Dear Parents
Tuesday was internet safety day in the UK. Rather than concentrate everything into one day I used my computing lessons this week to remind the girls about ways to stay safe online. There are many reasons to do this and several interesting points were made in an article written for Independent School Parent by Natalie Keeler.
The piece suggests that there are more photos and videos being posted online than ever before, a fact that it indisputable. The ease with which sharing can be achieved with modern mobile technology is an increasing issue for ever younger children. I have spoken to various year groups and it is clear that more of our girls in the junior school have their own phone or tablet.
Another increasing prevalence is that a larger proportion of children are involved in social networking of some kind. It is likely that these will be platforms such as Snapchat, Musical.ly or those that have their own account on YouTube. Facebook and Twitter have very little use which was not the case a few years ago, despite the age guidelines. They are seen as being for us older people.
Naivety is the biggest enemy when it comes to the use of mobile technology and the internet. It is so easy to fall into traps such as wearing a school uniform in a movie or giving information about where they live or what their preferences are. At school I have candid conversations with the girls about avoiding these situations and other issues like considering what clothing is worn, or not, whilst taking a selfie. These are all things that can be done incredibly easily and with no malice of forethought.
I am finding that our girls are becoming more aware of the dangers of the internet. It is heartening to see that parents are engaging with their daughters to agree boundaries. I believe it is always more powerful for the girls to come up with their own rules rather than the use of bans and imposed restrictions. The internet can be a wonderful tool for all to use and one that is around to stay.
Paul Marshallsay
Headmaster of the Junior School
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Early Years' News
Nursery
The Nursery children have spent this week looking at the story of The Three Little Pigs. They have enjoyed recreating the story by making their own straw, stick and brick houses and using the toy wolf and pigs in the classroom. With ‘h’ as our sound of the week, the girls took turns to wear the ‘happy hat’ and sort objects beginning with this sound. They have also used their number skills to count pigs and have had fun making patterns with the bottom of their shoes.
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Pupils adopt a bee hive
As part of the proceeds from Vernon house charity day the school has adopted a honey bee hive in Reigate. We have already been sent a honey sample which the girls will get the opportunity to taste and hopefully it will give them an understanding of where some of the money they raised on the day has been spent.
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Junior School PSA birthday party
The Junior School PSA held their Annual Birthday Party at Dovercourt last Friday and raised a fantastic £613.78. The girls played games, painted ceramics, made beaded bracelets, decorated cupcakes, had their faces painted and were adorned in glitter tattoos.
A fun time was had by all and the committee would like to thank all those who attended, helped and donated. Their next event is a Mothers and Daughters SWISHING event on Friday 10th March.
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Well-being week
As part of well-being week the girls at Dovercourt are adding their thoughts on the things they enjoy at Portsmouth High School.
The ‘Positivi-tree’ takes pride of place in the entrance hall and is collecting comments from pupils:
"Everyone in the school is really friendly"
"People always let others join in their games"
"I love doing challenges in maths"
"I like snail racing in the dell"
"I love making fires in forest schools"
"I like reading on the squishy cushions in the library"
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Portsmouth High School celebrates 135 years with a spectacular Gala Concert
Portsmouth High School celebrated 135 years on Tuesday with a Gala Concert at the Cathedral Church of St Thomas, Old Portsmouth. The concert featured ‘What Will the Children Remember’, a newly commissioned work written for the school by Toby Hession, which was based on extracts of diaries and letters from the girls evacuated to Hinton Ampner during the Second World War.
In September 1939 the school was evacuated to two country houses in Hampshire. The Junior School went to Hinton Ampner and the Senior School to Adhurst St Mary. Portsmouth High School buildings in Southsea were requisitioned by the Army then occupied by the Navy; the WRENS were housed at the Junior School in Kent Road. Once the war was over, the school returned to Portsmouth from the beginning of the summer term in 1945.
The composer, Toby Hession, 20, comes from Peterborough, and currently reads music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he holds a Choral Scholarship and an Instrumental Award.
‘I had never, until now, set texts to music. Many composers never do so at all. Perhaps the main reason for this is diarists never anticipate their words being set to music.’
Toby used portions of text from GM Martin (who was a Junior School teacher), Mrs Val Creese who currently lives in Australia and Mrs Margaret Aylen who lives in Southsea and was in the audience, alongside other Portsmouth High School alumnae who had been evacuated.
Mrs Aylen, 89, said ‘It was a beautiful concert. Toby’s piece was all based on my letters home and I thought he did superbly. It was very flattering to be featured and I remember writing the letters as if was yesterday.’
‘It was fantastic to see over 120 girls singing and playing,’ said the composer, Toby Hession. ‘The fact the girls were enjoying themselves too was so affirming. It turned my composition from something selfish into something very selfless which was wonderful.’
An audience of over four hundred, including the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mr Nigel Atkinson, The High Sheriff of Hampshire, Mr Tom Floyd and The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor David Fuller, filled Portsmouth Cathedral.
‘The Lady Mayoress and I thoroughly enjoyed the Gala Concert and we were very impressed with the excellent talents of the performers,’ said the Lord Mayor. ‘The soloists were fantastic and we were all made very welcome. In my opinion there are some seriously talented rising stars who could go far.’
