When we first signed up for the Science Club we did not really know what to expect, who was to run the club and what we would be doing! We then found out that a Mr Chester Lewis, a final year Physics undergraduate from Birmingham University, would be leading the sessions – we were quite happy because we thought that he might not be as strict as our Science teachers are!
We have carried out a lot of activities in our sessions including:
Making telescopes: We had a variety of equipment for making our telescope including a 1 metre rule and lenses of different focal lengths. Our aim was to position the lenses on the metre rule to produce magnified images of objects and then read a code at the far end of the laboratory using our telescopes.
Forces: In pairs we were given an egg and some other supplies including a sponge, string and pipe cleaner. We had to secure the egg as much as possible so when we dropped it, it would not crack. My pair and another group won the weekly prize of a can of coke and a chocolate bar.
Solar power: We each had an electric lamp and a solar cell. We started off by testing how much voltage the cell produced when close to the lamp and then at different distances until it was 70cm away. We then investigated how the voltage output would change when we filtered the light using different coloured filters.
We also enjoyed sessions on Space, pressure and wind turbines.
In conclusion I think that Science Club was an amazing extra-curricular activity because of the work and effort put in by Mr Lewis, Mr Mohsin and Mr Jones and of course the pupils that went to the Club!
Yashryan Singh Mahi 7W
https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Handsworth_News.jpg400495Adamhttps://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/kh.pngAdam2015-04-22 12:30:072017-12-19 10:11:31Year 7 Science Club
On Friday 27th March 2015 we arrived at school ready for our skiing trip to Zell am See, Austria. Many pupils going on the trip had mixed emotions: we were excited but also a little nervous. At around 2pm the coach arrived and, after putting our luggage onto the coach and finding a seat, we began our journey.
The journey was long and tiring but finally we arrived at the port of Dover and boarded the ferry. In small groups we had great fun exploring it; everyone seemed to particularly enjoy the duty free shop! Upon arrival at Calais, France, we set off again for the long drive through France to Austria. Everyone was drained but, surprisingly, everybody seemed to cope extremely well and settled down to sleep, some managing 10 hours. In the morning we stopped at a service station where we were able to have some breakfast, clean our teeth and have a wash. By this time excitement levels were rising as we were approaching Austria.
When we approached our resort everyone could not help but admire the amazing views of the snowy mountains in front of our eyes. Finally, we arrived at the hotel and all gave a huge sigh of relief as we were glad to get sight of our new home for the week. After being shown to our rooms and unpacking we had dinner in the hotel at 6.30 p.m. We then had to go to get our skis and boots fitted ready for the next day of skiing. It was usual to have activities in the evening, but on the first night we were all just too tired so we played pool, table tennis and table football in the games room and had an early night. We all slept really well.
Our first day’s skiing dawned. We woke up at around 7.00 a.m., eagerly put on our ski gear and had breakfast. Every day we had to be on the coach by 8.30a.m. So that we were ready to begin skiing on the mountain at 9.30 a.m. Mr Jones and Mr Bird warned us to take care of our lift passes and EHIC cards. Each day we had to go up in the gondola lift to meet our ski instructors and then begin our skiing for the day. Time just flew by when we were skiing and, before you knew it, it was time for lunch. After lunch we then had the whole afternoon skiing around all different slopes until 2:30 p.m. Skiing was such brilliant fun, with plenty of laughter and falls. Everyone has tales to tell about their fabulous runs, spectacular falls and amazing jumps!
Each evening, after dinner, we joined in with the other school group in the hotel for a ‘Moose Ceremony’, in which an award was given to the person who had done the silliest thing that day. On one day, it surprised no one that the candidate for the ‘Moose’ Award was Mr Jones. That day, after completing a punishing black run, he and Mr Bird were on an easy, empty blue run. However Mr Jones fell and then blamed Mr Bird for going “out of sight”. Less than 100 meters further on Mr Jones fell again; this time this time he claimed that his “goggles had fogged up” and he “couldn’t see a thing”! We believe you Mr Jones! Every evening back at the hotel there was an organised activity between 7.30 and 9.00. One night it was Austrian bowling, another night it was swimming. In my opinion the best activities were “Pizza night” and exploring the town of Zell am See.
