Dance Evening 2024

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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

PE Stars of the Month – November

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News from PE

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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!

HOUSE : Basketball

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HOUSE : Netball

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News from PE

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Swimming

Massive well done to Presdales swimming team who competed in the first district gala of the year just before half term! Lots of individual 1st and 2nd places. The senior girls came 1st in the freestyle relay and medley relay, the Year 9/10 girls came 1st in the freestyle relay and medley relay and the Year 7/8 girls came 2nd in the freestyle relay and medley relay.

Football

v St Clement Danes 

Great effort from the U13s football team who recently lost 1-2 against St Clement Danes in the County Cup. Presdales faced a strong opponent but the girls grew into the game especially in the second half pushing their opponent all the way! Well done everyone! POTM was Harriet Day.

v Dame Alice Owen

Well done to our U15s football team who had a convincing 8-0 win against Dame Alice Owen last week. The team now progress to the Quarter Finals of the County Cup. This was Presdales first ever football match on our new 3G pitch so it was great to christen it with a win!! PoM voted by Dame Alice was Mia Schillaci-Rowland. Joint Coaches PoM to Ava McManus and Annabel Guy. Well done to all the girls!

v Leventhorpe

Gallant effort by our U12s B team against Leventhorpe’s A team last Thursday in the District League. The girls lost 8-0 but gave absolutely everything against a very strong opponent. The commitment shown by every single player was exceptional. Proud of all of you! POTM was Sara Johnson-Casey.

Stevenage FC U13s 7-a-side Tournament

Presdales had a Year 7 team and a Year 8 team competing at the Stevenage FC U13s 7-a-side tournament, held at the County Football Ground in Letchworth on Friday.

It was a busy, full on day with 6 qualifying games to reach the knockout stages. Then a further 3 games if you reached the final. Both teams acquitted themselves brilliantly playing some fantastic football and showing exemplary spirit throughout.

The Year 7 team did extremely well to reach the Quarter Finals but were narrowly defeated 1-0 in an extremely tight game against a Year 8 side. The Year 7s actually dominated the majority of the game hitting the post and creating several chances and so easily could have won. The Year 7s should feel immensely proud of their achievement as they were the only ‘fully Year 7 team’ in the competition! The Stevenage coaches were highly complimentary and the future is definitely bright for this talented group of players.

The Year 8s won their Quarter Final comfortably and progressed to the semi final against ‘arch enemy’ Chauncy (who won the tournament last year). The game was dominated by Presdales who played out of their skins. The win was secured by an incredible left foot strike into ‘top bins’ by Ella Reynolds to reach the final against Priory School.

The final beckoned with the Year 8s full of confidence. They did not disappoint with a fabulous display and winning goal by Grace Marston to take the trophy!

The girls will now go on to represent Stevenage FC in the Area Finals next January. This will be very exciting for the girls!

It was a wonderful day shared with a lovely group of pupils. What really summed up the ‘spirit of Presdales’ was the support from a disappointed Year 7 team for their Year 8 peers. When the final whistle blew the Year 7s ‘invaded’ the pitch to hug and congratulate their elders. There was so much excitement and joy. So lovely to see this.

Due to the nature of tournament football, every single player played their part so I’m reluctant to nominate any pupil in particular for Player of the Tournament. Everyone was Player of the Tournament!! Thanks to all the girls for a memorable day.

v John Warner

The U12s played John Warner this week in the district league, winning 3-0. It was a competitive game and the girls played some good football. Both teams enjoyed playing under the floodlights on the new 3G pitch for the first time. PoM voted by John Warner was Tilly Murton. Coaches PoM was Sara Johnson-Casey. Well done to all the girls!

Netball

v St Edmunds

Thank you to St Edmunds for coming over for a very evenly matched County League game. A great display of skill and effort from all players with Presdales holding strong in the final seconds to secure a 23-22 win. POM was Georgia Street.

v Heath Mount

Well done to our Year 8 netball teams who recently played against Heath Mount. The A team were playing a County Cup game and despite a strong opposition won 23-14. POTM was Sophia P. The B team were playing a friendly match and also won 35-13 despite coaching themselves throughout the game! POTM Annelise I. Great work girls!

Badminton

Well done to the U14 and U16 Badminton teams who played in a tournament last Thursday. The U14A team won all their games progressing to the County finals and the U14B came 2nd winning two matches and losing to our A team only!

The U16A team won all their games also progressing to the County finals! The U16B team unfortunately lost their 3 games in some very close matches that could have gone either way!

