Onwards - March 2012 - South Wilts Grammar School for Girls

ONWARDS
March 2012
Parent Forum
I am running termly parent forums. The intention of these is to give parents / guardians the
opportunity to meet with me and discuss any matters they may have. The next meeting
will take place on Thursday 10th May from 4.30 - 5.30pm. If you wish to attend please
notify Mrs V Bryan at head@swgs.wilts.sch.uk by Friday 4th May.
The venue will be decided depending on the numbers planning to attend and those who
have expressed an interest will be notified. I hope this is something that parents will
welcome. (Mrs Chilcott )
School Uniform
Summer skirts may be worn from Easter until the October half term. All skirts must be of a
decent length.
Can I take this opportunity to remind everyone that make up is not allowed for years 7-11,
jewellery should not be excessive and there should be no extremes of hair fashion or hair
accessories. In the sixth form flip flops or backless shoes and strappy tops are not
permitted. Thank you for your support with this matter. (Mrs Chilcott)
Celebrating Achievement
This term, like the others before it, has been packed with individual and group successes.
Our sixth form Business Studies team won the regional round of the BASE 2012
competition and will now represent the region at the national event, held in Birmingham
later in the year.
Lara Shavren in Year 8 won the prestigious St Paul's International Literary Prize.
Unfortunately she is not able to go personally to Barcelona to collect her prize and will
instead be attending the award ceremony courtesy of Skype! Sophie Sibley was one of 12
national finalists selected to attend the Biomedical Basis of Elite Performances conference,
held in London in March. Here she had to not only defend her research project to the
judges but also to the conference delegates. Sophie was able to articulate her research
successfully and was awarded the bronze medal.
These are just a few of the achievements by students this term, there are many more to
follow in the rest of this newsletter. (Mrs Chilcott)
Requests for Holiday, Leave of Absence and Illnesses
I am sure we would all agree that excellent attendance is a key factor in achieving success
at school and so it is very important to minimise the disruption both to the education of
each individual student and that of a whole class through unnecessary absence. Although
holiday leave can be authorised, our guidelines are very clear that this should only be in
exceptional circumstances.
We need to take into account the impact on the student’s learning and cannot authorise
holiday simply because it is more convenient or less expensive to take it outside the official
holiday time, even if it is tagged on to the beginning or end of it. We will continue to look
favourably upon requests made in advance where family circumstances are exceptional
but please expect many routine requests for holiday absence to be denied authorisation.
The more information you can give when making a request, the easier it will be to judge
whether it can be authorised or not. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter as I am
sure we all share the desire to see our students continue to achieve excellent results. If
your daughter is ill or has an appointment and is not able to come into school, please
phone or e-mail the school at attendance@swgs.wilts.sch.uk by 9.15am. (Mrs Stammers)
Page 2
Library Books
Charity News
Page 3
Science Day
Society of
Biology
Page 4
Salters Festival
of Chemistry
Maths
Challenge
Page 5
Castle Cakes
Bovington Tank
Museum
History
Conference
Page 6
German Play
Visit to India
Page 7
Olympic Park
Visit to
Walsingham
Young Writer's
Competition
Page 8
Visit to Berlin
Book Awards
Acting
Company
Page 9
Spring Concert
Page 10
Music News
Love Lane Day
Centre
Page 11
Sports News
Page 12
Sports News
Page 13
Sports News
Lost Property
Microsoft Office
at Home

ONWARDS
Overdue Library Books
At the moment we have 45 students with books more than 8 weeks overdue. They have all
had an e-mail reminder, a letter in the register and finally a letter sent home, but to no avail.
Please support us by encouraging your daughters to return books on time and if you find any
overdue library books at home please return them to school. (Mrs Wood, Librarian)
Charity News
This term has seen a range of charity fund-raising events organised by tutor groups! The term
kicked off with 9E’s Valentine’s Fair which saw students selling an array of ‘love’ associated
goodies, including love hearts and pink cakes, and there was also a sumptuous chocolate
fountain for dipping. They also sold raffle tickets to win an exclusive top prize of goodies which
proved very popular. The form worked incredibly hard and raised a whopping £200!
7N then followed on by hosting a ‘Teacher and Tiara’ catwalk event that consisted of various
teachers parading down a catwalk showing off a wide variety of headwear from motorbike
helmets to sunhats as well as Judo outfits and ski attire!
There was a ‘Strictly Come Dancing style’ panel who were very generous and gave out plenty
of ‘10s’ to the brave staff who were taking part. The form also sold cakes during the catwalk
and they made £56 in total.
9A organised a ‘teacher cupcake decorating’ event
whereby staff, in pairs, had to ice as many cupcakes
as possible in just one minute. They had to try and
follow the designs the form had chosen, with varying
degrees of success! As a result more icing ended up
on the teachers and the table than on the cakes!
There were plenty of events coming up in the last
week, from an Easter egg hunt to Easter fairs and an
end of term cake sale, all of which I’m sure will be a
great success.
