newSBytes 21st July 2014

21st July 2014 GOODBYES At the end of the academic year we say goodbye and a big heartfelt thank you to the following staff who are leaving us: Ian Walker (Science) - Ian has enjoyed his brief time at Simon Balle but has decided to take a break from teaching to start a new career.

David Oldridge (History) - David returned for a maternity vacancy but now takes up a new history post at Broxbourne School.

Eithne Omerod (English) - Eithne has been at Simon Balle for many years. She has decided to retire.

Gary Stobbart (PE)- Gary like Eithne was here when I arrived in 1997. Gary is known to many families both in terms of his teaching and enrichment activities. He is taking on an exciting new challenge—a pub’s bunkhouse in North Wales!

Lynn Salt (Sixth Form Manager) - Lynn too has been here for many years. Starting as a teaching assistant, then solely working with our sixth form students, Stefan Radajewski (Science) - Stefan is returning with his family to Australia. He has made a deep imprint not only in science but also in the sixth form, where he is best known for his work with UCAS preparations.

Janice Noblett (PE) - Janice is in fact not leaving but simply changing her role from teacher to more technical support. She will also become a part time cover supervisor.

THIS ISSUE:  NATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING COMPETITION  NICKY MORRIS ATHLETICS  SCIENCE NEWS  MUSIC NEWS  LIBRARY NEWS  YEAR 12 HAWORTH TRIP  PE NEWS  NEW HOUSE SYSTEM

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

We wish all of our colleague every success and good health as they move forward. They shall be sorely missed.

Other thanks and congratulations to…

To Elly Morris for her work in the front office.

To Hannah Clarke who returns at the end of this term from maternity leave.

Congratulations to Nick Stokes and Niamh Parris who have recently been appointed as Head Boy and Head Girl respectively. These two Year 12 students have already given a great deal to the school and will now take on an active role as student leaders as we move the school forward.

Three deputies were also appointed—Sam Brown, Hope Fenton and Alex Thompson—who will each take on a specific role linked to school improvement.

As part of our drive to enhance the House System we have also appointed three House Captains for each house and we look forward to a vibrant house competition from September.

We therefore welcome a number of new staff—teachers, trainees and support staff to Simon Balle. Our next newsletter will carry out the introductions formally!

1st September Inset Day 2nd September Start of the Autumn Term

Whilst the English are well known for their conversation about the weather, I have noticed recently how frequently parents comment to me on how quickly the academic years pass by!

This has been another busy but highly successful year for Simon Balle. We started the year surrounded by scaffold (the window –walling of the three storey block) and we have finished the year surrounded by scaffolding (the roof of the main building) both financed from successful grant applications.

And so by September our existing buildings (from 1956) have had over £1.5 million spent on them! And still more needed of course.

Although time passes quickly, it is but a memory, the fact that the Ofsted team arrived two week in (September 17th 2013) whilst we were just getting used to having lessons in the dining room, library and other smaller cupboard like areas!

I think back and am amazed particularly how the students coped so well with whole areas partitioned off.

And then the usual routines and events began in earnest, combining the daily lessons and adventures in learning with numerous musical and sporting events, competitions, drama enrichment days, trips, weekly speakers corners, exams, leadership opportunities and many more. All of those things that make up the Simon Balle experience.

And looking ahead…

The new Year 7s who had such fun and are so eager to contribute; the Year 11s who are returning to our Sixth Form with hopefully great results; the re-launch of the house system; the new learning experiences around PSHEE and skills development; Open Morning (September 27th—keep the date free!), the literary festival (November 2014) and the possibly expansion.

Lots to keep us on our toes!

Finally—my thanks to the staff who make this possible through hours of hard work and the passion for what they do and the commitment to the vision of Simon Balle. Also thanks to my team who equally are driven and go beyond the ‘call of duty’ and to you as parents for your support, engagement and trust in us. We are so grateful to receive those emails and cards expressing this—it encourages us greatly knowing that we are making a difference to the lives of our young people. And then thanks to the students—who are Simon Balle!

