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Mindful March Shines Through

Let’s take the time to pause, breathe and really take in what’s all around us. This month we’re encouraging our students to take some time to look within. Learning to be more mindful and aware can do wonders for our well-being in all areas of life...
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National Science Week 2021

2020 people may feel was the year of the vaccination but much more happened in Science in the last year with dozens of fantastic science advancements and achievements happening every week that we should continue to celebrate. To this end, we are...
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Kooth Continues to be There for You

We know how difficult the past few weeks have been for you and the young people in your household; dealing with lockdown restrictions and in many cases home schooling.     You may have heard your child mention Kooth through information they...
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From Science Lab to Covid Testing Centre

We welcomed our Year 11s on site for the first of the 3 lateral flow tests, which have to be 3-5 days apart. The Testing site has been set up with military precision and students were superb at keeping to their allocated appointment slots. The test is quick, simple and students...
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World Book Day

This year we will be celebrating World Book Day remotely on Thursday 4th March 2021. During online lessons students will be taking part in World Book Day themed activities, quizzes, and competitions. Every student will also receive a £1 book token on their return to school...
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Creativity in the Cold

Our art teams have been inspired by our recent flurry and this week set a challenge for  staff and students to take advantage of the snow and get creative by making snow sculptures. They also asked GCSE students to take...
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Messages to Year 11

As our Year 11 students prepare for the next round of GCSE assessments when school resumes on site, their teachers have been sending out messages of support to help them feel motivated in their revision. We have been very impressed by how hard our Year 11 students have...
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Year 9 Subject Pathways Virtual Event – Online Now!

Our Subject Leaders have worked hard over the last two weeks to ensure you and your child receive accurate information, regarding their subject, which is essential to you as your child makes their KS4 choices.  Decisions made by Year 9 students about which subjects to study...
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Online Learners of the Week

Well done to all our top online learners this week! You have all gone above and beyond in your home lessons and we’d like to recognise that.
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Children’s Mental Health Week

For Children’s Mental Health Week we are highlighting the importance of mental wellbeing and healthy thought practices to our students. Tutors are making regular welfare calls to pupils with the support of our mental health ambassadors: Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Pitchers and Mrs....
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On the Road to Tokyo

We are launching a fitness challenge for Sandhill pupils and staff, where we must travel from Sandhill to the Olympic Games in Tokyo by running, jogging, walking, dog walking or cycling the distance! This is 5780 miles! So this is a big challenge, but something as a school...
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Pause for Thought on Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated each year on the 27th of January. Each year we remember the six million Jewish men, women and children who were killed in ghettos, mass-shootings, concentration camps and extermination camps by Nazis and their collaborators in Europe. We...
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RISE to the Challenge

RISE are launching our virtual Leadership and Volunteering Programme for young people across Northumberland and Tyne & Wear. They are working in partnership with the Youth Sport Trusts Young Coach Academy and Step Into Sport to deliver a fully paid for...
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Pandemic Poets

Miss Potter’s Year 8 English class were challenged with writing their very own Pandemic Poetry last week and have blown the English Department away with their creativity and talent! Well done 8E – Sandhill View’s very own budding poets! You can read some of...
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Online Learners of the Week

Well done to all our top online learners this week! You have all gone above and beyond in your home lessons and we’d like to recognise that. Pupil Name Year Group: Nominated by: Mia Dennis Year 9 Mrs Parker Spencer Robson Year 9 Miss James Niall Aiston  Year 8 Miss...
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Food Hampers Fit for Purpose

You have no doubt seen the negative coverage in the press for the quality of food hampers for parents who need them to help feed their children during a lack of access to the free school meals they would usually receive. We are happy to report that our provider has...
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School Games Club

Whilst we all know how essential it is to encourage young people to be active at this crucial time, the Tyne and Wear School Games Organisers have met this week to discuss what support and motivation we can also offer parents and guardians in keeping themselves physically and...
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Virtual School Library is Open

