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Friday 26th May, 2023

FROM THE DEPUTY HEAD’S DESK

Last week, I had the privilege of viewing the stunning art
and 3D art gallery of pupils’ GCSE work, which
demonstrated a degree level of ability at times. Whilst
viewing the art, I became engaged in a conversation with
the teachers about Artificial Intelligence creating art and
the impact this would have on artists. It was a fascinating
conversation about what makes something 'art'. Of
course, Artificial Intelligence will have a much wider and
global impact on the shape of the labour market in the
future.
Change is an inevitable part of progress and, with so much
recent speculation in the press, I have pondered the
question of whether teachers will ever become obsolete
with the emergence of new AI technologies in education.
I believe that teachers are indispensable in the learning journey of pupils. While AI technologies have incredible
potential, they cannot replace the unique qualities and skills that teachers bring to the classroom. Most people
have a story to tell about a teacher who had a large impact on their lives. Those stories are usually about the
way our teachers made us feel confident and capable, rather than about the simple transfer of knowledge.
Teachers possess the ability to connect on a personal level, empathise, and nurture the holistic development of
our children.
AI technologies, however, will become more embedded in education and will serve as powerful tools that
complement and amplify our impact. They can assist teachers in analysing data, streamlining administrative
tasks, and providing personalised recommendations. By leveraging AI, we can optimise teachers' time and focus
on what we do best: guiding, mentoring, and inspiring our pupils.
Rather than replacing us, AI technologies act as partners, expanding the possibilities for personalised and
adaptive learning. We can harness the power of AI to gain deeper insights into our pupils' individual needs,
learning styles, and progress. Armed with this knowledge, we can tailor our instruction and support to meet the
unique requirements of each pupil, ensuring that no one is left behind.
As educators, we understand the importance of embracing innovation while preserving the invaluable
contributions we bring to the classroom. At Saint Nicholas, we are beginning to explore the benefits and pitfalls
of AI, finding a way to navigate the ever changing educational landscape. We should embrace the
transformative power of AI as a tool for growth, collaboration, and personalised learning, while cherishing the
role we play in shaping the lives of our young people.
...and as a final thought, or possibly a confession, AI helped produce this article. Can you spot which elements
were written by the computer and which elements were written by human mind?
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 FAREWELL AND GOOD LUCK
Today, we say farewell and good luck to two dear colleagues:

We send our love and best wishes to Mrs McIntyre, Form RM

teacher, as she departs today to begin her maternity leave.

Mrs McIntyre and her husband are excitedly awaiting the

arrival of their little one and we can’t wait to meet the baby in
the coming weeks.

Jenny Martin has been our Publicity Officer for 7

years, during which time she has produced our
wonderful weekly newsletters and kept us abreast of
the many school events via social media.

Jenny is moving onto pastures new, and we send her

our very best wishes as she begins her exciting new
adventure.

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 YEAR 2 TRIP TO THE BARBICAN
Last week, Year 2 pupils enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Barbican Concert Hall in London, to watch the
London Symphony Orchestra, as they played music from the story of Stan and Mabel and the Race for
Space. The concert included singing from the schools attending, with a narrator to link everything
together. Pupils were able to talk to Patrick Laurence, a London Symphony Orchestra bass player, and
they were amazed to hear his instrument was over 200 years old! It was a fabulous introduction to live
orchestral music and was enjoyed by all who attended.

MATHLETICS
Congratulations to Evelyn
in Year 2, Julia in Year 3,
and Art and Emilia in Year
5 who have all achieved
their gold Mathletics
certificates. Great work!

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 JACK THE RIPPER TOUR
Report by Freddie, Year 8

Recently, Year 8 pupils have been studying and creating projects on Jack the Ripper. To illustrate the
project and deepen our understanding, we had the opportunity to go to Whitechapel and participate
in a tour of what was the Ripper’s heartland.

We started the day bright and early and the journey to London was smooth, with very little traffic. At
one point, some of the pupils saw Prince William, the Prince of Wales, drive past but unfortunately I
was too busy talking.

On arrival, we headed to meet our tour guide, Angie. She began by leading us down a street where she
gave us an engaging explanation on how the poor lived all those years ago, and also warned us that
the tour might get a little gory at points.

We passed by several historical sites, including the pubs the Ripper’s victims, Polly Nichols and
Elizabeth Stride, used to frequent. Knowing that we had walked passed the site where those women
had spent what little money they had to enjoy a drink, moments before meeting their tragic end, was
rather chilling.

Angie showed us several photos from the murder sites, which were rather gruesome, and her
explanations were very engaging. She did an excellent job of keeping our attention throughout.

Soon enough, the tour was complete, but the day wasn’t over yet. We took a walk to a nice little
square, where we ate our lunch and relaxed, having done quite a bit of walking. We then hopped back
onto the bus and eventually arrived back at school.

Thank you very much to our guide, Angie, for giving us such a great tour, Mrs Johnson for organising
the trip and Mr Russell and Mrs Walker for assisting. It was a fantastic day!

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 KINGS CORONATION POETRY
Report by Hope, Year 10

On Wednesday 10th May, Ms Jeppesen and Mr Wilson took a

group of pupils, who had volunteered to read and write a
poem for the Kings Coronation, to the Fitzwilliam Court
Retirement Village. The residents were very impressed with
our poems and grateful that we had taken the time to visit
them. Afterwards, we gave the residents some cupcakes and
spent time chatting with them, and loved hearing about their
encounters with the Royal Family over the years. Overall, it
was a great experience for everyone involved and a fitting
tribute to King Charles III.

