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Friday 14 July 2023 |
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And just like that – we are at the end of the summer term and this academic year. How did we get here?! The last High News of the school year traditionally contains a list of thank yous, and this year will be no different. Whoever believes that a term slows down as you near the end simply has not been in school for a very long time! We have charged to the finish line with such a flurry of highlights and memorable moments that it all feels like quite a whirl. We have had four and a half days this week, but it feels like a month’s worth of activities, and our young people and staff have truly embraced the energy, resilience, risk taking and collaboration that we often talk about. From Speech Day and Prize Giving on Wednesday to Cultures Day on Thursday and our termly Celebration Assembly this morning, the whole building has felt alive with activity this week. There were many happy chants of ‘school’s out’ at midday, at what felt like a mass student exodus! Yesterday, School was still business as usual, with last minute work on reports going on, lesson planning for September and general sorting out of cupboards, drawers and boards, whilst most students were busy clearing out their lockers and bidding farewell to their form rooms. For the vast majority of our pupils, the last day of term meant exuberance for the adventures, experiences, (and lie-ins!) that the summer holidays bring. However, for some students, this excitement was tinged with a genuine sense of sadness. Our Year 13 students had their final ever ‘school day’ at Northampton High, which was an emotional realisation for many of them at the Speech Day and Prize-Giving ceremony. Some of our Year 13s have been at Northampton High for a couple of years, and some of them have been with us since joining Nursery more than a decade ago. However long they have been with us, we are very sad to see them leave. We look forward to celebrating their successes on Thursday 17 August when their A Level results are published and we also hope that they stay in touch – our doors are always open! Whatever they take away from here in terms of qualifications and memories, they will also take the courage to stand up for what they believe is right and show that behaving with kindness and integrity, respect and care for others, is a way of life that works. We bid them farewell with our love, respect and good wishes for all the future holds for them in the years ahead. The events of the second half of term have borne testimony to the vibrant and fantastic culture we have here. With exams and assessments behind us for another year, the school has played hard. There can be few schools who can manage three dazzling performances of the school musical, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, where we experienced a whirlwind of imagination and wonder, a touchingly delightful Creative Arts Festival where each performance, exhibition and activity was a testament to our students’ passion, dedication, and boundless imagination, numerous sporting fixtures where we also proudly emerged as champions in the GDST Tennis Rally, a fun-filled and exciting Sports Day with several records broken, many memorable residential trips and educational visits (one overseas to Switzerland), becoming the first Pony Club Centre in the country run by a school, DASH debates where strong oracy skills were on show from our Year 10 and 12 students, REACH cross-curricular fortnight based on ‘The Unexpected’ theme where Year 7 and 8 students were inspired to think for themselves and showcased their learning through a piece of ‘Open Prep’, several welcome days for pupils who are joining us in September and hundreds of lessons; all in the space of six weeks. To read the full piece, please click here. Dr Lee |
Speech Day and Prize Giving |
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On Wednesday 12 July, Northampton High welcomed a capacity crowd into school for our Speech Day and Prize Giving event. Celebrating students from across the School, it was wonderful to recognise pupils for their hard work and outstanding achievements. The special evening was an opportunity to reflect on another marvellous year at Northampton High and congratulate those who have shown true dedication to school life. In a school filled with diligent, driven and determined individuals, we take great pride in celebrating our pupils and their contributions to our school community. We were delighted to be joined by our keynote speaker, Mandy Hickson, former Royal Air Force pilot and Human Factors facilitator for this memorable event. Delivering an exceptional speech on the challenges she has overcome to become a female fighter pilot, audiences were impressed by her perseverance and dedication, which led to her unique and fascinating career. Hearing her story of resilience and success was inspiring for our pupils, and Mandy certainly set the tone for a noteworthy evening dedicated to celebrating their achievements! |
