Windsor Girls' School - Windsor Girls' School
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Windsor Girls’ School
23 April 2021
Senior Student Leadership
This week is the start of the process of electing the next Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl and Senior
Student Leadership Team. As expected, the standard of applications has been incredibly high with
a very strong field of candidates. The first part of the process was a practical challenge - the
legendary WGS Egg Drop. Students were randomly allocated into Teams and given limited
resources and time to produce a structure to protect an egg dropped from 10 feet. Early into the
task it was evident we needed to stretch this talented field and so a second round of testing was
introduced, a drop from the top floor of the Teaching block. The results of the egg drop and further
information on the task is included in a separate article on Page 4.
The next steps for the candidates are group interviews with staff and the current Head Girl Team,
individual interviews with the Co-Heads for shortlisted candidates, and a presentation to Year 9. The
handover process between the outgoing and incoming Senior Student Leadership Team will follow
starting with an extended assembly to Sixth Form and the planning and leading of the final
Community Week. We wish all the candidates involved the best of luck for the coming weeks.
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome back to all of our students and staff after what was, we hope, a relaxing and happy Easter
break.
We are now at the start of a very busy half term, one that is particularly important for our Year 13
and Year 11 students who will be completing Internal Assessments as part of the process of
awarding Teacher Assessed Grades this summer. Year 13 began their assessments this week and
Year 11 will begin theirs on Tuesday 4 May. We wish them all the very best of luck.
The exciting process for deciding on our new Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl has continued this
week. On Wednesday, they faced a practical challenge that tested their ingenuity and team-working
skills; their responses were very impressive, and demonstrated their LORIC skills. We very much
enjoyed seeing students excel in working as a team. We wish all of the applicants the best of luck.
Today, our Interact Student Group held a Mufti Day in aid of Women’s Aid and the Endometriosis
charity. We are always impressed by our students’ kindness and generosity on these days.
Donations of £2 should be made on Parent Pay if this has not been done already. Please contact
Mrs Pickering via pickj014@windsogirls.net if you have any questions about Parent Pay.
It has been a very successful first week back. Thank you to all Parents and Carers for their ongoing
support.
We wish you all a good weekend.
Mr P Griffiths and Mrs E O’Carroll
Co-Headteachers
WGS MFL @WGSMFLdept
Windsor Girls’ School @WGSWindsorGirls WGS Geography @GeographyWgs
Careers at Windsor Girls’ School @careersWGS WGS Aspiring High @WGSAspiringHigh
Windsor Girls’ PE @WGSPE WGS English @WindsorGirlsEng
PE Instagram wgs_pe Windsor Girls D of E @wgsdofe
Windsor Girls’ LRC @WGS_LRC Windsor Music @twbsmusic
WGS Science @WGS_Science Friends of Windsor Girls’ @FriendsofWGS
‘
SIXTH FORM
It has been wonderful to
see both Years 12 and 13
able to study in the
sunshine in their study
periods this week – it has
Year Information been a positive start back
Year 9 to the new term.
This week, Year 9 have returned from their Easter break with great
enthusiasm. Many have participated in the choir, debate club or extra- Year 13 have impressed
curricular PE. If you would still like to join an extra-curricular club, it's certainly us with their mature
not too late. You are more than welcome to try them out before you commit to attitude to their Internal
them. Assessments. The first
week has gone smoothly
This week we also had an assembly about our House competitions. We are and we look forward to
delighted that Year 9 Tutor groups filled the leader board for the PE challenge, welcoming the majority of
walking the furthest distances as a class. We also hope that the promise of a
students back to lessons
summer picnic for the winning House will motivate all students to get involved
in the upcoming House banner competition. next Thursday.
Assessments continue
We have also noticed a great improvement in uniform this term so thank you to next week however please
parents, carers and students for your commitment to this. Please remember be reminded that Year 13
that jewellery is not permitted aside from one pair of stud earrings. BTEC and GCSE Maths
and English resit lessons
Have a lovely weekend! continue as normal if
- Ms Feary & Mrs Payne students do not have an
assessment. Study areas
are open in school for
Year 10 students to access
Welcome back Year 10 and I hope your first week has gone well. This week, throughout the school
Year 10 had a House assembly on Tuesday and have been informed of some day.
exciting future plans for the House System and future prizes for the winning
House. We have also re-commenced our structured Tutor Time sessions
following Easter. For example, on a Week B Wednesday students have a We are pleased both with
debate session in Tutor Time and it was really interesting to hear what was the number of students
being discussed. Lastly, next Tuesday we have two police officers coming in applying for Head Girl and
to provide a Drug Awareness Workshop to students in Year 10. Students from Senior Student Leadership
each Tutor group have volunteered for this workshop and the uptake so far roles and also with the
has been extremely positive. quality of their applications.
