Thursday 5 April 2012

5th April 2012


Dear Parents

How the weather surprises us! Glorious summer sunshine and then winter returned with a vengeance this week! I hope that the weather is kind for us at Easter.

Sports Relief day on 23rd March was a terrific day with everyone entering into the spirit of the occasion with the usual Gateways enthusiasm. Mrs Foster had organised a really fun day with everyone joining in the many activities, the highlight of which had to be the assault course; we managed to raise an impressive £792. Thank you for your support.

On Tuesday 27th March we welcomed four primary schools in the local area to our English WWII Master Class. Yvette Huddleston, author and journalist led the class of pupils from Brodetsky, Harewood, St Joseph’s and Deighton Gates of Wetherby, along with two of our own pupils Lucinda Thompson and Katy Chalmers from Lower 3. Pupils were shown how to create an evacuee diary entry, prepare propaganda posters and create a war poem. We were pleased to welcome Mr Dunford, Headmaster, who accompanied pupils from Brodetsky School.

We are holding two open mornings at the end of this month. Friday 27th April, 9am-12noon, will be our usual ‘Open Gates’ showing the school on a typical working day. Saturday 28th April , 10am-12noon, will begin with an address by me to parents and visitors in the PAC. Following that, current pupils (Prep Upper 2 and Lower 3 and High School Upper 3 and Sixth Form) will conduct tours for prospective parents, whilst their children can engage in some enterprising activities in one of the science labs. I would be very grateful for the support of both pupils and parents.

I am delighted to be able to announce the launch of our new website! The new site, that will go live over the Easter holiday, is divided into the various sections of School and I hope you will agree with me that it is a great improvement and far easier to navigate. You will see that there is a tab called ‘Parents Portal’ which will be launched to all parents later this year and will enable password protected access to your child’s reports, exam results, sports results etc. I am grateful for all the hard work of the Marketing Department in getting us to this point.

The annual Lower 5 trip to London returned on Wednesday 28th March. Their visit included a tour of the Houses of Parliament, visits to the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum and an evening at a performance of ‘Wicked’. The girls had a wonderful time helped by the lovely spring weather.
Other visits have included Lower 1 studying mini beasts at Harlow Carr Gardens, Harrogate; Upper 5 and Lower 6 girls visited the Oxford and Cambridge Student Conference in Newcastle; and today all the Reception and Pre-Reception children have been to Harrogate Theatre to see a production of ‘Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales’!

This term’s edition of ‘The Gateway’ will be arriving with you very shortly. As you will see, we have had a very busy term which began with the wonderful news in January, that we were top of the League Tables at GCSE. This morning’s Awards Assembly testifies to the extremely high level of achievement in all areas and at all levels within the School ~ the applause went on and on. We were also presented formally with our licence as an Operating Authority for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Mr Neil Forrest, Regional Director of Duke of Edinburgh, made the presentation, a proud moment!

Over the past three weeks, girls in Upper IV have been attending regular lunch time seminars introducing them to some of the skills involved in organising a fundraising event. On Wednesday evening, the four teams had an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned and present their ideas to a panel of judges in the PAC. The buzz of excitement was evident as the girls printed their draft tickets and posters, honed their scripts and put the finishing touches to their presentations. The standard of presentation and the range of ideas were very impressive and the judges found it very difficult to decide. However, the panel finally declared the "Sundance" team as winners with their theme of "Hawaiian Beach". The team will now include the rest of Upper IV in their plans for a summer evening event, showcasing dance at Gateways and raising funds for CamKids. So, put the date of Thursday 24th May in your diaries for what promises to be a very tropical evening!

I am thrilled that the U14 netball team won the Benfield Cup! The final, against Woodhouse Grove School, was an exciting game with Gateways triumphing by 13 -12. The netball by both teams was of a very high standard and our girls are champions.

May I clarify that those members of Upper 5 who are progressing into the Sixth Form are not required to provide one term’s notice to the School? Thank you.

The FoG Committee continues to be very busy in School; we are very grateful for the unstinting support they give to the School. A Coffee Morning was organised on the 30th March, (staff appreciated the biscuits! Thank you), the Bag 2 School collection was a success again and this week Prep pupils have enjoyed their Easter parties and karaoke.

I wish you and your families a joyful Easter.

Yours sincerely
Mrs Y Wilkinson
Headmistress