Trinity Term 2016 End of Term Newsletter

END OF TERM NEWSLETTER TRINITY TERM 2016

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS MICHAELMAS TERM 2016

Tuesday 6th September International boarders arrive—lunch and tours Year 7 Induction Boarders Return Wednesday 7th September Term starts Extra Curricular Fair Thursday 8th September Whole School Focus Day Beginning of Year Celebration Friday 9th September Coping With GCSEs—Year 10 Information Evening Saturday 10th September Year 7 to London Zoo Tuesday 13th September School Photographs Duke of Edinburgh Launch Evening Thursday 15th September Year 11 to Pride and Prejudice Friday 16th September Year 11 GCSE Information Evening Tuesday 20th September Year 11 Geography Field Trip Wednesday 21st September Year 10 Textile to Kew Gardens STEAM lecture—Leon Campbell, Life beyond the Camera Thursday 22nd September Year 12 Politics to Houses of Parliament Monday 26th September Year 7 to Woodrow Tuesday 27th September Year 12—Into the Sixth Form information evening Wednesday 28th September European Day of Languages—Year 8 Thursday 29th September Year 11 Art to Royal Academy/Tate Britain Saturday 1st October FORMS Barn Dance Monday 3rd October Harvest Festival

Sunday 9th October Whole School Open Day (compulsory attendance for all girls) Monday 10th—Friday 14th October National Biology Week Friday 14th October Year 11 to The Merchant of Venice Saturday 15th October Sixth Form Preview (RMS and non-RMS) Tuesday 18th October Evening Drill Performance Friday 21st October Senior School Prize Day and Drill Performance Half Term Friday 4th November FORMS Fireworks Scientists to Brian Cox at Watford Colosseum Saturday 12th November A Level Certificate Presentation Evening Sunday 13th November Remembrance Service and Drill Performance Tuesday 15th November Year 8 Enterprise Day Friday 18th November Sixth Form to Disneyland Paris Exeat Weekend Tuesday 22nd/Wednesday 23rd November Year 7 Meet the Tutors Evening Wednesday 30th November Year 7 to Matilda Thursday 1st December Year 12 At Home Saturday 3rd December FORMS Christmas Fair Wednesday 7th December Science Evening Friday 9th December Christmas Concert Wednesday 14th December Carol Concert Thursday 15th December End of Term (2.20pm Senior School)

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SPORTS REPORTS TRINITY TERM 2016

ATHLETICS As captain of the athletics team this year I am delighted to say that both the junior and intermediate girls teams have performed extremely well.

We have competed in a district tournament and the schools county league. After six rounds and as of today the junior girls are placed 2nd and the intermediate girls are placed 3rd and both teams are due to compete in the league cup final. The junior girls also qualified for the track and field cup regional ‘A’ final and the intermediate girls have qualified for the ‘B’ final.

We have had a fabulous team this year and even though many of the girls only get to practise during the summer months at school they have performed outstandingly well.

Many of the girls have achieved PBs this year, some in events they have only just begun competing in.

Some of the girls competed in the Hertfordshire County championships competition, and yet again performed brilliantly. 

Zuriel O won the long jump and was second in the 100m

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Freya W won the hurdles and javelin

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Nia M-J was second in the 200m and was third in the 100m

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Grace I was 3rd in the 1500m with a new PB and a school record

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Jane W was 3rd in the 800m with a new PB

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SPORTS REPORTS TRINITY TERM 2016

We entered the Hertfordshire Schools Combined Events in may finishing well in both age groups. Nikki G in Year 11 and I placed 3rd and 4th to qualify for the regional final. We competed in the Herts team which finished 2nd in the South East region, a great achievement. Nikki and I finished 13th and 5th respectively and I have been selected for the national final which will take place in Exeter in September.

The cup final will be my last league match as I move up to Year 11 but I have no doubt whatever the outcome we will do ourselves and RMS proud.

Finally I would like to thank Mrs Spendiff and the rest of the sports department for their amazing support this year and would like to ensure they know that without their coaching and encouragement throughout the season none of these achievements would be possible.

Talia M-K Athletics Captain

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SPORTS REPORTS Continued TRINITY TERM 2016

Tennis Overall, this season’s RMS tennis players have performed to high standards.

Although Year 7 players are newcomers to the senior tennis teams they have made a great start to the year and have made it through to the team tennis finals.

Year 8 have continued their success from last year winning lots of matches while enjoying the competitive tennis experience.

Year 9 show encouraging skill for following years, also going through to the finals of the team tennis competition. They have had some difficult matches but have still done exceedingly well, beating Berkhamsted after a tense tie-break.

This was Year 10’s final year of being able to participate in the tennis team and we are very sad about leaving. Our organisation hasn’t been the best but somehow we made it work beating Haileybury one player down, 6-0! We have such a great experience and even if we haven't won all of our matches we’ve still managed to come away smiling.

