Well done to the U14 Hockey team who played at Oaklands College last week in the first round of the National School Championships for the U14s.
They started off strong with a 2-1 win against DAO, then won 4-0 to Hockerill, then a great 2-0 win against Queenwood, a well fought match finishing 1-1 with Bishop Stortford College, a 3-0 win against Herts and Essex and then a 3-0 win against RMS to finish up the day. This meant they finished the day in joint 1st position with Bishop Stortford, losing out to top spot-on goal difference.
The top 2 teams go through to represent the East Region. So bring on the next round! There was some fantastic play, teamwork and spirit today. It was a pleasure spending the day with you all!
The second league event took place on Wednesday at Broxbourne. Everyone did so well on the hardest course so far! Special mention to those who also individually placed in the top 3 for their age groups…
Massive well done to our U14, U16 & U19 netball teams who competed in the Anne Miles netball tournament on Saturday. The standard of netball was very high and the girls held their own throughout a tough day!
Our U14s were undefeated throughout the pool stage, winning all their games and drawing one meaning they came 2nd in their pool! This meant they played the top team from the other pool in the cup semi final – Berkhamstead. Unfortunately after a close game Presdales lost 13-10. The girls then played Haileybury in a 3rd/4th playoff and unfortunately lost. This meant they came 4th overall! U14 Player of the Tournament – Amy Little.
Our U16s also started strong in the pool stages, winning all their games except one meaning they also came 2nd in their pool! This meant they played the top team from the other pool in the cup semi final – also Berkhamstead. Unfortunately Presdales lost 18-6. The girls then played STAGS in a 3rd/4th playoff and unfortunately lost. This meant they also came 4th overall! U16 Player of the Tournament – Sophie Wilson.
Our U19s had some very tough games to begin with and therefore lost 3 games and won 2 in their pool! This meant they came 4th in their pool and therefore progressed to the Shield semi-final. Unfortunately Presdales lost by one goal in a very tight game against Broxbourne and therefore came 7th overall! U19 Payer of the Tournament – Cara Conway-Baker.
A very tough day but an excellent experience for all of our teams. Hertfordshire always has such a high standard of netball and we are very proud of you all for the level of netball you played and the way you represented Presdales. Onwards and upwards for the rest of the netball season!
Well done to the Year 8 A and B netball teams who played against Broxbourne on Monday. The matches were reduced due to the thunderstorm, but that didn’t stop the girls from scoring plenty of goals! The A team won 18-2 and Star Player was Izzy Wilson. The B team won 26-2 and Star Player was Chloe Butler. Well done to all of the girls who played!
The Year 8 team was in action again on Wednesday when they beat Goffs 30-11 in the first round of the County Cup! This means the girls are through to the quarter finals. Opposition’s POTM was Lottie Fellows and Coaches POTM was Sadie Paton. Excellent work girls!
Lily Hertz in Year 11 competed in a Schools Golf Competition last week. In April, at Royston GC, she played in the mid handicap competition which she finished in the top 10. Finishing in the top 10 on that day meant that she was selected to represent Herts in a triangular team event against Essex and Bedfordshire at Dunstable Downs Golf Course last week. In this event, all ten player’s scores were added up to determine the winner on this event. Unfortunately, on the day one of the Herts players had to drop out due to last minute injury which then resulted in Herts coming third as they only had nine players. Since then, Lily’s handicap has improved which means she’s now eligible to compete in the Schools Scratch Championships on the 18th October. Good luck Lily!
Please see more student achievements in non-school sporting activities on our PE Facebook page. We have recently had student successes in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, Netball and Cycling!
To mark the UN International day of Peace on September 21st our link school in Russia, the International Arctic School, invited us to share a Peace message or poem with them and they shared the following in return.
Recital: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UUVadct8R6GSLY1zgyuzwAxjpPo0SJLX/view?usp=sharing Poem: https://powerpoetry.org/poems/world-peace-19
Year 10 and 11 Russian both videoed performances of different poems on the theme of peace. If you know someone in the class and would like to see the performance, please ask them to share it. Both classes worked really hard on their pronunciation and delivery and Mrs Willett was very proud of them.
The students in Yakutsk were very pleased to receive our peace poems and understood every word so well that they were able to translate the Russian poems back into English for their English teacher.
As part of our ongoing drive to ensure students are made aware of how to keep themselves and others safe, we were visited by our local PSCOs last week who delivered assemblies about Malicious Communications. In particular, students were spoken to about what is deemed as ‘malicious communications’; it is illegal in England and Wales to “send or deliver letters or other articles for the purpose of causing distress or anxiety”. It also applies to electronic communications such as images, written text and voice messages.
