WORLD BOOK DAY
Mrs Crabtree
Exciting and creative opportunities linked to World Book Day 2025 will take place at NGHS Juniors from Monday 3 to Friday 7 March, and this year's theme will be the last 150 years of children's literature, with competitions and activities to promote a love of reading.
World Book Day itself will be on Thursday 6 March, and we would love the girls to come to school dressed as a character from a children's book that was published between 1875 and 1950. Prizes - especially for characters from titles published during this period - will be awarded for the best costumes in different age groups - so start thinking about your costumes now, girls!
NOTICE FOR YEAR 5 PARENTS
Mrs Crawshaw (channeling Captain Mainwaring)
Don't tell them your name, Pike! Seriously though, I look forward to welcoming Year 5 for their all-important evacuation to the safety of the Leicestershire countryside, on Tuesday. This will be a testing time for everyone concerned, including Mr Elkington who - like our other male teachers - is in a 'reserved profession' so has not been called up for active service. He is instead helping me on the Home Front and will be marshalling Tuesday's evacuation. Keep shovelling, Mr E - those sandbags won't fill themselves!
Many thanks to Mr Cox who has recently shared with me these photos recently unearthed from his family archive: Two boys - aged just 3 and 7 - on the eve of their real-life evacuation from West London to rural Wales, and an 18 year-old who enlisted in the WRAF after losing two brothers to enemy action in 1939 and 1940.
I look forward to seeing other examples of wartime memorabilia from our Year 5 families, so that the girls can practise interpreting primary sources of historical evidence and further develop their understanding of life in Britain between 1939 and 1945.
Until we meet again,
Mrs Crawshaw
Advice from last year's evacuees (below) includes: "Wrap up warm - heating fuel was rationed during the war and I remember it being REALLY cold at Beaumanor Hall, even though we were indoors." "Don't forget your gas mask!" "The air raid shelter experience was really interesting, with very realistic special effects."
Recycle with Michael ♻️
Year 6 Sisters of Charity
Thank you to everyone who has already donated used clothing and footwear to our Recycle with Michael collection!
If you need extra sacks, please just ask your daughter's form teacher or call in at reception. We will accept donations up to 08:30 on Thursday 23rd January.
Poetry, please
The GDST Laurie Magnus Poetry Prize was established in memory of Laurie Magnus by his widow. Laurie Magnus was a GDST Council member from 1907, and Chairman from 1929 until his death in 1933. He also wrote The Jubilee Book of the Girls’ Day School Trust (1923).
Entries for NGHS Juniors Years 1-6 should be emailed to Mrs Sail l.sail@not.gdst.net no later than 9am on Friday 7 March.
Wintry and winter sports update
Miss Abbott
In complete contrast to last week’s weather which - resulted in the cancellation of our hockey fixture - we were finally able to play on our floodlit courts this week and get active!
We enjoyed a fantastic game against Hollygirt, and will play them again in two weeks' time; these matches will be excellent preparation for our upcoming GDST hockey rally at the end of the month. We also have a number of netball fixtures coming up this term, culminating in the GDST Condover residential netball weekend at the end of February. Training for all sports is going well, and girls should continue to attend their various coaching sessions in order to improve their skills and game play.
Our newest club - Friday morning ski fitness (below) - is also going well, with attendees advised to continue with their exercises at least three times a week if they are to see any benefit once they are on the slopes and reduce the likelihood of strain. ⛷️
POLITE REMINDER
Ski Fitness starts promptly at 8am - please be sure to arrive by 7:55am so that you don't miss the all-important instructions and warm up. Remember, you can also enter the fitness suite via the Junior School, by walking through Upnah Gym.
COMPETITION REMINDER
Pupils are reminded that now is the time to enter this exciting competition, organised by the Royal Academy:
Submissions are now open for an online and onsite exhibition at the RA on London's Piccadilly, featuring work by artists aged 4-18.
We would be delighted for creative girls from NGHS Juniors to enter this wonderful exhibition, and we have registered Nottingham Girls’ High School for inclusion. Entries should be submitted online by parents, however we would love to receive girls' original artwork for exhibiting at school too. Happy creating!
Registration and submissions open
6 January - 5 March 2024
Judging
May 2025
Online exhibition opens
15 July 2025
Display at the RA open:
15 July - 10 August 2025
Water, water, everywhere ... 💧
Miss Whitehead
Do you have an unused water butt that's gathering dust? If so, we would love to re-home it in our school grounds - this will help us to harvest water which can then be used in our various Outdoor Learning activities. We also welcome unwanted gardening tools, watering cans and buckets! Please email me at c.whitehead@not.gdst.net if you think you can help. Thank you!
Fundraising 150 Relay Walk
Walk this way! 🚶♀️ 🚶🏾♀️🚶🏼♀️🚶🏻♀️
5th - 6th September, 2025
(12:00 Friday to 15:00 Saturday)
In a hugely exciting part of our 150th Anniversary celebrations, we are inviting members of our school community to take part in an epic walk, the length of Nottinghamshire! The route will be divided into sections to make it suitable for all ages and abilities, to do as much or as little as they like.
It’s going to be quite something, so watch this space!
Fancy yourself as a budding writer? ✍🏻
A reminder from Mrs Crabtree
Nothing ventured, nothing gained! We hope that lots of RESILIENT girls from NGHS Juniors will enter this annual GDST competition, both for the challenge of taking part and - fingers crossed - for the glory of winning.
Entries should be emailed to class teachers in WORD or pdf format, and we would suggest doing this ahead of the competition deadline - by Monday 3 February.
