High News 12 October 2018

Monday 15 October
Senior School Reading Week
House Storytelling
Senior Play: DNA

Tuesday 16 October
U5 Options Breakfast

Wednesday 17 October
Sixth Form Economics Trip: Cambridge Festival of Ideas

Thursday 18 October
House Storytelling
Sixth Form Information Evening

Friday 19 October
Sixth Form Iceland Trip
U4 Classics Trip to Bath
U3 COaCH Launch Day at Willen Lake

Monday 15 October
Hockey Sevens U13A vs Kimbolton (A)
Hockey Sevens U13B vs Kimbolton (A)
Hockey Sevens U12A vs Kimbolton (A)
Hockey Sevens U12B vs Kimbolton (A)

Tuesday 16 October
Hockey Sevens U14A vs Kimbolton (H)

Thursday 18 October
Hockey 2nd XI vs Rugby (A)

I was delighted to run our inaugural Girls on Board session during PSHEE with U3 and L4 last week (and U4 next week). Girls on Board is a unique programme devised to support girls in navigating their way through the, sometimes choppy, waters of friendships.

We firmly believe the mantra of Girls on Board, that adults find it exceptionally difficult to help with friendship problems with girls, because the nature of the conflict can be very hard to define and explain. The pupils in the session I ran last week unilaterally agreed that actually the intervention of adults in their friendship problems usually makes things worse. This is because when a girl is upset by a falling out, teachers and parents default to investigative mode; that is we interview the girls involved and try to find out who is right or wrong.  This adult scrutiny and the inherent desire by girls to be seen in a positive light, can lead to many different versions of ‘the truth’, which can be impossible to unpick.

The Girls on Board programme educates girls to notice different behaviours in themselves and others and to recognise what can cause troubles within their friendship groups.  It also helps them to realise the universal truth which is that every girl between the age of 8 and 18 needs a friend at school and without this they feel lonely and lost at school. The overall aim of the programme is to give our pupils the tools to recognise their own role in friendships and their troubles and to guide them towards finding their own solutions.

Naturally we understand that sometimes a problem is caused by bullying and this is dealt with in a very different way under our anti-bullying policy.

We hope that parents will help staff to work with the Girls on Board philosophy by talking to your daughters about the programme.  There is more information on Girls on Board in this short introductory video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7yWXOt9H0s  and on the Girls on Board website www.girlsonboard.co.uk. We will also have a parent booklet about Girls on Board, available very soon.

Mrs O’Doherty
Deputy Head Pastoral Care and Guidance

“We believe in our girls and they believe in themselves”.

The Upper Third pupils were introduced to the Confidence and Challenge (COaCH) programme and Award during their year-group assembly last week.

COaCH is the umbrella award for all that we offer to support and challenge our pupils outside the classroom. This encompasses:

• Our launch day of Challenge and Fun at Willen Lake on 19 October
• Whole year group residential trips in U3, L4 and U4
• A modern, proactive Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHEE) programme
• Girls on Board; an enabling approach to the friendship issues of the early teen years
• Nursing and Counselling support in school
• A highly qualified and experienced Pastoral Team comprising tutors, Heads of Year, Learning Enhancement Coordinator, School Nurse and School Counsellor
• A plethora of clubs and activities which we actively encourage the pupils to join and try out in order to develop skills and nurture their mental health
• Opportunities to get involved in the community inside and outside school, through House activities, volunteering, fundraising and giving through service.

We look forward to our away day on 19 October (more details to follow shortly for parents of U3) and to working on building resilience and a toolkit for life through COaCH at Northampton High School.

Mrs O’Doherty & Miss Chapman
Deputy Head Pastoral Care and Guidance and Head of U3

You are warmly invited to attend our Senior Drama Company’s production of ‘DNA’ at Northampton High School Theatre on Monday 15 October at 7pm.

DNA by Dennis Kelly is a black comedy which was first staged in 2007. It surrounds a group of teenagers, who believe they have accidentally killed one of their classmates. When they realise the terrible mistake they have made, they try to cover up this crime. At each moment when they could come clean, the group instead weaves a darker, more complex web of lies……..

Please click here to reserve your free tickets.  We look forward to seeing you!

Mrs Care
Director of Theatre

We are delighted to announce we will be offering a variety of new subjects for all the students, commencing with some FREE trial lessons in October and November 2018. The dance lessons will all be coordinated by Mrs Jones, one of our school dance teachers.

