21st December 2012 - Sir John Lawes School

to enhance road safety on the way to and from school) we are now changing our rules on coats for school so theydo NOT have to be a dark colour – however they should be smart and not covered in large or offensive logos.As haircuts are also often a feature of the holidays, can we remind students and parents that hair should be anatural colour and not an extreme style? Any colourful hair-dye should be washed out before returning to schooland no haircuts should be shorter than a number 2. In addition, boys’ haircuts should not have too extreme adifference in lengths between the top and the sides – some of our students are starting to look dangerously likethey are sporting mohicans! Please don’t be swayed by cries of, ‘everyone does it!’ I can assure you they don’tand anyone who does not follow our uniform code should expect to be removed from lessons until they do.Not a particularly festive note to end on, so I shall make sure I finish positively by reminding you that highlightsfrom both the occasions I have mentioned above and many other activities which have taken place over the lastterm will be available to view in our podcast so do use the link on our website to get a first-hand view of the action!I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and all good things in the New Year!As always, if you have any comments or suggestions I would be pleased to hear from you, please contact me athead@sjl.herts.sch.uk.NOTICESClaire RobinsSCHOOL CLOSURESIn exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to close the school during normal hours. In these instances i.e.due to severe weather conditions, we shall inform parents by the following means:BBC Three Counties Radio92.1 FM or 630 AMMercury FM97.5 – 102.7FMSir John Lawes Websitewww.sjl.herts.sch.ukSJL on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/#!/sirjohnlawesSchool telephone message 01582 760043Herts County Council’s website www.hertsdirect.orgEND OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS – BUSESWe were advised earlier in the week that a number of buses would be collecting students early, to accommodatethe early closing of the school. Students were told of this change as soon as possible and we therefore hope thatas many parents as possible were able to take advantage of this opportunity.START OF TERMAll students and staff return to school on the 7 th January which is a normal school day.SPECIALIST SCHOOL NEWSScienceThe Cold Blooded Club have had another successful term. The club is run by Year 12 students Alex Liddingtonand Jake Dearman and is open to year 7 and 8 students. This year the club members have learnt all about avariety of cold blooded animals, such as snakes, toads and lizards. They have worked together to help look afterthe school snake, Tyson, and regularly watch him eat his lunch…! Next term we will have some students bringingin their pets too - last year students brought in a tarantula and a gecko for club members to learn about. Tyson isgoing to Jake’s house for the Christmas holiday. If you are interested in joining the club, please speak to Jake,Alex or Mrs Patteson. The club runs every Wednesday at 1pm in S6.Science Club provides an opportunity for KS3 students, mostly Year 7, to explore different areas of Scienceoutside timetabled lessons, often by means of fun practical experiments and demonstrations. These haveincluded holding fire, investigating convection currents, conducting flame tests for different metals, writing with fire,planning investigations into the best conditions for garden invertebrates and how to get a metal weight to moveagainst gravity.