Newsletter
Issue 49 / October 2014
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A word from the Head Teacher As I end my first half term as the new Head Teacher I would like to give a special thank you to the whole SGHS community - students and staff alike, who have made me feel exceedingly proud of what they have achieved in the last 7 weeks.
I would like to give a special thank you to the whole SGHS community - students and staff alike, who have made me feel exceedingly proud of what they have achieved in the last 7 weeks.
Skipton Girls’ High School is an outstanding school, one that has its heart in the community and the town, and whilst some students travel great distances to attend our school many of them are involved in community activities, volunteering, business and social enterprises within the Skipton Community. Last year over 50% of our Year 12 group were involved in supporting local primary schools in aspects of literacy and numeracy; a partnership we are very keen to further develop. Looking ahead, girls from across the school will be involved in the many aspects of Skipton's Christmas and Yuletide Festival celebrating Skipton’s new status as a Fairtrade Town - a cause I personally feel passionate about. Being one of the first ever Teaching Schools means we are known as a National Support School. This commits us to work with other schools locally and nationally to continually drive up standards. Our residing belief is that every child deserves the very best education possible.
Underlying our commitment is the need to ensure that the students at SGHS get the very best education possible and, whilst supporting other schools, our relentless focus will always remain on providing teaching and learning experiences of the highest quality in a safe and secure learning environment, so that our school continues to grow and thrive. I would urge students, parents and carers to read about our exciting New Build which commences in the coming weeks. In securing capital funding for the very first time, we have the opportunity to design and construct a highly innovative, sustainable and cutting-edge learning facility at the centre of our school environment - and being SGHS we are using every opportunity to contextualise learning for our students by involving them in the whole ‘building’ process. I would like to wish all students and families a restful half term holiday. Mrs J Plews Head Teacher
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Skipton Girls’ High School and Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance Teaching and Learning Conference
The year started with our superb teaching and learning conference on 2nd September at Heaton Mount Conference Centre. Our absolute commitment to continual professional development was encapsulated in the theme, “Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” We were delighted to welcome as our guest speaker, David Weston, Chief Executive of the Teacher Development Trust who spoke inspiringly about the power of professional learning for everyone involved in school life. Our students led equally inspiring workshops on many different aspects of teaching and learning across the school.
Workshop Titles • ‘Developing Independent Learners’ in Mathematics • ‘Extended Learning , Enterprise , Innovation, Dynamism’ in the faculty of Engineering, Enterprise, ICT and Design • ‘Creativity and Engagement’ in English and Communications • 'Collaboration, Context and Communication’ in Modern Foreign Languages and Expressive Arts • ‘Words, numbers and machines’ in Science • ‘Global learning and quality feedback’ in Humanities • ‘Through the Key-hole of Student Progress’
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Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is. - Isaac Asimov
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Skipton Students Delight Local Literary Luminaries The talented and enterprising students of Skipton Girls’ High School have been taking advantage of our local literary links at the Ilkley Literature Festival! Ranging from Year 7 to Year 13, our students’ creativity seems to know no bounds. Indeed, there are students who became poetry and short story experts, sending their work to be judged by prestigious Literature Festival luminaries. Director of the Literature Festival, Rachel Feldberg, claims she was “delighted to say that Skipton Girls’ High School have an almost unprecedented number of winners” for the ‘Cool Voices’ writing competition. Particular credit should be given to Amy Ball, Isabel Louise Carmichael-Davis and Isabel Wood for achieving first prize places. Also commended are Abigail Gleghorn, Sarah Greenwood, Megan Hookey, Megan Smith, Bethan Batson, Rebecca Ketteman and Emily Boulter.
Literature Festival’s ‘Newspaper in a Day’ workshop. Quite a mean feat, Charlotte worked collaboratively to produce a professional piece of journalism, after input from some local experts. She receives special mention from the event coordinator, Andrea Hardaker, who commended Charlotte personally, stating, “I just wanted to say how impressed I was with Charlotte, who worked very hard and wrote a great article.”
Director of the Literature Festival, Rachel Feldberg, claims she was “delighted to say that Skipton Girls’ High School have an almost unprecedented number of winners.”