ECO CLUB
Thanks to the hard work of the eco club pupils clearing out the pond last week, the area is now looking
great. This week, Forest School, and lower school pupils have been benefiting from the improvements
made to the eco garden. The allotments are growing beautifully and wildlife around the pond is
thriving.

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 NURSERY
Do you know anyone either considering a career
in Early Years childcare or thinking about a job
move to a different nursery setting?

The staff at our lovely Rocking Horse Nursery are

holding an informal recruitment open morning
this Saturday, 27th May, from 9.30am – 11am, to
provide an opportunity for interested parties to
meet the team, visit the setting, ask questions
about current staff vacancies and talk to our staff
about life as a Rocking Horse Nursery
practitioner?

Please spread the word and do encourage anyone

showing interest to get in touch by calling 01279
215965.

THIS WEEK IN PRE-SCHOOL

This week, the Caterpillar children have been learning about flowers and bumble bees. They have
participated in a number of activities to strengthen their fine motor skills. They have also enjoyed
bumble bee yoga and learning the 'waggle dance'.

Meanwhile, the Butterfly room children have been learning about space. They have junk modelled
rockets, enjoyed role play based around going on a trip to the moon and have used balloons to see
how a space rocket moves.

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 CELTIC HARMONY TRIP
On Monday, Year 3 pupils enjoyed a fantastic day, being transported back in time to the Iron Age at
Celtic Harmony. Taking on the role of two tribes, the wolf tribe and the raven tribe, the children took
part in activities to earn golden coins. As chieftains of their tribe, children tried their hand at archery,
where multiple bullseyes were scored, and also made their own fires. All in all, they had a great day
out and learned lots to complement their in class learning so far.

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ENERGY DAY RAPS
Pupils in Year 5 have been writing musical
raps for Green Flag Energy Day at school,
which will be taking place on Monday 5th
June. They have looked at the rhythms in
the words and kept a steady beat when
performing. This rap was written by
Martha and Uma, well done!

POND DIPPING
Reception and Year 1 pupils enjoyed pond dipping in their Forest School sessions last Friday. They
successfully identified snails, newts and baby dragon flies.

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 READATHON SUCCESS
A huge well done to Evelyn in Form 2G and Poppy in Form 2S,
who have raised an impressive £400 and £100 respectively for
the charity Readathon. The money raised will help buy books for
children in hospital, as well as the school library.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Please see below useful dates for your diary for the next few weeks:

 29th May - 2nd June - Half term holiday

 5th June - Green Flag energy free day
 6th June - Class photographs
 7th June - Year 7 wellbeing day
 7th June - Year 10 history pupils to the Tower of London
 8th June - Year 2 trip to Walton-On-The-Naze
 8th June - Reception pupils (September 2023) induction session (9am - Midday)
 8th June - Year 6 relationships and sex education morning
 8th June - Year 5 and 6 Flamenco workshop
 9th June - Year 5 trip to Harry Potter Studios
 9th June - Year 10 biology trip to FSC Epping Forest
 10th June - Friends Summer Fayre (Midday—3pm)
 13th June - Friends Father’s Day gift sale
 15th June - Year 8 and 9 theatre in education performance
 16th June - Harry Potter enrichment day
 16th June - Year 4 trip to the Barbican to see the London Symphony Orchestra
 16th June - Reception Father’s Day breakfast
 16th June - Little Saints Race For Life event

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 SPORTS REPORT
SCHOOL GAMES GOLD MARK AWARD

We are delighted to announce that Saint Nicholas has achieved the School
Games Gold Mark Award for the 2022/23 academic year.

This award scheme is a Government-led programme launched in 2012,

facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust, to reward schools for their
commitment to the development of competition across their school and
into the community, and we are delighted to have been recognised for our
success.

Our sporting achievements this year have included over 35 competitions and festivals entered across Key
Stage 1 and 2, multiple medals achieved in rugby, cross country, netball, futsol, football, netball and
swimming to name but a few, and over 100 of our fantastic pupils competing in local inter-school
competitions. We are incredibly proud of our pupils for their dedication to all aspects of school sport,
including those young volunteers, leaders and officials who made our competitions possible.

As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas of participation, competition,
workforce and clubs, and we are pleased that everyone’s hard work has been rewarded this year. We look
forward to applying once again in 2024.

Mr Tucker

NETBALL

Report by Tilly, Year 4

On Friday 19th May, the Year 3 and 4 Saint Nicholas team took part in a netball tournament at Mark Hall
Academy in Harlow. After a quick warm up, we were split into two smaller teams and played multiple
matches against other Harlow schools. We scored many great goals and won quite a few of the games.
We also lost some games but it was good to see the other teams enjoying their wins. At the end of each
game we shook hands with our opponents and congratulated each other on a good effort. My favourite
part was seeing my school friends cheer us on during the games while their team was on break. On the
journey back to school, we talked about how well we had all played, despite the rainy weather.

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CRICKET

Last Friday saw an outstanding effort by the Year 4 and 5 cricket club pupils, some of whom have only
started playing the sport this term.

There were some impressive results, with Team Shubrook winning all of their games and Team Graves
winning their group. Despite these wins, the Saint Nicholas teams were narrowly denied the overall
win, based on the number of runs, but everyone is incredibly proud of their efforts.

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