Francis Holland School Newsletter April 2015
From the Headmistress Dear Parents, It was good to see many of you at the annual joint Harrow choral concert last week. Contemporary composer Francis Grier was in the audience to hear a memorable performance of his work, Around the Curve of the World. Congratulations to all those pupils—and staff— who sang in the joint choir with Harrow School. Many thanks to the Director of Music, Mr Robert Patterson, for the painstaking hours of rehearsal of this complex work; particular congratulations to Violet Beverley in the Lower Fifth, whose solo performance was highly accomplished. On Saturday 14th March, FHS hosted the annual Model United Nations Conference, which involved a large number of Lower Fifth, Upper Fifth and Sixth Form students, including those from other London schools. Many thanks to all those staff and sixth formers whose efforts ensured the success of the day—to Mr Harry Clayton and above all, to Mrs Georgina Tomsett-Rowe, who prepared and coached FHS students so effectively. We have been privileged to welcome many speakers to give extra-curricular lectures this academic year. One highlight this term was the science lecture given F r a n c i s
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The Lower and Senior Chamber Choirs performed an exceptionally challenging work Around the Curve of the World by Francis Grier in Harrow School Speech Room with Harrow School on Tuesday 17th March. The concert was a great success and few schools could take on the challenge of such a piece. Special mention must be made of Violet Beverley who sang her solos exquisitely. Mr Robert Patterson Director of Music
to a packed lecture theatre after school last Thursday by Professor Dame Julia Higgins, who spoke about careers in science and engineering. The public examination season is fast approaching. As this goes to press, the Upper Sixth Theatre Studies pupils are rehearsing for their A level devised drama examination performance later this week. We wish them every success. During the Easter holidays, there
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will be a Sixth form trip to Rome, organised by the Italian and History of Art departments. Many thanks to Miss Alice Montgomery and Mr Nick Gridelli, who will be leading this trip. With best wishes for a happy Easter,
Mrs V M Durham
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Staff News We would like to thank Dr Konstantina Haidou for working with us in the Classics department this term.
Sixth Form Scholarships and Awards 2015-2017 Sixth Form Music Scholarship
Lulu Renney UVB
Sixth Form Music Exhibition
Constance Polydor UVH
Sixth Form Academic Scholarship Chiara Argenti UVH and Ruby MacGregor UVP
Sixth Form Academic Awards Nicole Chrétien UVB and Natasha Rhodes UVH
Dr Haidou
Congratulations to Mrs Claire Wood and her husband Sebastian on the birth of their first son Arthur on Saturday 7th March.
Mrs Wood, Sebastian and Arthur
Congratulations to Mr Mark Chiverton and his wife Emily on the birth of their first son Ruben on Saturday 25th February.
Mr Chiverton and Ruben
We wish the very best of luck to Miss Kay Hotchkiss who will be running the London Marathon on 26th April 2015. She is fundraising for the British Heart Foundation and her charity page is www.justgiving. com/kay-hotchkiss.
Spring Term 2015 Form Captains Molly King IIIJ Jasmin Morris IIIM Lorna Sibson IIIS Jessie Jones LIVJ Kate Gill-Boniaszczuk LIVM Cecilia Rafter LIVS Caroline Coyne UIVJ Anna Brown UIVM Fatma Hammad UIVS Giada Pipicelli LVC Grace Crawley LVF Alexandra Stephenson LVT Martha Barron UVB Lara Shiels UVH Niku Hessabi UVP
Games Captains Emma Nygren Eliza Harding Roisin Horan Phoebe Bor Issy Jackson Aleesa Edmunds Shyna Melwani Ellie Eden Olivia Muccio Clarice Willis Marie-Liesse Gouilliard Alice Ward Lucy Morris Dania Al-Saffar Jessie Clayton
Congratulations to Saskia
Miss Hotchkiss
Ms Cara Bain is taking nonremunerated sabbatical leave from April 2015 – April 2016 as she is returning to Australia for a year.