On behalf of the whole team I would like to thank all the tennis teachers for helping us through this fantastic term! I hope that the years to come will be even more successful and I wish all the teams the best of luck Ellie R

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OTHER SPORTS NEWS

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Congratulations to the Cricket team which won the Three Rivers Sports Partnership competition

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Swimming Team who placed were placed 2nd and 3rd (freestyle and medley relays in the ESSA Nationals

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Gymnastics successes at Acro and Next Steps competitions

In the Three Rivers and Watford Sports Partnership Annual Awards, RMS received the following honours: 

The Junior swim team came 3rd and the Under 13 gymnastics team came 2nd in the KS3-5 Team of the Year award.

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Issie S was awarded a Young Sportsman Award.

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Alexandra B came second in the Young official of the year award.

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Emily R received a Key Stage 2 Outstanding Achievement Award.

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Ceara B came 3rd in the Key Stage 3-5 Exceptional Performer of the Year.

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Charlotte H was nominated for the Outstanding Leader of the Year award.

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Scarlett H was nominated for a Key Stage 3-5 Outstanding Achievement Award.

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SPORTS TEAM TRIAL DATES Michaelmas Term 2016

Trial

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Seniors

Netball

Wednesday Thursday 15th 7th September September (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm)

Tuesday 13th Thursday 8th Thursday 15th Thursday 15th September September September September (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm)

Hockey

Tuesday 13th September (4.15-5.30p,)

Wednesday 7th Thursday 8th Monday 12th Already September September September completed (4.00-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm)

Gym

Monday 12th September (4.00-5.30pm)

Monday 12th September (4.00-5.30pm)

Swim

Tuesday 13th September (4.15-5.30pm)

Friday 9th Sep- Friday 9th Friday 9th Friday 9th Friday 9th tember (4.15September September September September 5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm) (4.15-5.30pm)

Already completed

Monday 12th Monday 12th Monday 12th Monday 12th September September September September (4.00-5.30pm) (4.00-5.30pm) (4.00-5.30pm) (4.00-5.30pm)

Reminder re Summer Team Sports Photographs If you would like to order copies of any of the school team photos please follow the link below: Website: www.photosceneuk.com Photo Tag: NHFXA96E

Opro Mouthguard Fitting Please see the attached letter regarding dates for fitting of Opro mouthguards for hockey lessons from September.

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SCHOOL NEWS RMS hosts United Kingdom Mathematical Trust (UKMT) Mathematical Circle On 23rd and 24th June RMS hosted a UKMT Mathematical Circle which provided two days of Mathematical Master classes for 20 visiting Year 10 students and three of our own students.

The students experienced classes about such varied topics as Proof in Geometry, Code Breaking, Number Patterns (including dancing factorisations), Combinatorics, Networks, Similarity leading to Relativity, and a final Problem Solving Relay. A further session was titled ‘How to Drill Square Holes’ and resulted in students creating some oddly shaped wheels using curves of constant width. The Code breaking session was presented by Miss Cassidy.

The other sessions were provided by UKMT volunteers who are either teaching in school or university (or have now retired); some excellent role models for the students to work with.

One of our students said that she appreciated “the chance to participate in a demanding but very enjoyable maths circle, which not only introduced us to maths outside the classroom but also allowed us to get to know keen mathematicians from other schools”.

Thank you to Mrs Cubbon and the Mathematics Department for organising the day.

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SCIENCE CREST AWARDS This year in our Key Stage 3 Science Club, we offered the opportunity for the girls to work towards awards in the Crest Award Scheme for the first time.

To achieve their Bronze award, the girls chose a project title, researched it, carried out experiments, and concluded and evaluated their results. Their project took them approximately 10 hours work. The projects were on a broad range of topics, including fingerprinting, bath bombs, antacids, energy content of food, washing hair and the material used to make swimming costumes.

To achieve a Silver award, the girls researched a scientific question, and then designed and completed a project that took around 30 hours. The Silver awards were marked externally by the Crest Project organisers.

So far fifteen Year 7 and 8 students achieved their Crest Bronze Award, one Year 9 student achieved her Crest Silver Award, and there are still a few girls still working towards completing their projects.

Congratulations to all that took part.

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RMS Old Girl Visit

It was a delight to welcome back to RMS Old Girl Meghann Whattam who left school last year to study Mechanical Engineering at Oxford Brookes University.

As part of her degree and as a member of the Oxford Brookes Racing team (https://obr.brookes.ac.uk), Meghann has been part of team that has built a fully functioning racing car.

Meghann told Year 12 about the lengthy and complex construction process of her project, and how she eventually went on to compete in various Formula One racing events across Europe. It was amazing and inspirational to learn of the vast accomplishments that Meghann has achieved after just one year at university.

Some of us were even lucky enough to get the chance to sit in her racing car..‌.including Mrs Freeman and Mrs Rose! I think we know what Mrs Rose may want as her retirement present now‌.!

It was evident Meghann has loved every minute of her project and her huge achievement has certainly inspired the Sixth Form to grab every opportunity when we head off to university next year.