This term also saw the school’s first ever pantomime, ‘Happily Never After’. This was
completely organised and managed by the students themselves with a group of sixth form
students in charge. Blythe Chesworth (vice-director) has written a little bit about the panto:
“Happily Never After”, the first SWGS panto: A tremendous success!
“Oh no it wasn’t!!”
“Oh yes it was!”; We raised an amazing £450 for the school’s charities, and the whole show
was entirely student run, from lighting to set design. Not only did it raise a huge amount for the
wonderful charities, but it also involved a lot of hard work and resulted in superb performances
from all involved- it was a true testament to the event that the audience all left singing. So let
us say a huge thank you to all those involved, those who supported the pantomime and, of
course, a special mention should go to Megan Jones (the architect of this
masterpiece). (Blythe Chesworth 6MXH)
The sixth form charity reps are also organising a Quiz night on Thursday 26 th April (6-8:30pm)
for 6 th form students, staff and parents. We are hoping to have 20 teams of 4 and the night will
consist of food, the quiz and a raffle draw with very exciting prizes on offer! It is first come first
served so check the school website for tickets if you are interested in entering a team!
Have a wonderful Easter! (Miss Taggart)
2

ONWARDS
Science Day
To celebrate National Science and Engineering Week, we once again organised
Science Day for Year 10 students at the school. Local companies Dstl and HPA
delivered sessions looking at high tech clothing for the armed forces and bacterial
threats to the nation.
Margaret Clayton delivered her very popular kinetic theory demonstration that involved liquid
nitrogen to super freeze objects. A new session was delivered by Howard Taylor and his
singing bowls. In the same way that a note can be produced by rotating a finger around the top
of a wine glass, other tones can be produced with the use of metal pots. Various different
sized pots were used to produce a range of incredible sounds and the science behind this was
explored.
A session with science ambassadors was run in the style of speed dating with students having
the opportunity to discuss face to face what a career in science would involve. Each small
group of students had 3 minutes to ask any questions they liked to scientists from Dstl, Intel,
Vectura and the University of Oxford.
We also had the Explorer Dome set up in the
small hall and the students had to crawl inside
their dome tent where the stars were projected
on the inside walls along with a fascinating talk
about space. The day was rounded off with a
laser light show from researchers from
Southampton University, showing how laser
can be used to burst balloons and carry music
from one place to another. They also explained
how light trapped inside fibre optic cables is
used to speed data around the world as part of
the internet. A sound and light show rounded
off a very successful day with students
hopefully more informed of how careers in
science and engineering could be very
rewarding. (Mr Jones)
The Society of Biology
The Society of Biology (formerly called the Institute of Biology) organises competitions for both
sixth formers and younger pupils.
This year a group of Sixth Form biologists took part in the National British Biology Olympiad
and we are delighted to announce that we have a Gold medal winner in Fiona Mashford.
Rebecca Bostock and Emma Preedy were both Highly Commended. Well done to all of the
girls who sat the two hour paper in what is a rigorous challenge. Fiona was also invited to sit a
further paper as the first step in representing Britain in the International
competition. We await the results for this.
Year 10 girls have just participated in the Biology Challenge and we look
forward to finding out just how successful some of them have been.
30,000 students have entered this national competition. The Society will
award Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates to high scorers and these will
be sent to school from the Society at the beginning of next term. (Mrs
Wilkes)
3

ONWARDS
Salters’ Festival of Chemistry
On Wednesday, 21st March I took a team of four Year 8 students to participate in the annual
Festival of Chemistry competition organised by the Salters Company. There were two
problems to solve – a forensic case in the morning
and making different coloured solids and solutions
in the afternoon.
A demonstration of the properties of liquid
nitrogen, a short lecture demonstration (WHIZZES
and BANGS!), followed by the prize giving rounded
off the day. Our students enjoyed their day out,
worked really well as a team and won 1st prize in
the Salters Challenge forensic case. Well done,
Kitty, Alex, Anna and Niamh. (Mrs Wrighton)
Intermediate Maths Challenge
Another amazingly good year for the Intermediate Maths Challenge, with a
record high percentage of certificates awarded (86%, with 72 students
competing). 21 Gold certificates, 20 Silver and 19 Bronze certificates were
awarded.
A record number of students were called forward to the next round: 2 students
were called forward to the Year 11 Olympiad (Bryony Richards and Bethany
Hayter), and 1 each to the Year 10 and Year 9 Olympiads (Tegan Eldridge and Meaghan
Hopkinson).
8 students were called forward to the “Kangaroo” competition (a further European-wide
multiple choice challenge): in Year 11 Katie Collins, Emma Clarke, Isobel Barnes, in Year 10
Amelia Powell, Rosie Bishop, and in Year 9 Annabelle Sessions, Emily Norman and Sarah
Croager. Congratulations to all who took part!
