From the Headteacher

Dates of school trips and other events can be found on the calendar on the school website:

www.parmiters.herts.sch.uk/calendar Thu 29 Mar - Second half ends, 12 Noon Mon 16 April - First half begins Mon 07 May - Early May Bank Holiday Fri 25 May - First half ends Mon 4 June - Second half begins

Please note: *Mon 2 July - INSET Day - School Closed to Students*

Term Dates

Parents’ Association

Closing Remarks I am coming to the end of my time as Interim Head and will return to my usual role as Deputy Head after Easter. The term seems to have passed very quickly indeed and I can honestly say I have enjoyed every minute. It has been an absolute privilege to lead the school and I am very much looking forward to working alongside Mr Michael Jones as he joins us after Easter. Next term is particularly important for those taking public examinations which start within a couple of weeks of the beginning of the term. We wish all our candidates every success as they prepare for and sit these examinations. I should like to wish you all a very happy Easter holiday. The Summer Term begins on Monday 16th April. Mrs J Stevens Interim Headteacher

Parmiter’s School March 2018

Spring Concert My guests and I, as well as a large number of parents, thoroughly enjoyed the Spring Concert. I never cease to be amazed at what a wide range of talent we have at Parmiter’s and I am extremely grateful to all involved.

Performing Arts Show The recent Performing Arts Show, Affinity, was a triumph. The Watersmeet Theatre in Rickmansworth proved to be an excellent venue at which to showcase the talents of so many students. It was lovely to see how many of the routines had been choreographed by the students themselves and Miss Coakley’s skills and dedication were very much in evidence. I am enormously grateful to her, Mr Bates and Miss Garnish as well as many other colleagues for giving our students this fantastic opportunity to perform and at such a high level.

Parents’ Association We are very fortunate to have a very active Parents’ Association here at Parmiter’s. The committee meets regularly to plan and run events which both raise great sums of money for the school which is vital in this period of economic austerity and helps to foster the family spirit that we value here.

Please consider carefully how you could help the PA in person, financially or at an event as every student at the school benefits from the money they raise. Information about forthcoming events can be found on the School website.

Road Safety I would like to urge all parents to speak to their children about keeping themselves safe whilst travelling to and from school. Unfortunately, we have recently had a couple of near misses. Students walking to school should be mindful when crossing the road. Too often they are deeply engrossed in looking at something on their phone or listening to music with both earphones in. Cyclists doing “wheelies” put themselves as well as other road users in danger and I would like to remind students that they should use the underpass at the bottom of High Elms Lane and not attempt to cross the dual carriageway in any other way.

Turning Circle I am aware that the turning circle is particularly congested at the end of the school day but I would ask that drivers are respectful of others whilst waiting to collect their children.

Congratulations We are proud to announce the birth of Anouska, a daughter, to Mrs Wharton and her husband. We wish them well and hope that Luka is a proud big brother.

Family Quiz Night Saturday 28 April 2018

7.30pm

Make sure you buy your tickets for this popular event which is always a sell-out! Full details are

available on the school website.

Please email us if you have any questions: PA@parmiters.herts.sch.uk

See you there!

Our next meeting is on Tuesday 8th May at 7.30pm

Please come along, everyone is welcome!

Stay connected with the PA social app: parent.classlist.com Parmiters School Parents Association Group Page

Email: PA@parmiters.herts.sch.uk

Friday 16th March saw the ‘Live Show Finals’ of Parmiter’s Got Talent 2018. An enthusiastic audience were entertained by 20 acts including singing, dancing, playing instruments and gymnastics. All of the acts gave fantastic performances and deserve our congratulations and thanks for taking part. The judges Mrs Perry, Miss Chapman and Adam McKinnon (Head Boy), had a difficult time deciding the winners, as all performances were of an exceptionally high standard. However, the final placings were as follows:

Junior winner: George Warden (Year 8) playing guitar and singing ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran Junior runner up: Lily Palmer & Sofiya Povoas (Year 8) performing a mix of contemporary street dance to ‘The Greatest Show’ from The Greatest Showman Senior winner: Lauren Bennett (Year 11) playing ‘Nocturne’ by Chopin on piano Senior runner up: KOBRO (Eashan & Arjun Kotecha – Year 7 & 10) singing ‘Photograph’ by Ed Sheeran

Thanks to everyone who supported this event over £800 profit was made on the night! This money will be used by our True Adventure teams to support local village projects in Tanzania and Cambodia in 2019.

Thank you!

Mr Cummings and all the True Adventure students.

