Some of you will start a month of fasting for Ramadan on Thursday 23 March 2023 (subject to the sighting of the new moon).  This is, no doubt, a special time for you and your families.  It is great that you are showing such dedication to your faith and keeping hold of a traditional practice that many other faiths also recognise.  Part of the purpose of the month is to bring people and communities together, and we hope that the month brings you much happiness, benefit and increase.  Please do remember, however, that your commitment to school and your education needs also to continue.  To help you with this, a few practical tips/reminders follow:

• The longer day fasts will require you to go without food and drink for many hours. You must be best prepared for this by making sure you take something of good nutritional value in the pre-dawn meal before you close and make the intention to fast.  Cereals, yogurt, dates, wholemeal bread, vegetables, fresh fruit are amongst some of the healthy/slow release carbohydrate foods that will keep you satisfied for longer.
• Following on from this during the school day avoid running or standing around in the sun. Try to find some shade and occupy yourself in low energy activities.
• It is very important that you continue to come to school prepared to learn. Lessons will happen as normal.  Your teachers may make slight adjustments in some of the practical subjects for you but you should come fully prepared to take part with the correct equipment/kit.
• In the same way you must also wear the correct school uniform. Obviously if it is very hot, you may be allowed to take your blazers off, your form tutors will advise you about that.  However, some students during Ramadan feel that they need to wear mosque caps/hats.  We understand that this may be recommended at certain times/places but it is not a religious requirement for you to wear these in and around school.
• The real significance of this month is about self-discipline and working on improving your character. It is not just a case of going without food for long hours.  Working on honesty, truthfulness, charity, forgiveness, respect etc… are some of the positive character traits that become the focus of this month.  This is something that the school whole heartedly supports in its care values, and we hope that in some way we can all benefit from this.
• With the upcoming shorter nights, longer days and late-night prayers many of you will get less sleep than usual but you will still be expected to attend school punctually as normal. Therefore, some readjustment to your routine will be needed to help with this.  Like in some traditional cultures you should try to catch up on some sleep after school in order to re-energise for the rest of the day/fast.  It might take a few days for this to settle but it is a sensible way forward.
• It is also the case that many of you will be taking important internal exams/studies during Ramadan. While we wholeheartedly support your commitment to fasting, we also ask you to uphold the duty of taking your studies seriously – educational success is also something important to the religion of Islam.  During your school days, it is crucial that you develop a positive routine around fasting, prayers, revision and study.  Remember also if you are not feeling well then there is the chance of making up the fasts at a later date.  If you become unwell whilst you are fasting then you should end the fast by taking some water.
• In the event of hot weather, it is obviously important that you remain hydrated but without food or drink. This is a challenge which most of you will have experienced having fasted in previous years.  Small things like washing your hands with cold water, wiping over the face/head with cold water will help keep you cool.  This should be done at break and lunchtimes.
• If you are unwell and unable to attend school then you should follow the normal absence procedures. Ask your parents to phone the front office and inform them on the day about your circumstances preferably before 8:40am.
• Remember also that one of the strengths of HGS is the broad cultures and faith groups represented in both our student and staff populations. This is something quite special for the School.  So, while those of you who fast will need time/space to practice your faith please do remember that the Dining Hall will remain open and most people will continue to eat and drink throughout the day and they too will need time/space to do so!
• We ask students to do their prayers when they get home after school. You will have plenty of time to complete the afternoon prayer when you get home during the month of Ramadan once British Summer Time begins on 26 March 2023.

We wish you a happy and prosperous Ramadan.  Do take some moments to reflect on the importance of peace and reconciliation for the globe especially in the current hostilities that we are seeing.  The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: “Shall I inform you of something that holds more weight than fasting, praying and giving charity? Making peace between people, for sowing dissension is calamitous.”

If you do have any further questions or comments then you are welcome to speak to Mr Mohammed (room 10).

