Inside Heathfield enews issue 11

Issue Number 11, w/c 7th October 2013 & w/c 14th October 2013 Heathfield Highflyers Every half term two pieces of work will be selected from each faculty and girls who have produced a piece of outstanding academic work will receive a Heathfield Highflyers Award. This will be presented in the penultimate Assembly of each half term in our ‘Celebration Assembly’. The pieces of work can be produced by any girl from any year group within the school.

Heathfield Highflyers Awards were presented on Friday 11th October 2013 to the following girls: Science Faculty Harriet (Form I), The Human Brain Cell poster Emily (UVI Form), Timed Psychology Essay Humanities Faculty Hermione (Form IV), English Essay entitled ‘Are child beauty pageants cruel?’

Amber (Form III), History Project entitled ‘Introduction to the 20 th Century’ Creative Arts Faculty Thea-Rose (Form UVI), Timed Music Listening Comprehension Christy (Form V), Painting Mrs N Holsgrove-Jones Subject Leader: History & Politics, Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator

Time for Harvest To celebrate Harvest Festival this year, Heathfield tried something completely different. Each student armed with a £5 note went to a local supermarket to buy food or items for a family of four who rely on food banks. The girls took their challenge very seriously making sure they purchased a good range of items for their money. The results were amazing – the Chapel sanctuary was filled with gifts purposely and thoughtfully given, ready for delivery to the food bank. Although we had more gifts than ever before and more money was spent than ever before, the true gift was the care, consideration and time given by each of the girls to gather items to help others in need.

Fr T Tregunno, Chaplain

Issue Number 11, w/c 7th October 2013 & w/c 14th October 2013 Interim Grades Education is not the piling on of learning, information, data, facts, skills, or abilities - that's training or instruction - but is rather making visible what is hidden as a seed. Thomas More At Heathfield we believe in both of Thomas More’s observations that learning is a nurturing of talents as well as training for examinations. During Half Term parents will have received their daughter’s Half Term Interim Grades.

These are, for the first time at Heathfield, based on an in class assessment. We recognise these as a snapshot of how your daughter has managed to perform as with the move to linear assessment examination skills become all the more important to get right early. Where the grades received are high, we will continue to push your daughter so that her progress continues; where they are lower than expected, we will review her frailties, and make sure that any issues are ironed out quickly and efficiently so that when the examinations come, she will be adept, and trained ready to succeed. It seems so unfair - that the distillation of a year’s learning is disseminated into an hour’s paper on one question. The results of these, however, determine so much of our future, and it is essential, therefore, that we work as hard as we can to ensure that these examinations are not dreaded, but instead that the girls are prepared as well as we can.

Whilst the need to train students for exams is a necessity, the reason that we teach at Heathfield and central to our aims as a school is that we find the ‘seed’ that Thomas More discusses above. Last Half Term Charlotte Sutherell, a Heathfield Old Girl, shared with us her passion for chemistry which started in her Science lessons and has taken her, via a Biochemistry degree at Oxford to post graduate work at Cambridge. She currently is researching molecular structures and using them to alter the genetic framework of an ovarian cancer marker in DNA. The wide ranging questions put by the girls ranged from whether Charlotte enjoyed the process or the outcome to the emotional impact that a good or bad day in the lab can have. Several of the girls then had dinner with her.

This talk did not directly feed into an examination but it was inspiring and thought provoking, just like the House Music competition and the Music Captains’ concert. This breadth of experience is central to our ethos. As well as making sure that we train your daughter for the hurdles of exams, we will also try and plant that ‘seed’ to find the unique talent within her.

Mrs M Furniss-Roe Director of Studies

Horse of the Year Show success Congratulations to Isabella Holman-West who competed with the Warwickshire Hunt Mounted Games Team at the Horse of the Year Show in October. After the team competed to a high standard throughout the week, breaking records and winning the first sessions, the team won the first of the two major cups; the Virbac Cup. Following the triumph they qualified for the Prince Philip cup and whilst live on Sky TV, impressively took second place in the overall competition. This was the first time that the Warwickshire Hunt Pony Club had qualified to compete at the Horse of the Year Show. What a fantastic achievement!

Miss S Lloyd, Marketing Manager

Lower School Sponsored Swim The Lower School Sponsored Swim took place on Saturday 12th October with parents and staff on hand to support the girls in their efforts. The girls swam non-stop for an hour and collectively covered the distance of the English Channel (and half way back!) Special mention goes to Floria (Form I) who swam 104 lengths and Grace and Lydia (Form II) who both swam 95 lengths.

