by K Theobald | Mar 21, 2023 | Latest News, Northgate Way, Student Blog, Uncategorized
Back in February half term Mrs Holt and a team of teachers took a whole coachload of Year 9 – 11 students to Passo Tonale in Italy. An amazing experience for all involved. We looked forward to the daily updates from the slopes which included the naming of the Northgate Numpties! The numpties were chosen for their mishaps, whether that be forgetting to remove goggles before putting sun cream on, putting their skis on the wrong bus or losing out to a 5 year old on a chair lift. There were certainly plenty of laughs along the way.
Mrs Holt, trip organiser said, ‘It was a real pleasure to take the group skiing over the February half term holidays. Every pupils behaved impeccably, and exceeded all expectations. Their progress was fantastic, going from nervous beginners at the start of the week to comfortable skiers by day five, who could confidently get about the mountains. A truly amazing week, and one where experiences and memories will last a lifetime.’
Below, Ola and Drew, Year 10, have written a poem about trip and Wyn, Year 9 tells us about his experience.
It’s a very early start
And we’re telling our parents this is where we depart,Â
We say bye to our folks
And ready to greet the slopes,
The coach was a blast
But it didn’t last,
The ferry wasn’t fast
And the French Borders we have just passed.
We arrived in Italy,
Now it’s time for me to go ski
But look, that slope is too high for me!
So on the first day the Northgate Numpty was clear,
The Tutu and the Hat,
Of course he wants that,
Caught in the act,
Mr Stirling has stacked!
As the days go on we have much more fun,
Now it’s our time to get on the Husky Run,
After that long snowball fight,
It’s time for the Pizza Night
Skiing is so much fun
But it has only just begun,
We are going up the slopes higher and higher,
Getting onto that Glacier was our number-one,
3000 metres high up,
In the Gondola we are,
So close, not far,
The pictures we took,
It was a great look.
After all the incidents with Suncream, Chair Lifts and Skis,
It was our last days with these,
With not really low weather degrees,
We did the blue and red slopes with ease,
We left the instructors pleased,
Getting certificates for all the laughter and hard work.
We are now all ready to leave,
Everyone is proud from what they have achieved,
We get on the coach,
Another 27 hours of driving
And a whole load of singing,
We arrive back at school,
Everyone had a amazing time,
It will be a memory that will last,
We also like to Thank Mrs Holt
And all the other teachers,
For all their efforts and help throughout this trip!
Wyn, who went on the trip said of his experience, ‘The thing I enjoyed the most about the ski trip was the number of exciting activities that we did each day. As everyday not only would we have a brilliant time skiing on the slopes, but we would also experience extra activities each day. This meant there was never a moment where we weren’t enjoying ourselves: speeding down the ski slopes, sightseeing, bum boarding or just all having fun together making unforgettable memories that would last a lifetime.’
A huge thank you to the whole staff team for making the trip possible.
by K Theobald | Mar 14, 2023 | Latest News, Northgate Way, Student Blog, Uncategorized
In our latest Northgate News Team interview, Isla and Florence talk to Mr Digby, a Year 7 tutor and member of the Science Department. They came up with the questions to find out more about their tutor.
What made you want to be a Science teacher?
I love Science! I have always wanted to do something to do with Science, so I brought both Science and teaching together.’
What is it like being a form tutor?
I really enjoy having time outside of lessons (even though it’s only about 20 minutes) and I am very excited to be able to do this for the next few years!
What or who inspires you to be both a teacher and a science major?
Wow, that’s a good and tricky question! There is a famous scientist called Richard Feynman. He was one of the very few scientists who could explain really difficult subjects in the easiest way possible.
What is your favourite part of science to teach?Â
Well, I love all science but my favourite part to teach would be Space Physics as I just love space!
How many schools have you worked at?
I have only worked at two! I have enjoyed both my past school experiences and the ones I have and will continue to make here at Northgate!
What was your dream job when you were younger?
When I was growing up, this wasn’t really a job as such, but I really wanted to go to Antarctica. I did get to go and really enjoyed it!
What are some of your hobbies or what do you like to do in your free time?
Running is one of my favourite things to do. I really enjoy cycling but I haven’t done that in a while. I also love family time and think it’s an important thing to do.’’
How many other jobs have you had and can you name a few?
Well, I have had quite a few but the main jobs I worked at are more interesting in my opinion. Once I left university, I became a research scientist. I was also a field engineer working in the oil industry. Then, finally, I was a swim coach! And now I am a science teacher at Northgate!
A big thank you to Mr Digby for taking the time to answer Isla and Florence’s questions. It’s always interesting to find out about the staff at Northgate. We look forward to the next interview.
by K Theobald | Feb 27, 2023 | Latest News, Northgate Way, Student Blog, Uncategorized
In February, the History department took 60 Year 7 students to Norwich castle for the day to partake in a series of workshops centred on evaluating if William I was a hero or a villain. This was building off unit 4 of the history curriculum: Did the Normans change what it meant to be English? Which the students had just finished in class.
For the day students were led through different workshops by Anglo-Saxon and Norman characters. In the morning they examined different weapons with the Norman mistress of arms and re-enacted the Battle of Hastings – fortunately, there were no casualties this time. Afterwards they sat down with Sister Anne, a Norman Nunn, and looked at the doomsday book before having a go at writing with quills. During lunch, the students got to look around the other exhibitions at the castle, with the natural world exhibition being a fan favourite.
