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Northgate Way | Northgate High School
It’s been a while since we last heard from the ELF, so Mr MacDonald has taken the time to let us know what has been going on over the last few months.
The winter months were extremely challenging this year in the ELF as we were faced with a very long wet period of time. The battle was the daily checks on the animals and to ensure their welfare was being continuously catered for day after day and week after week. We have been extremely fortunate to have the support of Fred Nicholson School, as they are a regular contributor. Every Monday for a whole term on their “Outreach Programme” they continue to be a part of the ELF, supported by Mr MacDonald.
As the school goes through its improvements to the site, in particular on the roof, Mr MacDonald improves the ELF by using materials discarded by the contractors, such as pallets and scrap, which can quite easily be put to good use around the allotments or within the ELF area in general.
The global issue with plastic has also inspired the promotion of plastic bottle sculptures and ways to put them to use in the garden. The plan is to demonstrate to staff and students how we can use plastic and not just discard these items. Their use ranges from animal sculptures, to shelters and decorative animals, including useful containers.
Spring finally sprung in the ELF after a long awaited winter, plants were able to stretch and blossom and the sign of the bees was a welcoming sight to us all. As we know pollinators are vital to survival and the bees are hard at work.
So, what next for the ELF? Well the answer is simply to keep growing and encouraging as many students and staff to get involved with the outdoors and educate everyone about the value of being in the garden and fresh air. Northgate is an exciting school as we have been successful with our application to have a show garden at The Royal Norfolk Show 2018. Northgate High School is one of six schools in the county to make the final cut for a display garden. The six schools will have a 3m x 3m area to set up their garden ready for judging on the 27th June. We are fortunate to display at the entrance, where thousands of visitors will walk through on both days and see our garden. The theme we have chosen is “Wellbeing” and we will be promoting the awareness of Dementia, building on our link with Dementia Friends.
This has been a fantastic opportunity to utilise the skills and ideas, from conducting research about Dementia and involving the Student Council as they contribute to this project. We have used our links with the Dementia Friends in Dereham and Mrs Galley, Deputy Head of School, has kindly agreed to support the project as we move forward in the coming weeks. The garden will take on a very colourful and vibrant look, to ensure we capture and hopefully trigger memories of scent, texture, visual and literacy. Part of the display will involve Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. This is quite good timing and with the joys of spring we have some new cuddly, cute arrivals.
We have also had fantastic support this year from Craig Stephens of Solana Potatoes UK. Craig has supplied the school with a bumper crop of potatoes seeds for the school garden. This is fantastic news particularly as the evidence discovered earlier in the year; potatoes are halting or slowing down the process of Dementia. SCOTS scientists are calling for people to eat more potatoes in order to help improve cognitive function and stave off dementia.
Just like potatoes, the ELF keeps growing and growing, so come and see for yourself.
A huge thank you to Mr MacDonald for his continued work and innovation in the ELF.
On 8th May thirteen pupils from Northgate took part in an angling competition held at Barford Lakes and organised by the West Norwich and Dereham School Sports Partnership. Pupils were competing against other SSP schools including Ormiston Victory, Neatherd, and Langley for the right to represent the SSP team at the Norfolk School Games finals. The aim of the competition was simple; to catch the most fish. Pupils competed in teams of three with the winning team being decided by the team’s combined catch weight.
The pupils did exceptionally well, particularly in the warm weather, with two of the Northgate teams finishing in the top two. Northgate’s team C (Ben, Jacob and Charlie) finished fourth with a combined catch weight of 8lb 15oz. The overall winners were Northgate’s team B consisting of Brandon, Liam and Harry who won with a combined catch of 21lb 11oz. These three will now go on to the county finals in June. Well done to all involved!
15 students from Northgate descended on Ormiston Venture Academy on 2nd May to be part of an Anti-Bullying training session run by the Diana Award an sponsored by Facebook.
There were students from 7 schools in attendance, including Thetford Academy, Ormiston Denes, Iceni Academy and Ormiston Venture Academy.
We had students from Year 7 to 9 attend, some had even experienced bullying themselves in the past. They all had one common aim, to make a difference and help those who are being bullied.
When they arrived, our students sat together and mixed themselves up in the year groups. They all gained a goody pack which included an Anti-Bullying Ambassador badge, pen, pencil, notebook, wristband and training booklet. Paddy and Paul from the Diana Award ran the session. To begin with they were shown a couple of videos about the Diana Award, what they do and also snapshots of pupils talking about their experiences of bullying.