Certificates were awarded to:
Year 11
Gold: Bryony Richards, Bethany Hayter, Katie Collins, Emma Clarke, Isobel Barnes, Georgia
Smith, Amy Kinderman, Hannah Croager, Bethany Rothwell, Emily Howard, Kate Smith,
Jessica Quigley.
Silver Melissa Morris, Charlotte Orledge, Jerry Edwards, Grace Rundle, Lucy Pike, Andreea
Popovici.
Year 10
Gold: Tegan Eldridge, Amelia Powell, Rosie Bishop, Charlotte Bateman,
Silver: Emily Hitchins, Rebecca Ingram, Molly Smith, Esther Bersweden
Bronze: Amy Challis, Lucy Cunningham , Isobel Finlay, Rebecca Lee, Kellie Patrick.
Year 9:
Gold: Meaghan Hopkinson, Sarah Croager, Emily Norman, Annabelle Sessions, Alicia Vidal .
Silver: Niamh Aarons, Bethan Bates, Claudia Henry, Selena Jessop, Natalie Moncur,
Rebecca Perriment, Emily Walker, Holly Wingfield, Matilda Clark, Elise Craig, Sophie Hudson
Bronze: Octavia Clark, Olivia Day, Eloisa Paver, Sophie Ellis, Juliette Glennon-Alty, Anna
Godson, Juliana Hemesley, Sophie Mowle, Jasmine Thayer, Lucy Olsen. (Mrs Allen)
4

ONWARDS
Year 7 Castle Cakes Auction
Some very creative year sevens took up the history department’s challenge over the last half
term and made medieval castles good enough to eat! The castle
cakes made by the girls demonstrated lovely flights of imagination
into fairy tales or detailed and precise renderings of medieval
Castles. One thing they all had in common was that they were
delicious. The cakes were auctioned off as usual and the girls
raised over £100 to go towards the school charities.
Congratulations and thank you to all the girls who took part for
making the event a success once again. (Miss Burt)
Year 11 Bovington Tank Museum Trip
Aside from getting lost and wandering around the tank museum for ten minutes, the Bovington
trip was really enjoyable. Not including lunch the best part of the day was being able to try on
the army gear from different stages of the Cold War.
The guns we were allowed to hold were arm-wrenchingly heavy but incredibly cool; particularly
the original AK-47 that looked like something out of the Godfather! We also relished the
chance to go inside one of the tanks, where we were told about the individual roles of the
people inside the tanks, some were even girls! It was a great experience and we were really
grateful for the opportunity. (Amy Howieson 11N)
The day provided an excellent opportunity for the students to learn about the Cold War in a
new way and from those who served in it. (Miss Burt)
Year 9 Bovington Tank Museum Outreach Visit
Year 9 had a very exciting history lesson this term when the education
officer from Bovington Tank Museum came into school to run workshops.
He brought with him a range of uniforms, weapons and artefacts to help
the students learn about World War Two and the home front. During the
sessions Mr Copson talked through British and Russian uniforms giving
girls the opportunity to dress up and experience what it might have been
like during the war. He also provided an insight in to the sort of things they
might have done during the war with a range of uniforms designed for the
women who served. The highlight for many was the getting the chance at
the end to examine and handle the collection of weapons and artefacts
ranging from Bren and Sten guns to gas masks.
The session was a very enjoyable and different insight into the war delivered with great
enthusiasm by Mr Copson. (Miss Burt)
Millfield History Conference
On the 20th of March a handful of Year 11 and 13 students were able to go to a History
conference at Millfield School in Somerset. There was a selection of lectures by distinguished
academics from around the country. During the first session Year 13 attended a lecture about
Hitler’s foreign policy whilst the Year 11’s attended a fascinating lecture about relations during
the Cold War – both of these talks complemented the GCSE and A-Level courses. Ending the
afternoon, we were given free choice between lectures ranging from the Vietnam War, to
Phillip the Second and the Dutch Revolution. I can confirm that the lecture on the History of the
US presidency was brilliant. It was an incredible afternoon, and a great opportunity to learn in
lecture-style conditions, cementing many of us in our plans for a future in History. (Isabel
Ewing 11B)
5

ONWARDS
German Play “Alles Wird Anders”
A German theatre company came to SWGS on Friday 2nd March 2012 to perform a German
play “Alles wird anders” to all Year 9s.
They put on a good show for the audience and even got them involved. In our previous
language lesson we looked over some of the vocabulary and two scenes from the play, so we
had a vague idea of what was going on. The main plot was about a girl and her father moving
into an old apartment that a teenage boy had been using to practise his secret passion for
singing. In the end the teenage boy auditions for the school play and gets the part. Overall it
was very enjoyable to watch whilst learning something along the way. (Anita Stern 9N and
Grace Seaman 9E)
to go to school the next day.
