Sixth Form Weekly Newsletter | Spring Term, Week 11 | Date: 17 Mar 2023 |
|
|
|
|
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: MACARONI CHEESE (v), BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO (v)(gf), CHEESE & ONION PASTIES (v), COFFEE SPONGE Tuesday: SHEPHERD'S PIE (gf), SPAGHETTI SAVOURY (v), CHEESE QUICHE (v), CHOCOLATE SCRUMMY Wednesday: CHICKEN BLACK BEAN NOODLES, VEGETABLE PIE (v), CHEESEBURGERS, APPLE FLAPJACK (free from wheat, eggs, milk) Thursday: BACON & MUSHROOM CARBONARA, VEGETABLE & BEAN HOTPOT (v)(gf), CHICKEN FAJITAS, ICED SPONGE Friday: CHICKEN HOTPOT (gf), PASTA BAKE (v), BATTERED FISH, RHUBARB CRUMBLE (free from eggs, milk) (v) = Vegetarian (gf) = Gluten Free |
|
SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS |
|
|
Message from the Headteacher 
Good Afternoon, I want to start today by thanking all parents and carers for their continued support for the adjustments we have had to make in light of industrial action. We may have had two days of 'alternative arrangements', but there has been plenty going on this week. On Monday, Year 13 had a session with Laura from Herts Young Homeless, which gave them valuable information on student living costs and managing their finances - thank you Laura! Wednesday and Thursday saw the performances of this year's Senior Classics Play, staged entirely by students - 'Hades' Guide to Finding Love-ish'. I had the absolute pleasure of watching the play on Thursday night and it was superb! It was well acted, well written, well produced and incredibly funny - a complete triumph. A huge congratulations to all involved. As they state in the programme, thanks must go to the HGS Site Team, our IT support staff and the teachers in the Classics department for their help. I would like to extend my thanks to all the families that attended and showed their support - judging by the amount of laughter last night, I am sure they enjoyed it as much as I did. Today we welcomed Bim Afolami MP into school. Bim led a session with all of Year 12 and Year 13, and followed this with a Q&A with our Politics students. Both sessions were incredibly engaging, and our students posed some strong and well researched questions. Bim was also joined by photographer Gregory Owaine, an ex-HBS student, and it was great to speak with him and hear his recollections of being a student in our consortium. I would like to extend a sincere thanks to Bim, he gave his time freely and we managed to find some time to have an enjoyable conversation too. Thank you to Mrs Lowe for organising the visit today. Earlier in the week I met with another 25 students to celebrate their achievements and give them their Headteacher's Awards. Congratulations to them all. Such has been the level of achievement recently, I have had to order more Headteacher Award pin badges. The new batch has arrived, so please do encourage your child to do something exceptional and achieve an award! In case you haven't seen the social media posts, I wanted to confirm that the student reported missing last week was found safe and well. The Police were assisted by a member of the community who had seen their appeal - so thank you to all who shared the information. Finally, many members of our community will be starting their Ramadan celebrations next week - Ramadan Mubarak to you all. Have a great weekend, James Crowther - Headteacher |
|
|
Reminder - stay home if feeling unwellThis week we have seen a noticeable increase in students coming to sick bay with nausea, headaches and general cold symptoms. If your child is unwell please do not send them to school and report their absence via this form. The current Covid guidance is available here. Families' support with this is much appreciated. |
|
|
|
|
Please share your sporting successesThe PE department is pulling together their termly Sports Report to celebrate all the sporting successes at HGS. If you have had success at County level or above, PE would love to hear about your achievements and include them in the report to share with the HGS community. |
|
|
Lost property - unnamed coatsWe are holding these three coats at main reception - please come and collect if you recognise yours! 
|
|
|
Question timeWe welcomed Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin & Harpenden, to a Sixth Form assembly this week, to talk about what life is like as an MP, how he got into politics, and young people engaging with politics. He then took questions from A Level Politics students in an engaging Q&A session, in which our students had the chance to ask lots of questions on a wide range of topics, from the budget to immigration, advances in AI, fracking and the voting system. Some of our students would like to go on to study Politics at university, and they thoroughly enjoyed this valuable opportunity to gain further insights and talk directly with a serving MP. 
