Francis Holland School Newsletter May 2010 ascension day service
From the Headmistress Dear Parents, The GCSE and A level season is now upon us and we wish girls every success in their public examinations this term. School examinations for Thirds to Lower Fifth will take place in the week after half term, starting on Monday 7th June. Many congratulations to Violet Farkas in the Upper Sixth who has received a commendation in The Royal Society of Chemistry’s International Olympiad.
See page 3 for a report on the Ascension Day Service
delivering something to the school office that morning remarked, “I didn’t know this school was a polling station, too.” Many thanks to all the candidates who braved hustings in morning assembly and particularly to Mr. Chiverton, who masterminded the day with characteristic attention to detail. Suffice it to say, no one was turned away unable to cast their vote, when doors in the Hall closed at the end of polling at FHS!
The school was honoured by the presence of the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, who confirmed FHS pupils during the Ascension Day service in St. Cyprian’s last week. Many thanks to Rev’d Locke and the R.S. department for preparation of the confirmands.
Wednesday June 30th is the Upper Sixth Leavers’ Prize-giving, which is always a wonderfully happy and nostalgic valedictory evening for parents, girls and staff. I would like to thank this year’s Head Girl’s Team for all they have contributed to the school since they were elected last June. The Head Girl, Ali Gillum, and the Head Girl’s Team: Kaammini Chanrai, Celeste Chipperfield, Violet Farkas, Jessica Fletcher, Tiggi Kempe, Isabel Roberts and Rosie Wright, have led all manner of lively charitable enterprises - from sponsored bungee jumping to whole school cookery competitions – to raise money for many charities, including the Red Cross’ appeal for victims of the Haiti earthquake. The Head Girl’s Team also chairs school
Miss Gallagher has sent enthusiastic accounts of her first few weeks’ teaching on secondment this term to St. Amedeus, the school we sponsor in Moshi, Tanzania. Fazed by nothing, once she has dusted the chalk dust off her t-shirt at the end of a long day’s teaching, Miss Gallagher is enthusiastically coaching pupils in new sports, such as tag rugby. You can read the latest news from Miss Gallagher on the school website (www.francisholland.org.uk). Such was the verisimilitude of the FHS general election on May 6th, that a member of the public F r a n c i s
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council meetings, which are held twice a term, and in the past year important discussions have been held on school uniform. Cycle racks have been installed at the side of the main building, as a result of school council discussions. It was good to meet many of you at the joint choral concert with Harrow School at the very end of last term, and at the memorable Summer Concert in St. Cyprian’s last week. Sincere thanks to all members of the Parents’ Association Committee and to the many parents who contributed to the success of the Social Evening at the end of March. Highlights in the second half of this term include the Lower Fourth Science Fair on Monday 28th June and the Jazz evening on July 5th ; full details of these and many more events in this term can be found on the school website. We pray for good weather on Tuesday July 6th, when we shall hold Sports Day in Regent’s Park, which all FHS parents are most welcome to attend.
