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The end of term newsletter for the Godolphin and Latymer School
OLPHIN NEWS Autumn 2009 – Issue 13
INSIDE
Let’s get physical with the PE department Remembrance Day Service at our War Memorial Staff Zone, Alex Leithes and Jeremy Workman Careers Evening French Debating Competition Frantic Assembly Residency
Performance of the Sixth Form Play in the Bishop Centre, November 2009
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Manchester Tour Over the first weekend in half-term, four staff and 22 girls from UV, LVI and UVI travelled to Manchester to play Hockey and Netball against other school and club teams. Both teams played against tough opposition which resulted in some wins and losses for both Hockey and Netball. All girls mixed brilliantly, especially as some had never played together before; constant encouragement and praise for each other was evident and girls should be very pleased with their achievements, as every player learnt something from the weekend. On our return we stopped in Milton Keynes at ‘Go Ape’ where the girls (and most staff) battled their fear of heights to do the high ropes course. Many thanks must go to the girls for their great behaviour and enthusiasm but also to the staff, especially Miss Kersten who spent many months organising the tour. Due to its success we will be looking at doing a weekend tour during the alternate years to the Barbados tour.
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Netball League The PE department has been instrumental in setting up a Netball league for U16 and 1st VII teams in the local area. Girls enjoy taking part in tournaments and competitions so we thought why not have a league instead of playing friendly games all the time? Therefore we set up the league which involves 6 evenly matched teams, and over the autumn and spring terms, teams will play both home and away fixtures. All year groups will still play friendly fixtures as well but there is now a goal of more silverware to add to our collection! The U15 VII added a shield to the collection in September by winning the first ever tournament held at Highgate School. The girls played brilliantly, passing well and shooting accurately to win all their games comfortably and come out victorious. We are looking forward to defending our title next year.
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What’s new in the Fitness Room? The PE department now boasts a state of the art fitness room with 3 treadmills, 4 rowing machines, 3 bikes, 2 cross trainers and 1 stepper. Many thanks must go to the school for purchasing the equipment. The girls’ attitude to the fitness room has changed overnight and many more girls are using the equipment. It is available for LV upwards (and the rowing machines to the UIV rowers) but the department can also use it with squads for fitness training (especially when it is pouring down outside) as well as girls using it during their own time. Free weights and gym balls are still available to use in the PE lobby area just outside the fitness room to ensure we could provide as many cardiovascular machines as possible.
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Middlesex Hockey tournaments Both the U16 and U18 teams have recently taken part in their Middlesex tournaments. The U14 tournament is slightly later in the term. The U16 XI fought hard with some quick accurate passes and great defending but were unlucky to finish 3rd just missing out on qualifying for the South Counties’ tournament. The girls should be proud of their performance. Miss Row could not fault their effort level and they will use the experience to develop their games even further.
having two short corners disallowed for not hitting the backboard, we finally got the winning goal. Congratulations to the girls who played exceptional hockey and thoroughly deserved becoming Middlesex Champions of 2009-10. The team then travelled to Wellington College on Wednesday 25 November to compete in the South U18 School Girls Hockey Championship Heats. This was a good learning curve for the girls which will help them in future fixtures.
The U18 XI is made up of two very strong year groups and they have been working well together all year. Sadly one team pulled out late so the Middlesex tournament was just between us, Mill Hill and Latymer Upper School. The girls obviously felt the pressure as they drew 0-0 against Latymer Upper School, a team we have beaten 5-0 already this season. It was down to us against Mill Hill as Mill Hill had won 6-0 over Latymer Upper School. We just needed to score one goal to guarantee qualification to the South Competition but this was a team we had previously lost to heavily. The girls played with speed, accuracy and, above all, determination and were rarely out of Mill Hill’s half. We were rightly rewarded with the first goal, to the delight of the players, coach and spectators. Mill Hill got one back but then looked outplayed again as Godolphin relentlessly pressurized them in their own half and after
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DEVELOPMENT NEWS Remembrance Day Service at our War Memorial The War Memorial, which is situated on the south west corner of the school’s site, outside The Bishop Centre, was the focus of the first official Godolphin and Latymer Remembrance Day Service. At 10.45 girls, staff, Old Dolphins and local residents gathered to commemorate those soldiers who lost their lives fighting for this country. Dr Kenneth Wolfe conducted the Service which ended with the two minutes’ silence observed, as always, throughout the school, on the 11th hour. Alina Eisler (UV) performed the Last Post and for the first time a wreath of poppies was laid on the memorial by Head Girl, Lilli Beard.