Ms Bain
Congratulations to Saskia De Borchgrave Niblett in the Upper Sixth who has just been awarded a prestigious and generous Presidential Scholarship to study at Sarah Lawrence, a renowned Liberal Arts College in New York. The scholarship was awarded on the academic strength of Saskia’s dissertation for her A level Art Course. Saskia, however, plans to study at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University as she received a place on their much-coveted and competitive film course. This FHS leaver is in high demand amongst the most impressive courses in the US! Mrs Alex Francisco Head of Sixth Form
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Happy 137th Birthday!
This year’s school birthday was particularly important because the school is celebrating one-hundred years on the Regent’s Park site. The school birthday began in St Cyprian’s Church, led by the headmistress. Mrs Durham focused her assembly on Mr Henry Hare, the eminent early twentieth century architect who was also an FHS parent. Mr Hare masterminded the building’s design and construction between 1913 to its completion in 1915. The current oldest student Hannah Haine and the youngest pupil Marnie Schneider are pictured celebrating the 137th School Birthday with Mrs Durham and the Head Girl, Danah Cred. The three students cut the school birthday cake which had been specially made by the FHS chef, Mr Steve King.
Extended Project Qualification: Congratulations
Congratulations to these Upper Sixth students who completed the Extended Project Qualification this term
Five Upper Sixth students completed the Extended Project Qualification this year, which involved researching and writing a 5,000 word dissertation on a topic of their choice and presenting their findings to an audience of students, staff and parents in early December. The projects were wide-ranging in their subject matter. This year the girls chose the following subjects: Rachel Cowan How far did upper class women in late 19th century China have status? Rebekah Hornsby Ovid’s Metamorphoses: analysing art and viewing in Pygmalion Matilda Ruback "The more distinctive we are—the more rooted in an ethnic, racial or religious identity—the more important it may seem to hold onto who we are" - Hugh Brody. Using the Himba tribe as an example, to what extent can indigenous tribes modernise while staying true to their community and sense of self?
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Lucy Streeten Did Cosimo de'Medici reign supreme like a king in 15th century Florence? Katia Pagano How is our scientific understanding of the concept of "nothing" hindering our ability to understand the origin of our universe? We would like to congratulate all the students on their outstanding projects, which reflect the academic curiosity and intellectual commitment of the pupils. The work the girls undertook went far beyond their A Level studies and will prepare them for the demanding level of independent learning required at university. The Extended Project Qualification has already proved popular with many LVI pupils currently carrying out initial research and exploring ideas. We look forward to another set of exciting projects next academic year! Miss Kristina Lewis Co-ordinator of the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
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Young Shakespeare Drama Workshop on Macbeth
On Tuesday 24th February, The Young Shakespeare Company came into school for the second time to show the Lower Fourth how they, as a group of actors, make choices about how to interpret and perform Macbeth. These choices include decisions about setting (modern or Shakespearean or somewhere in-between?), accent (Scottish, contemporary British, mid20th century "Received Pronunciation English"?), costume (modern dress, Elizabethan dress?), the witches (haggard old women, ethereal spirits, or modern zombies?) and character interpretation. At each stage of the discussion they gave us snippets of how the various choices would look or sound and then they showed us how they use various paired or group work devices to come up with their own interpretations of the characters’ motives and
actions. The second half of the afternoon was taken up with the four actors performing a condensed version of the play. Time and number constraints meant that some characters and scenes were left out but what was in was "pure Shakespeare". Having recently read the play, the girls were totally engaged by the power of the drama and the brilliant versatility of the four actors who interpreted at least ten parts between them. In discussions afterwards, students showed that they had noticed every single change that had been made, and there is no doubt that seeing Macbeth acted out in front of them had enormously deepened their understanding and grasp of the play. Mrs Nicky Foy English and Drama Department
Young Shakespeare Drama Workshop on A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Something amazing happened on 22nd January when the Young Shakespeare Company visited Francis Holland School. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was brought to life in our School Hall with the help of our FHS Thirds. Four actors and one facilitator delivered an excellent example of TIE or "Theatre in Education", focused on making the play real as possible. The students worked with the actors and wore the costumes, stepped into character, and created sound effects, which made
The Dream—arguably Shakespeare’s most convoluted comedy—clearer and more accessible than ever before. My favourite moment was when Amalie Atfield (IIIJ), Jessica Flood, Georgina Woolf, and Hero Coles (IIIM), who were expertly playing the four lovers, stood up in what would have been Act III scene I and pointed at who they were in love with at that moment. This made it clear that the course of true love never did run smooth as their love lives were now truly in a shambles, thanks to the fairies.
