The St Marylebone C.E. School Specialisms Newsletter Spring 2014 A Specialist School in Performing Arts, Maths, Computing, Communication & Interaction
All That Jazz
Sixth Form play Bound by Choice: An Evening of Dance
St. Marylebone C.E. School presents...
WEST SIDE STORY ‘I have never seen a show that came anywhere close to the splendour that was West Side Story.’
Behind the scenes...
I really enjoyed performing in West Side Story. The people in the production really inspired me to carry on acting. I like acting because it helps me express my feelings and is a social activity. Clementine R (7W)
I thoroughly enjoyed performing in St Marylebone's production of West Side Story. It was an amazing experience for me to become more confident with a dance style that Marylebone had not done yet, one which I really love. I was able to meet other students from older and younger years, as it was such an inclusive environment to be in. I wish I had auditioned for a speaking role, as it looked so much fun to be a part of the energetic, entertaining scenes of the play. Overall, I loved taking part in West Side Story, and would do it again, but would audition for a bigger part! Maisie W (9B) I really enjoyed playing the music for West Side Story. It was so great to be part of something so professional, and I really felt like I was part of something more than just a music group when playing! The music itself was amazing, and I still find myself singing it in my head. One thing I particularly enjoyed about playing was the challenge—whilst in rehearsals it seemed like I'd never be able to play some parts it all came together in the end, and was even more enjoyable when all the professional musicians came to complete it! Being part of all the work to make such a good show, with incredible set, dance and acting, made it an experience I will never forget. Eva B (12N)
West Side Story was a triumphant but exhausting experience for me. It enabled me to work with everyone from across all the year groups, but nothing great comes without sacrifice (the long rehearsals). Everyone had highlighted talents that shined as they performed on stage, which I was so lucky to be a part of. The amazing cast and teachers put on one of the best musicals ever put on by a Marylebone production! Kangwa S (12B)
This has been a proper collaborative experience for everyone. It has been beautiful to work with all of the staff here and the many staff that supported this process. There are also students that are not on stage that have done so much, such as our technical team and our very hard working stage crew. The word people keep banding about the show is ‘ambitious’, and I’d like to say that it was, but we knew with the talent that we had with these students that we could do it, and they have contributed so much. I feel like we drew the picture and they coloured it in. They have directed themselves, they have coached each other, and I have watched older students support younger students and watched them grow. It has been an absolutely beautiful experience and one that I will take with me for a very long time. Miss Goodman, Director
Many talented people have been involved in making this ambitious show possible. These wonderful teachers are the backbone of St Marylebone Performing and Visual Arts Department, and we are incredibly grateful to them for all the love, sweat and late nights they have put into this. I’m leaving St Marylebone this year, along with others, and we have been in basically every single production since Year 7, so I can confidently say this is the best show yet. It has been a thrill to watch Art, Dance, Drama and Music all join together in this Herculean effort to put West Side Story on stage. Mary H (13D)
Workshop and performance at the Royal Albert Hall Working with Jake Bugg was a wonderful exp erience. I h ave performed, sang and been on stage before, but I have never done anything so special. We spent a day working on harmonies for the song 'Broken' and got to meet everyone; vocal coaches, students from other schools, employees at the Royal Albert Hall, Jake Bugg himself and many other amazing people. I had a great time because the process of working on something fantastic whilst knowing that we would be on the same stage with Jake, singing his song, was something I really couldn't wait for. On Friday the 21st, the day f i nal ly c a me wh e r e we performed. It was fantastic! The feel of walking on stage with all the lovely people and seeing all of Jakes fans happy to see us too was one of the best. It was an unforgettable moment. It was very nice to know that I was part of such a huge night and performance with a beautiful stage and theatre hall and with such a talented man. The most wonderful part about the workshop was getting the chance to meet new people and work with them as well as someone as great and talented as Jake Bugg and his vocal coaches. Maria K (10D) During the half-term , I was given an amazing opportunity to participate in a music workshop with a chance of performing at The Royal Albert Hall. I was thrilled to get advice and some inspiration from Jake Bugg. He's one of my favourite artists and his songs are just great. I was really excited, in fact speechless, when I found out about the workshop. It was such an honour. It was quite surreal to actually be a part of it, to perform in The Royal Albert Hall. This experience was so bizarre and it was such a privilege. It's a memory that I will treasure for years to come. Sahar B (11B)
ICT
11 February 2014 Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle advises students on online safety
