THE SPRING 2021 ISSUE: PLUS MUCH MORE... Wellbeing in School The Magic of Music Black History Month Revelling in Reading - Manchester High ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 1
NEWS FROM THE PREPARATORY DEPARTMENT OF MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
THE SPRING 2021 ISSUE:
Wellbeing in School
The Magic of Music
Black History Month
Revelling in Reading
PLUS MUCH MORE...
2 PREP TALK
h
W dea t s
' Welcome
i ns i The world has changed hugely since our last edition
of Prep Talk, and as I reflect on this academic year,
I am so proud of our School community for rising
to the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19.
We have kept connected throughout, adapted to new ways of
working and celebrated regularly together. I really appreciate all
the fabulous support – of staff, pupils and parents.
4 6 The MHSG community is inspirational, with its determination,
resilience and motivation to succeed. Pastoral support and pupil
Wellbeing in School Sports News wellbeing remain at the heart of all we do, and we continue to
take a proactive approach to mental health, with our weekly
PSHE lessons, assemblies and myHappymind program.
8 11 Prep pupils never fail to amaze me with their achievements,
both inside and outside the classroom. In this edition of
Prep Talk, you can find out more about some of our musical
The Magic of Music Art Gallery performers, who have been recognised on a regional and
national level, and our PE superstars, who won first place
in a virtual tournament.
12 14 At MHSG, we enjoy bringing learning to life. This is particularly
apparent with our practical and interactive STEM subjects,
including a number of national competitions and virtual
Black History Month Anti-Bullying Week theme days.
In this issue, we also recognise the importance of reading,
not just as a building block for future learning, but also
because it opens the door to new worlds and exciting
16 18 adventures, both for the individual and for the whole family.
This academic year we have already celebrated our love of
Revelling in Reading STEM books through fun reading challenges, our infant reading
bears and Mystery Book day!
Supporting others and our environment continues to be an
important part of all we do. Here you can find out more
22 about the girls’ amazing support for our wider community,
both on an individual level and as a whole school.
Giving Something Back I hope you enjoy this edition of Prep Talk.
Mrs Helen Mortimer
Head of Preparatory Department
4 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 5
Feature Indeed, 90% of school leaders reported an increase in the
number of students experiencing anxiety or stress over the
last five years in a study by Young Minds. Not surprisingly,
ongoing studies believe that the recent lockdowns have
contributed to increased mental health issues in young
people. This is why, at MHSG, we work alongside parents
She continued “We want our girls to feel safe and
happy in school and able to recognise their emotions.
Throughout Prep, different classes have introduced
strategies to help promote wellbeing. In Year 1, each
morning in School, the girls are asked to put their name
peg on a word that expresses how they are feeling.
to play a crucial role in identifying early indicators and
teaching children resilience and coping strategies within Not only does this allow us to explore why girls are
a nurturing environment. feeling a certain way, it is also a great way of expanding
their vocabulary, as there are a range of words to choose
from. In addition, we also have a ‘Worry Monster’ that
allows the girls to post a note into its mouth with any
worries or concerns! The monster eats their problems
up and the girls feel supported and reassured.”
As well as the day to day activities that support pupil
wellbeing, we are also a myHappymind school. This is a
new initiative from MHSG Class of 1998 alumna, Laura
Earnshaw. myHappymind was created with a very simple
mission, “To give today’s children the skills to thrive in
tomorrow’s world.” The program aims to leverage the
latest research, science, and technology to help children
develop lifelong habits and learn to thrive by building
resilience, self-esteem and character.
