Sherborne Girls School Oct Newsletter

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www.sherborne.com

Oct 15

‘Making Our Mark’ Art Exhibition

Our much awaited five yearly art exhibition is taking place next March.

The theme for next year’s exhibition is ‘Making Our Mark’ which reflects the level of attainment of the students and the impact of their artwork on display.

The Big Draw

On 3 October, to mark the launch of The Big Draw 2015, the world’s largest drawing festival, we invited our girls, along with visitors to our School Open Morning, to visit the Art and DT department and view a fantastic still life, inspired by the artist Henri Matisse. Some of our L5 students were then given the opportunity to respond in a creative way to the exotic still life before them.

The Big Draw wasn’t just confined to the Art department, keen young artists were also set up in the School Hall drawing dancers and actors on stage in exciting and expressive ways. Meanwhile, a group of artists placed themselves under the school clock tower where a spare easel was also positioned for any willing visitor to have a go!

The Big Draw is an initiative designed to connect people of all ages around the world through drawing. It was wonderful to see the girls and staff get involved.

FROM THE HEADMISTRESS BOARDING

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The exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to view a variety of work produced by current and former students who are studying or have studied Art or Design Technology at Sherborne Girls during the last five years. It will include a wide range of Art, from painting, drawing, printmaking and t ex t i l e s t o s c u l p t u re, photography and product design. The work selected for this show will, we hope, demonstrate both the breadth of the department and the talent of the artists.

We are delighted that the exhibition will be taking place at the Menier Gallery in London. The gallery is situated within the historic Menier Chocolate Factory and offers a dramatic space to view and exhibit artwork. It is also located just a few minutes from London Bridge and Tate Modern, in the heart of one of London’s artistic hubs.

TRAVEL & COMMUNITY MUSIC & DRAMA

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The Menier Gallery is managed by the registered charity ‘Paintings in Hospitals’ and all money raised from the hire of the gallery supports the charity’s work.

The exhibition will be open from 11.00am to 6.00pm Monday 7 to Friday 11 March, as well as the morning of Saturday 12 March, and we would be delighted for as many people as possible to come along. We will also be arranging several private viewings and details of these will be released in due course.

“It will be wonderful to see so many of our former students, many of whom took their art and design beyond A Level and to view familiar pieces of artwork in such an exciting space,” said Miss Jenny Newman, Head of Art and Design (since 1994!)

NEWS ROUND-UP SPORTS NEWS

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Our theme this year is ‘Stronger Together’. I believe that all of us at Sherborne Girls, whether we are students or staff, can be better and stronger if we work together as a team. Throughout the term, we have been speaking to the girls about the importance of showing kindness towards our friends and colleagues and supporting each other and lending a helping hand whenever we can. We want every girl to understand that they can have a greater impact working with others, whether it is collaborating on a project, participating in a team sport, playing in a music ensemble or being part of a committee.

We pride ourselves on the strong pastoral care we provide our girls. It is the strength of the relationships between teachers and students, and by working together, that the girls are able to identify their individual interests and talents, along with their strengths and areas for development. This teamwork ensures that every girl’s learning experience is tailored to meet her individual needs so that she can thrive and achieve to the best of her ability. Academically, the girls also benefit from this collaborative ethos; from the support, opportunities for debate and sharing of ideas, all of which makes for more positive results.

The relationships that we have with our neighbouring schools and community are further examples of where we are stronger together. You will read in the following pages about a recent trip to Rwanda that a group of our girls went on with their peers from The Gryphon School. Plans are underway for the joint Sherborne Girls and Sherborne School drama production, Medea, as well as the joint musical, Sweeney Todd. These relationships enable us to stand firm to our pedagogical ideals as a girls-only school, yet still benefit from the numerous joint projects and socials such collaborations provide.

At Sherborne Girls, we aim to provide a rich environment where our girls can develop into well-educated, confident and caring young women who are committed to making significant and positive contributions to the world in which they live. The attributes of the IB Learner Profile are a useful framework for this, demonstrating the essential skills that we believe our girls will need in order to be successful in the modern world.

Attributes such as being open-minded, principled, caring, reflective and a good communicator are at the heart of this skills-based approach to learning and further support the ethos we aim to promote at Sherborne Girls, of being stronger together.

I look forward to another successful and happy year at Sherborne Girls, where we can be even stronger as a community than we are as individuals.

