6 December 2024

Winter Lights - a reminder for Years 3-6

Mr Rolfe

      We are all very much looking forward to celebrating ‘the best night of the year’ at our 14th annual Winter Lights Concert on Tuesday 10 December at 5.30pm.  This will involve a team effort from all girls in Years 3-6 as they take to the stage to sing contemporary songs of joy and celebration alongside our staff orchestra.


      We would be grateful if parents could support and encourage final practising of our four songs at home this weekend, ensuring lyrics - all accessible via GoogleClassroom - are memorised ready for Tuesday's performance.  The songs are:

Sparkle and Shine

The lights will lead me home

Where are you, Christmas?

White Christmas

Carol Service and arrangements for the last day of term

      All parents are invited to our annual Carol Service at St Mary's Church in the Lace Market on the last day of term, on Friday 20 December - this event starts at 10:30 and should finish at 11:30.

      This is a special opportunity for girls from Reception to Year 6 - of all faiths and none - to come together at a memorable occasion to mark the end of term and the beginning of the festive season.  Families who have not yet accepted to our invitation to attend may still do so here: Please click here to confirm your attendance 

Timings for the final day of term are as follows:

A visit to Gurdwara Baba Budha Ji  ☬

Mrs Bailey

      Year 3 very much enjoyed their Religious Education study visit to Gurdwara Baba Budha Ji this week, which was linked to our Autumn Term Incredible India topic.  Learning about the Five Ks of Sikhism in this beautiful place of worship has added depth to the girls' learning about the beliefs and traditions of around 30 million Sikhs - 28 million of whom live in India itself.   Our thanks go to Mr and Mrs Landa for helping to arrange this experience, and to the Granthi (custodian) for his hospitality.

Art Club at work in the community  🎄

Mrs Fowler

      This week, I had the pleasure of taking girls from Mrs Crawshaw's ever-popular Art Club to visit St Mary's Church in Nottingham's Lace Market.  Here, they decorated the NGHS tree for the church's annual Christmas tree festival.  It was lovely to see our pupils making beautiful objects for others to enjoy, and I feel sure that their creativity will be admired by worshippers and visitors over the coming festive season.

Zooming about at STEM Club!

Mr Aspley and Mrs Ling

(Senior School Physics Department)

      
            We very much enjoyed our guest appearance at this week's Junior School STEM Club, where we talked with the girls about friction, forces and movement - followed by a zoom around on our own mini-hovercraft in order to experience the science for real!


      Thank you for making us feel so welcome, NGHS Juniors - you asked some probing questions, suggested some great answers, and demonstrated lots of enthusiasm for science and technology  👍

⚠️  Children should be supervised when using adhesives

The sound of music success 🎶 

Mr Rolfe

      Our students are currently immersed in a flurry of activity, preparing for a huge lineup of events as the holiday season approaches and - in many cases - also showcasing exceptional dedication and mastery by recently undertaking ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and Trinity College music examinations.

      We are thrilled to congratulate these talented girls - for not only meeting their individual challenges, but also excelling with outstanding results.  Their achievements reflect a remarkable commitment to their craft and a love of music:

 

ABRSM

Jasmine Chen-Mehta, Y5 – Oboe Grade 1

Etta Bennett, Y4 – Voice Grade 1

Evie Myatt, Y5 – ‘Cello Grade 1

Trinity College

Aleesha Gadhia, Y5 – Viola Grade 1

Pippa Winter, Y5 – Piano Grade 1

Aaminah Sheikh, Y5 – Piano Initial

Emily Bloch, Y5  – Voice Grade 3

Isobel Dewar, Y5 – Percussion Grade 1

Alice Danielson, Y6 – Voice Grade 1, Piano Grade 1

Florence Danielson, Y6 – Voice Grade 1

Tilly Donohoe, Y3 – Percussion Initial

Leah Watson, Y5, Percussion Grade 1

 


Upcoming music events


Tuesday 10th December: Winter Lights Concert, 17:30

*

Saturday 14th December: Busking in Victoria Centre for PASIC, 13:00-17:00

*

Tuesday 17th December: Years 5-6 Busking at Radford Care Group, 11:00

*

Thursday 19th December: Vocalise Choir at the Lace Market Carol Service, 13:00

*

Friday 20th December: Vocalise Choir at the NGHS Carol Service, 10:30

🔦 Spotlight on the Year 4 curriculum 

Miss Baker and Miss Myers

      In Year 4, a carefully-curated book spine is designed to enrich girls' enjoyment of reading and builds interesting links for cross-curricular learning.  This term, Emma Carroll's Secrets of a Sun King has certainly made lessons exciting by combining a compelling story which has engaged and inspired us by blending historical adventure with themes of family, bravery and curiosity.