These students were invited, along with their families, to attend a showcase of their outstanding work at an event at Otley Courthouse Arts Centre on Friday, 17th October. Some of these students were asked to provide dramatic readings for a large audience, during which many spectators commented upon their confidence and eloquence, as well as their writing talent. “Many congratulations to them all!” beams Rachel Feldberg. We are also delighted to congratulate Charlotte Harrison, who applied her journalistic skills in the
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The director of the festival has remarked upon the calibre of creative and technical writing the students here at Skipton Girls’ have demonstrated. A deserved well done should go to all staff, parents and students involved in this.
We are proud to have among our student body some motivated and competitive writers! Mrs V Fox Learning Director: English and Communications
Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance News Skipton Girls’ High School was designated a Teaching School in 2012 and, together with Feversham College in Bradford, leads the Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance. The Alliance has member schools across the southern end of the Yorkshire Dales, East Lancashire and Bradford. Secondary, primary and special school partners in rural and inner city settings work in collaboration to bring a rich diversity to the work we do and the opportunities we can offer.
Northern Lights School Centred Initial Teacher Training Following the success of our School Direct teacher training programmes over the last two years, we are delighted that our bid to become an accredited teacher training provider was successful. This means that in future we will be able to deliver and accredit high quality training within our Alliance of schools. School Centred Initial Teacher Training means that our trainees will benefit from being in a school environment for the entire programme. We will work in partnership with Leeds Trinity University so that our trainees have access to the highest academic standards to complement their practical training. As well as delivering a secondary PGCE through the Northern Lights SCITT in English, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, History and Geography, we will continue to offer a postgraduate School Direct training programme for Primary trainees for both general primary (5-11) and Early Years Foundation Stage (3-7). Applications for all our courses are made through UCAS and we will be interviewing from mid-November onwards. If you or someone you know is considering a career in teaching, further information about the NLTSA teacher training programmes can be found on the website: northernlightstsa.org
The Northern Lights Science Learning Partnership A collaboration between Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance and Science Learning Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, the Partnership has had an exciting start to the new academic year. A programme of excellent professional development opportunities for primary and secondary teachers in the area is offered this Autumn. This includes a suite of A level Science support courses, a half day conference and bespoke training which can be tailored to the needs of individual schools and groups of schools. Our Alliance is also the Lead for the Triple Science Network - a launch event on Friday 28th November at the STEM CENTRE in Bradford will feature the Astrobiologist, Lewis Dartnell, as keynote speaker. More information about a wide range of activities is available on our website: northernlightstsa.org
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In Brief: What’s going on at SGHS? National Citizenship Programme Mental Wellbeing On the 9th October, the charity Mind delivered a presentation to the Sixth Form on Mental Wellbeing. The aim of the talk was to increase our students’ knowledge and understanding of mental health awareness, with the primary objective of raising awareness of mental health and mental health stigma. The talk also included tips and advice on exam pressure and how to relieve stress and anxiety. Mr Blythe said “I’m acutely aware of the impact mental and emotional wellbeing has on our students’ ability to achieve in all aspects of their lives. Bringing the charity Mind to Skipton Girls’ High School to deliver an interactive presentation on mental health in the Sixth Form will help to develop our students’ understanding of the issues, whilst also providing vital support to sixth form students at Skipton Girls’ High School.” Mr M Blythe Learning Director: Post 16
We recently invited the National Citizen Service (NCS) to talk to Year 12 students about the NCS programmes and how they can become involved. The talk took place on Thursday 16th October 2014. The NCS programme is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a high value national programme, whilst adding experience and skills to their personal statement and CVs for the future. It is also a programme recognised by UCAS and a growing number of local and national organisations.
During the coming half term, students have the opportunity to apply to be one of thousands of young people taking part in the National Citizen Service this year. The scheme provides students with the opportunity to develop skills and experience in leadership, communication, and teamwork while performing valuable volunteering work in the community and meeting students from across the country. If you are in Year 12, to find out more, or to apply, please speak to Mr Blythe.
