Sixth Form and Healthy Schools Edition… - St Augustine's Priory

Edition 35 -­‐ 1 st March 2013
What a busy half term it's been! From interviews to exams, from meditation to
the preparation for Feast Day-­‐ and even though the Sixth Form has been busy to
say the least, they still volunteered to help on a few guided tours of the school
Thank you all for your precious timeeven
more focused on work and revision, what with various pieces of coursework
being due and exams dawning on us (Mr Murphy's 100 day count down poster
didn't help with the stress levels!!!). It is nice to see everyone supporting each
other!
In the Lower Sixth, girls are organising visits to open days and attending subject
specialist lectures.
Upper V, after their first steps in the Common Room last term on their Taster
Day, have now decided on their AS choices and an exciting Induction day will take place on 20 th June.
Student council is going well, as you all know, and hopefully we will continue to discuss changes that we girls
suggest!
I'd really like to thank the girls for everything they've done this term! All the wonderful tours and all the help with
Feast Day and just the day-­‐to-­‐day stuff! They are a brilliant team to lead and work with and I hope next half term is
even better!!! (And less stressful-­‐ here's to hoping!)
By Leah Masih, Head Girl, Upper VI
As part of our Unit 2 AS Drama work we had to choose a monologue to
perform as part of our examination.
This enables us to embody many different characters. The contextual
information is deeply embedded in the presentation of the
monologues. For example my play; Hindle Wakes by Stanley
Houghton is set in pre-­‐World War One Lancashire and there is still a
very strong influence of the industrial revolution within the play. The
reason I love the monologue I have selected is because of the character
and her refusal to conform to what is expected of her. She is a strong-­willed
and headstrong northern woman.
However, despite these traits she has lived a respectable life and is
much respected by the small community of Hindle. I intend to fully
embody her character of a strong woman of the 1900s and look
forward to embracing my northern roots and being able to explore the
context of pre-­‐World War One in Lancashire.
By Natasha Rushton, Lower VI

London is a culturally vibrant city and, as always, the following weeks are full of
all sorts of weird and wonderful exhibitions and theatre productions going on.
At the Young Vic
Hou
Award for Best Actress. The play is a fascinating look into the sacrificial roles of
women in the 19 th century and provoked a great deal of outrage when it first
premiered due to its feministic stance. It is only on for a short time, so book
while you can!
At the National Theatre
shown from 14 January-­‐10 March. It is a collection of photographs and objects
which traveller Robin Hanbury-­‐Tenison took whilst travelling to remote tribes
from the 1950s to the 1970s. This exhibition holds remnants of a world
overtaken by ours, a past which was forced to make way for a rapidly
approaching future. It is a melancholic and yet inspiring experience to view
closely how those invisible to rest of the world lived. The exhibition is free, so
do go if you get the chance.
However busy life at school may become, it is important to go out and see what this incredible city has to offer. I
promise you, you will be endlessly surprised and delighted. I know I always am.
By Rebecca Graham, Lower VI
Student Council Supports Healthy Schools
At their recent meeting, the Student Council discussed the subject of whether the Junior girls should eat snacks
during morning break. This break was always supposed to be a fruit-­‐break, but some girls have started to bring in
cereal bars, biscuits and even sweets. The Student Council voted that only fruit should be eaten if the girls want to
have a snack during break-­‐time, as fruit is the only really healthy choice. Many snacks and cereal bars which are
hidden calories, sugar or fat. We also thought that as the break is
Please support the Student Council and give your daughter fruit for her morning break if she wishes to have a snack
before lunch.
Healthy Schools Week:
Skipping Workshop
All Prep and Junior pupils
took part in a skipping
workshop during Healthy
Schools Week and had a
wonderful time! Skipping
is excellent exercise, great
for concentration and
coordination and is lots of
fun too.

