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Friday 1 May 2020 |
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In last week’s School News, Mrs Wilmot wrote about the importance of connection and communication, particularly in these worrying and uncertain times. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a range of challenges to everyone including how to communicate in different ways – who knew it would take a pandemic for video conferencing to finally take off in a big way?! As parents, you are facing the new challenge of supporting your children in attending their lessons and completing school work in a very different way too. Guided Home Learning has doubtless blurred the lines between ‘home’ and ‘school’ although I know many of you have enjoyed the opportunity to find out more about the subjects your daughter is taking. However, communicating with young people during a time of worry and uncertainty will also be a challenge. Parents will want to reassure their children and keep them motivated and positive. But what if you are struggling yourself with concerns about job stability, finances and health? For some time now, GDST schools including Northampton High have been using a programme called ‘Positive’. Positive is a package of information and tools which can be used by adults and children to help them to both understand their own mental wellbeing and also challenge negative thoughts in order to build emotional resilience. The first thing that staff learn in a Positive training course is that they are better teachers, better communicators and can support the children they teach better if they feel mentally well themselves. We use Positive in all kinds of ways, from teaching positive psychology theory in PSHEE lessons, to utilising the app and other tools in our Confidence and Challenge programme and, more recently, offering short mentoring courses with our Wellbeing Assistant based around Positive. As strong advocates of the Positive approach, we are therefore delighted that they have written a 5 module course for parents called Managing Your Mind. Managing Your Mind is a digital programme designed to help boost tolerance of uncertainty and help you navigate some of the psychological challenges specifically associated with Coronavirus. I will be sending you details of how to join in the programme (hosted on the school’s Firefly platform) on Monday and hope that it proves a useful tool for you in these uncertain times. Adele O’Doherty |
Our first Virtual Open Morning, Friday 1 May |
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We know that there is no substitute for visiting our School in person, chatting to our brilliant students and colleagues and feeling the atmosphere in the corridors and classrooms. As we were due to host our annual May Open Morning today, we decided that a worldwide pandemic would not stop us! Therefore, we held our first Virtual Open Morning today to give families a flavour of life as a student at Northampton High School, and our unique educational offer.
If you would like to view our films featuring many of our pupils and teachers, please follow one of the links below (one better suited to viewing on a desktop computer and the other more responsive for mobile devices). We really hope that you recognise in these pages the special buzz we enjoy at Northampton High School and the endless opportunities that we provide to our students. This may be the first of many virtual events, but fingers crossed we can return to the real-life face-to-face version soon! Hope you and your families are keeping well and staying safe. Amanda Wilmot |
Creative Arts |
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During this period of Guided Home Learning, it has been fantastic to see the submissions of amazing work that continue to pour in from our students of all ages. The creative ways that our pupils are practicing the Arts never ceases to amaze, and we are delighted to showcase some of them in School News. The photo to the left was taken by Sahitya in L4, who took this shot of a beautiful sunrise one morning she was walking into school. We were delighted to receive the 2 below submissions from Harriet in L5, who has displayed some fantastic skill in putting these pieces together. |
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In the below gallery, we see some more fantastic submissions from our students across all ages. We have a superb graphic created by Emily in L4, which is a touching tribute to the NHS, and another fantastic drawing from Emily which shows off her skills of using perspective. Abigail in U3 has sent in this fantastic picture of Hedwig from Harry Potter, and fellow U3 pupil Arianna has sent us a picture of her outstanding spring collage, with fresh colours and great layering. Sahitya in L4 has accompanied her lovely shot of the School sunrise by painting this wonderful watercolour, showing clear washes and excellent brushwork. Alessia in U4 has submitted this drawing of her pencil case, which is a great recording of shapes. |
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We see some more fantastic work submissions from our students in the below gallery. Isla in U3 has focused on her drawings from direct observation this week with her ‘Book Shelf’ and ‘Ice Cube’ submissions. There are lovely lines and textures in Eva in L4’s drawing of a rabbit – a great response to her Art task this week. Connie in L4 has shared with us an informative double spread on ceramic artist Kate Malone, with Lois in L4 submitting a lively and colourful Malone study. Finally, we are delighted with Varnikaa in L4’s drawing, which shows great skill and lovely shading.
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Well done to all of our students for their outstanding work. You can view full size images of all of the submissions featured by clicking here, and we look forward to sharing more examples of our students fantastic work over the coming weeks. We also received a lovely message from a former student this week, who has just accepted an offer to attend Central Saint Martin’s Foundation Diploma in Fashion and Textiles starting in September. Zahra completed her A Level exams with us in the summer of 2018, having gained a place to study Fashion design at Kingston University. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond her control, Zahra had to defer that place and reapply this year. During this year, Miss Lycett has supported Zahra to update her portfolio of work, and we have been in contact whilst she has spent time working as an intern at a range of fashion companies in London including Blanc Magazine. Zahra is now excited to be heading to Central St Martin’s to continue her studies and we could not be more proud. Well done, Zahra! Mel Beacroft |
Science |
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As mentioned by Mrs Beacroft above, it has been great to see creative and inventive ways that our students have been studying, as we all start to get more and more familiar with Guided Home Learning. That is no different here in Science, and we have seen a number of fantastic submissions continuing to come in, showing our students’ resourcefulness and imagination. The adjacent and below work was completed by Anna and Katie in L4, and is a superb look at Convection, Insulation and more! Well done girls! |
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The below is a brilliant submission from Verity in L4. In response to a L4 Science task on the topic of Space to show the Earth, Sun and Moon, Verity sent us a picture of her fantastic model. Well done Verity!
Liz Pearson |
Updated Policies |
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We would like to bring your attention to the updated policies in light of COVID-19 and our revised methods of work. Please follow the link here to see our updated Safeguarding and Online Safety policies during this COVID-19 lockdown period. Amanda WIlmot |
Communicating in other ways |
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To keep up to date with all High School news, please follow us on our other platforms as listed below. As ever, for general queries, please contact nhsadmin@nhs.gdst.net or junioradmin@nhs.gdst.net. Your email will be forwarded to the member of staff able to assist you.
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Twitter: @Northampton High, @NHSNursery, @NHSJuniorSchool
Instagram: @northamptonhigh
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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