HITCHIN GIRLS’ SCHOOL A Specialist Science College and Academy Trust Summer Term 2016

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER I am delighted to welcome you to this final newsletter of the academic year and hope that it brings you a full flavour of the huge range of activities that have taken place both in and outside of the classroom learning at Hitchin Girls’. The end of the academic year in July is also the period of time when there are many of our traditional celebrations: Leavers’ Supper for the departing Year 13 students, Founders’ Day, Sports’ Day and our now well established Enterprise event which takes place on that afternoon as well. We also welcomed our new Year 7 students last week and had a fantastic day helping them to settle into school for September. This term we will be saying farewell to a number of staff: Mrs. Lall and Miss. Ward, both of whom have been employed temporarily in Psychology, Mrs. Whittle in Reception, Mrs. Burt who has been covering maternity leave in Maths, Mr. Andrews, Miss. Wilson, Mrs. Beattie and Mrs. Richards all from Technology, Mr. Cobb from Philosophy and Ethics, Mr. Adrian Jackson, Head of Physics, Mrs. Eckersall in Social Sciences, Mrs. Eveleigh in English, Mrs. Sahota who has taught Punjabi after school for many years, Mrs. Fairservice in Art and Miss. Collis in Modern Foreign Languages. I wish them all the very best in their new ventures and thank them on behalf of the students and parents for their dedication and hard work. Despite the national difficulties in teacher recruitment I am very pleased to be able to inform you that we are fully staffed for September and have appointed high quality candidates who will contribute fully to the ethos and standard of teaching and learning that we expect at Hitchin Girls’ School. We are currently in the process of appointing building contractors for the new Sports Hall development and will keep you updated regarding progress on this project. The consultation for the expansion of the school from September 2018 also closes at the end of this term and, again I will update you all in September with the outcomes of this. I would like to appeal for your support in helping us to maintain our uniform standards. Our outfitters, Hawkins are fully stocked with uniform and I would remind you to check uniform and make any replacements early on so that your daughter is smart and appropriately dressed for September. I also ask for your support with our revised mobile phone policy, which is included in this Newsletter. Please ensure that your daughter is quite clear that any mobile phones, for all students from Years 7 to 11 inclusive, must be switched off and out of sight for the whole school day, including break and lunchtimes from September. Finally, I would like to wish all our GCSE, AS and A Level candidates this year the very best of luck with their results in August and I am looking forward to seeing them on the results days. My very best wishes go to all those who are leaving from the st udent body and I would ask that you keep in touch to let us know what you are doing in the future. Finally I wish all of you, parents, students, staff and governors, a restful and enjoyable holiday and look forward to seeing everyone back safely and reinvigorated in September. Frances Manning

Arrangements for Start of Term Tuesday 6 September—Years 7 and 12 return to school (8.40am start) Year 13 only attend for a 1:1 interview with their Form Tutor Wednesday 7 September - Years 8, 9, 10, 11 & 13 return to school

RESULTS DAY Results from the Summer Exams 2016 are available from the Sixth Form Centre as follows: GCE AS and A2 Thursday 18th August A2 Results: from 8.00am AS results: from 9.00am GCSE

(8.40am start) No school for Year 12 today Thursday 8 September—Lessons commence for Years 12 & 13

Thursday 25th August Year 11: from 9.00am All other year groups: from 10.00am

Hitchin Girls’ School ANNUAL ART SHOW On 23 June, we held our annual Art show of A Level and AS art work. The work of over fifty students was exhibited and included a diverse range of expression from painting and sculpture to photography. Our many visitors commented on the quality of the work. The standard was, as always, very high and our congratulations go to our students and we wish them well with their results and future studies. We are also pleased to announce that Scarlet Mitchell (10J) who won a place at last year’s National Portrait Gallery Summer School will have her painting included at this year’s exhibition!

‘Roots’ by Phoebe Prossor -Jones

‘Conflict’ by Katharine Smith

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Hitchin Girls’ School

‘Brass’ by Sadie Lenburgs

Art work by Shannon O’Callaghan

CLASSICAL GREEK On 11 June, the Classics Department represented Hitchin Girls’ School at the Hellenic Centre in London to celebrate a day of Greek Language and Culture Education. Proceedings were opened by the Greek Ambassador, Konstantinos Bikas, with a moving speech on the impact a Classical education has made on him personally. There followed a day of presentations and lectures on topics as diverse as the animation of Greek vases and the ways in which Greek is being promoted in Wales by the University of Swansea. Hitchin Girls’ School also participated in a round table discussion session on the challenges facing Classical Greek in a range of situations and explored possible solutions and collaborations. It was a lively debate and many interesting opportunities have arisen as a result. It was a privilege to be invited to such an innovative and exciting event and even more so to be able to demonstrate the potential for Greek within state schools.

