Pipers Post Summer 2014 by Pipers Corner School

termly news | issue 19 | summer 2014

Happy birthday Pre-Prep Page 2

Also in this issue... Discovering the trenches

Major new building project

Welcome to Fat Samâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Prep go green

See page 3

See page 4

See page 5

See page 6

Pipers Corner School, Great Kingshill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP15 6LP telephone 01494 718 255 | email theschool@piperscorner.co.uk | visit www.piperscorner.co.uk

Message from the Headmistress The word “development” has been heard a lot around school this term, not least because of the very exciting news concerning our planned building project (which you can read more about on page 4). In a school, one aim of the teachers is to “develop” their pupils. This could be by inspiring them to learn in new ways, as shown through initiatives such as the green dragons workshop (see page 5) or by taking the girls out of their comfort zone on a visit to the Battlefields of Normandy (see page 3).

It could also be in the way that we help the girls to develop their skills and there have been many occasions this term where we have all been privileged to witness this in practice, including the wonderful work on show at the Art, Textiles and Design Technology Exhibition (see page 6) and the way the girls in Prep honed their performance skills in their fabulous performances of “Bugsy Malone” (see page 5). Development is also about change and learning to adapt and accept changes in a positive way. As we move forward into the next academic year there are lots of changes ahead, including the physical appearance of the school buildings

as they are developed and improved for the better. I am confident that all girls will embrace these changes, along with the staff, so that our school will continue to develop and move forward to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. Wishing you all a wonderful summer.

Mrs H Ness-Gifford

Happy birthday Pre-Prep The School celebrated a very special anniversary in June to mark the fact that it has been 20 years since the Pre-Prep Department first opened its doors in the summer of 1994 - with one pupil, two classrooms and two members of staff. 20 years on and the Department is thriving with three classes (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) and a team of dedicated staff helping to guide girls through their early years of school. For the celebrations the Department held a special tea party that brought together past and present parents, staff and girls. With a wonderful cake, balloons and a children’s entertainer, everyone got into the party spirit and had a wonderful time. To commemorate the occasion all the current Pre-Prep girls were presented with an engraved silver bookmark as a keepsake to remind them of their time at school.

It was a w onderful afternoon celebratin g importan t mileston a very e in the history of Pipers Co rne It has bee n a pleasu r School. re to see the Pre-P rep Depart ment gro into what w it forward to is today and I look seeing it co develop in to the futu ntinue to re. Mrs Ness -Gifford, Headmistr ess

The altered Aesop’s Fables The Year 7 Drama Club performed their own version of Aesop’s Fables in June. The stories they chose to perform were “The Goose that lay the Golden Egg”, “The Lion and the Mouse” and “The Tortoise and the Hare”. The girls worked very hard writing the scripts, directing the pieces and creating their own costumes. With the help of our Dramatist in Residence, Miss Grimes, they showcased their work to their parents with great enthusiasm and the audience was not disappointed with their performance.

Choreography competition

Pipers Corner was ablaze with creativity at this year’s Choreography Competition. The annual event is a great opportunity for girls of all ages to showcase their dance ideas as they choreograph their own dance piece. Adjudicators, Ms Hadler and Upper Sixth students, Martha M and Emma W were faced with the tricky task of selecting the winners. In the end first place and runner-up awards were announced in Junior and Senior categories as follows: Junior First place: Annique B (Year 5) Runner-up: Justine J (Year 5) Senior First place: Morgan W and Amber J

Discovering the trenches In May, girls in Year 9 had the opportunity to discover the First World War battlefields of Belgium. As 2014 is the centenary of the Great War, this was a particularly poignant time to visit.

of te moment My favouri g my n ei se e b got to n the o the trip has e uncle’s nam him r great, great fo ss o cr ying a wall and la y respect. m w o sh to Harriet W

Their first stop was Lijssenthoek Cemetery where the girls learnt about the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Meghan D and Lucy M were able to lay wooden poppy crosses at the graves of their own relatives who were commemorated there. Following the cemetery the girls visited the Essex Farm dressing station, a site where army surgeon John McCrae wrote the wellknown poem “In Flanders Fields”. They then went onto the reconstructed trench system at Bayernwald where they found out what the conditions of the trenches were like and how the soldiers lived during their time there.