Student Finance Talk In preparation for students starting to think about University, the Government Student Finance team visited Skipton Girls’ High School on the 25th September to deliver a presentation to our Sixth Form on Student Finance. The presentation gave our Sixth Form students advice and understanding about the cost of university and the issues regarding repayment. Mr Blythe said “This talk was vitally important as our students in the Sixth Form are beginning to think about their future once they leave Skipton Girls’ High School and for many students the prospect of University carries a lot of confusion concerning the financial situation they will find themselves in during their time of study and after they have completed their University courses. Therefore the presentation allowed our students to find out the answers to many of their questions regarding how they will finance their Higher Education.” Mr M Blythe, Learning Director: Post 16
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Wir lieben Deutschland! In the last week of summer term in Year 12 we went on the SGHSEGS German work experience exchange to Simbach am Inn in Bavaria, Germany. We spent the week doing work experience in primary schools and in a printworks to develop our linguistic skills. We had a fantastic time experiencing the German culture, and we found the atmosphere during the Football World Cup particularly amazing! We also found the exchange extremely beneficial to our German studies, especially having to speak spontaneously to our exchange partners and at work. We would highly encourage anyone who is studying a language to spend time abroad in order to expand your cultural knowledge, as well as having a great week with friends, both English and German! Lucy Hirst, Emily Hinchcliffe and Ellie Smith Year 13
Peer Mentoring in the Sixth Form On the 19th September all students in Year 12 were trained to be Peer Mentors Sixth Form offers the opportunity for students in Year 12 to apply to be Peer Mentors, where older students support our students academically in KS3 and KS5. Sixth Form students who are chosen to be Peer Mentors are given a great amount of responsibility in helping the younger Year Groups in the school community. As a Peer Mentor the Year 12 students are there to listen, encourage, reassure and support younger students’ academic progress. The Peer Mentoring programme operates alongside our normal support system of Personal Tutor, Class Teacher and Student Progress
but at SGHS we are aware that there are times when a student feels they can benefit from another student who understands her; who has ‘been there, done that’. Peer Mentoring within the Sixth Form has a comprehensive initial training programme, run by the teaching and support staff at Skipton Girls’, which all Peer Mentors must complete before undertaking any mentoring. After their initial training, subject teachers and Curriculum Leaders will hold meetings with the Peer Mentors to cover any subject specific areas and to offer further guidance. Peer Mentoring offers our students in the Sixth Form the opportunity to develop a range of skills from problem solving to communication skills while working with a variety of younger students in both KS3 and KS4, drawing on student expertise, willingness and enthusiasm. Mr Blythe Learning Director: Post 16
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Year 12 Art Trip to Whitby Exciting, adventurous and tiring. Runswick Bay was the best part and allowed me to try adventurous photographic techniques. - Martha Smith
Pictures, sun and ice cream. It was great weather and Robin Hood’s Bay is my favourite place.
Fun, tiring and beautiful scenery. I loved walking on the pier at night time and getting fish and chips!
Photography, fun and food! Loved walking on the pier at night and looking around the Abbey in the lovely weather.
- Ashleigh Bates
- Lana Moorhouse
On Friday 26th September, the Year 13 History students had a trip to Leeds University Library to do some research for our A Level Coursework. Our coursework is about anti-Semitism in the 18th and 19th century in one of France, Britain or Germany, with topics including economy, religion, political leadership and propaganda.
able to search through hundreds of books to increase our knowledge on our chosen topics. It was a really good experience as it gave us a taster of university life and allowed us to experience learning in a different and more individual way as our research was in our own hands.
- Annabel Cass
Year 13 History Coursework Trip to the Brotherton Library, Leeds University
We learned how to use the university library system and were
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Maddey Watson and Lucy Rutherford Year 13
Solutions for the Planet Four Year 9 Skipton Girls’ High School teams: ‘Helmon’, ‘Recycle to Cycle’, ‘Connecting the Dots’ and ‘Energize’ reached the Grand Finals of a national enterprise competition: Solutions for the Planet. The final took place in London at the Palace of Westminster on Wednesday 16th July. In the final, the four teams each produced fantastic presentations and business plans, winning themselves a great deal of praise from senior business people, teachers and pupils from other schools. A part of the day included a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster; a privilege reserved for very few people.
A part of the day included a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster; a privilege reserved for very few people.
