Miss Flynn and Mrs Pearce took the Year 10 and Year 11 BTEC Art students to London on Wednesday 12th February to visit the Tate Modern gallery on the train. The students spent time visiting the exhibitions, taking photos, sketching and observing the collection of art works on show. The students had a great time visiting the gallery and behaved impeccably throughout the trip. Well done Year 10 and 11 students.
Our school show this year is Seussical (Kids). This is a fantastic, colourful romp through many of the Dr Seuss stories. The characters include The Cat in the Hat, Horton, Mayzie le Bird and The Wickershams.
Students in KS3 have started learning the songs this week and will all have the opportunity to participate.
We have also been running auditions and workshops for the principal roles at lunchtimes.
The performances will be on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 June at 6.00pm.
Please do put these dates in your diaries, there will be lots more Seussical news in the coming weeks.
Maroon and Peach class had a visit from the Fire Service. The crew from Stevenage Fire Station, talked to students about the different parts of a fire engine and showed them a set of breathing apparatus. Students were able to try on a helmet, look inside the fire engine and hold the big pincers. The visited ended with students (and staff) being driven around the lower carpark complete with flashing lights.
On Friday 7th February we joined schools across the UK by taking part in Number Day, to raise awareness of the NSPCC by having fun with numbers and celebrating all things maths! It was great to see so many students, and staff, getting involved by ‘dressing up for digits’. We also took part in the NSPCC Rocks competition, with students in all years contributing points by answering questions on their Times Tables Rockstars accounts. Over 3500 schools took part and we were up against tough competition! So while we didn’t win, we finished with an impressive average score of 215 points per student, and a whopping total score of 19,643! Well done to everyone who took part in all of the fantastic maths fun throughout the day.
Year 10 have been learning about how religious faith is an important part of some people’s identity. They have learned that Christians sometimes think, ‘What would Jesus do?’ when they are making hard decisions, and this week the Year 10s started to find out how the teachings of the Islamic faith guide Muslims. We made and rolled dice with some core values of Islam written on them and thought about how these values could influence our lives. For example, how could we show respect to those around us? Or support a charity? Could we commit to being honest all day, every day..?! There were lots of interesting ideas!
Year 9 Red and Lime Classes were really challenged this week in Outdoor Learning and showed real resilience. After lots of preparation work to reinforce our fire safety knowledge, Year 9 chose to make either a teepee or a waffle fire and lit it with the ferro rods. Lime’s fire caught and kept us warm; Red did not manage to light it this week despite HUGE efforts and great sparking skills. This was frustrating for everyone, but they maintained their positivity and are looking forward to trying alternative techniques to make a campfire next time.
Y8 Yellow Class have been learning the features of native British birds, animals and minibeasts to look for outside. They have been thinking about how we could track them without disturbing them and how can we track animals which are nocturnal. Yellow Class ventured into Fairlands Park woodland to develop their observation skills, looking upwards for nests or any resting birds, and down for footprints (and animal poo!) We know Red Kites circle the woods during our lunch break, so the class are developing ways to find out which little creatures live in the woodland and could be Red Kite prey. We will update you with our findings!
Year 7 have been experimenting with different materials in the hope of saving an egg! The students in Cyan researched and explored different methods to help protect their egg. The students then tested their designs by dropping the eggs from the climbing frame. Many of the students succeeded in protecting their egg and really enjoyed the experiment.
We looked around the store at the different job opportunities available. Dom, one of the shop assistants, showed us lots of small animals and let us hold and stroke them. We saw hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, gerbils and fish. In the dog grooming area, we saw a dog having a bath and another having a haircut and blow dry.
Mr Hugo asked us to complete a special mission and buy some milk powder for his new puppies. We asked Dom to help us find it in the store. We took it to the till and gave the cashier the money. We waited for our change and the receipt.
The KS3 Basketball Competition at St. Luke’s School on January 21st was an action-packed event filled with energy, enthusiasm and incredible basketball talent! Five teams from local schools competed in an exciting round-robin format, with each match showcasing impressive skills and determination.
The Valley School had a phenomenal day, dominating the court with outstanding teamwork and precision. Our students demonstrated exceptional ball movement and unselfish play, which drew high praise from other teachers for their ability to pass the ball and involve every team member in the game.
Their focus and collaboration led to a well-deserved first-place finish, standing proudly at the top of the leaderboard among five teams.
This event was more than just a competition—it was a celebration of sportsmanship and camaraderie. All players displayed remarkable respect for one another, embodying the true spirit of fair play.
A heartfelt thank you to St. Luke’s School for hosting such a well-organized and thrilling event. Congratulations to The Valley team for their fantastic achievement—you’ve made the school proud yet again with your hard work and exemplary teamwork!
Headteacher: David Pearce | Contact: Iona Varol (Office Manager)
The Valley School, Broadhall Way, SG2 9BN | Tel: 01438 747274 | Email: iona.varol@thevalley.herts.sch.uk
Senco: senco@thevalley.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher: David Pearce
Contact: Iona Varol (Office Manager)
The Valley School, Broadhall Way, SG2 9BN
Tel: 01438 747274
Email: admin@thevalley.herts.sch.uk
Senco: senco@thevalley.herts.sch.uk