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Junior News – 05 May 2023 |
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“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.” Maya Angelou I am incredibly fortunate that I truly love my job. As a headstrong 4 year old, I made a decision I wanted to be a primary school teacher and then set about pursuing that path with an unwavering commitment to be the best teacher I had capacity to be. Every choice I have made along the way has been motivated by my love for this decision. It wasn’t until I started university that I became aware that not everyone chooses careers with this motivation, and I became conscious that I am fortunate to be able to have a career that is something I truly enjoy and love doing. A frequent question my family pose to my father, who is in his 70s, is asking him when he plans to retire. Having built a business from scratch and being self-employed for the majority of his working life he offers a role model for loving your career, working hard and allowing these factors to facilitate success and accomplishment. I am not sure he will ever fully retire, and whilst I don’t intend on mirroring him in this regard, I respect his dedication and commitment to continuing as long as he is able. I truly value him showing me the fulfilment that can be achieved by working at something you truly love doing. Over the Easter holidays I took my mother to see Elton John perform in his last tour of his long and successful career. Firstly, I love listening to live music being performed, and to share the privilege of listening to such a talented musician was a wonderful experience. Secondly, Elton is an example of committing his life to something he loves and becoming incredibly accomplished at this over his long career. He faced several challenges, rejections and fierce criticism along the way, but as he stood on the stage performing to a packed 02 arena of many dedicated fans, I am sure he felt very grateful for being able to spend his career doing something he truly loved. For our girls, I want them to make career and life choices based on a motivation of love and passion rather than perhaps money or status. As Maya Angelou suggests, I believe to be truly accomplished and successful at something you must love doing it. I want our girls to experience that deep satisfaction of achieving at something they love. At Junior School ages, we recognise early signs of engagement in areas of interest, and together, with parents, we nurture and guide the girls to explore several avenues to find their love and passion. This can begin by being many areas and whilst this makes them, and parents/’taxi-drivers’, incredibly busy, it is of huge benefit to experience such a variety of experiences and opportunities at these ages and stages. With a long weekend ahead of us I’d encourage you to consider the role models you provide your daughter with for committing time and energy to something you love and subsequently are then successful at. Perhaps you could find time to talk about this concept and explore it with your daughter. Encouraging our girls to find a passion that we are proud of and committed to is very powerful indeed! Miss Hair |
Dates for your Diary |
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Class Assemblies (8.35am unless specified): Other Trips: Key Dates: Father’s Day Breakfast: Friday 16 June (more information to follow) |
KS2 Forest School sessions: School Trips for this term: Swimming Watching Weeks and Galas: |
Northampton High mark 145th birthday with annual cake cutting tradition |
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This morning, our entire staff and student body came together in traditional fashion to mark Northampton High School’s 145th birthday. Leading a wonderful assembly, Dr Lee reflected on the school’s rich history, as well as looking forward to a future of continued excellence in girls’ education. After a special whole school photograph to commemorate this remarkable milestone, the assembly was concluded with the annual birthday cake cutting! As is tradition, the youngest and eldest students were invited to join Dr Lee and Miss Hair at the front of the theatre, accompanied by Grace and Lilli who also celebrated their birthdays this week! The occasion proved the perfect celebration of Northampton High’s 145th birthday and it was wonderful to come together as a school community! Head over to our Flickr page to see more pictures from the celebration! Miss Price |
Sports Presentation Evening 2023 is a huge success! |
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On Thursday 4 May, we were delighted to host Northampton High’s annual Sports Presentation Evening, a school-wide event which celebrates students of all ages across Junior and Senior School. It is always a joy to celebrate the achievements of our community both inside and outside of the classroom, and this occasion proved to be no different, as a capacity crowd filled the Senior School Hall for a night of festivity. This year, we were overjoyed to welcome a very special guest into school for this celebration of sport. Former Arsenal and England captain Faye White MBE, who was capped 90 times for the Lionesses and featured over 300 times for the Gunners in her illustrious career, joined us to deliver an impassioned and powerful speech to an enthralled crowd of parents and budding athletes, before helping the Sports Department distribute the awards. The entire Northampton High School community has been so inspired by the recent and continued success of the England Lionesses, so to be joined by a player who not only represented her country but captained them on countless occasions, proved to be an unforgettable experience for all in attendance. |
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Huge congratulations are in order for all of this year’s award recipients, including Janice who was named as this year’s Sports Personality of the Year, Risara who was awarded Young Sports Personality of the Year, and the fantastic U14 Hockey team who scooped up the Team of the Year honour. An event of this stature does not come together without the tireless efforts of lots of dedicated people, and a huge thanks must go to Mrs Blake and the entirety of her team, alongside all the other departments and staff members who always come together to help make these events so successful. We thank the brilliant Faye White for giving her time to help make the celebration one that our students will remember forever, and of course our parents, for all of their unwavering support in helping their children to realise their sporting dreams. We look forward to a summer term filled with sporting fixtures and events, and we are excited to report on the next wave of awards and accolades that our students achieve. Photos taken by our photographer will be available next week. Mr Nash |
