Willow Carol Concert 2024

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Choir gives stunning performance at St Albans Cathedral

Bishop’s Choir have spent all term busily preparing for the Willow Carol Concert which was held on 2nd December in the beautiful St Albans Cathedral. We all felt very proud to be continuing on what has been a very long-standing relationship between BHGS and the local charity The Willow Foundation.

This particular charity is the only national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days. These Special Days enable them and their families to reconnect and refocus on each other while enjoying an activity of their choosing. Willow was founded by former Arsenal goalkeeper and TV presenter, Bob Wilson and his wife Megs, as a lasting memorial to their daughter, Anna, who died of cancer aged 31. Anna’s love of life and the enriching experiences of her own Special Days were the charity’s inspiration. Our school has a special connection to the Willow Foundation as Anna Wilson was a former pupil of Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School.

On the day of the concert, after a series of rehearsals at school, our sixty-strong Choir travelled to the cathedral for our dress rehearsal in the venue, getting used to its gorgeous acoustics, and then awaited the performance with excitement. The students performed three songs, All on a Silent Night by Becki Slagle Mayo, May it Be by Eithne Ni Bhraonain, Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan and a fast energetic medley of Christmas carols: Christmas Songs of Joy, by Joseph M. Martin. We were also particularly excited to, this year, be performing a joint item with Hertfordshire Chorus, under the direction of David Temple. We performed the traditional carol, Tomorrow Shall be my Dancing Day. It was extremely inspiring to perform with such an accomplished and well respected ensemble, and we felt very lucky to be part of such a collaboration. The students sang their hearts out and gave a stunning performance of which they should be rightly proud. All of their hard work really paid off in the performance, and it has been fabulous to hear so much wonderful feedback about how impressed the audience were with the choir’s beautiful singing.

The amazing Herts Chorus also sung other multiple carols throughout the service. This was a real privilege for us all to hear, and we look forward with anticipation to working again with them next year and taking part in this wonderful annual event which helps to raise lots of money to help such a worthy cause.

Frohe Weihnachten!

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With the festive time fast approaching, Year 7 pupils have been discovering various aspects of German Christmas traditions.

So many of our Christmas traditions come from this country’s shared history with German speaking countries and our Year 7 pupils have been exploring these in their lessons and a House competition.

😇As the Christmas markets already start to fill the town squares in November, preparing for Saint Nicholas’ Day on 6th December, all our Year 7 pupils had the opportunity to handwrite a letter in German to Das Christkind (Christmas Angel) and replies from the small town of Engelskirchen are expected before the end of term. You can explore this tradition further via this link: https://www.deutschepost.de/de/w/weihnachtspost/weihnachtsmann-christkind/engelskirchen.html

🎄In addition to this, there has been a House Competitions to create a traditional German tabletop Advent Wreath. The entries have been on display in the library with the winners announced in the website.

🎵Finally, 7 Franklin have learnt the original German version of the carol Stille Nacht (Silent Night) which was sung at the Carol Service at St Etheldreda’s church on 16th December. A lovely seasonal way to end a busy term!

To all pupils and their families…..Wir wünschen Euch frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!

Bishop’s in the Kitchen: A Delicious Term of Learning and Creativity!

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This term, our students have showcased their creativity, skills, and culinary knowledge through a variety of exciting lessons, from mastering kitchen safety to crafting impressive dishes and even presenting their own food-themed podcasts!

This term has been a whirlwind of activity in our food lessons! Our students have been learning, experimenting, and showcasing their creativity while taking sensible risks in the food room.

Year 7 Our newest chefs have dived into their food journey at Bishop’s with enthusiasm. They’ve mastered the basics of food room safety, honed their knife skills, and tackled the ovens with confidence. Their delicious creations? The crowd-favorite pizza toasties and heartwarming soups—a perfect start to their culinary adventures!

Year 8 This year’s theme has been all about balance and creativity. From exploring energy balance to understanding the magic of gelatinisation, Year 8 students have been bringing science and art together. Their showstopper? Delicious pasta bake and beautiful Focaccia art bread, as vibrant as it is delicious!

Our Year 9 students have truly embraced sensible risk-taking this term by stepping out of their comfort zones and planning engaging podcasts to present to the class. Alongside sharpening their communication skills, they’ve been diving into the world of healthy eating and meal planning for a balanced diet. In the kitchen, they’ve mastered the essentials of food safety, especially when handling raw meat, and created some mouthwatering dishes. From sweet and sour chicken to perfectly rolled Swiss rolls and lasagna, their culinary achievements have been as impressive as their teamwork and creativity.

