eNewsletter Issue 109, Autumn

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eNewsletter

ISSUE 109 AUTUMN

Cats - Whole School Musical See inside for more photographs

From the Head It has been a half-term full of energy, enthusiasm and optimism. At the start of term we welcomed 50 new girls and their families to the St George’s community, and all the girls, boarders and day, have settled in very well and are taking advantage of all that the School has to offer wherever their talents and interests lie.

to see the show will agree with me that the girls were impressive and exceptionally professional. I have been especially proud of the way that all the girls involved have supported each other and managed their other commitments (and found time to sleep!) in the build up to such a polished performance.

Girls in all year groups have been as busy as ever as you will read in the enclosed pages, and I have enjoyed seeing many parents at Chapel Services, sports fixtures, Parents’ Evenings and of course to watch the marvellous production of Cats in the past week.

I am spending the first part of the half term break attending a Girls Schools Association Boarding event in South East Asia and I am looking forward to meeting up with St George’s Alumnae in Hong Kong as well as meeting prospective families.

There are two things that have especially stood out for me in recent weeks. Firstly, the increasingly positive and determined attitude that girls have displayed on the netball courts and lacrosse pitches, which has given rise to many performances and victories of which they should be very proud indeed. And secondly, the performance of Cats, and there are some excellent photos of this incredible production enclosed. I know those who were lucky enough

I wish you all a restful and enjoyable half-term holiday.

Liz Hewer Headmistress

Cats - Whole School Musical Tuesday 17 October - Thursday 19 October

Cats, St George's School Musical Over the course of 6 weeks, 60 Georgians from Second Year right through to the Upper Sixth have been working tremendously hard rehearsing for Cats the Musical which was performed on 17 to 19 October and it certainly was nothing short of a spectacle!

The incredible band and stunning set, together with the costumes and face paint done by a professional makeup artist (with help from some of our artistic girls) worked to make the whole show look West End standard! But it was the girls’ beautiful singing, striking characterisation and incredibly impressive dancing from tap, to ballet, to acrobatics which made the show so fascinating to watch. “The sheer number of complex songs and dance routines was definitely a huge challenge this year” says Choreographer Miss Johnson, “but one that the girls rose to with utter determination”. Assistant Director Mrs Gregan adds “the complete transformation from St George’s girls to cats in such a short space of time reflected the commitment and talent of each and every single member of the cast. The Drama and Music departments are incredibly proud.”

Boarding Life & Socials @SGA_Boarding

Ceilidh and Dinner with Eton College On Saturday 9 September the Sixth Form girls got themselves ready for the highly anticipated first social of the year, a Ceilidh with Eton College.

After having the chance to socialise over a delicious meal, the real fun began. The boys and girls of Eton and St George’s partnered up and proceeded to dance the night away to a magical live band. The atmosphere was electric with lots of smiles and laughter all around, and it’s safe to say that both parties had a fantastic evening filled with dancing, bonding, and shared experiences. The girls are already looking forward to the next social.

On Sunday 10 September, 19 girls from Markham House made their way to Windsor Racecourse to compete in the annual 5K Bubble Run in support of Thames Hospice.

Despite it being a rather dull and grey day, the girls were in high spirits and after a slightly rocky start the festivities began. Between the circus performers blowing bubbles, the numerous stands selling rainbow-coloured assortments of tutus and sunglasses, and the Bubble Rush photobooth, it was hard to choose where to go first!

Shortly after noon there was a rousing warm-up courtesy of Heart Radio, and the competitors were ushered into the starting line up where the first of the foam cannons was fired up! With music blaring and foam flying, the race kicked off with a stampede of people of all ages charging through a sea of foam and out onto the course.

Before long the girls started to trickle back in, crossing the finish lines hand-in-hand and covered head to toe in a myriad of green and pink dye. After the medals had been handed out the girls went in search of homemade cupcakes to round off the event, and before they knew it they were back on the minibus to St George’s after a wonderful outing to kick-start the year.

Boarders' Bowling Social One of the many weekly socials put on by the dedicated boarding staff at St George's was a bowling night on 7 October. The girls donned their bowling shoes and enjoyed a fun (and competitive) evening out in Guildford - well done to Nina who won the first round!

Boarding Life & Socials

Heads of Boarding Houses announced. Well done to June, Suzune and Tiffany.