      Set in the aftermath of the First World War and during the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, this book provides opportunities to explore life and death in an ancient civilisation, and understand one man's  fascination with the boy king's tomb and treasures.  We are also developing a good understanding of why history is important, including thoughtful debates such as ‘Were the British right to take Egyptian artefacts?’ - sparking discussions about the ethics of archaeology and the treatment of colonised people.

      Secrets of a Sun King is also rich in vocabulary and language features, making it an excellent tool for developing literacy skills.  Its vivid descriptions and sensory details provide great models for creative writing, whilst authentic dialogue has helped to enhance the girls’ understanding of how to write conversations.

      The themes of difference and emotional turmoil found in this story have resonated strongly with Year 4; they have witnessed friendship and loyalty developing between the child characters of Lil, Tulip, and Oz as they are each faced with situations that demand courage and resilience.  Whilst Lil’s cash-strapped family struggles to put food on the table and cope with loss, Tulip and Oz's wealthier background comes with the challenges of racism and sexism - all gritty everyday issues that have challenged us to understand and articulate feelings.

      Well done, 4B and 4M - you have engaged really well with this stretching text, and your developing creativity and understanding have been wonderful to see.  You have made meaningful links between the book and life in ancient Egypt, and you understand how we can learn from the past - including how to be respectful when experiencing other countries and cultures.

Below - reimagining the thoughts of Lady Evelyn Herbert (daughter of Lord Carnarvon) at the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb:

 

'I saw the gilded beds ...  they glinted in the candlelight'

Daphne


'As I walked into the room, my heart stopped in amazement ...'

Cece


'When I entered the tomb, I had so many mixed emotions.  I was scared and astonished at the same time.'

Flo


'As I stepped into the tomb, my whole body was shaking.  I lit my lamp and took a breath ...'

Aziza

Christmas Jumper Day

Friday 13 December

    Girls are invited to bring a £1 donation and wear a festive jumper to school this coming Friday, with proceeds going to a good cause.

      We hope that everyone will join in with the fun; this fundraiser will coincide with the Junior School's annual yuletide lunch, so we are looking forward to seeing a colourful array of tops.

Reaching out  🤝🏻

Mr Rolfe and Mrs Keys

      On Tuesday evening, the Ukuladies and two of our Junior School choirs - the Treble Clefs and Vocalise - performed in a charity concert at the Quaker Meeting House in aid of The Friary, a Christian-led organisation that helps the homeless and those living in supported housing.

      This initiative was born out of a relationship forged with Nottingham Quakers through their hosting of Year 6 Religious Education workshops since 2022, and from our previous support of The Friary through the annual NGHS Juniors Harvest collection.

      The concert was a wonderful start to a season of festive performances, with the girls presenting a very accomplished and stretching repertoire in English, French and even Latin.  Well done to everyone who participated, and thank you to the families who helped us to raise £420 for The Friary as they tackle the challenge of homelessness in winter.

For parents who were unable to attend, we have included the QR code for donations associated with the event:

🏑 Sports Desk 🏊🏼‍♀️

Miss Abbott

      Yet another super busy sporting week!  Our floodlit courts are now really coming into their own, with the Y6 netball team playing our Y7B team on Monday after school, giving them a good workout to see how their training is progressing.  They managed a 0-2 loss, but learnt a lot and were given a tough workout by the Y7s.

      Later in the week, our Y5/6 combined teams trained with girls from Haydn Primary School, showing their students how to play netball and helping them to understand the footwork rule and the rules of the game.  A mixed High 5 mini tournament rounded off the event and we are already looking forward to the same again next week.

      The week also saw a visit from our friends at Sheffield Girls’ School GDST, playing Y5 netball and Y6 hockey.  RESILIENCE and POSITIVITY were very evident, with Y5 playing really well and learning a lot about team work and shooting - but ultimately it was not their day and they succumbed to defeat.  The Y6 hockey team really excelled, producing a result of 5-2 against a strong Sheffield team.  Well played, everyone - especially Maya who was voted player of the match by the opposition!