CLASSICS BBQ On 29 June, the Classics Department held its annual BBQ for staff, Sixth Form students and those involved in the Senior Classics Play. It was a great success, with swathes of food and drink and the annual showing of the recording of the Classics play and Classics against Humanity tournament. See everyone next year! Remember to follow the Classics Department on @hgs_classics to find out when our events are happening and for more Classical opportunities and 3 information.

Hitchin Girls’ School GREECE TRIP 2016 On 2 April, the Classics Department (57 students and 8 staff) headed off to Greece for the annual residential trip. We flew into Athens airport and headed down to Tolo in the Argolid for four days in Eastern Greece. The first full day was spent exploring the Bronze Age sites of Mycenae and Tiryns and the sanctuary site of Epidauros with its phenomenal theatre. We were also treated to wonderful Greek food including an abundance of oranges, many of which found their way to the new Citrus King, Sven. The following day we headed back to Athens for a morning at the Acropolis site, wandering around the Parthenon and the Agora, before the National Archaeological Museum with its renowned collection of Greek and Roman sculpture. We then spent a relaxing day in the fortified town of Nauplio, the first capital of independent Greece but now a small yet beautiful town crowned by the fort of the Palamidi. Adventurous students braved the 997 steps to the top of the fort where we were treated to glorious views and a genuine feeling of achievement! The afternoon was spent either recovering on the beach or at the Mycenaean fort of Asini. The students were also struck by the levels of poverty that they encountered in Nauplio and ended up raising almost 100 Euro for the local foodbank in Tolo. They have also pledged to continue this support for the foodbank and we will be raising money throughout the year for them. There was a long coach journey across the Peloponnese the following day, taking in the mountain views of Arcadia before dipping down into the lush valley of Olympia. We spent the remainder of the day wandering around the site and, of course, racing in the original Olympic stadium in which Tim Cranfield won. By coincidence, we were in Olympia on the 120 th anniversary of the modern games! In the evening, as tradition dictates, we held our own competition and quiz to determine which team had the greatest Classical and general knowledge. It was a close contest but Mrs Batchelor’s team just scraped the win. The last full day began with another long coach journey, across the Rio-Antirion Bridge and up into the mountains of the Parnassos range to the oracle site of Delphi. The views are stunning and the students fell in love with the peace and quiet of it all. It was the perfect end to the trip.

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Hitchin Girls’ School At the North Herts Area Duke of Edinburgh's Award presentation evening, held at

Hitchin Boys' School in April, 40 Year 11 students received their Bronze award. The awards were presented by Dame Claire Bertschinger, a highly decorated Red Cross nurse, who has worked in many of the world’s war zones and who is acknowledged as being the person who inspired Live Aid. Congratulations to all.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS HGS dive into National Politics Head First! As some of you may know, HGS held its own EU Referendum on the same day as the national vote, encouraging the girls to become involved in political issues. Regardless of the result, the exercise was a clear success, with turnout being very high. Both teachers and students voted side by side, with the participation of staff setting a wonderful example for the girls and putting a great amount of importance on being involved in politics. Unlike the national result, HGS,had an evident majority, with about 75% of the electorate voting to remain in the European Union. However, this is obviously not a view that is shared by those who were eligible to vote in polling stations across the country on 23 June. It quickly became clear which way the vote would swing on election night, with it eventually being confirmed that 52% of those voting had suggested we leave the EU. Not only is this contrast interesting for the size of the margin but it also raises questions about how the views of Britain’s young people compare to those of the older generations. This is especially interesting when we see that 73% of those voters age 18 to 24 voted to remain. What is clear, is that this is an incredibly interesting and important time to be studying politics. Those A-Level Government and Politics students who assisted with the referendum were eager to help and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. By Freya Matthews, Year 12 A Level Government and Politics student.

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Hitchin Girls’ School BIOLOGY SOCIETY Rocket Science Project

In May/June the Biology Society and the Science club took part in the Rocket Science Project, a National initiative of the UK Space Agency. Students learnt about Scientific methods and the possibility of life outside Earth. They grew rocket plants that had been in Space for six months and compared their growth with seeds that had never left Earth.

Special thanks to the 6th formers: Kerry Mills, Jasmine Lall, Devne Mahrra & Anneka Goater

We are proud to announce that Anneka Goater, a Biologist in Year 12, has won a placement on the Nuffield Research programme. This is a fantastic achievement, as only around 22 students in Hertfordshire have been offered placements. Anneka will be working alongside professional scientists/engineers/technicians/mathematicians and completing a real research project at a high level for 4-6 weeks. The project will therefore be academically challenging. Well done Anneka.

