Pipers Post | Spring 2023

FAIRY TALES AND FABLES SENIOR

SHOW

DANCE

Easter has come full throttle across the School community in the last week of the Spring Term.

In our whole School Easter Service, the message of Easter was conveyed perfectly through the performances with a service led by Reverend Mark Meardon and Reverend Christine Sacre, which no doubt left a lasting impression on everyone who attended.

The House Arts Festival showcased an incredible sense of community spirit which saw Mandeville crowned winners. Congratulations!

In the final week, we enjoyed watching talented students from across the School take part in the Talent Show Final. The competitors showed a vast array of skills, including singing, ballet and playing musical instruments. A huge well done to Niamh the overall winner and to all entrants for taking part.

In Pre-Prep, the wet weather did not dampen the spirits of our fabulous students as they paraded their hand-made Easter bonnets, took part in an Eggstravaganza with Year 12 students and had an exciting Easter Hunt. A huge thank you to the mums, dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles who joined Pre-Prep in their Easter craft sessions.

AN EXPLORATION OF CONNECTIONS FOR BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

Students

from all year groups took part in fascinating Science lessons, celebrating ‘connections’ in myriad ways relevant to their topics of study.

Year 6 were challenged to look at the human connection between science and the environment – studying crop sustainability and how genetic modification can be harnessed for good as our planet battles climate change. Their practical session looked at ‘resurrection plants’ and how if their DNA can be extracted, they could be used to produce drought-resistant crops. Using a range of materials, they tested ‘leaves’ to see which ones would retain water and which would repel.

Further up the School, Year 10 took on the task of extracting DNA from living things – perhaps sciences greatest ‘connection’ to humans and the world around us. They practised the extraction and purification of DNA from a Kiwi – which is the same technique that can be used on human cheek cells. The connection between humans and the environment has been a popular topic of exploration. Year 11 worked in teams to analyse the Green House Effect and its contribution to Global Warming and how humans play a pivotal role in the exacerbation or decline of this worldwide concern.

The week concluded with a visit from alumnae Victoria, who came to the School with the team Medical Mavericks, who inspired our Year 9 students on how they could pursue future medical careers with a fantastic practical workshop.

SPOTLIGHT ON WELLBEING

Our pastoral care is focused on our ability to know each child as an individual.

The School offers an environment which promotes selfconfidence, a feeling of self-worth and that students’ worries and feelings are listened to and acted upon. The personalised level of care, which is delivered from the dedicated Pastoral Team that includes subject teachers, Form Tutors and Heads of Year, means that the students are equipped with the skills to tackle challenges head-on, learn from setbacks and have the confidence to try again.

To reinforce our commitment to student welfare, we are fortunate to have a Head of Wellbeing, Mrs Wilde, who specialises in Educational Anthropology and Emotional Intelligence. Mrs Wilde takes a child-centred, holistic approach to the support of our students’ wellbeing by providing the time and space to acknowledge all social, emotional and mental health needs.

Mrs Wilde can be found in our Wellbeing Room, located in the heart of the Main School.

The Wellbeing Room is a welcoming and calming space available to students in support of their social, emotional and mental health needs.

A peaceful environment has been carefully curated by Mrs Wilde, to feature plants, soft music, sensory activities and easily accessible reference materials. For anyone requiring a moment of calm in their day, the Wellbeing Room operates an open-door policy, where students are invited to ‘take five minutes’ should they need it, before returning to their School day.

Sessions can also be booked with Mrs Wilde to receive support for managing anxiety and low mood, learning stress relieving techniques, or to simply share any concerns in a non-judgemental space where self-expression is encouraged. Through the teaching of practical strategies, the aim is to decrease emotional barriers to learning – whatever they may be.

Emotional Intelligence sessions provide short-term intervention (usually no more than 3-6 sessions). Parents/Guardians are consulted if support beyond this is required, such as a referral to the School Counsellor, an external organisation or the young person’s GP.

Our students receive preventative mental health support and education through access to wellbeing workshops specific to their age and stage of education. Daily lunchtime workshops in Mindfulness, Sleep Tips & Tricks, the LGBTQ+ and Friends Social, Managing Anxiety and Meditation for Years 7-13. Our Sixth Form and Year 11 students receive tailored wellbeing workshops on topics including Exam Preparation, Self-Care and Managing and Achieving Potential.

