The Beech Tree Newsletter Spring 2019

Spring 2019 Issue 5

2019/2020 Prefect Team Announced As the Upper Sixth girls approach exam season and their last term at St Mary’s, they hand the reins of responsibility for prefect duties to the Lower Sixth girls. After a rigorous interview process, many congratulations go to the enthusiastic 2019/20 team who are fully committed to leading the younger years and working for the benefit of the school. Cassia Thackray has been appointed Head Girl, along with two Deputies, Mima Baring (Academic) and Olivia Annett (Pastoral). They are joined by Senior Prefects: Agnes Perry-Robinson (Head of Harewell), Valeria Canedo Leal (Head of Newby), Anastasia Compton (Head of York), Saskia Lyne (Head of Junior Girls), Ella Potts and Olivia Wright (Sports), Pia Regensburger (Chaplaincy and Charity).

From the Headmistress

Subject Prefects have also been appointed to lead and support departments throughout the school. These are: Ceci Oliver (Art), Summer Pang (Business Studies and Maths), Tallulah Collis and Georgiana Forrester (Classics), Megan Bale (Dance), Mandy Tan (Economics), Agnes Perry-Robinson (English), Saskia Lyne (Library), Francesca Ramage Mangles (History and Library), Valeria Canedo Leal (Modern Languages), Poppy Pender (Philosophy and RE) and

‘Individually known, individually nurtured’ was not the strapline that drew me to St Mary’s.

After all, what school doesn’t claim to know and nurture their pupils. However, the more time I spend here, the more integrity I feel this description has. Our individual approach enables our girls to achieve well beyond their expectations in so much that they do.

This term has seen so many examples of our ‘individually nurtured’ girls excelling, that it is a challenge to pick out just a few of the highlights. Artistic and creative endeavour has been particularly in evidence, from the visual wonders and fine harmonies of the amazing production ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ to the brilliance of the fine art, photography and textiles GCSE work and the many performances in various concerts ranging from confident first outings by our youngest players to super-accomplished recitals by our senior soloists. The choir have kept up an amazing repertoire of pieces new and old, and go from strength to strength. I am especially impressed by the speed at which they learn new music, and perform it with passion, commitment and a sense of beauty.

The recent House Shout event was hotly contested, and all credit is due to the girls

Anastasia Compton (Science). Núria Robert-Montaner has been appointed House Captain, Mary Ward.

We would like to thank the 2018/19 team, headed by Cicely Willis, Olivia Willis and Georgia Brand, for their hard work and commitment in leading the school during the past year.

who cajoled and directed their houses into producing some excellent choral performances.

As ever, there were several outstanding ensemble and solo performances, and it was good to see house spirits running high.

Our ‘Born to Write’ competition was a notable success of the term, attracting record entries, and it was lovely to have a home-grown winner selected by Razia Iqbal. In other creative endeavours, several of our dancers were involved in TLW’s dance show recently, and one of our senior dance scholars has been awarded a full scholarship to the prestigious undergraduate Fine Arts at Fordham University and the Ailey School of Dance in New York.

One of the things I value most in my job is the opportunity to spend time observing lessons, and the progress of our girls. I have seen so many exemplary, inspiring and creative classes this term, and feel extremely proud of both our teachers and the way in which the girls participate. This is truly an exciting environment for learning. Increasing numbers are receiving Head’s Commendations for outstanding grades and the girls really do develop a strong work ethic during their time here. The three Oxbridge offers at the start of term made us so proud of the girls concerned,

but we are also very proud of all our Upper Sixth girls, who have secured excellent offers at a range of prestigious universities. Whether busy on the netball courts, debating weighty matters, getting involved in chaplaincy, singing like angels, demonstrating against Climate Change or cooking up a storm in the Leiths kitchen, St Mary’s girls are never idle.

I wish you and your families a very Happy Easter.

