The Knights Templar School Headteacher: Park Street Mr T. Litchfield, G.G.S.M. Baldock Herts SG7 6DZ Email: admin@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk Tel: 01462 620700

PARENTAL WEEKLY UPDATE – 15th September 2016 (available on our website)

Dear Parents and Carers

I have been very impressed with the quality and attitudes of our students during the recent Year 10 and 11 House Matches. Even though the weather was incredibly hot all the students gave of their best. The highlight for me was the final of the year 11 boys football that went to a nail biting penalty shoot - out. Please keep an eye out for the results. We are hoping for slightly cooler and dry weather next week for the year 7 – 9 house matches! The year 7 ‘Freshers Fair’ took place last Friday afternoon. There were nearly 30 activities on offer for the students to sign up to. There was huge uptake for the clubs which have now started. Please do encourage your child, what-ever year group to be involved in at least one club per week – many students will be involved in many activities during the week. The schedule of activities will be updated on our website shortly. Thank you to all parents and students who attended our year 7 standards and information evening last night. It was good to meet so many of you and I hope you found the evening to be informative. I know that the tutors were very pleased to be able to meet you. Please do ask if there is anything you still need to know – please contact form tu-tors in the first instance. It is very important that all parents and students attend our Year 10 standards and information evening next Wednesday. Miss Ward, Mr Clayton and I will be passing you lots of information regarding the year. We will also be talking about Work Experience which will be taking place at the end of the year. Please may I remind you that there is a wealth of information on the school website which I hope you find useful.

Kind Regards, Tim Litchfield Headteacher

Dates for your diary:

Friday 16..9.16 Yr 11-13 Life Drawing (DS) Yr 10-13 Dance Trip, Sadlers Wells Yr 10 D&T Graphics Theatre Trip

Saturday 17.9.16 Silver Assessment Expedition 1

Sunday 18.9.16 Silver Assessment Expedition 1

Monday 19.9.16 Silver Assessment Expedition 1 Yr 11 Drama Unit 2 Controlled Assessment - in lessons [Drama Studio] Yr 7 Reading tests for whole year group 08:55-13:20 Yr8 Autumn House Matches

Tuesday 20.9.16 Silver Assessment Expedition 1 Yr 11 Drama Unit 2 Controlled Assessment - in lessons [Drama Studio] Yr 7 Reading tests for whole year group 08:55-13:20 Yr7 Autumn House Matches

Science Centre Opening One Week Away – Have You Bought a Brick?

Our beautiful new Science Centre is almost ready for its ‘official’ opening. The beautiful bricks, generously donated by friends and family of KTS have started to be installed and are testament to the support of our school fami-ly. Together YOU have raised £6, 955.00 to help purchase essential equipment to enable the teaching of what everyone agrees is a vital subject area. If you haven’t yet bought your own little piece of the school, time has almost run out…but not quite.

As we said last week, it doesn’t matter if your child is a new starter in Year 7 or in their final year of school, they are an essential part of our family. Don’t wait a moment longer. Please click below to download a purchase order form. Return it to reception or to top office. This is your family’s chance to become part of our school’s very fabric!

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CLICK TO BUY A BRICK!

Careers Fair – Thursday 29th of September

A reminder that the Careers Fair is on Thursday September 29. Please book out this time in your diary to ensure that your child does not miss it. Year 10 & 12 are invited from 6.00pm until 7.15pm and Year 11 and 13 are invited between 7.00pm and 8.30pm. Year 10 & 11 are expected to attend in full school uniform. A leaflet will be sent home next week with further information about who is coming and how students can make a good impres-sion. It doesn’t matter if your child is considering university, an apprenticeship or simply isn’t sure. The KTS Ca-reers Fair will be the place where they take one step closer to making a decision. Even if they came last year we urge them to visit again. More in next week’s Parental Bulletin.