Today we went to the London offices of Microsoft for Safer Internet Day By Lili and Neha The St Marylebone CE School and we learned about keeping safe online and how to improve the safety on social media. The theme of the day was 'let's create a better internet together'. We attended a Question & She told us: "I've been online since 2009 Answer session that told us about young and 99% of the time it is usually a very people's points of view on keeping safe positive experience but unfortunately online. every now and again you do get a The panel was made up of 14 and 15-year old students who came from two different schools and talked about how primary school children should be able to see helpful e-safety posters. They also suggested having talks from sixth formers or older secondary school students about internet safety rather than adults. This is because you get lots of talks about e-safety from adults so it's good to get told about it from someone closer to your age. One of the speakers was the retired Olympic gymnast Best Tweddle, who had been previously bullied online via Twitter after appearing on Sky Sports. “The one big (piece of) advice - don't ever reply back to an abusive message online, just speak to an adult� - Beth Tweddle
negative tweet, whether it's what you look like or something about what I do as a job with my gymnastics - so that can be quite hurtful to read. If you do get that abusive message just ignore it and my advice for someone that is really struggling with bullying, especially online, is to speak to someone. The one big (piece of) advice - don't ever reply back to them online, just speak to an adult." We were also hoping to meet culture secretary Maria Miller to ask her about what the government could do about being safe online but she couldn't attend because of flooding in her constituency of Basingstoke. Instead, one of her ministers Helen Grant came and spoke to the meeting. She said: "It's not about one person, it's about everyone working together." We learned from the panel that internet service providers were taking views from younger people and putting that forward into their decisions rather than just taking an adult's view. The most enjoyable part of the day was when we interviewed Beth Tweddle because she was an Olympic gymnast and she was no ordinary person.
Our Day to the BBC Broadcasting House and Microsoft building! We started off the day by walking to BBC Broadcasting House to meet a producer called Chris. He helped us write some questions to ask Beth Tweddle (Former Olympic Gymnast) who we would be meeting later that day. We were also hoping to meet Culture Secretary Maria Miller, unfortunately she could not attend due to flooding in her constituency of Basingstoke. Whilst we were there we also got a glimpse of Prince Charles and Camilla! After we had eaten lunch we got into a taxi with Chris and Mark the camera man to go to Microsoft. Once we got there we set up and did a rehearsal of the interview before Beth got there. Beth finally arrived after we were told numerous times she was in the building and put her wireless microphone on. Eventually we started the interview and asked her about her experiences with cyber bullying as she was sent hateful messages on twitter after a Q&A on Sky Sports. One of the questions we asked her was about her advice to others who may be getting bullied online and she said "The one big (piece of) advice - don't ever reply back to them online, just speak to an adult." When we had finished our interview we walked over to another room where we listened to a panel of 14 to 15 year old students. They answered questions about improvements that could be made to make the internet a better place. The theme was 'let's create a better internet together'. There were also numerous speeches by important people including Helen Grant who stood in for Maria. She said: "It's not about one person; it's about everyone working together." After collecting all the information we needed we went and created a story whilst eating a massive jammy dodger given to us by a nice lady! The final story was then was published onto the BBC website along with a short clip of our interview. Sadly, it was raining when we were walking to the BBC building and we were not so happy, but that turned around due to the amazing day that we had and we were very happy at the end of the day. In addition to this, when we were in the BBC building we saw where they film their news and weather forecast which was very cool! We also enjoyed writing some of the questions for the interview, however the best part was definitely interviewing Beth Tweddle. We had an awesome day that we will never forget. By Neha Z (8N) and Lili P (8B)
Cyber Champions Workshop IBM On Tuesday the 12th September a group of girls, accompanied by Miss Shaikh and Miss Parkes made their way to a cyber safety workshop at the IBM office in Waterloo. IBM is a multi-national technology and Business Corporation, so this was a great opportunity! As we walked into the building we were greeted by the nicest members of staff, as well as a technology-filled building. The workshop was really fun and we learnt a lot. Below are some of the tips and tricks that we found out to help you stay safe online and with your phone:
Cover your webcam with blue-tack to prevent hackers from looking through it. If you have a touch screen phone with a pin password, e.g. 5678 people can see what your password is just by looking at your fingerprint marks when the phone is off; make sure to wipe your screen regularly or buy a screen protector. If someone is ever cyber bullying you or saying something online or on a text that you don’t like, screen-print it so that you have evidence of what they did. Check your privacy settings on apps like Instagram, as they can reset back to public when an update happens. Hackers find it much easier to hack accounts with passwords that have words from the English dictionary in them, to make your password less easier to work out add numbers instead of letters e.g. JustinBcool= Ju5t1nBC001
Amber E (8W)
On Tuesday 18th a group of us set off for Disney Land Paris. When we got there late Tuesday night we were all very excited about the rides the following day. The rides were all so fun. From the thrills of "rock n roll", "tower of terror" and "space mountain". The laughs and smiles in "run a way train" and the iconic "tea cups". We also went to a seminar on the Wednesday and another seminar as well as a workshop on the Thursday. The first one on Wednesday was about roller coasters and how ICT is used to give a better experience on the roller coasters (by using lasers, different lighting and music at certain points in the rides).