The students presented their ideas in the Atlee Suite, often seen on TV when committees are televised from there. Overall, all the teams have been very successful throughout the year and I must pass on my congratulations to team Helmon who won the overall first prize in this national competition. If you have a ‘Big Idea’ to help the school, your community or the planet, you could be on the train to London next year! Mr M Blythe Learning Director: Post 16
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International Slavery Museum We are learning about prejudice, discrimination and slavery.
On Tuesday 7th of October the whole of Year 8 went on a trip to Liverpool to visit the International Slavery Museum. This trip was organised by the Humanities faculty to support our studies in Religious Studies and History, where we are learning about prejudice, discrimination and slavery. There, we learnt a lot about how people felt when they were discriminated against. We found lots of personal accounts and quotes from people who have suffered prejudice ‘I am a victim of continuous persecution, even here in the UK’. We mainly learnt about slavery and what terrible conditions they had to suffer and how cruelly
they were treated. We saw models and drawings of the ships and learnt about the journey from their homes in Africa to working on the plantations in America. Sometimes the captured Africans had to walk hundreds of miles to get to the slave ships and they were then squeezed in and chained up next to each other with no room to move. To keep healthy on board the ships they had to dance. Once they reached America they were sold and were enslaved on the plantations. The freedom and enslavement wall was very powerful as it had quotes from many different slaves for example, “Home is now a dream I sometimes dare to recall.” There was also a section on the Civil Rights movement in the USA and the work of people such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. Tiegan Adam 8F (Left) Although some parts were quite upsetting, we learnt loads and had an interesting day.
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Higher Education Trip to Cambridge As part of higher education week, a group of Year 11s and 12s went down to Cambridge for 2 days. In partnership with Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School, we attended a number of very useful sessions about applying to university and university life. We arrived at Murray Edwards College on the first day. Murray Edwards College is a modern, all girls’ college on the outskirts of Cambridge centre. Unlike the historical colleges at Cambridge, Murray Edwards boasts contemporary architecture and facilities. The college will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year. Firstly we were treated to a lovely dinner at the college canteen, where I and a group of Year 12s got the opportunity to talk to a student who had just graduated. After lunch, we attended a workshop session on interview technique, what to expect in an interview and an insight into how the interviewer would decide whether you were a viable candidate. This was followed by a short tour of the college which involved going out into the gardens of the college and a trip to some of the rooms used by the students to relax. The tour was also an opportunity to observe artwork displayed, as Murray Edwards has the largest collection of art by female artists in the world. After that we were again part of a very useful workshop about personal statements, which will be useful for applying to any universities. It was interesting to see how the admissions tutor evaluates each statement individually.
Later on we were taken on another tour of Downing’s college, another one of Cambridge’s colleges, but this one was much closer to the centre of town. Downing was much more traditional than Murray Edwards, our guide also informed us that Downing refers to itself as ‘The oldest of the new colleges, but the newest of the old’ which was apparent when we visited. We finished the day with both schools going to Pizza Express for tea. Being in Cambridge at the end of exams did mean we witnessed a lot of students traveling to balls in gowns and black ties, although there were some people in fancy dress. We stayed in the Murray Edwards guest rooms overnight and in the morning had the opportunity to attend taster sessions. There were two available: one for science subjects and one for arts subjects. These were very useful and extremely interesting. It did feel a privilege to be learning in a Cambridge college. Then the Director of Studies for a large array of subjects including Medicine, English and Engineering visited to talk to small groups of students that where considering those subjects, this was so useful to understand what studying at Cambridge would be like and gave the girls an in-depth insight into the subjects which they were considering. Mrs McMillan Assistant Headteacher
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Building the Future at Skipton Girls’ High School At SGHS, we are dedicated to improving the educational experience of our highly able learners through innovative and evidence-based strategies that will enable them to thrive in their studies, careers and adult lives. Innovation and carefully considered change are our distinctive features. As an Academy holding Leading Edge status, a National Support School and a lead school of the Northern Lights Teaching School Alliance, Skipton Girls’ is at the forefront of teaching and learning. As a collaborative partner in a national network of high performing schools, we are dedicated to raising educational standards across our community and region, and to this end, we share best practice and support schools across the county and beyond and we offer our expertise
on improving education on the national stage. At the heart of our school are teachers who are passionate about teaching, and leadership committed to research evidenced improvement to raise achievement and improve learning outcomes. We were the first girls’ school to hold an engineering specialism and we continue to focus on seeing learning through the eyes of students in order to innovate and develop powerful, inclusive learning experiences for each and every student. Our vision for Skipton Girls’ High School is one of ambition and constant development. Our students deserve the very best education possible in a learning environment that is engaging and exciting.
