Junior News – 28 June 2024

Sporting endeavour, determination, teamwork and growth were on display this week in abundance.

Starting with our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes, we witnessed their enthusiasm, drive and perseverance as they competed in a range of track and field events. Striving to win points for their Houses, the girls excelled in all areas, giving every event their utmost effort with fabulous results. I was struck by how the pupils honed their striking skills to aim the ball at the cricket stumps, polished their aim and direction with the beanbags and took great strides into the long jump pit. Not one pupil was phased by the task ahead, the competitive instinct or the outcome of activity – win or lose, instant success or otherwise, they gave their best both in performance and spirit. We could not be more proud of our girls, how they encouraged each other, stayed focused and fair, cheering on their peers and celebrating every achievement along the way. A huge thank you to all the parents and family members who came to support the girls and for giving their all too in the parent egg and spoon and sprint races. We have never had so many willing competitors, and we know that the girls were thrilled to see their adults join in the fun.

Staying with sport, the Sports Awards yesterday evening was a triumphant event. Witnessing the incredible range of talent, tenacity and passion for sport across the school brings perspective to our young people’s sporting journey. The awards celebrated not only sporting prowess but also team spirit, community values and risk-taking in every aspect. Certificates and trophies were awarded for achievement, improvement and leadership across the evening, with girls from Year 3 to 6 being recognised not only for their love of sport but their contribution to the Northampton High sporting family. Congratulations to all our nominees and award winners. Inspired by our guest speaker Jazz Turner, a Team GB Sailor, Jazz demonstrated that the power of sport extends far beyond what can be achieved in the competition, delivering a moving and memorable keynote speech about her own journey through sport.

There were so many high points, and too many to mention, however some of the most striking moments were hearing our girls take to the stage and lectern to address the capacity audience to thank their peers for their sporting service this year with such confidence and poise. Special congratulations to the team and individual nominees for Junior Team of the Year and Junior Sports Personality of the Year, won by the U11 Hockey team and Zara J respectively.

Our Year 1 girls wowed and delighted parents, pupils and staff this week with their Class Assembly. Reflecting on a year of huge progress and collaborative and personal trophies, Mrs Purvey-Tyrer and Year 1 pupils brought the year to life through song and beautifully delivered speeches, championing favourite projects and experiences. Thank you to the girls, Miss John and Mrs Purvey-Tyrer for sharing the combined journey of our Year 1 pupils.

The Arts Festival on Wednesday was a wonderful opportunity to see the range of visual arts on display, and enjoy the Junior School choir, Senior School music and drama, Fashion and Textiles and Art exhibitions and some delicious food activity with the Summer Festival Picnic. Thank you to our pupils and parents for coming along to support this event and to view the incredible talent on display. Our Junior School pupils’ displays continue to be enjoyed in the Theatre entrance (Year 4 Ceramic Sea Urchin Lights display) and in our Junior School foyer yesterday and today. If you have not had the opportunity to see the Sea Urchin installation, we can invite you to pop to see this in the Theatre entrance, just outside the glass panelled doors. In pulling together the Junior School exhibition, it is evident to see the talent, creativity and fresh ideas explored by even our youngest pupils in Nursery and Preschool. Many thanks to our pupils and their experienced teachers in presenting their work so beautifully for us to enjoy.

The week has concluded with a Welcome Day today, when new pupils joined us for the day prior to their start with us in September. All year groups ‘moved up’ to their new classroom for the morning, to get to know the teacher they will have from September. The girls have warmly welcomed the new girls and have shown true Northampton High School spirit in including their new friends into their classes with enthusiasm and kindness. Needless to say it has been an exciting day with lots to look forward to next year!

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend when it comes.

With best wishes,

Mrs Amanda Wilmot
Acting Head – Junior School

Parent Notices

Sun cream and Sun hats: Now the weather is much improved, may we please ask that pupils wear sun cream to school and ensure they have sun hats with them in school every day.

Wraparound Care: In Wraparound Care, we have reintroduced fruit as a snack as well as the biscuits currently available.

Swap Shop: The Swap Shop is open every Friday afternoon from 2.45 – 3.45pm in the Junior School hall if you need to top up uniform items.

Headphones: Please may we ask parents that girls from Year 1 to Year 6 to come to school every day with headphones. These can be the in-ear or over-ear type connected to the Chrome Books and the pupils’ laptops with an audio jack.

Breakfast Club: A polite reminder that Breakfast Club starts at 7.30am each morning. We are unable to welcome pupils into school until our staffing is in place at 7.30am.

