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LGGS Update December 2023

Contents Welcome from the Headteacher

Awards Evening

Festive Countdown

Performing Arts Festival

Door and Cake Decorating

Elf Run

The Chronicle

The Rose

International Links

German Exchange

French Exchange

Delivering Support

A Buzz in the Library

Author Visits

Lego Interpretation

Maths & Chess

CCF RAF Section

NCSC CyberFirst

English

Ceramic Animal Puppets

Performance - Drama

Performance - Music

Christmas Science

Calling Former Students

Seasonal Cards - Year 7

Welcome Dear parents, carers and students, Welcome to our end of term and end of year newsletter. I thought last term would be a hard act to follow, but our students, with the support of LGGS staff, have proved this to be completely wrong. Not only have there been exchange visits and events such as the Performing Arts Festival and Autumn Concert, but students across all year groups have also engaged in a wide variety of charitable activities.

Our Sixth Form and School Council have planned so support of both local and national charities in the run up to Christmas. The endeavours of our students and the school community have once again been acknowledged by The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, which has ranked LGGS as one of the top performing schools in Lancashire. We welcomed back our 2023 Leavers to our Awards Evening earlier this week and it was good to meet so many of you at our annual Carol Service at Lancaster Priory. I hope you and your family have a lovely festive break.

Mr Chris Beard, Headteacher 3

Awards Evening On Tuesday 19th December, we were very pleased to celebrate the successes of our students who sat GCSE and A Level exams in 2023 at Lancaster University's Great Hall. We took the opportunity to recognise the many challenges the students had faced during the last few years and applauded their strength and resilience. We were pleased that so many families were able to join us on this evening, as they played a big part, of course, in supporting the students through their studies. The event was made very special by the amazing music, courtesy of the Jazz Band and Chamber Choir, and we were treated to a sneak preview of the all-LGGS production of Chicago which is being staged at the Dukes Theatre in February 2024. We also heard from two alumnae speakers, Anna Stanfield and Karen Angus-Cole who relived key moments of their time at LGGS and shared some of their wisdom with the students gathered, in particular to be open to the opportunities that lie ahead, reminding us that we can never know exactly how things will work out: they encouraged the students to be proud of who they are and be true to themselves. It was also a lovely opportunity for the teachers to catch up with the Year 13 leavers and hear what they are doing now and we encourage all those who have left LGGS to keep in touch and maybe even come into school and talk to the younger students one day! Ms Dobson, Assistant Headteacher - Head of Sixth Form

Festive Countdown So many of our students appreciate the value of community spirit. They choose to get involved through organising and planning so many school and charity events. Following on from the successful Children in Need event in November, which raised an impressive £380, and in the lead up to Christmas they have been extremely busy and organised so many fund-raising initiatives that it was hard to keep track and we therefore created a calendar to record all that is happening around school.

This ‘Calendar of Giving’ listed events and initiatives happening at LGGS throughout December and hopefully allowed our students to decide which events they wished to attend or to support. It started with the ‘Make a ShoeBox’ appeal for Safenet where Year 12 and 13 students collected gifts and treats for women who have been forced to flee domestic abuse. Each December we work with Safenet, a local organisation, in the hope that we can make a small difference to those affected - both adults and children - over the festive period. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Festive Countdown A quiz was organised to raise funds for UNICEF, followed by the wellloved Christmas Jumper Day organised by Lali, Holly, Lucy, Rhea and Riya- which brought a smile to everyone’s face as they walked around school. The day raised over £800 for Save the Children! ‘During the past week, Sixth Form students kindly donated lots of delicious festive treats to the Olive Branch Foodbank and helped organise the collection of a wide range of items, from tea and hot chocolate to large boxes of chocolate and biscuits. The amount of food donated was so lovely to see and showed how generous my fellow students are. This foodbank collection wasn't just about giving back to the community, but also about providing support to those who really need it during the festive period. Something as simple as a box of biscuits or a cup of tea can make such a big difference in someone's life. When we give, we gain a sense of fulfilment and joy within ourselves, as well as making a positive impact on others. The students’ collective efforts have not only helped those in need, but they have also brought our sixth form community even closer together. It has allowed us to remember that even the smallest acts of kindness can have a huge impact. I think it's amazing that my fellow students are showing such generosity and gratitude. It's truly heart-warming to see people at our school coming together and making a positive impact!’ Elizabeth, Year 12