|
|
|
Senior Classics PlayThe annual Senior Classics Play was staged to great success this week. 'Hades' Guide to Finding Love -ish' was written, directed, designed and performed entirely by our A Level Classics students. Well done to all involved in the months of hard work that went into the production, it went down a storm with the audience! 
|
|
|
Year 12 GeographyA Level Geography students went on a field trip to London King's Cross to investigate aspects of the regeneration project that has taken place in that area. This trip was the first of four days' fieldwork that students will carry out ahead of their NEA later in the year. Students started the day with a 'trip' around a 3D model in the visitor centre where they heard all about the project and the progress so far. They then used a number of different methods to carry out data collection, in order to identify aspects of deprivation and the extent to which they exist in the regenerated area. Students worked really well and were a testament to the three schools represented (HGS, HBS and TPS). The staff in the visitor centre were impressed by their positive attitude and excellent questions, and how engaged they were. Well done Year 12 and thank you for such an enjoyable day!
Miss Johns 
|
|
|
Library newsOn Tuesday this week, 13 students from our Reading Group joined more than 100 other students from ten schools at the North Herts Schools Book Awards 2023 event at Highfield School, Letchworth. In groups they all enjoyed discussing three books in either the younger or the older category. The younger category winner was Fake by Ele Fountain, and the older category winner was Why is Nobody Laughing? by Yasmin Rahman. Following refreshments, Elle McNicol, last year's younger category winner with A Kind of Spark, spoke powerfully about her own personal experience of being autistic and writing neurodivergent novels. The Reading Group are now looking forward to shadowing the Carnegie Medal for Writing and reading the seven shortlisted titles. 
 
|
|
|
|
|
Athletics track open eventSaturday 1 April, 1 - 4pm The outdoor athletics season begins in April, and the Stevenage and North Herts Athletics Club are starting the season with a Track Open at Ridlins Track. Photo finishes will be provided. The link to the entry form is below and the timetable is on the entry form. It would be lovely to see as many students in action as possible as they do not need to be members of the club. It is also an opportunity for those in Year 10 doing GCSE PE to get a time for an event with a photo finish. If you have any queries, please speak to Miss Murch. |
|
|
Charity MonthAll of our Houses are running fundraising events for their chosen charities this month. Please come along, join in and support them as much as you can! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOTICEBOARD - LOCAL PROVISION |
|
|
For families in receipt of Free School Meals:
HAPpy HolidaysLooking for something to keep your children entertained this Easter Holiday? Through DfE funding, Hertfordshire County Council and Herts Sports Partnership have coordinated a huge range of activities running at different venues across the county. Each activity will offer a nutritious meal and all of this is free for young people in receipt of benefits-related free school meals.
Eligible families can book for free using their unique HAPpy Booking Code. When prompted, please make sure you enter the whole code, which includes the ! symbol in the middle of the code.
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 - book online at:
https://www.sportinherts.org.uk/booking Need help? Hertfordshire Libraries have computers you can use, and friendly staff who will be able to help.
Additionally, there is a range of online activities to look through, with ideas for learning more about history, music and theatre, plus ways to keep your family active for 60 minutes each day! View these at
https://www.sportinherts.org.uk/haf/enrichment Lastly, our information page has links to a variety of organisations and advice you and your family may find useful. Visit this at
https://sportinherts.org.uk/useful-local-services |
|
|
NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS |
|
|
Oxford Classics Creative Writing CompetitionThe Oxford Faculty of Classics are delighted to announce their Classics Creative Writing Prize for UK students aged between 11 and 18. The first prize is £100 and there are other prizes too! The competition's aim is to inspire a creative response to images from the Manar al-Athar Photo Archive and to encourage curiosity in, and reflection on, the ancient world. All applicants have to do is choose a picture from the photo archive and use that as inspiration to write one of the following: - Poem
- Short Story
- Play
- Monologue
- Comic/Graphic Novel
- Creative Description
All entries must be under 1000 words. Deadline: Sunday 21 May 2023 Full info and how to enter |
|
|
Applications for the University of Surrey's Summer School residential programme are still open! Running from Monday 26 June to Friday 21 July
The residential Summer Schools run over five days and four nights on-campus and the virtual Summer Schools run over five days. During all the Summer Schools, Year 12 students will get to meet academic staff and the wonderful team of student ambassadors who are currently studying the courses you may be considering.