The Great St George's Boarding Bake-Off To celebrate National Boarding Day on Wednesday 4 October, St George's boarding houses took part in the tastiest event of the year - the St George's Bake Off. It was an intense competition across all of the boarding houses (First Year to Upper Sixth) with many delicious creations on offer. After some difficult judging by Mrs Simpson and Miss Stepp, the First and Second Year Markham girls came out on top. Well done girls!

Macmillan Coffee Morning Bake Sale The boarding girls enjoyed baking and decorating cupcakes ready for the MacMillan Coffee morning on 29 September. They played an instrumental part in making the morning a success.

Horse Riding Every Thursday evening throughout the Autumn term, keen horse-riders travel to Higher Park Farm in Chobham with Assistant Housemistress Miss Kellaris for riding lessons. The girls have had a brilliant time learning new skills and gaining confidence with the horses.

Activities Day, Wednesday 13 September

Activities Day 2017 On Wednesday 13 September, the whole school took part in Activities Day. Each year group engaged in a range of activities from visiting Marwell Zoo, to learning Bushcraft skills.

The Sixth Form engaged in an exciting new team building exercise based on the format of “It’s a Knockout”. The girls were divided into groups for a series of fun activities run by external staff, in the presence of (and involving) the Sixth Form tutor team who encouraged cooperation and leadership. The day provided an excellent bonding experience for the Sixth Form.

First Years at Marwell Zoo The First Year spent the day at Marwell Zoo where they took part in a Conservation Workshop followed by a tour of the park. The day was a fantastic chance for the girls to get to know each other during their second week of school, make and secure friendships, and get to know their tutor team.

Below is a report from First Year pupil, Alice.

"During our Trip to Marwell Zoo we first attended a workshop in two groups and learnt about different animals and threats to their wellbeing, for example, how we should not throw anything into the sea, especially plastic bags, as this harms sea life, use less electricity and recycle more.

Following that, our instructor brought out a huge cockroach called Collin for us to feel and we began to understand why they are so important - they tidy up all the animal carcasses and rotting plants and food. Then she brought out a huge snake. We all had a chance to feel it and it was really smooth.

After lunch we went to see lots of different animals in something almost like a living rainforest, we saw dart frogs, tarantulas and ants carrying leaves through tubes.

We then went to the lemur exhibition, and later saw giraffes, flamingos and white rhinos. All in all it was a very memorable day".

Second Years visit the Sutton Life Centre The Second Years spent the morning being treated to a guided tour of the Sutton Life Centre where they gained some all-important life skills. In the afternoon, they returned to school for lunch and took part in team-building activities provided by a specialist organisation, below is an account from Second Year pupil, Imogen.

"We began Activities Day visiting the Sutton Life Centre, where we learned how to handle situations.

These included fire safety, using Childline, how to behave on public transport, bullying, internet safety and peer pressure over drink and drugs. The interactive house was everyone’s favourite.

Later in the day, we did some teamwork at the Hub Challenge on the school fields. We used different props to complete the challenges; one of my favourites was when someone guided the rest of the group one by one, using only sounds (no words!) into a halfenclosed gated area.

We learned a lot from our day, including the importance of teamwork and how to cope with tricky situations".

Third Years at Henfold Lakes The Third Years had an exciting and fulfilling day at Henfold Lakes, with the weather holding out despite the storms the night before.

The girls were full of anticipation as they arrived at Henfold Lakes, and despite initially being sceptical of the tasks ahead, they soon excelled at the survival skills.

They worked together to gather tinder and firewood, with some of the group staying behind to ensure the fire did not go out. Both Lala and Kanwulia were outstanding in their dedication to keeping the flames going. A cake was later made and cooked over the fire in a pot. The excitement of it being ready to eat and sampled was palpable. Lunch was, therefore, well deserved and much needed.

In the afternoon shelters were made, but not just basic ones; these ones had carpets made of fern and were decorated with leaves. St George’s girls excelled in their commitment and ability to work together and survive in the woods.

Fourth Years at the Enigma Project The Fourth Year girls visited a 32 acre Spy HQ near Milton Keynes. The event run for schools is called the “Enigma Project� and in the day the pupils completed 8 activities. Two of these related to code breaking, and the others developed skills in Geography, communication, problem-solving and teamwork.

The girls enjoyed earning "spy dollars" for their group and they all showed tremendous team spirit when building catapults, taking on a laser quest course, cracking codes to break into safes, and much more.

