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Friday 25 March 2022 |
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Welcoming Emily Hair We have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Miss Emily Hair, our new Head of Junior School, ever since she was appointed to the role before Christmas. She joins us properly immediately after the Easter break, with some informal visits prior to then. During the first few weeks, I know you will have many opportunities to meet Miss Hair over informal refreshments or on the school gate. In the meantime, Miss Hair has kindly written this introduction to herself: |
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I grew up in Bedfordshire with my parents and younger sister. I was very fortunate to benefit from excellent school experiences and a variety of inspirational role models growing up, which sparked an early desire to join the teaching profession. I studied for my BA Hons in Primary Education and English in York and fell in love with the city from the moment I visited. I enjoy going back as often as I can and it will always have a place in my heart. Once I graduated, I took up my first teaching post in a village school in Buckinghamshire where I was fortunate enough to develop rapidly within a wonderful community. I then moved to a second school in Buckinghamshire where I embraced the unique career challenge of being part of a team opening a brand new two-form entry primary school. I gained my SENCo qualification and took up a range of senior leader roles. I then relocated to Northamptonshire, taking up my first headship, and then executive headship, of primary schools in Wellingborough; I thoroughly enjoy the challenges and privileges that headship brings. I believe passionately in the power of education in shaping the future of children. It is an honour to play a part in a child’s education and a responsibility I take very seriously. For me, it is crucial that we value every year of a child’s educational journey; every subject plays a significant part in the development of a learner; every unit of learning provides an important building block of knowledge, and every lesson offers a learning opportunity that will develop a child’s skill set. I believe every child’s early experiences in education are crucial, forming the foundation on which a child’s success will be built. Leading the Nursery and Junior School at Northampton High is truly exciting! Whilst teaching and learning deserves to be at the heart of what we do as educators, I’m also committed to ensuring every child in my care feels happy, and can enjoy her time at school. Unless a child feels safe and happy, she cannot be truly successful in the classroom; therefore offering your daughter what she needs in school will be my daily priority. In my free time, I’ve always been a keen swimmer and find it relaxing as well as a great way to exercise. Last year I tried outdoor swimming in a local lake and really enjoyed it. I was not quite brave enough to carry on over the winter months, so I’m looking forward to spring bringing warmer temperatures so I can start back up again! I love to travel and, like so many of us, missed this dreadfully when COVID hit. I’m looking forward to upcoming adventures to explore new places. I was fortunate enough in my own early education to be inspired by amazing musicians, and as a result learnt to play the piano, clarinet and saxophone whilst at school. Unfortunately my skills on the latter two have become too rusty for salvation, but having recently dusted off the piano at home, I am enjoying rediscovering these skills. I value and nurture positive relationships with the parents of pupils in my care. I operate an open door policy and prioritise engaging with parents when considering my daily tasks. Your views will be welcomed and embraced and, together, we will further enhance your daughter’s experiences in school. I’m really looking forward to joining Northampton High after the Easter break as your Head of Junior School. I cannot wait to get started! I look forward to meeting you all and getting to know your daughters. Enjoy your Easter break together and then we will be ready to welcome the girls back to an exciting summer term ahead. Emily Hair |
The week ahead |
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Monday 28 March Tuesday 29 March Wednesday 30 March |
Thursday 31 March Friday 1 April |
Enterprise students pick up awards at prestigious GDST LEAD competition |
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The Enterprise Elective Team ‘Fempire’ had a bright and early start on Thursday with a 6.50am rendez-vous at Northampton train station in order to get to the London School of Economics and Politics (LSE) in time for the beginning of their day of presentations and networking – the culmination of all their hard work on their enterprise project. Run in conjunction with LSE Generate (their entrepreneurship centre), the girls have set up and run their own business in the shape of the High Boutique. The High Boutique is a pop-up charity dress agency, where pupils and staff were invited to donate their previously-loved clothes and accessories. The clothes are then sold with 50% of the ticket price going to local charity Baby Basics, and the other 50% being returned to the seller. The idea has proved popular with both pupils and staff and as a result of their efforts, the group are able to make a donation of £215 to Baby Basics. This sum will allow the Northampton Charity to buy 28 new mattresses for moses baskets which are then filled with essentials for newborn babies and delivered to local mothers in need. This means 28 babies will have a safe place to sleep which, without the girls’ hard work, might not have been the case. The day at LSE began with the lovely surprise of a goody bag, packed with products donated by alumnae of the LSE Generate programme. We were then treated to a keynote speech from business woman Steph Desmond who was one of the original 3 staff who began the roll-out of Uber in the UK. She has recently launched a new app called Bloss to provide advice, classes, products and app for people navigating the tricky issue of fertility and parenting. |
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The Team then spent some time honing their presentation with the help of a mentor of from LSE. The girls loved their mentor on sight, “She’s so stylish, Mrs Tansley!” and Livia quickly became part of the group, staying with us for the presentations and prize-giving.
