Science Centre Update - St Helen & St Katharine

Lent Term 2013The Newsletter of St Helen & St KatharineScience Centre UpdateMuch progress on this exciting project has been made overrecent months and we are delighted to announce that planningpermission for the new Science Centre was granted in March.Located on the site of the old swimming pool, the scheme will blend new and old buildings byway of a three storey glass atrium link. The essence of the design is light and space, allowing easycirculation and views to the outside. The Science Centre will provide, across 3 floors, 12 newlaboratories; 4 each for Biology, Chemistry and Physics, each providing a subject specific learningenvironment. A feature of the scheme will be the addition of break-out spaces providing a varietyof displays, resources and the space for girls to collaborate, meet with staff and work in smallgroups outside the laboratory environment.A part-glazed roof covers the triple storey atrium which will provide a whole school event spaceof over 200sqm, with a strong science theme.The existing laboratories will be converted and refurbished to provide additional classrooms andteaching space for other subject areas, further enhancing our facilities across the school.Work will begin on site this summer and the new Science Centre is planned to open in autumn2014. We will look forward to updating the whole school community on the progress of thisexciting new addition to school facilities.View from front of school showingglass atrium link on rightArtist's impression – Looking from the sports complex towards the Jean Duffield building and the Quad beyondCelebrating a decade of Cross-Country DominanceOn a freezing day in January, with snow on the groundand ice underfoot, St Helen’s U13, U15, U17 and U19cross country teams ran out overall winners, beating 10other schools, to scoop the schools’ trophy and becrowned Vale Cross-Country Champions for the 10thyear in a row. It was a true team performance with theU13, U15 and U19 teams all winning their age groupsand the U17s coming second in their group.Outstanding individual performances also came from:Cordelia Parker (U19) and Fiona Bunn (U15) wining goldin their respective age groups; Kat Ellis (U17) for takingsilver and Claire Fabes (U19) and Flora Insley (U15)taking bronze. Special mention to Tilly Coleman (U17)for volunteering to run at the last minute. Withouther, we would not have won the trophy!The teams went on to compete in the CountyChampionship a few weeks later. The U17s wereplaced 2nd and the U15 and U19s won their sectionsto become County Champions. 6 St Helen’s pupilswill now go on to represent Oxfordshire in theEnglish Schools Championship.Photo credit: Antony Moore/Oxford MailSt Helen & St Katharine, Faringdon Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1BET: 01235 520173 E: info@shsk.org.uk www.shsk.org.uk

headlinesAncient Civilisationsbrought to LifeWhat better time has there ever been tobe a girl? Our charity fundraising focusthis year has been Plan UK’s Because I ama Girl campaign – raising money toeducate 4 million girls across the world.To have reached our ambitious target ofraising £52 per girl, a total of £30, 000 iswonderful and for it to be in a year inwhich girls’ education has had such ahigh focus is a great bonus. For the girlsto be part of an international movementfor change and to have a reason to keepgirls’ education at the forefront of ourminds has been tremendous. Girls atSt Helen’s have so many opportunities,it has felt entirely pertinent to take actionto make opportunities available to girlswho have no access to education orwhose access is threatened, such asMalala Yousafzai in Pakistan.St Helen’s girls undoubtedly appreciatetheir good fortune and they take upevery opportunity, consistently showingdedication, commitment and atremendous sense of team camaraderiein all they do. As one of them said to merecently, “I sometimes get this wildfeeling that I could do almost anything Iset my mind to. Perhaps that’s because atSt Helen’s girls do everything”.It’s certainly a great time to be a Helkat!This term has been full of the joys andsatisfactions of some outstandingperformances and a great sense of thefun of being part of a thrivingcommunity. Let’s celebrate our successesand enjoy the record in these pages often weeks well spent!Rowan Edbrooke, HeadmistressDuring February half term, Classics studentstravelled to Greece to study, at first hand,archaeological sites in Athens and beyond. Thefirst day was spent on foot, visiting the NationalArchaeological Museum, the Ancient Agora andthe Acropolis Museum. Day two included a visitto the Acropolis, followed by a visit to thetemple of Poseidon at Sounio. There was also atrip to the archaeological site in Corinth beforethe journey to visit the Tholos Tomb and theremains of the palace at Mycenae. The final daybegan with a visit to the ancient healing centreof Epidavros, famous for its theatre, before areturn journey to Athens where pupils wereprivileged to meet Professor John Camp, head ofthe excavations in the