PHYSICS On 9 May, several classes watched the transit of Mercury via Mr Jackson's Solar Telescope which was set up on the hockey pitch. Mercury transits happen when the planet Mercury happens to pass directly between the Earth and the Sun and so appears as a small black dot travelling across the face of the Sun. This only happens, on average, every eight years or so. It can not be viewed directly or with any normal telescope as the Sun is far too bright, but the special filter in a Solar Telescope cuts out most of the Sun's light and allows safe viewing. The next transit will occur on November 11, 2019, so everyone currently in Years 7, 8 and 9 may get a chance to view this at school again. Don't forget! The transit after that will be on November 13, 2032! It may only seem like a black dot but some people regard this as poetry in motion and a beautiful confirmation of the laws of Celestial Mechanics which began with the discoveries of Isaac Newton that form part of the A-level Physics syllabus. Mr Jackson, Physics 6

Hitchin Girls’ School PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS It has been a busy term in the Philosophy and Ethics department. The Year 11 revision sessions were well attended and for the first time all of our Year 11 students have sat the full course GCSE exams. The Year 8 classes have been focusing on the holocaust and have maturely reflected on the events and lives of those involved. Year 9 have embraced the challenge of completing the GCSE course early and have really thrown themselves into engaging with topics such as cloning, abortion and medical ethics. Year 7 have been exploring ethical dilemmas and have also had the opportunity to discuss their feelings about the Orlando shootings. Each class has created their own peace rainbow to represent the thoughts and feelings they have had about the events – their maturity and questioning nature is testament to the wonderful young minds we have the privilege to teach.

At the end of the Summer term we will be saying a very sad goodbye to Mr Cobb who will be leaving the department, but we wish him well with his new job in September and thank him for his dedicated contributions to Philosophy and Ethics in the department.

Learning for Life The Summer term gave the students in Year 9 and 10 the opportunity to see a very thought provoking play called ‘Chelsea’s Choice’. The hard hitting drama encouraged students to recognise the signs of sexual exploitation and online abuse. Whilst difficult to watch at times, the message delivered was an important one for the girls to reflect on carefully. The EU referendum provided for very fruitful discussions as the girls had the opportunity to debate the issues and show that they are very engaged with politics. This was further shown when the students in Year 9 had the opportunity to vote ‘for real’ in the Herts Young People’s Manifesto. They engaged with the candidates profiles and outlined the issues that they felt were most important for young people – mental health was something many students felt should be a priority. As this is an area our students are so passionate about, we will be building on the ‘Time to Talk’ day activities which students participated in earlier in the year with further lessons about the brain and mental health in the next academic year. The high level of participation and thoughtful discussions in L4L lessons reflect the enthusiasm of staff and the thoughtful young ladies we teach.

LIBRARY NEWS At the end of June, members of the Reading Group visited Highbury Infants School. In pairs, they read picture books to small groups of Year 1 children. Some of the picture books were on this year's shortlist for the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration whilst others were books the girls brought in from home. Despite initially being nervous, the girls quickly gained in confidence and were soon asking the children questions and encouraging them to join in. This was our first visit to Highbury Infants and we hope it will become a termly event. All the children and girls had a great time and we were made very welcome. Mary Goose, School Librarian

JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE Earlier this term the results of the Junior Maths Challenge came through. It is a national competition where students in Years 7 and 8 can really show off their problem solving skills. We are delighted to have gained 52 awards overall in this very challenging competition. Gold Awards go to Erin Richards and Eve Whitehead in Year 7 and Eleanor Stone, Eleanor Straughan, Lauren Bearman, Belle Edmonds, Emily Bradley and Lily Ward in Year 8. Silver Awards go to 5 students in Year 7 and 11 students in Year 8. There were also 28 Bronze awards achieved. Eleanor Stone and Erin Richards also qualified for the subsequent round, in which Eleanor achieved a highly commendable Merit. Very well 7 done to all those students who took part and especially well done to those achieving awards.

Hitchin Girls’ School BUSINESS AND COMPUTING Enterprise Month On Friday 1 July, the school hosted our traditional Founders' Day celebrations and, as usual, these included Enterprise stalls that our forms had been building throughout the month of June in form time. Each form is given £20 as a start-up loan and asked to build two competing stalls that can operate alongside the Sports Day activities taking place on the field with the goal of raising money for a charity. This year, the charity selected was Phase, who have continued their outstanding work with the school throughout a difficult year. Food stalls ranged from the ever popular sweet and cake stalls, to toffee apples, chocolate dipped strawberries and even Mexican food. While not a particularly hot day, the weather stayed dry long enough for our milkshake stalls to make a roaring trade while various games stalls also meant students could try their hand at winning some prizes. Finally of course, the now traditional Splat the Teacher game was in great demand. All stalls are competing for various prizes with the overall winning stall being the one that raised the most profit. You can see the results below.

Originality WINNER Honourable Mention

7F – Pink Lemonade

Customer Service WINNER Honourable Mention

8B – Snap a Pic

Shop Design WINNER

9A – Mexican Madness

Honourable Mention

7J – Pink Macaroons

Popularity of Stall (Quantity of Sales)

9T Marvellous Milkshakes

Honourable Mention

9J Splash Attack

A really good list of teachers meant this stall was permanently busy, very well prepared.