We also saw and were told about how ICT is used to keep people safe on the rides. In the workshop on Thursday we created are own roller coaster groups of around six (people that do this are nicknamed imagineers). We then presented it to a panel of three experienced people in the area and were asked detailed questioned about how it will be safe and how many people can go on the ride every hour. We also had to stick to the Disney ethos when designing are rides. The final seminar on the Thursday was about how ICT is used generally throughout the park. Disney Land Paris was incredibly fun, with great laughs, thrills and also learning about the way ICT is used throughout the Disney land resort! Pearl J (9H)
On the 4th of February, my ICT class visited a printer called ‘Print Fast’ located by Rathbone Place. As part of our A level we are studying publishing and have to create and print a local pull-out magazine for young people. We learnt about the vast number of products the printers are involved in making from business cards to high end glossy magazines. We were shown the different types of binding involved to put the magazines together. This included glue, comb and stitched. Being able to visit the printers was a really good opportunity as we were able to get an insight into the way a printers works and the process of creating different publications. Liza S (13D)
St. Marylebone C.E. School presents...
“SURVIVORS ARE THOSE WHO RESPOND TO RESTRICTION BY SEEING A MULTITUDE OF CHOICES, NOT A BLACK AND WHITE OPTION.”
The Dance Show is the most important and inspiring part of the year for me. We all get the gift of being able to perform for our friends, parents, and teachers in a professional way to show them how hard we have worked throughout the year. Choreographing was an amazing experience because at the end of the shows I felt so proud and happy of the work we had achieved. The show gives you the opportunity to explore what you might like to do in the future and brings everyone together in a showbiz way. Etta S (8B) - Choreographer
The Dance Show this year was brilliant. The InNewVate girls worked so hard on attending extra rehearsals and working with new movements which they found challenging at first. The amount of talent in their final performance was something exceptional and truly something they should be proud of. I found working with the girls a pleasure due to their enthusiasm and passion for dancing. When someone shares an equal amount of devotion to a subject as yourself, the experience of choreographing is so much more exciting and interesting as you can work with more advanced choreographic devices. Thank you InNewVate for making my time teaching you so enjoyable and rewarding. WELL DONE! Natalie L-R (12B) - Choreographer
maths
Over the past few months a number of St. Marylebone students have participated in various competitions organised by the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust. These are aimed at high achieving young Mathematicians, and encourage students to apply their Maths skills creatively to solve difficult problems. The first event of the year was November’s Senior Maths Challenge. St. Marylebone’s Sixth Form students attempted the difficult paper, with excellent results. Two students achieved a mark high enough to place them in the top band of entrants, earning them a place in the very prestigious British Mathematical Olympiad. A further five students qualified for the next round of the competition, entitling them to sit the Senior Kangaroo paper, also a great achievement. In these subsequent rounds, notable mention goes to Kamil K (13W) who was awarded a Distinction in the Olympiad, and to Asan H (13D) and Mixalis L (12N), both of whom achieved a Merit in the Kangaroo. Kamil has gone on to attempt the second round of the British Mathematical Olympiad, a staggeringly difficult paper in which more marks are given for a participant’s creative approach to solving a problem than their final answer. He, along with the students in Years 9 to 11 who recently attempted the Intermediate Maths Challenge, is currently awaiting the results.
UKMT Team Challenge On February 28th four Key Stage 3 pupils travelled to the City of London School to take part in the UK Mathematics Trust Team Challenge Regional Finals. The Team Challenge is a national competition, with 26 other London schools, many of them selective, participating on the day.
Kit S (8W) and Hannah A (8N) teamed up with Year 9s Jovana P (9H) and team captain Kira M (9D) to pit their wits against a series of challenging activities that tested their mathematical dexterity, creativity, teamwork and communication skills. In an incredibly competitive event the team performed brilliantly, and when the final results were announced the team were delighted to have come in an outstanding 3rd place. This was by far the best results ever achieved by a team from St. Marylebone, and huge congratulations go to these four pupils for their extraordinary performance.