Whilst the Government’s second annual State of the
Nation report found that, in general, most children and
i n g
young people responded with resilience to the changes
b
Well le
in their lives between March and September 2020,
a study by Oxford University, that has been tracking Laura Earnshaw
over 12,000 families, shows mental health difficulties
in primary school-aged children increased during the
first lockdown. In an interview with The Times in October, Laura said,
“It’s funny how life goes isn’t it... this all started with an
Bearing in mind that over the course of their education,
o o
idea, that if we could teach children proactive skills to
h
children spend over 7,800 hours at school, it goes without
c
support their wellbeing from an early age, we’d have
in S
saying that school is the ideal environment to promote good
less mental health issues down the line. Then I quit my
emotional wellbeing and identify early behaviour changes.
corporate job to pursue this dream.” Laura now helps
over 200,000 schools and nurseries with the myHappymind
program. In Prep, they are proving to be an incredibly
It is so important to allow children useful tool, especially with the ongoing pandemic.
to explore and understand Head of Prep, Mrs Helen Mortimer said, “We understand
the impact that a loss of routine can have on children
their feelings. during the periods of lockdown we have all experienced.
It can often lead to increased worry and a feeling of
Even before Covid-19, mental health and wellbeing were very much in the Helen Mortimer, Head of Preparatory Department.
isolation which is why it has been so important to keep
news with some alarming figures from the Office for National Statistics our community together virtually. We are so proud of
in 2019 revealing one primary school-aged child in ten suffers from “Books such as The Colour Monster and The Worrysaurus the resilience and tenacity our girls have shown. We will
some form of mental disorder. are not just fantastic reads, they are also a great tool to continue to make wellbeing a priority in school and
allow us to delve into feelings with children,” stated support all our children to ensure that they become
Helen Mortimer. confident, curious and happy learners.”
Sports News
6 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 7
Sisters Lara and Darcy
their hockey skills
Year 3 girls practising
Keeping Fit Reception girls com
pleting their Laps to
Lapland
Covid-Style It wasn’t just group exercise that the girls were
missing, they were also missing competitive sport.
least two out of the top three places across
the board in each event!
Thanks to the Manchester Schools PE Association,
the autumn term presented more opportunity for Mrs Newman acknowledged that, “Whilst it
In our last issue, we explored the benefits of a during lockdown in Manchester, but as Head virtual competitions. has been so important for the girls to continue
healthy lifestyle and the importance of teaching of PE, Mrs Newman, and her daughter, Izzy, with competitive sport, the main aim has been
children good habits in terms of their physical illustrated, there are ways around it! One such event was the Virtual Manchester to keep them moving and to ensure that they
fitness. With all the restrictions that Covid-19 Mile. More than 3,600 children from 25 schools are having fun whilst staying fit.”
has brought into our lives, it has been even across Greater Manchester took part in the
more difficult for children to exercise, but competition and our girls dominated in the With this in mind, the whole Prep Department
our Prep girls have risen to the challenge. KS2 age groups. got involved with helping Rudolph return to
Lapland in time for Christmas. Laps to Lapland
Thanks to the PE Department, the girls have In the Years 3 & 4 category, Prep girls placed saw children from Reception to Year 6 completing
completed challenges, joined the rest of the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th and in Years 5 & 6 they their daily mile either by walking, running,
nation in participating in PE with Joe Wicks secured four top ten finishes! Sisters Lara and scooting or in some cases, swimming.
and even managed to carry on with Darcy both took gold in the event to become
competitive sport, albeit virtually. Manchester Champions in their age groups, Together they clocked up a total of 1,370
completing the mile in 5.51 minutes and miles in just 17 days to ensure the red-nosed
Perhaps one of their favourite challenges 5.32 minutes respectively. reindeer was back in time to pull the sledge
took place during the summer term when on Christmas Eve. Teamwork at its best!
the girls were asked to demonstrate the five Year 4 also beat the opposition in the Kings
new sports in the Tokyo Olympics at home. High School and Warwick Prep Virtual Hockey As we approach the summer term, we
They had great fun creating pictures and videos Tournament to win all five events! Competing hope that sport in School will be returning
of themselves doing karate, climbing, baseball, against other girls schools from across the to something closer to ‘normal’—but either
skateboarding and surfing. You would think ‘sur fing ’ in their back
garden! country, they participated in a series of timed way, the PE Department has plenty of ideas
Mrs Newman and Izzy
that surfing would be the biggest challenge drills that saw them reign supreme, claiming at to keep the girls motivated and moving!
