Pipers Post | Summer 2019

Termly News | Issue 34 | Summer 2019

We are Limitless P2

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...

Girl Power

Mary Poppins P3

Pipers Corner School, Great Kingshill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire HP15 6LP

Radio Pre-Prep P4

TELEPHONE 01494 718 255 EMAIL theschool@piperscorner.co.uk VISIT www.piperscorner.co.uk

Speech Day P5

P6

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMISTRESS It is only once the last guest has cleared the Marquee at the end of term, when the magnitude of what the girls have achieved over the year really has time to sink in.

Speech Day gives the girls, their families and Pipers Staff the opportunity to celebrate the achievements and community spirit of this very special School. As Headmistress, I get a birds’ eye view of all that happens throughout the year, and I never cease to be blown away by all that the girls do, not only for themselves but for the good of the wider community.

This year, the girls raised more than £20,000 for 27 different charities, chosen by the girls themselves – a truly staggering sense of

philanthropy. The girls this year have embraced PLAN International’s ‘She is Limitless’ campaign, and moving forward to September the new Upper Sixth will carry on the amazing work of this years’ Prefect Team and will continue to help instil the mind-set that Pipers girls can go on to achieve all they want and more. This was further evidenced by the incredible sense of achievement of the two Young Enterprise Teams Violet & Benji and Bathe, both of whom made the Regional Finals of the Company of the Year Award, with Team Bathe winning the Regional and National

Finals, before representing the UK in the European Finals - more information about which you can find in this edition of Pipers Post.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very restful Summer break and we look forward to welcoming you back in September.

Young Enterprise Company of the Year - National Champions Competing in the Young Enterprise Programme 2019, two teams of talented entrepreneurs demonstrated that they have got what it takes to succeed in the world of business.

The teams were ranked first and second in the Regional Finals with Team Bathe going on to become the National champions, representing the UK in Lille at the European Finals. An incredible achievement considering every year over thirty thousand young people take part in the programme forming around 3,000 student companies across the UK alone.

Young Enterprise is a national charity founded by Sir Walter Salomon in 1962. Their ethos is simple, “to motivate young people to succeed in the changing world of work by equipping them with

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the work skills, knowledge and confidence they need to succeed. We believe that the potential of the UK’s young people is unlimited”.

Team Bathe spread an empowering message derived from inspirational women through its products, whilst choosing plastic-free packaging to aid the recovery of our environment.

Their company values included strength, empowerment and quality - all inspired by Eleanor Roosevelt’s infamous quote ‘A woman is like a tea bag, you never know how strong it is until you put it in hot water’.

Reflecting on their success the girls commented “we are very proud of what we have achieved, it has all taken a great deal of resilience, hard work and dedication. We feel very proud to be Pipers’ girls. The process of Young Enterprise has been an exceptional learning experience and has allowed the teams to develop both business and teamwork skills, whilst teaching us valuable life skills.”

By helping young people beyond education, through programmes like this, we empower a generation to learn, to work and to realise through their potential they can indeed be Limitless.

Girl Power

Battlefields Trip Year 9 students visited key historic sites in Northern France all connected to important turning points in modern world history. They retraced the steps of the soldiers from the British Empire who set out to fight in the Battle of the Somme. They travelled to Normandy to witness the scene of the D-Day landings following the 75th anniversary. The tour ended with trips to Pegasus Bridge, the British landing beaches of Gold and Sword and a personal wreath-laying commemoration at Ranville CWGC.

‘Girls Who Change the World’ is a challenge that was created by IBM, Disney and STEM Learning to inspire girls aged eleven to fourteen, to be a force for change. Entrants were tasked in teams with devising a project that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to change their world for the better.

We were extremely proud to watch a team of our girls go through to the finals in London, to present their project. As a result of their hard work the team were afforded the opportunity to engage with two specialists from IBM using our state-ofthe-art video conferencing facilities, to further develop their ideas.

