News from Russian

March 14, 2025/in Language Trips, Other lang information, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

Russian Trip to Tallinn

The week before half term 15 Year 8 and 9 students visited the capital of Estonia, Tallinn where approximately 40% of the population are native Russians and there are lots of Russian speakers.

Students enjoyed a whirlwind tour of what life was like in Estonia during the Soviet Union, discovered what the KGB might be interested in them for and where they would have ended up if they didn’t go along with party communist party lines. They also took a step back into Imperial Russia and visited Peter the Great’s house and palace, enjoying the art collection there.

Students particularly enjoyed the Russian lessons and visit to the school where they met young Russian speakers and exchanged ideas about their lives and hobbies. Tallinn has a beautiful Russian language theatre which offered the students the opportunity to enjoy a very novel staging of Figaro, which was visually very engaging even if they spoke very quickly.

The students thought the old town of Tallinn was very beautiful and made their own Russian dumplings at the Russian restaurant in the old town centre. They also ordered their own Russian pies in the pie shop. We were very lucky to enjoy Tallinn in the snow and the students represented Presdales very well in spite of extreme tiredness from such a packed programme.

Year 7 Russian

Slightly belatedly for the Russians, the Year 7 Russian class marked Maslenitsa (pancake week) with pancake ordering, sushki bracelet making and singing. The students embraced the challenge of singing quite fast and made a rather pleasant sound by the end of it! Well done Year 7.

Robot Rumble Competition

February 14, 2025/in Science, STEM /by Presdales School

A group of students from Year 10 and 11 have been working extremely hard over the last few months to design, build and program a VEX robot. They took their robot over to John Warner School to compete in this year’s Robot Rumble competition. The students displayed fantastic teamwork, as they progressed through the competition, they developed their skills and deservedly won the skills challenge trophy.

Robot Rumble has provided students an opportunity to work with engineers from MBDA.

‘On Wednesday, we took part in the Vex V5 High Stakes Game at John Warner School. Before we spent many weeks designing, building and adapting our robot, with dreams to win. The main idea of the game was to collect rings and place them onto stakes, whilst working with another team in an alliance. On the day of the competition, we did last minute adjustments to our robot and code and did last minute additions to our log book in order to show the judges all our progress.

When we arrived, we saw all of the other team’s robots and realised that different teams focused more on different aspects of the game so they all looked different. At the beginning, there were 30 qualifying games, where everyone was put together with different teams in alliances to put the various teams in ranking order. After this, we were in 11th place and beat Richard Hale!

After a quick lunch break, all the teams lined up and chose an alliance for the main competition. As we were last to choose, we were placed in an alliance in Richard Hale. In the main competition, we ended up losing our first game and were therefore out of the competition.

However, there was a sub competition which we also entered called the Skills Competition. The aim was to get as many rings onto stakes as possible in a minute. We had three attempts and got 0, then 10 and then 10 points. Overall, we won this competition and received a trophy! We were very excited about this.’

Darcy and Emily

Important Information – Issue 143

February 14, 2025/in Important Information /by Presdales School

Important Information – Issue 142

January 30, 2025/in Important Information /by Presdales School

News from French

January 30, 2025/in Other lang information /by Presdales School

News from Italian

January 30, 2025/in Other lang information /by Presdales School

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

New Bluetooth Data Loggers

January 17, 2025/in Chemistry, Events, General News, Science, Student Success /by Presdales School

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.

Important Information – Issue 141

January 17, 2025/in Important Information /by Presdales School

Student Success

January 17, 2025/in Sport, Student Success /by Presdales School

Congratulations to D’arcy Wright, Year 13, who has been selected to represent GB at the 2025 Horseball World Cup and has previously competed at the European Championships.

Please find below D’arcy’s article explaining what Horseball is and outlining the experiences that she has had.

What is horseball?

Horseball is a fast-paced, team equestrian sport that demands high levels of skill, agility and determination from its players. While riding horses, two teams of four compete to score goals by throwing a small ball (which is covered in leather handles) into a 4.5-meter vertical hoop. The game requires players to pick the ball up from the ground at speed (known as a pickup), make three passes between three different players on their team and head towards the goal – all whilst avoiding the defence and keeping excellent control of their horse by mainly using their legs (or at least trying to anyway).

Originating in France, Horseball remains a hidden minority sport globally. However, with its fast-growing community and endless explanations to others why someone would willingly swing their body vertically off a galloping horse to grab a ball, the sport is steadily gaining popularity.

Representing my country in Horseball has been a deeply rewarding and extraordinary experience. Competing at the European Championships in 2023, training and competing with teams in Barcelona and Canada in 2024, and now preparing to represent my country in the World Cup and second European Championships in 2025 have provided me with some of the most enriching, valuable experiences of my life.

The camaraderie among the players has always enhanced my love for the sport. Every player feels part of one slightly chaotic family, all united in our shared love for the crazy adrenaline rushes and horses. Travelling to different countries, experiencing diverse cultures and bonding with international teammates has provided me with the most unforgettable experiences.

That said, competing on the international stage demands rigorous training for both horse and rider. It’s a partnership built on trust, discipline and countless hours of practice. My journey has included many 6am rides before school, late-night training and countless weekends away, dedicated to perfecting my game. Balancing the demands of an international sport with studying for A-levels may sound like a recipe for stress, but competing in Horseball has given me more than just physical and mental skills- it has instilled me with discipline, resilience and strong communication skills.

Being part of a minority sport like Horseball, has meant continuously advocating for its recognition and growth, which has boosted my confidence and public speaking skills. Thus, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities Horseball has offered me so far and all the constant support from my family, friends, teachers and teammates. All their support has been, and always will be invaluable.

D’arcy Wright (Year 13)