Our last day dawned. We were all very sad to go home. Leaving Zell am See on the Friday at about 6.00 p.m. we had to face the long journey home, which again was tiring. However, time passed quickly and we had fun talking about the memories we had created and the new friendships forged over the last week. Hopefully, we will never forget these. We have to thank both of our teachers – Mr Bird and Mr Jones – who came with us as it wouldn´t have been possible without them. We are all excited for next year´s trip. Hopefully, more people will come along!
Ashutosh Borikar 7N
https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Handsworth_News.jpg400495Adamhttps://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/kh.pngAdam2015-04-22 11:03:282017-12-19 10:11:31Ski Course to Austria, Easter 2015
Both the Year 7 and Year 8 teams have won the Aston League in their age groups. More silverware is on its way to HGS – congratulations!
https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Handsworth_News.jpg400495Adamhttps://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/kh.pngAdam2015-04-21 15:30:312017-12-19 10:11:31Football League Success
The word of the week commencing 21st April 2015 is: Lackadaisical.
This means lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
“a lackadaisical defence left Spurs adrift in the second half”
The display is produced by the student librarians.
This display can be found in our Library.
https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Handsworth_News.jpg400495Adamhttps://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/kh.pngAdam2015-04-21 15:28:402017-12-19 10:11:31Word of the Week – Lackadaisical
Congratulations to Jas Singh in 7G who won the Regional Final of the German Spelling Bee Competition. This is a wonderful achievement and Jas now takes part in the National Finals to be held in Cambridge in July. Good luck and well done!
Congratulations to Krishan Lawrence in the Upper Sixth who was awarded Grade 8 in Classical Guitar following his Trinity Guildhall Music Examinations. This is a great achievement and counts as 45 UCAS points – especially as Krishan does not study A Level Music! Well done.
Congratulations to Abdikaliq Ige who has been selected to attend the UNIQ summer school at Oxford University in August.
This is a great opportunity for Abdi who is in year 12 . He has been selected as one of only 850 high achieving students from over 4000 applications who applied for this prestigious residential course. Abdi will be studying at one of Oxford’s colleges for a week during the summer holidays.
Abdi has been selected for the medical course which will give him a valuable insight into the medical degree at Oxford University. In order to be selected, Abdi had to write a personal statement, provide evidence of his A and A* grades at GCSE level, and have a supporting reference from the school. He follows in the footsteps of year 13 student Gurdeep Mal, who won a place at UNIQ last summer and then was subsequently offered a place on the French and Law degree at Oxford starting in September 2015.
https://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Handsworth_News.jpg400495Adamhttps://www.handsworth.bham.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/kh.pngAdam2015-04-14 13:07:542017-12-19 10:11:30Oxford University Summer School
On Friday 13 March 30 Year 7 students had the privilege to go on a trip to the NEC for the ‘Big Bang’ Science Fair. The boys that went found the trip entertaining with all the different stalls dotted around and the variety of activities on offer.
On arrival we were instantly whisked away into an amazing show called “#Error404” where we learnt about the different uses of technology and what is needed to make an explosion either fiery or loud. One of our pupils, Francis, went onto the stage to compete in an activity which involved pedalling at a certain speed (14km/h); soon after Francis completed the challenge, xenon-filled disco balls were launched into the crowd which made the crowd go wild!
When the show ended we had free time. During this free time we explored the exhibits and collected many ‘freebies’. There were a range of ‘freebies’ we could collect including pens, armbands and even a hex bug, or you could have a go at winning a Samsung tablet.
Before leaving we went to a planetarium show which presented the theories of Charles Darwin all around us. It was an amazing experience that got better and better when you were flat on the floor. The planetarium was a huge inflatable dome so you got a 360 degree view!
