Friday 15th November
Co-headteachers’ welcome
We started the new half term with another amazing week full of learning, engagement and exciting activities. It is a long term but I am always amazed by how well resilient, thoughtful and energised our students are. Here are a couple of highlights…
Each year, it is always a poignant and powerful moment when our entire all-through school community gathers on the playground to pay our collective respects. This week, we came together to mark Remembrance with a heartfelt and moving ceremony. The atmosphere was filled with solemnity as we listened to beautiful music, the chamber choir’s stirring performance, and students reading poetry and delivering speeches that truly resonated with us all. The occasion was made even more special with Poppy and Millie performing the Last Post, which led us into the two-minute silence, observed with deep respect by everyone present. It was a profound reminder of the importance of reflection, unity, and gratitude as we honoured those who have given so much.
This week, our Year 6 students had the incredible opportunity to perform their play in the brand-new Beam Theatre in Hertford. It was truly inspiring to see our students bring to life such an important text, like Macbeth, with such enthusiasm and understanding. This performance is part of our ongoing mission to foster a deep love of literacy and to introduce our students to the timeless works of Shakespeare. Building a strong foundation in these classics not only enriches their learning experience but also prepares them for future studies, as Macbeth is a key text at GCSE level. A huge well done to our talented Year 6 performers and all the staff who supported them! It’s moments like these that showcase the power of literature in our students’ educational journey. The importance of literacy was also evident as The Senior Leadership team recently read with our Larch students and showed the importance and joy at reading books and discussing story lines, characters and what may happen next. Such imagination and enjoyment for all to see!
We are also delighted to share the fantastic news about our students’ recent participation in the Quadcopter Challenge — a nationwide competition designed to inspire young minds to take up Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. This competition helps students develop skills that will be invaluable throughout their lives and in future careers. Our four Year 9 students showcased incredible creativity, dedication, and teamwork by pitching their ideas, preparing models, and finally test-flying their quadcopters over the past few months. This was our first year entering the competition, and we are thrilled to announce that Simon Balle placed 3rd overall! This amazing achievement is a testament to the hard work and enthusiasm of our students, and we would like to extend a huge thank you to Mr. Hopwood and Mr Hughes for their dedication to promoting STEM within our school. Congratulations to everyone involved!
Staying with Stem we are absolutely thrilled to share some outstanding news regarding our recent A-Level Chemistry practical moderation. An AQA exam moderator recently visited to observe a lesson, speak with students, and review folders. Their feedback was nothing short of phenomenal! Out of the 450 schools assessed by this moderator, Simon Balle was recognized as being within the top 5 — and, in their view, quite probably number one. This exceptional feedback highlights the tireless dedication of our staff, the robust systems we have in place, and the high-quality teaching that takes place every day. I would like to extend a public thank you to our incredible science department for their commitment and passion. This is truly a proud moment for our school community!
There is still so much to look forward to in the run up to Christmas and we cannot thank you enough for your tireless support, engagement and positivity for our fantastic all-through school.
Year 6 Macbeth performance at the BEAM
The Beam Theatre was an amazing experience for our year 6 production. We were all so bewildered by the scene we saw before us; it was very astonishing and many of us didn’t get over it. We were very impressed with all the lighting, sound effects and the stage itself. We all really enjoyed rehearsing on the stage where some great actors performed before us. It was very fun acting with all the lights, staging and sound, it felt like we were professionals. The wings were very dark with cool lighting. When it came to the big moment, we were all quite nervous. When Owl’s half came to a successful conclusion, we all watched the audience file out of the auditorium for the interval, it was our turn. We all stepped onto the stage feeling quite nervous. But in the end it was all quite fun being on the stage with our friends with our parents there in the audience. After the show we all felt very proud and our parents were too. We hope the year 5’s enjoyed it and we look forward to performing it again someday.
Written by Amelie and Florrie in Eagles Class
Year 9 Volcano Day
On Thursday 24th October, Year 9 Geography students participated in Volcano Day, showcasing their creativity and knowledge of Topic 9.1 Tectonic Hazards. Each student created a unique volcano to enter into a competition, and all the entries were displayed in the hall throughout the day as a celebration of their hard work. The volcanoes came in a variety of materials, from cakes and Lego to tissue paper and intricate artwork. Some even featured eruptions, while others included impressive wooden carvings and crocheted designs. The time, effort, and creativity put into the projects was truly remarkable, and the Geography Department were delighted with the fantastic results.