MacMillan Coffee Morning Friday 30th of September

After the success of MacMillan Coffee Morning over the last two years (last year we raised £2,500.00 for this worthy cause) it goes without saying that we are doing it again this year. Friday, September 30 will be a non-uniform day for students. In addi-tion to this we ask every child to bring a cake to share with their peers. The whole school will gather together at morning break to enjoy a well-earned munch on the Lower Playground and we will hold a raffle for the 6 Best Showstoppers. Can Year 7 steal Year 8’s title as Best Bakers? Who knows? More information on this event will be emailed home next week. Last year we had over 3000 slices of cake. Cake drop off will be from 8.15 to 8.55 in the Dining Hall.

Wednesday 21.9.16 Legacy Event Yr 11 Drama Unit 2 Controlled Assessment - in lessons [Drama Studio] Yr 7 Reading tests for whole year group Yr 8 - 9 County Hockey Tournament [Haileybury] 18:00-19:00 Yr10 Standards Evening [Hall]

Thursday 22.9.16 Legacy Event Yr 11 Drama Unit 2 Controlled Assessment - in lessons [Drama Studio] Yr 11-13 Artist workshop [Art] Yr 7 Reading tests for whole year group 09:00-13:00 Yr 9 Sports Leaders for Olympic Legacy Event [Multiple Venues] 16:30-23:30 Yr 11-13 Theatre Trip: Imogen [Globe Theatre, London]

Friday 23.9.16 Science Centre Opening Yr 11 Drama Unit 2 Controlled Assessment - in lessons [Drama Studio] Yr 7 Reading tests for whole year group 08:55-13:20 Yr9 Autumn House Matches 18:30-21:30 Yr 10 D&T Graphics - Theatre Trip

KTS students secure place in District football sides Congratulations to Ralph Baldwin, Oliver Sheard and Thomas Spinks (year 8), as well as Will Bruning (year 9) on their selection for the North Herts District football side. Well done boys!

Ski 2017 There are a few places left on the Ski trip for next Easter, 2nd April – 10th April to Colorado, USA. If you are interest-ed please click on the link below and return the reply slip and deposit to Mrs Curtis.

Colorado, April 2017 - booking form

Thank you

Year 7 Parents Many of you who attended the Standards Evening last night took home your log in details for Show my home-work. For those of you who didn’t I will be posting them to you. If you have not received your log in details by the middle of next week then please let me know. Can I also remind Year 7 parents to make any photo orders by Wednesday, 21st September. Proofs should be re-turned with correct payment to student services ASAP.

Mrs Curtis Worldwise Quiz Club The Geography department are starting a new lunchtime club called the Worldwise Quiz Club! This club is aimed at Geographers who want to test their knowledge and learn something new. It is open to all pupils in years 7-10 and will take place every Tuesday from 1.45 in T16 with Miss Bow starting on Tuesday 20th September. All pupils will have the opportunity to compete in the Geographical Association’s Worldwise Quiz event at Long Road Sixth Form College on Wednesday 23rd November. See Miss Bow for further details!

Library News DEAR TIME WEDNESDAY

After the huge success of this week’s Roald Dahl 100 year celebrations we will be returning to all things Dahl next

Wednesday 21st September. Pupils will be given the opportunity to produce illustrations in the style of Sir Quentin

Blake, create revolting rhymes, and watch David Walliams read extracts from the BFG.

Remember your jam jar………………

Pupils interested in attending this lunchtime event should, where possible, bring a

packed lunch. We would also ask, if you have a spare jam jar, complete with lid,

pupils will be given the opportunity to turn them into their own dream jars.

News from the Music Department The Music Department is delighted to welcome two new instrumental teachers to its team of peripatetic music staff.

Mr Kevin Simpson will be teaching classical and electric guitar, and Mr James Harold will be teaching trombone.

If your son/daughter is interested in learning an instrument, It’s not too late to sign up for lessons. Please con-tact the Music Office for further information and/or an application form.

Congratulations also to our Oboe teacher, Iona Walker, who was married during the summer holidays and is now Mrs Iona Basford.

Textiles Club Textiles Club is starting this week for anyone who is creative, enjoys making things, or interested in costume. We will be making costumes for the upcoming school production of ‘Wind in the Willows’ and a variety of other stu-dent-led projects. Come along to the new Textiles room SC12 on Thursday lunchtimes to hear more!

