1st March 2016

Dear parents,

Half term already seems some time ago with so many things either happening or plans being made for

so many students. Last week saw Simon Balle students participating in the ‘Hertford & Ware’ dance

show at Hertford Theatre, where a group of reception students, dressed as animals, danced and Year

11 worked with students from Amwell View in the evening performances.

Friday night saw the annual Big Band evening—a truly wonderful and remarkable event with so many

outstanding performers and enthusiastic parents attending. It is always gratifying to see so many ex-

students coming along and the atmosphere was electric. A huge thank you to all those parents and

dignitaries who have emailed in about both events, thanking the school for its continued promotion of

the arts, at a time when most of the educational news is about non-creative subjects.

We are now looking forward to our Strings and Singing evening on 17th March, the Dance and Gym

event on 23rd March and a number of drama performances.

Alison Saunders- Headteacher

Non uniform day – Friday 18th March – SPORTS RELIEF DAY We will be supporting Sports Relief Day on Friday 18th March. The money raised is spent by Comic Relief to change lives at home and abroad. In the UK it is used to provide shelter to young people living on the streets and to protect those living with abuse. Across the world the money raised helps children into education and provides communities with fresh water and life-saving vaccines. These are just a few of the many projects with which Sports Relief in involved. Students will be involved during the week in the Sports relief one mile run or swim. There will also be activities during lunch break on the 18

th eg tug-of-war so students can bring along a little extra money to take part and

increase our fund-raising. We would encourage students to bring a minimum of £1.00 to support this very worthwhile charity. Students

should dress sensibly, ideally in sports clothing. Girls can wear shorts (if they are appropriate) If students do not have sportswear they can wear suitable non-school uniform as they would on other

charity days All clothing must be appropriate for both school and public environments Those who come to school dressed inappropriately may be sent home to change. Mike Moss—Deputy Headteacher

Dates for your diary Tuesday 1st March PHSEE parents meeting Wednesday 2nd March Y12 parents evening Thursday 3rd March Y13 geography field trip (back 5th) Thursday 10th March Y9 Battlefields trip Brass recital evening Thursday 17th March Strings and singing concert Friday 18th March Non uniform – Sports Relief Tuesday 22nd March Y10 geography field trip Wednesday 23rd March Gym and dance evening Friday 25th March GOOD FRIDAY – SCHOOL CLOSED Monday 28th March EASTER MONDAY – SCHOOL CLOSED Thursday 31st March Stevenson’s uniform sale (3pm to 5.30pm) Friday 1st April END OF TERM – NORMAL FINISH TIME

Saturday 23rd April Wind and Brass concert 7pm in hall Tuesday 26th April Y7 parents evening Thursday 28th April String Recital 7pm in hall Monday 2nd May BANK HOLIDAY Tuesday 3rd May INSET DAY Thursday 12th May Singing Evening 7pm in Larch Centre Monday 16th May Start of public exams Friday 27th May 6th form ball

WALKING TO SCHOOL Our reception classes have been very good coming to school using sustainable transport. I am sure that you will have seen them walking, cycling or scooting to school. However we feel that we now have to remind our secondary students about sustainable travel. Walking to school is the normal expectation and positively promoted from the outset for the whole school community. This approach also supports our specialism in sport which will promote healthy lifestyles and physical fitness for children and their families. Encouraging walking also increases awareness of the local environment, independence and social opportunities. We actively promoting car free travel and as most students live locally walking to school should be achievable. In a few cases there may be a legitimate reason why a family has to drive to school however parking on the school site is limited and parents must use the one-way system and drive slowly and carefully. If you need to visit the school during the day you must park in the designated visitor’s spaces and not drive up to the main office. Please adhere to all the traffic signs on site and thank you for your continued support. Madeleine Harman – School Manager

Teach in Herts Teacher Recruitment Fair Where can you talk directly to schools about real jobs and discuss your teaching career with experts? The Teach in Herts Teacher Recruitment Fair will be taking place on Saturday 19th March 2015 between 10.00am and 3.30pm, at Hertfordshire Development Centre at Robertson House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage SG1 2FQ. This annual event is free to attend and representatives from 100s of Hertfordshire schools will be available to discuss current and future teaching opportunities. In addition, a series of informative and inspiring workshops will be running to support you, whether you are entering the profession, progressing your career or returning to teaching. Workshops include:

Unmissable tips on applying for your first teaching job

Induction, support and training programmes for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in Herts

Your future, Their future (run by the National College for Teaching and Leadership)

Returning to teaching – what’s new in education?