8 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 9
The Magic of
Music
Sophia from Year 6 successfully auditioned for the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
The benefits of music have long been recognised. “Music However, Mrs Heggie believes, “Music is first and foremost
has a power of forming the character and should therefore about having fun; it is about empowering girls to create
be introduced into the education of the young,” according their own musical journey that will hopefully lead to a
to Aristotle. For Prep Music teacher, Mrs Melissa Heggie, the lifelong love and connection with it.” This is why Music
skills that can be learned through music are so important is such an integral part of the curriculum throughout
in everyday life – it not only builds confidence, creativity Prep with lessons taking place twice a week from
and discipline but it teaches girls to be flexible and can Reception through to Year 6.
also aid memory.
Educating pupils in music has changed in recent years
with the advancement of technology and Mrs Heggie
acknowledges that, “Music has become so much more
accessible which means the traditional ways of teaching
are changing. Nowadays, there is no strict path for learning.
The focus is much more on encouraging pupils to find those
personal connections and to become engaged in their
learning by trying new instruments and acquiring knowledge
from each other through cooperation and collaboration.”
Music has kept us connected as a
community and performances have
certainly lifted the mood and given girls
an outlet to express their creativity
Prep Music Teacher, Mrs Heggie
Mrs Melissa Heggie, Music Teacher.
10 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 11
Art Gallery
at Christmas, with performances going online. Filming took
place using green screen and backing tracks and the girls’
insatiable appetite for singing and playing did not stop there!
Mrs Newton-Bingham and her class sang and recorded
their own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, complete
with hand sanitiser and face masks as props!
Beyond the classroom, Prep girls have managed to stay
in touch with external musicians who normally come into
school to judge the annual Music Makers competition or
Emily from Year
5 cre ated a fully
working Lego pia
accompany them whilst they sing at the Royal Manchester
no
Children’s Hospital.
There has also been much to celebrate. Emily and Leah in
Year 5 successfully auditioned for the Manchester Hallé
Children’s Choir in the Autumn and Sophia in Year 6 was
awarded a place on the prestigious National Youth Choirs
of Great Britain programme.
Harriet Tubman by Myrah, Year 6 Kamala Harris by Flo, Year 6
earsal
Prep orchestra reh
Socially distanced
At MHSG, girls have access to over 60 different instruments
from traditional violins and cellos to boomwhackers, ukuleles
and tongue drums—many of which are utilised during
ensemble performances in class. Mrs Heggie said, “Being
able to play part of a theme tune such as Ludwig Göransson’s
Leah from Year 5 has join
The Mandalorian, is so rewarding for the girls. They have to ed Manchester Hallé Children
’s Choir
work as a team; listening to each other, sharing techniques Year 5 Viking Rune Stones Fireworks by Samanvi and Jessica, Year 1
and embracing different sounds.”
Sophia competed against girls from across the country and
The weekly music assemblies provide each class with the was chosen to join the Junior section of the Girls’ Choir,
opportunity to share their musical highlights with the rest which performs concerts throughout the UK including at
of the school community. This in turn builds confidence such esteemed venues as the Royal Albert Hall. It is an
and gives them the experience of performance, which amazing opportunity that demands high artistic standards
they embrace and enjoy. Even during periods of remote and will help her with vocal and musical development,
learning, the girls have still managed to ‘perform’ by affording her the best choral training and experience
streaming and commenting on each other’s pieces – in performance, recording, leadership and teamwork.
some have even turned their hand to composition!
Mrs Heggie explained, “Musical accomplishments are a
Rosa Parks by Raeya, Year 3
result of fervent practice, whilst being positive and open
Did you know that 70% of pupils in to learning. It is the hard work and commitment of these
girls that has led to their achievements.”
