21st March 2017
What a week! It all started with the letter from the Department for Education, signed by Nick Gibb. We received this as our results last year (summer 2016) placed us in the top 5% of schools in the country in terms of the progress made by our students from KS2 and KS4. A huge thank you to those parents who took the time to email in, adding their congratulations and also stating why they are so pleased with Simon Balle. Messages from parents from sixth form to reception; do keep those coming in! This is a special school, where community and ethos is at the heart of all we do, alongside high standards from all students and a focus upon academic excellence. Swift on the tail of this was the arrival of the lambs in reception (do look at the photos) as part of their learning about mammals. On Wednesday Dame Alison Peacock visited us. Some of you may remember or know Alison as parent at Simon Balle, Deputy at Wheatcroft, Head at Wroxham Primary, neighbour in Hertford, or more recently Chief Executive of the Chartered College of Teaching. Debretts named Alison as one of the 500 most influential people in education. Alison came to visit our Larch Centre and was delighted with the ethos, learning and environment. Alison was particularly charmed when one young student spontaneously sang her a song in Spanish to demonstrate her knowledge and understanding of the days of the week! Science week is always a huge event at Simon Balle, and no less this year. Nine students attended the national Big Bang event in Birmingham, having won local competitions. This is a very special event as it is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people in the UK. Last year it had over 70,000 visitors. Our students loved the event and although this year were not prizewinners achieved well. Here at home, we enjoyed a variety of events from making honeycomb to dissections by the Royal Veterinary College of chickens, foxes and pythons!
Sporting success dominates at Simon Balle with a series of finals next week for many of our footballers and rugby players. We wish them an enjoyable game and success! And then of course there is music. Unfortunately I missed a great concert last Saturday as I was travelling back from a national conference of Headteachers (more of that later). Perhaps a divergence from the normal programme, no one could fail to have been delighted by the amazing performance of Rutter’s Requiem Mass. A huge thank you to all performers and those who prepared them. Thursday saw another tea time recital with another this week. Just one week in the life of Simon Balle, alongside the normal lessons, routines and rituals. Our students are indeed inspiring. I spoke earlier of the national headteacher’s conference which was extensively reported on the national news. Financial concerns were widely reported (more money in the system but more children and lots of additional costs) alongside the national recruitment shortage. However what was not noted were the truly inspirational and uplifting array of speakers who reminded us of the great and important job we as teachers and headteachers do on a daily basis. This is such an important role, preparing and inspiring our future generation. You will not be surprised to hear that it was our last speaker, Malala Yousafzai, a young girl was shot as she spoke up for the education of girls in her region of Pakistan, who touched our hearts so deeply.
Dates for your diary Thursday 23rd March - Evening recital – brass Friday 24th March - Red Nose Day – non uniform Monday 27th March - Stevensons uniform sale (3.00 – 5.30) Thursday 30th March - School Production Friday 31st March - School Production Last day of term – normal finishing time Monday 3rd April to Monday 17th April - Easter holiday Tuesday 18th April - Inset day (students not in) Wednesday 19th April - Students start Thursday 20th April - Y7 parents evening Saturday 22nd April - Evening recital – wind and brass Friday 28th April - Non uniform day – Hospice UK Monday 1st May - Bank holiday Thursday 4th May - Evening recital – singers Saturday 6th May - PSA quiz night Monday 15th May - Public exams start Saturday 26th May - 6th form ball Monday 29th May to Friday 2nd June - Half term
Law change for using your mobile phone whilst driving It is illegal to use a hand-held phone or similar device while driving, or riding a motorcycle - this is still the case stopped at traffic lights or queuing in traffic. Did you know? It is also illegal to use a hand-held mobile when supervising a learner driver or rider. New penalties now mean that motorists and motorcyclists caught using a phone while driving and riding will receive six penalty points on their licence and a £200 fine. This means that new drivers, within two years of passing their test, run the risk of losing their licence for a single offence. Keep safe – put your phone away in the glove compartment.
