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Junior News – 27 May 2022 |
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My week opened with a warm but enjoyable hour as a supporter at the Year 5 and 6 swimming gala and ended with a Junior School assembly where every child wore a creative crown they’d made and a smile from ear to ear after a fun-filled day of Jubilee celebrations. In between these bookends I spent an afternoon session with our Nursery children in which we enjoyed learning outside together and reading stories. Our Pre School children are preparing to move to Reception in September and it is wonderful to observe their increased confidence and readiness for school. On Wednesday, I was invited to be a special guest judge at the Year 3 Jubilee pageant and was pleased to share this special moment with the class – they amazed me with a range of talent and they clearly enjoyed the opportunity. Year 5 Hobbies morning this week provided another proud moment for me as I, as well as parents and other year groups, had the pleasure of hearing from each Year 5 pupil speak about a hobby they are passionate about. From Lego to dance and everything in between it was an eclectic mix presented confidently by each pupil who had clearly worked hard on their presentation. As always, this half term has been full of a rich and diverse offer of opportunities for our children and I have enjoyed every minute of my first half term as your Head of Junior School. I wish you all a wonderful half term break and I’ll look forward to seeing you on Monday 6 June for the last half term of this academic year – how time flies! Miss Hair |
Platinum Jubilee Celebrations |
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Today in school, we have been delighted to come together and celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. As the Jubilee takes place over half term week, we wanted to make sure we commemorated this special occasion in true Northampton High School fashion! We kicked off the day with a whole school assembly in the Senior Hall, where Junior and Senior School students and staff met for a special start to the day. The bleachers were awash with red, white and blue (and purple, the official colour of the Platinum Jubilee!) as students dressed for the occasion in their patriotic colours. We also saw some amazing themed costumes from some of our Junior School members, including our very own mini Queen Elizabeth II! After students received their commemorative badges (with books for the youngest of our pupils), Mrs O’Doherty led the assembly and gave a wonderful talk all about Queen Elizabeth II, her reign and her past Jubilee celebrations. At lunchtime the kitchen was transformed, with the Union Flag flying high across the dining room for our special Jubilee ‘street party’-style lunch. The Catering Team prepared a wonderful banquet lunch for our community to enjoy, with themed menu items including tasty Coronation Chicken, the eye catching red, white and blue eggs and the very popular Victoria Sponge! |
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Activities continued throughout the day, reflecting on the whole school Jubilee Bake Off competition capturing the imaginations of our budding bakers all across the school. You will read more about this further down the newsletter, but huge congratulations to all of our worthy winners – the standard of the entries was fantastic and it was certainly a tough decision for our judges Miss Hair and Miss Knight! Junior School pupils enjoyed a series of Jubilee-themed activities in their House groups during the morning, before concluding their day after lunch with a special assembly, where they sang songs and had the opportunity to wear the crowns they had made earlier in the day. Students and staff alike all had an amazing day, coming together to celebrate this hugely significant milestone. We hope all of our families have a wonderful half term break, and we hope you all enjoy your own Platinum Jubilee celebrations next week. Mr Nash |
Platinum Jubilee Bake Off Competition! |
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As you will have read earlier in the newsletter, as part of today’s school Platinum Jubilee Celebrations we were delighted to hold a special whole school Jubilee Bake Off competition! Students of all ages were eligible to enter, with prizes being awarded to the winner in Early Years, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Senior School, along with a category for our staff too! We saw a record number of entries submitted, with the quality of the entries being simply fantastic! Our judging panel of Miss Hair, Head of Junior School, and Miss Knight, Subject Leader Food, spent much time deliberating the winner of each category, before ultimately deciding on the following worth winners: Early Years: Jasmine I A huge congratulations to all our winners, and to all of our fantastic bakers who entered the competition. You all did amazingly well! Mr Nash |
School Post |
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In response to parent questions about our relatively new communications portal, we are running a trial during the week after half term. Some parents have expressed frustration at the ‘once per day’ collation of School Post messages into one digest email. Concerns include the difficulty in locating an school communication on a particular topic. Whilst our research suggests that generally parents would prefer to get one daily message rather than several individual ones, we are going to send each message individually for the week after half term. At the end of the week, we will seek parent feedback on which system works better. Whilst ‘communication’ is a hot topic in all schools, with some parents feeling they don’t get enough and others feeling there is too much, we are keen to get as good a balance as possible. It is worth mentioning that should you log into Firefly (to which all parents have login details) you can see each School Post message relating to your child individually. You can also search the messages easily by keyword too. I look forward to hearing your feedback and ensuring we communicate with you as effectively as possible. Have a lovely half term break Mrs O’Doherty |
