eNews Summer 2016

eNews Issue 102, Summer 2016

@stgeorgesascot

Farewell to Mrs Owens St George's will say goodbye to Headmistress Mrs Owens at the end of the Summer Term. She will be going onto pastures new as Headmistress at St George's College, Weybridge from September 2016.

Mrs Owens joined St George's, Ascot in 2011 and has been an inspirational figure for the girls and staff with whom she has worked over the years.

She will be greatly missed by all of the girls and staff, past and present. Please join us in wishing Mrs Owens the very best of luck in her new role.

Please see the next page for an interview with Mrs Owens.

/stgeorgesascot

Mrs Owens

Interview with Mrs Owens Old Georgian and Deputy Head Girl, Emily Dominey interviewed Mrs Owens to find out her thoughts about her time at St George's and what she is looking forward to in the future.

What is your best memory from your time at St George’s?

That’s really hard because there are lots of things I could choose. The Georgian Gallops will always be a good memory. Watching everybody run up that hill! It’s mostly the girls doing things or achieving things. Recently, I guess it’s winning the Small Schools Lacrosse Tournament; I was really proud of that. I always remember Results Days and when everyone has got what they deserve and gets to the university that they want to go to. Another highlight is everyone singing the hymn to St George loudly. It sounds really cheesy but it’s difficult to pick out highlights because there are so many every day.

What is your greatest achievement while working here?

There are obvious things to say such as the Luker Building and the Vagliano Library; but other things like Parents’ Forum, getting parents to say what they really believe and act on it; and getting the School involved in the HMC Scholars programme. One of my first achievements was setting up the termly Headmistress’s Lectures, which I feel have really contributed to the enrichment of the School.

I think some achievements are obvious in terms of physical presence, but actually my most precious achievements include people and a lot of those are quite private. For example, a huge personal achievement is when someone told me ‘My daughter wasn’t a feminist before, but she is now.’

What can you remember about your first day here?

Not very much is the honest answer! I remember taking the staff meeting and thinking ‘I don’t know any of these people and how will I get to know them?’ And then going into assembly and seeing all the girls and thinking ‘I’ve got to learn them as well…’ I don’t really remember it in detail though - it’s just a blur!

Mrs Owens Can you recall the funniest moment from your time at St George’s?

Recently, Mr Wright in the Minion costume on the Upper Sixth's last day! Usually it’s some moment in a pantomime by the First or Second Years, which may not have meant to be funny but actually is really funny.

What’s changed the most in your time here?

Girls wear their blazers! That’s something I’m really proud of.

Who are the unsung heroes of St George’s?

Undoubtedly, all the support staff. I absolutely couldn’t do without them; they’re absolutely brilliant and I will really miss them.

What is the best thing about St George’s?

The obvious answer is the food! Though it is the answer that everyone always gives, but what is so true is the sense of community.

But one of the best things for me is that people have been willing to change, sometimes quite a lot, when I’ve said ‘I think that’s a great idea!’

What piece of advice would you like a St George’s girl to remember?

Always smile, always be happy. There’s always someone worse off than you, and this moment could be really good if you make it.

What would you like to tell your successor Mrs Hewer about St George’s?

They’re a good bunch. Everyone is on your side and wants you to succeed.

What will you miss the most?

I will miss my Senior Management Team and Mrs Witt. I’d have to say Mrs Simpson covers my back totally, and Mrs Witt runs my life.

What are you most excited about?

Leading a bigger organisation, with more people, and involvement with a junior school.

Whole School

Valedictory Service and Prize Giving 2016 Prior to the annual Prize Giving ceremony, the Upper Sixth pupils, staff and parents enjoyed the Valedictory Service in Chapel.

During the service, the Chapel Choir and guests sang hymns, before listening to readings from the Prefects and Head Girls, Caitlin McArthur and Lottie Hughes.

Mr Wright, Head of Sixth Form spoke about the girls and wished them every success in their journey after St George's.

A candle was lit on behalf of the girls leaving St George's. Each candle serves as a memory of good times and lights the way before them.

Pupils, staff and parents celebrated the many achievements of the girls at the end of term on Thursday 7 July at the annual Prize Giving ceremony.

With thanks to Mandy Hickson, Former Royal Air Force Tornado Squadron Pilot, for being our guest of honour and speaking memorably about her life experiences. She was the only female pilot on her Front Line Tornado Squadron, flying multimillion pound fast jets for the Royal Air Force. She has operated in hostile environments, including patrolling the ‘No Fly’ zone over Iraq. Carrying the latest weaponry, she and her unit were ready to drop ordnance on any target in support of operations.

