Have you ever grumbled about the traffic on the way to school?
Have you ever moaned because the bus doesn’t get you from your house so you have to walk to the bus stop?
Have you ever pretended to be poorly so you didn’t have to walk to school in the rain?
Well, imagine your journey to school with no shoes on.
Many children in Africa have to walk over 10 miles just to get to school. As you can imagine, this makes access to education nearly impossible for so many children. To make matters worse, majority of African children do not own a pair of shoes. Imagine how difficult this would be and how it would feel if you were in this situation.
By donating a single pair of shoes, you have provided a person with a possibility to make their future hopeful and successful. These shoes will go to Clarks, who will distribute these shoes to children in various parts of Africa.
We previously help to ‘Wrap Up Lancs’ and we collected over 500 old coats and scarves to clothe the homeless. I’m sure we saved many people’s lives that winter. We are hoping that we have achieved the same success again and look forward to counting up the shoes on Friday 1st April.
One of the most wonderful things about taking Religious Studies at GCSE is all the fascinating careers the subject can lead to. Here at Penwortham Girls, we think it is crucial that students experience first-hand how their knowledge and skills is useful for real life careers.
This term, year 10 have enjoyed stepping into the shoes of journalists to investigate the miracle at Lourdes.
As part of the GCSE SPEC, students must know why Christians go on pilgrimage to Lourdes and what they do there. Before students wrote their final newspaper article, they spent one lesson looking at what pilgrims do in Lourdes today. The documentary ‘Sacred Journeys: Lourdes’ allowed students to follow a group of soldiers on their pilgrimage journey. Watching this video really helped bring the practices alive for students. They then spent a second lesson, analysing blogs and news articles about the miracles which the church claims have taken place at Lourdes.
Students enjoyed making notes using the Cornell-Note Taking method, just like a real-life journalist!
Students then pieced all their knowledge together into a newspaper article. The teachers were blown away with their depth, detail and evaluation skills. It is clear that we have some budding journalists on the course! Have a look at some of these captivating headlines below. They should be very proud of their work.
Students from the Y10 GCSE music class had a productive morning last Thursday when they visited UCLAN with Mrs Little and Mr Owen to take part in a student voice programme for music: ‘Equalize’ hosted by AMPLIFY. This provided an opportunity to discuss the present and future of Music Education in Lancashire, as well as what opportunities they have and would like to see and what career paths are available in music. Here they joined with students from a diverse range of other educational centres including Longridge and Moor Park High Schools as well as music educators from the Lancashire Music Hub and More Music, Lancaster. The students all mixed effectively with staff and students from around the Preston area and beyond and they made valuable contributions to their groups. One member of staff from the Music Hub approached me and commented on just how positive and articulate the girls in his group were – well done Lily-Anna and Stevie for being great ambassadors. Isabel, Katie and Grace also represented the school so well as they all spoke aloud to the room, providing feedback from their discussion groups, using their voices effectively to put their points across clearly and respectfully. Grace impressed the host team so much that she was even asked to give a filmed interview at the very end of the morning with no advance prompting – a daunting prospect for anyone, but she delivered a positive, articulate response to be proud of.
Congratulations to all our PGHS Netball Team players for having numerous successes against other schools in the South Ribble Netball Tournament. Well done, girls! Team players were: Olivia S (Captain), Olivia W, Lola U, Evie M, Molly H, Tilly P, Bethany G, Esha C, Darcy P and Naomi J. Coach’s player: Olivia W and Olivia S. Players’ Player: Lola U. They won all 6 games against all the other schools and lost to All Hallows.
