Message from the Headteacher 

Good afternoon,

The week started with Year 13 enjoying a presentation from guest speaker Keith MacDougall who, with 22 years' experience as a BBC Parliamentary journalist, was able to give our students a real insight into the political landscape. He was such an inspiration to our aspiring political journalists - a huge thank you to Keith for his time with us.  

It was pleasing to see the Lower School Hall packed with Year 11s on Monday night as they started their preparations for mocks revision. The session was led by Mrs Rowe and Mrs Freeman, and we know from previous experience that the guidance the students receive really does pay dividends. If you have a child in Year 11 do ask them about their mocks revision - I'm sure they would love the offer of help with quick tests on the revision cards they have made!

Wednesday saw the large majority of Year 8s head off to Caythorpe, and judging by the tweets, they are clearly having a great time and enjoying the experience. I look forward to seeing them return later today.  

This week also saw us welcome Year 9 students and families into school for the Information Evening - hopefully, everyone enjoyed being guided around the school by their child and being provided with some key information for the year.  The parents I spoke with seemed to really value the opportunity and I look forward to welcoming them all into school again in the future.

Finally, last week I referenced a piece of writing that I had received from a student in Year 9; her name is Isabel Plunkett and she is happy for me to share with you what she wrote. I have selected the first and last paragraphs to give you a flavour of how she sees the school.

What does being an HGS student mean to me?

"To me, being an HGS student is so much more than just a title. It gives me a place to belong, a family to spend time with, caring friends with whom I can share my worries and thoughts. Almost everyone I know here has unlimited respect and kindness to give, and everyone has a unique trait that they bring to the school. I have found lifelong friends here, and I would trust them with anything. It means so much to me that there are so many people who care about their peers and fellow students. 

This school has so many amazing qualities, such as respect for other students, resilience and kindness. I also try to demonstrate these qualities in everyday school life, such as holding the door open for anyone, trying to finish work in lessons, giving the other students and teachers a smile, and letting someone else go through the door before me, because I know that even the smallest act of kindness can really brighten someone’s and my own day. It really sparks pride and joy in me to say the words ‘I am a Hitchin Girls' School student.'"

Isabel Plunkett, 9C

Next week I will be meeting with Isabel to present her with a Head's Award for taking the time to write to me explaining what the school means for her.  As I mentioned previously, we are doing some work on defining our core values and Isabel seems to have a very good idea of what they are from her perspective. 

Have a good weekend, 

James Crowther

Lost property

There are lots of water bottles, watches and other lost items that have been handed in to main reception so far this term. They will be put out on a table outside reception next week - please come and claim anything that belongs to you before half-term. 

  

    

 

Black History Month

A group of Year 13 students, including Simran, Alana, Poppy and Anya pictured, produced this striking display for Black History Month in the main school corridor. 

        

 

Caythorpe '22

From a sensory trail to paddle boarding, abseiling and a trapeze, it's been an action-packed few days for our Year 8 students!

Year 7 Science

For Science homework, our Year 7 students came up with some lovely inventive cell models, with some fantastic detail.

  

  

Eco Club

Eco Club spent Thursday lunchtime clearing a shady area on the route down to Woodside. This is part of our larger project to create a 'Nature Reserve' and to increase biodiversity around school. The students did an amazing job in such a short time, and will hopefully allow us next week to plant more than 100 bulbs of native wild garlic and bluebell. 

   

Science Journals for Kids

Most scientific research is conducted and reported in specialised scientific journals in a language accessible only to adult scientists. But kids have the right to understand the world they are inheriting from us. That’s why Tanya Dimitrova, while working as a high school science teacher in Texas, founded the nonprofit organisation which publishes Science Journals for Kids.

They publish an online science magazine for kids (and their teachers) featuring freely downloadable peer-reviewed research papers rewritten in age-appropriate language. Here is October's article titled 'Why can some monkeys live high in the mountains?'

If you are interested in reading previous months' articles visit https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/

Enjoy reading!

Mrs Taylor

Year 7 Ancient Civilisation

Some very good cover designs for The War with Troy from our Year 7 Ancient Civilisation students this week!

Library news

Check out a spooky book for half-term

Get in the Halloween spirit this half-term holiday with some spine-tingling books from the Library. We've got all sorts of spooky reads to keep you busy for the week. And don't worry if you're not keen on witches and werewolves or vampires and zombies, we've got stacks of non-scary books to borrow too.

Are you interested in getting involved
in education?

Have you considered becoming a school governor?   

Strathmore Infant & Nursery School are looking for enthusiastic people to join them as community governors. You don’t need to be an experienced professional – it’s about attitude as well as expertise. Whatever your background, your skills could transform the school. They particularly welcome interest from under-represented groups within Hitchin's diverse community.

