https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/IOW-HEADER-Copy.jpg419800Presdales Schoolhttps://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/presdales-school-logo.pngPresdales School2019-10-24 15:26:342019-11-04 14:02:08Year 7 Maths trip to the Isle of Wight
Ava CabbaniCharlotte EllisMolly ReidMaddie MeinsHelen TangGeorgia RidleySimge HorozJasmine CooperElainne Grant
Congratulations to you all and thanks for all your wonderful applications!
Photography Workshop
“We spent an entire day learning how shutter speed and aperture can affect your photography. We experimented with light painting in the morning, which allowed us to create a range of patterns, and explored both smaller and larger apertures in the afternoon. I found the workshop really interesting and, with help from the photography staff, we were able to create incredible work to utilise in our coursework.”
Siobhan Barnsley
Year 11 Lino print workshop day
Imaginative and skilful work was created last week by our Year 11 GCSE Art students. Advanced printing techniques were discovered and practised, resulting in wonderful prints to be added to our students’ portfolios. Well done to everyone!
This year, each year group has been assigned one of the six school values, and the value for Year 9 is equality.
Throughout the year, Year 9 students will be developing the value of equality through assemblies, posters/adverts, events and a new page on the website.
Each form in Year 9 has appointed a ‘Value Rep’ and the reps are as follows:
Year 9 students were given the task of designing an emblem for the value of equality. This emblem will be displayed on the Year 9 notice board, all of the Year 9 form boards and it will also go on the school website. Below are the top three entries. The winning entry was designed by Alexis Broad in 9LD/9G. Congratulations Alexis!
Learn about the stock market and business and have some fun as the same time.
The Business & Economics department is opening this competition to all year 10 to 13 students. You don’t have to be studying business or economics to win or even take part.
Improve your financial awareness, strengthen your maths skills and gain some vital team-work skills. You can experience what it’s like to invest in the real life stock market. The competition runs from October 2019 until May 2020 and is split into 3 rounds:
Round 1 – Online tradingRound 2 – The stock predictor challengeRound 3 – The Finals
If you’re interested, then get hold of 3 friends, think of a team name and see Mr Rock and his sixth form helpers on Thursdays in BTR from 1.10pm. You’ll need a secret password from Mr Rock to register your team and you begin with £100,000! Good luck!
Congratulations to Amber Dunstan and Yuhsuan Chen in Year 13 who won the ‘Head’s Award’ this term. Their beautiful art work will be displayed in Mr Warren’s office.
Year 12 Art Print Workshop
We had the whole day off timetable to participate in a lino workshop, which consisted of carving our tiles and printing them with high quality inks. Doing this workshop allowed us to not only add another beautiful piece into our A-level books but also expand into other media. We were taught new techniques to improve and advance our lino skills. I found it very enjoyable and helpful as the art staff helped us choose our print design and size, as well as helping us throughout the day with the lino itself. With the materials and supplies the art department was able to provide us, our Year 12 class was able to produce fantastic quality prints.
Madison Meins
Year 12 Photography
Year 12 photographers are already taking some fabulous photos. Well done from the art department.
Year 7 classes have had a visit from Mrs Dixon in the maths department this term. Mrs Dixon is an expert Hand Bell and Hand Chime player and has been working with a year 11 Hand Chime team for the last couple of years. All Year 7s were introduced to the beautiful instruments that were generously donated to the school by the Presdales PTA. Mrs Dixon is running extra sessions to start a 2nd hand chime team and we would like to encourage all girls from across the years to give it a go. The sessions are on Tuesday at 12.45 in room 17 and Friday at 12.45 in room 17. Just pop along to have a go! Playing the hand chimes gives a great sense of satisfaction from playing in a team and also can be very relaxing and educational as you learn to read the music as you play.