Fifth Year Study Skills and Hub Challenge The Fifth Years started their morning engaging in a study skills session by Elevate Education gaining tips about GCSE revision which covered the following topics: utilising the syllabus to frame study, structuring and reviewing organised notes, conceptual learning to develop deep understanding, utilising practice examination papers, and standing out through independent learning.

Following this, the girls also took part in the Hub Challenge on the school fields which involved a series of exciting and challenging team building activities.

Trips and Talks Fourth Year Artists at Farnham Sculpture Park To inspire their sculpture project, all Fourth Year Art pupils were given the opportunity to visit Farnham Sculpture Park.

800 contemporary sculptures are set within 10 acres of arboretum and water gardens. Renowned sculptors work with a variety of materials: stone, bronze, ceramic, glass, plastic, metal and recycled materials. Pupils were asked to explore the park and photograph their favourite sculptures.

The girls experimented with a variety of materials such as charcoal, oil pastels, and graphite sticks drawing natural form and sculptures from observation. They produced many wonderful drawings which will be used as part of their coursework. The park was a beautiful, inspiring location and all were grateful for the dry weather. The wealth of inspiration will undoubtedly lead to some fantastic sculptures this term.

Eagle House Children’s Literature Festival Visit On Friday 15 September the First Years visited the Eagle House School Children’s Literature Festival. The festival hosted many exciting authors and the girls were lucky enough to see bestselling author Ali Sparkes who regaled the pupils with tales of her life as an author. The visit ended with a trip to the book and gift shop.

First Years Visit the Pitt Rivers Museum On Wednesday 27 September, girls in the First Year travelled to Oxford to visit the Pitt Rivers Museum, below is a report from First Year pupil Alice.

"Today the First Years went to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford. We saw so many interesting things such as: shrunken heads, foreign masks and weapons, boats, mummies, tattoos and other forms of body art.

We spent time drawing two of our favourite masks and then we coloured them in. Most of the masks were earthly colours like green, brown, red and black. We then started drawing lots of patterns to use in our Art lessons when we make our own cushions.

All in all this was an interesting and inspirational trip and I would love to visit again".

Trips and Talks Classics Trip to the Royal Grammar School, Guildford On Friday 29 September, Fifth Year Classics and Latin pupils travelled to Guildford to watch a performance of the Greek tragedy, ‘Oedipus Rex’.

After a lunch at Pizza Express, the girls walked the short distance to the Royal Grammar School, where they were treated to a fascinating symposium. After a discussion with the Head of Classics at the RGS, the girls were ushered into the auditorium to watch the play.

The performance was about a cursed King from Thebes, Oedipus, who slowly begins to realise that he has unknowingly killed his father and married his mother.

As his life unravels, so does his sanity. The plot was enthralling and gripping, with the acting of the main character lively and convincing. The girls later learnt that the main actor had directed and cast the play himself whilst juggling his A Levels and Oxbridge application, which is an impressive feat.

Sixth Form Artists Visit the Tate Galleries, London On Monday 9 October, the Lower and Upper Sixth Form visited the Tate Galleries in London as part of their Art studies. The girls began their trip at the Tate Modern in Southbank where they were excited to see that the Danish Art collective Superflex had transformed the Turbine Hall into an adult playground. The girls interacted with the installation (having a go on a three person swing). The girls then spent time viewing interesting displays that focused on pivotal moments of twentieth-century art history some of which responded to important social and political concerns.

After lunch the girls moved on to Tate Britain where the Lower Sixth enjoyed a walk through a century of British art. The Upper Sixth viewed an exhibition of work by leading British contemporary artist Rachel Whiteread. Whiteread replicates everyday objects and architectural spaces giving them a life we never knew they possessed. It was a thought provoking and inspiring day.

Trips and Talks A Level Scientists Visit the Natural History Museum A Level biologists visited the Natural History Museum in London on Wednesday 20 September. Below is an account from Sixth Form Pupil Seraphina.

"On Wednesday 20 September, the sixth form biologists embarked on a trip to the Natural History Museum for a day filled with excitement, education and echolation; it is fair to say we had a whale of a time. After arriving, we were escorted backstage to the Angela Marmont Centre where we learnt, from the museum’s Director of Science Professor Ian Owens, about the history of the Natural History Museum along with some interesting insights into the development of Charles Darwin’s theories of evolution.

