Y7 - 11 Weekly Newsletter | Autumn Term, Week 10 | Date: 17 Nov 2022

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INSET (disaggregated)
All Day
21
November
A week
All Day
From 21 Nov until 25 Nov
21
November
Year 11 Mocks
All Day
From 25 Nov until 09 Dec
25
November

COVID GUIDANCE

 

If you have symptoms of Covid-19 or you have tested positive for Covid-19, you should stay at home and avoid contact with other people.

Symptoms of Covid-19 can include:

  • a high temperature or shivering 
  • a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
  • shortness of breath
  • feeling tired or exhausted
  • an aching body
  • a headache
  • a sore throat
  • a blocked or runny nose
  • loss of appetite
  • diarrhoea
  • feeling sick or being sick

Students under 18 years old who test positive or have symptoms should stay at home for 3 full days. The day you first have symptoms or have a positive test result is Day 0. You may return to school on Day 4 provided you do not have a temperature and feel well enough. 

Full government guidance is available here.

We will continue to support the personal choice of students and staff in wearing a face covering. We will also continue to ensure good levels of hygiene and ventilation for everyone here at school, and will maintain appropriate cleaning regimes.

If you have questions regarding official guidance please call 119 for visit the NHS website.

If a student is unwell, regardless of whether Covid-19 is suspected, they should stay away from school and the absence should be reported via our online absence form.

REPORTING STUDENT ABSENCE

 

We have an online absence reporting form for all absences (whole day or part of the day). If you are unable to use the form you will need to email absence@hgs.herts.sch.uk with the student's name and tutor group, reason for absence and expected return date (if known). 

WEEKLY MENU 

 

[Every Day - Pasta / Jacket Potatoes & Toppings, Panini of the Day]

** MENU SUBJECT TO CHANGE **

Monday: INSET DAY - SCHOOL CLOSED

Tuesday: CHICKEN JALFREZI (gf), SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI (v), SPICY BEAN BURGERS TOPPED WITH SALSA & CHEESE (v), CHOCOLATE & BANANA SPONGE

Wednesday: SAUSAGE PASTA, CAULIFLOWER CHEESE (v), CHEESE QUICHE (v), RHUBARB CRUMBLE (free from eggs, milk)

Thursday: CHICKEN & LEEK PIE, HOISIN NOODLES (v), LEEK & MUSHROOM YORKSHIRES (v), WHITE CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY SPONGE

Friday: PASTA BOLOGNAISE, THREE BEAN CHILLI (v)(gf), FISHCAKES, CHOCOLATE CRUNCH (free from eggs, milk)

(v) = Vegetarian (gf) = Gluten Free

SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

School closed on Friday 18 & Monday 21 November

We have a long weekend this week with an Occasional Day tomorrow, Friday 18, and an INSET Day on Monday, 21 November. School will be closed to both students and staff. 

Message from the Headteacher 

Good afternoon.
 
It was great to see so many students in their odd socks on Monday in support of Anti-bullying Week. There is no place for bullying in society and we pride ourselves on being a 'telling school' where students are confident in coming forward to seek help when issues arise.  I'd like to express my sincere thanks to all who showed their support.
 
We were very pleased to be able to host the rescheduled Year 7 Celebration Evening this week - more details and pictures below. 
 
I wish you all a good long weekend.

James Crowther

School values survey

As you will know from previous editions of the newsletter, and hopefully through conversations with your child, we have been looking at the values and qualities that are important to us at HGS. 

Having received feedback from staff and students, I would now like to hear the views of families. 

It would be much appreciated if you could take some time to consider the following values:

Ambition
Community
Compassion
Creativity
Equality
Honesty
Inclusivity
Independence
Kindness
Leadership
Perseverance
Positivity
Resilience
Respect
Supportiveness
Teamwork

Please identify the FIVE you feel are most important to you as a family and submit your choices via this form: https://forms.gle/2kBz1KeagdvzbKns8

Thanks in advance,

James Crowther

Tell us the five values that mean the most to you

An all-HGS final!

