The Year 11 Geographers headed on a field trip at the beginning of November as part of their GCSE course. Prisha and Elizabeth tell us about what they got up to.
‘For our Geography GCSE course, the Year 11s journeyed to Winterton-on-Sea for their fieldtrip. On the 4th and 5th of November we travelled along the A47 to study and measure sand dunes. Our main objective was to measure whether the dunes were being affected by human activities. We set off at 9:30am and arrived promptly to see the golden sand and the on-looking sea. With the equipment unpacked and the groups formed, we started on our mission; to gather as much information as we could. After 2 hours of active working and a lively lunch, we trekked along the cliff to see the erosion that took place and some of the local affects it had. We did a little bit of seal spotting before heading home in time for the bell.’
The weather over the course of the two days was extremely varied with a number of downpours as well as wind and sunshine. However, this did not hamper the spirits of the keen geographers and they managed to collect all the data needed.
Dr Barrett, Head of Geography said, ‘The trip to Winterton was designed to enhance learning because it gave pupils the chance to consolidate their learning on the coasts and fieldwork sections of the course . This meant seeing how sand dunes changed dramatically from desert-like conditions at the front to a small wood at the back. We also got the chance to see the effects of coastal erosion on Winterton itself. We also practised fieldwork skills such as sampling and being accurate with use of equipment.
The pupils stood out for their resilience (especially on Thursday) and their readiness to work well from the start.
A big thank you to the Geography Department for organising the trip.
On the 6th October, the Year 8 Northgate Rugby team participated in a rugby tournament taking place at Norwich Rugby Club. As it was our first tournament as a team we were very nervous and truly excited to play other Norfolk schools. It was great to be playing as part of a team, despite the cold and wet weather. Schools attending included Neatherd, Wymondham High, Wymondham College and a number of other teams.
Unfortunately, we lost most of our games, but we did tie with Neatherd and had a lot of fun being part of this tournament. Playing in this tournament has given us some ideas of areas of our game that we need to work on in our training ahead of future games. We are looking forward to our next games as a team and hoping we can come away with a win!
By Northgate News Team members Daniel A and Callum R
Members of our Northgate News Team have decided to find out a bit more about staff at Northgate. With that in mind, our intrepid reports Mirren, Corey and Max, met with Mr Everett, Head of Modern Foreign Languages, for a quick chat.
What made you choose languages as a teaching subject?
I would think because all my teachers from when I was in secondary school told me to do Science. I also think that it was just really interesting because it wasn’t just from a textbook, you had to learn it properly.
Why is it important to learn foreign languages?
I only have one answer; it makes us human.
What is your favourite language to teach?
Well, right now it’s Spanish because I lived in Mexico so it’s pretty interesting.
What is the worst thing to teach about languages?
Sometimes when people say “I can’t do it.” But it is physically possible because the human brain is flexible and can definitely learn a foreign language / languages.
So, I heard you’ve written a few textbooks. Is that right?
I have written a couple textbooks, yes. I have written for the Oxford University press, KS3 Spanish and A level Spanish.
Do you enjoy teaching languages?
Yes!
Were there any other subjects you wanted to teach?
Science probably, but they wouldn’t let me.
Have you ever lived in any foreign countries?
Yes, I lived in France for 1 year and I lived in Mexico for 4 years.
A big thank you to Mr Everett for taking the time to meet with us and answer our questions. If you want to know more about languages or the opportunities available in languages at Northgate, such as being an International Leader, Duo Lingo or the competitions run by the department, please see Mr Everett or another member of the department.
We are pleased to introduce our November bulletin. In our bulletin this month you will find out all sorts of information and updates. There are comments from our new Year 7s about settling into Northgate, news about the virtual Earth Summit some of our students attended and photos from our recent Year 6 Open Evening.
We hope that you are able to take some time to have a look at all the goings on at Northgate from the last month and enjoy seeing what we’ve been up to. Please share with your friends and family via our Facebook and twitter pages.
Miss Theobald (School Council Coordinator) + Northgate School Council.
At Northgate, we enjoy opening up our school for Year 6s and their parents/carers to come and take a look at everything we have to offer. We are incredibly proud of our school and so are our students. We had many students who volunteered their evening to either show prospective students round the school or to help in the various subject rooms. Two of our Year 7s have written a blog about their experience of the evening.
First up is Brigita who helped in History:
‘Open evening took place on Thursday 14th October. It was a fun day where between 5.30pm and 8.30pm, some pupils and teachers showed lots of parents and Year 6s around the school so they could learn more about Northgate.
Open evening was a good way to teach potential new students of Northgate and to show them what it’s like to learn here. It’s also great for the parents to ask students and teachers about the school which will help them decide which high school is best for their child.
Many of the classrooms had fun and exciting activities in them and PE even had various sports on display. In History we had a number of displays up. We also had a quiz for the Year 6s to work on and the clues were around the room. There were 8 Northgate helpers on hand and some teachers too. We handed out the quizzes and when they finished them we marked them and gave some stickers!
Around the room there were also newspapers, maps, posters and amazing work of some people and quotes about history from some students. There were also a couple of items from the past, including helmets on display. The Year 6s were kind and easy to talk to.’
Next up is Kourtney, who helped in English:
‘On October 14th I was privileged to be chose to promote Northgate High School for the open evening for the upcoming Year 7s. This was a great experience for myself as I did not get to attend my own open evening due to Covid restrictions and this prevented there from being one. I was most pleased to see a few familiar faces across the halls of the English Department as I worked from the Learning Hub.
I could tell that the Year 6s who came and toured around Northgate were thoroughly enjoying it and thought about the faces I saw that night, I might see again in September. I can clearly remember in my head the day I first started and how excited I was and the thought ran through my head, ‘I am now in high school and what a great high school it is!’
I took my place, dressed in a long cape and white silk dress and nine other students were with me in their costumes. I was content as I could hear the chatter of parents and Year 6s along the corridors as they did a scavenger hunt where props were hidden. Families that visited were looking up and down trying to find things such as Mr McGregor’s’ watering can and Ron Weasley’s rat. Other activities such as shake the jar, guess the book and guess the first quote of the well-known book were found in the Learning Hub.
To those that came, I thank them dearly, because as much of an experience it was for them, it was also for me and others. The joy and pride I had in myself was immense as people came and asked me questions. I hope it was a good night for everyone that came but also staff and students who gave up their time to make it the best evening ever!’
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Members of our Northgate News Team have decided to find out a bit more about staff at Northgate. With that in mind, our intrepid reports Mirren, Corey and Max, met with Mr Everett, Head of Modern Foreign Languages, for a quick chat.
   
  
