Happy Diwali to all of our school community
Message from the Head
Dear Parents,
I hope you had a good half term and managed some time as a family. We drove to Spain rather than fly so that I could take Rusty, but it was amazing to see and experience France and Spain from the Earth – ‘terra firma’ perspective rather than the air.
We started the week with our lovely Sixth Formers delivering a hard hitting (no apologies) assembly about the dangers of vaping. One of the main themes that was emphasised was the lack of knowledge and research about the dangers of vaping. We simply don’t know what we’re dealing with. You can find this here.
Today’s assembly was a poignant reminder to remember those involved in conflict. Thank you to Mrs Griffiths and team for an assembly that not only encourages us to remember the soldiers of the World Wars but all those involved in today’s conflicts. Mrs Griffiths mentioned the display on her classroom window which is intended to remain there until conflict in the world ends and was inspired by Mr Dean’s words ‘Compassion for all involved in conflict’. We did remember today as the school met on The Elms in silence for 2 minutes at 11.00am.
Yesterday Mr Khan from the Charity Muslim Hands which runs the Open Kitchen on Mansfield Road came to collect the Harvest donations. He was amazed by the amount of donations and said that he never expected so much. He wanted to pass on his thanks to pupils and parents for their generosity. We know that the food will go to good use helping those in need and in food poverty in Nottingham. Thank you to all of our school community and to Mrs Griffiths for organising.
I also met with our new local beat officer this week and good to know that the police are always keen to hear from us as a school and will keep us posted with any information too. We benefit from a good relationship with PCSO Kelly and Emily too and they will be helping us with our assembly schedule and other issues that may arise.
The National Youth Orchestra will be performing at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall on Friday 5th January – and have offered free tickets to everyone under 19 years of age. Our deadline for tickets has been extended to Friday 24th November and we have now extended this invite to include Year 5 and 6 – more information will be emailed out next week. Thank you to Miss Seaton and Mr Shahrokhshahi for organising this for our students.
Helen Barsham
Head
This week’s shout out goes to Paige in Year 7 – see here. Please do email Lucy at lucywilkins@hollygirt.co.uk if you’d like a ‘shout out’ for a talent outside of school.
Message from the Head of Prep
Good afternoon,
I hope you all had a lovely half term break. A huge welcome to our new children who have settled in so well already.
Yesterday, we took two teams to compete in a netball tournament. One team won 2 and drew 1 of their matches. The other team had tough opponents but showed great spirit and kept playing to the end! Thank you to Mrs Keyworth, Mrs Mason and also to parents who came to spectate.
Today, Years 1 and 2 are on their rearranged trip to Bolsover Castle. I look forward to hearing all about it when they return.
Next week is Anti-Bullying Week and we begin this with Odd Socks Day on Monday. Children should come to school in uniform but if they wish to, wearing odd socks to celebrate that we are all unique. Please bring in £1 which is donated to the Anti-Bullying Alliance. Throughout the week, we will be participating in various activities and assemblies on this theme which this year, is ‘Make a Noise about Bullying’.
It is also Children in Need next week and on Thursday, Year 6 will be holding a bake sale. On Friday, children can wear any spotty accessories and we ask that they also bring in £1 for this. During the week, we will be participating in the Bearpee challenge, aiming for a collective 2000 over the course of the week.
Have a lovely weekend,
Victoria Wright
Head of Prep
Message from the Head of Sixth Form
Good afternoon,
Building key skills for life
Organisations can sometimes complain that school leavers are not equipped with key skills for success in the workplace. The ability to present confidently is crucial in many careers, and so it is of real value to build students oracy skills and confidence. Two of our Year 12 students created and delivered an assembly to the whole of Senior School this week on the topic of vaping. Having students lead this assembly meant that a very powerful message was delivered on this crucial topic for young people’s health and wellbeing. The Sixth Formers had asked to do this, showing both our belief in the importance of student voice, and how an individual’s voice is much louder in our small Sixth Form. Providing these bespoke opportunities means that our sixth formers will be well prepared for their futures. I commend them for their planning and their confident delivery of the assembly – something many adults wouldn’t like to do! A very proud moment.
The second Sixth Form Open Evening will take place on Thursday 23rd November, and families are most welcome to attend if they were unable to attend our main event. Please get in touch for further details at alisonbrown@hollygirt.co.uk.
Have a lovely weekend,
Alison Brown
Head of Sixth Form