BHHS Issue 1 Newsletter 2015

Newsletter Brighton & Hove High School GDSt

Issue 1 September 2015

Dear Parents and Girls,

Welcome back to a new school year. I hope everyone had a pleasant break.

The summer saw many successes for our girls. The Year 11 and Sixth Form girls once again achieved excellent A Level and GCSE results – the product of much hard work and resilience. We are also very proud of the girls from years 10, 11 and 12 who represented the school during our CRED Trip to Bulgaria where they worked with children from the Roma community, running an activity week for young people who are often disenfranchised and underprivileged. Congratulations are also due to Alanah O’Rourke who has been awarded a prestigious Arkwright Scholarship and to all the Year 11 girls who successfully completed their work experience early in the summer.

During the break we have had a new roof put on the Science Block and the refurbishment of the Sports Hall has begun, with a new Reception area and PE office and the addition of a bespoke bouldering wall. We have also re-distributed girls’ lockers and created a new social space for Year 11.

Yesterday we welcomed the class of 2015 into Year 7, new girls into Years 8 and 9 and our new Lower Sixth girls who will be the first to sit the reformed A Level exams in 2017. We’re looking forward to Freshers’ Fair on Tuesday and to the Sixth Form Pizza Social tonight.

Amidst the buzz and excitement of the new term, however, there lies a tremendous sadness: Jacob Schilt, son of Mrs Schilt, whom you will all know as Year 7 Manager and Head of Drama, was tragically killed in the Shoreham air show crash. Our thoughts have been with the Schilt family at this awful time and we have been inundated with messages of condolence from girls, staff and parents of the High School, both past and present. I know that this support has been of great comfort to Caroline and her family.

As you’ll have seen from the news coverage, Jacob was a hugely popular, talented young footballer. He was also an energetic and committed fund-raiser. Every year, for example, he participated in the Brighton and Hove Albion charity match for Robert Easton, a fan who died in the twin towers. MacMillan Nurses is another charity for whom he fundraised. As a school, we would like to support Jacob’s fund-raising in his memory. Girls will be raising funds through our Guild collections but if any parents or friends would also like to contribute, here are the links: https://www.justgiving.com/Jacobschilt-MacMillan https://www.justgiving.com/Jacobschilt-REMF There is also a book of condolence at the Senior School Reception.

Thank you, everyone for your support and kindness.

dates

Jennifer Smith

Tuesday 8 Freshers’ Fair (clubs), 1pm; Instrumental Fair (Hall) from 3:30pm; CRED Malawi trip meeting, 5:30pm; Wednesday 9th Welcome Evening for Y7 Parents, 7pm; Thursday 10th Springboard AGM (evening); Friday 11th UCAS deadline; Off-timetable Enrichment Day; Saturday 12th Italian for Beginners; Digital Festival th

2015-16 Issue 1: 1

results. . .

Once again we are celebrating outstanding success at both GCSE and A Level, with a remarkable performance across the board.

At GCSE, 57% of all results were A*/A grades with an overall pass rate of 97% A*-C. Many girls achieved 100% A*/A grades and particular congratulations go to Gemma Bovill, Atalanta Hinds and Rebecca Lindford who all achieved 100% A* grades and Alanah O’Rourke, our Arkwright Engineering scholar, who achieved nine A* grades.

Outstanding results were gained in English Literature with 90% of grades at A*/A, and there was a very strong performance from the science subjects: 74% A*/A in Chemistry and 72% A*/A in Physics.

Furthermore, Art and Music both gained exceptional results with 83% A*/A grades obtained.

At A Level, the girls performed outstandingly, with top grades even beating last year’s stellar performance by a substantial margin and 85% of grades being awarded at A*/B, placing BHHS in the country’s top 100 performing schools.

