13 March 2020

Windsor Girls’ School

Year 12 Maths Trip ‘On Tuesday, 10 March the Year 12 Maths class had the opportunity to attend a lecture at the Hexagon, Reading, hosted by Matt Parker. The three speakers – Rob Eastaway, Paul Shepherd, and Ben Sparks – were really interesting, and engaged the audience with their speeches about how Maths really does apply everywhere in life. The first speaker talked about the importance of having basic Maths skills such as estimation, while the second is now a Civil Engineer who has worked with Architects to make sure that buildings such as Wembley Stadium remain standing. The final speaker showed us that Maths is present in nature. At the end of the lecture, we had the opportunity to ask questions about their individual experiences. Overall, we all really enjoyed the speeches given and its given us a new perspective on the importance of Maths.’ - Jess Woods & Sam Allum, Year 12

Dear Parents and Carers This week we have celebrated and promoted the importance of reading with assemblies on World Book Day. We have also placed emphasis on STEM as part of the national celebration of Science Week with a Year 9 and 10 assembly on women in STEM roles in industry. The informative and inspiring assembly was led by Emma Singleton who is the Principal Engineering Geologist at Wardell Armstrong as well as a STEM ambassador. It was exciting to hear about the many opportunities for women in STEM. Alongside this, we marked International Women’s Day with an assembly to celebrate the role of women in our community, society and across the world and we also shared key information on Coronavirus with students via the assembly programme. We have sent an update on the Coronavirus situation via a letter to parents and carers today. This week, Year 12 have visited Brunel University on a UCAS trip to enhance their understanding of the UCAS process in a university setting. Year 12 also benefitted from a Maths trip to the Hexagon in Reading where they have learned about many exciting career opportunities in Maths. Our Year 9 Mock Magistrates have entered the final stages of their preparation for the competition which takes place on Saturday, 14 March at Reading Crown Court, working alongside a visiting magistrate to polish their communication skills; we commend them for their careful preparation for this prestigious event and wish them every success on the day. In other events, a Mufti day is being used by students as an opportunity to wear something red and to raise money in doing so for the British Heart Foundation. Students have been preparing for the Duke of Edinburgh Silver award weekend which takes place this weekend. As a Careers Hub school, we are also looking forward to an inspiring and varied Careers Week celebration next week when students will be participating in a wide range of activities to enhance their knowledge of and access to their chosen career paths. Events will include assemblies, CV writing and interview experience for students to further enhance their employability and knowledge of career opportunities linked to their chosen fields. Our focus of the fortnight is punctuality and during this time we place additional focus on the importance of being on time to school and lessons; we welcome parents' support in re-enforcing this message at home. Next week is Year 12 Subject Evening so please do ensure that you are booking your appointments with teachers via the Group Call online booking system - please contact the school office should you have any difficulties. We hope you have a lovely weekend and enjoy reading about the range of events and opportunities on offer to students at Windsor Girls’ School in this week’s Newsletter. Mr P Griffiths and Mrs E O’Carroll Co-Headteachers

Windsor Girls’ School @WGSWindsorGirls

Careers at Windsor Girls’ School @careersWGS

Windsor Girls’ PE @WGSPE

PE Instagram wgs_pe

Windsor Girls’ LRC @WGS_LRC

WGS Science @WGS_Science

WGS MFL @WGSMFLdept

WGS Geography @GeographyWgs

WGS Aspiring High @WGSAspiringHigh

WGS English @WindsorGirlsEng

Windsor Girls D of E @wgsdofe

Windsor Music @twbsmusic

Friends of Windsor Girls’ @FriendsofWGS

Year Information

Year 9 Good luck to our Mock Trial team who are competing at Reading Crown Court on Saturday afternoon. They have worked really hard in preparation for the competition which sees them arguing their case from different sides and against different opposition. The next training session for our Year 9 Student Ambassadors will focus on Speech Writing. The training session will be in the Main Hall from 3:00 to 3:30pm on Tuesday, 17 March. Inoculations for Year 9 students will be taking place on Monday, 16 March.

Year 10 Windsor Girls’ School will be taking part in the BBC Young Reporter Competition. It is a Journalism project showcasing students’ work on stories that matter to them. If students are interested in taking part they are asked to speak to Mrs Gilmour asap. The competition is open to Year 9 & 10 students. As part of our Careers Week, Mock Interviews for Year 10 will be taking place in the Library all week with Business Volunteers. Students are reminded to sign in on arrival to the Library. Students are advised to check their interview day and time via their Form Tutor.

