Y7 - 11 Weekly Newsletter | Spring Term, Week 8 | Date: 24 Feb 2023
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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: SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI (v), LEEK & MUSHROOM PIE (v), VEGETABLE BURGERS IN A BUN (v), APPLE & SULTANA SPONGE
Tuesday: BEEF LASAGNE, VEGETABLE HOTPOT (v)(gf), CHEESE QUICHE (v), CHOCOLATE FUDGE FLAN
Wednesday: CHICKEN KORMA (gf), BROCCOLI & CHEESE PASTA (v), PESTO, TOMATO & CHEESE NAAN, PEACH & APPLE CRUNCH (free from milk, eggs)
Thursday: SAUSAGE PASTA, CHEESY BEAN YORKSHIRES (v), CHEESE QUICHE (v), CHOCOLATE SPONGE
Friday: PASTA BOLOGNAISE, CAULIFLOWER CHEESE (v), FISHCAKES, FLAPJACK (free from wheat, eggs, milk)
(v) = Vegetarian (gf) = Gluten Free
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SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Message from the Headteacher
Good Afternoon,
A different tone today for my introduction to the newsletter as this week, along with many colleagues past and present, I attended the funeral of our former Headteacher Sally Edwards.
During the service there was a reading of the poem 'Footprints in the Sand' by Carolyn Joyce Carty. This poem was important to Mrs Edwards and she read it to students on numerous occasions. Its message of support, whether it be through faith or our relationships or our community, resonates with some of the values we hold dear. Therefore, I thought it fitting that I share it with you today.
Take care
James Crowther - Headteacher
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Industrial action 1 March
Please find below the letter from Mr Crowther that was sent to parents/carers this week:
I am writing to confirm the arrangements for students on the second day of industrial action, Wednesday, 1 March 2023. The arrangements for the subsequent days of planned action (15 March and 16 March) will be published in advance of those dates.
The strike is about the level of funding schools receive and terms and conditions. The argument is not with our school but we will be affected by the strike. A significant number of our teaching staff are members of the NEU and, since members are not required to notify the school in advance of their intentions, I have had to conduct a risk assessment on the safety of the school being open to all our students when it is unclear how many teaching staff will be in school on 1 March.
As with the previous day of industrial action, through discussions within our senior team, we have determined that we may not have sufficient staff available to safely manage our full roll of nearly 1,400 students.
However, due to differences in the school timetable on this day, we will be able to have an additional year group in school this time. Students in Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 should attend school as normal on Wednesday, 1 March. There may be periods of the day when their normal teacher is not available and independent working will be expected (Years 7 and 11 will be supervised). Students should bring their laptops or other devices (Years 12 & 13) and Chromebooks (Years 7 & 11) to school, fully charged.
Students in Years 8, 9 and 10 should stay at home and undertake remote learning, following their normal timetable. Work will be set on Google Classroom by teachers who are not on strike with ‘live lessons’ via Google Meet being utilised, as appropriate. All students will be required to log onto their Google Classroom for each timetabled lesson. If, after 10 minutes, no work has been set or the teacher is not available, then students are required to undertake independent learning for that subject. Should this be the case, students are advised to review prior learning and make use of websites such as Educake, MyMaths, Dr Frost, BBC Bitesize, Seneca and Youtube to support their work.
We will make provision available in school for students in Years 8 - 10 with SEND or vulnerable children. There will be supervision by our Learning Support team and students will undertake the same remote learning as their peers, but supported by the Learning Support assistants. We will have limited capacity and, in some cases, we will approach families directly to suggest attendance, or you may request a place by emailing admin@hgs.herts.sch.uk
Children entitled to Free School Meals who are in school will be able to have lunch as usual from the school canteen. For those who are at home, we will be making arrangements for a packed lunch to be available and we will write to the families in question directly with more details.
I know that making alternative arrangements for your children will be difficult for some parents. That is why we are giving as much notice as possible and running as many classes as we safely can. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you in advance for your support at this time.
Yours sincerely,
James Crowther
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Accentuating the positive
For Children's Mental Health Week earlier this month, students chose Taskmaster challenges set by Place2Be to complete during tutor time, including making rainbows with objects found around them, and focusing on nature to create self-portraits.
Staying on a positive note, Year 9 English students have been looking at the theme of optimism in poetry as well!
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Latest improvements around school
With continuous maintenance and improvement projects, the work of our Site Team is never done! The most recent round of jobs have included transforming a section of our main school corridor into a gallery space, restoring the wood floors in the Art department and cleaning and repainting an awkward flat roof!
For the gallery project, the team had to remove all existing wall mountings, repair and repaint the walls, pipes, doors and window frames, reseal the original brickwork, and paint a display wall in a stunning turquoise colour. The result is a wonderful bright corridor space that shows off A Level artworks beautifully.
We're grateful to the team for all their hard work and many late nights. The results will be appreciated by many for a long time to come!
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Year 9 netball tournament
HGS hosted a Year 9 netball tournament recently, and were able to enter three of our own teams thanks to all our dedicated Netball Club members. They showed great teamwork and supported each other throughout.
Congratulations to all the teams who took part, but particularly HGS2 and HGS3 who finished joint 2nd with points. However, on the number of goals scored, HGS2 came away with the Silver medal and HGS3 the Bronze.
Also a big thank you from Miss Murch to the six students in Year 11 (Cody, Charlotte B, Charlotte A, Daisy, Amelie and Grace) who scored, umpired, team-managed and presented the medals. The organisation of the tournament was commented on by other schools, and this wouldn't have been possible without them.
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Congratulations Chloe!
Congratulations to Chloe Eayrs (Year 10), who was awarded Herts County Cricket U15 Bowler of the Year and overall Player of the Year 2022. A great achievement! Well done Chloe.
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Year 7 Textiles
Students really enjoyed putting together their samples for sublimation printing using the heat press. Super creativity on display in these eye-catching pieces!
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Year 9 Design & Technology
Year 9's final outcomes this week - amazing crafting of aluminium in the workshop to create these tealight holders, all based on forms found in nature.
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Library news
In celebration of World Book Day, the Library is holding a book sale and a cake sale on Wednesday 8 March. David's Bookshop, Letchworth will be bringing a big selection of books for you to browse and buy, including this year's World Book Day titles. So why not pop up to the library, collect your £1 World Book Day voucher and take a look?
The cake sale will be held outside at breaktime (weather permitting!) and all proceeds will go to World Book Day and the charity Book Aid.
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NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS
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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.
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 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.
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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
Watch the video: A Day in the Life of a Law students at G&C
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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 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.
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Amazing Apprenticeships have put together a really useful downloadable PDF with a comprehensive list of Higher and Degree level apprenticeships or a 2023 start.
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NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING / SEND / SUPPORT
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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
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Mental health support for
Hertfordshire's young people
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