Miss Sullivan, Textiles Teacher

Please continue to read the news of our 6th form students on the following pages…..

An African adventure (written by Sam Collins- year 12)

This summer, I joined 4 other KTS students on a 17 day long expedition to South Africa and Swaziland with around 40 other explorer scouts, networkers and leaders. Our purpose on this expedition was to assist in any way possible with a number of charity projects and it proved to be an experience that we will never forget. We left the UK and travelled to Johannesburg where we met our Swazi scouts and hosts who would eventually be-come very close friends of ours during the expedition. From Johannesburg we travelled to Kruger National park where we camped for a night, and saw the incredible wild-life, including; antelopes, hippos, kudu, springbok, elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, baboons and hyenas. From Kruger we travelled into Swaziland in our minibuses and stopped in a small community called Malibeni. We stayed with the grandmother of one of our rovers, called Gogo Khozoa, camping on her land for a week, which was very isolated but surrounded by sugar cane plantations. During our stay we travelled every day to the nearby com-munity project which was a site where a community hall would be built. We helped the Swazis dig foundations and clear the land of vegetation, and nearer the end of our stay we filled the foundations with concrete and steel and placed the first bricks of the structure in place.

Another project that we ran simultaneously was a soup kitchen at the local orphanage where we fed a large number of hungry orphans and Swazi children. During this time, we were able to interact with the children, play games, make them laugh and even provide them with small presents. This aspect of the expedition was incredibly reward-ing. On one particularly memorable day we also visited the local school where the students demonstrated some traditional dances and we were very privileged to watch their

choir perform especially for us. It was certainly interesting to see how some people in the world are educated, and definitely made us reconsider our previous position and thoughts on our own education system. At Gogo Khoza’s site we built a shower cubicle, dug a cesspit and began laying some fences. We had to stop with the fence laying, however, when one of our leaders acci-dentally came across a black mamba (one of the most deadly snakes in the world!!!). This really emphasised just how tough and unforgiving life can be in this part of the world. In our free time we were lucky enough to socialise and interact with the locals and we even challenged the local youth Swazi football team to a game and despite not having any shoes, they beat us 5-2! After leaving Malibeni we travelled to the city of Manzini where we stayed at a hotel and looked around the city, and also visited a cultural village where we saw traditional dances and huts and bought souvenirs for our families and friends. We also did some abseiling and white water rafting, which was terrifying, but a lot of fun!

We finished our expedition by spending the last three days at Mpumalanga scout centre back in South Africa. We did some sight-seeing on one day where we saw the stunning ‘God’s Window’, a sight that truly justifies its name. We spent the last day at the local secondary school, where we cooked a huge barbeque and watched them perform in a rehearsal they had for the musical they were producing.

I would like to thank my fellow KTS students who were a part of this expedition for helping to make it such a fantas-tic experience; Will Hall, Joe Royal, Caitlin Grant and Ruby Doherty. had a life changing and unforgettable experi-ence during the expedition and would like to thank everyone at school who donated money during our charity events.

KTS graduate profile- Jemma Fairey

Jemma worked tirelessly throughout her 2 years at KTS and became a very valued student

member of the PE department, in particular. Jemma studied BTEC Sport (double award) and

the IFS Finance course during her time in the sixth form and performed incredibly well in

both subjects, exceeding her target grades. Jemma achieved Distinction*Distinction* in

BTEC Sport despite her target being a much lower Distinction-Merit and achieved a C grade

in her IFS Finance course (1 grade higher than her target).

Jemma’s work ethic was evident not only through her efforts in theclass room but also in her

voluntary work within PE by helping with extra-curricular clubs and house matches. She also

maintained an active sporting life in her own right, playing football for Hitchin Belles FC.

Having achieved such wonderful grades in her A Level studies, Jemma has secured a place at The University of Lin-

coln to study for her degree in Sport Development and Coaching.

We are incredibly proud of Jemma’s achievements, as well as her wonderful attitude and dedication to continually

improve- well done Jemma!