The girls gave their presentation with confidence and style. They handled questions from the judging panel professionally, bringing in their knowledge of their studies of Business and Economics. All of the presentations from the other participating schools were impressive, and it was fascinating to hear of all the different entrepreneurial roads the groups have taken. Team Fempire were awarded a prize for the Best Business Plan. The judges acknowledged their professional approach to this and the inclusion of detailed financial analysis. Overall, a fantastic spring day in lovely London. We even bumped into some former pupils (Maheen – Class of 2019 – now in her final year of a Geography degree at Queen Mary, University of London) and (Daria – Class of 2021 – enjoying a gap year before starting to read French and History at UCL). Thank you girls for making my first school trip post-Covid such a pleasurable experience – I’m very proud of you all. Mrs Tansley |
High Sports: Netball |
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U12: On 21 March we went to Thornton College for our last netball match of the season. In the first quarter we were up 4-0, then in the second quarter we got 6 more goals which then meant we were up 10-0. In the third quarter, we mixed up our defence a bit and Thornton got a goal, but we got 3, making the score 13-1. In the fourth quarter, we completely mixed up the team, putting Peyton at goal attack and Bella at goal shooter. We got four more goals, and Thornton got two, which then made the overall score 17-3. Well done to Lucy, Faith and Sima for making some great blocks and passes out of trouble; well done to Isla for scoring and creating some great goals. Peyton got Player of the Match, which was well deserved, so a big well done to her, and congratulations to everyone in the team for working our hardest to make sure the last match was a great one. Eleanor U13: We played Thornton College on Monday. It was our last netball match of the season and we ended it with a win. The score 36-4 and Rose was awarded Player of the Match. She played goal shooter for three quarters and moved well in the D. Well done to everybody for their hard work in training which was presented in the matches we played recently. This is a good way to end this netball season and will give us the boost for the forthcoming ones. Well played, everyone! U14: On Saturday we played a good but hard netball match against King Henry’s. In the first quarter we were drawing 3-3 and when it came to the 2nd quarter we started off really well, but they unfortunately managed to turn around some of our centre passes which gave them the lead. Despite this, everyone on the team kept their heads up and continued playing as well and hard as they could. This was one of the best games we have played as a team and we kept pushing right until the end. The Player of the Match went to Jasmine who played GK and GD, but a well done to the whole team as they all played really well and a strong effort was put in by all. Arianna |
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U14: On Tuesday 22 March we won against Thornton 17-13, after being two goals behind them in the first two quarters. We fought hard and it evidently payed off. Our Player of the Match was Roja who played excellently as GA, so excellently that even the other team had to clap at some of the amazing shots she managed to get in! Another player that stood out to us was Hattie who made some brilliant interceptions and never stopped working, even when we were in the last few of minutes of the fourth quarter. Kirsten and Jasmine U15: On Saturday 19 March, the U15 A team played Bablake school and unfortunately lost 27-8, however we performed very well despite having some players missing and some injuries. In defence, we worked hard to stop the other team from scoring, and we saw great improvement from the first to the last quarter! Shruthi and Nicole did some excellent shooting throughout the game to secure our 8 goals. In centre court we worked hard to improve our passing and we got so much better as the game progressed. Well done to everyone who played. U15: On Wednesday we travelled to Thornton to play our final game of the season. We struggled in the first quarter and found ourselves 3-0 behind, but after we made a few changes at quarter time, by half time we were up 7-4! Determined to take the win, and helped by a motivational speech from Miss Wall at half time, we went out and smashed it, winning 20-12. It has been a great season and was really nice to finish on a win! Well done, girls! Mrs Littlewood |
Sporting Congratulations |
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Cricket: Jasmine C recently attended trials for the Northants Girls’ County pathway and was successful in achieving a place on the Development Squad. She now will be training at Oundle, and will then have matches against Nottingham, Oxfordshire and Oundle School. Well done Jasmine!