May I wish you a restful and happy summer break!

Alison Saunders

STUDENT TIMETABLES 2014-2015 Once again we are planning to send the students’ timetables via our In Touch communication system to all students’ school email accounts as well as to any parent email addresses we hold.

The first email will be sent to years 8-11 and 13 during the school holidays with a second email sent to all year groups during Monday 1st September.

Students are asked to print out a copy ready for the first day of term on Tuesday 2nd September.

If you would like to update your email address please email admin@simonballe.herts.sch.uk with your new address.

NHS 111 If your family needs urgent medical help and your usual GP practice is closed, there’s now just one number to remember.

NHS 111 can help with everything that needs urgent medical attention, but is not a life -threatening emergency. That could be anything from bumps and sprains to feeling ill overnight or at the weekend.

The service is staffed by a team of fully trained advisors, supported by experienced clinicians. They will ask questions to assess your symptoms, then give you advice or direct you to the local service that can help you best. That might be a doctor, urgent care centre, minor injuries unit, late-opening pharmacy, or A&E. If NHS 111 advisors think you need an ambulance, they will immediately arrange for one to be sent to you.

Call 111, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.

If you’re holidaying in England or Scotland this summer, you can call 111 and be put through to the local 111 team, who will know all the services near you which can help.

If you’re visiting Wales, call 0845 46 47.

If you have the old NHS Direct number stored in your phone, please delete it and replace it with 111. The NHS Direct number is no longer in operation and your call will not be transferred to another number.

NATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING COMPETITION We recently took some students from Y7 and Y9 to the regional heat of the National Science and Engineering Competition (http://www.nsecuk.org/). The students had worked hard on a science project over a number of weeks and had already earnt Bronze and Silver CREST awards respectively in order to qualify. They presented their projects at the Big Bang Science Fair in Duxford (https://nearme.thebigbangfair.co.uk/Eastern/) where students had to explain their work to a panel of scientists who probed them about their research and how they managed their projects. All students acquitted themselves admirably and were a credit to the school. Out of 120 schools that took part and 350 students who had projects on display, one of our projects won their heat and may now be eligible to take their work to the national finals of the competition. The project that won was "Under Pressure at Simon Balle" a study of the impact of stress in the school environment and how it can be managed, including physiological measurements of different stressful situations. Other projects were "Sanitation and Hygiene at Simon Balle" looking at methods to prevent the spread of bacteria, and "Investigating Rocket Designs" which looked at the effects of bottle volume on flight distance.

Since returning from the day we have found out that the two year 9 projects have got through to the national science and engineering competition representing the east of England region. This will take place in Birmingham in march 2015.

Students involved were Rosa Noxon, Harry Ingram, Joseph Chapman, Rose Shepherd, Sarah Kenway, Alex Willis, Clara Weller, Elspeth Grace, Laura Dixon, Lizzie Pickup, Asher Lloyd, Jacob Fenwick, Amy Chen, Lucy Chapple, Olivia Ware and Maddy Durbin.

Well done to the students and a thank you to the staff who have worked with the students all year.

Miss Wigmore, Miss Corbett and Dr Jones

NICKY MORRIS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2014 So the girls final athletics competition of the season finished on a high with all teams placing top 3 in Division 1. Despite the rain, all the girls as usual showed great resilience and competitive spirit. Outstanding performances from Jess Hill in the Over 16’s 300m hurdles and Lucy Heald in the U13’s Javelin winning their event comfortably. We had a number of really impressive performances throughout the day from all age groups against tough competition. The girls held their own, placing 2nd and 3rd in most events. The PE department are very proud of their efforts and the commitment shown this summer both in competitions and training has been fantastic.

Laura Jones

COLLECTION OF EXAM CERTIFICATES Students will be able to collect their certificates from the exam office from 1st November 2014. Certificates will not be given to anyone other than the candidate without the candidate’s written authorisation and they will not be posted to any candidates as they have to be signed for.