Athenian Agora, who leda tour of the current excavations and showedthe group some key artefacts relating to theAthenian democratic process. The trip wasthoroughly enjoyed by all those that took part.Mr Hodgkinson, Head of ClassicsMFL ExchangesVisiting Agamemnon, St Helen’s at MycenaeAs part of the Languages Exchange programme, this term has seen five very successfulexchange visits; Year 11 Germanists travelling to Bielefeld, Year 9 and Year 10 both hosting andtravelling to Paris and Aix-en-Provence, and Italian and Spanish linguists hosting their exchangepartners. The programme enables participants on both sides to develop and strengthen theirlistening and speaking skills andencourages long-lasting, fruitfulrelationships. The SpanishExchange, which is run jointlywith Abingdon School, enjoyeda 10th Anniversary CelebrationDinner, hosted by St Helen’s on20th March.‘The teachers were nice people andwe liked how they speak in thelessons with you and work withyou in the class, it’s very different toItaly. The English people too werevery nice, friendly and funny.’Martina Bruno – Italian exchange Our visitors from Galacia, Spain arrive at St Helen'sPro CordaChampionsThe Bartholomew Quartet, Rosie Bartholomew,Maddy Clarke, Olivia Law (U6) and Bethan Rose(Yr 11) progressed through the various roundsof the Pro Corda National Chamber Musiccompetition to reach the National Finals heldat St Helen’s in March. The Quartet was selected,as one of only eight groups from around thecountry, to perform in the Chamber ChampionsConcert at St John Smith Square in London. Thisis an outstanding achievement particularly giventhe exceptionally high standard in this year’s final.Ms Rakowski, Director of Music2 | Lent Term 2013

SIDElinesOther ResultsRound UpLacrosse Nationals TriumphThe Lacrosse Nationals is the biggest fixture in the lacrosse calendar. Hundreds of teams fromacross the UK gather, in early March, for four days of highly competitive lacrosse. St Helen’sfielded 5 teams for the first time; 2 senior teams, U15 A&B and U14 As – all played with skilland determination to produce some of their best lacrosse of the season.The U14A team had a good day finishing 4th in their group – losing 3 and winning 3 matches.The U15B team had a strong group but they put their skills into practice and recorded a winagainst a very good Godolphin team. The U15 A team started strongly beating Marlboroughand drawing to Casterton and St George’s. Tough matches against St Catherine’s andWycombe Abbey followed and they finished a very commendable 4th in their group.After an undefeated season, the 2nds excelled themselves, qualifying for the toughestChampionship group on Saturday. They played some excellent lacrosse, beating strongopposition to finish 5th in their section. A fantastic effort! The 1sts opening match wasagainst reigning champions, Guildford High School which they narrowly lost 3-1. Winningtheir next 5 matches they went into Division 1 on Saturday winning 4 matches and drawingone to win their group. They won a close semi-final match against Queen Anne’s and cameout focused and excited to beat Malvern St James, 3-1, in the final and be crownedNational Division One Champions!Jess Hoskin, 11LA Night at the MoviesOur first gymnastics and dance production, A Night at the Movies,involving over 160 pupils from every year group in school, wasa wonderful celebration of dance and gymnastics based onmusic from the big screen. Routines involved girls from differentyear groups working together, with pieces choreographed andtaught by pupils to their peers, to develop skills, confidence andfriendships. The show ran for two nights to packed audiences in YPHand included a guest appearance from Miss Edbrooke, as the archvillain, in the PE Department's staff rendition of Mission Impossible!A fantastic, feel-good night for audience and performers alike.NetballNetball continues to go from strength tostrength with strong performances at all agegroups. The Seniors had a very good season,winning the majority of their matches withsome excellent results. A strong 1st teamperformance in the county tournament lastterm, along with the U14A team who wontheir county tournament, put them throughto the regional rounds of the England NetballNational Schools Competition. Both teamsplayed extremely well against some verygood competition.Cross-CountryThree teams entered the Vale competitionwhere the girls ran strongly to secure anoverall team win for the 10th year in a row.At the county competition at Radley, the girlsran another great set of individual and teamperformances to secure 1st place for the U15and U19s and 2nd place for the U17 team.BiathlonSt Helen’s fielded a team of strength and depthin the National Schools Biathlon championships.A special mention goes to Miss Lydall andMiss Wills who came 1st and 3rd in the staffcompetition and go through to theNational finals!SwimmingSwimming teams throughout all their yearshave competed against strong competitionwinning many of their galas.Jess Hoskin, 11LNetball NationsTwenty eight girls from Years 10, 11 and theSixth Form travelled to Wembley Arena inJanuary to watch England play Australia in theInternational Netball Series. Internationals area one hour game, played in 15 minute quarters,and the match was incredibly tight, the leadconstantly switching between England andAustralia with England holding on in the lastquarter to win the match 51-49!Everyone loved the excitement of the eveningand it was fantastic for our netball players to seethe sport being played at the highest level...and to witness an England win!Mrs Wilson, PE DepartmentLent Term 2013 | 3