Performing Arts Festival In November our Main Hall, Centenary Hall and Gym were transformed into auditoriums for the highly anticipated annual Performing Arts Festival. This well loved event has become an autumn term tradition at LGGS and parents were left in awe of the standard of performance from across the school.

Door and Cake Decorating

Elf Run The Elf Run was organised by our amazing PE department and once again supported St John’s Hospice. We have already raised over £200 towards their Christmas appeal! The LGGS 4K run took place on Friday, and offered students the choice to either compete with LGGS colleagues on a route which began at school, or by organising their own festive running or walking challenge outside of school. It is not too late to compete or donate as the event runs throughout December!

The Chronicle

Have you picked up your copy yet? Capturing one year at LGGS, The Chronicle launched on 12 December. The Main Hall and surrounding classrooms remained quiet whilst staff and students gathered to read though the content. As you can see from the smiles on their faces it has been a big success. Well done to the Chronicle Team who have displayed such hard work and commitment in gathering the news, presenting and publishing the 2023 issue. ”I have always thought it carried the soul of our school – it shows off our personality, and what makes us, us!” “That vision is something I have held onto this year, when I finally got the opportunity to capture a year at LGGS. This edition has all you could ever want . Read on!”

We hope you enjoy it! The Chronicle Team

The Rose The creative writers and artists of LGGS have come together to produce the third issue of The Rose, our bi-annual Sixth Form zine. This issue, centred around the theme ‘Fairytale Gothic,’ features three captivating pieces of short fiction and poetry, each beautifully illustrated by our student artists.

International Links

During November, Andrea, Mritsa, and Rhea, Year 13, travelled to Japan to take part in the 2023 Japan Super Science Fair (JSSF) representing not just LGGS but the UK at this prestigious event. This was the culmination of a long project in the lab overcoming many problems to complete their novel research before travelling to present it in front of a worldwide audience of peers from the World’s leading science academies. Following 35 hours of travel, we reached Kansai International Airport, met our JSSF representative, had dinner, and waited for other students to arrive. Throughout the trip, we became experts at using chopsticks as cutlery was a rare sight. We soon made friends with other students and travelled together to Ritsumeikan University where we were warmly welcomed by the Principal, Mr Yasuhiro Higashitani, who founded JSSF 21 years ago! On the first day we all agreed that Japanese breakfast was the biggest culture shock. Although it took a little time getting used to, it was nice to have more variety and to experience Japanese culture first-hand. We visited Ritsumeikan High School, where we met our wonderful buddies Miu and Manaho. Following a photo session, we proceeded to the opening ceremony which was followed by a lecture from Dr Yen-Wei Chen (Professor at the College of Information

Science and Engineering), who presented his fascinating research on ‘AI in Future Schools: Possibilities and Challenges’. Before lunch, we tried a small icebreaker to get to know each other better and exchanged contact and socials with our newly made friends. We took part in a team activity, which involved making an A3 poster on the ‘Possibilities and Challenges of AI in Future Schools’. Each team was put into a larger group with five other teams, whom we presented our ideas to. Each group then voted for one team as their winner, whose poster would be judged by teachers. Mritsa’s group was one of the group winners. On day 2 we arrived at the conference room, where we presented our research to an audience of students, teachers, and experts in the field. The presentation went really well, and we received many questions. Glad that all our hard work had paid off, we spent the rest of the

