BHHS Newsletter issue 17

c

elebr

•

76 -2016 18

r

s

ng•

0

a ye

Issue 17 February 2016

Dear Parents and Girls, This week the school had its Annual Review by GDST. The Trust holds us to account across a range of measures, including exam results, university destinations, pupil welfare and safeguarding and value for money. The best part for me is getting to show off everything the girls and staff have done over the year. As a parent who reads the newsletter you’ll know this stuff, of course. You’ll know how good this week’s Well Being activities have been, with circus skills for girls and a lecture for parents by the brilliant Sam Cartwright; you’ll know all about the wonderful performances of our girls, Hannah Fraser and Eloise Ockenden, at the GDST Young Musician of the Year; you’ll know all about the acclaimed performance of Gogol’s ‘The Overcoat’ by our talented Sixth Form drama students; you’ll know that the House Song competition is one of the highlights of the year - all of these activities are as important to share with Trust as any of the other data.

We are also held to account by our students: every girls is asked each year to give feedback on a wide range of issues, from learning and teaching styles and homework to topics in PHSE and the extra-curricular offer.

Parents, too, hold us to account. We get feedback about the good things we’ve done and about things we could improve. It’s always welcome and definitely constructive. However, not every parent has the chance to be heard and feedback tends to be about specific events or individual girls. We think it’s important, therefore, now and again to seek formally the views of our parents; to ask for feedback across a wide range of areas of school life so that we can assess how we are doing and how we can continue to improve our school.

And so, if you haven’t had a chance to complete the parent questionnaire that was sent out to you last week, do please take the opportunity to give us your views.

Have a good half-term.

Jennifer Smith

diary

Monday 15th - Friday 19th Half Term; Monday 22nd Staff Study Day; Hullabaloo Choir, 6:30-9:45pm; Wednesday 24th Y5 Science & Drama morning; Y9 & Y10 (small group) visit Glyndebourne; Y7 Parents’ Evening, 4:30pm; Thursday 25th P4&5 Y10 GCSE Drama rehearsal; Y10 GCSE Drama performance, 7pm; Friday 26th Y9 Student Voice; Springboard set up for Performing Arts Festival; Saturday 27th CRED Team training for Malawi trip (in school); Springboard Festival (Classical Singing & Choirs; Piano); Sunday 28th Springboard Festival (Classical Singing & Choirs; Piano; Guitar)

Family STEM Challenge Evening, Tuesday 15th March

We would like to invite you to enter a team for the Family STEM Challenge event we are running as part of British Science Week. Family groups with children from Year 3 all the way up to Year 13 are invited to take part. You will be challenged on all things STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths! So, pop on your logical hat, brush off those analytical shoes and get your problem solving brains down to the Senior School for an evening of hands-on challenges. More information to follow in a letter after half term. Mrs N Smith 2015-16 Issue 17: 1

a

ti

14

•

letter

Brighton & Hove High School GDSt

family STEM challenge th

tuesday 15 march, 6-7:30pm open to all family groups with children in Years 3-13

e

or

m 2015-16 Issue 17: 16: 2

fo

in

a

rm

n

tio

to

w

f

lo l o

r

a

fte

f

l a h

m

r te

Mrs N Smith

Brighton & hove high school GDST

27 days and counting! tickets will be on sale soon

Thursday 10th March 7pm Poster design - Emma Griffiths 2015-16 Issue 17: 3

Well-being Week

Well-being noun The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.

The science of ‘subjective well-being’ suggests that as well as experiencing good feelings, people need: •

a sense of individual vitality

•

to undertake activities which are meaningful, engaging, and which make them feel competent and autonomous

•

a stock of inner resources to help when things go wrong and be resilient to changes beyond their immediate control. (http://www.nationalaccountsofwellbeing.org/learn/what-is-well-being.html)

Here are just a selection of activities that took place this week...

Staff vs Student Netball & Tag Rugby

Healthy Eating Day

After teaching Mr Goold & Mr Whiteside the rules of netball the Year 11’s took home a resounding victory. As for Tag Rugby... A rematch has been scheduled for after half term!

2014-15 Issue 1: page xx

2015-16 Issue 17: 4

Circus Skills

Ahhaaaah! No not Tarzan, the new cast of Cirque du Soleil is in town. By far one of the most exciting events run this week pupils in Years 7-10 got the chance to try their hand at aerial silks and trapeze.

Stretch & Relaxation

Speakers Jeremy Thomas How to Stay Sane in an Insane World

& Dr Sam Cartwright Spoke to both girls and parents on 7 confident thoughts

And finally, many, many

smiles!