Mrs. V.M. Durham 1
Staff News Many congratulations to two members of staff who have gained internal promotion with effect from September 2010. Dr. Welch has been promoted to Head of Chemistry and Miss O’Toole will become Deputy Head of Sixth Form. Dr. Welch succeeds Mr. Davis, who has been promoted to Deputy Head of the Licensed Victuallers’ School. Miss O’Toole, who is also Head of the History of Art Department, succeeds Miss Dickens, who will leave in July to become Head of a MFL department. Congratulations also to Mrs Wright (nee Miss Foord) who was married during the Easter holidays and returned to school after a longer than expected honeymoon, thanks to the flight delays caused by volcanic ash. Miss Sainty in the Geography Department was nominated for a Teacher Award in the 2010 national teaching awards: many congratulations to Miss Sainty and many thanks to the pupil(s) who nominated her! Hossny Mostafa, who has been a chef in our school kitchen for many years, has been awarded “outstanding employee of the year” by Brookwood, the school caterers. This national award is in recognition of Mos’ outstanding service to the school; typical of his commitment to Brookwood and FHS was the long journey Mos made - much Hossny Mostafa on the day of of it on foot - during the the school's Egyptian lunch day of snow closures to ensure he met the early morning kitchen deliveries. (The lorries didn’t make it!!) Miss Sainty
Vic Sheriffs It was with great sadness that the school learned of the passing of Vic Sheriffs, who had been Caretaker at FHS for many years. Vic had been unwell for some time. In all, he gave twenty years’ outstanding service to the school as the main school keeper. He will be fondly remembered by generations of pupils and staff for all those lockers with missing keys which he opened; for his benign and ever helpful presence Vic Sheriffs while setting up every major school event and locking up afterwards late at night; above all for his great discovery that the Gloucester Arms was to be auctioned. It is wonderful that Vic was able to be present at the opening of the Gloucester Wing, despite his illness, (and it is fitting that it was he who initiated the building of this bridge to the future.) He really was, and is, the genius loci, the spirit of the place. Miss Addinall Deputy Headmistress
Vic meets the Duke of Gloucester
Mathematics Visit On 24th March, three of our most talented Sixth Form mathematicians, Kathryn Sokolova, Reqaiyah Khwaja and Surabhi Bhatnagar, went to the Institute of Education to hear renowned author and broadcaster Simon Singh talk about the diversity of mathematical ways to solve a problem. Simon’s books include ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’ and ‘The Code Book’. Recent broadcasts have included ‘Mind Games’ and ‘The Secrecy of Silence’. A very inspiring time was had by all. Mrs. Martin Head of the Mathematics Department Simon Singh
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ascension day service
On the morning of 13th May, at our Ascension Day Service, Richard, Bishop of London, presided and confirmed the first confirmation candidates FHS has presented for twelve years. This was a very happy occasion, and we offer our congratulations to Rebecca Edge, Sofia Girling, Caroline Turner and Kathryn Walters, along with our prayers and best wishes as they continue on their Christian journey. We were joined by their families and godparents, as well as several members of St. Cyprian’s who came to support Chan Mayor, a member of the St. Cyprian’s congregation, who was also confirmed. Rebecca, Sofia, Caroline and Kathryn, along with Isolde Shirley, have faithfully attended weekly confirmation classes since the end of January. Isolde served the Bishop at the altar, and is now looking forward to being confirmed in her own church later on in the year. Ascension Day has always been an important day at FHS.
In Canon Francis Holland’s time all the girls travelled to Canterbury for the service in the Cathedral and a picnic. Nowadays, though we only walk across Ivor Place to St. Cyprian’s Church, it is still always special because it is our Upper Sixth and Upper Fifth leavers’ final school service. To have the Bishop of London with us, and for the whole school to be able to support Rebecca, Sofia, Caroline and Kathryn as he confirmed them, made for a service which was truly wonderful. Father Alan Moses, the Area Dean, acted as Bishop’s Chaplain, and, as always, the Choir sang beautifully – even the Bishop commented on their Alleluias! After the service the girls and their families joined Mrs. Durham and the Bishop for coffee in the Gloucester Room, where they were presented with their Confirmation Certificates and a book, a gift from the school, as well as having their pictures taken individually with Bishop Richard. Rev’d Locke
May Madrigals This year, as ever, the Senior Choir sang in the beginning of summer at the top of the school, in tune with the best Oxford tradition. It was a magical moment, and even the birds were inspired to join in.
The Senior Choir sing madrigals to celebrate May 1st
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Upper Fourth German Trip In April, Mrs. Edwards accompanied girls from the Upper Fourth German group to Köln. This was the third occasion on which girls from Francis Holland, Clarence Gate joined Miss Kaleya and her group from Francis Holland, Graham Terrace.