Youth theatre star

In the afternoon the girls visited Passchendale. Katie-Jo N volunteered to dress in a uniform worn during the Great War, complete with heavy backpack and Lee-Enfield rifle. They also had the chance to participate in the wreath laying ceremony at Menin Gate in Ypres. Katie P, Abigail M and Isabelle M, It was an amazin who have close family ties g experience, it’s so with the military, were mething that I think everyone should have a given the opportunity to chance to particip ate in. lay the wreath. Ruby B

Pre-Prep dance and drama show One afternoon in May the Pre-Prep Department held their annual dance and drama show. Each year group took to the stage to perform a sample of what they had learnt over the course of the academic year.

The Reception class presented a beautiful demonstration of their Dance warm-up techniques, followed by a drama performance which saw them expressing feelings through facial expressions.

Girls in Year 1 also performed warm-ups before taking it to the next level by presenting a Dance routine. In Drama the girls recited some poetry and demonstrated the skills they have been learning of sounding words correctly and projection.

Congratulations to Sixth Form student, Hannah E, who has bee n acc the National Youth Theatre epted into for a summer placement. This is a hug e opportunity for Hannah and will be the first step to a career in the industry alongside her degree at University of York, where she will begin studying Writin g, Directing and Performance this Sep tember. For the audition Hannah too k part in a four hour workshop and per formance which included a short monol ogue to a panel. When she graduates, Han nah wishes to take all the experience she has learnt at school, the National You th Theatre and university, to the stage. Hannah said “It wasn’ t really until after my audition at the National Youth Theatre that I realised jus t how amazing it is. To be a member of a world-leading youth arts organisation that so many of my idols have also bel onged to is a spectacular opportunity .”

A journey of far 8itmahde a

m Yea During the Summer Ter inarayan Mandir am Sw i Shr PS visit to BA t traditional firs ’s ope at Neasden, Eur provided the Hindu Temple. The visit to get firstgirls with an opportunity du faith Hin the of nce erie hand exp ed an arti erv obs s girl in practice. The emony and (sacred fire) worship cer about the listened to presentations y also had the The . sm dui Hin and Mandir the Temple, und aro lk wa opportunity to nds and sou e, her taking in the atmosp nt to visit the we n the s girl The . ells sm sm” exhibition, “Understanding Hindui the origin, ut abo rnt where they lea duism and beliefs and values of Hin ay’s modern tod in t van rele is this how . society

Finally Year 2 took to the stage. After their warm-up the girls performed a character Dance, before presenting a play they had learnt about books. Each member of Year 2 stood up and performed brilliantly, remembering their lines and how to present to the audience.

Confirmation of faith The Pipers Corner School annual service of confirmation took place in May in the School Chapel. The day was the culmination of three months of preparation undertaken by the girls. During that time they met weekly, after school, for a programme of teaching which was shared between Head of Religious Studies, Mrs Gledhill and the School Chaplain, Revd. Mary Gurr.

Pipers Corner announces major new building project Planning approval was granted in May by Wycombe District Council for the School’s major project to build a new theatre.

