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Junior News – 24 May 2024 |
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What an action-packed half term! I hope your daughters have had an enjoyable first half of the summer term and are looking forward to a rest before the final few weeks of the academic year. This is a brilliant time of year for us all – with better weather (sometimes!), plants and flowers bursting into life and longer lighter days to enjoy – allowing us to make the most of the outdoors, even if we are armed with waterproofs, just in case! We were glad to welcome back our Year 6 girls into school after their wonderful, fun-filled trip to Osmington Bay. Kicking off the week in style, Constance performed a piano piece for us in assembly, and performance was an apt theme for the rest of the week. Our swimming galas this week have been a triumph, and the standard of our pupils’ swimming overwhelmed both parents and staff alike. I was incredibly impressed how strong the girls’ stroke technique is, how they glide through the water and at pace. Swimming is, of course, a skill for life, and potentially a life-saving skill, building confidence in and out of the water, great exercise and promotes a positive, healthy lifestyle. The competitive nature of our galas gave the girls a sense of achievement and equally an important feeling of camaraderie, as they cheered on their House teammates and encouraged each other to reach the finish line. Thank you to all parents, family members and friends for coming to support the girls to witness their successes.
I had the pleasure of meeting with the winning Year 6 team as part of their We Are One project which is a joint endeavour for GDST schools. More information will follow when we are back in school after half term, so watch this space! All I can say for now is that the Year 6 girls can feel hugely proud of their professionalism, presentation skills and the thought processes that have gone into this meticulously planned, collaborative campaign. We are excited to share the outputs with you. Staying with Year 6, the excitement was palpable on Tuesday evening as we held our Welcome Evening for transition into Year 7. September’s Year 7 promises to be a fantastic year group, with girls from 23 primary schools coming to join our own Year 6s to start their Senior School experience. The atmosphere was alive, with families meeting each other, browsing uniform in our Swap Shop, and girls discovering their form groups and meeting their new form tutors. So much to look forward to! Our thanks to our Swap Shop volunteers (and pupils Constance and Aureila H) for their unstinting support. The whole Junior School was treated to an assembly on Wednesday from the Sixth Form’s House Senior Leaders. The students introduced themselves and their House roles, organising pupils into their Houses, each group tasked with preparing a mini-performance of a song, a House chant, a play or cheerleading. After only a few minutes of preparation, girls in Year 1 to Year 6 performed the piece they had practised to the watchful judges (Reception class). Each House’s performance was incredibly impressive, particularly the play of Little Red Riding Hood that was devised in lightning-fast time! The Junior hall was alive with celebratory House spirit – we are all looking forward to the next round of our House competitions at our Sports Days in June! Wishing you and your families a restful, relaxing and richly deserved half term. With best wishes, Mrs Amanda Wilmot |
Parent Notices |
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Sun cream and Sun Hats: Now the weather is much improved, may we please ask that pupils wear sun cream to school and ensure they have sun hats with them in school every day. Wraparound Care: In Wraparound Care, we have reintroduced fruit as a snack as well as the biscuits currently available. Swap Shop: The Swap Shop is open every Friday afternoon from 2.45 – 3.45pm in the Junior School hall if you need to top up uniform items. Headphones: Please may we ask parents of girls from Year 1 to Year 6 to come to school every day with headphones. These can be the in-ear or over-ear type which are connected to the Chrome Books and the pupils’ laptops with an audio jack. Year 2 have a Computing module coming up which involve composing music, and these would be very helpful. Breakfast Club: A polite reminder that Breakfast Club starts at 7.30am each morning. We are unable to welcome pupils into school until our staffing is in place at 7.30am. Year 5 – University of Northampton student : We are pleased to have Miss Amelia O’Brien in Year 5 with us for a few weeks for school-based training experience. She is spending time with Miss Brandon-Jones in Year 5 to understand the role of a class teacher through planning, teaching and assessment. Dates for the diary: Junior School Class Photos – Monday 10 June Art Gallery viewings will be available