As a Drama teacher I was really impressed with how the company made it evident that good theatre needn’t have bombastic effects, or even decent lighting! The work of the actors was slick and simple, which also allowed the talents of eighty-odd Thirds to shine; it was a magical Thursday. A very special thank you to Mrs Foy in the English Department for organising the visit and a huge well done to all the girls! Ms Abi Hine English and Drama Department
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The Senior Choir perform Evensong at Southwark Cathedral
The Senior Choir performed Evensong superbly at Southwark Cathedral on Wednesday 4th March in front of parents, staff and members of the public. They sang with a glorious tone and filled the cathedral space effortlessly. The cathedral clergy and organist were amazed that this was their first ever evensong and are very keen to welcome us again. Mr Robert Patterson Director of Music
Alex Bellos lecture to Mathematics Society
On Thursday 5th February the UK Intermediate Mathematical Challenge took place in February and we have received the results which are as follows: Bronze certificates for Lower Fifth: Marita Andrews Jessye Clarke Maxine Freeman Tabitha Dickson Georgia Michaels Yasmeen Louis Amy Hobson Emily Evangelou Poppi Haynes Violet Beverley
Mrs Martin with speaker Alex Bellos, Katia, Ruby and Xiusi
The Maths Society was delighted to welcome renowned author, Guardian journalist and broadcaster Alex Bellos for an informal after school enrichment lecture. We were thrilled that our fellow students from FHS Sloane Square came along too, as well as their teachers. Many students across the whole age range stayed for the talk as Alex took us on an intellectually stimulating journey through Mathematics that culminated in an amazing demonstration of the John Conway’s Game of Life. This is a simulation game with analogies with the rise, fall and alterations of a society of living organisms. I think everyone’s brain was stretched a little beyond the usual. You can try it out using the Golly app and see for yourself how complex patterns can emerge from the implementation of very simple rules—totally addictive! Mrs Anjali Martin Head of Mathematics Department F r a n c i s
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UK Intermediate Mathematical Challenge February 2015
A Silver Certificate is awarded to Amber Khan who also receives the Certificate for Best in Year and the Certificate for Best in School. For the Upper Fourth, the following pupils were awarded: Bronze Certificates: Alice Emlyn Jones Courtney McNeil Fatma Hammad Constanza Sodano Reimi Takagi Anna Brown Silver Certificates, as well as Certificates for Best in Year and Certificates for Best in School are awarded to Riana Modi Lily Clarke Ana-Maria Chiriac Amanda Martins Many congratulations to all the girls! Miss Neermala Murugan Mathematics Department
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Lower Fourth Charity Disco
The annual Lower Fourth disco continues to be “the event of the social calendar”. Once again, despite a distinctly crisp feel to the night, the queue formed early, ready for the 7:30pm start. Red was our token theme in support of the British Heart Foundation’s campaign on that day “Wear it Beat it”. We are grateful for the support of the boys from Sussex Hall, Wetherby Prep, Lyndhurst House, The Hall, UCS and The Trevor Roberts School. The Sixth Form prefects and friends did an excellent job transforming the hall with red hearts, streamers and balloons, as well as manning the refreshments and cloakrooms. Our DJs Georgia Young, Hannah Badawi-Crook and Katey Jackson soon had the dance floor full as the bass was pounding out. The glow bracelets, hearts and whistles were soon snapped up, even by the staff and Miss Mahieu showed her hidden talents as official photographer. We are grateful to everyone for their support in raising over £500 for the British Heart Foundation and Over the Wall —a charity providing recreational camps for children living with serious illness. Sixth Form Mrs Sharon Bexon Head of Lower Fourth