Maria Young, Headmistress

NEWS ROUNDUP BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK 2 019

MARY WARD DAY St Mary’s has its roots in the life of Mary Ward and her vision inspires the girls to aim high and to become confident compassionate young women who play a positive role in society. Each year we celebrate Mary Ward Day, a longstanding traditional day of celebration and reflection within the community. This year the girls dressed up as ‘Inspirational Women’ from across the centuries and enjoyed an all school treasure hunt, followed by the long-awaited staff pantomime, Aladdin. Memories formed on Mary Ward Day remain with the girls throughout the years. It is a day of reflection, laughter and joy that brings the whole community together and this year was no exception.

Stupendous Stories There seems to have been a bit of a book theme running through this term, with the school book club winning the Wessex Amazing Book Award event at Bryanston, followed by the talented Scarlett C winning this year’s Born to Write competition with her moving Holocaust story, ‘Space’. Scarlett’s story was one of 230 entries from pupils across 17 schools. Judge, Razia Iqbal, joined us at the Awards Ceremony along with highly commended pupils from Hanford, Ludwell, Perrott Hill, Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Wardour, Gillingham, Archbishop Wake, Castle Court, Knighton House, Broad Chalke, Sandroyd, Port Regis, Farleigh, Bruton School for Girls, St George’s Warminster and St Mary’s.

Congratulations to Scarlett, whose story was published in the Blackmore Vale Magazine.

British Science Week celebrations took place across the school, with a whole host of fun activities in the Science Department. We welcomed some fantastic external speakers, including St Mary’s old girl, Bethan Mewett, who is studying Physics at Swansea and Peter Littlewood, Director of the Young People’s Trust for the Environment who gave an inspirational talk on environmental issues facing our planet. Meanwhile, further afield, A level Biologists visited Bristol University for a DNA molecular workshop along with students from Clayesmore and King’s Bruton.

During the holidays, Mr Dalton led a ski trip to Austria while Mrs Blanco took sixth form classicists and History of Art students to the ancient ruins of Rome.

Closer to home, there have been a whole host of trips by academic departments from a Sixth Form trip to London to attend a series of lectures on ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Chaucer given by leading academics and lecturers, to an MFL trip to Southampton University, a Latin trip to London and many more.

Two LVI Historians, Aggie P-R and Talullah C, were accepted to take part in the Holocaust Education Trust’s ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ programme and joined students from other schools on a deeply thoughtprovoking trip to Auschwitz.

St Mary’s Latinists scooped every first place prize available to them at this year’s Salisbury Classical Association Fifty-Fifth Annual Reading Competition at Godolphin.

The whole community celebrated World Book Day in inimitable St Mary’s fashion. Pupils and staff across all areas of the school paraded some truly spectacular book themed costumes – probably the best we have ever seen.

DIGITAL AMBASSADORS St Mary’s new team of Digital Ambassadors are passionate about technology, in particular coding, and are keen to inspire other girls in the school. They meet weekly and offer drop-in information and help sessions for anything technology or e-safety related.

SENIOR SCHOOL PRODUCTION 2019 This term we stepped into Mr Mushnik’s Little Shop of Horrors for a spectacular two hour Senior School musical production, packed with sensational singing, impressive American accents and botanical world domination.

Sophia M acted out the role of Seymour’s fatherlike Mushnik, giving an excellent performance particularly during the song and dance duet with Seymour (Olivia O), the downtrodden underdog who gets his life turned around by a suspiciously “strange and interesting” giant alien plant, Audrey II (operated by Tabitha E and Helena L-B and impressively voiced and sung by Alexa G).

Audrey, played by Valeria CL, captivated the audience with her sensational singing and completely brought the vulnerable and ditzy character to life. The flamboyant role of the abusive Orin (Megan K) as Audrey’s boyfriend, strutted around the stage with an overt sleaziness and unpredictability, fully embracing the role of the sadistic dentist.

