|
|
Friday 13 November 2020 |
|
Clay is an exciting medium and never fails to intrigue and excite children of all ages. I love to see faces light up when young people are handed a block of stoneware at the beginning of a project, and see the amazement when you simply slice a block with cut-off wire to reveal that flat, smooth clean edge. I am lucky; I started my teaching career in 1994 with Glyn Thomas at Kenton School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where ceramics was strong and celebrated. Glyn and his team have sent many excellent ceramicists onto higher education, including Stuart Carey, but over the years we have seen how the Arts in schools, particularly traditional crafts, have been in decline. I hear stories of whole ceramics departments shutting down due to the scale, space and running costs needed to sustain courses in universities and colleges; not to mention the expertise needed to manage kilns, pug mills, slab rollers and wheels. Teachers do worry about where clay is going but I know there are schools and colleges in the UK who, like us, have a passion for clay. What is happening to the craft of clay? How many schools are still using potters wheels? If courses are not available what is the point in continuing to teach children these skills? Why? Because children love handling clay. They want to squeeze it and experiment with shape and form. They want to see it ooze between their fingers. They want to give it a good bash on the desk. They are liberated, energised and excited by its possibilities. Read more here. Mrs Beacroft |
Week Ahead |
|
Monday 16 – Thursday 19 November |
This week in the classroom |
|
|
|
|
|
Challenge 24: Fundraising Update |
|
The Junior School turned purple this week, as we continue to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK in support of Mr Bailey. The generosity from our school community has been amazing, and we can’t thank you enough for all of your wonderful support. At time of writing, our current fundraising total stands at a staggering £3,282 – smashing our initial goal by over 3 times! Our #Challenge24 efforts continue to move forward strongly, with our whole school family coming together to think of exciting ways to raise money for the cause, more of which you will read about throughout the newsletter. |
|
Next Thursday 19, we are excited to celebrate in school with ‘Purple Day’, with students and staff able to dress in purple clothing for a small donation. To mark the occasion, Director of Sport, Mrs Blake, is taking up her #Challenge24 activity, in which she will be running 24 miles around the school field on Thursday morning! We look forward to bringing you more about that next week! Thank you once again for all of your support, and we look forward to bringing you more updates in our weekly newsletters and on social media as the month progresses. Finally, we have a very special message to share with you from Mr Bailey, and this can be viewed by clicking here. Mr Nash |
Cordelia raises over £1,500 with her #Challenge24 activity! |
|
As part of our efforts to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK, staff and students alike have been taking part in the charity’s #Challenge24 fundraiser. We have seen lots of marvellous initiatives from our students, staff and parents who have taken up the challenge, from selling 24 jars of homemade preserves and chutneys, to running 24 minutes every day, from learning phrases in 24 languages to making 24 Covid-protection face masks and more. As you will have read above, our fundraising efforts have soared, with one student making a big contribution to this by smashing her goal and raising over £1,500! |
|
Cordelia in Year 3 has decided to show her support, with her #Challenge24 involving her bouncing her moon ball 24 times for 24 days, trying to beat her best time each day. Raising £1570 at time of writing, Cordelia’s efforts have certainly not gone without notice, and her fundraising page being shared and supported worldwide, with famous garden expert Monty Don showing his full support, donating and sharing Cordelia’s challenge with his 203k followers on Twitter! This has led to an influx of support and donations from across the globe; which is just reward for Cordelia’s fantastic efforts during the month so far. To follow Cordelia’s challenge, please click here to view her fundraising page. We know a host of our students are undertaking fantastic activities this month as part of the challenge and we would love to hear more about them! We invite you to share stories with us and we would be delighted to share them in future editions of the newsletter. Mrs Wilmot |
Welcome to Northampton High: Mrs Chiano |
|
As we mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we are delighted to welcome Mrs Agnes Chiano to Northampton High School as our new Director of Finance and Operations. Earlier this week, Mrs Chiano sat down with our Head Girl, Daria, to introduce herself, talking about her career, aspirations and her thoughts on Northampton High School so far, and we are delighted to share this video with you below. Mr Nash |
Alumna Claudia featured by the GDST as a trailblazer |
|
Former Northampton High School Student Claudia, who left us this summer after completing her A Level studies, has been profiled by the Girls Day School Trust as she strives to achieve equality for people born with a facial disability. Claudia, who was a member of our Head Girl team, now studies Psychology at the University of Liverpool, and was interviewed by the GDST after being inspired by her story and aspirations. Claudia was born with a hearing impairment, and one of her main goals is to make British Sign Language a mandatory component in the primary school curriculum in the UK. |