Year 9 won all their games except All Hallows and came 2nd overall on goal difference. Well played, girls! Team players were: Hannah B (Captain), Lucy R, Charlotte B, Ella H, Sophie M, Lottie J, Maisie K, Libby W and Alice W. Coach’s players: Lucy R, Lottie J Players’ player: Ella H
Year 8 were runners up in the South Ribble Netball Tournament. They won all their games and lost to All Hallows in goal difference. Well done, girls! Team Players were: Charlotte P, Ruby R, Elizabeth B, Lucy H, Phoebe B, Amy L, Chloe W, Darcey P, Georgia J, Naomie T, and Natalie K. Coach’s player: Charlotte P, Ruby R Players’ player: Lucy H, Chloe W
Year 7 were runners up at the South Ribble Netball Tournament. They won 6 matches against all the other schools, and they lost on goal difference to All Hallows. Brilliant performances, girls! Team players were: Katie O, Marianna N, Faye S, Kionie B, Scarlett S, Martha F, Grace A, Marnie D, Tanisha S, Holly L Coach’s player: Manie D Players ’player: Marianna N
The MFL department have been busy finishing off all the displays and walls in our new classrooms in our Richard Pye Language Innovation Zone and I think you will agree they look fantastic! The facility is dedicated to the memory of Mr Pye, a committed and much respected MFL teacher at Penwortham Girls’ High School from 2005 – 2019. We are incredibly grateful for the donation that has given us the amazing opportunity to purchase our brand-new laptop and listening studio. This is equipped with laptops and headsets which look amazing and is a great asset to our languages area. It gives all of our students the opportunity to use the fantastic facilities that we have now and they will be able to access language specific software and websites in small groups to enhance their learning further in French and German. We may even get chance to watch some German and French series in this area too, as well as accessing Quizlet, Blooket, Active Learn and other language websites.
A huge well done to our Year 11s this term for their hard work in getting all their speaking work ready for the second week back after the Easter holidays when we have our final speaking exams. They have worked hard in their preparation for this. Year 7 have been busy in German learning about pets and families and are now learning about free time and sports. Year 8 are just embarking on a wonderful journey learning all about German food. We have even been tasting some German Brezls and we had a Brezl competition. Here are some of our entries:
Year 9 have been learning about German music, bands and festivals and we even sampled some German music such as Rammstein, Helene Fischer and Namika, who was the most popular (we really liked ‘Ein Gummibär’). Year 10 have been busy learning about free time activities and festivals in Germany and have found out about how much our German friends like to party!
Year 8 French have been busy learning all about life in a French school and Year 9 French have been learning about French towns and what there is to do there.
Mrs Gill
Curriculum Leader for MFL
German Spelling Bee
Our German Spelling Bees have been practising their latest set of vocabulary in preparation for stage three, the regional final! This would normally take place in Manchester but due to current situations, we are recording our entries and sending them in for judging. They will have one minute to translate and then spell as many words into German as they can. We have been making use of the iPads to practise vocabulary on Quizlet and have been racing each other (and Miss Gelder) in spelling different words. They have been working so hard and are making all of us proud. We are keeping our fingers crossed!
Miss Gelder
Penpals German
Our ongoing projects are going from strength to strength with our partner schools in Landstuhl in Germany and Lille in France. At Christmas, 8G had a zoom call with Frau Woesner’s class and we have continued with our letters to Germany and France. We have just received some letters back and are very excited to write some more and send them some Easter cards and let them know what we have been doing this term. We hope to have another video call in the next term with them to see how they all are.
Mrs Gill
Film Club
Film club for both French and German has continued to be really oversubscribed. Our French society have been watching Ratatouille and our German group are now on to Ostwind 4. Having watched all the first three, we are really hooked. The exciting news is that in 2021, they produced Ostwind 5 so we will be sure to try and get that on order to watch after Easter.
Mrs Gill
French Baking
Did you know that Pancake Day is celebrated on a different day in France? “La Chandeleur” is celebrated every year in France and other European countries on February 2nd. They also celebrate “Mardi Gras” (Shrove Tuesday) when they enjoy more pancakes and Carnival celebrations.
9AL learned about it during one of their cultural enrichment lessons. They also practised ordering different pancakes and were treated to a tasting session.
Y9 French had the opportunity to make pancakes after school in the food tech room, following a recipe in French. It turns out that some of us are more gifted than others at making pancakes!! Practice makes perfect! A big “thank you” to Miss Scott for helping us out.
Madame Raine ☺
Stars of the Term
NAME
CLASS
REASON
Abby L Lucy P Sana R
Y11 French
Great progress, particularly in Listening.
Hannah E Izzy M
Y11 French
Intervention heroes.
Charlotte B
Y10 French
Amazing performance in latest assessment.
Maryam M Louise P-R Sian H Sofia R
Y10 French
Great progress overall.
Jennah K Hannah T Mya G Mia S-B Vanika M Hannah B India A Millie S
Y9 French
Highest score on Active Learn.
Abigail K Eden F Hattie C Niamh L Grace C Sophie S Mariella M Juliette R
Y8 French
Amazing performance in the Speaking assessment.
Natalia N Ana C Abeeha F Olivia H Martha F Saffiya M Izzy S
Year 7 German Mrs Gill
Fantastic efforts in the German listening and reading progress checks!