in Junior School at the Arts Festival on Wednesday 26 June from 6pm-8pm and then on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 June from 3.30-4pm. Open Classrooms – we hope you enjoyed Open Classrooms this week. As much of the pupils’ work will be coming home with them during the final week of term, there will not be Open Classrooms on Wednesday 10 July, 3.30-4pm, as previously communicated. Looking ahead to September, our Curriculum Information Evenings will take place in the week commencing 9 September. We will confirm dates next half term. Father’s Day breakfast – more information to follow shortly. Correction – the Open Forest School session on Wednesday 5 June is for Year 4, and not for all classes. Summer Term 2 – Please click here to view a list of the upcoming events, assemblies, trips, performances and fixtures next half term. |
Sports Days |
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Sports Days are one of the highlights of the summer term. We are pleased to confirm the dates for Junior School are as follows: Nursery and Preschool Tuesday 18 June, 1.30-2.30pm – Refreshments will be served. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Wednesday 26 June, 9.30-10.30am – Refreshments will be served. Year 3 to Year 13 Friday 7 June, all day – Please see SchoolPost letters. (Friday 14 June – Reserve date). |
Sports Awards Event |
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At the beginning of term, we communicated that our Sports Awards event would take place on Monday 8 July at 6pm. This event is a highlight of the sporting calendar and we have regrettably had to rearrange this date. The event will now take place on Thursday 27 June from 6pm. The Sports Awards event celebrates the progress and accomplishments in a wide range of sporting endeavours for pupils from Year 3. Invitations will be sent to Sports Award nominees and their families during week commencing Monday 3 June, and further information will follow. |
Annie Production |
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We are delighted to invite you to this year’s musical production of Annie on Friday 21 June! As always, we are thrilled to be hosting our much loved family-friendly production this term, and would love the pleasure of your company at this special event. Our cast and crew are working exceptionally hard and it promises to be a night to remember! Tickets are available to purchase here and we look forward to welcoming as many guests as possible! Creative Arts Faculty |
News from our classrooms: Nursery and Preschool |
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Where is the time going? It’s hard to believe for most of these girls there is only one half term left in Nursery, and what an amazing journey they have been on. Their confidence has grown so much and they are becoming capable independent young girls. At Forest School they now happily explore the area with their own ideas rather than waiting to be shown everything. The girls know an amazing amount of songs and also listen to increasingly longer stories. Their social skills have developed allowing them to work together to create amazing structures and this is only the start of their journey. |
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Maths has been the focus in Preschool this week. We have explored numbers by matching quantities to amounts and making marks to represent numbers. We have looked at repeating patterns by finishing a started pattern and have then tried to make our own. Outside we have been treated to lots of singing and dancing from the girls and we also played an imaginary game of ‘pirates and mermaids’ on the pirate ship. We have been recording each other’s results showing how far we can jump along a number line and in PE we completed an obstacle course with climbing, balancing and jumping. Our book of the week was called ‘The Perfect Fit’ which is about shapes finding where they belong, making various patterns and pictures with other shapes. We also had a go at making pictures using 2D shapes just like in the book. During French we played a hide and seek game with some of the farm animals we have been learning about. The girls had to guess which one of their friends was hiding an animal. In Swimming this week the girls have been floating like star fish and singing a song about sharks. They have also been swimming independently with wiggles and improving their long arm stroke. |
News from our classrooms: Reception |
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In Maths we have been learning about sharing and grouping. We began by sharing out some fruit for the teddies and making sure it was fair. Then we shared out 10 apples between two, trying to work out how many each would get. What would happen if 10 was shared between three? In Writing lessons we are now concentrating on writing our own sentences, trying to remember finger spaces and ending with a full stop.