A visit to LHPS in India
It was cold and dark when we set off for
Heathrow airport one Friday evening in
February. Thirteen hours later we stood
outside Delhi Airport warming ourselves in
the sunshine. We were well on our way to
visit the Lawrence Homan Public School
(LHPS). Our arrival the following day in
Lucknow heralded the start of a very busy
and fascinating week. We settled into the
‘White House’ where the school Principal,
Sushma, and her family live and prepared
The welcome we received was incredible – there were garlands and posies of flowers and we
were showered with petals by students all the way to the stage for assembly. During assembly
we each had to make a short speech and watched several dances which are part of the
traditional welcome.
Over the next few days we attended lessons, talked to students and watched the preparations
for the Annual Function. Our photos were taken and we appeared in three local newspapers.
Miss Owen, with the help of the SWGS students, led a Drama Workshop for the LHPS staff
and I showed the Science teachers how the molecular modelling kit I had taken for the school
could be used in Chemistry and Biology lessons.
After school each day there were opportunities to visit local villages, travelling by pony and
trap, school bus or train, attending wedding ceremonies and staying overnight with Indian
students and their families. Some of us even went to watch cataract operations at the Eye
Hospital next door to the School!
The highlight of the week was, of course, the Annual Function on our last full day. We were
asked to make speeches and present prizes as we were the
Chief Guests. There were over 2000 people present - it was
rather like an SWGS Speech Day that lasted for over 6 hours!
Many of the LHPS students took part in the entertainment
presenting sketches and dances.
We had a fantastic time and appreciate all the preparation and
organisation that had gone into making us so welcome at
LHPS. We look forward to welcoming 4 students and 2 teachers
from LHPS when they come to England in June. (Mrs Wrighton,
Miss Owen, Becky Story, Ellie Selby, Holly Young and Sophie
Landon)
6

ONWARDS
In March, the Year 12 Geographers went to visit the Olympic park in East
London. Although unable to test their abilities on the track, the students were
able to see the fantastic work that has gone on at the site.
The students were able to gain a greater insight into what the area used to look like and the
legacy that the games will leave behind. The students then went on a guided tour of the
Olympic park and were able to see first-hand the massive redevelopment that has gone on in
the area. The students were particularly impressed with the sheer scale of the Olympic site as
well as the shopping facilities that await those lucky enough to have tickets. An enjoyable day
was capped off with a great photo in front of the athletics stadium. (Mr Brown)
Religious Studies Sixth Form Trip to Walsingham
On the 8th February we embarked upon our second Sixth Form trip to Walsingham. The trip
focuses student understanding of religious experience and miracles, which are topics studied
at AS and A Level.
We took 8 students on the school minibus. On our arrival we were taken to our
accommodation in the grounds of the shrine. We only had time for a quick tour of the house
we were staying in before a talk from Brother Robert about the history of Walsingham and the
reasons why it has become an important site for Christian pilgrims. This was followed by a
talk from the leading Orthodox priest at Walsingham which focused on why there is an
Orthodox presence in Walsingham and the ecumenical nature of Walsingham. After a
delicious meal we returned to our house and played some games.
Following breakfast on Thursday we walked to the Roman Catholic Shrine a mile outside
Walsingham. Here we had a tour followed by a talk about the activities undertaken by Roman
Catholic pilgrims to Walsingham. After purchasing some religious artefacts, we walked the
Holy Mile back to Walsingham. There was snow on the ground and it was too cold to take off
our shoes and walk bare foot, which is the traditional way for pilgrims to enter Walsingham on
their way to the shrine. We then had some free time to look at the other shops selling
artefacts and in one case a very nice chocolate shop! At 3pm we had a special service in the
Anglican shrine taken by Brother Robert where we experienced the service of Sprinkling. This
involves descending steps to a well, drinking the water, having a cross of water signed on our
foreheads and then some extra water being poured into the hands.
This water is said to have healing properties and there are plaques on the wall in the shrine
attesting that healings have taken place. Following this service we were addressed by a
postulate nun who had recently decided to join the order of nuns at Walsingham. She talked
openly about her life and how she felt God’s calling to
become a nun in her mid- forties. She was also willing to
answer questions from the students about this momentous
change in her life. Following supper the students were
given a quiz to test their knowledge of their visit.
After breakfast on Friday we left a snowy Norfolk and
returned to Salisbury spiritually refreshed. The students
were excellent and a pleasure to spend these few days
with. (Mrs Owen)
Young Writers’ Competition
Isabel Ryan, 11B was entered into and selected as a finalist in the 13-15 age group for the
Baillie Gifford & Financial Mail Young Writers' Competition.
The essay entries were judged on relevance, ability to argue from different points of view and
ideas discussed. Well done Isabel. (Mrs Stammers)
7

ONWARDS
Year 13 A Level German Trip to Berlin
In February half term the A2 German set went to Berlin for five days to broaden our
understanding of the historical topic we have been studying this year (East Germany 1961-
1989). We have been looking at the Cold War and the fall of Communism in Europe, to which
the existence of the German Democratic Republic and the fall of the Berlin Wall were central.
