Francis Holland School Newsletter April 2011 Harrow Choral Concert
From the Headmistress Dear Parents, Mrs. Catherine Longworth, Chair of the FHS Governing Council since April 2005, will be retiring at the end of this term, in accordance with the articles of governance. Having been an FHS parent (and a current FHS grand-parent!) as well as a former Mayor of Westminster, Mrs. Longworth brought a wealth of experience to the Governing Council and has been tireless in her support of school plays, concerts and extra-curricular activities. We are most grateful to Mrs. Longworth for many years’ service as a FHS governor and for her outstanding leadership of the Governing Council over the past six years.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the annual Easter Concert at Harrow School on Tuesday 29th March. This year our choir joined Harrow School Choral Society to perform Brahms’ German Requiem, conducted by David Woodcock. More than sixty girls from the Lower Fourth to the Upper Sixth took part in the FHS School Choir and were joined by many members of staff. the Governing Council, at the end of her period of tenure. Mrs. Singer had a highly distinguished career in education and the FHS Governing Council has gained from her wisdom, over many years. Miss Susan Ross, a former GSA Headmistress and an executive of ISCtip, succeeds her as Chair of the Education Committee.
Professor Keith Hoggart, who is Vice Principal of King’s College, London University, succeeds Mrs. Longworth as Chairman of Governors for both FHS schools. Professor Hoggart has been a member of the FHS Governing Council for several years. He may be contacted via the Clerk to the Governors, at the Bursary, in Bourne Street. Mrs. Alison Edelshain, who attended FHS Clarence Gate from the age of five (when CG had a prep school) becomes the new Deputy Chair of Governors. Mrs. Edelshain is also the current Chair of Quondam, our Old Girls’ Association.
Many congratulations to all Sixth Formers who took A level modules earlier this term. There were excellent results in all subjects, including A* grades in the Extended Project, which challenges students beyond A level. Particular congratulations go to four Sixth Formers who were not only awarded A* grades but also achieved 100%, in their Extended Projects: Tanysha Garcia, Ranya Mulchandani, Eliana Neidich-Schwartz and Maia Smillie.
Sincere thanks are also due to Mrs. Sue Singer, Chair of the Education Committee and Deputy Chair of Governors, who is also retiring from F R A N C I S
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On Sunday 20th March, FHS hosted the annual Model United Nations Conference, which involved Lower Fifth, Upper Fifth and Sixth Form students from several London schools. Many thanks to all those staff and sixth formers whose efforts ensured the success of the day and above all, to Mrs. Forbes, Miss O’Toole, Miss Addinall, Miss Green and the Lower Sixth tutors. During the Easter holidays, Ms. Hack will lead a Geography Department trip to Morocco. With best wishes for a happy Easter,
Mrs. V.M. Durham 1
Staff News
National Classics Conference On 28th January classicists from all around the UK came to Francis Holland School for a conference organised by our Classics Department. This is our third national conference in recent years, and this time the focus was on AS Latin literature: Cicero’s famous speech against the conspirator Catiline, and Ovid’s beautiful poetry in Metamorphoses. In all twenty-seven schools, totalling just shy of two hundred delegates, attended from as far afield as Edinburgh and Belfast, and even included Guernsey’s only A Level Latin student. The day comprised lectures by two leading academics from Oxford University, Professor Matthew Leigh (St. Anne’s College) and Dr. Llewellyn Morgan (Brasenose College), who delivered brilliantly Dr. Llewellyn Morgan intellectual, gripping and useful views on these important texts.
Mrs. Bachle-Morris and Bess
Many congratulations to Mrs. BachleMorris and her husband Joe whose first baby, Bess, arrived on Friday 4th February, weighing 8lb 9oz!
In the words of one of the visiting schools: ‘Thank you so much for your generous hospitality today. The lectures and organisation were excellent and my student was movingly grateful.’ I am ever indebted to my colleagues in the Classics Department, who helped to make the day so very successful, sine qua non. Mr. Jenkin Head of Classics Department
Professor Matthew Leigh
Young Shakespeare Company On Tuesday 18th January, the Thirds had a fantastic afternoon when the Young Shakespeare Company came into school and involved all the pupils in a workshop and performance of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ whose aim was to introduce them to this key text, which they were about to begin studying. As in previous years, the girls thoroughly enjoyed having a chance to get alongside professional actors in cameo parts. All were eager to be chosen for specific roles, but those who could not be appreciated the fact that they could all join in the forest and quarrel scenes, supporting the actors with atmospheric noises and actions.
