Hitchin Girls' School Parent Portal - Y7-11 Weekly Newsletter

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: PASTA CHEESE PARCELS (v), QUORN FILLET WITH SAVOURY SPICY RICE (v), CHEESE & ONION PASTIES (v), APPLE & BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE (free from eggs, milk)

Tuesday: BEEF LASAGNE, CAULIFLOWER & GREEN BEAN KORMA (v)(gf), CHEESY BEAN YORKSHIRES, CHOCOLATE SPONGE

Wednesday: LAMB HOTPOT (gf), PASTA BAKE (v), CHEESE QUICHE (v), MERINGUE NESTS WITH BANANA & TOFFEE SAUCE

Thursday: CHRISTMAS TURKEY ROAST, CHRISTMAS VEGETARIAN WELLINGTON (v), SELECTION OF FESTIVE DESSERTS

Friday: CHICKEN IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE (gf), MACARONI CHEESE (v), BATTERED FISH, CHOCOLATE CRUNCH (free from eggs, milk)

(v) = Vegetarian (gf) = Gluten Free

SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Message from the Headteacher

Good afternoon.

I want to start by thanking everyone for supporting the Food Drive today; it's a challenging time for many, and with Christmas fast approaching, it really is heartwarming to see our community trying to make a difference. Charity has always been an important part of life here at HGS, and the recent House Charity Fortnight was a great example of this - details of the success of the events are given below. Well done to all involved!

With the school Christmas tree in place, preparations well underway for next week's carol concert and students buying their Christmas dinner tickets, it certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at HGS.

Have a lovely weekend,

James Crowther

Free School Meals - supermarket vouchers
for the Christmas period

Hertfordshire County Council are providing supermarket vouchers for every child who is entitled to benefits-related Free School Meals for the Christmas holiday period.

Each entitled child will receive a digital supermarket voucher to the value of £50. These will be delivered to families via email from 5 December.

Please remember to check your junk folder - emails will be from noreply@edenred.co.uk.

The email will also state the expiry date of the redemption e-code so families must redeem (i.e. choose a supermarket) before this date. If the redemption e-code expires, the school will not be able to reissue the voucher.

Charity Fortnight fundraising results

Thank you to all those who helped run the various events we had for Charity Fortnight in November, and to all those who made donations and took part as enthusiastic audiences! We are pleased to be able to send these amounts raised to local and national charities.

Austen: Teacher's University Challenge - £75 to The Hitchin Pantry

Bronte: HGS Got Masked Talent - £533.40 to Cancer Research UK

Curie: Staff Dodge Ball - £291.92 to National Suicide Prevention Alliance

Frank: Bingo - £75 to Make A Wish UK

Jewel: Head of House Challenge - £114 to Samaritans Hitchin

Pankhurst: Raffle - £137 to Make Lunch Letchworth

Rosa: Rowathon - £1066 to The Malaria Consortium

Rosa: Kelsie's Sponsored Silence - £134.60 to The Malaria Consortium

Teresa: Movie Night - £213.48 to Heathlands Animal Sanctuary

Please tell us your sporting successes!

If you participate in any sport at County level or above please share any successes from this term with us. The PE Department would love to include them in their Sports Report for the HGS community.

Fill in the form

Fashion & Textiles

Y10 students have been busy this week, pattern-cutting for their sustainable shopper bags.

Meanwhile we have some very creative final outcomes from the Y9 polymer fusion project. These are just a few of the great final prototypes.

Vote for our tree at the Christmas Tree Festival!

It's the annual Hitchin Christmas Tree Festival this weekend and the HGS tree is ready! Our theme this year is Human Rights. Please do pop down to Holy Saviour's between Friday and Sunday and vote for our tree - it's No 38!

Library news

The Reading Group, aka Library Goblins, have surpassed themselves this year with their Christmas decorations! Their corner of the Library has been decked with paper chains, Danish hearts, stunningly illustrated Twelve Days of Christmas stockings and a roaring fireplace! Everyone is welcome to drop by on a Wednesday lunchtime.

CAREERS SPOTLIGHT

NOTICEBOARD - LOCAL PROVISION / EVENTS

NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS

Computacentre Apprenticeship Open Evening

Tuesday 31 January, 5.45 - 8.00

Hatfield

Free

Discover more about Computacentre's apprenticeships, network with our current apprentices and get a glimpse of what the world of apprenticeships has to offer

Students, parents/guardians or siblings all welcome!

Register

Find out more

Amazing Apprenticeships have put together a really useful downloadable PDF with a comprehensive list of Higher and Degree level apprenticeships or a 2023 start.

Download the PDF

COVID GUIDANCE