Wednesday 21st March saw Northgate hold a Year 11 GCSE information evening. It followed on from a very well supported evening back in October. The evening gave parents the opportunity to look at how they can support students during the exam period and also for departments to be on hand to answer any questions from parents or pupils related to revision and resources to use. There was a talk from Miss Mather, exams officer about procedures and regulations, what to do if you are absent or late on an exam day and the all-important results day.
Mr Oldfield spoke about his own recent experience as a father of a Year 11 and how ‘encouragement’ can take lots of different forms and depends on the individual child. What is important is that we are communicating, are honest and supportive like a ‘family’.
Dr Hone talked through the Easter revision schedule, which is also on the school website here. All students were given a goody bag with pen, ruler and handy revision planner! Former Northgate students were available throughout the evening to offer advice to students about coping with the exam pressures and revision strategies. The next couple of months are going to be extremely busy therefore planning is important.
Feedback from the evening was very positive and we hope all our Year 11s know that we are all here to support them in achieving their full potential. Thank you to all those who attended and to staff for providing such valuable information. We wish the Year 11s the best of luck in their exams and know they will make us all proud! For more resources and information, please click here.
14th March is a particular day in the year which the Maths Department always look forward to. Why we here you ask? Well, written in American form, 14th March is 3/14. 3.14 is the start of Pi. Pi represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It’s an important part of Maths, most importantly geometry, where pi is key in calculating the area or circumference of a circle or the volume of a cylinder.
The Maths department once again had lots going on – here’s a run-down of the classes:
Miss Theobald’s classes:
10L1 had the opportunity to complete some Maths dingbats, sing along to the Pi Song and work out the amount of crust you would get on and eighth of a slice of the world’s largest deliverable pizza (56 inches in diameter).
11L1 tried to recite Pi to as many decimal places as possible – the winner being Emil who managed 28 decimal places. They also sang along to the Pi song.
7G were set an investigation to see how many pieces a pizza could be cut into by make 1 cut, then 2 cuts, then 3 cuts and so on. They spotted patterns, made predictions and tested these predictions. They also saw that writing your birthday in figures such as 14/03/18 – these digits can be found somewhere in pi (this happens to appear at digit 1 360 444!!)
Dr Gollop’s classes:
10R2/10L4 completed some Maths dingbats.
7A/7N – Investigated what Pi is by measuring around the circumference of different circular items and diameter. If done accurately, dividing the circumference by the diameter should give Pi.
8L1 – investigated the formula for the circumference of a circle with paper, next lesson they will be looking at area of circles and fractions of circles.
Mr Carter’s classes:
8L2/8R2 looked at how to find the area of a circle in terms of Pi and also with a calculator. They will later be investigating the circumference of a circle.
Mrs Mangler’s classes:
8R1 investigated the circumference and diameter of circles by measuring circular objects, they linked this to rearranging equations to get C = . Finally they worked out areas of circular objects after measuring them. Jimmy also managed to recite Pi to 26 decimal places!
9R2/10R5/7L all completed the Pi Day starters.
Mrs Smith’s classes:
10R1 completed the Pi Day starters and saw how many digits they could recite Pi to.
8R3 made some fantastic and colourful Pi paper chains where each digit in pi was represented by a different colour paper. They worked in small groups and tried to complete as many digits (chains) as possible!
Back in February the History Department ran another unforgettable trip to Berlin. Beatriz and Lucy in Year 10 have written about their experience:
Despite it being a short trip, Berlin 2018 was jam-packed with amazing experiences. On Thursday 1st February we arrived at Northgate at the ridiculous time of 2:00 am! Although we were all tired, we were prepared for the trip ahead. After our farewells, we departed from the school at 2:30 am to head to Heathrow Airport.
At around 5 am we arrived at Heathrow Airport, and once we checked our luggage and went through security we had 30 minutes to browse at Duty Free and pick up an early breakfast. We boarded our plane at 6:30 am and set off to Berlin at 7:10 am.
We landed in Germany at 9 am (GMT), got our luggage and headed to the coach for the hotel. During our coach journey we had a Berlin local, Tatina, informing us about the history of Berlin.
The Berlin Wall.
