Head's Headline
It’s been a busy month at Croxley Danes which has seen our Year 11 and Year 13 students sit their mock examinations. I would like to thank the students for the way in which they have conducted themselves throughout the process, with maturity and diligence. A large number of our Year 13 students are now in the process of applying to university, with offers having been received already.
It’s been a pleasure to see students take part in various fundraising events this month including our annual Christmas Jumper Day and our Staff Dress Up Day which took place today. Both of which were arranged by our People and Planet students with all proceeds going to Save the Children. We’ve also been proud to support local causes, collecting food donations on behalf of Watford Foodbank and toys and gifts for South West Herts Partnership. Thank you so much to all who donated for your generous contributions.
Our annual Christmas Concert took place last week, which was a great success and our inaugural Annual Awards ceremonies took place on Tuesday 19th December. This was a fantastic way to end the term. Congratulations to all the students who received awards.
Finally, I want to thank you for your support throughout this term. I wish you a restful Christmas holiday and a happy, healthy and peaceful year in 2024.
MR S THOMPSON
Headteacher, Croxley Danes School
People and Planet Students in Parliament
On Wednesday 6th December, Parneet in Year 8 and Amaya in Year 9 represented Croxley Danes’ People and Planet group at an event hosted in the Houses of Parliament by Christian Aid, Oxfam and other charitable organisations.
Artwork by students from across the UK including from Croxley Danes was displayed at the event with the focus being on climate justice and how the impacts of climate change are felt unevenly around the globe.
Christmas Concert 2023
On Thursday 14th December, we opened our doors to parents to present our annual Croxley Danes Christmas Concert.
The evening was a glorious celebration of the many talents we have at Croxley Danes. The programme consisted of many varied and impressive performances, including some from the brass ensemble, jazz band and choir. There were covers from The Police, Elton John, a show-stopping ABBA medley and some stunning solo performances. We were even treated to a sneak preview of the sixth form pantomime, Aladdin, ahead of the full performance taking place in January.
We were reminded of the many talented and dedicated students we have at our school and the superb music staff who support them. Everyone left feeling thoroughly entertained and in high festive spirits.
Christmas Collections for Local Families
We were delighted this year to run two collections in support of local families in the run up to Christmas - our annual food bank appeal for Watford Foodbank and the Christmas Gift Appeal for South West Herts Partnership.
Our food bank collection was a great success with a large amount of donations received from students and their families for Watford Foodbank, a trust that supports people in unfortunate and desperate situations who may be going hungry for a range of reasons such as redundancy or family breakdowns.
Croxley Danes at Three Rivers Youth Council Forum
Croxley Danes were delighted to send two representatives, Abigail (Y7) and Aanya (Y9) to the Student Council Forum, held at Rickmansworth Council on Thursday 23rd November.
Over 20 local schools were represented in person and online including primary and secondary schools. Students listened to speakers from the Sustainable Three Rivers group, learning all about the community garden that they have developed in Rickmansworth and the benefits that this has on the local community.
U13 Girls' Football Team on Winning Streak
The Croxley Danes U13 Girls Football team have enjoyed a triumphant fortnight with two notable wins. On Tuesday 28th November the girls put on an incredible performance in the EFL Girls’ Cup. After competing against a host of local schools, they won this round of the competition with a 1-0 victory against Beaumont. The team did not concede a single goal in this stage of the tournament, taking them one step further towards playing at Wembley Stadium!
Later that week the team played in the English Schools Football Competition, beating last year’s National New Team semi-finalists to secure a place as one of the last 32 teams in the competition. A last minute goal from Bella sealed the 3-2 win and topped off a superb team performance.
Year 12 Students at Mock COP28 Summit
A select group of Year 12 students visited Northwood College along with Mrs Cox (Assistant Headteacher) last week to take part in a Mock COP28 summit alongside students from Watford Boys, Northwood College and Harrow School. The format was similar to a Mock United Nations conference, focusing on climate change and environmental issues.
Participants were in country teams where they had to represent the position that their country might be taking in climate change negotiations, voting on different motions that were put forward and take part in an open debate.
Parent Association Update
We need your help!
We have an enthusiastic new committee on board who have made a great start raising funds by running the Year 7 disco and supporting the Christmas concert.
We are collaborating with the Sixth Form charity team who have taken an active role assisting at our first two events, helping accelerate them to such success.
We’re looking to continue the excellent work of the previous committee who raised over £25k to support the school and students but we need a larger core group of volunteers.
If you’d like to join us in our quest to continue raising vital funds for our school community, or you have some innovative fundraising ideas, please come along to our next meeting on Tuesday 23 January 6.30pm at the school or contact us on CroxleyDanesPTA@gmail.com. We’d love to welcome you onto the team!