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At Northampton High School, our broad and diverse curriculum enables students to discover their passions and talents. With the help of our innovative and expert teachers, students become curious learners and believe in themselves. Many of the awards at our Speech Day and Prize Giving celebration recognised pupils for their perseverance in a given subject and their dedication to meet outstanding standards of academic achievement. Noting the successes of our student body throughout the year, it was wonderful to see plenty of awards given for English, Mathematics, Science, Languages, Sport and Performing Arts. Extending further than timetabled subjects, the celebratory event also recognised pupils for outstanding co-curricular achievements, leadership responsibilities, and for demonstrating key intellectual characteristics that we prize at Northampton High School. We were delighted to award special School and GDST awards to deserving recipients for their remarkable efforts throughout the year. Inviting recent alumnae and joining pupils to the event, it was marvellous to congratulate past, present and future students throughout the evening. Reflecting on the most recent public examination results, distinguished pupils were awarded the Linda Mayne award for magnificent GCSE results, and students with excellent A Level grades received the Marsden Gee award. Looking ahead to the upcoming academic year, we were thrilled to commend recipients of our Reach, Flair and Spirit scholarships. We look back fondly at a wonderful year here at Northampton High School and look ahead to a year of prosperity and success. Thank you to our school community for your continued support and congratulations to our pupils for their fantastic accomplishments! To view and purchase more photos from the event, please click here. Miss Price |
Cultures Day |
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This week, Northampton High School celebrated our second and annual Cultures Day. Taking place on Thursday 13 July, the occasion proved the perfect celebration of our wonderful and diverse student body and provided an opportunity for pupils and staff to learn more about different cultures within our school community! Last year, we were overjoyed to see just how valuable and successful this event proved to be. Described as a favourite in the school calendar, we were delighted to host this special day again for pupils to enjoy! In true Northampton High fashion, our students embraced the occasion, united in their enthusiasm to learn more about different cultures and dressed proudly in what they felt represented their cultural identity. This whole school event encouraged pupils across Junior and Senior School to consider the beauty of inclusivity and reflect on the wonderfully diverse community we have here in school. Throughout the day, pupils participated in a programme of exciting and educational events, making the day one to remember! It was particularly fantastic to see our Senior School students organising their very own stalls at lunchtime in celebration of the event! We are extremely proud to have such a diverse school community where pupils are confident to express themselves and share more about their culture! A big thank you to our staff and students for making the day so memorable! Miss Price |
Farewell Mrs Carr and Miss Gill! |
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As you will have read in Dr Lee’s introduction, today we said goodbye to two fantastic members of the Northampton High School family; Mrs Jo Carr and Miss Nicky Gill. Both Jo and Nicky have written a few words to share with you in today’s newsletter: “It has been a pleasure to work at Northampton High School for the past 10 years, and I wish the school, all the staff and the girls every bit of happiness and success for the future. I know I will miss it!” Mrs Carr “I Just would like to say thank you to all the staff and students who have made my two years at the school one of the best teaching experiences. A special mention to all my amazing classes who have been brilliant to teach and the awesome Science Department! Wishing everyone all the best!” Miss Gill |
Year 7 enjoy Humanities residential at Preston Montford |
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On Monday 3 July, Year 7 departed for their Humanities residential, based at the Preston Montford Field Studies Centre in Shropshire. The purposes of the trip were to provide an opportunity to conduct fieldwork in order to deepen learning of topics such as tourism and the Industrial Revolution from Humanities lessons, whilst also enriching students’ school experience. Each day the students conducted an investigation, starting the week by evaluating the extent to which tourism is impacting the Carding Mill Valley, which included the students surveying members of the public. On Tuesday, we travelled to Snowdonia to explore a post glacial landscape and consider how historically ice had carved out Cwm Idwal; we also found time to share some Welsh legends. On Wednesday, Year 7 visited Shrewsbury to explore the types of businesses on the High Street and to consider how to rebrand the town for younger people. The penultimate day was based on the study of the Industrial Revolution at a UNESCO World Heritage site, visiting Coalbrookdale to see the innovative blast furnace built by Abraham Darby III and also the famous Ironbridge. During our return journey on Friday, we stopped at Ludlow castle to examine the defensive structures historically used, as well as enacting a play to cover the history of the castle. During the evenings students conducted a range of activities, including orienteering, making stop motion animations and a campfire sing along on the final night. The students also collaborated in the egg drop challenge, with a range of interesting designs, which occasionally resulted in the egg surviving! Overall the trip was an excellent experience and we are very proud of Year 7 for their enthusiasm and conduct. Thanks to Mrs Fordham, Mrs Dunkley and Mr Pietropaoli for helping to make the trip such a success. Mr Earp |
Alumnae Reunion Lunch |
