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Friday 26 February 2021 |
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Facing the Future with confidence The Sixth Form is very much future focussed this term with everyone looking forward to reconnecting in person very soon. Meanwhile, 6.2 are currently completing assessments which will contribute to the ‘basket of evidence’ that their subject teachers will use when awarding their A Level grades. The majority of offers for places at universities, art schools, conservatoires and apprenticeships have now been received and our students are deciding which ones to accept as their firm and insurance choices. |
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6.1 and their parents joined us on Zoom for our virtual Higher Education Evening last night. Megan Broughton from the University of East Anglia took us through the university application process from the perspective of the universities, emphasising what universities prioritise when assessing applications. The presentation, Making the Right Choice, outlined the application timeline, how to choose a course and university, and how to make sure that when a student applies the university chooses them and makes them an offer.
Megan’s presentation gave a clear outline of the enrichment and extracurricular experiences valued by admissions tutors and it is encouraging to see from e-portfolios and discussions with tutors how much 6.1 have packed into this year, taking every opportunity to make full use of the virtual experiences on offer during lockdown. The GDST Life platform has enabled our students to connect with others across the Trust and accept invitations from our schools to join world renowned speakers and participate in virtual workshops. The Higher Education evening will be followed by a seminar on 29 April given by alumna, Professor Sasha Roseneil, Dean of Social and Historical Sciences at UCL, giving a contrasting input from a city-based institution. Students have already attended virtual university fairs and open days, seminars on applying to competitive universities such as Oxford and Cambridge and to institutions in Europe and further afield. Mrs Cantwell |
This week in Nursery... |
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Has Spring sprung? This week in Nursery, the girls have been enjoying the brighter and warmer days. We have been encouraging more outside play with the reintroduction of a new climbing frame which is also helping to develop coordination and strength. We have been noticing new developments in our surrounding area; “Wow, look at these!” said Isabella at Forest School, when she discovered some buds forming in a hedgerow. In the messy room, we have been using food to create sensory and artistic activities and we now have a lovely new gallery of ‘Pasta Art’ on our wall. “It’s like painting”, observed Natalie. |
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The girls are showing a lot of interest in the alphabet at the moment and we have used this as a stepping stone to begin to teach the girls how to recognise their own names. They are always so keen to find their own labels for their water bottles when they arrive at Nursery. Mrs Bing |
This week in Pre School... |
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The girls have been very productive in Pre School this week. We explored the story of The Three Little Pigs with some alternative story lines: What if the wolf was vegetarian? What if he had a cold and sneezed the house down? Maybe he was a pizza delivery wolf, who was just huffing and puffing the pizza to cool it down! We talked about the feelings of the characters, and then in PE we listened to various music and thought about how it made us feel and want to move; Anne was very creative with her movements. |
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Alongside this, pupils have done lots of house and den building both inside and outside using various resources, and we have also been finding out some facts about pigs. As the girls have been so engaged with this story, maybe you would like to extend this learning at home. Some ideas for extending this work at home: look at your house on Google Earth, point out your road sign, help your daughter learn her address, post a letter home or to Pre School. Mrs Bing |
This week in Reception... |
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This week in Reception, pupils have been focusing on the story of Super Worm by Julia Donaldson. They have taken part in lots of activities including making a long and a short Super Worm using playdough. Students have also researched facts about worms and thought about words to describe Super Worm. |
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The girls enjoyed hiding pictures of worms around the classroom and seeing if their partner could find them – some of the hiding places were particularly tricky! The girls created their own Super Worm and learned the song Wiggly Woo. We have also thought about the people who help us and how they help us. Mrs Howell and Mrs Shaw |
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This week in Year 1 and 2... |
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Welcome back to everyone and we hope you have had a lovely half term break. Year 1 and 2 were eager to get back to work this week and excited to see each other on our live calls to share their holiday activities. In Maths this week, Year 1 have been practising counting in steps of 2 and 5 and they have worked hard to spot the patterns in these number sequences. Year 2 have been thinking about Pictograms, block diagrams and 2D and 3D shape. All of the girls are continuing to impress us with their determination and perseverance in these Maths lessons. |
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In English, Year 1 and 2 have been looking at the story ‘The Koala Who Could’. We have been thinking about adjectives and describing the main character. We have practised writing invitations, diary entries, alternative endings and retelling the story. The girls have really enjoyed this story and we have talked about the message it shares; that trying something new can open up a world of possibilities. In Science, the girls have started to think about habitats. We have looked at Australian animals and their different habitats and created fact files for an Australian animal of our choice. |