Prep learn a musical instrument in
This year, Prep girls will continue to make music and
addition to the core music sessions? as Louis Armstrong famously said, “Music is life itself”
—it has a way of bringing people together across
Even Covid-19 could not stop the determination of the communities and cultures, whatever life may
girls in the Prep Department to perform music together throw at us!
Barack Obama by Lynn, Year 4 Katherine Johnson by Alice, Year 2
12 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 13
During October, we celebrated Black History
Month by thinking about those Black people who
have shaped our country, its history and culture.
We began by asking children and staff to wear “many
different colours” to school for a non-uniform day to
show that a world filled with diverse colours is a very
beautiful place. We were also fortunate to be able to
invite parents in to talk to the girls about their heritage
and role models. In Year 2, Nya-Li’s father came in to
tell everyone about her great grandfather, who co-founded
the first Black-owned multi-million-pound business in the
UK back in the 80's. Both Years 2 and 4 welcomed guest
speakers who educated the girls about Ruby Bridges, the
first Black girl to go to a white school in the Southern Nya-Li’s dad talkin
g to Year 2 abou
t her gre at grand
states of America. father
The Year 4 girls in particular were able to articulate
their feelings and astonishment at the injustice that
Ruby Bridges suffered:
Aleeza learned, “Ruby was alone for her first year as no
other children in her class wanted to join her. She also
had four federal marshals guarding her everywhere
—even when she went to the bathroom!”
ity
celebrate divers
lourful clothes to
Year 6 wearing co
The contribution from parents during Black History Month
truly reflects the wonderful parent/school partnership
which we value so highly. Not only did we have volunteers
from our families who were willing to come into school
to teach the girls about Black history, but we also had
help from parents such as Mrs Limen, who took the
Black History
time to collate videos from various contacts in the Black
with her mum,
Darcy from Year 4
who came into sch
ool to talk to the gir
ls community about their paths through life, their careers,
achievements and the challenges they have faced. The
videos really inspired the girls and provided them with
examples of excellent role models.
Month
Sophia thought, “Ruby was very brave, the federal marshals
For Mrs Mortimer, one of the highlights during this period,
said she didn’t cry once no matter how many people
was our Black History Month Art Competition which was
protested about her.”
open to girls across Prep and judged by the Head Girls Team.
Our Reception classes brought history to life by re-enacting She said, “We were astounded by the quality of the entries
the famous Rosa Parks' bus journey. They made their own and it was a very difficult decision for them to choose just
buses in the classroom and were allowed to choose any five winners to receive the Little Leaders book! The girls
seat on the ‘bus’, which started a brilliant discussion on demonstrated real talent and empathy—and we were
why this is a fair thing to do. extremely proud of them.”
14 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 15
Ant i- Anti-Bullying Week
Girls throughout Prep took part in activities to help
them understand the impact of bullying. Year 1 girls,
for example, participated in an interactive online
g
presentation about bullying called Time to Unite. They
Bul l y i n
also did an experiment with apples as Mrs Baird explains.
“The girls were given two red, juicy apples that looked
exactly the same on the outside. They were kind to one
apple and wrote it thoughtful notes but they were unkind
to the other apple – calling it names. When they cut the
Week
apples to look inside, the apple that the girls had been
kind to was still fresh but the apple that they had been
mean to looked all bruised and brown inside. It was a
Year 1 wearing odd socks
very visual way of demonstrating the impact of bullying.”
.................................................
Anti-Bullying Week takes place every November in schools throughout the
United Kingdom. It is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on bullying and
Remembrance Day
consider the steps we can take together to stop it. Each year, we remember those who lost their lives for their country, in
This year, the Prep Department embraced the theme ‘United Against Bullying’ by taking part the line of duty, by commemorating Remembrance Day on the 11th
in Odd Socks Day, designed to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their November. This year, our Year 6 girls created some beautiful, visual
individuality. Girls and staff wore a variety of colours and designs to mark their differences. poems, whilst our Year 2 pupils studied the famous poem, ‘In Flanders
Field’, and learned why we wear poppies.
