Inside Heathfield issue 66

Issue Number 66 5 July 2017

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I can’t quite believe it’s the end of term and we are nearly at the end of an extraordinary year. The girls have risen to the challenge of public and internal exams with their typical aplomb and we await the results in August with eagerness as the girls’ efforts will, I am sure, be rewarded. It is a year of uncertainty as with the new reformed A Levels and GCSEs the results are more unpredictable than ever before, but I have absolute faith in the hard work of our girls and their ever supportive staff.

Now with only a few days to go it is time to say goodbye to a few staff and they will be much missed by all of us but we wish them the very best of luck in their various different futures.

Even so close to the end of term, however, in typical Heathfield style, the pace doesn’t slacken here. The terrific Drama Showcase on Saturday demonstrated the great talent of your daughters combined with a marvellous display of the Heathfield sense of humour; a wonderful afternoon of entertainment for us all.

This is also a time when the rigours of the classroom can be extended and Forms I, II and III have all been stretching their research and evaluation skills in their Independent Learning Projects, while the Form IV have had taster lessons and preparation for the world of the Sixth Form and university.

As Speech Day approaches I look forward to seeing you all and celebrating with you as we close another very successful and happy year.

Mrs Gardiner Legge

Form I History Trip to Canterbury Cathedral and Dover Castle On June 22, Form I set off to Kent to explore some Medieval History – the story of how two friends fell out which ended in the murder of an Archbishop. In the middle of a heatwave we were armed with sun cream and our waterproofs. Arriving in good time at Canterbury, we had a fascinating tour of the Cathedral and were able to see the exact spot where Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered by the four of Henry II’s knights. Who was responsible for his murder? Did Henry II really shout “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest”? Did the knights take the law into their own hands? After much discussion about who was responsible for his murder, we went on to see the steps that hundreds of pilgrims had ascended, probably on their knees in prayer mode – something that Form I were keen to try out for themselves.

After running back to the minibus in a heavy thunderstorm, we then travelled the short journey to Dover Castle, a fantastic concentric stone castle set on top of the cliffs. We were looking forward to our lunch on the grass but unfortunately the weather had different ideas and instead we huddled in the café over a hot chocolate before visiting the exhibition and the Great Tower.

The Great Tower is the stone keep of the castle and Form I were able to explore how Henry II would have lived on his many visits to the castle on his way to and from France. There was an opportunity to explore the kitchen, the food, how the water was supplied, how Henry would have entertained visitors and dined as well as where he slept, prayed in his private chapel and even went to the lavatory.

It was an interesting and enjoyable day thanks to Form I and their boundless enthusiasm.

With thanks also to Dr Bradshaw, who survived a seagull attack, and our driver, Steve for accompanying us.

Lesley Worrall, Teacher of Geography and History and Deputy Head of House – Seacole

Private View In Heathfield tradition, girls had the chance to showcase their artistry as this year’s GCSE and A Level examination pieces in Art and Photography were displayed in the Assembly Hall.

Parents joined staff for drinks and canapes while they enjoyed their tour, as well as getting the chance to meet all the artists who stood by their own work and were able to answer any questions on their pieces.

Reading to Dogs, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Windsor On Thursday 22 June, Cesca and Isabel from Form II, and Kiki and Sophie from Form III

took a trip to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in Old Windsor to read to dogs. Reading to dogs is encouraged as the human interaction can be a calming influence on dogs who have not had much experience of people, whilst helping young readers build their confidence.

Upon arrival, the staff kindly took us through a short presentation on the history of the rescue centre, and answered any questions the girls had. The girls then split into pairs and took it in turns reading to two different dogs, who both really appreciated all the attention.

After a short tour of the rehoming facilities, as well as meeting a gorgeous 3-month-old Dalmatian / Spaniel puppy, we all headed back to school in time for lunch.

We are very grateful to all the wonderful Battersea Dogs & Cats Home staff who made the day possible, it was an inspiring and educational morning.

Sports Day 2017 On Saturday 17 June, students, staff, parents and family dogs arrived at Heathfield in glorious sunshine for our annual Sports Day. This was the first time in recent years that Sports Day has taken place on our grounds, and we were delighted with the lovely atmosphere.

The girls battled it out across a whole host of track and field events, including shot put, javelin, high jump, distance running and hurdles to name a few. The crowd was enthusiastic especially when fathers and staff members put themselves forward to race.

Thanks must go to our catering team from Brookwood who served refreshments on the pavilion. So many staff were involved in ensuring the day ran smoothly and we thank them so much for all their hard work. It was wonderful to see everyone getting stuck in!

Equestrian Success Well done to Form V student Grace who has been invited to join a development squad of

U18 riders who will travel to Ireland to compete at the Millstreet International Hose Trials this summer. This competition represents a wonderful opportunity for Grace to gain international experience which will be invaluable to her in the future. This is a developmental programme for young event riders who could go on to represent their country in the U21 squad.

