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Friday 11 June 2021 |
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The GDST is a place where ‘Girls Learn Without Limits’ and as I write this piece I am sitting at the side of the track on our amazing school fields, watching our pupils do exactly that. Yes, they are having enormous fun as it is Sports Day but the excitement is like nothing I have ever seen on Sports Day before; they are fizzing, bouncing and cheering their House on like mad. What they are hopefully, albeit subliminally, learning is that the bleak times do not last and we can find the sunshine within the grey clouds when we try. We were determined to have our Sports Day today and I couldn’t be more proud of our House Leaders in Senior School and House Captains in Junior School for corralling their teams and making this a day to remember. Sports Day ends the first week of our two-week Limitless Learning programme for our Year 11 and 13 pupils. With no exams and little opportunity to go anywhere on holiday we wanted to offer these two year groups something beyond their GCSE and A Level studies to inspire and motivate them. The Year 11 programme has almost entirely been offered by our wonderful staff and has included lectures on utopian and dystopian themes in literature, Vienna and the birth of modernism, why the Holocaust happened. We have had practical sessions including life skills, leadership skills and surviving and cooking skills for university, whilst the Science faculty have offered both Engineering masterclasses and opportunities to undertake environmental fieldwork. Additionally, a huge number of Year 11s have taken the chance to get an early start on their Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) by attending the Advanced Skills for University and Beyond short course. Next week I will be running a Knowledge Theory day where we will be undertaking workshops on understanding how we ‘know’ and the many different things that affect or skew our knowledge. We will be unpicking the art of the ‘argument’ and analysing political speeches. The GDST have offered a huge range of university bridging courses for Year 13 to get into their university subject courses ahead of the new term. And yesterday a number of Year 11s took part in some virtual work experience. So whilst learning has been different, interrupted and exams have not happened in the usual way, we have been and will continue to learn in all the many ways we can. Mrs O’Doherty |
The week ahead |
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Monday 14 June – Thursday 17 June Wednesday 16 June Thursday 17 June Friday 18 June |
Sports Day 2021 |
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Today, Friday 11 June, saw us host one of our favourite events in the school calendar – Sports Day. It is always great to see the student body come together for an action-packed day full of sporting challenges and competition, with students battling it out to bring home the trophy for their respective House – whether it be Artemis, Demeter, Hestia, or Selene. Last year, we hosted our Virtual Sports Day, in which students completed challenges either socially distanced in school or in the comfort of their back gardens. Although this was a fantastic event, it was amazing to see our community back together (albeit in their respective bubbles) this year for the full Sports Day experience. Competition was fierce, with pupils giving it their all to secure vital points for their Houses; it was great to see everyone in such high spirits and enjoying the glorious weather. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Blake, Mrs Littlewood, and team for orchestrating this wonderful event, and also to our students, for their fantastic enthusiasm and attitude making this year’s event one of the best ever. We look forward to bringing you a full report next week, but please do enjoy this selection of images here and on Flickr in the meantime. Mr Nash |
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Sixth Formers host Secret Garden picnic for Junior School pupils |
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On Thursday, students in Years 1 and 2 were treated to a special afternoon of fun and games, courtesy of the new Sixth Form Head Girl team. Head Girl Jodie was accompanied by the rest of the team, Freya, Shreya, and Stephanie, and fellow members of the Sixth Form student body, as they planned a wonderful afternoon for the younger children. Remaining in our socially distanced bubbles, students started off the afternoon by playing some fun games with the parachute, ahead of moving on to playing some party games such as giant Jenga, hula-hooping, limboing, and more, amongst festive decorations in the Junior School playground. It was then time for cookies and juice to recharge the batteries, before heading on to Forest School for more exciting challenges! In an afternoon that saw our oldest students and some of our youngest come together for shared fun and laughter, we thank Jodie and her team for organising this fantastic event, which was thoroughly enjoyed by their younger peers – they can’t wait until the next one! To view more photos from the afternoon, please click here. Mr Nash |
Magic or Science - Changing red wine into white wine! |
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Book of the Week |
