Bugsy Malone The Musical

December 19, 2024/in Events, General News /by Presdales School

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Years 8 and 9 German Christmas Market Trip

December 19, 2024/in Language Trips, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

Düsseldorf 2024

‘What a trip! Four days! We did it all, travelling through 4 countries, Christmas markets in Köln and Düsseldorf, der Kölner Dom, das Schokoladenmuseum, swimming, Phantasialand, der Fernsehturm, shopping and we even managed to visit our partner school in Erkrath. Our students were able to meet the partners they had been writing to during the year, in person.

Parents and students in our partner school, das Gymnasium an Neandertal (Gymneander) organised a Christmas party with German seasonal food. We shared English traditions (mince pies, crackers and a Lucky Dip) and were entertained by a Year 9 class with a song in German and in English. Our students also attended 2 lessons to get a taste of what it is like to learn in a German School.

St Nikolaus, who normally comes on the night of 5th- 6th December, came 5 days early to put some chocolate in the shoes we left outside the door of our hotel rooms.

The German department are very proud of our 48 students from year 8, 9 and 10 who took it all in their stride. They were fantastic ambassadors for Presdales and our country. I even heard them talking German to each other. Well done to them all!

We hope the pictures and the comments from students give you a flavour of this exciting trip.

This was the best trip EVER!

I liked being in a German school. They have huge corridors and it was very chilled.

My favourite part was going to the German school. It seemed really strange at first, but they try to get everyone involved in the lessons. I found the chalk boards in all the classrooms a bit strange. All the students have iPads. They don’t wear uniform and start and finish earlier.

The school was chill with no seating plans, no uniform and no homework. Phones were allowed in the class I was in.

It was great to see the school. It was interesting to get to know another culture.

I enjoyed going to the cathedral so much, that we nearly got left behind, because we were taking so many pictures.

My favourite part was going Phantasialand because I went on loads of rides. I also enjoyed the Christmas markets as I got to buy nice things and try different foods.

I enjoyed the journey as I could spend many hours watching animations without someone telling me to stop.

I had the best time at the Chocolate museum with lots of free tasting and I got presents for my family.

One of my favourite things we did was to go to Phantasialand, but I also enjoyed swimming, the Christmas markets and especially meeting our partners. I loved all of these since they were fun and we met new people. I also enjoyed seeing Germany. I just wished; we had more time!

I loved the TV Tower. It was so high. I also ticked something off my bucket list ‘eat a pretzel in Germany’.

Phantasialand was the best. F.L.Y is a must when you visit.

I enjoyed the Christmas Markets because there was lots of present options. I also enjoyed the slides in the water park. They were really fun!

I have never been to a proper Christmas market like the German ones before, so it was magical and beautiful to see and experience. It was an amazing opportunity for gifts and souvenirs. I am so grateful to have gone on this trip and I hope to go again!

It was quite fun for me because I had never been to Germany before, and I have not been to another country where I know at least some of the language.

The TV Tower was great fun. We leant on the glass and looked down. The view was amazing and very pretty.

I was so scared going up the TV Tower but I face d my fear! I leant on the glass and got great pictures.

News from Careers

December 19, 2024/in Careers /by Presdales School

News from Chemistry

December 6, 2024/in Chemistry, Science /by Presdales School

Sixth Form visit to Chemistry Live!, London

On the 20th of November, a small group of sixth form chemistry students had the opportunity to attend Chemistry Live in London. This was a series of talks from a selection of experts in the field of chemistry. It gave us a wider understanding of jobs in chemistry, as well as giving us top tips on ways to improve our exam and revision technique. I definitely learned a lot! All the talks were engaging, and they gave us all the chance to think about our futures within chemistry. We heard about topics ranging from chemical weapons to growing plants in foam mattresses in refugee camps in Syria – all of which were extremely interesting! A big thank you to the teachers who made the trip possible, especially Mrs Richard and Miss Cooke who went with us on the trip.

