Newsletter No 699 8 November 2018 Things have certainly been a little quieter with over 200 students missing this week! However it looks like Year 7 are having lots of fun on their activities trip and we look forward to hearing all about it when they return on Friday. In the meantime, while the students were away, we were pleased to have some of their parents with us at our regular E-Safety Update evening on Tuesday, where Ms Scott and Mr Fernandez gave advice on how to make sure children stay safe on line. If you were unable to attend the evening, the materials that were shared with parents on the night are now available on our website and I m sure that all parents will find them helpful and supportive in ensuring students can reap the benefits of the internet whilst avoiding the pitfalls. Of course, if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us at the school. Next week is Learning to Learn week and Thursday will be an enrichment day. Something new for this year is that this will also be a reading week and you can find out more about what that means below. Please do talk to your child about the different activities that will be taking place to help us all be better learners! As always, if you have any comments or suggestions I would be pleased to hear from you, please contact me at headsjl.herts.sch.uk. CONGRATULATIONS Evening Standard Art Prize 2018 won by ex-sjl student Claire Robins Many congratulations go to Ashton Attzs for an outstanding achievement in winning the 2018 Evening Standard Art Prize with the painting Don t Stay In Ya Lane. Ashton s painting was picked out from than 1,000 entries by the judging panel that included award-winning writer Olivia Laing and Evening Standard arts editor William Moore. Laing, the author of critically acclaimed works, said she loved the painting of swimmers in a pool on sight. She said: It s so visually striking, and conveys its message of inclusivity with such infectious joyfulness. Ashton gave a work that is celebratory and empowering. It demands your attention the moment you enter a room. The theme for this year's prize was 'Progress'. Moore announcing the winner of the prize, explained: It's easy to make a political statement that is angry or polemic. It is much harder
to make a political statement that is also joyful. Ashton Attzs gave a work that is celebratory and empowering. It demands your attention the moment you enter a room. Ashton s painting is on display at the National Gallery and they pick up a prize of 10,000 with a year s Hiscox Fine Art insurance and a lifetime National Art Pass. Ashton, a student at Central Saint Martins, was speechless at winning, adding: I didn t expect it in a million years, I really am honoured. I don t know what I m going to do now, I just want to scream and dance and tell all my friends and celebrate. An interview celebrating the achievement can be found here. We are thrilled and excited for Ashton and will be watching the development of their work as an artist after this strong start. We know that Ashton has other equally exciting pieces in development and are proud that such a talented and motivated student is managing to make a difference through their Art and so clearly embodying the SJL ACE. Mrs Brining, Mr Higgins and The Art Faculty Congratulations also to a member of the SJL Learning Support team, Jillian Russell. Jillian completed the RSBC Blindfold (5k) Run last Sunday in 32 minutes and ran the whole thing wearing a blindfold. She and her partner pictured above right, raised 300! Jillian said: It was a day full of emotion and pride. Congratulations also to Jillian s daughters (and ex-sjl students) Amy and Hannah who won the event in 25 minutes! RECRUITMENT ROBERT BARCLAY ACADEMY - EXPERIENCED IT TECHNICIAN Grade: H7 / Hours: 37 hrs per week throughout the year / Contract: Permanent / Holidays: 24 days plus statutory holidays. Robert Barclay Academy is seeking an experienced IT Technician with good problem solving ability and ability to work without supervision, to join the Central IT Team based at Robert Barclay Academy. The purpose of the role is to provide first line IT support for Staff and Students including: Responding to general technical queries Printer Support (connection, jamming, toner and credits) Apple OSX and ios device support and advice Hardware Troubleshooting and support Software Troubleshooting and support Audio Visual Support (Projectors, presentations, audio equipment)
To perform routine maintenance tasks on school ICT equipment including hardware, software and other peripherals. Ensure the Teaching and Learning needs of the staff and leadership are met A professional dress code is expected. Further details and an application form are available from Central HR at hrscholarseducationtrust.co.uk, the school website www.sjl.herts.sch.uk or on 01727 859382. Closing date: Monday 12th November 2018 12.00pm Interview date: TBC READING WEEK Week commencing 12 th November 2018 Learning to Learn week This year we have introduced a Reading Week element to our Learning to Learn week. Across the school we will be encouraging students to take a more active interest in reading and ask all of you at home to support us with this. Reading can increase wellbeing and lessen anxiety. We aim for the reading week reinforce the importance of reflection on, and assimilation of, learning, giving students the headspace to allow some of the learning of the term to become embedded. We will also encourage greater reading for pleasure. We hope this week will present an opportunity for you to engage with your child as you may use Reading Week to discuss your experience of reading from different perspectives. You might explore books that have resonated with you both and enjoy learning something new about each other. This initiative might facilitate a positive platform for you to build upon as the students focus upon the pleasure of reading and its benefits. It may be an opportunity for older students to engage with you over some of the more complex texts they are accessing for their subjects. A large proportion of homework for the week may be reading. Thank you for your support. Happy reading! LIBRARY