The girls managed to keep cramp at bay and pushed on through their tiredness. All were rewarded with a welldeserved rest, and afternoon tea in the dining room. The money raised will go to the school charity JDRF. So far the girls have collected just short of £1000 and there is still money to come in. Congratulations Forms I and II. Mrs R Reeves Head of Lower School and Teacher of Religious Studies

Form III Forensic Science Scene Suddenly the dining room fell silent on the Wednesday before half term as Mrs Furniss-Roe impressively dropped to floor, frothing at the mouth (all in the name of Science!) The crime scene was cornered off and photographic evidence was taken... Form III observed the scene and took a note of the potential ‘murder’ suspects which they later analysed during their science lessons.

Miss C Wells Head of Science Faculty

Issue Number 11, w/c 7th October 2013 & w/c 14th October 2013 Music Captains’ Concert 2013 – Music of the Night On Friday 11th October we held the Music Captains’ concert. This year the theme focused on ‘Music From The Movies’ and girls from all different year groups performed on stage whilst others played a vital role backstage. Kate (Form V) also created a beautiful drawing for the front cover of the programme.

The concert had a powerful start from the orchestra with the 20th Century Fox theme tune followed by a variety of pieces, ranging from 1964 My Fair Lady to 2013 Pitch Perfect. We varied the performances between singing and instrumental including some combined; for example My Heart Will Go On. The younger girls started first and then the evening finished with older girls’ performances. We really enjoyed involving some acting during the concert as we made a script to read out, introducing each performer.

To finish off, we performed Keep Holding On from Eragon with Honey-Bee singing, Diana playing the drums and Miss Kong playing the piano.

The evening was thoroughly enjoyable and many thanks must go to Mrs Dance, Miss Kong and everyone involved for putting on such a brilliant concert.

Honey-Bee and Diana LVI Form Students, Music Captains

Form IV Art Trip The Museum of Natural History in London doesn’t, at first glance, seem like the most likely place for a Form IV Art trip, but it proves a success every year. The vast range of architectural details in the building offers a great chance for the girls to collect interesting drawings and the sketches they produced on this occasion were extremely interesting.

The next part of the trip took us to the Victoria & Albert Museum. Not only could we observe and draw from the beautiful collection of sculptures and ceramics, but we were also lucky enough to be able to visit the current exhibition on fashion From Club to Catwalk, Fashion in the ‘80s, ancient history to the Form IV girls, but interesting and exciting nonetheless!

No sketching or photography was allowed in the museum, so the girls had to work hard on collecting notes on the many extravagant designer outfits, as well as using their observation skills to memorise as much as possible of their details for future reference. All this material will not go to waste, as it will be part of their coursework and will no doubt help them develop many interesting ideas for both their Art and their Textile pieces.

Before heading back to school the girls enjoyed tea in the wonderful art deco V&A café accompanied with live piano music: inspiration for all the senses!

Mrs A Rutilli, Teacher of Art

School Video Since September 2013 we have been busy filming a school video which aims to capture many aspects of life at Heathfield. Before the end of the Michaelmas Term the video will go live on the school’s website for everyone to see. We hope you find the video engaging and enjoy watching it.

Miss S Lloyd, Marketing Manager

Issue Number 11, w/c 7th October 2013 & w/c 14th October 2013 Pink Day On Friday 18th October, staff and students alike were tickled pink as Heathfield held a ‘Pink Day’ to raise money for Breast Cancer Awareness. The school rose admirably to the challenge and the corridors were awash with everything from tutus to boppers and legwarmers to sweatbands all in fabulous flamingo shades of pink. In Science, PE and Psychology, students may have found it slightly difficult to take their teachers one hundred per cent seriously as Miss Wells, Ms Reynolds and Mrs Oakley wholeheartedly embraced the theme. Miss Wells stylishly combined a luminous pink wig with slightly more toned-down legwarmers and pyjamas, Ms Reynolds took the pink theme to the pitch with an Olympian effort in putting together a very vibrant lacrosse outfit and Mrs Oakley set the relaxing tone for the impending half term break with a wonderful pink onesie. All in all, it was a fantastic effort from everyone for a serious and worthy cause.

