BHHS Issue 7 Newsletter 2015

Newsletter Brighton & Hove High School GDSt

Issue 7 October 2015

Dear Parents and Girls,

We’ve been interviewing all our Year 11 girls and their parents this week, with an eye to the future. As ever, it has been a delight to hear about what the girls have achieved thus far, their aspirations and plans and the immense passion and commitment they demonstrate for all the activities (an impressively eclectic range) in which they participate.

I’ve been interested in the number of girls who intend to go on to study Languages after GCSE and also in the significant numbers of our girls who are bilingual: between us at BHHS, we speak over thirty different languages!

This summer saw yet another decline in A-level and GCSE entries for languages. While other traditional subjects saw a rise in entries this year languages continued to fall in popularity. I find this sad because I believe passionately that learning a language is hugely beneficial. I studied French as a subsidiary at university and this allowed me to spend a year working abroad as a postgraduate and ultimately led to my becoming a teacher. Studying a language did change my life.

Languages are vitally important to the UK if it is to be fully engaged with the world. Speaking a foreign language it is a rewarding way to connect with another culture and, with employers now crying out for more language skills, it can boost your job prospects too. Furthermore, in the words of René Koglbauer, President of the Association for Language Learning, “At times of fear of ‘otherness’, it is crucial to emphasise the importance of language learning and its unique contribution to broadening the minds of our youngsters, their awareness of cultural differences and their critical appraisal of misconceptions.”

Perhaps the strongest argument for learning a language is that physiological studies have found that speaking two or more languages is a great asset to the cognitive process. The brains of bilingual people operate differently than single language speakers, and these differences offer several mental benefits. Read this Telegraph article for more information if you are interested: http://www. telegraph.co.uk/education/educationopinion/10126883/Why-learn-a-foreign-language-Benefitsof-bilingualism.html Have a good weekend.

sixthform

open evening tuesday 10th, 6-8pm

2015-16 Issue 7: 1

Jennifer Smith

dates

Monday 9 Hullabaloo choir 6:309:45pm; Tuesday 10th Sixth Form Open Evening, 6-8pm; Thurs 12th Music performance evening, 7pm; Friday 13th Guild Collection; Children in Need; Y11 English c/a (3hrs) Y7 Student Voice; YE Spiral disco for Y7 (tbc); Theatre Workshop, 4:30-9:30pm; Saturday 14th Theatre Workshop; Sunday 15th Hullaballoo (1-5pm) th

shoreham

The A Level Photography students took a tour of the Shoreham Port to try and capture some of the vibrant life of the port. We were shown fishing boats in dock, and barges coming through the lock, warring seagulls and super cranes with fascinating machinery. It was a fabulous trip to open our eyes to an area that is usually just behind fences - and we thank the Port authority for giving us access. The girls found textures, colours and compositions that produced some exciting imagery.

Ms Dury

For Scout Adams (Y7) and Eleanor Briddock’s (Y10) the hard trampoline training throughout the summer really paid off. After a drive through heavy fog last Saturday both qualified in the first round, level NDP 4, with routines that included 6 somersaults.

A brilliant result especially as this was the first time they both competed at such a high level with Scout receiving a Bronze medal in her age category.

The next round will be the South Regional Team Qualifier set for March 2016. Both have made a fantastic start to the trampoline season and are on the right path for the British Gymnastics Trampoline National Competition that will take place next June.

Well done!

2014-15 Issue 7: 1: 2 page xx 2015-16

form

No sooner had we returned from the half term break, were we immediately launched into mock university interviews this week, kindly given by the Rotary Club. We were fortunate enough to be interviewed by an array of experienced people at the top of their fields, which included medicine, engineering and journalism. Rather than being subject specific, the questions we were asked were more personal. For example, I was challenged to consider whether I thought I was a leader or a team member and to explain why. Other questions included explaining what sort of news I keep up to date with and why. Overall, the experience was extremely invaluable as we received some fantastic feedback and tips on how to improve our performance during an interview. I now feel more confident and ready for future interviews, both academic and career wise.

