Parental Bulletin 14 December 2017

Parental Bulletin
14th December 2017

The Knights Templar School
Headteacher:
Mr T. Litchfield, G.G.S.M.
Park Street
Baldock
Herts SG7 6DZ
Email: admin@ktemplar.herts.sch.uk Tel: 01462 620700
PARENTAL WEEKLY UPDATE – 14th December 2017
(available on our website)
Dear Parents and Carers
Thank you for your understanding when I had to close the school on Monday. This is always
a difficult decision but conditions on our school site and surrounding roads were very dangerous.
I was pleased that we were able to open on Tuesday even though conditions were
very icy.
The run in to the final day of term (midday on 20 th December) is a very busy one indeed.
I have just popped my head into the Christmas Fair and the students have made a magnificent effort to sell a wide
range of Christmas gifts. This event is run by the students, for the students and the community.
I am looking forward to the Christmas Concerts in the school hall on Monday. This is a school event where lots of
lots of our drama, dance and music students perform some of their work. On Tuesday we will be having our Christmas
lunch and on Wednesday we will be finishing the term with our traditional carol services at St Mary’s
Church.
I do hope that you will be able to join us on Monday night for the re-arranged Nine Lessons and Carols service that
we will be holding at St Mary’s Church starting at 7pm. Ours students will be singing and reading and for the first
time this year we have a community choir singing a chorus from Handel’s Messiah – I look forward to seeing you
there.
I do hope that lots of students will be wearing a Christmas jumper on either Monday or Tuesday or both. Donations
of £1 will go to Save the Children and for this students can wear their Christmas jumper over their shirt and tie.
I was honoured to be invited to the Sixth Form Dinner Dance last evening. It was a wonderful event! The students
looked fabulous in their ball gowns and black tie! Please look out for a report in a special Sixth Form Bulletin next
week.
The PE department have drawn my attention to the large amount of dog mess on the sports field at the moment. I
am sure you are aware of the dangers to young people that dog mess presents. This land is private property and
whilst the borders are not closed in with fences, members of the public should not be walking their dogs there.
This will be our final parental bulletin before Christmas and may I take the opportunity to wish you a very happy
and safe Christmas holiday. Please may I remind you that school starts for all students on Thursday 4 th January.
This is a week B timetable. Please ensure that your child has the correct books and equipment on that day.
Happy Christmas!
Kind regards
Tim Litchfield
Headteacher

Dates for your Diary
Thursday 14 12 17 Christmas Fete, Hall, till 6pm. All welcome after school.
Friday 15 12 17 Christmas Concert Rehearsals
Monday 18 12 17 Christmas Concerts
Carol Service, St Mary’s Church
Tuesday 19 12 17 Christmas Dinners
Brass Visit to Primary Schools
Wednesday 20 12 17 St Mary’s Services
Final day of term. School closes at 12pm.
Year 7 Parents’ Evening – Tuesday 9 th January 2018
The on-line booking system for this parents’ evening will be opening on Friday 15 th December and bookings can be
made via the instructions on the letter sent home via email.
If you don’t have access to use the online booking system then please let me know so that your appointments can
be booked through the school.
Kind regards
Mrs K Curtis
Year 7 Leader
To all Year 9 and 10 Parents and Carers
Meningitis and Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio vaccine consent forms.
I sent out the Vaccine consent forms to all parents and carers on Tuesday via email, and have asked
that the forms are returned to me tomorrow, Friday 15 th December 2017.
If you have an issue with a printer or have difficulty accessing the attachment please let me know and I can send
one to you. I need to have pages 3 and 4 returned using both sides of the paper.
In the past we have had parents send back a scanned email of a signed copy, unfortunately the nurses will not accept
this as a parent or carers consent; we do need to have a paper copy returned.
Thank you for your help with this.
Jane Mance School Medical Officer
Priory Picnics serve up a lesson on e-commerce
Rupert Prior, owner of Priory Picnics, visited the school this week to be interviewed
by year 11 business students. Mr Vallier’s business class had the opportunity
to ask Mr Prior questions relating to his business and to identify areas he
could improve on relating to e-commerce and social media.
The session was held after school and the students gained first hand information
that will assist them in their controlled assessment in January/February.
Mr Prior commented “the students really have an up to date knowledge of social
media and how it can benefit businesses. I look forward to seeing their ideas later
in the year.”