“What, jealous Oberon?”
As for the actors’ performance of theplay-within-the-play — “The Most Lamentable Comedy and Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe” presented at the Duke’s nuptials by the mechanicals — the girls were in stitches at the hilarious and outrageous portrayal of the characters, particularly Thisbe with her balloon “enhancements”! Mrs. N. Foy English Department “Sweet Helena!” Demetrius and Lysander compete for the attention of a bemused Helena in the IIIrds' brilliant workshop on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 2
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Spanish Trip to Murcia A group of Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth girls went to the Arbolar Centre in Murcia (Spain) during February half term for five days, accompanied by Miss Gallagher and Mrs. Salvatierra. The girls participated in many activities including cake making, sailing, kayaking, Spanish role-plays, Spanish film evening and, of course, Salsa dancing. Both the girls and the staff had a lot of fun, danced and ate delicious Spanish food. As part of our cultural visits, we went to Cartagena and Murcia where we saw some interesting historical sites. The girls were great, participating actively in all the different activities, and we, the staff, were delighted with the trip. Mrs. Salvatierra Modern Languages Department
1, 2, 3 lift!
Scrabble Spanish style!
Sailing away! F R A N C I S
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Francis Holland Model United Nations On Sunday, 20th March, a Model United Nations was held at Francis Holland. The Hall was transformed into the General Assembly, the Lecture Theatre into the Security Council and various committees were held in ground floor classrooms. The ninety delegates, who came from our own school and several other London schools, including King’s College Wimbledon, Westminster and Godolphin and Latymer among others, were all GCSE students. Normally MUN participants are at least Sixth Formers, if not university students, so they all did extremely well, representing countries as diverse as USA, Libya, Italy and Egypt. There were twenty-two countries represented in total and some very interesting and original suggestions were made about how to solve the world’s problems! Organising the Model United Nations is a very big responsibility and the Sixth Form did an outstanding job, as the event ran very smoothly. Special thanks go to Lucy Collins, Emma Lingwood and Sarah McDonald who oversaw the event with great efficiency. Thanks are also due to all the other members of the Lower Sixth who helped doing a variety of tasks, such as acting as runners, chairing the committees, publishing the MUN newsletter, taking photographs etc. Everyone was very helpful and showed lots of initiative and good humour. Thank you also to staff who joined in helping with the MUN. Mrs. H. Forbes Head of Sixth Form
Upper Fifth Work Experience Week Summer 2011 This can begin any time after GCSEs, notionally the week beginning July 4th. However, this year we have to be very flexible about dates, because of the late Easter, which limits the amount of free time after examinations. Plans are being finalised now to give the Upper Fifths a taste of the working environment beyond school and university. So far our lucky girls have secured placements with Sheppard Robson Architects, Shubette Fashion Designers, Barts and the London Hospital, Stephen Webster Special Effects and The New Statesman Magazine. The majority of placements have been organised via friends and family, and we are enormously grateful for this help. Mrs. Oakley is helping several girls to find contacts in the world of work. If any other FHS parents or Old Girls could offer a placement or the opportunity to shadow, we would love to hear from you. Mrs. K. Oakley Heads of Careers Department 4
Olympic Medallist gives Sixth Form Lecture On Monday 14th March, the Sixth Form were lucky to have Catherine Bishop, a former British rower and gold Olympic medallist, to come and speak to us on her life as a former sportswoman. Her talk has been one of my favourites, as she spoke about the Olympics and competitive sport in general, which particularly interest me, as well as how she actually began rowing by chance. Catherine explained how, as a child, she was not too good at sports. However, one day her friend needed an extra person in her boat to take part in a race at University; Catherine gave it a go, found out she was actually quite good at rowing and then ended up winning a gold medal at the Olympics fifteen years later! This highlighted the fact that you should always take opportunities that are given to you as you don’t know what might come of them! She also told us all about the training and competitions in which she participated in addition to the Olympics, such as World Rowing Championships in 2003, where she also won gold. She is not only an inspirational sportswoman; she also has a degree in Modern Languages from Pembroke College, Cambridge and a Master's in International Politics, and is now working in the Foreign Office after retiring from rowing. She was an outstanding speaker, really captivating our attention when speaking about her work and achievements, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her story. Ranya Mulchandani (Upper Sixth) A P R I L
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FHS Pupils on Choral Scholarship Course
Many congratulations to all the girls (Charlotte Prinsley, Freddie Feely, Natalia Riley, Bea Allen, Laila El-Khazen, Thea Waxman, Zoe Silkstone and Emma Roberts) who have gained places on this year's Eton Choral Scholarship courses. These will take place in the summer holidays at Eton and Oxford and Cambridge colleges.