Awards included subject academic awards, academic prizes, Sixth Form diplomas, scholarships and progress prizes, Moe was presented with the Dourountakis Cup for Academic Excellence, Amelia and Jade were presented with the Spirit of St George Award and Chloe received the Citizenship Award.

The audience listen to readings by Upper Sixth girls at the Valedictory Service

Chapel Choir sing during the Valedictory Service

Mr Wright addresses the audience and spoke about the girls

The audience stand to sing hymns in the service

Whole School The Chapel Choir sing as the audience are seated

Guest of Honour, Mandy Hickson, addresses the audience

The 2016-17 Head Girls Team are presented to the audience

Mandy Hickson and Mrs Owens with Head Girls, Caitlin and Lottie

Summer Awards 2016 On Wednesday 6 July, the Summer Awards took place to celebrate the girls who have received awards as part of their extra curricular activities and for recent events at St George's.

Awards included ABRSM music certificates, RAD Ballet, Duke of Edinburgh awards, House Tennis, House Quiz, and individual effort and achievement cups. Ambassador awards were also presented to staff and pupils who have given over and above; to help others and raise money for charity.

Mrs Owens presents the awards to the girls All of the award winners proudly hold their certificates and cups

Visits

Classics On Wednesday 22 June, a small army of Fourth Year and Lower Sixth students invaded the Kallos Art Gallery on Davies Street in Central London. Upon arrival, they were greeted by Hayley, an Old Georgian from 2009, who introduced them to several artefacts from the Ancient World.

The girls were given a private tour of the Gallery, focussing on four main antiquities: an Ancient Greek Hermione helmet, Grecian Urns dating back to the early sixth century, and a terracotta figure of Persephone, worth ÂŁ4.4 million. From there they reassembled in the library and were privileged enough to handle three pure gold coins, minted by Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. The most valuable of these was a gold stater worth ÂŁ400,000 stamped with Zeus on the front of the coin. The girls enhanced their learning of Ancient Greek art as well as the Ancient ways of life and religion.

They then visited to British Museum, where they were tasked with answering a series of questions about the Greek gods, goddesses and the people of Ancient Greece. The girls searched around for the answers which were hidden within the display cabinets in the museum.

Both year groups thoroughly enjoyed the trip and learnt a considerable amount about the Ancient World. Thank you to Miss Fontes for arranging this trip.

History Normandy Third Year girls travelled to Normandy from Sunday 5 to Thursday 9 June.

The girls met and were given talks by British Commando veterans who were part of the No.47 Royal Marine Commando formation.

The Commando was formed in August 1943 by Winston Churchill, a former pupil from St George's. As part of their first operation in June 1944, they were involved in 'Operation Neptune,' the Normandy Landings now termed as D-Day. They succeeded against their Nazi opponents and liberated Port en Bessin during the Second World War. The girls found the trip very interesting and enjoyed learning more about Normandy.

The Second Years spent the day at the Living Rainforest near Newbury on Thursday 9 June, exploring the plants and animals of the rainforest biome. Each group had a tour with a knowledgeable guide, who pointed out the special adaptations many of the plants and animals had to help them thrive in the hot and humid tropical rainforests.

The girls saw fish with teeth, an armoured armadillo, noisy Goeldi’s monkeys and a lucky few also spotted the shy two-toed sloth, Cinnamon.

After lunch, the girls were able to explore the greenhouses and find out more about some of the plants that are growing there – although many of them spent some of their time hunting for Cinnamon! They had a most enjoyable day and the girls were able to see the adaptations that they had learned about in action.

Canterbury

Second and Third Year girls explored the historic city of Canterbury on Saturday 25 - Sunday 26 June with Mrs Magill and Dr Tieanu.

Canterbury is steeped in religious culture and history and the weekend was guaranteed to be action-packed. The girls began their adventures by visiting Canterbury Cathedral, which is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and the Mother Church of the Church of England. They had chance to explore the grounds and precincts before they watched a film about the Cathedral’s history. Subsequently, they entered the Cathedral to discover the calm of the Crypt and the Cloisters, the beauty of the Quire, the serenity of the Nave and the site of St Thomas Becket’s Martyrdom.