The Upper Fourth German Group see another side of German culture
The trip was a resounding success, and girls visited the famous cathedral in Köln, the 4711 perfume museum, the chocolate museum, the Roman museum, also dining in typical German restaurants. We look forward to another visit with our sister school next year.
Cathrine Sinden and Leila MccGarel Groves enjoy a cream cake or three ...
Salters’ Festival of Chemistry 2010 On a gloriously sunny day five intrepid chemists left school for the day to head to the Salters’ Festival of Chemistry, which was held at Imperial College, London. We arrived in good time at the Chemistry department, and we were greeted by Sabrina, our undergraduate chemist mentor for the day. We, along with fourteen other schools, then headed to the undergraduate laboratories, eager for the experiments to begin. The first task was to perform a range of experiments to work out who had ‘killed the chef’. It was the first time that the pupils had met some of these experimental techniques and they took the challenge in their stride. Once these results had been gathered, the analytical skills of the group were further tested as they had to use their results to find the killer. 4
After a picnic in the sunshine, the afternoon of more experimentation got underway. Pupils had to mix together as many of the chemicals they were given as they chose, but the resultant temperature had to be exactly 10oC. We then headed to an undergraduate lecture theatre where one of the academics entertained us with whizz-bang experiments. Our day finished with the prize giving ceremony. We were extremely proud to have come second in the competition. Congratulations to the chemists who took part. Arisa Loomba IIIJ Alfie Watt IIIJ Ellie Marks LIVJ Olivia Turner LIVJ Dr. Welch Chemistry Department m a y
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Joint Choral Concert with Harrow School
For the few days leading up to when we would receive our Bach, B Minor Mass manuscripts, it seemed as though almost everyone had forgotten, since last year, the amount of work and dedication that Harrow really required. Upon receiving the piece, everyone was slightly apprehensive, but mostly excited, and a mutual feeling of butterflies spread from one end of the room to the other, very quickly. Yet no one quite anticipated the amount of work that we would be putting in to such an incredible piece. It seemed as though everyone in Choir became a kind of community, and the division between year groups seemed to entirely fade away. Walking around school, you would always hear someone humming the tune of a recently rehearsed section of the piece, which you would then of course adopt and pass on to the people in your classroom. After all the hours of rehearsals and work we had put in to the B Minor Mass, it was time for our first rehearsal with the Harrow boys. Before we could leave, make-up was applied and girls got changed into outfits (pre-planned from weeks before), and soon enough, we were finally on our way. We took our seats in Harrow's beautiful Speech Room and began
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to sing. The sound of all of our parts combined together deepened the sense of power and magnificence the piece enclosed. After a few more rehearsals at Harrow, and many more in the company of Mrs. R.J., before we knew it, it was finally time for the real performance. It felt so surreal when we took our seats knowing that this was the final time we might ever sing this piece. The orchestra began to play, and, soon enough, all of us were singing. The beauty and power of all of the parts combined with the orchestra overwhelmed us all. We emerged from the concert with our heads held high, and although it was sad for something that had occupied our lives for so long to be over, we still felt a strong sense of achievement. The concert was, without doubt, worth every rehearsal and hour of practice, and I hope that our hard work was reflected in the final performance. Many thanks to Mrs. Rolfe Johnson and all the Music Department for their hours of work with us. Olivia Hains UVH 5
FHS Mock General Election - 6th May 2010 The General Election of May 6th was a wonderful opportunity for the History and Politics Department to open up the workings of our political system to all the girls at FHS, and to highlight the fact that the health of our democracy depends upon their active participation in the future. Therefore, in the week leading up to Polling Day, the school held its own mock General Election campaign, in which five political parties were represented by members of the Upper Sixth: Conservative (Amelia Brooks), Green (Isabelle Pratt), Labour (Kaammini Chanrai), Liberal Democrat (Ophelia Hirst), and UKIP (Isabel Roberts).
constituency’ and, mirroring real electoral practices, all students and staff who wanted to vote were required to register on the FHS electoral roll beforehand. On Election Day itself (Thursday 6th May), the main school hall was transformed into our very own Polling Station and the girls were able to cast their votes throughout the lunch break. The 288 FHS ballots were then carefully counted by IIIM, who performed this very important task with great skill. The final school results were very similar to the national trends, and left no single party with an overall majority in FHS. The Conservatives claimed victory in 11 forms, the Labour Party in 6, the Liberal Democrats in 5 and the Green Party in 2. Unfortunately for our UKIP candidate, the party came fifth and did not manage to win in any forms. Our turnout, at 82% of those registered, proved to be much higher than the national figure.