2014-15 Issue 17: 2015-16 1: page 5 xx

young instrumenatalist/ singer of the year

Over the past 3 days two BHHS girls, Eloise Ockenden and Hannah Fraser, have been participating in the GDST Young Musician competition held at Wimbledon High School. The frenetic rehearsal and performance schedule culminated in the grand final which was held in the magnificent surroundings of St John’s Smith Square in central London.

Eloise and Hannah have been preparing for the competition since last November when they won through in our school heats. As expected the competition was very tough with some truly outstanding performers on display; although they performed brilliantly and represented the school magnificently unfortunately they did not get selected to perform as soloists in the grand final. They did, however, get a chance to perform last night as part of the premiere of a specially commissioned piece by the young female composer GraceEvangeline Mason.

The standard of musicianship on display in the final was outstanding and I am sure that we will be hearing a lot in the future from the 8 girls who performed. The instrumental section was won by a violinist from Oxford who included a performance of Pederecki’s Cadenza in her programme and the winning vocalist came from Wimbledon High School.

Mr Lloyd

IET faraday challenge

On Tuesday 2nd February, Isabelle Hoffelner, Jess Hunt, Mia Barrow, Hannah Shaw, Jenna Thomas & Katie Stern took part in the IET Faraday Challenge at Lancing College.

The team had to apply their ICT, mathematical and scientific skills to design two products through micro-bit coding. The girls demonstrated excellent teamwork and gave a very good presentation, narrowly failing to win. The teachers in attendance also had to form a team to do the same tasks, but the less said about that, the better!

2015-16 Issue 17: 6

sixthform

The Ove r

coa

Nik ola i Gog ol

t

Wed Tuesd ne ay

sda 9 The Sixth Form Theatre Studies group put Dramy 10 th Fe brua a St ry 7PM udio on an superb performance of Nikolai Gogol’s Perf orme d by th Dire ‘The Overcoat’ this week. A highly stylised piece about cted the e

by M Sixth Cost iss D Form umes

by M a transformative power of a new overcoat taught us a lesson rs S invin chilt sense and to be mindful of the emphasis we put on fashion.

Thank you to everyone who came and supported it and especially to those who came on both nights! “Bravo” girls, it truly was excellent.

Miss Waller Ligh

ting

(Con

by M iss W alle Mrs

tact

miss

trip...

th

walle

Schil

t or r your to reserv e seat )

r

Earlier this month Year 9 travelled to Munich and really enjoyed their visit to the beautiful city. Despite its size, Munich has a relaxed and cosy atmosphere. They managed to take in all the sights in a short space of time. There were fantastic views of Munich and the Alps from the top of the 190 metre high tower in the Olympic park and plenty of opportunities to practise German on nice Munich residents and to follow their tradition of wearing funny hats for the carnival ! On the last night Year 9 practised their teaching skills by setting the teachers a quiz on texting speech. The teachers needed a lot of clues!

Year 9

2014-15 Issue 17: 2015-16 1: page 7 xx

year

masterclasses

saturday 6th february

Last Saturday Masterclasses took place for Years 4 & 5 in variety of subjects. The day was very much enjoyed by all participants and there was a great atmosphere all around the school.

We had workshops covering Roman Medicine, Detectives in Drama, Being Your Own Poem, French Food, Volcanoes, HE snacks on sticks, BHHS Stomps, Pop Lacrosse, Spanish animals and some Bunsen Funsen with Mr Marsh!

Recommendations from the RE &Philosophy Department Mrs Dowglass

religious

22nd February | Chinese | LANTERN FESTIVAL This is the Lantern Festival which marks the first full moon of the year and the lengthening of the days. Strings of lanterns in various designs are hung out as decoration.

tv radio

Saturday 13th February| BBC2, 11:15pm | There will be Blood Film featuring Daniel Day Lewis covering oil, ethics and religion 2015-16 Issue 17: 8

elebr

a

r

s

ng•

76 -2016 18

ti

14

•

Dear Parents,

School

c

•

Brighton & Hove High School GDST

0

a ye

As we approach half term I feel we can look back on the last few weeks with pride. I am particularly delighted that all the hard work put in by the Year 6 girls (and their teachers!) has paid off with the receiving of offers from Senior Schools. Some have also gained well deserved awards in a number of areas. Many thanks to everyone in the 140 Fitness Fun which was a great success. Our particular thanks to Jo Phillimore and Christina Kortens for giving their time and added enthusiasm! The second half of term is equally action packed so I do hope everyone has a restful half term break.

Best wishes.