The school is only obliged to keep certificates for a period of one year after issue. If candidates do not collect their certificates within this time (or if they lose their certificates) they can only be replaced by direct application to the appropriate examination boards. This will require proof of identity (such as birth certificate) and a substantial fee per examination board. You are therefore urged to collect you certificates as soon as possible and to keep them safe.

WELL DONE TO THE STAFF AND STUDENTS OF SIMON BALLE WHO MANAGED TO RAISE £660 FOR THE WWF!

GCSE, AS AND A2 RESULTS DAY - AUGUST 2014 Please find below details of when staff will be available to discuss exam results.

Please email sixthform@simonballe.herts.sch.uk but please be aware that your best form of support will be to come into school on one of the days we have listed. Please do not leave messages on the school phone as these may be missed during the holidays.

AS and A2 Results – Thursday 14th August A2 results will be given out outside the school library from 8:30am AS results will be given out outside the school library from 10.00am Students who have not met the entry requirements to Year 13 will need a guidance interview with the 6th Form Team. These will take place in the Library on Thursday 14th until 3:00pm and Friday 15th from 9:00am until 2:00pm – parents may wish to be part of this discussion.

Students will be given a slip in their exam results envelope if they need to book an interview time. Students should not leave school before they have booked a time.

The Sixth Form Team will be available on Thursday 14th August to support any Year 13 student who has not achieved the entry requirements for their chosen university.

To all students going into Year 13 please: Ensure your Personal Statement (draft) is complete before the start of term Ensure your school clothes comply with the 6th Form dress code Check your email accounts for further information and new timetables Arrive for 8.45am start on Tuesday 2nd September GCSE Results – Thursday 21st August Results will be given out outside the school library from 8:30am until 3:00pm Students who have not met the entry requirements to Year 12 will need a guidance interview with the 6th Form Team. These will take place in the Library on Thursday 21st until 3:00pm and Friday 22nd from 9:00am until 1:00pm - parents may wish to be part of this discussion.

Students will be given a slip in their exam results envelope if they need to book an interview time. Students should not leave school before they have booked a time.

The Connexions service will be also be available to support students in their decisions.

To all students joining us in the 6th Form, please: Ensure all summer work for each subject is completed before the start of term Ensure your school clothes comply with the 6th Form dress code Arrive for 8.45am start on Tuesday 2nd September

Dear Parents, if you have any refund cheques from the school, please could you bank them as soon as possible?

Many thanks Mary Haines, Finance Officer

LIBRARY AND ENGLISH DEPARTMENT NEWS Follow us @SBS_Library for cultural events and resources advice.

A Warm Welcome I’m Melanie Taylor, Writer-in-Residence for Autumn 2014. I’ve heard very good things about Book Week and am excited to be part of Book Banter, Simon Balle’s first literary festival.

Book Banter is a celebration of the written word with opportunities for everyone to get involved. We’ve got off to a great start with 76 entries to our competition to name the festival - well done to the winner, Lake Boronte. We’re now putting the finishing touches to the programme, which includes an inspiring line-up of author events, a Poetry by Heart Slam and a Writing Challenge for Years 7-9.

I’ve had a busy year so far writing the first draft of a novel for young adults, teaching and performing comedy improvisation and learning the art of clowning.

Enjoy the holidays and see you in the autumn for some excellent Book Banter.

Book Banter: a festival for readers and writers runs from 17-21 November 2014.

Grateful thanks Many thanks to all those families, friends, staff and students who supported the Readathon this year. As a result the Library has £400 to spend on books from Scholastic’s website. Well done everyone – this is a great boost to our book stock.

Summer Reading Challenge Please remember to check out the website at www.mythical-maze.org.uk and call into your local public library to take part. It runs from 12th July until 6th September so that should give you enough time to read through 6 books!