Upper Fifth GCSE Science Live! Event
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On Friday 30th January, twenty Science enthusiasts from the Upper Fifth, accompanied by myself and Mrs Lockwood, attended the 2015 GCSE Science Live! event at the Dominion theatre in London. The speakers included Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Professor Robert Winston, Professor Steve Jones and Dr Maggie AderinPocock, who all gave insight into their different areas of interest which relate to the GCSE Science courses. All of the speakers were interesting and entertaining, but we particularly enjoyed Professor Robert Winston's inspirational talk about his research, which included some incredible footage of processes related to fertilisation and embryo growth happening inside the body. The students were also offered examination advice by Chief Examiner Stewart Chenery, to help enhance their technique in answering questions in the Sciences this summer. Many thanks to all girls who came along! You were so well behaved and a pleasure to enjoy the day with! Ms Kay Hotchkiss Head of Chemistry
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FHS Regent's Park hosts Model United Nations
Mrs Tomsett-Rowe speaks at the MUN
Saffy, Jessye and Rae represent Nigeria
Students debate various issues affecting their countries
The annual FHS Model United Nations Conference was held on Saturday 14th March 2015 and we welcomed 100 delegates, all allocated to a country and a committee. There was a tremendous level of well-prepared debate as delegates lobbied for support and discussed diverse and difficult issues according to their
country’s standpoint. A huge thank you to Mrs Tomsett-Rowe who organized the conference so magnificently and prepared the FHS delegates and chairs of committees so thoroughly. Ms Clare MacDonnell Director of Extra-Curricular Activities
Upper Fourth Flamenco Dance Workshop
On Tuesday 10th and Thursday 12th March, the Spanish Department hosted two Flamenco workshops for the Upper Fourth Spanish students. These were run by Lourdes Fernandez, a flamenco dancer with degrees in flamenco and classical Spanish dance from the Royal Juan Carlos University in Madrid, who was a member of the Ballet Flamenco in Madrid and took part in the international UNESCO dance gala organized in Madrid in 2006. F r a n c i s
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The workshops were conducted in Spanish and focussed on foot technique, hand movements, turn technique and choreography. All students thoroughly enjoyed learning about this historical Andalusian dance and showed some soulful moves. Mr Nick Gridelli Head of Modern Foreign Languages
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2015 Inter-form Drama Competition
The final of the 2015 Drama Competition was held, as is now traditional, on the school birthday, this year Thursday 12th February.
List of Winners Best Play LVC: Blithe Spirit Best Directors UIVS: Claudia Prettejohn & Ariella Layhani for Anne Frank
It was judged by former pupil Sarah Rick Harris, one of the school’s earliest "A" Level Theatre Studies pupils, who went on to study Drama at Leeds and has now re-trained as a Lawyer. I was delighted to assist with what proved a very challenging task indeed.
Best Actress Runner Up – LVC: Minnie Kilgour in Blithe Spirit Winner – UVP: Elle Bogle in Pygmalion Best Ensemble LIVS: Issy Waite & Tizzy Ritblat for Nanny McPhee
The overall winners of the Best Play Prize were LVC with a clever adaptation of the séance scene from Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, which caught the arch dialogue between Charles Condomine and the ghost of his first wife Elvira, beautifully played by Minnie Kilgour and Rowena Koenig.
