Y7 11 Weekly Newsletter | Autumn Term, Week 9 | Date: 11 November 2022
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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).
[Every Day - Pasta / Jacket Potatoes & Toppings, Panini of the Day]
** MENU SUBJECT TO CHANGE **
Monday: SWEET POTATO & BUTTER BEAN KORMA (v)(gf), MACARONI CHEESE (v), CHEESE QUICHE (v), LEMON SPONGE
Tuesday: SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS, BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO (v)(gf), CHEESE & ONION PASTIES (v), APPLE CRUNCH (free from wheat eggs, milk)
Wednesday: CHICKEN & SPICY RICE, VEGETABLE & BEAN HOTPOT (v)(gf), CHEESY BEAN WRAPS (v), COFFEE SPONGE
Thursday: CHEESEBURGERS, PASTA BAKE (v), CHEESE QUICHE (v), GOLDEN KRISPIE (free from eggs)
Friday: SCHOOL CLOSED FOR INSET DAY
(v) = Vegetarian (gf) = Gluten Free
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SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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School closed on Friday 18 & Monday 21 November
We have a long weekend next week with an Occasional Day on Friday 18 and an INSET Day on Monday 21 November. School will be closed for both students and staff.
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Message from the Headteacher
Good afternoon.
It has been a jam-packed week with numerous events and activities taking place as well as the Year 13 Parents' Evening.
The week started with a Talk the Talk event for Year 13 - this consisted of workshops designed to develop presentation and public-speaking skills.
Tuesday saw the return of the Autumn Concert - as ever it was a great evening with contributions from more than 150 musicians and singers. I would ike to say a huge thank you to all the performers, helpers, Miss Atkins, Mr Mollison and the peripatetic staff, for all of their work in delivering a fantastic night of entertainment. It was lovely to receive a number of messages from parents and carers conveying their thanks for the evening - much appreciated!
On a more poignant note, on Wednesday evening we officially unveiled the memorial bench for our former Head of Music, Mr Barry Chambers. There was a gathering after school of family, friends, staff and students, where a few words were spoken in memory of Mr Chambers and there were fitting performances from the choir and the brass ensemble. Thank you to all who attended.
On Thursday we had our Careers Fair - more than 60 visitors set up stalls in the Main Hall to provide our Year 9, Year 11 and Sixth Form students with a vast array of career opportunities to explore. It was a tremendously successful event!
To mark Remembrance Day today, we observed a two-minute silence as a school and, for the first time, we signalled this point of reflection with a performance of The Last Post by Bethany Drakes (Year 7).
Thank you to everyone who packed or supported the packing of a shoebox for the Link to Hope Appeal recently. At the end of last week Mrs Hone delivered 25 boxes to the Walsworth Road Baptist Church.
Finally, I would like to ask for your contributions towards our work on redefining our school values. You will be aware from previous editions of the newsletter that staff and students have been sharing their views on the qualities and values that make HGS such a special place to be. Having collected feedback from all staff and each Tutor Group, a picture is emerging of the values and qualities that the school holds dear. Here is a list of the most popular suggestions (in alphabetical order):
Ambition, Community, Compassion, Creativity, Equality, Honesty, Inclusivity, Independence, Kindness, Leadership, Perseverance, Positivity, Resilience, Respect, Supportiveness and Teamwork.
It would be greatly appreciated if you could spend some time as a family discussing these suggestions and then identifying the 5 that you feel are most important to you. Please submit your choices using the following Google form: https://forms.gle/2kBz1KeagdvzbKns8
Have a great weekend,
James Crowther
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Year 11 mock exams
A reminder that the Year 11 mock exams start on Friday 25 November and run until Friday 9 December.
Further details will be available on the school website next Tuesday once the students have had their assembly led by the Data and Exams team.
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Remembrance Day
Thank you and very well done to Bethany Drakes (7C) for playing The Last Post at 11am today. Thank you also to our students who came in their Cadets, Scouts, Rangers and Guides uniform for this moment of refection as a whole school.
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Careers Fair
Our first in-person Careers Fair since the pandemic was a huge success this week, packed with a wide range of employers, from major organisations such as the NHS, the Met Police, Airbus and GSK to local operations such as Hitchin School of Dance and Garden House Hospice.
We are really grateful to all the local employers and parents who took time to introduce our students to their careers and businesses.
It was especially lovely to have HGS alumni among them, including former Deputy Head Girl Gabbi Hammond (Hitchin School of Dance), Katherine Newbury (Williams F1), Rosie Barron and Izzy Barrington (MBDA), Susannah Parry (Garden House Hospice) and Lisa Nicholl (Speech and Language Therapist). We are sure it was inspiring for our students to see all the different paths they can take and where they can lead!
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Cross country triumphs
This week we took 28 students to the District Cross Country Championships at Fairlands Valley Park in Stevenage. On a cold and windy day, the Y7, Y8 Y10 and Senior teams all took the victory, beating every other school in North Hertfordshire. Faced with multiple injuries and illnesses, the Y9 team ran superbly to finish just outside of the medals.
A special mention must go to Jess Manson (Y7) who finished 2nd, Sarena So and Edythe Oughton (Y8) who finished 1st and 2nd respectively, and Fran Hart (Y10) who finished 3rd. In the Senior Girls race, Abi Manson, Imogen Rose and Kirsten Morley took every spot on the podium finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Many congratulations to each member of the following teams:
Year 7 - Jess, IIona, Bryony, Bea T-W and Neve
Year 8 - Sarena, Edythe, Hannah, Rowan, Lauren and Faith
Year 9 - Chloe, Nina, Juliet, Rita, Layah and Anouska
Year 10 - Fran, Molly, Lily-Rose, Bea, Rose and Hannah
Seniors - Abi, Kirsten, Imogen, Lucy and Sophie
 