Lexa K Rosie Y Aysha M Holly W Saskia H Darcey P Rebecca L Eden F Rani I Ebony M Phoebe B Ruby R Juliette R Elizabeth N Deanna K
Year 8 German Mrs Gill
All round great efforts in German!
Jennah K Tasneem A Savo A Mya G Victoria K Heather P Charlotte R Hannah B Ella H Neve G Gracie H Molly T Charlotte B
Year 9 German Mrs Gill
Amazing attitude and all round hard worker in German this term.
Sandra H Elijah K Rukaya R Katie K Tilly P Isabel C Jessica L Kathrin C Naomi J Hana M Zahra S Mia S
Y10 German Mrs Gill
Fabulous Module 2 progress checks in listening and reading.
Caitlin R Grace S Macie B
Y11 German Mrs Gill
German intervention stars.
Marwa AG Ellie R Carla D Mia H Donalia M Laura G Eva W Mya J
Year 11 German Mrs Gill
German revision stars.
Poppy M Naomi S Saniya S Lily T Zoha I
Y7 German Miss Gelder
Spelling Bee Stars.
Chloe A Evie B Sara D Mollie H Helena M Maddie R Sophie S Naomi S Faye S Tia W
Y7 German Miss Gelder
Fantastic efforts in our listening and reading progress checks.
Safa A Lydia W Sofia W George G Abi S Amy L Katie T Dhriti S Dayana E Emma C Holly P
Y8 German Miss Gelder
Excellent attitude and all-round effort in German this term.
Etta W Khitam A M Sumayya B Emily K Masoomah E Freya W Bismah C Jennifer K R Madiha B
Y9 German Miss Gelder
Excellent attitude and all-round effort in German this term.
Sana A Isla B Khadija B Jessica B Maariyah P Rebecca S
Year 10 German Miss Gelder
Fabulous Module 2 progress checks in listening and reading.
Marissa T Holly B Mia C Amelia S Grace S Emma A Megan B Khamilla C Emily S Keira W
Year 11 German Miss Gelder
Excellent attitude towards German and fantastic efforts towards their GCSE.
During the Year 8 Maths lessons, students were given opportunity to learn about what a payslip looks like and what to look out for on these. It may be quite a while before they actually see one of these of their own, but the importance of seeing one now and how this links to the maths they are currently learning is invaluable.
Students were very intrigued to know about what a tax code is and their national insurance number and when they will receive these. They were not aware of how a few numbers in the tax code could impact the amount of tax each of us pay and the amount we end up taking home.
We then moved onto looking at the deductions, learning about when we pay income tax and the brackets of income tax that we can fall into. They also learned what national insurance is and how much we have to pay; they couldn’t believe that you started paying for national insurance at £9750 but income tax was £12500. Thankfully now, the government has made this a lot simpler, and they are both the same!
Overall, students were very keen to see where the money they earn goes and how tax and national insurance is calculated.
Year 9 Edge Hill University Mathematics Challenge 2021-2022
Students in Year 9 have been presented with an extracurricular opportunity to enter for the Edge Hill University Mathematics Challenge 2021-2022. This is an annual competition organised by the Faculty of Education at the university specifically for Year 9 (England and Wales), S2 (Scotland) and Year 10 (Northern Ireland) pupils.
The challenge aims to immerse students in mathematics whilst making the subject fun. It provides pupils with the opportunity to tackle engaging mathematical activities, while developing teamwork and communication skills and allows students to explore alternative ways of solving problems; skills which are transferable in the real world.
Students were initially presented with two different mathematical problems, of which they were asked to choose one of them, solve the problem as a team and present their solution as a poster. Their posters have been sent to the university and the judging panel there will select the groups from all the qualifying entries from across the country. These teams will then be entered to the second stage of the competition, where they are then sent another set of problems to choose from and solve. The problems presented in each stage of the competition are very different from the mathematical work associated with Key Stage 3 and 4 mathematics.
As this challenge was extracurricular, it was lovely to see so many Year 9 students give up their own time during break, lunch and outside of school to work together and attempt to solve their initial problem as a team. The teams that have entered are:
Team 1: ‘The Mathia’ (Alice W, Libby W, Savo A, Jennah K and Maisie W)
Team 2: ‘The Calcoholics’ (Tasneem A, Gracie H, Victoria K, Fatima K and Abi C)
On Wednesday, 2nd March, forty Year 9 students travelled to the University of Huddersfield and attended a workshop at the Holocaust Exhibition and Learning Centre.