morning watching other presentations. The afternoon started off with poster presentations and was followed by an interactive session from Mr Dale Olive with his ‘Science is Fun’ talk. Afterwards, we were taken on tours of the different laboratories where we saw advanced equipment and research. Day 3 started with a science talk from a special lecturer. A general knowledge quiz followed, and was won by Rhea’s team. Although the quiz required a lot of competitive energy (what we do best here at LGGS), we still had lots left to dance in a Conga. The cultural exchange followed, which allowed us to engage in other cultures by visiting stalls from different countries. For our UK stall, we managed to teach many people how to play Cheat, a card game commonly played at lunch times and known to cause some rifts. We also offered small pieces of Kendal Mint Cake which we

found people really enjoyed. To learn more about Japan, we tried on some beautiful Yukatas (summer kimonos), attempted Japanese calligraphy, and tried to win many traditional Japanese games includng, shooting plastic cups with guns made of rubber bands, and collecting marbles out of water using a net made of paper. We then designed a Styrofoam airplane and see whose could travel the furthest. After traveling back to our accommodation we all spent time together in the student common room, talking and playing games. We started day 4 with an industrial tour of a factory and saw a range of things from how robots are made to software development to computational neuroscience. We then hopped on the coach to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. We followed tradition at the temple by keeping a certain distance from the donation box and tossing in a small offering of ¥5, then bowing twice, clapping twice, and praying silently before bowing again, as per Japanese customs. We then walked through the Torii gates, before arriving at a small clearing with many tourist shops and fortunetelling stalls. What we really noted here was how fortunetelling and protective amulets, called Omamori, play a huge part in Japanese culture – with everyone in our groups buying a ticket, which allowed them to pick an omikuji stick out of a box and exchange it for a piece of paper telling their fortune. If they received a bad fortune, they would then tie their piece of paper onto a rack

We started day 4 with an industrial tour of a factory and saw a range of things - from how robots are made to software development to computational neuroscience.

with others, hoping it would not become true. Our evening was spent exploring Kyoto with our buddies who introduced us to the local delicacy Yatsuhashi, which we found was quite different from our usual sweet taste palate due to the unusual texture and red bean flavour. Nonetheless it was so delicious that we had to buy more to take home. The last hour was spent buying matching necklaces with our buddies and taking funny pictures with filters at a photobooth (with the teachers!), marking the end of yet another great day. The last day of JSSF started off with the ‘Science Showdown’. Mritsa’s team came first by producing a scent using essential oils that could smell both pleasant and mask out the odour of isovaleric acid (found in foot sweat). Rhea's team also came first in their group by coming up with a creative hypothetical solution to traveling and establishing a civilization on Enceladus (one of Saturn’s moons). Andrea’s team came second in their group in a robot football

tournament, where each team’s robot was controlled solely by muscle contractions to turn left and right, and a simple controller to move forwards and backward. After receiving certificates and medals, we moved on to the cultural performances and the awards ceremony, in which Mritsa received our certificates from the Principal on behalf of LGGS and gave a short speech to express our gratitude. We then had a farewell party, dancing, taking lots of photos.After packing, tidying our room, and checking out, we said our final goodbyes. We made a quick trip to the convenience store, buying any last-minute gifts and snacks for the trip back home. After arriving at the airport, we spent some free time exploring the duty-free and were shocked by the amount of KitKat flavours, ranging from Peach, to Banana, to Sweet Potato. We then boarded our flight to Abu Dhabi, and then to Manchester, arriving back at school on 9th, already missing the amazing experience we had the privilege of having.

Reflections on our German Exchange During November, thirteen LGGS students from Years 10 and 12, accompanied Mrs Sharp and myself on an Exchange visit to Germany. We stayed for a week with the families of German students from our exchange partner school, the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium in Bergisch Gladbach. We visited the historic city of Cologne, where we attended a concert at the Kölner Philharmonie, followed by some shopping and then climbed the 533 steps in the tower of the iconic cathedral. We visited the House of History museum in Bonn, Schloss Burg Castle (and nearby waffle house!) and the Christmas markets. During the weekend, students took part in many fun activities with their host families, including going to the zoo and to the nearby theme park, ‘Phantasialand’. There were tears when we said farewell before returning home. On a positive note, our students have made new friends and are keeping in touch with their German partners. We shall look forward to welcoming our German hosts for their return visit in April. Mrs Fuller