Thirds' Geography Trip to the Natural History Museum
Musical Achievement
On Thursday 2nd March all the Thirds went to the Natural History Museum to see the Earth Exhibit. We learnt about volcanoes and earthquakes, and what causes them. We also learnt how earthquakes affect people who are caught in them and how devastating it can be. We were also very interested to learn about the stones that come from a volcano, as most of them are extremely pretty. We visited a part of the exhibition that was a model of a shop, affected by an earthquake; they showed us the actual CCTV footage that was in the shop. It was horrible to look at; everything had been destroyed and you could not make out what it was after the earthquake hit it. However, we all had a brilliant time and cannot wait to learn more. Many thanks to Ms. Hack and all the teachers who accompanied us. India Owens (IIIS) Helen Smee
Congratulations to Helen Smee (FHS 2000-2007) who has for the last three years been studying music at Peterhouse, Cambridge, where she is also the Organ Scholar. We would now like to congratulate her on recently gaining one of the three places offered by the Royal Academy of Music on their Post Graduate Choral Conducting MA course. Well done Smee!
Ella Barker, Kate Gabriel and Willow Hellier Watts F R A N C I S
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Sixth Form Biology Lecture by Professor Winston In March, Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Wright took the AS-level Biology girls to a lecture by the renowned fertility expert, Professor Robert Winston, at the London Oratory School. Lord Winston’s presentation was wide ranging, leading the audience through the scientific, social and ethical aspects of his work Lord Winston on embryology and human fertility treatment. The lecture began with a striking image of a human embryo, a tiny ball of cells, on a pin head, before leading on to an explanation of some of the reasons for human infertility. A surprising snippet of information was that the first in-vitro fertilization experiment was carried out in 1750, using frogs. Amongst the ethical and social questions considered was the use of technology to enable women to postpone childbirth in order to permit their careers to make better progress, something which Professor Winston strongly advocates. The potential for using genetic techniques to modify humans was illustrated by a video clip of a transgenic mouse, whose muscles had been enhanced so that it was able to run non-stop on a treadmill for four hours. Using such technology to produce ‘superhumans’ would have serious ethical implications, though at present the techniques are only 2-3% successful. In his closing remarks, Professor Winston lamented the separation of science and the humanities that has taken place and hoped for a proper balance and interaction between the two. He strongly believes that the sacredness of human life should always be at the forefront of scientific developments in this field. We all found the lecture fascinating, stimulating and thought provoking, not only from the scientific viewpoint, but also in the wider implications of this field of research. Mr. F. Murphy Head of Science Department
‘Celebrity Style’ disco raises funds for Moshi, Tanzania
Lower Fourth stars
The Lower Fourth disco was a great success. The girls dressed in celebrity style and over £300 was raised to help the building of St. Amedeus School in Tanzania. Special thanks to our sixth form DJs Ella Roeg and Michaela Nathan, and to Mr. Ward and Mr. Clayton for their own unique 70s style! Thanks to Mrs. Bexon and all of the Lower Fourth tutors for giving up their Friday evening for our disco.