This has been an incredible opportunity for our girls to work with cutting edge AI techniques, liaise with experts from the world of business and

Exchange Trip Anniversary develop ground-breaking ideas that will change our world for the better.

The underlying aim of the competition has been to inspire girls and young women to pursue studies and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

Our focus on STEM strives to address the current gender imbalances and the general STEM skills shortages which we currently face.

Pipers is built on giving our girls broad and unique opportunities home and abroad. In June, Year 9 and 10 students travelled with the Royal Grammar School for the return leg of the German Exchange to Osnabrück. The exchange celebrates 50 years of this incredible partnership, and to mark the occasion there were many activities including dragon boat racing, a visit from the Mayor of Osnabrück and the Minister for Culture of Lower Saxony.

Carnegie Medal Debate ‘Robin Hoodies’ In the second half of the term there was a hive of activity when over one hundred students representing eight local schools, joined Pipers Corner students to discuss and debate the merits of the eight books shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal 2019.

The Carnegie Medal is a prestigious children’s book award, awarded annually to the writer of an outstanding book for children and young people. The roll-call of past winners includes: Arthur Ransome, C.S. Lewis, Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, Noel Streatfeild, Sally Gardner and Penelope Lively.

This is the eighth year that local Buckinghamshire schools have met to discuss the shortlist and we were delighted to host students from Aylesbury Grammar School, Aylesbury High School, Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School, Beaconsfield High School, St Marys (Gerrards Cross), Glenthorne High School (Surrey), Wycombe Abbey and Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School. The students discussed which book they felt deserved to win and shared what they liked and didn’t like about each title.

Everyone then broke into teams for a general literary quiz before regrouping to cast their votes and predict a winner for 2019.

It was very encouraging to see so much passion for literature, and to listen to the animated and well-constructed debates. The overwhelming winner on the day, with 39 votes was ‘The Poet X’ by Elizabeth Acevado.

It was a fabulous event and everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to immerse themselves in the shortlisted books and challenge their peers’ perspectives.

The Junior Theatre Company delivered a riotus performance of this tale with a twist. What ensued was a side-splitting whirl of entertainment in this feisty fast-paced production.

Ms Bevan shared her thoughts on the show “the girls have displayed great commitment throughout.

This production was a team effort throughout and Annabel D from our Sixth Form, designed and created several lead costumes as part of her A Level practical.”

Fingerprint Art As part of the Prefect Initiative “She is Limitless” the girls devised the concept of a whole school piece of artwork with impressions of every individual girl’s fingerprint. A clever mechanism to involve all the students in something that will live forever in the memory of Pipers Corner.

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Prep Science Week Prep gained invaluable knowledge during Science Week, the highlight for Years 3 and 5 was receiving an exciting visit from a local astronomer.

The whole of the department participated in numerous experiments where they have created static electricity, mapped the journey of their first memory and measured the distance of a sneeze to name but a few!

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins is the first book in a series of children’s stories written by P.L.Travers published in 1934. This magical novel centres on the magical English nanny, who is blown by the East wind to Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, and into the lives of the Banks family to care for their children.

Traditional Tales Day Our Pre-Prep girls enjoyed a fairy tale ‘Traditional Tales’ themed activity morning. The girls thoroughly enjoyed listening to a professional storyteller and following the story of Sophie venturing into the different tales to invite her favourite characters to her birthday party! The activities tested their strategic thinking whilst teamwork saw them build houses made from bricks, sticks and straw.

Visit to the Globe Theatre Our Year 9 had the opportunity to visit the Globe Theatre this term.

They participated in a workshop with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company cast as part of their experience. This proved to be a unique way to genuinely embed their understanding of the Bard’s work.

The girls also took the opportunity whilst in the Big Smoke to enjoy a walking tour of the Southbank taking in The Clink Prison, Winchester Palace and The Golden Hinde.