I loved the exchange – it was such a great opportunity to get to know more people, explore a new place and have an amazing time. It’s so normal to feel nervous and I hesitated to sign up because I wanted to go with friends, but after having been I realise that while having friends there definitely made it even more enjoyable, I would’ve still loved it if I’d gone by myself with people I didn’t know as well. It’s also normal to feel nervous about staying with your family but they’re so lovely and people find by the end of the week it’s hard to leave them. You gain confidence and get to experience different ways of life. You get immersed in the language which helps you pick up vocab. I didn’t want to leave and would 100% recommend it to anyone wanting to go. Iona, Year 10

Reflections on our French Exchange

LGGS French linguists in Years 10 and 12 had a wonderful week on the exchange trip with Lycée de la Plaine de Lyon this December. We spent two days in the school, attending different lessons, including Spanish, Volleyball and Climbing, and getting to know the routines of a French school day. The rest of the time was filled with cultural experiences, such as our day trip to Lyon, where we explored the traboules (hidden tunnels) of Vieux Lyon, visited Musée des Beaux-Arts, got a stunning view of the city from Fourvière Basilica, and sampled Lyonnaise delicacies like pink praline, saussison and raclette! We look forward to welcoming our French partners to Lancasterin March. Overall, the French exchange was an amazing experience. There were so many opportunities to explore the places we visited, such as Vieux-Lyon, Bourg-en-Bresse and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which was really fun. The exchange is of course an amazing chance to meet and connect with a French family, and

speak lots of french with native speakers. The family were so lovely, and the teachers are always available if you need anything. Ellie, Year 10 My favourite activity was playing the laser game, it was a great way to get to know others and to just have a good time! I loved going to see Mont Blanc but also walking around the towns and seeing the architecture, especially during the fête de lumiéres. My family were honestly so kind. They always made sure I was comfortable and were eager to exchange cultural experiences. Also, as advice, if you want to say something but don't fully know the phrase, don't be afraid to try. People will be very understanding and you can always use pictures, searching up words or a sneaky bit of English if possible. Renay, Year 10

Delivering Support Our students not only research, and support a variety of national initiatives. These include anti-bullying, developments in conservation and Climate Change, the true meaning of Remembrance. We are also and working towards becoming a ‘School of Sanctuary’, committed to creating a culture of welcome and inclusion for refugees and people seeking asylum. We must applaud those who then stand up in assemblies to share their knowledge and deliver a message to our school community.

Mental health support during the holidays Without the structure and routine of school, we know that some students find the holiday period challenging for their wellbeing. As teachers and support staff will not be checking their school emails during the holidays, we have made students aware of a selection of resources we have put together to support those struggling with their mental health this Christmas.

Papyrus

Young Minds

Mind

Beat

Kooth is also at hand during the winter holiday period if you, or someone you know needs extra mental wellbeing support during the holiday season.

A Buzz in the Library This Term, Year 7 got the chance to watch videos from 16 different children’s authors and choose their favourite book to keep, as part of BookBuzz 2023.

Selected by teachers, librarians, and publishers, you can check out the selection of the 16 awesome titles on Book Buzz website. All titles are available to borrow from LGGS Library! The most popular choices amongst our Year 7 students were…

1. Dreadwood by Jennifer Killick: A horror story set in a school during Saturday detention!

2. Our Sister, Again by Sophie Cameron A Sci-fi drama about AI, family and grief. 3 . Swan Song by Gill Lewis A moving story about the pressures faced by teenagers.