Students can choose from four different Summer School programmes for eligible participants: Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences (26 - 30 June)
Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences Residential Summer School (3 - 7 July)
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (3 - 7 July)
Virtual Summer School (17 - 21 July) All expenses are paid for, including travel and food. Plus any tech equipment needed for the virtual sessions will be provided.
Applications close 2 April
If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please email student@pathwayctm.com |
|
|
Work experience with Johnson MattheyJohnson Matthey is a sustainable technologies company who apply cutting-edge science to create solutions that make a real difference to the world around us in the journey to Net Zero. They are hosting two insight days in July for Years 10 and 12 students considering a career in STEM. Each day will include examples of the exciting work they do, career entry options (apprenticeships / graduate programmes, etc.), career pathways, the different job roles available in a global organisation, and tips on CVs and interviews. It will be an opportunity to gain insight into working in a global company and ask any questions. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Opportunities of the week:Life sciences - This career could be for you if you want to make a positive impact on people’s lives. You could be a Biomedical Scientist, Biotechnologist, Biochemist, Computational Biologist, Microbiologist, Clinical Research Associate, Industrial Pharmacist…to name a few of the job roles in this groundbreaking industry. Early career opportunity in Life Sciences: Lab Technician at Autolus and Internships at Roche Technology - Hertfordshire is home to many technology-based companies. Technology offers a broad range of careers, for those with analytical, mathematical and problem-solving skills. For those with a more creative mind, product design and games development roles lie within the technology industry. Early career opportunity in Technology - IT Apprenticeship at Skanska Engineering - This career could be for you if you want to improve or create new processes to bring products to life. Hertfordshire’s world-class engineering and manufacturing companies specialise in aerospace, space and satellite engineering, communication technologies, electronics, defence and security-related equipment and logistics. Early career opportunity in Engineering – Electromechanical engineer at Airbus Construction - There are more than 170 roles in construction from planning and architecture, infrastructure and engineering, skilled trades, off-site manufacturing and property maintenance. The sector also has an important environmental role to play in achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Early career opportunity in Construction- Junior energy assessor at Atspace Health - Working in healthcare is about helping people to stay healthy and protecting them from threats to their health. While medicine and nursing are vital for helping and supporting people when they fall ill, working in health contributes to reducing the causes of ill-health and improving people's health and wellbeing. Early career opportunity in Health and Social care - Trainee mental health social worker at Think Ahead |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The second call for applications to the 7th edition of Barcelona International Youth Science Challenge is now open and will close on April 12th. Don't miss out!
BIYSC is a two-week international summer programme of excellence, which is committed to stimulating talent and promoting scientific vocations among young students. A total of 14 international research centres and scientific and technological institutions are involved in this 7th edition of the programme, enabling the creation of 14 hands-on research projects that cover a broad range of subjects across the STEM fields. Participants will have a unique experience in a real research environment alongside active scientists and researchers.
This summer, around 150 selected aspiring scientists aged 16 to 18 years old will enjoy BIYSC from 3 July to 14 July in Barcelona. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Webinar: Student finance with Royal Holloway Thursday 30 March Join Royal Holloway as we discuss all things student finance. This session will cover how the student finance system works in the UK and some options for funding your studies before leaving you with top tips for managing your finances when you start university. Please note that funding information in this webinar will apply mainly to UK students and will be most relevant for 2023/24 entry to university. Find out more and register |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
  Allsop are inviting applications for apprenticeships in real estate / surveying, for September 2023 start. Applications will close on Friday 31 March. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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 
|
|
|
|
|
NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING / SEND / SUPPORT |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Two online parenting courses fully funded by Herts County Council Family Services Commissioning TeamAVAILABLE 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 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
