Hipperholme Grammar School Newsletter | July

Inside

Sports Report

Summer Term Newsletter 2015

Out and About

Brodleians Reunion

Contents

Summer Term Newsletter 2015

P3 -

Hello from our Headmaster a welcome to our Summer Term newsletter from Mr Williams

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Dates for your diary and upcoming events

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Brand Facelift our 30th independent year brings a fresh, new look

P6 & 7 -

Sports Report all the latest from our Sports Days

P8, 9 & 10 -

Out and About find out what the pupils have been up to

P11 -

Brodleians Reunion the latest from our annual reunion

P12 -

Library Refurbishment find out what we have in store

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In the News have you seen us?

P14 & 15 -

Social Media details on how to keep in touch

Hello from our Headmaster

“ This Summer sees the end of another busy year across the School for both staff and students.”

Welcome to the first of a new style of newsletter from the School. We will be featuring as many of the activities of the School as we can in similar upcoming publications.

As you will be able to read later we are also putting much more content onto our Facebook and Twitter pages to help keep parents up to date with the activities their children are engaged in. In the next few months you will see a new look website and other online content.

This Summer sees the end of another busy year across the School for both staff and students.

Staff have been getting to grips with new demands from the inspectorate and examination boards whilst pupils continue to forge forward in their studies and activities.

There have been a number of changes in staffing and I would like to send my best wishes to those colleagues who are going on to ‘pastures new’.

Angela Greenway retires this year after teaching Chemistry in the School for 25 years and we also say farewell to Mrs Powell, Mrs Wilson and Miss Hebron.

It is always sad to say farewell but we must look forward to welcoming new colleagues and the new ideas and personalities they will add to our community.

Mr Williams Headmaster

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Dates for your diary & upcoming events

Senior School Thursday 13th August (8am) A Level Results with A/S results available at 9am Thursday 20th August (9am) GCSE Results Monday 7th September (1:30pm) Year 7 and 12 Induction Tuesday 8th September Start of Term Friday 18th September (6pm – 11pm) Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony Wednesday 23rd – Friday 25th September Year 7 visit to Buckden House Monday 28th September Year 7 Poetry Day with James Nash Thursday 1st October Whole School Photograph Tuesday 6th October (7pm) Year 7 Meet and Greet Evening Friday 9th October Senior School Open Evening

School will close to pupils at 12:40pm with pupils expected to attend from 6:15pm – 8:45pm Thursday 15th October Founders Day (367 years since the School’s Foundation) Wednesday 21st October Senior School Open Doors Morning Friday 23rd October (3:45pm) School closes for Half Term holiday Thursday 5th November Start of Half Term Thursday 12th November (7pm) Sixth Form Information Evening Saturday 21st November Senior School 11+ Entrance Examination Thursday 26th November (7pm) Senior School Speech Night at Bradford Cathedral

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Friday 27th November Senior School closed Saturday 5th December Christmas Fayre Tuesday 15th December (7pm) Foundation Carol Service at Coley Church Thursday 17th December (12:30pm) School closes for Christmas

Junior School Tuesday 8th September Start of Term Friday 18th September (6pm – 11pm) Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony at Senior School Saturday 26th September (10am - 12 noon) Junior School Opening Morning Thursday 1st October Whole School Photograph Thursday 15th October Founders Day (367 years since the School’s Foundation) Friday 23rd October (3:30pm) School closes for Half Term holiday Thursday 5th November Start of Half Term Saturday 21st November Senior School 11+ Entrance Examination Friday 27th November Junior School closed Saturday 5th December Christmas Fayre at Senior School Tuesday 15th December (7pm) Foundation Carol Service at Coley Church Thursday 17th December (12:30pm) School closes for Christmas

Brand Facelift

Our 30th year brings with it a fresh, new look

The eagle-eyed among you may well have noticed that the design and branding on our newsletter has changed slightly. This is because our school has undergone a subtle brand face-lift as we enter our 30th year as an independent education provider.

We have worked alongside a marketing consultant to refresh our brand identity and create a revised marketing strategy as we move from in-house to outsourced marketing support.

A modernised logo and coat of arms has been created, in addition to a brand bible that will be used to ensure that all our marketing communications are consistent with our ethos and long history within the local community.