OVERALL WINNER 10J – Cakes & Bakes (£105.72)

RUNNER UP 8T – Mad Hatters (£98.83)

THIRD 7J – Pink Macaroons (£84.45)

9A – Mexican Madness

9B – T-Pong

While not an original idea, this group used sponsors to maximise their stock and profits – very clever! Food is always popular at the stalls but this had a genuine USP and lots of care had gone into it. Really good use of a high speed printer to make sure product was delivered straight away. The girls really got behind this idea and were permanently encouraging people over. A really bright and colourful stand with nicely presented products throughout. Lovely friendly students who were permanently enticing people towards the stand A very popular stall and very nicely presented, just consider how to speed up service next year.

Our overall House winner was Jewel House with a very impressive £422 raised and while our grand total was not quite our highest yet, a very respectable £1390 was raised to be donated to Phase making it our most successful charity event of the year. Thank you to all the students, staff and parents in making the event such a success. Mr Jones & Mr Chandi

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Hitchin Girls’ School MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES Year 10 Language Leaders This year, we took part in a scheme called Project Polyglot. As part of this scheme, we had the opportunity to teach younger years languages, either French or Spanish, to enhance their knowledge and give us a taste of leadership and teaching. Each group went to a different primary school and led three lessons with the same class over the course of the year. We were given topics by the schools each time, except for the last lesson, which we got to choose the topic for, and we had to plan and create a lesson about the topic given or chosen, including PowerPoints and any sheets or resources, such as match-up sheets. Overall, it went very well, and the primary schools really enjoyed the lessons we had with them, as it extended their knowledge of the language and they always had fun doing so. For us, the creation of the lesson and the delivery of it were also very rewarding, as it was always brilliant to see the primary school children enjoying the lesson and appreciating the work we put into it. Personally, we believe this experience has definitely improved our confidence, both in ourselves and in the language we taught (in our case, it was French), our planning and organisational skills and our teamwork, as we had to work as part of a team to plan and deliver the lessons. We also feel as if the skills we have learnt as part Project Polyglot will be useful later on in life, and that it was a rewarding experience. Millie Ostojic (Year 10) Year 12 & Year 2 Undergraduate Students – Project Polyglot This year saw the extending of the very successful Year 10 Language Leaders programme to the wider “Project Polyglot.” Year 12 students were given training into how to teach Modern Languages to a Year 8 class and they then delivered their three consecutive one hour lessons in June. This was a fantastic opportunity for our Sixth Form students to develop the necessary skills to deliver modern languages lessons. Second Year undergraduate students from the University of Cambridge also followed a similar training programme in order to teach some of our Year 10 students. We hope to continue the programme next year after its initial success. Well done to all those students that took part and thank you to Ms Meechan who instigated the programme at t he start of the year. Year 7 Spelling Bee Congratulations to Aimee Hughes, Lisa Granhed and Delphine Lehrfreund in Year 7, all of whom qualified for a place in the Year 7 French Spelling Bee Regional Finals in Peterborough in April. The three girls performed fantastically well, keeping calm and composed whilst spelling their words consistently accurately before an audience of teachers and students from across the region. Félicitations! Et finalement…. The Modern Foreign Languages team would also like to take this opportunity to offer our own very best wishes to Miss Collis who is retiring this year. We thank her for the outstanding contribution that she has made to the department and the school over the years and wish her many happy years of retirement ahead. Mr J Dellar, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

MUSIC I would firstly like to start with a huge thank you to all the GCSE and A Level students who have finished and sat their examinations this term. It has been the largest cohort through, with 40 students at GCSE and 10 at A Level, that we have had for a long time. All have shown great determination and resilience throughout their studies. I wish them every success this Summer when they receive their results. The peripatetic staff have been busy preparing students for their instrumental and vocal exams this Summer term and we hope to have some excellent results very soon. The staff and students have worked extremely hard in preparing for these exams and I know that without parental support we would not have the numbers involved. Parents, I would thank you for giving your daughters this opportunity, not only is it a recognised qualification but also a chance to develop confidence and maturity in a different way to normal studies. I do feel in the present political climate we need to preserve the ‘Arts’. The annual Founders’ Day was another great success. This year, HBS were in charge of a choir a well over 100 singers and 15 brass players. I am particularly proud that HGS made up half of9the brass performers involved, as always the students were exceptional and produced some quality music.

Hitchin Girls’ School The Summer Soiree was performed on 20 July to a good audience. The standard was extremely high and many of the HGS groups were able to showcase their efforts from this term. I would like to wish all a pleasant and relaxing Summer vacation and thank you for your support in Music making at HGS. Date for the diary next term: Joint Hitchin Schools Concert—10 November in St. Mary’s Church. Mr Chambers, Head of Music