Cambridge University
On Saturday 9 th February, I
attended a Masterclass in
Mathematics at Cambridge.
At first, I was hesitant to
apply, but was more than
happy that I did. For a mere
£10.00, you could have a full
day of lectures by the top
researchers and professors in
your chosen subject. The
lectures included activities,
they provide lunch on site,
and you have the opportunity
to take a look around the
beautiful town. After the
lectures, an Admissions
Officer gives a talk on exactly
how the admissions process
works at Cambridge. I found
this extremely useful as we could ask him direct questions, and there were university students at hand ready to answer
whatever queries arose. I also attended another Masterclass in Physics on Saturday 22 nd February, which was great! To
apply visit http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/events/masterclasses.html
I strongly recommend it!
By Maha Al-‐Selami, Lower VI
pleasant sound which often saluted my ears
proceeded from throats of the little winged
delight I felt when I
learned the ideas appropriated to each of these
virtuous and
magnificent yet so
vicious and base?
unhappy
Victor
s diary
book has not Felix, in reading it, given very
to you the effect of these
books. They produced in me an infinity of new
These were reflections of my hours of despondency
but where was mine?"
The above example of work produced on Frankenstein by a Sixth Form student demonstrates the ability to
manipulate texts and show insight into characters and motives while also transferring material into another form.
Saffron Green, Lower VI writes: English AS Level students are currently studying Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In
the lead up to exams we have been told to complete homework tasks focused around key themes in the novel which
should prepare us well for exam questions. Homework tasks may also serve as revision sources. In this particular task
we completed storyboards illustrating the ; from his creation to having the ability
to reason and possess human emotion.

Healthy Schools Week: Nursery
For Healthy Schools Week the Nursery made delicious fruit salads with Sarah and Clare from Relish. With some
guidance, Nursery prepared their own fruit salads to take home. We also used scented play dough, and also
chocolate, lemon and ginger and blackcurrant. The children used different vegetables to explore textures and make
patterns in the play dough. As you can see they were very proud of their creations!
Whole-­‐school essay comp
Write an essay and win money for the charity of your choice.
We are delighted to announce that we shall be running an essay competition this half term designed to capitalise on
is CHARITY and we shall be giving prizes to the best essays written. There will be a winner of the Junior category
and a winner of the Senior category both of whom will receive £100 to be donated to the charity of their choice. We
shall also award certificates and recognise runners-­‐up in the two categories.
Some ideas that students might like to explore in their essays are: Where does charity start? Where does it end? Do
we need charities? Is charity always a good thing? What does the dictionary say charity is? How does charity relate
to Lent? What do we mean when we use the word?
readers.
Remember though, these are just for guidance and are not rules -­‐ Juniors 200-­‐ 800 words, Seniors 500 1000
words.
Entries should be neatly handwritten or typed, and students MUST put their names on each page. Entries should be
given to an English teacher or placed in the box outside the staffroom by Thursday 21 st March.
Think charity and good luck with your essay.

The School is delighted to announce that LAMDA classes will be offered
here by Miss Brown. See poster opposite.
The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a
leading British drama school in west London. It prepares actors,
directors, designers, stage managers and technicians for careers in the
industry.
It also helps more than 83,000 candidates worldwide develop their
communication and performance skills through LAMDA Examinations,
the UK's leading statutory awarding body for speech and drama.
LAMDA Examinations are recognized by Ofqual, the regulator in England
and its counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition, LAMDA
accredited examinations at level 3 are recognized by the University and
Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) points system.
Visit to the Royal College of Anaesthetist
On Friday 1 st February two groups of Lower VI potential medical students went to the Royal College of Anaesthetists.
We attended a variety of different workshops to give us an insight into the role of an anaesthetist and their
importance during various surgeries. We attended five different thirty minute workshops involving the intensive care
unit, the anaesthetic machine, airway management, resuscitation and a career in anaesthesia. My
favourite was the intensive care unit workshop as we could understand exactly how the anaesthetics work on the
human body .
The trip was very helpful because we were given advice and tips for our
university applications. Overall, the trip was a huge success and we were
very grateful the school gave as an opportunity to go to these workshops.
By Kavita Patel, Lower VI
Applying to university in America
This year I have applied to various American universities including Stanford University and MIT.
The first step to studying in America is sitting your SATs. The General SAT which covers Reading, Writing and Maths,
and one or two subject tests of your choice. Usually, if you want to pursue a subject in a scientific field it is advised
that one of the subject tests you do is Maths. You can find out where the test centres in the UK are and what subject
tests are available at http://sat.collegeboard.org. The SATs are available in October, November, December, January,
May and June of each year. It is better to initially sit your SATs in the summer of your AS year so that you can re-­‐take
any in the autumn of your A2 year if necessary. You must have taken all of your SATs before the Christmas of your A2
year as the application deadline is 1 st January and your scores have to be submitted before this deadline. To find out
what universities you might be interested in applying to, you can attend one of the annual Fulbright Commission USA
college days where 150 universities from the US set up stalls to provide information. You can find this information at
http://www.fulbright.org.uk/news-­‐events/usa-­‐study-­‐events. The application process for universities in the US is a bit
different to the English one as you apply to each university separately and there is no limit to how many universities
you can apply to; the university as a whole. Each application
requires an application fee and a variety of essays. So if you want to study in the US it is better to get a head start as
the application process can be very long.
By Francesca Barbaccia,
Upper VI