The initial talk made us think more deeply about the objects on display as we learned about their history. For example, we discovered that the blue whale suspended in the Hinze Hall is called Hope to try and get people to think about how there is hope for the future and that if we pay attention to the way we do things now we can change the direction in which the world is going.

After being introduced to the museum, we were then showed an amazing variety of close up photographs of flies. We learnt that researchers take about 3000 photos

of the same object at different levels in order to produce the spectacularly focused photos that we were able to see. Flavian, an expert in his field, took us to see some of the artefacts that the public had sent in for identification, including an elephant tusk from when these animals roamed the UK. After we had been bamboozled with weird objects and facts, we were led into the maze where the specimens were kept. It was incredible to discover that the Natural History Museum do not actually use chemicals to preserve their specimens but actually cold temperatures and low oxygen levels to deter beetles!

The day was topped off by what I consider to be one of the best exhibits that I have ever seen: the whale exhibition, which included thought provoking, and interactive, activities. We enjoyed trying to find food using sounds as most whales do.

This trip was educational and truly thought provoking - we really need to clean up our act (and oceans) in order to preserve and save the amazing marine world that we are currently destroying".

Trips and Talks

GCSE Drama pupils wait excitedly to watch a performance of ‘The Woman in Black’ at the Fortune Theatre, London on Thursday 21 September

Fifth Year BCS Trip to Thorpe Park On Monday 25 September, as part of the Business and Communications Systems Controlled Assessment task, girls in the Fifth Year visited Thorpe Park. It was beneficial for the girls to visit the site in order to collect the primary sources of research needed if they are to achieve the highest levels.

This year the Controlled Assessment task was based on creating a rolling presentation, a web page, and a flyer. The girls attended business workshops where they learnt about the use of corporate image and consistency of design to produce professional documentation, the use of different advertising mediums, awareness of target audience, use of persuasive and emotional language, and various other issues.

Trips and Talks

Lower Sixth Form Visit to Ypres and the Salient Walking in the footsteps of hundreds of thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers, as well as a number of public figures this summer, Lower Sixth Form girls and members of staff visited the city of Ypres and the surrounding Salient on Thursday 28 September. This year marks the centenary of the Third Battle of Ypres, often known as Passchendaele, which was one of the bloodiest clashes fought by the British Empire’s forces in the War, frequently in awful conditions. Therefore, it felt all the more appropriate to visit the region on one of the first visits of its kind for members of the St George’s Sixth Form.

Having arrived in Ypres after an early start in Ascot and a journey on the train from Folkstone to Calais, the group first visited the Menin Gate which was built to commemorate over 54 000 soldiers who died in the area from 1914-17 whose final resting place is unknown. After lunch and some free time, during which the city was relieved of considerable amounts of its Belgian chocolate, the group visited the British cemetery at Essex Farm and the German cemetery at Langemark. Essex Farm is particularly well-known as the site where Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields and is also the cemetery where VJ Strudwick is buried. He was one of the youngest British soldiers to die in the War during 1916 aged just 15. Our final visit was to Tyne Cot Cemetery which is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission site in the world where nearly 12 000 men were laid to rest. The group laid a wreath at the site and tried to take in the enormity of the loss of life on all sides in the conflict.

The Lower Sixth girls were interested and excellent company and will have taken a great deal from a moving, powerful experience.

Trips and Talks

Lower Sixth Historians Visit Westminster On 26 September Lower Sixth History and Politics pupils visited the Houses of Parliament, the Churchill War Rooms and the Supreme Court in Westminster, London.

Accompanied by Mrs Kratt and Mr Hoar, the girls arrived in London and began their trip by visiting the Churchill War rooms. The girls learnt about the precautions that Britain had to take during World War II, and were also shown where the former prime minister, and old Georgian, lived and directed operations.

Pupils were met by Will and Anna who work with the school’s local MP, Adam Afriyie and they had the opportunity to ask all sorts of questions, gaining a fantastic insight into what it is like to work for an MP today. Finally, the girls took part in a workshop where they engaged in a debate about a potential new bill. The trip was a very helpful tool in shaping their understating and experience of politics today, and will surely aid them in their chosen A Level subject.

The next stop was the Supreme Court (the final court of appeal for civil and criminal cases) where the girls had the opportunity to browse the different courtrooms and see where important legal cases are won and lost.

