Message from the Headteacher 

Free School Meals -
provision over February half-term

Families of children eligible for Free School Meals will receive a supermarket voucher per child, to the value of £15 each, for the February half-term. 

Vouchers have been emailed to parents / carers by Edenred - please look out for them.

Home-school transport consultation

Hertfordshire County Council are consulting on their home-school transport policies. They are seeking feedback from schools, parents and other stakeholders.

The proposals include:

• A policy to clarify the role of passenger assistants on contracted transport
• An amended policy for transport for 19-25 year-olds
• Amending the charging structure for 16-18 year-olds
• Removing the 16+ railcard

They are also seeking views on:

• Personal Travel Budgets
• Transport for those on Part-Time Timetables
• Spare seats on vehicles to special schools in Hertfordshire

Full details and an online response form are available at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/transportconsultation

The consultation will run between 24 January and 26 March 2023.

Holocaust survivor visits

We were very pleased to welcome Maralyn Turgel and Francis Morton, children of Holocaust survivors, who came to share the stories of their parents' lives and their experiences of the Holocaust. We are grateful to them, and to Generation 2 Generation, for the very informative and powerful talks given to our Year 9s and Sixth Formers.

Eco Club

The ever-industrious Eco Club are not, in fact, letting the grass grow under their feet. They had a record turnout this week for their next project - building a large raised bed for growing potatoes, garlic and other produce. This involved lots of working together to measure, saw and place large pieces of wood to create the frame of the bed. With fruit trees being delivered for an orchard area and wildflower planting also planned, there's plenty to look forward to as the weather gets warmer after half-term.

Food Club

Food Club have been busy again, making scrummy Banoffee Crumble Flapjacks - a great way to use up ripe bananas! This was followed by some super savoury Valentine's puff tarts. They chose their own toppings for an appetising treat!

Library news

Students' creative book reviews adorn the entire library at the moment! As part of their Library lessons, Year 7s completed and coloured in 'book review skeletons', while Year 8s created 'book bags' featuring a picture that is representative of the book, an illustration of the main character and details about the plot, genre and themes of the book. A lot of effort went into them so do come and take a closer look.

HGS Evening Book Club

If you enjoy reading, why not come along to the evening book club at Hitchin Girls' School? We welcome all parents and carers, friends and Sixth Formers. You don't need to have a child at the school to attend. The book club has been running for more than 15 years and we usually meet once every half-term. Meetings take place on a Tuesday evening, 7-8pm, in the school library. 

We have read a wide range of fiction over the years, from classics to the latest releases. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 28 February when we will be talking about 'Lessons in Chemistry' by Bonnie Garmus, published last year to brilliant reviews.

Any questions, please contact Mary Goose, the School Librarian, at mary.goose@hgs.herts.sch.uk

Competition time!

Applications are open for PWC's Career Launch Work Experience plus their Virtual Insight Programme, taking place this summer.

Students in Year 12 can attend PWC's Career Launch Work Experience at their Belfast or Manchester offices. This paid programme will give them the chance to explore what it’s like to work at PwC while gaining valuable skills and the opportunity to build their network. Participants that perform well could receive a fast-tracked application to one of their 2024 opportunities. 

PWC's Virtual Insight Programme is open to Years 11 and 12. It’s designed to provide students with an insight into PWC's different business areas, and the chance to interact with staff while developing their employability skills.

The deadline to apply for both programmes is 10 March 2023.

HSBC UK Work Experience Programme 2023

The programme is designed for Years 9 - 13 students in full-time education.

Students will gain real-life hands-on experience of the world of work, develop a deeper understanding of the finance industry and receive some amazing recruitment tips to help them in the future!

HSBC UK Work Experience Programme 2023 dates:

·Week A: 10 -15 July

·Week B: 7 -11 August

The programme is hybrid (two days placement in person and three days of virtual employability and skills workshops).

How to apply:

Please click here to apply to the programme.

Contact work.experience@hsbc.com if you have any questions about the application process. 

MMLL (Italian) / HML History and Modern Languages (Italian) Degree Masterclass 

Monday 20 March

Years 11 & 12

Free

An opportunity to discover what is on offer for the Degree in Modern Languages and History at Cambridge, with a special focus on Italian.

This masterclass is suitable for students who are considering applying for a degree in Modern Languages and/or History, with the opportunity to start a language from scratch.

Caius 9&10 Programme

Deadline Friday 24 March

Years 9 & 10 

Free

G&C are inviting able Year 9 / 10 students to take part in their online programme Caius9&10.

This is a series of after-school sessions via Zoom, where the students will receive guidance and ideas on how to explore subject interests and an introduction to studying at university. They will also have the chance to talk to current Cambridge students and attend an online lecture.

• Session 1, Thursday 20 April, 4.30 - 5.30pm: Introduction to studying at university and Oxbridge
• Session 2, Thursday 4 May, 4.30 - 5.30pm: Critical thinking and exploring subject interests
• Session 3, Thursday 18 May, 5 - 6pm: Taster lectures (one STEM and one Humanities)
• Session 4, Thursday 8 June, 4.30 - 5.30pm: Student life Q&A (focus on life at university, clubs and societies)
• Session 5, Thursday 22 June, 4.30 - 5.30pm: Session chosen by the students

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 spring, all designed specifically for 15-19 year olds and delivered to small groups by experienced industry experts:

AI in Engineering
Saturday 25 February 

Finding new and optimal ways of doing things is at the very core of engineering. Which makes it the perfect partner for AI and machine learning, from smart production lines to image-processing technology that allows machines to see. Our online workshop is led by civil engineer and data scientist Johan Hagstrom, who will introduce you to key AI algorithms and trends. You’ll also get hands-on experience with Python, being guided through a computer vision algorithm that can detect cars on the road – a peek into the world of self-driving vehicles.

AI in Finance
Saturday 25 February

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 the 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.

Coding for Game Design
Saturday 25 February

With one third of the world’s population already estimated to be gamers, the gaming industry offers one of the hottest career tickets today. Our online workshop gives you a unique insight into the latest trends, from multiplayer games to game streaming. Led by Josh Hills, a programmer on some of the world’s largest multiplayer games, including Runescape and Horizon, you’ll get first-hand experience of developing and enhancing a physics-based game prototype and discover the skills you’ll need to succeed.

Robotics in Space
Saturday 11 March

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.

AI in Medicine
Saturday 11 March

Medicine is on the verge of an Artificial Intelligence revolution – from pioneering surgeries to algorithms that predict future health issues. Our workshop is delivered online by med-tech experts, and will introduce you to key AI trends in medicine, their influence on global healthcare, and the tech skills you need to get ahead. You’ll also take part in an exciting hands-on diagnostic exercise using AI modelling tools.

Amazing Apprenticeships have put together a really useful downloadable PDF with a comprehensive list of Higher and Degree level apprenticeships or a 2023 start. 

Two online parenting courses fully funded by Herts County Council Family Services Commissioning Team

AVAILABLE TO ANY REFERRED PARENTS ACROSS HERTFORDSHIRE

Course 1: A Protective Behaviours Approach to Emotional Safety and Wellbeing for Families
Click here for details

Course 2: The Secrets to Parenting Your Teenager 
Click here for details

Mental health support for
Hertfordshire's young people