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Junior News – 1 July 2022 |
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Another busy, productive and positive week has been had! We started the week with Years 4, 5 and 6 joining the Senior School assembly to hear about the Eco Team’s project in relation to ‘Tree Day’. The younger children and I thoroughly enjoyed an assembly led by the music department in which we were introduced to three instruments in the woodwind family and enjoyed an inspiring performance. The girls particularly enjoyed challenging the teacher by requesting a song of their choice for him to improvise – astounding talent that impressed the girls and I! We ended the week today with our ‘Welcome Morning’ during which all of the girls spent the morning in their new classes. We have several girls joining us in September into various year groups and most of them were able to join us for the morning as well. It was lovely to visit the classrooms this morning and experience the girls’ excitement about their new year group, new teacher and new classrooms. They were confidently embracing the upcoming transition and this was wonderful to observe. |
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I have received some lovely feedback this week about developments at school over this term and this has been very encouraging. We are busy preparing for the new academic year and the wonderful staff team are working collaboratively to develop the learning spaces this term ready for the new year together. A particular focus for us is our reading provision and this project includes a total overhaul of our reading scheme. We need to ask your support with this as we will need to collect your daughter’s current reading scheme and library books from them to complete this project on Thursday 7 July. We can support you by providing a set of reading books for you to read at home with your child over the last week of term and/or the summer holidays if you’d like this so please do ask your child’s class teacher if this is something you require. We are theming our new reading room as ‘under the sea’ and the girls that have noticed this transformation happen are responding really positively. The room will be finished for September and I am looking forward to more opportunities next year for our parents to come into school and experience spaces such as this. We are looking forward to another exciting week next week with trips, sport events and our Summer Fayre. Miss Hair |
Reminder: Summer Fayre - 8 July |
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We have had a great response to this event so far with many tickets already sold through ParentPay. If you are yet to do so, please book your child a place to join in the fun. There will be an inflatable, craft activities, face painting, an entertainer and snacks – a fun-packed session for all of our children to enjoy together. Don’t forget that parents, family members and friends can book places in our adult-only zone to enjoy afternoon tea, a chat and some peace whilst we entertain the children. These are also bookable through ParentPay. We look forward to seeing you there! |
Origami workshop |
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As you are aware, the Junior School events for next academic year have been added to Parent Pay for you to book your child’s place as early as you wish to. Last week we shared information with you about the origami workshops that are on 29th September. We thought we’d include a photo of the origami peonies that Miss Hair made at a workshop led by Esther from ‘Origami Est’ so you can see where the inspiration for this event has come from. Each workshop space will be charged at £15 per person and includes all the resources required, refreshments (including cake!) and of course Esther’s excellent tuition to support you to make a wonderful creation. The first session will be 1.30-3pm and for adults only. The second session will be 3.30-5pm and is open to children from Year 2 to Year 6. The children will be supported by staff during this session so parents do not need to attend with their children. The final session of the day will be 5.30-7pm and open to children and their parents/carers from Year 2 to Year 6. This is a unique opportunity to learn something new in a relaxed environment with expert guidance. Places are limited for these workshops so please book early through Parent Pay to avoid disappointment. |
Sports News - Year 3 & 4 Cricket vs Thornton |
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On Friday 24 June, all of Year 3 and 4 played against Broughton Manor Prep in a cricket match. We put out four teams and were excited to play. The matches were competitive and fun with each team bowling and batting well and we were treated to several boundaries from both sides with the scores close throughout. The weather took a turn for the worse towards the end with a sudden downpour of rain, but this didn’t dampen our spirits as we had pizza for match tea! Three of the games finished before the rain and the other was declared a draw. Well done everyone!