Dance Workshop The Thirds' and Lower Fourths' Dance workshop was a great success, and some of our new Thirds found rhythm with their energetic African dance instructor. The Lower Fourths were more tempered with their Bollywood instructor, but the more delicate movements required the extra concentration and flair. Miss J. Tucker Head of P.E. Department
Christabel Coles (IIIS) IIIS enjoy some African airtime 6
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Upper Fourth History Trip to Ypres For three beautifully sunny days at the end of March, the Upper Fourth visited the battlefields of the First World War. Travelling to Ypres by coach and ferry, our first stop was at the superb In Flanders’ Fields Museum where the girls learnt about the campaigns and battles fought in the surrounding countryside, adding to their knowledge from our study of the war earlier in the year. Each girl was given a card representing someone who took part in the war, and they were able to follow their character’s life between 1914 and 1918 as they progressed through the museum. Many were shocked to discover that their character did not survive. That evening in the hostel, we spent a very moving hour, recounting what we had found out in the museum, reading poetry and generally sharing our thoughts about the horrors of the war. The next day we headed south; first to the beautiful Vimy Ridge Memorial, dedicated to Canadian soldiers, and then on to the Somme. We had our picnic lunch on the lawns of Ulster Tower, the very spot where men from the Ulster Division went ‘over the top’ in July 1916. Afterwards, at Newfoundland Park, we walked the route taken by men from the Newfoundland regiment, along trenches left undisturbed for ninety-five years. After walking for less than five minutes down a gentle, lush slope we were told by our guide that no one from the Newfoundlanders had got any further. That evening, back in Ypres, we attended the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony and then let our hair down with a trip to the famous chocolate shop.
Saskia de Borchgrave Niblett walking amongst French graves at Thiepval Memorial (Somme)
Penelope Whitehead and Maya Fattal with the buglers after the Menin Gate ceremony in Ypres
Our final morning in Ypres was spent visiting the German cemetery in Langemark and the Allied cemetery at Tyne Cot. Both made enormous impressions on the girls, who spent an hour or two quietly walking among the graves, contemplating not only the sheer scale of the losses but the individual soldiers themselves, the fact that so many were barely out of their teens, and that many came from thousands of miles away. After a walk through an original trench at the Hooge Crater, we headed back for home, allowing enough time to hit the Calais shopping centre in true Francis Holland style, replenishing our depleted chocolate and sweet supplies. The trip was a great success and I would like to thank my colleagues, who did a brilliant job organising the girls and maintaining morale; Miss Bacon, Mr. Chiverton, Miss Senegas and Miss Gallagher. Finally, credit must go to the girls of the Upper Fourth, whose behaviour was exemplary. They were a pleasure to be with. Mr. H. Clayton Head of History Department Estella Macchi di Cellere studying the gravestones in Tyne Cot Cemetery
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The whole group in front of Ypres Cathedral
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2011 Interform Drama Competition The 2011 Interform Drama Competition proved to be an incredibly uplifting and memorable day. Once again FHS students demonstrated how multi-talented they are; rising to the challenge of adapting scripts, and then directing and producing them to performance level. The exceptionally high standard of work shown in the heats leading up to the event is a true indication of the professional attitude taken by Interform Drama participants. The members of the student judge panel responsible for selecting the finalists had a very difficult task on their hands, but they rose to the challenge, providing detailed practical feedback that was extremely constructive. I was particularly impressed by the dramatic improvements that the finalists made to their production pieces (given that they had just over a week’s turn-around). They fully addressed recommendations, as well as making mature independent decisions that inevitably involved risk-taking. As with all of the heat entries, there was an overwhelming sense of pride and ownership. The sign-up sheets for rehearsal schedules, where
every available space and time-slot were booked, are clear evidence of the strong commitment of the competing groups. The final six plays took place on Wednesday 16th February, the School’s birthday. It was commemorated by a suitably theatrical (and very in vogue) larger-than-life cup cake design, thanks to our wonderful chef Steve King! The external adjudicator, Flo Hapgood (a former FHS student and current member of the New Theatre Company), was struck by the confidence and inventiveness of the eclectic range of performances. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (IIIJ) was awarded Best Play and Set Design, as it was both visually stimulating and really entertaining, including direct audience interaction. LVN produced a wonderful version of Alice in Wonderland, bringing the well-loved characters to life with playfully creative costumes. I am certain that Molly Teshuva’s stunningly original rendition of the Mad Hatter will go down in FHS performance history; her Best Actress Award is fully deserved.