Year 11 The Silver Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition takes place this weekend in the South Downs. Good luck to all our students involved. There are MFL oral examinations next week. Students involved are reminded to check the time of their examination with their subject teacher. Students are reminded that revision sessions continue after school. Students should speak to their individual subject teachers directly if they are unable to attend so the staff member can provide students with the revision material.

SIXTH FORM The process of selecting our next Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl continues next week. Applicants will go through a rigorous selection process. We have had a huge amount of interest in our Student Leadership roles. We wish all our applicants the very best of luck. All Year 12 students will be involved in a CV writing workshop on Monday, 16 March during period 3. If students have their own laptop, or access to one, they are encouraged to please bring it to the session. The workshop will take place in the Main Hall. Mock Interviews for Year 13 will be taking place in the Library all week with Business Volunteers. Students are reminded to sign in on arrival at the Library. Students are advised to check their interview day and time via their Form Tutor. University applicants are encouraged to finalise their firm and insurance choices as soon as they are able. This will allow students to organise accommodation at their chosen establishment. In addition, students and parents are advised to apply for student finance at this point. Any changes to the course or university can be amended at a later point. The link to register can be found here: https:// www.gov.uk/student- finance-register-login. Year 12 Subject Evening will take place on Thursday, 19 March. We are using a new online booking system. The online booking system is open for parents to make appointments from 7:00pm on Thursday, 12 March until 12 Noon on Tuesday, 17 March. Information on how to book appointments has been e-mailed directly to parents via Groupcall. If you have any difficultly in booking appointments please contact Mrs Reed in the Sixth Form office.

Next week is Community Week. The theme of the week will be split between Healthy Lifestyles and Careers. There will be lots of activities happening throughout the week in tutor time and assembly. Rehearsals for the summer production “Emilia” continue on Monday and Tuesday from 3:05pm to 5pm. The focus of the fortnight is Punctuality.

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Gym and Dance Show Fast approaching is the annual Windsor School Sport Partnership: Gym and Dance show held at TWBS. This year we have numerous students from Years 9 and 11 showcasing their incredible talent encompassing the theme Mental Health, and we would love to see your support by coming along and enjoying the show. Details are as follows: Theme: Dance like Nobody’s Watching Date: Tuesday 31 March Venue: @TWBS Time: 6:30 arrival for 7:00pm start. Tickets need to be purchased prior to the night as there will be none sold at the door due to predicted sell out. No ticket, no entry. £3 per ticket please ask your daughter to come see myself (Miss Underwood) for purchasing, I have 30 tickets available.

Year 10 Fashion Shoot

Students have been designing and making t-shirts inspired by the themes Feminine, Bold and Pattern. They have researched the themes, designed their shirts and then cut the pattern pieces before sewing them together. This last week, they have been developing a press kit that would be shown to the media if working in the real world of fashion. Well done to you all for your hard work and good luck with your first official hand in next week, I look forward to reading through all of your course work. - Mrs Piazza

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International Women’s Day 2020

Years 9 and 10 had an assembly today on International Women’s Day 2020. The assembly celebrated women and included why Equality’s still far off for women. Some Year 13 students shared with Year 9 and 10 women who have inspired them and all students were encouraged to think about how they inspire other women in their lives.

Notice to Parents Parents are reminded about not restricting access to Longbourne when collecting students from school. It is important for the safety of all our school community that parking is done so sensibly. Emergency Vehicles and local residents should be able to get through swiftly should they be required to. There have been recent incidents where this has not always been possible. We thank you in advance for your co-operation on this matter.

Taekwon-Do

‘Last weekend, I attended the first BTF National Taekwon-Do Competition of the year, which was held in Ebbw Vale, Wales. I competed in three different categories which were, individual patterns, sparring and power. It was my first time competing as a second degree black belt, since passing my grading back in November 2019. I won a gold medal for individual patterns which are a sequence of movements you need to perform to the best of your ability and you always learn a new one for each grade. I was nervous at first, since I had not performed any patterns at a competition for my grade but I was very happy that I got through all the rounds and won overall. I also won a bronze medal for individual sparring, which I have been practicing a lot for and have been improving so much, so I was very pleased with myself and have been told so by my England coaches. I am currently preparing for the Taekwon-Do European Championships 2020 and was selected to represent England last year through the selection process, so the more competitions I am able to join, the more practice I get! I will be competing in three different events, so the coaches and my instructor have been pushing me to work hard so that I am fully prepared. As exciting as the anticipation and event is, it is also extremely nerve-wracking and stressful, but I am hoping to do very well as I have been putting a lot of my hard work and effort into practicing!’ - Chantal Bundalian, Year 12