FRONTlinesYour View of School Life‘Frontlines’ is run by the girls, for the girls. Thanks to all who have contributedthis term. Please let us know if you would like to write a report or if you areinterested in joining the ‘Lines team’.You can email the editorial team: communications@shsk.org.ukMind bendingMathsRoom 101An opportunity for an invited ‘school celebrity’ todiscuss their top five pet hates which they wouldlike to consign to Room 101, the infamous torturechamber in George Orwell’s novel 1984.Mr Hunt, Director of Staff and history teacherPet Hate 1: The Daily Mail – I am not keen on itspolitics but what really upsets me is that this is atabloid newspaper pretending to be a serious workof journalism. Its reportage and editorials seek easyscapegoats in society and its ‘shock tactic’ articlesmasquerade as well-researched and reported news.Pet Hate 2: The Daily Mail – because I hate it so muchit gets to go in twice.Pet Hate 3: Wilful Ignorance – I have no problem with people not knowing stuff, but I can’tstand those who take a real pride in not knowing. The other aspect of wilful ignorance thatdrives me nuts is wilful impoliteness – people who are rude to those around them as adefault position.Pet Hate 4: Caravans – I have no problem with them when they are static but whendriven by people who only get them out once a year and have no idea how to drive atrailer they are a nightmare. Caravans, bad; motor homes, good.Pet Hate 5: finally and hypocritically (see above), Moaners – I am not great with moaners,particularly those who don’t really have anything of substance to moan about. We live in adeveloped country where for most of us our basic physical wellbeing is pretty certain – wewill get ample food and water and the necessary shelter and physical security to survivecomfortably. That’s a heck of a lot more than the majority of the global population, so let’sall count our blessings.P.S. In light of point 5, I retract my moans about caravans, but not The Daily Mail.Junior NewsThe Junior Department have been verybusy this term. Recently Year 5 enjoyed amaths activities afternoon with Mrs Hall,developing problem-solving skills andworking as a team. They have new pen palsin New York and Connecticut and, as partof their history topic, they visited the PittRivers Museum to study Aztecs artefacts.Following a busy start to term with 11+entrance exams, Year 6 thoroughly enjoyedtheir visit to Abingdon Waitrose to gatherdata for their Easter Egg project and havebeen busy running taste tests all over theschool. They took part in an interesting andinformative visit to Abingdon CommunityHospital as part of PSHCE and have just Practising CPR at Abingdon Community Hospitalcompleted a Dragon’s Den project in English,designing their own products and pitching them to a team of dragons!In addition, the Juniors are participating in Read for my School – a national readingcompetition in which participants have to read as many books as possible from 8 differentgenres and register them on the website. They have the chance to win prizes for themselvesand for their school!Emily Macpherson, L6EEight Year 10 pupils represented St Helen’sat the West Berkshire heats of the Year 10Mathematics Challenge, organised by theFurther Mathematics Support Programme.Training sessions were held in school atlunchtime in readiness for the competitionwhere teams had to face a combination ofquick fire questions and longer problems.After six rounds of competition, St Helen’s ATeam (Anna Carpenter, Natalie Miron, CalypsoPhillips and Imogen Richards) emerged asoverall winners of the event and go forwardto the Regional Finals to be held at ReadingUniversity in May. Congratulations girls!Schools ChallengeSt Helen’s hosted the South East RegionalSchools Challenge in February, which sawschool teams pitting their wits and generalknowledge against each other in a UniversityChallenge style competition. St Helen’s fieldedthree teams and our A team: Emily Stevenson(U6), Elinor Macnab (L6), Teresa Macnab (Yr10)and Lucie Richardson (Yr9) won their groupstage and went on to comprehensively beatRadley, 870-690 points, in the semi-final. Theythen faced Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ Schoolin the Grand Final, who had just defeatedWycombe Abbey in the other semi-final, andwere eventually beaten to finish runners up inthe region. Well done to all three teams.Mrs Hughes, Director of Students4 | Lent Term 2013

