nghs newsletter insight april 2015

Dear Parents, Girls and Friends of NGHS

As we approach Easter and a well-deserved break for everybody, I hope you enjoy reading all of our recent news, and about our plans for the future.

I would like to begin by expressing my delight that The Becket School and The Blessed Robert Widmerpool Academy have asked us to join their teaching school alliance. A Teaching School Alliance is a group of schools that collaborate with each other to share best practi ce and experti se, to train and develop staff , and to further improve the quality of teaching, learning and leadership within their schools. Whilst we naturally benefi t from our alliance with all of the other GDST schools I feel that branching out into the wider community is mutually benefi cial to all involved in the provision of educati on. Ms Julie Davis, Assistant Head of Teaching and Learning, has been looking at developing these closer school links and we very much look forward to our new working partnerships.

We have been very busy again over the past few weeks with several key events taking place in and out of school. We welcomed back our girls and staff from the RS trip to Amsterdam which was once again a moving and insightf ul visit taking in the Anne Frank House, Kamp Vught and the Corrie ten Boom House among other signifi cant places.

INSIGHTApril 2015 Issue 39

NOTTINGHAM GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOLExperts in educating girls from 4-18 yearsLeading. Learning. Loving it.

It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying our ‘Come and see us at work’ day, exploring our school, experiencing our learning environment and meeti ng our girls and staff .

It was also encouraging to see so many visitors at our Careers Fair in March. We had a wealth of stalls and exhibitors representi ng many and varied career opportuniti es, training prospects and of course, Higher Educati on insti tuti ons. We do like to ensure that our girls have quality guidance when considering their futures and I would like to thank everybody involved for their hard work in organising this provision.

So let me take this opportunity to thank everybody for their conti nued support of the school and its events, to wish you all a very happy Easter break, and to say ‘Bon Voyage’ to the girls and staff heading off to Italy on the ski trip over the holidays. I would also like to say ‘Good Luck’ to the 14 girls and three staff members parti cipati ng in the Three Peaks Challenge again this year.

With best wishes

Susan M Gorham, Head

CONGRATULATIONS YIFEIYifei Painter in Year 12 has had an excepti onally successful term having won the Target Jobs ‘Nati onal Schools Challenge’ beati ng competi ti on from many other schools and students and claiming a prize not only for herself but also for the school. In additi on to this, Yifei has also been invited by the UKMT Nati onal Mathemati cs Summer School to att end as a Senior Student due to her outstanding performances in previous Maths Challenges. These are both fantasti c achievements.

The girls behaved impeccably, even when there had to be last minute changes to the return journey.

MARIE CURIE COLLECTIONOur Sixth Form Executi ve girls did a brilliant job collecti ng money for Marie Curie Cancer Care at the beginning of March, raising £1,339 which is a remarkable amount. Well done girls.

ASTEROID CHALLENGESeveral visiti ng schools joined us to take part in the Ogden Trust Asteroid Challenge during which they had to design and build a structure capable of defending the Earth (made of chocolate in this case) against an asteroid impact. This was a great test of their knowledge and applicati on of Physics. They were also tested on their knowledge of ‘space’ themed music! A great ti me was had by all involved.

Girls were able to take advantage of this, and of the kind provision of Mr Barrett ’s telescope to view the spectacular sight of the moon passing in front of the sun during this rare event.

GDST SENIOR QUIZThe NGHS Quiz Team travelled to Streatham and Clapham High School to compete against 22 other schools in the Annual GDST quiz. Team members were Emily Aikens Year 9, Clara Sablitzky Year10, Anila Iqbal Year 11 and Sarah Quraishi Year 13. In the heats Notti ngham won all their matches, beati ng Belvedere, Wimbledon and Ipswich to become Group Winners and achieving fourth place overall.

BBC NEWS SCHOOL REPORTOn 19 March, girls from Years 7 - 10 took part in the BBC News School Report along with children from hundreds of other schools nati onwide. Teams worked hard and did a great job of producing their own news video and reports on issues ranging from global and local to sports and a weather report. It was a fantasti c day and a real insight into how the news is made.