- Miss O'Gorman The first stage of the
process started this
Wednesday and continues
Year 11 in the next few weeks,
Welcome back Year 11! I hope you all had a lovely and restful Easter break. culminating in a handover
It’s been a sunny and productive first week back! assembly on Thursday, 20
May.
Information regarding the Class of 21 Hoodies has been sent out to both
students and parents/carers this week, so please look out for that which details - Mrs Jenkins & Mrs Quéré
how to purchase your hoodies and the deadline for this. Next week, is the final
week before the upcoming assessments, which start on Tuesday, 4 May
(remember we have a Bank Holiday on Monday, 3 May). Students will be
receiving their individual examination timetables shortly. I hope you all have a
lovely weekend!
- Miss Castle
Senior Student Leadership Challenge
The candidates for the Senior Student Leadership Team took
part in a collaborative ‘Egg drog challenge’ on Tuesday,
whereby we were put into small teams and tasked with
designing a structure that would protect our egg once it was
launched from height.
A variety of designs were produced - including some
carefully engineered parachutes!
Whilst we expected a challenge, all the teams handled it
exceptionally well, with the majority of our eggs remaining intact. No doubt a credit to the impressive
teamwork skills of everyone involved.
Whether the egg cracked or not, we can safely say that it was wonderful to get the opportunity to get
hands-on and be creative, whilst working with friends outside of the classroom and developing our
communication and teamwork skills.
Tuesday was a brilliant start and we are all very much looking forward to what lies ahead in the
Senior Student Leadership process - hopefully no more eggs will be harmed in the process!
- Olatz Bulson –Roman, Year 12
Senior Student Leadership Challenge
“The team building exercise that we took part in this afternoon
was extremely rewarding and fun. We might not have managed
to keep our egg in one piece, but in the words of Mr Arbi “We
gave it a cracking good shot!”
- Vivienne Alija, Year 12
“The task today was such an enjoyable experience! Doing
something creative and fun and being able to communicate
and meet people I wouldn’t normally work with was lovely”
- Bronte DeLaSalle, Year 12
“It was such an enjoyable, challenging and exciting experience and was lovely to get to know the
other candidates whom we will be sharing the process with!”
- Annabel Hodgkinson, Year 12
“Today’s task was really fun! We were able to work as a team
to build the best apparatus possible to protect our egg. It was
especially good to bounce ideas off of one another to be able to
create the best design possible. Most of the teams survived
both drops! I am really looking forward to the next stages of the
process - if they are anything like this, it will be a very enjoyable
experience.”
- Lydia Sampson, Year 12
“I had so much fun doing the egg drop challenge and I loved working together with my team - even
though our egg did have some major issues in the dropping process!”
- Scarlett O’Shaughnessy, Year 12
Year 12 Art
Mazz Saleem 9I
Year 12s are working hard on completing their first
units. They are all working on their individual
chosen themes and working in an exciting variety of
media.
In the coming weeks, they will be starting work on
their final pieces and we can’t wait to see the
results.
Work by Alice Sereda, Lena Haymonds, Faye
Haswell, Imogen Clark, AbbyTunn.
Geography Society
Geography
Geography Society - Get Involved!
‘The Geography Society are a group of three Sixth Form students in Year 12, with a passion for the
environment and the issues of the world around us.
We want as many of our students to get involved with our projects as we can – as we feel that these
are really important issues for young people to be discussing and making a change in.
We will be officially launching an eco-committee in September, as our school has been enrolled to
join over 19 million students world-wide in the journey to becoming an ‘Eco-school’. If this is
something that you would like to be involved with – more information will be coming out in the next
few weeks about how you can express your interest and take part.
We have also set up a blog, for all Year groups to contribute to and write in. Below, we have a few
sample articles for inspiration – we are looking forward to receiving your submissions!’
- Olatz Bulson-Roman, Vivienne Alija & Francesca Crossfield, Year 12
Prince Philip’s Role in Conservation
See this post on our blog:
https://thegeographyblog489481139.wordpress.com/2021/04/18/prince-
philips-role-in-conservation/
‘As we come together as a nation to commemorate Prince Philip
following his death last week, it is important to look upon the pioneering
work he did to promote environmental causes and encourage
conservation before it became ‘fashionable’. HRH had a genuine
interest in conservation and wildlife and launched the Royal Family onto
a course to become one of the most influential pressure groups
concerning the environment in the country.
“We depend on a web of life, we depend on every living thing on this planet, just as much as they
depend on us.”