is ion service th The Confirmat of e always, a tim year was, as d their ion for girls an apel at br le great ce ch e th intimacy of the families. The of g in el fe l ia spec e added to the th r fo delighted day and I was cision oud of the de pr ry ve d me girls an co el w made to that they have . r lives God into thei urr, Revd. Mary G in la ap School Ch The girls being confirmed were – Lily F (Year 11), Romilly J (Year 10), Kayleigh L (Year 6), Lucy M (Year 7), Antigone R (Year 11) and Rebecca W (Year 10). The service was presided over by The Rt Revd Mr Henry Scriven, Honorary Bishop, and was a joyous occasion for all girls and their guests. During the service the Bishop spoke about how each of the chosen hymns reflected how the girls will go out into the community and live the Christian life. He also reflected on how the candidates were special as they have taken a mature and individual decision to follow God and say to people “this is my faith”. It was not only a celebration of confirmation but also of baptism as Rebecca W was baptised into the Christian faith before her confirmation. Following the service the girls and their family and friends enjoyed a celebration tea in the Landau Hall which included a special cake to mark the celebration baked by the school Catering staff.

The specialist, modern theatre will seat up to 280 people and be fully equipped with not only a large and flexible stage, including orchestra pit, but also state-of-the-art sound and lighting facilities. Part of the theatre development will provide the school with a purpose-built cafe which will be open all day and will provide a fresh and popular alternative venue to the school dining room. This is a hugely important strategic development for Pipers Corner, allowing the delivery of far more than simply a theatre. As part of the building project the school will also be undertaking significant re-development of other existing facilities in order to create a new Sixth Form Centre and a new Library, right at the heart of the

I am very excit ed that this pr oject is coming to fru ition; it has be en a long time in th e planning. The new theatre will en sure that Pipers ’ enviable reputation for performing arts will only be maintai ned, but also en not hanced even further, to gether with th e ability to hold debates, lectures and m any other functions. In ad dition the oppo rtunity to create a new Sixth Form Ce ntre and Library will prov ide vibrant spac es for girls of all ages to im prove their inde pendent learning skills as they carry ou t research, exchange idea s and interact with their peers and teac hers. Mrs Ness-Giffor d, Headmistress

school. The initial phase of re-development will be completed this summer with changes to the Prep Department incorporating two brand new classrooms and a new hall specifically designed for the girls in Reception to Year 6.

Chicks in Pre-Prep In April ten eggs were delivered to the Pre-Prep Department, along with an incubator, brooder, chick food and sawdust. The girls all eagerly waited for the eggs to hatch, which one by one they did and within a few days all 10 eggs hatched.

It is a wonderful experience for the girls as they were able to watch the chicks force their way out of the eggs and into the world. They learnt all about how the chicks developed over the course of the week and really enjoyed watching them grow, work out how to walk and become very noisy.

en of year wh great time a l way fu ch er su d n s o ay p. It is a w It is alw re -P icks re ch P w to me ut ho the eggs co learn first-hand abo . an to sp for the girls ut their life d learn abo develop an r ass teache Reception cl Mrs Child,

Welcome to Fat Sam’s The Landau Hall was decked out like a speakeasy for the Year 6 end of term production of Alan Parker’s musical hit “Bugsy Malone”. All girls in Year 6 took part and really brought the atmosphere of the New York twenties to life. With the inclusion of fantastic vocal numbers such as, “Fat Sam’s Grand Slam” and “My Name is Tallulah” the audience were up on their feet by the end of the show singing along with the cast.

6 girls. d of the Year ght I am so prou ou br ly al azing and re am e. e lif er w to They lousey Bugsy and B of ar ye r ei the story of th way to end t ea gr sm a ia as It w enthus ith fantastic hard work w t. en and excitem rama ead of Prep D Ms Halton, H

In preparation for their roles the girls watched the original film starring Jodie Foster to help them get into character. They also worked very hard during their Drama and Music lessons to get the feel for the era and perfect their New York accents, which they did superbly.

As ever hair, make up, costumes and the stage scenery were very impressive, but it was the girls themselves who were the stars of the show with their enthusiasm and talent, even when they were covered by the splurge guns. It was a night to remember for all who came to both shows.