Abbie Oldham, Year 12

News from English

December 6, 2024/in English /by Presdales School

45 of our students’ poems will be published in the Young Writers’ poetry anthology called The Beautiful Truth. Students across all the year groups entered. Congratulations to all students who took part.

I would like to share Imogen Bundy’s poem below, born out of discussion about women’s rights in form time:

The Beautiful Truth

Hidden from sight, Imprisoned inside, The source of all sin, Let them sing.

Killed for their laugh, Killed for their cry, Killed by their husband, father, uncle Why ? Impunity the Taliban bring, Let them sing.

Going back in time, Before learning was a crime, When they sat as judges, And the professional ladder they could climb.

Now all that was hers has become his, Nine year old girls with a wedding ring, Her body, her brain, her smile, her skin, With no say in anything.

Let them sing. Let Afghan women sing.

Dance Evening 2024

December 6, 2024/in Dance Evening, Sport /by Presdales School

Dance Evening 2024! As always, we are very fortunate to have such enthusiastic and talented dancers who work extremely hard to get their performances ready on time! The Dance Club Leaders have worked so hard to choreograph such fantastic dances around their GCSE and A Level studies. They have been committed to run numerous practices and I am very appreciative of the hard work involved and I know the girls are as well, so well done and huge thank you to Erin Shiel, Erin Taylor, Sienna Akore, India Elkes, Lydia Botting, Amelia Dimitrova and Lexie Rowley. Also, a massive thank you to Miss Fentiman for putting a show-stopping Gymnastics piece together! It is not an easy job but the girls have been dedicating their time before school and at lunchtime on a weekly basis to get their performance ready. The show doesn’t happen without the people behind the scenes! Thank you to Annabella Johnson and Laila Mirza who did the sound and lighting for both performances, you did an amazing job!

This year we had a record 112 students in the show! They all chose brilliant songs to represent this year’s theme; ‘a night at the movies’. It was a pleasure to hear a huge variety of music. Students from all years performed in routines from tap, ballet, Irish dancing, hip-hop and an amazing gymnastic display, creating an evening which was entertaining and captivating. The Year 8 Dance club opened the show with their colourful dresses as they danced to ‘Someone in the Crowd’ from La La Land. Sophia Wright performed on an incredibly emotive piece to ‘What was a I made for’ from Barbie and then we saw a contrasting upbeat number from Reyyan Demetriou to ‘Don’t stop believin’ from Bedtime Stories. In addition, Lexie Rowley, Olivia Kinnear and Sadie Sutton performed a stunning number to ‘Men in Black’ and Rose Dedman, Chloe Evans, Millie Bradford, Emily McCutcheon and Ronni Horncastle performed a hip-hop routine to 16 shots from Honey. Izzy Statham, Ruby Templeton and Teah Gregory put on well-choreographed gymnastics numbers to finish the first half in style.

The second half of the evening led off with a fantastic show case of skill, timing, and creativity; Gym club, choreographed by Miss Fentiman to ‘Life is a highway’. Following this, a variety of dance genre kept the audience captivated; a stunning Irish number by Elsie Fordham to ‘He’s a pirate’, a ballet piece by Kiri Lobb, tap numbers by Hermione Curzon and Sienna Akore, a cheeky jazz routine from Amelie Martin and Lois Vinall and a classy ballroom piece from Cleo Lambourne. The second half was also full of beautiful duets from Olivia Coghlan and Erin Shiel; Holli Jenkins and Charlotte Doyle, Emily Hoskins and Olivia Rigby. The Year 9 dance club put on a glitzy number to ‘A little party never killed nobody’ from Great Gatsby and the show finished with the Senior Dance Club performing to ‘Freedom’ from Despicable Me 3. We finished the show with everyone on stage dancing to ‘Can’t stop the feeling’ and the audience clapping and enthusiastically cheering!

Finally, the Dale Dance Trophy Award this year was awarded to Erin Shiel and Erin Taylor for their commitment to Dance during their time at Presdales. Erin and Erin have been dance leaders and performed in Dance Evening for many years. We with you both all the best and thank you for always embracing dance at Presdales and being fully committed as a dancer and a dance leader.