 
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Year 7 Spanish
Year 7 have completed their first carousel with a presentation of their end-of-carousel projects, focused on describing themselves, their family and their hobbies, all in Spanish! They demonstrated great presentation skills, and put in a lot of effort to improve their Spanish pronunciation. Miss Benmoussa was very impressed!
 
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Year 8 English
Our students are rightly proud of their wonderful illustrated ballads they penned, inspired by a myth, legend or fairytale of their choice.
 
View the album
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Business Studies
Dragon's Apprentice - Awards Ceremony
Two groups of GCSE and A Level Business students entered the inaugural North Hertfordshire Dragon's Apprenticeship Challenge. This was an opportunity to compete against other schools with the aim of raising funds for our local charity The Garden House Hospice.
Our students did very well and were commended at the recent Awards Ceremony. Well done and thank you for all your hard work - Rose Burberry, Ellie Wilding, Lily Townend, Phoebe Lane, Katie Martin, Nikola du Plessis, Anna Bradley, Rusham Singh, Allegra Perdoto and Izzy Foster!
 
Year 10 Business Studies
Students have got off to a good start on their course, and are already taking part in project work, team challenges and class presentations. At the moment they are focusing on creating products and identifying ways they can add value with their innovations.
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Anti-bulling Week - Odd Socks Day
As part of Anti-bulling Week (14 - 18 November), we will be taking part in Odd Socks Day, which encourages people to think about understanding and accepting each other's differences.
On Monday 14 November our students are encouraged to wear a pair of odd socks with their school uniform to celebrate what makes us all unique.
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Charity Fortnight
Each of our Houses has come up with a fun way to raise funds for its House charity - please get behind yours and give what you can!
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Save the date!
Uniform Sale
We will be holding a second-hand uniform sale on Saturday 3 December, 10am - 12pm.
Donations for this sale will be very welcome - thank you!
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Come and support our students taking part in this local theatre production!
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NOTICEBOARD - HOLIDAY PROVISION / LOCAL EVENTS
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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
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NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS
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Calling all students who want to pursue a career in accounting, business or technology. PwC’s 2023 School and College Leaver opportunities are now open.
If you’re looking to start your career straight from school, PwC’s full-time School and College Leaver programmes are designed to help you develop your business skills through real client work, while also completing formal training and studying towards qualifications. Explore these opportunities here.
Perhaps you’re wanting the best of both worlds: the opportunity to gain a degree and kick-start your career in accounting, business or technology. PwC’s Flying Start degree programmes give you the chance to gain a degree from a leading UK university or college, whilst starting your career with paid placements. For some of the programmes, your tuition fees will be paid, in addition to a full-time salary. You can find out more here.
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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 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.
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.
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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
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NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING / SEND / SUPPORT
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