Special Visit Years 10 and 11 had the unique opportunity to meet with Rick Findler - a freelance war photographer. Rick has a keen interest in conflict photography and his work regularly features in leading publications such as The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal and The Independent.

In 2013 his work covering the Syrian civil war was widely recognised - a fantastic experience for the girls.

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It is normally quite a difficult decision to select the Year 6 production with a wealth of choice, however this time Ms Bevan knew instantly that Mary Poppins was the perfect choice for the girls.

The lively iconic songs and underlying message epitomises what Pipers girls are all about. The beauty of this musical is that it has given the cast not only the opportunity to personally develop some wonderful, colourful characters, but at the same time taught them the unique skill of exceptionally quick costume changes!

The overall teamwork and energetic support the girls effused over the five-day rehearsal period was a true credit to each and every one of them. Their performances shone with confidence, talent and undeniable pride for what they had produced. We have no doubt that the audiences saw that the girls are ‘practically perfect in every way’!

Horatio’s Garden At the end of term, Year 10 students organised a tea party in support of an incredible charity, Horatio‘s Garden. The charity set up to assist those who, due to their injuries, are otherwise unable to spend time outdoors whilst they are being treated during lengthy hospital stays.

During an assembly in conjunction with Horatio‘s Garden, the girls instantly warmed to this worthwhile cause. After visiting the garden they were inspired to raise additional funds for the charity. The students took responsibility for planning, marketing and coordinating every single step of this memorable occasion.

The event itself was based on the theme of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. With magical entertainment, games of croquet, a wonderful themed-tea and all the charm of a traditional garden party. The occasion was incredibly heartfelt and extremely well supported by our families. The girls managed to raise a staggering £1,467.37 for this worthwhile cause which touches the hearts and minds of many local families within our community.

Our Year 6 girls have also supported the charity when they hosted the Prep Captain’s Challenge where parents were treated to two games of ‘Pipers’ Bingo, music, singing and an auction, raising a staggering £2,050!

Diana’s Legacy

Success Story Following successful auditions this term we are proud to announce that Isabelle F, one of our Drama Scholars, has been given a starring role in ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, in the West End. The director of the show is none other than Sir Trevor Nunn and the production is running at The Playhouse Theatre until November 2019.

In December 2018 a group of girls from Pipers visited Aylesbury Vale Academy to be trained on the topic of bullying by volunteers from the Diana Award. The Diana Award was set up in memory of Princess Diana, to continue her legacy of love, compassion and service to others. Above all to commemorate her belief that young people can in fact change the World.

During the course of the day the girls were educated in detail about the effects of bullying and about the role of Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in preventing and reducing this destructive behaviour. Through group activities and exercises the girls understood the power that each individual has to make an impact on someone else’s day. They were taught how to listen to, support and encourage each other to find a voice and speak out.

CSI comes to Pipers Since the training event the Ambassadors have held a number of assemblies and hosted a poster competition to pass on their understanding and to promote their work. As a result we now have established Ambassadors in Years 7 to 12 to support the girls with any friendship issues. We are immensely proud of our resilient young women, who support one another through the highs and lows of adolescence.

Radio Pre-Prep Hits the air waves The Pre-Prep Department were delighted to host their very own radio show recently in partnership with Sam Pinkham, Pipers’ parent and the Early Breakfast Host for Virgin Radio.

The girls listened to him talk about his life as a radio DJ, what that entails and who he gets to meet in his studio. The atmosphere was electric and the girls were brimming with questions, keen to learn about what goes into the production of a radio show and hear more about Sam’s daily adventures.

At the same time Pre-Prep had the opportunity to work as a team, take control of the

microphone and record their own link. This was an invaluable experience providing real insight into what it is like to be the host of one of the largest radio stations in the country. Thank you again to Sam for giving his time and inspiring our enquiring young minds, who knows, we may indeed have some budding future DJs in the making. Pipers will be launching it’s own radio station which will air from January 2020.