SPORT REPORT This Summer has once again been busy and fast paced, despite the problems that our sports women have encountered with intermittent rain throughout the season! In the first week back after Easter, our GCSE dancers took part in an evening of dance for parents and friends before undertaking their exam and also, in the same week, our A level consortium students took part in a full day revision conference with two prominent speakers. Despite the weather being problematic on “Rainy Wednesdays”, some house league events have been cancelled, but some for rounders and tennis have continued to be played with enthusiasm. Our Sports’ Leaders are coming to the end of their level 1, 2 and 3 awards, continuing to develop their coaching and leadership skills in school, in our local feeder schools and at local festivals with some festivals for the primary schools still to take place at HGS towards the end of term. Additional activities have been well attended once again this Summer, including our yoga clubs and cricket coaching. We were delighted to have Christians in Sport work with us on a day in July where they arranged a number of activities for students. The staff have also been very active, with thanks to Miss Scott for leading staff running club and to Miss Pateman for leading both staff and student yoga. Many of our students have been taking part in their respective sports and achieving to a high standard. Abbi Jackson has achieved first place and a second place at the Blue Chip Equestrian championships, reaching the Grand Prix final out of the top 20 senior amateurs in the country. She also competed for school as an individual in the direct qualifier for the national schools competition, where she once again won and came second in her classes. She will be going to the national finals at Stoneleigh in August. Congratulations also to Alyssa Lee in Year 7 who was a member of the Under 13 Hertfordshire Badminton squad, who won the national county league back in May. Catherine Hodge in Year 7 is also performing to a high level in tennis, where she qualified for Tennis Europe (12 and under) but lost to the Belgian no. 2 of her age range. She is also one of 12 to be selected nationally to attend a Junior Tennis presentation at Wimbledon. llyssa Lacorte has also competed at the national table tennis championships (U13 girls) where in order to qualify she had to be ranked in the top 24 girls in England. Despite a tough draw in the singles, in the doubles competition she came joint 3rd beating the 3rd seeds along the way. Both Sarah Wollas and Chloe Hilton have represented the school in golf, performing well and with Sarah achieving 2 nd place overall and 1st in the girl’s competition in the schools final. Also many congratulations to Helena O’Donnell who has competed to a high standard in rowing this year and competed recently at the Henley Royal Regatta in the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup (junior girls’ squads), with crews from across the UK, Australia and the USA. Helena’s squad pre-qualified by competing at Henley Women’s and coming 3rd. They then went onto win their heat by 5 lengths on the Wednesday and got through to the quarter finals on Friday where they lost by half a length. Our athletes have competed at County and District level and also in the County championships and District Championships. We started the term with the County Multi Events championships, with the junior team of Petra Sijuwade, Madeline Hurley, Kristin Knight and Maddie Waite finishing in 2nd place. Individually, Petra finished in 5th place, Madeline in 10th and Molly Astill (Intermediate competition) finished in 5 th. Both Petra and Molly have been named as reserves for the county team. At the Individual County Championships, the following girls finished in the top 10 in their events; (Year 7) Charlotte Saunders(3rd Hurdles), (Year 8 ) Maddie Waite (5th Hurdles), Bluebell Cooke (2nd 800m), (Year 9) Madeline Hurley (7 th 100m, 6th 200m), Petra Sijuwade (1st 200m), (Year 10) Katie Saunders (7th Triple Jump, 4th 800m) and Molly Astill (3rd 300m, 3rd 300m Hurdles). At District league level the Year 8 A and B teams have been competing hard finishing. The Year 9 (A and B) and Year 7 (A and B) teams finished as overall winners in the same event! At County League level, our Year 8 and Year 10 teams worked hard at all 6 meetings, with the under 14 team qualifying for the plate trophy and finishing 8th, with only 4 points between 1st and 8th, and the under 16 team reaching the finals and finishing in 4 th overall.

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Hitchin Girls’ School The senior district championship takes place on an evening before the examinations start and we were delighted that our senior team finished in joint 1st place overall. The district championships for other years saw all of our girls work hard in some tough competitions with many gold, silver and bronze medals awarded in a number of events. Overall, we achieved 2 nd place for Year 9 team (narrowly missing 1st place by just 1 point), with our Year 10 and Year 8 teams finishing 3 rd place. Our Year 7 team finished in first place and are now district champions! First places were achieved by Ria Xenophontas (Shot), Emily Saunders (400m), Alana Hollingsworth Biggs (1500m), Molly Astill (Hurdles), Katie Saunders(800m – New District Record), Madeline Hurley (100m),Petra Sijuwade ( 200m), Maddie Waite ( Hurdles), Bluebell Cooke (800m – New District Record), Charlotte Saunders (Hurdles) and Haly Turney (Shot).

