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Sports Day(s) Results

July 21, 2023/in Whole School/by Chrissy Dicks

As briefly mentioned in our last newsletter, Thursday 29th and Friday 30th June saw the whole school community participate in our KWS Sports Day(s), with everyone trying to amass points for their House. Students on the whole performed brilliantly and were a credit to their House and our school. There were a total of 15 events to score points on, including the traditional athletics events such as 100m, javelin, shot put and long jump, but also other events such as Beat the Goalie, Netball/Basketball Shoot and various fitness tests. Then, Friday afternoon, also known as Finals Afternoon, saw the whole school out on the field watching the final of the House Tug of War competition, in addition to witnessing the fastest students in the school competing in some highly competitive racing for 100m, 200m and 800m. We then concluded with a hotly contested staff relay race – the stakes were high! Mr Gariba held off Archie to claim gold for Armstrong! Well done to all race winners and participants. For the individual events, the following students finished in the top 3 for their year group:

Year 7 Winners
1 Rose S 1 Aryton D’S
2 Ella P 2 Dylan McE
3 Chloe T 3 Oscar B

 

Year 8 Winners
1 Sophie C 1 Harry S
2 Eve G 2 Henry G
3 Ali C 3 Rory T-C

 

Year 9 Winners
1 Jessica H 1 Hayden L
2 Isobel J 2 Dylan T
3 Emily B 3 Daniel T
Year 10 Winners
1 Andrea C 1 Nathan T
2 Mollie G-H 2 Ben R
3 Freya F 3 Josh H

 

Finally, Tesla were crowned overall winners of Sports Day, stopping Nightingale reclaiming the crown they had won in both 2021 and 2022. Congratulations to everyone who contributed towards their win!

The PE department wish everyone a fantastic summer and we look forward to sport continuing to grow next year.

Mr Alexander

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-20-at-5.17.38-pm.png 1200 1600 Chrissy Dicks https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Chrissy Dicks2023-07-21 12:26:492023-07-21 12:26:49Sports Day(s) Results

Year 9 Mandarin Presentations

July 21, 2023/in Whole School/by Chrissy Dicks

Year 9 Mandarin students present their posters in Mandarin, introducing the city of Xi’an, they gave the presentation completely  in Mandarin.

 

Miss Hu

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/image_50400257.jpg 1200 1600 Chrissy Dicks https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Chrissy Dicks2023-07-21 12:25:292023-07-21 12:25:29Year 9 Mandarin Presentations

Holocaust Speaker 17th July 2023

July 21, 2023/in Whole School/by Chrissy Dicks

After learning about the Holocaust this term in History, Year 8 students were privileged to be visited by a speaker from the Holocaust Educational Trust. Due to the Holocaust being around eighty years ago we are not able to hear from survivors any more. However, a new generation of speakers are now sharing the stories of their families. On Monday Natalie Meltzer shared her grandfather Harry Balsam’s Story.

Harry was only a child when Hitler took over Poland, where he lived. Harry lived under Nazi occupation, supporting his family by smuggling goods in and out of his local town. This caused his brother to be shot right in front of him. As the war progressed he was deported many times to different locations. When he arrived at Belzec camp,  he was separated from his family and some of them were murdered instantly. Harry went to a further six concentration camps, dodging death many times and in early 1945 he was part of a Death March, being one of only 300 survivors. This ended up in Theresienstadt (a concentration camp) where on the 8th May 1945 he was liberated. 

Against all the odds he made it through the war and immigrated to Britain where he married his wife and had a family. He later found out that his father and brother Danny had also survived the war. Harry passed away in 2003 aged 74.

Students found the whole experience thought-provoking and when asked for feedback here are some of the things they wrote. 

  • Why is it still important for us to hear survivors’ stories ?

It reminds us about the tragedies, to prevent it from happening again and so we can educate the further generations

So we have first hand views about what happened and we can hear what people went through.

  • Why is learning about the Holocaust still relevant today?

Because it is one of the most important and harrowing points throughout World History.

As things similar to this are still happening today and it teaches us on how lucky we are to live in a safe world.

  • How has the experience of hearing from a survivor family helped you to learn more about the Holocaust?

It has helped me learn more about the Holocaust as the stories were told directly from the survivor.

It  helped me learn more and it becomes more real when you hear it from someone who actually went through it. It also comes with more emotion when it’s someone whose family went through it telling us and educating us about it rather than sitting in a classroom as the mood and reality of it is very different.

  • What are you going to tell others about what you heard today?

I’m going to tell them the experiences of what it was like in the concentration camps and how it affected people.

How amazing Harry’s story is and how well Natalie communicated it.

Facts I heard and how it affected people and the fact that some Jews actually lived in a house helping/doing errands for the higher powered Nazis.

