We received the wonderful news that two of our students have received an offer from the University of Cambridge, which brings the total number of Oxbridge offers to 6 which is a tremendous achievement for all involved.   A large number of our students in Year 13 are receiving offers from their universities, we wish all our students the very best as they now start to see the hard work they have been doing start to pay off.

This week all students have been involved in the Holocaust Memorial Day assemblies led by Mr Espensen, the assemblies focussed on Nicolas Winton and how his actions helped in the rescue of  669 children during the Holocaust.

This week we have been focusing on Respect, Compassion and Civility.  As mentioned above, some exceptional assemblies took place this week which can be read about in the news story below.

Next week will will be talking about Resilience, Compassion and Civility during our assemblies which will focus on children's mental health.

All students have Personal Development lessons, part of which includes careers advice. Please click HERE to take you to the Upcoming Opportunities page which is updated regularly with information and advice.

Some opportunities on this page involve a cost. Any student who feels that the cost of a course on this page is prohibitive, please do consider asking your parents/carers to apply for support through our Unity Fund or if you are in the 6th Form the Bursary Fund. 

Take a look through our social media using the buttons above and check out this week's news stories below.

Learning About Compassion in Assemblies

Royal Air Force Visit for Music Leaders

BERKSHIRE SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

Last weekend, seventeen students from all year groups competed at the Berkshire Schools Cross Country Championships at the Newbury Showground.    Fleur' who came 13th, and Harry15th in the U17 Girls and Boys races respectively, have qualified to run for Berkshire at the SE Inter County Schools Cross Country Championships in March.  Well done to everyone who took part - all our students' results can be found here.

IT MUST RUN IN THE FAMILY

We are always pleased when we hear about the achievements of our students, and sisters Demi and Daisy are continuing to excel in the competitive dressage arena. Featured in the January edition of the Horse & Hound magazine, we are looking forward to see what they achieve in 2024.

REFURBISHMENT OF DINING HALL AND SIXTH FORM CAFÉ

Over the Easter break these two areas will be undergoing refurbishment.  This is being completed in partnership with our caterers Cucina.   As part of the refurb, we will be replacing all tables with fixed seating and the servery will be one-way.  The entrance will remain in the same place, but we are reinstating the wall where there are currently shutters (never used as far as I am aware). Tills will move closer to the Deli and students using the Deli will be routed to pay for items at the main till points.  Generation Juice will be introduced in the main dining area, this will replace plastic bottles. Cucina will no longer sell flavoured water or bottles of water, so individuals must have their water bottles.  This is a step towards making the school more sustainable and also helps to reduce our carbon footprint.

The Sixth Form Café will be refurbished also and provide all-day service.   The Café will be rebranded to provide more of a Café feel for students and staff. New equipment will mean some items will be baked in the Sixth Form, storage will be moved to cupboards outside of the servery and the food offer will be enhanced. 

FULL NON-UNIFORM DAY - FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY

There will be a full non-uniform Mufti Day on Friday 2 February to raise money for our three House Charities.  All clothing must be appropriate for school.

Donation can be made online through ParentPay or students can bring in minimum £1 on the day.   House Captains will be collecting any cash during Tutor Time.

GET YOUR SPATULA AT THE READY!

It's time to start thinking about the spectacular Valentine-themed cakes you are going to bake for the House Valentine Bake Sale on Thursday 8 February.  Lots of house points up for grabs - just for bringing cakes in - or  better still winning the Best Bake Design House Competition!  Best of all is that all proceeds raised go to our three House Charities.  Time to get creative...

PRE-LOVED UNIFORM COLLECTION 

Our next collection of Pre-Loved Uniform will take place on Monday 5 February at the covered area at the back of Sixth Form from 3 - 3.30pm.  

We are grateful for the many donations we have receive but now have a huge stock and only require certain items, which are:

• Skirts
• Navy jumpers
• Skorts
• Blazers

Please can we ask that only the above items are brought to the next collection.

Our next PLU Sale will be on Wednesday 7 February from 3 to 3.30pm.

CONCERNS OVER MEASLES

You would have heard on the news that there is a dramatic increase in the number of measles cases across the country. At present, we have had no cases reported to us at school. Th following link provides information about measles and what to do if you suspect that your child may have measles.

CONCERNS OVER SNUS

In previous communications, we have highlighted our concerns about Vaping and the impact it is having on young people.   We have become increasingly aware of a new product that is being sold locally and can be brought online SNUS.  It is being marketed, like vapes, as containing ‘ less toxins than cigarettes.  It does however contain nicotine.  We would urge you to check that your child id not using the product as it can have a detrimental impact on health.   Two recent pieces on the BBC about SNUS can be found HERE and HERE

PARKING IN THE DETACHED FIELD

The detached field parking is for staff and Sixth Form students.  Can we please ask that parents do not use this area as a drop-off and pick-up point as it creates further congestion in the area.  All of our Sixth Form drivers, by definition, are new to driving and with parents parking inconsiderately we end up with them being placed under unneeded pressure.  

