High News 11 May 2018

Monday 14 May

Year 1-4 Assessments
U4 Outward Bound Trip

Tuesday 15 May

Year 1-4 Assessments
U4 Outward Bound Trip
L5 InternalExaminations
AS Film Studies Examination

Wednesday 16 May

Year 1-4 Assessments
U4 Outward Bound Trip
L5 Internal Examinations

Thursday 17 May

Year 1-4 Assessments
U4 Outward Bound Trip
L5 Internal Examinations
JS Class Group Photos
AS Film Studies Examination
6.1 Internal Examinations
Whole School Production Rehearsal

Friday 18 May

Year 1-4 Assessments
U4 Outward Bound Trip
L5 Internal Examinations
6.1 Internal Examinations
FoNHS Movie Night

Monday 14 May

U12 Cricket (A & B) vs Oundle School (A)

Wednesday 16 May

U13 Cricket (A, B & C) vs Wellingborough School (A)
U11 Cricket (A, B & C) vs Wellingborough School (H)

Sixth Form History & Politics students got the chance to question the Conservative MP for Corby Tom Pursglove on Friday afternoon.

Tom kindly gave up time from his busy schedule to speak to girls about his path from local lad to the House of Commons all before the age of 30. He urged girls to seize the chance of getting into local politics as he once did and volunteer for local campaigns. He then answered a range of questions on topics such as votes for 16 year olds, Windrush, Syria and Brexit amongst others.

Before he left the school after a fascinating session, he even had time to put in a shift on the Staff Charity Bike Ride to Brighton.

Mr Donaldson, Head of History

This summer Miss Mason and I will be joining a team of 20+ teachers from across the GDST who will be travelling to Bangalore to work alongside teachers there. This is part of an initiative organised by the charity LRTT  (Limited Resources Teacher Training) which is linked to the Inspiring Futures charity here in the UK.

Limited resources does not just mean a lack of materials and equipment, digital or other, for classroom use but also a lack of professional training for teachers. Many have no access to further professional development beyond their initial teacher training. Miss Mason and I were inspired to join in order to give something back to the teaching profession and to share our expertise in the classroom. We realise how fortunate we are here as teachers within the GDST in terms of the resources we have at our disposal and also access to first class professional development, whether that is provided by the GDST, in-house or by external agencies.

In order to support our fund-raising for this venture, Miss Mason and I recently completed our abseil down the 120m high Express Lift Tower which was terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure!

If you would like to find out more about the work of LRTT or support us on our fund-raising, please follow the links below:

https://lrtt.org/fellowships/india-gdst

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/debbiehill1kimmason1#.WsuSTpJ9vx4.email

Mrs Hill, Head of Languages & School Consultant Teacher

On Wednesday 2 May, Mrs Hodgetts-Tate took 15 Lower 5th students on a STEM trip to Norwich High School. The aim of the event was to inspire females and abolish the gender stereotypes that are especially seen in science and technology based jobs.

The journey was a long one, but it was worth it as we really got an insight into the professional world of STEM, along with an inspirational talk from 6 established women. There were many activities including a TED type talk from a phD student of neurology, an interesting panel debate including women from Aviva who were tackling cyber crime and a historian.  At lunchtime the students got a chance to network with other girls from local schools in Norfolk and share experiences of their school day.  For some this was a daunting challenge but took to it with relative ease.

We would like to thank Norwich High School for organising the day and Mrs H-T for accompanying us.

Jaisie Burnett, L5S

The Catering Team will be celebrating National Vegetarian Week 2018 by cooking a variety of Vegetarian Chef Specials next week. They will be:

Meat Free Monday – Roasted Pepper, Garlic and Sundried Tomato Pasta Bake served with a Slice of Garlic Bread or Loaded Quorn and Vegetable Taco’s

Tuesday – Caramelised Onion and Vegetable Feta Tart served with Baby New Potatoes and Mixed Salad

Wednesday – Gnocchi in a Rich Mediterranean Sauce with Grated Vegetarian Parmesan Cheese and served with a Herby Garden Salad

Thursday – Cauliflower, Broccoli, Butternut Squash and Potato Cheesy Bake served with a Summer Green Bean Salad

Friday – Honey Root Vegetable and Quinoa Burger in a Bap with Sliced Beefsteak Tomato and Avocado and served with Chips and a Chive and Garlic Mayonnaise or Ketchup

The Salad Bar will be meat free all week and will feature some exciting new composite wholegrain salads. We hope you enjoy all the food on offer during National Vegetarian Week.