Making our vision a reality … Having secured funding of £1m from the Department for Education, our governors have pledged a further £200k from school reserves. In order to fully realise our exciting plans we are now launching a fundraising campaign with a target of £500,000. We are asking for your support by donating money for this exciting project. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. You can donate by; • Sending in a cheque to our Finance Office • Paying via Parentpay • Setting up a Standing Order with your bank Further details about all of these options are available on the school website. We would also like donations to qualify for Gift Aid where possible, so please complete the Gift Aid form available on the school website If you have any questions in relation to the sponsorship scheme please feel free to contact John Barker (Finance Director) on 01756 707621 or barkerj@sghs.org.uk or Joanne Busfield (Bursar) on 01756 707607 or busfieldj@sghs.org.uk.
Careers Fair The evening of Wednesday October the 1st saw the first joint Careers Fair between Ermysted’s Grammar School and Skipton Girls’ High School. The event was held across both sites, with representatives from a wide variety of professions based at Ermysted’s and fifteen top universities based at SGHS. This was a hugely successful evening with large numbers of students and parents attending and having the opportunity to talk informally to professionals and experts in their field. Mrs C Crowther Careers Advisor
The higher education institutions (top) and professions (above) which were represented at SGHS and Ermysted’s Grammar School.
The feedback from both students and representatives alike was incredibly positive. “… It was a thoroughly fantastic event and you have truly inspiring, well-mannered students. It was lovely to engage in conversations with such focused and enthusiastic students; you must be very proud.” “It was really good. I found out so much on the evening!” “What a brilliant event! My daughter is much more focused on her future now.” “Thank you so much for inviting us to your excellent Careers Fair. I had an extremely worthwhile evening and thoroughly enjoyed meeting your students. They were brilliant and very interested in our university …”
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Holocaust Survivor Eugene Black Visits SGHS
Upon coming to the end of the summer term,Year 12 historians were treated to a visit from 86 year old Eugene Black. Formerly Jeno Schwarz, Eugene is a holocaust survivor who was plucked from his village in Hungary, separated from his family and made to work in a camp at the age of 16. Whilst these experiences were the primary focus of Eugene’s talk, his positivity and unnerved belief in the kindness of humans ran through all he said. He spoke of his time in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bergen-Belsen and Dora-Mittelbau, explaining how he shared one bunk with three other men, recalling his food rations becoming smaller and smaller, and talking of his determination to keep going, even when no end or resolve was in sight. Eugene worked on the V2 rockets underground, unaware of the state of the war. Throughout, Eugene convoyed an inspirational message to keep going, even in the face of adversity. When liberated, Eugene was 17 and weighed 35kg. He was alone, as at entry to the camp he was split from his entire family. This, however, was not something he
lingered on, instead he expressed his gratitude to Marks and Spencer, where he gained promotion after promotion, for allowing him to have the ‘perfect life’. (Something we would take for granted.) This, I and many others, found to be the most moving part of Eugene’s visit. When asked who he blamed for the Holocaust, he answered despite his treatment the events shouldn’t be politicised, insisting ‘that’s life’. Eugene’s talk was nothing like I had expected, he was full of joy, telling jokes, and willing to answer any question we asked. Whilst telling an unbelievably sad story he remained upbeat. I know that myself and the rest of Year 12 will never forget Eugene and we hope he is able to keep telling his story for many years to come. As one of only three remaining holocaust survivors from Peterborough to Newcastle, it was an honour to speak to Eugene and an amazing experience. Sophie Chapman Year 13
Skipton Girls’ High School Newsletter / Issue 49 / Page 17
ASGS Engineering Conference
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On Thursday 2nd October 2014, 10 engineering students attended the ASGS Engineering Conference at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. After a stay over the night before at the prestigious Menzies Hotel in Cambridge, the girls set off early to attend the conference in the centre of London. The day involved participation in a range of workshops which demonstrated applications of the different types of
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engineering, and featured speeches from a range of successful female engineers, all in order to inspire the students. The students enjoyed the day and claim, “The workshops really helped us to understand and learn about the different types of engineering and to discover what engineering opportunities we have after leaving SGHS. The day was really inspiring!”