A combined group of over 200 musicians sang and played through the evening which included works ranging from Beethoven and Debussy to John Williams and Habañera from Carmen.
Mr George Tinsley, Director of Music at the school said: ‘The concert was a success that surpassed all expectations. For me, the highlight was Toby Hession’s composition, which brought together generations of Portsmouth High School pupils and staff. In our 135th year as a school it was wonderful to hear, relayed through the young voices of our choir, the exciting and poignant stories experienced over 70 years ago by former pupils sitting in the audience. I believe that we were not only telling history but also making history.’
Soloists included: Felicity Bryant, 15, Jia Feng, 14, Abi Harindra, 17, Louise Harris, 17 and Lucy Haynes, 18.
‘It is such a privilege to listen to such extraordinary music that has been specifically created for Portsmouth High School girls to sing,’ said Chairman of Governors Mrs Anne McMeehan Roberts. ‘The girls played and sang with such tenderness and passion and thank you to Toby who was as thrilled to write the piece as we were to listen to it.’
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Dementia Friends workshop
Pupils in Years 7 to 11 took part in a Dementia Friends workshop on Wednesday morning.
The workshop , run by alumna Alison Noyce, trained the participants to be Dementia Friends by the end of the session. The girls were taught to understand the challenges facing dementia sufferers.
The bookcase analogy was used to great effect. It simply stated that if all one’s skills and memories were piled floor to ceiling in a bookcase those on the bottom shelf are our earliest memories and longest-held skills whilst those on the top shelf are the memories made today. If dementia then causes that bookcase to fall over then it would normally be the memories and skills on the top shelf that would be lost first. This made dementia seem so much easier to understand for many.
With 105 new Dementia Friends having been created in just an hour this morning it is hoped that the organisation will be helped on their way to having created 4million Dementia Friends in the UK by 2020.
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Lepra fundraising success
Over the course of two weeks Year 7 have been learning about the terribly damaging impact leprosy has on communities within the developing world.
The girls welcomed Lepra representative Dawn Williamson to an assembly at the end of January where they were shown how lives, families and communities can be destroyed by the disease but also how fundraising has provided many positive improvements for afflicted people and their families.
The Year 7s were set the challenge of raising sponsorship in support of their Lepra Keep-Fit Danceathon which took place on 1st February. Sponsorship money flowed in but the girls were determined to be creative in their fundraising and held tombolas, cake sales, sponsored silences and car washing sessions in order to truly maximise their earning potential. The final monies have been counted and we are very proud to announce that Year 7 has raised an astonishing £1295.03.
Thank you so much for your support of this campaign.
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Talent 2030 National School Engineering Competition finalists announced
Congratulations to Rachel Barnham and Issy George, Year 10, who have been shortlisted for the Talent 2030 National Schools Engineering Competition for Girls. Their project about the growing problem of space debris - remains from old satellites or collisions that have occurred in our atmosphere - will be showcased at the Big Bang Fair at the NEC in Birmingham on 18 March when 1st, 2nd and 3rd places will be announced.
Well done girls and we wish you every success for the Big Bang Fair.
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100th Junior Park Run
Well done to our High School girls for taking part in the 100th Junior Park Run at Bransbury park on Sunday and to Maddy Oliver who came 8th overall. If you are feeling active over half term, Mr Oliver will be at the Southsea Park run each Saturday and will run with anyone who wants to get fit (as long as they are slower than him).
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Thank you to those who hosted our visiting French students
Please accept our thanks and that of our French counterparts for the kind and warm hospitality extended to all the students. They had an enriching experience both linguistically and culturally and they very much appreciated the time spent with you. We hope your daughters will stay in touch with their partners in order to continue to improve their own linguistic skills and to deepen their friendship.
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We are in touching distance of the Climbing Wall
We are so close to reaching our goal to purchase the Climbing Wall. This is a last push to raise the final amount and we are so grateful for any support you have already given, or are willing to give. You can either support us by buying Portsmouth Lottery tickets or send a cheque, made payable to Portsmouth High School, to Lucinda Webb, Director of Communications – marked Climbing Wall. Every little helps.
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A Valentine gift for your daughter!
Lucketts Travel have generously donated 4 tickets for the Justin Bieber concert in Hyde Park on Sunday 2 July 2017.
The cost of each ticket purchased via Lucketts is £145 which includes coach journeys both to and from London. http://www.lucketts.co.uk/Tour/Justin-Bieber-in-Hyde-Park-from-Portsmouth
As a last push for the Climbing Wall Fund we are silent auctioning these tickets in pairs with a minimum bid of £200 per pair. Please email l.webb@por.gdst.net by midday Valentine’s Day (Tuesday 16 February) with your bid per pair.
The winners of each pair of tickets will be announced after half term.
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Co-Curricular Clubs notice
A reminder that all activities resume the first day back after half term, except self-defence. Also, due to the essential staff training, there are no afterschool activities on Tuesday 21st February.
Please contact the Junior School office should you required Prep-club and Aftercare. Self-defence will resume on 27th February.
There are no lunchtime trampoline sessions for the first week back after half term (Monday 20 to Friday 24 February). All morning and after school session will continue as planned.
Hope you have an active half term.
Mr Oliver
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