The Science department welcomed 24 Year 6 students from Widmer End School, Millbrook School and The Downley School in June for a special science event. The students joined our girls to participate in our annual forensics workshop. They were tasked with solving a murder using state of the art forensic science techniques.

Watch out MI5 here our girls come!

Eco-Stars The Pre-Prep Department are delighted to have been awarded the Silver Eco-Schools accolade this term.

This award reflects their ongoing efforts and we look forward to seeing even more progress on their journey towards the Green Flag status! The Pre-Prep Eco Club have also been busy putting forward their money and water saving idea to the Headmistress and the Bursar. The girls have been given the go ahead to install guttering and a water butt around the play shed.

Environmental Warriors The Prep Drama Club cleverly explored two current themes in their production of ‘Save Our Planet’; caring for our environment and showing respect for different cultures. Messages about recycling and reducing global emissions were gently worked into this fun and engaging storyline. Given that the club meets once a week, to produce and deliver this innovative production in such a short space of time is an admirable feat. Save Our Planet serves as a wonderful reminder that theatre is a great vehicle to educate and inspire both the cast and the audience that it touches.

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Speech Day Spectacular As is customary at Pipers Corner, the Summer Term ended with the Speech Day celebrating the many achievements of the girls throughout the Year.

Pipers Girls perform to over 6,250 guests each year We were treated to the busiest term of School performances with seven different plays including; Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies (Junior Theatre Company), Alice in Wonderland (Year 7), Matilda (Year 5), the Ugly Duckling (Year 3), Little Red Riding Hood (Year 4) and Mary Poppins Junior (Year 6). For images of many of the performances please visit our Flickr site.

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The Leavers’ Service for girls in Years 11 to Upper Sixth took place in the Chapel Marquee overlooking the Wild Flower Meadow and the Chiltern Hills. The Upper Sixth Leavers’ then had their Luncheon out on the Terrace fittingly bathed in glorious Sunshine. Speech Day concluded the formal events of the day in the Main Marquee. If you would like to see some of the photos taken on the day, please visit our Flickr site.

Parent Partnership Programme 2019 EVENTS - 2019 - 2020 Mind and the Brain • Tuesday 17 September 2019 | 1645 hours | All Parents welcome Resilience • Tuesday 1 October 2019 | 1900 hours | Aimed at Pre-Prep, Prep and Lower School Parents Digital Well-Being • Tuesday 15 October 2019 | 1930 hours | All Parents welcome Positive Body Image • Tuesday 3 December 2019 | 1930 hours | All Parents welcome Solutions to Stress and Anger • Monday 10 February 2020 | 1930 hours | All Parents welcome The Problem with Potential • Thursday 23 April 2020 | 1930 hours | All Parents welcome

Making Safer Choices

Year 8 Visit to Hatfield House

Art Exhibition

Just after the Easter break, the cast of the Senior Theatre Company delivered an inspiring production of “I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die” The girls delivered the play with genuine heartfelt emotion and it was an incredibly moving experience to witness. The cast were also incredibly humbled when Daniel’s mother came to talk to them during the rehearsals.

The girls had a fascinating insight into the Royals during their visit to Hatfield House. Little did the girls realise they would have the chance to meet Henry VIII. Not only that, but also some of his unfortunate wives made appearances to give a flavour into what life was like in the Jacobean Manor which was childhood home for Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth I.

We were treated a very special art exhibition this Term, where the work of the girls in Pre-Prep right through to incredible work of the A Level candidates was showcased throughout the School. Mr Webber, Mrs Tebb and Dr Bower were understandably so proud to show off the work of these very talented young ladies.

Sports News

National Athletics Success

Sports Day 2019

After incredible performance throughout the season the following girls achieved the following positions at the Nationals, ranking them in the country’s elite - Lottie T 10th in Hurdles. Ellie B 4th in the country in Discus. Lauren F 6th in shot and 5th in discus! Well done to all the girls.