Book Festivals around the UK “I went to the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye over May half term with a friend. I had never been to a book festival before and didn't quite know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. It was a much bigger event than I'd imagined, with hundreds of people of all different ages who'd come to see their favourite authors, illustrators, actors and musicians. I saw a range of different people but especially enjoyed listening to American author Meg Rosoff. She talked about her new book Picture Me Gone and I actually visited the bookshop afterwards and bought it (it's very good!) I liked the way the talk was quite personal and there were opportunities to ask questions and meet other people interested in the same books. I would highly recommend attending Hay in the future if you get the chance.”

(Sarah Kenway Year 9) Other upcoming festivals are the Edinburgh International Book Festival which is a huge, annual event located in the tranquil Charlotte Square Gardens of the city. For programme information either go to https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/ or call into our Library to see the printed copy.

In the autumn term from 3-12 October is The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival. Please go to http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature/ for details.

Out and About in London Two popular exhibitions are running this summer at the British Library where you can also find a first rate bookshop.

Comics unmasked: Art and Anarchy in the UK Open until 19 August 2014 ‘Comics Unmasked is the UK’s largest ever exhibition of mainstream and underground comics’ (http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/comics-unmasked/index.html) Parental guidance required for visitors under 16 years.

Also, to mark the centenary of the Great War there is a very moving, free exhibition entitled ‘Enduring War: Grief, Grit and Humour’ Open until 12 October 2014 at The Folio Society Gallery – admission free. See http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/enduring-war/index.html Another enticing literary exhibition (till 26 October) is the wide ranging display at the National Portrait Gallery ‘Virginia Woolf: Art, Life and Vision’. For more information please go to http:// www.npg.org.uk/whatson/virginiawoolf/home.php Recommended Reads: For lots of good suggestions and book reviews please go to: www.loverreading4kids.co.uk and www.goodreads.com or pop into your local library.

And finally...

In the Autumn our Library will be piloting the VLe book platform from major supplier, Browns Books for Students. Initially this will enable Year 7 students to access a selection of fiction titles in e book format. More details next academic year...

NEWS FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT In Keystage 3, students this year have been using Audioboo.

Audioboo is a site that allows users to share audio files. It is used by the BBC, The Guardian and many other media organisations. https://audioboo.fm/channel/simonballemusic This is our audioboo channel, also linked from the school website. All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have an audioboo account that is linked to our channel. All of their work, both complete and in progress, is uploaded to either their account or the channel. GCSE and A Level musicians will use it from September.

Do have a listen to your son/daughter’s account and our channel, simply by searching audioboo. Accounts are titled as email addresses – number, surname initial will help you find the account. (eg 13bloggsf). Or, be radical and get them to log in and show you!

Woodwind and Brass morning A great time was had by members of our Junior Wind Band and over 45 primary musicians who joined us in July. We have received many great comments about how much the students enjoyed the experience. Thanks to all who came, and for the great results.

Have a listen! http://boo.fm/p1257152 Not bad for 3 hours work!

A Grand Summer Concert This was a triumph. Totally spectacular. The comments from parents and members of the audience sum it up.

‘We had the best time at last nights concert’ ‘I would just like to say that it was an amazing night. The quality of the music was excellent’ ‘The music was fantastic again & as you so rightly said I cannot believe that any school could perform to such a high standard’ ‘Most enjoyable and gives our youngsters a chance to show what they are capable of’ Most schools cannot even dream of putting on a performance of that standard, time after time. The support from everyone at Simon Balle is superb. Well done to all, and thank you to the parents, students and our fantastic music team.

The recordings - http://boo.fm/p1257382 Trinity exams Congratulations to the following students who have achieved great results in their music exams. The result of hard work and lots of nagging! The results are shown below.

On the next page are also details of the music dates for the coming year. Do please take note of them – we need everyone to attend where required!

MUSIC DEPARTMENT DATES

PSA NEWS Many thanks to every form that contributed to/helped at the events/fundraising that the PSA has undertaken this year.

The monies collected for the Fun Run is ÂŁ5,600 which is a terrific amount.

We are already planning the events for next year - please keep a watch for information regarding AGM (Oct), Quiz Night (Oct) and the return of our popular Ladies Pamper Evening (Nov) Please visit the PSA website http:// www.simonballepsa.org.uk/ for further information/contact links.

