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.ukwith the student's name and tutor group, reason for absence and expected return date (if known).
WEEKLY MENU - Week 1
You can see our three-weekly menu here - we are on Week 1.
SCHOOL NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Good afternoon,
This week saw the Sixth Form Open Evening take place and it was fantastic to see so many of our Year 11s in attendance, along with a large number of external students too. Our Sixth Form really is an exceptional place to continue with studying after GCSEs and I look forward to the interviews for prospective students in the coming months, as well as welcoming a whole new cohort of Year 12s in the future. A huge thanks to all of the staff and students who gave their time to deliver the event.
On Monday, I had the pleasure of visiting Lordship Farm Primary School where I was welcomed by the Headteacher, Mrs Petit, and I also received a very warm welcome from their therapy dog Indie (see picture below). During the visit we toured the school and saw a range of lessons across the year groups, from nursery all the way to Year 6. The Year 6 classes included a number of students who are hoping to join HGS next year and it was great to see all the students thoroughly engaged in a rich and varied curriculum.
This week's Headstrong raised awareness of 'Just Talk Week' - a youth mental health initiative, which this year is focused on educating young people on how to stay safe online. Please have a conversation with your child about the messages shared - perhaps you could ask them what it means to be 'scroll savvy', as this was referenced in the resources. Further information can be found here: https://www.justtalkherts.org/news-and-campaigns/just-talk-week.aspx
Over the half-term break, one of our students, Lizzie Nethersole, undertook an amazing challenge of swimming a distance equivalent to the English Channel in order to raise money for a cancer charity that was important to her. Demonstrating perseverance and kindness in spades, Lizzie really has shown how she embodies our school values. As cancer touches so many of our lives, it may be that our wider community would like to support Lizzie's efforts with a donation so I am sharing her Just Giving page. Well done Lizzie - an amazing effort and an inspirational act.
I met with Lizzie to give her a Headteacher's Award for her efforts and she was joined by two other worthy recipients: Lucy Ward, who played The Last Post as part of our acts of remembrance, and Anya Szynk, who is going above-and-beyond in her capacity as a Peer Mentor. Well done!
I hope everyone has a restful weekend.
James Crowther, Headteacher
Lizzie, Lucy and Anya with their Headteacher's Awards
Indie the Therapy Dog
Thank you to everyone who voted in the recent Parent Trustee election. Mrs Victoria Targett received the highest number of votes and will be appointed as a Parent Trustee for a four-year term.
Reminder - school is closed on Thursday 28 November (Inset Day) and Friday 29 November (Occasional Day).
Ten students from Years 7 - 10 joined the Diana Award Ambassador programme, which gives young people the skills and confidence to become ambassadors to tackle bullying in their schools. They learnt about what constitutes bullying behaviour and how to support their peers if they feel they are being bullied. The Award's anti-bullying work is recognised as world-class thanks to its sustainable and youth-led approach. Our team of students will now work on action projects related to inclusion, community and wellbeing in our school.
Congratulations to the U14 and U16 badminton players who did very well at last night's tournament, both teams finishing in 2nd place.
The battle for the House Cup is fought on many fronts and this week it was Mariokart! Over lunchtime each day a different year group took their turn at the controllers to vie for Switch supremacy.
This week, some of our Year 10 Biology students started their new topic of 'coordination and control'. First up, the structure of sensory and motor neurones, here modelled in air dough! Find out more about our Science curriculum at tinyurl.com/HGSCurriculum
As part of our Careers Programme we will be hosting our annual Futures Fair on Wednesday 27th November. All students from Years 9 to 13 will attend and have an opportunity to meet local and national employers, and Further & Higher
Education providers. This is a fantastic day when we will have in excess of 50 visitors in the school representing about 45 different organisations.
Students will be doing some preparation for the event in the next two weeks, thinking about who they may want to talk to and what questions they want to ask. Parents/carers are asked to discuss this with them at home as well, and refer to the list of visiting organisations plus the fair booklet.
We would like to thank all the amazing parents and alumni who are supporting this event by representing their sector or organisation - we had a tremendous response to our requests and really would struggle to run an event such as this without their help.
As the weather gets colder, it's the perfect time to snuggle up with a good book. Students can stock up on winter reads at the Library, where they can borrow up to four books at a time. We hope they'll like the fabulously frosty snowflake decorations made by our Reading Group!
Revise with Educake and be entered into a prize draw! Educake is hosting a contest where five lucky students will receive a £50 One4all gift card. All they have to do is log in each week between now and the end of term and complete a quiz using the Revision Wizard.
‘Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)’, sometimes known as 'winter depression', is often linked to reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter autumn and winter days. It's common to be affected by changing seasons and weather. For example, people might find that their mood or energy levels drop when it gets colder or notice changes in their sleeping or eating patterns. Even though the temperature may have dropped, spending more time outdoors in natural daylight can add a significant boost to mood. It's recommended that you bring nature into your everyday life: growing food, flowers or being around animals are great examples of how nature can have a positive effect on your emotional wellbeing. Click here to watch a self-help video which explains how nature can help people to feel better.
What is offered by Services for Young People?
Hertfordshire Services for Young People deliver a range of youth work projects for young people aged 11-17 (up to 25 for care leavers and those with SEND), in young people’s centres and other community venues in all districts of Herts.
They are committed to giving young people high-quality opportunities to learn life skills and excel in their personal and social development. They also aim to address issues at the earliest opportunity to give young people the best chance to thrive, have a voice in their community, reach their potential and make a successful transition to adulthood.
Nessie in Education will be running My World and Me workshops after school. This is open to students from all local secondary schools in Years 10 and 11 who have an Autism and/or ADHD diagnosis, or are on the pathway to referral.
A partnership of local agencies, DSPL publishes a weekly round-up of courses, workshops and events related to young people's wellbeing and additional needs in the North Herts area.
