Senior School Weekly Bulletin

Vice Principals’ message

While the temperatures have dropped and the evenings have got darker, it has been wonderful to be back in school after the half-term break. It has been lovely to listen to the assemblies put together by our Hindu and Sikh faith leaders, as well as to see the rangoli patterns illuminating the school, as we mark and celebrate Diwali at GSAL.

Many minds have been turning to and focusing on environmental issues, with the news coming from Glasgow and the ongoing COP26 summit. Abi and Rayan, two of our sixth form pupils, are fortunate enough to have been selected to attend the conference too. For any of you who follow us on Twitter, you will have seen some of the positive steps we are taking to reduce our CO₂ output and to make the school operation more environmentally sustainable. We hope that this makes it clear our efforts are not simply limited to this one fortnight, and nor do we need to go in to space to see the value and fragility of our planet. Rather we hope that our pupils take inspiration and hope from the messages from Sir David Attenborough, the Queen, the Honourable Mia Mottley, and others. As it is our children, in their future, who will see the greatest impact of our actions, whichever route we choose to take.

In primary, our assemblies this week have talked about the importance of the COP26 summit and focused on the ways in which children can make a difference to climate change. This has been reinforced in class discussions and our pupil voice representatives will be bringing their ideas on what we can do to make a difference to global warming in school, to a meeting next week. In addition, since September, we have been focusing on recycling across primary and children have been collecting used pens and other writing materials for recycling.

In the senior school our main focus will be through a common lesson across all year groups next week (with the exception of Y11 who are taking their internal examinations). Mrs Bodington, our Environment Sustainability Group Coordinator, will be leading this across the senior school. With input from members of the group, she is taking the opportunity to further educate our pupils on the current situation in the world; the range of future outcomes; the measures we are taking as a school; and the individual actions we can all take to help improve the future for all.

This is something that is important to our pupils too. Just yesterday lunchtime, when discussing classroom furniture with the senior school pupil council, the pupils were not only interested in the look, comfort, and colour of the furniture, they also were keen to learn more about the environmental credentials behind each different design, and it was very clear how important this was to them.

Finally, we would like to wish a happy Diwali to those of you who are celebrating this week.

Very best wishes

Gabrielle Solti and Graham Purves
Vice Principals

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Whole school notices

Happy Diwali: how are you celebrating?

Our annual Rangoli competition is now live! Students from all year groups can submit images of their own colourful home-created rangolis via GSAL World, by 4pm Monday 8 November. The winning designs from each age-group will be displayed around school next week. Further details can be found here.

2Kit pop-up shop

Sat 6 November 10am-1pm

The PFA will be holding a pop-up shop selling used uniform. Donations of clean uniform in good condition can be left in the 2Kit bank in the visitors’ car park.

Poppy appeal

Pupils can support The Royal British Legion by buying a poppy from one of the prefects at break time or lunchtime, or from the student support office.

Sport update

Please see the attached update from Mr O’Brien, Director of Sport.

Year 9 notices

Diptheria Tetanus Polio (DTP) vaccinations

The Leeds school immunisation team are coming into school on Thursday 2 December and Friday 3 December to deliver DTP vaccinations to pupils in Y9. If you have not already given permission for your child to have the vaccination and wish to do so, please click here to access the electronic consent form.

Pupils will be allocated a time slot to visit the team and this will be communicated via form tutors and available in common rooms. Please note, all pupils are given a time slot, even if consent is not given and should still check in with the team at their given time.

Should you have any queries please contact the immunisation team directly on 0113 843 3101 as school is unable to help. All data shared with the school immunisation team is done so in accordance with GDPR, please see attached notice.

Year 10 notices

Parents’ evening

Wednesday 17 November
Please see the attached letter from Mrs M Collins, Head of Y10.

Year 11 notices

Sixth Form Open Evening

Wed 24 Nov 5-8pm

A reminder for all Y11 families who would like to attend our postponed Sixth Form Open Evening. If you had already booked for the event on the previous date you do not need to do anything. If you haven’t booked yet please register here.

Year 12 notices

Y12 Outdoor Leadership course

Parents and pupils are requested to read the attached letter relating to the Y12 Outdoor Leadership course, which starts on the 8 Nov and also the document regarding COVID precautions which will be in place for the duration of the residential.