Cycling Hadrian’s Wal l

Over the half-term bre ak Martha B in Year 7 cycled the entire len gth of Hadrian’s Wall with her father to rais e money for Dementi a UK. Martha chose to support the charity as it is particularly close to her family’s hearts . So far Martha has rais ed a huge £2,800 for the charity. Martha and her dad left home on Saturday 25 May and cycled first to Great Missenden station to get the train to London. Then it was up to Carlisle and Raveng lass for the start of the journey. Martha cycled an average of 32.5 miles per day with 50 miles bei ng from Seascale to Allonby the longest ride on day two. The pair had to battle wind, rain and cope with very hilly terrain, particularly from Port Carlisle to Banks.

Facing the green dragons

She arrived in South Shi elds on Thursday 29 May after a fantastic ride , with proud family members waiting for the m to congratulate them on their achieveme nts.

Year 8 were put to the test this Term as they faced the “Green Dragons” at a workshop run by Bright Green Enterprise which aims to help students develop an enterprising attitude and an awareness of their impact on the world. The day provided Year 8 with hands-on experience of business and focused on skills such as teamwork, communication and presentation. They were also made aware of environmental issues and how they can affect businesses. The day began with the girls learning how to start their own business. Then about the environmental impact on their business as well as general environmental issues. They were set the challenge of working in teams to create their own environmentally-friendly business and ethical product which they would pitch to the “Green Dragons” and the rest of the year at the end of the day. In order to get ready to pitch the teams had to decide what their product would be made of, how it would work and how much they would sell it for, as well as create a prototype. They were also required to devise a marketing campaign to include their guerilla marketing strategy and TV advert, which would be performed in their three minute pitch.

The girls designed and created exceptional pieces of work, putting forward many interesting products and ideas. The team who successfully created the winning product was, Team Heat Up with their elephant dung bio-fuel which would help heat up water where there was no fire. The “Green Dragons” thought this product was an innovative concept which had a positive impact on both the natural and social environment.

OTHER RESULTS WERE: Second place Sleep Safe, a care package delivered to underprivileged people around the globe. Which was described as heart-warming and thought provoking.

Third place Street Smart, an energy boost worn on shoes to help combat obesity. The “Green Dragons” thought this was an excellent business plan with a well-planned advert.

Bursting with creativity The Pipers Corner annual exhibition saw the culmination of a year of hard work from all girls in Prep to Upper Sixth, as they showcased their Art, Textiles and Design work for parents and guests. It was a fantastic event demonstrating the huge amount of creative talent that exists here at Pipers. Visitors were able to view work created by the girls using a range of techniques including painting and sketching, sculpture, pottery, photography, dressmaking, drypoint printmaking, woodwork and furniture design. Themes for this year’s artwork included “War, Conflict and Injustice” (Year 9 and GCSE), “Natural and man-made forms” (Year 12, AS Level) and Year 13 studied a topic of their choice where they researched relevant artists and used many different types of media to create their final piece.

very has been This year xtiles and Te , in the Art h it w e v xhibition ti crea and the e . The ts n e m rt DT Depa show this een at way to b was a gre ll year groups has a standard l a n o ti p work from ce d to an ex ily and friends a complete fam to g in it ar. ib and exh ntastic ye to end a fa y a w t a gre Art r, Head of Mr Webbe

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rep Dep special artm ev Year 3 to ening of music ent held a . All girls Y e ar 6 we some g from re invo ir showca ls having solo p lved with sed the ir own ta arts where the that wa y s le Music p singing or play nt, whether in e pieces s rformed range g an instrume nt. d u modern ch as “Minuet” from classical p Perry. T op songs like by Bach to mo he audie “Roar” re b n seeing what th ce thoroughly y Katy e girls h enjoyed both in av th their ind eir school mus e been learnin g ividual m ic usic les lessons and sons.

Prep go green This term saw the whole of the Prep Department take part in a week long initiative learning about the environment. The Department welcomed guest speakers to talk to the girls, including environmental lawyers and a sustainable development director from Wiles Greenworld, a green office supplies company. Lessons during the week had an environmentalist agenda and the girls learnt about renewable energy, eco-housing, road and rail networks and their impact on the environment and how oil is extracted.