The swinging sixties were revived in the foottapping rock and roll tunes sung by all the cast, in particular, Chiffon (Fleur H), Ronnette (Alexa G) and Crystal (Cassia T) along with Talia L as the flower seller. The chorus and supporting character roles were played by Paula L, Theodora C, Cecilia P and Anastasia C, who all sang impressive harmonies. Whilst it is difficult to pick a favourite song, Downtown, Feed Me and Suddenly Seymour all stand out.

The stage design used the breadth of the Hall, enveloping the audience and delivering seamless transitions from the failing florist to the demonic dentist. The combination of a talented cast, fantastic choreography and sensational singing made this a stand-out and truly memorable Senior School performance.

The combination of a talented cast, fantastic choreography and sensational singing made this a standout and truly memorable Senior School performance.

BOARDING NEWS

Weekends The boarders have enjoyed busy weekends this term, with a whole host of outings and social events. Highlights were visiting Harry Potter Studios, Oxygen Freejumping, Splashdown and year group ‘Dine Outs’.

Meanwhile at school, boarders enjoyed a Neon Disco, a fun ‘speed chatting’ activity, ‘Boarders Got Talent’, Zumba, a fantastic Barn Dance in the Main Hall and a frenetic and fun Easter Egg Hunt!

The International Food Fair was a great success and a wonderful coming together of the whole boarding community with girls preparing food and running stalls representing countries from all over the world.

Saturday morning Enrichment has included creative writing, bee keeping and animal husbandry, cookery and cryptography to name but a few.

Much to the delight of many, the snow fell earlier this term and a happy few days was spent sledging and building snowmen in the grounds.

A few weeks later, the sun shone, temperatures soared and the girls were outside making the most of our beautiful grounds.

Weekends at St Mary’s are a great mixture of fun and activity balanced with down time and relaxation. We are looking forward to a sunny Summer Term with lots of activities and trips planned.

Susannah Hill Deputy Head (Pastoral) & Head of Boarding

SIXTH FORM Our Oxbridge students experienced great success at the beginning of term, with three of our five candidates securing a place – a success rate well above the average offer rate of 15-20%. All our Upper VI girls, whatever their planned destination, deserve praise for putting together strong, thoughtful applications which demonstrate huge passion for their chosen subjects.

This term has also seen mock exams for Upper VI, giving them the encouragement they need to strive for their ambitious target grades. Tutors have been on hand to help the girls produce detailed action plans to keep on track.

As Upper VI are deciding which offers to accept, Lower VI are beginning their journey towards a university application, or in some cases exploring a specialist course or a higher apprenticeship. After their trip to the UCAS Exhibition at the UWE campus, the girls will be planning visits to open days and starting to narrow down their possible options. By the end of next term, all Lower VI girls will have written a draft personal statement, and will spend the summer holiday reading more widely or looking for additional work experience.

Finally, this term has seen the appointment process for new senior and subject prefects from Lower VI, who will take over from the Upper VI team led by Cicely W at the beginning of the Summer Term. Reading the letters of application and interviewing the candidates are among the greatest pleasures of my role, and the candidates’ speeches to staff on topics such as “what I have learned at St Mary’s” or “my greatest inspiration” moved some of the teachers to tears! This year’s prefect selection has truly been an Olympic race – all the candidates, whether appointed to a senior role or not, have shown exceptional qualities and we are very proud of them.

Dominic Simmons, Head of VI Form

Visits and Trips All Sixth-Formers attend a weekly General Studies lesson, where they have the opportunity to listen to a wide range of external speakers. This term, we welcomed lecturers from Bath University, including Dr Momna Hejmadi (Biochemistry, with a focus on developing new cancer treatments), Dr Sophie Parsons (Mechanical Engineering, with a focus on sustainability, finding uses for plastic retrieved from our oceans), Monika Halika & Meike Scheller (PhD students in Psychology, looking at treatment of chronic pain and at brain development in blind children).

Girls have enjoyed several trips during the term, to support their academic studies.

LVI Philosophy & Theology pupils travelled to Bristol for a series of lectures, while English A Level pupils travelled to London for lectures on Chaucer and ‘The Great Gatsby’.