Extracurricular programme – autumn term: We will be launching our extracurricular programme for the autumn term in the first week back to school, to allow pupils the opportunity to find out more about the clubs in school before signing up for them. We will have a booking system ready to enable bookings, in order to start clubs week commencing 9 September.

End of term timings: As you know, at the end of each term, our pupils finish their day at the end of the morning session. To assist with collection of pupils, and to ease congestion in the parking area, we are pleased to confirm that the timings will be adjusted as follows:
End of term finish (Junior School) 11.50am
End of term finish (Senior School/Sixth Form) 12 noon
We hope that this facilitates a smooth flow of traffic and enables families to collect their children with minimal delay.

Dates for the Diary:

Summer Term 2 – Please click here to view a list of the upcoming events, assemblies, trips, performances and fixtures next half term.

Year 5 trip to Grafham Water in September 2024: We have already communicated our Year 5 pupils’ residential trip to Grafham Water from 30 September to 2 October 2024. As this residential takes place close to the beginning of the autumn term, Miss Brandon-Jones has kindly offered her time on Tuesday 2 July at 8am to allow parents to discuss any element of the trip with her. Miss Brandon-Jones will be in her Year 5 classroom, and will be pleased to answer any queries parents or pupils may have.

Speech Day, Wednesday 10 July 2024: We have now invited the parents of those pupils to receive a prize at our Speech Day on Wednesday 10 July (9am-10am). If you have received an invitation to join us for this event, may we politely request that you let us know whether you are able to attend via this form by Wednesday 3 July 12 noon.

Looking ahead to September, our Curriculum Information Evenings will take place in the week commencing 9 September. We will confirm dates shortly.

Summer Fayre Friday 5 July 2024

Wraparound care: We will be writing to you shortly with further details about the Summer Fayre on Friday. To enable all staff and pupils to attend the Fayre, we will regrettably not be able to offer Wraparound Care or clubs on this date.

Bottle tombola: One of the stalls for the Summer Fayre will be the ever-popular bottle tombola. May we please request that pupils bring in a bottle to reception by Wednesday 3 July to contribute to this stall? This could be a bottle of ketchup, a bottle of squash or shampoo – anything that our pupils might wish to win on the tombola stall. Thank you so much!

Mufti Day

The Junior School Council are organising a MUFTI DAY on Friday 5 July to raise money for their charity of the year the Make a Wish foundation. This charity grants wishes to children with critical and life-threatening illnesses.

Please find the Just Giving link here with a suggested minimum donation of £1.

Thank you for your support.

Junior School Council

Head's Commendation

A huge congratulations to the students who received a Head’s Commendation today!

This special award recognises pupils for their outstanding achievements, demonstrations of kindness and dedication to school life and we were delighted to celebrate the recipients for this half term!

During lunchtime, the nominated pupils and their teachers joined Dr Lee in the Senior foyer to commemorate this special achievement with certificates and sweets. A big well done to the group for their hard work and positive contributions to school life!

Faith P-N and Nisha G: Faith and Nisha started coming to Wildlife Gardening Club after Easter and have taken over a small raised bed outside the Wake Wing. With very little help from me (other than me giving them seeds!) they have grown peas, poppies, beetroot, radish and sunflowers, and they even come to water them with their water bottles at lunch because we don’t have a big enough watering can! They are very mature and organised, and it is clear that they want to make a difference! Mrs Peto

Aurelia H: I am nominating Aurelia for completing her work experience with a tour company in France and then completing a personal project to demonstrate her learning. This showcases Aurelia’s ability to apply what she had learned and highlights her creativity and initiative. Very well done, Aurelia! Dr Lee

Ava B: Ava has been super helpful to new drivers, assisting them with the route and identifying students. Mr Holmes

Natalie S: Natalie’s work ethic in Spanish is fantastic. She focuses really well, undertakes all the tasks in a timely and thorough manner, asks for clarification and applies what she has learnt. When she finishes ahead of time, which happens often due to her determination, she requests extension work, and demonstrates a real desire to do well in the subject. Mrs Rathore

Jesleen R: Inspired by the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, she used acrylic paint to create a striking image of a flower, showing great concentration to blend colours and add brush stroke detail. Miss Taylor

Simran L: I am nominating Simran for her work in the Year 8 skills lessons. Simran has been working at a very advanced level academically, producing work on protecting the rainforests (a set piece of work) and sundials (topic of her choosing). Her level of research, how she structures her work, thoughtful comments, use of citation and bibliography all make for impressive reading. Miss Buxton