BRILLIANT BOOK AWARDKeen readers from Year 7 and 9 have been reading the six shortlisted books for the Notti ngham Brilliant Book Award. They were also able to travel to local schools and meet authors Sandra Greaves, Rob Lloyd Jones and Kevin Brooks, who shared details of their writi ng lives and signed copies of their novels. The award culminated in book groups from Rushcliff e, Carlton le Willows and Becket Schools visiti ng NGHS library to discuss the shortlist and vote for a winner. Wild Boy by Rob Lloyd Jones was voted the BBA novel of the year.

SOLAR ECLIPSEThe weather was perfect for the amazing spectacle of the solar eclipse on 20 March.

D OF E138 students have begun their expediti on training towards their Duke of Edinburgh awards. Bronze students have been learning what they need to eat whilst on expediti on; how to cook it using a trangia; how to put up a tent and the kit that they will need to take with them whilst out in the hills. They recently completed a journey day in rainy Lathkilldale.

Two groups are completi ng their Silver D of E expediti on this year by canoe. Despite a cold and windy training session at Holme Pierrepont they all had a lot of fun.

Four groups of Sixth Form students have been training in Edale to work on their fi tness levels and navigati onal skills in order to complete their Gold expediti ons in the summer.

CARTER’S EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

The Trustees of Carter’s Educati onal Foundati on may pay discreti onary grants this year to ‘persons under the age of 25 years living (or having a parent living) in the Ancient Parish of Wilford. Grants may assist with, for example, school trips, uniform, music lessons, sporti ng acti viti es etc. These grants may be used to assist with your educati on at any school, university or other place of learning approved by the Trustees, or to help you enter a trade or profession. They are not available for school fees.

The Ancient Parish of Wilford in broad terms includes: Wilford Village, Silverdale, Compton Acres, part of West Bridgford (mainly west of Loughborough Road) and some of the southern parts of The Meadows.

Applicati on forms can be obtained by writi ng to: The Clerk to the Trustees, Carter’s Educati onal Foundati on, Pennine House, 8 Stanford Street, Notti ngham NG1 7BQ or from the website www.wilford-carters-educati on.org.uk

OUTDOOR LEARNINGGirls have already been taking full advantage of our brilliant new Outdoor Learning Area. The climbing wall is a huge success with girls from Year 4 upwards, and Firepit Friday is a fi rm favourite too. It’s really encouraging to see so many girls enjoying the great outdoors.

‘STEP INTO THE NHS’ SCHOOLS’ COMPETITIONTwo of our Year 9 girls deserve huge congratulati ons on their success in the 2014/15 ‘Step into the NHS’ schools’ competi ti on. The competi ti on proved very popular this year and the judges were very impressed with the standard of the entries, and we are so proud of Dani Ashwell and Emily Geeson Bond who have been named as the nati onal winners. This is a tremendous achievement, especially as there were entries from over 1700 students across the country. Well done girls.

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIADCongratulati ons to the following girls on their results in the recent Chemistry Olympiad:Yusra Abdelhamid, Morgan Metheringham and Olivia Dadge - Silver Bhuvana Sudarshan, Milly Mosely, Lexi Lodge, Ellie Walsh, Naseera Seedat and Isabelle Bond - BronzeShayma Ananth - parti cipati on certi fi cate.

WIZARD OF OZGirls from Years 6 to 13 put on a spectacular performance of this year’s musical - The Wizard of Oz. It really was an outstanding show with a colourful set and some wonderfully talented singers, actors, acrobats and musicians.

FAREWELL MRS PEARCEMrs Pearce has been Head of Faculty and a teacher of French, Russian and Lati n, as well as a huge supporter of German, since 2005 here at NGHS. We would like to say a big thank you for all her support and encouragement over the last ten years and wish her a long and happy reti rement.

The girls worked ti relessly, performing over four nights, the fi rst of which was a special gala night celebrati ng the start of work on our new Performing Arts Centre. Congratulati ons to everybody involved, girls and staff alike.

As well as performance faciliti es The SPACe will be used to give students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, learning the skills of professional theatre technicians such as lighti ng, sound recording, box offi ce and back stage.