Jenny Dwyer, Headmistress

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Record Exam Results Polly Pentreath: top A Level student, 3 A*s and 1 A

From the Headmistress

STRONGER TOGETHER

Congratulations to our girls who sat their IB, A Level and GCSE exams last term and achieved record results across the board. IB students celebrated an impressive average point score of 37 (the equivalent to three A*s and one A grade at A Level). 38% of the cohort achieved 40 points or more out of a possible 45 – putting them into the top 5% of IB students worldwide.

We were also thrilled to report that our A Level students achieved record results as well, with 60% of A Level examinations passed at A* or A. A total of 46 A* grades and 101 A grades were achieved by the year group, making the combined results for last year’s Upper Sixth 23% at A* grade, 62% at A*- A grades and 83% at A* - B grades.

Following such outstanding results from our Upper Sixth, we were delighted to announce an equally impressive performance at GCSE. Two-thirds of all GCSE papers achieved an A* or A grade, with 33% of papers achieving an A*.

The vast majority of girls have secured places at their universities of first choice including Oxford, Edinburgh, UCL and other Russell Group universities.

“Our congratulations to everyone, including parents, families and staff, but especially to the girls, who worked so hard and did their very best,” said Jenny Dwyer, Headmistress.

Boarding

The New Face of

Aldhelmsted East

Mrs Debbie Miller took over as Housemistress for Aldhelmsted East this term and she spoke to us about the exciting refurbishments that have been going on in the house, along with her aspirations as Housemistress.

Over the last year, significant work has gone on at East to refurbish and maximise the space. Previously two separate houses (East and Kenelm), renovations were done last year to create a new dining room and kitchen area, greatly improving the living and eating space across the ground floor. This was enhanced over the summer break with a refurbished boot room leading through to a dedicated prep room, pantry, snug and music practice rooms. Upstairs work has also been done to create a new common room and games and socials room.

The result is that not only are both sides of the house being fully utilised with wellconsidered and thought out spaces but the new, light and spacious social areas, along with the smaller more cosy and homely rooms, all encourage the girls to congregate and be together.

“East is renowned for its house spirit and now this is stronger than ever.

We have a house that we can be really proud of and when the girls come back at the end of the day, they feel like they are coming home,” says Debbie. “This was an ethos that Mrs Liz PW (my predecessor) encouraged and which I want to continue.”

Debbie has been at Sherborne Girls for six years, as a Home Economics teacher and Head of Technology. “After a short time as a house tutor for Wingfield Digby, I realised that I loved being in the house with the girls,” comments Debbie. After three years in WD, Debbie then moved to East as house tutor, before the opportunity for Housemistress came up, which she jumped at.

“Everyone in East has the right to enjoy living in a supportive and caring environment and each girl should feel valued and proud to be in our house,” says Debbie. “We strive to create a positive family atmosphere where each girl feels that they are in a ‘home from home’. This has always been the spirit of East and I feel privileged to have taken over as Housemistress and intend to work hard to continue this special ethos.”

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Travel & Community

Exploring the Himalayas

Over the holidays, while others may have been relaxing and spending time with friends and family, Tatiana Bridge (U6) made the bold decision to spend three weeks in the cold and dry air of a glacial region in the Himalayas, at an altitude of 4480m, trekking and performing scientific research while she was there! She comments about the trip, “Signing up for this British Exploring Society expedition gave me so many wonderful experiences; from drinking yaks milk tea and climbing to a summit of 5370m/1700ft, to attending morning prayers in a monastery and walking on a glacier. This trip did it all for me!

Discovering Rwanda On 12 July, a group from Sherborne Girls and The Gryphon School set off on a life changing trip to Rwanda in East Africa. The purpose of the trip was to learn more about the genocide in 1994 and also for the students to support the community by teaching in some of their schools and orphanages.

Holy Serukenya (U6) commented about the trip, “Everyone in the group enjoyed the

teaching, planning their lessons carefully to be both educational and fun. Seeing the smiles of the children and their eagerness to learn made an impact on the whole group and we all wanted to bring this enthusiasm back to England.

“The trip provided opportunities for us to break out of our comfort zones and discover a new country and culture. It also forged closer links between the two schools with strong friendships being made through our shared and often emotional experiences. I cannot even begin to describe how much this trip has changed my life for the better. By giving to another community you benefit as well, and on behalf of the group I can definitely say that it was one of the best experiences of our lives.”

The trip was an intense 10 days in which the students learnt a huge amount about Rwanda, as well as themselves. For all of the students it was an emotional discovery, visiting Gisozi Memorial Centre and Ntarama church in Kigali where they watched a presentation on the genocide and then on to Kinyinya, a village for widows and orphans who had survived.