Ques-Li DB and Lucie C: I am nominating Ques-Li and Lucie for their excellent contribution to the Year 5 and 6 production of Wind in the Willows. Their expert choreography of the Year 5 river dance transported the audience into a magical world and left them wanting more. Well done, girls! Mrs Fordham

Sports Awards Evening

The Sports Awards Evening took place on Thursday 27 June where we welcomed many of our excellent sports participants to celebrate their achievements this year. This year’s invitees ranged from Years 3 to 13 and it was fantastic to see representatives from across the school. Thanks to our Year 6 Sports captains – Poppy P, Annabel R, Amelie N, Cora S, Luisa P, Zara J, Angelie B – and the Sports captains in Senior School – Vivien L, Harriet F, Annabel L, Sophie J, Issy H, Prachi P and Emma N – who eloquently delivered carefully written speeches, reviewing the year in Sport.

Well done to all of the girls who were recognised on the night for their exceptional sporting endeavours. The PE faculty are very proud of each and everyone of you. Congratulations to the following who received the nights headlining awards:

Supporter of The Year: Mrs Jenson
Hockey 1st XI, Players Player: Felicity H
Hockey 1st XI, Coaches Player: Harriet F
Netball 1st XI, Players Player: Jasmine Y
Netball 1st XI, Coaches Player: Janice H
The Vicky Parker Award for Outstanding Leadership: Issy H
The Sarah Hunt Award for outstanding contribution to swimming: Annabel L
The Junior School Team of the Year: U11 Hockey
The Junior School Sports Personality of the Year: Zara J
The Senior School Team of the Year: 1st XI Hockey
The Senior School Sports Personality of the Year: Issy H

Thanks also goes to our amazing speaker, Jazz Turner, a national level inclusive sailor who spoke openly about her inspiring journey in sport. To hear Jazz’s story you can click here. Jazz is walking the 160km length of the South Downs to raise money for Newhaven and Seaford Sailability. She hopes to increase the number of people with disabilities who have access to sailing by buying another boat. If you would like to support Jazz, please follow her Instagram @jazturnersailing and check out her GoFundMe page linked here.

Mrs Saunders-Wall
Acting Director of Sport

A tribute from Dr Lee to Jazz Turner

We were thrilled to host a truly inspiring speaker at this week’s dazzling Sports Awards Evening. Jazz Turner joined us and bravely shared how sailing has become her “family”, despite facing a progressive and physically limiting condition since the age of 18. Jazz proudly represents Team GB in Paralympic Sailing, and her journey, as she recounted, is nothing short of remarkable and motivating. She thoroughly deserves the chance to shine on the international sporting arena.

Jazz imparted words of wisdom to our audience, ranging from “how you rise after you fail” to “never let fear hold you back”. She taught us resilience in the face of failure to the transformative power of determination , and how being incredibly stubborn and highly critical can set you on the path to success. She taught us how to navigate challenge, embrace joys and discover true liberation on the water.

Jazz’s fearless spirit and her unwavering pursuit of adventure are breaking barriers in the world of sailing, inspiring countless others. Her dynamic enthusiasm promises to guide future generations of young athletes.

Please consider supporting Jazz as she pursues her Paralympic dreams and contributes to the South Downs Way Crowdfunding campaign.

Dr Lee
Head

News from our classrooms: Nursery and Preschool

It has been a hot week in Nursery! We have made the most of the weather, whilst staying as cool as we can.

At Forest School we used the natural shade from the trees as we explored and played.

In the garden, we have enjoyed playing on the bikes earlier in the morning and then retreated to the comfort of our covered area where we had cool water in the tray, practised our sandcastle building, chased bubbles and even had a paddle in a pool!

By Wednesday, the girls did not even require our advice to take care in the sun and they all sought the shelter of the cover themselves.

In Preschool this week we have had lots of water play to try and keep cool in this hot weather. We made a waterfall, watered our flowers, a water fight with balloons and washed the bikes. We also had various water play activities inside, especially looking at capacity.

We have continued to look at countries that we have connections to. We have been listening to, and dancing to, some African music, making playdough pizzas and looking at different landscapes and weather climates.

We have had lots of calming activities this week including drawing, painting, puzzles, cosmic yoga, reading books and playing with some toys in the shade in the back field.

In French we have been looking at names of pets by playing games and singing songs.

