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 LUNCH MENU - Week 3
You can see our three-weekly menu here - we are on Week 3.
SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Good afternoon,
With the first week of Advent nearly over, Christmas really is just around the corner. In school, the tree has been decorated, and students and staff are busy rehearsing for next week's carol services, a real highlight of the term.
With the first week of Advent being synonymous with the message of hope, it's the perfect time to share with you details of Phase Hitchin's 'Project Hope'. Phase are a youth charity that run wellbeing and resilience workshops in primary and secondary schools several times a year. Project Hope is their December matched-giving campaign, where every donation is doubled thanks to their sponsors, up to the sum of £7,500. Phase do so much for the school community - if you are able to give them a small Christmas gift by way of a donation it would be greatly valued and appreciated. You can donate here
On Tuesday evening, the school trustees met for their termly full board meeting and we started by giving thanks and recognition to Mrs Cooper, Ms Stojko, Mrs Leigh, Mr Hanse and Mrs Lingham who have all achieved the milestone of 20 years' service at HGS. Over the course of two decades these members of staff have given so much to the school and have benefitted the lives of thousands of students - a well-deserved thank you and congratulations to them all.
Congratulations are also in order for several of our students who achieved remarkable results in the regional round of the national trampolining competition! You can read more about this below - very well done to them all and we wish them luck in the next round.
As well as the carol concerts next week, we have a French trip to l'Institut Francais in London, the Frank & Rosa Christmas Fayre, and the Year 11 Parents' Information Evening. As this follows their mock exams, it's an incredibly important opportunity to identify those key next steps to maximise achievement in the summer exams.
Finally, thank you to everyone for their donations to today's Food Drive. As ever, the community was very generous in their support of the local Foodbank. I'd like to also thank Mrs Reynolds for organisatig the Food Drive, and the students who helped with the collection and delivery of the items.
Have a good weekend,
James Crowther, Headteacher
Twenty-eight hedgerow saplings planted! Thanks to Rose, Sophia, Alice, Olivia and Mya from Eco Club, we have a mix of Birch, Hazel, Crab Apple, Dog Thorn and Blackthorn that will hopefully now take root in our school grounds.
We're now officially feeling Chritsmassy with our beautiful tree decorated by the Head Girl team this week! Extra points to them for finding all the house colours among the random assortment of baubles!
And thank you to everyone who was able to contribute to our food collection for Trussell's Letchworth Foodbank this morning.
Mr Crowther giving out Headteacher's Awards for the month of November for some excellent achievements and exemplary conduct:
Demonstrating our school values on the Year 8 residential trip
Dedication and hard work in drama activities out of school, including a fantastic performance of Macbeth at the Queen Mother Theatre
Great participation in Talk The Talk communication workshops
Taking the lead in helping the school community to mark Remembrance, Diwali, and Bandi Chhor Divas
Outstanding contribution to Geography outreach work at a local primary school
At the East region schools trampolining championships held at HBS recently, 23 students represented HGS and performed extremely well!
Freya, Ellie-Rose and Chloe became regional champions in their respective categories, with 6 more finishing in the top 5. Two teams were crowned champions and another 3 were runners-up.
In total 19 gymnasts have qualified to travel to Wales for the zonal round in January. Well done to all, and we are thankful as ever to HBS Revolutions for coaching our students to such a high standard.
Year 7 and Year 8 footballers at an extremely wet Utility Cup! The Year 7s played really well in their first tournament, making it to the quarter finals. The Year 8s showed great determination, and after three penalty shoot-outs narrowly missed out on getting through to the final. Both teams embodied our school values in abundance in victory and in defeat - well done to you all!
Four of our Year 8s, Orly B, Olivia P, Elyn F and Lily L, have taken part in the National Literacy Trust challenge, which was to choose a section of a verse novel to perform and record. They have entered their recording in the competition and will find out how they did in January. They chose an extract from page 100 of The Weight of Water, as it highlights themes of identity, migration and family.
A reminder that our Christmas Lunch will be available by pre-purchased ticket only (£3.50) and needs to be paid for viaParentPay. All paymentsmust be received by 9am on Monday 8th December at the latest.
Students in receipt of Free School Meals, Pupil Premium or 16-19 Bursary funding are not required to pay for a ticket but must complete this Google form please.
The Christmas Lunch will be the only hot food option available at lunchtime on the 16th and 17th December. Hot food will be on sale at break as usual, and cold options/pasta pots will be on sale at lunchtime. A separate location to eat will be made available for those having a cold/pasta option or a packed lunch.
On the day of their Christmas Lunch, students are also invited to wear a Christmas jumper or accessory with their usual uniform, to help raise funds for Save the Children. We suggest a donation of £1 via ParentPay. We also encourage sharing, swapping or reusing Christmas jumpers and accessories wherever possible, and look forward to a wonderful variety of festive items!
Our summer 2025 Sixth Form leavers are invited to collect their exam certificates on 17th December. These may be needed as proof of qualifications in the future.
Any students who are unable to collect their certificates on this date will need to email admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk and we will help to make alternative arrangements for collection.
We have two careers events coming up in school next term:
Year 11: Get Work Ready, Wednesday 21 January
Year 9: Engage Advance Achieve, Thursday 5 February
Both of these ELSA programmes will enable students to take part in interview and job application challenges that local, national and international employers use within their current recruitment processes. The students will gain an insight into the qualities and skills required by today’s employers, and will benefit from honest feedback from real employers.
The employers taking part are all volunteering their time. ELSA would love to hear from any parents/carers who would also like to take part, or any employers they know of who may be interested. ELSA are looking for:
Year 11: Volunteers who can interview students and take the role of mock interviewer
Year 9: Volunteers whom students can interview, taking the role of interviewee
Anyone who may be able to help is asked to fill in this formand ELSA will then be in touch with them directly.
Phase Hitchin are a youth and children’s charity that run well-being and resilience workshops in primary and secondary schools several times throughout the year. Project Hope is their December matched-giving campaign. Every donation is DOUBLED this month thanks to their generous sponsors, up to £7,500. They would value any support you’re able to give! Fine out more: https://justgiving.com/campaign/projecthope25
NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING & SEND
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.
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.
Demonstrating our school values on the Year 8 residential trip
