28 March 2024
An appeal from Miss Abbott ♻️
Has your daughter grown out of a swimsuit, and would you like to recycle and re-home it?
Please consider donating plain black or navy blue swimming costumes to school, which we can use as spares when girls occasionally forget their kit. These can be handed in at the office, marked for my attention. Thank you!
Above: The original Miss Skeel with a group of sixth formers in 1893
SKEEL WINS THE HOUSE CUP!
Congratulations to the girls from Skeel who won this term's House Cup, with an impressive haul of house points earned through RESILIENCE, POSITIVITY, CREATIVITY and EXCELLENCE!
Year 1 at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park 🦒
Mrs Garton
Year 1 enjoyed a wonderfully sunny study visit to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park this week, with sightings of meerkats, lions and wallabies before they'd even embarked on a polar bear workshop - this consolidated their learning from their Spring Term science topic on animals, and recent reading and writing activities in English lessons.
The girls were also thrilled to see monkeys, lions, an okapi, a tiger, a leopard and a giraffes up close. Overall, this was a memorable day out with lots of interesting opportunities to ask questions, make observations and apply learning from the classroom.
Peace and reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral
Mrs Crawshaw and Mr Cox
Year 5's World War II Home Front topic drew to its close this week with a study visit to Coventry Cathedral and Blitz Museum. Here, they toured the bombed out ruins of the 14th century Gothic church, as well as the modernist replacement 'New Cathedral' designed by Sir Basil Spence and opened in 1962.
The visit consolidated the girls' classroom learning about why Spence's design was chosen, and it was good to hear them explaining how the combination of ancient and modern still stands as a symbol of wartime destruction, followed by peace and forgiveness.
Highlights of the day included opportunities to view the magnificent tapestry of Christ in Glory by Graham Sutherland, and the famous 'charred cross' made from roof beams that fell during the Blitz. The girls also listened to Monday's Litany of Reconciliation delivered by The Reverend Canon Mary Gregory, and then took part in two very thoughtfully-curated Peace and Reconciliation workshops. All in all, a great day of learning for both history and religious education - well done, Year 5.
Below and right: Click on the galleries to see more pictures of this interesting and thought-provoking visit:
What is the Litany of Reconciliation?
Coventry's Litany of Reconciliation, was written in 1958 and continues to be heard in the Cathedral every weekday at noon, and throughout the world by partners in its Community of the Cross of Nails.
The phrase Father Forgive was inscribed on the wall of the ruined Cathedral by Provost Howard after the Blitz, where it can still be seen today.
The words are said to echo the prayer of Christ during the Crucifixion: ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’, acknowledging the need to receive forgiveness for our own wrongdoings, as well as bestowing it upon others.
Above: Mary Gregory is Canon for Arts and Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral
Left: Click on the link to see Canon Gregory's message of peace and kindness, to which Year 5 responded on Monday
Excellence in Science 🏆
Miss Baker
Congratulations to all of the girls who were nominated for attainment and progress in science this term, and especially to Sofia who was the overall winner of the Excellence Cup!
The Carnival of the Animals
We’re delighted to be hosting Lempen’s Cardboard Carnival at the Squire Performing Arts Centre over the Easter break, as part of the Nottingham Puppet Festival. On Sunday 14 April, prepare to be astounded by the magic of cardboard puppets, all set to music!
Parents and friends of the school qualify for a 25% discount off the full ticket price by using the code puppetNGHS at the checkout:
Y5/Y6 inter-house netball
Miss Abbott
On Tuesday, we rounded off an excellent season of winter sports with the Year 5-6 inter-house netball competition. With our Year 10 Sports Leaders as excellent umpires and coaches - and with a very tight finish - BOLTON emerged victorious. Well done to the winners, and to everyone who participated!
Chess success! ♛
Congratulations to Milena (6B) from Junior Chess Club, who was recently selected for the U11 Nottinghamshire County Team and competed - despite having only just returned from the GDST Ski Trip - in the Inter-Association Championship (Northern Zone) which took place on 16 March.
Five teams competed - Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire - and Milena and her squad were delighted to come home with silver team medals!
Years 3-6: PE kit for the summer term 👟
Miss Abbott
Heads up! PE and Games topics after the Easter holiday will be tennis, cricket and athletics with the following kit required in school all week:
Performance polo shirt
Skort or shorts
White socks
Trainers
Tracksuit bottoms
Mid-layer
Storm jacket (optional)
Shrek!
Mrs McDowell
Last Thursday, Year 6 were transported to the Lordship of Duloc and all things fairytale and performing arts when they watched Shrek the Musical at Nottingham's Theatre Royal.
This was a fantastic afternoon with lots of laughter, and the show was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Importantly, the visit provided real dramatic and technical inspiration for the girls in advance of their own production of Shrek on 1st and 2nd May.
Year 5 DAaRT graduation 🎓
Year 5 celebrated their DAaRT (Drug, Alcohol and Resilience Training) graduation on Friday, showcasing to their Year 6 audience all that they had learnt throughout a ten-week course.
Important subjects such as the risks and consequences associated with drugs and negative behaviours were addressed in a fun, imaginative and creative way. From designing posters to reciting poetry, cheer leading and performing role plays, the girls showed how they are able to make safe and responsible choices and manage personal stresses, as well as understanding differences and having respect for others.
5JC and 5MC have exemplified every element of our NGHS Juniors RECIPE throughout this programme, working together and collaborating to give themselves the best possible springboard for safe and healthy lives in the future. Congratulations on your graduation, girls!
Year 6 collaborate with Year 12
A gradual and carefully-curated transition to secondary education is one of the things that we do very well at NGHS, with girls developing a relationship with our Senior School early on that demystifies and smooths the path of their eventual move to Key Stage 3.
Early this week, Year 12 hosted a pop-up careers event for our Year 6 pupils, looking at a range of professions such as engineering, law, medicine and architecture. Two of the guest speakers were former head teachers (one an NGHS alumna) who came to talk about the National Council of Women, and one of our Year 6 parents also spoke passionately about her own career as a barrister - which was a fitting conclusion to the girls' Spring Term topic of Crime and Punishment.
