Heathfield Highlights Summer 2014

A message from Mrs Heywood

SUMMER 2014

Highlights Heathfield

As ever the Summer Term has been short and sweet but we have certainly achieved a great deal.

Examinations both public and internal have dominated the term and both girls and staff have shown real commitment and hard work throughout the term. We look forward to hearing in August of the girls’ achievements at GCSE, AS Level and A Level.

Heathfield has launched a new promotional video and school website which have been extremely well received and the school has announced that it will be taking a handful of Day Boarders from September 2015.

Girls have been busy at weekends. There was a trip to the BBC for Form IV, a quick cricket tournament for the Lower School with Sunningdale School and year groups have fought competitively at tag archery. We have also celebrated our Chapel of the Ascension’s birthday. Fr Tim

New Website and Video Launch Heathfield launched its brand new website on Tuesday 29 April 2014, boasting full tablet and phone compatibility as well as desktop PCs using all manner of browsers. The new site, built using WordPress tools, promises easy navigation no matter what device is used, and rapid access to the information that prospective girls and parents as well as current girls and parents need from us.

The brief was to make a site that is very clean and easy to read, compatible with and resizing to all modern device screens and with very straightforward navigation. A key feature of the home page is the wonderful new school video which was shot with the new site in mind. The rising importance of social media was also kept in mind, with links to all the key social groups including the Heathfield Fellowship of Old Girls group on LinkedIn. Key news & events and the all-important school calendar are all easily viewable, and there is a parental portal directed at keeping parents fully up to date.

Since the launch both the website and video have been extremely well received.

Mr M Taylor Director of IT & Mrs S Frost, Marketing Manager

arranged for an ice cream van to come to school and every girl and member of staff received an ice cream in celebration of Ascension Day. Heathfield continues to uphold its traditions with a series of key events taking place during the term, namely Parents’ Day, Sports Day, the New Girls’ Tea Party and Fellowship Day. 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. We also say farewell to two loyal members of the Senior Leadership Team, Madame Lankshear and Mrs Ingram as they both retire. Many thanks for your years of service and dedication to Heathfield; you will be missed. 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

Vote of thanks to the Head Girl team and prefects

The leadership demonstrated by Anna as Head Girl with her calm and efficient style combined with the support of her deputies Goldie and Alice have ensured that the team have worked effectively to provide good role Head Girl Team models for the LVI 2013/2014 prefects and the school.

The Head Girl team have risen to the challenges of public speaking, chairing the Student Council and being a positive and respected voice for the students.

The LVI prefects have shown commitment and have approached all their House events with enthusiasm and gusto; the competitive streak is still very much in evidence, and some were delighted to have toppled De Valois from their winning run. The prefects have participated in a wide range of school activities such as Chapel, Choir, Sport, Art and Photography and their contributions are much appreciated, with many red ties being awarded throughout the year. I wish Daisy, Oli and Matilda good luck when they take up the mantle of Head Girl and Deputies next term.

Mrs S Ingram Head of Sixth Form

Key Dates for Michaelmas Term 2014*

2nd Sept 2014 – 4.30pm - All LVI Form arrive

3rd Sept 2014 – 2pm - Form III New Girls arrive

5.30pm - Forms II and III arrive 6.30pm - Forms IV, V and UVI arrive

4th Sept 2014 – 10am - New Girls in Forms I and II arrive 6th – 7th Sept 2014 – Closed Weekend 19th – 21st Sept 2014 – Exeat Weekend

3rd – 5th Oct 2014 – Exeat Weekend 17th – 26th Oct 2014 – Half Term 7th – 9th Nov 2014 – Exeat Weekend

22nd Nov 2014 – St Nicholas’ Stalls (Optional Exeat)

6th – 7th Dec 2014 – Closed Weekend

12th Dec 2014 – End of Term

*Please see school calendar for more details of other events

Maths

Challenge

During the Summer Term girls throughout the school took part in the UK Maths Challenge. There are three competitions, Senior, Intermediate and Junior, and each level takes place in hundreds of schools throughout the UK on the same day. The top 1200 students in the country will be selected to take part in the Mathematical Olympiad competition and the top 40% of students receive either a Gold, Silver or Bronze award.

Kate (Form V) qualified for the Pink Kangaroo, the next stage of the Intermediate competition. Kate performed so well in the competition and narrowly missed out on being in the top 25% of students in the country who took the paper. The Mathematics department would like to pass on their congratulations to all of the girls who took part and also those who won awards in this competition.