A Selection of

University Offers Balliol College, Oxford

English Language and Literature Clare College, Cambridge

Philosophy Girton College, Cambridge

Modern and Medieval Languages Exeter

Politics & International Relations Bristol

EPQs at St Mary’s The LVI girls are busy working on their EPQs (Extended Project Qualifications) which are widely encouraged for all Sixth-Formers at St Mary’s. An EPQ consists of a 5000 word dissertation on a subject of choice and is an additional qualification taken alongside A Levels. The EPQ helps to develop research skills, time management and a host of other skills that are useful for university.

A top grade in an EPQ is worth the equivalent of half an A Level or 28 UCAS points, which can be invaluable when applying to universities.

Biomedical Sciences Leeds

Neurosciences Warwick

Linguistics with French Exeter

Art History Newcastle

“The influence of the Vietnam War on American music in the 60s and 70s” “How can we use Neutrinos to study the origin of the Universe?”

“Are Men and Women Essentially Evil?”

“How relevant is the organ in contemporary times?”

This term, Hannah from UVI presented the findings of her EPQ on CRISPRCas9 and its efficiency in removing HIV from cells. Her impressive investigation explored both the scientific and ethical implications of such gene therapy and included a Skype interview with Professor Robert Winston, organised by Mrs Bowe. Hannah is planning to study Biomedical Sciences at university and has already received offers from some excellent universities including Bristol.

History UCL

Economics & Business Edinburgh

Architecture Edinburgh and King’s College London

Physics Durham

Visual Arts & Film Fordham University, New York

Fine Arts (with a scholarship) University of the Arts London

Graphic Design Falmouth / Oxford Brookes

Fine Art Norwich / Coventry / Plymouth

Photography

ARTiculation Following her victory at the school heat of the ARTiculation competition, Helen C (UVI) competed against eight schools in the South West at the Salisbury Arts Centre.

Helen flew the flag of academic excellence and independent thinking for St Mary’s and spoke bravely and honestly about the subject of depression.

Bath Spa, Brighton, Chichester, Royal Holloway, Winchester

Film, Television and Digital Production Camberwell College of Arts

Graphics

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Charity Community Serving the community and supporting charities both locally and further afield is an important part of our lives at St Mary’s. This term, Shutterbabes, the school’s photography enterprise group, visited Julia’s House, a local children’s hospice, and presented a cheque for £1000, raised from the sale of calendars and cards at school.

We have also been proactively supporting Little Giants, a voluntary youth group in Shaftesbury which supports children and young people with a variety of special needs. The club enables families to socialise and play together in a way they probably could not do at other clubs. They are accepted whatever their special needs might be. Some parents have said that Little Giants is a lifeline for them and their children. This term, LV and UV boarders volunteered at a Little Giants’ disco to specifically raise money for a severely disabled boy and his family. The event raised £475.

Thank you to everyone who supports this local group.

We have also been supporting L’Arche, a charity founded by Jean Vanier for people with learning

disabilities, for which former Head Girl, Laura Martin-Prud’homme, is now the Development Officer. Laura and fieldworker, Chris, inspired the girls with a powerful and moving presentation about their work, so much so that the Sixth Form and Chaplaincy have decided to make this charity one of their focuses. The Charity Prefect decided that £500 should be donated from the Tuesday fasting and there are plans for a much more hands-on approach going forward.

Further donations to Amnesty, Home-Start, Pax Christi and the local Alabare charity for the homeless, ensure that St Mary’s is reaching out, not only on a global and national level, but also on local needs close to home.

CHAPLAINCY Chaplaincy continues to be at the heart of the school, with three groups focused on active faith development inspired by Gospel values and prayer. This term members of Mini Vinnies, Beatitudes, and the Chaplaincy team, have been busy putting social justice at the core of their activities. Led by Miss Connolly, these groups have ensured that the Mary Ward Day celebrations were a fitting tribute to our founder.

