KGS Newsletter November 2015

CCF - Page 5

Junior Music - Page 6

Capt Beggs updates us on a busy month for the CCF

A review of the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Years' enthusiastic performance

NEWSLETTER

November 2015 ∙ www.kgs.org.uk

A VISIT TO THE GLACIER

A half-term adventure in the land of fire and ice T

his year saw the Geography department’s inaugural Iceland trip for Middle School pupils. An intrepid group of 8 staff took 65 Third, Fourth and Fifth Year pupils away for 5 days to view the stunning landscape, experience the variable weather and to live like true Icelanders!

KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

After a surreal crack-of-dawn gathering at Gatwick where the KGS party were dressed in their warmest outdoor clothing (in stark contrast to most other passengers who were jetting off to warmer climates) we made the short hop across the Atlantic and landed in Reykjavik. Walking out of the airport,

the cold, crisp air hit us all before we were bundled onto our coaches and driven across the Reykjanes Peninsula. Our first stop was the active Constructive Plate Boundary where we witnessed the pulling apart of the American and Eurasian plates. Walking deep within the continued on page 8

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Welcome

WELCOME

"We readily identify with the values of liberté, égalité, fraternité"

KGS STUDENTS ON A FRENCH EXCHANGE 2014-2015 2

November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

Comment

F

ollowing on from last week’s Kingston Diary I have been delighted to witness how positively and appropriately the School has responded to the tragic attacks on the citizens of Paris nearly two weeks ago. In assemblies and in a variety of lessons we have taken the opportunity to pause, reflect and consider the dire consequences for all those concerned and the terrible impact on people’s lives. Some of the stories that have emerged of the bravery and resilience demonstrated, both during and since the attacks, are quite incredible. The response of both students and staff at KGS, and others around the world, was particularly poignant for us as a number of staff and students have friends and families in Paris (there are certainly more Lehecs in Paris than in London) and we have strong personal and professional links with the British School of Paris. Indeed we received visitors from BSP on the Monday immediately following the atrocities and they were able to share with us first hand the mood of the French capital.

five have been selected to go forward. Our congratulations go to School Vice-Captain Holly Munro (U6), Lottie Ross (L6), Ellie De Heer (L6), Owen Williamson (L6) and Michael Moran (5th) on their success. On the water we were pleased that Luke Hillier (U6) and Cameron Spurling (5th) were selected for the GB talent identification trials in rowing.

Equally pleasing, if not more so, is the progress that all the sports teams are making, especially the senior hockey, where, apart from their excellent progress in the 11-a-side version of the game to date, all of the U16 girls’, U16 boys’, U18 girls’ and U18 boys’ teams have made it through to finals of the South of England heats in the indoor national competitions. They all play on Sunday 29th November, at various venues, and I know that you will all be offering your support and best wishes for their success.

"I would like to thank all of the parents whom I see regularly"

Being a metropolitan school we are of course staying abreast of the British Government’s advice on trips into and around London on a daily basis. Currently, the threat level is severe, which is the level it has been at since August 2014. Should this change for the worse and become ‘critical’ we would of course review our imminent trips and visits and may have to cancel at very short notice. In the meantime, please be assured that we continue to monitor our security procedures and that student safety is of paramount importance.

One of the most sensitive, striking and visible demonstrations of support for the people of Paris was seeing the tricolour being flown on flagpoles around the world and many famous monuments at home and abroad being lit up in those colours we readily identify with the values of liberté, égalité, fraternité.

Closer to home the colours of Kingston Grammar School’s sportsmen and women, the infamous ‘red & grey’, have been lighting up sports fields and arenas with some incredible performances. We were delighted to receive news that of the ten senior students selected for national hockey trials, no fewer than KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

On the subject of supporting the students of KGS in their endeavours, I would like to thank all of the parents whom I see regularly at the vast array of events that are arranged by the staff and delivered so well by the students.

Casting my mind back to the Kingston Revue, the New Scholars’ Concert, the recent School Concert and the just completed run of the Senior Play ‘Earthquakes in London’, I would like to express how very important it is, for all of us, to have your support at these events.

Having an enthusiastic audience of relatives and friends goes a long way to enhancing the performance and letting the staff and students know that the work and effort that they put in to producing these events is both worthwhile and appreciated.

I look forward to seeing you on the sidelines, in the stalls or somewhere else close to the action soon!

Stephen Lehec Head Master Follow Mr Lehec on Twitter @KGSHEADMASTER 3

school life

Royal Academy of Music Horn Day O

n Sunday 8th November, two First Year students, Anna Le Huray and Lucas Richford, spent the day at the Royal Academy of Music with about 80 other young horn players coached by Professors Michael Thompson and Richard Watkins. The day culminated in a massed performance of a piece

by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies in memory of the great horn player Dennis Brain. Both Anna and Lucas had a wonderful day and have written animated accounts of their experience.

Last Sunday I travelled up to London to attend the Horn Day at the Royal Academy of Music.

It was amazing to play with some of the top students from the Academy and 80 other young players like me. It was a very inspiring sound and an exciting experience learning a great arrangement of Handel's Water Music with Michael Thompson. The day finished with a fun

concert performed to family and friends. I am already looking forward to next year’s Horn Day. Anna Le Huray, 1MJD I was very pleased to be invited to the Royal Academy of Music for their Horn Day. I have been playing the French horn for over four years but I never thought that I would be invited to the RAM to play it. The building was magnificent and had real grandeur. In the hall the chandeliers were beautiful and I liked the fact that the candle holders were all old French horns! The people were very friendly and the horn playing by the older academy students was absolutely amazing. I played three pieces in a group: Greensleeves, Danny Boy and a Salute to Dennis Brain. The applause was fantastic and so was the whole experience.

Lucas Richford, 1ROP

ANNA AND LUCAS AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC

¡Me lo pasé genial!

RP conference

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n Friday 6th November, excited Year 11 Religion and Philosophy students taking GCSE Philosophy and Ethics went to a conference held at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church.

The two speakers were Dr Peter Vardy, a British academic, philosopher, theologian and author, and Dr David Webster, who is a Subject Group Leader for Religious, Philosophical and Historical Studies at the University of Gloucestershire. Dr Vardy spoke clearly and passionately on topics which included ‘Moral Decision Making in the Modern World’ (including virtue and situation ethics) and ‘Medical Ethics’ (including euthanasia, abortion and genetics) and we heard Dr Webster speak about animal ethics and their rights as well as environmental ethics.

