eNewsletter Issue 117

ST GEORGE’S ASCOT

eNewsletter ARTS

Spring 2019 Issue 117

www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

OPEN MIC NIGHT Page 18

FLAINE SKI RACES Page 6

CHINESE NEW YEAR Page 20

HOUSE DEBATING Page 24

FROM THE HEAD Trips Page 3

Academic Page 10

Admissions Page 14

With the days starting to get longer, it can, at times, feel as though Spring is in the air which always brings a welcome sense of optimism in the depths of February and ahead of a much needed rest and re-charge over this half term.

Looking through the pages of this edition of eNews, it is clear that the girls have accomplished a great deal over the past six weeks in addition to their usual diet of academic lessons, sport, music, drama, clubs and activities, as well as some fun outside during our recent snowy weather. There have been a variety of opportunities for the girls from GCSE Historians researching and meeting holocaust survivors and challenging Drama and History of Art workshops to netball tournament success, Open Mic night and ski racing.

Not only have girls attended the first ever international Model United Nations conference representing St George’s, which took place in Bilbao earlier in the term, but, as you will read, the House Debating competition is always one of the highlights of the annual house events calendar and a very enjoyable afternoon. At a time when it can often be hard to witness examples of reasoned discussion and debate, either in the public sphere or in the shallow echo-chambers of social media, it is always reassuring to watch and learn as the St George’s girls speak passionately, respectfully and in an informed manner about a range of challenging issues, and with enviable confidence.

During the second half of this term there is always a tangible feeling of expectation as the Upper Sixth and Fifth Years step up a gear with their studies as their public exams approach. Along with all girls, however, they will also enjoy the excitement of more House Parties, Nationals Lacrosse, House Music and the Third and Fourth Year Play, to name but a few events we have to look forward to before Easter.

Liz Hewer Headmistress

Boarding Page 15

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Charity and Community ST GEORGE’S, ASCOT | ISSUE 117 Page 22

IN THIS ISSUE Page 3 Trips

Page 10 Academic

Page 5 Careers and Connections

Page 14 Admissions

Page 6 Sport

Page 15 Boarding Page 18 Arts

Page 20 Chinese New Year Page 22 Charity and Community Page 24 Other News

TRIPS

MUN BILBAO On Thursday 24 January, nine girls set off for Bilbao and the MUN Conference, where they had four days of exciting speeches and debates ahead of them. There was stimulating discussion of important issues such as defending fundamental rights in Venezuela and efforts to come up with sustainable solutions for issues such as the situation in Crimea and reducing inequality. The girls were all able to gain new friends from around the globe and had a lovely time at the Black Tie Formal on the last evening. The girls also got to enjoy some local culture in the Casco Viejo and at Guggenheim in Bilbao. The trip was a success and everyone had a great time in Bilbao.

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TRIPS On Wednesday 21 January, the First Year girls went to see a performance of Matilda in the Cambridge Theatre, London. It was very special as St Geroge’s pupil, Olivia, was performing as a lead that day. She did a fantastic job and made us all very proud. First Year pupil, Tilly, tells us all about it.

“First Years all headed off on their coach to London with what felt like quite a long journey ahead, as we couldn’t wait to see Matilda! When we reached the theatre, we bought some snacks and popcorn for the show and then sat down in our seats.

We probably had the best seats as we were right up close to the stage.

The show was amazing! There were so many dance scenes, funny moments, great songs and incredible acting. My favourite parts were when Mr Wormwood had his hair dyed green, Mrs Trunchbull during the Physical Education scene and when Bruce Bogtrotter had to eat an entire chocolate cake.

Everyone enjoyed the show immensely and gave a standing ovation at the end.

After that, sadly we had to leave the theatre and get back on the coach. Olivia performed extremely well and we would all love to go and see her perform again.”

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CAREERS AND CONNECTIONS

TINKER TAILOR CAREERS The Fifth Year girls enjoyed the second module of their new careers learning delivered by trainers from Tinker Tailor on Wednesday 30 January. Building on the work undertaken in October, the pupils were helped through a series of exercises to develop an awareness of their own skills and ambitions to allow them to make more informed and realistic decisions about their futures. The work of each of the four groups of pupils was facilitated by a coach currently working in the commercial world and helped the girls to consider the range of jobs available in industry, how to make the most of work experience, how to market themselves successfully and to use opportunities to network efficiently. The pupils will have gained a much greater insight into these crucial areas for their future and developed skills useful for the planning of potential work experience in the summer after their GCSE examinations.