Thank you to those who came to watch, I hope you had an enjoyable evening!

Mrs Dann and Miss Fenitman

Year 11 History Trip to Berlin: Friday 18th October to Monday 21st October 2024

December 6, 2024/in Events, General News, History, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

Friday 18th October

Early on Friday the group met, bleary-eyed, at Stansted Airport at 5am ready to commence the trip. As soon as we landed we were transferred to the hotel to quickly turn around again to go into the centre of Berlin to meet with our guides for a brief walking tour. Some of the sites included: Courtyard of German Resistance Museum, the site of the Von Stauffenberg Bomb Plot, Rosa Luxemburg Memorial and the Victory Column.

Some of our route was cordoned off due to the unexpected visit of President Joe Biden of the USA. However, the weather was kind and the students were getting used to the geography and transport system of Berlin. Eventually we made it back to the hotel for dinner and well-earned rest after a very early start.

Saturday 19th October

After a fulfilling breakfast and a good night’s rest the group departed the hotel for a full day in the centre of Berlin with Miss Workman as the tour guide. Visits included the following:

Unguided visit to Topography of Terror.

External View of Reichstag Dome.

Soviet War Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, Site of Hitlers Bunker, External View of Checkpoint Charlie, Bebelplatz.

Unguided visit to German History Museum.

After having walked some 10 miles or so, we trudged back to the hotel for a rest before going to the Cinema in the evening. We went to see Beetlejuice 2.

Sunday 20th October

Today was a somber day and one of reflection in terms of the level of persecution and murder committed by the Nazis. Ploetzensee Memorial – our first visit was to a now youth offenders’ prison but the site of the execution of any people who opposed the Nazi regime and in particular those who were implicated in the attempted assassination of Hitler in July 1944. Afterwards we then ventured to the site of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, situated in the former British sector during the Cold War, and we had a very informative tour led by volunteers who work at the stadium. We then had lunch at Remus Restaurant. This would have been in the former Soviet zone and some of the decor resembled what it might have looked like during the GDR. After lunch we were then met by our guides who gave us a tour of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. The guides were very informative and interesting and were keen to tell us that the Concentration camp was mostly for political prisoners during the Nazi regime and not a death camp, although there was a site of a furnace used to burn some Jews who died or were killed there. To finish off the day we ended at Platform 17 or the Deportation Memorial Track – the site of where trains left Berlin destined for concentration camps and death camps in the East.

We returned to the hotel for a rest, dinner and then we went bowling.

Monday 21st October

After checking out of the hotel we ventured to Bernauer Strasse, a memorial to the Berlin Wall and its construction in August 1961. From there we then travelled across Berlin to the site of a Stasi Prison – in operation in the GDR and part of our Cold War study. The tour was chilling and demonstrated how prisoners were treated by East German secret police. To end our tour we had lunch and free time for shopping before heading back to the airport to catch our flight home.

In sum total we walked a mere 37 miles and we saw so many historical sites that have brought our study of the past, and Germany in particular, to life. It was certainly a memorable tour.

Thank you to the History department for organising it.

Important Information – Issue 139

December 6, 2024/in Important Information /by Presdales School

PE Stars of the Month – November

December 6, 2024/in Sport /by Presdales School

News from PE

December 6, 2024/in Sport /by Presdales School

Table Tennis

v Sele School Well done to the U16 and U13 table tennis teams who recently played against Sele School. Congratulations to the U13 team are automatically through to the county finals on 29th November.

v Ridgeway Academy Well done to our U13 table tennis team who played in the county finals at Ridgeway Academy. The standard was extremely high and the girls had lots of very close games. Well done on finishing in 5th place overall in the county!