It was then time for some ice-breakers including one where as a group they had to decide if the answer was A, B or C. One question was related to the percentage increase in cyber bullying incidents reported over the last year and another about how much screen time young people have on a day to day basis. A lot of the training included elements of cyber bullying as this is one of the more prominent forms of bullying with high school children at the moment. There were discussions about whether social media is a good thing or bad thing too.
The participants were then split in two, with half staying inside to take part in a true or false quiz about social media and cyber bullying and the other half going outside to do some parachute games. It was a chance for students to let others know how people tend to perceive them but also the qualities they felt they had as Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. Northgate students came up with qualities such as a good listener, kind, thoughtful, someone who puts others first and many more.
It was then time for a break before the teachers went off for their own training session and students continued with theirs. Next up was a self-esteem boosting activity. Students were encouraged to write nice things about each other on post it notes and stick them to each other’s backs. They weren’t allowed to look at them until the end of the activity, but then they discussed how the comments made them feel. On the flip-side, they then talked about how comments of a negative nature that some people put on social media make them feel.
Some students in the session then shared their personal stories of being bullied. One of Northgate’s students felt brave enough to do so. He said that he joined a group chat on WhatsApp, he was invited by a friend from other school. There were some people from his old school on the group chat and others he didn’t know. He mentioned that some people were making comments about each other, some of them hurtful. One got his number and started sending unpleasant messages. He said he didn’t feel safe and therefore removed himself and blocked people.
The student session gave our team the chance to work through the training booklet, discuss what an ambassador is and what they want to achieve as ambassadors. They also started to think about ideas to put in place once back at school. Alanna, who was elected as Lead Ambassador after pitching to the group, said that they want to do workshops with students, staff and parents. Working with the Year 7s in particular to look at staying safe online, cyber bullying and the effects of bullying.
Well done to all the Anti-Bullying Ambassadors who took part in the training. They had to take in a lot of information but have certainly come back with a spring in their step, ready to start putting some of their ideas into action. Thanks to Dr Gollop and Mr Darlow for taking everyone and to Mrs Holt who will also be working with the team of Ambassadors. If anyone else wants to be part of the Anti-Bullying Ambassador team, please speak to Mrs Holt or Dr Gollop.
We are pleased to introduce our May bulletin. In the bulletin this month you will find out all sorts of information and updates including links to recent blogs, upcoming events, charity corner, photos, tweets, merit update, House competition update, what the Team Councils and School Council have been up to and more.
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.
Miss Theobald (School Council Coordinator) + Northgate School Council.
Many of our students at Northgate have interests outside of school whether this be in sport, music, drama, dance, or uniformed organisations. Here we find out from Lauren, Year 8, what she got up to over the Easter holiday.
Lauren attended a course at the Open in Norwich called ‘West End Experience’. It is run in April and October by Jo Chandler, wife of Rob Chandler, radio presenter. This was Lauren’s fourth time attending. It runs from Monday to Friday, with the first 4 days having a different West End performer working with them. They teach you the exact same choreography, scenes and harmonies that are being performed on the most famous stages in the West End and over the world. The course gave Lauren the opportunity to train with professional choreographers, musical directors, dance captains and actors from some of the top shows. They produce drama pieces, songs and dances all ready for the showcase on the Friday, performed in front of hundreds.
Lauren is also part of a Drama group outside of school and has put on 2 shows at the Cambridge Junction with some drama and singing. She has also performed solos in these shows. Already at school Lauren has been involved in our Winter and Spring Showcases, demonstrating her acting skills with the Drama group.
Miss Theobald also caught up with Lauren to ask a few questions about the experience.
Why did you want to get involved?
I like acting, singing and dancing and had taken part before. The week gives the opportunity to do all three of these things. I definitely want to do it again in October.
What were the workshops like?
There were workshops where we practiced the dances and worked with professional choreographers as well as musical directors who helped us to rehearse the songs and harmonies for the showcase. We also filmed some mini trailers.
What did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed meeting other people and working with actors from top shows in the West End. This year there were people who are currently performing in Hamilton, Blood Brothers, Annie and more.
Is this something you might want to pursue later on in life?
Yes, perhaps even performing in the West End one day. It has also made me really want to go and see the production of Hamilton.
We posted recently on our Northgate Facebook page the following about Year 10 student Millie:
Year 10 Millie competed at the British Cheerleading Association National Championships in Telford over the Easter weekend. Her team, junior extreme part of the East Coast Emeralds programme, won Gold in the junior level 2 division and became National Champions! Wow!! Millie is now busy training for further competitions this year including a competition at the O2 arena in London in July. Millie’s team feature in an article in the EDP.
Miss Theobald caught up with Millie to find out what it takes to be a cheer leader.
When did you first start cheer leading?
When I was in Year 8.