These Upper Sixth candidates worked hard to stir up the FHS electorate and to galvanize support for their ‘adopted’ political party; many of their election posters, placed around school, showed ingenuity and humour.
My thanks go to all of the Upper Sixth candidates who participated in the mock election with such enthusiasm, to the other members of the History and Politics Department for their help in organising and running the election, to IIIM for counting the votes and to all the girls and staff who voted. The experience of the Mock Election was incredibly worthwhile and has undoubtedly increased the level of political engagement and understanding in the school. As a politics teacher, I could not have hoped for more.
In order to reflect the reality of UK Parliamentary elections, the staff and each of the school’s 23 forms represented a different ‘school
Mr. Chiverton History and Politics Department
TOTAL TOTAL
Staff Staff
UVI UVI
LVI LVI
UV UV
LV LV
UKIP
UIV UIV
Girls in the Upper Fifth queue to receive their ballot papers
Con Con Green Green Lab Lab Lib Dem Lib Dem UKIP LIV LIV
50 45 50 40 45 35 40 30 35 25 30 25 20 20 15 15 10 10 5 5 00
III III
Hazel Hoodless (LIVS) receives her ballot paper
In addition, a large election information board, containing large amounts of information concerning real London candidates, from a wide range of parties, was installed in school. Furthermore, two special ‘Election Assemblies’ took place on Wednesday 28th April and Wednesday 5th May. The FHS Mock General Election 2010 is the third mock election which has been organised in school in recent years, following the 2005 Mock General Election and Mock London Mayoral Election in 2008.
Mr Chiverton hands Head Girl, Ali Gillum her ballot paper to the amusement of Mrs Forbes (Head of Sixth Form) 6
UKIP
III III 35.59 35.59 38.98 38.98 10.16 13.55 10.16 1.69 13.55
1.69
LIV
LIV 50 50 22.5 22.5 7.5 17.5 7.5 2.5 17.5 2.5
UIV UIV 48.27 48.27 3.44 3.44 6.89 41.37 6.89 0 41.37
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LV LV 23.25 23.25 13.95 13.95 23.25 37.2 23.25 2.32 37.2 2 0 1 0
2.32
UV UV 37.93 37.93 6.89 6.89 31.03 24.13 31.03 0 24.13
0
LVI
LVI 30 30 26.66 26.66 6.66 26.66 10 6.66 10
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UVI
UVI 4.76 4.76 19.04 19.04 28.57 33.33 28.57 14.28 33.33 14.28
H o l l a n d
These charts show the actual number of votes cast for each of the 5 parties in each form. The colour indicates the party which won in that form. The asterisk [*] indicates the largest number of votes per form. Votes were tied in 4 forms: LIVJ; UIVJ; UVIJL; UVIMG. As would happen in the real General Election, a coin was flipped to decide the winning candidate/party.
III Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
J 7* 3 4 5 0
M 9* 6 1 2 1
S 5 14* 1 1 0
LIV Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
J 4 4* 2 0 0
M 9* 5 1 5 1
S 7* 0 0 2 0
UIV Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
J 4* 0 0 4 0
M 7* 0 1 6 0
S 3* 1 1 2 0
LV Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
L 2 2 2 6* 1
C 3 3 6* 3 0
B 5 1 2 7* 0
UV Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
W 2 2 6* 4 0
T 4* 0 1 3 0
H 5* 0 2 0 0
LVI Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
AC 1 2 3* 0 1
KO 0 1 4* 0 2
MD 3* 2 0 0 0
CD 5* 3 1 2 0
UVI Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
CB 1 0 2* 0 1
JL 0 2 1 2* 0
MG 0 1 1* 1 0
SJ 0 1 2 4* 2
Staff Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
11 6 6 13* 1
__________________________________________________________________ RESULTS
These charts charts show show the the percentage percentage of of the the vote vote won won by by each each party party according according to to year year group group These Conservative Conservative Green Green Labour Lib Dem Labour UKIP Lib Dem
FHS MOCK GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS
Staff Staff 29.72 29.72 16.21 16.21 35.13 16.21 2.7 35.13
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TOTAL 33.68 33.68 20.49 20.49 17.36 25 17.36 3.47 25 3.47
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Conservative Green Labour Liberal Democrat UKIP
Total FHS Seats
Total FHS Votes
% of FHS vote
11 2 6 5 0 24
97 59 50 72 10 288
33.68 20.49 17.36 25 3.47 100
TURNOUT - 82% of those who registered voted __________________________________________________________________
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Fate and the gods in Greek Drama Fate. We had always known that Dr Scullion would deliver this talk in the School Hall on 4th May. It was meant to be. But, then, we had booked him. Dr Scullion, from Worcester College, Oxford, first of all challenged the concepts of fate of those in the audience, our own sixth formers and staff, as well as those from a number of schools across London and the South East. Do we not appeal to fate more often when the desired outcome didn’t come (when you’re dumped, say, aren’t you more likely to say “it wasn’t meant to be” than the opposite of these?). Isn’t this appeal to fate a tool we use to comfort ourselves? When someone says, "When I’m Prime Minister..." isn’t this more wishful thinking, a declaration of what they feel they deserve, or even a tongue-in-cheek affirmation of what they think they might be worth, rather than fate?
Louisa Dearman (LVICD) and Hannah Davidson (LVIKO), Classical Civilisation students with Dr Scullion
So, logically, fate, as well as divine intervention, are common features in Greek tragedy (sad plays where the desired outcome often gives way to the least desired), tools from the toolbox, even, for tragedians to use as a framework for the drama. Oedipus the King is not so much about a man’s inability to avoid his fate, to kill his father and sleep with his mother, but rather about the fact that this great hero, this great king, the saviour of Thebes, did not perhaps deserve such a life. Greek tragedies like this are not about fate and the gods, in fact, but about vulnerable mortals and how they manage what life might seem to deal them, or what cards they themselves pick up.
By the end of the play, agonised when he discovers what he has done, in grief at the sight of his mother’s corpse, Oedipus binds himself, so he can avoid looking to achieve any former glory, so that his disability stops him trying to pick the best cards. When asked why he did this to himself, he does say that the gods played their part, but ‘the hand that struck my eyes was none other than my own’. This was the final lecture for this year in a series presented by the Classics Department. Steve Jenkin Head of Classics Department
Parents’ Association News SPRING EVENT AN EVENING OF JAMES BOND! What a night! For those of you who were able to attend, I think you will agree that a wonderful time was had by all. The food was excellent, as always, and our congratulations and very grateful thanks go to the FHS chef, Steve, and his whole team for once again spoiling us. We feasted on a superb meal followed by coffee and FHS after-dinner chocolate. Once again, by popular demand, we were entertained by the Paul Trippett Jazz Band. As always, tickets went very quickly with no seats left to spare – get in promptly next year! None of this would have been possible, however, without all the hard work and dedicated efforts of many of the FHS staff and the PA Committee - my personal thanks go to them all for making the event so thoroughly enjoyable. We were very fortunate to receive first-rate raffle prizes and amazing silent auction prizes, kindly donated by parents; thanks to the generosity of all present, we were able to clear a profit of approximately £3000. This all means we will be able to make a substantial contribution to the FHS Summer Camp trip this year and also yothe St. Amedeus School in Moshi, Tanzania. Thanks as always to you all for your continued support. Sue Silkstone Chair
Do You Believe in Fairies? On 18th May, the author Michelle Harrison came to FHS to give a talk about her two novels, The Thirteen Treasures and The Thirteen Curses. The books are about fairies, not sweet little pink glittery ones, but the naughty, wicked little creatures from the most ancient legends! Thanks to Michelle, we now know how to protect ourselves from these sinister little beings: we will be wary of stepping into toadstool fairy rings and getting trapped in the fairy realm, we will turn our clothes inside out to hide ourselves from the eyes of these creatures and we will know that if we mislay something (like 8
younger FHS girls should definitely be safe! Michelle was also an inspiring young woman for the girls of FHS to meet, as her first book was published while she was still only in her twenties and it won the Waterstone’s Childrens’ Book Award. It was a wonderful opportunity for girls who aspire to write themselves.