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This week the class have written about the life cycle of a butterfly. We have been finding out about ‘Minibeasts and their Habitats’, trying to decide which place would suit the different minibeasts the best. At Forest School we did some pond dipping to see if we could find out what lives in that habitat. Our seeds have started to shoot, and the class will be bringing them home to look after them. Please let us know how big they continue to grow. Wishing you all a lovely break and let’s hope for some good weather. |
Year 1 Humanities Focus |
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Year 1 have been learning about the countries, and their flags, that make up the United Kingdom. We have talked about capital cities that we have visited and why they are important. The concept of landmarks has been an important part of our learning and we have finished the topic by writing a travel guide to key London landmarks. |
Year 2 Humanities Focus |
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Year 2 have really enjoyed finding out all about Victorian life. We have discovered that many Victorian children had to go to work! They often worked long hours in dangerous, difficult jobs such as in factories or cleaning chimneys. We compared Victorian to modern-day clothing and considered what clothes told us about Victorian culture and society. Recently, we have been learning about Victorian holidays and the children were fascinated to discover that many Victorian holidaymakers travelled on trains (steam, of course!) to their holiday destinations by the seaside and used inventions called bathing carriages to have a dip in the sea! |
Year 3 Humanities Focus |
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Year 3 have been learning all about our local area. The girls have been on a walk around the school and created a sketch map with a key to identify all of the rooms. For Prep the girls created a sketch map to show the area where they live and after the half term break we will be going for a walk around Hardingstone village to create another sketch map. |
Year 4 Humanities Focus |
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Our Year 4 students have been sharing their projects on Modern Egypt and their hard work is truly commendable! From posters to slide shows, interviews, films, and brain-teasing quizzes – their projects showcase exceptional research skills! The class is gearing up for our assembly post half term, where they will unravel the mysteries of ancient Egypt! In addition, they have explored the various theories surrounding the construction of the pyramids, delving into evidence to determine the most plausible methods used. The girls also unravelled the enigma of how the old civilisation crumbled and how the invaders inadvertently made ancient Egypt even stronger! |
Year 5 Humanities Focus |
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Year 5 have been learning about the Ancient Maya this half term – the art, the architecture, the number system and the hieroglyphs. In their Prep time, the pupils have been creating a Google Slides presentation, building up week by week. Here are just a few of their amazing slides.
Most importantly, however, they have been finding out about the food… and although maize made up about 80% of the Maya diet, I guarantee that the food the girls will talk about most is chocolate! |
Year 6 Humanities Focus |
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The winning group from the GDST ‘We Are One’ project met with Mrs Wilmot on Tuesday to present ideas for their ‘Bin It, Don’t Fling It!’ behaviour change campaign. They are looking forward to talking to Junior School pupils in an assembly and publicising the event around school. Look out for their posters and eye-catching logo! |
Head's Commendations |
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A huge congratulations to the students who received a Head’s Commendation this week, featuring two of our Junior School pupils! This special award recognises pupils for their outstanding achievements, demonstrations of kindness and dedication to school life, and we were delighted to celebrate the recipients for their hard work this half term! During lunchtime on Tuesday, the nominated pupils and their teachers joined Dr Lee in the Senior foyer to commemorate this special achievement with certificates and sweets. A big well done to the group for their positive contributions to school life! Laura C – For being awarded a place on the ‘Deutschland Plus’ summer school. Not only did she complete a rigorous application form in German, but she will need to complete a follow up project too. It is highly competitive; with only around 24 Year 12 students from the whole of the UK being selected. Well done Laura! Miss Ingrouille Minni PSJ – Despite finding extended writing challenging, Minni always comes to English in a positive frame of mind. Through her determined approach to improve, and resilience when things do not quite go to plan, Minni has made pleasing progress in this subject and I look forward to seeing her continue to grow and develop in all areas. Well done, Minni! Mrs Fordham Clara B – Clara has made excellent progress on her fast-track Latin language course and has attended all of her language buddy sessions on Wednesday break times. Mrs Peto Chanan S – Chanan has consistently demonstrated a proactive and independent approach to her studies, taking initiative to thoroughly review course materials and seek out additional support to enhance her understanding. Chanan deserves to reap the rewards of her hard work in the upcoming summer assessments, but also to be commended for her application to her preparation. Dr Lines Hope A – For her excellent work in Humanities Transferable Skills, specifically her final project on a topic of her own choice. Hope has produced a presentation on the topic, including her bibliography and using citation. Hope is a very impressive potential medic, mature and considered regarding a fascinating but potentially upsetting subject and working at a level beyond Year 8. Miss Buxton Holly G-S – The final assignment in English was to write a letter (in the style of Michael Morpurgo) from one of the characters, and end the book. Holly’s ending was perfect! In fact, as a class, we agreed that we preferred it to the original when we read that. Miss Brandon-Jones Sahitya B – For being an excellent ambassador for the school and generously giving up her time to host a guest on a tour showcasing the spirit of our school. Dr Lee Anushka T – For being an excellent ambassador for the school and generously giving up her time to host a guest on a tour showcasing the spirit of our school. Dr Lee Evette B – For representing the school by playing the piano so beautifully at every event and always with a smile on her face. Dr Lee |
GDST Athletics Rally - Friday 17 May |
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The High School took a team of 31 to the Harvey Hadden Stadium in Nottingham on Friday for the GDST Athletics Rally. Sixteen schools competed in a range of athletics disciplines. It was a fabulous day with great performances and lovely weather.