DESIGNWORKS CAREERS TEA A group of girls interested in forging a career in the creative industries or enthusiastic about an entrepreneurial future, attended a Careers Tea on Thursday, 7 February. The speaker at the session was Mr Peter Rickett who, as well as being father of Georgians Abi in the Lower Sixth and 2018 leaver Georgia, is also the cofounder of Designworks. Mr Rickett explained to the group how he had come to develop his career in the industry and illustrated this with numerous examples of the company’s projects including Puttshack shops at Westgate through to iPad systems used to measure feet at Clarks.

There was then time for questions with many girls interested in how the company had been founded and the challenges of starting up as a business. We are grateful for Mr Rickett’s time and knowledge and all those involved were inspired by the possibilities of a career in design.

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SKI RACES IN FLAINE On Friday 25 January an excited group of girls headed to Flaine to compete in the British Schoolgirls’ Ski Races. The girls enjoyed two full days of training with their instructor in challenging conditions on the Giant Slalom and Slalom courses. The girls were then prepared for the races which took place on the following two days.

Our team, consisting of Lily, Ruby, Daisy and captained by Molly, were ready to face some stiff competition against some very experienced ski racers, some who even represent Great Britain. The girls attacked their events with determination and produced some wonderful performances, despite the very cold conditions. The snow storms, ice and technical delays, which meant the girls were held at the top of the race piste for two hours before eventually racing, didn’t hinder their performances. Following the Giant

Slalom event, the girls qualified for the ‘Parallel Slalom A Team’ event which consisted of the top 32 teams, an achievement of which the girls should be very proud.

All four girls competed at least once in either the Giant Slalom or Slalom events and when they weren’t skiing, supported each other with good humour and consideration.

Unfortunately, due to the snow conditions the Parallel Slalom event didn’t take place, but this didn’t take away from the experience for the girls.

Away from the slopes, the girls enjoyed going bowling, playing games and drinking hot chocolate with Mr and Mrs Woodward, who were there to support the girls all weekend. On the final night the group walked part way up the piste to a fondue restaurant to round off a wonderful trip.

SPORT

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SPORT

SURREY STORM NETBALL On Saturday 12 January, Miss Myers and Miss Mogford took a group of girls to see Surrey Storm take on Mavericks at Surrey Sports Park. It was brilliant to see such a high level of netball played

and the girls were able to pick up lots of tips to try out in their own training and matches. The girls had a lovely time and took part in the half time shooting challenge!

Ascot Schools Netball Tournament

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SPORT

NETBALL TOURNAMENTS ASCOT SCHOOLS

PREP SCHOOLS

On 15 January the U14 A and B teams took part in the Ascot Schools netball tournament.

On Saturday 26 January, we hosted our annual Year 5 Prep Schools Netball tournament. The sports department were impressed with the incredible turnout of nine schools from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey, and the standard of netball was impressive. The girls played a round robin, working hard to compete in eight games of 8 minutes each, only running in from the cold during their one game off to warm up with hot chocolate and croissants! All the schools showed us some brilliant young netball talent, and the tournament winners this year, winning all eight of their games, and taking home lots of prizes and medals, were Hoe Bridge School. Well done to all the players, and a big thank you to their parents for coming to support, and to the catering staff and PE department for running such a fantastic event.

U14A

The girls played their best netball of the season with some slick attacking play and determined defensive displays.

The standard of play was high, but the girls fought hard in every game and got their rewards with a well deserved silver medal.

Outstanding performances from the whole team, but particular mention to Gabby and Daisy.

Results: v LVS A - won, v Marist A - lost, v Ranelagh A - won, v St Mary’s A - won, v Heathfield A - won

U14B

The U14B team showed fantastic grit and determination in the tournament. They had five matches and worked well as a team to win every game to be crowned the plate competition winners. It was lovely to see everyone contribute to such a strong set of results, but particular mention should go to Erin and Charlotte who shot fantastically and made a real difference to the score line. Well done to all who played.

Results: v St Mary’s D - won, v LVS B - won, v St Mary’s C - won, v St Mary’s B - won, v Marist B - won

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ACADEMIC

ASCOT HOLOCAUST PROJECT Since September, the Fourth Year Historians have been working on independent projects about holocaust survivors. These survivors were liberated from the death camps in Eastern Europe, in particular Belsen. In 1945, thirtyfour boys were evacuated to Ascot and settled into their new home in Woodcote House. The Fourth Year have been working with Rosie Whitehouse, a BBC journalist, to produce presentations about the different survivors.

