Message from the Head
Dear Parents
Can you believe it’s half-term in two weeks’ time? The pace of school life is always fast, and I suppose that is why the last 27 years have flown!
On Monday, we were joined by our PCSOs – thank you ladies – for an assembly about consent and sharing images on social media. You can see the whole assembly from Monday here.
This week has been a difficult one as staff and students dropped like flies with a virus. The rules around covid are simple now – you are not required to test and if you feel well, come into school, if you feel unwell, stay at home. However, if you are physically sick then you should remain off school for 48 hours. Hoping that next week, we rally.
Our Year 11 is busy raising money for charity and our ‘in-house due to Goose Fair’ Macmillan Coffee Morning raised £137. Well done Hope and her team! In addition, and in the spirit of enterprise, Year 11 have also been making hot chocolate at break times to raise money for their Prom next summer.
We have been thinking about the usual Christmas Fair – and feel we’d like to run a slightly more ‘up market’ event. We’re thinking of stalls and inviting in local businesses so that real Christmas shopping can happen. If you run a business that sells Christmas Fair type items or know someone who would be interested in taking part in a school Christmas Fair – please let us know. The Prefect team will run the tombola stall (and sell their hot chocolates) and School Council are planning the grotto this year with amazing activities such as ‘Find Santa and Make a Snowflake’. Hopefully the Friends of Hollygirt will run the House Hamper raffle again. Our plan is that all the Houses (who usually run ‘something’ at the Christmas Fair) will do this across the year and at a break and lunchtime one day to raise money for their individual house charity, freeing them up to peruse stalls with their families and do a bit of Christmas shopping. Let Lucy know if you have/know a stall holder or with any other idea (LucyWilkins@hollygirt.co.uk).
Thank you to our lovely Sixth Formers whose guidance is much appreciated at School Council and for offering to reinstate the much beloved Animé Club on Mondays at 1.15pm.
Huge congratulations to our Dodgeball teams (photo above) who this week who came 1st and 2nd in the City Championships – really impressive! Both teams beat Trent College, Bluecoat Trent Academy and Nottingham University Samworth Academy on the way to the finals match between our two teams. Well done to all the boys involved.
I’ve seen Year 11 this week to talk about How to Revise – to keep testing as recall aids recall – re-reading and highlighting are not nearly as effective and far more time consuming. How recall of information outs content into the long-term memory. These skills are needed for GCSEs – I wonder what you think about the schools that are introducing their own qualifications? Perhaps you could let me know.
This week’s Shout Out goes to Katy in Year 12 – click here for more info on her achievements – well done Katy.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Helen Barsham
Head
Message from the Deputy Head / Head of Prep
Good afternoon
This term seems to be going so quickly with now only two weeks until half term. The children are working so hard and it is great to see the progress they are already making. You should have received Parents’ Evening appointment times. If you cannot make these days, please let Form Teachers know and they will happily arrange an alternative appointment for you.
Next Tuesday 10th October, it is World Mental Health Day and we will be showing support by wearing something yellow.
Next Thursday 12th October, we will be holding our poetry assemblies. All children are involved and will perform at both performances. KS2 parents are invited to the 9.15am performance and EYFS and KS1 parents to the 2.30pm performance. These will take place in the Senior School Hall. Please sign in at Reception in the Senior School.
Next Friday, please feel free to join me for coffee from 8.30am to 9.00am in the Prep School library.
A reminder that the Friends of Hollygirt Christmas cards and order forms need to be returned to school by Friday 20th October.
Have a lovely weekend,
Victoria Wright
Deputy Head / Head of Prep
Message from the Head of Sixth Form
Good afternoon
The votes have been counted and the charity that the Sixth Form will support this year has been chosen. Each student put forward a charity that was close to their heart, and I am pleased to announce that Action Aid has been selected. We spent our enrichment afternoon being creative and planning lots of different fundraising activities, and wider community involvement.
We are very proud of our new Sixth Form – our students are studying hard and enjoying getting involved with school. We truly have something so special to offer – small class sizes and the ability to offer individualised support and study programmes, which is just not possible in larger sixth forms and colleges. I am relieved every day that I have moved here and can now give my students my full time and attention that they deserve, knowing that I just couldn’t provide this in my previous Sixth Form due to the numbers of students.
It is not the Hollygirt way to shout loudly in adverts – word of mouth is how most parents hear about us, and our supportive community then speaks for itself. I am seeking your support – please follow us on social media and repost / like our posts on the Sixth Form (and indeed any aspect of the school). This would help raise our profile and allow parents to know we are here as a very valuable option. Please pass on my email (alisonbrown@hollygirt.co.uk) to any parents who are considering sixth form options.
Your help would be really appreciated – as one of our new Year 12 parents said “If only I had heard about you sooner”.
Follow us on: Twitter / X Facebook Instagram
Have a lovely weekend,
Alison Brown
Head of Sixth Form