      Y5/6 pentathlon finals were held recently at Harvey Hadden Sports Village.  A tight competition of running, jumping and throwing saw us unofficially finish in 3rd position - alas our team competing against boys were not eligible for points, however they did win two of the six running races against them!  This is where our fitness work and House pentathlon come into play, as the girls are already well versed in these events and the techniques required.  It was an excellent performance all-round!

      Our sporting week concluded with a fiercely contested Y5/6 inter-house swimming gala where LUXTON swept to victory, every team displayed its best across all four strokes, and new school records were set:

      Friday 13 December will see us rounding off the year and our work on cardiovascular fitness with the Inter-house Christmas Cardio Reindeer Run.  This relay across Years 3 to 6 is a time-based event, with the house logging the most laps declared winner.  Girls will be allowed to wear a Christmas decoration, such as a Santa hat, tinsel or reindeer antlers!

      As an end of year finale, we will also be holding our first 12 Days of Fitness event for Years 3 to 6, comprising the twelve days of Christmas – but in exercise!  To complement in-school activities, girls will bring home a record sheet (see below) to complete at any point in December and/or over the Christmas holiday.  It is quite a challenge, as it gets progressively harder!  There will be prizes for the best decorated and completed sheets, and we do hope that families will support their daughters through encouragement and perhaps joining in too - research shows that girls especially value positive role models in sport and exercise.

IN OTHER SWIMMINGLY GOOD NEWS ...

      Well done to Alice and Florence from Year 6 who were fortunate enough to be invited to a recent synchronised swimming training event, led by GB coaches.  This was an opportunity to learn from high level instructors at the very top of artistic swimming, and to meet members of Team GB!  🥇

IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR YEARS 3 & 4

Swimming lessons start in January:

Please do not have your daughter's ears pierced during the Christmas break as this might prevent her from participating, and might also disrupt lessons.  The next opportunity for piercing will be the Easter holiday.

CHECKLIST:

One-piece costume in navy blue or black

Plain swimming hat, in fabric or plastic

Towel

Wear socks to school on Fridays, not tights

Goggles are optional, and may only be worn with parental consent

Religious items which cannot be removed (e.g. the Sikh kara) should be covered with a sweatband

Away in a manger 👼🏽

Mr Elkington

      Nativity scenes are three-dimensional depictions of the birth of Christ; they can also be called a crib, manger or crèche.  Typically, scenes include the Holy Family, angels, the three Magi, the ox, the donkey, shepherds and sheep.

      There are two types of nativity scene: static models displayed in people's homes and places of worship, and living scenes portrayed by real-life humans and animals.

      This week, I had the pleasure of hosting a Religious Education lesson for 6C, where the girls learnt how St Francis of Assisi is said to have created the first living nativity scene in 1223.  It was an 'instant hit', and its popularity inspired Catholic communities throughout the world to stage similar tableaux.  Thank you for helping me to assemble our 20th century crib in your classroom and caring for it this year, girls!


With their parents' consent, girls of all faiths are welcome to bring religious or cultural objects to discuss or demonstrate in RE or PSHE lessons.  Please just email your daughter's class teacher to find out when would be the most suitable time of year (for example, to fit in with a particular festival or topic).

"I enjoy going to away chess matches." - Alana, Y6

"You don't have to be kind in chess ..." - Keira-Rose, Y5

"I love WINNING!" - Iostina, Y4

"Show no mercy, girls!" - Mr C

Join us in January!  ♛

Mr Cox

      There are now spaces for beginners from Year 3 upwards at Junior Chess Club, on Thursday lunchtimes at 12:25.  If your daughter does not already have a Thursday lunchtime commitment and would like to join us in January, please email m.cox@not.gdst.net .  For younger players especially, it is important to know this is formal tuition that requires sustained concentration, commitment and resilience.  As girls progress, there will also be an expectation for them to attend occasional home and away chess matches.

      We also have limited places available at our other two weekly sessions, also led by a qualified Chess Master:


Intermediate coaching - Thursdays, 13:00

Advanced coaching - Fridays, 12:25

(For new joiners,  admission to these groups involves an informal assessment)


      Tuition  fees are usually around £20 per term (depending on headcount), and girls who sign up are expected to attend every half-hour session.

Women of industry

      Thank you to everyone who attended Thursday's Christmas Craft Fair, helping to raise funds for the NGHS Bursary Fund.  And well done especially to Johanna, Maia, Anya, Ida and Mrs Bailey who ran stalls, selling their own imaginative and beautifully-made creations!