Junior Maths Challenge competitors Kate (Form V) Pink Kangaroo competitor

Mrs Z Benjamin Subject Leader of Mathematics

Second Form Geography and Science Trip to Cheddar Gorge The first part of our trip was to Gough’s Cave where we saw the replica of England’s oldest whole human skeleton, called Cheddar Man (approximately 9000 years old).Venturing deeper into the caves we saw many stalactites and stalagmites and the amazing chamber called Aladdin’s cave which had a mirror pool which reminded us of a miniature village. We were told that the cave system was about 1km long which took us 45 minutes to walk through, whereas it took Richard Gough 8 years to tunnel through to the furthest chamber!

In the Cheddar Gorge Caves

Spanish Trip to

For the fieldwork we had to climb up Jacob’s Ladder, 274 steps, which some of us found more challenging than others! At the top of the escarpment we looked at limestone pavements and

Andalucía

the gorge and did a field sketch. Back at the bottom of the valley we then went to see another aspect of tourism for the village – sweet making. We were given a demonstration of how to make boiled sweets and the smell was simply gorgeous; we then spent some time in the shop trying out and buying the home-made sweets.

The last part of the trip was on an open top bus that drove up through the gorge where we spotted goats, birds of prey and some rock climbers. We were really lucky with the weather until the clouds gave way and the rain poured down on us but it was a lovely day and we would love to go again.

Mrs S Ingram Head of Sixth Form

Alhambra Palace in Granada

Students from Forms III & IV visited Andalucía in Spain from 1-5 May 2014. The objective of the trip was to speak and listen to Spanish which the girls took advantage of by video recording day to day conversations in Spanish. Another objective of the trip was to experience Spanish culture, visiting the beautiful Alhambra Palace in Granada and tasting Spanish cuisine, while also finding time to enjoy the beach!

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

Experiencing Spanish Cuisine

Mrs A Pullen Teacher of Spanish

‘Why and how Britain went to war in 1914, and why it wasn’t over by Christmas’

Allan Mallison

This was the title of a thought-provoking presentation given by Brigadier Allan Mallinson at Heathfield School on Tuesday 6 May. Allan Mallinson is one of Britain’s foremost military historians and defence commentators; he is also a former Heathfield parent. Having gained 35 years’ experience in the Army, he retired with the rank of brigadier in 2004 and has become a prolific writer. His latest book, 1914: Fight the Good Fight – Britain, the Army and the Coming of the First World War has been well received and was chosen by Simon Heffer in the New Statesman as one of his books of the year.

In his talk to the girls, staff and parents, Brigadier Mallinson firstly outlined the historical and political background prior to Britain stumbling into war in August 1914. Being a former serving Army officer, his descriptions of the preparations for

war were both detailed and enlightening, enhancing our understanding of the tactical military operations. However, the recurring questions were: What if Britain had been better prepared? What if those in government had listened to the alternative strategies proposed by the young Winston Churchill? Could this conflict have had another course and outcome? In answering these, together with numerous perceptive questions posed by enthusiastic students, Allan Mallinson certainly gave us an invaluable insight into the historical, political and military background of the First World War, together with a detailed account of the opening weeks and the reasons why the war was not ‘over by Christmas’ as so many believed it would be. As Winston Churchill said, ‘No part of the Great War compares in interest with its opening’.

Mrs K Bramley Librarian

Talk by Professor Kate Jeffery On Tuesday 29 April, we were privileged to welcome as our guest speaker the eminent neuroscientist, Professor Kate Jeffery, from the Department of Cognitive, Perceptual and Brain Sciences, University College London.

Kate Jeffery

Professor Jeffery’s research centres upon how information is represented in the brain, and particularly the ways in which we are able to process spatial cognition, such as how we find our way around, know where we are and remember our experiences.

During her talk, entitled ‘Unravelling the map in the brain’, Professor Jeffery vividly explained, for both scientists and nonscientists alike, how one area of the brain, namely the hippocampus, is particularly important in spatial memory and central to navigation. She described how neuroscientists and psychologists over the past century have discovered that animals, including humans, have an internal ‘map’

Slap in the Face On Sunday 4 May, eight girls from Fourth Form were confirmed into the Roman Catholic Church by the Bishop of Northampton at Eton College. The Chapel was full not only with supporters but also with beautiful music from the Eton choir. In his sermon the Bishop reminded each of us that to truly witness to Christ is never easy, taking great strength and bravery. As a symbolic gesture of the need for fortitude he (gently) slapped each of the candidates on the cheek. I am pleased to report that none of our students took the opportunity of slapping Bishop Peter Doyle, aged 70, in return.