We have also conducted research into the admissions process, covering areas including enquiries, applications and perceptions of the school. The findings will now form part of our wider marketing and communications strategy for academic year 2015/16.

To help deliver the strategy, we have appointed Brighouse-based Faith Public Relations to support us as we increase our presence on social media, as well as helping us to deliver a multi-channel marketing and communications schedule that includes public relations (look out for us in the local newspapers!), advertising and digital communications.

We’d love to hear your comments and feedback on the new look, so please feel free to email them to secretary@hgsf.org.uk

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Sports Report

Senior School Sports Day

Junior School Centenary Sports Day

For the second year, Sports Day was four events rolled into one. A forecast of thunder and lightning had slightly affected the planning, so for safety the events were in the Sports Hall rather than on the School Fields.

Pupils at our Junior School enjoyed a traditional sports day on the 17th June to celebrate the school’s one hundredth anniversary.

The day began with Year 7 and 8 Athletics, including a variety of throwing, jumping and running events, finished off with the ever-popular relays. In the afternoon, Years 9 and 10 completed their events and the Inter-house rivalry and spirit was at its highest levels. Sunderland House won overall and the trophy was collected by a beaming Max Rawson.

A full day of activities saw over 130 children participate in traditional competitive games including skipping, egg and spoon races and potato sack racing.

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 children spent the morning competing at the school’s sports field, while the afternoon saw years 2 to 6 continue a day of sporting activities over at Lightcliffe Cricket Club.

We also said farewell to Miss Shibil after her very successful two terms with us; but her busiest day of the year was far from over. The PTA took over the running of events in the early evening, and the forecast mercifully was proved wrong.

The day was organised by Mrs Weller, our Junior School Headteacher, and Mr Brighouse, our PE Coordinator.

Four large inflatables had arrived in the playground including the 100m long ‘Olympic’ bounce run, sumo wrestling and a bungee run.

The barbecue was enjoyed by parents and their children, although it was only the pupils who braved the inflatables - and two staff who shall remain nameless to protect their professional integrity (Mr Smith and Mrs Wilson…oops).

“All the children thoroughly enjoyed the sporting activities of the day and the spectators were suitably refreshed with delicious cream teas provided by our very supportive parent teacher association.”

In the evening the Main Hall was host to our Brodleian Reunion whilst the Sports Hall hosted this year’s Sports Presentation evening. The Guest of Honour was Huddersfield Giant David Faiumu and in his speech he gave us a brief personal history, commenting that “whatever your goals in life whether they be sporting or academic, it is hard work that will get you there.”

Miss Shibil hosted the prize giving, culminating in the awarding of this year’s Sportspeople of The Year award to Harry Woodhouse in Year 11 and Victoria Spires in Year 8. Congratulations to all the award winners this year!

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Mr Brighouse said:

Mrs Weller added:

“Our centenary has been a wonderful opportunity to explore some of the historical events at our school, and our sports day was an exciting tribute to the past.”

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Out and About

Strictly Come Dancing at the Senior School End of Year Ball

Europe to East Coast for students

Students and staff enjoyed the annual Senior School Ball on Wednesday 30th May at The Venue in Barkisland.

Our pupils enjoyed educational trips that saw them travel to destinations in Europe and the UK in May.

Students really went to town and arrived in a multitude of exciting and unusual vehicles – we even spotted a fire engine!

Year 7 and 8 pupils from our Senior School travelled to the 2000 year old town of Koblenz in Germany’s Rhineland where they visited local monuments and towns including Rudesheim and Cochem.

The ball provided a brilliant social opportunity where students and staff alike celebrated the fantastic achievements of those in Years 11, 12 and 13.

Year 11 students also showcased their dancing skills having spent the weeks preceding the event practicing especially for the big night!

After a 20 hour coach journey to reach their destination, students were able to experience German culture as well as practice their speaking of the language to help support their studies.

As well as the trip to Germany, all 32 of the Year 5 and 6 pupils from our Junior School travelled to Scarborough from where they visited Whitby and the North York Moors National Park Centre to explore moorland habitats.