Their work was displayed in Ascot Library on 20 January, when a number of local dignitaries, as well as Jewish representatives, gathered with the girls from St George’s to remember those

who died in the Holocaust, and those who had survived and come to Ascot. Ivor Pearl and Sam Friedman, two survivors who had come to Ascot at the end of the war, met with the girls and spoke with them about their experiences, a humbling and emotional experience unlikely to be forgotten.

ETON COLLECTION On 28 January members of the History of Art Club and A Level Art History pupils visited the Eton Collection. Lydia tells us about the trip.

“We first went to look at the incredible antichamber of the chapel which, in size, was a little under half of what it was originally planned to be. The chapel, a beautiful late Gothic style building, serves as a memorial for boys that have died serving in previous wars. We had the privilege of going to College Library and looking at various books published from the medieval period to the twentieth century including a Kelmscott Chaucer and examples of chalk drawings from the Topham collection. We were shocked to hear that some of the ‘paper’ was made of vellum (animal skins usually pig, calf or sheep). We headed to the Verey Gallery where there were countless, beautiful watercolour paintings. The History of Art A Level girls gave us a some insight on two different paintings; one

by Turner of a rural countryside town and the other by Gainsborough, of a haunting yet striking

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woodland with a lone figure wandering through it. Finally, we viewed Hughie O’Donoghue’s (RA) series of painting “Seven Halts on the Somme”.

He had created some very abstract yet emotional paintings and we had to interpret how we felt about them and think about what the artist was trying to show us, which meant thinking a little outside the box! The trip was full of the rich history of Eton College and beautiful, special artwork which every girl on the trip enjoyed seeing.”

We are particularly proud of Lower Sixth pupil, Sophie, whose brilliant talk in the Verey Gallery was featured on the Eton Collections blog.

ACADEMIC

JUNIOR ACADEMIC SCHOLARS LUNCH Mr Rhodes and Mr Hoar enjoyed having lunch with the academic scholars from the First to Fourth Year on 22 January.

Over a delicious meal, we discussed topics as wide-ranging as Brexit, our favourite books and the implications of, and solutions to, climate change. The girls were not short on opinions and excellent ideas.

MUSEUM OF THE ORDER OF ST JOHN On Wendesday 6 February the First Year visited The Museum of the Order of St John, which tells the story of how the modern arm of this ancient religious military order came to be. St John’s Ambulance, with its distinctive eightpoint cross, is better recognised for tending to weekend warriors up and down the country than for knights and popes. However, the organisation’s origins stem from 1080 and Brother Gerard’s establishment of a hospital in Jerusalem.

Known as the Hospitallers, this religious order cared for anyone without distinction of race or faith. The girls had the opportunity to tour some

of the extensive properties that have been bequeathed to or bought by this wealthy order.

With its main base at Clerkenwell, on an old Priory site, the Museum of the Order of St John of Jerusalem developed an international network of hospitals to tend to needy pilgrims to make sure their journeys were completed. The girls visited the gallery room where they saw notable members of the order, and they even descended the oldest wooden staircase in the country before taking part in a workshop that allowed them to handle medieval items from the Museum’s internationally significant collection.

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ACADEMIC

On Tuesday 5 February the Fourth and Fifth Year GCSE drama pupils went to London to watch the ‘The Woman in Black’ as well as to take part in a workshop about the performance. We hear all about it from Olivia below.

“First up was the workshop, which involved getting on stage and doing some acting, as well as discussion about the lighting, sound and other effects used in the performance. It was very exciting and we were able to have fun while pulling faces of fear.

Jacqueline did a very believable performance of the first scene where a man comes on stage and reads his lines nervously. Maya and Rosa, and then Amelie and Honey, acted out the scene from the hotel very well, and the rest of us created sounds of an inn that stopped at a certain point to create tension.

Megan, Grace, Nina and I tried out doing faces of fear before knocking on a door, three times. Why three times, you ask, because it just always is.

However, Grace received a fourth knock back from the other side! Then afterwards, I knocked the door and it swung open! Terrifying! Nina was after me, and everyone was feeling very nervous for what would happen next after she had knocked.

Nothing. This was one of the great ways that the workshop showed us a technique for building tension and fear, and then explained where this was used in the performance.

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We were all also given the opportunity to step up onto the stage to have a go at opening two imaginary doors. What lay behind the first door gave us delight, and the second, horror, and we had to make our ‘I’m pleased’ and ‘I’m horrified’ face.

The workshop was very useful for us as we will have to write about effects, use acting techniques used in the performance, and use costume for our GCSE assessment, so having the chance to discuss it further was incredibly helpful. As we were close to and sometimes on the stage, we were also able to get a closer look at technical aspects of the performance that were pointed out to us. For example we looked at what was used to create a flame. The workshop was so much fun and definitely helped me to understand more about the play.