Following this, the girls started the main part of the trip visiting the Palace of Westminster. The Palace is still owned by the Monarch, but is the centre of political life. Here they were able to see the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The girls were fascinated by the beauty and history of the buildings, and were excited about standing where many of the MPs who have shaped so many lives today, and, where debates around today’s politics continue.

Winston Churchill's School Report, the Churchill War Rooms, Westminster

Extra-Curricular Achievement Royal Air Force Cadets Success Fifth Year pupil Helina has done extremely well in the Royal Air Force throughout the summer accomplishing 15k marches in Arnem in the Netherlands, and being part of the Battle of Britain parade in Windsor.

Helina, who has a passion for flying, was promoted to Corporal in 2017 and thus attends Windsor Squadron 459 weekly.

Running Success On 24 September, First Year Georgian Oona came fourth out of 61 teams in the South of England Athletics Association Road Relay Championships at Crystal Palace.

Chosen to represent their club (WSEH AC), her relay team of 3 each had to run a very hilly 3000m relay leg. As this is for Years 7 and 8, they were mainly racing against older girls, so she gets another go in the same age category next year.

Oona only started running in February, and this was her first ever road race - a great achievement.

On 7 October, Oona raced at the English National Road Running Championships in Birmingham where she helped her team to finish twenty-fourth in the country.

Fourth Year Pupil Celia reports on her Horse Riding successes with Irish bred Grey Connemara, Chief Chief is an Irish bred, very handsome grey Connemara who has just now turned 7. A year ago, Chief would shy away, refuse jumps, and be nervous and worried about what I was asking him to do. I have worked hard at training him by going to jumping rallies and having flatwork lessons. We have both grown in confidence and Chief flies over jumps now and enjoys all disciplines – dressage, show jumping and eventing, which is my favourite and consists of a dressage test, a round of show jumps and a cross country course. Recently Chief and I have been doing really well in competitions. Earlier in the Summer holidays we competed at Hickstead representing my Pony Club in the 80cm show jumping. I was so nervous, but Chief did not let me down and we had a lovely clear round, with our team coming 11th, just missing a place for a rosette.

In June, I was in a team of 4 and we represented our Pony Club in the Area Grassroots Dressage competition. To our delight we came second and qualified for the Land Rover Regional Championships. These took place over the August bank holiday, which was very exciting and rather stressful, but I managed a great test and was running joint first in my arena.

I then had to do a ride off with 8 other competitors, and was thrilled to get fifth overall out of about 120 people. The same weekend I competed as an individual in the Land Rover Regional Eventing Championships. It was a tough day, starting with a dressage test but I did well with a good score putting us in fourth place. Next was a round of 13 show jumps, some of them quite tricky and big, but Chief and I managed to go clear. Now came the really stressful part, the cross country course. I had walked it the previous day and there were a couple of jumps I knew Chief would be worried about. 17 Jumps in all and a lot of the competitors were getting refusals as well as a few falls.

My mum was standing at number 7, a wide brush jump which looked a bit scary. I went clear and also over a ditch – not one of Chief's favourites. When I cleared number 17 it was lovely to see my friends and their parents cheering me and jumping around with excitement. I had come fifth overall. What a great day!

Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award Four Sixth Form pupils braved the wind and rain to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award After completing practice expeditions during the Easter holidays, Sixth Form pupils Eleanor, Izzy, Raabia, and Millie set off early on Friday 8 September to Penrith in the Lake District. The girls arrived promptly at 2pm and jumped on the bus to the campsite just outside Keswick.

The girls spent time erecting their tents and walked 10km to Keswick to refresh their orienteering skills. That night it began to rain and little did they know that it would not stop for the next four days. On day two the girls walked 25km over Cat Bells to their next campsite where they settled down for the night.

On Sunday the girls set off extremely early as it would be their toughest day so far. Unfortunately, the girls ended up getting lost, walking an extra 10km up the wrong mountain until their expedition leader eventually found them. The rain and wind were now even stronger and most of the paths were flooded.

However, our capable Georgians persisted to carry on with soaked walking boots and drenched clothes.

The next challenge was to undertake a river crossing which used to be a small tributary. Thankfully leader Kate stayed with the girls ensuring their safety. After many trips, slip and falls

the girls managed to get down the mountain and had lunch in a bus shelter. After 36km of walking, the girls finally arrived at their very basic campsite. They woke on Monday to the sound of more rain but were happy to find it was significantly less powerful than the previous day. They walked another 30km and arrived at their next stop - a wild campsite on the banks of Ullswater, the Lake District's biggest lake. It was here that the girls completed a presentation based on lessons they had learnt over their time training, the first one advising to never trust a bog as it is not always as shallow as you think.