Friends of Windsor Girls’

Following the success of our first social evening, we would like to invite all parents, carers, staff and teachers to a drinks evening, from 7:30pm onwards on Thursday, 19 March at The Piper Art Bar, 51 Peascod Street, SL4 1DE. For those who are driving, parking is available close by at Victoria Street Car Park. Please feel free to join us for the whole evening or just drop in at any time. We look forward to seeing you there. We encourage you to keep in touch with us and see up and coming events. Keep in touch by connecting to our Facebook Group; please send a request to join - Friends of Windsor Girls. Your help is needed! FOWGS are committed to helping staff and pupils and have pledged to facilitate increased links and relationships with Corporate organisations - both local and global. We are aiming to forge relationships with Women in Business and Diversity groups to get closer to understanding what employers require from their future employees. We are currently creating a working party to forge those relationships and ask if any parents or carers can put us in touch with relevant contacts in their organisations who may be able to support our awareness and objectives. If this is something you can help us with, we would be very appreciative. Please email us with your details and we will be in touch. Our email is FOWGS@windsorgirls.net Thank you for supporting the continued development of the students at WGS

Year 9 & 10 STEM Assembly This week, as part of Science Week, we had a visiting speaker to talk to Year 9 and Year 10. Emma Singleton is the Principal Engineering Geologist at Wardell Armstrong, a multidisciplinary Environmental, Engineering and Mining consultancy in London. She talked about her role and the work that she does. Students in Years 9 and 10 benefitted from hearing about the different aspects of Geoscience and learning about the speaker’s journey, qualifications and career. This was especially useful to Year 9 students who are currently considering their Options.

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Aspiring High

On Thursday, 12 March, the Aspiring High group welcomed international trainer and consultant, Adrian Brookes. Adrian organised an interactive activity where students from Year 11 and Year 12 had to negotiate and make deals on the buying and selling of cars. Students learnt the importance of being assertive, developed their team work skills and built their confidence for group interviews they may face in the future.

Year 12 UCAS Trip On Wednesday, over 100 of our Year 12 students visited Brunel University to attend a UCAS Exhibition. There were 150 different Universities who had stalls for students to visit and ask questions about the courses they offer. Our students were keen to speak to the ambassadors from the University of Cambridge and University College London. It was a great opportunity for the Year 12s who for many found universities and courses on offer they hadn't previously considered. Now is the time for Year 12s to continue to research their options for the end of Year 13, what course they might be interested in and attend university open days.

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Emilia

Science Club Balloon Cannons This week in Science Club the students were doing a STEAM challenge. Students were given a pyramid of cups that they had to knock down with a deflating balloon. Students quickly realised that a deflating balloon does not travel in a straight line; this is because the air exits it at an angle. With some extra materials, students had to adapt their balloons and see if they could knock down the pyramid. There were balloons with tails, wings and even eyes! Great to see the students really engage with Science and work out what they needed to do to get the balloon to travel in a straight line.

The cast Of Emilia met this week to have their first read though and rehearsal. They were excited to hear that the author of the play, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, had been in touch with Director and Head of Drama Mrs Stafford-Allen to say how excited she was that Windsor Girl's School was performing her play. The students are loving rehearsals and the message that this play brings. Rehearsals continue next week.

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STAAR Summer Camp

The Summer Time Advance Aerospace Residential (STAAR) programme for Year 10s is designed to help them excel in STEM, with a fully funded week residential, hosted at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. This free experience is open to all students interested in aerospace science and is open to UK residents, Nationally. Please see the link below for more information: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/schools-and-colleges/staar.aspx Closing date 24 April 2020 “The STAAR (Summer Time Advanced Aerospace Residency) Programme is brought to you by Northrop Grumman, with the support of the Northrop Grumman Foundation, and in partnership with the RAF Museum. It is being delivered by the Museum, Royal Air Force Cosford, RAF Youth and STEM Engagement Team and Tablet Academy. STAAR is designed for Year 10 students who demonstrate an interest or aptitude for one or more STEM subjects. It is a fully-funded immersive week-long, hands-on residential camp, like no other. Successful students stay with chaperones on base at RAF Cosford, and each day of the course is delivered at the RAF Museum or on base at RAF Cosford by RAF Museum STEM Ambassadors, industry experts from Northrop Grumman, Tablet Academy professionals and RAF STEM personnel. STAAR Recruits will learn about advanced aerospace systems and concepts and will address how the need for solutions to achieve an air mission shapes the way engineers and scientists design aerospace systems. Recruits will also work towards a CREST Award and an Industrial Cadet Award during the programme.” Here is the FAQ's and here is the registration form.