Dreams of Anne Frank (UIVM) was unquestionably moving. UIVM’s valuable group-based skills were acknowledged with the Best Ensemble prize, (Best Supporting Actress going to Nell Hewetson). Similarly, LIVM impressed our judge with discerning casting decisions for their authentic version of ‘Of Mice and Men’, Millie Williams being identified as Best Cameo Performer. The fast-paced duologue ‘The Diary‘ (LVB) impressed judge Flo Hapgood, leading her to praise the actors’ timing skills, and to award Jemma Mendoza and Jessica Bernberg the Best Directors' award. This year a new title for a prize was created, as UIVS’ ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time‘ was not only commended for Best Sound but also for Most Innovative Direction, due to its ground breaking experimental nature. What an inspiring day! Miss Wilkinson English Department
Awards for Inter Form Drama Competition: Adjudicator for the Competition; Flo Hapgood (an old girl and current member of the New Theatre Company) Best Play and Set Design: IIIJ ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves ‘ Best Actress Award: Molly Teshuva as Mad Hatter Best Ensemble Prize: UIVM ‘Dreams of Anne Frank‘ Best Supporting Actress Nell Hewetson in UIVM’s ‘Dreams of Anne Frank‘ Best Cameo Performance: Millie Williams in LIVM’s ‘Of Mice and Men‘ Best Director Award: Jemma Mendoza and Jessica Bernberg in LVB’s ‘The Diary‘ Best Sound Award: UIVS ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time‘ Most Innovative Direction Award: UIVS ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time‘
The cast of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (IIIJ) Best Play and Set Design, take their bow
Adjudicator Flo Hapgood (centre) Miss Wilkinson and Molly Teshuva with the silver plate for Best Actress (LVN)
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Lavinia Carey and Millie Williams (LIVM) in ‘Of Mice and Men’
Miss Wilkinson and Flo Hapgood
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‘Mad Hatter’ Molly Teshuva applies stage make up to ‘Dormouse’ Amy Kasfiner
The Seven Dwarves
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Success in the Extended Project
Six Upper Sixth girls undertook the Extended Project this year and four achieved A*s and full marks (90 marks out of 90). We would like to congratulate all girls on their outstanding results, which reflect the intellectual commitment of the pupils and support from the staff who mentored them. The work the girls undertook went far beyond their A Level studies and will stand them in good stead for their future university studies. The Extended Project is an optional qualification offered to the Sixth Form and is taken in addition to A Levels. It is designed to challenge the most able students and those with a real interest in a topic outside their A Level studies. It is worth half an A2 level grade. The projects are wide-ranging in their subject matter. This year the girls chose the following subjects: Tanysha Garcia: To investigate whether the use of chemotherapy is suitable for the treatment of cancers in everyone Eliana Neidich-Schwartz: How do writers get their message across under censorship? Ranya Mulchandani: Why was r-EPO developed and how has this development caused problems for those in competitive sports? Taffy Schneider: Did Hector Guimard's designs for the Metro entrances enhance the Parisian landscape? Maia Smillie: How does Dutch artist Ary Scheffer interpret a scene from Dante's 'Inferno'? Emma Wong: The socio-economic issues of the Mezzogiorno.
