NEWS
Week ending 1st March 2013
LETTER FROM THE HEAD Dear Parents As we approach the latter stages of the academic year, through my assembly, I asked the girls to re-evaluate the progress they have made so far in their learning and to think about having a positive and healthy attitude to enable them to maximise progress through to the end of the year. I reminded them that it is not too late to make great leaps forward in their learning and it is in this spirit that we move forward to greater achievements. Talking of great achievements, I have been absolutely amazed by the quality of the presentations given by Year 13 girls as part of their Extended Project Qualification this week. Their subject knowledge and ability to understand and communicate very complicated content was extremely impressive, as was their ability to answer questions after their presentations. I have no doubt that these girls will achieve extremely high marks for their hard work which will add valuable UCAS points to their CVs. At the other end of the Senior School our Year 7 girls produced some fantastic models of castles for their History “Blood and Stone” project and I was really impressed by the quality of the models themselves and their accompanying portfolios. The girls had all put a great deal of time and effort into the whole process and Mr Divall, Head of History, commented on how much they had learned about medieval life from the process, much more than they could have done from just reading a textbook. The same is true of the cakes that have been produced in recent weeks by girls studying geographical topics such as plate tectonics and karst (limestone) landscapes. As we move into March our Year 12 and 13 girls have their mock examinations to sit next week. I trust that they have been preparing for these in an effective manner and that they will listen very carefully to the advice given to them by their teachers afterwards. The mock examinations are a valuable opportunity for teacher and pupil to identify strengths and weaknesses to enable teaching and learning, in the run up to the public examinations, to be as effective as it can be. At A Level this is vitally important so that we can celebrate with the girls when they receive grades which enable them to proceed to the next stage of their careers. The Sixth Form Parents’ Evening acts as an important element in this process and I look forward to seeing many parents there in a week or so. The half term holiday was very busy with successful trips to Bonn and the French Alps adding another dimension to the education of those girls who went, and with a lot of work being done at school to further improve the facilities we offer. The refurbishment of the Art Room is well under way and work in the Junior School continues at pace. The school garage is now in use and we had a lot of trees trimmed to ensure light levels are maintained, as well as to address safety considerations. As you know the school buildings were built in the 1960s and, consequently, the flat roofs are suffering from their age. I have just completed a business case to have the entire school re-roofed and this has been sent to the GDST Council for their consideration and, hopefully, approval. Being part of the GDST means that such extremely expensive work can be conducted without impacting on the budgets set aside for teaching and learning; given the current financial climate this places CHS in a very strong position to plan for the future and for other projects to enhance the educational offer to our girls. Yours sincerely
D Leonard CROYDON HIGH SCHOOL Old Farleigh Road, Selsdon, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 8YB Tel: 020 8260 7500 Fax: 020 8260 7461 E-mail: info2@cry.gdst.net www.croydonhigh.gdst.net
JUNIOR SCHOOL INTERHOUSE SWIMMING GALA
On Thursday 14th February, over 90 girls in the Junior School took part in our very first Inter-house Swimming competition. This gala was optional for the girls and all those who took part volunteered to be a part of the event. During house meetings the girls were responsible for selecting their own events. We had some very excited girls, some very nervous girls, as this would be their first competitive swim, and some girls who were keen to demonstrate their physical prowess in the pool and make new school records. We started with the Year 3 backstroke race and the support from each house and the spectators was immensely exciting. This support for each other continued throughout the gala. Each house