Year 9 Athletics Team

Year 7 Athletics Team

Congratulations to Emily Saunders who has been selected to represent Hertfordshire at the English Schools Championships in Gateshead, after achieving the qualifying times in a spectacularly successful season. We also continue to challenge all of our students who are taught athletics in lesson time, to complete the 5 star award schemes. Awards for this will be given out at the end of term. Sports Day as normal took place over two days with some excellent performances from all students, displaying real commitment to school sport and their Houses. The trophies this year were won by 7F, 9T and the 10J. The overall House trophy was won by Teresa. Congratulations to Maddie Waite in Year 8 who broke the Inter hurdles record (a record that has stood for 28 years) and also to Emily Saunders who now holds the Senior 300m record. Our rounders teams have played well this season, still competing in the league right up to the end of term. At the district tournaments, the senior tournament was unfortunately cancelled due to rain. The Year 10 team played well in their section, the year 9 team were 3 rd overall, the Year 7 team were runners up and the Year 8 team finished first to become district champions. In tennis, our teams have had a very successful season with the Year 8 A team becoming winners of the A group district tournament and the B team becoming runners up of the B group. The Year 9 team played some very close matches in the Nicola Mabbitt league, and the A team were winners of the district tournament. The Year 10 tennis team finished as district champions and went on to the county finals where they finished 6 th overall. Year 8 Rounders Team There are a number of HGS students who play tennis to a high level outside of school and are therefore not allowed to play in the school matches and tournaments due to rating restrictions in these leagues and tournaments. They did however play in the Harpenden National School girls’ Doubles Tournament in May, where one pair, Lizzie Hodge (Year 13) and Catherine Hodge (Year 7) came runners up in the U19 section. Our senior players enjoyed a fabulous day at Wimbledon and saw lots of fantastic tennis on the first day of play. The annual Gym and Dance display was once again very successful with 188 students taking part over three nights and a matinee. We are very proud of how hard the students worked during this time to showcase some excellent performances. Well done for a very successful Summer term. Have a good Summer holiday and good luck if you are competing or training during that time. We look forward to a busy and active Autumn term. Mrs Maydom, Head of PE 11

Hitchin Girls’ School HOUSE REPORTS

AUSTEN HOUSE This year, Austen has achieved a lot – from collecting charity shoeboxes to sporting awards ranging from Y7 to Y13. This Summer alone, Helena O’Donnell (Y12) competed at national level at Henley Regatta Quad semi-finals and Molly Astill (Y10) achieved the national qualifier for 300m Hurdles as well as coming fourth in both the 300m sprint and 300m hurdles in the county championships. Across all year groups, numerous students have generously given up their time to participate in the Gym and Dance Display, Choir performances and Inter-House League games. 7A have made an outstanding contribution to our House this year on Enterprise Day: they raised the most money out of all the Year 7 forms with their fantastic ‘Fruit Bomb’ and spectacular ‘Spice or Nice’ stalls. In 7A, almost half the students have collected over 2000 house points each – helping Austen to gain its place on the leader board. 8A came 2 nd in the inter age group for Sports Day and tennis and 3rd in rounders. 9A gained two honourable mentions for their enterprise stalls. In 12A we are very proud to have the Head Girl of 2017 in Austen house: well done Zoe Burton! This term we would like to say goodbye and good luck to all our leaving staff members: Mr Jackson (Y10 Form tutor), Mrs Fairservice (Y12 Form tutor) and Mrs Eveleigh (Yr 13 Form Tutor); all the Y11 leaving us for further education this September and Y13 leavers. We hope you have a wonderful Summer and a good rest in preparation to be back at school in September! Mrs Cornell, Head of House Josie Teschner and Amba Patel – House Captain and Deputy House Captain

BRONTE HOUSE Bronte students have had another busy year, with numerous House and whole school activities and extra-curricular successes on top of all their class work! Thank you to many students across Bronte House who have kindly participated in the numerous charity events this year. For those who bought in gifts for the Easter baskets that we delivered to very grateful patients at Lister Hospital and those who ran the ‘Lucky Squares’ charity stall, brought in prizes and paid to have a go! We raised £75 to help fund education for Franklin in Ecuador. 7B have settled well and have had a fantastic year! They came first in the Gym Competition, and second in Sports Day, as well as the House presentation and French speaking competitions, and delivered a wonderful assembly to the whole of Bronte House. 8B had a successful Enterprise Day, with team 'Snap a Pic' winning first prize for Best Customer Service. 9B have organised two successful cake sales raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, our Bronte charity, as well as getting an honourable mention in the Customer Service category for their enterprise stall. 10B all got involved in planning and running a wonderful hot chocolate and cake sale raising over £100. 11,12 and 13B tutors wanted me to pass on a big congratulations for great organisation, revision and efforts resulting in a very smooth exam period and hopefully grades you are really pleased with. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish those leaving us all the very best in for the future and thank our Bronte House Captain ,Jennifer Lee, and the rest of the prefect team. Welcome to our new House captain - Julia Dearden, Vice House Captain - Sophie Gates, Sports Prefect - Jasmine Lidder and Healthy Schools Prefect - Lizzie West. We are sad to say goodbye to Miss Wilson and Mr Cobb, who are going on to pastures new. Thank you so much for all of your support for 8B and 9B and we will miss you and wish you all the very best. I wish you all a restful and enjoyable Summer. God bless. Miss C Evans, Head of Bronte House 12