Headteacher Mr Williams said:

Strictly Come Dancing at the Senior School End of Year Ball

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“We’re committed to nurturing every student’s unique individuality and promoting self-esteem, and extra-curricular activities such as these are a great way of ensuring that we do just that. They also help students to be the best they can be by putting into context what they’re learning in the everyday classroom environment.”

UCAS Week Our sixth form students took part in a range of activities designed to help them prepare for university and apprenticeship applications in June, as they begin to make plans for life after school.

The ‘Your Future’ event – which forms part of the school’s Year 12 Destinations Programme – saw our sixth formers participate in a number of workshops covering areas including personal statement writing and the UCAS applications process.

They were also visited by Adrian Bird of Brighousebased company The Apprentice Finder who talked about how to seek out and apply for appropriate apprenticeships as an alternative to university, and Leanne Owens from C&K Careers spoke about the alternatives to higher education.

Activities Week

Teacher Kate Wilson, who organised the ‘Your Future’ event, said:

Year 7 started the week with a river walk Geography field trip with the added extra of a sketching exercise led by Head of Art, Mrs Rees.

During the week they also visited Flamingo Land and enjoyed a slightly different take on Music, Languages, IT and Sport.

“We pride ourselves on the tailored support and advice we offer our students when deciding where to go after leaving us. Some of them are set on applying for university and others want to find an apprenticeship or enter the world of employment.

The ‘Your Future’ week equips them with the information they need, whatever route they choose to take.”

To help further develop their communication skills, our students also visited Langlea Terrace care home to partner with residents for a ‘talking buddies’ hour and provide valuable companionship to elderly people within the local community.

Mr Williams added:

“We want to ensure that each student makes the right decision about their future whether this is via an academic or vocational route, and Your Future week ensures that we can achieve this in the most informative way possible.”

The final week of the Senior School year once again involved a vast array of activities both in the School and elsewhere.

Flamingo Land was also one of the destinations for Year 8 pupils as was the Scarborough coast for a Geography field trip. A trip back in time was also on the agenda with a History ‘game-making’ morning.

Year 9 completed their crime writing competition following the workshop led by published authors Bob and Carol Bridgestock as well as something ‘a little bit different’ in Science.

The Whitworth Art Gallery and Imperial War Museum, both in Manchester, were two of the destinations for Year 10 who followed those visits with a walking tour of the city looking at post-1996 regeneration and street sculpture.

They also enjoyed sport and an Italian morning before joining Year 9 on their end of year trip to Blackpool.

On the last full day of School we welcomed staff from Barclays Bank to the School. They ran workshops with Years 7-10 on money skills, self-confidence and interview techniques.

An interesting and enlightening day to finish of the year.

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards

In the lead up to the Duke of Edinburgh Assessed Expedition there is usually a little trepidation shown by both staff and students. For students, their worry is usually based around getting lost. For the teachers, the greatest worry is bad weather.

As it turned out the forecast was reasonable although warnings of gales were given out for the Pennines. The forecast held to its word and strong winds were experienced but luckily they were blowing from the west and the routes were heading south giving some respite.

The groups were all dropped off around Ribblehead and seemed in good spirits.

The navigation was going well, however groups cannot resist the temptation of following a road.

Luckily the staff and minibus were on hand to put things right and, true to the forecast, the wind dropped and some sun appeared as the students started to arrive at the campsite near Horton in Ribblesdale.

Mrs Griffiths as the assessor checked on the dishes being cooked and was full of admiration at the thought put into the places groups were finding to cook. As the sunset and darkness set in the last

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task was to toast some marshmallows over the fire-pit before going to bed and getting ready for the next day.

The next morning, all the groups were up and cooking their breakfast by 8am. The tents were packed up and each group got ready to set off on their chosen route to Clapham. All the groups left their pitches in pristine condition - a thorough search of the whole site only found two tent pegs, sometimes we have found as many as 20!

After the staff had cleared the site and made our way to Clapham we were delighted to find groups arriving on the right route at the right time having had no navigational problems. By 2 o’clock all the groups were safely at the minibuses.

All pupils should be congratulated for making the weekend so pleasant and stress free. A special thanks to the staff who gave up most of their weekend to ensure the safe and smooth running.