This term, we have been lucky enough to host three author visits for students. In October, historical fiction writer, Sally Nicholls, kicked things off with her inspiring talk for Year 9 about the movement for women’s suffrage in the early 20th century. Sally discussed her wonderful coming-of-age book, Things A Bright Girl Can Do, about three women caught up in the Suffragette and Suffragist campaigns in 1914. This was a timely introduction to the topic for Year 9, who will be studying the Women’s Rights Movement in History later this year. “Hearing about how hard the women fought and the way they were treated as common rather than political prisoners after being arrested for protesting, really made me want to look into the subject in more depth.” Erin, Year 9

Author Visits Author and feminist campaigner, Laura Bates, visited us with her outstanding presentation to Years 10-13. Students were totally engrossed by her powerful discussion of gender bias in the media and her illuminating examples of everyday sexism that go under the radar. Students also heard about Laura’s research and writing process for her new Young Adult novel, Sisters of Sword and Shadow, which approaches Arthurian legend from a feminist perspective. Released the day before her visit, Laura’s new book proved very popular with students, who queued after the talk to get copies signed and ask Laura their questions. Two of our Sixth Form students even got the chance to host an exclusive interview with Laura for The Chronicle! You can find out more about Laura’s work as a gender equality campaigner and writer on her website.

“It was very sure of itself - it had facts and statistics, and it was presented in a very engaging, calm and intelligent way. It had the perfect amount of personality and generalness for everybody to find some personal value in.” Abi, Year 12.

“Her enthusiasm and passion was clear, and her points were well researched.” Gloria,Year 12. “Amazingly inspiring, current and important issues were addressed.” Mrs Williams

We rounded up this Term’s author events with an interactive session from local author, Danny Rurlander. Danny has seen great success with his action-adventure story, Spylark, which has been dubbed ‘Swallows and Amazons for a thoroughly modern readership’ (Chicken House publishers). Year 7 participated in a quiz about The Lake District, a paper aeroplane competition and a live drone demonstration, as well as hearing from Danny about the writing and research processes involved in producing his novel.

“He expressed the excitement of his past adventures, and it was incredible to listen to them. He also interacted quite a bit with the audience.” Iris, Year 7 “It was very interactive as we were always doing an activity or quiz which made it more fun. Jessica, Year 7

Lego Interpretation Our Year 7 students have busily been constructing Lego Magical Bedrooms which were inspired by Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend. There was stiff competition but after deliberating the following Lego creations were selected.

Most Original: Iris, Most Imaginative: Catherine, Most Detailed: Zahraa, Fleur and Joana and Most Quirky: Skye.

Maths and Chess Congratulations to Niamh who has recently gained a distinction in the Senior Kangaroo competition, a very impressive result and we are proud of her achievements. Mr Richards, Maths Department Earlier this year Niamh entered the Glorney Gilbert Cup, an international teams chess competition which has been running annually since 1949. This year’s competition was held at Stirling University, Scotland. Niamh competed as second board on the England A Under 18 Girls’ team, playing 6 games against teams from Scotland, Wales and England B. Niamh scored an unbeaten 5.5 out of 6 points. England A won the Gilbert Cup by a wide margin!

CCF RAF Section Year 11 Cadets: Amal and Phoebe Year 9 Cadets: Grace, Erin and Amelle. Well done everyone.

Year 9 and 10 students travelled to Inskip at the end of November and took part in activities including archery, low ropes, command tasks, shooting, sporting activities and the operation of a flight simulator. All our students behaved in an exemplarily manor and were praised by the staff at Inskip. In December they competed against teams from Northern Ireland, Scotland and the North of England the Air Squadron Trophy. We came 3rdgained us a place in the Nationals in February. It is very unusual for Year 9 cadets to get into the squad, as they are not normally considered to have enough experience. The cadets spent several Sundays practicing and should all be highly commended for their magnificent efforts and determination to reach this level in the competition. The activities included: drill, uniform inspection, shooting, first aid, aircraft recognition, history of the RAF and command task.

Mr Williams, (Flt Lt Williams)

NCSC CyberFirst Girls Competition This competition, which is a team event for Year 8 students, aims to inspire girls interested in technology to pursue a career in cyber security. Each team tackled challenges from cryptography and logic to artificial intelligence and networking -cracking codes and solving puzzles. Congratulations to the LGGS 'Computing Carrots', who came first out of 7 student teams in the school heat.