Having explored the beautiful grounds the girls went into the Cathedral to retrace the steps of Thomas Becket. Everyone especially marvelled at the beautiful stained-glass windows, which looked extremely bright during a sunny spell on the day.

The girls enjoyed a brief walk around the Greyfriars gardens and a river tour, before they got the chance to see the Thriller Live concert at the Marlowe Theatre.

Visiting the Cathedral and the museums as well as watching Thriller at the Marlowe Theatre combined a sense of the change and continuity that Canterbury unfailingly exhibits in equal measure; thank you to Mrs Magill and Dr Tieanu for this excellent adventure!

Thorpe Park

Having made a superb effort throughout their first year of GCSE studies, on Monday 27 June the Fourth Year had the opportunity to demonstrate their true fearlessness at Thorpe Park! The girls valiantly flew through the air on 'Stealth' and 'Saw' and appeared to be rather drenched, having caused a number of waves on the water rides.

They were fortunate enough to have a warm and sunny day to enjoy themselves as a reward for all of their hard work. We are extremely proud of all of their achievements this academic year. Thank you to Mrs Magill for organising such a well-deserved outing, as well as to the other teachers who accompanied the girls.

Visits

Geography

Arts

Arts Festival The second annual St George's Arts Festival took place on Wednesday 22 June.

The event celebrated the creative and performing arts at St George's and showcased the girls’ artistic skills.

Upon arrival, parents enjoyed refreshments whilst viewing the fabulously colourful Art Exhibition on display in the South Lawn Room, where they had the chance to view our Artist in Residence, Eleanor Swingler’s work in the Entrance Foyer, before being seated for a performance of 'The Exam' by Andy Hamilton in the new library. This comedy is the first play to be staged in the new building, and was performed with flair by the Third Year girls, who made great use of the unusual space. Thank you to Miss McCann and Mr Pearn for putting together this challenging yet hilarious piece.

Parents, staff and girls discussing the art on display

The evening was a great success and enjoyed by all staff and parents who attended.

Audience enjoying the Drama performance

Energetic display of exam stress in play

'The Exam' by Andy Hamilton

Parents and staff admire the display of art

Arts The wide range of textiles, photography, and drawings exhibited

Arts

Drama Second Year Play On Tuesday 28 June, the Second Year performed ‘Scary Play’ by Judith Johnson.

This play was originally written for the National Theatre Connections group and is about the subject of fear itself.

The girls chose their own parts in the play and explored their own ideas about fear. The girls created tension intermingled with laughter throughout.

Well done to the girls for their hard work, and to Mrs Gregan for directing and Mr Pearn for his help bringing it all together.

Programme cover designed by student Judith

On Wednesday 29 June, girls from Third Year to Upper Sixth travelled to Savill Garden to watch a performance of Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It.’ The girls really enjoyed this open-air rendition, which was a much more immersive theatrical experience than traditional showings of the pastoral comedy.

The play was especially exciting as it was produced by Old Georgian, Sara Langridge. Thank you to Mr Carroll, Mr Lee and Miss McCann for taking the girls to such an interesting performance.

Music

Music for a Summer Evening On Tuesday 5 July, the annual Music for a Summer Evening concert took place in the Sue Cormack Hall.

The concert began with the Chapel Choir singing 'Collect of St George' and 'Praise to God'.' The Jazz Group followed with an energetic performance of 'Mission Impossible' and 'Tequila' which prompted enthusiastic participation from an appreciative audience.

In true Georgian tradition, Mr Hillier had written a short song for the departing students. The Chapel Choir sang 'Great Shepherd' with true emotion.

Karyna performed a stunning piano solo 'Duetto (songs without words)'' by Mendelssohn.

To celebrate the girls who will be leaving St George's at the end of term, Mr Hillier and Mr Smith presented a single rose accompanied by a heart-warming mention to each girl.

This year's concert was an emotional occasion and was a superb way for the girls and staff leaving St George's to end on a high.

Arts

'As you like it'

Awards

Headmistress awards commendations for outstanding effort Headmistress Commendations Mrs Owens awards Headmistress Commendations to girls every week who have excelled at a subject or an activity within school.

Over 40 girls have been awarded a commendation during the Summer Term. Congratulations to all of the girls for this excellent achievement.

Boarding Fun The boarders at St George's have had lots of fun this term; a visit to Covent Garden, Paintballing, a summer party at school with bouncy slide and a trip to London to see the hit musical 'Guys and Dolls'.