Sian Cattaneo

calendar

Monday 22nd School closed for staff study day Tuesday 23rd Junior Clubs resume

2.1 Parent Lunch, 12 noon Wednesday 24th Y5 Drama and Science Morning (with lunch at Senior School);

U-11A&C Netball v St Andrews (Eastbourne)

U-8A&B, U-9A&B and U-10A&B Netball v St Andrews Home th Thursday 25 U-8 to U-11 Swimming Gala at Hurst

Pre-school Open Morning 9-10:30am

Parents’ Evening, Nursery-Year 6, 5-7:30pm Friday 26th PA Coffee Morning, U-10 Netball Tournament v Handcross Park th Saturday 27 U-10 Netball Tournament at Burgess Hill

dates for your diary...

Junior Class Photos Have been moved from 3rd May to Wednesday 8th June, from 8:30am.

reminders...

Pupil arrival times Girls in Reception to Year 6 should arrive in school no later than 8:30am, otherwise they will be marked as late in the register. Nursery girls should arrive in school by 8:45am.

Hockey Club After half term the finish time will be 4:45pm. **Please can you start collecting your Sainsbury’s Vouchers over half term** 2014-15 Issue 1: page xx

2015-16 Issue 17: 9

club

In Creative Club we learnt how Shrove Tuesday is celebrated in other places and focussed on the Mardi Gras carnival. They made carnival masks and scarves and we listened to some New Orleans songs from the Disney film “The Princess and the Frog”.

fairtrade breakfast friday4th when? 8:15-9:30am where? Dining room why?

To raise awareness of Fairtrade During Fairtrade Fortnight (29th February-13th March) we are going to hold a drop in coffee morning/breakfast where we will be serving Fairtrade teas, coffees and juices. We will also be selling crepes with a variety of Fairtrade toppings.

Why do we need to raise awareness of Fairtrade?

When people are paid a fairer price, they can have more control over their lives when times are hard, and worry less about how they will feed their families. Whether it’s the extra cash in their pockets or being able to expand their farms to grow more food to eat, Fairtrade means many farmers and workers are able to fulfil a basic human need – to put enough food on the table for the people they care about, all year round.

2015-16 Issue 17: 10

500 words competition

Do you think you can write an original fictional story in under 500 words? We are looking for entrants into the BBC 2 500 words competition. Children need to write an original story on any subject or theme in 500 Words or fewer and send it to Miss Mackey who will submit it online. If they win, their story will be read live on the radio by a superstar celebrity… like Sir Kenneth Branagh, Jeremy Irons, Hugh Bonneville or Sherlock himself - Benedict Cumberbatch. Winners will rub shoulders with the world’s biggest celebrities and massive pop-stars performing at the final.

The competition has two age categories: • 5-9 and 10-13 • There are bronze, silver and gold prizes in each category.

• Entries are judged on the following features and must (of course) be less than 500 words in length - Originality, Plot, Characterisation, Language and Enjoyment Instructions • Type up your story on a computer (ask a grown-up if you need help).

• When you’ve finished your story, select it all and copy it to the computer’s clipboard (CTRL + C on your keyboard).

• You can then paste the words into an e-mail to Miss Mackey at l.mackey@ bhhs.gdst.net and she will submit it on behalf of the school. You must e-mail it before Thursday 25th February or it will miss the deadline. Please write “500 Words” in the title of the e-mail so it gets recognised straight away!

• Remember - you can only enter the competition once so if you are entering at home then don’t send your writing to school.

year2

Year 2 have been learning about volcanoes for their ‘Back to the Future’ topic. We made volcanoes in our art lessons and got to see them erupt which was very exciting as was seeing the lava bubble.

2015-16 Issue 17: 11

year5

Year 5 rounded off their ‘Changes in Materials’ science topic by observing the permanent and irreversible changes that occur when we bake cakes. They enjoyed mixing, beating and heating the mixture and then they tasted their experiment. A delicious end to a fascinating topic!

reception

Reception were very excited to be performing their rendition of Chicken Little to their friends and family. Those who were lucky enough to witness the spectacle will surely agree that they did a fabulous job. It was brilliant to see such enthusiasm and hear such clear and expressive voices. They certainly are little stars in the making. Thank you to all the parents who came up with some amazing costumes; your participation is much appreciated.

schoolcouncil

A MESSAGE FROM SCHOOL COUNCIL... Hello, we meet regularly with Miss Parker to discuss new initiatives, share ideas and discuss any concerns. Please come and talk to us at playtime if you have anything you would like us to take to a council meeting. We are happy to help and we look forward to hearing from you.

WORLD BOOK DAY... This year will held be on Thursday 3rd March and we invite girls to come to school dressed as a book character and, where possible, bring the book with them. In addition to the day’s activities our School Council would like to hold a competition.