They have also continued with the “Cookie Fairy”, an initiative which identifies pupils who are in need of a little tender loving care. The cookies, with Gospel verses, are anonymously left for girls, to help put a smile back on their faces. Such a small thing and yet it creates such delight!

Currently, the Chaplaincy team is raising money for Cafod, the Catholic aid agency which has campaigns running throughout Lent. This year, it is supporting projects in Bangladesh, which is suffering from the after-effects of global warming and drought. The aim is to raise at least £200

for a pond to be filled with fish to feed local families. A novel idea of raising money was to ‘sponge the teacher’, and a few brave teachers put their names forward to have wet sponges thrown at them.

Chaplaincy links with the Order of Malta are strong and there are plans for another visit to Lourdes this year.

Care of the Chapel and ensuring that the needs of the liturgical ceremonies such as Mass and Reconciliation are met, is down to the Chaplaincy team. It is also through them that we are able to have Adoration and Stations of the Cross, which ensures that the religious life maintains its vibrancy within the school.

Retreats are always the highlight of every year group and this term we have taken the Upper IV on retreat to Salisbury. It was so inspiring that several pupils have requested another one!

General RE talks Sixth-Formers have had a whole host of interesting General RE lessons this term, to which many external speakers have come in to inspire the girls. In addition to Laura Martin-Prud’homme introducing the girls to L’Arche, members of the Household Cavalry came and talked about the Just War theory, we have had speakers from Pax Christi and an interesting talk on Social Media and Christianity.

Sports Roundup Netball It has been a jam-packed season of Netball fixtures in this short Spring Term, with 84 matches played by teams from U11 to the 1st team. The U11s developed their play by competing in the High 5 Tournament early on in the term and moving into the 7-aside format with energy and enthusiasm.

The U12 and U13 teams have made huge progress throughout the term, often playing against prep school teams who have played together for a number of years. The progression of skill level and passages of the ball down the court culminated in some strong wins by the end of term. All teams from the U14s to the 1st team have played with determination and skill proving that as a small school we punch well above our weight!

Well done to the U15a team who came second at the North Dorset Tournament and qualified for County. The team is cohesive, slick and

Sports Leadership Leadership courses move from strength to strength at St Mary’s as we offer the Sports Leaders Level 2 qualification. We are planning to begin the Level 3 in September 2019 which includes NPLQ qualifications, netball umpiring qualifications and the opportunity to apply to join the Dorset Coaching Academy. We are delighted that seven of our girls have been accepted and are now attending workshops throughout the year with elite athlete mentors and GB coaching staff. This will enable them to follow coaching and leading pathways in their specific sports.

This term we hosted the Dorset Winter Games with over 60 St Mary’s girls involved in leading, organising and presenting at the event. Over 450 pupils from 50 schools attended along with sporting heroes, Aaron Phipps (GB Wheelchair rugby), Liz Johnson (Paralympic swimmer), Kate Grey (Olympic swimmer) and Thinus Delport (ex-Rugby union player). We are very proud to have hosted this fantastic event for young people across Dorset and our girls benefited from the experience.

determined. It represents the school with the true spirit of a St Mary’s girl. As a celebration of their achievement, they were treated to a trip to the Superleague Match ‘Team Bath v Manchester Thunder’ at Bath University, which we hope inspires them to the next level.

Finally, a special mention must go to the U15b team who, as I write, have the best winning statistic (80%) so far this term.

National Championships Huge congratulations to Alice DP in UIV who was selected to compete for Dorset at the National Cross Country Championships in Leeds. Alice ran a superb race and contributed to the County finishing 6th out of 44.

Badminton Badminton has really taken off at St Mary’s with the LIV team playing superbly in the North Dorset tournament and finishing in second place. In the U16 Tournament, we battled against some strong players and came away victorious, becoming the North Dorset champions. Later in the term, the team competed in the County Tournament. Both the LIV and the senior teams qualified; a fantastic achievement against some tough teams. It is wonderful to see so many St Mary’s girls playing this sport.

