Sixth Form Weekly Newsletter | Summer Term, Week 2 | Date: 28 Apr 2023

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A week
All Day
From 01 May until 05 May
01
May
Year 10 Exams Begin
All Day
From 26 Apr until 12 May
26
April
KS4 Parental Workshop - Managing Exam Stress (ticket only) (Lower School Hall)
6:30pm – 7:30pm
03
May
A Level Art & Design NEAs
All Day
From 04 May until 05 May
04
May
A Level Spanish Speaking Exam
All Day
05
May
The Big Coronation Lunch - Dining Room and main school field
12:30pm – 1:30pm
05
May

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). 

WEEKLY MENU

 

[Every Day - Pasta / Jacket Potatoes & Toppings, Panini of the Day]

** MENU SUBJECT TO CHANGE **
** GLUTEN-FREE AVAILABLE ON REQUEST **

Monday: BANK HOLIDAY - SCHOOL CLOSED

Tuesday - CHILLI CHICKEN (gf), PASTA BAKE (v), CHEESE & CARAMELISED ONION QUICHE (v), ICED SPONGE

Wednesday: CORONATION MENU - CORONATION CHICKEN CURRY NAAN WITH CITRUS SLAW, KING'S VEGETARIAN KEEMA WITH RICE (v), ROYAL BERRIES CHEESECAKE

Thursday: CORONATION MENU - LAMB SHEPHERD'S PIE, QUORN A LA KING, LEMON DRIZZLE CAKE

Friday: CORONATION MENU - TRADITIONAL FISH & POTATO WEDGES, VEGETABLE BURGER KING (v), SCONES WITH JAM & CREAM

(v) = Vegetarian (gf) = Gluten Free

SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Message from the Headteacher 

Good afternoon,

What a week it has been in school! Our very first Culture Day on Tuesday was a resounding success and I want to thank each and every member of the community who contributed. The atmosphere in school was simply amazing, and the lunchtime fashion show was a real highlight - there was a genuine sense of celebration, togetherness, support and enjoyment. If you haven't seen the posts on social media then please do take a look.

My week started with presenting a group of students with their Diamond achievement awards for amassing more than 1500 reward points so far this academic year. It was great to meet these students and celebrate their accomplishments. 

Wednesday saw a hall full of students taking part in the Junior Maths Challenge - fingers crossed for some fantastic results.

Yesterday, our normal school routine was affected by industrial action. I would like to thank all families for their ongoing support as we do our best to minimise the impact on our students. I am fully aware that Year 8 and Year 9 have had more time accessing remote lessons than other year groups; however, I hope it is understood that maximising in-school time for the older years with upcoming examinations has to be a priority at this time.  With further industrial action coming up on Tuesday 2 May, please refer to the letter I sent last week for the arrangements.

Many students in Year 8 took part in the Take Your Child To Work Day, while those who accessed careers events in school thoroughly enjoyed these as well. I look forward to hearing more about individuals' experiences. 

Today started with the hustings for next year's Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl positions. Irrespective of the outcome, Zoe, Lucy, Caitlin, Bella, Amy, Avani and Helena should be incredibly proud of themselves; they presented with confidence, humility and self-assurance, and each showed that they absolutely could fulfil these roles. We heard about passion for learning, commitment to student viewpoints, celebrating the arts, being role models, leadership skills, the importance of wellbeing, support for each other, personal challenges, self-value and a real love for HGS. As ambassadors for the school, our community and the values we uphold, I really couldn't ask for more. Well done to each of them and to all students who applied to be part of the process.  

As you can see, our school values of Aspiration, Perseverance, Kindness, Respect and Positivity have been exemplified in abundance this week.

Have a lovely long weekend

James Crowther - Headteacher

Extracurricular activities -
new timetable for the Summer Term

We have more than 40 clubs and societies available to join, taking place during lunchtime or after school. We try to offer activities for the widest range of interests - take a look at the timetable for the Summer Term here

Spring concert to be rescheduled

Unfortunately, the Spring Concert cannot go ahead on Thursday 4 May as originally planned, due to a calendar clash. 

We want to ensure that our students still have plenty of performance opportunities, so we are currently investigating alternative dates for later in the term. Please look out for future announcements!

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Music Department

HGS Culture Day

So many different cultures were on display for our first ever Culture Day this week. From a catwalk show to Indian music, African dancing and tasty snacks, it was a lot of fun and a fantastic atmosphere around school.