On behalf of the Guild team, I would also just like to remind everyone that next Friday 13th November, it is Children In Need. The Sixth Form promised that they had something up their sleeves in order to raise money and we have not failed to disappoint. As usual, there will be an own clothes day however this year, it’s with a twist. We would like everyone to bring in their favourite teddy bear or cuddly toy in celebration of Children In Need’s mascot, Pudsey the Bear. On top of this, we are organising a teachers’ lip sync battle, taking inspiration from Jimmy Fallon, which will take place Friday lunchtime in the hall. It would be greatly appreciated if each girl could bring in at least £1 donation for getting to wear their own clothes and also a £1 entrance fee to see the teachers’ lip sync battle. If you haven’t yet seen a Jimmy Fallon celebrity lip sync battle, I recommend you watch one. Our personal favourite is with Stephen Merchant and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. See you next Friday!

Amelia Hughes

trip

During half term Mr Lloyd took 30 BHHS girls to Glyndebourne to see their production of Donizetti’s comic opera ‘Don Pasquale’. Following a brief introduction to the opera in the Music Room we took the short trip to the beautiful Glyndebourne opera house where we were treated to a fabulous production. Although the performance was specifically for schools this was not a dumbed down version, we were given the full two and a half hour operatic experience given by world class singers and an excellent orchestra. The early 19th century setting of the production was as Donzetti had originally intended although the use of the rotating stage added a modern twist to the visual spectacle.

All of the Glyndebourne personnel involved in the production must have been delighted by the audience’s reaction to the final curtain and the many extra curtain calls that were demanded; what a fantastic introduction to the magical world of opera. To complete the Glyndebourne experience, whilst most of the audience were queuing up to get out of the car park, the girls had an opportunity to picnic in the grounds and admire the stunning surroundings.

Mr Lloyd 2015-16 Issue 7: 3

dofe

Just before the end of last half term the Italian for Beginners course at BHHS came to an end. For the third year running, local state school students in Year 10 joined students from BHHS on Saturday mornings to learn Italian.

As part of an initiative, with HSBC & GDST Partnership Funding, the Modern Languages Department offered students this six week course which ideally fits the New Skill criteria for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

With the emphasis on practical communication the students participated in a wide range of activities from speaking in pairs and groups to practising new language through interactive exercises online. Progress has been impressive, with these motivated students achieving surprising proficiency in this beautiful language in a relatively short time.

The students themselves were surprised at how much they had learned, and by the end of the course were sharing their interests in Italian contemporary music and Italian slang!

Well done to these students for taking up the challenge and showing the commitment to get up early on Saturdays!

Signora Zinola

german Girls in Y10 and 11 spent a week with their German partners in October. They write...

Tia: I love Germany as I had a great time. My favourite place was Willingen, in the mountains and going down on the summer toboggan.

Eleanor: Germany was a good experience. We met some lovely people. The school was really nice. Everyone was welcoming so we were sad to say goodbye.

Molly: Germany was fab! Everyone was so lovely and the families were so kind and welcoming.

My favourite part was Cologne. We climbed 1066 steps up the cathedral and then went to the chocolate museum. It was brilliant.

Charlotte: I loved our trip to Germany. I became very close to my exchange partner. My best moments were Cologne and the summer toboggan.

Zoe: I really enjoyed Germany. One of my favourite moments was to fly in a small plane over Neheim with Eleanor’s German family. It’s such a beautiful country and the people were really friendly.

Talia: My favourite moment was spending time with Anna, one evening we were dancing around to music and playing the flute and piano. I really loved the experience and I want to say thank you to Mrs Zubiena, Mr Condon and my German family.

Mrs Zubiena: I would like to thank Mr Condon for organising this exchange despite having already retired! It was a very enriching experience, linguistically and culturally.

2015-16 Issue 7: 4

Recommendations from the RE & Philosophy Department Mrs Dowglass

6th November | ANAPASATI DAY | Buddhist This is the last day on which the Kathina may be held. Cloth is presented to the monks by Buddhists and is transformed into a Kathina robe, made up by sewing patches of cloth together. This is presented to one particular monk, often an especially deserving or virtuous one, in a special ceremony. The Buddhists are able to gain merit for themselves by watching the ceremony.

8th November | REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY | National The Sunday nearest to Armistice Day, devoted to remembering the dead of the two World Wars and subsequent wars.

11th November | DIVALI / DEEPAVALI | Hindu For Hindus this is a New Year festival lasting from one to five days, during which lights are hung out and fireworks are let off. It is a festival of light, coinciding with the darkest night of the lunar month. Various interpretations are given to the festival in different parts of India, but it is generally associated with Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity, or with the victorious return of Rama and Sita to the kingdom of Ayodhya after their exile. For many Hindu business people Divali marks the beginning of a new financial year.