PARKING IN SUNNING AVENUE

Could we ask parents to have consideration for our neighbours and adhere to the parking restrictions in Sunning Avenue when collecting their children at the end of the school day.  Residents have reported cars parked on double yellow lines parked very close to the junction with Devenish Road.  This has resulted in some near misses with traffic turning into Sunning Avenue, and cars queuing on Devenish Road.  Thank you for your co-operation.

Find out how out students got on at their sports fixtures this week...

Saturday 20 January:

• Well done to everyone that raced at Berkshire Schools Cross Country Champs!
• Harry and Fleur qualified for the SE Inter County Schools Cross Country Championships
• For the team results, the U13 Girls finished 12th and the U15 Girls finished 10th

Monday 22 January:

• The Year 10 Boys Football Team won 7-0 against St Barts at the County Cup

Tuesday 23 January:

• The Year 10 Boys Football Team won 3-0 against Sandhurst for the EBSFA football fixture
• For the Ascot Schools Netball Tournament, the U16 Girls A Team came 3rd and the U16 Girls B Team came 2nd

Wednesday 24 January:

• The Year 11 Boys Football Team won 5-4 against Denefield at the County Cup

ROAD SAFETY MESSAGE FROM RBWM

Please click here for the last of the key parking messages from the RBWM Road Safety team as part of our current theme of New Year, New you, New parking resolution.

School Keep Clear markings on the road, including the yellow zig-zigs, are required by law to be kept clear- no parking, no stopping, no waiting, not even for a second to drop off or pick up. Upright signs nearby will indicate to drivers when during the day this is prohibited. 

GOOD HEALTH PRACTICE FROM RBWM

WMSO SPRING CONCERT 2024 

The Windsor & Maidenhead Symphony Orchestra will be performing on 9 March at St Mary's Church Maidenhead.  Tickets are now on sale via: WMSO (thelittleboxoffice.com)

Saturday 9th March 2024 at 7.30pm
in St Mary's Church, Maidenhead.

Villa Lobos The Little Train of the Caipira
Ginastera   Harp Concerto
Elgar          Symphony No.1

Soloist:  Jamaal Kashim - Finalist, WMSO Young Musicians' Competition 2022

WMSO is pleased to present a couple of great works from South American composers and one from a more familiar one, rather closer to home. The Little Train of the Caipira by Villa Lobos is a miniature tone poem depicting a steam train typical of those that were widely used in the Brazilian interior at the time of the composition in the 1930s. He uses a wide range of percussion and advanced harmonic structures to produce music that imitates the sound of the trains, while at the same time creating a strong sense of Brazilian melody.  Argentinian born composer Ginastera wrote his Harp Concerto in 1956 and it shows off the instrument to great effect, combining Ginastera's interest in folk music along with his later expressionist style. We are delighted that Jamaal Kashim will be playing this piece, having been a finalist at our Young Musicians' Competition in October 2022.
And then we come to Elgar's symphony No.1 - This work received immediate critical and public acclaim after its première in 1908.  It went on to receive over 100 performances in the years that followed and it has remained a firm favourite in the repertoire ever since. It is surely one of his greatest works.

Tickets: £20, £5 (student/child) 

ALTERNATIVE PROVISION - HOLIDAY CAMP

Empower and Elevate, a new start-up alternative provision, are running Holiday Sports Camps based at Berkshire College of Agriculture in Maidenhead for children aged 8-13 years old. Our Website address is www.empowerandelevateltd.co.uk

Volunteering can be a brilliant way to boost your wellbeing. It’s a great feeling knowing you’re helping young people get skills for life, and you might even learn a lot about yourself along the way.

We have a really long waiting list of young people wanting to join and we would love to open one new section each for Squirrels, Beavers and Cubs, and also increase the number of our Scout and Explorer leaders.

In order to do this, we need to find twenty-four enthusiastic adults to join us so that we can offer even more Scouting opportunities to the young people in the local area.  No prior experience is needed, and you don’t need to have a young person in the group.

So, if you would like to meet new people, try new activities, get outside more, and make a real positive impact for our local community, why not drop-in to our open day.  We’ll explain all about it and you can chat to some of our current leaders to find out exactly what is involved. Oh, and there will also be food from the BBQ, cake and hot drinks for you!

If you can’t make the open day or want to find out more then there is a lot more information on our website: https://sunningdalescouts.org.uk/

We’re really looking forward to meeting you on the 28^th!

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