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COMMUNITY BUZZZZ

Gardening, singing, painting, writing, team-building, reading, litter-picking and more: WGS Citizenship Day 2023 really had it all!

Established in 2005 as part of the PSHCE curriculum, Citizenship Day was created to promote knowledge and understanding of current issues, as well as a sense of community. This year, the theme for the day is ‘Bee the Change’ - a sentiment that acknowledges our ability to make small changes ourselves which can have a lasting impact as well as acknowledging, through the symbol of the bee, our city’s unique flavour and needs. The focus of many of our external projects this year is gardening and sustainability. It became so apparent during lockdown how very important and valued our outdoor spaces are and we hope today that our gardening work in various locations will add some colour and have an impact on the lives of our local residents.

This year saw the largest range of external projects ever attempted on a WGS Citizenship Day. Year 9, 10 and 12 pupils were involved in a large range of community development projects in our local area. They have visited local primary and secondary schools, parks, Children’s Centres and even a football stadium to engage in activities such as painting, gardening, reading and litter collection. Some of our Year 10 pupils have also been involved with supporting our Junior School with their Citizenship Day activities and learning British Sign Language. Please see inside this publication for further information on individual projects.

Based in school for the day, pupils in Years 7 and 8 have worked on a number of different projects. This morning they had sessions on inclusion and team building as well as hearing from Melanie Bryan OBE about the British Honours system. In the afternoon, all girls had the opportunity to be creative and to produce artwork to brighten up the Deaf Society Centre and to decorate the School dining room for the afternoon tea party for our local Senior Citizens.

We are delighted that a large number of our local Senior Citizens came into school to see our fabulous production of Sister Act this afternoon. They were also treated to some delicious treats at the tea party prepared by some Year 10 girls and the Food and Nutrition Department. A large cast of pupils from all year groups are involved in Sister Act and we are sure that it will be an unforgettable performance.

Our Juniors have also enjoyed an action-packed Citizenship Day and have participated in an array of activities. They too have learnt about the Honours system in the UK and have heard about the work of Tay Jiva MBE as well as enjoying debates about who should be awarded honours and why. Some year groups have focused on gardening and neatening up our allotment whilst others have written poetry about the importance of community.

Buzzing around all of these activities, has been the media team who have been recording the day. They have interviewed, watched, joined in with and written about everything that has been done today; they are witness to all of our successes. Like the bees Mr Salter talked about in assembly this morning, WGS pupils really have spent their day “labouring for others”.

WITHINGTON GIRLS’ SCHOOL CITIZENSHIP DAY 2023

AT HOME...

DESERT ISLAND DISC...USSIONS

Year 7 pupils participated in a morning of team building activities which encouraged them to collaboratively discuss and solve hypothetical dilemmas in creative ways. The room was swarming with ideas as they worked on a ‘Stranded On A Desert Island’ activity which inspired them to think outside the box whilst debating the importance of 15 items, including objects such as a mirror, two boxes of chocolate and a can of shark repellent. After discussing their ideas within small groups, they then shared their final rankings with the year group. Following this activity they reflected on the importance of teamwork and what qualities contribute to a successful team.

A TRULY TERRIFIC TALK

Melanie Bryan OBE DL, an award-winning entrepreneur, delivered a talk to the year 8 students detailing the process of receiving an OBE from Princess Anne for her services to Social Enterprise and Women’s Enterprise. Bryan described how she spoke to Princess Anne for the better part of 6 minutes- how un-bee-lievable! She described the etiquette required when meeting the royal family and that it was necessary to curtsy, which she found very difficult to do in high heels! She believes that everyone can make a positive difference and that, if we all did so, the cumulative effect would be amazing.

SWARMING WITH ACTIVITY

The Junior school was buzzing with an array of exciting activities being enjoyed by all year groups. Transition put their creative hats on and brainstormed ideas for helping the community which they then turned into mind maps. Form I and some Senior School pupils joined forces to create presentations on inspiring individuals, including PowerPoints and raps. Both Lower II and Upper II researched CBEs, OBEs and MBEs, with Upper II having the opportunity to listen to an insightful talk from Tay Jiva MBE. They learned about the hard work required to receive an award and the resilience displayed by the recipients .