What made you pick cheer leading as an out of school hobby?
Previously I’d done gymnastics from about Year 3 onwards but I only really liked doing the floor as opposed to the other apparatus. It was the tumbles that I really liked doing and I was better at this than the rest so I thought I’d have a go at cheerleading.
How many hours a week do you have to train?
About 5 – 7 hours a week. I am currently on 3 teams. The Junior category is 7-15 years, and Senior category is 16 onwards. There are two levels of teams, level 1 and level 2. Level 2 teams complete more complex tumbles. I compete in a Junior level 1 and 2 team and a Senior level 1 team. I train at the Hewett School gym with others from across different schools in Norfolk. We have to do lots of conditioning to enhance our fitness eg cardio, circuits etc but also tumbling practice.
What do you have to do as a cheer leader?
In competitions we have to perform a 2 min 30 routine. There are about 10 to 15 people on a team although some teams are bigger. There are different positions for people – flyer (they are the ones thrown into the air, doing tricks), side base (they hold the feet of the flyer), back base (they stand at the back, supporting the flyer) and sometimes you have a front base (at the front of the group). I am a side base. You need to have really good hand eye coordination, timing and a lot of trust! Certain competitions require different elements being incorporated in the routines.
Tell us about some other competitions you’ve entered before.
We’ve won competitions before but this was first National competition we had won. We enter lots of competitions over the year with some of them being further afield. We have a competition coming up at the UEA so we’ll have lots of our supporters there – we are hoping to win this one. Generally we have competitions most months. We work on a routine for the season which we learn in September and then the coach makes tweaks after each competition to improve and enhance.
Wow, there’s so much involved in cheerleading! Well done to Millie for her commitment shown so far. We wish her lots of luck in future competitions.
Spring finally sprung in the ELF after a long awaited winter, plants were able to stretch and blossom and the sign of the bees was a welcoming sight to us all. As we know pollinators are vital to survival and the bees are hard at work.
This has been a fantastic opportunity to utilise the skills and ideas, from conducting research about Dementia and involving the Student Council as they contribute to this project. We have used our links with the Dementia Friends in Dereham and Mrs Galley, Deputy Head of School, has kindly agreed to support the project as we move forward in the coming weeks. The garden will take on a very colourful and vibrant look, to ensure we capture and hopefully trigger memories of scent, texture, visual and literacy. Part of the display will involve Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit. This is quite good timing and with the joys of spring we have some new cuddly, cute arrivals.
On 8th May thirteen pupils from Northgate took part in an angling competition held at Barford Lakes and organised by the West Norwich and Dereham School Sports Partnership. Pupils were competing against other SSP schools including Ormiston Victory, Neatherd, and Langley for the right to represent the SSP team at the Norfolk School Games finals. The aim of the competition was simple; to catch the most fish. Pupils competed in teams of three with the winning team being decided by the team’s combined catch weight. 
15 students from Northgate descended on Ormiston Venture Academy on 2
It was then time for some ice-breakers including one where as a group they had to decide if the answer was A, B or C. One question was related to the percentage increase in cyber bullying incidents reported over the last year and another about how much screen time young people have on a day to day basis. A lot of the training included elements of cyber bullying as this is one of the more prominent forms of bullying with high school children at the moment. There were discussions about whether social media is a good thing or bad thing too.
The student session gave our team the chance to work through the training booklet, discuss what an ambassador is and what they want to achieve as ambassadors. They also started to think about ideas to put in place once back at school. Alanna, who was elected as Lead Ambassador after pitching to the group, said that they want to do workshops with students, staff and parents. Working with the Year 7s in particular to look at staying safe online, cyber bullying and the effects of bullying. 
Lauren attended a course at the Open in Norwich called ‘West End Experience’. It is run in April and October by Jo Chandler, wife of Rob Chandler, radio presenter. This was Lauren’s fourth time attending. It runs from Monday to Friday, with the first 4 days having a different West End performer working with them. They teach you the exact same choreography, scenes and harmonies that are being performed on the most famous stages in the West End and over the world. The course gave Lauren the opportunity to train with professional choreographers, musical directors, dance captains and actors from some of the top shows. They produce drama pieces, songs and dances all ready for the showcase on the Friday, performed in front of hundreds. 
Miss Theobald also caught up with Lauren to ask a few questions about the experience.
Year 10 Millie competed at the British Cheerleading Association National Championships in Telford over the Easter weekend. Her team, junior extreme part of the East Coast Emeralds programme, won Gold in the junior level 2 division and became National Champions! Wow!! Millie is now busy training for further competitions this year including a competition at the O2 arena in London in July. Millie’s team feature in an article in the 