning entrance as the Wicked Witch – a real crowd pleaser! Finally we had ‘Ashputtel’ from Ashbourne where we were witness to some brilliant choral work from the Ugly Sisters. Congratulations to all students who either took part or came along to support their house. After deliberation the awards were given as below: Best Newcomer – Matthew Davis (Mimram) Best Overall Performance – Libby Freeman (New) Audience Appreciation – (New) Overall Winner 2014 – (Rib)
Y11 House Art Competition Y11 were recently set a brief to ‘develop a piece of art work to highlight a social issue of personal interest‘. Well done to all who developed work which covered a broad range of issues: war, social stereotypes, homelessness, pressures faced by young people etc. There were many stunning responses. The winning piece can be seen right, congratulations to Emily Hook 11N.
English Y9 House Challenge ‘Following your study of World War Literature, we challenge you to respond in a creative way to the war poetry you have studied in English – in the form of performance, media, 3D, written word, image or artefact’ was the brief given to Y9 by the English Department. Harry Sweeney impressed the staff with his 3D interpretation of Thomas Hardy’s Poem ‘The Man He Killed‘ in which the poet reflects on how his ‘foe’ might be, in different circumstances, someone whose company he might enjoy; someone like himself. The variety and originality of all the entries were a credit to the year group.
UK Senior Maths Challenge On Thursday 6th November the Y12 and Y13 mathematicians took part in the UK Mathematics Trust senior challenge. They had to use their mathematical skills to answer 25 problem solving and logic questions, in only 90 minutes! They did extremely well with 16 bronze, 7 silver and 2 gold awards across the two year groups. A special mention goes to Patrick Tarry for achieving the highest mark in Y12, and Andrew Durbin for achieving the highest in Y13. Andrew has also qualified for the next stage of the competition, the British Maths Olympiad. Well done Mathletes!
Y8 Volcano Day Since the start of the new academic year, Y8 have been learning about tectonic hazards and are currently studying volcanoes. As part of their homework over half term students were asked to create an entry into the annual Geography Volcano House Competition. The categories which students could enter were volcano cake, model, explosion or art work. The response was outstanding with extremely high quality in all categories. All students who entered received a house point. Points were also awarded for the best entry in each category in each form. Congratulations to the winner of each category for the whole year group:
Oliver Scorey
Melissa Mendez
Volcano Model
Olivia Ware
Humanities Eye Spy Congratulations to all of those who entered the competition during the first half-term. Entrants took a selfie of themselves in a place that represented ‘remembrance’ for them. Winner: Nathan B 10L Runner up: Nick S 13A This half-term’s theme is ‘awe and wonder’.
Inter-house Sport - Round one The first round of Inter-house sports took place in October in varied weather and sports, including Basketball, hockey, rugby and bench ball. Overall Result yr 7 - 10 1st Beane 37pts 2nd Ashbourne 32pts 3rd Mimram 30pts 4th Lea 28pts 5th Rib 23pts 6th New 21pts
House Music The House Music competition was a roaring success as year 13 leaders put together six sets showcasing a huge variety of musical talent for a large and very appreciative audience. Each house had to include at least one ensemble item and there were also individual performances from singers and musicians. Individual certificates were awarded to: Sam Trendall (who organised his entire house by himself), Georgia McIntyre (a stunning vocal solo) and Josie Pearson (best instrumental solo). So much work had gone into preparing the sets that choosing a winner was no easy task, but: Overall winners Runners up Third place
Mimram Beane Rib
Congratulations to all the performers who provided such a great evening’s entertainment and especially to the Year 13 leaders who worked so hard to audition and prepare their houses.
PE News Inter-House Sports – Round 2 House winners – Round 2
Boys (Football)
Girls (Basketball)
Y7
Lea
Mimram
Y8
Ashbourne
Mimram
Y9
Beane (Rugby)
Lea (Hockey)
Y10
Ashbourne
Rib
Overall results after 2 competitions
House
Points
1
Beane
68
2 3
Lea Mimram
63 61
4
Ashbourne
59
5
Rib
55
6
New
42
Boys Inter-house Football – The 1914 Christmas truce We decided to have team photos before the start of each of the Inter-house Football games. This was done as part of the British Council’s Football Remembers campaign, commemorating 100 years since WWI and specifically, since the Christmas Truce.