- HRH Prince Philip
Following his interest in photography and bird watching, Prince Philip’s friendship with naturalist Sir
Peter Scott ignited his passion for conservation and got him involved in the founding of the World
Wildlife Fund. Prince Philip became the president of the British Branch of the WWF for its first two
decades and then moved on to become head of the whole international pressure group from 1981-
96. Additionally, during the mid-1980s, he formed a green alliance with leaders from the world’s
great religions. Prince Philip dedicated over 50 years to focusing on conservation including over 50
trips to raise funds, project and awareness of the WWF.
Prince Philip was one of the world’s most influential non-governmental advocates for conservation.
He used his voice and position to raise funds and awareness for environmental causes.
Geography
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award:
In 1956, Prince Philip set up the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The programme aims to inspire and
transform the lives of young people through volunteering, physical activities and expeditions. The
DofE youth achievement award operates in over 140 different countries around the world and has an
immense impact on the growth of confidence in young people. From personal experience myself, it
is fair to say that the DofE challenged me in different ways and without a doubt created many special
memories that I will never forget.
In honour of the work HRH has done in wildlife conservation, the Royal Family have paid tribute to
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Thank you for all your service.’
- Vivienne Alija, Year 12
Rockfall in Dorset
See this post on our blog:
https://thegeographyblog489481139.wordpress.com/2021/04/15/
rockfall-in-dorset/
‘On 14 April 2021 over 4000 tonnes of debris fell from a 300
metre stretch of the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. This is the most
intense rockfall the UK has seen in 6 decades and caused
irreversible damage to a significant World Heritage Site covering
185 million years of geological history. Despite this, many experts have assured the public that this
was caused by natural processes such as erosion and weathering. However, some argue that the
risk of rockfalls and other mass movement processes will increase in the future due to climate
change as a result of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Why is this?
Climate Change’s Impact
Greenhouse gases are the main culprit in climate change as they cause the ozone layer in the
atmosphere to absorb more of the sun’s solar energy output. As a result, the atmosphere becomes
more humid and holds more water, resulting in more frequent and more intense rainfall. This rainfall
plays an important role in mass movement as water is generally thought to increase the intensity of
this process. In fact, this may have exacerbated the rockfall in Dorset. This is because freeze-thaw
weathering plays a significant role in rockfalls. Rain falls into small cracks in rocks, freezes (creating
a 9% increase in water volume), and exerts a force within these cracks. As this process
continuously repeats the cracks eventually get wider, causing large blocks of rock to break away.
This illustrates how climate change may create more mass movement events - especially as many
scientists have estimated human-driven climate change has made extreme rain 40% more probable.
The Impact on Locals
As events like this occur, the coastline naturally recedes, putting many local residents at risk of
losing their homes and livelihoods. Fortunately no homes were lost in this incident, however large
areas of the coastal path have been cordoned off and many visitors have been advised to stay away
due to safety concerns. Despite this, it is important to acknowledge that if homes had been lost due
to this event, the residents would have received very little support as there is currently no national
government compensation scheme for property owners who lose their property due to erosion. This
raises questions about how the government should adapt to the increasing coastal erosion threat.’
- Francesca Crossfield, Year 12
Geography
Female Empowerment and the Climate Crisis:
See blog for full version:
www.thegeographyblog489481139.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/female-empowerment-and-the-
climate-crisis/
‘It is undeniable that female empowerment can bring about substantial change on both local,
national and global scales. Whether this is economic change - as increased female labour force
participation can boost a country’s GDP - or social change, as females may choose to have fewer
babies, due to family planning. Female empowerment has gained traction recently, due to claims it
may form part of a solution to climate change.
Female empowerment as a solution to climate change?
One argument is that by educating and empowering girls and young
women, they are more likely to have control over their fertility, resulting in
fewer people on the planet, leading to fewer carbon emissions and
curbing increased consumption. Whilst it may be true that, at surface
level, reducing population numbers can decrease emissions, it could be
said that it is unfair to use females in lower income countries as a
scapegoat for sustaining our emissions in countries such as the UK.
If every country on the planet had the same consumption levels as the UK, we would need 3.1
earths to meet this demand.
Is it morally acceptable to place the burden on already vulnerable women in developing
countries, especially as historically, countries such as the US and the UK have contributed the
most to recent rises in greenhouse gas emissions?
This being said, the repercussions of female education in both her community and country are vast,
as there is a strong correlation between educational attainment and number of children per woman.
