Last Thursday all year groups were off timetable for the day taking part in enrichment activities. Thank you to staff for organising these events. Here are a sample of student reflections on the day.

"Year 7 talked about social media, and how to keep safe online. We organised a debate on whether phones should be banned in school, and if so, why. Another key event was #UNPLUGGED, which is where (if they wanted to) Year 7 would try and stay off their phones for a certain amount of time for a week. Whilst doing this they asked for people to sponsor them. The money will go to a charity in Barnwood, which helps children with disabilities, and generally makes the community a better place. This is a great charity for Year 7 to sponsor because they have been learning about communities in DEAL, and what it’s like to be in one. A police woman called Victoria came in and answered questions on how people used social media, and what were the advantages and disadvantages of it and Phil came in to talk about the fact that what we see online isn’t always true, and people often use a false identity. He showed us that people can be transformed into someone who they really aren’t. Year 7 also learnt the importance of using their phones, and how they can be safe or safer on social media." - Leona Beardsall, Year 7

"Year 13 had talks to help us with the transition into the real world. To start the day we had a talk on meningitis, what symptoms to look out for and how we can protect ourselves against it. We also had informative talks about the UCAS process and what will happen on results day, as well as talks about independent living. The talks about results day were really helpful as it gave us an idea of what will happen in August when we receive our A Level results and what the next steps will be. Overall the day was very helpful in developing us into adults that are able to cope with the big wide world." - Fran Taylor, Year 13

Year 9 Natural History trip

 

"On Thursday Year 9 went to the natural history museum for a combined S​cience and Geography trip, we spent a lot of time in the Red Zone to learn about volcanoes and tectonics." - Isha Britto, Year 9

"For Year 12 the day was aimed at perfecting our CVs, beginning to look at the various university courses that are offered, using a website called UNISTATS, and begin to look for our work experience placements in June. We also had a talk from Gloucester College who introduced us to the various apprenticeship opportunities they can offer. To finish off the day, we had another very informative talk from Cobalt, a charity focusing on diagnostic imagery. They spoke to us about breast and testicular cancer, and raised awareness of the stages and how to recognise them." - Maddy Cross, Year 12 

"Year 8 were visited by Kate Maryon (author). The workshops on writing were really helpful for developing creative writing. We liked when we had to close our eyes and picture different things, encouraging us to be creative. We imagined we were in a garden and then had to visualise a character, then ask the character a question and listen to their reply, bringing the character to life. We have the choice to submit a 500 word story to BBC2's  competition." - Lucie Newton, Kira Holmes, Milly Croft, Year 8

Gloucester Mosque/Gloucester Cathedral trip

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​New Recruits!

I am delighted to announce that we have two new recruits to our Senior Leadership Team. Tom Mannion is Assistant Headteacher Teaching & Learning: Progress & Achievement, Jane Steele is Assistant Headteacher Curriculum and STEM. You will of course already know them as dedicated teachers at HSFG, I am really looking forward to working with them on developing the ideas they presented at interview. Exciting times!

453 voices

The number of responses to our parent/carer communications and engagement survey was brilliant, thank you. It is taking a while to crunch the data but here is just one quote that made me swell with pride: HSFG "Instills a belief that women are intellectually equal to men. The school develops a self confidence in that personally and collectively students can aim high to achieve their goals."

Sporting fixtures - results update

Thank you to the PE department for organising the wealth of sporting fixtures below. Students, we are proud of your team and personal commitment and achievements.

Netball

U16  v Pates - W 13 - 6 - 24 January

U16 Regional tournament - 26/27 January:​

W 7 - 3 v Kings Taunton

W 5 - 4 v KES Bath

L 7 - 3 v Talbot Heath

L 3 - 7 v Marlborough College

L 2 - 5 v Truro School

L 3 - 5 v Torquay Girls Grammar School

U15 Champions of district Lords Taverners Indoor cricket competition - 31 January

We played Senior boys football and lost 2-0 against Pates - 31 January

Senior boys basketball v Bournside - L 38-34 - 17 January

Senior netball v St. Peters - W 28-7 - 17 January

Forward look - dates for your diary

6.2.18    Year 11 Consultation Evening 5-8pm, Main Hall

8.2.18    We are hosting an Arctic Themed Workshop Primary event for 90 students from local schools

9.2.18    Year 8 STEM event (P1-4)

9.2.18    House Gym & Dance

9.2.18    End of term at 3.30pm

10.2.18  Ski Trip departs at 3.15am, Tesco car park

19.2.18  Term 4 begins for students and staff

21.2.18  Year 7 Consultation Evening 5-8pm, Main Hall

22.2.18  Second Hand Uniform sale, 3.30-4.30pm, Main Hall