HAWORTH TRIP 2014 BY GEORGINA O’KANE YEAR 12 On Friday the 11th of July, the Year 12 A/S English Literature students set off for Haworth, Yorkshire to learn more about the Bronte sisters in preparation for studying ‘Wuthering Heights’ Year 13. We attended lectures, visited the parsonage and trekked 10 miles across the moors (thanks Mr Davies).

Day 1:A day of long journeys: We had an early start to get our first train to Leeds. After a 2 hour journey through the countryside we reached Keighley. After a short bus ride we finally arrived at the beautiful Victorian house which had been converted into a youth hostel; it really suited the gothic settings we are studying. After settling into our dormitories we headed to the town in the afternoon for some ice cream and to get a sense of the town which is inextricably linked with these literary sisters. After dinner we had ‘Name the Author’ and ‘Wuthering Heights’ quizzes and settled into our dorms for the evening.

Our dorm engaged in deep philosophical conversations and banter with our good friend Cathy Earnshaw.

Day 2:Early start again. Full English breakfast to kick start the long day, Mr Davies attempted to set the record for most packets of vinegar consumed in 2 days (last time we counted it was 11). The first destination of the day was the Parsonage ( the Brontes’ home which is now a museum) for two lectures: one on the Bronte family and the other on the context and critical interpretations of ‘Wuthering Heights’. The two lectures were enjoyable for all of the students and enabled us to gain an insight into the background of their novels and ways of looking at our set text. Later we walked around the graveyard next door to the Parsonage and found out about conditions in Haworth in Victorian times . Finally to finish the day we set off on a 10 mile hike across the moors, singing ‘Wuthering Heights’ all the way to top. Despite the blisters and achy feet, the weather was kind to us and the view across the moor was brilliant. Across the hike, our quiz teams got together to give our own interpretations of the vocal and dance performance of ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Kate Bush, or rather, a ‘Kate-off’. After the hike we dragged ourselves back to the hostel for some food, another quiz about what we had covered that day, and a well-needed early night.

Day 3:Our last day in Yorkshire. We walked down to the train station and hopped on to a steam train to Keighley. We were sad to see the trip come to an end. Overall we would 100% recommend this trip to English Lit students as it is informative and also a lot of fun.

HOUSE AND REWARD SYSTEMS Next academic year we will be implementing new House and Reward Systems for all students at Simon Balle. The aims of these systems are:  To motivate and nurture students to achieve the best possible grades.  To reward and praise students in a wide variety of disciplines.  To promote SMSC (Spiritual Moral Social Cultural).  To allow students to gain rewards within a hierarchical structure.  To monitor for consistency and analyse groups and trends. This may lead to further intervention.  To link into our academic achievement software Go4Schools.  To promote the excellent work of Simon Balle to all our stakeholders.  To identify students who are potential Senior Student Leadership Team (SSLT) members.  To revitalise the house system for the benefit of the students.  To allow students the opportunity to work with and benefit from students of all ages.  To further develop the Simon Balle community and create a culture of participation, team work, responsibility, aspiration, student leadership, community, independence and organisation amongst others.

Reward System (Please read in conjunction with the reward pyramid) Our rewards system is designed to recognise the talents, progress and achievements of all the students in our community.  The system runs from Year 7-13.  Each level within the pyramid is progressive culminating in the academic ceremony.  All teachers will give out (+1) when the student hits the criteria.  Rewards will be logged on Go4Schools and parents will be able to access this information.  There are many different rewards to enable it to be multi-faceted and inclusive. For example – postcards, Departmental Roll of Honour, Head of Year rewards, Headteacher’s Commendation, Governors’ Award (Community Award) and finally the Academic Ceremony.  Behaviour points will count against rewards for both the individual student and their House.  Running alongside the pyramid are the certificates – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum Club and Diamond League.  To achieve the certificates students would need to achieve: Type Bronze Silver Gold Platinum Club Diamond League  

Signed by Head of Year Department Head Headteacher Governors Ceremony

KS3 50 90 120 160 200

KS4 30 60 90 130 180

KS5 25 45 60 100 150

If a student reaches the Platinum Club he/she will get extra privileges.