Mens sana in corpore sano or A healthy mind in a healthy body...
This term the Sixth Form has started weekly aerobics classes with Sheralee. The classes are an hour long and there
has been a great turn out from the Sixth Form who thoroughly enjoy it and are committed to carrying on. We each
have been set goals to focus on what we want to improve, for example core strength, cardiovascular fitness or
flexibility. Each lesson starts with stretches following on through to aerobics, and then strength exercises such as sit-­ups
and press-­‐ups concluding with stretches. These classes are paramount to improving our overall fitness and
stamina in a fun and relaxed environment. These lessons offer the opportunities to exercise which girls may not have
outside school owing to the cost of a gym or class.
By Caitlin Costello, Upper VI
An historic win for
It is great to announce that two St
the London waterpolo team which won the
Amateur Swimming Association (ASA)
Inter-­‐Regional Championships 2013, (U14),
which took place on 9 th and 10 th February
2013 in Walsall. The London girls are the
first London team ever to win a Regional
Championships. Helena Phillips and Anna
Szyszko, both in Upper IV Alpha and
members of the Ealing Waterpolo Club,
had a superb time and both girls
performed well throughout the weekend,
through goal scoring and excellent tactical
play.
Nine regional teams entered the
competition: London, Ireland, North West Lightning, South East, North West Thunder, South West, North East,
Scotland and Wales. On day one the group stage took place with the top two teams in each group going forward to
the semi-­‐finals on day two with the other five teams involved in the play-­‐offs for 5 th 9 th places. In the group stage
London, who were seeded 4 th , were drawn against North West B, seeded 1st, Ireland, Wales and the North East.
After successfully coming through day one, London met the South East in the semi-­‐finals and won 15-­‐13 which then
left Ireland to beat in the finals, which they triumphantly did, 15 7.
The final results were London as overall champions (Gold), followed by Ireland (Silver) and North West Lightning
(Bronze). London fielded an excelle
Palace Beacon Programme training sessions. Congratulations, Helena and Anna!
The picture shows the triumphant London U14 team with their trophy and medals.
Healthy Schools Week:
Healthy schools Week saw an innovation in Lesson Starters in Upper II
Chipmunks which made everyone feel enthusiastic and happy to join in with some lively actions. Neve Mc Grath and
addressed many muscle groups effectively and kept us all on our toes, literally and metaphorically. Well done girls
and we look forward to more of these in the coming weeks!