After lunch, it was the turn of the Anglo-Saxons. Ælflæd, a Saxon woman, told the students of her harsh treatment under the Normans. The students first discovered how Anglo-Saxon society worked and how people had greater freedoms before they were cruelly placed under the Norman Feudal system. In this workshop some students were fortunate enough to be the King or Barons, however, the majority had the restrictive role of being a medieval peasant. The final workshop of the day was a virtual tour of Norwich keep, which demonstrated how it was really built to intimidate and control the local Anglo-Saxon people.
The day ended with the Anglo-Saxon and Norman characters bickering on the stage and the students deciding if William I was a hero or villain. After lots of booing and cheering the result was heavily disputed and a consensus could not be reached.
Christina went on the trip and said, ‘The history trip was my first trip in Northgate. It was super fun and I learned so many new things like the different weapons and armours or how difficult it was to write with a calligraphy pen (which was one of my favourite parts). I loved the trip and would definitely go again next time. My friend Layla also thought the trip was really educational but fun at the same time.’
Colette commented, ‘The history trip to Norwich castle was amazing. It was super educational and taught us about the castle structure, Anglo Saxon society and much more. My favourite part was looking at the weapons and recreating the Battle of Hastings. The hardest part was writing with a calligraphy pen as it was hard to get it at the right angle. This was a great first trip of Year 7 and I would definitely go again.’
Thank you to Mr Lennard for organising the trip and giving the students such a unique opportunity to develop their history knowledge and understanding outside the classroom.
by K Theobald | Feb 27, 2023 | Latest News, Northgate Way, Student Blog, Uncategorized
We are pleased to introduce our March bulletin. In our bulletin this month there’s information about our recent ski trip and updates from the library.
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.
by K Theobald | Feb 23, 2023 | Latest News, Northgate Way, Student Blog, Uncategorized
Our budding Northgate News Team members Christina and Lily, recently interviewed Miss Bauman who is a member of our English Department. Here’s what she had to say in response to their questions.
Have you ever travelled to any countries other than Canada (Miss Bauman is Canadian)?
Yes, Kenya along with many countries in the Caribbean, Europe and Central America.
Why did you move from Canada here?
There were very few teaching jobs and I wanted to see a different part of the world.
Do people ever ask you why you teach English?
Yes
What is your favourite novel to teach?
Lord of flies
What are your hobbies?
Music and drama
Have you taught anything other than English?
Yes, I’ve taught drama before
What is the best thing about being a tutor at Northgate?
Seeing my students grow up.
What is your favourite vegetable?
Red peppers.
What are your phobias?
Spiders
Are there any books that scare you?
Not scare, necessarily, but thriller novels are always hard to read right before bed because they start to play tricks on your mind.
Thank you to Miss Bauman for taking the time to answer the questions. We look forward to hearing who our News Team decide to interview next.
by K Theobald | Feb 13, 2023 | Latest News, Northgate Way, Student Blog, Uncategorized
Friday 3rd February saw the whole of Year 7 come together for the annual Number Day activities. This year it was organised by Miss Petcher-Ellison from the Maths department.
Over the last 13 years of Northgate taking part in Number Day, Year 7s have managed to raise over £3300 to contribute to the continued work of the NSPCC and Childline. There were a number of activities the Year 7s took part in. During Period 1 half of the year group gathered in the main hall. They started their session with number aerobics, which included some volunteers demonstrating what to do. It was great to see such enthusiasm from everyone!
The main activity was a quiz. Not only were students competing for their House Teams to earn valuable points for the House Competition but they were also competing against others in their teaching groups to win a prize. There were certainly some tricky questions however determination took over. The final part of the session involved students creating real life graphs. They were all given a coordinate and created a coordinate grid in the way they were sat. Miss Petcher-Ellison displayed instructions such as ‘stand up if your x coordinate is 2’, ‘stand up if your y coordinate is -3’ and so on. Students were able to see that they were creating vertical and horizontal lines and impressed with the language they used such as parallel. It gave them an opportunity to start to discover more about straight line graphs, a topic they will develop later in their Maths curriculum. During Period 3 the remaining Year 7s had their chance to take part.
There was a teacher treasure hunt which students could take part in during break and lunchtime. 25 teachers had been assigned a number. Students had to answer questions such as ‘what is the sum of the Maths teachers?’, ‘which teachers are square numbers?’, ‘which teacher is the smallest prime number?’ and so on.
Congratulations go to the following Year 7s who won the main quiz in their teaching groups – 7Aspire: Theo S, 7Tenacity: Poppy G, 7Endeavour: Aiden B, 7Courage: Harrison L and Jamie T, 7Integrity: William S, 7Motivation: Amelia O and 7Valour: Demitri H. Winners were presented with pencil cases, notebooks and voucher for Café North.
In the House Competition, it was a very close fought contest, with Rowling just pipping Attenborough in to first place, with Hawking in third and Holmes in fourth.
Miss Petcher-Ellison commented after Number Day, ‘it was great to run my first Number Day. I hope all the Year 7s enjoyed the activities and I look forward to running it again next year!’
Amelia O, from 7 Motivation, said, ‘On Number Day we had a quiz all about Maths. I really liked the quiz because a few of the questions I thought were really interesting. For example one question was how many years is a diamond jubilee. There was also a teachers quiz where you had to go round and get the number of each teacher (there were 25) then answer a set of questions. Overall, I really enjoyed it.’
Demitri, who was the winner from 7Valour, explained, ‘I liked Number Day because I got top of my class and it had some fun activities. I thought the questions on Number Day were interesting.’
A big thank you to Miss Petcher-Ellison for organising and running the event. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to all those who collected sponsors for Childline and the NSPCC to help continue the vital work they do.
