Weekly Update
23rd April 2024
Message from the Headteacher
Welcome to our German Exchange teachers and students who are visiting us from Dietrich Bonhoeffer Gymnasium. Fortunately, our visitors, besides attending lessons, have enjoyed some milder weather and interesting trips out.
We continue to focus on supporting our students as the exam season approaches and wish all our students well, starting with Year 12 who are undertaking mock exams this week.
Year 11 students currently have access to Room 4 and Room 10 each lunchtime for quiet exam preparation until they start study leave.
The last day for Year 13 will be Friday 10th May and we do hope that after the exam period has ended that many of our Year 13 will stay in touch via Future First, our Alumnae database.
Social Media
We are now active on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Please follow, like and share to keep up to date.
Positive News
Volunteering
Madison Galt volunteers at Café Meow in Blackpool on Thursdays, with additional volunteering duties during the school holidays. Café Meow houses twenty cats, which are provided by ‘Cats in care’ and ‘Tender paws’ (two local cat charities) in the hope that they will be adopted by ‘fur-ever friends’.
Through volunteering Madison has gained barista and customer care skills by serving in the café and she also helps the cats with socialising skills.
The company was recently nominated and has just won ‘New Business of the Year’ in the Coastal Radio Business Awards. The owners of the business kindly took their volunteers along with them to a black-tie event at the Tower Ballroom last week, as a thank you for their contribution in helping re-home over 100 cats!
Arkwright Engineering Scholarship ‘Connect Day’
Madison Galt, as one of this year’s winners of the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship was offered ‘Connect Days’.
The days are an opportunity to experience different types of engineering in the workplace. Madison, along with 6 other students, recently visited ‘Smiths Detection’ in Hemel Hempstead, where she learnt about security scanners. The scanners are used at Customs – in ports and airports – where they scan for illegal items being smuggled across borders including explosives, contraband and narcotics.
World Rookie Tour Snowboard Finals
Congratulations to Alice Sanderson in Year 13 who, after winning the UK competition in Milton Keynes at the beginning of March, competed in the World Rookie Tour Snowboard Finals. The competition was held in the Dolomites, Italy and Alice came 5th and 4th in two different events: Slopestyle and Big Air.
‘It was so amazing to meet new people from different countries and challenge myself by doing big jumps!’
Watch Alice in action :
If you have any news or successes about your child which you would like us to share, please could you fill in this form and we will endeavour to include your news in our weekly update and newsletters.
Parents and Friends Association Planning Meeting
We will be holding our first Parents and Friends meeting on Tuesday 30th April 2024 from 5pm – 5:45pm in school.
Please complete this form if you would like to come along and share ideas for bringing the LGGS community together at the same time as raising money for the School Fund.
Dressed to impress
Our brilliant Year 13 Sixth Form Leadership Team organised this year’s ‘Free dress rail’ event for the prom.
Thank you to everyone who generously donated beautiful clothes, shoes and bags. There was much merriment and trying on of new looks and lots of happy students going home with bundles to wear off the rail and to customise for their own unique look. We couldn’t have done it without your support.
Watch out for the photos from the ball in June!
Music Concert: LGGS Summer Showcase
Tickets are now available for our Summer Concert. The concert takes place at LGGS Main Hall on Wednesday 8th May at 7pm. All our ensembles and choirs will be taking part and I hope you will join us. Tickets priced £5.
Lancaster University Links
On Friday, students from Years 10-13 enjoyed a thought provoking, entertaining and informative lunchtime talk delivered by Bogdan Costea, Professor of Management and Society at Lancaster University. The talk challenged them to consider how they would invest £1 million if they were given the opportunity.
An examination of how social media and Instagram has changed the world of commerce ensued: Professor Costea argued that at the heart of value is the self, and perhaps the selfie. He argued, that products, services and value can now be so fast-changing and he challenged students to think about where value will be ‘discovered’ next. He urged students to work towards a clear understanding of what they value in order to get the most out of the opportunities that are open to them in the future. Many thanks to Professor Costea for his excellent talk which was enjoyed by staff and pupils alike.
On Tuesday 16th April we welcomed Richard Baguley in to school from Lancaster University’s Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Management School. Richard’s spoke on the topic of ‘What is an entrepreneurial mindset and how might it help in an AI world?’ He also looked at how different personalities interact when working within a team.
Combined Cadet Force
During the Easter break the Combined Cadet Force Army Contingent attended a fieldtrip day at Warcop Training Camp.
The cadets, Lily Bayley, Lucy Bowler, Dylan Armstrong, Annika Maden, Emily Yu, Rahael Talks and Grace Cook, showed strength and resilience in extremely tough conditions. As well as being physically demanding the weather was cold and wet!
Well done to Katie Hastings, Sophie Prince, Erin Munford, Iona Munford and Olivia Robinson who all took part in the Combined Cadet Force’s Easter Camp. This year’s Easter Camp brought the navy, army and air force contingents together and was held at West Highland Way. The Highland Way is Scotland’s most famous long-distance walking route.
Carnforth Food Club
Carnforth Food Club opened earlier this month at Kellet Road, LA5 9LS. It is open every Friday from 2pm until 4pm.
You can sign up to be a member or, for more information, email: members@eggcup.org or call 01524 928027
Year 12 University Applications
On Tuesday we gave an introductory overview of the University Application process to our Year 12 students so that they can see what is on the horizon this term and next, if they plan to apply to university next year.
After their exam week, on 30th April, we have a speaker from Lancaster University who will talk to them about choosing university courses, and we will then start to focus in more detail on what makes a successful application.
We will meet individually with every student as we move through the summer term and we will be sharing information with Year 12 parents and carers in our UCAS Information Evening on 13th June so that you are kept well-informed.
We do not assume that all our students will want to apply to university this year, and we will be providing bespoke support for those wishing to make an apprenticeship application and to those who choose to apply after they have completed their A Level courses – LGGS support does not disappear once a student leaves Year 13!
Strathclyde Netball Tour
‘First if all, the trip was AMAZING, the food the rooms, everything was AMAZING!
The match on the first night was really good as we learnt new skills. On Saturday, we played some matches with people from different year groups which was amazing. We then learnt some tips and tricks from Sammy and Towera in the afternoon. We played some netball games including shooting then some more matches before heading home.’
Summer Houseman, Year 7
Public Speaking
Public speaking provides students with valuable communication skills and helps to build their confidence. Through planning and forming opinions to persuading others, the following Year 7 and Year 8 students have impressed us with some excellent speeches.
Year 7 Winner: Anne Rose Hanley and the runners up were Aibhlin Wroe and Eloise Murtha.
Year 8 Winner: Alexis Aspin and the runners up Lola Coldwell and Tope Duda.
Thank you to Ellis Heywood and Emily Argall who undertook the difficult job of acting as judges.
Geography Society
This week’s assemblies have been delivered by Olivia, Pip and Bella. As members of the LGGS Geography Society their talk focused on plastic production. They discussed the impact of production on climate change and the most visible environmental impact of plastic, the waste that ends up in our rivers and oceans.
