Alton Convent School E-Book 2014 -15

Alton Convent School Ebook 2014-15

Alumni Making a Difference

Charlotte Woellwarth (2010) is pursuing a career in the international development sector, to inspire change and fight for poverty relief in some of the world’s poorest communities. Charlotte has already gained invaluable experience in corporate fundraising at the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, and in wider development activities in Sierra Leone, including work for the Forum for African Women Educationalists. ‘’After a little trip across West Asia followed by a few months in Australia I returned to the UK to carry out a Corporate Fundraising internship with RainbowTrust Children’s Charity.Here at Rainbow I enhanced my administration and communication skills, assisting in the research and development of new business within London and Surrey, cause related marketing and beneficiary events. I was given the opportunity to attend prestigious fundraising events including Trust in Fashion at The Savoy and the Celebrity Lusso Homes Golf Day, networking with potential supporters and friends of the charity. I assisted in organising future campaigns and raising Rainbow Trust’s social media profile.

In May 2014, after several months at Rainbow, I embarked on a placement

to Sierra Leone with VSO, predominantly focusing on the youth who have suffered through a decade long civil war. During my time here I lived on the outskirts of Makeni, 150 kilometres east of the capital Freetown, in a small community called Fullah Town. I shared a single storey house with a corrugated iron roof and five rooms for thirty family members. The public bathroom, community well and farmyard animals contributed to my West African daily life! The Bangura family cared for me as a daughter, from mornings at the market as the local attraction to evenings spent being taught Krio in the dark due to the lack of electricity; the happiness and love was abundant.

I spent my three months working with adolescent mothers at FAWE; Forum for African Women Educationalists, teaching a variety of skills including business, home economics and numeracy, giving the girls and their children hope of a brighter future. Despite huge progress in health education and social service delivery in the country over the last few years, teenage girls still remain the most vulnerable segment of the population with one third of all pregnancies from those under the age of 18. To raise awareness of this issue I implemented a Global Citizen Day as well as various debates and talks in the local communities; advocating the risks, social stigma and diseases including HIV and Aids. I believe girls hold the key to a society without poverty.

Marriage must be postponed and education continued in order to prepare for adulthood and employment.

I was sadly evacuated back to the UK at the beginning of August after experiencing some of the Ebola epidemic’s early constraints. I am currently pursuing a career in the international development sector, to inspire change and fight for poverty relief in some of the world’s poorest communities.’’

Alumni A Vet’s Life

Poppy Makhzangi (2006) recently qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon with two first class degrees from the University of Nottingham. Her story is one that demonstrates that if you really want something, you can make it happen with some determination, hard work and application. ‘’My first, rather embarrassing memory is of trying to open our feral farm cat's mouth to see if she had a tongue like me. Thankfully animals have always seemed pretty tolerant of me. There has never been a time in my life without animals and I always aspired to become a vet. As school progressed it became painfully obvious that my dream would not come true; although I thoroughly enjoyed biology, I was more suited to theology and history than to chemistry and maths.

Although I was affectionately known as the 'dizzy one' in Dr Gate's chemistry lab, I managed to obtain a B in my most feared subjects! Soon after results day off I trotted to Chris Pluck's office and told him that was it, I wanted to be a vet and that I would have to do chemistry, even though it was the 'bane of my life,' as I so eloquently put it. Rather sensibly he told me he didn't think I'd be able to cope with chemistry A-level, and after lengthy talks with family and other teachers I agreed and decided to pursue a career in politics.

Having done my arts A-levels I set off for London to do a politics degree: I lasted a term and a half before I admitted to myself that this was not what I was meant for. I went back home and decided I would have to do my science

and maths A-Levels and apply for veterinary medicine. Fortunately whilst doing some research on different courses I came across the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Degree with a Preliminary Year at The University of Nottingham.This innovative newly designed course was for people who, like me, had not taken a traditional route to vet school but had attained high grades in non-science subjects. I did relevant work experience, applied, was offered an interview and accepted onto the 6 year programme at Nottingham at the age of 20.The preliminary year was designed to get me up to undergraduate level in maths, chemistry and biology in 9 months. As you can imagine, this was the toughest year of my educational career. Thankfully I managed to get through it and, 6 years later this June, I qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon with two first class degrees.

Vet school has been both the best and hardest 6 years of my life; you have to complete 36 weeks of non-paid placements during holidays, 9-5 days whilst your other uni friends do 6 hours a week, get trodden on, bitten, scratched, kicked and pooped on. I couldn't be happier.

Having taken a little break and worked at the university choosing 2015 applicants to interview, I begin my new job at a mixed practice in the Cotswolds this December. My real passion is farm animals and I hope to continue my education by completing certificates and diplomas to specialise one day, but for now, I am perfectly content on trying my hat at everything.

My story is one that serves to say that if you really want something, you can make it happen with some determination, hard work and application.’’

Alumni Old Boy Peter Edworthy 1985 – 1992

Peter Edworthy started in Reception in 1985 until he left at the end of Year 6 in 1992. He joined Worth Abbey School in West Sussex but two years later Peter’s parents moved to Belgium, so Peter started at St John's International School in Waterloo in 1994. The family moved back to England a couple of years later which meant another school for Peter, this time Charterhouse, where he stayed to complete his GCSE’s and A levels.

Having completed A levels, Peter embarked upon a Gap year working as a barman in a golf club and as an admin clerk in a law firm to save up for a 6 month trip travelling the world, during which he visited South Africa, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. University followed in 2000 at Edinburgh reading History, and then Peter joined BPP Law School in London (2004-2006) to do his Graduate Diploma in Law, followed by the LPC (Legal Practice Course). Following law school, Peter took the opportunity to do some more travelling and spent 6 months teaching English in Tianjin, China. Having procrastinated enough, he then started with Ashurst LLP in 2007 as a trainee solicitor.

In 2009, Peter qualified into the Litigation department at Ashurst LLP

and a year later married his long-time girlfriend Clare. In 2012, he moved to Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP and is now a senior associate in their Litigation and Arbitration practice, specialising in international commercial arbitration in the construction, finance and energy sectors.

Over the last few years, Peter and his wife have had two children and have moved from London to Farnham. You can imagine our delight when we welcomed Peter and his family back to school at our recent Open Day. Peter has strong ties with Alton Convent School as all three of his sisters attended the school spanning over a decade. Not only that but his mum, Pam Edworthy, was then the Junior Four teacher (Year 6) between 1985 and 1994 and she too came along to view her old school. Whilst at the Open Day, Peter met up with Mrs Webb whom he remembered as one of his teachers, as well as Mrs Bothwell and Mrs Spooner whose own children were Peter's classmates during his time at Alton Convent. Peter also fondly recalled former staff members Mrs Wilding, Mrs Kirkpatrick, Mrs Evans, Mrs D Wilson, Mrs Kelly and Mr Reynolds.

On his return to the school at the Open Day, Peter commented "It has been a pleasure coming back for the Open Day, albeit quite odd to walk again through the corridors and classrooms that hold many happy memories, and to wander up the tree-lined path to the sports fields with a familiar sense of excitement and anticipation, but now being twice the size that I was then and walking alongside my own children rather than my classmates! Much has changed in the layout and facilities (including the addition of some fantastic new buildings, as well as a cafeteria where I was expecting to see the old theatre and a computer lab in place of the office where I recall being hauled up in front of Reverend Mother to be reprimanded several times alongside my classmates (Jonny Skerrett, Andrew Perks, Harry Yorke and Matt Claughton), but I am delighted that the feel of the school remains. I remember it being a friendly and welcoming place and it seems to have retained this over the years, which is a credit to the staff and children that are the heart of the school."

Alumni Natalie Barnwell nee Davies came back to school to speak at our

annual Sixth Form Conference with this year's theme being, "Is it a good time to be young?" Natalie had left the sixth form in 2002 to study a BSc in Business Administration at the University of Bath. However, deciding she would be better prepared for a life in business by getting hands on experience she left after one year.

At the conference Natalie talked about how she worked for Tesco’s in Hungary, the AA at their head office and Sytner BMW and MINI as a

Sales Executive. Finally she worked for a very large Chinese manufacturer of fabric and elastic for lingerie before starting her own company Eco Ezee Ltd in 2008. Eco Ezee designs and manufactures both sustainable decorating sundries (supplied to Travis Perkins PLC) and sustainable packaging solutions for many companies including, Marks & Spencer PLC and Kingfisher PLC (B&Q, Screwfix etc). Their aim is to reduce the use of plastic where possible and their products are recyclable or in the case of packaging also compostable. In 2013 they also launched Ezee Tree Ltd which makes sustainable tree guards, again replacing the plastic ones commonly used.

Natalie has also lived in Germany having married her Army Officer (Barrister) boyfriend, Warren, as they were posted out there. Whilst in Germany she was managing the business from their spare room, travelling back and forth for meetings etc. His next posting was to Colchester and now they live in Northamptonshire where Natalie runs the business with her parents.

Outside of running the business Natalie is a keen horse rider and owns a show jumper called Pernod along with his companions, a pygmy goat called Daisy, two dogs and two cats. As Natalie says, there’s never a dull day with the business and the animals and now a new baby!

For more information on Natalie’s business please refer to her website www.ecoezee.com

Natalie is fourth from the left

The Hendry family have been part

Alumni Former Alton pupil Teresa Driscoll has realised a lifetime’s dream with her debut novel now sold in six countries.

Teresa has been a journalist working across newspapers, magazines and television for decades including fifteen years as the main anchor of the BBC’s nightly TV news programme Spotlight in Devon. But much as she loved broadcasting, Teresa says her first and biggest dream was to be a novelist.

“I distinctly remember sitting in English classes at Alton and knowing, in my heart, that all I wanted to do was write a book,” says Teresa who was a boarder at Alton during the 1970s. “It seemed such a huge dream – to try to become a novelist.

I have loved being a journalist and it was a great privilege to work in television but alongside that there was always this longing, deep down, to see my name on the cover of a book. Teresa’s novel Recipes for Melissa tells the story of a journal written secretly by a mother as a belated goodbye to her daughter. It is published in the UK as an ebook and paperback from June 5.

