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Friday 24 June 2022 |
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During the week commencing 20 June, we took the opportunity to showcase the wonderful talent of our students in our annual Arts Week! We love hosting this annually, as it’s a fantastic occasion to celebrate the students’ artistic flair and hard work throughout the year. Not only is the celebration a memorable experience for everyone, but it also consistently proves to be the perfect opportunity to broaden pupils’ skills and interests within the arts, promoting creativity and confidence. Previously, we have welcomed talented guests such as authors Pippa Goodhart and Ross Welford into Northampton High, to join us in our week-long celebration and kindly offer their expertise. Kick-starting this wonderful week of all things artistic, we welcomed Dave Shelton, an award-winning author, illustrator and cartoonist to school. After a fascinating presentation about his journey to success in book writing and his life-long passion for drawing, Year 6 & 7 were invited to a cartooning workshop to experience his expertise first-hand. Inspired by his work and enthusiastic to put their own creative skills to the test, everyone was eager to learn different illustration methods in a cartooning master-class! This was a great opportunity for our students to learn new techniques and engage with a successful artist! |
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With the week off to an inspiring start, we were thrilled to invite visitors into school for our Arts Festival on the evening of Tuesday 21 June. This marquee event is always one of the most anticipated events in the school calendar and Mrs Beacroft, her team and our wonderful students vowed to pull out all the stops to make this year’s event our best ever! You will read more about this showpiece evening further into High News. An unforgettable week was completed with our productions of ‘Seussical the Musical’. The Dr. Seuss-inspired production, led by Mrs Marriott and her wonderful team, was a collaborative effort that involved students from across the Senior School. The entire Arts Department contributed their expertise to create an incredible set, imaginative outfits and impeccable performances. On Wednesday 22 June, we were delighted to welcome students from Delapre Primary, along with our own Junior School pupils, for the first showing of the production, ahead of the evening finale on Thursday 23 June. The large crowd were truly stunned by the unbelievable talent, hard-work and dedication that had gone into creating such a professional and exciting performance. A huge ‘well done’ to everyone involved in ensuring such an exceptional night for all! If parents would like to purchase photos from the show, please do get in touch and we can provide you with the information. After a week of creativity and joy, the talent of our Northampton High School students continues to amaze the school community. Moving forward from what has been a challenging couple of years, it was truly marvellous to have so many guests and visitors back in the school to celebrate the immense amount of hard work that has gone into producing such wonderful art. Thank you to all who attended and showed their encouragement, we can’t wait to welcome you back for next year’s Arts Week! Miss Price |
The week ahead |
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Monday 27 June Tuesday 28 June Wednesday 29 June |
Thursday 30 June Friday 1 July |
Arts Festival 2022 showcases amazing array of student talent and amazes guests! |
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On the evening of Tuesday 21 June, we were delighted to welcome visitors into school for our annual Arts Festival, a marquee event which showcases the excellence of our students in the world of the Arts. The Arts Festival is always one of the most anticipated events in the school calendar, and this year, for the first time since 2019, it was wonderful to welcome family and friends back in to Northampton High School for an in-person event. Last year, the festival couldn’t go ahead as normal due to restrictions in place at the time, but this didn’t stop us celebrating our students’ achievements! We instead brought the festival into people’s homes with a virtual event, which you can view any time by clicking here. As wonderful and special as our virtual festival was, nothing beats the live and in-person experience, and it was fantastic to be able to showcase the festival in all its glory this year back in school! With the excitement building ahead of the festival’s in-school return, Mrs Beacroft, her team and our wonderful students vowed to pull out all the stops to make this year’s event our best ever! There was a wonderful array of exciting displays and events taking place throughout the night. Being blessed with glorious June sunshine, our two courtyards were transformed to host drinks and canopies for guests, along with some outstanding Drama performances. ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ pieces wowed guests in our outdoor spaces, with further theatrical pieces being performed indoors, with Year 9 ’DNA’ and Year 10 Component 1 performances being real highlights of the night. |