The Berlin Wall
We arrived at our hotel, Meininger Hotel, and almost straight away we were off to explore Germany’s capital. Firstly, we went to grab lunch at the train station opposite our hotel and once we were done we set off to look at Berlin’s main landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate (which was in fact our first stop), the Reichstag Building, the Holocaust Memorial before having a delicious meal at Maredo. Once we arrived at the hotel we went to our rooms and flopped straight to bed.
The Reichstag Building.
Inside the Reichstag Building.
On the second day, we went downstairs to the dining room to have breakfast. Yet again, another delightful meal. Later on, we headed to the Jüdisches Museum which was dedicated to the memory and education of the Holocaust. There were many interesting exhibits such as the three Voids that the architect designed to emulate a space of thought and reflection of the tragic deaths of so many people.
Before heading for lunch we stopped at Checkpoint Charlie (the most famous crossing point between East and West Germany which was then segregated after The Cold War). We then ventured to the Mall of Berlin to grab some lunch and explore the shops.
Checkpoint Charlie.
Alexandra Platz
Next, we went to the Deutsches Historisches Museum which explained the history of Germany from 1914-1991 and highlighted the tragedies of both world wars and the Cold War on both Germany and opposition. On our way back from Alexander Platz where we sipped a much needed warm drink and grabbed some souvenirs, we headed back to our hotel after our long day to have some dinner consisting of beef stew, boiled potatoes and salad. Afterwards we had some time to relax before having a wonderful night’s sleep.
Inside the Deutsches Museum.
View from the Berlin TV Tower.
With great new friends made and new memories formed, we packed our bags and headed to the coach for our last day in Berlin. Firstly, we went to the Berlin TV Tower, the tallest building in Berlin. To see the amazing view of Berlin, we had to go in a lift that went up so high it actually made our eyes pop! Once we got up there, we went around to see the skyline of the capital. We saw landmarks and some gorgeous buildings. Next, we went to a small café on the outskirts of Berlin for a nice lunch before heading to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
Sachsenhausen was an informative yet very emotional and hard-hitting experience. We explored different huts, each one showed how life was for prisoners. It was an eye-opening experience. It was a time of reflection and memory to those who had to suffer through the conditions and treatments of a place like Sachsenhausen and we believe that everyone on the trip took something from this moment.
Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
We then proceeded to the airport for our 6:40 pm (GMT) departure, although our flight was delayed for 90 minutes, which was not a fun moment at all. Finally, after a two hour flight we landed in Heathrow Airport and ready to return home. Although we did enjoy our time in Berlin, everyone was excited to go home and rest for the remainder of the weekend.
To end this, we collected some quotes from students who attended the trip:
“The amount of culture and history we saw was unforgettable”
“I feel so lucky to have experienced an amazing city and to be able to imagine how different it would have looked like in Nazi Germany. I made some memories with some amazing people I know I’ll never forget.”
“An amazing experience with great people”
“Had an absolutely amazing time, cherished every second,”
Thanks go to Mr Guy for organising such a fantastic and educational trip along with Mrs Sutcliffe, Miss Ling, Mrs Anders and Mr MacDonald who came as well.
Cathedral in Berlin.
Lustgarten looking towards the Altes Museum (Old Museum) in Berlin.
Dereham Mayor, Hilary Bushell and Northgate High School have forged a fantastic partnership and relationship over the last few months. You can read about the Mayor’s thoughts on her involvement with events at Northgate and the involvement of Northgate students in her events in an upcoming blog.
Tuesday 13th March saw two events take place. The first was in the morning, where the Mayor took part in a blindfold challenge, to navigate her way around Dereham with the use of a sighted guide or a long cane. This was organised by Guide Dogs for the blind. The walk was to raise the awareness of what it is like to be blind and with a disability, walking in the town. The Mayor actually wore a ‘mindfold’, a blindfold which allowed her to keep her eyes open, however she could not see anything. It also meant that her other senses were heightened. It proved challenging with many hazards to negotiate. She was joined by visually impaired and blind members of the community, some of whom had guide dogs. Two guide dogs in particular stood out, Ellis who was retired and 9 years old and 19 month old Lloyd who was about to qualify. Northgate students David and Kayla joined the Mayor for this walk about town and started to get a feel for the obstacles that those who are blind or partially sighted have to face on a daily basis. However, it’s not just the visually impaired that may struggle with access around the town centre, those in wheelchairs, on mobility scooters or parents with pushchairs may also encounter difficulties. You can read about the Mayor’s experience in the Dereham Times article here and see the ‘That’s Norfolk TV’ feature here. More about the guide dogs a bit later.