Burgeoning Beyond!Our huge range of extracurricular clubs, societies,activities and trips, collectively known as Beyond,continues to flourish. New for this academic yearare archery, indoor rowing, 3 Christian Forums,Eco Club, new ‘ invited speaker’ lecture eventsand Opera club to name but a few! We nowhave over 100 activities running every week – fulldetails of the programme and a new video aboutBeyond can be found on the school website:www.shsk.org.ukInterview withMrs KeoghMrs Keogh heads up the lacrossecoaching team and has just beenchosen to represent England in thissummer's World Championship.KilveGoing for GoldWe currently have over 450 pupils actively involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’sAward Scheme in School and 11 St Helen’s pupils, from a total of 21 across thewhole of Oxfordshire, have been invited to St James’ Palace in May to receivetheir Gold awards – congratulations to all involved.What is your favourite part of teachingat St Helens?Teaching talented, athletic and smartstudents and working in such a brilliantdepartment.What has been this season’s highlight?This season’s highlight would definitely bethe first team winning Division 1 at theNationals. They played beautifully both daysand I am incredibly proud of them! Beyondthat, I am delighted about the numbers ofgirls who are playing lacrosse in school andthe number of teams, across the year groups,that are now competing in fixtures week in,week out.What is your vision for lacrosse at StHelen’s / goals for next 12 months?More of the same really. We will keep trainingover the summer and begin again, in earnest,in September. We are currently arranging lotsof fixtures for next year and hopefully we canbuild on the successes of this season.In early March, 98 Year 7 girls and 8 teachers embarked on their first residential trip together to KilveCourt in Somerset. En route, the group took their geography studies beyond the classroom,stopping off at Cheddar Gorge to see, first hand, the mesmerising limestone caves. The excitement,anticipation and noise level rose in the coach as the girls neared Kilve; wondering what the nextfew days would bring and whether they would be able to cope without their mobile phones!It was, as ever, highly rewarding for all the girls – allowing them to develop new relationships,strengthen current ones, as well as discovering more about themselves. The trip included a widerange of activities including exploring the Quantock hills and building shelters, as well as the usualoutdoor activities involving lots of mud, ropes and adventure. Not forgetting, of course, the allimportant disco on the last night!Sophie Topp, 11MHow was your recent trip to America?The recent Florida tour with the Englandteam was brilliant. It was good to gaugehow much our team has improved since thelast tour we went on. We played some reallytough matches, losing two in overtime! Grr!What has been the highlight of yourlacrosse career so far?The highlight of my lacrosse career wouldprobably have to be selection for my firstUSA tour in 2008, topped only by my recentselection for the World Cup this July.Anna Murphy, U6FLent Term 2013 | 5

CREATIVElinesA Midsummer Night’s DreamThe Lent term saw a fantastic modern adaptationof A Midsummer Night’s Dream by a talented Years9 and 10 cast, directed by Ms Watt. The younglovers Hermia, Demetrius, Lysander and Helena,skillfully played by Alice Knight, Maddie Garrett,Hannah Young and Chloe Taylor; and a group ofsix amateur actors, led by the incomparableQuince (Marina Aspinall) are wittily controlled andmanipulated by Puck (Charlotte Tuffill) at thebidding of the majestic Titania (Sophie Rose).Highly creative sets and costumes, designed byImogen Howard (U6), to incorporate vibrancy andfun though the use of colour, combined withcomedy of the Mechanicals, the feisty spirit of thelovers and the attitude of the Lady Gaga FairyLand to create a thoroughly entertaining andenjoyable production.Emily Macpherson, L6EMaking Sweet MusicSt Helen’s pupils contributed an array of wonderful performances at the OxfordMusic Festival in January achieving 1st place in a host of categories includingvocal solo, vocal duet, choir and chamber ensembles. Special mention to thefollowing girls who were awarded best overall performance in the Festival:Bethan Rose: Maurice Jacobson Award; Kate Parrott: Headington Folk Song Cup;Anya Chomacki: Helen Robson Memorial Award; Vocal Ensemble: EdmundRubbra Choir CupHeather Conder and Chantal Olavesen (Year 11) were invited to sing in theFestival Concert.The PactRebecca Chadder and Chloe Taylor (Year 10), winners of theannual playwriting competition, put their creative talents to thetest this term by directing and staging their play The Pact in theStudio Theatre .The Pact tells the story of children during the Second World Warand the difficulties faced by Tommy (Tilly McAlister) who is leftlonely and disregarded by a group of other children when hisolder brother leaves for the Front Line. We see the lengths he hasto go to prove himself to the rest of the gang and the supportivefriend he makes called Carrie (Ella Exley). An extremely movingplay, performed