Non uniform day – RED NOSE DAY – FRIDAY 24TH MARCH 2017 The charity’s aim is to "bring about positive and lasting change in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people, which we believe requires investing in work that addresses people's immediate needs as well as tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice". One of the fundamental principles behind working at Comic Relief is the "Golden Pound Principle" where every single donated pound (£) is spent on charitable projects. All operating costs, such as staff salaries, are covered by corporate sponsors, or interest earned on money waiting to be distributed. It has been over 30 years since the first Red Nose Day and the money raised is used to transform the lives of countless people both in the UK and Africa. In the UK, for example, the money helps give shelter to young people living on the streets and protection to those living with domestic abuse. In Africa the money helps to save thousands from malaria and provides whole communities with fresh water and life-saving vaccines. We would encourage students to bring a minimum of £2.00 to support this very worthy charity. Students should dress sensibly and not wear anything which may be deemed inappropriate (please note that girls must not wear shorts). Those who come to school dressed inappropriately may be sent home to change. Mike Moss Deputy Head
CHARITIES WEEK The week beginning 20th March is our charities week and we have lots of exciting events coming up that we would love you to encourage your children to participate in. We are very excited to announce that we have recently twinned with a school in Gambia, Samba Njabeh. Our sister school is in desperate need of our help with many students lacking the most basic of equipment. One of our Larch Centre teachers, Miss Riddle, is heading over to Gambia this Easter and will be taking with her the money that we raise and some letters that our young people have written. Some of the events held this week will be raising money for Samba Njabeh school. Our first event is this Wednesday. Nine giant 50ps will be hidden round the school. Students will need to unscramble the words in these to discover three riddles. Solving these riddles will reveal the location of our sister school (which currently remains a mystery to our students!). Prizes are available for the first students to crack the code. On Thursday lunchtime our charities committee will be outlining a map of Gambia using 50p pieces. Please encourage your children to pledge a 50p to help fill our map. All money raised will be sent to our sister school. We will also be holding a 'how many eggs in the jar?' competition with all proceeds from this going to the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal. The week culminates in a non-school uniform day and raffle this Friday, proceeds of which will be going to the Red Nose Appeal. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Miss Rhodes and Miss Wootton
Sports News Over the past few weeks Simon Balle sport has gone from strength to strength. In Football we have had an unprecedented three boys teams and two girls teams reach District Finals. The Year 7 Boys, Year 9 Boys, Year 10 Boys, Year 8 Girls and Year 9 Girls have all made finals which take place this week and next week. Last week the U13 girls became District Cricket champions qualifying for the County finals on 27th March. The U15 girls finished 2nd to Hockerill. Y8 Girls hockey team finished 3rd in the recent District Hockey competition only losing one match, finishing 3rd on goal difference Last week the Year 7 Boys became District 6-a-side champions. On Monday the Y10 Boys Volleyball team became County Volleyball champions winning all 6 games. Our Y7 & 8 Cheerleaders finished a very close 2nd to John Warner which is evident of the range of success we have had over the past few weeks. In Athletics, Elspeth Grace finish 146th at the English National Cross Country Championships in Norwich at the weekend in a field of over 300 girls and was the first Hertfordshire girl to finish. Elspeth was our first representative at this competition and deserves massive congratulations. Today we have 3 teams representing Simon Balle at the County Sportshall Athletics Championships at Wodson, the Y7 boys, Y8 boys and Y8 girls, good luck to all teams taking part. In rugby news, the U15 girls finished 3rd in the Hertford RFC shield competition on Friday, well done to all who competed. Tomorrow the Year 9 boys and the Year 10 boys play in the County Shield finals at Woollams, with the Y9 boys kicking off at 4.30pm and the Y10 boys kicking off at 6pm. This is the first time that we have had two teams represented on finals night. Good luck to both teams.
Reminder to parents
Important Notices
Can you please remember to notify the school if your child is going to be absent or late. Messages can be left on – 01992 410400 Option 1 6th form Option 2 Primary (Larch centre) Option 3 Year 7 to 11 It is very important that we know where students are so we can be sure they are safe. We realise that parents, for a variety of reasons, sometimes want to see teachers immediately, however this is not always possible due to the teaching commitments of our staff. Where possible please telephone or email the teacher to arrange a mutually convenient time. BOYS UNIFORM – IMPORTANT CHANGES We have decided to review and subsequently change our policy on boys’ summer shirts. Official short sleeved summer shirts with the school badge embroidered on the pocket can be purchased this year ONLY from Stevensons our specialist uniform providers. These shirts must be worn without a tie and worn over trousers. These shirts can be worn from 19th April to the 21st July. Alternatively parents can purchase a plain white short sleeved shirt from any provider. This shirt must have a proper collar so a tie can be worn. These shirts must be tucked into trousers. Jumpers may be worn over these shirts and ties. From September 2017 all shirts (short and long sleeved) must be tucked in and ties worn. As a result of these changes the specialist summer shirt will be discontinued although boys will still be able to wear them but tucked in and with a tie. We hope this will simplify the school uniform and also reduce the cost of purchasing it.
Important Notices A reminder that the end of term is Friday 31st March. Students will finish at the usual time. Students will return to school on Wednesday 19th April
Balls Park Parking Notice Balls Park is a Private Estate. From London Road, there is no vehicular access to Harrison Lane. Parents should make alternative arrangements for morning and afternoon, drop off and pick up. Please use the park and stride facility at the car park next to the fire station.
Simon Balle Music
A Concert of Wind and Brass Music Saturday 22nd April 2017 All Saints’ Church, Hertford 7.00pm Tickets £10 Adults £8 Concessions Available from the Music Department music@simonballe.herts.sch.uk 01992 410408
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