It has also sold to major publishers in Germany, Israel, Brazil, the Czech Republic and Korea.You can find out more about Teresa’s book and her career as a journalist on her website where her blog regularly shares tips for aspiring writers www.teresadriscoll.com

of Alton Convent School for almost 25 years with their daughters Emma-Jane and Sophie.

Their youngest Sophie, has held the position of Vice President of the school and was a member of the Chamber Choir leaves us this term as she has completed her sixth form studies. To show their appreciation to the school the family generously donated two double basses, two soprano saxophones and an electric piano.

The Hendrys were thanked by Mr Maher in a special presentation which included both of the girls’ teachers. Alton Convent School looks forward to welcoming the Hendrys back to school to enjoy the musicality of their wonderful gifts, and on many other occasions.

Reunion

Pupils from 1984 gathered in September 2014 to celebrate 30 years since taking their ‘O’ Levels at Alton Convent School.

Organised by Emma Offer née Clarke and Katherine Ebbs née Everett.

Music from the period was played whilst former students caught up on the last 30 years. Photos were brought out and stories exchanged of their memories at school over afternoon tea. Rebecca Dominy (née Arnold) even brought in her original dress which had been signed by everyone on the day they left! Probably one of the highlights was walking back through the school’s classrooms. Though they had fond memories of the science labs they were delighted to see that they were now thoroughly state-of-the-art. Sad though that the Holy Shop was no longer in existence!

Art Art in the Forest

Year 3’s experience at Queen Elizabeth Country Park was filled with challenges. Team building games made the children aware of their environment and the vast array of skills they possess to explore it. They found insects using pooters and, after close inspection, were then able to identify them. They listened carefully to the sounds around them and used their sense of touch whilst on a blindfolded walk through the forest.

The children worked as part of a team to build a shelter for a hedgehog.

This had to be both strong and waterproof.

The highlight of Year 3’s visit to Queen Elizabeth Country Park was, without a shadow of a doubt, toasting marshmallows around a camp fire.

The thrill of sitting on a log close to a fire and watching as their sweets started to melt was only surpassed by being allowed to eat them!

N a t i o n a l awardwinning designer

Rosie Appleton returned to school in January to collect he r ce r ti fi cate , recognising her outstanding success in the ISA 2014 National Art Awards! The competition was fierce, with the association receiving a record number of submissions.

Rosie designed and made a striking and incredibly intricate dress; which secured first place in the fashion textiles category.

Each individual adornment was first hand printed, folded and then stitched to the body of the garment. The work formed part of Rosie’s A-level Art Textiles. She is currently studying Fashion Textiles & Design at Winchester School of Art, which is affiliated with the University of Southampton. “I first developed a love of fashion having made a purple skirt whilst undertaking the short textiles course with Mrs Jakubowski. In fact I am one of 5 who has not done a Foundation Course before starting my degree but I have had such a good grounding on techniques and how to use a sewing machine at Alton Convent it certainly isn’t holding me back!’’

Christmas

Nativity

The Christmas Bazaar was

Making Merry

In the spirit of the festive season sixteen of our senior pupils participated in the mulled wine yuletide celebrations at the Gilbert White Museum in Selborne.

Girls sang a selection of choral pieces from their Christmas repertoire alternating with solos on harp, cor anglais, flute, clarinet and voice. The old fashioned parlour with the sunlight streaming through the windows and spicy smells of Christmas delicatessen wafting through the air made for a perfect combination of sights, sounds and smells!

certainly filled with Christmas cheer!

Parents and friends were treated to a vast array of stalls selling Christmas goodies to the more traditional games of Lucky Dip and Guess the Name of the Teddy. Father Christmas was in his Grotto next door to the Hot Chocolate stall that was doing a roaring trade!

Meanwhile, the aroma of bacon butties mingled in the air along with tinkling sounds from the Christmas Band and the new jazz Band!

The whole event raised £3600 towards the school’s funds.

The Upper Prep performed this year’s Christmas play – Miracle Child, a story which focused on a spoilt and selfish little boy called Ricky – played by Hamish – and his sudden realisation that it is better to give presents than to receive them.

The whole story was brought together by narrators Ella and Jessica and Year 5 pupils who ably took the speaking parts. Dance played an integral part as children in Year 3 performed brilliantly to the opening song and Year 4 excelled dancing to the song ‘All I Want’. No one will forget the Year 6 boys hilarious ‘golf dance’, or the beautiful Ribbon Dance and backing singing of the Year 6 girls.

The true meaning of Christmas was revealed by the Year 3 Nativity Tableau, performed with solemnity and grace.

A special mention must go to the band – Seb,Will and William who were excellent on guitar and drums.

Christmas Ice Skating

Girls from both the Lower and Upper Sixth joined sixth form students from More House School for our annual festive trip to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, an evening of ice skating and a spot of Christmas shopping in the German market.

All the girls had a great time skating on the ice rink that surrounds a band stand and Christmas tree, beneath the rather magical array of Christmas lights. Sister Christie from India also braved the cold evening to join us, impressed by the sheer scale of the venue and occasion. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Carols

A highlight of the Christmas term has long been the Christmas Carol Service, and this year was certainly no exception. The magic of the season was brought home to all of the friends and family who attended this joyous celebration of our community and the talent therein.

Community Lourdes 2015

In the Easter holidays,the Lower Sixth embarked on the annual HCPT pilgrimage to Lourdes with Salesian College. After a fourteen hour train journey to the Pyrenees, we arrived full of anticipation of the trip ahead. On the first morning the two of us joined a family group to the zoo, which was a really great way to start our week; we were able to bond with other helpers as well as interact with the children. On the same night everyone attended the HCPT week launch party in the magnificent underground basilica. The theme was pirates and so we dressed head to toe in bandannas and eye patches, singing and dancing together. It was a fabulous start to a week which exceeded all expectations and included a range of experiences.

One day which was especially enjoyable was when we travelled to Hosanna House - an activities centre for disabled children with face-painting, a petting

zoo and a bouncy castle. We were also very lucky to get a free afternoon to spend with the children at the Prairie playing games and more face-painting, as well as singing songs, including the famous Rise and Shine.

We were particularly lucky to sing with some West Indian musicians who were in charge of the musical aspects of Lourdes this year.They played a particularly big role in the eagerly awaited Trust Mass, and ourselves and the Salesians were fortunate enough to sing in the choir under their direction. Some of us also performed a dance to the Gospel and joined a procession with banners of the many nations attending Lourdes this year.

Among all of the uplifting music and community spirit, there was plenty of time for quiet reflection and prayer. A few of us visited the baths, as well as attending many other religious events- notably the Torchlight procession on Tuesday. This was our favourite moment, it was truly magical watching all of HCPT processing near the grotto lit up by glowing torches and candles.

We went to Lourdes to serve the children, however we came away feeling that we had been served too, by experiencing a humbling and enriching week of song, laughter and prayer. We speak for everyone when we say that it was truly one of the best trips Alton Convent has to offer.

Community Harvest Festival

Year 6 took the lead in the readings and reminded pupils that we should never take for granted the abundance and variety of food available to us and that we should think of all those children in the world who are not so fortunate.Year 2 and 3 choir enchanted us with their song All Things Grow and Chanteurs were delightful with their rendition of Jazz Cantate.

Head Boy and Girl, Sebastian Alejos and Elinor Jeynes along with their deputies, Connor Fouhy, William Jones, Anna Hughes, Lucy Packer and creative arts prefects Lydia Bonney and Charlotte Schryver went with Mrs Wilson to Brendoncare to share some of the produce with them and to join them in an art lesson.

The sale of produce, always an exciting and tumultuous affair was the highlight of the day for those who had their eyes on something special. Altogether about £251 was raised, which will be used to buy World Gifts from CAFOD.

Waitrose Enterprise Day

Year 7 - 9 took part in a Geography day and had been given a hint of what was to come with posters around the school with clues to entice their curiosity.

The girls were ushered into the hall and given their instructions. Each House was given a dish from Chicken Tikka Masala to chocolate ice cream, some appearing more appealing than others!

Each House was set with a group of producers, suppliers, technologists and marketers and given time to develop each aspect of their product.This wasn’t all plain sailing, however, as they came up against real world issues throughout the day, for example, diseases found in chickens and soaring milk prices.

They worked tirelessly and it was a real delight to see Year 7’s arguing the price of fish with Year 9’s and Year 8’s listening to design ideas and adjusting accordingly.

The whole day culminated in a presentation to Mr Alex Baldwin, from Alton’s Waitrose, who judged the items and decided on the winning product. Each group put together a great presentation, some even invented their own theme tunes and made examples of their packaging. Mr Baldwin had a really tough time but there was a clear winner from all three judges, Mr Baldwin, Miss Silvester and Mrs Porter, the Chicken Tikka Masala stole the show with its originality and well thought out marketing plan.

Congratulations to all the pupils who took part, not only working together but also learning some great skills for the real world!

Community National Care Homes Day

Recently it was National Care Homes Open Day and Alton Convent School was invited to take part. After much thought we decided to ask three Year 9 girls Poppy Hulbert, Iona Harrison and Millie Banks along with Miss Middleton to show case their amazing papier-mache fish that they had made in their art lessons.

They spent a very lovely hour or so with the residents enjoying a cup of tea and cake whilst explaining how these wonderful creations were made. One of the highlights of the morning was finding out that one of the residents was in fact an old girl herself, along with her own daughters and even grandchildren!

Police Visit

PC Robert Levey drove into the Prep playground in a BIG police vehicle – a BMW X5! In assembly, he talked about his work as Road Policing Officer for Hampshire Constabulary and explained what the police do in the local community. The children were amazed when he showed them his stabproof vest, handcuffs, walkie-talkie and ‘asp’ (a steel bar that has replaced the truncheon) and talked about his day-to-day work dealing with road collision.

He told us that most crashes occur when weather conditions suddenly change and people are not prepared. To make roads in Hampshire a safer place to be, seat belts must be worn because then there would be less chance of serious accident.

For those who might think it would be exciting to be a police officer, PC Levey explained that it is challenging job with long hours and lots of paperwork.The best bit of his kit, he told us, was not the stab-proof vest or the handcuffs but communication. To be a good police officer, you need the ability to calm people down.

The children had lots of questions to ask but then it was time for groups of children to get a closer look at the car! They loved finding out about how the police slow ‘runaway vehicles’ down, how the blue flashing light is operated and how the police can change the tone of the police siren to ‘ring the changes’.