Fr T Tregunno School Chaplain

Roman Catholic Confirmation candidates

of space, located deep in the brain. She also told us that the hippocampus is one of the first regions of the brain to suffer damage in Alzheimer’s disease, leading to memory loss and disorientation. In contrast, individuals who rely on an excellent spatial memory, such as taxi drivers, have enlarged hippocampi. With further research and a greater understanding of the workings of this map in the brain, scientists are getting closer to understanding memory and we hope that the next step will lead to better treatments for those suffering from memory disorders.

Professor Jeffery’s talk was truly stimulating. The girls were enthralled by her presentation, prompting them to ask numerous perceptive questions and inspiring them to consider a scientific career in the future.

Mrs K Bramley Librarian

Fellowship Day Chapel Service

Antony and Jay Worrall Thompson

Fellowship Day

2014

Fellowship Day this year particularly celebrated the anniversary of the 10 and 20 year leavers. It was wonderful to see girls return and catch up with each other and revisit days gone by.

Hollie Lourie, Ambassador for the 1994 year group, wrote: “Fellowship Day 2014 was a huge success! As the Class of 1994, this year marks 20 years since leaving school, so it was wonderful to have as many of us as possible back together at Heathfield. Old friends travelled from overseas and all over the country for our reunion, and what a lovely day it was! The sun shone and from the moment we all saw each other, conversation and laughter flowed. It was such a wellplanned day: a delicious lunch with the Worrall Thompsons, a beautiful service in Chapel and terrific performances in St Mary’s Theatre.

After walking down the hallways and seeing our old dorms, which brought back so many memories, it was great to talk over a lovely tea. We were all impressed with how the school has evolved over the years while still retaining the essence that makes it so special.

Many of us Old Girls are still close, and for others it was the perfect chance to reconnect. A brilliant day – thank you Heathfield.”

Old Girls from The Class of 1994 Old Girls from The Class of 2004

Hollie Lourie (née Shaper, Heathfield 1988 - 1991), Heathfield Ambassador 1994

The Run

24 Heathfield Form V girls and HPA Chair Mrs Cave took part in the Electric Run at Wembley Park on 26 April on behalf of Breast Cancer and Southampton Hospital. The Electric Run is the premier night time 5k experience where the participants are an integrated part of the show, which features immersive “Lands” of light and sound that transport the participant into an electric wonderland. Everyone entered fully into the spirit of the event, ensuring fluorescent paint, glow sticks and

Glowing Runners The staff and parents renewed their rivalry with the annual Heathfield Golf event. It was lovely to see some players returning from last year as well as some new faces and we had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon at Mill Ride, a beautiful but challenging course. Parent Mark Drysdale led the way with the best overall score as well as the men’s longest drive whilst staff members Lynn Farrin (Deputy Bursar) and Clare Wells (Head of Science Faculty) picked up the women’s closest to the pin and longest drive respectively. The overall victory went to the parents who scored 93 points to the staff’s 78. Thanks to Susan Ingram

LEDs were used in abundance. Six of the Form V girls were invited up onto the stage with the DJ which made their night. The run was fantastic, a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all the girls involved. They raised an impressive £8,000 which was an incredible achievement and they should be very proud of their efforts. http://www.justgiving.com/ HeathfieldSummerDay Mrs D Cave, HPA Chair

s t n e r a vs P

f f a St Golf Challenge

(Head of Sixth Form), Lynn Farrin and John Bueno (Bursar) for organising a great occasion; we hope to have an even greater turn out next year so please keep the day in mind when the date is released next year!

Mr A Valner, Teacher of Classics and Deputy Head of House – Somerville

2014

Heathfield Weekends

Eco Litte

r Pick

Trip to the BBC

Weekends at Heathfield have been as busy as ever. Chapel, prep and matches have continued to play key roles in the weekend timetable and girls have also used time at the weekends to prepare for their examinations. Girls have attended trips to the BBC, Windsor Horse Show and South Hill Park where they saw a performance of Ruddygore directed by Mrs Dance, and they have been shopping in Covent Garden and Windsor.

Heated Competition

Form I hosted the new girls’ sleepover, and the Lower School challenged Sunningdale School to a quick cricket match. The girls have also had a go at Tag Archery and took part in Eco activities as well as enjoying Sports Day, the Family Tennis Tournament and a Summer’s Day fete.

Mrs S Frost Marketing Manager

On Wednesday 14 May we were delighted to be joined by year 4, 5 and 6 girls from Coworth Flexlands and Chandlings Manor who came to Heathfield to compete in our Tri-Sports Summer Event.

