Message from the Head
Dear Parents,
This week started with our Year 11 Prefect team delivering assembly and reminding the whole school community about their roles: well-being, mentoring, helpfulness to name but a few. My thanks to the Prefects for their hard work and support of the younger years.
At lunchtime on Monday, Junior Eco Representatives visited Senior Eco Representatives. The juniors liked the seniors’ ideas for stickers for acts that help with climate change and the seniors liked the idea of a sponsored screen/gadget free time. It was a useful exchange of junior and senior ideas.
By Monday evening, we were welcoming Year 11s from other schools to our ‘external’ Sixth Form evening event where we dazzled with our plans for the new Sixth Form. We will be having some taster sessions for our internal and external students in their chosen subjects on certain days in January. The advert for the new Head of Sixth Form is out and you can read for yourselves the sort of person that we are looking for in this important developmental role (link here). That was just Monday – throw in a Senior Leadership Meeting too!
Later in the week I met with Mr Firth and Mr Rollinson to look at our departmental development plans. These are strategic documents for all the subjects in school and reflect the school development plan but at a departmental level. We are looking closely at more able provision, staff CPD especially with the onset of a Sixth Form, national competitions, further opportunities for extra-curricular development within a subject and much more. We also spent some time looking at Year 10 data and plan to look at Year 7 to 9 data next week just as short reports arrive home next Friday for Year 7-10 but long reports (weekend proofreading homework) for Year 11.
Thursday brought National Christmas Jumper Day……..
Next week sees the House Reward trip – congratulations to Clumber for the most house points for courtesy, respect, kindness, Hollygirtness and I hope that the Christmas lunch is not bounced ‘up’?
This time next week, we will be handing over to you. School finishes at 12.15pm but we will feed all the students pizza before they leave.
Have a good weekend,
Helen Barsham
Head
Message from the Head of Juniors
Good afternoon,
We have had such a lovely week in juniors. The singing in the Victoria Centre on Wednesday was beautiful and it was great to see so many of you there to support us. I received many wonderful comments from people who stopped to listen.
Early Years visited Nottingham Playhouse yesterday to watch Goldilocks and The Three Bears and thoroughly enjoyed this performance. This was followed by the disco for Juniors which was a great success. Thank you to the Friends of Hollygirt and Mrs Maher and Miss Nisan for organising this (and delivering this with such great energy), and to everyone who helped out on the night.
Thank you so much for all the donations of presents which Mrs Wand delivered to the Great Notts Christmas Toy Appeal yesterday. We know how much they will be appreciated.
A reminder that the Christmas Post Box is in Junior School. Please post your cards and our Year 6 children will sort and deliver them. Please remember to include class names on the envelopes.
If children in Years 4, 5 and 6 have not yet brought in Secret Santa gifts, please could these be brought in on Monday or Tuesday.
Rehearsals are ongoing and we are very much looking forward to the Christmas Productions on Tuesday. KS2 will need to bring their costumes to school on Monday for a dress rehearsal.
Wednesday is our Christmas lunch and after this, Years 1 to 6 will be walking to Nottingham Playhouse to watch the pantomime. A reminder that children should be collected from Nottingham Playhouse at 5.00pm; please telephone Nottingham Playhouse on the day for exact timings.
On Thursday afternoon, juniors will be visiting the Senior Christmas Fair. In the evening, it is the Carol Service. KS2 are singing and are all expected to attend; they need to be at St. Peter’s Church for 5.15pm. Younger children are most welcome to join us and sit with parents. If you do arrive earlier, refreshments will be available from 5.00pm.
Next Friday is the last day of term and we finish at 12.15pm. It is a non-uniform day and we ask that children bring in an item for a local food bank.
Have a lovely weekend
Victoria Wright
Head of Juniors