Our thanks go to PC Levey for his enthralling talk and demonstrations.

English Stratford

Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of the most famous playwright in history, William Shakespeare and Year 11 had the privilege of visiting the town and learning more about Shakespeare and his magnificent plays.

Arriving in Stratford the first item was an improvisation workshop outside to take advantage of the great weather. Then it was off to the theatre to see Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost.” The director had chosen to set it in a country house just before the First World War, giving a sadness that love may not triumph. This modern twist and lively music kept the audience enthralled.

The next day was a tour of the beautiful art gallery at Compton Verney After a quick lunch by the river Avon, there was a fantastic workshop set up by the Royal Shakespeare Company, run by RSC actors giving acting techniques and reminded pupils of how Shakespeare can be interpreted in many different ways. The final day began with a circus workshop – plate spinning, juggling, tightrope walking were some of the skills taught.There was also riding on unicycles, a ridiculously small bicycle, and a crazy backwards bicycle. Despite the prize of £20 for any pupil who could ride across the hall on it, no one won!

The trip ended with a visit to Shakespeare’s Birthplace where pupils heard about Shakespeare, the man himself and also about how people lived in the sixteenth century.

To Kill a Mocking Bird

Girls from Year 11 went to see a stage production of Harper Lee’s acclaimed novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” at Woking’s NewVictoria Theatre as part of their English Literature GCSE studies.

This version of the novel, first shown at the Regent’s Park Theatre, has won high praise from the critics and the girls enjoyed seeing the novel being brought to life by the team of talented actors.

Global School

French Exchange

In March students could hardly contain their excitement, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their French exchange partners from Meaux, just outside Paris. The two parties were so happy to see each other and had been in close contact since our visit to them in October last year. The group was welcomed by our headmaster, Mr Maher and were given a tour of the school followed by a chance to catch up and watch a very English film together, Johnny English, before heading off to Pizza Express for some dinner and French/English conversation!

The French students certainly made the most of their time in the UK, with an action packed programme.Trips to London, Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and Hampton Court, were on the agenda with time built in to share food, fun and practise their language skills with their partners.

Gamelan Day

As part of the school’s ongoing commitment to broaden our pupils’ experience of the wider world by exposing them to other cultures, a day of gamelan workshops was organised for pupils in yrs 4-7.

Gamelan is the collective name for instruments from Indonesia, our gamelan was in the Balinese tradition. Pupils were introduced to an array of gongs, metallophones and drums – all with very complicated names – and shown how collective music making need not involve hours and hours of practice!

Pupils were also taught to respect the instruments by taking off their shoes and not stepping over the instruments.The instruments did not only sound amazing, but were beautifully crafted with intricate decorations of flowers and dragons. There was even an instrument shaped like a tortoise!

A Wunderbar Exchange

Pupils from year 10 visited Hamelin to meet their pen pals from AlbertEinstein-Gymnasium in person.At the beginning of the trip, many had mixed feelings. It turned out to be an unforgettable experience.There was a varied cultural experience to be had from shopping in Hanover, glass blowing and meeting the Pied Piper in person, leaving students eager to welcome their pen pals to the Convent, which they did later in the year. The visiting German students enjoyed learning about the historic background of the invention of antibiotics in Chemistry and wondered how talking about God in Religious Education led them to a discussion about cakes!

Many of the host families had organised joint outings to London, Portsmouth and even further afield as Longleat. A wonderful wedding also featured amongst the destinations that our German friends were invited to.

Their trip was over all too quickly so it was with glum faces that the students said their goodbyes. Luckily, they are all in touch via email or skype and are already making plans to see each other again privately.

Global School

International links

This year we welcomed five pupils from Year 10 and 11 College Buen Consejo in Barranquilla, Colombia, who visited our school with their Reception and Year 6 class teacher for three weeks.

There was lots of information exchanged as well as friendships made.

The students say they will be suggesting a dressing up day as part of their fundraising, an idea they enjoyed from this year’s Children in Need event.Year 6 had the opportunity to ask many questions about Colombia and enjoyed speaking to the girls. The teachers took particular interest in class teaching in the Prep School and organised cultural activities for the children.

Apart from school events the host families organised action-packed days out to London, Oxford, Guildford, Brighton and Portsmouth. Having had a taste of what is on offer in London the school arranged a further trip so they could enjoy the London Eye, Big Ben and the delights of Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. Our Colombian friends specialise in inlineskating as a school sport so it did not take long them long before they were whizzing around the ice rink.

During their emotional leaving assembly, the Colombian guests thanked everyone for the amazing time they had experienced in England. They said, “Your welcome was much warmer than your weather. We want to thank you for everything you have given us.Thank you for this wonderful experience full of fun, knowledge and friendship. Thanks to our pen pals, teachers and families who have received us with open arms making us feel like home.”

Mr Maher commented, that the girls were great ambassadors not only for their school but also for their country!

Global Award

Alton Convent School is proud to announce that it was awarded the International School Award for Outstanding Development of the International Dimension in the Curriculum by the British Council at the beginning of the new academic term.This prestigious certificate is valid for a duration of three years and acknowledges the wide variety of international activities that are taking place in our school.

Guest Speakers Doctor in the House

Former pupil Daisy Moran (2012) spent time with 16 budding medics from years 10 to 13 during an informal question and answer session.

Daisy is a third year medical student at Glasgow. A stream of questions flowed. Daisy shared her insights into interview questions, the value of long term work experience, and life as a medic.

We caught up with Daisy prior to her session to understand how her time at Alton Convent impacted her career choices.

A Visit from Maggie Philbin

Maggie Philbin, Technology Reporter and CEO of Teen Tech dynamically delivered an informative careers evening for parents and pupils. Maggie was joined on stage by Laleham Health and Beauty placement student, Bath engineering undergraduate Sophie Williams. The engaging presentations were followed by an animated panel discussion featuring Stephanie Jones, a recent graduate and Aircrew Systems Engineer from QinetiQ; Carole Johnson, Site Director, Pfizer; Don Johnson, Operations Director, Laleham Health and Beauty; Shree Chitnis, an MSc student from Brunel University and Jan Peters a consultant and former President of the Women’s Engineering Society.

Each panellist adroitly delivered insights into lessons learnt from their own career journey, whilst outlining exciting new career pathways available now and in the future.

Leading Female STEM ambassadors

In January Alton Convent School was privileged to play host to two leading lights from the worlds of science and engineering. Internationally renowned Astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell FRS, FRAS delivered a keynote during the day; addressing over one hundred pupils from Year 10 to the Sixth Form.

Dame Jocelyn was joined by Dawn Bonfield, President of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in providing hands on advice during a physics extension lesson. These incredible ambassadors are patrons of science and engineering at the school. During the visit Dawn Bonfield also launched the steering group for WES’ new SPARKS programme, with five pupils from Year 9 to the Sixth Form playing a pivotal role.The project is seeking to address the STEM opt out rate for girls during the critical teenage years, through a targeted stream of communication.

Guest Speakers

Aviation Safety

Mr Charles is the Vice Chair of Governors and has had an illustrious career in the RAF, being posted to a variety of countries including Borneo.

He eventually became the head of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. His initial interest in this area followed a helicopter air crash in which he was a passenger.

Mike gave a fascinating talk with detailed accounts of his career and the work that goes into investigating aircraft accidents. He showed photographs and invited the audience to spot clues as to why an accident may have occurred. He focussed on the tragic Lockerbie Bombing nearly 26 years ago, an incident in which he was the chief air accident investigator.

The details given were sobering but fascinating as he showed how huge an area had to be searched in order to send everything to Farnborough for reconstruction.

Mr Charles also highlighted the positive recommendations for the aircraft design and construction industry, that often result from the investigation of such incidents, and the dedicated professionalism of those involved. He took questions from the floor and it was clear his audience had been thoroughly engaged by what they had seen and heard.

Dame Louise Makin

Alton Convent School’s Inspirational Speaker programme was delighted to welcome the CEO of BTG, Dame Louise Makin last Thursday. Dame Louise has spearheaded a remarkable transformation at BTG, growing the innovative Healthcare Company from a market capitalisation £140m in October 2004 to almost £3bn today.The evening took the form of an informal conversation, with two sixth formers Aislinn Smith and Hannah Welsh adeptly chairing the session. The discussion covered Dame Louise’s career path, which rather than being defined by a singular long term goal, was dynamically steered by three questions at critical decision points: Am I still learning?

Will this decision open or close doors?

What are the people like?

This is an approach which has led her to a PhD at Cambridge, an MBA and senior roles at ICI and Baxter Healthcare. Her portfolio of achievements also includes a national silver medal and competing internationally for GB in rowing whilst at Cambridge, and more recently abseiling down the Shard! A truly remarkable lady!

History History is an amazing subject, full of interest and exciting times. Visits are

a brilliant way to bring History to life and all students benefit from this approach.

Year 2 trundled off to Basingstoke to visit Milestones, an epic reconstruction of shops, houses, transport and even people from the Victorian age. There were loads of traction engines, a full size steam train, and even a saw mill to keep everyone interested. Year 2 enjoyed the visit but decided that compost toilets were not the way to go!

The children from Year 4 arrived at Hampton Court Palace looking forward to the day ahead. They were immediately impressed by the gateway leading into the Palace and took time to study the various falcons and griffons that guard the gate. They marveled at the architecture and observed many of the Tudor symbols displayed.

Their workshop this year was in the Tudor kitchens where they enjoyed listening to the numerous facts and information told to them by the workshop leader.

The weather allowed for them to picnic in the royal gardens and, following lunch, strolled in the ornamental gardens and found The Great Vine, the largest vine in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records.

Year 5 stepped back in time when they arrived at the Victorian Schoolroom at Guildford Museum. They were treated to a ‘Victorian school day’, writing on slates and tackling maths using farthings, halfpennies and pennies. There was also time to play with some real Victorian toys. There was plenty of debate as to which type of school pupils would enjoy better!

As part of their history studies looking at World War II, Year 6 travelled to London to experience how Britain’s wartime leaders lived and worked during the darkest days of the Blitz.They saw how Winston Churchill sheltered under

Whitehall and followed the events of the war as they developed.

