As we begin a new academic year in 2022/23, our students had the challenge of nominating the charity that they will be fundraising for until July. Students had to cast their own vote and we had a landslide for our winning charity – Isabel hospice.

 

Isabel Hospice is a local charity caring for hundreds of people across eastern Hertfordshire each year.

Their vision is Outstanding Palliative Care for All.

They support patients and their families who are living with life-limiting illnesses and conditions, including cancer, heart failure or respiratory illness, and neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease. They help people to live pain- and symptom-free so they can make the most of the time they have left.

Demand for their life-changing, compassionate care has never been higher, and they are now supporting more families than ever before. All of their services are free of charge to those who need them, but they are not without cost, meaning they must raise £7 million every year to guarantee the future of their care.

What do your donations pay for:

£10 could pay for 3 specially prepared meals for a patient staying at our In-Patient Unit in Welwyn Garden City

£28 could provide 1 hour of expert in-patient nursing care, relieving someone’s pain or anxiety and ensuring they feel safe and supported

£47 could cover the cost of running the Living Well with Isabel service for 1 hour, providing activities and support to improve the health, wellbeing and resilience of people facing serious illnesses*

£62 could pay for a 2-hour visit by our Hospice at Home team, to provide end-of-life care to a patient in the comfort of their own home

£105 could provide 4 hours of bereavement support to families, children and young people who have lost or are soon to lose a loved one*

£227 could cover the cost of 8 hours of vital nursing care for someone staying at our In-Patient Unit

£576 could fund the Clinical Nurse Specialist Community team and 24-hour advice line for 7 hours*

£1,137 could run our Living Well with Isabel service for a day*

£1,812 could pay for 9 hours of care for everyone at the In-Patient Unit on Christmas Day, allowing families and friends to be together at such a special time

£4,833 could cover the cost of running our In-Patient Unit for 24 hours

£11,263 could pay for a specialist bed and mattress at our In-Patient Unit

Autumn Term Update

At Goffs Academy’s House Team, we oversee all aspects of community charity work and student competitions- both of which we emphasise the importance of whole-school participation. When reviewing the Autumn term this 2022-23 school year, we are pleased to share the many achievements we as a student body have accomplished so far! 

From bake sales to discos- to food collections to jolly jumper days, all members of the House Team have worked together to ensure all events were efficiently run for the enjoyment of all students. It is rewarding to hear positive reactions from those who participated and to see how we as a leadership group have encouraged all of Goffs Academy to give and donate to our newly chosen school charity. 

Our first task of the new school year was to vote and reveal our new school charity. All House Team members were divided into groups of four, and together researched, edited, and- for some- pitched their charity presentation in our first-ever community assembly! Each student had an individual vote- allowing all student voices to be heard. After counting all votes- we revealed that Isabel Hospice was our new school charity! Isabel Hospice is an outstanding charity that provides services for people in our local community in need, allowing patients with terminal illnesses to be around loved ones and improve their end-of-life experiences.  

After this, we have organized many memorable events, such as our annual year 7 Halloween disco, Harvest food collection (a huge congratulations to Falcon House for winning our in-school house point competition for most items donated), Christmas Candy Cane event, Christmas fate, Senior Citizens’ Christmas party, several non-school uniform days, and open evenings as well as our end of term Christmas Jumper Day! 

So many exciting opportunities to get involved in with so many house points won! Here at Goffs, we love to see all four houses try their best to come out on top! We also value the staggering amount of charitable donations that go to the Isabel Hospice. From these events alone, we have been able to reach extraordinary milestones; our Christmas candy cane event being one of our most successful with our three-day worth of candy canes fully selling out TWICE!  

Our final notice for our 2022-23 Autumn term is a leadership group update! From the end of November, students from community leaders were invited to apply for leadership interviews in both Leadership Groups! Our House Team is managed by the most dedicated group of ‘Head and Deputy Heads of the House Team’ that guide our Leadership Group! 

Heads of the House Team	Aleksandra Kolenda Meryem Tutuman Sharon Hood Jessica Buburuzan
Deptuy Heads of the House Team	Ruby Gordon Charlotte Bonfante Soraya Carletto Michaella Boakye