Year 12 UCAS and careers fairs

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In the Spring term, our year 12 cohort have embarked on their UCAS and careers research, including recent visits to two career fairs: thirty one students were welcomed at the Sir John Lawes careers fair, where they engaged with local businesses and found out more about apprenticeships in different fields. The whole cohort then enjoyed a fantastic day out at the Emirates stadium in London, speaking to and discussing future options with a wide range of universities, higher education establishments and companies offering apprenticeships at different levels. Both events were extremely useful to the sixth formers as they launch their future university and apprenticeship application process. Well done to all the year 12s for their mature and proactive approach on both days.  

A Visit to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

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On Thursday 27th March, a group of Year 12 students visited Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, to experience a taste of what being a student there would be like. We started the day walking through the city of Cambridge, admiring the beautiful architecture, before arriving at Gonville and Caius (with thanks to Tristan, our map reader). Here, we attended a talk from Bethan, the Outreach officer, informing us about the application process to competitive universities and what we can be doing to improve our chances. We were given the opportunity to ask questions to current students studying there, as well as the Admission Tutor. From here, we were given a tour around the college, visiting the chapel, library and the courtyards, really getting a feel of what life here is like. We got to spend our lunch in the impressive dining hall, surrounded by portraits of previous Caius graduates. After this, we were able to choose whether to attend an Arts and Humanities lecture or a STEM lecture, of which I chose the former. We heard from a current PHD student who is studying History, and learnt about how to ensure the course we choose is the right one for us, as well as getting some hands-on experience engaging with and analysing a source. According to the students who attended the STEM lecture, they learnt about fluid mechanics and decarbonising aviation, which they said was fascinating. This concluded our day in Cambridge, and during the journey home I asked the students attending for quotes. This is what they said:

Tiffany: “A really beautiful and insightful day.”

Oliver: “The visit today has given me a drive to succeed.”

Leigha: “It was really nice to see a beautiful campus and we had some interesting talks.”

Shakhram: “It was really insightful and it gave me a better idea of my future plans.”

Ben: “A really great and interesting day. The college was very nice and the lunch was delicious.”

Personally, I am very grateful for the opportunity to have visited Gonville and Caius and experience what studying at Cambridge may be like. The outreach team there were all wonderful and really made us feel welcomed. Finally, thank you to Mrs Hall for organising and Mr Laing for driving the minibus.

 

 

Sports News

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GCSE PE

Well done to all Year 11 GCSE PE students who participated in their practical moderation last week. A sterling effort from all and we are proud of your commitment to the course! Now go and thrive in your exams too. Wishing you the very best. 

Netball

Well done to all the netball squads in their recent fixtures. Noticeable team performances have come from the Year 7A&B, 8A&B and 9B teams with Sienna B, Maya C, Eden G and Sasha T all being identified as performing excellently.

Football

A big second half performance from our Year 9 boys’ football team, coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at Beaumont in the district cup semi final. We look forward to the final on Tuesday. Well done boys for the character you showed.

Well done to all students who have represented the school football teams as the season now draws to an end. 

Athletics 

A massive well done to Darci M (Year 10) for her 2nd place and personal best in the Tri Counties Indoor Championships. Darci has been working hard in training, which resulted in a new PB of 26.94sec over 200m. Great effort! 

Basketball

Congratulations to the Year 12 basketball team in their first ever game. A 46-36 win, with the most valuable player identified as Simeon. Let’s hope for more fixtures to come! 