We visited the Stasi Headquarters, the Reichstag Parliament Building (where we bumped
into the A Level History trip!), the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie and the famous
East Side Gallery. We also went to a concert in the Berliner Dom at which we were all
presented with a rose, as it was the 14 th February. We would also recommend the
Fassbender & Rausch chocolate shop- there are models of the Television Tower, the
Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate made entirely of chocolate!
Going to Berlin was such a wonderful experience because it made one of the most exciting
historical cities in the world really come alive, and it made everything we had learned seem
very relevant. We also had the chance to visit the Sachsenhausen concentration camp,
which, although harrowing, was a worthwhile and deeply moving
experience. The trip overall was a huge success and we all enjoyed
having the chance to practise speaking German with native
speakers. We would definitely recommend the trip to lower years, or
to anyone who wishes to find out more about one of the most
important periods of the twentieth century, not just for Germany, but
for the whole world. (Caroline Halls and Phoebe Walsh 13JVT)
Salisbury Schools’ Book Award 2012
Eighteen students from Year 7 to Sixth Form and Mrs Hall took part this year in reading the
six books nominated for this local annual book award. Meetings have taken place over the
last eight weeks to discuss the books and share our views on the characters, the plot and the
writing style of the different authors.
Twelve students were able to attend the award ceremony at St Joseph’s School, attended by
four local schools, on March 7 th . We listened to a very interesting presentation from Rachel
Ward the author of Numbers on how she writes her books.
There was the opportunity to ask questions and Alice Kiff
10E won a book prize for asking the most interesting
question of the session ‘What inspired you to kill off Spider in
the way that you did?’ Our favourite book was Time Riders
by Alex Scarrow, but the overall award winner was Numbers
by just 2 votes. The other nominated books we read were:
Boom, Mark Hadden, The Set-Up, Sophie McKenzie, My
Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, Annabel Pitcher, The Silver
Sword, Ian Serraillier. (Mrs Wood, Librarian)
Scene Production Acting Company visit South Wilts
On Thursday 1st March Scene Productions came to SWGS to do a Drama workshop with our
AS, A level and even a few Year 11 Drama students.
The day started off with the actors prepping the students with physical/vocal warm ups,
leading into some practical work around one of the set Drama texts. The students
experimented with constructing a set as we are all developing key characterisation and
directing skills. This was all followed by a mesmerising performance of Berkoff’s
‘Metamorphosis’ in the afternoon which was beautifully performed by the actors,
demonstrating creative use of mask work, physical theatre and clever set construction. The
students thoroughly enjoyed the day and the actors commented how enthusiastic the
students were. (Mrs McLannahan)
8

ONWARDS
Spring Concert
We were treated to yet another evening of enormous talent on Tuesday 13 th March. Girls from
Years 7 – 13 came together to play and sing a vast amount of repertoire. The evening started
with the haunting melodies of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’ which was finely mastered by
Mrs Poppleton’s Senior Orchestra. We then witnessed the very charming ‘Flute Concerto’
written by Cimarosa. Penny Mashford, Rebecca Bostock and the Senior Orchestra, conducted
by Mr Dutfield, played with such calmness and skill.
Guitar Group, led by Mr. Wilkinson, made us smile with ‘Apache’ and ‘I can’t stand the rain’
beautifully sung by Georgia Clarke.
The Lark Quartet, comprising Alice Poppleton, Abigail Tan, Helena Wynn and Alice Yevko,
played the serene first movement of Haydn’s String Quartet in D. Alice and Abigail were
performing in their last school concert.
Katie Collins and Elly Prichard sang the ‘Flower Duet’ by Delibes accompanied by Mr Ottaway
on the piano. They sang with confidence [without the music!] and skill. Well done girls!
The first half ended with Training Orchestra’s bold attack of well-known melodies from West
Side Story. Their final performance was an arrangement of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
They played so well and we were very proud of them. Alex Richards and
Ellen Sargent [who has played with the orchestra since Year 9] have
been fantastic Music Captains rehearsing every week and supporting the
orchestra. We are tremendously grateful for their quiet and helpful
manner.
In the second half we listened to Senior Orchestra’s ‘Marche
Slave’ [Tchaikovsky], ‘Slavonic Dance op.72 no. 2, and ‘For Your Eyes
Only’ [Conti and Leeson] – all great melodies - and stylistically played.
The Senior Orchestra was led throughout the concert by Christabell
Pidduck, Alice Poppleton and Abigail Tan.
Junior Choir popped in at this point. They sang a rousing ‘O happy day’
and ‘Ain’t no mountain high enough’ followed by the emotional ‘Angels’ sung originally by
Robbie Williams. Their ability to sing in three parts, which were technically demanding, was
amazing and the excellent accompaniment of Caroline Halls, their Music Captain, helped the
performance no end. We are incredibly grateful to Caroline for not only her immense skills as
a pianist but her help in rehearsals too. Mrs Timperley would also like to thank Suzie Douglas
(Year 11) for her constant support of the choir.
