1 March 2024
World Book Day 7 March 2024
(During NGHS Book Week 4-8 March 2024)
Plans are set and ready for our annual Book Week next week which highlights our love of books and reading throughout the school. Our girls are encouraged to read as part of their learning curriculum and also for enrichment and self-interest topics, and the NGHS Junior School library is a wonderful resource for them all to access and use.
Please remember to prepare your costume for Thursday, when all NGHS Junior girls are invited to come to school dressed as a character from a favourite picture book. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes, and we look forward to sharing many of these with you in next week's Spark.
Parent Social & Networking Event
Dear fellow NGHS parents and carers,
Following on from the success of our last event in December, we are hosting another coffee morning on Tuesday 19 March from 8:30-10:00am, in the Dining Hall. Please join us to meet other parents and carers from our Infant, Junior and Senior Schools, and to welcome new families to our school community.
All are welcome - there's no need to book!
If you cannot make it this time but would like to see more (or different) parent events, please send your suggestions to Mrs Jelena Krzanicki (Y2 & Y6 mum) at jkrzanicki@me.com.
The Great Big Dance Off 2024
The Great Big Dance Off 2024
A Year 5 and 6 dance troupe made up of 18 NGHS Junior girls performed at Nottingham's Albert Hall on Monday, competing against 22 other Nottingham schools. The standard was high, troupes had clearly worked hard on perfecting their routines and we were delighted to be awarded 5th place with only a few points between us and the schools that came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The girls who represented NGHS have all been nominated to sign The Excellence Book. Huge thanks go to Miss Becky and Miss Talia for working so diligently with our girls, and for supporting us at this event.
Year 2 visit the Framework Knitters Museum
Thursday's study visit to the Framework Knitters Museum was an opportunity for Year 2 to see the inventiveness and creativity of a craft that started in Nottinghamshire. A unique surviving example of a 19th century framework knitters’ yard, the Ruddington site has been restored as a living history museum.
Activities included watching a live demonstration of human-powered knitting machines, using vintage Griswold circular knitting machines to create our own souvenirs, exploring the factory floor, and touring two cottages to see how knitters and their families lived and worked in Victorian times.
Photos of this study visit will follow next week.
Netball Match against Repton Prep
Congratulations to our B Team who were victorious in an 8-0 defeat, and our A Team who played a close match to lose 5-3. All of this is great preparation for our matches at Condover Hall this weekend as part of a huge GDST Netball Rally for Year 6 girls. Good luck to our team, and to Miss Abbott and Mrs Astill who have accompanied our players!
The second part of our three-week focus on extra-curricular clubs
(Please scroll down for the rest of this week's news items)
Eco Club 🌳
Miss Simmons and Miss Whitehead
Eco Club meets on Friday lunchtimes and is open to girls from Year 3 upwards. Subject to availability, newcomers are welcome to join at any time, provided they commit to the rest of the academic year.
Ongoing projects include a drive to save energy, contributing to the GDST Energy Sparks initiative which involves NGHS and five of our sister schools, and efforts to reduce food waste. These activities are supported by opportunities to learn about current green issues, with the hope that girls can then share their experiences and enthuse others - for example a recent team visit to a Woodland Trust plantation and land restoration project.
Above: Exo Club visit a Woodland Trust plantation and land restoration project in
Year 6 Ensemble 🎸
Mr Rolfe
Directed by Mr Rolfe, this ensemble provides a fun outlet for anyone in Year 6 who plays an instrument or sings to just show up and enjoy the fun of performing pop and rock music. The ideology of this group runs perfectly alongside our more traditional ensembles, building confidence and esprit de corps in our musicians and adding to the versatility of our Music Department as the girls form part of our line-ups at in-school and city events.
Knitting Club 🧶
Mrs Braud and Mrs Whitty
Knitting Club meets during Monday morning break times and is a hive of clicking activity for Year 5 and Year 6 enthusiasts, from beginners to more confident knitters. Once girls have mastered basic stitches, they then take up a knitting project - and we have seen some lovely woolly results this year! Crocheting has also been introduced recently, and this has proven very popular. Although the club is full right now, we look forward to welcoming new and re-joining members in the Autumn Term.
Above: Testing for chemical reactions
STEM Club 👩🏾🔬
Mrs Wood
Mrs Wood hosts STEM Club on Wednesday lunchtimes for Year 5 and Year 6 girls who enjoy investigating, experimenting and researching a wide variety of topics, from how a moon lander lands on the Moon to how and why animals communicate without talking. The topics encompass many aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, and there many opportunities to suggest topics to match personal passions and for members to deepen their understanding of the world through practical experiments, computer simulations and studying theories.
Importantly, girls attending STEM Club collaborate and learn with pupils outside of their class, year group and usual friendship circle. As investigations can sometimes run over several weeks, new starters are encouraged to join at the beginning of a half term - for more information, girls should please speak with Mrs Wood.
Little Languages Club 🌎
Miss Myers
Our Little Languages Club, which meets during Thursday morning breaks, is a place where girls from Years 1 and 2 can develop their confidence and early speaking skills in a range of modern languages. These are purposeful, fun sessions including elements of talking, singing and games, opportunities to celebrate and promote mother tongues, and activities that explore languages and cultures in which the girls show an interest. This is a popular club with Year 1 and 2 alternating each week. Subject to availability, new members are always welcome - please email Miss Myers to enquire: c.myers@not.gdst.net.
Excellence in Badminton
We are immensely proud of our two exceptional badminton players at NGHS Juniors. Sisters Michelle and Sophia Chen are playing and competing at a really high level. Last weekend, Michelle won a silver medal in the U17 singles in Milton Keynes. She also took a gold medal in Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Sophia also won a gold medal in the U13 in Peterborough.
You’re invited to an evening of fun and entertainment - and all for a great cause.
The 2024 Nottingham Girls’ High School Glitter Ball!
On Saturday 12 October 2024 7pm - 1am
At the East Midlands Conference Centre.
With a three course meal, auction, prizes and live music from Nottingham’s premier covers band ‘The Money’, it promises to be a night to remember!
In 2022, the NGHS Glitter Ball raised enough money to provide a bright and talented student with a fully funded Bursary place in our Sixth Form. As we approach our 150th year in September 2025, we would love your support in funding even more girls with the chance of an NGHS education.
To book your table please BOOK HERE
Tickets are £85 per person, and you can book a table for up to 12 people.
If you would like to find out more about our Glitter Ball sponsorship packages, please contact Aisling Hooper by emailing A.Hooper@not.gdst.net
The NGHS Bursary programme transforms lives for girls in Nottinghamshire, and we are so grateful for the continued philanthropic support we receive which supports so many girls’ futures.
We look forward to seeing you there!