Friends’ Public Lecture Series Two Public Lectures have taken place this term with over 150 people attending on 5 October to hear David Mellor’s lecture, “Can Traditional British Democracy survive?” On 2 November Ben Brown delivered his lecture “Witness to War: Ambition, Danger and Guilt” to 250 Friends, parents and Old Dolphins. On 25 January 2010, the official biographer of the Queen Mother, William Shawcross will join us, warming up for G&L’s first ever Arts’ Festival.
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London Open House “A most ingenious and imaginative design for music practice and instruction. The building is an asset to the area.” On 19th & 20th September, Godolphin & Latymer took part in the capital’s biggest architectural festival and opened the doors of The Rudland Music School and of The Bishop Centre to the public for the weekend. The architects of The Rudland Music School,Victoria Manser and Jason White, led informative and detailed tours giving an insight into the project. Without exception, visitors found the buildings brilliant additions to this historic school. We have had some fantastic comments about the two buildings from the 400 visitors and we have been inundated with requests to open again next year! The visitors’ book is available to view in reception.
The Old Dolphins’ Courtyard The Old Dolphins’ Courtyard, at the west end of the Bishop Centre, was officially opened at the 2009 ODA AGM in September. Samantha Bond (Class of 1979) was guest speaker for the day and read a few words from Evelyn Machin, the oldest Old Dolphin at 98 years old. She was joined by Clara Rupf, the youngest current pupil. Over 220 Old Dolphins came to help celebrate the occasion and saw Clara release 11 balloons, one for each of the school’s decades.
Annual Giving Programme We are a month in to this year’s Annual Giving Programme and are absolutely delighted with the response from parents, Old Dolphins, Friends and Staff. As we write, over £56,000 has been pledged towards further investment in the school and for bursaries. We have received a community matched gift towards a new rowing eight for the Godolphin and Latymer Boat Club. As a community, we can help our First VIII and other squads to compete at the Nationals. But we need your help. We have been challenged to raise £6,500 - as soon as possible! Every gift, of whatever size, will count. For more information, please contact the Development Director, Mrs Tamlyn Worrall on 020 8735 9550 or email development@godolphinandlatymer.com
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STAFF ZONE
Alex Leithes Physics Teacher at the Godolphin and Latymer School I had always enjoyed swashbuckling films as a child and so when I found that there was a fencing club at my university I leapt at the chance to try it out for myself. Having not been particularly interested in sport at school, I was surprised by how quickly I took to it, as was my coach, a Hungarian named Akos who was in his seventies at the time. I started on foil, tried both epee and sabre, before finally specialising in epee, the heaviest weapon and most similar to the rapier. I started competing at a national level in foil whilst still at University, though I rapidly switched to competing at epee instead. I still compete to this day and still seem to be improving. I wish I had had the opportunity to fence whilst still in school as it is a sport that keeps me engaged and active without ever losing its appeal. My love of narrative and science find expression through my writing. I have had several science fiction stories published in both magazines and books, most notably three Doctor Who short stories, The Fear, The End and The Baron Wastes in Doctor Who Short Trips volumes 3, 5 and 10 respectively. I am still occasionally published in magazines and most recently had a game supplement called Five Go Mad in Egypt published by Chaosium in the US.
