Message from the Head
Dear Parents,
This week we remembered. A two-minute silence was held on Elm Avenue for the soldiers who gave their lives for us. We also held a Remembrance assembly – thank you Ms Howlett for organising this.
Today – thank you to Ms Carr for a question-based COP26 assembly; another opportunity for Hollygirt to think about climate change and our very own carbon footprint. Eco-warriors are being recruited as I speak….
This week I have met with the school students’ Estates Team and our new students’ Media Team. The Estates Team and I toured our buildings and grounds looking at ways we can ‘level up’ and I will be feeding this information back to trustees this weekend on our strategy day.
You can expect to see Vlogs and Blogs appearing on our website about key aspects of school life starting from next week! Thank you to these student teams who are moving Hollygirt forward through their student voices.
We have also had House assembly this week and students are now ‘sorted’ (as per Harry Potter but without the hat) into their houses and have been learning their prayers and mottoes. It’s just lovely to see the House System coming into action once again.
Year 11 parents evening was on Tuesday and thank you to all the Year 11 staff for their hard work in preparing your sons and daughters for these high stakes tests. Thank you too for attending. If you have any questions or queries on the back of parents’ eve, please let us know.
I mentioned that we had appointed Mr Firth and Mr Rollinson as joint Senior Teachers responsible for Teaching and Learning in the school. Together, we are reviewing our reports home systems and data management so do feedback to us with thoughts and again we are looking to level up in our systems here. There are some small changes to a few lessons to allow Mr Firth and Mr Rollinson to complete their new roles. Parents will be notified of these changes separately. I assure you that Mr Rollinson and Mr Firth are planning jointly with Miss Lau and Mrs Atherton to ensure continuity of curriculum.
I would like to thank all the members of staff here for their flexibility.
Next week is similarly busy with the Children in Need tabletop exchange on Thursday and non-school uniform day on Friday for starters. There is a Cadbury World trip for Year 9 and 10 on Friday (one that I couldn’t resist as this is definitely one of my dietary requirements) and the Neon Party disco run by Friends of Hollygirt on Friday for Year 7, 8 and 9 from 4.00 – 6.00 pm – please return your forms by Monday if you wish to attend.
Don’t forget to make your appointment for PE kit fitting (dates in last week’s newsletter) and then there is Christmas……more anon.
Helen Barsham
Head
Message from the Head of Juniors
Good afternoon,
Yesterday, the whole school observed a two-minute silence for Remembrance Day. The children were extremely well behaved and respectful. The juniors have created an incredibly effective poppy mural from handprints, as you can see in this week’s featured image.
Monday 15th November marks the start of Anti – Bullying Week and we will be taking part in Odd Socks Day. Children should come to school in their usual uniform – with the addition of odd socks – and we will be celebrating what makes us unique. Please could children bring in £1 which will go to the Anti-Bullying Alliance to allow them to continue with their important work. During the week, children will be participating in various activities and lessons on this theme.
On Wednesday, Year 6 will be visiting Creswell Crags to complement their topic on the Stone Age. The children will have the opportunity to visit the caves where both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens once lived. They will also have the chance to practise survival skills, build shelters, have a go at producing some cave paintings, explore the gorge and main cave and discover how people lived during the Stone Age.
Children in Need also takes place next week and the School Council have organised two events to raise money for this important charity. On Thursday 18th November, Year 6 will be providing a wide range of cakes and other goodies for a breaktime bake sale. Parents have all received an email about bringing food into school and the necessity to send in an ingredients list. Official Children in Need merchandise (pin badges, wrist bands, keyrings and Pudsey ears) will continue to be sold throughout the week.
Children are invited to wear something colourful on Friday 19th November – dressing to impress in a bright, colourful or spotty-themed outfit. This can be as simple or as elaborate as they wish. School Council are asking for £1 donation to Children in Need for this event.
Emmanuel House have expressed their gratitude for the Harvest donations. Thank you for all your support with this.
Please could I remind you that if your child has any of the covid symptoms, they must stay off school and take a PCR test. A negative lateral flow test is not sufficient if any of the covid symptoms are present. Please continue to keep school informed.
This week’s Stars of the Week can be viewed here.
I hope you have a lovely weekend,
Mrs Wright
Head of Juniors