The girls also excelled in STEM subjects: 72% of grades in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology were at A*/A and the Art results were as superb as ever with 100% of girls achieving A*/A. The Head commented: “I am absolutely delighted with our girls’ success and very proud of all the hard work put in to achieve these results. Whilst we are very pleased with our headline statistics, the most important thing is that individual girls have made excellent progress during their time at the school and we are most proud of our value-added record. Ultimately these young women will enter a highly competitive jobs market, in which good grades alone will not suffice. Employment skills such as resilience and perseverance are what will help them succeed and these have been demonstrated in abundance this summer. The staff and governors at BHHS want to congratulate all the girls on their fantastic achievements.”

music achievements...

Congratulations to Marianne Scotland (L6) , Isobel Denslow (7M) and Harriet Dugdale- King (7M) who have been selected to represent their county as members of the West Sussex Youth Orchestra for the 2015-16 season. This is a wonderful achievement. Well done girls!

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vikings, whales, and waterfalls On 9th – 12th July 35 staff and girls travelled to Iceland for an adventure like no other. The trip was a whirlwind tour of outstanding natural beauty, with an opportunity for the perfect ‘selfie’ around every corner! Some of the best moments were a Whale watching tour where not only did we see a vast array of sea life including: White Nose Dolphins, Minke Whales, Puffins and Porpoises but two girls managed to charm their way onto the bridge of the ship and have a lesson in boat handling.

We also visited many amazing waterfalls including Skogaerfoss, one of the biggest in the country, which was accessible via a mountain of stairs. Once at the top the views were outstanding, but stand close enough at the bottom and those unfortunate to not be wearing waterproofs were quickly soaked by the spray. We were also able to go behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall and our other favourite waterfall was one with water so pure that you could drink from it. As everyone rushed to fill up their water bottles the Year 11’s cried with happiness “it was so beautiful.”

We stopped one day to visit an incredible glacier and beautiful canyon which would have been the perfect setting for a movie. The Icelandic highlands seemed very surreal and desolate, we felt as though we had walked into The Lord of The Rings!

We were also lucky to be staying in cabins at the foot of the Eyjafjallajokull glacier which provided many an opportunity in which to socialise with girls in other year groups. However on the last day, after a minor complication with an alarm clock, we had to struggle across the campsite whilst being chased by the new extra for the next Lord of the Rings remake, “Jamie” the sheep. Fortunately we were bravely protected by two girls who had become official Vikings earlier in the week following an initiation ceremony.

Thank you to Mr Goold, Mrs Mashford and Ms Boyes who came with us “it was an amazing experience!”

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cred 2015 bulgaria

Our trip started off in the very early hours of Saturday 18 July and we had non- stop action packed days from the word go. Our first destination was Sofia where we stayed in the quaintly named Hostel Mostel.

Sofia proved to have good restaurants and especially good ice cream and fortified we got taxis to the bus station on Sunday and made for our main destination Stara Zagora. We hadn’t known what to expect, but were pleased with our hotel and even more delighted when we arrived at the youth centre to deliver our week of lessons and activities to Roma children. The building was brand new and opened early especially for our benefit. The vice mayor of the town was there to greet us together with the Director of Education and a number of youth workers who support the Roma community.

We couldn’t wait to meet the children and then the real fun began. The girls showed real resilience, as not only were they responsible for delivering lessons and activities to the children, but they were often doing so in the full glare of observers from the city council and youth workers. However, the week was a great success – the fact that more children came to our classes each day was the best feedback that we could have got and on Friday afternoon there were tears as everyone had to say goodbye.

Everyone we met could not have been more welcoming and I am sure that any future teams from BHHS going to Stara Zagora would have an equally brilliant time.

On Saturday we returned to our beloved Hostel Mostel in Sofia and were back in the UK on Sunday – tired but very happy in the knowledge that we had succeeded in giving the children of Stara Zagora a week that they will never forget.

Many thanks to all the students*who went and to Mrs Dowglass, Miss Plank and Miss Lyons for helping to make this dream a reality.