We reminded girls about the importance of showing kindness online – this is especially important
at the moment as we have all been spending more time connecting with our friends digitally. The whole Prep Department came together to create a wall of
In fact, we asked all our girls ‘to be more Paddington’, as you can see from the charter here: poppies using lots of different techniques from watercolour and
collage to creating them from recycled materials. Girls in Poppy class
Ivy from Year 5 painting poppies in Reception particularly enjoyed making poppies to mark the occasion!
How to Be More .................................................
PADDINGTON
World Nursery Rhyme Week
BEINGwise polite
BEING Launched in 2013, World Nursery Rhyme Week
promotes the importance of nursery rhymes in
early childhood development and education.
BEING friendly BEING positive Since it started in 2013, over five million children
from 113 countries have taken part.
To mark the occasion, Year 1 girls brought in nursery rhyme
BEING helpful BEING thoughtful books to share with their friends and enjoyed acting out
some of the different nursery rhymes. They also made
their own clocks for Hickory Dickory Dock. The girls had
BEING grateful BEING well meaning
so much fun whilst developing language and literacy skills,
numeracy skills, social, physical and even emotional skills!
16 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 17
Revelling
in Reading
Reception girls shared The Snowman and the Snowdog, whilst According to a government review on reading, children
Year 1 pupils looked at a variety of moving picture books, who read for pleasure not only perform better in reading
such as Pop-Up London and New York, and Year 2 students tests, but also develop a broader vocabulary, increased
enjoyed The Crayons’ Christmas. The girls used the books for general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures.
some very exciting activities creating recipes, invitations and
cards and spent a fun-filled day getting lost in literature! Reading is like exercise for the brain and at our weekly
Book Club, our pupils certainly get a good work out! It is
“Evidence suggests that children who read for enjoyment every the ideal place to read and share books with friends and
day are more likely to succeed in later life1, which is why we get to know characters such as Paddington Bear, or escape
encourage girls in Prep to find joy in reading books”, explained together to far-off places!
Mrs Mortimer, Head of Preparatory Department.
In fact, we want MHSG girls to read anywhere and
everywhere and, last term, parents were asked to catch their
daughters on camera reading in fun and imaginative places.
1. Clark, C and De Zoysa, S. (2011). Mapping the interrelationships
They certainly embraced the challenge, reading in baths, of reading enjoyment, attitudes, behaviour and attainment:
drawers, rivers, upside down and even perched on a piano! An exploratory investigation. London: National Literacy Trust.
Top Tips for Parents
based on ideas from the Book Trust
• Set an example and read yourself! It can be
• Once things are back to normal, why not visit your
anything from a newspaper or magazine, local library together and keep an eye out for
a cookery book, a computer manual or a special author events there or at local bookshops?
gripping detective novel. Children love meeting their favourite authors.
• Get your children involved in reading everyday
• Have a family bookshelf and bookshelves in your
things like recipes or TV listings. child’s bedroom too.
In December, the Infant girls enjoyed a
cross-curricular Mystery Book Day, using
• Give books as presents and swap books with
• Keep reading together, even as your children
each other – it’s a great way to get children get older – the Harry Potter series are a great
different books to inspire art and literature tasks. talking about stories. collection of books to share.
• Encourage children to take a book out with
• If your child wants to read the same book again and
them so they will never get bored! again, let them! Repetition is a brilliant way to learn.
18 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 19
S T EM
games
Year 3 play fun Maths
Lydia and Faaria from
The great thing about learning STEM subjects at a primary
level is the hands-on approach. The practical applications of
doing, making, touching and playing bring a real excitement
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics She continues “For instance, there is no such thing as a to the subjects and can be used to spark an interest and
(STEM) influence nearly every part of our daily boy’s subject or a girl’s subject; every subject classroom passion, whether this is by making a circuit for a light-up
– whether it be Physics, Maths or Computing – is filled box, like the Year 4 girls, or creating fossils using feathers,
lives and these fields will continue to drive change with girls, every leadership role is taken by a girl – and shells and dough, like the children in Year 3.
and grow in influence. this enables girls to develop self-confidence and self-belief;
qualities which are so incredibly important for happiness Our Reception classes really enjoy a bit of Science, especially
Our girls will no doubt be living through, what some and success.” when it involves drinking juice! They learned about capacity
describe as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with STEM by looking at a full cup of juice and drinking a little so it
subjects transforming industries and organisations, and was nearly full, drinking a bit more so it was half full, nearly
revolutionising workplaces. empty and empty! It was a very visual way of learning that
certainly engaged their natural curiosity.