Over the past couple of years, we have started to offer a wider dance discipline with Jazz and Contemporary Dance. Contemporary dance is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical and classical ballet. Contemporary dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements. Contemporary dancers focus on floorwork, using gravity to pull them down to the floor. This dance genre is becoming increasingly popular amongst students.

We would like to offer free trial sessions to Senior School students on Monday 19 November between 4:15 and 5:00. More information will be circulated in due course, but if this is of interest to you please contact Mrs Jones at s.jones@nhs.gdst.net or myself at School.

Mrs Hackett
Director of Sport

We are delighted to be able to offer some Art Workshops for students over the upcoming October Half Term and also in November.

If you would like your daughter to attend any of the below camps, please get in touch via email at artworkshopswithemma@gmail.com or alternatively via phone at 07570 772334.

Friday 26 October – 09:30am to 11:30am – Wake Wing – £15

Saturday 10 November  – 09:30am to 11:30am – Wake Wing – £15

Saturday 17 November – 09:30am to 11:30am – Wake Wing – £15

Emma Lindsay

Starting this year, every Wednesday at lunchtime REC, four girls from U4, Saesha G, Angelica S, Motolani O and Feyi A will be running an Art Workshop.

These workshops are open to L4 and U3; we will have lessons about colour, famous artists, media and different genres of art. Over the course of the year, we hope to develop the girls’ understanding of art and their personal ability with mainly drawing painting and sketching.

So, if you are interested in improving your art work, come along and join our Art Club!

Angelica and Saesha 
U4

Equestrian

We are delighted to announce that after another stellar performance this weekend, Gemma and Renkum Bomadier are now Junior Show Jump UK Summer 1 Metre 10 Champions!  Gemma won the final at the weekend and is also overall summer points winner making her champion! Congrats, Gemma!

Mrs Hackett
Director of Sport

Hockey

On 6 October, we played Bedford Girls’ School in a very defensive game. From the first minute to last minute we were under attack and unfortunately the score at half time was 5-0 to Bedford.

In the second half we fought hard on a wet Saturday morning, with the final score ending 9-0 to Bedford Girls’.

Well played to everyone and a special mention to our goalie Simran Sandhu for being player of the match.

Isabella
Hockey Captain

On 10 October, the U13C team played against Bilton Grange on a warm day, and put in a strong performance. A competitive second half resulted in us winning 2-0, with goals scored by Lauren Namujjuzi and Miyali Kamath. A special mention to Eleanor Smears who got player of the match, by doing some fabulous defending. It was a pleasure to play Bilton Grange as they were a strong team.

Gemma
U13C Hockey Captain

New from the bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography – Divided: Why we’re living in an age of walls by Tim Marshall

Which side of the fence are you on? Every story has two sides, and so does every wall. We’re in a new era of tribalism and the barricades are going up.

Money, race, religion, politics: these are the things that divide us. Trump’s wall says as much about America’s divided past as it does its future. The Great Firewall of China separates ‘us’ from ‘them’. In Europe, the explosive combination of politics and migration threatens liberal democracy itself.

Covering China; the USA; Israel and Palestine; the Middle East; the Indian Subcontinent; Africa; Europe and the UK, in this gripping read bestselling author Tim Marshall delves into our past and our present to reveal the fault lines that will shape our world for years to come.

Miss Buxton
School Librarian

Bonfire Lunch Menu – Monday 5 November 2018

Fiery Tomato Soup served with Fresh Artisan Breads

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Spicy Minced Beef Chilli served with Steamed Rice and Tortilla Chips

Bangers in a Roll served with Jacket Wedge Potatoes and Baked Beans

*Roasted Vegetable Catherine Wheel served with Jacket Wedge Potatoes and Baked Beans

Salad Bar: Toasted Pumpkin and Sunflower Seed and Feta Cheese Salad, Houmous with Sliced Peppers and a Selection of Basic and Composite Salads

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Multi-Coloured Campfire Cake with Sprinkles and Popping Candy

Mrs McCue
Catering & Hospitality Manager

We politely request that all visitors to the school car park be aware of the 5 mph speed limit. The speed limit is for the safety of all children and adults using this site.

There have been a few incidents reported recently regarding safety, and, as you will understand, it is our priority is to make the school site as safe as possible for everyone.

May we please ask all drivers to give way to pedestrians using the designated crossing points.  Children should be dropped off in the designated bays in the parking areas, and not on the crossings or in disabled parking spaces. Please be conscious of looking both ways when pulling out of the parking bays.

We thank you for taking care and keeping safety paramount.

Mrs Headley
Director of Finance and Operations