Year 5 Results |
News from outside of the classroom: Year 6 Osmington Bay Residential |
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On Monday, Year 6 went to Osmington Bay in Dorset. We were all very excited and couldn’t wait to arrive. The journey took 4 hours and we stopped at a service station halfway. When we arrived, we found out who we were with in the dorms and then met our group leader, Charlotte. We had dinner in the canteen and sang songs which was really fun and we then played an evening game before sleeping. The entire week was great fun! We did the trapeze where you climb up a pole then jump off and abseiling where you climb down a big wooden wall. We all loved dragon boating as we did lots of races and the teachers were getting very competitive! We were split into 3 activity groups but in the evening we completed the activities together.
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On Thursday we had a silent disco as our evening activity. It was really good fun because we were able to listen to two different channels but there were times when everyone would listen to the same song, like when we all did the YMCA and the instructors were on the stage doing it so we could copy them. Another fun evening activity was Cluedo, it was just like the board game but with real people. We were in our dorm groups and ran to do a challenge and get some clues before going back to Charlotte who told us where to go next. The mystery was ‘The Case of the Missing Crown’. The Osmington Bay Sports Day Crown was stolen and it was up to us to find out who stole it, where they hid it and what their getaway vehicle was. It turned out to be Sailor Sam, he hid it at the bottom of the lake and got away in his boat. We all had so much fun and have all made memories for life! We would all like to thank Mrs Dadge, Miss Taylor, Miss John and Mrs Dunkley for taking us on this amazing trip and making it possible for us. Cordelia and Asmi |
News from outside of the classroom: Wildlife Gardening Club Awards |
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We are delighted to share that we have received the Wildlife Trust BCN Gardening Award for the variety of habitats and wildlife supported on site as well as eco-friendly habits: copses, ponds, shelters and food for birds, bees and bugs, annual and perennial flowers, green corridors, composting and recycling. In addition, building on our success last year, we have been awarded the Woodland Trust’s Gold Award, for taking part in a variety of nature activities celebrating trees, flowers, mental health and wellbeing. The highlight this term has surely got to be finding out about cherry blossom ceremonies, before trying to make our own paintings whilst we had some matcha tea! Well done everyone for your help and contributions! |
News from outside of the classroom: Guard of Honour |
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On Friday 17 May, as Captain of Northamptonshire U11 Girls County Cricket Team, I was privileged to lead my squad out as the Guard of Honour for the England Women vs Pakistan Women T20 match at Wantage Road. My team went out onto the pitch with our flags (I held the Pakistan national flag to honour our opponents) and waved them as the players ran onto the pitch for the game. We even had pyrotechnics and music to create a special sense of occasion. It was wonderful to see so many families with their daughters at the ground to enjoy this game. I loved seeing how full the cricket ground was because it really showed how popular women’s cricket is becoming, which is great news. |
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There was a great atmosphere of fun and feeling connected with cricketers from other countries using the platform of sport. There were games for younger children to play, including keepy uppys using a bat and ball, and throwing a ball into a hole trying to beat other cricket grounds’ highest score. I loved using the photo booth to take fun photos with my cricket team, it was a fun way to record these amazing memories. It was a great experience that I shall always remember! Angelie |
Weekly Awards |
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Star Learners of the Week: Betsy H, Emily P, Georgina P, Isabelle L. Robin M M, Inara F, Zara B, Amelia K, Dulcie S, Grace A, Mayura G, Amelie N, Hazel G Congratulations to all the Osmington Bay girls who were awarded a PGL Adventure Course Certificate External Achievements: Luna D – awarded a Tennis medal and certificate and two Rainbow badges |
Birthdays This Week |
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This week, we wish a very Happy Birthday to the following members of our Junior School family: Anne A, Felicity P, Dulcie S, Zara B |
Toy Swap and Mufti Day |
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Our Junior School Council are delighted to have organised a Toy Swap for Friday 21 June. This fabulous initiative is an affordable and sustainable way for girls to acquire new toys and give away ones they no longer play with. We look forward to hosting this special event next half term! Junior School Council |
Save the Date: Creative Arts Festival |
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Save the Date: Speech Day |
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Northampton High School Swim Clubs |
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Brixworth Cricket Club |
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Elite Football Coaching |
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Girls@Saints |
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Saints Cricket Club |
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Pauline Quirke Academy |
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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