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After attending the conference, the girls have been selected to become Engineering Ambassadors in order to help other students reach the best of their engineering abilities, and to reinforce the knowledge they learnt during their amazing day. By our Year 10 Engineering Ambassadors
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5 Image #1: Brainstorming ideas with Mr Dyson Image #2: Learning about the science involved in slipped discs Image #3: Outside the venue, ready to head back up north! Image #4: Dressed for dinner!
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Image #5: Building a school in Africa
About ASGS
Aims of the event
The Association of State Girls’ Schools (ASGS) ran a conference in partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, Universities and Industry as part of the Government’s ‘Your Life’ campaign. The aim was to boost female participation in Technology and Engineering and the venue was the Royal Academy for Engineering.
To encourage more girls to apply for engineering through university and apprenticeship routes by enabling students and staff to:
They wanted to inspire young female students, moving them to make the subject choices or take the vocational pathways that lead to engineering careers. In doing this they were aiming to help in contributing to the national aspiration to double the number of women studying engineering and technology degrees at undergraduate level by 2030; boost the number of women pursuing careers in engineering and technology; and increase the number of young women studying maths and physics at 18.
• Understand the opportunities available for engineering at university. • Understand sponsorship opportunities available to them for engineering. • Become Engineering Ambassadors in their own schools. • Share knowledge and good practice on STEM.
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Geography Trip to Bowness The Year 11 geographers went on their data collection trip to Bowness towards the end of September. This year they have to investigate the conflicts that tourism can bring to a honeypot site. They spent the day asking questionnaires to people about their views on Bowness, conducting traffic counts to assess the levels of congestion in the town and conducting a land use survey to investigate the range of stores on offer to both locals and tourists alike. There was fine weather once again this year which meant the girls enjoyed collecting their data and exploring the town of Bowness, particularly down by the lake side where the swans were out in force. To try and give the girls a better appreciation of why so many people come to the Lake District for holidays, we also went on a boat trip around Bowness Bay. There were stunning views of the Langdale Pikes and of the Fairfield Horseshoe where the glacier that carved out the glacial trough that would one day fill with Lake Windermere started its life. The girls enjoyed the day and the data collected is now helping them complete their GCSE coursework. They have just finished using a range of geographic techniques to present their data and are embarking on the analysis of the data they have found. Following this, the main challenge remaining is to make a realistic evaluation of the quality of their projects. Mr J Hoyle Curriculum Leader: Humanities and Global Awareness
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There were stunning views of the Langdale Pikes and of the Fairfield Horseshoe where the glacier that carved out the glacial trough that would one day fill with Lake Windermere started its life.
Mathematics News I enjoyed the course! It gave me a wider understanding of maths. It's made me realise that there's more to maths than putting questions to pen and paper. - Zara,Year 8 Some students in Miss Hodson's Maths classes have had the opportunity to complete an online course with Stanford University. The course, which was devised by Professor Jo Boaler, combines important information on the brain and learning with new evidence on the best ways to approach and learn maths effectively. The course equips learners with the information they need to become powerful maths learners, it corrects misconceptions they have about what maths is, teaches them about their own potential to succeed and the strategies needed to approach maths effectively. The course, which is designed with a pedagogy of active engagement, featured Jo and a team of undergraduates, as well as videos of maths in action - in dance, juggling, snowflakes, soccer and many other applications in nature and real life. In completing the course, students were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones of using algorithms and set rules and were encouraged to approach problems by looking at the "big picture" and using visual representations to help them solve some complex mathematical problems.