Hitchin Girls’ School CURIE HOUSE This term has been a busy one for Curie House, with many exciting activities and achievements. Particularly in Year 7, where immense and admirable support has been shown for the LGBT community with vibrant form decorations. We would also like to congratulate Ella Ruggles for successfully cycling 27 miles during her marathon! Unfortunately, Mr Andrews will be leaving HGS this year and so we would like to whole-heartedly thank him for his invaluable contribution to the Tech department, the House and, most of all, the care he has provided for his form. Year 8 have had an eventful term and came out as the champions in this term’s rounders league, meaning they successfully won every league this year; a huge congratulations to them. Ellie Stone in 8C raised £300 in sponsorship for Save the Children by building and having a sleepover in a den in her garden, which was reported in the local press. Additionally, several members of 8C commendably took part in the Race for Life. Years 9 and 10 have been preoccupied in studiously sitting their mock exams. 12C this term have been committed to their Ambassador roles; aiding the community both in school and out. Two 12C members, Tilly Sleator and Rosa Ritz, led Year 12 to victory in form running this term, admirably representing Curie house. To 11C and 13C, we’d like to wish you good luck for Results Day and, for those leaving, in your futures. Curie House also wishes Ms Li all the best on her maternity leave. Finally, we’d like to give special thanks and congratulations to Mrs Rowe as our Head of House, who is moving on to a more senior role within school – your leadership over the past year will not be forgotten. In turn, we welcome Mr Chambers as our new Head of House and Mr Horner as the new Year 9 form tutor. Dani Martingano, House Captain

FRANK HOUSE 7F—Being in Year 7 form time has benefitted us greatly. We have been informed about the week’s activities, the results of competitions, as well as having lots of fun. We love working together and enjoyed putting together stalls for Enterprise Day. One of our stalls won a prize which we were delighted to receive. We also enjoy debating and expressing our opinions. We have covered all sorts of topics such as the EU and animal cruelty. We have had a great time in form. Fran Smith and Kate Bettey 8F—This year 8F have been very active in our charities. We have joined forces with 7F to have an Easter fair and, on our own, we had a Christmas fair where we raised a large sum. As well as this, many of us have passed Music and Dance exams with flying colours. We also came 2nd in the Gym competition. Blue also became district champion in 800m, beating the record by 6 seconds. Isabelle Taylor (8F) 9F— The highlights of the year for 9F are mostly sport and dance related. Lots of the form members have participated in form running and the gym display. We have not been the most successful form in our year but we did come 2nd in the relay on Sports Day and 3rd in the intermediate sport. We have all worked hard to raise money to support Karen in Ecuador. This includes personal contributions from form members as well as Olivia and Amelie organising a cake sale to raise further funds. Individual achievements include many members progressing with their music instruments certification and Elise Jeffery passing her IDTA dance exam with 95% and honours. 10F— I have really enjoyed temporarily looking after 10F this term. They have been a delightful and very friendly bunch and I will miss them next term. Highlights this term have been the extra curricular achievements in addition to their GCSEs. Many turn up to sport, music and other clubs alongside their studies. They selflessly give their time to these and to their friends in terms of support and effort. They made the second highest profit in Year 10 for Enterprise Day. Best wishes. Mr Chambers. 11F—worked very hard in the build up to their GCSE examinations. We miss them, wish them all the best in August when the results come out and look forward to seeing many of them back in September. We also wish all the best to those of 11F who are going to other educational establishments. Good luck everyone! 12F—we have finished our AS exams and have recently attended Founders’ Day at St Mary’s Church where our prefects have been selected. We are currently working on our UCAS personal statements as well as starting our A2 studies. It has been a busy and challenging year but we have supported each other as a form to get through the stressful and fun times. By Sophie and Sonia. 13

Hitchin Girls’ School JEWEL HOUSE At the time of writing, Jewel House are sitting a very close second in the House table, two points behind Bronte House! Our Healthy Schools prefects have done a great job, encouraging you all to contribute to the weekly challenges. We have managed to come second in Healthy Schools, just pipped to the top slot by Frank House. Well done to everyone who has taken part in all the House sports leagues. Your contributions really help keep us in the top half of the House cup. This also goes to all the girls who competed on Sports Day and nearly 40 students from Jewel House who took part in the annual Gym and Dance Display, which is always a delight to watch. The continued excellent behaviour record for many of you is a strength for Jewel House and the back bone of what makes us such a successful House. I thank you all. With just a few more days left for you to get your reward stickers logged on the computer, and the excellent contributions made throughout the year, we may yet win the House Cup. Good luck! New Prefects I am very pleased to officially welcome our prefect body for September 2016. They will be led by our new House Captain, Alice Turner, and have a strong reputation to uphold. I must also thank the out-going prefect body from Year 7 to Year 13 and the excellent leadership shown by our outgoing House Captain, Megan Wilderspin. Thank you so much, you all make the difference! Finally .... It has been a wonderful and very rewarding year being your Head of Jewel House, a role I have held for nine years. However, as with all things in life, nothing stays the same for very long, and the tides of change are upon us. I have decided to step down from being your Head of House, to focus my efforts on another area within school, and it is with much pride that I hand you all over to Miss Scott, who will be leading Jewel House from September, and wish her, and you all, every continued success. So my final farewell is to thank you for your thoughtfulness, your dedication to learning and your support of each other. I wish everyone a happy, safe and relaxing Summer break and look forward to all your achievements yet to come. Mr S Ferguson, Head of Jewel House