KWS annual community Ramadan Iftar

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On 13 March, Victoria Collins MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and Daisy Cooper MP for St Albans, joined students from Katherine Warington School, their families, and local community groups, at the school’s annual community Ramadan Iftar (dinner).
As charity is a key theme of Ramadan, the event was held in support of St Albans & District Foodbank, with attendees being encouraged to donate items currently in need.
After the success of last year’s community Iftar, Annie Khaliq, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Katherine Warington School, organised this year’s event with Anjam Mehmood from Harpenden Community Circle – a community group supporting the Muslim community and interfaith projects locally, which co-funded the event.
The event aimed to bring people of all faiths together to reflect on the importance of community, unite in support of this fantastic local food bank, and enjoy a meal together at the time of breaking a fast (at sunset) for those doing so.
Victoria Collins, MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, said:
“It was wonderful to be part of such an important community-centred event here in Harpenden, and to see so many local residents come together to mark this Iftar. After the success of last year’s event it was great to see this one follow in its footsteps, bringing talks from individuals from Katherine Warington School, Harpenden Community Circle, and St Albans & District Foodbank, with many generous donations to this important local charity. A big thank you to everyone from these organisations who helped organise the event.”
Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans, said:
“Being part of this celebratory and inclusive community event making the important occasion of the Ramadan Iftar, was really heartwarming. Huge thanks should go to the organisers. And in keeping with the spirit of the evening, alongside giving time to reflect and enjoy the fantastic community atmosphere, it provided an important opportunity to give to those most in need through donations to our local food bank.”
David Martin, Headteacher at Katherine Warington School, said:
“It was a wonderful evening and we are extremely grateful to all who came to be part of our community Iftar. The occasion embraced the theme of togetherness and the spirit of unity and inclusivity. It is through evenings like these that we see the true strength of our school community, one built on respect, understanding and kindness. We are excited to grow the event further and look forward to hosting again next year.”
Anjam Mehmood, from Harpenden Community Circle, said:
“Once again, we were able to host an interfaith Iftar event with KWS. It was a delightful evening filled with warmth and a fantastic atmosphere. It was great to see students, teachers, families and community members of various backgrounds come together and share a meal in line with our vision to promote harmony through interfaith events. From the positive feedback we received, we are heading in the right direction and look forward to our next one.”
Natalie Liley, from St Albans & District Foodbank, said:
“What a generous, inclusive and educational event Katherine Warington’s Iftar was. I felt welcomed, informed and fed and then went back to the Foodbank Warehouse with a car worth of donations. Incredible. Thank you to all the team who organised and hosted this special event.”
Further information about the community Ramadan Iftar can be found here: https://kwschool.co.uk/invitiation-to-ramadan-dinner/
Further information about the work of St Albans & District Foodbank, and details of how to donate, can be found here: https://stalbansdistrict.foodbank.org.uk/

Lent at KWS

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Since our last newsletter, we have been marking Lent at KWS. Mrs Morris presented an informative assembly on the importance of Lent and the meaning behind it. The theme of almsgiving was given particular focus; looking at how we can better the community around us by being more compassionate in every day school life. Students were engaged and reminded that should they have any questions about the Christian faith, Mrs Morris is available to answer them at lunchtimes in her classroom 184. There are also plans to start a Christian lunchtime club so for any students interested in attending, please keep any eye out on the student bulletin. In the interim, please remember there is a multi-faith prayer room accessible to students as a quiet area for students to pray in during lunchtimes in 167.

Miss Annie,

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead

Eid Mubarak!

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As we approach the end of the Spring term we’ve been enjoying marking Ramadan with our book display here in the library, allowing our students to discover more about the Muslim faith, the history of Islam, and to read books written by Muslim authors. We’d like to wish all our families that have observed Ramadan a wonderful Eid celebration.

We’ve also had a book display to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that describes a wide range of conditions, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, and we had a lot of information available to students who wanted to learn more about these.

And we also enjoyed celebrating World Poetry Day on Friday 21st March, pulling out our best poetry books for the students to enjoy. Visiting old favourites and finding new poets too. 

Thank you to all the students who showed an interest in all our displays this month. We hope you found something to inspire, to educate, or just to enjoy. We wish everyone at KWS a lovely Easter break when it arrives. We hope you get plenty of time for reading over the holiday, and hopefully the sun shines too!

Year 11 Macbeth Trip

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Last week, students in Year 11 enjoyed a trip to the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith to see a production of Macbeth. It was a contemporary interpretation of the script, featuring the use of mobile phones, cameras, and on-screen projection to explore themes related to communication and conflict.

While it was definitely a different retelling to the original script, students were very reflective of how the director and performers chose to stage the production, which are all helpful considerations in the run up to the summer exams.

The behaviour of students was exemplary throughout the trip, even on the second night when we encountered some unexpected train cancellations! Many thanks to all staff who helped facilitate the event: Ms McPartlin, Mr Houghton, Ms Barnard, Mr Martin, Ms Gardner, Ms Saleem-Carrington, Ms Kelly, Ms Tranter, Ms Coomber and Mr Frost.

Students compete in the Maths Feast Competition

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On Thursday 20th March, we took 2 teams of year 10s to compete in the AMSP Maths Feast competition in Stevenage. This is a student enrichment event, whereby schools select teams of the best year 10 mathematicians to compete against other schools. 

The two teams had to work together in a myriad of unusual maths questions designed to put their problem solving and teamwork skills to the test, with the Maths feast theme providing different skills and strategies for success with each course. 

The two teams scored well, with one team finishing in the bottom third, and one in the middle, of the 24 competing schools. Well done to those students who took part: Joel D, Lily V, Reuben K, Lucy W, Bobby S, Henry G, Mia K, Isabelle K!