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

Today, selected Year 10 pupils attended a British Sign Language workshop given by Sara Shaukat. The pupils showed a great deal of respect, asking many insightful questions and actively participating. The session covered sensitivity towards those who communicate through British Sign Language, encouraging our pupils to “Bee the change”. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed learning the British Sign Language alphabet, and by the end of the session felt more confident in their ability to communicate with the wider community. The experience proved to be challenging, but rewarding, and we hope our pupils continue to use the skills they learnt today in future. Also, to the brighten up the Deaf Centre, pupils in years 7 and 8 have spent time today creating artwork.

PULLING THE RIGHT STRINGS

In preparation for Citizenship Day, several students participated in a harp designing competition, hosted by the art department. Our Lower Sixth Art students painted the winning designs from every Key Stage onto four electric harps, where they will be displayed in the music hub once painted and strung. One student remarked how, “the biggest challenge we faced was the proportions of the designs”. Despite these challenges, our students persevered and thrived in true Withington fashion, creating bee-utiful artwork.

BEYOND...

A. BEE.C

Eager to do their part to help the community, several students departed school this morning to help at various local children’s centres. The students took on a variety of roles, including painting the benches outside and cleaning up litter. When asked about their roles, they admitted that they found the work challenging but fulfilling and that they were happy to help. The students also partook in some gardening, brightening the outdoor areas and helping to make sure their community looked the best it could. Their bee-haviour was excellent throughout the day.

PARK LIFE

Pupils from Year 9 and 12 have spent the day painting, gardening and tidying up at Fletcher Moss and Fog Lane Parks. Lockdown showed us all the importance of going outdoors and the value of keeping parks and green spaces clean and we hope that our work today will add value to these beautiful parks. The two groups of Withington pupils used their teamwork skills and got to work litter picking, planting, painting benches and helping out around the area. Not only is the park now cleaner and brighter but the pupils also enjoyed spending a day out in the fresh air.

MASTERING THE SCIENCE SYLLA-BUZZ

Year 12 pupils embarked on a visit to Manchester Academy, passing through Platt Fields Park to do some litter picking en route - a way of helping both the environment and the local community. Upon arriving at the school, they received moderation training on how to apply mark schemes. They had a wonderful time in the Manchester Academy Science Department and were able to practise their scientific knowledge.

COLOURING IN CRINGLE

Our enthusiastic Year 10s set off on a 45 minute leisurely walk to Cringle Fields where they needed to get creative. Their task was to spray paint a mural of the name of the park. Community is at the centre of Citizenship Day and so brightening our shared spaces is incredibly rewarding. Using spray paint was a particular highlight for many of the pupils as this was their first time experimenting with this medium. At the end of the activity, the girls left the park with smiling faces, full hearts and a sense of pride in their new masterpiece.

BEE-LIEVE IN READING

Students from Year 9 and 12 visited Old Moat Primary School, where they worked with Year 5 and 6 during their Reading Festival. The children participated in a variety of activities: discussing their favourite children’s books, drawing new front covers for them and writing book reviews. The girls then worked with pupils to perform poetry readings in small groups to the rest of the year, as well as doing some one-on-one reading with them. Children’s books donated by Withington pupils were sorted and stocked in their school library. The primary children were very welcoming and enthusiastic, and the experience proved to be beneficial for both them and our helpers. Another team of Year 9 and 12 pupils acted as teaching assistants at St Kentigern’s Primary School.

SISTERS BY MY SIDE...

The day started off in the FTT room with pupils from Year 10 working hard together to create mouthwatering baked goods to serve in the interval of the muchanticipated school play: Sister Act. In a bid to be more environmentally friendly, students tried to minimize the amount of food waste generated whilst baking and, wherever possible, produce was locally sourced. The menu included: delicious pear

and ginger cake, lemon drizzle cake with homemade lemon curd and delectable chocolate dipped strawberry topped scones which were very much enjoyed by over a hundred Senior Citizens watching the show. The Year 8’s stained-glass windows were used as decorations for the afternoon tea tables. The whole audience thoroughly enjoyed both the matinee performance of Sister Act and the tasty tea.