Eliana Neidich-Schwartz, Tanysha Garcia, Emma Wong, Maia Smillie and Ranya Mulchandani
Miss Jo Green Director of Studies
String Concert, Tuesday 17th March 2011 How is it that just four strings can give us such a wealth and variety of music? The concert began with String Orchestra's very accurate and stylish rendition of Handel's Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. It was great to see so many Thirds playing solos in their first String concert: Cate Silva, Isabelle Mead, Constance Polydor on violin and Esme PerettiO'Brien, Eleanor Bogle, Sophie McMeikan, Lulu Renney on 'cello. Solo playing was String Orchestra interspersed with some advanced and intricate chamber music in the guise of four string quartets (the Papadopoulos, Matsubara, Amherst and Beverley Quartets). We heard a wide range of material, romping through the centuries, from works by composers including Bach, Mozart, Handel, Vivaldi, Reiding and Brahms. This was the last string concert for Charlotte Amherst and Stella Papadopoulos, who have given the school such support through their 1 0
solo, chamber and orchestral playing. Charlotte played an exciting solo rendition of the Bartok Rumanian Folk Dances, each with its own idiosyncratic colour and style. Stella gave an expressive, lyrical and vivid rendition of the Allegro, Lento and Allegro Moderato movements from Reiding's Concerto in G major. The concert culminated in the whole String Orchestra playing a bubbling and amusing performance of the Joplin Paragon Rag. The whole programme was devised by Miss E. Rolfe Johnson, who was also responsible for the coaching of the String Orchestra and Quartets. This was also her last string concert, and we thank her for all her enthusiasm and the tremendous music that she has produced during her five years with Francis Holland. Mrs. L. Rolfe Johnson Director of Music
Eleanor Bogle
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2011 Ski Trip to Killington
This year’s ski trip went to Killington, USA. Twenty-six students ranging from Thirds to Lower Fourth, accompanied by Mrs. Durham, Miss Mahieu, Dr. Welch and myself, flew to Boston, where there were already signs of snow at the airport. We then transferred to the resort where we stayed in the Grey Boonett Inn, which was only ten minutes from the slopes. We had students with an array of abilities, ranging from nine beginners to some very experienced skiers. All
made excellent progress during the week, due to some very entertaining American Ski instructors. It was very cold at the start of the week and the balaclavas got a good airing, but then it gradually warmed up, making the fairly icy conditions easier for skiing. We all had a fabulous time and managed to return with no injuries but many humorous tales. Miss Francis, Science Department
Yes these girls are FHS girls – battling the elements minus 15 degress centigrade plus windchill
Molly Teshuva soaking up the sun F R A N C I S
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Beginner extraordinaire … Dr Welch! 1 1
Mandarin Club
Charity Race
There are now two Mandarin Chinese Clubs at Francis Holland School. Both these extra-curricular activities are free of charge and the Mandarin Club is taught by Laura Piercy, a ‘Polished Corner’ who read Oriental Languages at Edinburgh University after leaving Francis Holland School.
On Sunday 6th March, whilst most people are enjoying their second cup of coffee and opening up the Sunday papers, I braved the chilly morning to race to the top of The Gherkin. This is the second year that this landmark building has opened its doors to crazed individuals such as myself. This year the event doubled in size and 560 participants took all 1037 stairs to the top to raise money for the NSPCC's Children's Voice Appeal. I am happy to say I did make it to the top in a time of 9 minutes and 40 seconds, and enjoyed a well earned rest and the breath taking views. Many thanks to my colleagues for their generous support.
Beginners Mandarin Club is held on Wednesday from 4.00pm to 5.00pm. Intermediate / Advanced Mandarin Club is held on Wednesday at 1.30pm. These clubs are open to pupils in all year groups. Please contact Mrs. Edwards if you would like further details. Mrs. Edwards Head of Modern Languages
Miss J. Laytham
Duke of Edinburgh's Award Coordinator
"Wicked" Theatre Trip On Thursday 20th January ninety-one Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth students, accompanied by their enthusiastic teachers, went to see the musical “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria Theatre (I say enthusiastic because one teacher had seen the show five times before). The girls were by the colourful vibrant production Wantmesmerized to learn Chinese? Whether you and are a complete beginner, and have learnt some Chinese left in high spirits. before, or just fancy a challenge, come and join us in learning about China, eating Chinese Miss snacksGustave, and learning how to speakFifth and write Chinese. Head of Lower
& Miss Mahieu, Head of Upper Fifth
Beginning St. Amedeus 2ND MARCH
St. Amedeus School
Intermediate/advance WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY d School, our Sponsorship School Beginners
4-5PM
1.30PM
If you are interested in signing up for Chinese club, please see Mrs in Moshi, with all money raised going toward St. Amedeus School. Edwards to grab a place.