11th November | DIVALI | Sikh (Bandi Chhor Divas) Sikhs also celebrate Divali since Guru Hargobind, the sixth Guru, was released from Gwalior prison on this day. The Guru refused to accept release when it was offered him by the Emperor Jehangir unless 52 imprisoned Hindu princes were also given their freedom. To meet the Emperor’s condition that only those who could hold on to his cloak could leave the prison, the Guru had a coat with long tassels made. The Golden Temple in Amritsar is illuminated at this time and firework displays take place there. It is a time for new clothes, presents and sweets.

Saturday 7th November| Radio 4, 8pm | The End of the Rope Documentary making use of archive material to explore the abolition of capital punishment in Britain in 1965, paying particular attention to what changed about British society that year.

Wednesday 11th November | Radio 3, 10pm | Free Thinking – Conversation with Richard Dawkins ‘We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further’. Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion caused a sensation when it was published nearly 10 years ago. Rebutting religions of all kinds Dawkins became one of the New Atheists, a group of thinkers including Christopher Hitchens. He first came to public attention though his iconic book The Selfish Gene which popularised the gene-centred view of evolution. He also talks about his memoir, Brief Candle in the Dark, in which he explores his life in the intersection between culture, religion and science.

Friday 13th | Channel 4, 7:30pm | Unreported World Mexico has become an international hotspot for the rapidly expanding, multi billion-dollar child surrogacy industry. It is now a favoured destination for prospective parents around the world after controversies and clampdowns in India and Thailand. A successful surrogacy costs less than half the price it would be in the USA, although the disturbing situation can put surrogate mothers at risk and place the ownership of the baby in question.

2015-16 Issue 7: 5

The most gruesome…

The most brutal…

The most fun you will have this side of ever (or at least this side of Christmas)!

SWEENEY TODD The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Do you want to know what’s in Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir? Have you ever wondered upon Mrs Lovett’s secret ingredients? Or do you just need a shave?

Then open your diaries, pick up your pencils and take note: Sweeney Todd - Thursday 10th & Friday 11th December at 7pm in the Main Hall Ticket prices, £10 Adult, £5 Concessions.

Now available on Parent Pay. Get yours before they’re gone!

secret cast member… Had an awful day today; got brutally killed, had my throat slit and to top it all off, I got crammed in a basket for half the show then reincarnated as a woman! Whatever next…?

christmas fair raffle 2015 Saturday 28th November 12 till 3pm

You will soon be receiving raffle tickets for this year’s Christmas raffle. We have over 40 prizes which will make it the biggest raffle we have ever organised! We would love you to sell the tickets and return the stubs with the money in a sealed envelope to reception. If you cannot sell them then please return the tickets to us. There will be extra tickets at reception if you need them. Please see below just some of the fantastic prizes on offer - Good luck!

London Eye tickets | Summer intense course at Brighton Swimming School | Two tickets to a Brighton FC game | Cut & blowdry at Electric Hair | Theme party table decor of your choice for up to 30 guests | Artroom voucher A print by Hazel Nicholls donated by Fine Tag Art | Family ticket to Arundel Castle | Carluccio’s meal voucher including wine | Family ticket to see Aladdin | Coggings & Co voucher | Leather bag from Matchbag and many more!

2014-15 Issue 7: 1: 6 page xx 2015-16

2014-15 Issue 1: page xx

Brighton & Hove High School GDSt

JuniorSchool Dear Parents,

I hope you had a good half term break. We have a busy few weeks ahead and the lead up to Christmas is always a fantastic time to be in school, with all the festive preparations. I am delighted to see that the girls have returned with a really positive attitude and sense of purpose. We are also looking forward to parents evenings next week. I must emphasise that logistics on these occasions can only give you an overview and should you feel you need a more detailed meeting with staff, please don’t hesitate to book a meeting at a mutually convenient time. We pride audiences on being very accessible so hope if you have suggestions or comments you will take the opportunity. As always, can I make a plug for Firefly which is a great communication tool/storage area for information, which we hope will make your life easier.

Best wishes,

Sian Cattaneo

weekly Tuesday 10th Wednesday 11th

Thursday 12th

KS2 (Years 3-6) Parents’ Morning, 8.15-9.15am KS2 (Years 3-6) Parents’ Morning, 8.15-9.15am Parents’ Evening for Nursey-Year 6, 5:00-7:30pm U-10 & U-11 Hockey v St Christophers Home U-10 & U-11 Hockey v Burgess Hill (Home) U-8 & U-9 Hockey (6-aside) v St.Christophers (Southwick Leisure Centre) U-9A&B Netball v Burgess Hill Home Parents’ Evening for Nursey-Year 6, 5:00-7:30pm U-11 Netball Trust Rally at Oxford

clubs dates for your diary...