Hockey: Ruby C-F & Harriet F (above) were nominated by their hockey club, Northampton Saints, for regional trials. It was a four-week trial process, where each trial was 2 hours long. There was a rigorous selection process where a long squad was trimmed to a short squad of 20. Both Hattie and Ruby were selected for the U15 South Midlands Performance Centre for England Hockey. As part of this, they have been training regularly and are now over halfway through their sessions, with the squad working towards the PC Challenge Cup in July. This is an awesome achievement for them both and testament to their hard work, dedication and hours of training that go into their sport. Good luck to Harriet and Ruby at the PC Challenge Cup! Athletics: Ella D ran at the ESAA National Cross Country Championships at the weekend. The top athletes in each of the 46 counties in England compete for the honour of being the best in the country. As she had unfortunately being ill at the time of qualification, she had to start at the back of the Northamptonshire pen, and this, combined with a very narrow and winding course, restricted her ability to overtake runners in front of her. She still ran an amazing race and finished 196th out of 340. Well done, Ella! Please keep the Sports Department up to date with any of your sporting achievements, as we would love to share all good news with our school community. Mrs Littlewood |
Meet Mrs Giordano |
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This week, we are delighted to welcome a new member of staff to the Northampton High School family. Mrs Sarah Giordano has joined us as our new Family Support Worker Assistant, and we are excited to welcome her to the school. Sarah has penned a piece to introduce herself, which you can read below. I’m sure you will all join us in giving Sarah a big Northampton High welcome! What is your background / experience? I completed my BSc in Psychology from the University of Liverpool |
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and went on to gain my MSc in Occupational Psychology from The University of Nottingham. I spent the next 10 years working as an Occupational Psychology Consultant for SHL, focusing on the selection and development of individuals in the workplace, where I gained Chartered Psychologist status. I began using wellbeing practices more with organisations, and after having my own children, I decided to specialise in wellbeing and mindfulness practices. For the past 4 years I have been working with children and adults, helping individuals to manage stress, reduce anxiety and boost a positive mindset. What are you most looking forward to about working at the High School? I am most looking forward to getting to know the students and staff, and being part of the Wellbeing team, providing integrated care to support students. I am excited to be part of the long term development of the students in order to help them understand more about themselves and to reach their full potential. What can students expect in terms of working with you? When I am working with students, they can expect a warm welcome with a smile, whilst learning practical wellbeing strategies that they can continue to use as they grow into adulthood. They will learn ways to feel calm, positive, resilient, with enhanced confidence that they can achieve their goals with effort and self-belief. I will work with the wider academic and wellbeing team to design sessions focused on helping students with particular needs. I will provide group sessions across the Junior and Senior School and some 1:1 sessions, where required. And finally, what is a fun fact about you? I am a mother of 2 daughters and you’ll often find me in a corner of my garden at home writing poetry, my favourite way to unwind. Mrs Giordano |
Year 8 study the French Revolution |
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This week, Year 8 students have been learning about 14 July in France and the French Revolution. Their PREP for the week was to ‘surprise me’ – get as creative as they like and produce something related to the lesson. I am delighted to share with you this fantastic piece of work produced by Holly J, which is a beautiful bookmark representing the French flag. Well done, Holly! Mrs Morgan |
Creative Arts Spotlight |
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This week, the Creative Arts Spotlight has found Laura and Lizzie in Year 10. Laura is holding her print of her friend Emma, which she designed using Adobe Illustrator, before transferring it to the lino block. Lizzie created her wing sculpture using a wire armature, feathers and drypoint prints of feathers, recorded using an etching tool. Fantastic coursework, well done girls. We are excited to see what you create next! Mrs Beacroft |
Success in Euroclassica |
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We are delighted that Jess C-J in Year 13 has been awarded a Silver Certificate in the 2022 Latin Euroclassica competition. Large numbers of students from many different countries participate in this annual competition, which tests knowledge and understanding of the Latin language, as well as Roman culture and civilisation. Jess has done very well indeed to achieve a Silver certificate – many congratulations! Miss Kilby |
Book of the Week |
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The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for an Endangered Planet by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams The world-renowned naturalist and conservationist Jane Goodall has spent more than a half-century warning of our impact on our planet. From her famous encounters with chimpanzees in the forests of Gombe as a young woman to her tireless campaigning for the environment in her late eighties, Jane has become the godmother to a new generation of climate activists. |