My opinion of the course is that it really helped. It taught me that pictures are important and that art is also maths! - Student,Year 9 Part 1 of the course covered The Brain and Maths Learning and had sections on: Knocking Down the Myths About Maths, Maths and Mindset and Mistakes and Speed. Part 2 covered Strategies for Success: Number Flexibility, Mathematical Reasoning and Connections, Number Patterns and Representations and Maths in Life, Nature and Work.
Anyone can be good at maths. Some people think that you are born with the ability but they are wrong.Your ability in maths is to do with your experience and how hard you try.
All students who completed the course received a Certificate of Accomplishment from Stanford University. Ms J Hodson Teacher of Mathematics
- Asha,Year 8 Skipton Girls’ High School Newsletter / Issue 49 / Page 21
Douai-Skipton Exchange: The French in Skipton!
When the French group arrived on Friday evening at the train station, it was all a bit awkward. First of all, the French students were all nervous and scared to be over here and there was the question of ‘Shall we kiss each other on the cheek (once, twice, four times!!!) or shall we just shake hands?’ Fortunately, spending the weekend together helped sweep away the initial awkwardness. We went to Leeds with a group of friends where we had lunch and went shopping. This was very enjoyable and was also a good
I really enjoyed having my partner over and it was nice to see that, as the week progressed, she came out of her shell and we got much closer.
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opportunity to get to know my partner better. On Sunday we went to the Cow and Calf in Ilkley where we had a lovely walk in the sun and all the family got to know my French partner well. During the week, my partner went to Carleton Primary School for work experience where she mainly assisted Year 3 children with their work. This helped her to improve her English and she enjoyed being able to talk to a range of age groups and adults. She also joined me for a morning at SGHS and the group of French students had a guided tour of Skipton Castle. In the evenings, we did a mixture of things including going out for meals, bowling and then on Thursday we went to the party held at school, where the food was enjoyed by all and gave us enough energy to dance the evening away. I really enjoyed having my partner over and it was nice to see that, as the week progressed, she came out of her shell and we got much closer. I am now looking forward to going to France in February! Anna Milburn Year 12
Feedback from parents: “It was a delight to have our exchange student Anais and our daughter is really looking forward to the return trip!” “Many thanks for all your hard work organising the French exchange last week, it was much appreciated and we all enjoyed it very much.” “Last week went really well, our daughter and Clémence got on well and had a great time. There isn’t really anything that we can think
of to improve the week! Maybe an organised trip for the whole group (sightseeing e.g. Howarth or York) at the weekend could be an idea? Although, the students were very good at organising things between themselves all week and kept themselves busy.” “Thank you for organising this trip, it’s much appreciated.” “It was a pleasure to have Paul here last week. We were fortunate in that his English is good and he
is socially confident. The students organised so much themselves that we had to put ourselves out very little! Our daughter is looking forward to the return trip!” “We have found the exchange a brilliant experience. Our daughter has had a fantastic time and a wonderful educational opportunity. Her partner, Mathilde, has been a delightful visitor and we look forward to welcoming her back in our home.”
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Duke of Edinburgh’s Award On the September 5th, six girls that started their bronze award two years ago set off on their gold expedition. They had planned a four day expedition across Haws, Dent; Blea Moor Ribblehead to Ingleton. The reason for this was that they wanted to do their project part of the expedition about the history of the railway, in particular the Settle to Carlisle line. This runs across some of the roughest countryside in the British Isles to be passed over by rail. The route that they put together was going to test all the navigation skills they had gained during the bronze and silver expeditions as well as gold training. The building of the railway had seen 400 people killed during the building mainly due to the weather and rough terrain but this didn’t put the group off. Muddy Boots Adventure and I spent four days remotely supervising the group, the navigation skills were spot on turning up at the right places at the correct time. They spent lots of time exploring the moors and railway. Hours were spent at Ribblehead viaduct and exploring St Leonard’s Chapel at Chapel-le-Dale looking at gravestones of the people who perished during the construction.