Football

U15s v Cedars School Our U15s football team recently faced a tough test and a long journey to Cedars School in Leighton Buzzard in the 3rd round of the National Cup. The game ended 1-1 in normal time with Presdales taking the game into extra time with less than 2 minutes remaining through a goal by Ava. Extra time could not determine a winner, so penalties were required. Always tense and this was no exception with penalties going into sudden death. Poppy W saved Cedars 7th penalty then Aleks stepped up to confidently dispatch her penalty to win the match. The girls were jubilant after a real battle with Cedars from start to finish. This is an example of the tough tests you will encounter in the National Cup and the girls did incredibly well to win and progress to the 4th round. They will need to get through another 5 rounds to reach the final! Everyone played their part, with particularly impressive performances from Willow, Ava, Mia and Annabel. Coaches POTM goes to Ava who was outstanding throughout and scored the late goal which kept us in the match. Well done to all the girls!

U15s v Redborne School Another tough battle in the 4th round of the U15s National Cup vs Redborne School in Bedfordshire, but the girls prevailed winning 3-2! The game looked comfortable at 3-1 but then a goal from Redborne with 5 minutes left made it a nervy end and ‘backs to the wall’ to secure the win.

This competition is certainly providing some stern tests for the current Hertfordshire Schools County Champions and pushing them much harder than they are used to. They are coming up against teams with a much greater physical presence and running power.

The girls now progress to the 5th round and the last 32 of the competition. This is one round further than last year, so we look forward to the challenge of trying to reach the last 16 nationally.

Coaches Player of the Match was the whole team as it really was a whole team performance to get over the line. Well done girls!

U12s v Broxbourne Well done to the U12s football team who beat Broxbourne 4-3 on Wednesday in the district league. The girls put in a really strong performance and dominated the majority of the game. With only 2 minutes to go the score was for 4-1 to Presdales but two late breakaway goals from Broxbourne make the game look closer than it was. The girls played some great football and on another day could have scored a lot more goals. The Broxbourne GK was busy making a number of good saves. Joint Coaches PoM goes to Scarlett and Lily but all the girls performed really well. Broxbourne awarded their choice of PoM to Elsa. Well done to all the girls! I’m looking forward to seeing you grow and develop as a team, lots of potential!

Netball

v Heath Mount Well done to all the Year 7 and 8 netballers who played Heath Mount last week! Team 1: lost 6-10 – POTM Molly Ling – Team 2: lost 7-4 – POTM Tiger Lampard – Team 3: lost 6-1 – POTM Shaza Najah – Team 4: won 34-10 – POTM Sophia Pettengell and CPOTM Liv McCarthy – Team 5: won 35-7 – POTM Olivia Kemp

v Sandringham A dominant display on Tuesday from Year 9 in their County League campaign. After a rather delayed start we needed the first quarter to find our way. Once settled there was no looking back!

Final score 40-7.

POM was Lottie.

v

v Robert Barclay Well done to the Year 7 and 8 netballers who played Robert Barclay in the rain last night!

The Year 7’s lost 14-1 but remained positive throughout, joint POTM was Iris and Jasmine.

The Year 8’s won 15-3; showing excellent team work and defensive work! POTM was Mollie.

Hockey

On Thursday 28th November the U16 hockey team headed over to Ipswich to play in the Regional (East) round. An icy start meant timings were pushed back 30 minutes to allow the pitches to defrost. We started our tournament playing Stephen Perse (the team we beat in the final last year 2-1). An even game but unfortunately a quick break meant they scored and ended up winning 1-0.

Next up we faced Wymondham College, we dominated from the start, several short corners and some great through play putting us 3-0 up at the end of the game!

Next match was against Coopers Coburn, a strong team which we held our own against until the last 5 minutes when they overloaded our D and managed to score a couple of goals.

Next up…. Bedford Girls School…. The girls were brilliant, Bedford were a strong team and we held our own, even our younger players, who were playing 2 age groups up! Bedford scored first against the run of play, and we battled back to score an excellent equaliser drawing the game 1-1.

Finally, we played Finborough. The girls also dominated this game. Confidence high, the girls were moving the ball around the pitch well scoring a couple winning 2-0.

Well done girls! You were amazing and did yourselves proud it was a pleasure to spend the day with you all!