Two classes in Year 9 have recently started a new project combining Maths and ICT to build a more comprehensive understanding of linear functions. Entitled Cornerstone Maths, it ‘helps pupils achieve deep learning of the most difficult Maths concepts through guided explorations and activities that foster reasoning and collaboration’. St. Marylebone was selected as a pilot school for the 3week unit of work, one of the first to benefit from this exciting new software. The project is still in the early stages, but pupils have already enjoyed exploring the computer simulations and learning to articulate high-level concepts.
Developing Teacher Expertise A new training course aimed at working maths teachers was launched at Marylebone this term. Supported by the London Schools Excellence Fund it focuses on the links between different aspects of mathematics and encourages teachers to develop more joined-up thinking among their pupils. There is evidence to suggest that this kind of deep understanding helps students to build more robust skills. The course is jointly led by by staff from MEI (Mathematics in Education and Industry) and members of the St Marylebone Mathematics Department. Representatives of six London schools were enthusiastic about the first two-day session of this course which continues throughout the year. By the end of the current three-year funded programme, the Mathematics Department will have built the capacity to continue offering the course in the longer term.
Inner Voices News‌
I have been a soprano singer in Inner Voices choir for over a year and I have thoroughly enjoyed it! Last term, we were fortunate enough to go on tour in Belgium. We left during the worst storms of the winter, enduring an 11 hour wait in Dover, before an unforgettable ferry voyage across the English channel, during a force nine gale. Once in France, we did some rehearsing on the coach, which became the most unusual setting for Parry’s, I Was Glad, to get ready for the adventure that awaited.... We sang in Brussels Cathedral, where we got the first standing ovation in a year of any of the choir tours that perform daily. We also performed in historic churches in the Belgian towns of Leuven and Wavre, which both had exquisite atmosphere and acoustics. I ate so many delicious waffles that my stomach ached! We crammed in a lot of history, visiting Bruges, including visiting the famous, Mannequin de pis, (the world famous statue of the urinating boy) trying Belgium delicacies, singing in the most beautiful places and having the best of fun. All in all, I feel extremely lucky. In just two days, we got to see three different towns on the continent, where we sang to over 500 people! Thank you St Marylebone for making such a great experience possible!
Milla M (9H)
On the 15th of February,48 very tired human beings (bearing in mind it was about 8am on a Saturday) boarded a coach with the intention of arriving in Belgium for 3pm. 10 hours later we were still stuck at Dover Terminal due to 'adverse weather conditions.’ During these long hours, rehearsal was in full swing - and may I point out, anything to be sung in eight parts, the absolute worst place to rehearse would be a coach. After arriving at about one in the morning, most of us slept walked to the hostel and fell straight into bed. Lie ins however were not on the radar as rehearsals for a performance that afternoon had to begin. Our first performance abroad was at the beautiful cathedral of Wavre. We were greeted with this majestic building and cake- tasty cake as well. Our next two performances were in the equally amazing cathedrals of Brussels and Leuven (where we were staying). Each performance gave a new dimension and feel to the tour. Our last day in Belgium was a tour of the mesmerizing town of Bruges, eating waffles and in my case taking photos of the numerous horses. Of course none of this tour would not have been possible without the generous donations after performances. On behalf of the SMS students involved with Inner Voices (Cecilia B 9N, Milla M 9H, Genevieve W 10D, Stella Q 10W) I would like to thank: Natural History Museum, Hilton Hotel- Race for Opportunities and Merchant Taylors Hall. If you would like to come listen to us live, our next performance is at St James Church, Sussex Gardens at 1900hrs on the 4th April (Friday). Tickets can be reserved by emailing events@innervoices.co.uk. More infomation can be found at: innervoices.co.uk Genevieve R-L (9D)
Inner Voices recently went on its first international tour to Belgium, where we performed three concerts in Wavre, Leuven and Brussels. All of the venues had beautiful acoustics, and it was thrilling to hear the sound of our choir singing the likes of Lotti's 'Cricifixus' and Allegri's 'Miserere' soar through Brussels Cathedral and other historical churches. We used the time when we were not rehearsing to continue to work on our repertoire, most of which we will be performing at a Gala Concert on April 4th, and to spend more time with the wonderful people that make up Inner Voices. It is remarkable how easy it is to bond over a shared waffle! I have made many friends through Inner Voices, and every week I look forward to seeing them all. We sing a range of songs; something for everyone's taste - from pop, to gospel, to classical! Rehearsals have become the highlight of my week, and I'm already looking forward to our next concert! Cecilia B (9N)