Then a short walk to Westminster Abbey where many of the nation’s great and good are buried. Year 6 marvelled at the tombs of Tudor royalty, gasped at the magnificent setting for royal coronations and contemplated the graves in Poets’ Corner.

The intrepid Year 7s braved cold weather on their trip to Rochester to visit the famous castle and cathedral. Students experienced what life was like for a monk in Rochester’s monastery, including having to obey a vow of silence for most of the day, and were shocked to learn that a monk’s morning began at 2am with prayers and psalms and didn’t finish until past sunset. They then discovered what life was like for pilgrims and, just like their medieval ancestors, crawled up the steps to the shrine of William of Perth on their hands and knees!

Students then had the opportunity to visit Rochester castle, one of the best examples of Norman stone castles in Europe, and learnt how King John ended a siege in 1215 by using the fat of 40 pigs! Climbing the many floors up to the top of the keep was exhausting but definitely worth the view at the top.

Year 7 trip to France

Languages European Day of Languages

Years 5 to 9 celebrated the European Day of Languages with a variety of interactive and innovative activities. The day started with a linguistic quiz during our assembly and five girls were the lucky winners of some prizes.Year 9 had stewardess language training in Spanish and German. Year 7 girls came up with tribal chants and dancing and Year 8 pupils created their own flags in Maths and Art. Students learned to play French cricket in Games and looked into the history of words in Latin. Prayers and poems in different languages were at the centre of RE and English lessons.

Boys and girls across the school discovered a lot about the cultural and linguistic diversity of our European countries.This even spanned lunch time as we were able to sample different cultures through a selection of International food in the Refectory.

Un week-end fantastique en France!

Year 8 spent four wonderful days at the Château du Broutel in sunny France, trying their hand at French and enjoying a variety of cultural experiences.

Pupils not only visited the local town of Rue but also the breath taking cathedral in Amiens, the largest in France and were in awe of its magnificent architecture. Other highlights included a visit to a bakery where pupils got stuck in making baguettes and croissants. The girls loved learning how to make sweets in the traditional way at the famous sweet shop and thoroughly enjoyed the excellent visit to the wonderful aquarium in Boulogne.

The carnival in Berck was a wonderful surprise with colourful processions, loud music and a cloud of confetti in the air (and the girls’ hair!). No trip would be complete without a touch of retail therapy at the local market, where they used their charms to haggle for local goods in French.

It began with a very early start to get to our 9.20am Eurotunnel. After our ears had popped and what felt like a very quick trip under the sea, we were excited to set foot on French soil.

Winding our way through delightful rustic towns and villages, we arrived at the Chocolaterie de Beussent, where M. Derrick showed us first-hand how chocolate is made from bean to bar, including sampling a few treats that had been made before our very eyes.

After un petit pique-nique we popped into the beautiful coastal resort town of Le Touquet, full of decadent houses, the smell of the sea and tempting views of the sandy beach, though sadly it was a bit too cold to swim! Year 7 worked really hard on their group treasure hunts which featured some unusual tasks, like taking a photo of the team in front of a pâtisserie! Congratulations to the winning group who have already received their prizes.

We rounded off our fun filled day by sampling the delights of French cuisine in Boulogne. Though the fromage was not as popular with the pupils as it was with the teachers, well done to all our girls for having a go and trying some new foods!

Music

Sixth Form Revue

Alton Convent School, in association with Salesian College and More House School, recently held their annual Sixth Form Revue Evening in aid of HCPT. Sixth Form students from all three schools entertained with an amazing array of talent. Acts ranged from fantastic singing and musical acts, including the Sixth Form Band and Maddy Hursltone playing the Harp, through to energetic dance performances from Abi Rogers, Harriet Rogers and Grace Jenner. Comedy and drama were also thrown into the mix, including a very amusing ‘phone conversation’ between Imogen Clarke and Emily Kerr of the Upper Sixth and a comical, Shakespeare inspired act performed by More House students.

This ever-popular event raised £1000 for HCPT and will go directly to providing further support for the children that they enable to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes each year at Easter.

Musical Award for Maddy!

Raise the Roof

‘Music is food for the soul and what better place to experience this than in God’s own house’ – these words so succinctly put by Mr Maher after the concert at St Mary’s church. The concert was organised to help raise funds for St Mary’s roof repairs and involved the chamber choirs from our senior and preparatory schools and other talented instrumentalists. Although the repertoire reflected the nature of the venue, the choirs nevertheless impressed with a range of styles spanning five centuries – from Renaissance polyphony to a modern Jazz cantata sung with enthusiasm and aplomb by Chanteurs, the preparatory chamber choir. Choral items were balanced with smaller vocal ensembles and duets. Instrumental items included some more unusual instrumental combinations like a harp, flute, cor anglais and string arrangement of Zipoli’s Adagio, a concerto for four ‘cellos and a wind quartet for bassoon, clarinets and cor anglais. The audience was moved to tears by renditions of ‘Remember me’ and ‘In Flanders Fields’ sung by the senior chamber choirs.

The event closed with a joyous blessing ‘Benedicamus Domino’ sung by the combined choirs from both schools.

Lower Sixth student Madeline Hurlstone has just won a prestigious award last weekend having participated in the RSO Young Musician of The Year.

These are only open to grade 7 students who are of school age and are looking to pursue a career in music. Standards are exceptionally high and contestants have to perform two contrasting pieces between eight and twelve minutes in length! Maddy played Impromptu Caprice by Pierne followed by Erddigan by Gareth Glyn both completely from memory.

Maddy was delighted to win the Joy Day Cup for her "innate sense of musicality and promise"!

Maddy commented, "It was an amazing experience! It was my first competition and I'm so shocked and happy that it went so well!"

Hampshire Flute Day

Year 6 pupils Annabelle, Grace and Mary recently took part in the Hampshire Flute Day with the amazing “Flute Roots” musicians.

Over 35 young flautists came together to have fun with music and perform in a Flute Choir ensemble. They also had a try at playing the piccolo, the alto flute and the giant bass flute!

Year 10 Concert

Music

After a long and tiring day completing their final RE exam, our talented Year 10 musicians entertained family and friends with a concert of solo items on piano, flute, voice and saxophone.

The small but appreciative audience were treated to a programme ranging from classical repertoire, opera to musical theatre and some titles were highly suitable for the time of year and the lovely warm weather – ‘Lazy days’ and ‘Summertime’.

A Level Recital

Congratulations to Saskia, Bethan, Hattie and Maddy in the Sixth Form for presenting a wonderful evening of music making to a small but appreciative audience.

Saskia is due to take her Diploma examination on clarinet and gave a truly accomplished performance of her 35 minute programme. Bethan (piano) and Hattie (voice and piano) followed with polished performances of their A2 recital programmes. The evening finished with an equally confident and convincing performance from Maddy (harp and voice) with her AS programme.

Children’s Concert

On 29th January as part of Theme Week the children in Year 4 attended a concert given by the Southern Pro Musica Orchestra at the Central Concert Hall In Southampton. This was a good introduction to the instruments of the orchestra and gave the children an opportunity to hear a wide variety of repertoire.

The concert began with a lively performance of the “Light Cavalry Overture”

by Suppe followed by a composition by Jonathan Willcocks, our conductor, called “Meet the Orchestra”. These favourites were thoroughly enjoyed by the children who were then given a lively performance of “The Carnival of Venice”,“Waltz from Coppelia” and a musical story of “The Lonely Drummer” narrated by our compere and magician Neil Henry.

Further dances such as the Hungarian, the Can-Can and Tritsh-Tratsch polka were played and finally all the children enjoyed singing a song entitled “Running Order” which they had prepared in class with Mrs Ongley. This was a very energetic song and was made more exciting by the accompaniment of the orchestra and lots of actions.

Bath and Bristol

Residentials Tregoyd House

Lower Sixth students had a sunny and slightly muddy team-building weekend to Tregoyd House, in the Black Mountains, South Wales. This annual outdoor adventure was in association with Salesian College Sixth Form students and an excellent opportunity for students from both schools to build friendships and strong working relationships, in preparation for their joint pilgrimage to Lourdes at Easter.

Activities included Archery, Climbing, Abseiling, Raft Building, Hiking and Rifle Shooting! The girls certainly seemed to have good aim generally outperforming the boys on the shooting range!

All students had a great time, particularly on the hike, helping one another to the top of a rather steep hill up a very slippery and muddy narrow track. Just one example from the weekend of what can be achieved with a little determination, strength of character and team work!

Year 10 headed to Bath and Bristol for a two-day, fun-filled educational trip, our first port of call was the SS Great Britain at Bristol. In the museum, we were able to dress up in clothing from the era and learn about life on board a sea voyage. We had a tour of the ship; it was very interesting to see the contrast in living standards between a first-class passenger and a member of the crew.

That evening, after settling into our overnight accommodation, we travelled to Bath Theatre Royal to watch a production of ‘Oh! What a lovely War’. It was enlightening to see a musical about WW1 that was both humorous and emotional. On Saturday, we went to @Bristol Science Museum. We enjoyed the interactive and relevant exhibits.

Amsterdam

Mock A levels are very stressful, so to aid recovery the Upper Sixth went to Amsterdam for their very last school residential.

The 2 days were packed with experiences from bartering in the local market, eating pastries and spicy Indonesian flavoured foods, and taking a trip along the canals. Visits to various museums and galleries exposed us to Van Gogh, Rembrandt and other masters along with keeping us warm and dry! We visited the Diamond factory, and learnt how to choose a diamond as well as trying on a few gems, and shopped in the Flower market.

No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a tour of Anne Frank’s House and we thought about a teenage life lived in the confines of an attic, whilst reflecting on the price paid for the freedoms we take for granted.

Residentials Year 8 Trip to France

Year 8 spent four wonderful days at the Château du Broutel in sunny France, trying their hand at French and enjoying a variety of cultural experiences.

Pupils not only visited the local town of Rue but also the breath taking cathedral in Amiens, the largest in France and were in awe of its magnificent architecture.

Other highlights included a visit to a bakery where pupils got stuck in making baguettes and croissants. The girls loved learning how to make sweets in the traditional way at the famous sweet shop and thoroughly enjoyed the excellent visit to the wonderful aquarium in Boulogne.