  • Why is it important to tell others?

It’s important to tell others so it’s never forgotten about and so the people who had to experience it are not  forgotten.

Because we should tell the story of people, and how they have lived and survived and even died  so their legacy lives on.

It is important to tell others about what happened in the Holocaust as it explains the brutality of the past and lets us learn how not to treat others.



https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-21-at-7.34.52-am.png 1200 1600 Chrissy Dicks https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Chrissy Dicks2023-07-21 12:25:082023-07-21 12:25:08Holocaust Speaker 17th July 2023

Safety Email

July 21, 2023/in Whole School/by Keris McCormick

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please see below for summer safety information from our Safeguarding Team.

  • Attached here is a safety leaflet sent on behalf of our emergency services. Reminders about fire safety and water safety can only be beneficial to the young people in our care. 
  • Please find a reminder about the dangers of vaping and a helpful resource to help you speak to your children about this. 
  • When it comes to online safety, we know the challenges parents face in managing this. Please can I urge you to watch this video as a reminder about the dangers young people face online right under our noses. School does not take responsibility for filtering and monitoring over the summer. Remember, your child can access the internet freely if using their own Google account on their Chromebook or device. Their safety relies on the systems you have set up with your own household. 
  • If concerned about child sexual abuse or nude images of children, you can report concerns directly to CEOP or use the NSPCC’s Report Remove tool. We would also advise you to report instances of online bullying, abuse and harassment to the Police through 101 if you are concerned about the conduct of young people online. 
  • We hope students will have opportunities to access a range of activities during the summer break. This is why it is important to manage your child’s screen time so that they have appropriate breaks from the impact of screens and the internet. Here is some helpful advice from the UK’s Safer Internet Centre. 
  • Students will be sent an email with links to important websites and resources that they can access if they feel they need additional support in the six week break. Here are the slides we share with students that outline some basic principles to help them keep safe over the summer – please do reiterate some of these messages to your child. 

If you need additional advice or support you can email safe@kwschool.co.uk as this email inbox is monitored over the summer. However, school is closed from 12.05pm on Friday 21st September so please do not expect an immediate response. In the case of any emergency, you are advised to contact the emergency services.

Wishing you and your families a safe and happy summer. 

Regards,

Mrs Aikman

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png 0 0 Keris McCormick https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Keris McCormick2023-07-21 12:22:272023-07-21 12:22:27Safety Email

PE Update

July 14, 2023/in Whole School/by Keris McCormick

Wednesday provided an entertaining afternoon of cricket, which saw our Year 9 & 10 combined side lose agonisingly in the last over against St George’s. Posting a credible 126, St George’s chased down our total with 2 balls of their innings remaining, despite a late flurry of wickets. Well done to Marco (31) and Henry (23) for solid batting performances, whilst with the ball, Eshan and Tristan both achieved 2 wickets each in an over.

Thursday 29th and Friday 30th June marked our KWS Sports Day. A massive majority of students participated brilliantly throughout with the whole school looking to earn points for their House. Winners of Sports Day will be revealed next week so stay tuned! 


Mr Alexander 

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-13-at-8.11.10-pm.png 1200 1600 Keris McCormick https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Keris McCormick2023-07-14 14:03:212023-07-14 14:04:21PE Update

Year 10 History trip to London (Tuesday 27th June)

July 14, 2023/in Whole School/by Keris McCormick

Written by Becky D. and Annalisa R. (Year 10) 

As part of activities week, the Year 10 history students had the opportunity to go on a trip into London. To start with, we went to the Imperial War Museum which is the world’s leading museum of war and conflict. We looked around the First and Second World War galleries which brought together the stories of real people from the past. We saw many things there including: historic weapons, uniforms, pictures and art. My favourite part was getting to walk through a recreation of a trench and experience what being in one might have felt like. I found it really interesting and it definitely helped support what we were learning about in our previous topic.

Annie – Golden Hinde:

Secondly, we went to the Golden Hinde, an Elizabethan warship launched in 1577. We got a tour round the ship, and we were told about the various voyages as well as the functions of different elements on the ship. We were taught about the conditions people on the ship lived in, why people would want to come on a ship like this, and about Francis Drake too. The part I found most interesting was the map of where the ship travelled on its various voyages, and what the crew did and discovered on their journeys. I found it helpful as it links to what we will be learning about in our current history lessons.

Overall, a really nice day out in London which broadened our historical knowledge.

