Heathfield Highlights Summer 2013

A message from Mrs Heywood

SUMMER 2013

Highlights Heathfield

The main focus of the Summer Term 2013 has been examinations both public and internal. Girls and staff alike have worked extremely hard and we look forward to hearing in August of the girls’ achievements at GCSE, AS Level and A Level.

As well as examinations we have packed plenty into the term including Parents’ Day, Sports Day, the New Girls’ Tea Party and Fellowship Day as well as busy and exciting weekends and much more which you will read about in this newsletter.

I take this opportunity to wish our outgoing UVI and their parents success and happiness in the future. I know many of them will keep in touch with us. I look forward to seeing the rest of the girls and staff back in September after a relaxing and enjoyable summer holiday.

Mrs Jo Heywood Headmistress

De Valois Retain Sports Day Trophy

The good weather and some breathtaking performances helped make Sports Day 2013 a memorable occasion. Every girl is to be congratulated for taking part and getting ‘stuck in’, especially those who stepped up to do events that no one really wanted to do, and those who participated in a large number of events!

De Valois House Captains

In the field events, it was Olamide (Form IV, de Valois), Esther (Form III, Somerville), Rosie (Form III, de Valois) and Amber (Form II, de Valois) who were leading the way. Olamide won both the Shot Put and the Discus with two new records of 10.97m and 22.60m respectively; Amber won the Junior Shot Put with a new record of 7.63m whilst Esther and Rosie both broke the Long Jump record with jumps of 4.75m and 4.72m respectively.

On the track, Alexis (LVI Form, Somerville) reigned supreme: not only did she shatter the 100m and 200m records but anchored home the 4 x 100m relay team alongside Hannah and Antonia (Form IV) and Georgie (LVI Form) in a new record breaking time of 1m 1.12s. The Austen Senior Relay team of Serena (Form IV), Kathy (Form IV) Ingrid (LVI Form) and Ali (Form IV) also broke the record but found Somerville’s team too hot to handle.

In the Open Relay, where the fastest four girls from the House compete against each other, the de Valois team, Amber and Emmy (Form II), Daisy (Form IV) and Rosie (Form III) came out on top with a new record of 57.31s.

Vote of thanks to the Head Girl team and prefects

This year the Head Girl team and the LVI prefects have undertaken their duties admirably, leading and representing the school very efficiently and enthusiastically.

Confidence has developed over the year and the Head Girl, Ingrid, and her deputies Taylor and Sophia Head Girl Team have risen to the challenges, 2012/2013 with public speaking, votes of thanks and many tours showing prospective parents around the school.

All the prefects have demonstrated commitment to their role, be it motivating their House for the interhouse events, leading in Chapel or Choir or helping as Year prefects. Staff have also been impressed with the contribution made by many of the prefects who have helped in different subject areas, organising Maths events and working in the Art and Photography departments and acting as ambassadors for the school. Well done to them, and good luck to next year’s Head Girl team: Anna, Goldie and Alice!

Mrs Ingram Head of Sixth Form Other notable performances came from Anoushka (Form II, Austen) who broke the Junior Hurdles record by 100th of a second and from Hannah (Form IV, Somerville) who also broke the 100m and 200m records but could not beat Alexis!

The final results saw de Valois winning both the Junior and Senior competitions and with Seacole winning the Intermediate competition. Overall, the positions were as follows:

1st – de Valois 2nd – Somerville 3rd – Seacole

656 points 636 points 613 points

4th – Austen

603 points

Hermione throws the shot put for Austen

The Victor Ludorum, awarded to the best athlete, was a difficult decision and closely fought between Esther (Form III); Daisy (Form IV); Alexis (LVI Form); Rosie (Form III) and Olamide (Form IV). The winners of this year’s prize were Alexis and Olamide.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the rest of the PE Department and all the staff who helped make the day such a success.