A Level Music Conference
On Tuesday 8th October the music department took 7 A Level students to a conference on “Wit, Style & Unity: Haydn’s Symphony no.104” presented by David Coggins MMus, generously hosted by Queen Anne’s School in Reading. The day was thoroughly enlightening and a real challenge for our A Level students who came away with a greater depth of understanding of our set work.
Upcoming Events
Deniz Isingor, Piano Diploma lunchtime recital, Friday 13th December, 1pm in M1
School Carol Service, Wednesday 18th December, 6pm, St Mary’s Church, Ware
https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/MUSIC-HEADER-Copy.jpg243800Presdales Schoolhttps://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/presdales-school-logo.pngPresdales School2019-10-10 16:08:472019-10-11 13:02:12News from Music
On 18th September, A Level drama students went to see an adaptation of Ibsen’s classic play, A Doll’s House, re-written by Tanika Gupta and new artistic director Rachel O’Riordan at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. We see the production set in Calcutta 1879 under British rule, bringing new dimensions to the production of racial politics alongside the classic portrayal of female perspective and ownership. The students have since led some great debates on the naturalistic classic and already produced some interesting responses to the Section A Live Theatre section of their exam.
Miss MackHead of Dram
Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue
Year 11 GCSE Drama students went to see ‘Everyone’s Talking About Jamie’ at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue on Wednesday 25th September. The students were experiencing live theatre in preparation for their Component 3 examination where they will discuss their response to the production and demonstrate their theatrical knowledge. The students really enjoyed the production which is based on a true story of a young man named Jamie New, who wants to attend his school prom in a dress. The show explores many current issues of identity, self-expression and having the strength to be true to who you are. Year 11 students made mountains of notes during the performance and have returned to the classroom full of ideas that they are ready to discuss in their written exam! Thank You to Mrs Hetherington and Mr Rock for supporting us on the trip and to the GCSE Students who were exemplary all day!
Miss MackHead of Drama
Peter Gynt, The National Theatre
A Level Drama and Theatre students attended a matinee production of Peter Gynt at The National Theatre on Tuesday 1st October. This was their second theatre trip in two weeks, allowing them to see a very different approach to classic theatre by the great Henrik Ibsen, often known for naturalism! This modern adaptation by David Hare sees Ibsen’s hero run away into the 21st century, whilst still raising the original dramatic poem’s question: Does a belief in individualism help or hinder us in trying to live purposefully in the present day? The students’ heads were spinning after the 3 1/2 hour production which raises some big questions about life!
Thank you to Miss Murrell for supporting us on the trip and to the A Level students who were exemplary and a pleasure to spend the day with! Good luck with your analysis now on what it all meant!
Over the summer, I had the amazing opportunity to take part in the World Challenge expedition to Vietnam and Laos. My team was a mix of year 11 and 12 students, with 13 girls and one very lucky boy. Prior to the trip, none of us knew each other very well; however this swiftly changed as soon as we departed on a tedious 8 hour flight, with only each other for company.
Once we had finally arrived in Bangkok, we quickly got to the hostel, dumped our bags, and began to explore the lively city. It only took a five minute walk down the street to see things ranging from barbecued spiders to beautiful hand-stitched clothing. We decided to settle in a busy restaurant with upbeat, local music and an incredible view of the city at night. We took this opportunity to try some local food whilst admiring the string of neon lights that were suspended above the whole street. Here, we had the chance to chat about the trip ahead of us and assign people to different teams: accommodation, finance, food, travel and extra activities. Although our travel and accommodation had been pre-booked for our first few nights, it wasn’t always going to be like that…
The next morning we took another flight from Thailand to Vietnam, to eventually arrive in the city of Hoi An, where we would spend the next three nights. In my opinion, this was the best city of the whole trip. It was an area brimming with culture but maintaining a relaxed energy. We were amazed by its stunning markets and quaint temples, whilst also having the chance to take a night boat ride along the river, surrounded by glowing lanterns.