Academic Ceremony – each student to receive 2 tickets (calculations are for 500 to attend). Subjects to hand out books and academic and achievement prizes.

Rewards System

A7 - Academic Ceremony (Annual) A6 – Awards (Bronze ,Silver, Gold, Platinum ,Diamond)

KS3

KS4

KS5

Bronze

50

30

25

Silver

90

60

45

Gold

120

90

60

Platinum

160

130

100

Diamond

200

180

150

A5 - Governors’ Award

5 pt

Community & Volunteering Award

5 pt

(Outstanding Achievement/Improvement)

A4 - Headteacher’s Commendation

A3 - Departmental Roll of Honour (1 per year group per term) - Year 9 Student of the month (1 student per form per month)

3 pt

- Year 10 HOY award (1 boy and girl every half term) - Year 11 House Card - 100% attendance (every term)

2 pt

1 pt

A2 – Department Postcards (Twice per term) - Year 8 Super Student (1 student per form every two weeks) A1 – Outstanding classwork, Rapid progress, Outstanding Homework, Punctuality, Tours, Community spirit, Assemblies, Student Council member, Student Mentoring, Club attendance, Student librarian, Speakers Corner, SSLT House Reward etc. [+1] - Year 7 Star Student (1 student per form per week)

HOUSE SYSTEM          

A student's individual rewards will go towards their House.

Senior Student Leadership Team (SSLT) assigned to be House Captains and to lead houses (see below for names).

Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to be Heads of Houses (see below for names).

Assemblies will be run for house teams to allow students the opportunity to work with and benefit from students of all year groups - vertical assemblies Form groups are now known by their house and not the teacher e.g. 7 Mimram, 8 Beane, 9 New, 10 Ashbourne...

Students and staff will be required to wear House badges to identify them across the school.

All staff, including support staff, will be assigned a house.

There will be many House Events strategically mapped across the academic year. All subjects to participate.

Trophies and rewards for the winning house.

House noticeboard.

Further details of both systems as well as a calendar of House Events will be provided in the next newsletter.

HOUSE STAFF/LEADERS Congratulations to the following students who have been appointed to the Student Senior Leadership Team and will play a large role leading and developing the new House system from September:

Deputy Head Boy (SSLT, Student House Coordinator) – Sam Brown House Captains (SSLT) Rib Jess Hill Jack Smith Eleanor Wilmot

Ashbourne James Begg Andrew Durbin Georgia Whitear

Lea Beth Entwisle Nick Jenkins Anya Titchmarsh

Beane Alistair Semark Georgia Griffiths Tehannah Cradock

New Matthew Crowdy Molly Smallwood-Conway Samuel Trendall

Mimram Stuart Bowden Charlotte Janes Jasmine Nesbitt-Larking

Heads of House (SLT) Rib Ashbourne Lea Beane New Mimram

S. Preshous Y. Adshead A. Grantham R. Klippel I. Finch L. Brown

Bruce Longden Memorial Challenge The Simon Balle boy’s team competed at the Bruce Longden Athletics Memorial Challenge (formerly known as the Steven Moore Challenge). The Boys finished 3rd overall in Division One behind Saffron Walden and Richard Hale.

In the Y7 competition the boys finished 2nd overall with Jean & Albert Nwahba winning two events each. Albert won the 200m and Discus, while Jean won the Shot Putt and 800m.

In the Y8/9 competition Jacob Fenwick ran a school record of 4.43 in the 1500m, while Jacob Graham won the High Jump with a jump of 1.65m.

The Senior Boys impressed once again, finishing joint 2nd with Saffron Walden. Joe Carter won the 100m in a school record of 11.3 sec which was a fantastic performance. Ben Moses won the 200m in a school record of 24.0, as well as the Long Jump with a distance of 5.77m.