The highlight of the Summer sports calendar has indeed been our annual Sports Day. For the Junior event (Reception - Year 4) the day opened with a Year 3 and 4 600m race followed by the Year 1 and 2 300m race. The girls then worked their way round a rotation of activities which included sprints, long jump, throws and other fun novelty events. The morning finished with a mixed year group relay. The girls were high in spirits, resulting in nine school records being broken!

The final scores were: First | Penn Second | Milton Third | Hampden Fourth | Mandeville

In the afternoon the Year 5 to Sixth Form girls opened the Senior School event with a parade awash with House Colours. The girls all competed fiercely in a variety of events and numerous records were broken. Special mentions go to Ria P and Martha G who won the Victrix Ludorum trophies and to Milton House who were the overall winners.

A truly remarkable end to a year of sporting glory here at Pipers Corner. If you would like to view a selection of the photos taken on the day, please visit our Flickr site.

A year of Achievements

Swimming Superstars A team of four Years 5 and 6 girls attended the ESSA Primary Schools Relay Swimming Championships in Watford where they had qualified to represent Bucks in the South East Final.

The squad of Ruby W, Caitlin V, Lauren F and Elena B had trained intensely and managed to knock eight seconds off their personal best time in the heats.

They also qualified for the Final where they swam their hearts out.

In recent years the profile of sport at Pipers Corner has gone from strength to strength and as such we now celebrate and give formal recognition to the girls’ outstanding successes with our Sports Awards split into two sections, a Prep Ceremony and a Senior School Ceremony.

Cross Country

The two events serve to highlight and promote the important role that sport and physical activity plays in our everyday lives with awards presented for Coach’s Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, Colours and the Sports Girl and Team of the Year.

Isobel F competed at the National Cross Country competition, displaying incredible determination moving up 100 places with a strong final sprint to finish in 66th position out of a field of 337 runners, what an absolutely terrific performance.

As a wonderful addition at the Senior Awards we were delighted to welcome guest speaker Jo Ellis, who has been a member of the England and Great Britain Women’s Field Hockey teams since 2006. During her career, she was part of the England team which won bronze at both the European Championships in Manchester and the Champions Challenge in Baku. Jo played for Great Britain in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her domestic titles come from her time playing for premier league teams Bowden and Reading Hockey Club. She has also played for England Masters and is now the Head Coach at Reading Hockey Club.

Jo talked to the girls about the importance of resilience, determination and commitment in whatever field you strive to achieve in.

She values team spirit highly and sees those she coaches go from strength to strength if they work hard to unlock their potential and firmly believe they have no limits. This really resonated with our ‘Limitless’ theme this term.

Bucks School County Games Triathlon Our Year 7 and 8 girls beat all 15 other schools to win the competition and the Years 9 and 10 team coming second in a field of ten schools. The girls swam continuously for 15 minutes, biked for 18 minutes and then ran for a further 15 minutes in a relay format.

Well done to all the teams.

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WHO’S WHO

Name: Rani Tandon Position: Deputy Head Pastoral Brief description of your role within Pipers Corner As Deputy Head Pastoral I have the honour of being responsible for the pastoral care of all the girls in the school. Our aim at Pipers Corner is to ensure the girls have the strength and resilience to withstand the pressures of modern life and it is my responsibility to oversee the staff and systems that allow us to do this. The well-being of all our pupils is a priority and we empower them to leave us as grounded young women.

What did you do before you joined the School?

I have taught since leaving university and initially was a teacher of History and Politics. I have worked in two schools prior to Pipers Corner and had many roles such as Head of Year and Head of PSHE. I was most recently the Deputy Head Pastoral at a girls boarding school in Oxfordshire.

What excites you about the job that you do?

After 29 years of teaching I am yet to be bored and my vocation has brought me huge joy and fulfilment. There is nothing better than truly connecting with a pupil be it in the classroom or out of it and knowing that in some way you have helped them be ready for the next step, whatever that might be. It is a genuine privilege to have the trust of the students and their parents and there really is virtually nothing about my job that does not excite me. I even like writing policies!