EVERYONE’S GETTING INVOLVEDWe’re not being complacent - we sti ll have some way to go to reach our target of £1.5m but there has been some fabulous fundraising events in 2014 involving parents, girls, alumnae and friends of NGHS. Including:

‘Raise the Curtain’ Ball

On a glorious evening last May, the marquees were set up, the bars were fully stocked, the band was tuned, and the red carpet was rolled out as NGHS was transformed into a glitt ering venue for our ‘Raise the Curtain’ ball. A fun fi lled evening of glamour, great food, music and convivial company. It was a fabulous evening, and through ti cket sales, sponsorship, the aucti on and raffl e, we raised an incredible £20,000 towards our target. Thank you to everyone who came along or supported us in any way - we couldn’t have done it without you and your support towards our campaign is greatly appreciated.

When is the next one?We’re already planning a celebrati on Ball to be held in The SPACe as part of a series of opening events in 2016/2017.

fi lled evening of glamour, great food, music and convivial company. It was a fabulous evening, and through ti cket sales, sponsorship, the aucti on and raffl e, we raised an incredible £20,000 towards our target. Thank you to everyone who came along or supported us in any way - we couldn’t have done it without you and your support towards our campaign is greatly appreciated.


fabulous evening, and through ti cket sales, sponsorship, the aucti on and raffl e, we raised an incredible £20,000 towards our target. Thank you to everyone who came along or supported us in any way - we couldn’t have done it without you and your support towards our campaign is greatly appreciated.


sales, sponsorship, the aucti on and raffl e, we raised an incredible £20,000 towards our target. Thank you to everyone who came along or supported us in any way - we couldn’t have done it without you and your support towards our campaign is greatly appreciated.


NG

HS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

a p lace where young people can

shin

e

WE’RE BREAKING GROUNDThe vision is now a reality. Constructi on has begun on this fantasti c new performing arts centre for NGHS.

Our constructi on team, Balfour Beatt y, have the skills, experience and know-how to deliver this exciti ng new resource for the school.

The build is scheduled to take approximately 18 months, so we’re looking forward to its completi on in the autumn of 2016.

As you will know, the GDST are supporti ng this multi -million pound project for the school, but NGHS has been tasked with raising £1.5m towards the build costs. With the generous support of our ‘Raise the Curtain’ Development Board, alumnae, parents, girls and friends of NGHS we have raised over £1.3m to date. A huge thank you to all of you who have supported our fundraising campaign and got us to this point.

Our chair of the development board, Rosemary Squire OBE, co-founder and joint CEO of the Ambassador Theatre Group, has spearheaded the campaign. As an alumna, she is proud of her Notti ngham roots and has been unswerving in her support of the school and the ‘Raise the Curtain’ campaign.

PRESS LAUNCHAt a press launch last week, surrounded by our very own munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, Rosemary proudly announced that the new centre was to

be named The Squire Performing Arts Centre (The SPACe) in recogniti on of her support for the fundraising campaign.

Fellow alumnae Jenny Farr, MBE and Dame Stella Rimington, former Director of MI5, are also involved in the project. Dame Stella is a member of the Development Board and Patron of fundraising campaign and Jenny will have a large rehearsal room named aft er her.

Notti ngham Philanthropist, Sir Harry Djanogly, has lent his full support to the project. The SPACe’s main auditorium will be named in honour of his wife, Lady Carol Djanogly. Generous support from The Garfi eld Weston Foundati on will be recognised with the naming of The SPACe’s 75-seat studio theatre.

WHAT FACILITIES WILL THE SPACE PROVIDE?It will feature a fl exible 345 seat performance space, orchestra pit and large fl oor lift to provide multi -purpose use, music rehearsal and theory rooms, dressing rooms, ballet barres, professional lighti ng, control rooms with professional mixing desks and multi -use acousti c design for spoken word and musical performances.

Support the Donor tree!

Join many other parents, girls, alumnae and friends and buy a leaf on the tree

Not only will it create a stunning piece of artwork in the new Performing Arts Centre when it is built, but the donor tree has fantasti c potenti al to raise the £200,000 we need to reach our fundraising target of £1.5m.

How does it work?

It is simple. There are 4 diff erent leaves to choose from:

Bronze £150 Silver leaf £300 Gold leaf £450 Gold Super-leaf £10,000

We will engrave it with your name, your child’s name or why not commemorate a loved one - the choice is yours. If you’re not sure what to have engraved - talk to us, we’ll be happy to make suggesti ons.