Junior School Sports Day Events |
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Junior School Sports Days this year will be held on the following dates: Nursery, Pre School and Reception – 7 June, 9.00 to 10.00am, to be held in Junior School. On arrival, please make your way to the Sports Field. All parents and families are welcome and we would love to see as many of you as possible cheering on your daughters. We look forward to welcoming you for a day of sporting fun! |
Wraparound care from September 2023 |
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Wraparound care for Junior School pupils, Reception to Year 6, will no longer be chargeable. We will therefore offer provision to all girls in Junior School from 07:30-18:00 each day during term time. Children may attend daily, a few days a week, or just as a one off. If you have any questions, please do feel free to contact us. |
Film Night Event: Monday 15 May |
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Our next film night will be held on Monday 15 May from, 3.30pm until 5.00pm and we will be showing two films: ‘Matilda the Musical (PG)’ and ‘A Bug’s Life (PG)’ You can secure your daughters place via Parent Pay at a cost of £3. |
Swap Shop Events |
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Our next Swap Shop events will be held on: Tuesday 23 May 3.00pm – 4.00pm – Junior School Swap Shop; Junior School Dining Room Friday 30 June 8.00am – 9.00am and 11.30am – 12.30pm- Junior School Swap Shop; Junior School Library |
News from our classrooms: Nursery and Preschool |
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This week in Nursery, we continued our theme of pets but also started to look forward to the Coronation of King Charles. We watched the story of ‘King Charles’ Colourful Coronation’ and in ballet, we paraded liked the Kings’ guards. The girls used building resources to build castles and thrones fit for a King. In cooking, we made some delicious sandwiches for a street party. We hope you all enjoy the long celebratory weekend, and please do share any pictures of parties with us on Tapestry! |
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This week in Preschool, all of our children have taken part in swimming lessons, which has been run like a military operation to ensure the girls get their full 30 minutes in the pool. The pool was full of smiles and very confident swimmers which was lovely to see! We have continued exploring bugs and have moved our bug area outside to further the children’s interests. Our PE lesson took place outside on the astroturf, where we practised our grasshopper jumps and our manoeuvres around cones to develop our spatial awareness. Some children also mastered catching a small ball. We have shared the book ‘The King’s Coronation’, so the children have an understanding of the weekend’s events and also made some celebratory flags. |
News from our classrooms: Reception |
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After the Bank Holiday on Monday, it was back to business on Tuesday! The class are being very observant of the growing of our caterpillars ,and this week we have been learning about their life cycle and why it is a cycle. We have found out that three names mean the same thing- cocoon, chrysalis and pupa, and that a butterfly’s wings are symmetrical. We have also been researching about insects, having six legs and three parts to their body. |
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In Maths, we have started to learn about the concept of fairly sharing objects between two people and if there was 1 object left over it could be cut in half! This has led to a fruit shop being set up and coins being used, prices and labels. In cooking this week we created carrot cakes, and it was very pleasing to see how much the class has grown in confidence, skills and independence over the year. The week has finished by celebrating the School’s 145th birthday and learning about the King’s Coronation. Enjoy the weekend and another Bank Holiday! |
Year 1 Maths Focus |
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Year 1 have enjoyed lots of practical maths activities this week, both inside the classroom and out. Our learning has been focussed on making arrays, doubling numbers and making equal groups. A highlight was a treasure hunt around the classroom looking for matching numicon numbers and then calculating the double. Alongside this we have consolidated our work from last week, when we were learning to count in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s. |
Year 2 Maths Focus |
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This term in Maths, Year 2 have been learning about fractions. We have learnt that things need to be split into equal parts and there is no such thing as the bigger ‘half’ of a cake! We can find a quarter, a third and a half of a number and know that two quarters is the same as a half. |
Year 3 Maths Focus |
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Year 3 have been learning all about money this week, and how to work out pounds and pence as well as how to give the correct change. The girls have enjoyed playing games and using the role play opportunities to improve their numeracy skills. |
Year 4 Maths Focus |
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Year 4 have been working on their understanding of decimal place value. The class enjoyed a place value relay outside, where they need to partition decimal numbers correctly. They have also used their knowledge of place value to round numbers to the nearest integer ending, with a game where they battled their partner for the highest score. Finally, the girls have applied these skills to money converting between pounds and pence, as well as estimating. |
Year 5 Maths Focus |
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This week, Year 5 girls have been learning how to use protractors, identifying and calculating angles all over the place; honestly, they’re everywhere! |
Year 6 Maths Focus |