Another argument is that empowering female smallholders (female farmers with plots of fewer than 5
acres) through increased access to capital, land rights, tools and green technologies, will increase
crop yields on said land, hence reducing the land needed to be deforested for agriculture. Yet, it
must be kept in mind that increasing crop yields does not guarantee less land being used for
agriculture. More lucrative yields may still encourage landowners to continue expanding their plot -
therefore continuing to sustain deforestation. It is not sufficient to assume that because a farmer is
lifted out of poverty, that they will not continue to expand their plot.
How can female empowerment make us more resilient in the midst of a climate crisis?
Females are disproportionately at the forefront of climate
change and the challenges that are arising from it.
Displacement. Forced migration. Human traffickers. Domestic
abuse. These are all examples of threats which women are
increasingly facing due to the havoc climate change is placing
on their environment.
According to the UN, 80% of people displaced by climate
change are women.Geography Why should these same women be burdened with solving the crisis? Women are at the core of our societies, they make up 75% of unpaid labour worldwide - invisible cogs in the machine that is our globalised economy. This is just one example of the work invisible power women hold in the daily function of our society. When disaster strikes - something which is happening more and more due to global warming - gender roles in some societies means that often women do not know how to swim or do not know evacuation routes - leaving them more vulnerable and at higher risk of death. Dangerous events such as these are becoming more and more frequent due to our changing climate. Scientists predict that tropical storms will become more intense due to rising sea levels and hotter temperatures - symptoms of global warming. By treating these women as equal citizens, by teaching them basic skills such as how to swim, societies become less vulnerable and more resilient when faced with the effects of climate change, intense tropical storms being just one example. Final verdict? This article only scrapes the surface of the vast repercussions female empowerment has - be it through education, family planning or land rights - and how it can be seen a positive and viable solution to the climate emergency. Whilst it may have its challenges, this multifaceted strategy leaves the societies that employ it more resilient to the social, economic, political and environmental challenges that encompass and emerge through our climate crisis. Unfortunately, it is no secret that there is no silver bullet to the climate crisis. We need a combination of solutions, and females alone cannot be responsible for hauling us into a more sustainable future, but females can be a part of the solution. We cannot expect to solve the largest challenge faced by humanity without equity, not only will this result in a potential loss in knowledge and valuable human resources, but above all we cannot afford to leave anyone behind when faced with a global crisis.’ - Olatz Bulson-Roman, Year 12 Individual Health Care Plans (IHCP) Individual Health Care Plans are for students who have long term medical conditions or require regular medication. IHCP's are for both physical and mental conditions. Examples may include diabetes, epilepsy, coeliac disease, frequent nose bleeds, asthma, and depression. They are to be completed by the parent/carer and are reviewed by the school on a regular basis. Parents or carers are responsible for informing the school of any changes to their daughter's condition.
Windsor Teaching Alliance Windsor Teaching Alliance was pleased to welcome face-to-face Initial Teacher Training sessions back to the classroom with a session looking at British Values. As a National Teaching School, Windsor Girls’ School is at the centre of a partnership of local schools, working together to create a cross-phase and progressive culture of ongoing professional development in the Windsor area. Outstanding teaching and learning is at the heart of everything we do and it is with great pleasure we provide training to teachers entering the profession.
Travel & Tourism
Summary of Travel & Tourism (2019-2021)
‘Travel and tourism has been an interesting course that has provided the class with a great deal of
information throughout the two years. The course is fun and exciting as well as challenging in some
areas. However, I would recommend this BTEC to anyone that has an interest in holidays,
attractions and the leisure industry as you’ll learn a lot. From customer service roleplays to picking
out holidays for specific traveller types, the course includes every aspect that you can think of. We
were all able to learn about the business side of the travel industry and even got to speak to Virgin
Atlantic staff that came into the school to tell us about their experiences. The course also focused
on recent impacts on the travel and tourism sector. One main topic we have focused on is of course
the Covid-19 pandemic which helped us to understand real life issues that are currently impacting
airlines, travel agents and other businesses in the industry. The two years has set many of us up for
later life careers that are all related to the travel and tourism sector. There are many jobs that the
class was interested in, including cabin crew, holiday representatives, hotel managers, tour
managers and the wide world of marketing. This work has helped prepare us for these roles and a
BTEC from this course will look great on our CV’s which will help us through an interview process
later on in the year and earn valuable points for University Applications. We had two teachers help
us throughout the course, one being Miss Shephard who is a great travel and tourism teacher. She
taught us the remaining unit which allowed us achieve the grades we were all aiming for.