We are organising a Book Bus visit from our major book supplier Browns Books for Students on Tuesday 20 November. This will be an opportunity for students to buy books to read for pleasure and there will be an associated competition running in the library. It will also help us to raise some funds for book purchases for the library: students will get a 10% discount off the cover price and the library will get an additional discount, which for most books will be 20%. The bus will be parked in the school car park and students will be able to visit it during break, lunch and after school and select books that they would like to purchase. Some students may have the opportunity to visit during a lesson. Key details: 4000 + books for all ages 10% discount off cover price Students will bring home a slip giving book details and price Books will be ordered once payment received on ParentPay Students will collect books from the library Competition for the best Book Bus book review: closing date 11 January. Please will parents: Discuss with your son/daughter a guided amount to spend to avoid disappointment. Ask your son/daughter for the book slip and pay on ParentPay Ideally make ParentPay payments on Tuesday evening, but last chance Thursday 22 November. If ParentPay payment is made on Tuesday 20 Nov evening, books should be available for collection from the library on Thursday or Friday. Mrs Johnson / Librarian DRAMA NEWS A level and GCSE Drama devising practical exams take place on weds 21st December. The work will be showcased from 7pm in the hall, with 6 pieces approximately 15 mins in length on a variety of themes such as relationships, mental health and gender. Invites will be available to students to give to their parents and friends to come along and support them. The upper school production of Shakespeare s Twelfth Night is only a month away! Tickets will be available on ParentPay from Monday 19th November: adults 6 and pupils/concessions 4. Performance dates are Wednesday 5th, Thursday 6th and Friday 7th December at 7pm in the Hall. Places on the A level drama trip to Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams at the Duke of York s Theatre, London at 7.30 pm on Thursday 13th December are now on ParentPay. This trip is necessary for theatre review purposes in both year 12 and 13 written mock exams and attendance is vital! Many thanks for all your interest and support - don t forget to watch us on Twitter at #sjldrama and join our 200+ followers! MUSIC NEWS Tim Armitage / Head of Drama Lower School Showcase, Tuesday 13 th November, 7pm in the school hall A reminder that the Lower School Showcase is this Tuesday. We are looking forward to performances from the UAC Band, The Big Sing and the Junior String Group, as well as solo and ensemble items from our Year 7 and 8 students. Tickets are 2 ( 1 concessions) and available on the door on the night. All performers should be back at school at 6pm for a sound check. Dress is smart school uniform. Any queries please contact Miss Gillot lgillotsjl.herts.sch.uk.
SPORTS NEWS Twitter The PE department would like to remind you we have a Twitter account for keeping students and parents up to date with fixture details, results and general sport and physical education news. Please follow us SJLPhysEd. Fixtures for next week: Week Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Senior Saturday District Tournament NBS Roundwood HRFC Roundwood HRFC Roundwood HRFC Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Girls Basketball Mini League Oaklands Hockey Parmiters Herts Uni Netball Sandringham (Away) Netball Sandringham (Home) Senior Netball STAGS (Away) Senior Football (Away) Saturday (TBC) (TBC) (TBC) (TBC) Year 10 Netball On the 24th of October the year 10 netball team played Roundwood. The final score was 16-13 to SJL. All girls played extremely well throughout and their play was very consistent. Our shooting was accurate and the defending was tight. Congratulations to Sarah Brooks for being chosen as player s player by Roundwood. Well done all.
STEM RETURNERS PROGRAMME RUNNING IN HERTFORDSHIRE WITH ACE LIFTS Have you taken a career break from an engineering or a technical sector and wish to return? Are you working below your experience in a different sector? Do you have an engineering or technical degree that you aren t using? Do you just wish to transfer sectors but don t have any experience? If so this could be the opportunity for you! We are currently sourcing candidates for the ACE Lifts STEM Returners programme, a 13 week, fully paid and supported return to work programme starting in February 2019 in Watford. All candidates will also have the opportunity to obtain a permanent role at the end of the programme. No career break is too long, register to return to STEM today! For more information please visit www.stemreturners.com or email hellostemreturners.com. More information on the programme is also available here: https://www.stemreturners.com/2018/11/07/engineering-returners-given-lift-watford-thankslocal-employer-ace-lifts/
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