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In The Book of Hope, Jane draws on the wisdom of a lifetime dedicated to nature to teach us how to find strength in the face of the climate crisis, and explains why she still has hope for the natural world and for humanity. In extraordinary conversations with her co-author Doug Abrams that weave together stories from her travels and activism, she offers readers a new understanding of the crisis we face and a compelling path forward for us all to create hope in our own lives and in the world.The world needs a manifesto of hope now more than ever. This profound book from a legendary figure in the fight against climate change shows that even in the face of great adversity, we can find hope in human nature, and in nature itself. Miss Buxton |
Red Nose Day mufti raises £600! |
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Last Friday, we were delighted to hold our annual Red Nose Day mufti day, to help raise vital funds for those in need. We are delighted to report that, at time of writing, your generosity has helped us to raise a whopping £597! Thank you so much for your continued support. If you would still like to donate, you can find our Just Giving page here. Mrs Langhorn |
Printmakers Against War |
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Thank you so much for all of your support so far with our Printmakers Against War campaign. After our first group meeting last week, we are seeing work filter through thick and fast, and we are excited to share this with you on our media channels over the coming days. We look forward to putting the prints up for sale when they are ready and payments for prints can be made through the students using their cards in school, or through donations to our DEC British Red Cross JustGiving page, which you can find here. You can also find out more about the process by clicking here. Mrs Beacroft |
Parent Talks: Teens and Screens |
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The May event in our Parent Talks programme will take place on Monday 9 May at 6pm. This event will have relevance for all parents and will feature Tanya Goodin on the subject of Teens and Screens. Tanya is a trailblazing author, pioneering thinker and campaigner on digital wellbeing and tech ethics, and founder of the digital detox movement, Time to Log Off. To book a place for the Teens and Screens event, please click here. Mrs WilmotDirector of Marketing & Admissions |
Raise Her Up - Mother's Day Special! |
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For the Mother’s Day Special of #RaiseHerUp, we welcome the brilliant Katie Kirby: award-winning blogger, cartoonist, writer, and role model for harried mums everywhere. Katie’s blog, Hurrah For Gin, very quickly found a large and loyal following of parents who identified with Katie’s honest yet warm observations of motherhood, as depicted in her unique and very funny cartoons. Katie has since published two Hurrah For Gin books, has well over 700k followers across her social media channels, and has recently published her first two children’s books. The Catastrophic Friendship Fails of Lottie Brooks is the second in the series which follows an 11 year old girl as she starts secondary school and encounters the challenges that go with it, from the trauma of bra-shopping, to the daily mortification of putting up with younger siblings. Katie gives us her take on motherhood and reinventing yourself after children, and you can listen here or from wherever you get your podcasts. Mrs Wilmot |
Inclusivity Bulletin: March |
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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 bulletin in full, please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Autism Awareness Coffee Morning |
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We are pleased to be hosting an event to support Autism Awareness later this term. On Friday 1 April from 9am until 10am, Lesley Lock from East Midlands Autism will be hosting a coffee morning exclusively for the parents of Northampton High School pupils. Parents will have the opportunity to meet with Lesley and hear about how the charity supports young people and their families. Lesley has told us a little about what she does for this charity: “I run 3 autism family support hubs, which are open to children under 11 with or without an ASD diagnosis, and their parents/carers and siblings. These are located in Northampton, Leicester and Loughborough. As part of this service, I also chat to parents/carers about ASD and where to find support, how to manage behaviour they find difficult, how best to fill out benefits forms, and any other ASD related topic that comes up! I also manage our Northamptonshire Children and Young People’s Service, which runs trips, holiday and youth clubs for ages 8-18 and who must have a diagnosis, as this is the criteria set by our funders. These are for the young people to attend without a parent carer, and my fabulous team and I do our best to make sure that the young people have a wonderful time when they are with us, and can access the same age appropriate activities that their neurotypical peers can. In the last year we have been paddleboarding and raft building, visited theme parks, LEGOLAND, and the Think Tank museum, taken part in a Laser Maze evening, and solved some escape rooms!” If you would like to attend this event, please would you complete the form here. We look forward to an informative and supportive event. Mrs Beezley |
Easter Hockey Camps |
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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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