How do I buy a leaf?

Either visit the dining hall and pick up a fl yer, and complete the enclosed form. Make your pledge, decide on your leaf and inscripti on and put it in the dropbox next to the tree.

Or, buy a leaf online. Visit the school website www.notti nghamgirlshigh.gdst.net and follow the link to the Donor Tree page.




How does it work?





Not only will it create a stunning piece of artwork in the new Performing Arts Centre when it is built, but the donor tree has fantasti c potenti al to raise the £200,000 we need to reach our fundraising target of £1.5m. the £200,000 we need to reach our



Not only will it create a stunning piece of artwork in the new Performing Arts Centre when it is built, but the donor tree has fantasti c potenti al to raise the £200,000 we need to reach our

Winter WonderlandFun on our own ice rink on the junior playground. A lovely start to the Christmas season with ice skati ng, twinkly lights, festi ve food and drink and a fabulous snow machine.

donated in the memory of a loved one. Groups of former classmates have got together, such as the ‘O Level Group of 1986’ who now have a lovely inscribed silver leaf on the tree as a legacy of their ti me here.

HOW CAN WE RAISE £200,000 AND REACH OUR FUNDRAISING TARGET?

WE’RE SUPPORTING OUR SCHOOLIndividually or as a group, show your support and create a permanent reminder of how you helped build this wonderful new facility at NGHS.

Tea towel project

Thank you to Mrs Rachel Eckersley a parent in the Junior School for organising this fun project for all of the Junior girls to get involved in. The Junior parents and girls really got behind it and raised a magnifi cent £1431.25 to support the campaign. In recogniti on of this achievement a bronze leaf on the donor tree has been engraved for each Year Group, and parti cipants will be entered into a free draw with one lucky winner receiving a silver leaf on the tree.

Trip to the Pantomime

Thanks go to Junior parent Helen Whitt for organising this lovely end of term treat for the girls and their families, selling over 200 ti ckets to support the campaign.

A whole host of creati ve fundraising initi ati ves have been initi ated by parents and girls, including a fabulous art workshop by Junior parent Dr Rashid and girls designing their own personalised Christmas cards, organised by Junior parent Dr Shahpar.

Individual pupils have also been busy raising money through cake sales, car washing and even running a half marathon to support the fundraising campaign.

Alumnae have been very keen to get involved too - buying a leaf on our beauti ful donor tree. The leaves celebrate their ti me at NGHS, or are

Our lovely Catering Staff got together and bought a bronze leaf.

Sisters Ellenoor Shameli, Year 9 and Parmis Shameli, Year 6, bought a leaf each and mounted them on the tree.

Laura Tilly, Year 6, proudly puts up her leaf.

FUTURE FUNDRAISING IDEASWith the disrupti on of constructi on starti ng on site, we’re not planning to hold any large fundraising events this spring/summer term, but look out for details of events for autumn. However so many of our girls and parents have come up with creati ve and innovati ve fundraising schemes this year, so if you have a great idea, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Marie Soar, Director of Development 0115 935 4410 or [email protected]

JUNIOR SCHOOLAs yet another exciti ng term comes to an end I am incredibly proud of the girls’ many achievements. The Junior School conti nues to ‘buzz’ with exciti ng events and I hope that everyone enjoys a really good rest during the holidays.

Mrs Chilvers is leaving the Junior School on Thursday aft er 20 years of loyal and dedicated service and will be greatly missed by everyone. Her hard work, cheerfulness, care of the girls and endless pati ence have all been outstanding. We wish her lots of luck in her early reti rement and hope she enjoys the many planned adventures with her husband Roger.

With best wishes

Faith Pott er, Junior School Head

WOLLATON PARK CROSS COUNTRY MEETOur Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 teams enjoyed a super cross country event this week: the sun was shining and there was a real feeling of determinati on amongst the girls. Everyone ran brilliantly and we are incredibly proud of the team and individual results.