Mr T Pithers, Teacher of English

U16 South East Berkshire Netball Tournament Following the success of the U14 team, the U16 team were not to be outdone by their junior counterparts.

South West Lacrosse Tournament

The 1st team played in the annual South West lacrosse tournament. The opposition is always extremely tough Farah (Form V) and Ella (Form III) racked up an in the morning group matches as four of the top eight impressive 45 goals whilst at the other end Ollie & Daisy C schools in the country are in this region. The 1sts found (Form V) only conceded 7 goals. The mid-court players: themselves in the same group as the National Schools’ Emmy (Form III), Daisy C, Elinor and Francesca (Form V) champions and reigning South West champions, and also put in sterling performances, as they beat five schools despite losing, were the only team in the group to score to become South East Berks Plate winners. a goal passed them – well done Harriette (Form LVI).

Ms W Reynolds, Director of Sport

In the afternoon they were pitted against teams of a more similar standard and who had achieved the same De Valois Weekend - 12th and 13th October 2013 results in the morning’s play. Their first match was a Saturday was busy with Harvest Festival shopping for the hotly contested one against Sherborne which ended in food bank at St. Saviours Priory followed by a sponsored a 1 – 1 draw. Next came Wellington College, and a 3 – swim in aid of JDRF which saw the First and Second Form 1 victory. The last game against Westonbirt saw the swim the equivalent of crossing the English Channel. On team not only needing to win but to score at least 5 Saturday evening Daisy, Ella, Alice and Camilla in LVI goals to have a better goal average than Sherborne to Form ran a whole school quiz, where Form II were win the group. The team did win but only by 2 goals and crowned as Champions. so, despite not losing a match, and tying on points with On Sunday, girls in Form IV and above headed off in the Sherborne, they lost out on goal difference. rain to Spitalfields Market, Form II and Form III played However, the team is to be congratulated on their Lazerquest at The Big Apple in Woking and Form I mastered handstands, flips, pykes and seat drops while performance throughout the day which got better and trampolining. better, and on Miss J Talbot, Head of House – De Valois and PE finishing four Teacher places higher than last year. Well done, to all!

Ms W Reynolds, Director of Sport

Issue Number 11, w/c 7th October 2013 & w/c 14th October 2013 House Music The long awaited annual House Music finally arrived on the last Thursday before Half Term. Leading up to the event you could find notices all around the school from the House Captains reminding the girls to attend rehearsals. House competitions are taken very seriously at Heathfield! Rehearsals could be heard throughout the school whenever there was a free moment; from morning break and lunchtimes to after school. Singing voices haunted the school (of course, in a good way!). The preparations certainly created an air of excitement.

On the day of the competition, each House competed against each other with their own lyrical interpretation set to contemporary pop tunes and an ensemble item. The evening started with Somerville adapting entertaining lyrics to the tune of New Shoes by Paolo Nutini and Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray with Diana (LVI) on the piano.

Austen performed A Typical School Life as their whole House item and People Help the People by Birdy. The evening continued with Seacole performing a lyrical adaptation to Man I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain and Alive by Gabrielle Aplin. Finally, De Valois performed “I’m a Heathfield Girl” using I’m a Barbie Girl by AQUA and The Cup Song from the movie Pitch Perfect.

While waiting for the results, our Heathfield band premiered their first performance with Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. It was a jaw dropping performance with a big band brass section and Phoebe (Form IV) as the singer. The interval programme was then followed by Thea-Rose (UVI Form) on the cello with Diana (Form LVI) and Miss Kong on the piano performing Libertango. The evening music programme concluded with a performance of Mas Que Nada by the band before the adjudicator returned to the theatre to announce the results.

It is always fantastic to see the competitive spirit of the girls. Huge congratulations to Austen House for their roaring success winning the House Music cup. De Valois came second, Seacole came third and Somerville came fourth.

Heartfelt thanks to Mr Ian Hiller, Director of Music at St. George’s School Ascot for coming to adjudicate the competition. This event certainly left the audiences asking for more! Well, we will all have to wait for the next House Music competition next year.

Miss S-M Kong, Musician in Residence

Prep Schools Netball Tournament

Winners of the Ascot Schools’ Swimming Gala Heathfield hosted its first ever Prep Schools Netball Tournament when teams from six Prep Schools – Glendower Prep, Kensington Prep, St George’s, Windsor Castle, Maltmans Green, Orchard House and Broomfield Prep – competed to be tournament winners. Due to bad weather the tournament had to be moved inside but the play still went ahead and to a high level. After the tournament ended everyone enjoyed tea in St Mary’s Theatre and Mrs Heywood presented the winners’ medals to St George’s, Windsor Castle.