The assembly included some important information that not only helped students to identify what could be deemed as malicious communications, but also clarified how they can report a case, as well as what good online etiquette is. For example, they were reminded that Snapchat is for age 13 and above, that they should leave group chats if unpleasant things are being sent by others in the group, and that they should not be seeing adult content that leaves them feeling uncomfortable.
Older students were also shown a video that the Police are encouraging young people to watch to educate them about malicious communications. Students in the Sixth Form will also have a PSHE session directly related to this topic and how they can keep themselves safe in the future.
During the week of 25th September – 29th September 2023 we celebrated a Global Week of Languages and Culture. In tutor groups the pupils took part in assemblies and cultural activities.
Presdales teachers greeted their classes in a different language every day. By lesson 6 they were quite proficient!
During the week the canteen provided themed food, there was French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. Everyone enjoyed tasting lunches from different countries.
On Tuesday lunchtime, students could buy ice cream, but they had to be ordered in another language or no ice cream! The students were excellent at ordering what they wanted and enjoyed posing in the photo booth.
In form time we celebrated all the different languages that are spoken at Presdales. Pupils wrote greetings in different languages on leaves to create a beautiful Community Tree.
The highlight of the week was when on Monday when over 50 pupils took part in our Culinary Connections competition. They were asked to make or bring food from home from representing another country or culture. All the participants were very enthusiastic and we had so many different types of food to try. There were dishes from all over the world including some from Bangladesh, Zambia, Lithuania, Poland and Brazil. The teachers and pupils enjoyed sampling all the dishes. It was great fun talking to the participants about how they had made the dishes and why they had chosen those particular ones to make. Everybody said how much fun it had been and the teachers were really impressed at how much time had been dedicated to preparing the food.
The French Department has been very busy during the week considering various aspects of French culture and the French speaking world, to help students design Bunting.
Year 7 researched food and drink and regional specialities from French speaking countries.
Year 8 pupils researched famous beautiful monuments and sites in French speaking countries.
Year 9 focused their attention on French inventions and creations from French speaking countries.
The students were very original with their designs and created some fantastic bunting on these topics, earning themselves plenty of rewards and prizes.
In German Year 7 researched famous places in Germany. Year 8 researched food and drink and Year 9 found out about famous German musicians and different genres of music.
Key Stage 3 Spanish classes enjoyed cultural lessons about Spain and Spanish speaking countries.
Year 7 researched a Spanish singer or group and produced some wonderful Bunting about Shakira, Camila Cabello and many more.
Year 8 pupils researched food from Spanish speaking countries, and we had some great examples including Churros, Empanadas and Ajiaco, a soup from Colombia.
Year 9 students learned about some important and varied landmarks and tourist attractions in the Spanish-speaking world. Again some very impressive work was produced on a wide range of attractions, including the Sagrada Familia, Easter Island and Lake Titicaca.
Year 7 Italian students researched an Italian singer or group.
Year 8 Italianists decorated their bookmarks with information about and pictures of Italian brands. These included Gucci, Prada and of course, Ferrero, the company that produces Nutella, as well as Vespa, one of the stars of the recent animated film, Luca.
Year 9 Italian students researched a place in Italy to produce a themed bookmark. For some, this was a town linked to family or friends, somewhere they had been on holiday or simply an Italian spot they had heard about. Popular choices were Monterosso (the inspiration behind the town of Portorosso in Disney’s Luca).
Year 7 Russian students were asked to research food.
Year 8 Russianists researched Russian art to decorate their bunting. There were some beautiful Kandinsky patterns produced.
In Year 9 we researched Russian cities. Once again there were some lovely drawings and ideas.
Well done to all students working hard in the cast of Matilda JR, rehearsals continue on a Tuesday and Thursday evening to get show ready! We have been really impressed with students dedication to rehearsals and their fantastic energy levels after a busy school day! Recently we have added some wider chorus members as parents, Big and Little kids. Students have had vocal coaching with our new music teacher Miss Sergeant on show numbers, Miracle, School Song and Hammer! A huge congratulations to Mrs Smith who has blocked some fantastic choreography for Miracle to open the show. We were treated to a run with both casts pulling all blocking together this week and it was very exciting for students to share what they’ve all been working hard on!
Thank you to all involved,
Miss Mack and Mrs Smith, Drama Department
Latest News
Coming Up
Thursday 27th to 12th December
Year 11 Mocks
Wednesday 3rd to Saturday 6th
Year 8 & Year 9 German Christmas Markets
Friday 5th
PRE Trip to St Paul’s Cathedral for Year 13
Saturday 6th
Year 12 Bar Mock Trial at University of Hertfordshire
Contact Us
Presdales School
Hoe Lane
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 9NX
Tel: 01920 462210
admin@presdales.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher:
Mr Warren