English Department During October, to mark National Poetry Day, we began our search for our new Poet Laureates, following the successful introduction of the role last year. Personally, my experience as poet laureate has been great. I have acquired many skills along the way, I have also had fun bringing out my creative side and contributing my work to the wider school community. I also loved the feedback that I received from others about my poems. I appreciate how it has pushed me to my limits and forced me to challenge myself at times. I highly recommend that all aspiring poets should take this opportunity, and I can assure you that it's an opportunity you will not regret. Eniola Afuye I was the Key Stage 3 Poet Laureate last year and was delighted to be given this challenge. I have absolutely loved it! I really enjoyed writing my poems throughout the year and they have made me think about the seasons, the natural world, and special occasions such as International Women’s Day. Furthermore, through being a poet laureate I have developed my confidence in public speaking, as I had the opportunity to read my poems at Mrs Cahalin’s retirement assembly as well as the Carol service both of which were very rewarding. If you like English, poetry, or reading and writing then this is a perfect position for you! Catherine Hill We are delighted to now have in post Estrella (KS3), Izzy (KS4) and Iona (KS5) - all three performed their Winter poems in the Carol Service on Thursday 21st. We also very much enjoyed the annual Christmas production at The Dukes Theatre - taking the whole of Year 7 to see a fantastic performance of Charles Dickens'A Christmas Carol. Mr Grundy, Head of English

Art Club’s Ceramic Animal Puppets KS3 Art Club – Ceramic animal puppets This term, students from KS3 have been coming along to a new Art Club to design and create their own 3D clay puppet; developing their drawing and design skills, learning how to sculpt in clay and how to add textures to the surface using various tools. The head, hands and feet are being made from clay, with the internal structure created out of wire and wrapped with wadding before designing and creating the clothing. We hope to exhibit the final creations in school once completed, so look out for more information in the New Year so you can come along and see them! Mrs Field, Teacher of Art Here, a few of the attendees share their experiences of the club so far: ‘As the long school days began, numerous pupils of LGGS fled for the creative

comfort of art club. Confidently led and completely inspired by Mrs Field, students of all year groups developed from amateur to astounding sculptors within weeks. After Mrs. Field shared her heart-warming story, concerning a puppet bear and her daughter, we instantly started brainstorming ideas for our own creations. Through many trials and tribulations, we all managed to land on a design that connected to us personally. Demonstrating her meticulous techniques, we all learnt the basics of sculpting and began to craft our puppets. The club is a creative outlet for anyone of any ability. It’s a perfect package of energetic music, cheerful mentors and an opportunity to craft with your peers. If clay isn’t your preferable art medium (although it’s always encouraged to try new things), the project of the club will change next year once these puppets are completed.’ Iman, Year 9 ‘In art club I have been sculpting a duck (wearing a suit) out of clay. I found this quite tricky at the beginning because I am not familiar with sculpting, and I prefer to sketch, but as I kept attending this club, the skills just started to flow; it may not look just right straight away, but I kept adding to it, and it

is starting to come together now. I never thought that I would ever take a liking to sculpting, but now I find it enjoyable! I would love you to join us and learn new skills that you never knew that you would gain.’ Maryam, Year 7 ‘In art club we have been making clay sculptures. These sculptures are animal themed; they might have humanoid bodies with animal ears or an animal with clothing. We have used many different techniques, it could simply be scoring or adding texture. We will be adding wire to make the arms and legs move and we will be using felt/fabrics to make the clothes. then we will add accessories like hats or glasses. We will then start painting the sculpture to an

appropriate colour, we will add any final details and soon enough we will be finished.’ Nabiha, Year 7

Drama Our Drama students are offered an opportunity to view a live performance, something that can create a lasting impression. During November, Year 11 Drama students saw a production of Blood Brothers at The Alhambra the students really enjoyed the performance and storyline which was both heart-warming and heart-breaking.