The carnival in Berck was a wonderful surprise with colourful processions, loud music and a cloud of confetti in the air (and the girls’ hair!). No trip would be complete without a touch of retail therapy at the local market, where they used their charms to haggle for local goods in French.

A thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all and we were sad to leave the beautiful chateau and new friendships and experiences behind.

A bientôt la France!

Ski Trip

As the Easter holidays started the first ever joint ski trip to Alpe D'Huez set off from school. The trip had been eighteen months in the planning with thirty four excited pupils and five staff including both headmaster and deputy!

We woke to the most gorgeous sunny day which added to the excitement, and a little bit of nerves, before heading up to ski school in the resorts unique cage lift system! By the end of day one all pupils had had a fabulous day skiing and were desperate to get back out on the slopes. Unfortunately on the second day we were hit by a huge snowstorm, good for the snow but not so good for the skiers who got quite wet. The mammoth task of drying jackets, gloves and salopettes began. Luckily this was our only bad day of the week and Alpe D'Huez lived up to its name as being the sunniest resort in the Alps as we were greeted by sunshine every day.

The pupils all started progressing superbly on skis and with evening activities including a movie night, town trail, pancake night, bum boarding and a swim in the outdoor heated pool there wasn't a moment to be bored! The swim caused much hilarity as this involved having to roll in the snow beforehand then jumping in to get warm!

A marvellous time was had by all and certainly the joint venture had worked exceptionally well.A special thank you to Mrs Love and Miss Heron who were fantastic with all the young pupils and worked tirelessly to ensure gloves were on, poles were picked up and noses wiped!

Residentials Condover Hall

During the course of two days, girls took part in a variety of activities including Jacobs Ladder (High Ropes), Body Zorbing, Lazer Maze, Grid of Stones, Tunnelling, Zip wire, dance and survival skills. All were led by their very energetic, very wacky instructors who got all the girls excited and ready to face different challenges.

A run around quiz encouraged girls to burn off any excess energy in the evening where once again their instructors demonstrated endless amounts of energy.

A wonderful weekend filled with laughter and screams at the more challenging activities (some from the staff too!) and importantly a bunch of very happy girls on our return.

Year 6 in Picardy

Residentials Year 5 Visit the Isle of Wight!

Everyone enjoyed the ferry crossing, which was followed by a drive to Sandown and a talk about coastal erosion at the Dinosaur Isle museum. After lunch the coach took them to the south side of the island for a long, challenging walk along the coast to see for themselves how the problems of erosion are being managed.

The children were desperate to get to the hotel, and, on arrival, were delighted with the cosy, comfortable rooms they were given. The hotel was located just a short walk down the cliff path from the beach, where, on the first evening everyone was happy to play together on the beach. Mrs Whicher issued some futile instructions that no one was to get wet, which seemed to fall on deaf ears…..

The four days that followed were packed with fun and visits to exciting locations all over the island. There was fossil hunting near Freshwater, a boat trip to The Needles, and penguin feeding at the Seaview Wildlife Encounter where luckily everyone got a fish to throw to the penguins!

Highlights have to include visits to the stunning Carisbrooke Castle and historic Osborne House, where the children were schooled in Victorian servant’s etiquette by the formidable Mrs Pilkington.

Evenings were busy too. As well as time on the beach there was a visit to see beautiful glass ornaments being made at Glory Art Glass and a visit to the stunning Waltzing Waters to watch amazing coloured fountains dancing in time to music.

‘Amazing’, ‘Once-in-a-lifetime’, ‘fabulous’, ‘educational, yet entertaining’, ‘too good for words’ and ‘perfect’. Just some of the comments made by Year 6 following their trip to France.

Based at Chateau de Warsy in Picardy, Year 6 made the most of their school French lessons and enjoyed conversing with the market traders in Amiens and Montdidier. It’s amazing how many of Year 6 wanted to buy Macaroons! But they also bought strawberries, raspberries, carrots and even radishes as well as queueing for the most delicious patisserie.

Paris was, of course, an amazing trip. The Montparnasse Tower offered 360 degree views of Paris and it was fun to try and spot all the famous landmarks.

Retailers were very patient as pupils asked for what they wanted to buy in French. Then it was down to the Seine for the Riverboat tour in the sunshine.

What could be better?

Well, maybe the icecream we all bought after the trip came a close second!

Chateau Pierrefonds cast its spell over us all as we marvelled at its grandeur, its gargoyles and its architecture. It was also the only place that had a pulpit above the choir!

And the Salamander drain pipes were worth looking at, too. Year 6 sketched in the sunshine in the courtyard.

Back at school creating our own French projects, Year 6 have another opportunity to relive what was an amazing trip.

School Celebrations Sixth Form Prom

The event marked the close of school life which had been celebrated with parents, teachers and governors at a special Mass earlier in the week. For three students it marked the end of an era as they had been together since the Nursery!

The Prom was held at Frensham Ponds Hotel and students were joined by their peers from Salesian College. One of the highlights was the popular photo booth. The crazy selection of props created a buzz and much hilarity! One member of staff was a notorious ‘bomber’, poking her head into group photos unexpectedly.

It was a very happy evening with a hint of sadness as the girls made their farewells and spoke fondly of their time at the school and in the sixth form particularly. They are, however, all keen to join the Alumni and so we look forward to meeting them in the future and hearing about their exciting careers.

Founder’s Day

Founders’ day in the Prep School began with the presentation of awards and certificates of achievement, which were presented by Damian Hinds, he then spoke about the importance of striving and not giving up, and the value of both individuality and collaboration; these, he said, are the keys to success.

Parents were invited to continue the celebrations by joining their children for a picnic and games in the school grounds.

Spring Ball

The much anticipated Spring Ball, between Alton Convent School and More House was a great success, and exceeded all expectations. Upon arrival, the reception hall was bustling with beautiful dresses and bow ties, and excited smiles lit up the room.

This gave students from both schools the chance to socialise with one another, and to enjoy a night of dining and dancing before the upcoming Summer Examinations.

Presentation Evening

At Presentation Evening there was much to celebrate this year, looking back on its 75th anniversary and a vast range of achievements. Our school values its pupils for what they were, not just for what they managed to achieve. Nevertheless, academic results were impressive. 92% of A level students in the sixth form achieved the top A* to C grades, with 87% of GCSE pupils scoring A* to B. Science in the school had undergone a renaissance with the spectacular refurbishment of the laboratories; achievements in the Arts were, as ever, wide ranging and remarkable Sixth former Aislinn Smith gave the audience an inspiring and moving account of the school’s work over the summer holiday with disadvantaged children in India.

Jessica Leigh Jones was the guest speaker, the first woman to win the UK Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2012 for the design of an electronic foetal contraction monitor. Her advice was that attitude was everything; take advice, but believe in yourself.

“Break the mould,” was her message. “Go out and change the world!”

Biology Field Course

Science To Space and Beyond

On arrival at theWinchester Science Centre,Year 5 were immediately immersed in a ‘full on’ space encounter as they chatted to scientists and designers from Airbus Defence and Space, a satellite and space technology company.

There were pieces of moon rock to examine, satellites to investigate and space craft to design.

At each activity the children had to collect a stamp on a card to eventually spell a space word!

After lunch the children were able to try out some of the interactive activities that are on permanent display at the Centre. These are so many and varied that a whole afternoon would be needed to try them all.

For most children the highlight of the day was the visit to the planetarium.

Here they experienced a fascinating journey around the universe, which really showed the enormous distances involved in space and the relationship between stars, solar systems and galaxies.

The lower sixth biologists had a fun but informative time at Orielton Field centre, learning all about ecology and sampling techniques. The sun shone on us most of the time and almost as importantly, the food was great. The girls coped well with the long days from 9:00 in the morning to 8.30 at night. Excellent practice for university!

Zoo Bus!

We were delighted to welcome BBC’s Dr Mike Leahy and his ZooBus to Alton Convent School. He visited the Senior school in October and returned to visit children in the Nursery and Prep School. Later in January they were all amazed to meet corn snakes, a tarantula, a python,geckos, b e a r d e d dragons and frogs! Pupils learnt where the animals are found, what they eat and how they are adapted to their environments.

SET for Sport

Science Rocket Science

Do you know how a rocket works? Do you know how it manages to defy gravity and leave our atmosphere? Year Six do! They spent the afternoon with Mr Simon Cushing, a retired headteacher and amateur rocket enthusiast, learning how to send rockets skyward with a variety of propulsion techniques.

As part of the STEM initiative we are running and alongside their science lessons Year Six have been immersed in the world of science and engineering. Today they learnt how a rocket can be propelled into the air using just air, then with air and a spring providing the potential energy required to give it the right force.They learnt about how creating the correct amount of compressed air pressure in the right ratios which can provide a force great enough to launch a rocket half way across the room.

The real fun came when a rocket fuel was introduced - water! By using water and air as a means of propulsion the children were able to fire rockets 30 feet above the tennis courts in a spectacular Physics display.

Alton Convent School was delighted to play host to an inspirational engineering session for sixty seven Year 9 pupils. 20 gifted and talented female scientists from Eggar’s and Amery Hill schools joined forty seven Year 9 girls from Alton Convent School; together they explored the link between sporting excellence and engineering. The event was supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) with the President Dawn Bonfield in attendance. Dawn is also a Patron of Science and Engineering at Alton Convent School.

Leading the discussion for the Year 9s were Ship Science student Michael Beckett and Sports Performance Researcher Marion James both from the internationally renowned Performance Sport Engineering Lab at the University of Southampton. Michael is also a member of Team GB sailing, and was able to speak as an athlete and engineer.The Southampton team adroitly demonstrated the link between gold medals and precision engineering. Passion, drive and attention to detail were clearly key attributes for all members of the Olympic and Commonwealth medal winning teams, not just the athletes. Marion also highlighted the extensive international travel she has experienced to date as the result of her engineering studies. Her work has enabled her to combine two of her passions, sport and maritime engineering. Marion indicated that the opportunities for a rewarding career in engineering are many, across a plethora of sectors including sport, environmental or biomedical.

World leading intelligent medical devices and services company DGO Global also participated. DGO produces products which support injury prevention and recovery, well known users include Andy Murray.