These subjects were once seen as ‘boys’ subjects’, though
In Prep, we often take a cross-curricular approach to STEM,
never at Manchester High School for Girls. Our girls have
teaching subjects in a holistic way that may bring Maths and
no such obstacles or stereotypes associated with their
Geometry into a design project or computers into History.
learning. As Head Mistress, Mrs Jeys eloquently states,
More often than not, STEM activities also encourage
teamwork, as pupils frequently work in groups to find
solutions to problems, record data and write up their
findings. During the autumn term, our Year 5 girls worked
There are huge advantages for our girls in teams to create their own experiments investigating
which materials would make the light bulbs on our
in knowing that there is no perceived floodlights glow the brightest. Copper and aluminium
Farah from Year 5 with her purse came out on top and they discovered in the process
gender barrier to their interests Charlotte and Ev
elyn from Re ception sequenc
ing numbers
that sweet wrappers are not electrical conductors
and successes. even though they look metallic!20 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 21
There are other opportunities for the girls to show off
their Maths skills in the school calendar, including the
annual Primary Maths Challenge which involves 25
extremely tricky questions, answered under timed
conditions, and the Junior Maths Challenge which takes
WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET OTHER MHSG
place with MGS and Withington. This year, the latter
went virtual and consisted of four rounds: a relay,
PARENTS AND HELP RAISE FUNDS
a team challenge, a puzzle and a number crossword.
Maryam and Ashita in Year 6 said, “We had a lot of
FOR SCHOOL AT THE SAME TIME?
fun doing this as it challenged our brains and made us
think harder. Overall, we enjoyed the relay and the team
round the best because in the relay round we had to THEN WHY NOT JOIN THE PTA?
be speedy and accurate with the questions; in the team
round, our team was very supportive and encouraging.”
Year 5 burning ma
terials
Mariam in Year 6 “Found it fun to be working as a team
because we were sharing all our Maths skills. We worked
We are looking for new volunteers Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of any Amazon
well as a team, though some of us were quiet and some
to join our friendly PTA group which purchases you make to the MHSG PTA, if you
of us were quite loud! I enjoyed the experience of
nominate “Manchester High School for Girls”
competing in the Primary Maths Challenge and the is made up of parents and teachers. as your chosen charity. Simply search “Amazon
Maths Quiz against other schools! Thank you, Year 6 Meetings are held termly via Zoom Smile choose a charity” and follow the simple
teachers for arranging these competitions for us!”
so you can get involved in the School instructions. It takes less than a minute to do!
Mrs Mortimer concluded, “It is good to see Prep girls community without even leaving the Alternatively, if you shop at M&S, ASOS,
so excited by their learning especially as, at MHSG, comfort of your own home! There are JD Sports, John Lewis, Argos or if you enjoy
we believe a happy learner is far more likely to achieve.
plenty of other ways you can help out too! the odd Domino’s pizza, please download
the EasyFundraising app (free of charge) and
With PTA fundraising events being so hard to nominate MHSG as your chosen charity.
plan at the moment, we have got the most 2% of many purchases will come straight
ingenious Plan B. Did you know that you can to us. It’s that easy!
help us raise funds without actually giving a
rn about capacity penny? Yes, really! Your help can make such a difference! Last year
Reception girls lea
in the Prep Department alone, the PTA raised
funds to purchase a Buddy Bench, a Friendship
Stop, the Circus-ology Day, the Prep Arts
Being surprised, and not achieving the results you were Programme and the truly fabulous Play Stage
expecting, is a valuable learning curve. STEM subject and Cabin.
experiments allow us to celebrate the value of failure
as an experience and enable pupils to embrace mistakes. We are also in the process of creating an online
In Prep we link this, in turn, with creating a positive Second-Hand Uniform Shop, so watch this space
mindset and teaching resilience. for updates!