Chamber Orchestra, led by Mr Parsons, played magnificently. The ‘Boisterous Bouree’ was
followed by Vivaldi’s ‘Concerto for Four Violins’. The soloists were Fiona Mashford, Christabell
Pidduck, Alice Poppleton, Alex Richards and Abigail Tan. Well done girls – you were so
professional!
Wind Band, in its traditional place at the end of the evening, played in
their usual jolly way. Music from ‘Toy Story II’, ‘Palladio’ and ‘Swing
the Mood’ were thrilling.
Well done to them and all
performers, singers, directors and
peripatetic staff. We wish all of our
Year 11 and 13 performers the
very best in the summer
examinations and for their future
outside our school. (Mrs Timperley)
9

ONWARDS
Congratulations to:
The many girls who have enjoyed taking part in the Young
Persons’ Festival of Music.
Anita Monserrat, who won the Advanced Recital Class at
the Young Persons’ Festival of Music. Anita also
performed in the finals of the Pro Corda National
Chamber Music Competition Under 16 Class last weekend
where the Violin Trio she plays in at the Guildhall
School of Music’s Junior Department was chosen as one
of the winners. Her trio will now be given the opportunity
to play at the prestigious Wigmore Hall in London in July.
Charlotte Bateman, who recently took part in the
Basingstoke Festival of Music and Arts. Charlotte won
several classes, including the
Junior Recital 18 years and
under.
She was awarded the
Summerbrook Student Shield
for achieving the highest
number of honours awards at
the Festival for any solo
performer aged 14-18 in the
music, dance and drama
sections. These are
absolutely outstanding
achievements. (Mrs
Poppleton)
A Cappella Visit to Portsmouth
Cathedral
On 3rd March A Cappella had a
very enjoyable visit to
Portsmouth. We travelled in the
morning so that we could enjoy a
few hours in Portsmouth. We then
proceeded to the Cathedral where
we met the men from the choir
and were warmly welcomed by
the clergy before rehearsing with
Mr Fay, our organist.
The choir sang Dyson’s Evening
Service in D, Smith’s Responses
and Haydn’s exciting Insanae et
vanae curae beautifully and found
the experience of singing in such
a lovely setting and acoustic very
enjoyable and uplifting. We are
very grateful to Mr Fay and to the
men of the choir for giving us their
time and expertise so generously
in order for us to sing such
wonderful music and take part in
such memorable services.
(Mrs Poppleton and Mrs
Timperley)
Love Lane Day Centre
Love Lane Day Centre in Salisbury is a care home for the elderly, both residential and
communal. When we were first told that our PSD class had been chosen to visit the people
who attended the day centre, many emotions ran through our heads: happiness (we got to
walk past Bishops and miss part of school), laziness (we couldn’t really be bothered to walk
through Salisbury) and worry (what if they have a bad impression of us?). It’s well known that
elderly people don’t have a very good outlook on young people, and young people don’t have
a very good outlook on elderly people. By visiting them and talking to them, we hoped that
perhaps those views could change.
Camille, Anna, Julia, Freya, Fizzy and I were the first six to visit the day centre, visiting for two
weeks before another group of six visited. A game of cards (‘sevens’ was the popular choice)
or two filled up the awkward silences between conversations, however, some of the stories we
were told were really special.
One of the men, now 94 years old, told us how he had lived in Salisbury for his whole life with
his wife, and talked of how Salisbury was then compared to now. One of the women told us a
truly touching story of how she was in a car accident at the age of 8 which tragically killed her
parents and siblings, leaving her an orphan and brain damaged. This woman, however, has
come through all of that, and has lived a good life, despite difficulties she has to face because
of the accident. Another woman attempted to sell us poetry books which she had put together.
We left them to their 2 o’clock Bingo, and returned to school, having learned that elderly and
young people could really learn things from each other about life yesterday and life today.
(Rebekah Ingle 11B)
10

ONWARDS
U12 Netball
Well done to the U12 A and B teams who
played in the Salisbury District Festival
narrowly missing out on qualification for the
County tournament.
They were: Rachel Herring, Di Price,
Georgie Cox, Harriet Legg, Naomi Sears,
Annabel Ditchfield, Mathilda Julien (C),
Steph Brown, Tara King, Jess Robinson,
Ellie Russell, Elise Wolfarth, Anna Tuck,
Ellie Fitzgerald (C) and Jodie Ball. (Miss
Dew)
U13 Netball
Well done to the A team who are Salisbury and
District Champions again! They are Hannah
Pickup (c), Sarah Brown, Millie Bradshaw, Beth
Moloney, Lily Jackson, Anna Feest, Charlotte
Robertson and Phoebe Wing.