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STAFF ZONE
Jeremy Workman Chemistry Technician at the Godolphin and Latymer School and Amateur Astronomer I am currently chairman of two astronomical clubs, Loughton in Essex and Richmond. I travel all over the UK arranging meetings, conventions and giving talks for a number of astronomical organisations. My main focus of observation is the moon, sun and planets. I find astronomy to be an extremely exciting and interesting subject. It is important for any enthusiastic astronomer to have a great vantage point free of light pollution, which would enable them to view the subject with clarity. I have observed both total and annular eclipses from various locations such as Iceland, Turkey and Siberia.
Jeremy Workman receiving the Eric Zucker Award 2009 at Cambridge for his outstanding contribution to Amateur Astronomy over the last 20 years
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Careers Evening The Godolphin and Latymer Careers Evening 2009 was held on 12 November 09. The audience of Lower Fifth, Upper Fifth and Sixth Form girls and parents had the opportunity to attend talks on a wide range of professional areas. As the majority of the speakers were Old Dolphins, the girls found it particularly helpful that the speakers understood exactly what it was like to be an UV or LVI faced with the dilemma of choosing subjects or thinking about possible degree courses. Girls and parents thought the evening was very interesting and very helpful. We are very grateful to all of our speakers for giving up their time to be part of the Careers Evening.
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Past, Present and Future
Arts
Festival
22 February to 26 February 2010 Where are we? Where have we come from? Where are we going?
We live in a time of change. The foundations of our global economic system have been shaken, our climate hovers on the brink of catastrophe, and an imminent election promises a radical reshaping of the political landscape. The inaugural Godolphin and Latymer Arts Festival gathers a selection of some of Britain’s most distinguished writers and thinkers to discuss what our past means to us, what impact it has on our present, and what sort of future we and our children can look forward to. Broadcaster and writer Andrew Marr will speak about his recent book and television series; “The Making of Modern Britain”, covering the period from the death of Queen Victoria to the end of World War Two; Anne Sebba, biographer of Mother Teresa, Jennie Churchill and Wallis Simpson, will be in conversation with broadcaster and novelist, Francine Stock, on the role in history of hidden but powerful women; novelist William Boyd will share his vision of the darker side of contemporary London revealed in his most recent novel, “Ordinary Thunderstorms”; and former cabinet minister, Governor of Hong Kong and European Union commissioner, Chris Patten, will reflect on the future of the world in these uncertain times.
The Rt Hon The Lord Patten of Barnes, CH PC
What Next? Surviving the twenty-first century
All events will take place in the newly opened Bishop Centre – selected for London Open House 2009 – and will be open to members of the school, the local community and wider public.
Catherine Webb Children’s writer and Old Dolphin
Anne Sebba in conversation with Francine Stock Women Behind the Throne
Andrew Marr The Making of Modern Britain
All proceeds from the Arts Festival will go towards funding bursaries.
For more details and booking forms go to www.godolphinandlatymer.com or email artsfestival@godolphinandlatymer.com. For telephone queries, please call The Development Office on 0208 735 9550.
William Boyd London, Now
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French Debating Competition The annual North London French Debating Competition took place on November 10th at Highgate School. There were 18 teams representing over 8 schools and this year two G & L teams participated: Nora Schlatte and Olivia Johnson-King (IB) and Anna Crossman and Sasha Kosminsky (A Level). In the first round the girls had to debate on topics ranging from immigration, new technologies and the introduction of the 4 day school week. Both teams expressed themselves fluently and were very persuasive and all four girls went through to the semifinals for which they only had 15 minutes to prepare a debate on Europe and women’s image in advertising. Again, the two teams debated very convincingly and were praised for their excellent French but unfortunately they didn’t make it to the final. Congratulations to Nora, Olivia, Sasha and Anna on their excellent performance on the night.
German exchange In October we welcomed the German exchange party and three members of staff from our partner school ‘Die Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums’. Six students from Godolphin and Latymer and nine students from Latymer Upper hosted their partners for two weeks; they experienced British school life and enjoyed the cultural sights of London. We very much look forward to our return visit to Hamburg during the Easter break and hope to match the speedy progress in English made by the German students.