Best Script Adaptation LVT: Jessye Clarke & Shree Kharwa for The Dead Poets’ Society Best Comedy Performance Runner Up – LIVS: Amy Cash in Nanny McPhee Winner – UIVM: Allegra Nardi & Ellie Eden in Alice in Wonderland
A close contender was UVP’s adaptation of two scenes from Shaw’s Pygmalion, stylishly staged and played, which carried off the Best Actress Prize for Elle Bogle’s brilliantly witty performance as Henry Higgins.
Best Supporting Actress Runner Up – UIVS: Fatma Hammad in Anne Frank Winner – UIVS: Ella Roeser in Anne Frank
In fact there was so much to commend in the nine finalist plays. All of the finalists should feel proud of what they achieved: it is no mean feat to stage a play, from selection of script, through to casting, organising rehearsals and deciding how to stage it, without any help from teachers. Bravo, girls!
Best Programme LIVJ: Rosie Bowyer for The Devil Wears Prada Lighting IIIM: Anna Boeckman & Georgie Wolfe for Once Upon A Fairy Tale Costumes Runner Up – IIIJ: Ava Dance, Lauren Kanter & Naomi Barrett for Cinderella Winner – UIVM: Ella Sprosta in Alice in Wonderland
Mrs Kate Oakley English and Drama Department
Set LVC: Gertie Gray & Emilia Kalff for Blithe Spirit
Ellie in Alice in Wonderland
Lily, Cara and Felicité
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FHS hosts National Classics Conference 2015
The annual FHS Classics Conference, this year on AS Latin Literature, was a great success. 170 Classics students and teachers from 25 different schools attended on 31st January, including City of London School and St Paul’s Boys and Girls Schools, with groups coming from as far as Essex and even Belfast. All of them were eager to learn more about this year's AS Latin set texts—Ovid Metamorphoses III and Cicero de Imperio. Dr Ingo Gildenhard from Kings College, Cambridge and Dr Fiachra Mac Góráin from University College London gave two talks each throughout the day. As they are both specialists on the set authors, it was a useful opportunity for our seven Lower Sixth Latinists to consolidate what they had been studying over the course of the year.
The lecturers sought to place the texts within their original historic and literary contexts, and the students were presented with a breadth of information that stretched far beyond the AS syllabus. As well as raising the intellectual bar with which our girls viewed the texts, the academic depth of the four lectures also gave them taste of university study, particularly Oxbridge. The girls were given a chance to speak to the lecturers personally afterwards. It was an inspiring day for all who attended. Mrs Hana Packford Head of Classics Department
Author visit from KAS Quinn
On Friday 30th January, the children’s author KAS Quinn visited Francis Holland to talk to the Thirds about her books, her career and the Victorian era. KAS Quinn is the author of the trilogy: The Queen Must Die, The Queen at War and The Queen Alone. These books are set in the Victorian era but have a modern central character who travels through time. Ms Quinn explained to the girls that although many people from her family were actors, she was determined to become an author. When she was a young reader, all her favourite books, such as Jane Eyre, were set in the Victorian era and she wanted to explore Victorian life and thought that if she wrote books about them, she would get closer to the Victorians.
the Queen wrote many diaries and started to write then when she was thirteen; she loved her husband (Prince Albert) dearly; they had one of the first Christmas trees in Britain because Christmas trees were a German tradition. She had nine children and after Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria was devastated and stayed in mourning for the rest of her life.