The B team played some very respectable
netball too beating Trafalgar and Avon Valley
and drawing with our A team! Well done to Kitty
Bradley, Amy Webster, Keira Reavill, Eloise
Martin, Helen Forrest (c), Celeste Conn, Lucy
Higson and Clare Baines. (Mrs Hole)
U16 Netball
Well done to Katie Butler, Lizzie Clifford, Izzy
Ryan, Elly Crosthwaite, Elly Prichard, Jerry
Edwards, Jenny Snell, Becca Foggitt and Jade
Creighton who were placed second in the
Salisbury District Festival, narrowly missing out to
Godolphin. Thank you to Mrs Drummond for
coaching and accompanying the team to this
event. (Miss Marsh)
U15 Hockey
Despite being one person down the U15 Hockey
Team proved themselves to be worthy winners
when they played Godolphin, winning 1 – 0. Well
done to: Helen Thake, Alice Elgar, Hannah
Copping, Kaye Haskins, Caitlin Hogan-Lloyd,
Anna Barnes, Holly Scott (Captain), Hope
Mayhew, Clover Crosse and Rosie Bishop who
scored the winning goal. My thanks to Ellie
Ingram from Year 12 who umpired the match.
(Miss Marsh)
Indoor Cricket
Well done to the Year 8
team who were placed
and won the Ladies
Tavern County Cricket
Championships held in
Chipenham. They now go
through to represent the
South West in the regional
event. The girls were:
Lara Mayhew, Natalia
Fedyszyn, Beth Maloney,
Keira Reavil, Hannah
Kidner, Lily Jackson,
Sammie Cole, Eloise
Martin, Emma Pike.
Lucy Ramsdale
U15 Netball
Well done to Tegan Eldridge, Kellie
Patrick, Emily Herod, Laura
Mereweather, Hope Mayhew, Millie
Coker, Keshia Merry, Anna Barnes and
Clover Crosse who after a very exciting
4 quarters against Leehurst Swan, won
14 – 10. A fantastic effort by all the
players who demonstrated excellent
team work; player of the match went to
Emily Herod.
The U15 A & B team played in the
Salisbury District Tournament which
was organised by South Wilts. Despite
some of the team members being
absent due to illness and injury the A
team were placed 3 rd and the B team
placed 6 th . Well done to Hope Mayhew
and Tegan Eldridge who stepped up to
play for the A team.
U15 A Team played Godolphin at home
and after a brilliant match won 19 -12.
Well Done to all the players, especially
Rosie Bishop who stepped in at the last
minute and to Imogen Kunzer who was
voted player of the match by Godolphin.
Year 8 Trampolining
Congratulations to Lucy Ramsdale 8N
(picture left) who represented South
Wilts in the National Trampolining
Finals.
She was placed 3rd in the country – a
fantastic achievement. (Miss Marsh)
11

ONWARDS
Equestrian Team Show Jumping, Sparsholt
On Saturday 18th February the SWGS Equestrian Team competed at Sparsholt College in the
Inter Schools Show Jumping Qualifier. Just a mention of 'qualifier' for the Championships brings
teams from miles around, so with 96 and 117 competitors in each class, the team, Bethany
Puzio 8N, Danielle Price 7E, Georgina Poyntz-Wright 7B and Alice Uloth 7N walked the course
amid a sea of people, to plan their routes. In the first class the ponies jumped well and with
three clear rounds they finished 3rd out of 20 teams.
An exciting result! A different course for the 80cm class, and greater competition, the girls
jumped confident rounds riding brilliantly in the jump off, taking a few more risks this time. With
another three super clears and one unlucky pole
down, they all finished within a second of each other
and up with the individual leaders. The combination
of three quick clears put the SWGS team in first
place, qualifying for the National School Equestrian
Championships, Oxfordshire in October. It was a
great achievement to win out of 26 teams. Well
done to the team, their ponies, their supporters and
a big thank you to Mrs Penwarden and Miss Holland
for leading the SWGS Equestrian Team. (Alice Uloth
7N)
National Qualification already!
Bethany Puzio, Didi Price, Georgie Poyntz-Wright
and Alice Uloth have qualified for the National
Schools Equestrian Association finals for Show
Jumping in October. The girls were 3rd in class 2
and then went onto WIN class 3. Super clear
rounds came from Georgie , Bethany and Alice.
With over 100 competitors in each class and 26
teams it was a terrific achievement in very
competitive company.
We are now looking forward to Stonar (inter
schools one day event), Sandroyd tetrathlon and
other show jumping and Jumping with Style
competitions.
Well done girls,
ponies and
parents. (Miss
Holland)
Salisbury Football Festival
Well done to the U12 team who kept a clean
sheet all day and finished second in the
competition, narrowly missing out on
qualification for the county tournament: Ellie
Russell (C), Katie Biddlecome, Amelia
Rogers, Emily Wyre, Prescelli Annan,
Georgia Musselwhite, Grace Bairstow and
Rachel Armitage.
Well done to the U14 team who played
some fantastic football and missed out on
qualification by 1 goal, they finished second
overall. Gemma Morgan (C), Sophie
Waddington, Lara Mayhew, Sophie Mowell,
Ana O’Connor, Hannah Richards, Lily
Jackson, Hannah Holzer, Honey Thomas,
Georgie Gorvin, Rachel Lang and Iona
Wilkinson.