Alice England (IIIJ) with Michelle Harrison
homework?), the fairies have probably hidden it! Another protection from fairies is to wear something red, so
All in all, it was a very exciting event. Do we believe in fairies? Yes, I think we do! Mrs. McGinley Library m a y
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GCSE Geography Fieldtrip 19-22 April
Marissa Goldstein and Sara Alyan measuring the width of the river
Phillipa Taylor and Emma Harrison measuring the width and depth of the River Eea
In the beautiful sun of April, the Geography Department took 37 members of the Lower Fifth to Castle Head Field Study Centre in the Lake District to undertake fieldwork for their Geography Controlled Assessment. An enjoyable time was had by all members of the group, spending time in the River Eea, measuring the changes in channel variables. Our second day was spent investigating the impact of tourism on two rural settlements, one inside the National Park and one outside it. In the afternoon we walked up a mountain to see the stunning view of Lake Windermere . The girls were keener on the walk back down, and their hour sightseeing in Bowness-on-Windermere. My thanks go to Miss Sainty, Miss Webb and Miss Mazzon for giving up their time to accompany us. Ms. Hack Head of Geography Department
Mim Sandler-Chadwick taking measurements
Tennyson Prize 2010
Chemistry Olympiad
The readings for the final of the English Department's Tennyson Prize were heard in assembly on Monday 29th March. Large numbers of girls took part during their English lessons, and then in lunchtime heats. As always, the standard of reading was exceptionally high. The prize winners were: Lower school Winner: Imani Strangeway Al Sayigh
The Chemistry Olympiad is an international competition run by the Royal Society of Chemistry to stretch the most able A level students. The finals, this year, are due to be held in Japan. Francis Holland School had one entrant in this prestigious competition. Violet Farkas, who has an offer to read Chemistry at Oxford University, has been awarded a certificate of commendation for her entry. Whilst she was not selected to represent the UK in Japan, this is a great achievement.The school congratulated her on her performance with a presentation in assembly.
Highly Commended: Tamsin Taylor & Olivia Escudier Upper School Winner: Claire Walters Upper School runner-up: Rafaela Elliston Highly commended: Zoe Silkstone Upper School special award: Julia Kass
Mr. Davis Head of Science Department
Mr. Smith and Mrs. Foy English Department
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Violet Farkas (UVIJL)
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FHS Sports Report
Romeo and Juliet The whole of the Upper Fifth year group had a very good time in Stratford on 29th April. Miss Williamson had spotted last November that the Royal Shakespeare Company would produce “Romeo and Juliet” in the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford this Spring, and that the play would be directed by the award-winning Rupert Goold, who was chosen as “Best Director” by The Critics Circle Theatre Awards in November 2009.