A debate followed between Dr Vardy and Dr Webster with the motion being, 'This house considers that there is a moral obligation to breed genetic excellence'.

After presenting their arguments, contributions were welcomed from the floor. Adam Leach and Christian Maddock made two notable comments stating why they thought it was and wasn’t a moral obligation respectively.

The topics of ‘War, Peace and Justice’ and ‘Sex and Relationships’ then followed after lunch, with Dr Vardy specifically referring to Augustine’s three conditions during war and later elaborating on Thomas Aquinas’ Natural Law. Overall, it was a highly enjoyable trip and I would like to thank the teachers, without whom it would not have been possible.

Vivek Haria, 5HJW

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n the 5th November, the Spanish exchange students, who had travelled from I.E.S Ángel Corella school in Madrid, arrived at KGS. Hawkes, the Sixth Form common room, was decorated with flags and welcome signs with a table of food laid out to welcome them. I quickly recognised my exchange, Victoria, because we had been talking online since we had found out who our exchanges were!

Over the next week the Spanish explored London as a group and at the weekend they spent time with their host families. We visited Camden Market on the Saturday, meeting up with another Spanish girl, and later on went to see the Christmas lights in Leicester Square and Oxford Street. We rounded the weekend off by getting together as a big group in Kingston, doing bowling and other activities.

massively along with my Spanish, and I am really looking forward to going to Madrid in April and improving even more.

Giulia Duggan, 3MPW

Over the week Victoria’s English improved 4

November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

school life

OUR CADETS LOOKING SMART

A busy autumn for the CCF I

t has been another extremely busy period for the CCF with a steady increase in attendance figures. Our new Third Year recruits are making good progress and have been attending the inaugural London District CCF competition. We really have started this academic year with vigor. In addition, we also held our annual October Camp, followed swiftly by the Remembrance assemblies and the Kingston upon Thames Remembrance Sunday Parade. We must also mention WO2 Gardner, who was recently presented with his Cadet Force Medal by the Head Master, for his service to cadets and, in particular, KGS CCF. The CCF Army section’s recent attendance at the London District CCF competition, held at Harrow School, saw the top 10 schools (selected from 37 schools that have CCFs) being invited to compete at this high profile cadet skills-based event. KGS CCF was well represented and had several successes, such as the First Aid stand where we came a very respectable second and the Observation stand, where we obtained a third place finish. However, our best success of the day was a joint first place with Dulwich College (the overall event winners) on the Military Knowledge stand. We were placed seventh in the overall competition, with the KGS team vowing to go one better next year. The cadets who attended, eagerly led by Sgt Wilcox, were Sgt Winder, Sgt Nicholls, Sgt Pugh, Sgt Cutts, Cpl Compton, L/Cpl Haly, Cdt King, Cdt Elley and Cdt Beynon.

KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

WO2 Gardner, our School Staff Instructor, has been presented with the Cadet Force Medal in recognition for his years of service and devotion to the cadets and to KGS CCF in particular. The medal ceremony took place during a recent Friday parade night with many cadets and staff turning out to show their gratitude and support for Mr Gardner.

The Contingent thanks him greatly for all his dedication and hard work.

During the first week of the half-term break, 27 extremely eager cadets took part in the CCF’s annual October Camp at Longmoor Training Camp. Although the weather was not kind to us, spirits were not damped and the cadets were able to take part in a full range of military-related training, including a 24-hour exercise on Hankley Common. The camp was aimed at cementing the cadet skills learnt by our Third Year recruits during parade nights as well as taking the next stage in our B Coy Junior NCO Cadre. The camp was a great success and one that we hope to build on for next year.

Upon our return from what was, for many of us, an eagerly awaited half-term break, we as a contingent turned our attentions to the Remembrance period. This started with both the Junior and Senior School Remembrance assemblies, with the CCF playing a pivotal role within these. Sgt Pugh laid a wreath, Sgt Nichols read In Flanders Field by John McCrae and Sgt Wilcox, Sgt Cutts, Sgt Winder and

L/Cpl Haly provided an escort to the wreaths.

With the remainder of cadets wearing their CCF uniforms with pride, the services were a poignant reminder of all those brave men and women who gave their all on behalf of our country.

The Kingston upon Thames Remembrance Sunday parade, in which KGS CCF paraded at the war memorial in Kingston, was followed by a parade through the main shopping area after the All Saints Church service. Sgts Pugh and Nicholls laid wreaths on behalf of the School and the CCF, whilst the remainder of the contingent provided parade support to the event. Everyone who attended the event felt the utmost pride in being able to represent KGS and the CCF by showing their respects to our fallen. We WILL remember them.

The CCF parade on a Friday, meeting at 1600hrs in the cage. Any pupils who would like to join us, or indeed would like to return to cadets, should speak with either WO2 Gardner, School Staff Instructor, or Captain Beggs, Contingent Commander. Additionally, we are always on the lookout for staff or parents who would like to get involved with the CCF as an adult volunteer. Should the CCF be of interest to you please contact the above for further information.

Capt A Beggs

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school life

Junior concert The First, Second and Third Years treated an excited audience to a varied and enthusiatic performance.

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he pre-concert atmosphere was buzzing throughout the packed Hall, many eager parents anticipating their child’s debut at a KGS concert. As the students came on to the stage area with their instruments, some bigger than themselves, and then tuned their instruments, parents eagerly pointed out their child to the next parent or younger sibling. The pauses between performances whilst the stage was reset for the following item allowed everyone to confer with one another on how excellently the previous piece had been played – a low hum could be heard amongst the audience. The concentration on the performers’ faces was so intense that the smiles on these young faces were sometimes lost only to be brought back again by the director of each group.

First to perform was the First Orchestra with its colourful rendition of Rossini’s 'Barber of Seville' overture. A tight concentric circle of strings, woodwind and brass created a lyrical environment. After a shy start from the violins, the brass and woodwind came into their stride with confident chords generating a lively buzz, the last note being exceptionally memorable and loud. The Junior Guitar Ensemble was next to play with eight skilled guitarists playing 'Apache' by Jerry Lordan arranged by their director, Mrs Thurston. They created a very relaxed atmosphere, their melodies echoing throughout the hall. Shortly afterwards followed the delicate sound of the flute, stunningly executed by First Year Juliet Gray, who played 'Sicilienne' from 'Pelléas et Mélisande' by Fauré. Her graceful melodic phrases captivated the audience and she left the whole hall buzzing and mesmerised.