Senior sport at KTS

After an incredibly successful sporting 2015/16, senior sports training is once again up and

running at KTS. The season kicked off on Monday with Senior Rugby practice led by an expe-

rienced and dynamic coach provided by Letchworth Rugby Club. The turn-out of students for

training was very impressive and we look forward to watching the boys battle to retain their

District title.

On Tuesday night, the senior football squad took the pitch for their first training session with

a UEFA ‘A’ License coach from Biggleswade United. We have developed strong links with the

non-league Bedfordshire side and have benefitted from the predominantly Spanish coaches

they have provided to lead our training sessions, hired by Biggleswade United Director of

Football and Sky Sports pundit, Guillem Balague. Once again, we look forward to watching the

senior side defend their District title.

Finally, our senior basketball side got their season underway with their first training session of the new season, led

by experienced coaches Mr White and Mr Chantrell. The boys will be looking to go one step further next year by

winning the District final, as well as battle it out with the best teams in the County competition.

Year 13 student profile- George Acquaah

George can often be found in the PE sports hall at 7.30am on a weekday morning, such is his

commitment to improving as a basketball player. PE staff will often arrive at work to find

George running lengths of the basketball court, practicing his 3-point shooting or even setting

up drills and practices for younger pupils also in attendance, aspiring to be just like George.

However, having received George’s AS Level exam results, it is clear that his dedication to im-

provement and achieving high standards is not reserved solely for the basketball court!

George achieved ABBB in his AS Level exam results which absolutely obliterated his initial targets of CCCC!

In the past, George has been a part of the school Duke of Edinburgh Award and he has coached year 7 basketball

teams for the last 2 years, while competing as a basketball player in his own right both in and out of school.

We would like to congratulate George on his academic and extra-curricular achievements and celebrate his fierce

desire to perform at a high standard in all aspects of his life.

Sixth form mentor programme

Last Friday, approximately 50 students attended the first mentor meeting of the year as they started their journey

in learning how to help and nurture younger students at KTS through any potential difficulties that they may be

having.

This initiative is now in its 3rd year and looks to be even bigger and better than ever. Last year we had over 40 stu-

dents being mentored by 6th form students across the school and the work of 3 mentors in particular earned them

a spot as finalists in the Hertfordshire Young Person of the Year Awards.

The next meeting is this Friday lunch time and we look forward to seeing even more potential mentors in attend-

ance.

KTS representation in The National Youth Theatre

This summer two year 13 students Dan Barnicott and Lottie Briginall became mem-

bers of the National Youth Theatre technical team. Here are their accounts of what

they got up to in their training:

Dan and I were lucky enough to become members of the National Youth Theatre’s technical team this year and at

the beginning of the summer we attended our respective courses- Dan for stage management and scenic construc-

tion and painting for me. The courses took place at The Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, half an

hour outside London. We were all staying in the student accommodation, and in a matter of days we had formed a

massive family that took care of each other.

During scenic construction, external scenic designers came to us with three different sets and arts that we needed

to make, that would be used in shows at the Finborugh Theatre. We also made wooden flats on which a large mural

was painted.

Dan, in stage management, was able to shadow working stage managers on the West End show ‘Guys and Dolls’, as

well as put into practice the skills he learnt on the course. During this time, I had the opportunity to tour the incred-

ible Royal Opera House, paying particular attention to the scenic area.

The whole course was full of amazing opportunities and we both made fantastic and diverse friends. I would thor-

oughly recommend this to anyone thinking of applying for similar opportunities.

(Lottie Brignall)

Following our fantastic 3 week training course, I then went on to work with the National Youth Theatre’s REP com-

pany on their two shows, Pigeon English and Romeo and Juliet as the sound assistant. During my three weeks work-

ing on these shows I got to work with professional sound designers as well as working with two fantastic directors,

Anna Niland ( Associate Director of NYT) and Kate Hewitt ( Associate Director of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory),

who helped me learn so much about sound design and how to produce a creative performance with the assistance

of music and sound. It was an incredible opportunity and one that I feel very lucky to have experienced.

(Dan Barnicott)