INTERVIEW WITH HEAD OF WELLBEING, MRS WILDE

Tell us about Wellbeing at Pipers

Wellbeing at Pipers for both students and staff members is at the heart of our School and is a key consideration in all we do. We understand that a young person’s thoughts and feelings underpin their motivation and ability to learn and prosper, therefore, ensuring optimal social, emotional and mental health is essential for everyone in reaching their full potential. I feel there is a wonderful, shared sense of wellbeing responsibility here as we all care for, offer support and continue to have conversations on wellbeing and mental health.

What experience led you to your role of Head of Wellbeing?

Pipers is the third School that I have supported students’ wellbeing by setting up and initiating Wellbeing Rooms, each time with a different design and feel to the space. I have taught Emotional Intelligence over the past ten years and enjoy it immensely. Working in schools has given me the opportunity to travel during the holidays to work in international development. Along with studying Educational Anthropology (MA) I have a broad background in youth work, safeguarding and education. I have worked as a researcher and campaigner in children’s advocacy, women’s rights, and equality and diversity across Europe, Southeast Asia and America. Exploring modern psychological theory along with philosophy, mindfulness and spirituality has also supported me in my journey.

What is the most rewarding part of the role?

Firstly, working with young people in their most difficult times, reminding them it is okay to feel big emotions and encouraging them to practise kindness towards themselves during difficulties.

Secondly, it is teaching students about Emotional Intelligence, the interconnections of mind, body and spirit along with selfregulation strategies. I love the moment a person makes sense of their thoughts and behaviour which leads them to greater self-acceptance and understanding. Working with students who are open to implement guidance on positive mental health forever inspires me.

How do you like to relax?

Meditation as a daily practice, calms and relaxes me. I was taught how to meditate when I was fifteen at a yoga class and continue to learn and deepen my understanding. I also spend my time in nature, travelling, reading, meeting friends for coffee, sculpting, running, knitting, star-gazing, painting, longboarding, painting, dancing and hiking. Outside of work my whole life is spent doing the things I love; this I feel makes each day both enjoyable and relaxing.

Who inspires you in life?

Paulo Coelho, the Brazilian Author who wrote The Alchemist. His personal story of overcoming social conformity and family expectations as he aspired to become a writer is incredibly inspirational. Paulo has travelled extensively and written widely on love, self-awareness, magic, nature and being true to our unique selves.

Tell us something we might not know about you

I have written poetry since I was a teenager and perform spoken word every so often.

What are you currently reading?

‘A Gift of Therapy’ by Psychologist Irvin D. Yalom. As part of my required reading list for my counselling course studies, I was directed to read this, it is wonderfully written.

RED NOSE DAY 2023

Red was the colour of the day as Students (and staff) across the School helped to raise money for Comic Relief. This year’s Red Nose is a little different from usual, and something we can very much endorse – made almost entirely from plant-based materials, paper (and love), by British Designer Sir Jony Ivy – designer of all things Apple Inc.

The humble red nose has a very big impact – buying just one really does make a difference to people going through the toughest times of their lives. By donating £1 to come to School in their own clothes, students have done their part to make a huge difference.

UNDEBATABLE SUCCESS FOR PIPERS

The second round of the National English-Speaking Union (ESU) Mace competition saw Pipers students’, Maddie L, Zoe P and Martha F, debate their way to success. The victory secured the only place for the London Area Finals, after beating off local grammar schools in Round 1 and the Sixth Form teams of Wycombe Abbey, Berkhamsted School and Sir William Borlase Grammar School.

Success on a local and regional scale is incredibly hard to come by, previous winners have included; Wellington College, Eton, St Pauls and Dulwich College and this is the second time that Pipers has been represented at the ESU Mace London Area Finals – one of the oldest and largest School debating competitions in England. In numerous heats of topical passionate dialogue, the trio triumphed in proposing Proportional Representation, all in the beautiful surroundings of Wycombe Abbey’s Fisher Library.

Beyond this much celebrated success, taking part in the ESU debating competition is an opportunity to hone the skill of conveying intelligent opinions, how to improve arguments and expression, whilst also offering valuable experience in taking to the floor to speak in front of an audience.

It was very clear that the Pipers students thrived and were undaunted by meeting such strong opposition from teams who had already won through previous rounds, and they fully deserved their success.

LIV NOMINATED FOR PROUD OF BUCKS YOUNG COMMUNITY CHAMPION

Weare incredibly proud of Liv L who has been nominated for Proud of Bucks Young Community Champion.