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There was a marvellous array of musical entertainment on offer throughout the evening too, kicked off with a beautiful performance by our Senior School Choir in the Senior Hall. Pop up performances were situated around the building too, where the excellence of our pupils shone through to deliver breathtaking performances using a whole range of instruments. Our Food & Nutrition and Fashion & Textiles classrooms were also a hive of activity, with lots on display for our guests to enjoy. The ‘White Space’ played host to a jaw-dropping exhibition, proudly displaying the exceptional pieces of textile work our students have completed over the past year. Miss Knight was on hand in the Food classroom to lead wonderful workshops, with the smell of fresh cupcakes and sausage rolls a delightful accompaniment to the event! This was all in addition to the outstanding Art & Design exhibitions that decorated our many halls and classrooms. We were proud to display a huge variety of work produced by Northampton High pupils, ranging from the brilliant Year 6 clay fish in our Junior School exhibit, all the way to our amazing A Level studio and heritage work. There was truly something to suit all artistic tastes, with paintings, drawings, sculptures, print and so much more on display for guests to enjoy. It was absolutely marvellous to welcome so many lovely guests into school to enjoy a memorable evening. There was such a lovely atmosphere around our halls, classrooms and courtyards throughout, and we thank the many parents and family members who joined us for this showpiece event. A huge ‘thank you’ must go to Mrs Beacroft, her team and the many other staff members who helped to put together this wonderful evening. The biggest thanks, however, goes to our students. The skill and excellence that they show each and every day in their work make events like this such a joy and it is an honour to proudly display their creations for you to enjoy. To view some more photos from the event, please click here. We look forward to welcoming you back for next year’s festival! Mr Nash |
Author and Illustrator Dave Shelton visits Northampton High School! |
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We were fortunate on Monday to have a visit from author and illustrator Dave Shelton. Dave’s presentation to the Year 6 and 7 girls was truly inspiring as he explained how he became a successful creative. Persistence seemed to be a crucial factor during Dave’s journey from writing and drawing the comic strip ‘Good Dog, Bad Dog’, leading to the creation of his debut children’s novel ‘A Boy and a Bear in a Boat’ which won the Branford Boase Award as well as being shortlisted for the Costa prize and Carnegie Medal. Dave also delivered two cartooning workshops which the girls enjoyed immensely. Dave initially asked the girls to think about various cartoon characters and how we can recognise them from their silhouette alone. From that starting point the girls developed their own cartoon characters, both animal and human. |
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The girls had the opportunity to carry on working with their cartoon characters during the Arts Festival on Tuesday evening. Having the Library to themselves the girls thought carefully about the characters they created, adapting and adjusting in some cases, before starting to create their own story board. We have a number of very skilful artists already, who one day may be competition for Dave! Miss Buxton |
Book of the Week |
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Emily Lime, Librarian Detective: The Book Case by Dave Shelton Emily Lime is the one and only Librarian Detective! As Assistant Librarian (and a pupil!) at St Rita’s School, she’s got the sharpest mind going. And she’s going to need it! There’s been a bank robbery in town, a break-in at the school and a dastardly villain is on the loose. With the help of new girl, Daphne, and George (the only boy), Emily is determined to get to the bottom of things, with surprising and very funny results… Miss Buxton |
Cultures Day - Friday 17 June |
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On Friday 17 June, the school held its first Cultures Day. The main purpose of the event was to bring to life the diverse student body, learning from each other as we unite as one. The day consisted of a variety of exciting activities for both the Junior School and Senior School students. Pupils had the opportunity to dress proudly in what they felt represented their cultural identity. A highlight for many pupils and visitors was the workshops on offer. Each workshop was unique and insightful, a few examples being Mehndi Design, Kung Fu, La Fete de la Musique and the Indonesian art of Batik textiles. At lunchtime, students enjoyed the offer of three culturally inclined meals in the dining hall as well as the ‘Around the World’ Market, where many students chose to run a stall. In the lead up to Cultures Day, all students collaborated in making ‘Banner of Flags’ for the foyer. This was a huge success in which we saw the mass of people represented. As the day came to a close, in assembly we saw an array of confident pupils expressing who they are in a show of fashion and culture. We were also fortunate to watch a Bharatanatyam dance performance as well as a performance inspired by the iconic British pop group, The Spice Girls. Overall the day was embraced by the students with much enthusiasm as we brought to school the excitement of cultures from across the globe. The day was very valuable and an outstanding success which has encouraged pupils to feel pride in their cultures, as well as being more educated of the world around them. Saesha G |