During the talk the girls also had the opportunity to try on Victorian clothes, including cloaks, bonnets and very heavy petticoats! The girls also saw examples of calling cards (these would be cards given from friends) and jewellery. They then had the opportunity to purchase Ms Quinn’s books and have them signed by the author. Thank you to Ms Quinn for a The main character of her trilogy is Katie Berger-Jones-Berg. fascinating talk. Katie lives in New York with her mother, who marries often. Katie time-travels and meets Princess Alice, Queen Victoria’s Ms Emma Williams daughter. Ms Quinn told us many interesting facts such as that Head of English Department 1 0 A p r i l
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World Book Day 2015
Writer and Cartoonist John Byrne speaks to the Upper Fourth World Book Day celebrations continued on Friday 6th March as we were joined by professional cartoonist and writer John Byrne, who spoke to the Upper Fourth girls about his career and the steps he took to become a cartoonist. It was an interactive hands-on workshop which involved the girls testing out their artistic skills. John’s cartoons and comic strips have appeared in a wide range of publications ranging from Private Eye, The Guardian and The Stage to The Bookseller, Christian Herald, Media Week and the BBC’s in-house newspaper Ariel. He has also published numerous books for children and adults, including many cartoon and joke books for publishers including Harper Collins, Random House and Puffin, as well as ‘’how to’’ books on comedy writing, singing, dancing and of course several best selling books on the business of Cartooning. Broadcast work has included stints as resident cartoonist on Nickelodeon TV, and comedy and sitcom writing for Virgin Radio and BBC Radio 4. He has also worked as a Communications and Education Officer for Unicef in Malawi, Central Africa, where he first discovered the power of combining live theatre with education.
Em reads from her favourite novel
On Thursday 5th March Francis Holland students celebrated World Book Day in true literary style by sharing an extract from their favourite novel during a "Books Aloud Party", which took place during lunchtime in the library.
John is currently the Cartoon Diploma tutor at London Art College and his Learn Cartooning Live show has been a big hit at festivals, schools and community events for over a decade. Miss Emily Wainwright School Librarian
The event not only inspired girls to read new fiction but also raised funds for Book Aid International, an incredible charity which sends over a million brand new books to partner libraries in sub-Saharan Africa each year. Congratulations to Grace Glinsman (III), Xiusi Li (LVI) and Isabelle Shirley (LVI) who each won a ten pound National Book Token in our World Book Day competition! To top it off, everyone enjoyed a delicious World Book Day themed lunch which was beautifully created by our chef Mr Steve King and his team. Miss Emily Wainwright School Librarian
John Byrne teaches the students how to draw cartoons
FHS Dance Workshop The Thirds and Lower Fourths were treated to a fantastic African and Indian Dance Workshop this term. I swear the whole school shook with the thumping beats of the Ugandan tribal dances and blaring Bollywood tunes as our juniors found their rhythm and voice. Well done, girls; fantastic effort as usual! Ms Jane Tucker Head of PE Department F r a n c i s
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The Thirds and Lower Fourths learn steps to African and Indian dance routines S c h o o l
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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award A total of 83 girls have registered to begin their Bronze, Silver or Gold level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. Online training sessions will take place for all Bronze Award candidates before the end of term. Congratulations and good luck to them all! Well done to the 19 girls who took part in the expedition training session on Saturday 7th February. This session was for the Gold and Silver Award participants and was led by the staff at Mountainwise. The girls took part in a variety of sessions including compass and map reading skills, camp cooking, first aid and route planning. They will put these skills to use during their expeditions during the summer term. A reminder that if your daughter is having difficulty with any aspect of the "e D of E" system please encourage her to come along to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award online clinic which takes place every Tuesday at short break in F12. Mrs Kirsty Lombard Duke of Edinburgh's Co-ordinator