The girls were actively engaged as they listened to the speakers, explored the products and ultimately designed their own innovative solutions!

Anna van den Bos from Alton Convent School commented, ‘I was truly inspired today by the amazing speakers from Southampton University and DGO Global. I really enjoyed learning about the diverse applications of engineering. I will definitely consider becoming an engineer.’

Michael’s Team GB car did not go unnoticed in the school playground; a group of Prep School pupils were delighted to meet and greet Michael and Marion, in front of the Team GB car!

Science Science in the Nursery

Pre-schoolers at Alton Convent School were delighted to experience a day dedicated to science! They were thrilled to discover that their classroom had been transformed into a science laboratory, with their teachers suitably attired in white lab coats.The children explored and participated in an eclectic mix of chemistry, physics and biology experiments including the creation of exploding volcanos, rocket blasting and the production of green slime! The pupils also completed mini circuits replete with flashing light bulbs. Five special guests attended, a tortoise and four giant snails, who partook in a snail derby! The day which was developed by Dr Louise Clayton, Head of Science from the senior school, concluded with a chorus of cries for ‘more science please!’

The children were equally excited earlier in the week when numeracy was introduced into their music and movement lesson in the drama studio. They counted in wonder as balloons magically appeared from the production balcony.

The Brain

To celebrate Science Week, Dr Guy Sutton visited Alton Convent School to give a series of fascinating lectures to our upper school Biologists about the brain.

Dr Sutton is a Professor at Nottingham Medical School and the Director of Medical Biology Interactive. We learned about the brain's structures and how they control the functions of the body and our behaviour. We were very interested to hear about the links between brain damage and criminal behaviour and about the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. Brain activity can be studied using imaging and brain stimulation and we carried out a brain dissection.

Dr Sutton then gave an advanced lecture to our Sixth Form Biologists about the most recent research in neurobiology. He explained how it may now be possible for people to control robotic limbs via their brain activity which gives great hope to those people who have problems with movement. Our students were truly inspired by Dr Sutton and he gave us all a lot to think about.

Innovation in Science

Science CREST Awards

In their Practical Science lessons last term Autumn 2014 ,Year 9 took part in the British Science Association's CREST scheme. We are delighted to report that every student achieved the Bronze Award which is the highest award given to this age group and the participation of the students in this scheme was driven by the Head of Science, Dr Louise Clayton.

Alton Convent School is the only girls' School in Hampshire this academic year to have a whole year group achieve this and one of only two girls' School in Hampshire to ever have achieved this.

Dr Sarah Newman of Winchester Science Centre said, ‘We are delighted that so many students from Alton Convent School have participated in the CREST Award scheme. CREST Awards are designed to encourage students to embark on STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering and Maths) projects and, in particular, they recognise the creativity and dedication of students.Teamwork, communication, initiative and project management skills are also developed by these projects. We hope the students really enjoyed the experience and will be more likely to carry on with a STEM subject as a result'.

Year 10 Scientists were filled with excitement and anticipation as they travelled to BTG’s new Innovation Laboratories in Camberley. The company had very generously offered the girls work experience for the day so that they could find out what being a research and development Scientist is like.

The production of nylon was a particular favourite amongst the girls as was the hotly contested quiz at the end of the day!

The pupils found the sessions insightful and helpful for their future academic choices.They appreciated the welcoming approach of the scientists who spoke with them as ‘colleagues’. They were also inspired by their passion and commitment.

The girls relished the opportunity to work in a real laboratory environment, using the equipment and seeing the application of their studies at school.

The visit also enabled the girls to have a better understanding of the careers in science available to them.

'Amazing, awe inspiring, inspirational, brilliant fun, innovative' were frequently heard adjectives as our pupils animatedly recounted their visit to BTG to their peers.

Wisley Gardens

Despite the Met Office’s warning of high winds, near-perfect conditions prevailed for Year 3’s visit to Wisley Gardens. The purpose of the visit was to investigate the weather using scientific instruments. Firstly the children learned how to use ground and air thermometers, compasses and anemometers, then put them to good use in a variety of locations, including the Glasshouse.

After lunch Year 3 explored the grounds, encountering mini trees which they discovered were called Bonsai, and a vast array of beautifully coloured bushes and flowers. The tulip garden was a real highlight especially when the children were able to lay out on the grass in the shape of the flower. The Glasshouse brought its own treasures with Sister Christie telling the children that the tropical zone was just like her home in Kerala.

Swimming - Regionals

Sport

Netball League Roundup

Another busy, tense netball season has ended with all A and B teams having been entered into the Aldershot and District Netball League for the first time this year.

Out of all the schools entered in the league in the area, Alton Convent School had nine teams playing from U12 to U16.

Due to all their team work and dedication four teams made the final top three positions with both the U13A and U14A team coming 3rd and the U13B and U12A team scooping the Runners Up spot.

The standard in the league as a whole is incredibly high and so a Runners Up spot usually means you have only lost one game all season. For a school our size this is an amazing achievement!

Twenty two pupils ranging from Year 4 – Year 10 recently assembled to head off to the ISA Regional Swimming Championships being held at the magnificent Surrey Sports Park.

This was the biggest team we had taken for many years Anastasia Lawrence(Yr 7) – Bronze in 50m Fly and Silver in 50m Back Freya Marsh(Yr 8) – Bronze in 50m fly and Silver in 50m Breast gaining a PB James Warne(Yr 4) – Bronze in 50m Breast and 50m Back Lucy Roberts(Yr 4) – Bronze in 50m Free Freddie Hopkinson(Yr 5) – Bronze in 50m Free gaining a PB To all swimmers, they deserve a huge pat on the back!

Swimming - Nationals

Congratulations to Lucy Roberts in Year 4 for her brilliant result at the ISA National Swimming event on Saturday 24th January.

The event was held at the London Aquatic Centre, Stratford, in the Olympic pool and this was really only Lucy’s second ever race (the qualifier being the first), and first ‘proper’ relay race! They were pipped to a silver medal by just four one hundredths of a second, basically a touch!

ISA Athletics

7 pupils made the long journey up to The Alexander Stadium in Birmingham to take part in the ISA National Athletic Championships, representing the London West Team. Alton had a fantastic start to their campaign with Sienna Cowle taking the National title in the Year 4 Rounders Ball Throw.With a throw of 30.39m, the nearest challenger was 4m away so a relatively comfortable victory.

Alton Convent’s success continued in the Year 8/9 hurdles when Alexandra Mearns won Silver. Alex has only really specialised in the hurdles this year.

Lara Thomas had a tough race in the Year 7 800m but put up a sterling performance. She ran her best race and held off a strong field to come 7th. Honey Marshall faced more tricky headwinds in the Year 7 Discus to finish 6th but she found the conditions hard work having only started discus this year.

Alton then picked up another medal in the Year 4 boys 600m. James Warne ran a cracking race to take the bronze position.

Alton’s final two National Champions came in the Year 7 and Year 8/9 girls relay. Freya Slape and Emily Rich had been selected to form part of the London West Relay team from their 100m times at the Regionals. The Year 7 team went on to win by about 20 metres in the end so a convincing victory. It was a very close race for London West with their anchor leg making up about 15 metres to earn them their title!

It is a complete credit to our school to bring home three national champions as well as a silver and bronze medal. The athletics continues to go from strength to strength with the talent clearly shining through.

U11 Netball

Sport

Year 6 girls represented Alton Convent School in the U11 Netball Tournament at Churchers’ Junior School. In total eight matches were played, we won 6 matches in total, drew one and lost one against the eventual winners – the hosting school! A brilliant performance and a silver medal!

U14B Netball

The U14B netball team set off to Wavell school for their first ever District ‘B Team’ Netball Tournament.

There was a great turnout of teams with two sections of 5 who all had to play each other.

Alton started brilliantly and their commitment and teamwork saw them into the semi-finals before they finally lost out to Hawley Place. This was a great achievement for their first time.

U10 Rounders

The U10 girls travelled to Ditcham Park to play against 4 other schools in the U10 rounders tournament.

They were focussed in all the games and thoroughly deserved their silver medals. Player of the tournament was Nellie Fisher.Well done girls and thank you to parents for their support.

Senior Sports Day

An amazing day in bright sunshine saw personal and school records being broken by a number of athletes.

Victor Ludorum Lucy Jermyn for her excellent performances in Hurdles, Javelin and High Jump.

Athletes of the Year Freya Slape Alexandra Mearns Emily Rich Lucy Jermyn

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

Most Improved Athlete Anastasia Lawrence Emily Rawlings Georgina Milne Kiera Leather

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10

House Winner St Madeleine

Hannah’s Speed on Snow

Sport ISA Cross Country

Princethorpe College in Rugby was the setting for the ISA National Cross-Country Championships 2015.

Six pupils from Alton Convent had qualified from the regionals, which meant that they were representing their region - London West.Two pupils from Year 6, Ella Beswick and Esme Slater were running in the U12 category and out of over 70 competitors Ella came 34th and Esme came 56th, with the London West team runners up overall.

In the U14 competition Freya Marsh finished in 10th place and the London West team won the U14 team competition, giving them the title of National Team Cross-Country Winners.

In the over 16 age group we had three competitors representing the London West team, Olivia Haley who came 6th, Ellie Noble who came 8th and Joanna Tomlinson who came 9th. Once again the London West team in the over 16 age group came first and so are National Team Cross-Country Winners.

Hannah Dance in Year 9 has recently won her first giant slalom ski race in the U16 girls category, and was third fastest girl overall!

Hannah went with the Aldershot Race Club to train on snow in Pila in Italy where she scooped her win. Following her success she was awarded the Skier of the Month cup at the monthly club race meeting.

Hannah found her sporting niche after attending the Aldershot Race Team academy training sessions and was then invited to join the team in March 2013.

When asked what she enjoys about skiing she replied saying she loves the excitement and discipline of the training and racing.

Georgie’s Eventing Success

Equestrian enthusiasts from Alton Convent School competed against hundreds of combinations from around the country to gain much sought after qualification for the finals of this series which were held at Hartpury College, at the end of February.

Georgina Milne and her horse The Real Machine achieved an excellent style mark to qualify in the top 10 at a recent qualifier held at Wellington Riding.

She had a brilliant time at the finals and did really well to finish in the top half, with some very encouraging remarks from the style judges.