Congratulations to the U16 team who won
the tournament winning all their matches.
Zoe Maylin (C), Ellie Wolverson, Keeley
Clayton, Lidia Fedyszyn, Hope Mayhew,
Emma Francis, Clover Crosse Beckie
Gwyther, Bryony Osbourn and Molly Judd.
(Miss Dew)
12

ONWARDS
Cross Country: South West Regionals
Congratulations to all the girls who were selected to run for Wiltshire at the Cross Country
Regionals held in Exeter on a very cold Saturday. The results were as follows:
Year 7: Ellica Fillingham 58 th / 67
Year 11: Emma Clarke 38 th / 62
6th Form: Imogen Wolsey 8 th / 54
Lucy Butt 21 st / 54
Flo Powell 35 th / 54
From the results above, Emma, Imogen, Flo and Lucy qualified for the National Finals to be
held in Somerset: a fantastic achievement. (Miss Marsh)
Bryanston Relays
The girls achieved some fantastic results in the Cross Country event:
Senior Girls were placed 2 nd / 19 overall with Lucy Butt placed 3 rd , Emma Clarke 7 th and
Sophie Kalik 9 th out of 57!
Composite Girls Team placed 7 th /13 overall with Becky Perriment (U15) placed 10 th , Izzy
Dickson (U15) 15 th out of 27 th , Emily Herod (U16) 10 th and Beckie Esdaile (who ran above her
age group U17) 10 th.
Junior Girls were placed 10 th / 43 overall with Rachel Lang placed 20 th , Ellica Fillingham 41 st ,
Lara Mayhew 46 th , Rachel Herring 47 th Katie Biddlecombe 67 th , Amelia Rogers 103 out of
129 runners. Well done to all the girls and as always to Jeff Butt who accompanied them on
the day. (Miss Marsh)
Year 7 & 8 Tag Rugby
Our Year 7 & 8 Tag Rugby girls took part in the Salisbury Tag Rugby Festival held at Salisbury
Rugby Club. They enjoyed coaching sessions in the morning followed by a competition in the
afternoon. In the afternoon the girls played in the Salisbury Pool and the B Team were placed
3rd overall, beating some of the A teams, and our A team won the event, winning all their
games. This has now qualified them for the ‘School Games’ to be held in Chippenham in July.
The girls played very hard and were a credit to South Wilts. They were:
A Team: Hannah Pickup (C) , Celeste Conn, Lily Jackson, Lara Mayhew, Matilda Roylance,
Grace Macready, Hannah Scott, Charley Cook
B Team: Amelia Rogers (C), Rachel Herring, Sammy Cole, Meg Siddle, Emma Pike, Keira
Reavill, Miranda Clifford
A big thank you to Alex Bird and Shiffa Shahid , our 6 th Formers who coach and run the Tag
Rugby Club and supported the girls on the day. (Miss Marsh)
Microsoft Office 2010 & Windows 7 at Home
Parents and students can purchase software such as Microsoft Office 2010 at significantly
discounted prices by visiting the school’s website and clicking on the “RM
Basement” link in the bottom right of the homepage.
For example, Microsoft Office 2010 Professional is £36, which saves you over
£390 off the RRP! (Mr Handford, Network Manager)
LOST PROPERTY
Parents are reminded to name all items belonging to their daughters which are brought into
school. There are coats and jackets, pairs of trainers, watches and school jumpers in lost
property, all unnamed, which cannot be returned to students. (Mrs Taylor)
13

South Wilts Grammar School for Girls
SCHOOL TERM AND HOLIDAY DATES
2011 - 2012
August/September October November
Monday 29 5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28
Tuesday 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29
Wednesday 31 7 14 21 28 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23 30
Thursday 1 8 15 22 29 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24
Friday 2 9 16 23 30 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25
Saturday 3 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26
Sunday 4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27
December January February
Monday 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27
Tuesday 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28
Wednesday 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29
Thursday 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23
Friday 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24
Saturday 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25
Sunday 4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26
March April May
Monday 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23 30 7 14 21 28
Tuesday 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29
Wednesday 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30
Thursday 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31
Friday 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18 25
Saturday 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28 5 12 19 26
Sunday 4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29 6 13 20 27
June July August/September
Monday 4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27
Tuesday 5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28
Wednesday 6 13 20 27 4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29
Thursday 7 14 21 28 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23 30
Friday 1 8 15 22 29 6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24 31
Saturday 2 9 16 23 30 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 1
Sunday 3 10 17 24 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 2
TD
Days
Monday 23 rd July
Disaggregated into 3 twilight sessions – staff and
students do not attend school
Bank Holidays
Thursday 1 st September Year 12 in school am Year 13 in school pm Years 7 – 11 studying at home
Friday 2 nd September Year 7 only in school All other years studying at home
Monday 5 th September Years 7 – 11 and 13 in school
Tuesday 6 th September All years in school
Dates are correct at the time of publication
14