What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?

I am the mother of two teenage boys and have a much loved dog, Misty, who keep me busy. I enjoy volunteering which I do on a regular basis for the National Trust and I am also involved in fundraising and organising a local village event.

I support a South African charity and various

News from the PPTA

other organisations on an ad hoc basis. When I have time I enjoy walking, dance classes and I am fairly addicted to watching live music, reading and cookery remain my passions since childhood.

Who would you say has inspired you most in life?

I just can’t choose one inspiration as life is not that simple, but my history teacher who helped me fall in love with learning and the past, made me believe I had something to offer. My mum is a strong figure as she just never gives up and her manta “you’ve got to laugh or else you cry” has guided me through life. In terms of teaching it was the Second Master at my first school who taught me to be myself in the classroom and not try to be anyone else and finally a dear friend who has believed me in unequivocally since I walked into her office 14 years ago for a house mistress job. She taught me I could do things I never believed I could.

Finally, the best thing about working at Pipers Corner is…

The joy of being with the girls and sharing their journey.

Key dates for your diary Autumn Term 2019

We were absolutely delighted to welcome almost 250 members of the Pipers community to our Galaxy Ball in late June.

We look forward to welcoming all parents to the MacMillan Coffee Morning on 27 September 2019.

Everyone was in high spirits to match the soaring temperatures, possibly our warmest ball yet!

An evening of good food, good wine and dancing till late. Thank you again for the amazing generosity of all those who attended the event, donated lots for the auction and gave their time to help organise the ball. The function raised a stunning £16,000 for Brain Tumour Research, the PPTA nominated charity this year.

Should you wish to help support next year’s event or get involved with the valuable work of the PPTA we would be delighted to hear from you at ppta@piperscorner.co.uk

HAVE YOUR SAY

Guy Ranford, Director of Admissions and Marketing TELEPHONE 01494 719866 @PipersCornerSCH EMAIL granford@piperscorner.co.uk www.facebook.com VISIT www.piperscorner.co.uk /PipersCornerSchool

We would love to hear your thoughts on Pipers Post. If you have any comments or suggestions then please contact us.

Term begins Thursday 5 September Open Morning Saturday 5 October Half-term begins Friday 18 October Half-term ends Monday 4 November Christmas Fair Saturday 30 November Term ends Friday 13 December

Goodbye & Good Luck!

Hello & Welcome!

Mrs Sarah Gazeley | School Office Manager Mrs Laura Crosse | Head of Business Studies Ms Francisca De Gea Garcia | Spanish Language Assistant Mrs Deborah Carter | Teacher of Sociology Mrs Althea Summers | Teacher – Prep Department Mr Steven Matthews | Head of Physics Ms Rosie Bailey | School Nurse Mrs Nikki McHugh | School Nurse Mrs Audra Byerley | Teacher of Science and Maths Miss Rebecca Odlin | Acting Head of PE Mrs Anna Orr | Head of Food and Nutrition Mrs Denise Bevan | Head of Careers Miss Hannah Varker | Production Assistant Dr Annie Bower | Acting Head of DT

Mr Chris Coles | Resident Site Security Manager Mrs Nicki Hartley | Head of PE Mr Ben Barnett | Head of DT Mr Jake Spargo | Teacher – Prep Department Miss Abigail Jones | Head of Business Studies Mrs Genevieve Swart | Part Time Teacher of Spanish Mr Paul Hand | Head of Science Miss Jen Daniel | Head of Food and Nutrition Mrs Becky Pettingell | School Nurse Ms Katia Grobecker | School Nurse Mrs Janet Allen | Teacher of Science Mrs Helga Armstrong | Head of Careers Miss Katie Spencer | Drama Assistant Mrs Rachel Davies | ICT Technician Miss Gemma Bingham | Music Department Assistant Mrs Emily Harris | Assistant Registrar Miss Elspeth Wilson | Teacher of Dance