Oak National Academy have given free access to their fantastic Virtual School Library for students to read for pleasure while they are learning from home. Each week, there will be a new book to access, this week’s book is The Story of Tracey Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson. All...
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County Lines

County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other forms of “deal line”. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable...
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Online Learner of the Week

Well done to all our top online learners this week! You have all gone above and beyond in your home lessons and we’d like to recognise that. Online Learner: Year Group: Nominated by: Aaron Kelly Year 7 Mr Buckley Niall Aiston Year 8 Miss Summerside Grace Nelson Year 9 Miss...
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Beating the January Blues

Sunderland School Games are running a virtual health and wellbeing event starting on Monday. January 18th or ‘Blue Monday’ as it has come to be known, is regarded as one of the most difficult days for our mental wellbeing. To help combat this, Sunderland School Games have a range...
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Skill Builder Home Learning Challenges

Whilst students are learning from home, this is an ideal opportunity to develop key skills that they might need for the future. By learning about key employability and transferable skills, students are well prepared to adapt to situations in the future. This week, the focus is...
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Year 9 Options: Now a Virtual Event

The options process is due to start for all year 9 students in the coming weeks. We are in the process of changing our planned face to face information and guidance sessions to an online support format. More...
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The Body Coach Returns!

With the return of lockdown, we also have the return of Joe Wicks The Body Coach’s online PE lessons! This is a great way for students to stay fit and active during the lockdown. Joe will be streaming his lessons live...
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GCSE Examinations Update

The summer 2021 GCSE exams have been cancelled and will be replaced by a form of teacher assessment, as yet this has not been confirmed. Btec exams may go ahead in the coming weeks at the discretion of individual schools. Mrs Dodd has...
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Autumn/Winter Term Review

As we advance through what continues to be a very unorthodox school year, we take the time to look back through what our students got up to over the last term. Despite all the difficulties brought by restrictions and procedures to keep everyone safe, we still achieved a lot...
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Step Up Year 7 & 8!

During the lockdown, it is important to keep active, even if it is just going for a walk. We would like to draw your attention to the step-up Sunderland app. The app is available to download on any smartphone. It allows you to record your steps, monitor your activity levels and...
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Christmas – A Time for Giving

With the support of local businesses (Asda, Stagecoach and SCS) the generosity of our fantastic staff,  we have been collecting and assembling food hampers to distribute to our local community. We have also been working with some amazing local charities, who thanks to...
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Getting into the Festive Feel

We celebrated as part of ‘National Christmas Jumper Day’ in support of the ‘Save the Children’ charity by inviting students to join us in school for a non-uniform day with suitable Christmas attire if they had any! We raised £379.51. Thank you to all who contributed. We also held...
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Book Buzz Delivers

Year 7 and 8 pupils finally got their hands on the free books they ordered as part of the ‘Book Buzz’ programme.  We hope that students enjoy their free books and take the time to read them over Christmas. There are many more books available from our LRC should students wish...
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Scholars Visit Hogwarts

The latest Scholars lecture was on the topic of Harry Potter (something you can actually study at University as part of an ‘Education’ degree!) Students analysed the texts of the Harry Potter stories, looking at gender, relationships and LGBTQ+ identity. They...
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Cracking Christmas Cards

Thank you to everyone who entered our recent ‘design a Christmas card’ competition. We had some very colourful and interesting entries. The winner though, goes to Adam Bramley who produced this marvellous – and very professional looking – card for us. Well done Adam, we...
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In Memory of Mr. Ken Field

It’s with great sadness that we recently learned that Mr Field, a former Thorney Close and Sandhill View member of staff, recently passed away. Here, staff share their fond memories of him.   ‘During my time at Thorney Close Ken Field was a...
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Something to Keep in Mind