Year 4 Team 1st Place

Isabelle Moran, Krystal Mungai, Alice Podesta, Freya Wagland, Daisy Hammond and Valérie Cassidy-De Falco

Individual Medals - 2nd Isabelle Moran

THE BIGGEST BOOK SHOW ON EARTH16 Year 6s walked to the Notti ngham Playhouse to join 400 pupils from local schools in ‘The Biggest Book Show on Earth’ to celebrate World Book Day on 5 March. They heard stories, watched pictures being drawn and laughed at jokes from authors Jonathan Meres ‘World of Norm’, Jim Smith ‘Barry Loser’, Steve Cole ‘Magic Ink’ and Lydia Monks ‘Aaaaarrgghh Spider!’; compered by Steven Butler ‘Diary of Dennis the Menace’. Our girls bought books and had them signed and Kati e Ward 6B was lucky to receive a personalised illustrati on courtesy of Lydia Monks.

YEAR 1 VISIT HOLME PIERREPONT HALLYear 1 girls visited Holme Pierrepont Hall and had a great ti me. They learnt about the materials used to make the house and how furniture has changed over ti me. They asked lots of questi ons

AUTHOR VISIT - DAWN POWELLAs part of our World Book Week, we welcomed Dawn Powell, a professional storyteller. From fi nger rhymes with Recepti on and Year 1, to European fairy tales with Years 2, 3 and 4 and some scary traditi onal stories with Years 5 and 6, Dawn kept everyone mesmerised with the power of her words, accompanied only with a few percussive instruments and a ‘singing bowl’.

WORLD BOOK DAYOn World Book Day everyone dressed as a book character and a diverse range of favourites was in evidence - including Gangsta Granny from David Walliams’

Year 5 Team 2nd Place

Lauren Savidge, Amélie Morgan, Akshita Jain, Ela Kocacik and Aarya Handa

Year 6 Team 1st Place

Caroline Smart, Anna Carey, Lauren Taylor, Ruby Penn and Grace Forward

Individual Medals - 2nd Caroline Smart, 3rd Ruby Penn

novel, Cruella de Ville from 101 Dalmati ons, Carrie complete with her gas mask box from the modern classic Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden, not to menti on at least three Paddington Bears with suitcases and luggage labels. There was A Hungry Caterpillar who infl ated as he ate all the food from the pages, lots of fairy tale princesses and quite a few Alice in Wonderlands and Red Riding Hoods. At lunchti me girls packed the library, fi lling in word searches, completi ng quizzes and thinking of ways to illustrate ‘A Minion Reasons to Read’.

YEAR 5 AND 6 SCIENCE WEEKGirls from Year 5 spent a day working with students from Years 12 and 13, enjoying an introducti on to Chemistry and creati ng their own fi reworks. Aft er a safety briefi ng and learning how to light and regulate Bunsen burners, our budding chemists set about experimenti ng to see what colours and eff ects they could produce by burning salts containing metals such as barium, copper and sodium. But the highlight of our girls’ exciti ng aft ernoon of science was creati ng their very own sparklers, using a combinati on of iron fi lings and magnesium powder.

JUNIOR VOCAL WORKSParents enjoyed a dedicated concert showcasing the two choirs in the Junior School and listening to girls who have singing lessons perform a solo along with a litt le backing from music staff . This was part of a series of concerts being introduced into the Junior School calendar to ensure that each discipline has a showcase, so future events will include orchestral works and piano works.

YEAR 4 TRIP TO THE SPACE CENTREOn Thursday 26 February, Year 4 visited the Nati onal Space Centre near Leicester, as part of their project on space.

YEAR 3 VISIT TO WEST MIDLANDS SAFARI PARKYear 3 enjoyed an amazing day out at the West Midlands Safari Park and saw lots of African animals that they have been learning about in their ‘All About Africa’ topic. They visited the African village in the aft ernoon and saw lemurs and meerkats. The sun shone and a great day was had by all!