Our next destination was Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. To get there, we took the overnight train, which was something I had never experienced before. As you walked down the train there were cabins with six beds in each compartment, three stacked up on each other. The next 24 hours went surprisingly quickly while we admired the Vietnamese countryside and talked to locals in the cabins next to us.
Our first day in Hanoi was exciting but hectic. This was the first day where we had to find our own accommodation and travel, which was a lot harder than expected. Despite this, we managed to find an amazing hotel to stay in, within budget, and began exploring the city. After walking, for what felt like miles, we finally found the perfect place to eat: a little restaurant right at the top of a high rise building, which had a stunning view of the whole of Hanoi. This was a lovely way to spend our last night before the trek.
The next morning, thankfully, the coach we had booked turned up and we started our journey to Quynh Son. The next three nights were a shock, but in a good way. The trek was very challenging, especially in 38 degree heat, whilst carrying a rucksack containing a lot of unnecessary kit. Despite this physical challenge, our team managed to keep up morale as we enjoyed many breath-taking views of mountainous peaks, sprawling rice fields and sweeping valleys. One of the best bits of the trek was the home stays. This was where we stayed in houses in small villages with local families. It was amazing to talk to the villagers about their daily lives and to bond with the families. By living like the locals in these villages, it allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in their culture.
After a very tiring few nights, we finally got back to Hanoi to relax and discover more of the city. Additionally we booked a trip to Halong Bay, a beautiful natural UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we spent the day on our own boat, admiring the amazing caves and beaches.
Our next stage was a three day journey to Luang Prabang, Laos. On the second day of the journey, we celebrated one of our team member’s birthday with a karaoke night. The whole team, including the leaders, came together and performed songs for the whole evening.
Once arriving in Luang Prabang, we didn’t waste any time before we were out exploring their renowned night market. It definitely lived up to our expectations and possibly exceeded them. The food was incredible, with barbeques to buffets to smoothies to waffles; everything you could imagine. The markets are where we spent most of our evenings, after working at the bear sanctuary.
Our community phase in Luang Prabang, was based at a bear sanctuary with the charity Free the Bears. In Laos there is a huge problem with people capturing bears and using them to extract their bile, which is used as a medical remedy. The charity takes in these bears and looks after them until they are ready to go back into the wild. We helped by cleaning out the cages, feeding the bears and even building a wall for a new enclosure. It was amazing to see the work they had done for the bears and that they were expanding their sanctuary to take in other animals, like monkeys or red pandas, which are also in danger. Additionally we visited another bear sanctuary at Kuang Si Waterfalls, and had the chance to swim in the beautiful waterfalls.
As we were coming towards the end of our trip, we went on trek in Luang Namtha. Using our previous experience, we packed at lot more lightly and were much more prepared. This trek was a lot cooler, as it was mainly based in the jungle and rice fields. We visited another village called Nam Ha Village and stayed with members of the Khmu tribe. We spent most of the second day with all the families and played games with the children. In the evening we were treated to a dance show put on by the locals and we even joined in towards the end!
To end our trip, we went to the Manda Lao Elephant Sanctuary, which also focused on taking care of animals. This was an insane experience to get so close to the elephants, stroking and feeding them all together, whilst knowing they were being taken care of.
Despite the challenges I faced whilst being there, I definitely would do it again and it has given me the confidence to go travelling in the future. I have also come out with a whole group of new friends and acquired skills that I would never have gained without going on this trip. I would definitely urge you to sign up to next trip to Nepal, you won’t regret it!
Alicia Fautrero-Sayer (Year 13)
https://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/78dbbed5-4947-4917-bc9f-1718fbc9d6ff-Copy.jpg600800Presdales Schoolhttps://presdales.herts.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/presdales-school-logo.pngPresdales School2019-09-19 14:51:412021-03-12 11:49:08Vietnam World Challenge 2019
Congratulations to all of the students for an excellent set of GCSE results. The high standard of results are a reflection of the hard work from both students and staff. Well done to all.
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