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Monday 2nd to Friday 13th
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Presdales School
Hoe Lane
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 9NX
Tel: 01920 462210
admin@presdales.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher:
Mr Warren
News from Italian
Online workshop with the University of Bristol
On Tuesday 21st January Year 12 students of Italian were given an insight into one of the hottest Italian TV series of the moment during an interactive workshop with the University of Bristol. Professor Catherine O’Rawe, who has recently been writing a book about Italian youth television, told us all about Mare Fuori, a gritty teen drama set in a fictional juvenile prison in Naples.
During the session we considered different representations of the city, looking at the inviting clichés portrayed in two Dolce & Gabbana adverts and contrasting them with the dark and dangerous criminal underworld seen in the Mare Fuori trailer. Then Professor O’Rawe told us about Neapolitan melodrama and we saw examples of this while analysing the emotion and physicality in a very raw scene from the series. We then discussed music from the series and analysed the lyrics of a song. Professor O’Rawe was very impressed with the engagement of our students and the session provided a taste of what it’s like to study Italian at undergraduate level. In fact, Nyah and Polly, two of our former students, are currently in their third year studying Italian in Professor O’Rawe’s department! Mrs Evenden
What did the students say?
I enjoyed it because it was a nice wider application of our understanding. It helped consolidate and introduce knowledge on Italian culture. I also enjoyed having discussions with our class and listening to the professor’s insight. Sai
I enjoyed learning about Italian culture and the media industry. I was surprised that Naples is so heavily romanticised and the dangers of the place that is hidden from the public. Sophia
It was very interesting to learn about different media in Italy and I loved learning more about Naples. Lara
I found the themes very interesting. I liked how the adverts and the trailer presented Naples in very different lights. I was surprised by the fact that some of the actors in the show were not professional. Elizabeth
I was already aware that different cities in Italy had different dialects. However, hearing the Neapolitan dialect was shocking! Madelina I thought it was interesting to compare the representation of Naples in adverts compared to in Mare Fuori. I enjoyed analysing the lyrics and thinking about the use of different tenses. Jess
News from PE
Football
vs St Albans High School
Well done to the U15s football team who reached the semi finals of the County Cup beating St Albans High School (STAHS) 2-0.
This was an accomplished performance with Presdales dominating throughout. STAHS defended exceptionally well and it proved difficult to find a breakthrough despite our control of the game. The first half ended 0-0.
The breakthrough came early in the second half with Sienna R winning a penalty which was coolly dispatched by Mia SR. The girls left it late to secure the result but a great header from Amy L direct from a corner put the game beyond STAHS.
Lots of great performances from the girls. Joint Coaches PotM goes to Mia SR and Amy L, who were outstanding throughout. A well deserved win and we now look forward to the semi final against either STAGS or Parmiters. Well done girls!
vs Ashlyns
An outstanding performance from the U15s football team beating Ashlyns 11-1 in the 5th round of the National Cup to reach the Round of 16. This is a fantastic achievement by The girls started a little bit slowly for the first 10 minutes, but started to find their rhythm.
A beautifully worked goal between Mia SR and Liv W gave Presdales a 1-0 lead. The girls never looked back after that and went into the half time break 6-0 ahead.
The second half continued much the same with Presdales playing some wonderful flowing football and some great goals. We are now looking forward to the Round of 16 and the chance to reach the Qtr Finals.
Goals were scored by Mia SR x 5, Ava M x 2, Marlee S x 2, Liv W x 2.
Very difficult to pick a PoM with so many accomplished performances, but it’s hard to overlook a 5 goal tally plus a fantastic all-round performance. Coaches PotM is Mia SR! Well done to all the girls. I’m really proud of all of you!
Indoor Athletics
On Monday 20th January, a handful of our talented athletes took to the track at the Lea Valley indoor athletics centre.
Here they competed against 12 other schools in a variety of events in the annual LVSSA Champs.
Notable performances from the minor girls included:
Millie 800m 1st place
Sky LJ 2nd place
Layla 60m hurdles 3rd place
Overall position 3rd – well done girls!
Junior girls notable performances included:
Sophia 60m hurdles 1st place
Jess shot putt 1st place
Skye 60m sprint 3rd place
Lilianna TJ 3rd place
Anna 800m 3rd place
Overall position 1st! Champions!
Student News
Please see more student achievements in non-school sporting activities on our PE Facebook page. We have recently had student successes in Football and Swimming!
New Bluetooth Data Loggers
Using grant funding already received from EdufundUK Ltd and the Royal Society of Chemistry, Presdales’ Science Department are currently in the process of updating their range of Data Loggers.
New Bluetooth Data Loggers communicate wirelessly with bespoke software installed on students’ own devices. Their ease of use allows them to be utilised in a wide range of experiments through all year groups and with data saved on the computers it can also be recalled for homework and for cross-curricular use, increasing the depth of learning gained by students.
Replacement of all of the data loggers will cost around £8,000 of which £3,000 has already been funded and the decision on a £3000 application to the Royal Society is pending.
A further application to the Tesco Community Grants Team for their Blue Token scheme has resulted in our project going live in the Ware store this week. With the opportunity of gaining £1500 funding Presdales would sincerely appreciate you taking the time to drop a token in the box whenever you are there. Please share this request with your friends and family too.
Alternatively, if you are in a position to be able to support the purchase of any of this equipment by way of a charitable donation/sponsorship our Grants Officer would love to hear from you and can be reached at nalbone@presdales.herts.sch.uk.