|
Claudia also campaigns to help people born with a facial difference or disability, raising awareness and help them to build their confidence. We are so proud of Claudia and everything she has achieved so far. To see the video of her conversation with the GDST, please click here or head over to the GDST Twitter feed @GDST. Mrs Wilmot |
Sixth Form Economics students take part in virtual conference |
|
On Friday, 6.1 and 6.2 Economics students were thrilled to be given the opportunity to participate in a virtual Economics conference, organised by Emma, a Year 13 student at Oxford High School GDST. The girls were able to listen to a range of highly regarded academic speakers from the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Reading on a variety of topics linked to economics and the environment. The conference was entitled, ‘What can our generation do to make the economy work for the environment?’ and covered issues such as the use and management of rural land, climate change and |
|
glaciers in Central Asia, economic policies to tackle climate change and tried to address the all important question – will it cost the world the world to save the planet? The conference gave the students an opportunity to expand their understanding of market failure and a chance to experience a more undergraduate style of teaching. We are grateful to our friends at Oxford High for giving us the opportunity to be part of his fantastic GDST event. Mrs Tansley |
Save the date: Northampton High Eventer's Challenge |
|
We are delighted to be hosting our second NSEA/Northampton High School Eventer’s Challenge Qualifier on Sunday 21 February 2021 at the prestigious Dallas Burston Polo Club in Southam, Warwickshire. More information to follow, but definitely a date for the equestrian diaries… Mrs Wilmot |
GDST Talks - Thursday 26 November, 6pm |
|
We would like to invite you to ‘Helping your child understand Covid-19: how to support their mental health and development in a world post Covid’, a free online presentation, which will take place via Zoom on Thursday 26 November at 6pm. This is the first GDST Talks event, bringing you a series of online presentations from distinguished experts who will share their experience and advice on the pressing issues of the day. By hosting the talks online, we are excited to reach more parents and alumnae than ever before from across our GDST family and we are very proud to be presenting some truly impressive and accomplished speakers.
Our first speaker, on Thursday 26 November, is Dr Deborah Woodman consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for Psychology at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’. She will be talking about the impact that lockdown and its ongoing uncertainties have had on young people’s mental health and development. So much of the normal, healthy adolescent experience relies on interaction and dealing with challenges in person: how does this translate into a socially distanced and primarily online experience? Dr Woodman will be sharing her expertise, and offering advice for parents around how to best support their child, as well as sharing ideas on how they, too, can cope with the difficulties of being a parent during a pandemic. This event is suitable for parents with children in Years 7 to 13. If you would like to attend, please click here to book your tickets to the event. We do hope you will be able to join us. Please note that although there are a limited number of tickets for this event, we will be recording it and making it available to GDST parents afterwards. For further information about this, and forthcoming events in the GDST Talks series, please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Book Review |
|
The Courage to Care: A Call for Compassion by Christie Watson Recommended for U4 and above Nurses have never been more important. We benefit from their expertise in our hospitals and beyond: in our schools, on our streets, in prisons, hospices and care homes. When we feel most alone, nurses remind us that we are not alone at all. In The Courage to Care bestselling author Christie Watson reveals the remarkable extent of nurses’ work. A community mental-health nurse choreographs support for a man suffering from severe depression. A teen with stab wounds is treated |
|
by the critical-care team; his school nurse visits and he drops the bravado. A pregnant woman loses frightening amounts of blood following a car accident; it is a military nurse who synchronises the emergency department into immaculate order and focus. Christie makes a further discovery: that, time and again, it is patients and their families – including her own – who show exceptional strength in the most challenging times. We are all deserving of compassion, and as we share in each other’s suffering, Christie Watson shows us how we can find courage too. The courage to care. Miss Buxton |
Creative Arts Spotlight |
|
Collage work is a useful tool to investigate different approaches to composition. L5 have composed their designs by collaging found images from various magazines to create intriguing narratives, and we are delighted to feature them in this week’s Creative Arts Spotlight. Images by Cecily B, Caitlin C, Hannah D, Ella N, Anjola O and Ava W. Mr Laubscher
|
High Sports |
|
Congratulations go out to Eliza, who, during half term, placed as runner up in an U16 County Tour Tennis event in Birmingham. A great achievement, Eliza, well done! Mrs Blake |
Term Dates 20/21 |
|
|
Term Dates 21/22 |
|
|
|
Northampton High School |
|