The event also saw Year 9 students leading guided tours of the volcano models for students from the Larch. Pairing up, Year 9 students enthusiastically shared their favourite volcanoes and explained the geography behind how volcanoes form and erupt. The maturity and enthusiasm shown by the Year 9 students was commendable, and the Larch students actively engaged, asking insightful questions throughout the day.
House Leader food bank collection
From the week commencing the 25th November, the House Leaders will be leading the KS2, 3, 4 and 5 assemblies and advertising the collection for Herts and district food bank. We would be so grateful if our Simon Balle families could donate to this collection if they are able to. We will be collecting:
- Tinned meat, fish, fruit, baked beans
- Tea, coffee, UHT milk, long life juice
- Packets of soup, rice and pasta
- Baby products such as wipes and nappies
- Toiletries
- Feminine hygiene products
- Biscuits
- Christmas selection boxes
In the secondary phase, please leave your items in a safe place in your form room.
In the primary phase, please drop your donations off at reception.
The deadline for all items is Tuesday 10th December.
Many thanks in advance!
Ms Cannon and the House Leaders
Click here for our latest Careers Opportunity blog which includes:
- Apprenticeship vacancies
- Law opportunities
Anti-Bullying Ambassadors
This week 11 of our secondary students received training as part of the Princess Diana Award to become our Anti Bullying ambassadors. They engaged in a variety of workshops and started to plan their project to bring back to school. We look forward to hearing more about the training and thank all the students for being great role models and representatives of the school.
SEND
If you would like to speak to a member of the SEND team you can book a virtual appointment of up to 15 minutes with a member of the SEND team, using the following booking link: Booking link
Teacher training
Come and train to teach at Simon Balle All-through School – applications are now open!
We are proud to be a placement school for Initial Teacher Training at Alban TSH who offer flexible, highly-personalised, school-based routes into teacher training. This includes: tuition fee paying, salaried positions, assessment only and Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship for a wide range of secondary courses as well as primary (5-11 and 3-7). There is also the opportunity to gain PGCE status in addition to QTS. Alban TSH is an experienced provider of teacher training and has established partnerships with many outstanding schools in the region. Get in touch with our team teaching@albantsh.co.uk to find out more or our Assistant Head, Mr I Finch.
Reporting absence via the Arbor app
You can use the Arbor parent portal app to report absence. Go to the homepage of the Arbor app, click on the orange Quick Actions tab, click attendance, and on the right-hand side you will see a green box where you can click ‘Log Absence‘.
Don’t forget that the app is also where student reports will be published: Y8 and Y13 parents and carers should check the app at the end of the day today.
Instructions for how to get the app and use it can be found here on Arbor’s support page.
Musical News
November has started with lots of piano success across the All-through, some brilliant music medal results and details of our upcoming concerts – read all about it here: https://www.simonballe.herts.sch.uk/musical-news-november-2024/
Library News
Behaviour and safety
Please take a moment to read the two attached guides to Online Bullying and Respect.
Sports Hall Update
Work continues at pace and the roof and side walls are starting to appear. We have had several large deliveries that have resulted in minor disruption to the entrance gate, but thanks to your continued support in avoiding picking up and dropping off at the school site things have run smoothly.
In the case of on site evening events such as the upcoming Y9 student consultation evening, we would ask you to avoid driving to the site, as you would during the day. There will be limited parking and the construction work means that the car park is much darker than it would normally be.
If you do need to drive, we would ask you to make use of one of the town centre car parks. The Old London Road car park next to the fire station is an 11 minute walk. Please respect our neighbours and the parking restrictions that exist in the roads surrounding the school.
Parent Staff Association
Doughies – 22nd November
This is a reminder to order your artisan pizza or cookie kits before Monday, for delivery on Friday 22nd November. Larch orders will be sent home with the children. Secondary orders can be collected from the Larch office.
Pizza kits cost £7 and £2 of every sale will be donated to the PSA.
https://doughies.co.uk/products/simon-balle
See flyer for more information
Winter Raffle
Tickets for our fabulous Winter Raffle are now available to purchase from the PSA website where you can also view a list of prizes. Be one step ahead and pay for yours online today.
Next week, families in Reception to Year 9 will receive a set of 20 tickets. Families in Year 10 and above can collect tickets from the Larch office.