Year 9 have been studying the Holocaust over recent weeks, discussing why and how the Holocaust happened. The University’s workshop gave us the opportunity to deepen our understanding and engage with some new and challenging ideas. Specifically, Year 9 considered the difficulties that can be encountered when ascribing the roles of Victim, Perpetrator, Collaborator and Bystander to figures in this period. We also spent time discussing the objects and displays in the exhibition and ended the day with a tour of the university campus.
University staff were keen to state afterwards just how impressed they were with our students. Their depth of understanding, knowledge and sensitivity was clear throughout the day. Mr Herbert, Mr Ramsdale, Miss Todd and myself were exceptionally proud of Year 9 and the manner in which they represented our school. It is clear that the year group contains a fine bunch of historians!
Hello Geographers! Another eventful term is coming to a close and as always, the standard of work and enthusiasm seen by the Geography staff have really impressed us.
Year 11 – the home straight!
Just this week, Year 11 classes have completed the GCSE course content, meaning we can now look ahead to an effective and focused period of exam preparation. As we checked through the notes produced over the two-year course, I was struck by the quality of the work and feel confident that the Year 11 students have the foundations on which to build great success in Geography. The Department will provide a suggested study programme for the Easter break and beyond. There are also a wealth of materials and past papers available on the SharePoint for each Year 11 class.
On the 3rd and 4th March, we had our Year 11 fieldtrip to survey the River Calder to the north east of Garstang. This gave pupils an insight into the work of hydrologists. We surveyed the depth, width, velocity and bedload of the river and calculated discharge from our data. Aside from a few wet socks, we came through the trip unscathed, although Mr Ward had a close call when chasing after one of our floats down the river! Thanks to the accompanying staff and to the students, who despite some poor weather were full of enthusiasm and took their responsibilities to collect good quality data very seriously.
Year 9
Year 9 are currently embarking on a real Geography classic – tectonics, volcanoes and earthquakes. This topic is fundamental to understanding our planet and we have committed to teaching it at almost GCSE standard to give students a flavour of the levels expected on the course and to smooth the transition to Year 10.
Year 7
The current topic of study on population and migration is particularly topical. The UN predicts that they will declare the ‘Day of 8 Billion’ at some time in late 2022 or the first quarter of 2023. This will be a milestone for human population and one we may struggle to cope with. The second part of the topic will look at migration and this will see us focus on those fleeing Ukraine, the largest movement of refugees in Europe since World War II. We will look at the routes, destinations and struggles that those people face.
Geography Club
Attendance at Geography Club has slowly but steadily climbed through the course of this term. We have delved into the Geography games cupboard and dug deeper into some of our topics of study. After Easter, we will get out and about, utilising the school grounds to explore fieldwork and our local area. If you would like an early lunch pass for this club please see Mr Bowles. Club is at lunch time on Monday in Room 39.
Easter Holidays – a chance to see some Geography
There have been some excellent programmes on T.V. lately that fit nicely with our topics of study.
In Year 9, there is ‘Fierce Earth’ which is available on BBC iPlayer, which has episodes on earthquakes and volcanoes
For Year 8, there is another BBC series, ‘Earth’s Great Rivers’, again available on BBC iPlayer, which really helps with the understanding of a river as a system, travelling from source to mouth.
In Year 7, there are a couple of good Stacey Dooley documentaries out there about migration (‘Migrant Kids in Crisis’ and ‘Border Wars’). Parents, please be advised that both come with warnings about upsetting scenes.
Better than all of these is of course getting out into some Geography! Walk up a hill or along a river/canal, visit somewhere new on the train, go and explore a piece of the coast that you have not been to before; Geography is all around us! Have a lovely break.
Earthy has his selfie stick out for this one, but where is he? Answers to g.bowles@penworthamgirls.lancs.sch.uk. Class Chart Medals for all entries and a prize for the first correct answer.
In English, our year 7s have been exploring character and voice in a variety of texts (ranging from non-fiction to fiction and from prose to poetry). As part of their unit of work, they have been studying what a pastiche is and have then created their own pastiche poetry, inspired by “The Richest Poor Man in the Valley” by Lindsay Macrae and “Warning” by Jenny Joseph. Below are a few of the fabulous pastiche poetry pieces from the year group. Can you spot yours?