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The Girl Who Became a Tree by Joseph Coelho Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2021 Daphne is unbearably sad and adrift. She feels the painful loss of her father acutely and seeks solace both in the security of her local library and the escape her phone screen provides by blocking out the world around her. As Daphne tries to make sense of what has happened she recalls memories of shared times and stories past, and in facing the darkness she finds a way back from the tangle of fear and confusion, to feel connected once more with her friends and family. |
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The Girl Who Became a Tree sees Joseph Coelho deploy a wide variety of poetic forms, seamlessly weaving together the ancient legend of Daphne, who was turned into a tree to avoid the attentions of the god Apollo, and a totally modern tale, mixing real-life and fantasy, in which a latter-day Daphne seeks her own freedom. Click here to read more about the Carnegie Shortlist 2021. Miss Buxton |
Outdoor Learning: Biology with Mr Attwood! |
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GDST Talks: Helping your teen daughter navigate post-Covid freedom this summer |
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This year’s final speaker event in the GDST Talks series will take place on Thursday 17 June, when award-winning former editor of Elle and Style magazines, Lorraine Candy, will share her post-Covid summer survival guide for parents and teens, in conversation with GDST CEO Cheryl Giovannoni. Speaker Lorraine Candy, mother of four and award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience writing about parenting in national newspapers and magazines, including columns with the Sunday Times Magazine and Daily Mail is co-host of the chart-topping lifestyle podcast Postcards from Midlife, which features the stories of spirited midlife women and tackles parenting adolescents. Lorraine will be sharing her own experience and advice as captured in her forthcoming book, Mum, What’s Wrong With You? 101 Things Only Mothers of Teenage Girls Know, out in June 2021 (4th Estate). This event is suitable for parents with children in Years 6-13. To book your place please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Exciting Netball Opportunity |
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We have received some information regarding local netball trials for the Loughborough Lightening U15 and U17 Hub for next season 2021/22, which runs from September. Below is a message from Alex Styan, Head Coach of the U17 Squad and manager of the U15 and U17 Academy, Players Hubs and Coaches across the 5 England Netball allocated counties, one being Northamptonshire. For the last 3 years we have had a Hub based in Northampton at U15 and U17 age groups at Malcolm Arnold Academy. We have Open Trials for the Lightning Academy on 19 and 20 June with the registration deadline of 13 June for players. If any players are interested then please ask parents to register them following the link below… https://www.lboro.ac.uk/sport/performance/lightning/netball/academy/trials/ Many thanks. Due to the imminent deadline if you have any questions or want to chat through your potential for these trials then please do email Mrs Blake or another member of the PE department over the weekend and we will be happy to help. Many thanks, Mrs Blake |
School Bunting Project |
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In order to bring our school community back together after being separated for so much of the last year, the Student Senior Leadership Team (SSLT) has launched a project to help demonstrate our spirit within the school. We are asking each student and staff member – all the way from Reception to 6.2 – to create a triangle of bunting, showing their experience of the last year in any form they like – whether that be a drawing of their family, collage of pictures or even knitting or crocheting to show a new skill that they have learnt. Each Form Tutor will distribute the templates to their Forms; please would all students and staff members return their finished flag by Monday 14 June, so that we can piece them together before the end of the summer term. We can’t wait to see your designs! Jodie W |
Clothing Reminder |
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A reminder about our clothing recycling facility at school. We have teamed up with Starlight Children’s Foundation, a charity that brightens the lives of seriously and terminally ill children, so that for every kg of clothing and other items recycled, Starlight receives 10p and Friends of Northampton High School (FoNHS) receives 20p. Through our recycling efforts over the last seven years, we have raised nearly £3000 for FoNHS so a huge thank you to everyone who uses the facility – over 5.5 tonnes of items going to good use (and possibly saved from landfill) and a huge boost to FoNHS funds at the same time; we are also supporting Starlight’s incredible work with every kg of items we recycle. So if you can, please do consider using the recycling facility whenever you have a clear-out. The collection ‘bank’ is bright yellow and is situated on the pathway alongside the Junior School car park. The recycling company accepts all men’s, ladies’ and children’s clothing, paired shoes (tied together please), handbags, bags, ties, belts, towels, and bed linen. Any uniform carrying school or team logos is sadly not accepted. Please put all items in a plastic bag before depositing them in case the bank is not watertight. Thank you very much. FoNHS |
Term Dates 20/21 |
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Term Dates 21/22 |
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Term Dates 22/23 |
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Northampton High School |
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