Tanzania, is moving full steam ahead, with the main classroom block now complete, the addition of a second floor to the dormitory and further work done towards the completion of the schools' new dining hall. The next major step is getting the Science Block underway. I would like to thank very much the parents who have contributed generously to this progress, along with the Parents' Association for the time and effort that has been put into this success. Fundraising ventures are in the pipeline for the school, including a Skydive which took place on Sunday 3 April. Two staff and a grou p o f S i x t h For me rs t ook t o t he ski es ov e r C a m b r i d g e s h i re
Any donations would be greatly appreciated and can be made through the Just Giving website (www.justgiving. com/FHSskydive2011). During October half term this year, myself, Ms. Mahieu and Ms. Tucker will accompany thirty students to Moshi, Tanzania, where the girls will be actively involved in a variety of project work and activities at the school. It is sure to be a fulfilling experience! Thank you all for your continued support. Miss K. Gallagher P.E. Department
The dining hall under construction
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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award As reported last year the Duke of Edinburgh is keeping up with the times and is moving to an on-line registration system. The record books are no longer in use and girls must now sign in to the Duke of Edinburgh's Award website to record any hours of service. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as photos, video footage or log sheets to name a few of the more popular ones. On Friday 4th March during lunch all girls who are currently enrolled in either the Bronze or Silver awards attended a training session on how to use the new online system. During this session all participants were taken through the new ‘eDofE’ system. Attending this session helped them to complete their award. If you would like to take a look at the website the URL address is www.dofe.org. If your daughter has yet to sign up for any of the awards but would like to do so please ask her to see Miss Laytham, Miss Gallagher or Dr. Welch as soon as possible. Miss J. Laytham DofE Co-ordinator
Interform Hockey Tournament: February 2011 After a very cold and white winter, the inter-form hockey tournament finally took place in mid February; the sun was shining and all matches went ahead. The junior school played a 7-a-side format and the senior school played the traditional 11-a-side games. The standard of play continues to rise every year, and this year was no exception. I would like to congratulate all students who took part and thank the rest of the P.E. department for such a successful tournament. The results are below:
Form winners from each year group are: IIIS, LIVM, UIVS, LVN, UVB Best and fairest from each year group are: III – Alice Haine, LIV – Charlotte Bridgham, UIV – Rosie Minderides, LV – Ella Marshall, UV – Olivia Boothman Miss C. Mahieu P.E. Department F R A N C I S
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UIVS and UIVJ battle for the UIV Trophy S C H O O L
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FHS Sports Report
Gym and Dance: A Display to Remember
Spring has sprung! And not a moment too soon, as I thought the sun was never going to smile.
Sublime and sensational, slightly daring – but correct, no doubt, are words that sum up the wonderful FHS Gym and Dance Display of 2011. Over seventy-five Francis Holland girls took part in the Display and made the evening a ‘Display to Remember’. I can safely say that the hard work and dedication shown by both staff and students leading up to the event were shown off in abundance and I am very proud of all girls who took part.
Fixtures have been flying around left, right and centre and the summer sports trials have begun to take shape - dates and details are in the 'fixtures' section of the website; please make note of these details – the early trials are due to the very short summer term.
The energy was high from the kick off, with our Cheerleading Squad taking to the mats and constructing a precision routine of lunges, tucks, twirls, somersaults, cartwheels, round offs and more! A few of the braver members of the squad took to the skies in an aerial display of lifts; a very exciting start to the proceedings!
Albeit chilly, this Spring term has been eventful and packed with all sorts of exciting activities. Our rescheduled Interform Hockey Tournament was a great success and a fitting end to the Spring half term. The U12 & U13 Netball teams competed strongly at the Junior Middlesex Netball tournament at LEH this half term, and I am pleased to report our teams look strong for the next couple of years! Our annual Gym and Dance Display was a triumph again this year, and I am looking forward to the Interform Netball tournament at the end of the term.
FHS Cheerleading Squad
The Dancers commanded the stage then and delighted us with the mini-routines they had prepared. It was fantastic to see a very diverse range of styles being performed on the night, from Contemporary (Harriet Mallender and Ali Golembo) to Flamenco (Nell Hewetson) and Ballet (Willow Hellier Watts and Eleanor Shanahan) to Tap (Natalia Riley). Our audience also had a glimpse of the group work being done during P.E. Dance lessons with class routines from IIIJ and LIVM.
Eleanor Shanahan (IIIJ)
Looking ahead, the Summer term looks very short and snappy… That’s right, it is photo time again! The School Photography Company will be coming in on the 6th May for all Sports teams and Music group photos for the 2010-11 school year. Please make sure your daughters have the right kit for the day and are looking neat and tidy – jewellery or nail polish are not allowed.