Covent Garden

On a very sunny Saturday 21 May, the boarders of Markham House went on a trip with Miss Dominey and Miss McCann to Covent Garden. The girls walked from Waterloo station passing the National Theatre and crossing over the Thames on Waterloo Bridge.

The first thing the girls were met with was a huge crowd of people cheering on Crystal Palace FC and the market place covered in a huge mirror, making the space look futuristic. Among the street performers, the girls were able to see a few opera singers, jugglers and various bands ranging from folk to modern pop.

Navigating around the excited football fans, the girls were able to look around a wide range of beautiful street galleries and other stalls but also managed to visit the stores of their favourite labels!

The girls had a lovely time and were extremely well behaved!

Paintballing Student, Ebi, reflects on the paintballing trip: "On Saturday 11 June the boarders of Markham House went paintballing. Arriving at Delta Force, we got into our groups and entered the 'War Zone'. It was fun because we got to play against our friends and strategically try to meet our goal which was to carry a zombie nerd to the other teams’ base.

At the end of the day we were all tired and a little bruised but had an amazing time. We all had a greater bond and had something exciting to talk about for the rest of the day. It was simply a fantastic experience." Thank you to Miss Kellaris and Miss McCann for taking us.

Guys and Dolls On Wednesday 6 July, all Knatchbull boarders made their way to the Phoenix Theatre in London to enjoy a performance of the hit musical ‘Guys and Dolls.’ The girls were thoroughly entertained by this sizzling New York tale of gamblers, gangsters and nightclub singers, and it was the perfect way to celebrate the end of term and say goodbye to the girls who are leaving.

Many thanks to Mrs Dorey, Dr Tieanu and Miss McCann for organising and accompanying the girls on such a lovely trip.

Summer Par ty On Wednesday 29 June, the whole boarding community gathered by the swings to celebrate the end of term with a party. There was an abundance of delicious food provided by the catering team, plus a bouncy castle and a photo booth.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed this chance to get together and have a final boarding event of the year and to say goodbye to the girls (and resident staff) who are leaving. Thank you to the pastoral staff for helping to organise this great evening!

Boarding

Boarding Fun

Houses

House Quiz 2016

The four teams battled it out to become House Quiz champions

Alexander House in the Junior round

On Wednesday 6 July, the annual House Quiz took place.

All four houses were represented by a Junior contestant, an Intermediate contestant and a House Captain. The girls answered ten rounds of general knowledge questions, which included fast buzzer rounds and questions directed to each House in turn.

To conclude the quiz, 'the almost impossible question' was opened up to all girls and staff in the audience. A music clip was played backwards, with Mrs Obaditch from the audience correctly identifying it by The Smiths.

Well done to all of the girls who took part including winning House, Darwin. Thank you to Mr Naeem for being the quizmaster and to Mr Lee, Miss Fontes, Miss Lofthouse and Mr Pearn for their help with this fun event!

Churchill House conferring before answering their question

Mr Naeem, Quizmaster explains the rules of the quiz

Becket House answering a question

Darwin House celebrating after a tense sudden-death final

On Tuesday 5 July, the House Tennis took place to mark the end of the year.

All four Houses were represented by players seeking the highest number of points overall.

Well done to all of the girls who competed and congratulations to the winners Darwin House.

RESULTS Juniors 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Darwin Becket Alexander Chuchill

16 wins 13 wins 10 wins 9 wins

Becket Darwin Churchill Alexander

16 wins 15 wins 12 wins 5 wins

Darwin Becket Churchill Alexander

31 wins 29 wins 21 wins 15 wins

Seniors 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Overall 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Unbeaten teams Juniors Becket 2nd couple Alexander 3rd couple Becket 4th couple Darwin 6th couple Darwin 7th couple Darwin 8th couple Seniors Darwin 1st couple Becket 2nd couple Darwin 3rd couple Darwin 4th couple Becket 5th couple Becket 6th couple Churchill 7th couple Churchill 8th couple

Houses

House Tennis Tournament

News

Fourth Year Green Dragons Challenge In order to enrich the girls learning beyond the classroom, on Wednesday 15 June Mrs Magill, Head of Fourth Year, arranged for the girls to participate in a morning workshop called ‘This Way Up’. The Enterprise and Global Learning challenge was designed and delivered by Bright Green Enterprises.