Teaching in the UK for overseas qualified teachers

TA to teacher – progress your teaching career

Thinking of a new career path? Re-training as a teacher from another profession

Why teach in Hertfordshire? In addition, individual advice surgeries will be running, providing personalised support and guidance on being a teacher and information will be available on living and settling in Hertfordshire. The University of Hertfordshire and School Direct providers will also be attending and offering advice on routes into teaching. If you are a current, past, new or overseas qualified teacher, interested in a teaching career or know of anyone that is, this is an essential event to attend. Free on-site parking will be available and a free shuttle bus will be running from Stevenage train station. For full details on the event and to pre-register your attendance, see www.teachinherts.com

Homework Survey Parents of Y7-13 will have received an email today regarding a homework survey. Please respond by Friday 11th March if you haven’t already done so – we had 43 responses within the first hour after sending! Yvonne Adshead – Assistant Headteacher

UCAS Update

Year 13 students are continuing to receive offers for university places and we were delighted to hear that two of our students, Seth Forster and James Sutherland have both received offers to study Medicine at The Hull York Medical School. To receive an offer to study Medicine is a great achievement in itself as both boys have had to go through a rigorous process of application, testing and interviews. Good luck to both of them.

We are also very proud of our 2 students who have received offers to study at the University of Cambridge. Charlotte Benham has been offered a place at Selwyn College to study Natural Sciences. Callum Morris-Horne has been offered a place to

study English at Magdalene College. In recent years these courses have become even more competitive and the offer for both students is A*A*A in the A Level exams in the summer. We wish all the very best of luck to these four and to all our Year 13 students in their preparation for their summer exams

House Update:

The house spotlight is finally turned on Rib House……

Last year proved that the great and powerful Rib House is still as

excellent as ever with a host of fantastic achievements. We only hope

for more success in the coming year.

We start with House sport competitions where we saw the Year 7 girls

compete in House basketball. It was a fantastic performance from the

girls who managed to achieve first place above all other Houses. This was a brilliant success for the

Year 7 girls and Rib House. Well done to all who took part, what a fantastic effort and deserved win.

The Year 7 success however was not the only House achievement of 2015, the Year 10 boys also

outplayed all other Houses to win the football competition. This is another amazing achievement and

a big well done to all boys who played and competed for Rib - we only hope this will continue!

We have had some outstanding students in Rib House in the last couple of months including Niamh

Hartnett in Year 8 who won KS3 student of the month in December with the most House points and

Emily Free in Year 12 who won KS5 student of the month in November. We organised a Tug-of-War

event to raise money for Children in Need. Despite the cold weather, a lot of students took part and it

was a real success as we made £40.00 on the day and everyone who took part enjoyed themselves

a lot.

In the House Plays, we successfully took home the Audience Appreciation Award for an outstanding

production of Beauty and the Beast. The performance was praised for “lovely costume choices and

ingenious staging”. Special congratulations go to Anna Beaven in Year 9 for winning the Best

Performance award, with a “fantastic vocal and physical performance.

The victorious dramatists of Rib

In November, the MFL department held a competition to create posters for their upcoming language

exams. Continuing Rib’s success, Louise Reilly and Molly Robinson of 11R created the winning

German poster. As you can see, the outstanding level of detail and excellent formatting work in

perfect harmony with the colourful German flag background to create a truly triumphant poster.

Rib’s very own German Rosetta Stone

As seen in the House Plays, Rib has an excellent

selection of students with acting talents. Outside

of school, Thomas McGill has been making waves

in the acting world with his performances with the Hertford Dramatic and

Operatic Society. He took part in a performance of John Steinbeck’s The

Grapes of Wrath in the Minack Theatre, Cornwall, which won the Minack

Trophy for the best production of the season! Well done to Thomas who is

not only an outstanding ambassador for the school but also a symbol of

Rib’s success.

In spite of Rib’s incredible talent and magnificent victories, the House rankings have not reflected our

greatness. We encourage everyone in Rib to make sure that their teachers are giving out House

Points generously. Good luck, we’re all counting on you!