Y7 - 11 Weekly Newsletter | Summer Term, Week 2 | Date: 28 Apr 2023
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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 **
** 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
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SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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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
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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
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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
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Phase workshop for parents - KS4 Exam Stress
Wednesday 3 May, 6.30 - 7.30pm
Kieran Murphy, the Director of Phase, will be leading a one-hour session exploring how to support KS4 students with managing their stress and anxiety about exams.
The session will provide lots of practical tips for supporting students, including the evidence base for these tips and why they are important. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the session.
Please sign up via Eventbrite if you would like to attend. We look forward to seeing you!
Sign up
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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.
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Year 8 Careers Education
It was Take Your Child to Work Day for Year 8 on Thursday - thank you to the parents who sent in photos from their workplaces in a range of sectors, including marketing / design, retail, banking, legal, pharmaceutical, technology, and education / early years.
Students who didn't go to a workplace took part in careers events in school throughout the day. These included an ELSA workshop on presenting business ideas; a video conference about women working in Construction and other male-dominated industries; and talking to local professionals and employers to find out about different careers.
Thank you to the representatives who came into school for this, including a head teacher, a firefighter, a charity fundraiser, project managers, communications officers, accountants, a midwife, and an HR officer, from organisations including War Child, Save the Children, the NHS, Herts Fire Service, Roche, Airbus and Mastercard.
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Junior Maths Challenge
Well done to our Year 7 and Year 8 students who took part in the Junior Maths Challenge this week, the first time for it to be done online in our school. We'll look forward to getting the results!
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Bitesize deli
Alice Granger in Year 10 created this amazing scale model of Halsey's Deli in Hitchin for the skills part of her Duke of Edinburgh's Award. She has a real talent for model-making and used a range of methods to complete this incredible design. Well done Alice!
 
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NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS
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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
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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.
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.
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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
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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!
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Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal
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NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING / SEND / SUPPORT
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Mental health support for
Hertfordshire's young people
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