The girls spent the morning studying topics and issues within the world of International Development. They worked in teams to create a socially or environmentally-focused project to address a community need in Tanzania, East Africa. Furthermore, they were introduced to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as real-life case studies of social and environmental issues currently in action across Tanzania: from the savannahs of the Serengeti to the seas off Zanzibar to the foothills of Kilimanjaro.

The event format was designed to encompass presentations and team-based activities.

Furthermore, the girls developed their understanding of how such subjects can apply to further education choices within a variety of fields. Critical thinking and ethical business acumen was at the heart of this programme and the girls directly practised skills to help them succeed in future career choices and develop greater fluency in their capabilities to ready them for application to university.

First Year girls line streets for Ladies' Day Royal Party Arrival The girls were very excited to greet the Her Royal Majesty the Queen as she arrived for Ladies' Day at Ascot Racecourse on Thursday 16 June.

Lining the streets to welcome the Royal party’s arrival at the racecourse has been an annual tradition for many years.

It was both an enjoyable walk to see The Queen and a privilege to welcome the Royal Party.

Garter Day 2016 First Year Ariana reflects on her experience of visiting Windsor Castle on Garter Day: "On Monday 13 June we went to the Garter Day Service at Windsor Castle. We were all very excited to see the Queen and the Royal family. When we arrived we were given allocated places and waited for the ceremony to begin.

Unfortunately, it was raining so the Queen and her family were only visible through a car window instead of her royal carriage.

News

Garter Day at Windsor Castle

As the family went by there were many people applauding, before they entered St George’s Chapel for the service. Once the service had concluded, the Queen and the family continued back outside the castle, where we had another chance to see her.

We were told that the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead wanted to meet us, so we headed towards the Guildhall where the previous Mayor, Mr Rayner, was waiting for us. Mr Rayner kindly showed us around the Guildhall and told us many interesting stories. He took us to the exact room in which Charles married Camilla in 2005. We were later introduced to the current Mayor, Sayonara Luxton. We then sat down with Cllr.

Rayner and many other dignitaries, whilst enjoying a cup of tea and cake. Soon we had to leave and come back to school. Mr Rayner led the way out and told us one more story before we hopped into the taxi. What a fabulously memorable day we all had!”

Thank you to Mrs Farmer Mason and Miss Kellaris for accompanying the girls on this outing.

Mustique Raffle Prize Winner St George's recently announced the winner of the superb raffle to win a holiday of a lifetime to the island Mustique.

Congratulations to Alice Grist for winning the fabulous prize which was drawn during the Music for a Summer Evening event on Tuesday 5 July.

St George's Mock EU Referendum

Girls vote in poll To coincide with the national vote, pupils took part in a St George’s referendum on membership of the European Union. The week began with Mr Wright explaining the context: speaking about what a referendum was, the history of the United Kingdom and the EU and commenting on both sides of the argument. Many passionate discussions of the issues were heard around the hallways of the School and enthusiasm was high on the day. Allowing for the examination groups not being involved owing to study leave, the turnout was high with 116 pupils participating.

The result saw 69 votes for Remain and 47 for Leave; a conclusive 59.5% siding with UK membership of the EU. This result echoed that in Windsor and Maidenhead, but clearly not in the country at large! The girls gained a sense of the democratic process that will impact on their lives for decades to come.

Charity

Go Green for Barnardo's On Wednesday 22 June, Pupils and staff were invited to support the Boarding Schools' Association charity, Barnardo's, by wearing green for the day and paying £1 to the charity for the privilege.

The campaign supported National Boarding Week and the school raised over £100 for the charity.

Bikeathon

Mr Smith, Electrician at St George's, has recently completed a 45 mile bikeathon in Wokingham, Berkshire.

He was joined by his friends and fellow cyclists on Sunday 26 June to raise money for Cancer Research UK, following the loss of his wife of 40 years to this awful disease earlier this year.

Mr Smith had trained most weekends, weather permitting, averaging 25-30 miles at a time. He has completed many charity rides over the years including London to Paris a couple of years ago.

Well done to Mr Smith who raised over £470 for this excellent charitable cause.

Mr Smith pictured on the right with his friends

Charity Fair

First and Second Year charity fair On Thursday 30 June, the First and Second Year organised a charity fair to raise money for our nominated charities.

Staff and fellow pupils enjoyed a cake sale, delicious milkshakes, a spa stall and the most popular event for the girls - throwing sponges at a teacher!

Overall, this year the school has raised over £2,700 for 16 different charities.