had selected their team captain: Seacole: Kate Ferguson, Eliot: Siobhan Chou, Garrettt: Josephine Baker and Curie: Francesca Doswell. All four girls did an excellent job in the organisation of their teams. Each year group had the opportunity to have two swimmers per individual race. This made for an exciting time when collating the results as some of the swimming times were very close. After the individual races we had some nail biting relay races and to end the gala we finished with a squadron relay where two girls from each year group in their houses were chosen to swim. We have made some excellent new swimming records and I am very much looking forward to repeating this event next year to see if any of the girls can make NEW and improved school records. Final results: 4th place = Seacole (92 points), 3rd place = Garrettt (96 points), 2nd place = Curie (108 points) AND WELL DONE TO THE WINNERS = ELIOT (144 points)
Finally: Congratulations to the following girls who now hold a SWIMMING SCHOOL RECORD 2013 EVENT
WINNER NAME
Back Stroke – Year 3
Orrin Blair
Eliot
24.06
Back Stroke – Year 4
Finty McEwan
Garrett
26.06
Back Stroke – Year 5 Back Stroke – Year 6
Kiara Patel Francesca Light
Eliot Garrett
24.25 21.82
Breaststroke – Year 3
Abigail Daly
Garrett
31.19
Breaststroke – Year 4
Yasmin Dossa
Seacole
27.56
Breaststroke – Year 5
Antara Singh
Eliot
25.25
Breaststroke – Year 6
Francesca Doswell
Curie
23.00
Front Crawl – Year 3
Orrin Blair
Eliot
21.37
Front Crawl – Year 4
Tay Blair
Eliot
17.19
Front Crawl – Year 5 Front Crawl – Year 6
Vaishnavi Subrananiam Josephine Baker
Curie Garrett
25.44 15.62
Josephine Baker
Garrett
17.00
Open Butterfly
WINNER HOUSE WINNER TIME
OTHER JUNIOR SPORTS NEWS
On Monday 25th February the U11A and B hockey teams took a drive out to Surbiton. The girls were very patient as it took a while to get there. The girls played some excellent hockey showing some great improvements throughout the match. The A team won 5 v 4 and the B team won 3 v 1. This was a great result for their first hockey game this year. On Tuesday 26th February, Josephine Baker, Marney Ross-Johnson, Siobhan Chou, Francesca Light and Tay Blair were all selected to represent the school at the U11 Trust Swimming Event which took place in Oxford. The girls swam brilliantly and in many of the races beat the standard swimming times. Josephine Baker reached the finals in the 50m butterfly and finished in second place and Siobhan Chou reached the finals in the 50m breaststroke finishing in fourth place. The girls also reached the finals in both the medley relay and the freestyle relay, where they beat their times from the heats and finished in a very respectable second and third place. A great day! Finally, I would like to congratulate the following girls for qualifying for the 2013 finals of the Croydon Schools’ Swimming Championships which will be taking place on March 14th. Year 4: Joani Baker, Charlotte Hoy, Finty McEwan, Tay Blair Year 6: Josephine Baker, Marney Ross-Johnson, Siobhan Chou
LONDON’S BURNING
Year 2 have been learning all about the Great Fire of London. They put on an assembly for the rest of the Juniors and their parents. They all spoke up very clearly and really acted very convincingly. The girls particularly enjoyed dancing with pretend flames. The song London’s Burning was sung beautifully in four parts!
SENIOR SCHOOL BONN by Tanya Dosanjh
On Wednesday 13th February, 17 girls set off to Bonn with Miss Kolankiewicz for a German Exchange trip. We all stayed with our host families who visited us previously in September. Everyone was so welcoming and made us all feel at home when staying at their houses. During the week we went on many day trips with some boys from Trinity School, including visiting Cologne Cathedral, a Lindt Factory, the Olympic Museum and Cologne Zoo. On Monday, we all hiked up one of the mountains in the Siebengebirge which was very tiring but the view at the top was incredible and definitely worth the effort! On some days we remained at school and attended a few lessons, getting the chance to experience what everyday life is like for our exchange partners. We visited the Haribo shop on our last day- everyone had been saving their money all week for this! After a very cold but exciting week, we all returned to Cologne Airport with our suitcases full of chocolate and Haribos. It was a fantastic week full of memories. I think most of us will definitely stay in touch with our exchange partners and will hopefully see them again soon.