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In Year 6, we are discovering that the angles in a triangle add up to 180 degrees. We have also thought about angles in full and part turns. Earlier in the term we looked at statistical graphs and finding the mean average. |
News from outside of our classrooms: Year 5 Globe Theatre Trip |
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On Thursday, a group of Year 5 girls joined other GDST schools at the Globe Theatre for an amazing day linked to ‘Hamlet’. We started with a tour of the reconstructed theatre: “I loved the tour because we got to find out the value of pennies and how much you had to pay if you got to sit down.” Maya R “It was really interesting when we saw the Globe from the outside – the roof is thatched and it is the only building in London with a thatched roof! Inside, there is no roof, and everything is made of wood, including the columns and the benches. We found out that some of the actors fall off the edge of the stage.” Amelie “When they have performances, some people have to stand up. In Tudor times, they weren’t allowed to go to the toilet, so they either had to hold it or just go – that’s why the standing people were called the penny stinkards!” Maya A The girls also loved the stage combat demonstration: “It was really fun when they did the sword fighting; it was interesting to see how they had to point the sword right towards the other person and not in the air next to them because the stage is a circle and they don’t want it to look fake.” Artemisia “It was really interesting to see all the different types of swords. Sword fighting was part of everyday life when Shakespeare wrote his plays, whereas now it’s only for people in the army. I also learned that some people accidentally got murdered on stage because in the heat of the moment they hit too hard!” Aurelia And their acting workshop: “I really like acting, so I enjoyed talking and acting out and freeze framing scenes from the story of ‘Hamlet’. I was with 2 girls from other schools and they were really nice and friendly. I played Bernardo in the scene where he tells the others about the ghost of the King.” Zara |
News from outside of our classrooms: Cricket Match Report |
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It was our first cricket match of the season on Wednesday and we kicked off with a blast! Our match was against Quinton House School, who opened the batting with a solid performance of 38 runs. We managed to take 3 wickets, 2 of which were bowled out. It was then Year 5’s turn to bat. We scored 82 runs with Luisa and Lily doing an outstanding job of running between the wickets. Well done to Zara for being named player of the match for her excellent catch. It’s always good to start the season with a win! – Angelie and Lily, Year 5 Yesterday, we played our first cricket match of the season and won! We played against Quinton House School and they scored 246 runs and we scored 265 runs. We were very happy to win our first match! The Year 5A team also played their first match and scored 282 runs and Quinton House School scored 238 runs. They were also extremely happy to win! We saw some brilliant bowling from Risara, Harini, Angelie and Annabelle, with Preesha managing to bowl someone out. I caught someone out when we were fielding and we enjoyed some amazing batting by Zoe, Lily and Luisa – Zoe managed to hit a 4! I was chosen as the Player of the Match, and the game was really good and everyone did amazingly. I was very happy with all the effort everyone put into the game – Maya, Year 6 |
Why choose a ‘made for girls’ education? – Wednesday 7 June |
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We are delighted to be hosting a special ‘In conversation with’ event, in which our experts will explore how a girls-only education can transform your daughter’s life. Drawing on landmark national research in The Girls’ Futures Report, our experts Dr May Lee, Head, and Dr Kevin Stannard, GDST’s Director of Innovation and Learning, will explore:
The event commences at 6.00pm with a drinks reception, followed by the ‘In Conversation’ event at 6.30pm. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and explore these vital topics with our experts. We do hope you will be able to join us for what promises to be an invaluable discussion with pioneering experts in girls’ education. Please click here to book your free tickets today. Mr Nash |
In Conversation With: Lorraine Whitmarsh |
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GDST’s next ‘In Conversation With’ event is with Environmental Psychologist and Portsmouth High School alumna, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE. The event will take place on Friday 23 May, 12.30-1.30pm, via Zoom. The ‘In Conversation With’ events are open to all alumnae, Sixth Formers, staff, parents, and GDST’s Partnership and Outreach schools. The aim is to engage wider alumnae audiences from all over the world and promote the network and inspire both alumnae and current GDST students with a huge variety of speakers and topics. More information and sign up for your free spot, please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Alumnae of the Year 2023 |
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We are delighted to announce that nominations are now open for GDST Alumna of the Year 2023. This special award recognises remarkable individuals and celebrates their inspiring achievements. To find out more and to make a nomination, please find a link to the nomination form here. Nominations close on Tuesday 23 May. Mrs Wilmot |
Turning 'can we?' into 'we can!' - Early Years Taster Events, Saturday 13 May |
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We look forward to welcoming so many lovely families to our upcoming Early Years Stay and Play Event and Junior Arts Morning on Saturday 13 May. The event promises to be a superb showcase of life at Northampton High School. If you would like to come along, please do feel most welcome, and should you have family, friends, or neighbours keen to visit us, please encourage them to book their place here and join us! Mr Nash |
Community Sessions |
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Creative Arts Festival |
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Alumnae Reunion Lunch |
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External Sports opportunities |
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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