Ms Reynolds Director of Sport

Key Dates for Michaelmas Term 2013* 3rd Sept 2013 – 4.30pm - LVI arrive 4th Sept 2013 – 2pm - New Form III arrive

5.30pm - Forms II and III arrive

6.30pm - Forms IV, V and UVI arrive 5th Sept 2013 – 10am - New Form I and II arrive 7th – 8th Sept 2013 – Closed Weekend 20th – 22nd Sept 2013 – Exeat Weekend 4th – 6th Oct 2013 – Exeat Weekend 18th – 27th Oct 2013 – Half Term 8th – 10th Nov 2013 – Exeat Weekend 23rd Nov 2013 – St Nicholas’ Stalls (Optional Exeat) 7th – 8th Dec 2013 – Closed Weekend 13th Dec 2013 – End of Term

*Please see school calendar for more details of other events

Fellowship Day 2013

This year’s Fellowship Day was made particularly special by the celebration of some of our Old Girls’ 70th birthdays. The day started with a Pimms reception in the Assembly Hall, amidst the stunning A Level artwork on display and piano and singing recitals. There was an air of excitement as Old Girls first recognised each other, back at school after so long, and reminisced about the good old days. It is always wonderful to be enticed down memory lane at Heathfield.

Signing the Fellowship Day Book

We were very lucky again this year to have a delicious lunch personally prepared and served by Antony and Jay Worrall Thompson. The Old Girls chatted and laughed as Antony and Jay served us their medley of starters, main courses and sweets. Lunch was followed by our special Heathfield birthday prayer for our birthday girls; ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung and the surprise cake was cut to the delight of all.

The choir sang beautifully at Evensong in the Chapel; Sara Bennett (Heathfield 1954-1959) and Ellie Reeve (Heathfield 1996-2003) read the Lessons and Father Tim talked to us about how the Chapel has been and still is our ‘home’ at school. Music and Drama performances followed in the theatre. At tea we were joined by some of our current Form III girls who could not resist meeting and touring a few Old Girls.

They listened to their stories intently; what good ideas they imparted!

Antony and Jay Worrall Thompson 70th Birthday Old Girls

Mrs Meeson Teacher in Charge of History of Art & Old Girls’ Co-ordinator

Salters Chemistry Festival 2013

Focused on the task in hand!

On Wednesday 15th May, Amber, Minnie, Sam and I, all girls from Form II, went to Reading University to take part in a Chemistry competition where we mainly worked with acids and alkalis.

Our first activity was looking at chemical reactions. As this was a forensic murder mystery, we used our results to solve the crime. After lunch, our second activity involved creating coloured rainbows. We used acids, alkalis, water and universal indicator to do this. Whilst we were doing it, Dr Harden went off to play with rockets! The day ended with us returning to the lecture room where we saw some interesting demonstrations including clock reactions, colour experiments and we found out how glow sticks worked. It was fascinating and we all had a really good day.

Andrina Form II Student

Private View for the Art, Textiles and Photography Exhibition

It was great fun helping students put their work up and seeing their spaces transformed as we approached the day of the Private View. All the different forms of Art on display really animated many areas of the school. This year the GCSE Art students exhibited their work on the balcony area in St Mary’s Theatre and the AS and A2 students exhibited work in the foyer of the theatre and in the Assembly Hall. As well as paintings, mixed media, garments and photographs we had installations, sculptures and videos. The ideas and techniques demonstrated were incredibly varied and the standard of the skills used was very high; the whole exhibition looked extremely professional. Many parents told us how impressed they were with the diversity and maturity and particularly appreciated the more modern approaches on display. It was lovely to see governors and staff at the event where they realised again just how talented the pupils are! Throughout the evening conversations about the pieces buzzed over the syncopated sounds of jazz music played in the background by Miss Kong on the piano. The Catering team put on a delicious spread of canapés and wine, and the evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Mrs Leibovici Subject Leader – Art and Design

Heathfield’s Private View Exhibition

Inspiring Talk from Geordie Greig, Editor of The Mail on Sunday

Heathfield School was delighted to welcome Geordie Greig, Editor of The Mail on Sunday, on Wednesday 17th April 2013, who came to the school straight from Lady Thatcher’s funeral. Mr Greig described his journey through his journalistic career explaining how he started as a crime reporter on The South-East and Kentish Mercury in Deptford and then went on to work for the Daily Mail and Sunday Today before joining the Sunday Times as a general reporter in 1987. After a five year stint as the New York correspondent and then the paper’s Literary Editor for five years, Mr Greig moved on to being Editor of Tatler where he stayed for 10 years. In 2009 he became Editor of the London Evening Standard and in 2010 became Editorial Director of The Independent, The Independent on Sunday and London Evening Standard before moving to his current role as editor of The Mail on Sunday.