“Turning 50” reunion All year groups also had a day in Forest School with Miss Easterbrook. The girls learnt to make fires, cook food in the outdoors, built “bug hotels” and learnt what the different trees were by looking at the leaves. Other activities included a visit from the Eden Project. The girls had to imagine they had crash landed on Earth and had to make sure they were able to survive using only what they found around them. They had to understand what was needed to survive – shelter, food and water. They had to go away and look for a suitable place to build a shelter using wood, twigs, grass and other items. To light their shelter they then made clay lanterns using a reed for the wick.

This Term saw 20 former Pipers girls come back to school to celebrate the year they turn 50 and reminisce about being at Pipers. They enjoyed an afternoon of chatting with old friends as well as the opportunity to have a tour of the school – which has changed quite a bit since they were last here!

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News from Sport It has been another fantastic term for the Pipers Corner sports teams, with some great results against local and national schools.

Equestrian Team

Equestrian • National County Challenge Championships. • Fantastic riding from the Equestrian team in April, with the team being awarded Reserve Champions, coming second overall out of the 22 teams competing.

Inter-House Swimming Gala • Year 7 • Pre Prep First – Hampden First – Mandeville Second – Penn Second – Milton Third - Milton Third - Hampden Fourth - Mandeville Fourth - Penn • Year 8/9 First – Milton Second – Mandeville Third - Penn Fourth - Hampden

Athletics Team

Athletics • Great runs vs. St Teresa’s School with a number of girls breaking their personal bests in June. In particular Sophie R should be congratulated on achieving a gold standard award for her performances and Emma H a silver in the Year 5 competition. In the Year 7 competition, Hayley D ran an impressive 14.6 in the 100m on grass which was fast enough to win the event and then came 2nd in the long jump. • A fantastic showing at the St Teresa’s Athletic Championships at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in June. The girls did brilliantly in the track events, with Pipers making the final in 11 out of the 12 races with some solid performances in the field events too. It was gold for Emma H (Year 5) for the 150m sprint and the Vortex Howler throw, silver for Jemima H (Year 4) for 75m sprint and bronze for the Standing Triple Jump, silver for Sophie R (Year 5) in the 600m and bronze for Lily H (Year 6) for the High Jump.

Sports Day 2014 This year’s Sports Day took place at the end of June and for once the rain held off and the competitors enjoyed some lovely sunshine as they took part in the various events being contested. The day, as always, started with the House Procession, which saw the girls dressed in their House colours, waving banners and chanting their House songs. Fantastic House Spirit was in evidence from the start, not just from the girls but also the staff, parents and friends who were there to enjoy the day and support everyone taking part.

the Year 5 80m Sprint set in 2002 and broken by Emma H in 12.94s and the Year 3/4 Sack Race set in 2010 and broken by Lily H in 25.57s. The final result saw Penn lift the Sports’ Day trophy with Hampden in second, followed by Mandeville in third and Milton in fourth. The “Victrix Ludorum Cup”, awarded to the student who gained the most points in individual events, was awarded this year to two girls, Emily S in Year 10 and Polly M in Year 8. irls who all the g orts to s n o ti gratula ear’s Sp Big con ke this y eryone a m to d v compete to remember. E m and their s y Day a da ntastic enthusia through. I e fa n o d e h s w ally sho great ability re it was a sporting e more proud – of sporting b ar couldn’t tastic ye er. nd a fan rn way to e nt at Pipers Co e m e v ie h ac d of PE ore, Hea Miss Po

A variety of track and field competitions took place with all the girls from Pre-Prep through to Sixth Form involved. Incredibly during the afternoon 12 school records were broken, one of which was the Year 10 Relay race which was last set in 1996. Other records broken were,

PPTA News The term drew to a close as always with the PPTA Great Gatsby Ball. Tables for the ball sold out in early May and those that managed to secure tickets were not disappointed. The event was a huge success, raising over £5500 for The Teenage Cancer Trust. Our presence was felt at Parents’ Day when the PPTA enjoyed providing fellow parents with some much needed refreshments in the form of Pimm’s and Champagne.