Payment can be made any time online which is our preferred method. Alternatively, you can pay by cash or cheque via the pre-printed ticket envelope. All counterfoils need to be completed and returned by 6th December.
If you are able to donate a prize for the Winter Raffle, please let us know by emailing psa@simonballepsa.org.uk
Frost Fair 7th December – volunteers
We are excited to invite you to volunteer at our annual Frost Fair on Saturday, 7th December! Each year group of the all-through will be responsible for running a specific area, coordinated by the PSA. However, you’re welcome to sign up to help in any area that suits you best.
- Reception – Hook-a-bauble
- Year 1 – Teddy Tombola
- Year 2 – Snowball Scavenge
- Year 3 – Splat-the-sprout
- Year 4 – Money Tree
- Year 5 – Nerf Splat & win a Stanley Cup/AirUp
- Year 6 – Human Bauble Machine
- Year 7 – Gingerbread decorating/creative room
- Year 8 – Festive bake off (serving)
- Year 9 – Boba bar (serving)
- Year 10/11/12/13 – Prize Table
Volunteering is a great opportunity for families to join in together, or for adults or children (upper KS2 and secondary) to help on their own. House points will be awarded for student signups.
To help with your volunteer planning, we can share that Mrs Cox’s dance group and the choirs will be performing as follows:
- 1pm Mrs Cox’s dance group.
- 1.30pm Secondary Choir.
- 2pm Larch Choir, years 4, 5 and 6.
- 2.30pm Larch Choir, years 2 and 2.
- 3pm Mrs Cox’s dance group.
Parenting support sessions
Please find attached details of free parenting support sessions for parents and carers living in Hertfordshire.
Supporting Links Course Brochure Spring 25
Supporting Links ASD & ADHD Workshops Spring2025
Looking ahead to Christmas
Christmas dinner
This year’s Christmas Dinner will be on Tuesday 17th December for secondary students, and Wednesday 18th December for primary students. Tickets for Christmas Dinner will be available to purchase via ‘Parent Portal’ between 15th November and 1st December. After this date it will not be possible to purchase a ticket.
This year the cost of tickets will be £4.50 for secondary students and £4.25 for primary students. Primary students who have school dinners on a Wednesday will not need to pay for Christmas Dinner as already included in invoice.
A letter outlining the details has been sent home today. You can read the full text of that letter here: 2024 Christmas Dinner letter
Save the date – Carol Service
The annual Simon Balle Carol Services are taking place during the last week of term:
- Monday 16th December, 7pm – Secondary Carol Service
- Tuesday 17th December, 6pm – Larch Carol Service
The PSA will serve refreshments before each service. If you are able to volunteer with the serving of refreshments, please sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/WT7KY
We ask all our music families to donate a box of mince pies or a packet of shortbread, these should be brought to the music office any day this week.
Save the Children – Christmas Jumper Day
We’ll be raising funds for Save the Children on their annual Christmas Jumper Day (Thursday Dec 12th). In exchange for a donation via the fundraising link here, students can wear a Christmas jumper instead of their normal school jumper.
PSA Frost Fair
Please come along to our very popular Frost fair on Saturday 7th December. As usual there will be festive games, entertainment and refreshments on offer.
Art & Design Christmas Card House Competition
Students from the Larch and secondary school are invited to design a festive or winter themed card to be featured on the front of the co-headteachers official Christmas card. All details are on the attached poster (click to enlarge).
Dates for your diary
A full calendar of events can be viewed on the school website.
- w/b 18th Nov: Y7 assessment week, Larch end of term assessments
- Wed 20th Nov: Larch celebration of music
- Fri 22nd and Mon 25th Nov: secondary flu immunisations
- Wed 27th Nov: Y11 PRE trip
- Thurs 28th Nov: A level Business revision trip
- Fri 29th Nov and Mon 2nd Dec: Occasional days – school closed
- Sat 7th Dec: PSA Frost Fair, 1-4pm
- Thurs 12th Dec: Christmas Jumper Day
- Mon 16th Dec: Secondary Carol Service, All Saints Church, 7pm
- Tues 17th Dec: Secondary Christmas dinner
- Tues 17th Dec: Larch Carol Service, All Saints Church, 6pm
- Wed 18th Dec: Larch Christmas dinner
- Friday 20th Dec: Last day of term, early finish 12pm Secondary; 12.15pm Larch
Mrs Rachel Kirk and Mr Michael Moss (Co-headteachers)