SKI TRIP 2013 by Emma James 8Wb
The teachers must be hiding in dark rooms after a very extraordinary week. 21 Year 8s and six year 9s went to the French Ski Resort of Les Menuires to learn, make friends and fall over. There were three ski groups led by our brilliant instructors: Karl, Eve and Arnaud. Evening activities ranged from bum-boarding to a disco and please… NEVER let Mr Smith dance again! The trip was an unforgettable experience for everyone that went and we all want to say a big thank you to Mr Smith for making it all happen.
YEAR 8 – OPERATION SHOE BOX
A reminder that all shoeboxes need to be in school by Wednesday 6th March. Please take all boxes to the drama studio where they will be safely stored. Below are a few finer details• Each shoebox must weight no more than 1.8 kgs • NO chocolate, aerosols, pump action toothpaste (toothpaste tubes are fine) • £2 taped to the top of your box • Indicate if your box is for a male or female Thank you all in advance for your support Miss L Dixon
WORLD CUP TRAMPOLINE COMPETITION
Congratulations to Lauren Giles who has been invited to compete in the Loule World Cup Trampoline and DMT competition in Loule, Portugal this year. She is very excited about this opportunity to perform in what will be her second international competition. We all wish her well!
SPORTSHALL ATHLETICS
On Wednesday 27th Feb, seven girls from Year 7 went to the Thomas Tallis School in Greenwich for the Sportshall Athletics London youth games finals. All girls ran, jumped and threw well and we finished fourth overall. Well done to all girls.
LIMESTONE LANDSCAPES CAKES
The Y8 Geographers were busy over half term with their 3D models of limestone landscapes. This required some creative thinking. Some had chosen to make their models with card and papier-mâché. Others though had opted for cakes. It seemed a shame to eat some of the intricately designed stalactites and stalagmites.
SPORTS RESULTS SPORT EVENT AGE GROUP Netball CROYDON TOURNAMENTS vs Royal Russell Senior vs Old Palace vs Trinity vs Coloma B vs Tennisons (semi-final) vs Coloma A (final) TRUST vs Northampton Senior vs Sydenham vs Sheffield vs Heathfield TRUST PLATE KNOCKOUTS vs Howells Senior vs Shrewsbury vs Brighton vs Sutton U14A U14B vs Tenisons U16A U15 Hockey TRUST U15
WHOLE SCHOOL
RESULT Won 7-3 Won 10-0 Won 16-2 Won 9-5 Won 6-1 Lost 9-6 Lost 8-3 Lost 7-6 Lost 8-5 Won 9-1 Won 9-1 Won 9-3 Lost 7-5 Won 14-10 Lost 17-4 Won 24-5 Won 8-6 Won two, lost two.
GILLMAN & SOAME SCHOOL PHOTOS
Your daughter will have received her school photos order form pack this week. The pack includes instructions of how to order either by post (using the envelope included) or on-line using www.gillmanandsoame.co.uk. The ordering process is directly through Gillman & Soame, not through CHS. Please place your order with them by 9th April 2013, otherwise orders placed after this date can incur a late charge.
LET’S CELEBRATE WORLD BOOK DAY! 7 MARCH 2013
On Thursday 7th March millions of people in countries all round the world will be honouring World Book Day. It is the biggest event of its kind, celebrating authors, illustrators, books and reading. The pupils of CHS will each be given a book token to redeem at a local bookseller for one of eight amazing titles. We will be celebrating World Book Day at CHS with all sorts of ‘fun’ activities, including ‘Story Time’ during form period on Thursday, reading activities, games and quizzes in the LRC, and a Bookmark Competition which is open to all. The Bookmark competition is an opportunity to earn house points as well as to have fun! There are prizes galore; in addition, winners in the 6-16 age range will be entered into the Nationwide competition. Happy World Book Day to all!
COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
Reading Oasis: An ‘Oasis’ may be defined as a ‘refuge, relief, or pleasant change from what is usual’. This is certainly the experience of the CHS Community Book Club which meets once a month in the LRC. On Wednesday, while enjoying coffee and Belgian biscuits, we explored Charlotte Rogan’s novel, The Lifeboat.Grace Winter, a young bride and widow, is on trial for murder after surviving the sinking of a luxury liner in the Atlantic Ocean just two years after the Titanic. She is cast adrift on an over-full lifeboat. Some have to die in order that others may live. In extremis, the boundaries between right and wrong blur. The fact that Grace is an unreliable narrator is disturbing; we are not sure if she is worthy of our trust or sympathy. This is a searing psychological thriller which explores the chilling questions of survival, power, faith, and life and death. Our next read is Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. If anyone is tempted by the offer of ‘Books & Coffee’ in the tranquil surroundings of the LRC, join us on Tuesday 26th March at 11 am (Contact Librarian Karen Abrams: kabrams@cry.gdst.net)
WEATHER GIRLS
A group of 6th Form Geographers were thrilled to visit their counterparts in Year 3 to see the wonderful work they have been doing studying the weather. The Year 3 girls were particularly proud of their rain gauges and were keen to explain how they had been used to collect data. Aimee Evans and Jennifer Smart from Year 12 had prepared a quiz that the Year 3 girls completed with great enthusiasm. Mr Barker showed the girls a digital weather station like the one on the school’s roof and Mrs Putman helped girls show their PowerPoint presentations.
NATIONAL CAREERS WEEK 4TH -8TH MARCH
Next week the Senior School are celebrating National Careers Week (NCW) in a variety of ways. Tutors will be discussing a variety of careers related topics such as interview skills and careers in the NHS, and the new National Careers Website. Students in Year 10 will be introduced to careers that are associated with their GCSE subjects and Year 9 will begin preparing for their “Take your Daughter to Work Day”. Parents can also get involved. Let your daughters interview you about your career, or visit this website http://www.nationalcareersweek.com/#!careersadviceforparents/c1rxi to see a video giving “Careers Tips for Parents”. The highlight of the week will be the new Careers Master Classes on Wednesday 6th between 7.00-9.00pm. I encourage all from Years 9-13 to attend, although no one is excluded. Below is a programme for the evening. Feel free to attend as many seminars as you can fit in, and encourage your daughters to be as open minded as possible.
Room 17
7.00-7.25 Bio-Medicinal Science Sue Alexander
7.30 – 7.55 Art and Design Katie Lenton
8.00-8.25 Bio-Medicinal Science Sue Alexander
8.30-8.55 Art and Design Katie Lenton
21
Deloitte’s Financial Neil Cooper
Law Lucinda Shand
Deloitte’s Financial Neil Cooper
Law Lucinda Shand
22
Medicine Angela Charalambous
Financial and Media Penny Bayfield-Smith
Medicine Angela Charalambous
Financial and Media Penny Bayfield-Smith
23
Recruitment Elizabeth May
Recruitment Elizabeth May
24
Working in Multinational Environments Liz Forrai University Abroad Amy Newnham
Biological research in academia Mariam Orme Neuroscience/ Pharmacology Trevor Smart Engineering Tim Broyd
Biological research in academia Mariam Orme Neuroscience/ Pharmacology Trevor Smart Engineering Tim Broyd
27 9
ISCO Transferable Skills Emma Marie Fry
PWC Neeraj Ruparelia
Working in Multinational Environments Liz Forrai University Abroad Amy Newnham ISCO Transferable Skills Emma Marie Fry
PWC Neeraj Ruparelia
BOOK CORNER
In the Kitchen by Monica Ali - Forty-two year old Gabriel Lightfoot is executive chef of a restaurant in one of London’s exclusive hotels. He earns a good salary, has a beautiful girlfriend, an understanding sister, and is about to open his own restaurant. Life starts to unravel when Yuri, a Ukranian porter, is found dead in the basement of the hotel. And nobody seems to care. On investigation, Gabriel discovers that Yuri was an illegal immigrant sleeping rough in the basement. Coincidentally he comes across Lena, an illegal from Belarus whom Yuri had taken under his wing after she had been forced into prostitution. Monica Ali uses a light touch to explore the dark underside of London, and what it means to be human in a broken world. She includes a delightful cast of hotel characters which lend the novel humour and variety. A good read for 6th formers and up.