As Chairperson of the Pipers HOPE Team, Liv and the group championed and inspired our sustainbility efforts, culminating in Pipers becoming the first Independent School to win Green Apple Awards for their environmental work.

YOUNG ENTERPRISE TEAM WIN MULTIPLE AWARDS

Ahuge well done to Young Enterprise team Seedlings who have won the Area Best Business Plan Award 2023, the Milton Keynes Overall Winner and Best Trade Stand Award 2023, the Regional Logo Award for Best use of Typography 2023 and the Eden Centre Best Trade Stand Award 2023.

YEAR 7 CASTLE COMPETITION

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FLAGS TRANSPORTED TO ANTARCTICA

With Antarctica not having its own official flag, the UK Polar Network organises an annual initiative where students within Schools are asked to design flags that they believe symbolises the continent. The flags are then transported to Antarctica by ‘flag bearers’ in a way to commemorate the Antarctica Treaty, a document that includes 54 countries and is a rare example of international cooperation.

This term, we were delighted to see our Year 9 flags transported to the country, with a certificate provided of the time, date and the name of the Volunteer Ornithologist as our ‘flag bearer’.

CHARLOTTE C AND SOPHIE S WIN ROTARY YOUNG ARTIST COMPETITION

Well done to Charlotte C and Sophie S who both won second prize in the Regional Intermediate Rotary Young Artist competition. Their beautifully unique artworks of ‘Sunrise and Sunset’ used printing techniques and abstract composition.

PIPERS 4 HUMAN RIGHTS

Withthe theme of a ‘British Medieval Castle’, Year 7 students got creative by putting together a variety of different models for this years Castle Competition.

After a display of the amazing entries for judging and voting early in the term, the Head of History ‘Castle Historian’ award went to Jessica G for her Motte and Bailey model, and the class vote winner was Evie K. A huge well done to everyone involved.

The‘Pipers4HumanRights’ Club painted their hands red in solidarity for the worsening Human Rights crisis in Iran, supporting their campaign for equality, dignity and rights. We marked International Women’s Day with a reminder to all of our staff and students alike about what it means to #EmbraceEquity.

TALES OF ENCHANTMENT JUNIOR DANCE SHOW

Year 6 students hit the ground skiing(!) in early January as they visited Alpendorf in Salzburg, for a week of Ski Instruction, team building and fun with their classmates.

For many, this was an inauguration into the winter sport, and despite being greeted with some tricky conditions on day one, they approached things with good humour and a positive spirit.

A fresh dump of overnight snow meant day two brought about plenty of opportunities not only for some satisfying skiing but a range of play including ‘bum-boarding’, snowman building, snow angels, and who can resist simply rolling around in a fresh blanket of snow?

The local cuisine was repeatedly listed by the students as one of their favourite parts of the trip. They especially enjoyed Austrian Doughnuts, Pomme Frites and warming up with heiße Schokolade – always well-deserved after a long day on the slopes.

By the end of the week, beginners were tackling more challenging runs, those who were nervous about heights had conquered their fears and the more experienced amongst the group showed tremendous effort in facing new challenges whilst showing kindness and consideration to their peers.

We are very proud of all the students who were incredible School ambassadors, receiving wide praise from those who met them.

ANTI-BULLYING AWARENESS DAY

Aspart of Anti-Bullying Awareness Day, Pre-Prep came together to understand better the importance of kindness and how bullying can be a huge negative impact on a person’s wellbeing.

The students were then given the task to write positive affirmations on plasters to help put a person back together. An extremely visual and thought-provoking exercise.

BIG SCHOOL BIRD WATCH

Welldone to our Pre-Prep students who manaed to record a great selection of different species in this year’s Big School Bird Watch. Species included Magpies, Swallows, Robins and of course Red Kites.

YEAR 2 SHARE KNOWLEDGE OF ORANGUTANS ON PIPERS RADIO

As part of our environmental initiative here at Pipers, Year 2 have been studying Orangutans to help gain a better understanding of the wider world we live in. We couldn’t be more proud of them for delivering fascinating information so effortlessly to Sixth Formers during a very special Pipers Radio show.

NATIONAL CAREERS WEEK

As part of National Careers Week, our Head of Careers Mrs Rogers organised a range of activities including talks from industry professionals, motivational speakers, alumnae, and parents. She also arranged a fantastic quiz to delve deeper into the career history of our very own teaching staff, to demonstrate that most people have a non-linear career path in the modern world.