Tanzania Travels

Last summer, Frances Budd and Ella Penton-Voak (L6) visited a rural town in Northern Tanzania to volunteer at the Idymayii project - a primary school for Maasai children. The girls shared their experience, “It was highly rewarding to teach basic Maths, English and Swahili and to see the difference we made. Money raised through a Valentines Ball, as well as donations from Sherborne Prep School, funded the painting and decorating of the classroom which we carried out ourselves. We distributed supplies donated by local students, as well as over 200 pieces of uniform, which we received from SOS Kit Aid. It was an incredible experience for the two of us and we learnt so much about Tanzania and the Maasai culture.”

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Herzlich willkommen in München

At the start of the summer holidays, a small group of L5 students, accompanied by Mrs Henderson and Mrs Chapman, took part in the German study visit to Bavaria, staying in Steinebach, a pretty lakeside village near Munich. Their full itinerary included visiting most of the key sights in and around Munich, and taking in the culture at local art galleries and museums. Excursions to the Residenz and Schloss Nymphenburg gave them an insight into the cultural heritage of this vibrant city, as well as the opportunity to develop their linguistic skills and enjoy sampling the local specialities. A particular highlight was the day trip to Schloss Neuschwanstein near the Austrian border, followed by a traditional Bavarian meal.

At the same time, violinist Zara Smith (M5) was playing in the Young National Schools’ Symphony Orchestra, whose course and excellent final concert also took place in the same Malvern venues. As well as being a member of the Sherborne Schools’ Sinfonia, Zara has also been a keen singer in Quintabile, our Lower 5th Choir, moving up to the Senior Choir for the new academic year. It is lovely to see Sherborne Girls so well represented in these prestigious national ensembles.

Our congratulations to Eleanor Roda (K’15), above left, who not only played the flute with the National Youth Wind Orchestra over the summer, but was also successful in her ABRSM Diploma. This is an incredible achievement and testament to Eleanor’s talent and dedication.

We wish her every success as she embarks on the next chapter of her studies at Oxford University where she is reading music.

Arts Dates

11 – 12 NOVEMBER Shakespeare Festival, Romeo and Juliet Morning performance, School Hall Evening performance, The Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton

12 NOVEMBER Dorset Schools Charity Concert in support of the Royal British Legion, Sherborne Abbey

3 – 5 DECEMBER Medea – joint school play at Sherborne Girls

Sweeney Todd – joint school musical at Sherborne School

7 – 12 MARCH 2016 Making Our Mark Art Exhibition at the Menier Gallery in Southwark, London

For more information on these and other events, please visit www.sherborne.com

Music & Drama

SHERBORNE GIRLS have been busy over the summer holidays representing the school at a number of high profile events. Charlotte Ewins (U6) below right, one of our senior music scholars, played oboe in the National Schools’ Symphony Orchestra summer course at Malvern College, culminating in a splendid concert in Malvern Theatre. Charlotte is also an Exhibitioner at the Royal Welsh Junior Conservatoire and was awarded the Woodwind Prize for 2014-2015. As well as being a Grade 8 oboist (Principal in the Sherborne Schools’ Symphony Orchestra) and recorder player, Charlotte is also an accomplished singer and Head of Senior Choir.

Summer Course at LAMDA

This summer, Mary Butler (L6) was fortunate enough to be given a place on LAMDA’s (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) ‘introduction to drama school’ short course. Mary tells us about her experience which involved two busy weeks of classes in acting, improvisation, dance, movement and project work.

“In groups we worked on short pieces from previous National Theatre Connections’ plays, under the direction of an amazingly talented group of professionals. I loved everything from the focused atmosphere to the ridiculous drama games such as, "Say hi with every part of your body except your hands!" I also learned how much of an undertaking drama school really is, in terms of the commitment required of your time and energy.

“The days were long and exhausting but I enjoyed every minute. The hectic, creative atmosphere of almost-organised chaos was inspirational and unique, and I can’t wait to apply for another one of LAMDA’s many courses!”

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News Round-up

n e l G t a e r G e Crossing th

This summer, twelve intrepid girls and two brave teachers travelled over 100km by canoe from Fort William to Inverness in Scotland, to cross the Great Glen for their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition. on to paddle for four days to Loch Lochy, on to St Laggan along the Caledonian Canal, then to Loch Oich and finally on days three and four to cross Loch Ness.