Reminder: Cinema Event - 13 June |
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On Monday 13 June, we are hosting a cinema event showing Disney’s Encanto. The event is open to all children from Nursery to Year 6. It will start straight after school at 3.30pm and finish at 5.30pm. Nursery parents can buy their child’s ticket from Mrs Bing through card payments. Parents of children Reception to Year 6 can book their child’s place through Parent Pay. We hope you can join us! |
Reminder: Summer Fayre - 8 July |
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On Friday 8 July, we are delighted to be hosting our Nursery and Junior School Summer Fayre, from 3.30 until 5pm. Activities include an entertainer, inflatables, crafts and face painting. Parents and family members can buy tickets to our exclusive adult only zone at this event to enjoy a wonderful afternoon tea together whilst the children enjoy the fayre. Tickets for Nursery children and adults can be paid for at the school office and Reception to Year 6 through Parent Pay. We hope to see you there! |
Sports Day |
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Sports day for Years 3 to 6 (and Senior School) is on Friday 10 June. The children need to wear a t-shirt in the colour of their house along with a school skort, sports leggings or athletics shorts. Pupils can come into school wearing their sports day outfit but should bring an outfit to change into which does not need to be their uniform. The children will need a drink, hat, sun cream and a waterproof top so that they are prepared for all weathers! Parents are invited to join this event from 9.30am on the school field. Please bring a picnic lunch with you to eat with your daughter and/or other parents, along with a blanket and/or seats to ensure you are comfortable. All pupils will be provided with a packed lunch. We are looking forward to a successful event but in case of bad weather, our back up day will be Tuesday 21 June. |
Community Appeal |
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We have a Ukrainian Refugee joining us in Year 2, who is living with a family in Yardley Hastings. If there are any families who would be able to support with transport to and from the school starting from Monday 6 June, please could you contact me direct on e.hair@nhs.gdst.net as soon as possible. Thank you. Miss Hair |
Meet the Bus Drivers - Mark |
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Each week, we look forward to introducing you to one of our school minibus drivers. They will talk a little bit about themselves, and what they enjoy most about working at Northampton High. This week, we are delighted to talk to Mark, who drives the Towcester route. Tell us a little bit about your career: I began my career as an apprentice in the print industry. I quickly made my way up to middle and then senior management. At around 50 years old, I made the decision to take a step back and have since taken various driving positions. |
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What do you like to do in your spare time: I love spending time with my grandchildren and I watch a lot of rugby and Formula 1. I look forward to hopefully taking up golf again soon. What is your best memory of being at school: Being selected to play for Northamptonshire Rugby U16’s in an assembly in front of the whole school. What do you enjoy most about working at Northampton High: Being part of what is a great team at a highly renowned school. Oh, and the school holidays! To find out more about our school transport offer, please click here. Mr Nash |
Junior Sport: Year 5 and 6 Cricket Matches vs Thornton and Broughton Manor |
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On Wednesday Year 6 played a cricket match against Broughton Manor and Thornton College. Everyone did really well and we all improved as the match went along. First we played Broughton Manor, where Esme caught the ball and I bowled and hit the stumps. Esme also scored a 6 as well as Safiya. The final score was 241 to Broughton Manor with 1 wicket, and 219 to us with 2 wickets. It was a close game, which ended 213 to us and 234 to Thornton. Mollie |
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On Wednesday, eight Year 5s, Avleen, Aliza, Maya, Emily, Zoe, Jessica, myself and Harini traveled to Thornton College for two cricket matches; one against them and one against Broughton Manor. We first played Broughton Manor and batted first. In the second half of the match, we saw an amazing catch from Harini! In this match, Broughton got the win with only four extra runs, with Maya awarded Player of the Match by the other team. In our second match, we played against Thornton College and batted first again. When we were batting, Emily hit a four and we scored as many runs as we could. In the second half we had an outstanding catch from Aliza and Harini also bowled someone out, and in the same over, stumped someone out too! In this match we won 249-208. Emily was awarded Player of the Match from Thornton. I would like to thank all my team members and both Broughton and Thornton for an amazing match and excellent play. A special thank you to Thornton for hosting this match and finally to the PE staff of NHS, Thornton College, and Broughton Manor for organising the fixture. Risara |