Brodleians Reunion

A fond farewell to Mrs Greenway at this year’s annual reunion

On the 26th June, staff and students at the school bid farewell to one of our longest serving teaching staff, Mrs Angela Greenway, at our annual alumni reunion.

Mrs Greenway joined the school in 1985, and was a key figure in the science department over the last 30 years. She began her career in 1972, and after studying chemistry at the University of York, she took a teaching post at what was Tong Comprehensive School. She also worked at Yorkshire Martyrs Catholic College before joining us at Hipperholme Grammar School.

The alumni reunion marked Mrs Greenway’s retirement as well as gathering together former pupils to share memories with old school friends and staff over refreshments provided by our catering team.

“Mrs Greenway will be dearly

missed by everyone at the school, and she has been a stable force within the school having been with us for so long. The Brodleians Reunion was a fitting way to ensure that past and present pupils had an opportunity to wish her the best in

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her retirement.

Mr Williams

In her retirement, Mrs Greenway hopes to spend time with her three grandchildren, travel and learn Italian. Over sixty people attended this year’s reunion which was a fantastic success.

We look forward to seeing everybody next year.

Mrs Angela Greenway is retiring after 25 years (Picture courtesy of the Halifax Courier)

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Library Refurbishment

A new library in memory of former History Master is on the horizon

We have been working hard recently on plans to refurbish our boardroom and turn it into a well-equipped school library complete with fiction and non-fiction books and multimedia tablets for students to use, provided by the PTA.

3D plans for our new Petford Library

The library will be named the ‘Petford Library’, in memory of former Hipperholme Grammar School governor and history master Alan Petford. Those who worked with Alan or were taught by him will know that he would have appreciated this move to improve the learning facilities within the School.

On the 20th June, former Head Boy Stephen Sutcliffe completed an epic fundraising challenge to raise funds for the refurbishment – by completing four 4km open water swims in four countries in under 24 hours. Stephen was Head Boy at the school in 1988-89 and we would like to extend a huge thank you for all of his fantastic efforts raising money.

We would be delighted to hear from former pupils or friends of the School who would like to donate new books or online book vouchers. These can be sent directly to the School. Names of those donating such items will appear in the inside covers. Alternatively, small sums or company sponsorship to assist in the refurbishment can be donated and names will be acknowledged within the new library. Cheques can be sent to the School or card payments can be made by contacting our Finance Officer, Ms Tracey Owens, on 01422 202256.

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In the News

Have you seen our staff and students in the news?

Over the last couple of months, you may have noticed that stories from the school have been making more regular appearances in local newspapers including the Halifax Courier and Brighouse Echo.

We have started working alongside Brighousebased Faith PR, who are helping us to raise awareness of the school’s success stories and publicly recognise the achievements of both students and staff alike.

Jack Williams - Headmaster with Stefanie Hopkins and Alex Mason of Faith PR

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Social Media

All the latest information on how you can follow us on social media

If you follow the school on social media, you may have noticed that we’ve created a new Facebook page and Twitter account for our Junior School.

We’ll be posting regular updates on these accounts, so why not search for Hipperholme Grammar Junior School on Facebook and ‘like’ our new page, and follow @HipperholmeGJS on Twitter.

Also, don’t forget our Senior School accounts – why not ‘like’ Hipperholme Grammar School Foundation on Facebook and follow @HipperholmeGS on Twitter if you haven’t already?

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/HipperholmeGrammarSchoolFoundation /hgjuniorschool @HipperholmeGS @HipperholmeGJS

#whatyoumissed

Budding masterchefs in reception this week. Next week it’s the beach party.

Burg Eltz castle this morning followed by swimming and Mamma Mia DVD ... again! #Rhineland2015

Form Two had a fantastic time at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Alfie certainly had his hands full!

Reception class Beach Party.

Summer must be nearly here

Year 6 learning CPR in the sun with Mr McMahon #simpleskillssavelives 3 15

www.hgsf.org.uk Hipperholme Grammar Senior School Bramley Lane, Hipperholme, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 8JE

Hipperholme Grammar Junior School 45 Wakefield Road, Lightcliffe, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 8AQ

Telephone: 01422 202256

Telephone: 01422 201330