Admissions

Freshers' Day

New starters enjoy get to know each other Ms Townsend, Head of First Year, and Miss Jackson, Head of Third Year, both hosted a Freshers' Day on Wednesday 22 June for new girls joining St George's in September.

Activities on the day included decorating cookies, indoor rounders and lots of fun on a bouncy slide.

The girls very much enjoyed meeting each other and learning who will be in their Form and House come September.

We hope the girls have a lovely Summer and look forward to welcoming them to St George's when the new academic year commences. Thank you to all the teachers and Admissions staff who were involved in this event: it is a highly valued way for new pupils to get to know the school.

Celebrating staff On Monday 4 July, the Staff leavers’ lunch took place on the South Lawn to celebrate the staff that will be leaving St George's this term.

News

Staff Leavers' Lunch We wish all of the staff all the very best for the future and we hope they will stay in touch.

Primary School Partnership Music Day St George's held a Music themed workshop on Thursday 9 June, as part of the education partnership, with three local maintained primary schools.

The aim of the initiative is to share resources, ideas and good practice that will benefit the students in all schools involved. We are very pleased to be working with Connaught Junior School in Bagshot, Whitegrove Primary School in Warfield and Collingwood College in Camberley.

Mr Hillier hosted a fun Music afternoon at St George's for Whitegrove Primary School pupils, who enjoyed activities including exploring the rhythm of drums and following tunes with their own sounds; singing exercises; and watching a monkey play a musical instrument (on a TV screen!).

The pupils very much enjoyed the day and also enjoyed a delicious lunch. Thank you Mr Hillier and the Music Department for a great experience.

Micro:bits The First Year girls have spent the last half term experimenting and coding micro:bits given to them free of charge as part of the UK-wide initiative to inspire a new generation to get creative with coding and digital technology.

The micro:bit is a simple computer, jam-packed with some amazing technology including 25 LED’s, programmable buttons, a compass, an accelerometer, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, input/output pins all crammed into a 5 X 4 cm circuit board.

The girls have programmed them to display images and messages, created games such as Rock, Paper, Scissors, and even created music! Some of the girls composed and created their own tunes. They accomplished all of this in a few short weeks using a variety of computer programming languages including Block Editor, Touch Develop (designed for programming using a tablet or phone) and even some MicroPython.

The girls will take their micro:bit home where we hope they will spend a little bit of their holiday writing a program for the Computing Department’s Micro:bit Programming Competition in September. Happy coding girls!

IT

Robotics in IT

Sixth Form

Taster Day for Fourth Year On Wednesday 8 June the pupils of the Fourth Year enjoyed an exciting and diverse Sixth Form Taster Day. Dressing in smart Sixth Form business attire, the girls enjoyed different academic lessons giving them an idea of the breadth of subjects available in the top two years of the School. During lunch, they enjoyed a superb chocolate mousse and held conversations with Sixth Form tutors before enjoying the variety of options available during Wednesday afternoon games.

The day ended with Mr Carroll explaining how the School can support the girls in creating an outstanding Extended Project, and Mr Wright commented on the rigorous preparation of UCAS applications alongside support for other school leaver programmes.

By the end of the day, pupils were very much more aware of the different experience of being a Sixth Former at St George’s and looking forward to making their A Level choices!

Upper Sixth Leavers' Ball On the final day of the academic year, the Upper Sixth Form leavers celebrated their new status as St George’s alumnae with an inaugural Leavers’ Ball. The evening began with students, their invited guest, parents and members of staff enjoying a champagne reception to celebrate the vital support of our parents and guardians in the success of our Upper Sixth Form girls.

Dinner was then served in the Sue Cormack Hall, whilst the parent body enjoyed a separate event organised by the Parents’ Association representatives of the year group. Dancing concluded the evening (for the staff at least!) and we all enjoyed this celebration of the achievements of a wonderful group of intelligent, independent young women, as they move forward into the next phase of their lives.

On Friday 24 June, the St George's Sports Awards took place in the Sue Cormack Hall.

Parents enjoyed a drink on arrival before sitting down to celebrate the sporting achievements of their daughters.

The guest of honour, Chris Cook, is a former Olympic Swimmer and gave an inspirational speech to the girls. He explained that he started swimming at an early age, and had dreams of becoming an Olympic Swimmer one day. Chris competed for Great Britain for 10 years.