Tree Planting

Heathfield’s A Level Biology girls were asked what they would like to do in their last ever Biology lesson at Heathfield. So they asked if they could plant a tree. With permission granted by the Bursar, on 24th May 2013 the ‘Bio Crew’ from intake 06 (as the girls refer to themselves) planted a tree next to the swimming pool, leaving their very own legacy at the school.

Miss Wells Head of Science Faculty

The ‘Bio Crew’ plant their legacy to Heathfield Geordie Greig speaking at Heathfield Mr Greig shared many captivating stories with the girls, which really helped to bring a career in Journalism to life. Mr Grieg explained how good journalists require a bit of luck as well as hard work, how they must persevere and that an inquisitive nature is key! The girls asked many thoughtful questions and Geordie Greig hopefully inspired some Heathfield girls to consider a career in journalism.

Miss Lloyd Marketing Manager

‘Moving Mountains’

by Dr Dame Claire Bertschinger

Dr Dame Claire Berschinger and Dr Assefa with inspired Heathfield girls Michael Buerk said, she is ‘one of the true heroines of our time’. Dame Claire is currently the Director for the Diploma in Tropical Nursing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; she is also a trustee and an ambassador for the African Children’s Educational Trust (A-CET), supporting thousands of vulnerable Ethiopian youngsters to achieve their potential through education. Dr Sammy Assefa, who accompanied her, is testimony to the wonderful work of the charity, as his schooling was supported by A-CET, enabling him to achieve academically. Having recently gained a DPhil in Computational Biology at Cambridge University, Dr Assefa is currently a research fellow at LSHTM, investigating potential cures for malaria. We look forward to hearing more about his work when he visits us again later in the year on Thursday 7th November 2013.

‘You can achieve anything if you are determined enough.’ This was Dr Dame Claire Bertschinger’s message in her inspirational talk, entitled ‘Moving Mountains’, on Thursday 9th May 2013, when we were privileged to welcome her to Heathfield. The whole school was captivated by her account of her experiences as a field nurse working for the International Red Cross in war-torn countries and, in particular, during the devastating famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s. She described the harrowing decisions that had to be made by aid workers in order to save lives and how these efforts were reported by the BBC in 1984, inspiring Bob Geldof to launch the Band Aid appeal and to organise Live Aid. Among many prestigious awards, Claire Bertschinger has received the Florence Nightingale Medal, The Woman of the Year Award and in 2010 was honoured as Dame Commander of the British Empire for services to Nursing and to International Humanitarian aid. As

Both in her talk and later when speaking individually to pupils, Dr Dame Claire Bertschinger made us all realise that we should endeavour through courage, compassion and determination to overcome obstacles in order to succeed in our aspirations, thus enabling us to make a difference not only in our own lives but also to the world in which we live.

Mrs Bramley Librarian & Head of Careers

Dr Dame Claire Bertschinger and Dr Assefa

First Communion a First for Heathfield

A group of nine students from Form II received their First Communion on Sunday 28th April after taking a course of five lessons entitled ‘To Share in the Eucharist’. This was a very successful pilot scheme that next year will be offered to Forms I - III, further enriching the spiritual lives First Communion of the younger girls and Fr Tim year groups in preparation for confirmation in Form IV. Two of our students, Gina and Sam (both Form II) were also baptised during the service.

s d n e k e e W Heathfield

Weekends at Heathfield have been as busy as ever with girls using the time wisely to prepare for their examinations supported by revision classes put on by the teaching staff. Alongside their academic studies the girls have taken part in sporting fixtures with some getting the opportunity to train with the England Lacrosse World Cup Squad.