News from our Classrooms: Nursery and Pre School |
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This week we have begun the Jubilee celebrations. In Pre School the children have been looking at pictures of the Queen through her reign, looking with interest at her crown and jewels that the Queen wears for different events. We have created a Union Flag collage, using wool, tissue paper, stickers, and cotton wool. The children followed the guidelines of the flag and tried really hard to follow the picture that showed a real flag. The children extended the activity with creating their own version of a red, white, and blue flag. We have experienced all weathers this week, with the hail stones causing the greatest response from the children. They all ran outside with different pots to collect as many as they could while reaching over the fence, trying not to get wet themselves. Miss Hair was invited to an impromptu show that was performed by some of the Pre School children, showing off their imaginations and following each other’s lead to create their own storyline through the performance. The Pre School children have been very creative with their role play, with storylines including ghosts and witches. In the garden, the children have been showing off different methods of how to cross the climbing frame, with the older children choosing to jump off the end, while the younger ones where slithering like snakes. Some of the children were asking for help when they felt less confident, and their peers would offer a hand and walk beside the equipment to support them. Another example of the children working together was when one of the Pre School girls was using the stilts. A younger child was trying to copy her, she stopped, and showed her how to use them to be able to walk with them. Great work. In the Nursery PE lesson, the children tried some traditional aerobic exercises including squats and star jumps. Mrs Bing and the Nursery Team To view more photos please click here. |
Reception |
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This week the class have had a go at writing ‘Who am I?’ clues to identify a chosen Minibeast. They have really enjoyed this topic and the experience of using non-fiction books to find out ‘real information’. Do you know how many eyes a spider has? We have also been thinking about Minibeasts and their habitats. What would you find in a pond? What would you find under the soil? Again, research using non-fiction books and trusty ‘Google’ proved very useful. In Maths, we have been continuing with practical subtraction stories and using the correct vocabulary. We have also looked at the results of our cress experiment to find out what conditions are best for seed growth. We have been finding out about The Queen, again more true facts and setting the scene for our final whole Junior School day of activities to celebrate the ‘Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.’ Wishing you all a lovely half term holiday and then into the last half term of Reception class! Mrs Farrar & Mrs Shaw To view more photos please click here. |
Year 1 - Science Focus |
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In Science this half term, the girls in Year 1 have been learning all about day and night, the four seasons and different types of weather. Activities have included making observations of the sky in daytime, matching pictures to the seasons and placing symbols on a map to create weather forecasts. The girls have enjoyed sharing their ideas and relating their learning to their Forest School sessions. Mrs Purvey-Tyrer To view more photos please click here. |
Year 2 - Science Focus |
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This term in Science we have been looking at classification of animals. We have researched the different types of animals and made Google Doc posters with pictures and information, which can be seen in our Google Drives. This week we were comparing animals and looking at their different body parts. We discussed skeletons and looked at the skull in the pictures and identified it as a deer because of its antlers. We then drew animals and labelled the body parts. Mrs Dadge To view more photos please click here. |
Year 3 - Science Focus |
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In Science we have been learning about animals, including humans. We have been exploring animal diets and food groups and thinking about healthy eating too. We have studied skeletons and have learned how scientists classify animals according to their skeleton type. We discovered that there are different ways to classify skeletons. We analysed some animal x-ray photos and descriptions to help us sort some into the correct groups. We have also looked at the human skeleton in detail thinking about its function and how it supports, protects, and moves parts of our body. We have been working hard to learn the scientific names for some of our bones too. One of our lessons led us to investigate whether people with longer femurs can jump the furthest. We made some predictions and recorded our results – you’ll have to ask us about our findings! Miss Scott-Evans To view more photos please click here. |
Year 4 - Science Focus |