UIV French play On Friday 9th October we were visited by the Onatti Theatre company, who presented their latest piece: “La Chambre de Jean Paul”. A pacy glimpse of the life of a 16 year old French boy (Jean Paul), and his desperate attempts to woo the love of his life Angelique. He is visited on one night by a wide range of female helpers, all of whom offer him advice on how best to go about winning her over! “Fun”, “exciting”, “rollercoaster”, “emotional” were but some of the comments heard after the show.
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Italian study day at DC On Friday 20th November a group of 7 LVI and UVI girls attended the Italian Study Day at Dulwich College, where they discussed and debated a wide range of topics. Lectures were given by notable experts on Italian, and the day was thoroughly useful for both A level and IB students who attended. Subjects ranged from Fellini to Dante, and the day was enjoyed by all.
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LVI Russian Language Study Visits On November 11, six Sixth Formers took part in the VI Form Study Day organised by the Russian Department of the School of Slavonic and East European languages at University College London. We were welcomed by the Head of Russian who gave us a talk about 1920s documentary cinema in Russia. We saw film clips juxtaposing visual images associated with the constructivist movement, showing different social classes and different kinds of physical activities. The students then took part in group discussions of film technique paying attention to visual association, rapid montage, rhythm and music. This was followed by a talk in Russian about modern Russian youth illustrated with a film clip. After lunch there was a reading of a scene from Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” followed by a film clip illustrating the passage we discussed. This talk was most enjoyable as
Languages Newsletter – “The Link” Exciting news from the LVI. A new publication, entitled “The Link” is in production. The Link will be a cross language publication, including French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish articles, and is designed to celebrate the linguistic diversity that exists here at Godolphin and Latymer. Look out for its publication in the next few weeks! Sophia Johnston and her team deserve huge praise for their work and dedication to this excellent project.
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it emphasised that faith in ideals and disillusionment in Tsarist Russia have contemporary relevance to the Russian audience of today. The talk on the role of the Stalinist system of mass arrests, imprisonment and execution in Soviet society demonstrated the traumatic experience of the Russian people living in the Soviet Union at that time. The talk was well illustrated with extracts from Russian literature. At the end of the day an SSEES student gave the sixth formers a very interesting and informative talk about studying Russian at university and taking a year out in Russia. The well structured programme of this Study Day gave students an insight into Russian history, culture and literature.
British Museum trip On 3rd December, a group of LVI Hispanists will visit the British Museum to view the highly acclaimed Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler exhibition. This will undoubtedly be a fascinating insight into both Aztec culture, and this individual’s rise to power.
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Frantic Assembly Residency In the first week of the October half term Godolphin and Latymer was incredibly proud to host a creative residency for the world-renowned physical theatre company Frantic Assembly. Sixteen girls were joined by a contingent from St Paul’s Girls and had just five days to create a performance from scratch. Under the expert supervision of Frantic company members Vicky Manderson and Neil Bettles they worked their socks off, learning a wide range of new techniques and discovering aching muscles they never knew they had! The result was a forty-five minute piece addressing the complexities of teenage friendship, attracting an audience of 180 friends and family, and stretching even the fabulously flexible Bishop Centre to the max. Huge thanks to Flo Rees in the LVI: as Production Manager, Flo was the model assistant to Dr Tait and Mr Carey and the performance would not have looked and sounded half as good without her. A DVD of the final performance will be available in the next ten days.
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The new Godolphin and Latymer website
The first stage of development of the Godolphin and Latymer website was completed in September 2009 and it was launched (quietly!) in that month. We now look forward to the next stage of this exciting project which will enable us to improve communication with all in the school community.
The Godolphin and Latymer School, Iffley Road, Hammersmith, London W6 0PG Tel: 020 8741 1936 Fax: 020 8735 9520 Registered Charity No. 312699
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