Meanwhile Year 6 girls learnt all about ‘adaptati ons’ in the Biology department. They learnt how living plants and animals adapted to their environments in special ways. YEAR 5 TRIP TO HARDWICK

HALLOn a sunny spring day, girls from Year 5 went to fi nd out about life inside and around Hardwick Hall, at the end of their Tudors topic. Outside in the grounds, they learnt about self-suffi ciency and seasonality in Tudor ti mes, spotti ng many of the medicinal herbs and cooking ingredients which they had read about in English and History lessons. Inside the Hall itself, there was a chance to try out Tudor dancing in the famous Great Chamber. Our girls were impressed by the ambiti on of the business-minded Countess of Shrewsbury, once the richest woman in England, but greatly touched by the story of her granddaughter, Arabella Stuart, who was the unhappy pawn in a game of dynasti c rivalry and royal succession. All in all, a fabulous and informati ve day out!

as they walked around the grounds and enjoyed looking at the snowdrops which were out in bloom.

There was a lot of excitement at seeing a real satellite and rocket and much fun was had on the simulator ride as well as various ‘astronaut training’ acti viti es and interacti ve games. The girls found out more about the planets of the solar system and in the planetarium show they experienced what it was like to be an astronaut in space. A great day was had by all, and although sad to leave, the girls were looking forward to encouraging their parents to visit again in the near future.

GDST U18 TRUST RALLYSpirits and momentum were high throughout the day at the Trust Rally in Bromley despite many new challenges. The girls proved that they were capable of playing at a high calibre and even though there were some losses against some excepti onal teams, they were more than able to provide a close and competi ti ve game.

U15 COUNTY NETBALLThe U15 netball team were runners up at the County Netball tournament on 3 March. All girls played really well and were a credit to the school.

U13 COUNTY NETBALL TOURNAMENTWell done to girls in the A-team who were County Tournament runners up and the B-team who were semi fi nalists.

at the County Netball tournament on 3 March. All girls played really well and were a credit to the school.were a credit to the school.

Well done to girls in the A-team who were County Tournament runners up and the B-team who were semi fi nalists.

Well done to girls in the A-team who were County Tournament runners up and the B-team who were semi fi nalists.

U13 COUNTY NETBALL TOURNAMENTWell done to girls in the A-team who were County Tournament runners up and the B-team who were semi fi nalists.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARYFriday 3 - Friday 10 AprilSki trip

Wednesday 15 - Friday 17 AprilGold D of E practi ce expediti on, Dark Peak

Saturday 18 - Monday 20 AprilSilver D of E practi ce expediti on, White / Dark Peak

Wednesday 22 AprilSummer term begins

Saturday 25 April Friends of NGHS Spring lunchDining Hall from 11.30am

Saturday 25 - Monday 27 AprilBronze D of E practi ce expediti on, White Peak

Wednesday 29 AprilLeavers’ Music Concert, Senior Hall,7.00pm - 9.00pm

Monday 4 MayMay day

Wednesday 6 MayYear 13 Leavers’ farewell recepti onSixth Form Centre, 4.00pm - 6.00pm

Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 MayThe Trial of Goldilocks, KS3 performance

Thursday 21 - Monday 25 AprilNormandy trip

Friday 22 MayNon-uniform day

Monday 25 - Friday 29 MayHalf term

PRAYER GROUPThis group meets twice a term to pray for the Notti ngham High Schools. The meeti ngs in the Summer term will be Friday 1 May at 9:30am and Tuesday 9 June at 8:00pm

For further details please contact Jane Shipway on 0115 928 2201 or [email protected]

The Girls’ Day School Trust is a Limited Company.Registered in England No.6400. Registered Charity No.306983.Registered Offi ce 100 Rochester Row London SW1P 1JP www.gdst.net

SENIOR SPORT

BADMINTONGreat play by our badminton teams recently. Under 13 represented the City at the County schools’ games and came third in their secti on

Notti ngham Girls’ High School9 Arboretum Street, Notti ngham NG1 4JBt: 0115 941 7663 [email protected]

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@Nott mGirlsHigh

Under 16 team became County Champions winning all of their matches and went on to represent Notti nghamshire at the regional fi nals where they came third in their secti on.

GDST NETBALL TOURNAMENT AT CONDOVER HALLOur U12/13 netball teams travelled to Condover Hall for the GDST tournament at the beginning of March. The girls had a great ti me and played well, coming third overall out of all of the GDST schools. Well done girls.

NATIONAL SCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPSWell done to Alice Venkatesan and Phillipa Mitchell who made it through to represent Notti ngham at the Nati onal Cross Country Championships and both ran a good race.

nghs newsletter insight april 2015

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