Just a reminder that Washington Mind are offering students the chance to chat with their staff in order to help support wellbeing during these difficult times. Support for young people will be available remotely from Mon-Fri between 2pm-3pm....
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Scholars Unravel Robin Hood

Dr Alex Brown from Durham University delivered a lecture on Robin Hood, specifically looking at how his story can give us an insight into Medieval life. We learned about the story’s relevance to crime, religion, notions of space and place, and attitudes to the monarch. 
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On a Learning Journey with History

We again examine our curriculum. This week we are taking a look at History with Mrs Southwick who discusses all the subjects and events from Key stage 3 all the way through to what is studied at GCSE. Click below to view the video.  
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All The Facts on Apprenticeships

Year 11 students had the opportunity to meet with different further education, apprenticeship and training providers to explore different pathways for their future study at the end of Year 11. All students must continue in education or training until the age of 18. This does not...
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Festive Fun & Fundraising

On Friday 11th December we will be having an optional Christmas themed non-uniform day. This is in support of Save the Children, whose work aims to support children all around the world with medical care, food, education and wellbeing. We are asking for donations from any...
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Mind a Chat?

Washington Mind are offering students the chance to chat with their staff in order to help support wellbeing during these difficult times. Support for young people will be available remotely from Mon-Fri between 2pm-3pm. Anyone who would like...
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On a Learning Journey with PE

We return to looking at our varied curriculum with our subject leaders taking us through each stage of learning from Year 7 to Year 11. Here, Mrs. Barnes talks about our PE curriculum and what activities and sports students participate in throughout their time at Sandhill. Click...
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Sandhill Scholars Attend their Virtual First Lecture

The Scholars met Dr Adam Guy from Oxford University. The lecture looked at the links between literature and cinema, specifically how some literature takes its inspiration from cinema. Students learned about the early history of filmmaking and the Lumiere brothers, analysed some...
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Make Your Mark

Make Your Mark is the annual vote held by the UK Youth Parliament to find out the issues considered as the most important for young people. This year the vote is being held virtually and the UK Youth Parliament are encouraging as many young people as possible to take part....
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Talking Road Safety

In assemblies we discussed the importance of road safety. As the nights darken and traffic increases after lockdown, it’s important to remember to stop, look, listen and think before crossing the road. More children are killed or seriously injured on their way home from school...
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Keep the Cards Coming

We’re still running our Sandhill View Christmas card competition. There is a Christmas prize for the best entry along with a donation of £25 to a charity of your choice. Deadline Thursday 26th November. Please give entries to your form tutor who will...
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Sandhill Scholars Return

We saw the return of the very successful Scholars programme.  The newly appointed group of pupils will take part in the year-long programme which will include a series of guest lectures, exclusive trips to universities and in-house events from archaeology and skeleton...
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Odd Socks in Support

The theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2020 is: United Against Bullying. Anti-Bullying Week will happen from Monday 16th – Friday 20th November. Whether it is verbal, physical, online or in-person, bullying has a significant impact on a child’s life well into adulthood....
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Virtual Winners

We have welcomed the first two winners of transition prizes from our virtual open evening. Congratulations to Phoenix Wilson who won the art challenge with her coke can inspired by the work of Lora Zombie, and Jenna Gibson who produced our winning DT...
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Together We Can

This year has been tough on everyone, so Children in Need are making mental wellbeing their number one priority. To show support for this they wanted everyone to ‘come as themselves’. This is all about students embracing their identities and wearing whatever makes...
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Sandhill in Remembrance

Every year group took part in our Remembrance Day commemorations. Our students took the time to reflect on why we mark Remembrance Day alongside an impeccably observed two-minute silence alongside the rest of the nation at 11:00am. Though times might be difficult now, and we are...
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Helping Out with Home Learning

We have taken delivery of 150 new laptops to help support the learning of those students who may have to work from home due to isolation. As remote learning becomes more and more important over the course of this pandemic, we have invested into making sure that no child misses...
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