WOW Week! |
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Our School Consultant Teacher, Mrs Hill, is currently on study leave conducting her own research and working as a mentor to teacher researchers with GARC (Global Action Research Collaborative) and NCGS (National Coalition of Girls’ Schools) https://www.ncgs.org/research/garc/meet-the-research-advisors/. Before she went away, I was working with her on a new project for teachers in school called WOW (Watching Others Work). This is an opportunity to try something new in our lessons which provides the ‘wow’ factor and gets students and teachers alike excited about the learning journey. Pre-pandemic we used to have regular ‘Golden Lesson’ days which were similar; we were learning from each other, sharing best practice and taking away new ideas to try in our own classrooms. Mrs Hill reflects on her first Golden Lesson, which involved a treasure hunt for her German students around the school, “visitors to my classroom had nothing to see – the students were all over the school following a trail of questions! That has to be one of my best: what a great learning experience for all, myself included.” We are very much looking forward to our first WOW week, which will take place next week, unfortunately in Mrs Hill’s absence this time, but there will be more to come and I am sure she will be excited to tell you more about this and the fruits of her research activities when she returns in the autumn term. Mr Rickman |
Sports Day 2022 - Results |
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As we mentioned in last week’s edition of High News, we enjoyed a wonderful Sports Day earlier this month. We are delighted to bring you this year’s results below: Senior School Winners: Hestia, Junior School Winners: Selene, Combined Winners: Selene. We also saw a number of records broken during the course of the day, congratulations to: Ella D: 100m 13.45 and Hurdles 12.09, Rosie: High Jump 1.51, Ruby CF: 100m 13.61, Issy H: 800m 2.47.91, Lilli T: High Jump 1.38, Eloise H: Long Jump 4.07 Thank you once again to all the parents who joined us for this fantastic day of sporting fun! Mrs Littlewood |
High Sports |
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County Championships at Corby – Saturday 11 June & Mason’s Trophy – Saturday 18 June: On Saturday 11 June we saw 8 athletes represent South Northants and compete against the rest of the county in the County Championships. Rosie D and Ques-Li D both won their events; the high jump and triple jump, with Rosie jumping 1.50m and Ques-Li 8.74m. Ella D came second in the 300m and hurdles, with Laura C second in the hurdles. Special mention must go to Issy H who ran in the 800m and 1500m on Saturday coming 3rd and 4th – two tough distances to compete in, in a short space of time. The team must be commended especially after competing the day after Sports Day. Those who came either first or second in their events progressed on to the Masons Trophy on Saturday 18 June in Stoke. This is a prestigious event where the best athletes in 10 counties compete, and congratulations go to Ques-Li D who competed in the triple jump, only her third competition in this event, and Rosie D who competed in the high jump. Ella D came 2nd in the 300m and helped the Northants relay team achieve first place. Well done everyone! GDST Athletics Rally Nottingham – Monday 13 June: On Monday 13 June, the school was delighted to take 6 Athletics teams to the GDST Athletics Rally in Nottingham. Please enjoy these recounts of the day below from the Senior School teams: Year 7: The Year 7 team took a full squad and made a creditable performance in all of the events. Well done to Bella F for organising the team and leading by example in the 800m achieving 5th place. Year 8: On Monday we competed in the GDST Atheltics Rally. We were all very excited and nervous at the same time, we all made sure we tried our hardest when competing in the events that we were chosen to participate in. Everyone had a great time despite the outcome of the results. Overall our team was strong and it was a good experience for us all, so we can excel in the future. Charlotte Year 9: Ella D came 2nd in the 800m and 3rd in the high jump – congrats Ella! Year 10: The Year 10s did really well in each of their events along with Millie from Year 12 competing in the 800m. Ruby, Laura and I got through to the finals of our races: Ruby 100m, Laura 80m hurdles, and myself the 300m. Ruby came 2nd in the 100m and Laura 4th in the hurdles finals. Our relay team also qualified to the final consisting of Anna, Laura, Ruby and me. Everyone competed very well and it was a great day! The team came 4th out of 13 attending schools. Rosie |
