December 2021 - Page 2 of 4 - Penwortham Girls' High School

Hegarty Maths MemRi

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Michelle Murray

MemRi quizzes are made up of 10 questions you answered correctly before. Each day the pupils are able to complete a new MemRi quiz which earns them a stamp towards a goal.

Each time they answer a question correctly in MemRi, they get MemRi points. The questions are in four different difficulty levels depending on how many times the pupils have answered that question before and the difficulty levels offer different levels of points. The questions will be slightly different each time they see them and will appear at greater time intervals.

Here is the link to the video on how MemRi works and the impact it has on pupils understanding and retention:

Due to the overwhelming impact that we believe MemRi will have on our students learning and their retention of prior knowledge, they have been competing in a competition to gain the most points this half term. We have been very impressed with their motivation to improve their understanding in Maths and also for their hard work and achievements on Hegarty Maths.

The Maths department look forward to see who wins this competition!

Mr H Jackson – Years of Service to the School

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Michelle Murray

Howard Jackson, Vice-Chair of Governors above received a certificate from the Lancashire Association of School Governing Bodies, in recognition of his service to the school.

Howard first joined as a member of the PTA in 1988 as his daughter started at the school. He became chair of that body and used his influence to raise funding for the school via a number of events, such as jumble sales and gala stall sales. He also helped to paint scenery for drama productions and could often be found in school on Saturday mornings!

He was invited by the then headteacher to join the governing body, which he did in 1991. He has served as Chair, Vice-Chair and member of the Finance committee over many years and is currently Vice-Chair overall. Howard uses his influence as a Rotarian and as member and now Captain of Penwortham Golf Club in activities and events in the local community.

He has only praise for the school which he knows as parent, community leader and governor – inside and out! His two daughters attended the school; Samantha is a Detective Police Inspector and Melanie is a primary teacher locally.

Howard is not leaving the governing body just yet but wishes to explore possibilities for young golfers who might be interested in joining the junior section of his golf club.

We would like to thank Howard for his service of over 30 years as governor with Penwortham Girls’ High School, in the hope he remains a governor for a few more years yet!

Mrs L Russell-Hayes
Chair of Governors

Geography Autumn Term 2021 News

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Michelle Murray

Another packed term is coming to a close, with students across all years demonstrating their Geographical knowledge, skills and enthusiasm.

A particular well done to our Year 11 GCSE Geographers; it has been a long term with a period of Mock exams at the start of November. The Geography Mock results were pleasing overall, and we look forward to doing some detailed performance analysis after the holiday. Year 11 are very nearly finished the syllabus content, meaning we will be able to embark on an extended period of revision, exam practise and preparation. All three Year 10 GCSE classes have bedded in really well; the standard of work being produced is amazing and as a department we are already feeling confident about this cohort.

In the lower school, Year 7 pupils are gearing up to produce their ‘Fantasy Treasure Maps’, a highlight for many PGHS students when they look back on their time here. Work hard on this, Year 7 and really show off your cartography skills. They have now moved onto a unit on ‘Wild Weather’ and will soon be looking at hurricanes and tornadoes.

Suggested Christmas viewing – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puqszlr9u1w

Year 8 students are in the midst of a unit on ‘Mountain Landscapes’, with study of how mountains are formed, the variable weather conditions found there and the impact of glaciers and high mountaineering.

– https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mountains-Mind-Fascination-Robert-Macfarlane/dp/1783784504/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=mountains&qid=1638983347&s=books&sr=1-4

Suggested Christmas viewing – https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074sg0/planet-earth-2-mountains

– https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000rpmf/life-of-a-mountain-a-year-on-helvellyn

Year 9 are coming to the end of a unit on the ‘Geography of Fashion’ and we hope that the study of working conditions at home and abroad in the fashion industry has got these students thinking. There are also environmental questions to be pondered when choosing our clothes and hopefully with new purchases being made over the holiday season, students will think carefully about their choices and how to dispose of unwanted garments.

Suggested Christmas Reading – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Translation-Jean-Kwok/dp/0141042745

Suggested Christmas viewing – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l-xXElC7iw

Geography Society has seen numbers grow steadily in recent weeks. We have had Goole Earth Treasure Hunts, quizzes and games and finished the term with globe bauble making. We meet Monday lunchtimes in Room 39 – come along in the new year, we would love to see you.

Have a great holiday and if you are celebrating Christmas, don’t forget to ask Santa for a Geography textbook of your very own and make sure you recycle all that packaging! Merry Christmas from Mr Bowles, Mr Ward and Mrs Singleton – Ho Ho Ho!

Mr Bowles,

Geography Department

Spelling Bee Winners

Posted on December 14, 2021December 14, 2021 by Michelle Murray

Year 8 Semi-Finalists

LYDIA W. versus NIAMH L.

SARA A. versus ISABELLE S.

MADISYN P. versus HARRIET M.

Year 8 Finalists

ISABELLE S.

NIAMH L.

HARRIET M

Year 9 Semi-Finalists

ARUHI G. versus LARA F.
SAI K. versus LACEY S.

ABI C. versus MARYAM B.

Year 9 Finalists

LARA F.

ABI C.

LACEY S.