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Our topic over the past few weeks has been ‘Living Things and their Habitats’ and the girls have learnt so much about classification keys and grouping living things in different ways. We completed a local habitat survey and thought about dangers to the environment and what can be done to help. It has inspired the girls to think about their environment in a different way. They may well be asking you to leave some of your lawn to grow long or to build bug hotels! This week we learnt about how environmental dangers can affect endangered species through deforestation, pollution, urbanisation and invasive species. The girls chose one endangered species to research and were encouraged to make suggestions about what can be done to save the animal from extinction. Our topic culminates after half term with our trip to Sywell Country Park and a range of outdoor activities linked to invertebrates and their environments. Mrs Shaw & Mrs Smith To view more photos please click here. |
Year 5 - Science Focus |
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Year 5 have spent the whole of this week preparing and presenting their Hobbies Morning, but we did come up with a few (slightly tenuous) Science links: the enormous forces used by the Y6 girls kicking footballs next to Zoe’s display, the sound generated by very many girls learning to tap dance with Risara, and the amusing lack of friction between Maya’s roller skates and our classroom floor! Please do enjoy looking at our photos, and if you can spot some ‘Science in Action’ let us know. Miss Brandon-Jones To view more photos please click here. |
Year 6 - Science Focus |
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This week Year 6 have ignited their passion for all things prehistoric, as we started our study of fossils as part of our Evolution and Inheritance unit. They were amazed to find out that during the Victorian era very few people had any knowledge or understanding of fossils. In fact, they were sold as ‘curiosities’. Inspired by the story of Mary Anning they speculated about the fossil remains that she found along the Jurassic Coast and were shocked to learn that, despite being the most successful fossil hunter of the time, she was not given credit for her discoveries because she was a woman! Mrs Fordham & Miss Taylor To view more photos please click here. |
News from our extracurricular offer: GAP Club |
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We have continued thinking about the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as well as painting pebbles ready for the project at the front of Junior School. On Wednesday, we had a tea party to celebrate the Jubilee. We have used pegs to make Spitfires to fly above Buckingham Place, and Corgis that are now watching from the windows as well as flags and bunting. We finished our week by icing biscuits with red and blue icing. We wish you all a lovely half term and look forward to seeing you on our return. Mrs Howell and the GAP Club Team To view more photos please click here. |
News from Outside of our Classrooms: Year 5 Hobbies Morning |
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On Wednesday, Year 5 held their long-awaited Hobbies Morning…and it was fantastic! The girls started out in the Junior School hall, each presenting an individually written speech on their chosen hobby. There was a great range – from art, archery and architecture to writing and roller-skating. The girls had worked hard to keep their speeches to 1 minute, and give the audience just a taste of what was to come. For the rest of the morning, the Year 5 classroom was transformed into a bustling hub for visitors to the displays. I received a wonderful email after one parent had left, which sums up perfectly how I felt: “Thank you for a very lovely morning. I enjoyed every bit of it. The girls were absolutely brilliant and exuded such confidence…thank you for your hard work!” As always, the girls did themselves (and me) proud and every bit of hard work was worth it. You can see more photographs by going to the Hobbies Morning album in Flickr. Miss Brandon-Jones To view more photos please click here |
Awards for this week |
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Ballet Dancer of the week – Grace R Musician of the week – Maya J Linguist of the week – Avani Star Learners of the week -Ishani S, Priscilla, Artemisia, Harini Each week, girls are invited to share their achievements in activities outside of school. They are listed below for this week: Annie – made her Brownie promise this week Aurelia M – 5m swimming award Dulcie – gymnastics medal Hester, Luisa, Yilin – Pluto gymnastics awards Isabella B – Bronze award – Rainbows Lucy – competed at the county time swimming event in Corby on Saturday evening. She improved pb times in all events Millicent – awarded a Rainbow Badge Zara B – ran 5k for Cancer Research |
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: Zara B, Amelia N and Zara J |
Upcoming events and key dates |
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Uniform Swap Shop – open every Friday 3.15-3.45pm Swimming watch weeks for parents to watch the swimming lesson – Dates and times: Reception – Tuesday 21 June Year 1 and 2 – Friday 24 June There will be no Ball Skills Club on Tuesday 7 June. Please can parents pick up at 3.30pm or book a space in GAP Club on these days. 10 June – Sports Day for Year 3 – Year 6 (all day) Class assemblies for this term – we warmly invite parents to attend their daughters’ assembly starting at 8.35-8.50am, with refreshments with the head of school from 8.20am: Wednesday 15 June 2022: 1N |
Daddy & Daughter Breakfast |
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Community Nursery Sessions |
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Term Dates |
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Northampton High School |
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