On their final day the girls walked another 20km and, full of excitement, managed to get home very quickly passing lots of other walkers. They ended their expedition in Pooley Bridge and jumped on the bus to go back to Penrith where they celebrated with some normal food before getting the train back home.

Overall, the girls walked more than 100km over the area shown by four Ordnance Survey maps and climbed mountains such as Sergeant Man, The Old Man of Coniston, and Catbells. Speaking about their expedition the girls said "We thoroughly enjoyed it despite the rain and the ups and downs and would highly recommend the experience".

St George's Charity Events Jeans for Genes Day Friday 22 September On Friday 22 September, girls and staff wore jeans for a £1 donation to help Jeans for Genes make a real difference to the lives of children born with a genetic disorder. In total, the girls raised £237.23.

Please visit jeansforgenes.org/getinspired for more information.

The Harvest Festival collection for Hillcrest Aids Collection Trust raised £150.10

On Friday 29 September, a coffee morning was held in Markham to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support. In total, the girls raised £215.74 selling delicious cakes.

Sports News @SGA_Sports

The First Years' First Weeks of Sport at St George's The U12s have had a fantastic few weeks of sport during their first half term at St George’s. The girls have approached every opportunity with great enthusiasm, and it is exciting to see how many girls want to be involved. In club time they have had the opportunity to play sport with many of the girls in the older years. This has really helped the U12s to settle in and learn from the older Georgians at the school.

The girls won their match 8-3 against The Royal on 23 September which shows how far they have come.

In netball the girls have faced some tough matches but they have worked well together on the court and showed great potential. They have already had lots of matches against other local schools such as The Marist, Luckley House, Heathfield, and Downe House.

Swimming has also been popular with the First Year girls. Many have signed up for Swimming Club on Mondays, with some of the girls already representing Lacrosse is a new sport for many who have joined, the school in swimming galas. On Monday 25 but they are picking it up very quickly and have September the First Year team won their fixture against shown a good understanding of the rules. They are working well as a team and have shown great grit and Heathfield. determination against some tough opposition.

Girls Go Gold

Thursday 28 September On Thursday 28 September, a group of six Georgians travelled to Wimbledon High School to attend the annual Girls School Association Girls Go Gold conference. The following is an account from Sports scholar Sophie.

across the globe.

"Our day started bright and early when we had to meet at the station (with our coffees), for 7am. Following an hour and a half journey on the train we arrived at Wimbledon High School along with around 50 other girls schools from all around the country. We were given our timetables and were incredibly excited to get on with the day and hear from many well known athletes as well as gaining some once in a lifetime instruction from some of the best coaches in the country.

In addition, during the day we had several motivational speakers talking with all of us about nutrition for high performance sport and where we find that in our diet (certainly not in strawberry laces!). Another lecture was about sport psychology and how to perform to the best of your ability, while taking into account the mental and psychological aspects of sport.

We all started our day with a talk given by Helen Glover, the no.1 rated female rower in the world since 2015: She is a two time Olympic champion, and World champion along with her partner Heather Stanning. Her speech was both inspirational and incredibly motivating and helped to explain the hard work and dedication that goes on behind the podiums and medals: She is an incredible role model, for not only athletes, but any girl

Moving on from this, we all made our way to the sports we had been allocated. I made my way to the tennis courts to receive coaching from top professional players.

The next workshop included discussion about who was in our ‘TEAM YOU’. They explained to us how we could achieve our goals with help from coaches, teachers and parents. This really helped to motivate and inspire us to push ourselves to achieve our full potential. Overall, the day was inspiring, motivating and informative. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and would definitely go again".

U18 South East Berkshire Netball Tournament On Monday 25 September, the U18s participated in the South East Berkshire Netball Tournament which was held at home. The girls played in a round robin tournament with 11 matches in total against schools from across South East Berkshire.

St George's won many matches and played hard fought games against Charters, Ranelagh and The Marist. With a team loaded with shooters they were reliant on players showing versatility to cover other positions. The squad pulled together and really stepped up to the challenge, working well together and demonstrating a fast paced style of play, though at times this became a little over zealous. The players of the tournament were awarded to Sophie and Izzy for their superb defending.