Miss S Lloyd Marketing Manager

Well done to the U12, U13 and U14 swim teams who were placed first with 85 points at the Ascot Schools’ Swimming Gala on Tuesday 15th October. There were many fantastic performances which included Floria (Form I) winning three individual races: Frontcrawl, Butterfly and Individual Medley for the U12s. The U12 and U14 teams won the Medley relays.

Miss J Talbot Head of House – De Valois and Teacher of PE

Issue Number 11, w/c 7th October 2013 & w/c 14th October 2013 Introducing Marina Furniss-Roe, Heathfield’s Director of Studies Marina Furniss-Roe joins Heathfield as Director of Studies directly from a large State school in the middle of London.

As Head of Year and Assistant Headteacher there Marina was responsible for leading a large team to ensure that her cohort of 240 students made excellent progress. Safely steered through their examinations in June 2013, Marina was then looking for a new challenge and was drawn to Heathfield for two main reasons. Firstly having studied English Language and Literature at Oxford and as a published poet, Marina is passionate about teaching and learning, the focus of her role. Secondly, Marina grew up in Asia and just like the girls, started at a small girls’ boarding school which became her home from home. This has led to an inherent belief that boarding with its focus on the whole person, heart, soul and mind is a wonderful opportunity and she has greatly enjoyed standing up for boarding to nearly everyone she meets. Although a pragmatist with an eye on Government initiatives and the implications for Heathfield, she is also a passionate believer in learning for learning’s sake and its transformative effect so sees her role at Heathfield as a guide to allow the natural abilities and talents of the girls and staff to flourish and grow in the classroom.

Marina is also a mother of three girls who left to go up to University in September to study History, Classics and French & Spanish respectively. She is always reading a book in her free time and enjoys Cryptic Crosswords which she never seems to be able to finish.

Introducing Kathryn de Ferrer, Heathfield’s Director of Pastoral and Co-curricular Kathryn de Ferrer has come to Heathfield after several years as a Head of Department and a Head of House at several large mixed schools in Surrey. She was drawn to Heathfield as it represents so many educational fundamentals she believes in: a small school where every girl can be recognised and celebrated, single sex environment and full boarding.

Kathryn moved to teaching following a career which involved many years leading Internet Strategy and Development for the UK’s leading business publisher. Although it was a successful time, the lure of education was strong – her mother had led the prep division of a boy’s boarding school in New Zealand – and eventually she took the plunge and retrained as a Drama teacher. Kathryn realised early in her teaching career that unless students are happy, they cannot learn and this set her on a pastoral path, allowing her to focus on students’ emotional wellbeing as well as academic success. She is passionate about educating the whole child, ensuring that girls have the opportunity and space to try new endeavours, discovering skills and personal attributes they may not have known they possessed.

The role of Director of Pastoral and Co-curricular is a perfect mix for Kathryn, as it draws together professional and personal experiences. Sport has played a huge role in her family life. All three of her daughters have competed nationally and internationally in a range of different sports and Kathryn herself is a qualified swim teacher, triathlon and canoeing coach. To unwind she likes to compete in long-distance kayaking races; the longest has been a 125 mile non-stop race which goes from Devizes to Westminster Bridge on the Thames (which took 27 hours of continuous racing to complete), although most events are a slightly more manageable 10 – 25 miles.

Reunion 1998-2003 Amidst sounds of happiness and peals of laughter the gathering of six different year groups at the Lansdowne Club was the fourth very successful Old Girls’ reception in London. The girls left Heathfield between the years 1998 and 2003 and whilst we at school have some information about their university destinations and variety of achievements, it was great to hear their stories first hand.

Their career successes included the world of finance and banking, medicine and midwifery, teaching and design, to name but a few. Several of the girls were busily juggling the world of work with motherhood. They all shared fond memories of Heathfield and were delighted to see some ‘old faces’.

Continuing the links from grandparent to parent to daughter, as well as several sisters, it was wonderful to learn about the new-born generation who we are looking forward to welcoming as our potential Heathfield girls, back to their mother's alma mater.

Mrs J Meeson, Old Girls’ Co-ordinator and Teacher in Charge of History of Art

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