Year 10 Our budding bakers in Year 10 have taken on the exciting cereals project. From shortcrust pastry to choux buns to making ravioli from their fresh pasta – what is their pièce de résistance? Gingerbread houses—just in time for the festive season! These edible masterpieces are the result of hard work, creativity, and plenty of fun.

Year 11 The Year 11 students rose to the challenge of their food mock exams, demonstrating outstanding technical skills and culinary flair. The results were nothing short of impressive, and they have every reason to feel proud of their achievements. We also hosted a very fun house event decorating christmas cookies as a fun festive activity, all the students enjoyed starting the festivities at school.

We’re so proud of the passion and effort our students have poured into their food lessons this term. We can’t wait to see what they’ll create next.

Mrs Wright

Year 6 scientists explore the science of Christmas with Bishop’s biologists

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Year 12 biologists help students from St Philip Howard Primary School explore the Science of Christmas with a trio of activities

Year 6 scientists from St Philip Howard Primary School enjoyed science activities related to Christmas on Tuesday 17th December. Students enjoyed building circuits and set up both parallel and series circuits to see the advantages of parallel circuits when it comes to fairy lights on the Christmas tree. Another activity explored the sugar and fat content of various Christmas foods including ginger bread and chocolate. Students were surprised how much fat was present in the ginger bread! The final activity involved making fake snow and using it to make a fun snow scene. All students enjoyed interpreting the results of each activity and using apparatus and chemicals they would not normally encounter. The year 12 biologists led all the activities and demonstrated a great deal of responsibility, a wonderful example of developing the Bishops 360 character.

Imperial War Museum History Trip

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Year 9 Historians engage with primary sources!

As part of our ongoing commitment to enriching historical understanding, a group of our Year 9 pupils recently visited the Imperial War Museum in London. This immersive trip was designed to complement their study of World War One and deepen their understanding of the profound impact of war on individuals and communities, both historically and in modern society.

A key highlight of the day was the World War One Documentary Challenge, a digitally-led experience that engaged pupils in historical inquiry. Equipped with smart cameras, students were tasked with creating mini-documentaries focusing on the people and objects they felt the world should know about. This hands-on activity encouraged pupils to question, consider, debate, and evaluate primary sources, fostering critical thinking and communication skills.

In addition to the challenge, pupils explored other museum exhibits, gaining insights into the experiences of soldiers and civilians in various conflicts throughout history. This provided a comprehensive perspective on the far-reaching effects of war and helped them make meaningful connections between past events and contemporary issues. The trip was a valuable opportunity for students to engage with history in an interactive and reflective way, enriching their classroom learning and enhancing their appreciation for the diverse experiences of those affected by war.

We are incredibly proud of the maturity and enthusiasm shown by our pupils throughout the day, and we look forward to seeing how this experience will influence their future studies and understanding of history.

Miss Maisey, Subject Leader for History

Are you as smart as our sixth form Maths students?

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Senior Maths Challenge results!

On October 1st, 31 of our A Level students took part in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge, a national competition. The students are only allowed a pencil and a blank piece of paper and have 90 minutes to complete as many questions as possible; taking into account that they will lose a mark for any incorrectly answered questions!

Can you work out the answer to this question from the challenge?

 

We were delighted to hear that we had some great successes in the challenge. As a school, we had 9 students achieving a bronze certificate, 4 achieving a silver certificate and four achieving a gold certificate: Ruby C (Y13), Amber S (Y13), Genna Y (Y12) and Jessica D (Y12). Congratulations to all of the students!

The students awarded the gold certificates qualified for the next round of the challenge, the Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo. This was held on November 20th. The Senior Kangaroo was a 60 minute test and unlike the challenge was not multiple choice. All four of the students have received a Certificate for Participation and should be congratulated on getting through to this difficult mathematical test!

Can you work out the answer to this question from the Senior Kangaroo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of our younger year groups will be entered into the UKMT Junior Mathematics Challenge and Intermediate Mathematics Challenge this academic year. We are hoping for similar success!

Year 10 explore IT Distribution in Computacenter

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Year 10 pupils visit local IT distribution centre

Ten Year 10 pupils visited Computacenter in Hatfield Business Park. They learned about the routes into work of two employees, Renee and Georgi, the latter being a Bishop’s alumni (a former Bishop’s pupil). They related their school experiences to further education and to their current roles as Early Careers CSR Specialist and Human Resources Consultant.

After finding out about some of the company’s business ventures, clients and global reach, the pupils undertook a task in two groups of planning a 60 second TikTok video on educating others about cyber security. Pupils had interesting ideas that they presented confidently.

Afterwards, we went on a tour of the distribution centre and learnt about how consignments are handled at various stages of the distribution process. Pupils enjoyed the tour and noted the high security on leaving the building.

Having been presented with Computacenter bags and notebooks, we concluded the highly interesting and informative morning.