Congratulations to the winners of the Antarctica Flag House Competition – Shaun and Nia, and to the very worthy runners up Alex, Alex, Daisy and Xhemil. Students had to design a flag suitable for the continent and the flags created by the 2 winning students are now on the way to Antarctica where they will be flown by a scientist working in the region.
Well done to all the students who entered the competition – they made judging the winners very tough.
Congratulations to the Girls Year 7 football team who competed in a friendly competition against John Warner School.
There were 2 St Mary’s 5-A-Side teams who won all their matches against John Warner and then finished the competition by playing each other.
Well done to the whole squad, some of which had never played a competitive match before:
Kirsty, Anastasia, Eliza, Jessica, Francesca, Kylah, Nadine, Jayda, Grace and Selena.
Ms Andrews
A hat-trick from Max was not enough to see the Year 9 boys win their first fixture against former competition champions, Haileybury Turnford.
The first half was fast paced and saw St Mary’s concede some early goals that gave the team a lot of ground to make up. At half time, behind and with no goals to show for their efforts, it would have been easy to give up.
Following a formation change, the boys showed great resilience in the second half and benefitted from a more direct style of play. Mason dropped into defense and secured the defensive line. His powerful runs forward caused the opposition issues and at times, it felt like I was at the Tottenham stadium watching Micky Van De Ven. The pinnacle of the half was Max capping off a hat-trick by scoring an over-head bicycle kick that even left the referee applauding.
A lot of lessons to take away from the game and the team will be looking to bounce back in their next fixture.
Mr Hunt
On Monday, 18th November, we were delighted to host Year 5 students from Goff’s Oak Primary School for our Science Festival of Learning. The event was designed to spark curiosity and provide hands-on experiences in various scientific fields.
Throughout the day, the students enthusiastically participated in four engaging and practical experiments:
Each student worked diligently to complete their Passport to Science, recording their discoveries and achievements as they progressed through the activities.
We look forward to welcoming more young scientists in the future as we continue to celebrate the power of curiosity and discovery!
On Friday 8th November a group of Year 13 A Level Biology and BTEC Applied Science students visited the Doctor’s Laboratory at the Halo Building in London. Students went on a tour of the lab, visiting different departments such as Blood Sciences, Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Students had the opportunity to meet the Scientists at work, look at real patient samples and ask any questions they had. They were also told about exciting opportunities for Degree Apprenticeships.
After a spot of lunch students visited the Wellcome collection, a museum connecting Science, medicine, life and art. The students spent some time looking at the exhibits and asking their tour guide any questions they had. A great day was had by all.
Emily Sloan (Science Teacher)
Year 7 have ended their first DT rotation showcasing all the skills they have learnt this term.
knife skills
working with meat safely
using the hob
To mark International Stress Awareness Week, which ran from November 4th to 8th, St. Mary’s held a series of lunchtime activities aimed at supporting students’ mental health and wellbeing. The event was the brainchild of Lily, a Year 9 Wellbeing Ambassador, who wanted to bring stress-relieving activities to her peers in an accessible, enjoyable way.
Each day featured a different activity, reflecting the “5 Ways to Wellbeing,” a set of evidence-based actions that promote mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and negative thoughts. The activities encouraged students to engage with these five principles: Take Notice, Keep Learning, Connect, Be Active, and Give.
Participation was enthusiastic, with each student receiving a sticker for completing a daily activity. Those who collected all five stickers were awarded a token and a small prize as recognition for their commitment to wellbeing.
Reflecting on the experience, Amy, a Year 9 student, shared, “I enjoyed the activities because it was nice to do something different, and I had a lot of fun with my friends.” Oskar, also in Year 9, noted, “I liked playing the board games as it kept me calm.”
The initiative was a success, providing students with tools to manage stress in a supportive and engaging environment, while also encouraging the development of lifelong wellbeing practices.
On Monday the whole school community came together in our Amphitheatre for a service of Remembrance, in memory of all those servicemen and women who gave their lives so that we have freedom today. The service was led by Mr Crosby, with the Headteacher Mr Vaughan reading two war poems, and the Last Post played ahead of a 2 minute silence.
Thank you for your support of the Broxbourne foodbank during our Harvest Appeal. We appreciate the generosity of everyone involved.
Best wishes Elaine Batten and Jeremy Pearce.
