Weekly Update
28th January 2025
Message from the Headteacher
Our staff and students smashed it out of the park in one of the school’s most ambitious projects to date, a four-night run of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast at The Dukes theatre.
Thank you to everyone who came to watch our production, to The Dukes for being such amazing hosts and to our absolutely amazing cast, orchestra, crew and staff who made it possible. We hope you enjoyed the show.
We have two school trips going out on Wednesday this week. First, we have an MFL exchange visit to experience Spanish culture and develop their language skills, and then science and computing A-level students will be heading to CERN in Geneva. We look forward to hearing all about their journeys.
Work Experience Week for Year 12 students takes place this year from Monday 12th – Friday 16th May. If you are able to offer a placement or know of anyone who can, please get in touch. You will find the contact details below.
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Positive News
Beauty and the Beast
Encouraging people not to judge others by their appearance, but to look for their inner kindness, this enchanting tale was brought to life on stage, with Amelia as Belle, Shaelynn as Gaston, and Alessia as the Beast. Our students’ voices, acting, and dancing skills transported us into the magical world, of the Beast’s French castle.
Audiences have commentated on how professional the production appeared, from stage set and costume to music and lighting. Thanks to Mr Swannell, Miss Woodhouse, and all the staff who contributed to the musical for producing such an incredible live performance that will stay in all our memories for many years to come. We appreciate all the hard work and commitment which went in to creating such a magical and memorable performance.
Under 14 North West Schools Floor and Vault Gymnastics
Well done to the Year 7 and 8 students who came 6th in the Under 14 North West Schools Floor and Vault Gymnastics Competition, in Blackburn last weekend. What a fantastic achievement!
Safely dropping pupils off to school
Please can I remind parents and carers to avoid parking on the zig zag and yellow lines when dropping students off at school or to catch their school buses or when collecting them at the end of the day. Not only is it an offence, but it is also dangerous to children who may be obscured as a result when they attempt to cross the road.
We would ask everyone who drops their child(ren) off at school to please adhere to these rules. We appreciate that everyone rushes around in the morning but to spare a little extra time and drop your child at a safe place, could save a life or injury.
Sixth Form Taster Day
Feedback from last week’s visitors and current Year 11 students about Sixth Form Taster Day was extremely positive, which is reflected in the number of Sixth Form applications we have had since.
Thank you to LGGS staff and students for making prospective Year 12 students feel so welcome.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Last week we delivered whole school assemblies to raise awareness of Holocaust Memorial Day which took place yesterday. We remembered the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and Nazi persecution of other groups. We also remember more recent genocides which have been recognised by the UK government.
King Charles, along with Holocaust survivors joined world leaders at Auschwitz for the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation.
A-Level students visit CERN, Geneva
On Wednesday, 30 A-level Physicists, Chemists and Computer Scientists will head off to Geneva for 4 days.
The trip will comprise of 2 half-day visits to CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and will include a tour of some of the different detectors and accelerators at the complex. There will be a workshop where students will get to make their own cloud chambers, which investigate the effects of cosmic rays on cloud formation.
This will be followed by a Q&A with researchers from Lancaster University, who are based at CERN, working with the ATLAS – a general-purpose particle physics experiment, designed to exploit the full discovery potential of the LHC.
The trip also includes a tour of the United Nations building and the Red Cross Museum – needless to say all the students are very excited!
Happy Chinese New Year
To celebrate Chinese New Year on Wednesday, 29th January, our students have made a short video which explains how they celebrate Chinese New Year. The video will be shared throughout school on Wednesday.
Why not use the recipe book below, which has been produced by LGGS students who celebrate the festival, to sample some delicious, traditional Chinese food at home.
To further celebrate Chinese New Year, we have invited students to attend an origami workshop on Wednesday at lunchtime. The workshop is designed to bring students from all year groups together and to explore Chinese culture and traditions during this festive season.
Jonathan Stroud Author Visit
The author of the Bartimaeus, Lockwood & Co. and Scarlett & Browne sequences wowed our Year 8s with his exciting, funny and inspiring session to showcase his new book, The Legendary Scarlett & Browne, which was released in the UK the week before the event.
We were very impressed with the quality of students’ questions in the Q&A, which led Jonathan to discuss his inspiration for the choice of place names for counties of his fictional Seven Kingdoms, as well giving some great tips for our aspiring creative writers on creating iconic characters.
A lot of fun was had by all, and we hope that Year 8 go on to read some (or all!) of Jonathan’s repertoire of outstanding fantasy novels. All the sequences mentioned are available for borrowing from the school library.
Tips to Promote Positive Body Image
Concerns around social media influence and the negative effects of this influence on body image have been around for years. In the age of generative AI this will only increase. Social media feeds are awash with photorealistic images and they’re all the same: the so-called perfect body, composition, beauty.
There’s nothing in the way of different body shapes, diversity in people of colour etc. Simply speaking, AI can be very biased.
Internet Matters have a video, practical advice and tips for parents about self-image and body image.
School Nurse Drop-in
School Nurse (Louise Mapp) will be in school at lunchtime on Monday 3rd February and Monday 3rd March. She will be based in a basement office, in main school if students wish to see her.
The School Nurse drop in is available to all LGGS students (Year 7 to Year 13). Students do not need an appointment to attend, they can just turn up. These sessions are confidential and are available to provide advice and support for young people with any health issues, including both physical and emotional aspects of health.
Should you have any further queries about school nurse provision or availability please contact Mrs Roberts or any other member of the pastoral team.
Work Experience
If you are able to offer a placement, our Work Experience Week for Year 12 students is planned for Monday 12th – Friday 16th May 2025.
Our students have a diverse range of interests and aspirations, and we are hoping to be able to match that with the placements we can offer them.
Please email us if you are in a position to facilitate a placement for one or more of our students, and please pass this on to anyone in your wider network of friends or colleagues if you think that they may be able to help: wexp@lggs.lancs.sch.uk
On behalf of our Year 12 students, we would like to thank you for considering this request: we intend that this programme will become a regular part of the Year 12 calendar for many years to come so that all LGGS students can have this enriching opportunity.
A school minibus
We have set ourselves the task of raising funds to purchase a new school minibus which will enable us to provide transport for smaller school visits. It will increase the number of sports fixtures, competitions, and events in which our students can participate, whilst helping us keep transport costs down at a time when schools are facing financial challenges.
There is a minibus available that meets our needs perfectly, but we need to raise £10,000 to secure it! Our students have shown immense enthusiasm and creativity in coming up with fundraising ideas to help us reach this goal. However, I am also asking for your assistance. If you have any fundraising ideas or would like to contribute to the scheme, we would be extremely grateful for your support. You can contact us at: finance@lggs.lancs.sch.uk
Tips to Help Teens’ Mental Health
We hope you find the following tips useful, as teenagers’ behaviour can be baffling, stressful, hurtful and often worrying. But in most cases it does not mean there is anything more serious going on than the natural process of becoming an adult.
You can find information about how to support teenagers plus links to useful sites via the NHS website.