Tom Fremlin, Head of Adventure and Leadership, explains the purpose of trips like the Great Glen, “We are actively trying to encourage the girls to seek and overcome challenges, to place them in real situations where decisions need to be made and to show them the great outdoors. So many of the skills they learn are transferable and trips like this give them a wider perspective that enables them to cope better when life gets stressful.”

Having left London Euston on the Caledonian Sleeper headed for Fort William, the girls went

Loch Ness was the toughest challenge with North West winds against them and a seemingly endless stretch of water (bigger than all other fresh water lakes in the UK combined), not to mention possible sightings of the monster!

However, the girls eventually reached the iconic Urquhart Castle to stretch their legs briefly before paddling into the bay at Urquhart for their final camp and finally on to Loch Ness on the final day.

In under four days, the girls had completed 100km and crossed Scotland, learning resilience, determination and team work, among many other life skills, along the way.

National Fitness Day

The term started at full pace with the inaugural Activities Fair to kick off the Co-Curricular Activities Programme, followed by National Fitness Day on 9 September. The fair was designed to give the girls an opportunity to see the full range of activities on offer and to encourage as many of them as possible to get involved. There was a fantastic turnout with record take-up of the 50+ activities.

Meanwhile, National Fitness Day provided another opportunity to keep the energy levels high. The girls turned out in force for an evening of boot camp with activities ranging from rock climbing in the Sports Hall, to dodgeball on the astro. We were particularly impressed to see Mr Frank McMorrow, Director of Sport, joining the girls in an aerobic dance session. Sherborne Girls was delighted to support National Fitness Day by getting as many of our community as possible involved in the most active day of the year!

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Inspirational

Speaker Series Continuing with our speaker series, we were delighted to welcome travel writer Will Randall and author and Falklands Veteran, Simon Weston to our school.

On 11 September, writer Will Randall shared stories of his travels in the Solomon Islands, working in an orphanage in India and working as a Headmaster in Botswana. Ali Lloyd (U6) commented, “While Will Randall’s stories were filled with humour and his comic anecdotes had both the girls and staff in stitches, he also conveyed the poignant message of grasping every opportunity that life has to offer, however daunting these may seem.”

The following week, Simon Weston gave an inspirational talk to students and staff about overcoming adversity. It was a privilege to welcome Simon to the school and his candid and brave account of his own experience as well as his humour and words of encouragement, were an inspiration to everyone in the audience.

Our next guest is Clare Moriarty, Permanent Secretary, DEFRA, followed by a selection of inspiring speakers as part of the Science Festival.

Mrs Fran Barnes HOUSEMISTRESS KENELM Fran has a BSc from Lancaster and a PGCE. She joins us from Hazelgrove Prep School where she was Head of Geography prior to which she was a housemistress at Felsted School.

Mrs Joanne Edmondson MATHS TEACHER Joanne has a MA from Rhode Island, USA. She joins us from Port Regis School where she was Head of Maths.

Mr Damian Brown MATHS TEACHER Damian has a MMath from Leicester and a PGCE from Bath.

Florence Corran

Head of Sixth Form

What did you do before joining Sherborne Girls?

Miss Lucy Suttle ENGLISH TEACHER Lucy has a BA from Birmingham and a PGCE. She joins us from The Castle School, Wellington, Somerset.

Mrs Joanna Massey PHYSICS TEACHER (PT) Jo has a MA from Cambridge. She is a Project Structural Engineer (Chartered).

We also welcome to the sports department, Mr Frank McMorrow as Director of Sport along with Sarah Hardman, Assistant Sports Teacher and Matthew Murphy as resident Hockey Coach. Our modern foreign languages department is strengthened with the addition of Michelle Calle as resident Spanish assistant and Marian Ling as resident French assistant.

Nick Wright joins as photography teacher, Kiyomi Seed is a visiting teacher of Orchestral Percussion and Vicky Tapsell a resident graduate assistant for Adventure. Katherine Massey comes as Head of Marketing, Jessie Clarke as a teaching assistant, Sarah Bersey as Assistant Librarian, Max Howard as IT Apprentice, Paul Folan as Maintenance Technician and Joe Woolmington as Matron in Dun Home.

A warm welcome to all our new staff.

My previous job was in Birmingham, at a girls’ day school called King Edward VI High School for Girls. I really enjoyed teaching there because there was a palpable sense of excitement about the students’ future and belief in their ability to be and do whatever they chose. It was my first time teaching in an all girls’ school, though I have previously taught in an all boys’ boarding school. Before I was at KEHS, I taught English for a long time at St Edward’s School in Oxford, which is co-ed. I lived in a boys’ boarding house with my family, but my responsibility was largely for Sixth Form girls.