Individual Prep Successes

Jemima in Year 4 represented Alton Gymnastic Club at the Southern Region National Gymnastics Competition where she successfully passed her national level 4. Jemima is the youngest squad member which makes this such a great achievement, even more so as she is competing at the highest level!

Meanwhile, her brother William in Year 3 and Edward from the same year were busy representing Alton Rugby Club under 8s in the Hampshire Cup, resulting in them winning the tournament in their final match against Winchester. This bodes well for our own U8's rugby fixtures if we now have not one but two Hampshire Champions!

Successes Young Engineers make a big impact at Teen Tech!

Buckingham Palace beckons for Alton Convent School’s Young Engineers Three Year 10 students from Alton Convent School Lauren Shea, Gabriella Till and Lucy Rawlings were invited to a special reception at Buckingham Palace in October. This prestigious invitation is a result of their outstanding success in a national engineering competition.

The talented young engineers participated in the 2015 Teen Tech National final which took place at the Royal Society, London. The pupils joined fifty other teams, across fifteen categories, selected from a formidable field of over one thousand entrants.They were successfully shortlisted with their mShuttle product - an intelligent medical shuttle.

Amid much excitement it was announced that a new award was to be presented this year by Dr Julie Maxton; the People’s Choice Award, which would be peer judged across all categories.

The mShuttle team delivered their powerful pitch to a series of judges, participants and VIPs, including HRH the Duke of York. There was also an opportunity to engage in a number of activities including a careers session with the BBC, to network with other pupils and to meet role models from organisations such as Airbus and Ericsson.

The team waited with bated breath as the awards ceremony began. When the final award ‘People’s Choice’ was announced, the mShuttle team were euphoric to hear their name. They proudly received their award from Dr Julie Maxton. This was followed by informal discussions and congratulations from technology celebrities such as James May and Dr Christian Jessen. Local business partner, Don Johnson from Laleham Health and Beauty was also on

hand to share his good wishes.

The girls were appreciative of all the support from within the school, and are looking forward to updating the Prep School and their peers. The school and the mShuttle team would also like to thank their local and international business partners for their sharing invaluable time and expertise. As the news spread congratulations flooded in from the individuals and organisations who gave their support.

Steve Nash, I Design CCTV Ltd ‘Wow, that’s brilliant. Please pass on a very, very big well done to the girls. I am very pleased for them and all involved.’

Dawn Bonfield, President of the Women’s Engineering Society ‘Oh fantastic news! Many congratulations. What a brilliant experience for the girls.

Well done to you all. Great result.’

Jessica Leigh Jones, High Voltage Energy Systems Group and Morgan-Botti Lightning Laboratory, Cardiff University ‘Congratulations, that's wonderful news. Not that I'm surprised! Please pass on my congratulations.’

Quiz Club

Successes

On Tuesday four pupils Esme Slater, Hamish Critchley, Rhiannon Blanc and Peter Lidington- one from each year Y3-6 - represented the school in this year's Quiz Club competition held in Guildford. Although they didn't win, they certainly held their own and showed just how knowledgeable they are!

Questions tested the competitors in aspects of science, history, geography and maths.

What does an Engineer look like?

Trampolining

A group of Alton Convent girls, who are also members of Alpha Trampoline Club, had a fantastic weekend at a friendly trampoline competition held at Alton Sports Centre. “Friendly” probably gives a false impression of a very professional and competitive day where all classes were hotly contested. Many of the girls were in different classes as it depends on the level of the routine they are able to perform but there were plenty of outstanding results.

Beth Brooks and Emily Crosskey were in the same class and had wonderful results coming first and third respectively.

Sienna Cowle and Kathryn Tomlinson were also performing the same routine but were in different age groups – both came third.

Mary Hirst and Susanna Hinde then competed against each other with Susanna just pipping Mary by coming second, Mary was third.

Anna Jakobowski had no direct competition from Alton Convent girls but did fantastically well to win her class.

Netball

Congratulations to Martha Haley inYear 9 who has just been accepted onto the Hampshire performance Netball Pathway for the coming season.

Martha plays for Alton Convents U14 A team who won the ISA National Plate last year as well as training with Rushmoor Netball club.

Chloe Little and Harry D’Arcy have been selected as winners for the Women’s Engineering Society’s (WES) draw an engineer competition.

The judges provided feedback on the winning submissions: Chloe’s entry: “We love the attention to detail.The computer, the lights, the robot and flying objects are excellent examples of engineering.”

They were then shown pictures of all sorts of engineers. The session ended with an engineering song!

Swashbuckle BBC

Last year our current Year 3 pupils enjoyed recognition for their artistic talents on the BBC's CBeebies channel.They celebrated in style with a swashbuckling pirate party! The programme was aired on 29th June.

Successes Exam Results

Alton Convent School once again celebrates outstanding examination results.

This year’s A level performance reflects the schools drive for continual progress and academic excellence. Mr Maher is pleased that 71% of students were awarded grades A* – B, a real affirmation of the school’s mission statement ‘to be the best that you can be’. He is particularly delighted that these impressive grades are reflected in subjects across the curriculum. Once again the Science subjects achieved 100% A* – B grades, as did Art, Classics, Spanish and German.

Maths and Geography achieved a noteworthy 80% A*- B grades.

GCSE results day delivered further cause for celebration at Alton Convent School. The results mirrored the previous week’s outstanding A-level performances with almost three quarters of students attaining A*- B grades.

This included straight A* – A grades for ten pupils: Maisie Anderton, Anna Barnett, Charity Culley, Charlotte Fellows, Hermione Grassi, Olivia Haley, Sasha Hardie, Imogen Harrison, Jo Tomlinson and Rose Wright.

The past academic year also saw wider success for the Year 11 pupils.

Achievements include first prize in the National Cross Country Championships for Jo Tomlinson and Olivia Haley along with Ellie Noble in the Lower Sixth.

Six pupils also attained their Sports Leaders Award during this busy academic year. Recognition was also earned musically with Rebecca Morrish and Maisie Anderton performing with the Bach Choir at the Royal Festival Hall.

Year 10 pupils realised excellent results in their Religious Studies GCSE, whilst gaining useful experience and confidence for their other GCSE courses next summer.A special mention must go to Anna Caterina Nelson and Lauren Shea who took GCSE Spanish a year early and achieved an A* grade.

Successes Jessica Lacey

At just 12 years old, Jessica has gained the experience and knowledge of many adults in the world of showing and has competed at local, County and National level over the past few years. This year has been the most successful yet with Jessica winning the Showing World’s ‘Junior Handler of the Year’, a national recognition of her success in the show ring, and the AEMHS ‘Young Producer of the Year’ for producing and showing a miniature horse to the highest standard of turnout, condition and showmanship.

She recently had a very successful show where she won two classes, including Child Handler in the 11-16 years category and then went on to achieve Reserve Champion. Although it was only a local show, Jess was handling a miniature stallion ‘El Pampero’ for the owners, Shadel Stud. She is very professional with her handling skills and this was commented on by onlookers.

The success followed a great show at Royal Windsor where she was the only child in the ring, gaining a very credible 8th place in a very large, strong class with her own pony, Hermits All That Jazz.

Goblin cars are Go!

On Saturday 25 May, sixteen Year 5 and 6 pupils raced down to Seaford College in West Sussex to compete in the Greenpower Goblin car racing competition. This was the first race outing for the two cars constructed from scratch by our older Prep pupils in their weekly Design Technology lessons. Teams started to arrive at 9am and the cars were scrutinized by officials soon after.

The day was divided into three challenges: slalom, drag and a final sprint race, all taking place on the school’s tennis courts. The slalom proved a challenge as the course was quite tricky with some very tight turns. The drag races were very fast and exciting to watch – a good start being essential if you were to do well.

Finally the sprint races involved three laps, head to head with two other cars.

Samuel Foster and Annabelle Boyson were picked to represent Alton Convent School in these races and both proved to be courageous and skilful drivers!

When it came to prize giving at the end, we were delighted to win the ‘Best Bodywork’ trophy.

It was a fantastic day. Mr Marvin was absolutely wonderful, not only making sure that the cars were in tip-top working order but also providing a plentiful supply of drinks and biscuits for both pupils and adults. However, the real credit goes to the children themselves.They had built the cars superbly (under Mr Marvin’s guidance), they drove fearlessly and supported each other every step of the way!

Successes Sports Leaders

Six Year 11 students successfully completed their Level 1 Sports leadership Award this year. Lottie Fellows, Olivia Haley, Issy Rodgers, Rose Wright , Jo Tomlinson and Francesca Thornton have demonstrated one hour of leadership skills in the activities which they led in the prep school and completed their six units of worksheets. They also spend a whole day at Treloars to help and support the students with disabilities. Aislinn Smith, Harriet Edwards, Rebecca Stratford and Lizzie Frisby have successfully completed their Level 2 Sports Leadership Skills Award and helped regularly with the afternoon activities in the prep school. They have umpired netball and rounders matches and played a very supportive role in the rugby and netball workshop which we offer for our Year 1 and 2 pupils.

Spell It!

We have always been proud of our high standards in reading and spelling at Alton Convent School and Year 4s performance yesterday at the Spell It! Challenge at Eagle House School proved just how good we are! Four of our Year 4 pupils – Rhiannon, Duncan, Isabelle and Skye – travelled to Eagle House School in Sandhurst to compete against fourteen other leading state and independent schools.

The children were put through their paces in a series of rounds – anagrams, missing vowels, picture words and a final round of ‘five fiendish favourites’, not only tested the children to the limits in terms of their spelling but also their verbal reasoning. Alton Convent School achieved joint second place overall.

This was a well-deserved and brilliant success!

Engineering Awards

In June five pupils from Alton Convent School delightedly made their way to the University of Sussex to collect their prestigious Engineering Awards: Anna Jakubowski, Year 5; Katherine Thomas, Year 4; Violet Hopkinson, Year 3; Cyrus Husain and Ayden Helders Year 2.

The children were winners in the South East England Primary Engineer Awards.

The competition involved three rounds of judging which included engineers from UCL, the University of Sussex, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and STEMnet.