PE Trip to Bath University A group of girls from UIV and LV enjoyed a PE trip to Bath University, at which they carried out various physical tests to assess their sporting strengths. They explored sporting technology and listened to interesting lectures on sports career paths and what is involved in Sports Science degrees. The trip gave them a useful insight into the GCSE course.

Interhouse The Interhouse badminton and netball competitions took place this term in true St Mary’s house spirt.

The Interhouse Netball saw the whole school out in force, despite “Storm Gareth” making its mark with ferocious winds. The teams played superbly and it was lovely to see everyone supporting each other. In the Seniors, York took 1st place, followed by Newby 2nd and Harewell 3rd. In Hewarth, Harewell was crowned the winners, followed by Newby 2nd and York in 3rd place.

In Interhouse Badminton, the winners were Harewell with York coming 2nd and Newby 3rd.

Archery This term St Mary’s hosted its first ever Archery competition against Gillingham School. We secured the ‘team event’ win and congratulations go to Oliva O who came 3rd and Valentina A who came 5th in

the individual competition. The Archery Club is run by Miss Rees, former GB Field Archer and Level 2 coach and her father, Andrew Rees, former GB Field Archer and Level 3 coach.

We look forward to tennis, athletics and cricket next term.

Creative ARTS

We were delighted to welcome Gayle Hadaway to St Mary’s this term, as Head of Creative Arts, working alongside Mr Taylor, Ms Banneel and Mrs Hodge. The Art Department continues to support many talented girls across a range of creative arts towards GCSEs, A Levels and university and art school applications.

Georgia F

Louisa H

Katie H

Sixtine D L

Artist of the Month We have recently begun nominating an artist of the month.

The chosen piece of art is then displayed in the main Reception hall at the entrance to the school.

Rosanna W, UV

My Vision for Creative Arts at St Mary’s The Arts is about creativity and expression. At St Mary’s, within our creative arts HUB, we develop individuality by exploring authentic ideas, providing girls with the skills to transform them into a reality for all to see, hear and experience. We want to excite them to think, create and inspire them to want to learn.

We work together through collaboration to discuss and share skills and processes, bringing in designers and artists to provide cross-curricular perspectives and sharing insights. We hope to create further links with the local community to showcase our creative talents. This year we will be introducing an artist in residence within the department to pull in new skills to work with the pupils at different levels alongside showcasing their work in our amazing grounds. We are also planning on setting up

a creative printing studio space alongside the artists in residence space which we will hire out to other working designers and printers.

Everyone has the potential to be creative, or at least gain pleasure from the Arts. All pupils can succeed, learning is ongoing and essential for individual social development and understanding. With this in mind, we are very excited to be delivering a new A Level Textile course from September 2019.

Our staff are talented, professional, supportive, dedicated, passionate, experienced and inspirational in all areas of art & design. We are interested in new ideas and getting the girls to look beyond themselves, to explore new platforms of expression, ideas and risk-taking, as well as promoting self-discovery. I am very excited about inspiring our future generation of creative thinkers at St Mary’s.

Gayle Hadaway

Willow P-P , UVI

Photography The Sixth Form photography students travelled to London to gather inspiration and ideas from galleries and museums. They visited the V&A, Design Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Photographers’ Gallery.

Every week, the Art department nominate a ‘photograph of the week’, showcasing the talented photographers in the school.

MUSIC Roundup House Shout The Music School has been busy with groups of girls vying for rehearsal space over the past couple of weeks as they prepared for the hotly contested House Shout. The whole school gathered in the Hall, abuzz with anticipation, as each house presented a programme of two solo items, an instrumental ensemble and a house song.

The houses presented their chosen programmes in turn and the performances ranged from a Chopin Mazurka to ‘Stairway to Heaven’.