Kallum Titsmarsh also went on to break the school record in the 1500m with a time of 4.40m.

Well done to all the boys who competed and well done on a successful season.

NICKY MORRIS ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2014 So the girls final athletics competition of the season finished on a high with all teams placing top 3 in Division 1. Despite the rain, all the girls as usual showed great resilience and competitive spirit. Outstanding performances from Jess Hill in the Over 16’s 300m hurdles and Lucy Heald in the U13’s Javelin winning their event comfortably. We had a number of really impressive performances throughout the day from all age groups against tough competition. The girls held their own, placing 2nd and 3rd in most events. The PE department are very proud of their efforts and the commitment shown this summer both in competitions and training has been fantastic.

District Rounder’s Champions The Yr7 rounders team rounded off a fantastic season by winning the district tournament. Up until this point the girls had been undefeated in all matches. The tournament was played on a round robin basis and the girls continued their unbeaten streak winning against Presdales, John Warner, Broxbourne and Chauncy.

The girls played incredibly well in the field and with the bat and it was a true squad performance. Well done girls, we are all very proud of you.

Mrs. Noblett District Athletics Championships On Friday 27th June Simon Balle athletes took part in the District Athletics Championships having one of our most successful championships. The school won 18 individual titles and the Senior Boys 4 X 100m Relay. The athlete of the day was Albert Nwahba who won the 200m and the Discus. In the team competitions we won the Senior boys competition for the first time since 1988 along with the overall Senior and Intermediate titles. Out of 11 schools the boys finished 2nd overall with the girls finishing 3rd overall. In the Combined overall result we finished 2nd by only 2points. Well done to all who competed.

Paralympian Visit Ian Rose, Paralympic medalist and world judo champion, recently delivered a 60 minute session to our talented sports students on ‘preparation for sport’.

Students got a lot out of the session and this was evident in their questioning to Ian on topics such as; drug testing in sport, best achievement, lowest moment, training days, diet and many more.

We’d like to thank Ian for giving a the students some of his valuable time and inspiration Cricket Update The Year 7 and Year 9 boys teams both qualified for the District Semi-Finals. The Year 7’s lost out to Levanthorpe and the Year 9 boys lost out to Richard Hale. However well done to both teams for reaching this stage.

Sports Presentation Evening This year’s celebration of Sport took place on Thursday 3rd of July in the school hall with special guest Ian Rose, World & Paralympic Judo medallist. A fantastic evening was had by all and our thanks goes out to the commitment shown by our students this year in a wide range of sports. It has been a truly fantastic year and below is a list of some of our main award winners among many awards given out on the night.

Sportsman of the Year Dan Morton – Dan was part of the Year 11 Football Team this year who progressed to the County final. He is also one of the top Basketball players in the County as well winning the Javelin at the recent District Championships.

Sportswoman of the Year Victoria Hill – Victoria is a multi-talented performer who currently is a County Netball representative. She has been a member of the school football team who have reached the final stages of the nationals over the past couple of years. Also most recently Victoria was runner-up in the District over 200m.

Most Promising Sportsman Dan Heald – Dan has competed across a wide range of sports for the school. He is a very talented in Football, Cricket and Rugby among others and is certainly a prospect for the future.

Most Promising Sportswoman Louise Reilly – Louise has represented the school in a variety of sports. Her most successful sport is athletics where she is one of the best high jumpers in the County and is currently the District Champion in this event.

McGovern Contribution to School Life Award Ben Moses and Molly Smallwood-Conway – They have contributed to the PE department through coaching, officiating, competing for the school in a wide range of activities and supporting younger students in PE lessons in the free time.

Team of the Year Year 11 Boys Football team – The boys reached the County Final and was the first Simon Balle team to do so in 14 years.

Golf Success Congratulations to Harrison Coxshall who was selected to represent Hertfordshire in the George McPartlin Trophy on 20th July at Wanstead Golf Club. This is a fantastic achievement and our congratulations and good luck goes to Harrison as he prepares for this Regional competition.