Football Update It has been a fantastic term for Football with most boys and girls teams competing in the County and National Cups. There has also been success in the District 6 aside tournaments. After Christmas we have a programme of Saturday morning fixtures, which are outlined below and continued District, National and County Cup competitions. District Cup – by February 13th 2015 – More details can be seen on the LVSSA website. Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 1st XI
Sheredes and Cheshunt John Warner and Levanthorpe Sele and Broxbourne Sheredes and Freeman College John Warner and Turnford Freeman College
Saturday Morning Fixtures: Year 7-10 : Venues and dates
BROXBOURNE
Sat 17th Jan
JOHN WARNER
Sat 24th Jan
RICHARD HALE
Sat 31st Jan
TURNFORD
Sat 7th March
SANDRINGHAM
Sat 28th Feb
ROUNDWOOD
Sat 14th March
Y8 Boys Progress To Last 64 In National Cup On Monday 1st December the Year 8 boys played Rydens Enterprise School from Woking in the 4th Round of the National cup. Albert Nwahba scored two goals in the first half and two in the second half in a fine performance, which earned the boys a 4-1 win. All the boys performed magnificently, especially Marc Ross Gardner in goal, as well as a fine display from Ben Thompson at centre back. As a result of this, the boys have now qualified for the last 64 of the National cup. They will now play away to Edwinstree Middle School on Wednesday 17th December with kick-off time set for 2pm. The boys are also through to the last 16 of the County cup where they played away to Stanborough School on Monday 15th December. This was another hard fought game, with Simon Balle loosing 3-4 after extra time.
Year 10 Boys Football Simon Balle 0-3 Chancellors The Year 10 Boys Football team's run in the County Cup unfortunately came to an end in December. Playing against a strong team who have blown away the opposition so far this year, our boys put in a huge effort and matched them for most of the game. The goals conceded were from set pieces and there were chances at the other end with Owain Willoughby-Richards going close in the first half and there were impressive performances from Dan Heald and Callum Shurety at centre back. The boys focus will now turn to the many Saturday morning fixtures they have after Christmas.
Basketball Update Year 8 Boys Results SBS vs. Turnford – Simon Balle win due to Turnford conceding game SBS vs. JWS – 26-9 win. SBS vs. Sheredes – 54-14 win The Year 8 Boys now play St. Mary’s School on Tuesday and Chauncy on the first Thursday back after Christmas.
Year 7 Boys Basketball The year 7 Boys Basketball team recently improved their overall record to 5 wins and 3 defeats this year with impressive wins against John Warner, St Mary's and Chauncy. The boys have really concentrated on finishing off the good plays they have been putting together and their layups were a particular highlight in the most recent game where they scored 23 points. Max Eland & Archie Worrall showed strength and speed to get to the basket and score on a number of occasions showing the skills they have learned both in lessons and at lunchtime and after school basketball clubs.
Rugby Update Year 8 Rugby v Levanthorpe – 26-22 This was a closely contested game between two good teams. Simon Balle took an early lead through Albert Nwahba however were pegged back by Levanthorpe who were leading 22-19 with 10mins remaining, only for Simon Balle to win a penalty. Albert decided to run this and went straight through under the posts. Noah Osborn converted his third out 4 penalties which effectively won the game for Simon Balle as Levanthorpe also scored 4 tries but only converted one of these. The boys will now play John Warner School in January.