Revision – Heads Down!

Fr Tim School Chaplain

Roman Catholic Confirmation

Songs around the camp fire

The girls have taken part in Race for Life to raise money to support Cancer Research UK (http:// www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/ HEATHFIELDSCHOOL) and have enjoyed outdoor trips to Mytchett Lake to participate in Kayaking, Raft Building and Wakeboarding and in addition have taken part in the Oakwood Challenge. Form I have camped out on a Saturday night in the new camping area in the school grounds whilst, Duke of Edinburgh practice and assessed expeditions have been completed.

Chapel has formed, as ever, a key part of the weekend programme. During one of the weekends the school celebrated the feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples ‘like tongues of fire’.

The girls wore their traditional white chapel dresses but as the colour of Pentecost is red, everyone was encouraged to paint their nails red and tie a red ribbon in their hair.

Tayiwo, Elinor and Antonia

Pentecost red nails and ribbons

Over the exeat bank holiday weekend three of our Roman Catholic students were confirmed by the Bishop of Northampton in Eton Chapel alongside boys from the school. Tayiwo, who joined Heathfield’s Sixth Form in September, has done a tremendous job this year as one of our Chapel prefects. Elinor (Form IV) chose her elder sister Bea (LVI Form) to be her sponsor and Antonia (Form IV) who lives some distance from Eton had to spend a considerable amount of time on the road during the weekend, being collected from school on the Friday, attending the rehearsal on Saturday, then the confirmation itself on Sunday and back to school on Monday. Demonstrating, quite literally, how discipleship is a journey.

Flamenco Dancing

The students prepared for Confirmation at Heathfield alongside the Anglican candidates and Fr Heap, the Roman Catholic Chaplain at Eton, also assisted in the preparation of the three girls. All of the Heathfield candidates were presented with a set of rosary beads as a gift from the school to mark the sacrament.

Creative activities took place including cookery and textiles as well as a cultural day where Heathfield’s overseas students shared their cultures with the school. The girls put up displays, prepared snacks and there were Japanese flower displays and a Spanish fan making workshop plus Flamenco dancing. The weekend’s activities concluded for the year with the annual trip to Thorpe Park. The weekends certainly have been action packed and busy!

Fr Tim School Chaplain

Miss Lloyd Marketing Manager

Trip to Andalucía 2013 Students from Forms III, IV and V visited the south of Spain between 2nd and 6th May. The objective of the trip was for the girls to speak and listen to Spanish and they took full advantage of this by video recording day-to-day Spanish conversations. Another objective was for them to experience the Spanish culture. They visited the beautiful Alhambra Palace in Granada, tasted Spanish cuisine and visited the Picasso museum in Malaga, while finding time to enjoy the beach!

Mrs Pullen, Mrs Diaz and Mrs Marin would like to express how happy they were with the girls’ behaviour on the trip and the enthusiasm they all showed practising the language.

Mrs Pullen Teacher of Spanish

City tour of Granada

Outside the Picasso Museum

Geography Trip to Cheddar Gorge Form II made the long journey to Cheddar Gorge in Somerset on Thursday 2nd May. The Form II at day was full of exploration of different limestone Cheddar Gorge scenery both above and below ground, as well as identifying the various human land use of the area. The girls experienced awe and wonder at the stalactites and stalagmites in the underground caverns, learned many interesting facts (such as Cheddar Cheese being stored in the caves as temperatures remain at 11°C all Stalagmites year round) and observed rhubarb and custard in the caves at sweets being made in the old-fashioned way Cheddar Gorge without artificial additives. Testing the results was imperative! They are now working in groups to make a PowerPoint presentation on their assigned section of the topic. A day to remember – especially for those who ventured into the Crystal Cave...