View the album
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CAREERS SPOTLIGHT

NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS 

Science Journal for Kids

Most scientific research is conducted and reported in specialised scientific journals in a language accessible only to adult scientists. Kids have the right to understand the world they are inheriting from us. That’s why Tanya Dimitrova, while working as a high school Science teacher in Texas, founded the nonprofit organisation which publishes Science Journals for Kids.

They publish an online Science magazine for kids (and their teachers) featuring freely downloadable peer-reviewed research papers rewritten in age-appropriate language. 

You can read their articles at https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/

Enjoy reading!

Mrs Taylor

Experience for students interested in Medicine and Healthcare - online & in person

Ages 14 - 18

The online course takes place on Saturday 13 May and is a day of Surgery work experience. This interactive day is delivered by practising surgeons amd current medical students, and is designed to give students a meaningful insight into careers in Medicine and surgery. The doctors will guide you through how they would conduct a surgical consultation and how surgery is performed. 

Find out more and register

This in-person course is something very special indeed. It takes place at King's in London on Sunday 21 May, where students will be allowed to enter the dissection room with NHS doctors, who will be examining real medically donated specimens. 
Find out more and register

Hot House Dance Youth Dance Workshop
HOFESH Dance Company

Sunday 14 May, 10.30am - 3.30pm

At The John Henry Newman School, Hitchin Road, Stevenage

Ideal for all youth dancers, and those taking or planning to take Dance GCSE. Gain new insights, and explore the work of the award-winning and internationally renowned Hofesh Dance Company.

In this workshop, participants will learn about the Hofesh Shechter Company’s distinctive movement style directly from two of the company's current dancers (they are amazing!).

Sessions will include a warm-up exploring Hofesh's fundamental movement principles, as well as learning repertoire and imagery from his work. There will also be a short Q&A at the end.

An added bonus for any dancer taking GCSE / A Level / BTEC Dance, as Hofesh is studied in the courses.

Book now

Find out more and book

Find out more and book

University of Oxford Modern Languages Open Day

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford is delighted to be able to welcome prospective students on Saturday 13 May, 10.30am - 4pm for our annual Modern Languages Open Day! The event will be held at the Examination Schools, located on the High Street in Oxford's city centre.

This event is a fantastic opportunity for students who are interested in learning more about our language courses, or who are still considering their options, as it will cover all of our languages: French, German*, Spanish, Italian*, Russian*, Portuguese*, Modern Greek*, Czech* and Polish*. Most of our Joint School degree subjects will also be represented at the event.

*All of these languages can be studied at Oxford from beginners’ level. From this year’s admissions cycle, students can also apply to study Beginners’ German with our Joint Schools subjects (e.g. English, History, Linguistics, etc.) for the first time.

Our Modern Languages Open Day is aimed primarily at Year 12 students and their parents/guardians/teachers, but Year 11 students who are starting to think about university study are equally welcome to attend. The Open Day will offer an overview of our Modern Languages courses and a general Q&A for prospective students in the morning, with individual language sessions and a parents’/guardians’/teachers’ Q&A session taking place in the afternoon. You can view the full event programme here.

Booking for this event is compulsory – register your attendance here. Bookings will close at midnight on 10 May. 

We look forward to welcoming you all to Oxford!

Historical essay competition for Y12/Y13 

1st prize £1000, submission deadline Monday 17 July 2023

For Sixth Form History students looking for an essay competition that will stretch their evaluation skills and encourage them to delve beyond the standard school syllabus.

The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), in partnership with the Nadia Diuk Memorial Programme, is offering a prize worth up to £1000, for the best historical essay on the topic of the Holodomor of 1932–1933 in Ukraine - the famine in which an estimated 7 million Ukrainians died over a period of 18 months. 

The competition is particularly suitable for any students seeking:

- Extension of the study of Russian, European or Ukrainian history of the early to mid-20th century

- Further understanding of historical concepts such as motivation, causation or revolution.

- Experience of historical sources and methods used by historians, to develop study skills and justify their own ideas about the past.

- Extension for genocide studies 

- General intellectual stimulation regardless of area of study 

Candidates are invited to submit an essay in English of between 1500 and 2000 words. 

Prizes include:

1st prize: £1000 to be split equally between the candidate and their school or college

2nd prize: £400 to be split equally between the candidate and their school or college

3rd prize: £200 to be split equally between the candidate and their school or college 

More information

Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal 

NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING / SEND / SUPPORT

Mental health support for
Hertfordshire's young people