The School and Chamber Choir followed,

THE CHOIR IN ACTION performing five songs starting with 'If Ye Love Me' by Byrd. This was nicely sung but the next piece, 'Heilig, Heilig, Heilig' from German Mass by Schubert, was particularly beautiful, with the choir sounding like one voice with harmonies enchanting the parents.

The next Schubert German Mass song, 'Ehre Sei Gott in der Höhe', had interesting dynamic contrasts and a spectacular range between soprano and bass voices. This was followed by a haunting atmosphere created by the fourth

"The choir sang with passion and performed excellently"

House drama

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n the previous six years House Drama has been dominated by Queen's and Lovekyn with three wins each. But this year the tables turned and Walworth emerged victorious! Taverner were in second place, with Lovekyn third and Queen's fourth.

The judges, Ben Miles and Harriet Hardie, praised Walworth’s playful approach to the theme of childhood, and stated that they had captured innocence and imaginative play whilst keeping close to the theme. They also praised the young cast who, with all but one coming from the First, Second or Third Year, managed to effectively communicate character, situation and empathy.

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The victorious directors were Josie Palmer (U6CGW), Maya Yousif (U6PAH), Paula Antalffy (U6JSS) and School Captain Stephanie Semple (U6LRR). They managed to direct a large cast of 15 students to produce a touching piece which was well staged and slick in performance.

Very well done, Walworth!

Miss S Boulton

November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

school life song, Byrd’s 'Ave Verum Corpus', particularly by the bass singers. Finally, 'Hail Holy Queen' from ‘Sister Act’ enchanted the audience, with clapping and jazz hands producing a light-hearted mood. After the choir William Everitt stood confidently centre stage during the piano introduction for his trumpet solo.

He played the 2nd Movement of the Neruda Trumpet Concerto; melodies bounced from either sides of the room and the whole room was very engaged. The performance was extremely impressive and William played with charisma and articulate dynamic contrast throughout. The last item on the programme was performed by the First Year Choir and ‘The Coiffeurs’. This was a very refreshing performance with contrasting themes in each piece. The drums and bass guitars played an infectious rhythm, the strings produced a beautiful accompaniment and the saxophone and trumpet brought a jazzy liveliness to the whole piece. The choir sang with passion and performed excellently, bringing a new perspective to these varying pieces with outstanding articulation and pitch. Each piece was unique and enjoyable in its own way and I honestly could not choose a favourite. The story-telling was captivating and was portrayed effectively, both by the young and confident speaker, Tomas Caldon, and the First Year Choir. The audience and I were fully submerged in the story of Samson.

Noor Bajwa, L6

Geography Breakfast Club

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n Tuesday 10th November, Miss Jenkins gave a talk on ‘The Geography of Film’ as part of that week’s Geography Breakfast Club.

I think that Miss Jenkins’ talk was very interesting. It was fascinating to hear about the impact and representation of filming in certain locations. She talked about how some locations in films are made to look like somewhere else. It was also interesting to hear about how, because of that, if people ever visit that place they often expect to see something else. I think that her main message was that films put an often incorrect image into our minds about how somewhere looks.

Miss Jenkins also talked about the impact of film in some places. For example, The Hobbit was filmed in New Zealand and the locals kept the place like the films crew had made it to attract more tourists because ‘Tourists = $$$’.

In conclusion, it was an exciting talk. Well done, Miss Jenkins!

The next Geography Breakfast Club will be at 8am on Thursday 10th December. Mr Forsyth will be speaking about whales and whaling in Iceland.

Matthew Mace, 1LMJ KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

November concert L

ast Wednesday’s School Concert treated its audience to an eclectic mix of genres and talents. The night was ceremoniously opened with two performances from the horn ensemble, directed by Mr Ireson. They played a confident and lively rendition of ‘Jägerchor’ by von Weber, followed by a fluent performance of Wagner’s more solemn and meditative 'Tannhäuser'. They were followed by the Senior Guitar Ensemble, introduced by their director, Mrs Thurston. They performed two beautifully arranged Lennon & McCartney pieces.

It was the Jazz Orchestra’s turn next and they entertained us with Oliver Nelson’s uplifting ‘Yearnin’'. The piece was wonderfully executed and the group, directed by Mr Gough, clearly work extremely well together. They displayed impressive improvisational skills with a number of excellent solos - a real highlight of the evening.

Following the interval, in which snacks and drinks were kindly provided by the Music Society, the audience enjoyed a number of contemporary songs from two groups, rather curiously named 'Musical Sandwich' and 'Musical Kebab'! The Sandwich performed songs by the Beatles and Damien Rice, accompanied by Nonny Jones’ strong and enchanting vocals. More beautiful vocals including some fantastic falsetto came from The Kebab’s front woman, Lauren Betts, who gave a suitably calming performance of Gabrielle Aplin’s ‘Please Don't Say You Love Me’, followed by Kodaline’s haunting ‘All I Want’.

The Junior Boys’ Choir, directed by Mr Von Freyhold along with Joe Underwood and accompanied on piano by Mr Tierney, sang ‘The Hippopotamus’ and ‘Skyfall’, which were both charming and well-executed.

Lastly, to conclude an evening of musical diversity and excellence, KGS’s very own Symphony Orchestra took to the stage, directed by Miss Hyde. The large orchestra full of talented performers played the 3rd Movement from Brahms’ 4th Symphony with enthusiasm and energy. It was an exciting and impressive performance - a brilliant ending to one of the biggest events in the KGS musical calendar.

Lois Freedman, U6SRM 7

school life (continued from front page) active plate boundary was the group’s first encounter with the fast-changing Icelandic landscape. From there we travelled to the sulphur springs to witness (and smell!) the activity just below the surface. It was then back to Reykjavik for our overnight stay, spending the evening swimming in the huge geothermally heated outdoor pool.

The following day we set off along the South coast. Our first stop was at a town that had experienced an earthquake only 15 years previously and still had a split in the floor of its shopping centre. We then sped off towards the huge Skógafoss waterfall before ending the day at the black beaches of Vik, the most southerly point on the island. Here, the huge Atlantic Ocean waves crashed against the black basalt cliffs; the effect was a desolate, wild and windy landscape. We spent the night on an isolated farm deep in the Porsmork valley, with some pupils having their own cabins scattered across the extreme, open landscape.