COMPETITION... School Council are hosting a Book in a Box/Bag competition and we would love to have as many entries as possible. You can be any age to enter. All you need to do is recreate a scene from a well-known book inside a box (shoe boxes work well) or, to enter a bag find and fill it with things that relate to a book. These could be used as props if you wanted to tell the story. Your entries will be displayed with the idea that people can guess your book. There will be one winner for each year group and they will receive a certificate and a prize. Entries need to be in by Tuesday 1st March and can be taken to Miss Parker’s office. We will be giving more details in an assembly after half term but thought that some of you may enjoy getting started next week! We really look forward to seeing your entries.

2015-16 Issue 17: 12

match

This week’s STAR MATCH: U-10 Netball v Sion, win 5-3 Star Player, Ava L and Coaches’ Player Martha

The U-10s played at home against Sion this week with a starting line up from GS to GK of Alicia, Isabella, Freyja, Lily, Ava H, Lila and Martha.

We took command of the game from the start with some nice interchanging of passes and went into an early lead with two goals from Isabella who worked well with Alicia in the circle. Sion pulled one goal back but we stretched our lead to 3-1 by quarter time. We brought on our substitutes, Ava L and Chloe, and they slotted into the tempo of the game easily. We continued to have the majority of the play but on occasion didn’t make use of the whole court and our passing let us down. We did however manage to score another goal giving a half time score of 4-1. We tried using the game as a training aid and switched quite a few of our squad around to give them the opportunity to play different positions. We failed to score in the third quarter and with Sion converting one of their few opportunities we retained a lead of 4-2 into the final quarter. We switched player positions again and showed good versatility. Both teams played well making fluent passes and vital interceptions. Both teams added one goal to their tally giving a final score of 5-3.

For full match reports check out our Firefly page:

https://bhhsjuniors.fireflycloud.net/match-reports

year4

Year 4 have spent the past few weeks working on a Food Technology project about designing and making sandwiches. The project covered all kinds of different topics, such as healthy eating, hygiene, safety with knives and of course taste and texture. The girls discussed the advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of bread and also explored a range of ways to wrap their sandwiches to keep them fresh overnight.

Part of the project was to design and make a personalised carrier bag to take the sandwich to a picnic. After weeks of planning and a great deal of original and thoughtful input from the girls, Mrs Hadfield did an internet shopping order for ingredients as diverse and varied as pulled pork, chargrilled chicken, blueberries, strawberries and parmesan cheese. The girls made their sandwiches in hygienic and safe conditions and packed them in a range of ways. The next day the sandwiches were transported to the picnic successfully in some beautiful bags and thoroughly enjoyed.

2015-16 Issue 17: 13

family STEM challenge th

tuesday 15 march, 6-7:30pm open to all family groups with children in Years 3-13

e

or

m 2015-16 Issue 17: 14

fo

in

a

rm

n

tio

to

w

f

lo l o

r

a

fte

f

l a h

m

r te

Mrs N Smith

Brighton & hove high school GDST

is moving to…

Brighton and Hove High, Junior School Junior School Hall Radinden Manor Road, Hove.

Every Wednesday, 7.45pm – 9.45pm from Wednesday 9th March £5 per week

Including fresh coffee/tea and biscuits Brighton Voices is a non-auditioning community choir for adults of all musical abilities. Come and try us out!

Musical Director - Nick Andrews Email: louiseandrews@live.co.uk

Brighton and Hove Parents Association Presents

Nearly New Uniform Sale 8.30am - 10am

Friday February 26th we will have a nearly new uniform rail in the dining room to coincide with our coffee mornings. If you have uniform to sell then please see information below. * Uniform must be in good condition, clean and on a hanger. No tights please * You can bring your uniform in any time from Monday February 8th and leave at the entrance. * All items must have a label attatched with your daughters name clearly written on the back and the size and price on the front. As a guide we recommend around 1/3 of the original price. * You must also attatch an envelope to one of the items with your daughters name on the front and the slip below Ăžlled out inside it. We will have spare slips with us on the morning * If your item sells you will receive 70% of the asking price and the remaining 30% will go to the PA * If your item does not sell you may take it back after the sale at 10am, leave it with us until the next sale, donate it to the PA or we will return items on the day. Please specify below.

As I am sure you will appreciate we cannot be responsible for the unlikely event of items that may go missing or get damaged. ..............................................................................................................................................

Daughters name......................................Your name.................................

Coffee Morning &

Nearly New Uniform Sale

Friday 26th February 8:30am - 10:00am

Year.........................................................

A contact number........................................ email..................................

How many items do you have to sell?..........................

Unsold items Donate...............................Return...............................Store for next sale ...................

Junior School Dining Hall