Mr Laing

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Screenshot-2023-07-13-at-7.58.51-pm.png 1200 1600 Keris McCormick https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Keris McCormick2023-07-14 14:01:372023-07-14 14:01:37Year 10 History trip to London (Tuesday 27th June)

UKMT Olympiad and Junior Kangaroo competitions

July 14, 2023/in Whole School/by Keris McCormick

Well done to Joel D and Henry G in Year 8 who competed in the UKMT Olympiad and Junior Kangaroo competitions respectively. Henry achieved a Certificate of Merit and Joel a Certificate of Distinction and we are very proud of them in the KWS maths department.

Miss Anderson

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/UKMT.jpeg 1200 1600 Keris McCormick https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Keris McCormick2023-07-14 14:00:002023-07-14 14:00:00UKMT Olympiad and Junior Kangaroo competitions

Performing Arts Update

July 14, 2023/in Whole School/by Keris McCormick

Arts Week

This week we have been celebrating Arts week at Katherine Warington School. There have been a number of activities including an Art Exhibition, and a Music, Drama and Dance festival where over 60 students performed in front of our guest adjudicators – Siobhan Cha Cha and Vaneeka Dhadria winning points for their house as well as receiving feedback from the adjudicators.

Arts Awards

Thursday saw our inaugural Arts Award evening. Over three hundred parents and students were hosted by Adele James (Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra, BBC Casualty) and celebrated students achievements in Art, Music, Drama and Dance throughout the course of the year. With over 200 nominations and performances by the orchestra, Dance troupe and soloists, it really was a highlight of the year.

Music Festival

This Saturday sees the climax of our Arts Week with a music festival taking place in the school grounds featuring our own Sam Clift, DJ Sets from Year 10 students Jahleel and Michael, as well as Harpenden’s own India Arkin and a range of hand curated bands tipped for success in 2023.

There are family activities, the Katherine Warington School Association of Friends, food stalls and a bar, as well as a range of craft stalls by both students and local businesses.

Tickets are still available in advance and KWS parents can get a discount of 50% on tickets by using the code ‘live23’ at the checkout. Full details can be found at www.harpenden-live.com

Activities Week

As part of activities week, 72 Performing Arts students took part in a 4 day residential based at the LSE’s Bankside Hall of residence.

As part of the week, students saw four shows, including West End classics such as Phantom of the Opera and the Lion King, the new show Mrs Doubtfire as well as an afternoon performance of Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ at the Globe Theatre.

As well as performances, students also had workshops with the creative team involved with the show. Andy York from Phantom led a workshop on the singing and choreography from ‘Masquerade’, Ellie Mitchell from Mrs Doubtfire on choreographing the opening number from the show, including a visit from the show’s Associate Choreographer Lisa Mathieson.

The following day saw the fight director from the Comedy of Errors direct a fascinating workshop on stage combat with our students and the day finished with a workshop on ‘Be Prepared’ from Lion King with a former member of the cast.

Mr Bullock

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/tempImageKA55Ok.jpg 1200 1600 Keris McCormick https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Keris McCormick2023-07-14 13:58:542023-07-14 13:58:54Performing Arts Update

University of Hertfordshire Trip

July 14, 2023/in Whole School/by Keris McCormick
A group of y10 students had a great time at the University of Hertfordshire at an event run by Advance Mathematics Support Program. There were several speakers including Ben Sparks whose topic for discussion was ‘where do numbers come from?’ They had the chance to mix and problem solve with other students from Hertfordshire schools. The highlight was building their very own tesseract.
https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/image_50439425.jpg 1200 1600 Keris McCormick https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Keris McCormick2023-07-14 13:53:192023-07-14 13:53:19University of Hertfordshire Trip

Escape Room Trip

July 14, 2023/in Whole School/by Keris McCormick

clueQuest

In Activities Week, 60 year 10 students visited the clueQuest Escape Rooms in Islington, London.  The escape rooms are themed on Mr. Q’s spy agency and participants take on the role of secret agents tasked with a variety of missions.  For example, in one room, students must identify the double agent, prove that the evil Professor BlackSheep is behind the disappearance of fellow agents and achieve all of that before a security device detonates the agency’s entire facility.   

We were impressed with the way students worked together, helping and encouraging each other to find clues, solve puzzles and ultimately escape from the rooms.  There were a number of successfully completed missions and fortunately no one got locked in and left behind!

When students were not in the escape rooms, they were able to participate in Agent Training challenges and “choose your own adventure” table top games.  It was a busy day which the students seemed to really enjoy and we look forward to visiting clueQuest again next year. 


Miss Wall

https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ClueQuest-group-5.jpg 1200 1600 Keris McCormick https://kwschool.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/smlogo.png Keris McCormick2023-07-14 13:50:562023-07-14 13:50:56Escape Room Trip
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  • 3G Pitch Update – November 2023November 16, 2023 - 8:34 pm
  • Year 10 Information EveningSeptember 21, 2023 - 3:45 pm

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Company Number: 09238779
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