TERESA HOUSE Welcome all to our little slice of the newsletter – we have had a very busy year this year. 7T have sponsored their first Hearing Dogs puppy, the incredibly adorable Ned. 7T have worked tirelessly raising funds for the Hearing Dogs charity and ensuring Ned’s training is outstanding. 8T have led the way with their charity projects this year; their Halloween Treats and Valentine’s Day fairs, raising money for Lister Hospital’s Neonatal Unit, a cause close to our hearts here in Teresa House. 9T have raised the bar (and everyone’s sugar intake) with coffee mornings; the girls worked hard to serve students and staff, offering a range of biscuits and hot drinks. Evelyn Finch in 9T also organised a charity fundraiser Mufti day in aid of The British Heart Foundation. A huge thank you to Sannojah Mayooramurugan and members of 11T who created a fantastic Easter Egg Hunt and raffle for staff and students! This year, Teresa House are over the moon to announce we won the school Sports Cup overall on Sports Day, with a delayed celebration from Miss Brady, making great for comedy timing. We can also boast our successes in hockey and netball this year, with 9T bringing home first place in each! May I take this chance to introduce our new Teresa House Captain, Laura Jones, and Deputy House Captain, Ololade Olayemi, who take over the position from Teresa House’s right-hand-lady, Rosie Wade and her Deputy Kat Smith. We also have a brand new Prefect team this year who are ready to encourage the continued success of our great House. This year, Teresa house are extremely proud to have not one, but two deputy Head Girls amongst our numbers. Our SGLI annual trip to Hawaii takes place over the next few weeks and we are privileged to say all three participating students are from 12T. Have a fantastic time Isolde, Holly and Laura. As a House we would like to wish the very best of luck to 13T who go off on their own new adventures. Good luck ladies and keep in touch! We are also losing three members of our House team this year: Miss Collis, a long standing member of Teresa House and a great asset to our team is enjoying her retirement, Mrs Richards (who started on the same day at HGS as her tutor group) and Mrs Burt are off to enjoy adventures new. Teresa House would like to extend a huge thank you to our staff for all of their unwavering support and guidance. We’re currently on track to win the House league but it is a close race! Wish us luck! Miss L Brady, Head of Teresa House 14

Hitchin Girls’ School THE USE OF MOBILE PHONES, SMART WATCHES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES The rules regarding the use of mobile phones, smart watches or other electronic devices are as follows: KS3 and KS4 STUDENTS (Years 7,8,9,10 and 11)  

 

Smart watches are not permitted in school; Any mobile phone or electronic device must be switched off and in a bag at all times during the school day including at break and lunchtime and at any time when the owner/user is on the school premises; Any mobile phone or electronic device may be turned on after school once the owner/user has left the premises; In unforeseen circumstances, such as arranging transport after out-of-hours practices or rehearsals, mobile phones may be used with the express permission of the supervising member of staff.

KS5 STUDENTS (Years 12 and 13)  Any mobile phone or electronic device must be switched off and in a bag during tutor time and timetabled lessons. ALL STUDENTS  Any mobile phone or electronic device must be switched off and in a bag at all times when a student is in detention or is internally isolated;  Photographs and video or audio clips must not be taken using mobile phones or any other electronic device. The school retains the authority to access and delete images and data held on a mobile phone or electronic devices if it is reasonable to suspect that they have been misused in school or during school activities;  The only exception to the above will be if a member of staff authorises the use of such devices in a lesson to support the learning in the classroom. For example, to photograph a finished product in order to upload the image for the purposes of coursework or to conduct necessary research;  Breaking the rules covering mobile phones, smart watches and any other electronic devices will result in immediate confiscation of the item and the student will receive a C2 after school detention as a consequence. Students will not receive a warning. If a mobile phone or other electronic device is seen or heard the student is required to hand it over straight away;  If a student refuses to hand over their mobile phone, smart watch or other electronic device they will be immediately removed from the lesson or registration time and internally isolated until they follow instructions as requested. They will receive either a C3 or C4 as a consequence depending on the length of time it takes them to co-operate;  The item will also be held in school in reception until the end of the school day. The owner of the mobile phone or electronic device will be able to collect it from reception from 3.45pm to 4.15pm and no later. However, if a student has had a mobile phone or electronic device confiscated on three different occasions during the academic year, she will no longer be able to collect the item herself at the end of the school day. Parents will be notified and from then on, should there be a repeat occurrence, a member of the office staff will ring home to arrange a suitable time for the parents to come in and collect the relevant item on their daughter’s behalf;  As with all personal property, mobile phones and other electronic devices are brought into school at the owner’s risk. If any smart watches are brought into school the same applies.

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