Meanwhile, A-Level Theatre Studies students travelled to The Lowry, Manchester to see Lemn Sissay's adaptation of Metamorphosis, a retelling of Franz Kafka's shocking tale of cruelty and kindness. We also launched the Performing Arts Festival, which offered Year 12 the opportunity to oversee the production of pocket musicals and drama performances and to be responsible for, and work with, younger students within their student house groups.

Above: Year 13 have delivered a variety of performances this term as part of their assessment, some of which were monologues from various plays

Autumn Concert The LGGS Autumn Concert at Ashton Hall offered an opportunity for our students to play to a full house. The concert showcased their musical talent, alongside students from other schools and the support of the audience was phenomenal. During the evening the audience got a short preview of our next LGGS musical - Chicago which will premier in February 2024.

Musical Production 2024 sees the re-introduction of the school’s musical production which will be a teen edition of Chicago. Mr Swannell and myself have now completed casting and the selection of key roles including, make-up, music, sound and lighting. Rehearsals are well underway and the performances will take place this year at Storey Institute, Lancaster on the evenings of Wednesday 28th February, Thursday 29th, Friday 1st March and Saturday 2nd March will offer both a matinee and evening performance. Tickets go on sale in the new year and to avoid disappointment, please be sure to save the date and book your ticket well in advance as school productions are normally sold out. Miss Woodhouse, Head of Drama and Theatre Studies

Christmas Science

Our Seasonal Science workshops have been in full swing, with Year 7’s having the opportunity to attend ‘Spooky Science’, ‘Bonfire Bonanza’ and ‘Christmas Chemistry’.

Back in October, our J4 chemistry lab was converted into a Halloween Coven with hauntingly fun decorations, overflowing dishes of bubbling slime, vats of witches brew and chemistry themed carved pumpkins! Year 7 made their own super stretchy slime that even glowed in the dark! The session culminated in a demonstration of the exothermic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into oxygen gas and water, which, after the addition of some washing up liquid, generously foamed out of the aforementioned pumpkins! In November, 30 more Year 7 pupils had tremendous fun investigated the colour of fireworks by carrying out flame tests on various metal ions. This was interspersed with a series of spectacular demonstrations, with the laboratory hosting rainbow flames, noisy canon fire and a large-scale demonstration of the science behind sparklers! Our grand finale involved setting fire to methane bubbles in Mrs Reade’s hands, which produced a

towering inferno higher than her head! In the final session of 2023, we utilised chromatography to create beautiful filter paper baubles, which the students took home. There was also great excitement building circuits and shaping copper wire to create a Christmas tree shaped buzzer game, there were many steady hands despite the tricky shape! Our Chemistry technician, Mrs Kelsall was busy in the fume cupboard using an oxidation reaction to create a perfect silver mirror on 3 of our large round bottomed flasks. These are now on display in J Block, our very own giant, shiny, silver baubles! The sessions were a great success, all Year 7 students who attended were incredibly enthusiastic and listened carefully to all instructions. We would also like to thank our amazing team of Year 12 volunteers; their time and experience helped all the practicals run smoothly. We’re excited about launching more sessions in 2024 Mrs Reade, Chemistry Department

Calling Former Students Future First Alumnae Site is not just for 2023 Leavers… if you’re a former LGGS student, we would love to hear from you and share your news. Your experiences since leaving LGGS could help to motivate and inspire our current students to feel more confident in making decisions about their future. Joining our alumnae network enables you to stay connected with our school community. We have partnered with the national education charity Future First, who specialise in helping schools to stay connected with their former students. You can enjoy interaction with friends and find out how everyone is doing or you can choose to help - perhaps by acting as a career and education role model, provide work experience, become a mentor in person or online, or help with donations, fundraising or even apply to become an LGGS governor. It doesn’t matter when you left us, whether you’re in further education or employment, whether you still live nearby or further afield - we hope you will join us.

‘Future First enables you to share your adventures since leaving school and to reconnect with an encouraging and supportive network of friends and peers from your time as a student at LGGS.’ Mr Chris Beard, Headteacher

Seasons Greetings Cards by Year 7 Art Students

Anuhya

Lois

Adelaide