Sixth Form Weekly Newsletter | Autumn Term, Week 13 | Date: 9 Dec 2022
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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: PASTA CHEESE PARCELS (v), QUORN FILLET WITH SAVOURY SPICY RICE (v), CHEESE & ONION PASTIES (v), APPLE & BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE (free from eggs, milk)
Tuesday: BEEF LASAGNE, CAULIFLOWER & GREEN BEAN KORMA (v)(gf), CHEESY BEAN YORKSHIRES, CHOCOLATE SPONGE
Wednesday: LAMB HOTPOT (gf), PASTA BAKE (v), CHEESE QUICHE (v), MERINGUE NESTS WITH BANANA & TOFFEE SAUCE
Thursday: CHRISTMAS TURKEY ROAST, CHRISTMAS VEGETARIAN WELLINGTON (v), SELECTION OF FESTIVE DESSERTS
Friday: CHICKEN IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE (gf), MACARONI CHEESE (v), BATTERED FISH, CHOCOLATE CRUNCH (free from 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.
I want to start by thanking everyone for supporting the Food Drive today; it's a challenging time for many, and with Christmas fast approaching, it really is heartwarming to see our community trying to make a difference. Charity has always been an important part of life here at HGS, and the recent House Charity Fortnight was a great example of this - details of the success of the events are given below. Well done to all involved!
With the school Christmas tree in place, preparations well underway for next week's carol concert and students buying their Christmas dinner tickets, it certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at HGS.
Have a lovely weekend,
James Crowther
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Free School Meals - supermarket vouchers
for the Christmas period
Hertfordshire County Council are providing supermarket vouchers for every child who is entitled to benefits-related Free School Meals for the Christmas holiday period.
Each entitled child will receive a digital supermarket voucher to the value of £50. These will be delivered to families via email from 5 December.
Please remember to check your junk folder - emails will be from noreply@edenred.co.uk.
The email will also state the expiry date of the redemption e-code so families must redeem (i.e. choose a supermarket) before this date. If the redemption e-code expires, the school will not be able to reissue the voucher.
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Charity Fortnight fundraising results
Thank you to all those who helped run the various events we had for Charity Fortnight in November, and to all those who made donations and took part as enthusiastic audiences! We are pleased to be able to send these amounts raised to local and national charities.
Austen: Teacher's University Challenge - £75 to The Hitchin Pantry
Bronte: HGS Got Masked Talent - £533.40 to Cancer Research UK
Curie: Staff Dodge Ball - £291.92 to National Suicide Prevention Alliance
Frank: Bingo - £75 to Make A Wish UK
Jewel: Head of House Challenge - £114 to Samaritans Hitchin
Pankhurst: Raffle - £137 to Make Lunch Letchworth
Rosa: Rowathon - £1066 to The Malaria Consortium
Rosa: Kelsie's Sponsored Silence - £134.60 to The Malaria Consortium
Teresa: Movie Night - £213.48 to Heathlands Animal Sanctuary
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Please tell us your sporting successes!
If you participate in any sport at County level or above please share any successes from this term with us. The PE Department would love to include them in their Sports Report for the HGS community.
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Vote for our tree at the Christmas Tree Festival!
It's the annual Hitchin Christmas Tree Festival this weekend and the HGS tree is ready! Our theme this year is Human Rights. Please do pop down to Holy Saviour's between Friday and Sunday and vote for our tree - it's No 38!
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Library news
The Reading Group, aka Library Goblins, have surpassed themselves this year with their Christmas decorations! Their corner of the Library has been decked with paper chains, Danish hearts, stunningly illustrated Twelve Days of Christmas stockings and a roaring fireplace! Everyone is welcome to drop by on a Wednesday lunchtime.
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NOTICEBOARD - LOCAL PROVISION / EVENTS
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NOTICEBOARD - EDUCATION / CAREERS
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Balliol Monday Maths programme
Monday Maths is for students who aspire to study maths at Oxbridge or another highly competitive university. It is open to state school students who are in Year 12 and are studying Maths A Level. (Further Maths is helpful but is not a requirement.) Applicants should be aspiring to achieve an A*.
Students will take part in eight two-hour online sessions beginning Monday 30 January, for which they will have to prepare. They need to be able to set aside up to four hours per week to accommodate this programme. The programme will include a visit to Balliol and support pre- and post- application.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 15 January, 5pm.
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Computacentre Apprenticeship Open Evening
Tuesday 31 January, 5.45 - 8.00
Hatfield
Free
Discover more about Computacentre's apprenticeships, network with our current apprentices and get a glimpse of what the world of apprenticeships has to offer
Students, parents/guardians or siblings all welcome!
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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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Degree Apprenticeships –
A Guide for Sixth Form Students
The 75-minute programme includes:
• an interview with Clare Marchant, Chief Executive of UCAS, talking about how Sixth Form students can use UCAS to find out about degree apprenticeships
• four presentations explaining ‘What is a degree apprenticeship?’, ‘Which degree apprenticeships are available?’, ‘University or a degree apprenticeship?’ and ‘Where to find out more information on degree apprenticeships’
• an employer showcase of 50 major UK employers in different industries & business sectors who will be offering degree apprenticeship programmes in 2023
• tips, advice and guidance from Lloyds Banking Group and BDO on how to apply for degree apprenticeship and the selection processes that employers’ use
• interviews with current degree apprentices at Dyson, PwC, Royal Navy and Rolls-Royce
• information on how solicitor apprenticeships offer an alternative route into the legal profession, from law firm Eversheds Sutherland
The programme was presented by Martin Birchall, research director for the Department for Education’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and Levi Jouavel, presenter on BBC Three and a former BBC apprentice.
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Thinking Black: Year 12 Essay Writing Programme
Thinking Black is a social enterprise supporting Black British students to develop key academic, communication and leadership skills. The students have the opportunity to creatively imagine the future through written and spoken responses to social and political issues that directly affect them. The flagship ACT Essay Writing Programme has engaged more than 300 Year 12 students since 2017, many of whom have since studied at Oxford, Cambridge and within the Russell Group.
The programme is entirely free and will run online from January 7th, 2023 until May 3rd, 2023. It is open to Year 12 state-school students of Black and Mixed Black heritage.
Participants will:
- Attend a series of specialist lectures and small group discussion sessions led by university students and graduates;
- Receive comprehensive, written feedback on their work from academics at the University of Oxford;
- Attend the in-person Celebration Day at Pembroke College, Oxford in Summer 2023;
- Receive the chance to win: cash prizes, publication in an anthology, meetings with talent & literary agents, and a place on OxNet summer school
At the Celebration Day, students with winning essays will be awarded prizes and all students will enjoy a tour of some Oxford colleges. There will also be an opportunity to receive advice from current students and University staff about the undergraduate application process.
Find out more
Apply
Deadline: 12 December 2022.
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NOTICEBOARD - WELLBEING / SEND / SUPPORT
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Mental health support for
Hertfordshire's young people
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