We have also welcomed some of the Nursery girls into our room as part of their transitions and the Preschool girls have been very welcoming and helpful towards them.

We have also enjoyed our time spent in Reception exploring their set up, activities and the environment.

News from our classrooms: Reception

This week we have been enjoying the wonderful Prep work that has been carried out by the class. The activity was to create an information poster about a place they have visited or would like to visit – a theme linked to our current topic of Journeys and Adventures. The homework took us around the world and we found each of these places on Google Maps. We had work generated about Portugal, St. Lucia, Japan, Sardinia and Mexico to name a few. These are now displayed for everyone to see in our classroom role play travel agents.

We were so delighted with how everyone took part in our school Sports Day occasion. Demonstrating the skills of running, jumping, and athletics alongside the support and encouragement they showed to one another was creditable and such a hot day! We hope you enjoyed the occasion and thank you for joining with us.

Reception had a wonderful time with Mrs Cartlidge in the beautiful sunshine at Forest School. First, the girls spent time learning a little about butterflies. They then had to search and find pictures of butterflies hidden around the woodland area. When they found them, they had to find someone else with the same butterfly. They looked carefully at the colours and patterns on each butterfly picture and then used their communication skills to find a friend with the same one! Excellent work girls!

Next week we look forward to sharing with you our final class assembly of Reception – this will take place on Wednesday morning at 8.40am in the Junior School Hall.

Year 1 and Year 2 Forest School Focus

As always, Year 1 and Year 2 have had a wonderful time at Forest School.

All the girls have enjoyed attempting to create a spark using the flint and steel lighter. This new experience really challenged some of the girls and they showed great bravery and perseverance if they didn’t manage to create a spark straight away.

Pond dipping was very popular. We saw unusual creatures such as waterboatmen (so named because their legs look like little oars that they use to push themselves through water) and leeches! We didn’t see the newts that other year groups saw, possibly because they hadn’t hatched yet, so we have another pond dipping session before the end of term!

Year 3 Forest School Focus

Back when the weather was a little cooler, Year 3 enjoyed having a fire at Forest School.

The roasted peaches were a huge hit.. their sugar coating becomes caramelised and just delicious!

The campfire was also used to cook elderflower syrup. They enjoyed smelling this wonderful white blossom and guessing what it was. They then carefully picked the flowers off the stems before adding them to a pan of hot water over the fire. Sugar and freshly squeezed lemon was added and the mixture stirred to ensure it would burn. Mrs Cartlidge explained that this mixture needed time to ‘steep’ to develop the flavours so we couldn’t drink it straight away. Instead we had a refreshing cool drink of shop-bought elderflower cordial!

We also did some pond dipping and hapa zome (leaf hammering) and had a great time!

Year 4 Forest School Focus

We really enjoyed it when the parents joined us at Forest School.

It was great when we dipped apples in sugar and roasted them.

We also loved climbing trees and swinging the hammock. It was great fun and we love Forest School!

Year 5 Forest School Focus

Year 5 were keen to attempt making God’s Eyes. This activity, which involved wrapping wool around two sticks, is very popular as the finished result is very effective!

We also cooked peaches over the campfire. This was the third time we have cooked fruit over the fire – having previously cooked cinnamon apples and brown sugar pineapple – so we were very confident doing this!

Year 6 Forest School Focus

Year 6 enjoyed their final Forest School experience this week and we were delighted to welcome a few parents to join us.

The girls were excited to find small baby newts during the pond dipping activity but were less keen to see leeches and worms!

They had the opportunity to work with clay and some girls and their adults created excellent faces on the trees.

Making dream catchers was also a popular activity. The girls made the most of their time and there was much reminiscing about Forest Schools over the years.

A number of girls had fun on the swing and hammock while others climbed the trees and sat and chatted.

The weather was beautiful and we took Betty along too both of which helped to create a lovely lasting memory for the girls.

Thank you to Mrs Cartlidge for setting up all the exciting activities.