Mrs Mason Head of Humanities Faculty

On a lovely sunny day in late April, twelve intrepid players turned out to play the inaugural Staff vs Parents Golf Challenge at the North Hants Club near Fleet. For those in the know, it was a four-ball game using the Stableford scoring system. Some of the golf played was exceptionally good (Laudine, UVI Form and Emmy, Form II, as honorary staff members were outstanding) and some of it was exceptionally interesting (Max Carter coolly delivered 4 ‘ducks and drakes’ bounces across the lake and onto the fairway the other side); and some of it was, well, eminently forgettable. In the end the staff won, showing greater consistency, discipline and stamina than the parents… as you might expect!

Mr Bueno handed out the prizes. Well done to Ulrika Nicholls (best ladies’ score), Alan Brackley (best men’s score), Rupert Burgoyne (furthest drive) and Melissa Ferber (closest to the pin), and huge thanks are owed to Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Ingram, for so beautifully organising the outing at her home club.

Mr Parker Heathfield Parent

Golf Enthusiasts!

s t n e r a vs P

f f a St Golf Challenge

2013

England Lax Coaching On Sunday 28th April fifteen lacrosse enthusiasts set off for Lady Eleanor Holles School to take part in a coaching day run by the England World Cup squad. The weather was perfect as the 197 participants were mixed into small groups for the morning session of skills and drills, which included the World Cup warm up drill, shooting, fast break and defending, as well as individual skills. During

the lunch break members of the England Squad answered questions and talked about their previous World Cup experiences. During the afternoon everyone was divided into teams for a tournament. Daisy (Form IV) was named most valuable player from her team. Everyone returned home tired, having had a great day.

Heathfield Girls and the England World Cup Squad

Ms Reynolds Director of Sport

Athletics County Championships

Esther demonstrating her long jump skills

On 15th May, Heathfield girls competed in a District Athletics Meet.

Congratulations to all the girls who took part, especially Esther and Rosie (Form III) and Olamide, Farah and Daisy (Form IV) who went on to represent Bracknell in the County Championships. With a jump of 4.75m Esther now waits to hear if she has made national selection.

Ms Reynolds Director of Sport

Family Tennis Tournament 2013

The weather turned out to be perfect for the Family Tennis Tournament this year, with seven families competing: Grace (Form I) and her father; Amber, Emmy and Tori (Form II) with their fathers and Tilly and Rosie (Form III) with their mothers and Phoebe (Form III) with her brother.

Each couple played seven games against each other with every game counting towards the overall result.

This meant each match was keenly contested and competition was tough. There were some excellent rallies with the girls holding their own against some powerful fatherly hits. Although competitive, the

Windsor Horse Show

matches were played in great spirit with the odd ‘tut’ from some of the girls as their parent made another double fault or hit the ball into the net!

In the end the fight was for the minor places, as the Nicholls came out as convincing winners.

In third place were Rosie and her mother with 22 games; second place Amber and her father with 24 games but the winners Emmy and her father amassed 31 games.

Well played to all those involved and a huge thank you to the spectators for their support.

Ms Reynolds Director of Sport

The Heathfield Senior Show Jumping team comprising Octavia and Charlotte (UVI Form) and Isabella and Alys (Form V) were once again competing against the top 148 riders from schools throughout Great Britain. 37 teams entered the Interschools’ Show Jumping Challenge at The Royal Windsor Horse Show on Saturday 11th May. Heathfield’s team were 10th to jump and with a total score of four faults immediately went into the lead! An exciting afternoon of jumping continued for six hours as we eagerly watched in the icy wind while Mrs Woolger with her amazing score-calculating talents kept us updated throughout.

Warming up at Windsor Horse Show

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Winners, Emmy and Mr Nicholls

The girls hung onto 8th place (the last placing for rosette presentation) until the 36th team jumped when we were most disappointed to slide into 9th place!

By then the weather had changed into a huge rainstorm and the mothers and girls had to run through the deluge to make sure all their horses were safe and ready for the long drive home.

To be placed 9th at such an amazing event is a huge success and the team should be very proud of the result.

Mrs Glimmerveen Equestrian Co-ordinator

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Heathfield School, London Road, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 8BQ Telephone: +44 (0)1344 898 343

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