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Individual Health Care Plans are for students who have long term medical conditions or require regular medication. IHCP's are for both physical and mental conditions. Examples may include diabetes, epilepsy, coeliac disease, frequent nose bleeds, asthma, and depression. They are to be completed by the parent/carer and are reviewed by the school on a regular basis. Parents or carers are responsible for informing the school of any changes to their daughter's condition.

Individual Health Care Plans (IHCP)

Careers

Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Men outnumber women in most STEM careers. For example, just 16 percent of chemical engineers and 33 percent of environmental scientists are women. But that doesn't mean it's hard for women to get jobs in those fields. In fact, many companies want to hire and keep qualified women for STEM jobs. There are challenges, but help is out there. If you're a woman considering a STEM field, don't be put off by some of the challenges you may face. However, not All STEM fields are dominated by men, for example, Database Administrators are 38 percent women and Biological Scientists are 48 percent women. Are you in Year 9 or 10 and interested in a Career in STEM? To register your interest in attending a ‘Careers in STEM’ workshop, please email Miss O’Neill by Tuesday, 17 March. onei-k001@windsorgirls.net

Follow Careers at Windsor Girls’ School on twitter for more information and opportunities:@careers WGS Please email oneik001@windsorgirls.net for further support and information on Careers.

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Coronavirus Advice

GCSE MFL Revision French Foundation/Support Sessions Foundation Foundation/Higher B2 Monday B2 Tuesday Higher ‘HITT’ (High Intensity Training!) Grammar Thursday After School 3:05 - 3:25/Friday B2 1:30 - 1:50:

Week

Commencing

Higher – Thursday Break 1 Foundation – Wednesday Break 2

09/03/2020 TBC Using more complex language

German Revision/Support Sessions

Year 11 Geography Revision Timetable PM Revision Sessions: 3:10 – 4:00pm (All Room 25)

Unit Date Topics Covered

Paper 1

Tuesday 17 March Coasts

Wednesday 25 March Rivers

Tuesday 31 March Rivers

Easter Holidays

Unit Date Topics Covered

Paper 3

Wednesday 22 April Fieldwork/Paper 3

Wednesday 29 April Fieldwork/Paper 3

Paper 1

Tuesday 5 May Paper 1 Case Studies

Paper 2 Tuesday 19 May Paper 2 Case Studies

May Half Term

GCSE Geography Revision

Spanish Revision/Support Sessions

Foundation Break 1 Wednesday

Higher Break 2 Wednesday

GCSE Science Revision

GCSE History Revision Break 2 Monday Exam skills support

Miss Salter

Break 2 Wednesday Content support

Miss Salter

Break 2 Friday – Revision Support with

Mrs Peck

MONDAY Afterschool 3:15 - 4:00pm

Date Focus Teacher

16 March Big Picture Elizabeth / How far Q CSR

23 March Explain Q – Germany CPK

30 March How far Q- Medicine CRS

EASTER

20 April Narrative American West CPK

27 April Trenches USEFULNESS CSR

4 May How far Q- Germany CPK HALF TERM

REVISION DAY Times to be confirmed CRS

EXAMs… P1- TRENCHES AND MEDICINE 1 JUNE P2- AMERICAN WEST AND ELIZABETH 4 JUNE P3 – GERMANY 12 JUNE

After school revision sessions for Year 11 students will be held in L32 between 3:05 and 4:05 pm. Please check the dates carefully

Date Subject Topic Teacher

18/03/20 Physics Waves Mr Lottering

25/03/20 Biology Reproduction and genetics Dr Guy

01/04/20 Chemistry Organic chemistry Dr Haynes

EASTER BREAK

22/04/20 Biology Adaptation and ecosystems Miss Edwards

29/04/20 Chemistry Chemical analysis Miss Zarzecka

06/05/20 Physics Electromagnetism Mr Lottering

13/05/20 Any science General skills Dr Haynes

20/05/20 Any science General skills Mrs McKinlay

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