Junior Sport News

U10A and U11A Cricket v Quinton House – Wednesday 19 June

U11A
Won 287 – 229
The sun was shining brightly when we played Quinton House School. The U11A’s played wonderful cricket with many great shots and some beautiful bowling. We won the match with 287 runs against 229. Annabelle showed great team spirit with lovely loud encouragement and hitting a four. The U11A team did a great job with their bowling, managing to set Quinton back by 20 runs with excellent wickets. There were two catches and two run outs, Zara and I took the catches and Amelie did a great job at getting the run outs by being in the right position behind the stumps. Hester, Asmi and Lily batting superbly with many fours and a few sixes and well done to Poppy for super fielding. I was pleased to be awarded player of the match for batting and bowling. Overall a wonderful performance from the U11A team today with skill and lots of encouragement.
Angelie – Junior School Cricket Captain

U10A
Won 289 – 220
On Wednesday 19 June we had a cricket match against Quinton House with Eloise C as Captain and Thea as Vice Captain. The score was 220-289 to Northampton High. We used lots of our cricket skills, especially our fielding and bowling. The Batter of the Match was Eloise C, the Bowler of the Match was Amber and the Fielder of the Match was Thea. We all played really well and so did Quinton house. We have improved a lot.
Eloise C – Junior School Cricket Captain

U8A and U9A Cricket v Quinton House – Friday 21 June

U8A
Lost 213 – 215
It was perfect cricket weather, sunny with a slight breeze for the U8A match vs Quinton House. Northampton High School won the toss and elected to bowl first. Our bowlers did a great job and we restricted Quinton to only 215 runs, taking 2 wickets in the process. Rayna and Isabel only gave away 2 runs each during their bowling overs, Iman bowled a maiden over and Rosie managed to take 2 wickets. Our batters got off to a great start with our opening pair Zara and Rosie smashing 22 runs of their first 2 overs. The rest of the batters continued steadily but unfortunately, we lost quite a few wickets during the latter overs and ended up with a final score of 213 runs. Quinton therefore won by only 2 runs. A great effort by our girls and lots learnt from the fixture. Congratulations to our Bowler of the Match, Zara and our Batter of the Match, Iman.

U9A
Won 261 – 223
A great performance by the U9A cricket team. The weather brought out the best in the team and they showed consistent bowling, a skill we have been working on in Games lessons and at Cricket Club. They worked well to stop the ball out in the field and kept the Quinton score down. Whilst batting Northampton High School made great contact with the ball and pairs worked well communicating with each other to score additional runs. What a fantastic afternoon.

News from outside of the classroom: Year 6 GDST's ‘We are One’ project

Our Junior School is home to innovative and spirited learners who wish to make a difference in the world.

This term, pupils in Year 6 have taken part in GDST’s ‘We are One’ project; a sustainability initiative designed to connect girls across England and Wales through a love for the environment and a desire to take climate action.

Launching a magnificent campaign with the strapline ‘Bin it, don’t fling it’, the leading group aimed to spotlight the consequences of inconsiderate behaviour on the planet, encouraging the local community to do better! Learn more about their project here.

Weekly Awards

Star Learners of the Week:

Penelope J, Aleya L, Sophia R-N, Emily T, Isabel S-R, Agnes R, Isabella B

Congratulations to the following girls who were winners at the Junior Swimming Gala:
Freestyle
Lily P (Year 3), Grace B (Year 4), Evette B (Year 5) and Victoria F L (Year 6)
Backstroke
Siena-Louise D B (Year 3), Orla D (Year 4), Leah W (Year 5) and Lily C (Year 6)
Breaststroke
Lily P (Year 3), Grace B (Year 4), Evette B (Year 5) and Zara J (Year 6)
Butterfly
Grace B (Year 4) Evette B (Year 5) and Victoria F L (Year 6)

Congratulations to the following girls who won at the Year 3 – Year 13 Sports Day 2024:
50m Sprint – Olivia C, Rhoda J
80m Sprint – Eloise C, Luisa P
Rounders Ball Throw – Lily P, Olivia T, Avani A, Annabelle R
Long Jump – Siena-Louise D B, Olivia T, Eloise C, Lily C
600m – Olivia C, Rhoda J, Avani A, Zara J

External Achievements:

Georgina P – received a certificate of achievement for her fantastic violin pirate performance

Olivia T – won a Football tournament and scored 10 goals!
Annie T – awarded a Special Coach’s award in Netball for commitment and improvement

Birthdays This Week

This week, we wish a very Happy Birthday to the following members of our Junior School family:

Eloise A, Naavya P, Maya A, Grace A, Ottilie V, Anaisha M

GDST Alumna of the Year and Trailblazer Awards

It’s that time of the year once again!

Voting is now open for the annual GDST Alumna of the Year and Trailblazer Awards. To find out more information about this year’s fantastic finalists and details on how to cast your vote, please click here. Voting closes on Friday 12 July, and we really appreciate your support.

Good luck to all of this year’s amazing nominees!

Miss Price
Digital Marketing Assistant