Participating students - Ellen Adamson, Reianna Agnihotri, Lily Belton, Chiara Crompton, Josie Grumitt, Lucy Haggis, Genevieve Hughes, Kate Hughes, Imogen Jones, Penny Majithia, Lucy Raymond, Bela Thomas, Theo Vamvas, Charlotte Woods

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tpq 2015 (years 8-11) Now that the summer holidays are over, we’re looking forward to seeing the exciting work done by your daughters for the Temple Project Qualification 2015. This optional qualification is a wonderful opportunity for students who have a passion they want to share or study skills they want to develop in a more creative, flexible and - most of all - independent way than the curriculum sometimes allows. There are four levels: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. TPQ 2015 is our fourth year and each year the work has become richer and more impressive. For a flavour of how fabulous our students can be check out photographs of last year’s celebration show on the TPQ firefly site. TPQ students should update their supervisors on their progress once they return to school so that they can meet the 2nd October deadline. We’re sure this has been a brilliant summer holiday challenge, as well as invaluable preparation for sixth form life and EPQ, for every student who has taken part. Our TPQ celebrations show will be held on Tuesday 13th October at 5 o’clock.

Mrs Ashdown and Mr Sherwood

patrick ness thursday 24th september Did you love The Chaos Walking Trilogy? Were you mystified by A Monster Calls? Did you want More Than This? Perhaps you’re just looking for your next good read? Come and meet best-selling and prize-winning author Patrick Ness talk about his new book, The Rest of Us Just Live Here. Ms Dean in the Library has a limited number of tickets for this event to be held at 7pm in Roedean Theatre, cost £4 (redeemable against the price of a book). The Book Nook will be in attendance, from whom additional tickets may be obtained.

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music fair tuesday 8th september Our annual Music Fair takes place next Tuesday in the Senior School Hall from 3:45-5:15pm. This is an opportunity for girls, parents and guardians from both Junior and Senior schools to: Meet all of the music staff; Have a go on the instruments; Experience live performances; Discuss instrument hire/ purchase with Ackerman Music; Explore extra-curricular activities; Sign up for our Parents/Staff/Girls singing session Of course Mr Lloyd and Mrs Roberts will be available to discuss instrument choice, lesson timetabling, scholarship requirements, performance opportunities and much more.

This event is open to all current or prospective girls/parents from both the Senior and Junior Schools and will be a vibrant, if a bit noisy, afternoon!

Mr Lloyd 2015-16 Issue 1: 5

festivals

recommendations from the RE & Philosophy Department Mrs Dowglass

HARVEST FESTIVAL September (dates vary) | Christian (Western, Anglican and Free Churches) Special services are held around this time of year to give thanks for the goodness of God’s gifts in providing a harvest of crops along with all the other fruits of society. Displays of produce are often made, usually distributed afterwards to those in need. Increasingly the emphasis is on a wider interpretation than just the harvests of the fields and seas.

1st September | Sikh | INSTALLATION OF THE SIKH SCRIPTURE IN THE HARMANDIR SAHIB Amritsar 1604 CE In 1604, in the place of worship where the Golden Temple now stands, the Sikhs’ fifth Guru, Arjan Dev, installed for the first time the Adi Granth, a volume of scripture for the Sikh community. It consisted of the hymns of the first five Gurus plus those of other ‘saint-poets’. Hymns by the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, were later incorporated in the scripture, so forming the present Guru Granth Sahib.

5th September | JANMASHTAMI / KRISHNA JAYANTI | Hindu The birthday of Krishna is widely celebrated throughout the Hindu world. He is a very popular avatar or incarnation of Lord Vishnu and many Hindus fast in his honour until midnight, the time of Krishna’s birth. Those unable to fast will take some fruit and milk. In the temples Krishna is welcomed with singing, dancing and sweets. In some homes and temples an image of the new-born Krishna is put in a cradle and special sweets (e.g. the powder, panjiri, given traditionally to women after childbirth) are offered and distributed.