Congratulations, Gursimran!
You will remember reading in Edition 31 of Priory Post about the campaign of Lower VI
student, Gursimran Deu, who was standing as a member of the Youth Parliament for Ealing.
Well, the results have been announced: Gursimran has been elected as Deputy Member of
the Youth Parliament for Ealing! Congratulations, Gursimran! She has already started her
duties as an MYP and is working to implement her manifesto: meeting councillors,
appearing on Westside FM and attending the opening by Prince Andrew of the Westside
Youth Centre on 14 th February. We look forward to following Gursimran in her new role and
wish her the very best in her work.
On Wednesday 13 th the district semi-­‐final of Rotary
Youth Speaks, a public speaking
competition organised and sponsored
by Rotary International, which took
Schools from across the area took part
and each team of three comprised a
Speaker, a Vote of Thanks, and a
Chairperson. In the Senior section St
in the
first team (all in Lower VA) Jeeba Marri
was the chairperson and Charmaine
Au the vote of thanks with Katie Williams speaking on: senior team saw
Katarina Krneta (Lower V Alpha) as chairperson, Alexia Kirov (Lower VA) as vote of thanks and Billie Morrison (Lower
VA) (Lower IV Alpha) as
chairperson and Helena Merron (Upper IV Alpha) as vote of thanks were with Aisha Toussaint (Lower IV Alpha) who
spoke on Intermediate section (all from Lower IV Alpha) saw Olivia
Upcrafn She was ably teamed with Payal Mittal as chairperson and
Priyanka Balakrishnan as vote of thanks. All the girls showed great confidence and composure and acquitted
themselves extremely well. The speeches were all well-­‐crafted and, by turns, witty and thought-­‐provoking. The
evening was a great success and we were all delighted that Payal Mittal was awarded best chairperson in the
intermediate section and, in the same section, Priyanka Balakrishnan was awarded best vote of thanks. Well done!
ext for the Sixth Form???
UCAS Deadlines Upper VI should receive all university decisions by 31 st March. Students need to reply to UCAS
concerning their decisions on offers by 8 th May.
Students finance application
The deadline is by 31 st May. Applications must be completed online at:
http://www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk
GCSEs and ASs start on Monday 13 th May
A2s exams starting on Monday 3 rd June
Lower VI students will be back to school to start the A2 syllabus on 3 rd June.
Upper V Induction Day
University Open Day
Thursday 20 th June. Girls will meet their A Level teachers and be given
preparation work for the start of the A Level courses.
An opportunity for Lower VI and Upper V to attend Reading University Open
Day on Friday 21 st June. This will provide an opportunity to visit a campus
university and hear specific subject talks as well as general talks on the UCAS
application system and student finance.
Lower VI embark on the Leadership Course from Saturday 29 th June to Wednesday 3 rd July.

The Sixth Form Common R
We thought readers may like this glimpse into our lovely, bright Sixth Form common-­room.
There is also a kitchen with a microwave and kettle for the all-­‐important
sustenance through the day, and Ms Gandi (Head of Sixth Form) and Mr Murphy
(Director of UCAS, the university admissions organisation) both have their offices
nearby to make sure that academic work is closely supervised and monitored, so we
can be confident we get the best out of our girls regardless of their ability. Indeed, our
recent ISI inspection report commented on the often excellent progress made by girls in
our Sixth Form.
Check out the university
destinations and brilliant results
achieved by our girls on the
website in the News and
Information Results section.
Feast Day 2013
Feast Day, held this year on Friday 15 th February, saw our school celebrated at the annual Feast Day Mass at Ealing
Abbey following by everyone departing for a well-­‐deserved half term break. But, prior to everyone gathering at the
Mass, an award was made at the morning assemblies which not everyone may be familiar with. The Catherine
Aylward Award is made every year in recognition of a girl who was in the late 1960s
and early 1970s. Her parents donated the award in her memory and it has been given every year since then. The
given to the person for being who they are and for being an example to us all. The recipients this year are: Reem
Ghanem (Upper IIA), Joanna Porter (Upper II Alpha), Anna Szyszko (Upper IV Alpha), Maryam Reis Dehabadi (Upper V
Alpha), Marie Corsini (Upper VI) and Roxana Ghanadian (Upper VI).
Upper I visit to the British Museum
12.55pm: RS GCSE Revision Lower V and
Upper V
A2 Latin Conference
1.00pm: fab Seniors
3.40pm: U14 +
(Netball) Away
Music and Speech Festival
12.00noon: Mass: Lower VUpper
VI
1.00pm: U12 + U13 Middx County
Tournament (Netball) Away
3.40pm: U16 v
(Netball)
Music and Speech Festival
A2 History Lecture
9.00am: U13 Middx County Hockey
Tournament
3.40pm: Art Club: Form III Upper IV
3.45pm: U14 + U16 v NHEHS (Netball)
Away
Music and Speech Festival
Upper IV Examinations commence
12.20pm: Senior Assembly Lower VI
1.15 pm: Lent Prayers, Chapel
2.00pm: Prep Spring Concert
(Hockey) Away
Sunday 10 th March
Fourth Sunday of Lent