Parmiter’s Got Talent

Hot Chocolate and Hot Cross Buns

Following on from their successful Hot Chocolate and Carols event at Christmas, Parmiter’s Christian Union and Prayer Group held a fun and creative Easter Hot Chocolate and Hot Cross Buns craft event after school on 22 March.

It was an opportunity for students throughout the school to take time out and reflect on the approaching Easter season whilst having fun and enjoying seasonal refreshments!

A large and enthusiastic team from Years 11-13 were on hand to help students make chocolate egg filled carrot decorations, create Easter crosses out of pegs and paint pebbles.

Live music from Head Boy, Adam McKinnon, and Sarah Adewole provided an inspiring backdrop as students unleashed their creative talents. The relaxing bean bag chill out zone proved particularly popular as students paused to listen to the medley of Easter and other songs.

The Revd Eddie Green, vicar of All Saints, gave a short talk on the significance of Easter and gave students the opportunity to write prayers and hang them on the illuminated Easter cross that he had brought with him.

Oli Bourton, Year 13 CU co-leader said, “We’re so happy that so many people came to relax and have a break before Easter. Everyone who came really enjoyed it. This wouldn’t have been possible without the students, parents and members of staff who helped organise the event so a huge thanks to them and to everyone who came.” The CU meets every Wednesday lunchtime from 1.15-2.15pm. Everyone always welcome!

Sports Round Up

The end of the spring term has seen a new addition to the House Championship with the introduction of a table tennis tournament for Years 7, 8 and 9. Thank you to Mr Smith and the Year 10 Sports Leaders for organising this enjoyable and successful event. The winning houses were as follows: Year 7 - Woolley, Year 8 - Renvoize and Year 9 - Beven. Congratulations to all who took part!

Although Lee are still leading with 152 points ahead of second place Beven, there is still much to play for and there will be many more opportunities during the summer term when we can expect to see some significant changes in fortune.

The annual Sports Day being held at Woodside Stadium on Thursday 21 June can be a real game changer and, Renvoize, as the overall winners of last year’s athletics meeting, should draw some encouragement and will hopefully see themselves moving from the bottom place in the championship.

Before the end of term, further points will be awarded for the ‘It’s OK to tell’ logo competition and the Intermediate Maths Challenge.

U12XI District Tournament The U12 hockey squad have come on leaps and bounds this year, developing into confident and competent players. Their leaders have been excellent and have supported training and matches whenever possible. Thank you especially to Melissa Coates and Abbie Poole. The District Tournament took place at the Royal Masonic School, with 6 teams in the A tournament and 5 in the B tournament. Both teams were unbeaten and did not concede a single goal! The outstanding player of the B tournament was Dola Abraham, who kept a clean sheet with some amazing last minute saves. With 2 wins and 2 draws, the B team finished 2nd. The A team were outstanding in their tournament. They beat every team convincingly and achieved a 4-0 win over St Michael’s. Strong attacking by Rhianna Wood, Gabby Miller and Alice Battistini in midfield, supported by Gemma Nottage who was solid in defence, meant that the team members were crowned District Champions. Well deserved!

Mrs Wood *****

YEAR 9 BASKETBALL TEAM WIN THE COUNTY RALLY As reported in the last edition, the Year 9 squad have already had success this season; winning the County Rally in January. However, at that point there was still the District League and County League to play for.

Year 9 Table Tennis

Having won the District League in Year 8, the boys were determined to defend their crown this season. After a tentative win over St Clement Danes in the first game, they won the next three games against St. Michael’s, Rickmansworth and Watford Boys convincingly, with an average winning margin (across all four games) of an amazing 30 points per game. The County League brings together the eight strongest teams in Hertfordshire. The boys finished the regular season in second place where our opponents were Sandringham. We were expecting a tough game but the outcome was never in doubt. Tough defence and good execution on offense led to a comfortable 79 – 58 win in what was one of the best performances of the year. The final pitted us against Queens’ School – last year’s County Champions and a team that have made the National Final this season. By the end of the first half, Parmiter’s had a 9-point lead. The second half followed a similar pattern, with Queens’ reliant on just one outstanding player and Parmiter’s displaying excellent team basketball. With two minutes to go, the game was tied at 94 – 94 and nails were being well and truly bitten. Queens’ scored the next decisive basket and, despite their best efforts, the boys were unable to claw it back, eventually losing 103-99. Disappointed and exhausted the team showed great sportsmanship in defeat and the loss should not taint what has been a fantastic season – two trophies out of three is not bad! Thanks to all the supporters who came to the final and gave us massive vocal support and to all the boys who have worked hard all season. In September, we go again!

Mr Henson

House News