Being a school governor is a commitment and a responsibility but offers you the chance to see first-hand the impact you can make in improving education for children in your community.    

If you're interested and would like to have an informal chat about the role please do get in touch with Strathmore's Chair of Governors by emailing

chair-of-governors@strathmore.herts.sch.uk

Book today for our IBM and PwC insight webinars

 

IBM Apprenticeships 12 October 2022 at 6.30-7.15pm (for students in years 10 to 13, parents & career leaders are welcome to join) Book your place   PwC Women in STEM 19 October 2022 at 6.30-7.15pm (for parents, career leaders, and students who identify as female in years 10 to 13) Book your place

 

Tuesday 18 October, 2.30pm
Ian James, Mott Macdonald
Field of Expertise: Civil Engineering

A Civil Engineering career - what could it be?
In this session Ian will talk about the basic understanding of structural design and his job as a site engineer.
For KS4

REGISTRATION

Wednesday 19 October, 11am
Richard Sage
Field of Expertise: Careers guidance and employability skills

Careers guidance and employability skills
CV writing; career choices; job applications; interview
preparation. Helping students focus on careers and employability
options and choices. Helping students uncover their uniqueness and inspiring them to 'tell their stories and write the next chapter' in their careers.
For KS5

REGISTRATION

Wednesday 20 October, 9.30am
Jack Dove MBDA
Field of Expertise: Engineering

Higher education through the self study route
I took my engineering degree through the Open University while holding down a part-time job. It required a good bit of self-discipline but it helped to expand my engineering horizon beyond the one field I started in.
For KS5

REGISTRATION

Thursday 21 October, 10am
Molly Robison MBDA
Field of Expertise: Environmental & Climatic Test Engineering

Welcome to MBDA, the forefront of defence and future weapon
capabilities!
During the session I will be covering my career path so far, from
education and placements and to the graduate scheme I am on today. I will be diving into the world of missile test engineering and what that means on a day-to-day basis, as well as the full picture across the company.  I will round off with the opportunities available - apprenticeships, placements, graduate schemes - not
just within test engineering but across other engineering groups, in business, software, security, etc.
For KS3-KS5

REGISTRATION

Digdata are thrilled to announce their upcoming live virtual work experience and live online career panels for the Autumn term with Experian and Lloyds Banking Group.

Sessions are aimed at First Step (KS3) students and Next Step (KS4 & 5) students.

Wednesday 19 October, 4.30 - Lloyds Banking Group "First Step" live online career challenge - Can you help Lloyds Bank decide who can borrow £1,200 to buy the new iPhone 14?

Wednesday 2 November, 5.00 - Lloyds Banking Group "Next Step" live online career challenge - Can you assess our customers’ financial situation and make some recommendations on how different groups of customers should approach their upcoming purchases?

Thursday 3 November, 6.30 - Lloyds Banking Group live online career panel - We invite students, parents, teachers and career leaders to discover more about their career opportunities in data!

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:

Blockchain & Cyrptocurrencies
Saturday 15 October

Blockchain is revolutionary. It powers the cryptocurrencies that are changing the face of finance and offers safer ways to store sensitive data. But what’s next? Our online workshop, delivered by a blockchain expert, provides a fascinating insight into the world of cryptocurrencies, how they are analysed and traded, and blockchain’s ongoing potential. During the workshop you will get first-hand experience of coding in Python to build a systematic trading strategy for cryptocurrencies.

Coding for Game Design
Saturday 22 October

With one third of the world’s population already estimated to be gamers, the gaming industry offers one of the hottest career tickets today. Our online workshop gives you a unique insight into the latest trends from multiplayer games to game streaming. Led by Josh Hills, a programmer on some of the world’s largest multi-player games, including Runescape and Horizon, you’ll get first-hand experience of developing and enhancing a physics-based game prototype and discover the skills you’ll need to succeed.

AI in Engineering
Saturday 5 November

Finding new and optimal ways of doing things is at the very core of engineering. Which makes it the perfect partner for AI and machine learning, from smart production lines to image processing technology that allows machines to see. Our online workshop is led by civil engineer and data scientist, Johan Hagstrom, who will introduce you to key AI algorithms and trends. You’ll also get hands-on experience with Python, being guided through a computer vision algorithm that can detect cars on the road – a peek into the world of self-driving vehicles.

AI in Finance
Saturday 12 November

The world of finance has been an early adopter of machine learning, from fraud detection to finance chat bots, yet it’s still just touching the surface of AI’s potential. Our workshop is led by Chelsea Murray, a data scientist at ING with a Masters in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence from University of Cambridge. Chelsea will introduce you to the vast range of financial AI applications and give you practical experience training a machine learning algorithm to predict credit card fraud.

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

Applications are now open and will remain open throughout this academic year, with the first programme taking place on 2 October.

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