November 2024

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“For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed, the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock, Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have [..] The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out”
James Baldwin
 
We have been thinking a lot about change at school and particularly in the Pastoral Department this term. The big change was of course the Yondr Pouches and the shift in Behaviour Policy - we polled the boys at the end of last half-term and the outcomes were overwhelmingly positive. As our final stakeholders, we will make time in the Spring Term to poll you as parents on how you think the new policy is panning out, but in the interim please do not hesitate to reach out to anyone from the team to offer us feedback. As for Yondr, it feels like it was always ever thus; our fears of bottlenecks and lost phones and open defiance proved in the words of Shakespeare to be traitors who would make us lose the good we [have] won by fearing to attempt. In real terms we have seen a significant drop in unkindness, suspiciously long visits to the toilets both during lunch and lessons and of course a huge and palpable lift in the sound of play and discussion: their attention has shifted to the present. With much talk in the press and rumblings in government about truly making schools phone-free, we have been asked by Yondr to be involved in raising awareness about the multi-faceted benefits to be found - watch this space.
 
We have also been thinking about our responsibility to others, particularly as the discourse around the world has hardened and civic debate, which is an integral part of any society, has soured into shouting matches and pitched battles online. It bears repeating that discrimination of any kind and hateful speech of any variety has no space in our community. Being a Hitchin Boy is about being Strong and True; we are compassionate, courageous and gentle in our strength. This is not a school which breeds hypermasculine unkindness. You cannot be true to others if you seek opportunities to be unkind; you cannot be strong in yourself if you gain strength from belittling others.
 
In our continued awareness of our responsibility to generations to come you will have received information about our focus on sustainability and the environment - thank you to the many parents who have given time and money to this campaign. An equal thanks to those of you who have given money through the GoFundMe page following Mr Bennett’s letter. You will forgive me for ending with an anecdote: the other day in my Year 9 class whilst discussing “The Ship of Theseus” philosophical problem, one of the boys shot their hands up and said “If the pupils in this school change every 7 years, then what makes Hitchin Boys still the same school?” The answer I think is in all the intangible things that I point to above: in the unique, brilliant, energizing set of values that make it Great to be a Hitchin Boy, as it has been for nearly 400 years and as it will continue to be for just as long again.
 
It feels too early to wish you Seasons’ Greetings but one feels churlish to deny that, so I wish you all the best this season can offer.
 
Mr Ajagbonna, Deputy Head Teacher

Coming up

Over the next few weeks

House points

As of 26 Nov 2024

School news

Come to our Christmas Fayre!
Our Christmas Fayre will be taking place this year on Thursday 12th December from 5-7pm. There will be stalls selling a range of Christmas cards, gifts, jewellery, art, Christmas decorations, knitted gifts, cakes and artisan sweets. Also on offer will be a festive photo booth, face-painting, chocolate tombola, bottle tombola, raffle, mulled wine, Christmas biscuits and mince pies. The Parents Society will also have a second-hand uniform sale.
 
So come along, see the Christmas lights in the Quad and enjoy some carols from our Chamber Choir. Entry to the fayre is free - we look forward to seeing you there!
 

Please support our Christmas Fayre

  • 25 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Senior Maths Challenge
The results are in from October's Senior Maths Challenge! 56 students took part in the annual challenge, where they had 90 minutes to answer 25 multiple choice questions designed to make them think. Two thirds of the students gained a certificate, with 20 being awarded bronze, 14 silver and three students earning gold. Congratulations to Joshua, Henry and Humphrey, pictured below with their certificates. If you fancy having a go at some of the questions, you can find some past papers here.
 

Students with their gold award certificates

  • 24 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Blood Brothers workshop
In mid-November, David Cooper visited HBS to deliver a Blood Brothers workshop to Year 9 students. David, the father of a current HBS student, contacted Mrs Gale after noticing that we taught Blood Brothers in Year 9. David has played the main character of Mickey both in the West End and on tour. He kindly offered this workshop free of charge and the boys had a great time learning the plot, watching David perform some sections of the play and having a go at bringing a scene to life.
 

David talked to Year 9 students

Boys performed sections of the play

David has played Mickey in the West End and on tour

  • 22 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Up, up and away for our Quadcopter teams
It is another successful year for our two Year 9 Quadcopter Challenge teams, who took part in the regional finals of the annual event earlier this month. Cave Copter, consisting of Isaac, Daniel, Will, Toby, Dexter and Arthur, achieved second place in the competition, which took place at Harlow College on 6th November. Glacial Flyers, consisting of Denis, Edward, Jonathan, Arnie, Joe, Dylan and John, won the regional finals, and now go through to the National Finals in December. 
 
The annual Quadcopter Challenge is an annual STEM-based engineering competition organised by Raytheon UK for students aged 12 - 14. The challenge is to design and build an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for a specific purpose, and this year’s theme is to create a quadcopter that can collect data from dangerous and inaccessible places. This year, 300 pupils signed up from all over the UK. 48 teams from 32 schools and cadet groups went through to the regional finals, and worked together to learn teamwork, engineering, project management and budgeting skills as they put their designs to the test.
 
We wish Team Glacial Flyers the best of luck in the National Finals!
 

Cave Copter

Glacial Flyers

  • 21 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Next Book Club meeting
The next meeting of HBS Book Club takes place on Wednesday 4th December, 7pm at Kite at The Red Hart in Bucklersbury, Hitchin. The book to read this time is Joan by Katherine J Chen. Contact Ms Seabrook on the email address below for more information. All are welcome.
 