His work ranges from an electrifying “Macbeth” with Patrick Stewart to the current “Best Play” in the West End, “Enron”. On the day, although the weather was slightly disappointing, the play certainly was not. The opening fight/brawl scene was electrifying, with Benvolio almost set on fire by the Capulets; Mercutio (Jonjo O’Neill) was as provocatively insolent as one could wish; and the central lovers (Sam Troughton and Mariah Gale) – interestingly wearing hoodie and converse trainers against the Renaissance costumes of the rest of the cast – were an intriguing mixture of teenage rebellion and heart-breaking vulnerability. The reviews had ranged from enthusiastic to ecstatic (a great relief to teachers who have booked a production ‘sight unseen’); and the girls eagerly discussed the interpretation on the coaches on the way home. The production was almost perfectly timed as a means of supplementary revision for the Upper Fifth!
Summer has arrived! The rounders and tennis season is upon us and our fixtures and lessons are well under way. Comprehensive fixture lists are available for all students in the PE pigeon holes outside of the staffroom. The new school website also has the most current fixtures list for parents to peruse and make plans to come out to see their daughter’s team play. Girls should be reminded to bring along sunscreen, hat and bottled water, as being sun smart is extremely important and highly optimistic! Rounders Club is on Friday lunchtime for all ages – if your daughter missed out on the team this year, forgot the trials or just wants to have some fun, please encourage her to come along! And don’t forget Fitness Club on Friday mornings and free swim on Monday lunchtimes or look at the extra curricular calendar for other clubs that might catch your interest. Girls should also look on the short and long term events notice board for new and exciting events for the wider school community. Sports Day is fast looming, so make sure all you parents clear your calendars for Tuesday, 6th July 2010 from 12 noon on Marylebone Green in The Regent’s Park. It is a great afternoon and a great time to see your daughters in action! We also have our Interform Swimming Gala going forward this July. Unfortunately our Interform Netball tournament was rained off this year, but thank you to all parents who made the journey to watch. Our South African Sports tourists have been toiling away earnestly with their early morning trainings twice a week. We now have 39 girls coming on tour this October (very exciting!); who I am sure will represent our school superbly. Important Summer PE dates to note: Tuesday 6/07/10 Sports Day
12 noon start Regent’s Park
Wednesday 7/07/10 Inter form Swimming Gala (contingency day for Sports Day) School Pool Miss Tucker Head of P.E. Department
Miss Williamson, Head of English and Drama
The French Trip 2010 ~ Chateau de la Baudonniere
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Important Dates 2010 Bronze TO ALL UIV PARENTS Due to clashes of dates, these are the revised training dates for the bronze expedition. Please note these dates in your diaries. Training: 25th May, 15th & 23rd June and 14th & 15th September Practice Expedition: 25th – 26th September Assessment Expedition: 9th – 10th October
Aaahh! Recouvertes de boue et trempées jusqu’aux os!
During the Easter holidays, a group of girls from the Lower Fourth went on a French Trip to the Chateau de la Baudonniere in Normandy, France, accompanied by Madame Briand and Madame Calvo. Every day there was something new to look forward to. We carried out many activities including bread making, rock climbing, aero-ball, raft building, circus skills, photography, a treasure hunt and a VERY muddy (but fun) assault course, all in French! To prepare us with vocabulary to use in the activities we started the day with a short French lesson, taught by the team of friendly animators who worked at the chateau. 1 0
On se prépare avec Sébastien pour le parcours de santé!