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In Geography, we have looked at the continent of North America. We have been finding out about the different landmarks in the various different countries of North America and practised identifying these landmarks on a map of the continent. Thank you to everyone for continuing to work so hard. We are very much looking forward to being back together soon. Miss O’Mahony and Miss Scott-Evans |
This week in Year 3... |
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Year 3 have started the second half of the spring term with enthusiasm and an hard working attitude. They are all, of course, very excited that we shall soon be back in school together. We had an exciting science workshop on Tuesday, which contained lots of bangs and explosions and Lily had this to say: “I enjoyed the science because there were lots of explosions. I especially liked the Jelly Baby experiment as it looked like a volcano erupting with lots of purple smoke. It looked really awesome! The balloon that was filled with hydrogen experiment was good as they held the balloon near the camera and they had a fire stick too. When the fire stick touched the balloon it made a loud BANG! The fire rushed up from the balloon. The experiment happened very quickly. The bang was so loud the people wore earmuffs!” |
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We have had a busy week learning about length measurements in Maths. We did decide that trying to measure the length of their bedroom was too difficult with a 30cm ruler though, so we will be doing some practical maths on the playground when we return. In English, we have continued to read Black Dog by Levi Pinfold and are seeing how the dog changes throughout the story. Next week, we will be starting to write our own version of the story. I hope everyone has a restful weekend. Only one week to go of Guided Home Learning! Mrs Dadge |
Years 3 and 4 enjoy 'Vibrations and Sounds' Science workshop |
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On Tuesday, Year 3 and 4 pupils enjoyed an exciting virtual Science workshop organised by the L’Oreal Young Scientist Centre at the Royal Institution on the topic of Vibrations and Sounds. We learnt how to play straws as a musical instrument, saw an implosion in a drinks can and an impressive explosion of hydrogen gas in a balloon! The comments below show which was the favourite activity: |
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“I really liked the science workshop. My favourite things were the screaming Jelly Baby and all the explosions. I also liked the bit when we had to guess what they were using to make the noise”. Cordelia, Year 3 “Yesterday they set a balloon on fire in Science to show us what happens with the gas inside it. They also used a purple Jelly Baby. They used a Jelly Baby as it has lots of sugar in it. When they mixed the Jelly Baby with a chemical, it exploded with lots of gas and purple smoke everywhere and the Jelly Baby melted”. Arty, Year 3 “I really enjoyed watching all of the explosions and learning how they worked”. Ellie, Year 4 “I enjoyed learning about sounds and vibrations. My favourite one was when they heated up Jelly Babies so they exploded like fireworks”. Risara, Year 4 The enthusiasm of the presenters made for a really enjoyable experience and we can’t wait for the next workshop on 18 March. Mrs Shaw |
Y3 & Y4 GDST Junior Art Collaboration: Week 2 |
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On Tuesday, Angelie and Jemima took part in an online art meeting with pupils and staff from other GDST schools in the collaboration project. We had a lovely discussion, sharing the work that was produced in response to Maggi Hambling’s ‘Wave Art’ from last week. This is what Angelie wrote: “I really enjoyed the GDST art collaboration. It was a virtual meeting with girls and teachers from across GDST schools. Seeing art by other people and listening to them talk about it was lots of fun. When I found out I was invited to the GDST art collaboration I was very pleased. I liked being able to share my art work with girls and teachers from other GDST schools”. This week pupils have been studying the work of optical artist, Bridget Riley. Optical Art, also known as Op Art, is a form of abstract art where a still image gives the illusion of movement. This is created though the use of pattern and colour. Year 3 and 4 discovered that it’s not as simple as it looks but they produced fantastic results. Mrs Purvey-Tyrer |
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This week in Year 5... |
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Gosh! What a busy week! The girls have worked brilliantly in their lessons on friction, fractions, Shakespeare and the Vikings, and have also managed to fit in two Zoom meetings. On Monday, we joined the GDST Opera Project led by Dom Harlan and his wife, Becky, a real live opera singer. Here’s what the girls had to say: “I thought the Opera Project was amazing because I thought it was in one language but then we heard her singing in French and really high. It was amazing!” Lottie “I was really surprised when Becky started singing in French instead of English because we knew the tune in French. We didn’t realise that the song we were directing was one we knew and when she started singing it again, I was, like, hang on, that’s familiar!” Lydia “I thought that when she sang really high it was very striking and nice to hear. Also, I’ve heard Italian opera but not French opera, so it was nice to hear it in another language”. Rithika “I enjoyed it a lot! It wasn’t normal, because normally they would have come to school. I was joining in with all the singing and my mum thought it was very loud and she could hear it from the other room”. Darcy “It was really nice to speak and interact with Becky because we were on our cameras and could unmute, and telling her what to do was really good”. Ellie |