5th September | FRAVARDIN MAH PARAB | Zoroastrian (Shenshai; Parsi) On the day of Fravardin, the 19th day of the month of Fravardin, the first month of the year, Zoroastrians visit the vicinity of the Towers of Silence in India (or in the UK the Zoroastrian Cemetery in Brookwood, Surrey) to participate in a jashan ceremony in memory of the departed fravashis (guardian spirits and souls of the community). Sacred food is prepared as an offering to the departed during the jashan and is later shared by the participants.

tv & radio

Sunday 6th | BBC1, 10am | Sunday Morning Live Topical religious spiritual ethical discussion programme Sunday 6th | BBC World Service, 9:30am | Heart and Soul The life of Benedict Daswa, stoned to death in 1990, who is set to become southern Africa’s first saint Monday 7th | BBC4, 9pm | Treasures of the Indus - The other side of the Taj Mahal Monday 7th | BBC4, 10pm | Archaeology A secret history - In the beginning Monday 7th Radio 4 | Beyond Belief

Parli Italiano?

Saturday sees the start of the Italian for Beginners News Skills Course for Students preparing for the DofE bronze award in Year 10. We are also looking forward to welcoming some students from other local schools. With the emphasis on fun and practical skills, students will soon be able to communicate confidently in this most beautiful language! Looking forward to seeing participants morning. Ciao a presto!

Signora Zinola 2015-16 Issue 1: 6

Brighton & Hove High School GDSt

JuniorSchool Dear Parents,

I do hope you have had a lovely holiday. It was so wonderful to see the girls back on Thursday, refreshed and raring to go! The most important thing is that they feel settled and comfortable and I am sure over the next few days they will pick up routine and new expectations. As I hope you are aware, we are hosting a welcome evening on Tuesday 8th, which I hope you will be able to attend. The presentations will then be posted on Firefly the following week.

At the beginning of the academic year there is a settling in period and you may well have queries but please do not hesitate to ask if we can help. We look forward to a great term ahead.

Best wishes, Sian Cattaneo

calendar monday 7th Junior Clubs Begin tuesday 8th Welcome Evening Junior School, 6pm for 6:15pm start wednesday 9th U-11 Hockey v Brighton College Home; U-10A&B Hockey v Brighton College Home thursday 10th Year 4 to Blacklands Farm friday 11th Year 4 Blacklands Farm; Swimming Squad and Curriculum Swimming (Year 2) starts, Gymnastics Squad Training Starts dates for your diary...

Monday 14th/ Tuesday 15th – Individual and Sibling Photographs Wednesday 16th – Friday 18th – Year 5 Marchants Hill 25th September – Swimming Squad Trials (more details to follow)

recycling...

We are all looking forward to continuing our recycled Art project this year and we are starting the new school year by asking you to start collecting some new and different items. Most busy families do several loads of washing a week and get through lots of detergent and fabric conditioner. They also use lots of washing up liquid to wash their plates. We are asking you to bring in your empty plastic bottles so that instead of them going to landfill and contributing to global warming they can be transformed into beautiful works of art. The project will have an environmental theme so please send any rinsed out plastic bottles to Mrs Hadfield in the science room. There are also still some blank windows in the ‘recycled corridor’ at the Junior School and for these Mrs Hadfield has planned an abstract art window. This will be made up of the small clear lids that are found on the top of pump style toothpaste tubes. If you could drop these into the box by the pupils’ entrance we will soon be able to continue to enhance our school without using any more of the world’s precious and limited resources.

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welcome evening We will be offering a crèche on welcome evening, to assist with childcare arrangements. This facility will run from 6:15-7:15pm next Tuesday, 8th September and is a drop-in service. There is no requirement to book your daughter a place for the crèche.

first aid

We endeavour to be as prepared as possible for unplanned accidents…

Therefore we thought you would like to see how we got on at our recent training session!

new staff We would like to say welcome to our new members of staff here at the Junior School; Naomi Holland (Head of PE Maternity and Year 6 Form Teacher), Lauren Mackey (Year 5 teacher), Karen Ormerod (Year 1 Maternity cover) and Hattie Buck (GAP Year Assistant). We are sure you will join us in welcoming them to the school and starting what always proves to be a very busy first term!

We are also excited to announce the appointment of a new member of staff in the office, Jess Chappell.

She is due to begin at the end of September and will be taking over the position of Finance Officer from Victoria Somers, who has now commenced her relaxing retirement.

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