- Gemma Nadin, Year 13
Aspiring High Programme
‘Last week, I attended a taster lecture online which was hosted by St Catharine’s
College Cambridge as part of the Aspiring High programme. The focus of this
session was on Life Sciences. There was a significant focus on how exactly
subjects such as Maths and Sciences at school are involved in scientific degrees,
which I found particularly helpful as I could apply it to the A levels I needed to
choose for courses at university. There were real life examples of the type of
study expected in a university course, for example, veterinary, and there were
many questions asked. It was a very interactive session which was interesting and
helped me further my knowledge.’
- Mia Pottage, Year 11Inspirational Leader of the Week
WGS Leadership and School Council Committee’s
Inspirational Leader
of the Week!
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
In 2007, Baroness Warsi Baroness Warsi was the first British
was elevated to the House Pakistani Muslim woman to be
of Lords, aged 36, making elected to cabinet, in 2010 under
her the youngest peer in David Cameron.
parliament.
She has gone onto
serve positions
with the then
Foreign and
Commonwealth
Office, then as
Minister for Faith
in Communities
Baroness Warsi was
born in Dewsbury in
West Yorkshire. She
studied for a degree
in Law and, upon
graduation, went to Baroness Warsi has been
work for the Crown outspoken on many issues across
Prosecution Service public political discourse including:
before setting up immigration, education, Muslim
her own practice rights, human rights and
international development to name
a few.
What makes Baroness Warsi an inspirational leader?
Bravery. Courage. Determination. What do all these have in common? These are all
qualities of a great leader which Baroness Warsi has demonstrated. She is not afraid to
use her voice to speak out against issues which are important to her, even if that means
risking her job and alliances. Whether this was when she resigned in 2014 - in
disagreement with the former government’s policy in Gaza, or by establishing a
women’s Centre in Pakistan which has helped over 30,000 marginalized women gain
economic independence.
By Olatz Bulson-RomanSixth Form Debate Society
Extra-Curricular Timetable
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM
B1
Sixth Form
Year 12
Sixth Form Science Journal Year 9 Mock Trial
Wellbeing
B2 Debate Society Club Debate Club
Group
Room 61 Room 63 NAG
LQE
KAN/SGY
Interact Members
Year 12
Week B
Room 12
CPK
Sixth Form 3.15pm - Year 11
Mindfulness Debate Club – Fashion Drop-in Year 9 Choir
PM
Meditation Room 20 Year 10 & 11 3:05 - 4:00
Room 63 NAG
Athletics Badminton Dance Year 9
Year 9 Year 10 Year 9 Leadership
ESR/ASD SSCO 4Motion SSCO
Rounders Rounders Yoga Badminton
Year 10 Year 9 Year 10 Year 9
CCE CSD/ESR 4Motion SSCO
Leadership CN Catch up
Year 10 Year 10
SSCO ASD
Athletics
Year 10
ASD/CCE
FOWGS - Friends of Windsor Girls’
The next meeting of FOWGS - Friends of Windsor Girls’ School - will take place on Monday, 26
April, at 7:00pm.
For further information please contact FOWGS@windsorgirls.net.ParentPay Tip - Low Balance Alert
DID YOU KNOW?
You may find it helpful to receive an alert when your daughter’s Cashless Catering account is getting
low.
To set up an alert, please log into ParentPay and click on your daughter’s icon. Then select
‘Communications’ and ‘Change alert settings’. Against ‘Windsor Girls School Dinners’ payment item,
enter the minimum amount for when you would like to be notified and select email. You can also opt
for text messages, but this will incur a charge to your account of 6p per text. Email alerts are free of
charge.
If you require any assistance with ParentPay, please email Mrs Jo Pickering on
pickj014@windsorgirls.net
Career in Policing Webinar
To register for the event, please visit:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tvlp-webinar-a-career-in-policing-tickets-151459737151Work Ready Club The Work Ready Club is the first ever virtual monthly networking opportunity aimed at young people aged 16-19. Our delivery partner and local charity, Learning to Work, have partnered with SEGRO to offer this great new FREE opportunity. The Work Ready Club is a great way for young people to meet a new network of business people and peers who can share their experience and help them develop the skills and the confidence to make your first steps in the workplace in a safe environment. All that’s needed to join is access to the internet. Virtual meeting taking place monthly via Zoom. If a young people can’t make a meeting, they can listen again at a time that suits them as part of their FREE membership. Visit www.learningtowork.org.uk to find out more. Please keep an eye out for future virtual Workshops in the school newsletter. Each meeting is held monthly and the meeting that took place on 21 April featured ServiceNow who spoke about Updating your Social Media. In case you missed the meeting you can either view the recording on the Portal under Meeting 4 or click on the Vimeo link below. https://vimeo.com/540022798/918d6b9494
Teen Tech
Teen Tech
You can also read