For example, when Year 1 pupils investigated magnetic Please email sarahramsbottom@icloud.com if
and non-magnetic properties of various items in the you'd like to get involved. You will be guaranteed
classroom, they took it in turns to use the magnet on a warm welcome into the PTA family!
different materials. Some of the results surprised them Sia from Year 3 created a fossil using dough
but they were not disappointed—it just added to the fun!
Now, Maths is fun too! MHSG parents will no doubt
have heard their daughter talking about ‘Times Tables
Many T h a n ks,
THE PTA
Rock Stars’ and ‘Mathletics’. They are wonderful tools Hopefully we will have inspired
for helping children improve speed and accuracy with
numbers and problem-solving skills. During the Mathletics the next generation of scientists,
November Challenge, Prep girls came 22nd in the world
out of 647 schools, reflecting just how much our
technicians, engineers and
girls love Maths! mathematicians to blaze a trail!22 PREP TALK MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 23
Giving Children in Need
The following month, we exchanged wearing green
Something Back
for spots, as the girls wore Pudsey-inspired outfits for
Children in Need. It was lovely to see them all dressed
up as they virtually joined Joe Wicks at the end of his
24 hour challenge!
Emmeline’s Pantry
As well as national charities, we also like to support
In Prep, and indeed throughout Manchester High School for Girls, we put those within the local community which is why our
great emphasis on social responsibility, encouraging our girls to get harvest donations were sent to Emmeline’s Pantry.
This is a Manchester charity voluntarily run by women
involved with charity, voluntary and community work.
for women in need. It ensures women are provided
Head of Prep, Mrs Helen Mortimer said, “Getting girls to realise the value of their contributions with the best possible support for themselves and their
in the wider community is something that starts in Reception and continues throughout Prep families. The MHSG minibus was loaded with carrier
as the girls take part in various charity initiatives and projects.” bags full of groceries and, in addition, our fantastic
families and staff raised over £1,000 in online
Since September, Prep girls and their families have already raised over £3,000 for charity which, CAF donations!
is an amazing achievement considering the current economic climate. This does not even take into
account all the generous donations of food and gifts for the Harvest and Christmas appeals!
Save the Children
In December, we all enjoyed Christmas lunch whilst wearing
our festive jumpers and sparkly clothes and raising over
£500 for Save the Children. We also received generous
donations of new toys for disadvantaged local children.
Be Seen in Green
As Prep Charity Ambassadors, Mrs Heggie and Dr Hussain,
Pupils in the Prep Department kicked off fundraising for
feel very lucky to have such wonderful support from all the
this academic year by being Seen in Green for the Royal
girls and their families for all fundraising events. The girls are
Manchester Children's Hospital in October and raised
always so enthusiastic about taking part in charity events
over £600. In fact, donations were coming in so fast
and giving back.
to our Just Giving page that it started trending and
appeared on the front page of their website! Mrs Mortimer concluded, “It is this kind of support for
our chosen charities which helps us teach the girls the
importance of giving to those less fortunate. It inspires
young fundraisers such as Khadija from Year 5 to do the
10 Mile Walk Challenge in aid of The Pankhurst Trust and
Betsy, also from Year 5, who embarked on an epic bike ride
to raise money for educating girls in developing countries."
Seeing our girls seize the initiative and
do something for charity is incredibly
heart-warming and makes us so
proud of the MHSG community.Manchester High School for Girls
Grangethorpe Road, Manchester, M14 6HS.
T 0161 224 0447
E administration@mhsg.manchester.sch.uk
www.manchesterhigh.co.ukYou can also read