It was cold and crisp the next morning as we set off on our 8-Wheel Drive adventure. Our first stop was the Seljalandsfoss waterfall where pupils walked behind the thin column of water to witness the plunge pool and the force of the water. Specially designed trucks then took us up towards the Myrdalsjokull glacier, crossing braided streams and boulder-strewn river beds. Walking out onto the lunar landscape about as far from civilisation as most of us had ever been was an incredible experience. With an advancing storm coming down off the ice cap we headed back towards the farm, stopping to walk up an isolated gorge that had recently featured in Game of Thrones.

Our final full day in Iceland was spent visiting the sites on the socalled ‘Golden Circle’. Visiting the deep crater at Kerid, formed by an imploding volcano, we watched in wonder as the geysers exploded around us. The Gullfoss waterfall was magnificent, and was another opportunity to appreciate the sheer force of water on the move. We walked through the splitting plate boundary at Thingvellir and saw the solidified lava that had spilled all over the ground. The highlight of the day was swimming in Iceland’s oldest hot spring at Fludir. We had the whole pool to ourselves and were able to drift around in the geothermally heated hot water surrounded by boiling mud pools and mini geysers. That evening we drove back to Reykjavik and had our final meal in a traditional Viking restaurant complete with singing Viking warriors!

The final day saw us up early to catch the first boat out of Reykjavik harbour to see whales and dolphins. Donning red insulated suits we watched as dolphins swam with the boat and darted under the hull.

As lunchtime approached we made our way back to the coaches for the final drive across the lava-strewn landscape and on to the airport. The whole trip was fantastic and we saw and did some amazing, once-in-a-lifetime things. Thank you to the staff who accompanied us on the trip and for the super students who made the whole trip worthwhile!

CAPTION XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX

Mrs VS Humphrey

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November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

school life

"We were surrounded by boiling mud pools and mini geysers"

CAPTION XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX

KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

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school life

RIVER RESEARCH

The beautiful north Sixth Form Geographers decamped to Yorkshire to conduct research for their A Level course.

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n the 11th October, 29 intrepid Geographers made the long trip up to the North York Moors to find out more about rivers and to conduct research for the skills exam that we will be taking as part of our A level course. It was early Sunday morning when we arrived at Birkenhead Avenue to hop onto a coach that wasn’t there. Luckily Mr Waddington and Miss Jenkins tracked it down pretty quickly and we were on our way. The journey took the best part of six hours with a cheeky Burger King at the halfway mark. We arrived at the Cranedale Centre late afternoon and were greeted by the resident team. They made us feel very welcome and showed us to our rooms: the boys were staying in the tennis courtyard and the girls in the adjacent gravel courtyard.

We enjoyed our downtime in the barn or on the tennis court. Table tennis and table football tournaments were soon organised and the four spectators (Mr Waddington, Miss Jenkins, Mrs Sherwood and Mr Beaumont) cheered us on.

The food on site was great - lasagne, chicken and pork for dinner over the three evenings and a cooked breakfast every morning which was particularly popular.

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Our second day was spent in the nearby towns of Pickering and Malton, researching physical and human features that affect river flooding.

It was really interesting to see so many factors affecting rivers ‘in the field’ having previously only learnt about the theory in our classrooms.

Our Cranedale tutors, Amy and Chris, took us around the towns but we also strolled around

independently, taking notes about what we had observed.

Every day we had three one-hour classroom lessons: one in the morning and two in the evening. The lessons were interactive and enjoyable as we learned about many new things such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS). GIS involves collecting data and November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

school life using computers to give a visual understanding of this data in terms of space. This helped us learn about the area that we were staying in, and how and why there had been previous flooding around the North Yorkshire Moors.

Day three saw us getting our hands dirty in the River Derwent as we collected data at one of five river sites. We measured the velocity of the river and other variables such as the bedload size. The whole experience of the data collection was really interesting and we looked at how the river changed as we went further downstream. The best part of the day was looking at the meanders at Broxa which were incredible; it was fantastic to see them in real life.

Wednesday morning, our departure day, came around all too quickly and we woke up really early for our final cooked breakfast. We bade our farewells to the wonderful Centre staff… and waited. Sadly, our coach driver thought that we were being picked up at three o’clock.

This gave us six hours of fun free time at the Centre. It gave us a chance to stage more table tennis tournaments and there was even some chess being played. Overall the last day was thoroughly enjoyable despite the wait and it gave us more time to talk to the teachers and try to predict our grade cards that were being issued the next day!

We all made it home in one piece after having a great time up in Yorkshire. As a group we would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Waddington, Miss Jenkins, Mrs Sherwood, Mr Beaumont and Miss Noble for organising the trip and making it really enjoyable and to the staff at Cranedale who made us feel so welcome and who offered us great teaching over the course of the four days.

Elliot Hudson, L6JAD

Music concert T

he Music Society’s AGM on Tuesday 10 November in the Lovekyn Chapel was well attended and we were particularly pleased to welcome some new parents. Ed Gray was enthusiastically voted in as Chair once again and, as usual, masterminded the whole evening very well.

The Society is in good shape and the Music Department continues to be supported by a very enthusiastic cohort of Committee members and parent helpers. Music Staff continue to be amazed at how much has been raised by the Society and are very grateful for all the items which have been bought for the Department: financial support towards junior workshops and tours as well as continued sponsorship of lessons on the less popular instruments - oboe, bassoon, double bass and trombone (considered to be endangered instruments but nevertheless essential for co-curricular music groups).

Subscription to the Music Society remains at just £15 a year; new members are always welcome and can contact Liz Burrell at ken.liz@sky.com for more details. The Music Society also do sterling work providing refreshments for concerts and Oratorio rehearsals, where their efforts are hugely appreciated.

The highlight of the evening was, of course, the solo performances by the three new Music Scholars, William Everitt, Juliet Gray and Noor Bajwa, sensitively and skilfully accompanied on piano by Mr von Freyhold.