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Then, on Thursday, we were lucky enough to have a Zoom call with Kirsty Murphy, the first ever female pilot for the Red Arrows. In our PSHE lessons before half term, we thought a lot about dreams, goals and different jobs; it was wonderful listening to Kirsty telling us about her life in the RAF and with the UK Space Agency. The girls had a lot to say afterwards: “I enjoyed looking at the pictures of the different planes Kirsty had flown – I was surprised when she said how small one of her planes was because it was only had a 4m wing span”. Mollie “I thought her talk was brilliant. I liked it when she said things take time, and when she has a big goal she has to put it into small pieces and work up to it”. Aiyana “I learnt quite a lot about the Tornado, the big jet, and I was very interested in this because it’s one of my favourite aeroplanes so I was really excited by it. I’ve experienced a tiny bit of g-force, but not as much as much as her – she said it was like 7 times your body weight, which is like being squashed!” Ellie “I thought Kirsty’s presentation was amazing and interesting – I really liked it because it included some of our questions. I was surprised at how they pass fuel into different aeroplanes because that never happens when you go on a big plane on holiday”. Lottie “I feel like this was a great experience because not many people or schools get that chance and it was really great learning about someone who has a job flying.” Evelyn Miss Brandon-Jones |
This week in Year 6... |
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Yet another week has flown past in Year 6 in a flurry of exciting activities from creating Covid-19 Time Capsules in English, investigating the world of Algebra in Mathematics, the evolutionary findings of Darwin in Science, building marble runs as part of our STEM project and learning about the inspirational artist Lubaina Himid, from Zanzibar. Next week we look forward to our virtual Storytelling Workshop, at the Globe Theatre, where we will be exploring Shakespeare’s play, Henry V, and our next Adventure in Bookland, another GDST initiative, where we will be delving into the thought-provoking story, ‘How to Live Forever’ by Colin Thompson. Wishing you all a good weekend, hopefully in the sunshine! Mrs Fordham and Miss Taylor |
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Ross Welford visits Year 6! |
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Ross Welford, the famous young people’s author, has written many books such as the ‘1000-year-old boy’ and his latest book, ‘When We Got Lost in Dreamland’ and meeting him virtually was truly amazing! I think we speak for everyone when saying we all had a wonderful time. When Ross was a child, he loved to read Enid Blyton books such as The Secret Seven and Mallory Towers. He also loved comic books. Ross talked about the thing that really inspired him to write, magic. He said that his all-time favourite book is a magic book. On the Zoom call he showed us all a magic trick called, The Time Travel Rope trick, a subject he has written about in his fabulous book, ‘Time Travelling with a Hamster’. We also enjoyed an interactive activity where Ross showed us how to write the opener of a good story, something that really grips the reader from the beginning – we loved writing this! Ross Welford is an entertaining author and you should definitely check out his books if you are looking for an exciting, original and entertaining read! Florence, Lois and Odelia |
Junior School Achievements |
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We would like to send huge congratulations to Shanaya, who performed at a Musical Theatre event on Saturday 13 February for Top Hat Theatre. She performed really well and sang beautifully a song from the Descendants. Well done, Shanaya, we are really proud of you! During Half Term, Reception pupil Siéna-Louise was very busy taking part in lots of dance and gymnastics activities! Alongside her older sister, Siéna-Louise put in a lot of hard work to practise her skills, and made sure to log her activity as part of the GDST Get Active campaign! Well done, Siéna-Louise! |
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Mrs Davis's Weekly Challenge |
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It has been amazing to see the wonderful entries each week as part of Mrs Davis’s Weekly Creative Challenge. From posters to collages, poetry to artwork, we have seen it all and we thank all of students for their hard work and originality. This week’s theme was identity, and we are delighted to share this beautiful poem, written and performed by Elouise. Well done, Elouise, fantastic! Mrs Davis |
Creative Arts Spotlight |
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This week, the Creative Arts Spotlight falls onto Lilybella in U3H. Lillybella is always full of enthusiasm for everything we have done in Music over GHL. She has been very imaginative and creative when composing music, using found objects to create soundscapes that depict images and atmospheres. She has listened carefully and thoughtfully to musical examples from varied genres and used what she has heard to inspire her own work, all of which has been well planned, imaginative and showed attention to detail. Lillybella has most definitely risen to the challenge of remote learning! |
Senior Drama Company |
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We are delighted to share with you this fantastic project completed by 6.1 student Mo L. In this project, Mo has created and produced a verbatim film from the stimuli, Shakespeare’s Seven Ages of Man, which has been titled ‘Life’. The video can be found at this link; we hope you enjoy. Mrs Care |
U3 Students release 'The Northampton High Chronicle' |
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After reading the book ‘Little Women’, U3 students have been inspired by the sisters’ creation to make their own newspaper! Using Jamboard, we have now published the first ‘Northampton Chronicle’, which you can view here. We hope you enjoy! Ms Heimfeld |
