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.
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.ukwith 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]
Friday: PASTA BOLOGNAISE, THREE BEAN CHILLI (v)(gf), FISHCAKES, CHOCOLATE CRUNCH (free from eggs, milk)
(v) = Vegetarian (gf) = Gluten Free
SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
School closed on Friday 18 & Monday 21 November
We have a long weekend this week with an Occasional Day tomorrow, Friday 18, and an INSET Day on Monday, 21 November. School will be closed to both students and staff.
Message from the Headteacher
Good afternoon.
It was great to see so many students in their odd socks on Monday in support of Anti-bullying Week. There is no place for bullying in society and we pride ourselves on being a 'telling school' where students are confident in coming forward to seek help when issues arise. I'd like to express my sincere thanks to all who showed their support.
We were very pleased to be able to host the rescheduled Year 7 Celebration Evening this week - more details and pictures below.
I wish you all a good long weekend.
James Crowther
School values survey
As you will know from previous editions of the newsletter, and hopefully through conversations with your child, we have been looking at the values and qualities that are important to us at HGS.
Having received feedback from staff and students, I would now like to hear the views of families.
It would be much appreciated if you could take some time to consider the following values:
We were delighted to be able to enter three teams in the District Senior Netball tournament. And the only HGS match lost in the rounds was against each other!
The Year 13 team won against our Year 11 team in the semi-finals to go through to the final against our Year 12s!
It was a close match, in which Year 12 managed to take the lead at the very end to win gold. Well done to all who played!
Anti-bullying Week - Odd Socks Day
Thank you to all students and staff who came to school wearing odd socks on Monday! The idea was to think about accepting differences and celebrating uniqueness. There were some wonderfully odd combos on display!
From staff dodgeball to bingo, a rowathon, a talent contest and lots more... Charity Fortnight has been in full swing and has been a blast! Thank you for your donations to all the different good causes our Houses are supporting.
Road Safety Week
We were grateful to Hertfordhsire Fire Service for coming in to talk to our Sixth Formers this week about road safety and how to be safe drivers.
NOTICEBOARD - HOLIDAY PROVISION / LOCAL EVENTS
NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS
Thinking Black: Year 12 Essay Writing Programme
Thinking Black is a social enterprise supporting Black British students to develop key academic, communication and leadership skills. The students have the opportunity to creatively imagine the future through written and spoken responses to social and political issues that directly affect them. The flagship ACT Essay Writing Programme has engaged more than 300 Year 12 students since 2017, many of whom have since studied at Oxford, Cambridge and within the Russell Group.
The programme is entirely free and will run online from January 7th, 2023 until May 3rd, 2023. It is open to Year 12 state-school students of Black and Mixed Black heritage.
Participants will:
Attend a series of specialist lectures and small group discussion sessions led by university students and graduates;
Receive comprehensive, written feedback on their work from academics at the University of Oxford;
Attend the in-person Celebration Day at Pembroke College, Oxford in Summer 2023;
Receive the chance to win: cash prizes, publication in an anthology, meetings with talent & literary agents, and a place on OxNet summer school
At the Celebration Day, students with winning essays will be awarded prizes and all students will enjoy a tour of some Oxford colleges. There will also be an opportunity to receive advice from current students and University staff about the undergraduate application process.
Webinar: Preparing for Medicine and Healthcare university interviews
Tuesday 29 November, 4.30-5.30pm
Applying for medicine or a health-related course at university might seem daunting. If you’re feeling nervous about an upcoming interview, fear not – in this session, UEA will talk you through some tips and tricks to ensure you are fully prepared when the time comes.
The Hogan Lovells Ladder to Law programme, run in partnership with Rare, is a development programme for Black African and Caribbean Year 12 students (including students of mixed race with a black heritage) wishing to pursue a career in commercial law. The programme will stretch across Years 12 and 13, and will include:
Mentoring from Hogan Lovells lawyers
Networking opportunities and commercial awareness exercises
1:1 support with applying to university and writing UCAS applications from Rare
Work experience
Support to make competitive applications to first-year opportunities at Hogan Lovells
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:
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.
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.
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.