On Thursday 12th December some of  our year 12 students put their entrepreneurial skills to the test by running a quiz night to raise money for a charity called  – ‘Thin Blue Paw’ https://www.thinbluepaw.org.uk/

It is a national charity and supports serving and retired police dogs from across the UK.

Dragon’s Apprentice pairs teams of Year 12 students with local business people (a Dragon) and each team is then matched with a local charity or community group.  They are then tasked with developing business strategies and delivering their ideas to turn £100 of seed capital into £1,000 or more, with all profit generated going directly to the team’s charity.

The target to raise £1,000 was exceeded from ticket sales, bar sales and raffle and participants enjoyed a chip supper from Godfrey’s of Harpenden.

The sixth form students were a credit to the school and worked well as a team to put on a great event for the community.

Theatre Study Visits

The last few weeks have been a busy time for Performing Arts, as students on our Level 2 and Level 3 courses in Drama, Performing Arts and Dance have been visiting performances directly linked to their courses of study.

For Performing Arts, students attended a performance of ‘Mean Girls’ the musical, written by Tina Fey, which forms part of the skills development course in both year 10 and year 12.

GCSE Drama students were treated to an incredible stage production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ from the RSC at the Barbican Theatre. With Matthew Baynton (Ghosts / Horrible Histories) as Bottom, this was a superb performance giving the students plenty to write about as part of their ‘Theatre makers in practice’ unit.

Finally, our Dance students in Year 10 and 12 will be visiting Sadler’s Wells to see ‘Swan Lake – The New Generation’. Choreographed by Matthew Bourne, this has become a firm favourite amongst educators and the general public alike!

Christmas Performances

Members of our Senior and Junior Choirs will once again be performing for the residents of Lea Springs as part of their Christmas festivities. What is now an annual event sees over 40 students perform a selection of well-loved Christmas carols and songs at the end of their Christmas meal.

Mayor’s Concert

Our senior choir will also be performing at the annual Mayor’s Christmas Concert at St Nicholas Church this coming Tuesday at 6pm. (Please note the revised time.)

Tickets are available directly from Jayne Juby at Harpenden Council, who can be contacted at jane.juby@harpenden.gov.uk at a cost of £6. Refreshments are available after the concert.

Christmas has well and truly arrived in the KWS Library, with book-related decorations everywhere, and lots of Christmas or winter-themed books on offer. Ideal for snuggling up with as the weather turns colder and the nights draw in.

Our helpful and much valued Student Library Assistants are enjoying sharing the glory of opening the library advent calendar window each day – a “Where’s Wally?” chocolate-filled delight! We’re grateful for their continued help with the library tasks, and we appreciate the positive role modelling they show in the library.

The daily “Find the Elf on a Shelf” competition is proving popular, with students dashing to the library at break time to see if they can be the first to spot his hiding place. He’s usually found pretty quickly, with the lucky finder able to select a free book as a prize. This Tuesday was a tricky one though, as the Elf was hiding on the reserved books trolley, sparking debate… That’s Elf on a trolley, not Elf on a shelf, surely?

We hope that everyone has a book or two on their Christmas Wish List because it’s a lovely time of year for reading. Under a blanket, in your Christmas jumper, with a hot chocolate and a good book. Nothing better! So, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the Hertfordshire Libraries Winter Reads Challenge. This year there are challenges for both children and adults, with the chance of winning an iPad if you complete the challenge card or the bookmark. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to read together, and enjoy sharing books.

Everyone at KWS Library would like to wish all our students and their families a wonderful Christmas break, and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2025.