The next part of the trip involved watching the play. ‘Oh no’ most people thought, and quite rightly so, as it was very eerie, with some wellplaced jump scares, such as a scream sounding as the main character touched the door handle.

Having the woman in black walk down the aisle was also rather scary, as was the sound of a rocking chair getting faster as it was approached.

I had shivers for much of the performance. It was very good, but also quite frightening at points.”

ACADEMIC

SHIPWRECK AT THE ALMEIDA THEATRE The Drama A-Level girls were lucky enough to watch ‘Shipwreck’ at the Almeida Theatre with Mrs Condliffe and Mrs Gregan on Wednesday 13 February. The evening started with a lovely dinner at Byron Burger, followed by a popular trip to bubbleology, which everyone was eager for, especially after a long commute into Islington.

At the theatre, the girls’ seats were dispersed around the auditorium, and everyone was excited to see the performance from different angles and perspectives. Instantly, there was an amazing atmosphere in the theatre, with ominous drumming and an extravagant, historic, ‘in-the-round’ stage.

The attention to detail in the staging was amazing, and it made everyone excited. The play itself was thought-provoking, political, philosophical and historic, incorporating current affairs that everyone had an opinion on. The timelessness throughout the performance worked well with the abstract and Artaudian style of acting, which everyone enjoyed and appreciated. The areas of comedy throughout the play kept the girls involved with the storyline, which was quite complex at times, making the play enjoyable overall.

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ADMISSIONS

BOARDING TASTER NIGHT On Friday 8 February we hosted our termly boarding taster night, with girls from Years 5 to 8 joining us to experience a night in boarding at St George’s. The girls has a fantastic evening designing t-shirts and doing karaoke, and we were delighted that they all stayed on the following day for our music education day.

MUSIC EDUCATION DAY Following on from an exciting boarding taster night, we welcomed eighteen girls to our music education day on Saturday 9 February. The girls began the day with a movement workshop with Miss Johnson, before turning their hands to djembe drumming with Miss Mason and singing with Mr Hillier. After a busy day, the girls’ parents arrived to take them home, but not before they had the chance to show them everything they had learnt in a brilliant performance.

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BOARDING

HARRY POTTER NIGHT On Thursday 7 February the Markham boarders descended upon the library for Harry Potter Book Night festivities. The fantastic evening of frolics first saw the girls being sorted into their respective Hogwarts houses. Then the competitions truly began in earnest. Girls bravely sampled some of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, and our budding witches then recorded their favourite St George’s memory while reminiscing around the memory basin,

also known as a pensieve. A particular highlight of the evening was the design a sock for an elf competition. Girls were asked to create an elf profile and then design a sock suitable for their character. The evening was complete with a golden snitch hunt around the library.

This year’s victors were Ravenclaw and each member of the house was awarded a chocolate frog! There were also chocolate frog prizes awarded to the best sock designs.

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BOARDING

PIZZA AND PAMPER NIGHTS LOWER SIXTH The Lower Sixth boarders requested a change to the normal pizza and pamper night; so instead had cheese and biscuits with games in the common room. The food went down a treat and the games caused much laughter and hilarity!! The girls worked well together in teams and enjoyed playing some new games. We are sure the event will become a regular in Knatchbull.

FIFTH YEAR The Fifth Year boarders celebrated the end of their mock examinations with a relaxing night over pizza in Knatchbull. The girls enjoyed spending time in the common room away from their books and revision.

UPPER SIXTH Having worked exceptionally hard for their A Level mocks, the girls were rewarded with a fabulous evening of pizza and pampering. Glo Pamper came in to offer our girls treatments, such as Massages, Manicures, Pedicures and Facials. These treatments were the perfect way to wind down after the stresses of mocks.

Domino’s was the perfect accompaniment to an evening of fun and relaxation!

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ARTS

OPEN MIC NIGHT Tuesday 12 February saw this term’s open mic night, and, as always, we were wowed by the talent on show, which included renditions of Adele and Amy Winehouse songs, as well as a flute solo and a vocal, percussion and piano trio! Congratulations to all the girls who performed.

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CHINESE NEW The girls had a wonderful time celebrating Chinese New Year and the year of the pig at the start of February. On Tuesday 5 February the Markham boarders made cupcakes and banners, and the girls in Knatchull enjoyed Chinese snacks while teaching each other new skills and sharing traditions.

The whole school joined in with the celebrations on Thursday 7 February, when the catering team laid on a delicious feast of Chinese food and adorned the dining hall with decorations.