Grace has also been shortlisted again for the U18 Yorkshire eventing team. Congratulations Grace on these wonderful achievements!

Heathfield Polo Champions 2017

Team

become

SUPA

Open

Ladies

National

On Sunday 25 June, Heathfield was represented at the SUPA Ladies’ Schools National Summer Championships by Kitty, Victoria, Angelina and Kiki. The high standard of team work and polo play within the Heathfield team resulted in them beating strong opposition in the form of both St Mary’s Ascot and St George’s Ascot A Teams.

The Heathfield team was presented with the Open Division Salver as Open Ladies National Champions 2017. As well as this extraordinary achievement, Kiki was announced as Most Valuable Player of the whole tournament.

What excellent and well deserved results. Congratulations to you all!

Form I Independent Learning Project - What it Means to be British Form I worked on a project exploring aspects of what it means to be British from trivial things such as saying sorry (a lot), queuing, complaining about the weather, and many different sports to important ideas such as fair play, the rule of law, democracy and equality.

All three groups worked well and showed good planning and organisation skills, for example mind maps were used both to explore different ideas about the topic and to organise and plan how the topic was going to be presented and what each person in the group was responsible for.

After thought-provoking introductions on what it means to be British from Mrs Gardiner Legge and Dr Bradshaw, each group identified some very interesting topics such as Gender Equality, Diversity and Employment that they felt were relevant to Britishness in the 21st century. They also explored aspects of British life such as food and the royal family.

The judges enjoyed all three presentations but one group produced an outstanding artefact to illustrate their ideas about what it means to be British, illustrating not only such themes as saying sorry and the weather but also perfectly demonstrating the British sense of humour, inspired by the great British comedian Charlie Chaplin.

The winning group was Juana, Sabie and Lara.

Anita Diaz, PSHE Coordinator

Form III Independent Learning Project - Planning the Prom Form III worked collaboratively to produce a plan for a prom. Not only were they able to let their creativity and imaginations run wild in thinking of a theme and decorations for the prom but they were also asked to plan how to safely and effectively promote and market their prom. They were also asked to budget for the event so that they would not lose money and to decide on what charity they might support with any profit. They were asked to think about how to keep their guests safe and to create a risk assessment with plans in place to manage potential risks safely.

Each group produced some interesting and innovative ideas and showed that they had considered the various aspects of the challenge they had been given. The girls worked well together despite the heat and the time pressure to complete everything.

There were two groups that the judges would like to highly commend. The “Yule Prom”, planned by Maddison, Flo and Tina was very creative and individual, with a real personal touch in the details and decorations. Well done! The “Garden of Glamour Prom”, planned

by Shefali, Alia, Eugenia and Ines was very realistic and practical in the planning yet also very creative in design. The judges particularly like that the girls had identified language skills they have that they could use to raise money to contribute to the budget by giving private classes. Very well done!

In the end the judges decided that the prom that had most impressed them overall was the one planned by Sophie, Alannah and Olivia with the theme of “Speakeasy”.

The girls had researched their theme and incorporated a lot of the aspects of prohibition and the speakeasies of 1920s America into their planning. The hidden nature of the venue and the use of a password to gain access created an exciting sense of mystery and anticipation. As in other groups girls had thought of useful family connections that might support them either financially or by being present to perform. They produced a clear, thorough risk assessment and budget and some very professional looking, well designed tickets and promotional material. Very well done to Olivia, Alannah and Sophie.

Anita Diaz, PSHE Coordinator

Seacole Weekend, 24 & 25 June 2017 The last Seacole Weekend of the year was probably the quietest ever with all of Form III and IV heading off on a practice weekend for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition.

They will be embarking on the real thing next term.

On Saturday our activities included small groups visiting the cinema to see Wonder Woman, having relaxed lunches out with Housemistresses, and visits to ice cream parlours. Some girls played tennis or got together for a game of rounders or to make their own ice cream sundaes.

On Sunday afternoon the Form III and IV girls returned with sore feet and aching muscles, ready for a rest and pizza feast while younger girls had the option of playing in the pool with the inflatable obstacle course.

This was the last time that I will organise and run a Seacole weekend as I head in to retirement and I would like to wish Miss White lots of luck and good fun as she steps in to the role. She has great ideas and will organise some brilliant weekends for Seacole next year.

Jeanette Kemp - Head of House, Secole

8 July - Parents' Day 15 July - 12 August - Summer School 5 September - Form III and LVI girls return 6 September - Form II, IV, V and UVI girls return 7 September - Form I girls start 7 September - Start of Michaelmas Term 9 & 10 September - Closed weekend 14 October - Open Morning 20 - 30 October - Half Term

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