The event was hosted by the University of Sussex, Engineering Department which is currently celebrating 50 years. As they made their way to the Jubilee Hall the pupils were thrilled to see their innovations displayed along with those of their peers. The youngsters then entered the imposing auditorium for the awards ceremony. An outstanding result was delivered by all children involved; every entry from Alton Convent achieved either a distinction or merit. The following pupils were highly commended.

Harry Hayward – Year 3 Alice Tully – Year 3 Esme Slater – Year 6 Elizabeth Simmons Year 1 and Isabel Rendall Year 4 also had their work shortlisted for display at the University.

Successes Dance

Ella in Year 7 has recently competed in the Tudor Rose Festival of Dance, Speech and Drama competition where she won the Junior Bursary Class.

Ella started ballet lessons at the very tender age of 1 and now is proficient in tap, modern, contemporary, musical theatre and ballet. She dances with the Wrenton Dance Studio in North Camp every weekend and has achieved grade IV in ballet, tap and modern.

We wish Ella success with her dancing and hope to see her perform at school one day.

At the Proms

Anna van den Bos from Year 9, a member of Winchester Cathedral choristers, performed at the BBC Proms in September, together with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Berlin Radio Choir. The Proms takes place in the magnificent Royal Albert Hall which was completely full on the performance night. Dressed in black and singing for the huge number of people in the audience it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

Bea wins the Bee!

Successes 2015 Historical Association Competition Winner

Congratulations to Anna van den Bos (9C) who was selected as the Historical Association’s National winner for the 2015 Key Stage 3 Anniversaries Competition. Students were asked to produce a remembrance poster for a person/event anniversary that meant something to them, explaining why that person or event should be remembered. Anna chose Willem Hendrick van den Bos, a Dutch-South African astronomer, who discovered thousands of double stars and has a lunar crater on the moon named after him.

The competition was fierce, with nominations for the 20th anniversary of the conflict in the formerYugoslavia,the 110th anniversary of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and a nomination for the remembrance of operation PLUTO. However, it was Anna’s argument for her relative that impressed the judges the most and she will have the text of her poster published by the Historical Association.

Alton Convent School pupil, Beatrice James, age 12 won the inaugural Petersfield Sewing Bee competition.

The competition was run by an inspiring new business in Petersfield called Sew Creative. The rules for the competition were the same as those for The Great British Sewing Bee from the television series which included three sewing challenges. The first was to upcycle a child’s tee shirt, the second to make an iPad stand and the third to design and sew a cover for a travel book, this included appliqué and hand sewing.

Bea was presented with her winning trophy by Tamara Melvin, who was a finalist in the series having come first in all the categories and so won the under 16 class.

Bea said, “I was absolutely delighted to win! I really enjoys sewing so much and I’ve loved being part of this first Petersfield Sewing Bee!”

ESB Results

We have just finalised all the results for the English Speaking Board exam this year. I’m delighted to tell you that this year we have done better than ever! 70% of the children were awarded Distinction and 30% Merit Plus, the two highest grades. These results are truly outstanding,with many children achieving success beyond expectation.

All pupils in Year 4-6 are to be congratulated on this fantastic achievement.

Mary Rose

Trips Year 2 turn into History Detectives at Milestones Museum!

Milestones is an epic reconstruction of shops, houses, transport and even people from the Victorian age. There were loads of traction engines, a full size steam train, and even a saw mill. Year 2 were taken on a hunt, finding places, listening to information about them on the ‘Acoustiguide’ and then discussing different aspects of Victorian life. You’ll be pleased to hear that we decided bikes without suspension and proper tyres would not be comfortable to ride over cobbles and that newspaper for toilet paper would also not be comfortable. Compost instead of flushing toilets was just disgusting! The tram looked amazing, a cross between a train and a bus!

Trip to The Grange

On arrival at The Grange Year 4 were impressed with the grand scale of the building. The visit started with a welcome picnic on the lawn in front of the house, whilst looking at the beautiful grounds and building.

Then they had a tour of the house and theatre. The children were thrilled to see the boxes in the Grand Tier and decided where to obtain the best view.

Next they were allowed access to the ground floor of the main house.

Following their tours the children discovered facts from the plaques around the grounds that give information about the history of the house. Did you know it had been owned by two banking families? It was Henry Drummond who commissioned The Grange to be transformed into a Greek temple, he then sold the house to Mr Baring in 1817 for the grand sum of £136,000.

Also a fascinating fact emerged that in 1944 Winston Churchill met President Eisenhower there to discuss the invasion of Europe.

Year 4 children were excited to visit to the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Mary Rose museum.

The day started with a ‘Hands on Maths’ workshop, where the children had the opportunity to calculate the exact size required for cannon balls (or shot as they discovered is the correct name). Firstly, they were blindfolded and challenged to calculate the correct shot ball, then they made more accurate calculations measuring circumference, diameter and radius and for the first time discovering Pi. A call of ‘Aye, Aye Captain’ and response of ‘Mary Rose’, stopped proceedings before children moved on to the next activity. They were able to find out about daily rations for sailors and use maths to find averages and exact beer allocations.

The children visited the museum containing approximately 19,000 artefacts that were discovered on the Mary Rose. It was fascinating to see the skeleton of the ship’s dog (the rat catcher), cannons, medical equipment, interactive activities and videos. Finally the delighted children were able to visit the museum shop and buy souvenirs to remember their trip.

Adventure on Zig-Zag Hill

Trips Year 3 & 4 to Holybourne Church

Who would have thought a visit to a churchyard would prove to be so interesting?

Year 3&4 braved the cold and walked to Holybourne where they began by sketching the beautiful church and its surroundings.

The children discovered the history of local families by reading the headstones and working out how old people were when they died. Some children turned detective and sought out the oldest grave which was dated 1741.

Having arrived in Selborne,Year 2 went straight up the Zig-Zag path. Soon the cries of excitement turned to, “My legs hurt.” “Is it much further?”

“It’s too high!”

“My legs won’t climb anymore!”

Zig-zags were counted and the view from the top was much admired while children took notice of the pollarded trees.They ‘glooped’ in mud and trudged down sunken lanes before ending their visit with Year 2 walking through Selborne looking for features of village life and Year 1 looking at features of houses though history.

What’s in a River?

Reception Class had their first outing to Selborne. Led by an experienced field guide, the children waded along the gravel bed and felt the movement of the river gently pushing against their legs, made more exciting by the recent rains which had increased the current.The children were given a clump of clay mud and instructed how to squeeze and mould it to form a smooth ball and then gradually turn it into a little pot. The contrast of the gravel bed and the clay mud river edges led to further exploration and to some gave new meaning to the phrase ‘stick in the mud’!

The children also took part in a duck race and watched fluorescent green dye floating on the water surface to explore the way a river flows.

The morning had certainly been an amazing sensory experience leaving the children ready for a delicious lunch yet really excited for their next trip!

Weald and Downland Museum Trip Year 7

Trips Isle of Wight Trip

Everyone enjoyed the ferry crossing, which was followed by a drive to Sandown and a talk about coastal erosion at the Dinosaur Isle museum.

The four days that followed were packed with fun and visits to exciting locations all over the island. There was fossil hunting near Freshwater, a boat trip to The Needles, and penguin feeding at the Seaview Wildlife Encounter where luckily everyone got a fish to throw to the penguins!

Highlights have to include visits to the stunning Carisbrooke Castle and historic Osborne House, where the children were schooled in Victorian servant’s etiquette by the formidable Mrs Pilkington.

Evenings were busy too.

As well as time on the beach there was a visit to see beautiful glass ornaments being made at Glory Art Glass and a visit to the stunning Waltzing Waters to watch amazing coloured fountains dancing in time to music.

Year 7 enjoyed a day in the glorious weather this week visiting the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum near Chichester. They found all about how medieval villagers farmed the land, clothed themselves and kept healthy. Stories of how people would drill holes in their skulls to cure illness went down particularly well!

Penguins, Ducks and Rats!

Did you know penguins have lots of small spikes on their tongues to stop the fish from sliding out when they are eating them? Or that an ocelot can jump vertically as high as the ceiling? Year 3 discovered these and many other facts on their trip to Marwell Zoo on Tuesday 16th June. They stroked Daffodil the rat and a rather large and rough stick insect. After the workshop lunch beckoned and fending off the hungry ducks proved to be good exercise for Mrs Matthews who had to walk in circles round the children to protect them from unwanted attention.

Year 3 were treated to a close up of a leopard who stood just the other side of the (very thick!!) glass and several giraffes who lazily ate in their enclosure. The visit ended with watching the penguins who all were very happy swimming in their pool to escape the lovely warm sunshine.

Year 5 Visit to the Victorian Schoolroom

Trips

Wintershall

Year 9 travelled to Wintershall, near Guildford, to watch a dramatized version of the life of Christ.There were 5 acts which cleverly depicted the life of Jesus from his birth (complete with sheep, goats and donkeys) to his resurrection.

For each act we moved to a different landscape setting. The 50 actors played their roles very well and helped us in our studies by bringing to life parts of Marks’ Gospel that we study for GCSE Religious Studies. We particularly enjoyed the feeding of the 5000 where we all shared bread distributed by the disciples, and really felt as though we understood what it was like for the people who experienced the miracle. The play helped us gain an insight into Jesus’ life and work. It was an enjoyable and highly informative day.

Ellie Hart and Megan Kelly 9A

It seemed as if the children inYear 5 had stepped back in time when they arrived at school dressed in Victorian clothes ready for their day in the Victorian Schoolroom at Guildford Museum.

As soon as they arrived they were treated exactly as children in Victorian times would have been. They had to line up in silence while hands were checked and girls were separated from boys.

In the schoolroom everyone had to sit with their hands behind their backs until each lesson was explained. During the morning the children said prayers, learnt a poem and wrote on slates while they tacked arithmetic problems involving farthings, pennies and ha’pennies.

During break there were some lovely Victorian toys to play with including a huge doll’s house, hoops, skittles and skipping ropes.

After break the girls were taught needlework while the boys tried their hands at technical drawing. Then it was back to the schoolroom for copybook writing using pen, ink and blotting paper.

Luckily, at lunchtime there was a chance to play with the toys outside before a look around the museum at some of the Victorian artefacts.

There were lively debates on the way back to school about which is better – school today or in the Victorian times. The children in Year 5 have had experience of both!