It was then time for our Gymnasts to take over the mats and take over they did! From the word go, both the Gym Squad and the Gym Training Squad produced mind boggling and death defying aerial feats to make everyone hold their breath. The captivated audience exploded in a triumph of applause as the final Group routine ended and the participants returned to the stage for their final bow. A fitting end to a job well done.
Fixture lists and other important information will be updated on the school website, so please do keep an eye on what’s going on sports-wise. Please do try and come along to support your daughters and the school for these fantastic events: Summer dates to note: Thu 28 Apr - Thu 5 May Summer Trials continued (Regent’s Park) Fri 6 May Sports & Music Photos (Gym & St Cyprians) Tue 5 Jul Sports Day (Regent’s Park) Wed 6 Jul Interform Swimming Gala (FHS Pool) Miss J. Tucker Head of P.E. Department
Congratulations and thanks to all girls and staff involved in a superb 2011 FHS Gym and Dance Display - especially for the tireless efforts of Miss Mahieu, Miss Laytham & Miss Gallagher, who were the driving force behind the whole production. Can this display get any better? - bring on 2012! Miss J. Tucker Head of Physical Education
Celia Stolper, Eugenia Klemos and Iszi Comber
Violet Mendoza, Sasha Vanger and Lizzie Quacquarelli 1 4
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133rd School Birthday Following the School Birthday service at St Cyprian’s Church the whole school assembled to celebrate the cutting of the school's 133rd Birthday Cake, which was created, as ever, by Mr Steve King, the school chef. The youngest girl in the school, Constance Polydor, and the oldest girl in the school, Courtney Lovejoy, were invited to cut the cake in front of the whole school.
Spring 2011
Form Captains
Games Captains
Daniela Garcia IIIJ Lucy Morris
Esme Peretti-O’Brien IIIM Lulu Renney
Christabel Coles IIIS Samantha Mishon
Ella Nickerson LIVJ Cordelia Groes Christina Mantafounis LIVM Millie Williams
Sophia Zaphiriou-Zarifi LIVS Charlotte Robson Pandora Ballard-Rossiter UIVJ Lucy Streeten
PARENTS' ASSOCIATION NEWS SPRING EVENT: 5th May 2011
‘Spring Salsa’ Supper and Live Entertainment
Eleanor Hewetson UIVM Nancy Paul Yasmeen Ullah UIVS Penelope Whitehead Jordana Belaiche LVB Amalia Adams Julia Muccio LVH Yasmin Robinow
Molly Carl LVN Ella Marshall
Clara Carbajo UVB Caitlin Keegan
Katie Gee UVC Parastou Pedrampour
6.30 – Cocktails/wine and canapés in the library 7.00 – take your seats in the hall for a two-course supper 6 piece ‘Riamba’ Band with singer
Look out for invitations to arrive in the post and get your replies in as soon as possible to ensure a place – we have limited seats and they go very quickly. There will be an amazing Silent Auction and some great raffle prizes. PLEASE DO NOT MISS THIS GREAT EVENT…!!! We look forward to seeing you on 5th May.
Prize Giving 2011 We are delighted to announce that we will be holding the 2011 school Prize-Giving at Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank at 6:30pm on Thursday 22nd September 2011. All parents and pupils will be invited to attend. Upper Fourth and above are expected to be present.
Sue Silkstone Chair, FHS Parents’ Association
Future Dates for your Diary
2011 FHS Parental Questionnaire
Tue 12th Apr Geography Trip to Morocco departs
FHS parents will receive, with the end of Spring term mailing, a questionnaire on all aspects of school life. We would be most grateful if you would assist us in returning this questionnaire by 3rd May 2011 to Mrs. Sue Gurin.
Tue 19th Apr Geography Trip returns Tue 26th Apr Staff INSET Day (no pupils in school) Wed 27th Apr First day of Summer term Wed 4th May Second hand uniform sale in the Gym ........................ 4:15-5:30pm
The questionnaire will also be available via the parent log-in on the FHS website.
Fri 6th May
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Theatre Studies Assessed Performance in the Hall ........ 4:15-7pm
Wed 11th May Summer Concert at St. Cyprian's ................................. 6:30-9:30pm
All questionnaires are anonymous will be treated in the strictest confidence. 1 6
Aanya Singh UVL Emma Dabbs
Wed 25th May GCSE Art Exhibition ............................................................... 5:30pm S C H O O L
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