The audience was treated to a mature performance of the slow movement from Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto played superbly

KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

by William, followed by Juliet’s sensitive and very musical playing of a Schumann Romance for Flute. It is difficult to believe that both students are only in the First Year. Noor Bajwa, new to KGS and a L6th Music Scholar, then astounded the audience with her very powerful and heartfelt rendering of the song ‘I Have Nothing’ from The Bodyguard which she communicated to the audience with natural flair. The annual Scholars’ Concert in partnership with the highly esteemed Maggini String Quartet next February, enhanced by these three very talented young musicians, is definitely something not be missed: please put Friday 26th February 2016 into your diaries now!

The evening was rounded off with refreshments and a lovely spread of canapés provided by the Music Society – again reminding us how much time and effort is put in for KGS Music by this very supportive and enthusiastic group of parents. If you can spare an evening to help out at concerts and especially on Tuesday evenings serving refreshments at KGS Choral Society rehearsals, do please contact Ed Gray at ed@ vcgpromorisk.com. As Ed said at the AGM, “the more you put into music at KGS, the more you’ll get out of it” and it’s a good way of playing an active part.

Mrs T Watkins

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school life

Philosophy conference

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n Friday 20th November, the Upper Sixth Philosophy and Ethics classes were able to attend Philosophy lectures organised by Candle Conferences at the Bloomsbury Baptist Church. This fascinating trip gave us the opportunity to hear both Dr Peter Vardy and Dr Stephen Law offer their insights into the relationship between God and time, exploring not only the Cosmological Argument and the Teleological Argument but also the captivating problem of an ‘evil God’. Furthermore, Johnny Bridge and James Dyson offered valuable contributions to the debate about the logical possibility of God’s existence (in which over ten other schools also took part). Overall, this visit was thoroughly enjoyable and an extremely useful addition to our A level syllabus.

Maya Yousif, U6PAH

STEPPING STONES

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Not for the faint of heart, our Sixth Formers tackle Gold DofE head on.

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days, 3 groups, 2 minibuses and 1 national park (near Devon). Who would live to tell the tale? (Spoiler: we all did.)

Dr Stephen Law

Day 1 – Filled with pub food and still amused at the shocking rugby performance from France the previous night, we set off with high hopes of what was to come. Emerging from the fog, with the sun rising poetically from behind Her Majesty’s Prison Dartmoor, we began our epic journey across the treacherous (wellmarked) paths of the Moor. We passed the time by singing many a Wham! rendition and the consumption of much food. Before we knew it, we had arrived at our first campsite and quickly went about complaining and setting up our humble abode for the night.

Day 2 – Dubbed ‘Moany Monday’, we won’t discuss this day further…

dr Peter Vardy Day 3 – Filled with a newfound hope (AKA delirium), we set off in the misty morning only 12

to find a vast river with small stepping stones to overcome this treacherous obstacle. We clumsily clambered across the perilous river, as deep as a full three inches in some places.

Following this trauma, the day progressed uneventfully and we enjoyed the spectacular views of rolling countryside. This peace lasted until we acquired a hitchhiker of the canine variety. Affectionately named Gigi, he accompanied us to camp and frolicked in a nearby river as we set up our final place of rest.

Day 4 – During the night, the heavens opened, transforming the firm footpaths into marshy mudslides. Pushed forward by the desire for warm, dry clothes and a minibus to rest our weary legs, we magnificently bared it and powered through. Motivated by our slaughtering of the timeless classics ‘Build Me Up, Buttercup’ and ‘Come On, Eileen’, we made it back to Princeton – but then you knew from the start that we would do…

November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

school life Despite the challenges we faced, we climbed every mountain, forged every stream and followed every raincloud until, in high spirits, we found the minibus. We have memories that will last a lifetime. Much to our surprise, our entire group were sad that it was over (except Maddie, who just wanted to sleep…).

"We have memories that will last a lifetime"

Many congratulations to all the students who completed the expedition: Ari Biggart, Johnny Bridge, Lewis Cameron, Hugo Delattre, James Dyson, Luke Hillier, Will Hird, Rachel Ibbetson, Andrew Merriman, Sukhvir Nijjar, Owen Paterson, Maddie Perkins, Emma Ryan, Charlie Sanford, Alex Saoulis, Hazel Scurr, Joanne Sivanathan, Anthony Skinner and Jess Taylor.

Huge thanks, of course, to the staff who made it all possible.

Comedy night B

ack in January the idea of a comedy night charity fundraiser was mooted at our first SA Hockey Tour committee meeting. After a tip-off that a parent knew Dominic Holland, we got things rolling. Soon, our new venture started to become a reality.

Comedians booked, copious amounts of alcohol purchased and moody lighting in place which made the hall look a little less ‘school’ and a bit more ‘comedy’ (quite literally, as it became the butt of some jokes), the doors opened on the very first KGS comedy night.

Early bird arrivals were a tad reluctant to sit in the front seats and who could blame them?

As the hall filled there was little choice for the later arrivals but to take up position at the front. As the night progressed, though, most remained unscathed! Mike Reid took several direct jibes in fine spirit; he’s a brave man.

While the décor may have been a little suspect, the comedy was first rate. Dominic Holland, a great observational comedian, took to the stage and got the evening off

to a hilarious start, swiftly followed by Ian Stone who was an absolute star, very funny with his punchy - and a bit naughty - brand of comedy. Bob Mills closed the show with his more mellow, laid-back style. By the end of the evening the bar had been taken full advantage of (always a good sign) and the feedback from everyone was great. It was an ideal way to start the half-term holidays. The committee breathed a huge sigh of relief and celebrated with a glass or two.

A special thank you to the school events team of Gill McKay, Simon Gray and the caretakers who were all so nice and helpful and made my life much easier and to the school for allowing us to try something new. A big thank you to everyone who came along and supported us on the night: we couldn’t have done it without you. Here’s to the next one!

Mr D Buttanshaw

Rachel Ibbetson, Maddie Perkins, Emma Ryan, Charlie Sanford & Hazel Scurr (U6)

Rosclare Tea Party

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n 13th November, 15 pupils from Mrs Wakely’s Second Year Form hosted a tea party for some of the residents of Rosclare Residential Care Home in Surbiton. A delicious spread of cakes was baked in advance by several members of the form who then joined Mrs Pinnock, along with Miss Pastore and Miss Reynolds, to greet our guests at 4pm in Hawkes. We enjoyed a few games of bingo and one of our guests, Nelly, entertained us with some of her wartime stories! As always, it was a pleasure to welcome our friends from Rosclare and they thanked us for the entertainment and delicious baking. We look forward to seeing them again on 29th January.

