10 July 2024

EXCELLENT NEWS

      Congratulations to the following girls who were recognised in our final assembly of the year for their achievements this term:

The Eggington Cup for a motivated mathematician who goes the extra mile

Diana Kiddier (6W)

*

The Price Cup for public spirit

Luci Hayes (6B)

*

The Robinson Cup for intellectual thinking

Amelie Smith (5JC)

*

The Carlyon Cup for avid reading

Zoey Bankole (6B)


      And well done to the girls of SKEEL for winning the 2023-24 House Cup with a grand total of 11297 house points!

Farewell, Mrs E!  👋🏻

      This Tuesday saw a most moving Junior School assembly in the Squire Performing Arts Centre, when we came together to mark Mrs Eggington's retirement with a surprise  'THIS IS YOUR LIFE' style show which included ex-colleagues and former pupils from Years 7 to 13.  A highly-engaged audience learnt about Mrs E's path to teaching via previous incarnations as a Registered General Nurse, boarding school matron, and Montessori nursery practitioner - and there were plenty of highlights from her 17-year career at NGHS Juniors too.

      Thank you to Maddie (Y13), Noa and Jaia (Y12), Elizabeth (Y8) and Zara (Y7) who spoke so movingly about the academic encouragement and pastoral support that they received under Mrs E's care, and to former teaching assistants Mrs James and Mrs Shepherd who also added personal tributes in person and by video message.

Swimming update 💦

Miss Abbott

      Well done to our youngest pupils from Nursery, Reception and Years 1-2 who recently completed their Summer Term swimming programme.  The girls enjoyed 'fun sessions' last week with games and toys in the pool, with our EYFS team offering support in the water as usual.

      Developing a love of swimming and water sports is such an important part of engaging children in a potentially life-saving skill and a form of fitness and leisure that will last them a lifetime.  Fingers crossed for good weather and exciting places to splash about over the summer, so that everyone is ready for even more stretching swimming lessons next year!

iPads and Chromebooks

An important update for parents

      NGHS Juniors continues to be at the forefront of classroom technology, having been an early adopter of iPads in lessons and quickly earning Apple Distinguished School accreditation.

      From September, girls up to Year 2 will continue to use iPads, however girls from Year 3 upwards will progress to Google Chromebooks.  This marks an important development and investment in our IT provision, equipping Key Stage 2 pupils for Senior School and widening their expertise with different devices and operating systems.

      In terms of headphones or earphones which parents provide for use in school, both devices are Bluetooth compatible - however the jacks for any wired earpieces will differ:

Up to Year 2

Apple Lightning connection for iPad

Year 3 upwards

3.5mm jack for Chromebook

Mission accomplished!  🪚

Miss Duce

      Earlier this term, girls in our Nursery class embarked on an exciting collaboration with Mr Fenn from the Senior School's Design & Technology department.  Their project to create push-along toys was all about developing resilience, language and vocabulary, as well as learning practical skills such as using sandpaper and simple tools. It also involved opportunities to improve hand-eye coordination, as well as instilling a sense of respect as they learnt about the risks of using tools.

      The final lesson with Mr Fenn this week was especially exciting, as the girls helped him to position and guide the drill!

Important PE reminder for all parents

      If you plan to have your daughter's ears pierced during the summer holiday, please do it before the end of July.  This is so that there is sufficient time for ears to heal, and for girls to be able to remove earrings before coming to school on PE and swimming days in the Autumn Term.

(Swimming lessons for Years 5 and 6 will start on the second Friday of September.)

TOMORROW is only a day away ... 🎭

Mr Rolfe and Mrs McDowell

      Last Friday, we released a wonderful film produced by Year 5 and alumna Lily Penzer.  This week, it was Year 4's turn to complete their project and we are delighted to share the video with you - Lily and the girls worked so hard on this production, which is a testament to collaboration and their collective creativity.  Year 4, you have a very bright future ahead of you in the arts, and we can’t wait to see what you do next!  The video goes live on the school's YouTube channel on Friday 10 July at 5pm:

Year 6 - onwards and upwards! 🎓

      On Monday evening, Year 6 pupils were joined by their families and teachers in The Squire Performing Arts Centre for a formal celebration of the girls’ achievements throughout their time in the Junior School. Through songs, videos and photos, we celebrated a wonderful cohort of pupils who have achieved so much, and our Head Girl Team for 2024-25 delivered inspiring speeches that gave a taste of things to come in Senior School.

      Each girl received a certificate and yearbook, and displays of excellence were acknowledged with the presentation of annual awards for progress and excellence in each subject, topped off with a Senior School academic scholarship presented by Mrs Keller to Diana Kiddier.