U3 study seed germination in Biology |
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In Biology, U3 students have been studying the topic of seed germination. The adjacent image shows work completed Vheneka, and we are eagerly awaiting the results! We look forward to updating you when we can. Well done Vheneka! Mrs Pearson |
Pinky Lilani celebrates International Women’s Day |
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Pinky is founder and chair of a number of awards which recognise influential women and leaders; we are very fortunate to have Pinky talk to us on International Women’s Day on Monday 8 March at 1.30pm on Zoom Please feel most welcome to join us! Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/97793035713?pwd=OWk1T3NxZzlmMG56RnBIM1JzV3NWdz09 We really look forward to welcoming Pinky to Northampton High! Mr Nash |
Dr Thomas publishes three books! |
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A member of the Northampton High School family has seen their work immortalised in print form, with the publication of her own books. Dr Sheila Thomas, Teacher of Psychology at Northampton High, has had three books published: one, a textbook for A Level Psychology (which she is currently teaching in the school), and two creative pieces – a collection of monologues called ‘Six Kinds of Love’, and a play entitled ‘A Journalist Arrives’, based on J.B. Priestley’s play, ‘An Inspector Calls’, which she has reworked for the 21st century and which deals with modern day cancel culture. |
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Alongside these three releases, Dr Thomas also has a book of AQA Psychology A Level Research Methods Practice Questions (pictured above) being released on 28 February. All of Dr Thomas’ published works are available to be viewed at Amazon, Waterstones, Blackwells and Book Depository websites as a preview, and will be available for purchase at the end of March. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement, Dr Thomas! Mr Nash |
Book Review |
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Troofriend by Kirsty Applebaum Imagine having the perfect friend, one who never steals, lies or bullies. Now you can, with the TrooFriend 560, the latest in artificial intelligence! What can go wrong with a robot buddy? Especially one that’s developing human characteristics and feelings, and who has just run away with her human? A topical and sinister novel about artificial intelligence, which raises interesting questions about our relationship with technology. Miss Buxton |
World Book Day: 4 March 2021 |
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World Book Day will rather different this year for obvious reasons, though everyone’s commitment to promoting books and the love of reading has not changed, with children and young people still being eligible for the £1 World Book Day token. The World Book Day £1 books are a gift from booksellers, who fully fund the cost of the £1 book token redemptions; the letter with access to the link for your daughter’s token will have been sent to you via Schoolcomms, including details on how the token can redeemed. World Book Day’s aim is to provide an opportunity to celebrate the love of reading, and we hope your daughter enjoys using her token. Miss Buxton |
GDST Dance Competition |
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The deadline for the GDST Lockdown Dance Competition entries close on Monday 1 March. If anybody is interested and would like to choreograph and perform a routine over the weekend, to represent Northampton High School, then that would be great. Please see the below poster for details or email me with any questions. Mrs Blake
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Foundation+ Provision in the Easter Holidays |
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We are currently looking at the Foundation+ provision for the Easter break. We will be in touch shortly with further information. |
Open Events in March |
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In the absence of our usual March Open Events, we are pleased to be holding two Virtual Open Evenings in early March 2021.
Although we are not able to host visitors in school at the moment, we are working hard to virtually capture the fantastic school spirit and atmosphere that makes Northampton High School so special. If you know of any family members or friends who would like to find out more about joining us, please invite them to contact us at nhs.admissions@nhs.gdst.net. The events will include Live Zoom meetings, a virtual tour of the school, live Q&A sessions and lots of information from students and staff, and will take place as follows: Nursery and Junior School admissions: Wednesday 3 March, 6.30pm Mrs Wilmot |
March GDST Talks Events |
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We are delighted to announce the next two GDST Talks events in March: 1) Dr Nihara Krause on The Science of Motivation, Helping Your Children To Keep Going will take place on Thursday 4 March at 6pm via Zoom. This event is suitable for parents with children in Years 7-13; to book your place, please click here. 2) Emma Gleadhill on Getting your Daughter through Puberty will talk place on Thursday 18 March This event is suitable for parents with children in Years 6-13; to book your place, please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Maths On Toast Stay-In Session |
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March Stay-in Session – Easter Tangram challenge! For 4-12 year olds and their grown ups! What is a Tangram? Find out by joining us at our March Stay-in Session. We’ll be heading off to the countryside in our session, to meet some spring farmyard animals as they try and work out who has been secretly delivering their Easter chocolate! Please click here for more details. Mrs Dadge |
SchoolBlazer 'Return to School' Sale! |
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Term Dates 20/21 |
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Term Dates 21/22 |
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Northampton High School |
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