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Intra-School Cricket Match: The Year 9 and 10 cricket team had their first intra-school hard ball cricket game this week. The students had a fantastic experience and this bodes well for next season. Well done everyone! GDST Tennis Rally – Wednesday 15 June: On Wednesday 15 June, 7 students attended the U18 GDST Tennis Rally at Queenswood Tennis Centre. The first 3 matches we played were in the group stage. We started off strong by beating Bromley, Shrewsbury and South Hampstead, supposedly putting us first in our group. However, South Hampstead managed to beat some other teams by more than we did so ended up with more points meaning we were in second place, but still through to the knockout stages and in the running to win the cup. Our first match we played against Streatham & Clapham and narrowly missed out on the win. We still had matches against Sheffield and Notting Hill & Ealing left to give us our final placing. We lost to Sheffield but beat Notting Hill & Ealing, meaning we managed to place 7th overall. Frankie, however, ended up playing for Putney, due to them turning up with a player short. She managed to win all of her matches with Putney, and placed 3rd overall! Well done to Hattie, Lucy, Lyra, Emma, Rose and Frankie for playing really well on a really warm day! Mrs Littlewood |
Students selected for Northampton Storm Netball Club! |
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During the past two weeks, a number of Northampton High pupils have trialled for Northants Storm Netball Club. Storm is a performance club who train weekly and enter prestigious tournaments and regional leagues. We are delighted to announce that the following students have been successful: Year 7: Peyton E, Year 8: Anna C, Evie F, Aiyven M, Year 9: Gemma S, Jasmine Y. We wish them every success and look forward to hearing about their progress and achievements for the 2022/23 season. Mrs Jennings
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GDST Alumna of the Year Award Nominees - Sasha Roseneil nominated! |
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We are incredibly proud that Northampton High School alum Professor Sasha Roseneil features in the shortlist for this year’s GDST Alumna of the Year award. Sasha is a true advocate for inclusivity and equality and an inspirational role model for all of our pupils. A world-renowned interdisciplinary social scientist, a group analyst and psychoanalytic psychotherapist and a distinguished university leader, Sasha is truly a powerful advocate for women and girls through her work. Everyone at Northampton High congratulates Sasha on this amazing achievement. To find out more information about the award and to register your vote, please click here. Good luck Sasha, we are all rooting for you! Mr Nash |
Summer Reception and Charity Auction’ at Althorp House – Wednesday 6 July |
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We have received communication from Mr. James Saunders Watson (Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Northamptonshire) and members of the Northamptonshire Committee of ABF The Soldier’s Charity that parents of Northampton High School are warmly invited to attend the ‘Summer Reception and Charity Auction’ in the Stable’s Courtyard at Althorp House. The evening will commence at 18:00 for drinks and canapés, with music provided by students from Northampton High School, with an option to stay on for the Charity Auction as well (19:30-20:30). As this is a charity event there is a charge of £30 per person, if you would like to attend please email nhsadmin@nhs.gdst.net no later than 14:00 on Thursday 23 June, and we will confirm details of how to make payment directly with the ABF The Soldier’s Charity. Due to security arrangements at Althorp Estate, this is a strictly ticket-only event with confirmations required well in advance of the event. If you would like any further information, please do get in touch. Mr Hume |
Reunion Lunch - Saturday 9 July 2022 |
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Tickets for our Summer Reunion Lunch are on sale now! Taking place on Saturday 9 July, the Lunch is a highlight of any year, where alumnae from both the Derngate and Hardingstone sites get together for a delicious two-course meal and to catch up with friends old and new. For more information and to book your tickets, please click here. We are also delighted to share with you the latest edition of our Alumnae Newsletter. To take a read, please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Inclusivity Bulletin: July |
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We are delighted to share with you the latest Northampton High School Inclusivity Bulletin. The above graphic outlines what will be happening throughout this month, but to read more and to view the July bulletin in full, please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Hayfever season |
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Hayfever season is affecting a lot of students at the moment, please may I encourage parents to give their daughters hayfever medication prior to coming to school if they are struggling. There are lots of effective over the counter medications available currently. If medicines need to be taken during the school day please complete a consent form available via Reception. If you have any questions, please do get in touch. Mrs Dunkley |
Eco Team Cake Sale (One Tree Day) - Monday 27 June |
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Community Nursery Sessions |
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Peter Pan by Illyria - Sunday 26 June |
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Rugby & Northampton Athletics - Saturday Track Club |
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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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