Join us at the next Book Club meeting

  • 20 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Plea for donations #1
As part of our commitment to increasing biodiversity on campus, we’re seeking donations to create a more welcoming environment for local wildlife. We would be immensely grateful for donations of any of the following items:
 
• Bird baths, feeders, or boxes
• Planters
• Outdoor chairs or benches
• Materials for building bug hotels
• Donations of pollinator-friendly plants.
 
We are also hoping to undertake a major new habitat creation project at HBS, and to help bring this to life, we are seeking the loan of a mini digger for one day. If anyone in our school community has access to this equipment and would be willing to volunteer its use, we would be extremely grateful.
 
If you can help, please contact Mr Waterman, our Sustainability Lead, at rwaterman@hitchinboys.co.uk. Thank you in advance.
 

Please support our initiatives

  • 20 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Plea for donations #2
This year we are again be running two Christmas appeals to help local charities. For the first of these, we are asking students in years 7 to 11 to donate selection boxes for the Hitchin Food Provision Team's Christmas Appeal. Each year they provide gift vouchers or toys to over 400 local children in total, plus additional items such as selection boxes, colouring pens and activity books. Donations can be dropped off at Reception between the hours of 8am and 4pm, until Wednesday 4th December. If you feel able to donate directly to the appeal, or perhaps purchase a toy from the Amazon gift list, then there are QR codes that you can scan on the poster below.
 
Our second Christmas appeal this year is the Sixth Form collection for Hitchin Food Bank. They are asking for donations of non-perishable food items such as biscuits, chocolate, Christmas puddings and cake, tinned fruit, fruit juice and dried potato. Sixth Form students should take donations to their tutor room by Thursday 12th December. If your son is in years 7 - 11 and you would like to support the appeal, donations can also be left at the school reception until this date. Thank you for your support.
 

Our first appeal is for the Hitchin Hamper Appeal

Our second appeal is for Hitchin Food Bank

  • 20 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Could you be a foster carer?
There is an urgent need for foster carers in the East of England. More than 7,000 children are in the care of their local authority in our region, with 150 more children coming into care every month.To encourage more people to become foster carers, the 11 local authorities responsible for Children's Services in the East of England are working together to deliver Foster East. 
 
Do you think you could be a foster carer with Hertfordshire council? They offer a comprehensive support package, enabling you to offer the highest standard of care and make a huge difference to a child's life. When you choose to foster, you'll receive exceptional training and support right from the very start, with ongoing development throughout your role. As a foster carer, you’ll receive a weekly payment for your skills, plus a weekly allowance for each child you look after.
 
If you are interested and would like to find out more, representatives from the county Fostering Recruitment Team will be available to have a chat at our Christmas Fayre in a couple of weeks, so please do come to their stand in the Dining Hall. More information can also be found on their website here.
 

Could you be a foster carer?

  • 20 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

House History competition underway
Following hot on the heels of the House Art competition, the House History competition has also been launched. Open to all, the task is to choose a person or a place from the local area and create a project detailing the history of that person or place. There is plenty of time to work on the competition over the winter months as the closing date is Thursday 20th March 2025. Entries should be dropped into the History department by that date.
 

Get your entries in!

  • 19 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Parenting courses from Supporting Links
Local parenting charity Supporting Links are running a number of Parenting Support Groups online in the spring of 2025. Each course runs over 6 weekly sessions and is offered FREE of charge to parents thanks to funding from Herts County Council. Courses include Talking Additional Needs, Talking Families, Talking Teens, Talking Dads, Talking Anxiety in Teens and Talking Anger in Families.
 
More information and details of how to book can be found here.
 

There are a number of courses running in the spring

They can all be booked online

  • 19 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Apprenticeships Update
The latest list of Higher and Degree apprenticeships is now available. This edition features hundreds of vacancies from across the country and is a fantastic way to discover the opportunities that apprenticeships can offer. Check out the new edition by clicking here. 
 
The November issue of Choices magazine has also been published. In this month's edition, Steph McGovern, award-winning broadcaster and journalist, talks about her passion for apprenticeships and career experiences. The monthly publication for parents and carers can be downloaded here. 
 

The apprenticeships listing can be downloaded above

  • 19 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

Christmas activities at Church Farm
If you have younger children, they may like to meet Father Christmas at Church Farm in Ardeley this December. They can also write a letter to Father Christmas and see all the animals on the farm.
 
Church Farm also have a large camping field, so if you are looking for somewhere to stay with friends and family next summer they can offer a variety of accommodation options or pitches for your own tents, plus add-ons such as camp fire packs, BBQ hire and straw bales. Camping also includes free farm passes for the duration of the stay.
 
More information can be found below and on their website here.
 

Meet Father Christmas at Church Farm

  • 19 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope

New Junior Canaries newsletter
Hitchin Town FC have recently launched their new Junior Canaries initiative, developed for their U16 supporters. Those signing up to Junior Canaries will be sent a monthly newsletter packed with lots of quizzes, competitions and prizes, as well as finding out more about the players in the Hitchin Town FC first team and learning more about the club.
 
The club hope this will be a welcome addition for current young supporters whilst also encouraging new young supporters, all with the aim of Junior Canaries becoming supporters of Hitchin Town FC for life and helping to improve the club's ever growing impact in the community.
 
More information and details of how to sign up for the newsletter can be found here.
 

  • 18 Nov 2024
  • Mrs C Hope