Mrs McCue, Catering and Hospitality Manager

On Friday 4 May, a large group of Eco Team members went out to mulch the trees round the back of the school. We did this to prevent weeds growing around the trees and to provide protection from the destructive lawnmowers. It also increased the appeal of the area. We would like to thank Mr Attwood for helping us and bringing the mulch.

This Friday we held a ‘priceless plant sale’ raising money for Action Aid, it is predicted to be highly successful with over £30 raised already before break. Thanks to all who contributed to the sale.

The Eco Team

We are delighted to announce that we have entered into partnership with Northampton Swimming Club to run the Queen’s Cross Swimming School from our own swimming pool from September 2018. We will be offering swimming lessons for all levels, which, where appropriate, will then feed into the Northampton Swimming Club coaching programme.

Lessons will run from Tuesday to Friday from 3.45 – 5.15 pm and will be split into three 30-minute sessions daily. Lessons will also run on a Saturday morning. Northampton Swimming Club will employ all swimming teachers, and they will all be qualified to the ASA swimming teacher requirements.

If you are interested in booking a place for your daughter or would like more information, please call 01604 622264 or email coach.smith@northamptonswimming.com.

140th Anniversary Charity Ball

There are still some tickets available for the FoNHS 140th Anniversary Charity Ball on Saturday 16 June.  Please contact either school office for an application form. The ball is a fundraiser for school and The Cynthia Spencer Hospice. If you would like to donate any raffle or auction prizes please contact Mrs Esther Sooriah – esther@hrscare.com

Family Fun Day – Save the Date!

In conjunction with FoNHS, we are hosting a whole school Family Fun Day on Saturday 30 June 2018 as part of our 140th Anniversary celebrations. Make sure you save the date, more information to follow soon!

Mr Urquhart, Head of Junior School

Do you enjoy making music with like minded people? Would you like to have fun, develop your singing skills in a relaxed, friendly environment?

The Northampton High Community Chamber Choir would like to hear from you. We meet once a week, 7.30-9.00pm in School and sing everything from Coldplay to Mozart, Paul Simon to Mendelsohn.

Ladies and gentlemen from our parent body, friends of the School and the wider community are most welcome, with or without previous choir experience. You don’t need to be able to read music; you just need to be able to carry a tune and be keen to join in.

To find out more please contact us via our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/198274523979162/ or email Mrs Arkell on e.arkell@nhs.gdst.net.

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk – short listed for the Carnegie Medal 2018

Crow washed up on a tiny, windswept island when she was just a few hours old, with three things: a birthmark in the shape of a feather, a ruby ring, and a sea soaked letter, of which just a few cryptic words remain. But it is only when a mysterious fire appears across the water that Crow starts to wonder who she really is, and sets out on an unforgettable treasure hunt – one that will show her what it truly means to be a family.

Miss Buxton, School Librarian

As you will be aware, we have been in the process of designing and ordering our new sports kit for the upcoming academic year.

We are now delighted to be able to show you the finished article! We are really happy with the products and we are sure you will be too. The items are on display in the Sports Centre foyer, so please feel free to pop along and take a closer look!

Mrs Hackett, Director of Sport

We have continued with a short but busy week this week. One of our highlights has been the fantastic win for the U13C cricket team against Beachborough.

Our first athletics meet of the year for our U15 and U17 teams saw a huge win for Georgie Forde-Wells, jumping a personal best in the high jump and qualifying for the county finals next month.

In addition to this, the U13 and U15 tennis teams played brilliantly on Thursday against Caroline Chisholm with both teams winning 12-0. This makes both teams the division winners and qualifies them for the regional rounds next term. A phenomenal achievement!

Mrs Hackett, Director of Sport

Cricket

On Wednesday 9 May, the U13 B team played Beachborough School. We lost 232-360 runs, but we played really well despite this only being our second match of this season. Well done to all the girls who played especially Phoebe Haynes, who was awarded best fielder and Izzy Thorpe who also was awarded best batsman.

Charlotte Johns, U3S

Atheltics