It was also lovely to see so many of you at Drinks on the Terrace. To all those who signed up to find out more about becoming involved with the PPTA, we’ll be in touch with news at the beginning of the new school year. We have lots of plans for our events next academic year and information about them will be sent out to you. For the moment please put the following dates into your diaries:

• New Parents’ Welcome Coffee Morning

Friday 5 September | 0830 - 1000 hours •M acmillan Coffee Morning

Friday 26 September | 0830 - 1000 hours • Mothers’ & Daughters’ Indulgence

Afternoon Saturday 11 October • Christmas Fair Saturday 6 December

We hope you can join us for some fun with your fellow parents whilst raising money for some fantastic causes.

Who’s who at Pipers Corner Name: Simon Gifford Brief description of your role within Pipers Corner. I work as the Head of the English Department, with four fantastic colleagues, probably, quite likely, the Best Department in the World. I am lucky enough to be a Sixth Form Tutor. Sometimes I am also allowed to stand in the rain and diesel fumes and do bus duty and when it snows, I stand in Pipers Lane at 0600 hours to see if I can plough through the inch high drift or whether we should have a snow day. At the end of Term, I chase the chickens to catch them for the holidays. Sometimes they get annoyed and chase me. What excites you about the job that you do? I can think of nothing better than sitting on the floor in a circle of students, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, looking back over a passage, waiting for that first person who suddenly says, “Oh no ... it isn’t!” I can think of nothing better than walking through a wood at 0400 hours with a group of students feeling

Position: Head of English

the night in the trees and waiting for the dawn to break. I can think of nothing better than being in the Landau Hall on Results Day when a student I have worked with for maybe four years opens the envelope. I can think of nothing better than those “moments” with a group of Year 11s where the significance of what you are doing clanks time to a stop so that you really don’t want the class to end. I can really think of nothing better. What activities do you enjoy in your spare time? Ummm, what’s that? But in previous incarnations, the spirit of Mr Gifford, it is rumoured, has been seen climbing the fall forests of upstate New York and feeling the spray on the evening beaches on the Isle of Mull, getting drenched by X5s running the lanes of Little Kingshill, inhaling rhythms in smoky poetry cafés, rummaging piles of second-hand books on Charing Cross Road, eating all the pies at the Emirates and calling from wind-blown Scottish moors to his mortal form bent at his

Miss Lou Walters | Assistant Housemistress, Teacher of Drama Mrs Judy Weller | Individual Learning Miss Eleanor Wilson | Musician in Residence Mr John Woodhall | Teacher of Music

lamplit desk with a Sisyphean pile of marking. Who would you say has inspired you most in life? What, I would say, a sandy heathland path, a tawny owl looking down at you through the leaves, the silence of snow, the song of a blackbird, crepuscular; who would be the 1001 unknown poets whose work I pick up, the everyday heroism of the people whose lives I glimpse in the blurred faces of crowds on the Tube and in foreign TV lands: the social workers and nurses and rescue divers, and those who, much abused, sit on the end of truck on a freezing night shovelling salt onto the roads, all those who work with dedication for years unseen, who take the road less travelled, those who open the window, those who run empty miles of a race that no-one sees, those who smile and say “I’ll see you further on up the road” and Atticus, Atticus, Atticus. Finally, the best thing about working at Pipers Corner is… pen, paper and an open classroom door.

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Key dates for your diary

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Autumn Term 2014

Rebecca Conroy, Senior Marketing Executive Pipers Corner School, Pipers Lane Great Kingshill, High Wycombe, HP15 6LP T: 01494 719850 E: rconroy@piperscorner.co.uk W: piperscorner.co.uk

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