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News from our classrooms: Nursery and Pre School |
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This week we have added a new area within our garden, enhancing the water area to include a potion-making station. The girls have been busy creating wonderful potions using a range of ingredients and tools, including different coloured water squirting bottles, pipettes and coloured sand. They have also had watermark making opportunities where pupils have used paint brushes to create wonderful creations with water. In Nursery, we have been continuing our theme of ‘summer’ and the girls have had the opportunity to participate in painting and craft activities – |
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‘sunshine’ has been a main focus. We are also adding to our tree mural in the dining area and salt dough decorations are well underway with flowers, ladybirds and butterflies being among some of the creations. We have also been practising our yoga moves where the girls have been displaying beautiful poses. This week in Pre School the girls have been listening to the story ‘The Snail and the Whale’ and they have been listening out for rhyming words. We have also prompted them to think about where they would ask the whale to take them. In French, the girls have been introduced to some new vocabulary to describe the weather. Hopefully, they will be saying “Il fait beau” every morning when we do our daily chart at group time until the end of term! Some more of the class have been off to visit their new big schools this week as well as the girls moving to Reception here having another visit with their new teachers. Reminders We are delighted to invite you to our sports activity afternoon on Monday 11 July between 2-3pm. This is your opportunity to watch your daughter compete in different activities at their own pace, you can even join in too if you wish! We have Year 6 running a variety of sporting events for the girls to get involved in. If your daughter does not attend this session you are more than welcome to still come along. Please let us know if you will be attending. Please also remember to book your daughter in for any sessions you require during the summer holidays. The deadline is Monday 4 July, and please could you get your requests in quickly, as you can appreciate we need to make sure we have the correct child:adult ratios. May I kindly ask you to check all of your daughter’s belongings to make sure you have the correct clothing and ballet shoes. Please also label your daughters clothing. May I also remind you that phones are not permitted in Nursery and please could you refrain from using them within the Nursery setting. Thank you for your continued support. Mrs Bing, Miss Hillery and the Nursery Team To view more photos please click here |
Reception |
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The highlight of this week was Wednesday. Firstly, presenting our assembly to the school and parents – it was lovely to see how confident the girls have become and how they can all join in and focus their attention. It was also a real treat to see them perform their ballet dance at the Extravaganza on Wednesday evening. The class have been practising this in their ballet lesson and were very keen to be finally performing to an audience. It was then a fitting end to the week for the class to move up to visit Year 1 for the morning. They have all really grown up and are excited for their next stage of schooling. Mrs Farrar and Mrs Shaw To view more photos please click here |
Year 1 and Year 2 - Art/DT Focus |
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We have been busy in Year 1 and 2 this term exploring puppets. We started by looking at lots of different types of puppets and looking at how they work. We then had a go at making our very own finger puppets which seemed to be a lot of fun for all the girls. We are currently working on making a hand puppet. We spent some time thinking carefully about our designs and we have just started to make our puppets working attentively to bring our design ideas to life! We hope to share our finished products with you very soon. Miss Scott-Evans To view more Year 1 photos please click here To view more Year 2 photos please click here |
Year 3 - Art/DT Focus |
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This term’s study of Northampton and its history in the shoe industry has led us to learn about how shoes are made. We aren’t quite lucky enough to have the big, industrial machines to make our own shoes so instead we are putting our sewing skills to work by making slippers! We’ve conducted market research looking closely at some existing designs, we then went on to design our own slippers, take measurements, make a paper template, choose appropriate materials and we are now currently at the ‘making’ stage. We cannot wait to share the final product with you! Miss Scott-Evans To view more photos please click here |
Year 4 - Art/DT Focus |
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Last week we proudly displayed the art and DT work that the girls have completed throughout the year. Looking back over the year, we have achieved so much, from delightful flower sketches to our ceramic lizards. In DT this term we are working on our ‘light box’. Our design brief is to design and create a battery-operated night light. We have looked at how technology has changed to enable us to light our homes. We reminded ourselves of our learning in Science about series circuits that incorporate switches and bulbs and experimented with making home-made switches. We are now at the point of choosing materials and components to make the main structure of the light. Mrs Shaw and Mrs Smith To view more photos please click here |
Year 5 - Art/DT Focus |
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Over the last few weeks, the Year 5 girls have been working with a ‘seaside’ theme. Hopefully you enjoyed seeing the spectacular line drawings they produced of shells and sea creatures on display at the Arts Festival, together with their relief prints. The girls don’t know this yet, but next week I am planning on letting them loose with some clay! How hard can it be to get an octopus with 8 attached tentacles?! Miss Brandon-Jones To view more photos please click here |
Year 6 - Art/DT Focus |
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Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the importance of textiles and design throughout history and designing their own cushions to reflect their individuality. Once the designs had been chosen, patterns were made, materials selected and carefully cut and then sewn together using a variety of stitches. Finally each pupil was given the opportunity to use the sewing machine to sew their cushion pieces together. The end products are stunning and everyone should feel really pleased with their cushions. Mrs Fordham and Miss Taylor To view more photos please click here |