All clubs are running as normal next week Year 4 rehearsals will start next Tuesday (10th) during lunchtime.

Friday 13th is Children in Need Day – Dress up as “your hero” (please refer to school comms for more details) As of Monday 9th October, Hockey clubs will be brought forward to a 3:30pm start on the astro-turf and finish at 4:15pm due to the diminishing light. Girls wishing to attend will get changed at lunch time wherever possible. Netball clubs will remain at 3:45pm-4:45pm using the bottom court and main hall throughout the Autumn term.

***competition time!***

*

Would you like to design the front cover of our Christmas Fair programme?

The designs need to be Christmassy (obviously!) and should be a line drawing in black and white, portrait shape DO NOT colour them in, as they will only be rather than landscape, and no bigger than A4 in size The deadline for entries is Friday 13th printed in black on the coloured paper of the programme The winners not November and we need two designs (for both adult and children’s programmes) only get to see their design on the cover but also win a £10 book token each.

*

2015-16 Issue 7: 7

*

*

riya’s

success!

We are very pleased to announce that Riya H (year 6) has gained a place at the Brighton and Hove Youth Philharmonia as a cellist.

Riya is a member of our Junior School Orchestra, Chamber Group and Upper School Choir, and is also a very talented pianist. Watch this space!

nursery

Our Nursery girls had lots of fun with the parachute in their music lesson this week.

children need

We are going to be Champions and raise money for BBC Children in Need!

On Friday please come dressed as your favourite hero, whether it’s a superhero, an actor, a singer or a real life hero! Please bring in any money you can spare for this worthy cause.

creative eco

Creative club made beautiful memorial poppies yesterday in preparation for Remembrance Day next week. They used impressive folding, cutting and sticking skills!

We have been very busy this half term, take a look at what we’ve been doing: We’ve been using recycled milk bottle tops to create some creatures which will hopefully find a home on our garden.

This week (in the rain) we looked at the art work of Andy Goldsworthy and had a go at creating our own, ‘non-permanent’ art using the leaves, pebbles, twigs and other bits of nature around us. The girls had a go at creating faces, abstract patterns and swirls.

We have also been very busy in the garden, clearing out all of the weeds and over-grown plants ready for our next round of planting. We are going to focus on creating some herb beds as well as planting seasonal vegetables.

Miss Lyons

2015-16 Issue 7: 8

2 sale

Here are some photos from the Year 2 cake sale – star baker and total collection to be confirmed in next week’s newsletter!

match

U-11 Hockey v Farlington The U-11 met some tough opposition against Farlington’s visiting squad. Our girls worked hard in defence preventing several attacking drives from our visitors. Our opponents did manage to create space in the D to convert successive drives into goals and we responded, pushing them into defence, and finished half time trailing, 2-1.

The second half was more dynamic. Sydney, Marianna and India worked hard to pass work the ball up the pitch to our awaiting forwards. We saw some great crosses, by Matilda and India, towards goal and Jaia who was well positioned to attempt more goals. As a result Farlington had to work hard to intercept the ball. Unfortunately they scored twice in the last few minutes. BHHS came back with a final drive but as the whistle went the score remained at 4-1 against us. Player of the Match was awarded to Matlida, and Umpire’s Choice went to Jamie.

U-10 Hockey v Farlington Our U-10B team took on Farlington’s A team last week. We played some good Hockey in the first half - Isla and Zahara in defence and Isabella P in centre midfield, Ava L right inside, Issy B left inside, Lila up front and Georgie in goal. We did need to keep our shape better, spread play and look up when in possession but fortunately had the greater percentage of possession by far and lead by half time, 1-0. After a quick team talk and with some position swapping we continued to keep possession, used more of the pitch with Ava pushing wide and creating quite a few chances to score. Farlington did however make some good drives forward but were met with some outstanding defensive work from Isabella and then Alber, both making vital interceptions with Isabella scoring for us. We managed to convert two of our chances in front of goal resulting in a 3-0 win with goals from Ava, Lila and Issy. Ava L was voted Player of the Match and Coaches Player of the Match was Isabella P. Well done girls.

2015-16 Issue 7: 9

��������������������������������������������

������������������ ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������

���������������������������������������������������