We were delighted to be able to enter three teams in the District Senior Netball tournament. And the only HGS match lost in the rounds was against each other!

The Year 13 team won against our Year 11 team in the semi-finals to go through to the final against our Year 12s!

It was a close match, in which Year 12 managed to take the lead at the very end to win gold. Well done to all who played!

Year 11 Team

 

Year 12 Team
 
Year 13 Team

Year 7 Celebration Evening

It was fantastic to be able to finally host the postponed Year 7 Celebration Evening this week. This was an opportunity for parents and guardians to meet the form tutors, and for the students themselves to share some of the work they have done so far this term. Very well done Year 7s for getting up and presenting in the Main Hall! 

Anti-bullying Week - Odd Socks Day

Thank you to all students and staff who came to school wearing odd socks on Monday! The idea was to think about accepting differences and celebrating uniqueness. There were some wonderfully odd combos on display!

Find out more about the Anti-bullying Alliance and Odd Socks

Charity Fortnight

From staff dodgeball to bingo, a rowathon, a talent contest and lots more... Charity Fortnight has been in full swing and has been a blast! Thank you for your donations to all the different good causes our Houses are supporting.

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NOTICEBOARD - HOLIDAY PROVISION / LOCAL EVENTS

HAPpy Holidays – booking now open!

Looking for something to keep your children entertained this Christmas holiday?

Through DfE funding, Hertfordshire County Council and Herts Sports Partnership have coordinated a huge range of free activities running at different venues across the county for children who are in receipt of Free School Meals. 

Each activity will also offer a free nutritious meal.

Eligible families will receive their unique HAPpy Booking Code via email so do look out for this. 

You will be able to search for activities using your postcode or child’s age – places are limited and strictly on a first come basis so be quick and book online now: https://www.sportinherts.org.uk/booking

And you can find a variety of organisations and advice you may find useful here: https://sportinherts.org.uk/useful-local-services

NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS 

About Skills Gap

Skills Gap is a career accelerator that runs insightful workshops for young people aged 15-19 ­– because it’s never too soon to think about building your skills for a competitive edge in your future studies and career.

We're offering a range of intensive workshops this autumn, all designed specifically for 15-19 year olds and delivered to small groups by experienced industry experts:

AI for Scientists
Saturday 26 November

Genome sequencing, protein-folding, quantum computers… AI is transforming every area of science. Our online workshop, taught by a science expert, introduces you to AI in different scientific fields and valuable tech skills for science professionals. You’ll also get practical experience training a machine learning model to predict the trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic – a great addition to your CV.

Robotics in Space
Saturday 3 December 

From exploring the surface of Mars to sizing up metallic asteroids, the race is on to unlock the mysteries of the universe and answer our planet’s biggest challenges. Taught online by robotics experts, this workshop gives a fascinating insight into today’s space industry. Take part in a hands-on exercise to design an autonomous robotic lander to explore Europa and get career tips and advice to get ahead.

NHS Allied Healthcare Work Experience

For students interested in

  • Nursing
  • Midwifery
  • Paramedicine
  • Physiotherapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Dietetics
  • Radiography
  • Prosthetics and Orthotics
  • Speech and Language Therapy
  • Pharmacy

During the work experience day, students will follow two patients from their initial presentation to recovery. Students will observe the healthcare professionals as they interact with the patients and with each other. They will have an opportunity to ask questions and gain knowledge through teaching.

This will help students to make an informed decision about their career and give them the opportunity to learn how healthcare professionals work together as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Each work experience day is completely different and students will be able to build up their knowledge of NHS careers as they see different patient cases and healthcare professionals work in a variety of settings, such as in a hospital and in the community.

Students will also receive certificates as evidence of participation. Those who complete the entire five-month programme will be awarded a Highly Commended Reference from the Presidents of Medic Mentor.

 Places are £10 a day to cover administrative costs and run the tech on the day. 

Find out more and register

NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING / SEND / SUPPORT