In the evening, 10 School Council members joined Mr MacDonald and Miss Theobald at the Dereham Town Council meeting. The Mayor had invited us to experience what happens in a Town Council meeting but also for the Town Clerk, Mr Tony Needham, to give a short talk about how the council is made up and what they do. In the same way that Northgate has Team Councils (Rewards, Social and Environment) which feed into the School Council, the Town Council have committees such as Finance and Governance, Buildings and monuments, Social and welfare and Heritage. These committees meet to discuss items and put recommendations together which then go to the full Town Council meetings. Where certain agenda items need voting on, each Councillor has a vote, however the Mayor, as chairman of the Council, has the casting vote in the event of a split vote (think Len Goodman as head judge on Strictly!). This rarely happens and if it does, quite often the matters are taken back to the committees to discuss further. Surprisingly though, as Councillors they are not able to make decisions on their own, it is only by coming together as a body that decisions can be made. In fact, the only person who can make decisions without consultation is the Town Clerk, Mr Tony Needham. A lot of his role relates to health and safety matters. He deals with day to day proceedings such as when trees went over in the gales, getting people out to sort those, repairs to toilets, parks, the new cemetery. He is also able to spend up to £2000 in special cases without having to consult people eg if toilets are damaged or quick repairs need to be made or items he deems necessary etc. Jimmy asked if the Mayor had any additional power. It appears that really it is just this casting vote. She is not able to make decisions on her own, but she does act as chairman of the council and is on different committees. She is the main face of the Town Council and as we’ve seen recently, has been involved in lots of different events, receiving some great publicity in the press. She is on hand to discuss matters further with the Town Clerk if necessary.
There are lots of different topics the Town Council discuss such as planning applications, new play areas, housing developments and road usage and quite a big issue more recently, the new cemetery in Norwich Street. They have a yearly budget and a 5 year rolling budget. They collect most of their money through Council taxes, asking Breckland District Council to collect this on their behalf.
Our School Council members had some great questions for Mr Needham. Hannah asked how they prioritise what the council acts on. Mr Needham mention that this often depends on if deadlines need to be met, with it proposes a health and safety concern etc and often things seem to prioritise themselves. After Mr Needham finished his talk it was time for a few students to go to the planning meeting with Mr MacDonald. This is where plans for extensions to houses and other buildings can be discussions and any objections heard.
7.30pm came along and it was time for the full Town Council meeting to take place. The Mayor and Town Clerk sat at the head of the table, they were joined in the horse shoe by Councillors, Cliff Jordan, Phillip Dugan, Kate Millbank, Linda Monument and Ann Bowyer, Councillor William Richmond was also present to highlight a highways meeting will be taking place with Ben Rayner this week (we have previously met both in a meeting regarding Quebec Road).
Representatives from Guide Dogs for the Blind gave a short talk about the event from the morning. The charity aims to help partially sighted and blind people get out and about with an appropriate aid eg sighted guide, long cane or guide dog. Training a guide dog in particular takes 2 years and costs about £60 000. They aim to break down barriers within towns, looking for hazards eg seating and street furniture without barriers, poorly placed signage, cars parking on pavements etc and campaign to ensure the external environment is as free of hazards as possible. They proposed to the Town Council that more crossings were controlled crossings and that more tactile paving be laid in the town, allowing those who are blind or partially sighted to be aware of appropriate places to cross roads.
There were lots of issues to be discussed from the committee meetings however unfortunately we were not able to stay to the end of the meeting. We hope our students gained a real insight into the running of a Town Council, what they do and how meetings run. It really was a unique opportunity which they really engaged with. Jimmy Cockburn, Year 8, commented, ‘It was really interesting and insightful, giving us an idea as to what goes on at the Town Council. I was surprised at the detail they went into with some of the recommendations such as the cost of reserving burial plots or scattering ashes at the new cemetery. Also, the fact that they have the separate committees just like our Team Councils.’
We wish to thank the Mayor for giving us the opportunity to attend the meeting and Tony Needham for his informative talk.
