15 December 2023
NEWSFLASH Fortnightly Newsletter of Woodhouse Grove School Follow us on Instagram @woodhouse_grove
Year 7 Prefects Congratulations to our Y7 Prefects….
Being a form prefect offers pupils an opportunity to develop leadership skills from a young age and to be role models for their peers. As prefects they will be expected to help new pupils on taster days, represent the year group in the school council and will also have an opportunity to be involved in a lower school assembly next term. Well done.
News From The Grove & The Grovian Should have made their way home via pupil post - but both can also be read through this link
Carol Service & Concert It was fantastic to have a packed chapel for our Carol Service, which included items from Grove Singers, Girls' Choir and Junior Pop Choir all aided by returning Old Grovians. Thank you also to our fantastic readers. The Christmas Concert played out to a packed house with a great variety of festive favourites. Concert Band's Michael Jackson Medley may have been the one to get most toes tapping but from Y7 all the way to Y13 we had a great cast of performers in choirs, instrumental ensembles, and even the occasional rock band!
The Grove's Poet Laureate
Eco-Committee Visit
Here is The Grove's Poet Laureate's poem for the festive season. It can also be read HERE It asks us to examine what may lie behind the traditional festive jovialities and superficial money-spending, to support those who may not find Christmas an easy time of year.
Incredible writing from a very talented student. Well done Ash.
In December, 8 members of the EcoCommittee visited AWM, our partner for all recycling and general waste collections. Students really engaged with the science of how a waste management site operates and segregates the various materials that arrive there. The team made us proud with their imaginative and surprisingly accurate suggestions for recycling, involving giant magnets and washing machines. It was an interesting and worthwhile experience and the committee will be sharing what they learnt soon.
The Odd Balls Foundation Last week we had a fantastic talk from a member of The Odd Balls Foundation to raise awareness of testicular cancer.
It was incredible to hear about the foundation and how much they do to fundraise for charities. The talk was extremely insightful and we hope to have a member of the foundation back in the future to give more talks to our students.
Cross country National Finals Well done to our three teams as they competed against the best in the country at the @SchoolAthletics XC Finals in Ipswich in early December. They should all be very proud of their race performances. To get to the finals is a huge achievement. Thank you also to the staff and parent supporters.
Congratulations to all those who braved the elements to race in the Leeds Schools' XC trials on Saturday 9th. Despite testing wind and energy-sapping mud, sixteen WGS pupils were selected for the Leeds Schools' Team: Year 7- Charlotte M & Georgia B. Years 8 & 9- Macie D, Harriet W, Simeon T, James M, Tom G. Years 10 & 11- Charley CT, Frieda D, Maisey B, Archie P, Jacob B, Will T, Oliver G. Sixth Form- Gaelle C & Harry B
Junior House Debating A big congratulations to Stephenson House for coming first in junior house debating overall. Winning with the motion that ‘Christmas does not begin too early’!
Community Support
Last week a small but hardy team made up of boarders, staff and one member of the local community set out to plant trees. This was part of Green Grove’s continuous efforts to protect our riverbank from the worst effects of future flooding from the River Aire.
Last week a group of sixth formers went to visit St Gemma’s Hospice to help move Christmas trees. As a school we are very proud of the time and effort they gave to help others around the holidays, and some of the pupils expressed an interest in volunteering at the hospice in the future.
Champion Congratulations to Rebecca (Y7) who has had an amazing 1st season riding & showing her pony Connor. She competed as a newcomer in her team LKA Riding at Ilkley & District Riding Association and was delighted to be able to represent them both, as a finalist, at STARS Champion of Champions held at Aintree Racecourse in November. Rebecca was absolutely delighted to be presented with a 1st- Champion of Champions, 2nd- Reserve Champion of Champions, two 3rds and a 4th in the overall standings for her classes this season at the end of season award ceremony.
The Cricketer Schools Guide
England Football Congratulation to Rafe M (Y10) who has been selected to represent England Under 16s in their International Friendly Fixtures at St. George’s Park between the 13th - 17th December 2023. Good luck Rafe!
Grove Awards Congratulations to our first 23/24 Grove Awards winners whose range of challenges included maintaining a 70 day streak on Duolingo, helping at a Church Sunday School, chess club, tech club and a variety of sporting activities. Y7: Zain H, Amelia J, Charlotte M, Amelia R. Y8: Jasper B, Jack H, Harry K, Noah P. Y9: Aaron A, Caragh J, Abigail S.
We are honoured to have been selected for the guide once again this year! The guide is now available to read here. All entries were judged against an extensive set of criteria, which included a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, facilities, fixture programmes and coaching.
Visit to Parliament
Mock Trial Competition
This week our Sixth Form Politics students enjoyed a day trip to London to visit Parliament. They had a tour, a workshop, a Q&A session with Stuart Andrew MP and viewed the House of Commons and House of Lords in session.
Three Year 12 students took part in the first round of the Bradford University mock trial competition this week. They were acting in the defence of a women who had been accused of stealing a neglected dog. The judge from the university commented on their impressive preparation for the trial and their forensic approach to their questioning. The next round is in the new year.
An excellent time was had by all!
Christmas Card 1st Place Well done to Tilly S (Y10) who was invited to attend a Civic Reception hosted by the Lord Mayor of Bradford (Cllr Gerry Barker) to receive her prize for winning 1st place in the Bradford Council Music and Arts Services Christmas card competition.
Link with Woodhouse Grove on...
FOWG Festive Fundraising FOWG Calendar 2024 This year's calendar celebrates the fabulous ways the FOWG supports the school, with information on the many clubs, activities, and a scholarship that have received our funding! Our calendar contains term dates and opens out to A3, so there is plenty of room on the page. Order yours now https://fowg.sumup.link/ for delivery into school or by post. FOWG Raffle - to be drawn 24th Dec 2023 For your chance to win a MacBook Air M1 RRP £949, or any of our other 12 fabulous prizes valued together at over £3,200, purchase your tickets now through the online shop https:// fowg.sumup.link/ Thank you to Meritec Limited and all those who have donated such generous prizes! You can follow the FOWG on ... https://www.facebook.com/ fowg1812 / https://instagram.com/ fowg1812 / https://twitter.com/ fowg1812 Wishing all our families a happy and restful Christmas. Thank you to all those supporting the FOWG Festive Fundraising, we couldn’t do this without you!