News from our extracurricular offer: GAP Club |
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This week, the girls have created a palm tree complete with a parrot and coconuts for the summer display. On Wednesday we enjoyed seeing lots of faces, old and new, come into GAP Club before the Gym & Dance Extravaganza. The girls have also enjoyed spending lots of time outside and painting. Mrs Howell and the GAP Club Team To view more photos please click here |
News from outside of our classrooms: Gym & Dance Extravaganza |
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On Wednesday 29 June, we were delighted to host one of our favourite annual events, the Gym & Dance Extravaganza. This event is so special as it involves every year group from Reception to Sixth Form, and it proved to be an amazing spectacle as we approach the end of another action-packed academic year in the world of sport at Northampton High. The theme for this year was ‘Iconic’ and there were certainly iconic dances on display! From Elvis, to Megan Trainer, from the Beach Boys to the theme of Friends, the students created a night to remember! The Senior School Hall was full and the atmosphere was electric. From nerves, to excitement and everything in between – the full range of emotions relating to putting on a show were evident. Everyone performed magnificently well and we are immensely proud of all of the performers who were brave enough to go out there and perform. We are always in awe of people who can perform creatively to an audience, whether it is acting, singing, dancing or gymnastics. Putting on a show is hard work and this event was lovely because of the hard work and commitment everyone was prepared to put into it. One thing that stood out from start to finish was the camaraderie shown by all the performers. The cheering before they went on, the shouts of encouragement and the whoops of delight when the performance was done alongside hugs of celebration. This was a noteworthy addition to the show. It showed understanding, respect and mutual delight in either getting through the performance or managing that gymnastic skill. We thank our wonderful audience for joining us for this celebration, and we hope to see you again next year! |
Year 6 pupils enjoy enriching induction day ahead of their start in Senior School in September |
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On Thursday, our current Year 6 students enjoyed a fun-filled activity day at Willen Lake as they prepare for their start in Senior School in September. As part of our Confidence and Challenge (COaCH) programme, September’s Year 7 have been joined by their new classmates for a wonderful induction day where they got to make friends, share a laugh and enjoy the marvellous events that Willen has to offer. It proved to be a fantastic day, and we are excited to welcome these students into the Senior School! |
Eco Team raise £168 for One Tree Day! |
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On Monday 27 June, the Eco Team ran a bake sale to raise money for One Tree Day. We raised £168 for this amazing cause; thank you to everyone who purchased a cake at break time – you got delicious cake and we planted trees! One Tree Day is an organisation that aims to plant a tree for every school child around the world. One pound plants one tree, and these are located in carefully selected areas to help combat climate change and keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. If you would like to find out more about One Tree Day, then click here to watch this informative video about what impact Just One Tree is having on the world. Mr Earp & Esme |
Awards for this week |
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Ballet dancer of the week – Ella K Musician of the week – Holly G-S Linguist of the week – Rosie B Star Learners of the week – Annie T, Pixie, Amber, Leah, Sakinah and Aurelia T Each week girls are invited to share their achievements in activities outside of school. They are listed below for this week: Emily T – awarded 1st place in a dance competition Playground Helpers – Eva and Emilly took responsibility for tidying up the toys other children had left on the playground. Thank you very much. To view photos please click here |
Birthdays for this week |
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This week we wish a very happy Birthday to the following members of our Junior School family: Thea M, Grace A, Maya A, Miya W, Ula, Rianna, Thea S
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Upcoming events and key dates |
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Uniform Swap Shop – open every Friday 3.15-3.45pm 06 July – Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 trip to Woburn Safari Park There will be no Construction Club, Betty Walking Club or Mindfulness Colouring Club on Wednesday 06 July. Please can parents pick up at 3.30pm or book a space in GAP Club on these days. |
Summer Reception and Charity Auction’ at Althorp House – Wednesday 6 July |
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We have received communication from Mr. James Saunders Watson (Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Northamptonshire) and members of the Northamptonshire Committee of ABF The Soldier’s Charity that parents of Northampton High School are warmly invited to attend the ‘Summer Reception and Charity Auction’ in the Stable’s Courtyard at Althorp House. The evening will commence at 18:00 for drinks and canapés, with music provided by students from Northampton High School, with an option to stay on for the Charity Auction as well (19:30-20:30). As this is a charity event there is a charge of £30 per person, if you would like to attend please email nhsadmin@nhs.gdst.net no later than 14:00 on Thursday 23 June, and we will confirm details of how to make payment directly with the ABF The Soldier’s Charity. Due to security arrangements at Althorp Estate, this is a strictly ticket only event with confirmations required well in advance of the event. If you would like any further information, please do get in touch. Mr Hume |
Reunion Lunch - Saturday 9 July 2022 |
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Tickets for our Summer Reunion Lunch are on sale now! Taking place on Saturday 9 July, the lunch is a highlight of any year, where alumnae from both the Derngate and Hardingstone sites get together for a delicious two-course meal and to catch up with friends old and new. For more information and to book your tickets, please click here. We are also delighted to share with you the latest edition of our Alumnae Newsletter. To take a read, please click here. Mrs Wilmot |
Community Nursery Sessions |
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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