Marriotts Weekly News Aim high. Work hard. Be kind. 12th July 2019

Dear Parents, Carers, Students and Families We have had another busy and successful week here at Marriotts. We welcomed our new Year 7 intake for Transition Evening on Monday and then Transition Day on Thursday. Both were very successful and we look forward to welcoming this fantastic year group into our school in September. We have had numerous trips including Thorpe Park, Legoland and a Henry Moore art visit. We have had a visiting Headteacher from Nepal, sharing best practice. It was great to see our Year 8s in their First Give final raising over £1,000 for charity. A real testament to our young people and their efforts. A reminder that our last day of term is Friday 19th July. Students will be in full school uniform and in normal lessons during periods 1 and 2, they will rejoin their form for period 3 and will be dismissed from school at 12.20 for their summer holiday. I hope you have a great weekend. Kind regards Mr E Hutchings Acting Headteacher

Transition Day Yesterday, Thursday 11th July, was the Countywide Transition Day for all Year 6 students to go to their secondary school for the day. We were delighted to see our new cohort ready for an exciting day. The students started the day with an assembly and then swiftly moved onto a PE session, which the PE team delivered perfectly. A well-deserved break with a complimentary snack and a drink helped to ensure the students were ready for lessons. Each group then sampled a lesson in a classroom including History, Geography, ICT and Food. Following the afternoon lesson, the students had an assembly with Mr Hutchings and listened to two fantastic piano pieces by Isaac and Charlie in Year 9. They then saw photos of their day, which had been taken by Mrs Chapman. All the feedback from the Heroes in Year 9 and the Teaching Assistants that supported each group was fantastic. In addition, the teachers commented on how great the students were in lessons and how impressed they were with their conduct. It was a fantastic day in all, with a huge team effort from all staff and heroes, the day went smoothly. We look forward to this great year group starting in September

Sixth Form Induction 2019 - Monday 1st July - Wednesday 3rd July Last week we welcomed out New Year 12 cohort to the Sixth Form after their successful completion of Year 11 and their exams. During this time students participated in multiple talks, taster lessons and sessions to get them fully informed on Sixth Form expectations. Students were able to meet their A-Level teachers and be introduced to their future courses and studies. The week included an ’Introduction to University Life’, Apprenticeships and Marriotts Extra Curriculum (MEC), our life skills programme.

The aim of the week was to get students fully prepared for their start in September. It was also an opportunity for newcomers to meet all students attending and to make new friends and there were a number of team building sessions taking place, after the ‘taster’ sessions. All students participated in the team building games and activities before a bowling trip on Wednesday afternoon. We are really looking forward to starting work with our new cohort in September. Good luck on results day!

Scholastic Book Fair The Scholastic Book Fair was back for the last time this academic year and as always, it was a huge hit. Thank you to our student librarians for all of their help and we hope you all have a lovely, book-filled summer holidays!

Miss Christodoulou and the Library Team.

Year 8 – First Give Final On Tuesday 9th July 2019, our First Give finalists, from each Year 8 registration group, took to the stage to showcase their presentations in front of their peers, charity representatives and a panel of judges. Year 8 managed to raise an incredible £1100 to donate to their eight different, primarily local, charities. It was 8G who were successful in winning the additional £1000 prize money to donate to their chosen charity, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Luton & Dunstable. Congratulations all! The Year Leaders, Ms Sack & Mrs Moore, commented, “This is a predominately student led programme, with minimal input from teachers. What they have accomplished in such a short period is astonishing. They have shown great maturity during this time, focussing on some extremely sensitive and personal matters. We are both overwhelmed with how proud the students have made us”.

Visiting Principal to Marriotts On Tuesday, the Science Department hosted a visit by Mrs Kayastha, the Principal of the Nobel Academy, Kathmandu, Nepal. Mrs Kayastha’s school have been working closely with North Herts ESC on an International Programme through the British Council. Within the programme there is an exchange process involving teachers from each country who have been working on and developed an International Waste/eco Project. During her visit to this country, Mrs Kayastha was keen to visit a Science Department in a mainstream secondary school, to see how the school is set up and to talk about the curriculum. During her visit to Marriotts School, Mrs Kayastha saw a number of classes and spent some time with the Science team. Mrs Kayastha was very complimentary about the Science Department and our students and she took away a number of strategies to develop and use in her own school We hope to continue our contact and relationship with Mrs Kayastha and the Nobel Academy, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Year 10 enjoying even Moore Art The Art Department had the great pleasure of taking 20 Year 10 students to the Henry Moore Foundation to enrich and enhance their coursework, as well as have the opportunity to experience seeing Henry Moore’s artwork in his outdoor gallery. Students were able to participate in a guided tour of the grounds, as well as have the opportunity to interact with the sculptures, see Moore’s drawings and Marquette’s and have the chance to create their own drawings of Moore’s pieces. The Art Department would like to thank the students for their fantastic behaviour and attitude and look forward to next year’s trip with the new Year 10s.

Word of the Week As part of the school's drive to advance the reading skills of every student we are focusing on broadening vocabulary by teaching key academic words explicitly in class. To support this, we have introduced a 'Word of the Week' (WoW) that features key, high-frequency words used by all faculties across the school. The aim is to use these words as much as possible to ensure that the precise meaning is embedded to allow students to use these words in academic writing and talk in their subjects. Please support your child and the school by using this word at home and challenging your child to use it accurately.

The WoW for w/c Monday 15th July is: resolve

1. Verb: To settle or find a solution to a problem

e.g. We resolved to read 3 books this summer.