Year 7 Maths Workshop – Monday 4 th December 2017
Approximately 70 pupils took part in a Maths Workshop a week ago and a good time was had by all. The pupils
were given several opportunities to test their problem solving skills and the activity ended with the pupils
constructing a giant pyramid in their groups. A special mention should go to Freddy Challis who was awarded the
individual prize for the best individual performance on the day. Pupils asked said:-
‘It was challenging and fun’
‘It was really fun and I liked the problem solving
activities’
Karen Dixon
‘I liked climbing into the giant tetrahedron’
Head of Mathematics
Stocking Fillers!
Calculators make great stocking fillers and only cost £6.50 – available from Student Services
Karen Dixon
Head of Mathematics
Library News
Half Price Book Fair
Thank you to everyone who supported the half-price book fair by purchasing books, stationary and posters.
There was a fantastic selection of book titles and we enjoyed another successful year raising over £500. The
commission from our sales will allow the library to purchase a large selection of books for the library collection.
Second Hand Book Sale
This year’s second hand book sale is in aid of North Herts Sanctuary, a charity tackling homelessness in the
county, and Book Aid International a UK-based library development charity working in sub-Saharan Africa to
help more people discover the joy and value of reading. The sale will be included as part of this year’s Christmas
Fate.
KTS Apple Juice—half termly supply!
You can now order 6 week’s of apple juice in one go and save £3!
For just £12, collect your apple juice every Friday morning from Reception.
You can pay via WisePay (from tomorrow onwards) or by cash at Reception.
Your first bottle will be available for pick up on 5th January 2018.

And London shops on Christmas Eve
Are strung with silver bells and flowers
As hurrying clerks the City leave
To pigeon-haunted classic towers,
And marbled clouds go scudding by
The many-steepled London sky.
From Christmas by John Betjeman
KTS Art Department wishes all of our
students and their families:
A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS
& ALL THE BEST FOR 2018!
Christmas shopping, London by Vivien Laura Verey
Ski Trip Update
A place on the ski trip to Colorado in April 2018 has become available. Please contact Mrs Curtis as soon as possible
if you are interested.

DofE Update
New Bronze Award holders in Year 10
Congratulations to the following students in Year 10 who have achieved their Bronze DofE Awards .
Aaron Oyston Samuel Matthews
Billy Thompson Ewan Macdonald
William Clark Jack Toombs
Lotte Goddard James Naufal-Power
Anna Wallis Olivia McNally
Annie Buky Benjamin Ross
Katy Wayne Rhys Davies
Gage Harrigan Luke Brookes
David Baldwin Shaan Chahal
Lucius Wong
New Gold Award holders
We are delighted that the following Year 13 students and former students have completed their
Gold Awards.
Aldo Luggeri Luke Mills Samuel Tomlinson
Leon Collis
Samuel Prior
Luke Mills and Samuel Prior are current Year 13 students. For his Gold
Award, Luke volunteered with the Baldock Allotment Leisure Gardeners Association,
staffing the members shop and working in and leading work parties
to improve the allotment sites. His Skill Section saw him develop his allotment,
growing some fantastic produce. For his Physical section, Luke went to
the gym regularly. Sam volunteered with1st Baldock Knights Cubs, played in
the Letchworth Roller Hockey team for his Physical Section and learned the
saxophone for his Skill.
At Gold level, a Residential Section also needs to be completed. Luke
took part in a National Trust Youth Discovery Week in Ashridge, learning
about conservation management and taking part in woodland/scrub
clearance. Sam’s Residential saw him sailing with the Island Trust along
the south Cornish coast from Plymouth on the Moosk (pictured),
achieving his RYA Competent Crew during the week.

Success for ex KTS Student
Oliver Wing, who graduated from KTS in 2013, left to study Geography
at the University of Bristol. He is now a PhD student there
and has been working on some ‘cutting edge science’ with the
flood-mapping organisation Fathom. He has recently presented
his research at a conference in the U.S.
The BBC have published this
article about Oliver’s research.
He attributes getting to this point as being down, ‘in no small part, to my geography
teachers at KTS. The dedication, patience and expertise that was exercised by
the department sparked a hunger that I will be trying to sate for the rest of my
career’.
There will be a special Sixth Form Christmas
bumper edition of the bulletin next week.