to a packed Studio Theatre audience.Emily Macpherson, L6ECatherine Moon, U6EVocal Ensemble winners ofEdmund Rubbra Choir CupInspiring CreativityAmid the dark and gloom of early January, Year 9 pupils experiencedan afternoon filled with colour, creativity, imagination and fun asthey attended workshops run by professional artists and designerslearning new skills trying different activities. Workshops includedpainting in the landscape with artist Mark Spray; constructingarchitectural ceramic structures with Sue Drew; enamel jewellerywork with Carol Griffin; learning about the fashion industry andmaking a 3D textile piece with fashion intern Mary Thrift; using iPadsto create a stop animation film with Angus Dick and last, butcertainly not least, Executive Chef Olivier Hubert demonstrating adelicious chocolate and orange profiterole dish, as much art as food!6 | Lent Term 2013

BEYOND THE LinesApplying for MedicineMathematicalAlliances Pastand Present...Seminar panellists included St Helen’s parents practising different medical specialisms andmedical studentsSt Helen’s has a strong tradition of supporting successful applications to study medicine. In2012 nearly 1 in 5 (17%) of our U6 leavers went on to study medicine, vet medicine andbiomedical sciences at university. In early March St Helen’s played host to over 300 Year 11 andL6 pupils and their parents, from 30 schools across Oxfordshire, interested in applying to readmedicine. Mike Nicholson, Director of Admissions at Oxford University, was the keynote speakerand guests were then invited to attend a range of seminars. These focused on what medicalschools look for in an application (delivered by a representative from Cardiff University),admissions tests and various specialisations in medicine. The sessions were led by practisingmedics from different specialisms, medical students and parents of medical students. ClaireWarren, who teaches biology at St Helen’s and is our in-house specialist for medical, vetmedicine and dentistry admissions, led the session on admissions tests. It was an interestingand informative evening and we are particularly grateful to the St Helen’s staff, parents and OldGirls who gave their time and expertise as speakers.From the Alumnae OfficeOGs Keep in TouchIf you have any changes to your contact details, or would like to pass on anyother information or news, please contact Dawn Wedge in the Old Girls’ Office:01235 532012 or email oldgirls@shsk.org.ukReunion 2013Leaving years: 1993, 1988, 1983 and 1973 are warmly invited back to St Helen’son Saturday 22nd June 2013. A lovely opportunity to catch up with old friendsand former staff and revisit your school days! Tickets are £20 and includewelcome drinks, lunch with wine and afternoon tea. Invitations have beensent to year groups concerned but, for more information, please emailoldgirls@shsk.org.ukOld Girls’ Newsletter 2013This year it will be the turn of the EVEN numbered groups to submit news forthe annual Old Girls’ Newsletter. It’s always lovely to receive so many newsitems from you all and we know that you enjoy keeping up with old schoolfriends and finding out what they have been doing.This year’s deadline will be July 2013 and those of you in Even Groups willshortly receive details on how to submit your news. We are looking forwardto another bumper edition!Katya Richards (L6) has been selected, for thesecond year running, to represent the UK inthe European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad.The competition takes place in Luxembourgin April and is immediately preceded by atraining camp at Trinity College Cambridge.Whilst celebrating Katya’s outstandingachievement, we were delighted to learn thatOld Girl Hannah Roberts (’08) will be UK teamleader. Hannah read mathematics at Cambridgeand is currently completing a DPhil in ClinicalMedicine at Pembroke College Oxfordinvolving modelling HIV evolution andinteraction with the immune system.We wish the UK team and St Helen’smathematicians ‘past and present’ everysuccess as they take on the rest of Europein April!Fond Farewell... and Welcome!Sandie Burnett retired in December 2012 after nine yearsas the Old Girls’ Liaison Officer and OGs, staff and parentsgathered at a reception to say thank you for her service to theschool, to wish her well for her retirement and to welcomeDawn Wedge as the new Alumnae and CommunicationsManager. Dawn looks forward to making contact with youover the coming weeks and months, hearing your news andwelcoming you back to St Helen’s for Reunions or on privatevisits. She can be contacted via the Old Girls’ Office.Lines is the newsletter of St Helen & St Katharine, Faringdon Road, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 1BE.www.shsk.org.uk T: 01235 546 541 E: communications@shsk.org.ukEditors: Mrs Charlotte Carey, Jess Hoskin (11L), Emily Macpherson (L6E), Catherine Moon (U6E), Anna Murphy (U6F), Sophie Topp (11M)Photography: Thanks to Mr Paul Burnett, Mr Paul Moylan, Mr Ash Verjee and the many pupils who have contributed photosDesign by: MCC Design, Oxfordshire