HGS Weekly Newsletter | Autumn Term, Week 7 | Date: 18 October 2024

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B week
All Day
From 09 Sep and on Monday every 2 weeks until 25 Oct
21
October
Flu vaccinations for Y7-11
9:00am – 3:30pm
23
October
Y9 Information Evening and Options Evening
4:30pm – 6:30pm
23
October
Flu vaccinations for Y7-11
9:00am – 3:30pm
24
October

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 - Week 2

 

You can see our three-weekly menu here - we are on Week 2.

SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Good afternoon,

Last night we enjoyed the first musical event of the academic year as students performed in the Autumn Concert. Many thanks to all of the students and the Music department for their hard work, which resulted in yet another stunning evening. The audience enjoyed a varied selection of solos and group performances from a wide range of genres, all of which conveyed a real passion for music and performing - it was a great night. As I mentioned to one parent, we have the Christmas Carol Service to look forward to next and the school production of the Addams Family will be a highlight of the Spring term.

I would like to remind all parents and cares of our communications policy, which explains how families should make contact with the school and specific teachers - please use the admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk email address in the first instance. Additionally, please also be mindful of the times that emails are sent into school and particularly to individual staff members (when this is appropriate) - as the communication policy states, we do not expect school emails to be checked during a member of staff's personal time and I would ask for your support in scheduling emails to arrive within the normal working day. Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Next week sees the Year 9 Options evening take place - an exciting stage in a young person's education as they begin to shape their own curriculum for the coming years. I look forward to welcoming Y9 parents and carers to this event.

Have a good weekend.

James Crowther, Headteacher

We have a vacancy on the Board of Trustees for a Parent Trustee (previously called a Governor), and welcome and encourage applications from parents of all backgrounds who would be keen to serve in this role.

Serving as a Trustee is both a challenge and a pleasure, and Hitchin Girls’ is fortunate to have Trustees who play a full part in the life of the school. Parent Trustees have an important role to play as they can bring a contemporary view through the school life of their child(ren), as well as a wide variety of skills and experience, to the table.

The Trustees welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals, who are currently under-represented on the Trust Board. No prior experience of school governance is required, since detailed induction and onboarding are provided for all new Trustees.

More info and application form 

Every student in Year 7 is receiving a free book from the charity Book Trust through their annual Book Buzz scheme. There were 16 titles to choose from, including adventure stories, sci-fi, graphic novels and non-fiction. Students watched a presentation about all the books and saw videos made by the authors before making their choice. We hope they all enjoy reading their new books over half-term.


Also in the Library, we are celebrating Black History Month with a display of the work of some brilliant black authors and illustrators. This year's theme is Reclaiming Narratives, and from history to mystery and from poetry to politics, we have a whole range of reads available to borrow. 

Congratulations go to Jilystia (Y7), double Gold medallist at the inter-regional Taekwondo competition in Manchester at the weekend! She won Gold in both her events (individual and mixed pairs), and her England South Region team went on to win the overall trophy. A fantastic achievement!

This year's Peer Mentoring volunteers had their training day with experts from Phase Hitchin this week, covering positive communication practices with an emphasis on good listening skills. Our Peer Mentoring scheme pairs students in Years 7 - 9 with volunteers from Years 10 and 12, who are a friendly face to help navigate school life and work through challenges.

Our Years 7 & 8 Art Club have just completed a project all about street art and produced these wonderful mini-creatures inspired by the street artist Phlegm!

  

See the full House Cup scoresheet 

NOTICEBOARD - HOLIDAY PROVISION

NOTICEBOARD - SEND / WELLBEING

What is offered by Services for Young People?

Hertfordshire Services for Young People deliver a range of youth work projects for young people aged 11-17 (up to 25 for care leavers and those with SEND), in young people’s centres and other community venues in all districts of Herts.

They are committed to giving young people high-quality opportunities to learn life skills and excel in their personal and social development. They also aim to address issues at the earliest opportunity to give young people the best chance to thrive, have a voice in their community, reach their potential and make a successful transition to adulthood.

Find out more

Autism / ADHD workshops

Nessie in Education will be running My World and Me workshops after school. This is open to students from all local secondary schools in Years 10 and 11 who have an Autism and/or ADHD diagnosis, or are on the pathway to referral. 

Find out more and book

A partnership of local agencies, DSPL publishes a weekly round-up of courses, workshops and events related to young people's wellbeing and additional needs in the North Herts area. 

See all upcoming events

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