Mrs K Pinnock

KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

THE TEAM CELEBRATING A SUCCESSFUL EVENT

MFL Creative Writing O n Wednesday 11th November, the MFL Department was proud to present to parents a collection of creative writing pieces that our pupils had written at the end of last academic year in language lessons from First Year to Lower Sixth in French, German, Italian and Spanish.

A selection of students read their pieces in the Lovekyn Chapel. They ranged from simple poems composed by our youngest language learners to sophisticated short stories based on literature that the students had studied in their MFL lessons, and were collated in a booklet published by the MFL Department.

and prose within MFL lessons, and make literature accessible even to our young linguists. It highlights just how exciting and rewarding learning a foreign language can be. One of the aims of the project is to raise money and awareness for Children Change Colombia, a charity that helps Colombia’s most vulnerable children. We were lucky to have Victoria Illingworth from CCC with us on the night to tell us all more about the work that they do. Thanks to the generosity of the parents and staff, we raised close to £200 on the night and we are extremely grateful for the support this project has received.

The Creative Writing Project aims to inspire both teachers and pupils to explore poetry

Mrs T Russell

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school life

GALLUS GALLUS, STUART PEARSON WRIGHT

The Creative Process Conference for A level artists T he Creative Process Conference at the Institute of Education consisted of fascinating talks by four professional artists working in Britain in four very different fields. First up was the sculptor and installation artist Cornelia Parker OBE RA. She is one of the country’s most celebrated contemporary artists and is perhaps best known for her large scale installations such as Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View (1991) for which she had a garden shed blown up by the British Army and suspended the fragments as if suspending the explosion process in time. Her most recent work was created to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. Entitled Magna Carta (An Embroidery) (2015), an embroidered representation of the Wikipedia article Magna Carta as it was on 15 June 2014 includes contributions by scores of ordinary and notable people including the fugitive and whistleblower, Edward Snowden.

His work deals with our relationship to the urban and rural landscape, with his somewhat panoramic viewpoint reminiscent of the great Victorian painter William Frith (a comparison he actively encourages). In 2010 he was commissioned as the official Election Artist and was present in Rochdale when Gordon Brown got himself into hot water with Mrs Duffy and captured the whole episode unfolding in a memorable image.

at the Slade School of Fine Art and winning first prize in The BP Portrait Awards in 2001 for his painting Gallus Gallus with Still Life and Presidents. It was fascinating to hear how his quest for creative expression has led him to branch out into film, sculpture and music and he brought into clear focus for us how the innovative and resourceful artist should constantly strive for new ways of communication.

Mark Coulier is creative director of one of Europe’s leading make-up effects companies and has won both Oscar and Bafta awards for his work. He described his work on many projects, including the Harry Potter films, The Iron Lady and The Grand Budapest Hotel and it was fascinating to hear about how the initial research and ideas led to the finished film and how his work fits in with the whole creative process of making a film.

We left feeling inspired by the sheer energy of the guest speakers and took away a good deal of excellent advice. The most important was that, in the words of Mark Coulier, “you are only as good as your research and source material.”

The second speaker was Simon Roberts, a photographer who started out working for newspapers but who has found the creative and artistic freedom allowed by producing his own exhibitions and books far more rewarding.

Finally, the painter Stuart Pearson Wright described for us his working process. He is regarded as one of the UK’s leading portrait artists having won the National Portrait Gallery’s BP travel prize whilst a student

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Mr JA Dyson

November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

school life

Rowing update KGS had 12 crews entered at the Kingston Small Boats Head over half-term and won three of the events. The Senior boys won two events against adult crews: Joe Hilty and Rob Bern in the IM3 double scull and Lachie Ives and Miles Seabrook in the IM2 pair. Lachie has yet to be beaten this season. The J15 boys’ double scull of Duncan Ridsdale and Sean Huh also won their event. The J15 girls’ squad had a good showing in the single sculls event with KGS finishing in 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th and 11th places.

Not to be outdone, the KGS coaches had a win: Mr Ellison raced for Molesey Boat Club and was half of the fastest coxless pair of the day!

Luke Hillier and Cameron Spurling, who finished second in their pairs event on Saturday, have been invited to take part in the Early Identification Trial for the Great Britain Junior team in Boston, Lincolnshire on 14th November. Luke's score on the rowing machine ranks him 17th in the country at this stage in the season.

Mr P Simmons

OUR CAKE SALE AT THE OPEN EVENT

Charities update KGS students, pupils and parents have had a charitable term, with more to come

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KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

his term has been a busy one for the KGS Charity Team with two open event cake sales starting off the year well.

Thank you to all who contributed and baked for this. Combined with a Mufti Day later in the term, a fantastic £2268 has been raised in aid of Save the Children’s Syrian Refugee Appeal. As a result we are excited to welcome a representative from the charity who will be coming in to speak at Junior assembly.

The formerly named Penny Snake has had an upgrade! Now known as the First Year Silver Snake, it was a huge success and raised £655.

A big thank you too should go to Isla Flett who led a Second Year cake sale, raising £113 for Cancer Research UK.

NSPCC and the Sixth Form will put on their annual panto in aid of Shooting Star on 15th December.

To round off the term, the 16th December will be Christmas Jumper Day, with the aim of getting everyone in the festive mood! All proceeds will go to a local charity, Jigsaw 4 U, which supports children and young people through trauma, loss and bereavement. If you don’t already own a Christmas jumper, do not fear! Don’t waste money on a new one there are many ways to take part. Why not get creative and add tinsel, baubles, cut-out snowflakes or holly leaves to a regular jumper or t-shirt and give it some festive glamour for the day!

There are still many events coming up for everyone to be a part of. The reps are encouraging all tutor groups to raise money towards an Oxfam Unwrapped Christmas Gift.

There will be a bobble hat-themed Mufti Day on 4th December in aid of Macmillan and the

Miss K Raymond

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Sports

Sporting successes The Sports Department tell us all about their successes in Hockey, Netball and Rowing to mention a few.

International hockey recognition Congratulations to Ellie De Heer, Lottie Ross, Owen Williamson (all L6th) and Michael Moran (5th Year) who have all been selected for England Hockey’s National Age Group Squads.

They will now take part in further assessment to be selected for international tournaments in 2016. Holly Munro (U6th) has been selected to train with the Great Britain Senior Development Squad.

