15 September. From the Head Teacher

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1 From the Head Teacher Dear Parents/Carers It has been a superb first full week of term. I have been very impressed with how well Year 7 students have settled into their new routines with the superb support of their Year 8 guides and they have also coped very well with lunch and moving around in a large environment. The older students have as usual, been kind and supportive to Year 7, showing them to lessons and helping them find their way around. Staff are on duty at the end of the school day and we will be holding the usual meeting of all students who travel to school on buses to ensure there is clarity of expectations and safety during travel. Any concerns in relation to the buses please do let us know as we are in regular contact with the bus companies if concerned. We have held Information Evenings for Years 7 and 11 parents and students. Year 7, at the start of their journey were also introduced to the Parents Association (PTA), who are so supportive of our school in terms of fundraising and organising events. I am delighted that we have been able to recruit new parents to our PTA and look forward to the BBQ on Sunday 17th September from 1 to 3pm, information for which has been shared with parents in Year 7 already currently we have over 300 parents and students attending! It was really encouraging to see such strong attendance at these events. We look forward to the Year 12 Information Evening next week. The focus of the evenings was to explain the curriculum, assessment, home learning and support arrangements that we provide and for Year 11 it was a first insight into progression into the sixth form, more information for which will be given later in the term. You will know that there are some teething problems with Show My Homework. We have been updated regularly by the company as the issue appears to be a national software problem, which they are working to resolve. The Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre (CEOP) has a free information service for parents on a wide variety of topics related to Online safety and safeguarding the well-being of young people. The website address is and I would strongly urge you to visit the site. We have just heard that we have been successful in gaining the Gold Award for the Schools Games Mark this is due to our very active PE department who enthuse and support our students so admirably a wonderful start to the term. We have also been nominated for Secondary Sports School of the Year at the St Albans and District Sports Awards. We also have a number of wonderful successes to start the term from the Hertfordshire Community Awards. Congratulations to Maddie Bell, Holly Spencer and Lola White who won the Affinity Water Challenge and were finalists in the Awards, supported admirably by Miss Bowman; Also, to Amy Stephen, Tamsin Jack, Joné Esterhuysen who led the Eco Council Awards, supported by Mrs Nottage. Finalists in the Young carers category were Tamsin Curtis, Jenny Dallimore and Emily Frangiskou-Hemming, led by Mrs Elliott-Brown and Winners for the Rotary Interact Group for St Albans were represented by Aaliyah Jalil and Munthaha Ahmed, supported admirably by Mrs Rock and Mrs Newman, who has just retired as Deputy Head, won the Lifetime Achievement award. We are very proud of the successes of our students and welcome hearing about events that take place both inside and outside of school so that we can share and celebrate their many successes in so many different activities. With all good wishes. Margaret Chapman 15 September EVENTS NEXT WEEK Sunday 17 September PTA Year 7 Welcome BBQ pm to 3.00pm, Quad Monday 18 September Year 7 CATS and Year 12 Baseline tests this week Tuesday 19 September Year 7 Enterprise Day for lessons 1 to 4 Student Voice pm Wednesday 20 September Eco Council meeting pm ADT Exhibition pm to 7.00pm Year 12 Information Evening pm to 8.00pm, Main Hall Thursday 21 September Year 7, 9 and 11 individual photographs Friday 22 September Year 12 Learn2Live trip pm to 3.30pm at Alban Arena Saturday 23 September Bronze DofE Training - Year 10 UPCOMING EVENTS Monday 25 September Bronze DofE route planning for practice expedition pm to 5.30pm, Canopies Tuesday 26 September Year 7 and 8 Science Fair pm 2.00pm, Main Hall Please park in the tennis courts through the blue gates for all evening events

2 E-Safety Information Evening Wednesday 27 September pm Internet use amongst young people is ever increasing as the range and choice of new technologies and in particular social media becomes more widely available and accessible. Whilst this has many benefits this can also open young people up to a variety of dangers from cyber bullying to online grooming. We know that it can be a source of worry for parents/carers as you try to keep up with the pace of technological change. At STAGS, we recognise this concern and as a result we would like to invite you to an E-safety Information Evening for parents/carers of students in all year groups. The evening will provide a detailed summary of how parents can support their children in staying safe online. Our keynote speaker will be an e-safety consultant experienced in online safety in schools. We will cover privacy settings, monitoring tools, the latest developments in online activity and signs to look out for when supporting your child with difficulties. The evening will include information on cyberbullying, sexting, gaming, porn, social networking and on-line grooming. In addition there will be hints and tips on how to protect your own IT equipment. We hope to accommodate all interested parents and would ask that you confirm your attendance at the following address: sjm@stags.herts.sch.uk Word of the Week Every week we promote the use of an unusual word across the school. This week s word is: Tumultuous Definition: confused, loud or uproarious Try to use it as much as possible this week! English Department STAGS Equestrian Team Seeks New Recruits for the Coming Season STAGS is very proud to have an established Equestrian Team. Our successful team are members of the National Schools Equestrian Association and enjoy competing locally in NSEA competitions each year with a view to qualifying for the National Championships. We are at present looking to recruit new members. If you are currently competing at either show jumping or dressage and would like to join us we would be delighted to hear from you. Please note you will require your own horse/pony and transport. Mob Race Congratulations to Annabel Hedge who came second in the St Albans and Harpenden schools annual Mob Race on Tuesday. There were nearly 200 girls competing over the 2km course at Sandringham school which provides athletes with the first opportunity to represent their school. What a fantastic achievement in the first few weeks of STAGS life. Congratulations also go to Nixie Kibbey, Sophie Kelly and Carla Thompson who completed the team that took part. For more details, please contact Anna Ivory (Team Manager) at aa.ivory@hotmail.com

3 OPEN EVENING 2017 Bus Services Please note that school will close at 1.05pm on Thursday 5 October to allow for preparations for Open Evening. The school buses will collect students at this time, but all public buses will retain the usual timetable. The 84 and 84A buses are public bus services run by Metroline and will not be picking up students at school on this day. Students will need to walk to the town centre to use these buses. If there are any changes to this we will alert you via Schoolcomms. All students will be expected to make their own way home. On Friday 6 October, school starts with period 2 at 9.40am. School buses will collect students from their usual pick up points one hour later than usual. The only exception is for Year 7 students who are to be in school at 8.20am to leave by 8.45am in order to travel to the PGL centre. The 84 and 84A buses, and all other public buses, will run at their usual times. Students using these buses will be able to wait in the school Dining Room or Library until period 2 starts. Other students will be expected to make their own arrangements to arrive at school in time for a 9.40am start. Ms K Thomas Deputy Head

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