On Saturday 8 July, we had the pleasure of welcoming alumnae back to Northampton High School for our annual Reunion Lunch! We were delighted to be joined by plenty of familiar faces, including former staff and friends of the school, for a delicious two-course lunch and a special catch up! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the occasion! To view more pictures from this year’s Alumnae Reunion Lunch, please click here. Miss Price |
Youthbridge Award |
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Wir gratulieren! Congratulations to our Year 9 pupils for their participation in this year’s Youthbridge Award! The Youthbridge Award takes place every year and is organised by the British-German Association to raise the profile of German in schools across the UK. The award scheme gives prizes and certificates for the best projects submitted by students in each participating school. Its aim is to encourage students to continue with German at GCSE and beyond. |
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This year, the competition was entered by our Year 9 linguists, and I am pleased to say that they rose to the challenge. As always, the standard of entries was very high and our pupils produced excellent projects. Congratulations to Lilybella U, Sherain K and Atmaja T who won the first prize in the Youthbridge Awards for Excellence in German (2022/23). The group applied their language skills excellently, creating a video about a detective who solves a murder mystery. Savannah M, Katie F, Ahriana S, Holly H and Isla N received second prize for creating a role play scenario in a restaurant. I didn’t think that going to a German restaurant could be this dangerous – I will certainly make sure that I pay my food bill now! Our third prize winners, Tanya M, Lucy E and Grace C also enjoyed a meal in a restaurant, but this time as world famous celebrities being chased by cameras and flashing lights. This year group is filled with very able linguists and teaching them has been an absolute pleasure! Frau Doerpinghaus |
Green Tree School Silver Award |
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We are so proud of the students in our Nature, Gardening and Wildlife club for their fantastic work this year! As a result of their continued efforts, we are proud to share that Northampton High School has reached the Silver Award in The Woodland Trust Green Tree School Awards! Well done to all involved and congratulations on this wonderful achievement! Mrs Peto |
DASH debates final takes place! |
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The final of our DASH debates took place this morning, with Hestia and Selene debating whether school or YouTube is a more effective form of education. Following much deliberation from the judges, Hestia were crowned the DASH debate champions for their skillful argument. Well done to all of our teams! |
Dance World Cup success for Holly |
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A huge congratulations to Holly in Year 7 who recently competed at the Dance World Cup in Portugal! Competing against 26 other teams, Holly and her Jazz group performed exceptionally well to secure 5th place in the world, despite being in a higher age category! It is wonderful to see our students pursuing their passions and we are so proud of Holly for this fantastic achievement! Miss Price |
High Sports – Summer edition out now! |
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We are delighted to share with parents the latest edition of High Sports. High Sports takes a retrospective look back at the world of sport here at Northampton High, and in this edition we take a look at Sports Day, Sports Presentation Evening, our Colours & Commendation recipients and much more. Please click here to view this latest edition for the summer term. Mr Nash |
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Book Review |
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City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak – India, 1855 The British rule, and all across the country, Indian magic is being stamped out. More terrifying still, people born with magic are being snatched from their homes. Rumour is that they are being taken across the sea – to England – by the all-powerful, sinister Company. When Chompa’s home is attacked and her mother viciously kidnapped, Chompa – born with powerful and dangerous magic that she has always been forbidden from using – must travel to the smoky, bustling streets of East London in search of her. |
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But Chompa will discover far more treachery in London than she had bargained for – and will learn that every act of her rare magic comes with a price… Purchase this book from the Northampton High bookshop here. Miss Buxton |
European Day of Languages |
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We are already looking ahead to celebrating the European Day of Languages in September, and we are planning an exciting week-long programme of events in the week beginning Monday 25 September. We would also like to be able to showcase careers involving languages (or those who studied Langauges and have gone on to do something different!). If you, a member of your family, a family friend or an alumna of the school feel able to contribute, we would be very grateful! Please contact s.black@nhs.gdst.net if you can help or would like any more information. Mrs Peto |
Save the Date: World Challenge Rock Concert fundraiser |
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Kings Camp Summer Activity Camp |
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Cricket Coaching in Northampton |
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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