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CHINESE NEW YEAR

YEAR

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CHARITY AND COMMUNITY

VOLUNTEERING GROUP Two groups of St George’s girls are using their hour of club time in the spring term to visit local care homes. On Tuesdays with Mrs Anderson and Wednesdays with Mrs Johnson the pupils are heading off on various dates to Ascot Grange, Larkland and St Christopher’s. During their time in the homes the girls have been playing board games, cards and talking to the residents with both parties interested to hear about their activities. We are grateful to the staff of the homes for welcoming our girls during club time and congratulate the girls on being such excellent ambassadors for the School in the community.

PRIMARY SCHOOL VISITS Seventeen of our Lower Sixth girls have been visiting primary schools each week this term to assist with Literacy and Numeracy for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 students. The schools visited are Whitegrove Primary School, Windlesham Infant School and St Michael’s CofE Primary School.

The girls thoroughly enjoy this experience of outreach, and look forward to continuing their visits next term, and our partnership schools find their involvement and enthusiasm invaluable.

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CHARITY AND COMMUNITY

AUSTRALIAN EXCHANGE The Third Year girls selected for the Australian Exchange were given a send-off over drinks and biscuits during morning break on Wednesday 16 January. Annabel, Connie and Charlotte are enjoying a term of life in Melbourne and their year group was out in force to wish them well before they left. The Third Year tutor team was in attendance and the girls were reminded that, although three of their cohort were heading off Down Under, the success of the exchange was a matter for all of them in supporting their friends and making our guests very welcome in

the summer. Everyone was assured that there would be lots of pictures taken by the girls and that we would all be made to feel suitably jealous!

The girls were given a warm welcome upon their arrival in Australia by girls from St Catherine’s, Melbourne, and, after getting their uniforms, quickly settled in to the new environment. They enjoyed their rowing camp in the first week and are now well settled into their Australian homes.

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OTHER NEWS

HOUSE DEBATING The annual House Debating revealed, as ever, new talents in the field of debating. Passions ran high and topics were hotly contested.

Alexander and Churchill Houses went head to head on whether the #MeToo movement had gone too far. Rosie, the youngest competitor, was articulate in arguing that it had not gone too far and indeed there were still issues to tackle. The second debate was between Becket and Darwin Houses over the issue of whether the UK government should give aid to other countries. Daisy and Dara argued with clarity

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for their houses. It was a close competition which was decided by a final debate between Churchill and Darwin Houses considering the issue that e-commerce companies should pay a fairer proportion of tax. The winners were Darwin House ably led by Tejasvi, and t he best speaker award went to Avah. Thanks go to Mr Wright and Mr Hoar for being fair adjudicators and to Camelia for ensuring a smooth running of the debates ably assisted by the timekeeper Leila.

OTHER NEWS

JUNIOR SPORT AND ARTS SCHOLARS LUNCH The Junior Sport and Arts scholars enjoyed lunch with Mr Carroll and Miss Antolik on Friday, 8 February. The group were able to enjoy a number of stimulating conversations over the School’s wonderful fish and chips lunch. A number of areas were covered including the extraordinary and immersive Lower Sixth Drama performance of that week, and the the recent, and inaugural, House Art Competition.

NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE The Challenge, run by the National Citizen Service, is an excellent opportunity for girls in the Lower Sixth and Fifth Year. A number of former pupils have been involved in the scheme which organises young people from around the country into groups, usually in the summer holiday, who enjoy team building tasks and outdoor activities before embarking on an activity working in the community. Members of staff from NCS gave an assembly presentation to the relevant year groups before staffing a stand outside the Dining Room to allow girls to discuss the various opportunities. The NCS also returned on 11 February to deliver a Fifth Year SMSC session on Democracy.

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SNOW

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OTHER NEWS

SOCIALS FIFTH YEAR The Fifth Year girls enjoyed their social with Harrow on 2 February. After supper and lots of conversation they headed to the Cormack Hall for a disco.

FOURTH YEAR The Fourth Year enjoyed a lovely evening on Saturday 19 January with boys from Harrow. A sit down meal of chicken and chips allowed the girls and boys to get to know each other before they made their way to Cormack for a disco. There was lots of enthusiastic dancing and friends were made between the schools.

SECOND YEAR On Saturday 9 February the Second Year girls played host to the boys from Papplewick. The evening began with a sit down dinner, followed by a disco in the Cormack Hall. Before dinner was even finished the girls were itching to dance the night away. Superstar DJ Mr Pearn provided the soundtrack to what was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

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ARTS

ST GEORGE’S ASCOT

#SGAConfident #SGACapable #SGAConnected @stgeorgesascot

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