On Monday 30^th January 2023 we made our way to Symphony Hall on Broad Street to attend the ‘GCSE Science Live!’ event, which was an exciting opportunity to hear some of Britain’s top scientists speak about their areas of expertise and interest.

We had an introduction during which we were told the overview of the day. We were not only going to receive are some practical advice that would help us with our examinations, but we were also to hear some renowned scientists, and have the opportunity to ask questions.

We left with a clearer sense of how Sciences help us to understand the natural world.  We learnt how decaying isotopes of elements allow you to understand more about the conditions people lived in (Professor Alice Roberts), why striped patterns appear frequently in our World (Professor Andrea Sella) and how the Universe came to existence (Professor Simon Singh); we were also exposed to the possibility of time travel (Professor Jim-Al-Khalili).

The majority of people found the possibility of time travel and how the universe came into existence to be the most interesting presentations.  However, sadly, since so much can be discussed on these two topics, many questions we had couldn’t be answered by the professors at that time.

Half-way through the day, we received some useful advice about how to answer examination questions efficiently, although we personally felt that our teachers at HGS are already giving us this knowledge.

Overall, it was a very interesting experience which allowed us to understand more about how Science in the real world affects us.

Mohammad Khakssar, Hardev Manku and Jedd Vergara

Our latest LAMDA results are below, these are excellent performances from the LAMDA Exams taken at the Birmingham Public Centre in December 2022. Congratulations to all involved and to Mrs Reynolds our LAMDA teacher.

Mr. David Taylor, Head of Brass for Birmingham Music Service, delivered 6 sessions to some of our year 7 and 8 students. Mr. Taylor was hoping to inspire another generation of brass players at KEVI HGS. Our boys were using instruments know as ‘PBuzz’ which are an effective way for students to see what it is like to get a sound out of a brass instrument without the need for expensive instruments.

The students enjoyed the challenge of trying to get a sound out of the ‘PBuzz’ with the session culminating in a performance of the main theme from We Will Rock You.

Any students interested in studying an instrument should speak to Mr. Ward.

I have been dipping in and out of an interesting book lately by Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix and author of the book That Will Never Work – which many of you would enjoy.

What I found interesting was what multi-millionaire Marc Randolph thought were key steps to success. All steps we can take ourselves and also what he considered being successful meant so far as he was concerned. It transpires that this is essentially, enjoying being challenged by a new project.

When you play in a sports fixture you will, I imagine, have in your mind what success looks like for you and the team, be that beating the opposition, or perhaps performing better than in the last match; if you perform in a concert, perhaps success is playing your piece note-perfect or perhaps it is more than that? Is it stirring up real emotion in the audience because of the way in which you play or sing? I wonder, have we got a picture in our mind of what success will mean for us as individuals at the end of this term or the end of the year? Do we know what steps we need to take to achieve that success?

As a School, a key our measure of success is our students. We say that we seek to produce happy, creative, moral citizens who live motivated, fulfilled lives while enriching the lives of others. In other words, we say that HGS is successful if our students are able to flourish, and follow the right path for themselves in the right way, and make the lives of others better in the process. Be a Force for Good guided by our HGS CARES values. All the components of a HGS education are hopefully steps to ensure that success for our students.

Recently, I took a brief trip to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. It is a really interesting and fascinating place and well worth a visit although currently it is partly closed for renovation. And although the museum is not surveying visitors there was a notice asking them to comment on what they want the museum to be like. The notice says:

We believe we can be a place:

• Where everyone can feel at home
• Where we can all be inspired
• And which has an impact beyond its walls

Those three targets for success could apply here at HGS. We all need to seek opportunities to be inspired; we need to speak to others and listen to them so that they all feel comfortable…and if we do things really well, our students and HGS will have an impact on others across the world.

Keep seeking success and enjoy the challenge of solving problems along the way.

Stay safe and well.

Be kind to yourself and others.

Best wishes,

Dr Bird