Year 7 Boys Rugby Simon Balle 5-31 Levanthorpe The Year 7 Rugby team had their sixth competitive match of the year so far in a well contested game against Levanthorpe. The game was a lot closer than the scoreline might suggest with both teams putting pressure on the others defence. In the end, the away team were able to make the most of their opportunities as Simon Balle saw a number of chances escape them. Sam Veryard ran in a late try after some good work by George Gollop and Archie Guiver. The boys now need to work on their ball movement going forward. This result leaves the team with a record of 3 wins and 3 defeats so far this season
Hockey Update Year 8 girls A team won 14-0 against John Warner B team drew 2-2 Year 9 and 10 girls played a mixed game against John Warner winning 3-0.The girls played brilliantly and were relentless in defence. Leah Wilkerson in Year 10 and Lucie Blackman in Year 9 were given players of the match. Excellent performance. Year 7 girls beat Broxbourne 9-1 (A Team) & 5-0 (B Team)
Sportshall Athletics Simon Balle hosted the District Sportshall Combined Events Championships on Friday at Wodson Park. Our Year 10 leaders (pictured below) did an amazing job showing great efficiency at each event, resulting in the smooth running of the competition. The Simon Balle Athletics team were represented in all four competitions. The boys performed well with The Year 10 boys finishing 4th overall. Performance of the day came from the Year 10 girls who won the overall team award for the first time, a team which consisted of Louise Reilly, Lily Jones, Molly Robinson and Danni Hills. Lily Jones and Louise Reilly finished 1st and 2nd overall with some fine performances from the girls. The Year 9 girls finished 2nd overall with Lucie Blackman finishing third overall. Well done to all who competed and the next Sportshall competition takes place on 15th January 2015 at Wodson Park.
Sailing success – James Hague James and his crew have only been sailing together since February, sailing James’ own boat and what a fantastic year it has been for them. Not only did they win the Stone Cadet Sailing Open, earlier on in the year, but they ended the year, by winning their sailing club's Spring and Autumn Sailing Series trophies (there is no Summer Series as too many boats are away from the sailing club, competing), together with the most improved National Cadet Class ranking trophy, thanks to their 2nd place Bronze Fleet finish during this Summer's National Cadet Championships in Weymouth. James and his crew received their trophies on Saturday 29th November at the end of season prize giving. There is now a break before the season starts again in early February. Well done to James who is one of our Y10 GCSE students.
Take Note Choir Our adult choir Take Note celebrated their first term with their new conductor Miles Knapman last Saturday. The varied programme included old favourites such as Irish Blessing and The Sound of Silence alongside new numbers and Christmas favourites. The audience enjoyed the chance to join in with the singalong which rounded off the evening. Many thanks to our sixth form students who gave solo performances and to St Andrew’s Church for hosting this popular annual event. Proceed are being donated to Help for Heroes. Take Note are looking for new singers and will be holding an Open Rehearsal on Wednesday 14th January from 7.45pm. All adults are welcome, no connection with the school is needed so do please mention this to any family, friends or colleagues who may be interested – details are on the poster above. There is no formal audition and you do not need to be able to read music, just come along and enjoy singing with this fun and friendly group.
Dear Parents and Carers, If your child is eligible for free school meals it means they can enjoy delicious, healthy meals without the bills and the fuss of making packed lunches. Many children at our school are already eating free school meals, and your child may be able to have them too. School meals will give your child a real appetite for learning and help them to achieve their full potential. There is nothing healthier for your child and your family’s budget than free school meals. As professional cooks prepare the meals for your child, it saves you having to worry about the effort and expense of making packed lunches every day. Your child may be entitled to receive free school meals if you are entitled to receive one of the following: • Income Support • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 • The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit • Child Tax Credit, provided you are not entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual income that does not exceed £16,190 Savings for your family If you were planning to pay for your child to have school meals or are already doing so, you could save around £350 per year if your child qualifies for free school meals. Think of the time you’d save If your child is eligible and has free school meals instead of packed lunches, you could save up to 190 hours a year, which is the time needed to make packed lunches that meet the nutritional standards of school meals – that’s just over a week! Our school will receive extra funding For every child registered for a free school meal, the school will receive money to spend on extra resources. It’s called the Pupil Premium and is worth £935 per pupil in 2013-14. To make sure your child doesn’t miss out, contact: Tania Noxon 01992 410 400 ext 218 noxont@simonballe.herts.sch.uk
Final word for 2014! May I take this opportunity to thank all students, staff and parents for what again has been a great term, with some remarkable events and personal achievements. This is truly an amazing school and I echo those sentiments so frequently told to me by parents and other adults- “If only my school had been like this. Oh, to be back here now!� Wishing everyone in the Simon Balle community, a happy Christmas and a peaceful, healthy, enjoyable and successful 2015. Alison Saunders