WORLD BOOK DAY

Allgreat adventures begin with a little curiosity! In the first week of March, we celebrated World Book Day, with students in Pre-Prep and Prep dressing as their favourite book character and enjoying buddy reading sessions with different year groups.

To continue the celebrations, our fantastic Library staff put together a full itinerary of immersive literary activities to pique the interest of students of all ages with Literary Cluedo, Staff ‘Jackanory’, Dingbats, online quizzes and the ever-popular book swap.

U13A NETBALL TEAM SHOW UNSTOPPABLE SUCCESS

The U13A Netball team have demonstrated phenomenal progress throughout the season. Even during the frozen conditions of January, the team showed amazing squad effort and won against both Great Missenden School A and Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School B. Not only this, but they have also had impressive victories (alongside our U15B Team) in the Wycombe League, and came second in the Wycombe District Tournament.

The team has been unbeaten in the Wycombe District League all season, which is an incredible achievement.

HOCKEY COUNTY TOURNAMENT

Battling the conditions of the frozen pitches were nothing for the U14 Hockey Team earlier this year as they enjoyed a challenging match against Great Marlow. A huge well done to the team for their great play.

The U13A team went unbeaten at the County Tournament hosted by Beaconsfield High School and successfully qualified for the regional finals. Huge congratulations to the whole squad.

AOIFE RANKS 20TH IN ENGLAND IN PENTATHLON COMBINED EVENT

InMarch, Aoife M (Year 11) went to the National Athletics in Sheffield to compete in the Pentathlon Combined Events on behalf of her club, Wycombe Phoenix.

Not only did she achieve personal bests in the 60m Hurdles, the High Jump, the Shot and the 800m, she is now ranked 20th in England and 33rd in the UK and Ireland. An absolutely incredible achievement.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION IN CROSS COUNTRY

Ahuge congratulations to Amy H and Maddie R (Year 12) who qualified for the National Schools Cross Country Championships.

PIPERS’ ARTS ROUND UP

MUSIC

Thisterm we have seen have seen 40 wonderful performers at our Informal Concerts ranging from Year 2 all the way through to Sixth Form students and staff. It’s always so lovely to see so many different genres of music performed by first-time and seasoned musicians.

We have ended the term with a Boom(whacker) with our Senior Spring Concert featuring our fabulous choirs, Sinfonia, mini band and soloists. We are looking forward to the Prep and Pre-Prep Coronation Celebration after Easter.

ART AND TEXTILES

DInorder to help students who are interested in entering Art Competitions, Year 12 student Amber C (with the help of Mr Webber) has been busy setting up a Competition Art Club, so the Senior School and Sixth Form can have a place where they can find all the information of various competitions and receive valuable advice for those who wish to enter them. This new club formalises what has already been happening over the past few years, when students have entered local, regional and national competitions and achieved great success.

In February, we invited parents to join us for an ‘Art in Action Book Look’ in the Prep Hall. This was a wonderful opportunity for Prep students to show and share their recent learning in Art with their parents and family. The event showcased sketchbooks, loose and large-scale work along with 3D pieces the students have worked on over the last term.

In Textiles, the Year 7 club had a charity focus this term. They made patchwork quilts which will be sent to ICU units in children’s hospitals. The fabric used was upcycled from Year 8 bags that didn’t get finished due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Year 12 Textiles had workshops from our Technician, Mrs Ramsay, about Eco-Printing and Natural Dying techniques. Mrs Ramsay uses these techniques regularly to practise her own Textiles artwork and is the expert on getting good results with a variety of plants and flowers picked from Piper’s dye garden.

In other news, we are looking forward to inviting parents to our Art, Textile and Design Exhibition on Thursday 15 June between 16002000 hours. More details will be shared very soon.

In the Senior School, the Middle School Theatre Company were thrilled to be introduced to their puppet co-stars for thier Summer Term production of The Tempest. A wonderful and unique way to learn a different type of acting technique for our students.

We were also thrilled to announce that the Senior School Production will be the spectacular ‘SIX: Teen Edition’. Auditions and casting will take place in the Summer Term.

As part of an annual tradition, Year 6 were treated to a special video announcement of what their production will be for the end of the Summer Term. The students’ response was exactly as we’d hoped as the performance of ‘Shrek the Musical Jr’ was announced to the class.

The reaction was caught on video and is not to be missed. The video can be watched here

By Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss

There have been alot of exciting developments within performing arts throughout the Spring Term.

Book and Lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire Music by Jeanine Tesori