Public Schools' Fencing Championship 2015 Congratulations to all our fencers who competed at the Independent schools nonstop championship on Wednesday 18th March and in particular to Rita Broberg who made it through to the quarter-finals. Fencing classes are run on Fridays from 4 – 5pm and taught by Priscille Lapoutge. Ms Clare MacDonnell Director of Extra-curricular Activities
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Ski Trip to Tonale, Italy On Saturday 14th February, 32 students along with 5 staff flew out to Tonale, Italy, for the FHS annual ski trip. The first day was quite challenging due to whiteout conditions, but we battled through and all enjoyed our five hours of ski tuition. The next day brought brilliant sunshine, and that, along with the fresh snow, made for perfect ski conditions. The beginners made excellent progress, learning how to snow plough and more importantly stop! Meanwhile, the
Kate prepares
rest of the groups learnt better techniques to help them go even faster and to look slicker on the slopes . We were very lucky that the sunshine stayed for the rest of the week, so the sights whilst we sipped our hot chocolates on the slopes were glorious. Mrs Rona Grant Ski Trip Co-ordinator
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Gym and Dance Display 2015 Power, Poise and Perfection
The Gym Squad
The 2015 FHS Gym and Dance Display was a magnificent display of power, poise and perfection. It was very pleasing to note how appreciative the jam-packed audience were, as it felt like the applause was never ending. The evening was the cumulative result of months and months of preparation. Routines were practiced to a tee and every performer gave their all to what could only be described as an enormously entertaining evening. Our FHS Cheerleading Squad took to the mats to start the evening with a fire-cracker routine. Next to the floor were the dancers, who enchanted the crowd with many emotive contemporary and ballet dance pieces. A new club at FHS was thrust into the spotlight—the FHS Dance Crew entered the hall with attitude and wicked moves. The standard of gymnastics
continues to flourish at FHS and the girls just love performing. Routines, flexibility and agilities are worked on in each and every one of the four practices held every week in our school gymnasium for our Gymnastics Squad and our Gymnastics Training Squad. Congratulations and thank you to all girls and staff involved in an outstanding 2015 FHS Gym and Dance Display—especially to the untiring efforts of Ms Bain, Mrs Lombard, Miss Laytham, and Miss Ahmagjoka, who were the driving force behind the whole production. Ms Jane Tucker Head of PE Department
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Spring Term Sports Report The spring term sports and activities really do shout out from the rooftops how much we love our sport at FHS. A term jampacked full of Dance Workshops, Fitness Fortnights, Gym Competitions, Gym and Dance Displays, Mini Marathons, Netball Competitions, summer sports trials and the cream on the end-of-term cake—the Inter-form Netball Competition. We even find time to fit in a Hockey and Netball fixture or five —fantastic! If you love sports, I would encourage all girls to find a club or group out of school and continue to pursue their sports passions at the weekends and free evenings with a local club or society, especially if she is keen to improve further. Summer sports trials will continue at the start of next term, so make sure you are trying out for a team and getting involved! Please note that Sports Day has moved this year to Friday 3rd July—definitely one for the diaries.
Rest up over the Easter break, as the summer term will be short, super sweet and action packed also. Ms Jane Tucker Head of PE Department Summer term dates to note: Tuesday 24th April Summer Sports Trials (cont.) Regent’s Park Thursdays ongoing FHS 3-a-side Soccer competition School Playground Tuesday 28th April Summer Fixtures begin Various Friday 3rd July Sports Day Regent’s Park Hub Monday 6th July Sports Day (back up day) Regent’s Park Hub
Mini Marathon in Regent's Park
The Thirds leap to a flying start
Friday the 13th was perfect weather for fast times and records to fall—and this year’s Mini Marathon did not disappoint! The bump in numbers at running club this year has been great to see and certainly would have been a contributing factor to the fast times. 115 runners competed this March, which is a new participation record and one that I hope we can still add to next time. Well done to all of the girls who ran! Many thanks to the whole of the Sixth Form for their help on the day and to the staff who helped as well.