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At the end of the four days the girls said they were sorry they had nearly finished gold as there was no other award to go for. Then explained how they had enjoyed all three levels and what they had gained from it, and how more young people should get involved. It has been a pleasure to work with this group and I really do wish them well in the future Mr G Fothergill Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator
Class of 1984 Reunion (Left) Photo of some of the SGHS Old Girls who started in 1979, sat O-levels in 1984 and A-levels in 1986: Louise Baxter, Judith Spensley, Joanne Smith, Sarah Dixon, Sarah Donald, Sarah Hudson, Lynda Beresford, Karen Egan, Sally Deery, Gilly Brooks, Sarah Anderton, Lydia Speakman, Eloise Whitaker, Anne Richards, Rachel Disney, Anita Potter and Judith Perry.
Following the realisation that 30 years had passed since they had sat their O-Levels, yes O-levels not GCSEs, Eloise Davison (née Whitaker) & Anne Richards decided that it was time to get their SGHS class together for a reunion. A simple Facebook search started the ball rolling, and on 20th September, twenty-five of the sixty pupils in the Year met in West Bank to remember the good old days. Past pupils travelled from Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Hampshire, Midlands, Manchester, Newcastle and of course Skipton. There was plenty of laughter, stories, catching up and looking at photos that people had brought in from school trips, D of E expeditions and last days at school. Talk included subjects such as indoor/outdoor shoes, hymn book covers, cookery disasters and trying to remember all the words to the school song! No name badges were needed as everyone remembered each other and everyone chatted as if they’d seen each other
just last week. Needless to say, a few stories were recounted and a confession regarding the legendary “Cornetgate” saw the matter resolved after 30 years of injustice. The Class Clowns (they know who they are) provided most of the evening’s entertainment and everyone remembered the good times that all had shared. Friends and teachers who are no longer with us were fondly remembered and everyone agreed that another gathering should be organised. It is hoped that this will be in Spring 2015 and that some of the girls who were unable to make it this time will be there. If you were in this Year then you can contact Louise Cairns (née Baxter) on sghsreunion1979@gmail.com for information of the next get-together. Mrs L Cairns (née Baxter) Facilities Clerk
Skipton Girls’ High School Newsletter / Issue 49 / Page 25
Astronomy is out of this world!
Year 7s and Year 9 GCSE Astronomers braved the Autumn weather and a two hour coach drive to explore Jodrell Bank Observatory.Year 7s had the best of the weather on their trip, with lots of sunshine lighting up the large Lovell Telescope, the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world. They were very excited to learn that the Lovell Telescope had been involved in the SETI project, the search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, particularly as they have been learning about this in their Physics lessons this term! With lots of activities both inside and outside, the highlight of the visit was the inflatable planetarium, which displayed all the stars and constellations for them to see. Definitely an out of this world experience! The interactive display-tables were very “whizzy” and the students would love to see some of this technology in school…. They left weighed down with packets of freeze dried ice-cream and mini slinky springs from the gift shop. Songs and sweets on the way back. Years 9s had to be resilient and were remarkably cheerful given perpetual drizzle, which gave the telescope an eery feel under ominous skies. As it is a
Page 26 / Skipton Girls’ High School Newsletter / Issue 49
radio-quiet site, all mobile phones had to be turned off – they were incommunicado! The Lovell Telescope was actually moving when they arrived, very exciting. That day it was detecting pulsars, which the Year 9s later learned are the left over remnants from the supernova explosion of a super-giant star! Their planetarium experience focused on the GCSE Astronomy course, with an excellent demonstration of the co-ordinate system astronomers use; before moving on to the Life History of stars and seeing some of the impressive objects there are in the sky. Despite only studying the subject for less than two months, the Year 9s impressed with their knowledge, and they enjoyed seeing what they are currently learning about in both GCSE Physics (the Electromagnetic Spectrum) and Astronomy applied in real life! Outside, they had fun experimenting with the whispering dishes and creating a tornado, which also helped warm them up! Despite muddy shoes and tights, some wet feet (despite being told to wear sensible shoes/boots!), they declared it an excellent trip. Miss E Belfield Joint Learning Director: Science
Skipton Girls’ High School Newsletter / Issue 49 / Page 27
This Edition, and previous issues of the Newsletter, can also be viewed on the School Website... www.sghs.org.uk/newsletter
Skipton Girls’ High School, Gargrave Road, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 1QL Tel: 01756 707600 Fax: 01756 701068 Email: reception@sghs.org.uk Website: www. sghs.org.uk