Year 8 Spelling Bee Champion – Isabelle S

Year 9 Spelling Bee Champion – Lara F

Key Stage 3 Spelling Bee

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Michelle Murray

This term, Miss Ibrahim organised a huge ‘Spelling Bee’ across years 8 and 9. Each and every student participated, and the winning student from each class went forward to the final which was hosted by Ms Russell-Hayes, the Chair of Governors. The finalists were certainly put under pressure as they had to spell their given words live in front of their year group. All finalists did a phenomenal job and received a medal, while the winners of the year group received the prestigious Spelling Bee trophy.

PGHS Christmas Poem

Posted on December 14, 2021December 14, 2021 by Michelle Murray

This year, we have established our very own ‘Poet Laureate Team’. A poet laureate is an honorary position that originates back in 1616 in England. The poetic task of the laureate is to create and craft poems that celebrate significant moments in the year.

Our dedicated team of poets have been working together to think about an important message that we wanted to spread with our Christmas poem this year. We felt inspired by the message of ‘One Kind Word’ which was promoted throughout Anti-Bullying week this year and wanted to continue to share a message of kindness throughout the festive season. This poem was written by Year 10 student Amber R and is a celebration of the most valuable gift one can give: kindness.

Christmas,

A time of giving and receiving,

Rushing around markets to find fluffy socks for grandma,

An ugly Christmas jumper for dad,

And a necklace for mum,

Watching their faces on Christmas morning unravel the thing you spent ages to find for them,

The thing you spent night after night reminiscing about,

The thing you saved up for since last Christmas.

How about this Christmas you give the greatest gift of all to as many people as you can,

Something priceless yet so valuable,

Something they’ll remember forever,

One. Kind. Word.

Spread it like a virus,

Even just a slight smile can make someone’s Christmas.

A little compliment can make all the difference.

One Kind Word.

By Amber R

Merry Christmas from Miss Starkie and the Poet Laureate Team

London 2021 – Year 11 West End Theatre Trip

Posted on December 14, 2021December 14, 2021 by Michelle Murray

Early on a Friday morning, 60 Year 11 students boarded the double decker bus bound for London – slightly sleepy at such an early hour but nonetheless excited for the first residential trip that the school has been able to run since the arrival of Covid-19.

Arriving in London just after lunchtime, students disembarked at Camden Market, looking for last minute quirky gifts for their family and friends. We were all a little overwhelmed by the 1000s (yes, thousands) of stalls but very quickly got in the swing and embraced the eclectic, iconic and original that defines Camden market. We were all delighted to get something to eat after our long journey and early start!

Then, we left North London and headed to the West End for an all you can eat Pizza buffet, before heading off to see “Hamilton” the musical. As promised, “Hamilton” lived up to its reputation and was incredible. This was something that I had been looking forward to a long time and I wasn’t disappointed. Tired after our long day, we then made our way back to our hotel and a good night’s sleep.

After an early start and a good breakfast, it was back into Covent Garden for another dose of Christmas magic. It always looks beautiful at this time of year; the perfect way to get into the festive spirit. Students had another chance to enjoy some free time, window shopping in the designer shops and in person shopping at the more affordable shops! After soaking up the atmosphere, we then headed off for a dose of Sixteenth Century Girl Power with “Six” the musical.

Again, we enjoyed another dose of history. It’s fair to say it was delivered in a slightly different style to history lessons in school but again, an incredible musical that we all enjoyed. After we had sung our way through the trials and tribulations of Henry the Eighth’s wives, we were back on the bus home. A busy weekend, but a brilliant one. Finally, a massive thank you to all the staff who gave up two very long days so close to Christmas to ensure that the students were given this amazing opportunity (and yes, we did enjoy the chance to do a little last minute shopping ourselves…)

Mrs Woodhouse

English Department

Educake Leaderboard October – November 2021

Posted on December 13, 2021December 13, 2021 by Michelle Murray

Graphene – the New ‘Wonder’ Material

Posted on December 13, 2021December 13, 2021 by Michelle Murray

Year 10 have recently studied graphene in Chemistry Unit 2 Bonding, structure and properties of matter.

Graphene was only isolated from graphite in 2004 by two researchers at Manchester university, Prof Andre Geim and Prof Kostya Novoselov. Their discovery led to them being awarded the Nobel prize in Physics in 2010. Subsequently, the National Graphene institute was set up in Manchester in 2015.

This one atom thick material is now set to revolutionise almost every part of daily life.

Graphene is stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible.

It can conduct electricity and thermal energy and is also transparent.

One new use of graphene has just recently hit the headlines as it is going to be used to resurface parts of the A1 motorway in Northumberland. This work will hopefully produce a stronger road that could lengthen the motorway’s lifespan. The resurfacing could also improve driver safety and reduce the frequency of roadworks because the road will be more durable. The uses of graphene could be endless!

To find out about more applications, visit this website:

https://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/learn/applications/

Mrs Goodwill
Science Department

Waves

Posted on December 13, 2021December 13, 2021 by Michelle Murray

As part of the ten big ideas in Science, Year 8 are learning about light in the unit of ‘Waves’. They have used the ray boxes to understand reflection and refraction. They have also looked at how a camera works and have produced some information leaflets based on their own research. They also had the opportunity to make a pin hole camera. Students enjoyed making them and looking through them across the school field. They were surprised to see that the image formed was upside down, helping them to understand how we see objects and how a camera works. For the rest of the unit, they will be looking at the eye, how we see objects, different lenses and dispersion of light.

Mrs R Cahill

Science Department