Why did you decide to move to Sherborne Girls?

I decided to move to Sherborne Girls partly because it is a boarding school. I am a great believer in the benefits of boarding and it is what I have mainly been used to in my working life. But Sherborne Girls also does single sex girls’ education in a particularly brilliant way that I wanted to be part of. There are so many opportunities to do all kinds of academic and co-curricular activities here, both with and without the company of boys, which means each girl can be an individual whilst being part of a really supportive community.

What are your first impressions of the school?

My first impressions are a bit of a blur, as I have been so busy! The girls and staff have been brilliant: courteous, helpful, funny and interesting. I look forward to getting to know everyone better in the next few weeks.

What do you hope to achieve here?

A lot of my hopes for the Sixth Form are to maintain and build on what already happens. What I would like to achieve is to provide a launch pad to adult life. By the time the girls leave, I hope they have developed the confidence and skills to contribute positively to society in many different ways, helping themselves and the people around them to achieve their best. And to get into the habit of trying new things and to keep learning throughout life.

meet the staff

Welcome to…

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Sports News

supporting women’s rugby

As excitement was mounting for the start of the Rugby World Cup, we also turned our attention to rugby by hosting the Dorset & Wilts Girls’ County Rugby Trials.

We were delighted to welcome almost 100 girls from across the Dorset and Wiltshire region to participate in two days of excellent rugby. Our girls showed great body position, tackling, ball handling and decision making ensuring that all eight got through to the second round of trials. Congratulations to Dawnee Kanjanapas and Olivia Brink (U18), Aaliyah Adesida and Bella Taylor (U15) who were selected for the Dorset & Wilts Women's Rugby squad.

championships 2015

Our first year of the Performance Swimming programme saw every swimmer produce new personal bests, develop better swimming skills and academically grow to new heights. The final competition of the year was the British Swimming Summer Championships 2015 held at Ponds Forge, Sheffield. Spread over 6 days, only the best of the best qualified to swim; with qualification gained by producing swims ranked inside the top 24 times in the country. Sherborne Girls’ swimmers Jess Carroll (M5) and Kayleigh Parker (U5) were among the elite who qualified, along with Assistant Coach, Charlotte Pitts.

The girls swam heats each morning to qualify for the finals in the evening. Jess and Kayleigh both produced personal best times on the big stage and qualified for finals in 50m, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Backstroke, 50m, 100m Butterfly and 200m Individual Medley. Despite the huge pressure performing at this high level, the girls consistently showed the new stroke skills they had been working on in training, in every heat.

High Performance Sport

Fourteen of our sports scholars had the opportunity to go to the annual Girls Go Gold Conference at Headington School in Oxford where they attended a number of workshops related to high performance sports.

The girls started the morning with various activities relating to the functional appliance of sports science. In the afternoon, they listened to Caroline Rae (Commercial Partnerships Manager for the ECB) give an insight to careers off the pitch, while Katie Greaves (GB Rowing Team Senior) gave the girls a taste of of rowing.

The girls were then put through their paces on ergometers before attending a session on confidence followed by an explanation of the role of UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). The highlight of the day was a talk by Sally Gunnell (400m hurdle Olympic Gold medal winner) and Katarina Johnson-Thompson (British Heptathlete who has broken national records in high jump and long jump). The two high profile athletes gave great advice and were an inspiration to the girls.

Equestrian Success

Jess finished 4th in the 50m and 5th in the 100m Breaststroke, whilst Kayleigh finished 6th in 200m I.M, 10th 50m and 5th 100m Butterfly and 7th in the 100m Backstroke.

These are phenomenal results from both girls which demonstrate that, along with their academic achievements, last year was a huge success for them both in and out of the water.

Sherborne Girls, Bradford Road, Sherborne, Dorset T. 01935 818224 E. OFFICE@sherborne.com

A Strong Start It has been a strong start to the season for lacrosse, hockey, swimming and netball. We were particularly delighted to welcome our U14 netball team home with the trophy, as winners of the North Dorset Netball Tournament!

Congratulations to all the girls who competed at Stonar and South West Schools One Day event at Bicton at the end of September. It was a wonderful two days with the weather lending itself to each event. It was lovely to see such a good turnout of Sherborne Girls at the event, who all put in a great effort. Particular congratulations must go to Charlotte Radford (M5) on her Menai Cosmi Duke who was awarded ‘Best Dressage’ with a score of 26.2 and went on to be placed 2nd in her section overall.

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british swimming summer