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Winners from each of the year groups are: Thirds – Hero Coles Lower Fourth – Amelia Carney Upper Fourth – Ella Roeser * Lower Fifth – Jessie Weller * Upper Fifth – Cara Heppell Sixth Form – Rosie Minderides Ella and Jessie were the fastest in the school—both had a time of 11 minutes and 43 seconds! Very speedy times! Ms Jane Tucker Head of PE Department
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Celebrating Women in Technology
Lower Sixth French Debating Competition On Wednesday 4th February 2015, the Lower Sixth French students took part in a regional French debating competition at St Paul’s Girls’ School. The girls, in two separate teams, had to debate the three following motions: The best religion is the absence of religion; The research into three parent embryos should be stopped and There should be more political and economic integration in the European Union. The motions had to be debated in French against rival schools. Despite competing against very competent students, the FHS teams made us extremely proud and were highly praised for their ability to speak fluently and spontaneously, responding to the opponents’ challenges competently and effectively. The teams were particularly successful against Southbank International School and Blackheath High School, winning respectively the motions on religion and science. Despite feeling understandably tense during the debates, our students greatly enjoyed the experience, and returned to school exhilarated and full of confidence in their abilities. They are now even more keen to take part in another challenge next year.
On Friday 6th March, students from the Sixth Form attended the Celebrating Women in Technology conference at the Royal Institution. The event was hosted by Kate Bellingham, a TV presenter and engineer, and was a day of discovery led by leading women from industry and academia who work in exciting areas of technology. Speakers included Christine Ashton, senior vice-president of Thomson Reuters and Genevieve Smith-Nunes, creator of a data-driven dance performance inspired by computer science.
Miss Alessandra Spera Acting Head of French Department
Francis Holland School Parents’ Association
The students enjoyed interactive presentations, participated in a maths/ science competition and joined in with a Q&A session with four current female undergraduates studying for a computer science degree.
invite you to the annual
Mrs Anjali Martin Head of Mathematics Department
6.30pm Wednesday 29th April 2015
Summer Term Sixth Form Monday Lectures
Join Simon O’ Hagan the Independent’s in-house quiz expert and Hugh Pym the BBC’s Health Editor for the annual Quiz Night.
Plus… BID for the fantastic prizes in the
8th June UCAS Day
and help benefit FHS’ chosen charities!
15th June RTA – Not Just another Statistic (Change the way you think about driving) 4:30pm Finish John Allen
A meet up with comedian Russell Howard,
A personal training session with Olympic athlete Jennifer Stoute,
Signed team shirt from football superstars Joe Hart or Gareth Bale , Tickets to see Chelsea play at Stamford Bridge , A holiday in a luxurious home in Verbier, Tuscany or Lake Como , Take a personal tour of the National Gallery , A Designer handbag …and lots, lots more!
22nd June Lower Sixth Sexual Health Session – Group 1 Shirldon Barthelmy 29th June Lower Sixth Sexual Health Session – Group 2 Shirldon Barthelmy
Tickets £25 each include dinner and complimentary glass of wine.
FHS hits the London Marathon!
Future Dates for your Diary
To book tickets or to donate a prize contact: PA@fhs-nw1.org.uk FRANCIS HOLLAND SCHOOL CLARENCE GATE PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION CHARITABLE TRUST Registered Charity Number 1160087
Tue 14th Apr Italian and History of Art Trip to Rome departs (returns Fri 17th) 6:45am Mon 20th Apr Staff INSET day (no pupils required in school) Report Review Meetings for designated students Lower Fifth Trip to Castle Head, Lake District departs (returns Thu 23rd) Tue 21st Apr Summer Term begins ........................................................................... 8:25am Fri 24th Apr Parents’ Prayer Group meeting in the Gloucester Room .............. 9–10am Mon 27th Apr Whole school photograph in Regent's Park Tue 28th Apr Knapp House Parents' Meeting in the Hall ..................................... 5:30pm Wed 29th Apr Parents’ Association Supper Quiz ..................................................... 6:30pm Sun 3rd May D of E practice expedition to Chelmsford (returns Mon 4th May) Mon 25th May–Fri 29th May Half Term
Trials to earn a place in the London Marathon were held at the Paddington Recreational at the start of March. Well done to Amelia Carney, Ruby LowsleyWilliams and Ella Roeser who have all qualified to run the last 5km of the London Marathon—Go FHS! Ms Jane Tucker Head of PE Department
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