On Thursday it was our excursion day. First we visited the Dinan market where we bought some souvenirs for our friends and family. Then we went to visit Mont St Michel. After climbing up and down LOTS of steps we finally reached the top to see the beautiful Abbey. As the chateau had their own farm, we were given fun little jobs like feeding the animals, including the horses and llamas. We also got to hold baby rabbits and guinea pigs. Our meal times were filled with French too; we learnt the names of all the foods and cutlery, and learnt how to ask for more food when we went to the kitchen. We even tried some famous
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foods from Normandy, including apple tart and even snails! By the end of the week we were sad to be leaving the chateau after such a fun time. On the last night there was a talent show which all of the schools staying at the chateau took part in (including us). We are very grateful to Madame Briand and Madame Calvo for sacrificing a week of their holiday to accompany us on the trip. Sabrina Jaffer and Cordelia Nagle (LIV)
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Silver A full report on the silver practice and expedition will be given next newsletter. Assessment Expedition: 29th – 31st May Gold Practice Expedition: 12th – 16th July Assessment Expedition: 23rd – 27th August Plenty of girls have nearly completed their awards. Please hand in completed books to me as soon as possible. Thank you! Miss Mahieu Duke Of Edinburgh Co-ordinator
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Effort, Achievement & Contribution to School - Spring Term 2010
Form
Effort
Achievement
Contribution
IIIJ
Amelia Mehra
Flavia Gentili
Georgia Young
Sophia Hadjipateras
Elisabetta Falbo
Christina Mantafounis
Holly Fairgrieve
Grace Schneiderman
Hazel Hoodless
Alisha Mukherjee
Domenica Etherton
Katherine Miles
Beatrix Kilgour
Josephine Butcher
Olivia Boothman
Zoe Silkstone
Amy Shinder
Stephanie Gunther
Florence Alexander
Lauren Haine
Rafaela Elliston
Ami Matsubara
LVIAC
Lauren Kay-Lambert
Tanysha Garcia
LVIMD
Emma Wong
IIIM
IIIS
LIVJ
LIVS
LIVM
UIVJ
UIVS
UIVM
Helena Snider
Imani Strangeway Al Sayigh
Sabrina Jaffer
Katia Pagano
Sabina Sadh
Abigail Moselle
LVC LVL UVH UVT UVW
LVICD
LVIKO
UVICB
UVIMG UVISJ
UVIJL
Jessica Bernberg
Tessa Sandford-Bondy
Parastou Pedrampour
Tara Oberoi
Phoebe Brundle
Nina Gharbi
Sasha Khan Julia Kass
Blair Paskin
Leona Mehra
Laila El-Khazen
Lucy Collins
Courtney Lovejoy
Natalia Riley Danae Quek
Louisa Dearman
Stella Papadopoulos
Tabitha Steinberg
Gabriella Hondrogiannis
Melica Khansari
Alexandra Gillum
Ella Fleck
Eliana Neidich Schwartz
Kitty Winslet
Grace Handley
Celeste Chipperfield
Eleanor Sloane
Nikhita Chulani
Sabina Assan
Jamila Wingett
Ophelia Hirst
Future Dates for your Diary
Our congratulations go to the winners of the Quondam Essay Prize, awarded annually by the alumni association of FHS.
Fri 11th Jun Lower Sixth Headstart Oxford and Cambridge Admissions Workshop
9am-4pm
Mon 14th Jun Lower Sixth University Admissions Course
9am-4pm
Fri 25th Jun Second Hand Uniform Sale
1:30-3:30pm
Fri 25–Sun 27th Lower Sixth Geography Field trip to Overstrand, Norfolk
This year the theme of the essay was ‘Time’ and the prizewinners are Sara de Giorgio in the Junior Section (Runner up Jordana Belaiche) and Hannah Davidson in the Senior Section (runner up Naomi HaymonGorlov). Well done!
Mon 28th Jun Lower Fourth Science Fair
5:30-7:30pm
Wed 30th Jun Prize Giving and Leaving Party for Upper Sixth
6:30-8:30pm
Mon 5th Jul
6:30-8:30pm
H o l l a n d 0 2 0
Evening Of Jazz in the School Hall
Tue 6th Jul Sports Afternoon in Regent’s Park –parents welcome Thu 8th Jul
F r a n c i s
Lois Brown
Isabel Roberts
Athina Bluff
QUONDAM ESSAY PRIZE WINNERS
1 2
Sarah Kehoe
Dakota Hoven
Sara Vaziri-Tabar
LVB
Isabelle Cryer
S c h o o l
7 7 2 3
0 1 7 6
Term ends
1-4pm 12.30pm
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LONDON
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