Overall, it was a great afternoon of netball and the team spirit amongst this newly formed squad developed throughout the tournament. The U18s look set to becoming a slick, feisty and hardworking team.

U14 South East Berkshire Netball Tournament On 3 October, the U14 As and Bs participated in the South East Berkshire Tournament at home.

The girls played against schools not just from the Ascot area, but all across Berkshire, meaning that the competition was fierce and the standard of netball high.

After a stumbling start, the girls gained confidence and play improved throughout the afternoon. All the girls tried hard to work on the set plays and tactics that they had worked on in training. The team spirit was great and the support the girls gave each other really helped.

After a run of tough matches the As ended the tournament with a close and tough win against Heathfield.

Keep up to date with St George's latest sports news at twitter.com/SGA_Sport

U15 County Lacrosse Tournament On Wednesday 27 September the U15s competed in the Berkshire County Lacrosse Tournament. With a fantastic performance at the weekend prior to the tournament, the girls were feeling excited and positive about continuing their progress.

In the first match against Queen Anne’s the girls took a while to warm up and conceded some early goals but soon brought their competitive streak to the fore, starting to successfully challenge groundballs.

In the subsequent games, St George's showed fantastic grit and determination, and in each game there were

English Schools Cross Country Cup First Round, Berkshire On 11 October the school cross country team travelled to Reading to take part in the first round of the National Cup. The girls arrived early to walk the course and familiarise themselves with the varying terrain and gradients. The junior girls raced first and put on an excellent display.

When the results were tallied the team finished seventh out of 13 schools which is a fantastic result. The inter girls were next to race and faced the challenge of a longer course. The girls showed great determination to complete the event with notable performances from Daisy, Lara, Oona and Rosie. Congratulations to the all girls who participated in this great team effort.

individual players who demonstrated a real flare and commitment, resulting in close defeats against St Barts and Heathfield.

The girls were disappointed going into the last game but were not ready to bow down to the mighty Downe House. Their resilience and determination shone through against tough opponents. Despite the overall result, the hard work and competitiveness of the U15s has been stepped up a notch from last year, and a few of the girls will be heading to South West Super Counties trials in mid-November.

Admissions News

Admissions News Boarding Taster Night On Friday 22 September, many eager Year 5 to 7 girls flooded into Markham for the boarding taster evening. After receiving their vibrant red goody-bags filled with St George’s treats and hot chocolate packets, the girls made their way upstairs to make themselves at home for the night. After dinner, the festivities began.

They concluded the night by sitting under their fairy lights, watching films, and chatting away to their new friends.

The night was a huge success, with both new and current girls having a great time. Markham House looks forward to welcoming the girls back again in the future.

The fun kicked off with cupcake decorating. Sprinkles and rainbow-coloured icing covered the tables as well as the cupcakes, but the outcome was well worth the mess.

Following the judging of the cupcakes, the girls headed upstairs for the main event of the night – karaoke! After much debate about who would use the golden microphone, and who the silver, the girls paired up and picked their songs before performing their chosen pieces to the waiting audience.

There was even a special dance performance by current First Years Alice and Honey.

IT Education Workshop Saturday, 23 September

Girls in Years 5 to 7 enjoyed an exciting day of Computing and IT activities on Saturday 23 September. The girls spent the morning with the IT Department engaging in an array of activities such as programming micro:bits and musical compositions. There was also the opportunity to create their own animated e-card and computer game using Kodu.

Admissions Day

St George's next Education Workshop will be held on Saturday, 17 March 2018 with the Modern Foreign Languages Department.

Saturday, 29 September

Admissions Day saw 80 very excited Year 6 prospective pupils participate in three different lessons in the morning run by the Art, Geography and Mathematics Departments. After a generous lunch with the current First Year girls, the prospective pupils enjoyed mini tours of the school before enjoying a fun Zumba session run by the Natalie Vinson School of Dance.

This event acts as a taster day for registered pupils in advance of sitting their entrance assessment in November, gives girls an opportunity to meet the staff, see lessons in action and importantly to meet each other and make relationships. +44 (01344) 629900 | @SGA_Head @StGeorgesAscot St George's School, Ascot Berkshire SL5 7DZ | @SGA_Boarding @SGA_Academic office@stgeorges-ascot.org.uk | www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk | @SGA_Sport @SGA_TheArts @SGA_Sixthform