Indoor hockey success All four KGS teams have qualified as group winners for the South Round of the Schools’ Indoor Championships. The boys’ U16 and U18 and the girls’ U16 and U18 teams have all made it through the qualification rounds without losing a game. There was a standout performance from Ronan Harvey-Kelly in the L6th who scored eight goals in three games during the boys’ U18 qualifying tournament.

All four teams will compete on Sunday 29th November.

Girls’ 1st XI continue winning streak The girls’ 1st XI hockey team have continued

"Holly Munro has been selected to train with Great Britain"

THE ENGLAND HOCKEY SELECT 5 their progress through the National Schools competition with a clean sweep of wins at the South group stage. KGS beat St George’s College 3-0, Reeds 2-0, and Stowe 2-0 to advance to the South quarter finals on Tuesday 1st December.

Netballers selected for Surrey Congratulations to Sara Gotham-Pardo and Lydia Underwood in the Third Year who have both been selected for the Surrey U14 netball

squad.

GB rowing training Cox Will Burden has been invited to a GB junior training camp at the GB rowing headquarters on the 6th December. He will be coxing some of the top junior rowers in the country, aiming to improve his chances of selection for Great Britain in 2016.

Mr T Beaumont

Netball tour T

he netball tour to Gibraltar was an unforgettable, amazing experience.

Even though there was almost constant rain, spirits were still high! The three teams of mixed age groups all played Wimbledon High, St Dunstan’s and a side from West Side School, Gibraltar, conquering the court by winning every match. As well as training and matches, we also got a cable car up the famous Gibraltar Rock to see the monkeys that stroll about the area (sometimes even receiving a hug from one!) as well as going to a local town and having delicious hot chocolate in a lovely patisserie. There was also lots of free time to swim, shop, relax and unwind! We were able to visit various tourist attractions such 16

as the Selwo Marina Park where we saw dolphins and parrots amongst others. The teachers organised a Quiz Night and an Award Ceremony to end the tour. One of the best memories is of the KGS girls all joining in with the Macarena as part of the hotel’s Karaoke Night. What a great end to the tour!

It was fantastic being able to mix with the other year groups, and I am sure that all the players are grateful to the teachers for organising this fantastic trip. A big thank you to Miss Butler, Mrs Arnold and Mrs Corcoran for their fun and enthusiastic support on the newly named ‘Wetball Tour’!

Lydia Underwood, Jess Francis & Nicole George (team captains) November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

Sports

Swimming success

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ANGLO-DUTCH DIPLOMACY IN ACTION

hree KGS pupils, who each train up to 14 hours per week as part of Kingston Royals Swimming Club, spent the second week of the October half-term at an intensive training camp at the University of Limerick High Performance Centre in Ireland. Katie Orrell and Melina Williams, both Fourth Year, and Upper Sixth Finn Harman, ended their week by going on to compete at the Munster Short Course Championships 2015 against some of Ireland's finest. The results were impressive: Katie achieved Silver in the 800m Free and Gold in the 4x100m Free Relay. Melina achieved Gold in the 50m Butterfly and Gold in both the 4x100m Free Relay and the 4x200m Free Relay. Finn Harman came back with a Bronze in both the 50m Free and the 50m Butterfly. Well done to them all.

Wageningen T

he return visit of the girls and boys from Wageningen Hockey Club proved to be a good way to celebrate the 30th year of friendship between KGS and the Dutch club. On an unseasonably hot day, the first of our matches took place at Ditton Field. In our first match the KGS U14 ‘A’ boys lost 3-7 but the U14 Bs won 4-1. The U15 girls also ended up losing their first match 3-0 after a closely fought first half. After a packed week of socialising, more hockey matches, pizza-eating and sightseeing, the Wageningen tour finished off on a high for the Dutch boys, beating both KGS ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams, 4-1 and 2-1 respectively.

However, the KGS girls managed to turn their score around and got a 2-1 victory against the Dutch opposition. The traditional disco at Ditton Fields was a great way to end the tour, with more pizza-eating and dancing, before we had to say goodbye early the next morning. The U14 boys get to enjoy another visit to Wageningen at Easter next year, but sadly for the U15 girls that was our last (official) time to see each other after bonding so well. It was a great experience and much enjoyed by everyone who had the privilege of taking part. Thank you to Mr Buttanshaw for organising it all and to the teachers who coached us during their holiday time.

Sally Sime, 4ELH

"Thank you to Mr Buttanshaw for organising it all"

Indoor hockey

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t George’s College were both our hosts and our first opponents for this preliminary stage. This was going to be a new experience for us having never been involved in an indoor tournament before. Happily, we started well with a goal from Michael Moran but the hosts soon levelled the score with a scrappy goal to make it 1-1 at half-time. Another nicely worked move finished off by Michael put us into the lead again but St George’s levelled up the score soon after. Two consecutive short corners, nicely flicked

by James Hall, saw us win the match 4-2.

We then played John Hampden Grammar School, only needing a draw to see us through to the South Heats. Unfortunately we lost the match 2-1 but due to St George’s beating John Hampden 2-1, we still made it through to the South Heats on goal difference.

Ed Darwin, 5DAS

KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

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school life

KGS Friends City & Professional Networking Event

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ast year I was invited to a ‘Career in Financial Services’ KGS Friends networking event which aimed to enable current Senior pupils to meet financial services professionals as they thought about their future career and study paths. It became clear during that evening that KGS has some very illustrious parents and alumni working in the City, and the evening was a huge success both from a parent networking and a student education point of view.

I was therefore delighted to be invited to a KGS Friends networking event in the City earlier on this month, aimed at both current KGS parents and alumni who work in the City.

It turned out to be an equally outstanding event. Katie and her KGS colleagues made sure everyone was introduced to one another and we soon got stuck into the food, wine and conversation. Having KGS as a common point is a great icebreaker for a group of people who have never met each other. I was the only KGS parent (everyone else was a KGS alumni) and it was interesting to compare and contrast how things have changed in the school over the years (not very much on the basis of what I

"KGS have some very illustrious parents and alumni"

PARENTS' AND ALUMNI NETWORK heard – it clearly was, and still is, an excellent school). The event was attended by a broad range of professionals from senior traders to young lawyers just starting out, consultants, bankers and wealth managers. Everyone had experiences and thoughts relevant to someone else, and I lost track of the number of times I heard things such as “I have this issue – let’s have lunch and I can share my experiences with you” or “I have some clients who could do with some input in your area of expertise –

would you mind if I introduced them to you?”.