2. Noun: firm determination to do something. e.g. He resolved to read 3 books this summer.

Rewards and Recognition Teachers regularly issue Achievement Points to students who are Aiming High, Working Hard or Being Kind. Rewards and recognition of achievement are given out through Achievement Points, which are given each week we would like to congratulate the following students who have received Green slips.

Green Slips We would like to congratulate the following students who have received a Green Slip up to 11th July.

Clemmie 7A

Scarlett 7G

Connor 8B

Ella 7A

Sophia 7G

Callum 8C

Chris 7A

Dominic 7G

Levi 8D

Bleu 7A

Leon 7G

Evie 8G

Harrison 7A

Johanna 7G

Daly 8G

Aidan 7B

Hendrik 7G

Otis 8G

George 7C

Callum 7G

Louie 7E

Samad 7G

Emily 9C

Tori 7E

Ebony 7G

Lily 9D

Michael 7E

Mikolaj 7G

Charlotte 9E

Jack 7E

Victoria 7G

Emily 9E

Logan 7E

Dennis 7G

Kyla 9F

Oakley 7F

Luke 7G

Junya 9F

Calum 7F

Sammi - Jo 7G

Kyla 9F

Ronnie 7F

Jared 7G

Josh 9H

Caleb 7F

Owen 7G

Louie 7F

Jonah 7G

Christopher 10C

Tyler 7F

Lola 7G

Craig 10C

Kiera 7G

Matthew 7H

Olivia 7G

Jack 7H

Leah 7G

Luke 7H

Daniella 7G

Max 7H

Jasmine 7G

Rhys 7H

Amy 7G

Joshua 7H

Sport District Athletics We would like to congratulate the Year 7 team who represented Marriotts at the recent District Athletics competition. The students performed very well and were a credit to the school. Notable achievements came from: Carmen, who achieved a Silver medal in the 100m race, Callum, who achieved a Gold medal in the 1500m race and Hayden, who achieved a Bronze medal in the Shot Put.

The Year 7 Boys’ relay team also put in a strong performance achieving Bronze in the finals. Well done to Callum, Ronnie, Max and Hayden. Congratulations and well done to all competitors, who have shown real promise and will be sure to continue to progress over the next few years.

Swim England Combo Cup Last weekend several students from Marriotts took part in the prestigious national event the Swim England Combo Cup. This was the biggest Combo event to date, with some 1004 swimmers from over 40 clubs taking part, with clubs being represented from all parts of the UK. There were a number of awards with all three teams from Aqualina receiving medals. The Superhero Team (12 and unders) received Gold, with a score of 55.55, beating the second place team, who scored 52.53. The Dragon Team, were in one of the biggest categories of the day (13-18 age group). The Dragons lead by a country mile up to the 17th team had swum. Dragons were on a score of 56.8333 the 17th team narrowly pipped them with a score of 56.863, so a nail biting finale to see if it was Silver or Bronze. Delighted to say they held on to 2nd place. This exciting and very different routine got everyone talking, from their costumes and headpieces to their very loud Haka at the beginning. Lily (Captain) really stepped up to work alongside Head Coach Kerri in getting this team to the best it could be, being supportive of her peers, and ensuring videos were taken at each session to go over and over for improvements. Lily was very creative with all the teams and their makeup and assisted the adults getting the teams ready to showcase. The final swim of the day was the Cavalry Team, (Division 2, 13-18 year old) this routine is by far the hardest and most complex and fast routine Kerri has ever choreographed. The team, which included Frances and Heather, swum the best I have ever seen them perform it and managed an amazing score of 60.10. A well-deserved Bronze, as Silver place scored 60.50, this was our second biggest category against 18 other teams. This Division event really is one of two very elite categories the other is Division 2, (15-18 year olds). Both categories are very tough, with athletes qualified to a high standard. It is the second time we have competed in this area and have never medalled before. This team spent a lot of sessions without a complete 10 swimmers, as some of the swimmers, including Heather, were chosen to train in London for an elite squad (London Region) to compete at the Beacon Games (a lot of GB talent gets chosen/ scouted at these events) so this was a challenge at times. The Combo Cup is won by the club that scores the highest points, Aqualina came 5th overall out of over 40 clubs from the UK. To say I am immensely proud as Chairman of this club, would be an understatement, with just 3 hours of pool time and 1 hour of land training, we certainly hold our own. We were up against clubs that contain GB talent squad swimmers and train some 16 hours per week, they have over 100 swimmers to select their squads from. Kerri has an all-inclusive ethic, which serves us very well. She manages to get the best out of her swimmers, they have so much respect for her, and the feelings are reciprocated.

Tom Brennan Chairman, Aqualina SSC – (Recently elected President of Swim England Hertfordshire)

Stevenage Police Cadets are looking for 14 – 18 year olds to join them

Dear Watch Member Do you know anyone aged between 14 -18 who is looking for a new challenge or is considering a career with the police? Becoming a Stevenage Police Cadet is an excellent way to learn about police procedures, improve leadership, confidence and communication skills as well as having the chance to take part in activity camps, survival weekends and helping the Stevenage Police Safer Neighbourhood Team with Community events. Stevenage Police Cadets meet at Longfield Training and Rescue Centre, Hitchin Road, Stevenage every other Tuesday.

To find out more please email: carina.kennedy@herts.pnn.police.uk

Verity Soued Watch Liaison Officer

Neighbourhood Watch

Dates for your Diary 2018/19 Monday 15 July – Presentation Evening, 6-8pm Friday 19 July – last day of term. Students dismissed at 12.20. Harmony Camp: 29th July – 3rd August.