Disney was theme this year for the house song: Newby chose ‘Breaking Free’, York sang ‘Just Can’t Wait to be King’ and Harewell presented perhaps the most apposite choice, ‘We’re All in This Together’. Every performance was brimming with energy, commitment and the sense of enjoyment in performing together was palpable.

It was a very close run result with York announced as the overall winners. Congratulations to the house prefect teams for providing us with a great afternoon of entertainment and all of the performers for such a show of musical camaraderie. Thanks must also go to local composer, Karen Wimhurst, who was this year’s adjudicator.

Hewarth Concert Hewarth presented a joint concert of music and speech & drama, to an appreciative audience of family and friends. Hewarth Ensemble got things off to a foot tapping start with Paddling Pool Polka and Just Jumpin’ by Sarah Watts. The soloists and acting duos gave us an array of styles, from musical theatre and comedy to Angelika’s piano composition and traditional songs.

The evening was rounded of with the Hewarth Choir, under the direction of Mrs Langton-Gilks, singing ‘The Lamb’, a prelude to the uplifting ‘A Million Dreams’ from The Greatest Showman. Well done to all for a thoroughly enjoyable evening, full of musical and dramatic achievement.

LUNCHTIME CONCERT

PIANO RECITAL

The Music Department presented a lunchtime concert of piano and vocal music with many of the performers presenting pieces in preparation for ABRSM or Trinity music exams at the end of this term. The variety of music ranged from Purcell ‘Music for a While’ to ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ from Hairspray. Congratulations to the girls for their poised performances.

Tina X and Heidi H gave a wonderful tea time piano recital, in preparation for their forthcoming ARSM exams, a post Grade 8 qualification which assesses the art of musical communication through a 30-minute programme. An appreciative audience of staff and girls enjoyed their assured interpretations of repertoire

by Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, Skriabin and Bartok. Both girls gained valuable experience and confidence performing in front of an audience.

Head’s

Commendations Sophia Green Esme Williams Alice Haworth Valentina Aeillo Alice de Pelet Angela Amuna Katie Lavis Ella Norton Julissa del Aguila Linda Lin Tabitha Elwell Saskia Lyne

‘SOGA’ MASS OF CELEBRATION IN LONDON This term we celebrated our first Alumnae Mass in the beautiful surroundings of St Mary’s Cadogan Street. Around 100 alumnae from SOGA (St Mary’s Old Girl Association) and their families travelled from all over the UK and overseas to reunite for a wonderful evening service. It was particularly nice to welcome some who were from the first intake of 1945. Amongst the attendees was former staff and alumna, Sister Lizzie, as well as several generations from some families. Life-long friendships are formed at St Mary’s and these reunions offer wonderful opportunities for Old Girls of all ages to meet up and exchange anecdotes.

WELCOME TO: This term we welcomed several new staff to St Mary’s: Mrs Gayle Hadaway, Head of Creative Arts Mrs Elizabeth Berriman, Maths Teacher Jacqui Sims, Senior School Nurse We also welcomed our two Gap students, Erin from Australia and Niamh from New Zealand.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Megan Feltham

OPEN MORNING Friday 3rd May at 10.30am

WELCOME MORNING FOR NEW GIRLS Tuesday 18th June 2019 at 10am

FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S CREAM TEA Friday 3rd May at 3pm

LIV & UIV PRODUCTION: PONY CLUB Friday 28th June at 7pm Saturday 29th June at 7pm

CONFIRMATION & FIRST HOLY COMMUNION Saturday 11th May at 11am MAY CONCERT Friday 17th May at 7.30pm HALF TERM Friday 24th May at 10am PARENT/DAUGHTER TENNIS Sunday 9th June at 11am

INTERHOUSE ATHLETICS Wednesday 3rd July at 10.30am PARENTS’ DAY Saturday 6th July at 10am BEAUFOY BALL Saturday 6th July at 7pm Summer calendars, with weekend activities, will be posted to parents.

St Mary’s School, Shaftesbury Dorset SP7 9LP +44 (0)1747 852416 www.stmshaftesbury.uk