15 March 2024
NEWS FROM THE PISTE ⛷️
Next week's edition of Spark will include a full write-up of this year's GDST Ski Trip to the slopes of Les Trois Vallées in the Savoie départment of Southeastern France, including some interviews with girls who worked hard all week to improve their skills on the snow. In the meantime, here's a glimpse of what our girls have been up to - and let's all wish Mrs Fowler, Mrs Braud and Miss Abbott a well-earned rest this weekend!
GDST Annual Science Conference 🧬
Six girls from Year 5 recently represented NGHS at the GDST Junior Science Conference, hosted by the Royal Institution in London. Selected for their superlative engagement in science lessons, Maia, Ruqaya, Amelie, Liliana, Dina and Isabella participated in a number of workshops with other Year 5 students drawn from our family of GDST schools. From extracting their own DNA to testing a miniature crash test dummy and meeting up-and-coming young female scientists, this was a stretching day of learning - with the icing on the cake being an exciting physics and chemistry show which was livestreamed to classrooms across the GDST as part of British Science Week.
Well done, girls - you were super ambassadors for our school and you engaged beautifully with all of the challenges set.
Above: One of our NGHS delegates witnesses a dramatic chemical reaction, up close.
Right: Our logo may have evolved since this video was made, however the GDST spirit of collaboration and shared sporting, artistic and academic opportunities across its family of schools is unchanged.
Year 4 - in the footsteps of the Romans
A progressive and creative history curriculum at NGHS Juniors go beyond just citing dates and famous people. Year 4's study of the Roman occupation of Britain follows on from their ancient Egypt topic, when Cleopatra's reign yielded to Rome - at which point the girls began their learning journey about colonisation across the ages.
Rome's invasion and conquest of Britain may have brought innovations such as roads, sewers and European foods, but it also involved exploiting resources, oppressing the native people, slavery and human trafficking - all of which are covered in 4E's current English set text Across the Roman Wall and history lessons, and which has now been consolidated by this week's field trip and study visit to Hadrian's Wall, Housesteads Roman Fort, the Roman Army Museum and Roman Vindolanda.
Below: The anaerobic nature of the soil two metres below the surface at Vindolanda has ensured the preservation of 2,000 year-old biodegradable artefacts (e.g. wooden tools and leather shoes) which might otherwise have been lost to decomposition.
Congratulations, Year 4 - after a thorough examination of the barrack blocks, granaries and latrines at Housesteads, you impressed us with your walking skills when exploring the most iconic stretch of Hadrian's Wall at Steel Rigg. Your engagement and enthusiasm when examining artefacts at the two museums were also to be commended, and it was great to see you applying your classroom learning when we toured Vindolanda and you spotted the remains of Celtic roundhouses which revealed the settlement's pre-Roman origins.
Click on the gallery (right) to see more pictures of this week's EXTRAORDINARY learning at historical sites and at a live archaeological dig.
The theme of empire building and its consequences continues in the Summer Term, when Year 4 will begin to learn about the motivations behind Britain's own empire, and its post-colonial legacy in terms of multi-culturalism here and partition in India and Pakistan.
High Five!
A huge vote of thanks goes to the NGHS PE Department and our Year 10 Sports Leaders who led this year's High Five! netball tournament, which included several other local schools.
For our B Team, the day started with with an overview and demonstrations, with expert modelling of the roles of centre, goal keeper, goal shooter, goal defence and goal attack. This was followed by fun-filled warm up activities and then matches, with our girls managing one win with a score of 1-0. As well as individual medals and certificates, they also came away with the trophy for sportsmanship! To the organisers, the team would like to say, "Thank you for arranging this amazing tournament and for all the extra coaching!"
In the afternoon, our A Team played against four schools - Whitemoor Academy, Sycamore Academy, Richard Bonington Primary and Haydn Primary - and they triumphed in every match! As section winners, they were awarded a trophy to add to the NGHS Juniors cabinet and they can be justly proud of themselves.
Amelia, Amelie, Darcey, Esme, Harriet, Lacey, Maya and Tayja would like to give a big shoutout to the incredible Year 10 Sports Leaders who coached them and umpired during the tournament - "Thank you for being so supportive!" 🏆
Olivia!
Years 3 and 4 take to the stage
Well done to all of the girls in Years 3 and 4 who collaborated in our recent production of Olivia! This brilliant and innovative show, set in Victorian times, traces the steps of Olivia from downtrodden orphan to star of the stage. On her journey to the bright lights of London, she is befriended by Eliza Doolittle (from My Fair Lady) and - after a series of adventures - becomes a singer in a new Gilbert and Sullivan show, thanks to the unlikely assistance of Fagin and The Artful Dodger from Oliver.
The girls can be especially proud of the wit and humour which they conveyed from the script, and of their expert delivery of catchy songs. Thanks are also due to the Year 10 students who supported backstage, to our technical team at The SPACE, to Mr Rolfe for his musical input, and to Mrs McDowell for her drama coaching, prop making and wardrobe design.
Hockey coaching opportunity
(Open to boys and girls, Years 3-12)
Would your daughter like to hone her hockey skills over the Easter holiday? MT13 have been running hockey camps and courses for over ten years, and have developed a reputation for delivering high quality instruction. As well as employing top quality coaches of their own, they work with leading senior coaches and national bodies from around the world.
This information is not an endorsement by NGHS or the GDST. For details of this provider's safeguarding policy and employee code of contact, and their procedures for safer recruitment, please contact MT13 direct.