The teams of twelve competed in tennis, rounders and athletics so it was an action-packed afternoon. The weather was perfect and the girls played competitively and had a fantastic time. Thanks go to our Form IV girls, Ms Reynolds and Ms Adlington who made the event run extremely smoothly. We look forward to running a series of Prep Events next academic year.

Mrs S Frost Marketing Manager

Prep Tri-Sports Summer Event Joint Collaboration with Sunningdale School On 8 May and 6 June 2014 pupils from Forms I and II at Sunningdale School and Heathfield School hosted a musical collaboration. The first concert took place at Sunningdale School and the second at Heathfield.

The same songs were performed during both concerts and included Gaudent in Coelis by Richard Dering, Linden Lea by Vaughan Williams and Don’t Stop Me Now by Freddie Mercury. In addition the Sunningdale School Chapel Choir also performed Lord, Make Me an Instrument by Willcocks and the Heathfield School Junior Choir sang A Whole New World from Aladdin. Both collaboration evenings were absolutely wonderful and we look forward to seeing the schools perform together again in the not too distant future.

Miss S-M Kong Assistant Director of Music

The Choirs

Lacrosse Tour to the

The US lacrosse tour set out for an intensive 10 days on the East Coast. The tour started in the capital, Washington DC, and a night in Georgetown. After a morning of sightseeing which included Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and The White House where the President was giving a Press Conference and where we saw snipers on the roof tops, we made our way to Bullis School for our first match. After the girls had got over the initial ‘shock’ / excitement that they were playing in a stadium on ‘Turf ’ we got down to business. A 5-6 defeat was certainly a respectable score line. We then moved on to our first set of hosts for

the next 2 nights at St. James’s Boarding School. After a morning spent in Arlington Cemetery, we headed back to St. James for our game, again on turf. The opposition proved to be too strong and we lost 4-11.

Thursday saw us travel to Baltimore and having visited the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum, we arrived at Vincent Pallotti High School. The first half saw us down 6-7 but the team rallied in the second half to come out victorious 18-9.

After the game the parents put on a ‘cook out’ where the girls were able to mix together before going home with their hosts. Friday morning was spent at Baltimore’s Inner Harbour before returning to Pallotti to pick up our hosts and go to support them in their afternoon fixture.

On Saturday we left Baltimore and travelled to Philadelphia, home of the infamous ‘Philly Cheese Steak’ and of course the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Friends Delaware School is much smaller than the others we

had played and their lacrosse programme is developing and as a result we won the game 18-0. Sunday was a rest day and the opportunity for the girls to shop in The King of Prussia shopping mall, the second largest in the States! On Monday we travelled to Long Island and our last game of the tour against Friends Academy which was a tough game; at 3-9 down at half time the team really had to dig deep, eventually winning the second half 6-2 but we lost the game 9-11. After supper with our opposition we headed to the ‘Big Apple’ and our Manhattan hotel. Tuesday was a special day: Daisy’s 16th birthday which we celebrated with a cake (thank you Mr and Mrs Horowitz) a moving trip to Ground Zero and a quick final shopping spree before heading to Newark airport and our trip home.

A huge thank you to Miss Kay and Miss Wells for accompanying me and making the trip such a success.

Ms W Reynolds Director of Sport

Equestrian Success

Successful Evie

Heathfield’s riders have been busy competing this term. We were privileged to send a team to our ‘local’ show, the prestigious Royal Windsor Horse Show where the girls rode with determination and confidence over the large 90cm high course. Despite their hard work the girls sadly missed out on the rosettes. In spite of terrible weather Evie (Form III) competed in the Copthorne School Inter Schools Show Jumping competition where she cleared the round very quickly and was placed an impressive 6th place. Matilda (Form IV) and Liberty (Form I) competed in the Godolphin School Show Jumping at Crofton. Matilda and her

Contact Us

horse George entered the ‘Jumping with Style!’ class which involved jumping a large course of both coloured jumps and rustic country fences. The course was certainly challenging and Matilda performed to a high standard before going on to jump in the 80cm class. Liberty (Form I) entered two ponies and in the 70cm class was placed 15th out of 45. Liberty’s other pony then had his first outing and cleared the 80cm class. Thank you to all the girls and parents who put in so much time and dedication to compete for Heathfield.

Mrs G Glimmerveen Equestrian Co-ordinator

@HeathfieldAscot

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

Fax: +44 (0)1344 890 689

Email: registrar@heathfieldschool.net Website: www.heathfieldschool.net

Heathfield School