Wednesday 29th March saw the return of the Values Party. This term we reflected on the core values of ‘Ambition’ and ‘Resilience’. The students who attended, spent time recalling what they understand the values to mean and how they have shown or challenged themselves to demonstrate them both in school and in their lives outside of school.
The STEM festival had provided many examples of how having ambition and resilience can lead to great things so it was great to see and hear the links being made by the students. Students also identified the activities they had carried out that focussed on ambition and resilience. These ranged from working hard on topics that they find hard to understand and not just giving up, to learning a new instrument!
The final values party will be at the end of the summer term and will focus on ‘Compassion’ and ‘Social Responsibility’.
On Wednesday 14th December, we hosted a ‘Values Party’ for students who work with the Teaching Assistant Team. The party was an opportunity to reflect on how we had all demonstrated or embodied the school values that were focussed on in the Literature & Language Festival – curiosity and dignity. Students had the opportunity to write down examples of how the values can be seen and how they have shown them personally; there were some wonderful ideas!
We also spent time listening to music, chatting about how the term had gone and looking forward to what will be coming up next term. There will be two more parties at the end of the spring and summer terms.
As a nation, we were all saddened to hear of the Queen’s passing on the 8th September. One of our year 10 students, Jess S, took time to write a letter to the new King Charles:
“When I heard about the Queen’s death, I decided that I wanted to write a letter to the King. I wrote a letter to send my condolences to the Royal Family about their loss of their mum, grandma and great-grandma. I waited for a reply from him and one afternoon, when I arrived home from school, there was a reply! I was very happy to see that he liked my letter very much.”
Jess received a note from King Charles thanking her for her message.
This year, some Year 9 and 10 students have embarked upon a new course provided by ASDAN, entitled Personal and Social Development.
It is a two-year accredited course and requires the students to complete seven units in total, covering a broad array of topics.
This term, the students have been studying for the Environmental Awareness unit. This involves them learning and understanding about how both individual and group human activity can have a negative impact on our environment.
We’ve also been looking into how we can individually and collectively positively introduce change. This has required the students to pledge to make a change in their own lifestyle for at least a month which will have a positive impact on the environment. Students have made pledges such as being in charge of their family’s recycling and ensuring no rooms are left with lights or appliances unnecessarily switched on.
Another part of their assessment is to take part in a community environment project. As a group we have agreed to take part in litter picking sessions both in school and in the local community; something which is much appreciated by all!
Well done, girls for making such a positive start to your studies, for being socially responsible and promoting positive change.
On Thursday 3rd November, a group of Year 6 students came into school to enjoy a morning of crafting fun and getting to know each other with our Year 8 students, Mrs McGibbon and Mrs Embley.
The girls chose bright materials to create their crafts. We showed them how to make origami monster bookmarks using card, feathers and googly eyes. They had fun designing swivel eyed characters, including a scary halloween bat.
We hope the girls enjoyed themselves as much as we did and look forward to seeing them again in September.
It is with great sadness that this week, we say goodbye for the final time to the wonderful Mrs Yates, who sadly lost her long battle with cancer earlier this month.
Bev has been a much-loved member of the PGHS team since February 2019 and since joining us, has thrown herself wholeheartedly into the school community. She has been an integral part of the SEND department. She has provided support and advice to students and staff alike and her warm smile, ready laugh and cheery outlook will be sorely missed.
A fully committed member of the PGHS family, Bev was determined to work through her illness, proving her love and dedication to her job and the children she supported.
Both staff and students have many fond memories of working with Bev which will be cherished for many years to come.
We’ll miss you, Mrs Yates.
Mrs McGibbon,
SENCo
Staff Memories of Our Bev:
“Every time I eat a red Lindor chocolate, I’ll think of you and smile! I know somewhere you’ll be reading this dedication and giving me the biggest eye roll. I’d tell you to rest easy, my love but I don’t think you’ve ever rested for a single minute! Instead, shine bright.
All my love, Katie.”
“I wasn’t lucky enough to know you very long, Bev but I will remember your infectious smile and the laughs you brought to us all. Love, Sarah C.”
