HGS Weekly Newsletter | Autumn Term, Week 14 | Date: 13 December 2024

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A week
All Day
From 04 Nov and on Monday every 2 weeks until 20 Dec
16
December
Christmas Fayre
11:40am – 1:30pm
16
December
Criminology Assessments
All Day
From 17 Dec until 18 Dec
17
December
Y10 & 11 only: Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children
All Day
17
December
Student Christmas Lunch - Y10 & 11
11:50am – 1:30pm
17
December
School Closing Early to Students
1:45pm – 3:30pm
17
December
Y7, 8, 9, 12, 13 only: Christmas Jumper Day for Save the Children
All Day
18
December
Student Christmas Lunch - Y7, 8, 9, 12 13
11:50am – 1:50pm
18
December
Y13 Exam Certificate Collection (SFC)
12:30pm – 1:30pm
18
December
School Pantomime - Y7 & Y8
11:40am – 12:40pm
19
December
School Pantomime - Y11 & Y13
1:30pm – 2:30pm
19
December
School Pantomime - Y9 & Y10
2:30pm – 3:30pm
19
December
End of Term Assembly
11:40am – 12:40pm
20
December
HGS Term Ends - School Closes at 12:40
12:40pm – 3:30pm
20
December

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 1

 

You can see our three-weekly menu here - we are on Week 1.

SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Good afternoon,

The end of term is fast approaching and, as ever, has been marked by our Carol Service. For the second year running we have held this event both in school and at St Mary's Church. They were excellent services showcasing the talent and hard work of students and staff whilst also bringing the wider community together. Thank you to Ms Atkins, Mr Ingham, Mrs Atkins and all the students who contributed. I would also like to thank Reverend Bunce and all involved at St Mary's Church for hosting the event.  

   

This week our Year 11s received their mock exam results and this was followed by their parents' evening, providing students with plenty to celebrate and also some key points to focus on in the coming months as they prepare for their GCSEs. 

With Christmas drawing closer we have the HGS tree on display in the Hitchin Christmas Tree Festival - thanks to Mrs Hone, Mrs Cole and all the students who helped create the decorations. Please look out (and vote!) for our tree if you visit the festival this weekend.

Next week students and staff have the Christmas lunch to look forward to; our catering manager has just informed me that he has taken delivery of 77Kgs of turkey, so it looks like it will be a busy time in the kitchen. A reminder that the school is closing early at 1.45 on Tuesday next week, and term finishes at 12.40 on Friday.

Have a great weekend.

James Crowther, Headteacher


A reminder to all students - the Uniform Policy states that socks should only be plain white, black or dark navy, and either ankle or knee-length with no logos/brands visible. Tights should be dark navy, black or flesh coloured and must not be worn with socks or rips. 


Please check to see if you recognise any of this lost property. Items must be claimed by the end of Thursday 19 December. 

  


We are now on Instagram - please follow us if you would like to! Hitchin_Girls_School


Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar - In form time, 7J have been working on encouraging each other with positive messages of thanks and appreciation. The messages have been put together in an advent calendar so that they can be opened and read each morning for the rest of term.

  


Every year HGS has a tree at Holy Saviour's Christmas Tree Festival and our entry for this year is ready! We chose the theme of Reading, and the tree has been decorated with book cover designs by Years 7 & 8 students as well as images of our wonderful Library displays. The Festival is running from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 December - please look out for our tree (number 23) and remember to vote! 

   


Well done to Seha (Y7), Audrey (Y8), Anna (Y9) and Vega (Y10) for their results in the first round of the national Bebras Challenge, which is all about computational thinking. Their results won them an Amazon voucher for the school - good luck in the next round!

And Merry XMaths from this Year 7 class, who used what they have learnt about symmetry and angle-measuring to construct (and then decorate!) these star-shaped gift tags.

  


We are pleased to be able to offer another two excellent Careers opportunities in the new year, thanks to ELSA Next Generation whom we’ve worked with for some years.

Year 11: ‘Get Work Ready’ - Thursday 23 January

Year 9: ‘Engage Advance Achieve’ Thursday 6 February

Both of these include interview and job application challenges based on current real-world recruitment practices, giving students an appreciation of the qualities and skills sought by today’s employers.

Working individually and in teams, students will tackle ‘out of the box’ tasks, customer service activities, practical and written exercises and mock interviews, and will then benefit from real and honest feedback from the employers taking part.

We would love to hear from any parents/guardians who are interested in volunteering as an interviewer, interviewee, speaker or workshop facilitator on one of these dates.

Please complete this form and we will pass your details to ELSA, who will contact you directly:

Volunteer From

Any questions, please email Clare Townsend, Careers Coordinator, at clare.townsend@hgs.herts.sch.uk, or Tina Stojko, Careers Leader, at tina.stojko@herts.sch.uk


HGS Library Wrapped 2024! As the year draws to an end, it’s time to find out what our students have been reading in 2024. We’ve crunched the numbers and are excited to bring you the results of HGS Library Wrapped 2024:

  • The Library issued more than 6000 books this year.
  • The most borrowed books in 2024 were The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson, the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman, One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus and Until the Road Ends by Phil Earle.
  • The most popular search term on Access It, the Library catalogue, was ‘Lottie Brooks’, followed by ‘horror’, ‘Heartstopper’ and 'romance'.
  • The year group that borrowed the most books was Year 7 with form 7P taking out the most books, closely followed by 7J.

Thank you all for visiting the library this year, and we hope to see you again in 2025 for more great reading.

Merry Christmas from Mrs Goose and Mrs Woods 


This summer's Year 13 leavers are invited to come into school for a gathering and collect their A level certificates in person on 18 December.

It is important that leavers collect their certificates and keep them safe as you may be asked to present them in the future. Certificates not collected by November 2025 will be destroyed.

Anyone unable to collect their certificates on this date  can email admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk with Exam Certificates as the subject, and we can make alternative arrangements. 

For someone else to collect a student's certificates, we will need written permission from the student themselves, which needs to be sent to admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk. 


NOTICEBOARD - SEND / WELLBEING





Nature and Wellbeing - SAD 

‘Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)’, sometimes known as 'winter depression', is often linked to reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter autumn and winter days. It's common to be affected by changing seasons and weather. For example, people might find that their mood or energy levels drop when it gets colder or notice changes in their sleeping or eating patterns. Even though the temperature may have dropped, spending more time outdoors in natural daylight can add a significant boost  to mood. It's recommended that you bring nature into your everyday life: growing food, flowers or being around animals are great examples of how nature can have a positive effect on your emotional wellbeing. Click here to watch a self-help video which explains how nature can help people to feel better. 


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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