After a career which saw him rise to being Double Commonwealth Champion, British Record holder, Commonwealth Record Holder, World Medallist, European Medallist & Olympic Finalist, Chris now uses his experience and knowledge to help others to achieve their goals and dreams. A true inspiration to the girls.

Congratulations to all of the girls who were presented with an award.

Mrs Collingwood, Miss Spencer, Mrs Lowe, Chris Cook and Miss Lofthouse

Pupils accept awards from Chris Cook

Sport

Sports Awards 2016

Sport

Sports Day 2016

On Friday 17 June, St George's Sports Day took place. With a fiercely competitive atmosphere, the four houses were determined to be the champions this year.

All of the girls that took part gave 100% in their events. The highest scorers for each year group were Katie in the First Year, Phoebe in Second Year, Grace in Third Year, and Lolade in Fourth Year.

The Relay Shield was awarded to Second Year girls Keira, Isabelle, Alicia and Adrienne from Churchill House. Well done girls!

Alexander House received the Athletic Cups. Well done everyone who took part, it was a true team effort.

WINNERS EVENT NAME HOUSE TIME/DIST 100m Medal Lolade CHURCHILL 13.3 secs 200m Medal Catherine DARWIN 30.7 secs 300m Medal Adrienne CHURCHILL 47.4 secs 800m Medal Henrietta BECKET 2 mins 54 secs Long Jump Medal Phoebe DARWIN 3.89 metres High Jump Medal Keira CHURCHILL 1.30 metres Discus Medal Grace ALEXANDER 16.00 metres Javelin Medal Ellie DARWIN 15.60 metres Shot Medal Fiona BECKET 8.02 metres 300m Medal Octavia BECKET 59.4 secs Relay Shield - Second Year Keira CHURCHILL Isabelle Alicia Adrienne

First Year Highest Scorer Katie Second Year Highest Scorer Phoebe Third Year Highest Scorer Grace Fourth Year Highest Scorer Lolade POSITION OF HOUSES 4th Becket House 153 House Points 3rd Darwin House 207 House Points 2nd Churchill House 210 House Points ATHLETIC CUP 1st Alexander House 214 House Points

Sport

National Polo Champions

St George's are National Polo Champions once again!

Held under the auspices of the Schools and Universities Polo Association, the 2016 National Schools Championships on Sunday 19 June at Kirtlington Park Polo Club near Oxford, was an extremely hard fought affair.

The St George's trio of Alexia, Alannah and Chloe (with the help of Cousin Cristobel) proved too strong; they swept past Heathfield and mixed teams from Stowe and Marlborough to be crowned National Champions. This backs up the team’s winter success in the Arena Nationals.

Black Belt Achievement

Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Second Year Isabelle has recently celebrated achieving her Black Belt official certificate in Tae Kwon Do. The certification was presented to her by Master Yoon, who travelled from Korea to test the successful students.

Isabelle's Black Belt is the result of seven years of training and practising the martial art of Tae Kwon Do. A fantastic achievement Isabelle!

Key Dates

Key Dates for Autumn Term Following the Summer holidays, there are many key events taking place at St George's including Entrance Examinations, Open Morning, School Photographs and the 'Bring It On' performance. Please see below a snapshot of events taking place.

Please do visit our website at www.stgeorges-ascot.org.uk for live calendar updates.

Autumn Term 2016

5 - 6 September Staff inset days

7 September First day of term

21 October at 4.00pm - 6 November Half Term 16 December Last day of term

Key Dates

7 September New Parents' Tea

10 September Sports Pre-Season Picnic BBQ

16 September School Photographs

16 September Welcome to the new Headmistress party

22 September First Year Parents' Forum

8 October Open Morning

15 October Third Year Social with Eton

18 - 20 October 'Bring It On' Performance

23 October - 3 November Upper Sixth History and Politics trip to USA

18 November Parents' Association Quiz Night

27 November Upper Sixth trip to Serena Hall

28 November Second Year History visit to Hampton Court

30 November Upper Sixth Form Drama Shakespeare visit

6 December First Year Pantomime

12 December House Netball

13 December House Drama

16 December Last day of term

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Lower Sixth student Zafirah has taken on the now on challenge of managing the content of our St George's Ascot account and uploading images Instagram for viewers to enjoy. We hope that you will particularly enjoy some archive photography posted on #FlashbackFriday.

Have a lovely Summer break, from all at St George's, Ascot

+44 (01344) 629920 St George's School admissions@stgeorges-ascot.org.uk

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