A Level PE Trip

Well done to our A Level students who visited the University of Essex for an SRES (School of Rehabilitation and Exercise Science) experience last week. They were put to the test participating in a range of fitness and performance tests, gathering data to be analysed later. It was a great day and the students certainly showed their competitive spirit!

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, Running, Trampolining and Swimming!

 

PE Stars of the Month – October

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PE Department celebrates Black History Month

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The PE Department celebrated Black History Month by watching a video of the remarkable journey of Rebeca Andrade, a Brazilian gymnast that achieved her dream, with incredible achievements and results, including 6 Olympic medals, 4 of which she achieved in Paris 2024, with a gold medal in the individual floor final! The students heard about the challenges she has faced growing up, showing her resilience as an individual in walking 2 hours each way to training sessions when her mother couldn’t afford a bus ticket and moving away at the age of 10 to train professionally in another state. The students were then asked to write a letter to Rebeca explaining how she has inspired them. Please see some photos of the letters written!

News from PE

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Netball

3rd October

Well done to the Year 8 netball teams who recently played against Simon Balle! The ‘blue’ team won 18-15 and the ‘red’ team unfortunately lost 2-1. POTM for the blue team was Daphne Faber and POTM for the red team was Skye Martin.

7th October
Well done to our U13, U14, U15 and U16 netball teams who played against Berkhamstead school for our first games in the STAHS netball league.
The U13 won 32-6 and POTM were Sophia Pettengell and Tami Ojo
The U14 team lost 34-30 and POTM was Lottie Fellows
The U15 team won 30-14 and POTM was Poppy Ward. Special mention to Sofia Smith for an excellent game at Centre.
The U16 team won 30-13 and POTM was Rosie Bentley
Great work girls!
9th October
Well done to our fabulous netballers who braved the slippy conditions to play a couple of friendly matches against John Warner. The Seniors had a convincing victory winning 35-7 and the U13s a narrow defeat 33-30 against a mixed U13-U14 team. Well done all!
10th October
Well done to the Year 8 and Year 10 netball teams who played Chauncy in the County Cup!
The Year 8’s won 36-6 and POTM was Sophia P
The Year 10’s won 38-26 and POTM was Poppy W
14th October
Netball County League victory over local opposition :
Presdales 54 – Chauncy 18.
A great squad performance with Georgia as POM.
Well done team!

Cross Country

Huge well done to the Cross-Country Team who competed in the district league fixtures!
Millie Axam in Year 7 came 1st overall winning all 3 league fixtures
Scarlett Farr came 3rd overall
The Year 7 team came in 1st place 
In the Year 8/9 team, Ella Reynolds came 3rd overall and the team came in 1st place 
In the Year 10+ team, Allegra Thornton came 2nd overall and Lily McMenamin came 3rd 
The team came in 1st place 
Jacob Colligan in Year 12 came 3rd overall 
Congratulations to all the runners who have participated in the three league fixtures! Amazing to have won all three age groups!

Football

14th October

Well done to the U12s who enjoyed a convincing win in the County Cup 1st round against Hertswood. The girls played exceptionally well, dominating the game from kick off. Lots of great performances.
Coaches POTM is Ella Di.
Well done to all the girls, a great start to the season.

17th October

Strong performance from our U15s in the second round of the National Cup winning 6-1 against Forest School. Presdales enjoyed the bulk of possession against a capable opponent and scored 3 goals of the highest quality in each half. Coaches POTM was Ava McManus who scored a hat-trick in a brilliant performance. Also, special mention to Ruby Unwin-Richardson who played her first match in goal for Presdales U15s and made some fantastic saves. Well done to all the girls!

22nd October

Well done to the U15s football team who won 8-2 against Simon Balle in the first round of the County Cup. This was a dominant performance with the girls playing some lovely flowing football. Joint player of the match today goes to Lily McMenamin who scored a hat-trick and Lily Feast who scored a brace. Both girls performed brilliantly today. Well done to all the girls!

23rd October

Dominant performance from our U14s football team against Reach Free in the County Cup today, winning 5-0. The game was played on a 9 a side pitch which made the space very tight and crowded. This made it difficult for the girls to play their normal game, however they showed their quality to win the match comfortably. Reach Free voted Ava McManus POTM which was well deserved. Coaches PoM is Lola Wood who played a great game in the centre of defence. Well done to all the girls!

PE Stars of the Month – September

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Friday 13th
Year 12 Music visit to Larkspur Primary School

Friday 13th to Monday 16th
Year 11 Berlin Trip

Monday 16th to Saturday 21st 
Year 13 Art, Photography and Media Trip to New York

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Presdales School
Hoe Lane
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 9NX

Tel: 01920 462210
admin@presdales.herts.sch.uk

Headteacher:
Mr Warren