ICT During our trip at sky skills studios we got to make a news broadcast, with the help of an instructor at the venue. First of all we designated roles needed to create a news report shown on TV. The roles included: Reporter, Producer, Director, Camera person, Eye witness, Scriptwriter and Editor. Then, each group went into their own mini recording studio where it all happened! We got given an idea to follow, and the part of the report we were going to film, wrote our scripts, practiced our lines and got the camera angles at the ready. As the 2-3 minute report was shooting, the editor’s job was to choose suitable backdrops for the background of the report, and to essentially put all the information said from the reporter’s in the appropriate place. The directors made sure the reporter’s lines were said perfectly, the scriptwriter made the information said in the report to flow properly, the eyewitness and reporter acted out the script, the camera person filmed the reporters and eye witnesses, and the producer kept everything together and on track. With the help of each and every person in the studio, together we created a successful report in the time given! Our favourite part of the trip was watching the whole report being put together, we even got to keep the reports which were put on a USB done especially for us to bring home and show the family! Our experience at Sky Skills Studios gave everyone who participated an insight into the filming industry and let us bring back amazing memories of making our very own reports; just like those broadcasted on TV. Gabriella B (9H) and Jade W (9H)
FESTIVAL OF LESSONS AND CAROLS St. Marylebone Parish Church Thursday 19th December 2013 The Festival of Lessons and Carols was a fitting celebration for Mrs Elizabeth Phillip’s last concert. The evening featured a wide variety of high calibre performances, most notably Phoebe W’s (9W) beautiful vocal solo in ‘Once in Royal’ and Lenna S’s (9D) stunning violin solo in String Concertante’s performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’. The Dance Company and Scholars performed a unique piece which was choreographed specifically to accompany String Concertante, whilst the Church Choir and the Symphony Orchestra combined to perform a moving rendition of ‘What Sweeter Music’ by Rutter. 'The concert finished with a huge rendition of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' sung and played by the orchestra and all choirs, including the staff. It was a triumphant finale to the end of term!
North London Festival of Music, Drama and Dance Lenna S (9D) has been taking par t in the North London Festival of Music, Drama and Dance since age 7. It is a competition for students of all ages, playing a huge diversity of instruments, from harp to piccolo, as well as singing, orchestras and dance. The festival takes place each year in the Spring and is a great opportunity to peform in front of an audience. This year, on February 28, Lenna played Bach, Dvorak and Sarasate on her violin. The next day, for the Concerto class, it w a s P o l i s h c o m p o s e r Wieniawski. On Monday 2 March, on the viola this time, a Brahms sonata. Lenna won a gold medal in all classes and a c a s h p r i z e . If you are a performer, there may be a class you might enjoy entering next year. Here is the link to their website: http://www.northlondonfestival.org.uk/ Violin and viola played by Lenna S (9D) at the North London Festival of Music, Drama and Dance.
All That Jazz
Sixth Form play
Do you love performing? Do you want to be part of an exciting creative theatre company? Marylebone Theatre Company is a dynamic and exciting performing arts group open to children age 4-18. If you are in Year 7 and above and would like to explore all aspects of the performing arts, come and join us on Saturdays at St. Marylebone C.E. School from 10.30-12.30pm. You will have the opportunity to take part in creative workshops which are designed to allow you to explore and develop your drama and theatre skills. Fees are ÂŁ65 per term. Our first session back after Easter is on Saturday 3rd May. For more information or an application form please email Kath Boulter: k.boulter@stmaryleboneschool.com
Dates for your diary Tuesday 1st April Dance Exam Showcase Main Theatre, 7.00pm Thursday 3rd April Spring Concert St Marylebone Parish Church, 7.00pm
Term Dates TERM 4 Start: Monday 24th February 2014 (8:30am) Finish: Wednesday 9th April 2014 (12:30pm) INSET DAYS Thursday 10th April & Friday 11th April EASTER HOLIDAY 10/04/2014 - 27/04/2014 TERM 5 Start: Monday 28th April 2014 (8:30am) Finish: Friday 23rd May 2014 (3:30pm) HALF TERM HOLIDAY 26/05/2014 - 30/05/2014 TERM 6 Start: Monday 2nd June 2014 (8:30pm) Finish: Thursday 17th July 2014 (12:30pm)