“Bev, from discovering you sneaking into work on a day off, to having you come along and offering support at weekend competitions, your physical presence is, and always will be missed. It was difficult for any of us to not be infected with your positivity and zest for life and I know I will try to do everything ‘with a little bit of Bev’ (especially eating a packet of maltesers!!) Sarah P”
“Bev, you literally were one of the nicest, most welcoming and supportive people I have ever met. Your laugh was infectious and I couldn’t help but smile when I was in your company. Thank you for being you. I’ll miss you so much. Love Rachael xx”
“Every day I will look at the red plant you gifted me and remember all the lovely memories and mischief we got up to. I will forever miss working alongside you, along with our funny ‘corner’ chats, especially when things got ‘so full on’. Bev, you were the cheekiest, funniest and kindest person I got to meet. Love Saleha xx”
Dedications from some of the students that Mrs Yates supported:
“Thank you for helping me with extra science. I will miss you.” Jenna
“Thank you for helping our little group and showing me how to respect people more.” Olivia
“Thank you for helping me with my work.” Claudia
“Thank you. I will miss you.” Amie
“I will miss you.” Caleb
“Thank you for helping me. I will miss you.” Dayana
As part of this year’s Festival of Performance and the Arts, the SEND department took a number of students whom we support from all year groups for an afternoon of picnicking and pebble painting in Hurst Grange Park.
Not only was this a fantastic opportunity to get creative out of the classroom, the students were also able to develop their social interactions with both staff and peers in a relaxed environment.
The trip was organised to reward the resilience of our students during what has been and incredibly challenging year; some of them have had the upheaval of studying for GCSEs through multiple lockdowns, some of them have had to cope with the transition to High School in unprecedented circumstances. We are proud of each and every one of them and it was an absolute joy to see them connecting with the outdoors and embracing the fun of the afternoon.
Some wonderful pieces of art were created and we hope to display them in the Garden of Reflection which is scheduled to be developed over the next year.
The afternoon was a roaring success and many girls asked when we could do it again; as a result, we hope to make this an annual event.
Thank you to all staff and students involved for a glorious afternoon!
On Friday 14th May, I took part in an art session over zoom with Mrs Lucas and we delivered it to a local primary school.
The activity was to design and make a book mark of their choice, for example, a unicorn, cake, monster or football.
Before the session, we did example book marks to show the girls different ideas. Mrs Lucas had already provided some craft supplies, such as pom poms, googly eyes, tissue paper, gems, pipe cleaners and buttons. We also cut out blank book marks and cards so the primary school didn’t need to cut them out.
On the day, we did the session over Zoom which went well. The girls were in their school hall with all their art supplies so they were ready to go. We didn’t have any technological problems which was good and we could see the girls making their book marks. Some girls asked Mrs Lucas and I some questions about high school life.
Overall the session went well and the girls seemed to enjoy making the book marks. This helped to show the girls that high school is not that scary and the girls made amazing book marks!
I enjoyed doing this because it showed the girls that it can be scary to come to high school for the first time but you will really enjoy it and have the best experience coming to Penwortham Girls’ High School.
During the last week of term, the Learning Support Department and some of our students have been holding a Christmas stall to raise money for The UK Sepsis Trust. S adly, one of our girls recently lost her mum to sepsis and so The UK Sepsis Trust is a charity with a special connection. The UK Sepsis Trust was founded in 2012 by worldleading sepsis expert, NHS consultant Dr Ron Daniels BEM. They work hard to raise awareness of sepsis, with the aim of ending preventable deaths and improving outcomes for survivors. Their “Just ask: Could it be sepsis?” campaign has already helped to raise sepsis awareness among the general public by 28% and they believe that earlier diagnosis and treatment across the UK, could save up to 14,000 lives a year; making it a very worthy cause to raise money for! As we go to press, the girls are busy making a range of Christmas crafts that will be available to buy at lunchtime on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th December. Some that are already made are pictured here but the rest are still in production. There will be all sorts to choose from, such as Christmas tree bookmarks, pom pom Christmas characters and tree decorations, as well as plenty of Christmas themed baked goods. We will be back in the new year to let you all know how much the stall raises, but in the meantime the Learning Support Department would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and we hope that you enjoy the holidays.
On Friday 14th May, I took part in an art session over zoom with Mrs Lucas and we delivered it to a local primary school.