Wednesday this week saw Northgate pupils take to the water to represent their houses in the annual swimming gala at Dereham Leisure Centre. Nearly a hundred pupils donned their swim gear to compete for points for their respective houses. Pupils showed fantastic levels of resilience and competitive spirit giving their all to do their best for their houses and there was a great atmosphere around the pool with 6 new records set on the day.
After the first few events it was Holmes in first place followed by Attenborough, Rowling and Hawking. During this session two records were broken; Megan Staples (Attenborough) broke the record for the Year 7/8 girls 25m backstroke in a time of 18.24s and Callum Stedman (Holmes) from Year 10 set a new record in the 25m breaststroke in a time 16.73s
After the medley relay’s the standings changed with Attenborough now in first followed by Holmes, Hawking and then Rowling dropping to 4th. In this session more records went with Ruby Dagless breaking her own previous record of 16.17s in the 25m butterfly with a new time of 15.36s.
In the final session another three records were broken with Ruby Dagless (Rowling) in Year 8 beating the Year 8 girls 50m breaststroke record in a time 39.22s beating the old record set by former pupil Marcella Aris by over 3 seconds. Sam Rose (Hawking) also broke two records setting a new Year 10 boys record in the 50m backstroke in a time of 30.00s and beating the Y9/10 boys 50m freestyle record in a new time of 27.22s.
Record Breakers – Megan (left), Ruby (right).
Record Breakers – Sam (left), Callum (right).
A huge well done to all the competitors for stepping up to represent their houses and a particular big congratulations to the four pupils who broke records during the event.
Now…… the bit you have all been waiting for….the final standings:
As we’ve mentioned in previous blogs, we have some very talented sports people at Northgate and we love to hear about and celebrate their successes.
Ebony Palmer, Year 8 has written the following for us:
Ebony with her trophy.
‘The John Greeves Cricket Award is presented by John Greeves, who is an ex Bircham club cricketer. The award is given for the best performance during the season for anybody who plays for Bircham Cricket Club. I was awarded this trophy for bowling figures of four overs and no maidens and 17 runs, and 5 wickets in an under 14s boys league match. Also I’m the first female to get five wickets for any Bircham team! Every year we have a presentation where you can be awarded a trophy in different categories, but the most amazing thing that night was that John Greeves picked me to have this award as I got 5 for 17.’
A huge well done to Ebony for receiving this award. She is putting her cricketing skills to good use representing Northgate too and has already taken part in a competition this season where Northgate were crowned champions!
Wednesday 21st March saw Northgate hold a Year 11 GCSE information evening. It followed on from a very well supported evening back in October. The evening gave parents the opportunity to look at how they can support students during the exam period and also for departments to be on hand to answer any questions from parents or pupils related to revision and resources to use. There was a talk from Miss Mather, exams officer about procedures and regulations, what to do if you are absent or late on an exam day and the all-important results day. 
Dr Hone talked through the Easter revision schedule, which is also on the school website here. All students were given a goody bag with pen, ruler and handy revision planner! Former Northgate students were available throughout the evening to offer advice to students about coping with the exam pressures and revision strategies. The next couple of months are going to be extremely busy therefore planning is important.
Dr Gollop’s classes:
Tuesday 13th March saw two events take place. The first was in the morning, where the Mayor took part in a blindfold challenge, to navigate her way around Dereham with the use of a sighted guide or a long cane. This was organised by Guide Dogs for the blind. The walk was to raise the awareness of what it is like to be blind and with a disability, walking in the town. The Mayor actually wore a ‘mindfold’, a blindfold which allowed her to keep her eyes open, however she could not see anything. It also meant that her other senses were heightened. It proved challenging with many hazards to negotiate. She was joined by visually impaired and blind members of the community, some of whom had guide dogs. Two guide dogs in particular stood out, Ellis who was retired and 9 years old and 19 month old Lloyd who was about to qualify. Northgate students David and Kayla joined the Mayor for this walk about town and started to get a feel for the obstacles that those who are blind or partially sighted have to face on a daily basis. However, it’s not just the visually impaired that may struggle with access around the town centre, those in wheelchairs, on mobility scooters or parents with pushchairs may also encounter difficulties. You can read about the Mayor’s experience in the Dereham Times article 