The evening was a great success and I would heartily encourage other parents to engage with the KGS Friends alumni and parents’ networking events. The School provides a very strong bond and basis for people to interact, exchange ideas and network.

Thor Askeland (Current Third Year Parent)

First Year highs After almost a term at Kingston Grammar, what do some of our First Years think of their first few months here? Some of the Media Club recruits share their thoughts.

I think that hockey is a great and fun sport that has played a very important role in my first term at KGS – everyone should give it a go!”

Holly Harrison, 1SAB

“I found it quite easy to settle in because my old school had similar rules and habits. The most difficult thing is sorting my bag so that my shoulders don’t fall off! I am quite independent, so I wasn’t overly worried about making friends. But, no matter how I organise my bag, it seems to feel just as heavy.” Tianna Sinclair, 1SAB

"Lately, the whole of First Year have been involved in a Religion and Philosophy project, researching many different religions and symbols across the world: CND, Shintu and the Red Cross are just a few of the examples. Everyone is assigned one of these organizations to help practise their research skills in future life and to find out something completely new. Also, this project has made us come face to face with multiple tasks such as making notes, mind maps, researching things in books, websites and online encyclopaedias. All this is needed to create a masterpiece of 5-page essay on the different topics of our symbol. Unfortunately, like many other pieces of work, there is a deadline. Let’s hope everyone gets it finished in time!"

Lily Coyne-Lown, 1SAB

“Overall, First Year has settled in extremely well at KGS! With great friends, wonderful food and a huge range of clubs and activities, our days at Kingston Grammar so far have been spectacular! My favourite thing so far has been all the sport, especially hockey. At my old school, I’d never even picked up a hockey stick so I was determined to learn how to properly play here. Soon I found myself in the B or C team and scoring goals in KGS’s daily matches! It felt incredible to learn a sport in one half-term and then suddenly play for your school.

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November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter

school life

The Kingston Revue 2015 I

'm not running a school play; I'm running a professional performance.” Mr Crohill's words made us think seriously for the first time how important it was that we handled any situation as if we had been doing it all of our lives. The lights didn't come up? Carry on. The wrong video played? Carry on. You forgot your words? Just carry on! There was no starting again: this was a take it or leave it opportunity, and making a mistake and expecting to return to the beginning meant leaving it.

The atmosphere backstage was tense with many acts crowding into a small space, waiting as patiently as we could for our turn to perform. The lights went up and the show began. One of the highlights of the evening was 2NBR performing Thriller. There was also incredible singing, dancing and acting!

The audience watched, stunned, as the acts performed. They realised immediately that they weren’t watching ‘just’ a school play!

"Not a school play; a professional performance" the clarinet; during our three minutes of singing, our emotions were high and we sang with all our hearts. The audience seemed to love watching it as much as we enjoyed performing. With high spirits and wonderful memories, we all undoubtedly want to participate in next year's Kingston Revue!

Jemma Rubens, Holly Harrison and Lily CoyneLown, First Year

Our act, a band called 'Unstitched Dreams', made up of 10 First Year girls, was on halfway through. We sang a medley of well-known songs, all linked with the same four chords, with Jemma playing the piano and Isla playing KGS Newsletter ∙ November 2015

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library

TSBA Mortal Engines Mortal Engines takes us to a world where giant machines move across barren plains in pursuit of their next meal. Within these machines, the human population live out their lives under the rule of the Guild of Engineers. Tom is a mere historian and dreams of living a more exciting life.

However, when he faces extreme danger and adventure, he is forced to reassess whether or not he wants to be an exceptional individual. Would it be easier to be part of the crowd? Reading Mortal Engines will introduce you to a unique world, strong characters and a story that asks us to constantly readjust our views of the world as we discover that heroes are not always heroic and that standing up for what you believe is not always easy.

Mrs E Hansford

Matt Dickinson M

att Dickinson, a man who’s done the impossible by reaching the summit of Everest, kindly came in and spoke to KGS pupils about his new book, The Everest Files. We were all truly in awe of his achievement. You could see that everyone in the room was captivated by his talk (I certainly was)! What he spoke about wasn’t just the actual climbing - he spoke too about the food, pros, cons, solutions and disasters and gave us all interesting insights into the world of mountaineering.

One of the funniest sections of the talk was about just how many Toffee Crisps he bought in preparation for his climb, what an important role they played and how these ordinary chocolate bars exploded in their bags due to the Rice Krispie component being full of oxygen! What a way to mark getting to the summit! One important message he gave us

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Mrs H Cleaves

Elizabeth Sweeney, 1LMJ

TSBA A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush This was a swashbuckling read, very English in style, dated in a nice way and inspiring to see what wonderful experiences you can have if you are willing to take some risks. It is a gripping read and made me goggle at some of the wild landscapes described. A slow start, perhaps, but stick with it and you could end up with the travel bug!

A* Reading Mission

ongratulations to Jasmin Good and Charlie Higham for becoming the second and third pupils to complete the virtual reading ‘Everest’ that is the KGS A* Reading Mission since its launch three years ago. Jasmin and Charlie read and reviewed six ‘classics’, a selection of poetry and a play of their choice and some Shakespeare sonnets.

They then wrote a reflective essay to summarise what the endeavour meant to them. The following extracts from those essays will hopefully inspire others to persevere.

was that if he can climb Everest then we can achieve our own ‘Everest’ moment, whatever that may be. For me, it will be to complete my Jane Austen-style book.

Thank you very much to Matt Dickinson who entertained us so well with his mixture of quirky facts and captivating stories. He gave 100% enthusiasm and we were all totally engrossed in what he was saying.

Mr A Fitzgerald

Extreme Reading Competition Congratulations to First Years Luka Boyle, Carmen Gessell and Archie Millar whose extreme reading photo entries were judged by adventurer Matt Dickinson to be the ‘most daring’, ‘most creative’ and ‘most entertaining’ respectively. Matt awarded them with a framed copy of their winning photograph and book tokens when he visited earlier this month. Matt chose Mr Braine’s snorkeling effort as the best teacher entry. All entries are on display in the library.

Mrs H Cleaves

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November 2015 ∙ KGS Newsletter