Fenella W-H and Emily B, Year 12

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Sixth Form Residential Course University of Oxford In June, I took part in a Headstart Material Science Course at Oxford University.

Headstart organises residential university courses across the country for STEM-related subjects and degrees, as part of the Engineering Development Trust. I have always been interested in Maths and Science, but as I started thinking of University, I didn’t know which courses to look at as potential degrees. I applied for various courses to get an idea of the different degrees on offer and Material Science caught my attention.

I stayed for five days in Mansfield College, Oxford, with the 30 other students taking part in this course. The timetable was jam-packed with lectures, lab work, industrial visits and university sight-seeing. The lectures covered a wide range of topics and gave me an insight into the teaching at University, which is quite different from school lessons. I particularly loved the practical work, as we did various undergraduate experiment and used a lot of exciting new apparatus. I liked how the work we did in lectures and in the lab extended further from A Level as it challenged us all and improved problem solving skills and the application of our knowledge to real life situations.

One day, we visited the JET Nuclear Fusion Facility in Culham, which definitely showed me a practical application to the Physics and Chemistry learnt in the classroom. It was a brilliant opportunity to meet engineers and scientists who were in my position and are now working in an exciting and quickly developing industry.

As well as academic work, we had time to visit colleges and departments of the University. This allowed me to get a full insight into life at Oxford, and I could get more information to help me in my university choices. After finishing this course, I know that I want to apply to Oxford University and I would like to study Physics or Material Science. This shows how helpful and enjoyable the course was, and how it gave me such a good impression of the course and the University.

It was an excellent experience, and I would definitely recommend a Headstart course, or any university course. If there is anyone who is not completely sure about the exact degree they want to do, it is a brilliant way to gain more information whilst staying in university accommodation, making friends and enjoying the activities on offer.

Serena C Year 12

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WORK EXPERIENCE Beth, Year 11, spent week’s work experience placement at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, working on her Great Grandfather’s aircraft.

She has worked alongside the museum’s Technicians and Apprentices, helping to restore the wing box section with seat from the Handley Page Hampden P1344. This particular section of the aircraft has close family links and was the seat where her Great Grandfather, George Shepherd, sat on the Hampden’s final flight on 4 September 1942.

George Shepherd (4th from left in front of a Hampden) was a Corporal Engine Fitter on 144 Squadron Royal Air Force and serviced the Hampden currently being restored at the museum.

As a Technician, he rarely had the opportunity to fly in the aircraft he serviced, but the lack of Ground Crew in Russia meant there was a need for each aircraft to carry a technician as fifth crew member.

George ended up flying on his aircraft, P1344, which turned out to be the aircraft’s final flight.

Hampden’s were required to provide aerial protection for Arctic Convoy’s and to meet this demand, 16 aircraft from 144 Sqn and 16 from 455 Sqn RAF flew out to Vaenga, northern Russia. After departing from Sumburgh, Shetland Islands on the evening of 4 September 1942, the museum’s Hampden example, with George aboard, suffered with icing problems and diverted slightly north to find lower ground, avoiding the mountains. This action took the aircraft directly above a Luftwaffe base at Petsamo in northern Norway and was subsequently hit by ground fire from anti-aircraft battery, followed by attacks from two Messerschmitt 109 fighters who helped bring it down.

WORK EXPERIENCE Cont’d

This air battle resulted in Flight Sergeant Miller and Sergeant’s Robertson and Garrity’s loss of life, and whilst Pilot Officer Perry and George both survived the crash landing; Perry was badly injured. George covered him in cloth to help keep him warm before going on the run for over 30 hours, eventually being captured. He spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft V111b and was involved in the long marches, where he walked over 500 miles in 52 days in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius. Eventually liberated by the US Army, George returned to the UK and was demobed at RAF Cosford, just a stone’s throw away from the museum where his aircraft now lives.

Six decades later, Beth visited the RAF Museum Cosford with her parents and Great Grandfather to view the Hampden. She was studying the Second World War at school and George surprised the whole family when he wrote notes to help with her project, detailing what happened during his flight in the Hampden back in 1942, something he had kept from the family for over 60 years.

Almost a decade after first viewing the Hampden and with an interest in aviation and engine mechanics, Beth was on the lookout for a hands-on, engineering work placement and the RAF Museum Cosford was her number one choice. Beth has now spent five days in the museum’s Conservation Centre, temporarily part of the team, helping to restore the aircraft to its former glory.

Beth said: “There is a huge respect within the family for my Great Grandfather about everything he went through. Seeing the aircraft being restored to its former glory and playing even just a small part of that is a huge honour. My Great Granddad didn’t really speak about his experiences in the RAF, but I remember how emotional he got when he was reunited with his Hampden and it was after this that we could appreciate what he went through.”

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WORK EXPERIENCE Cont’d

Beth has been put to work in a variety of roles during her placement, including helping with aircraft moves, the removal of aircraft wheels from the Catalina as well as bench work learning how to work with various metals.

RAF Museum Conservation Centre Manager, Darren Priday said: “I first met Beth aged 9, when she visited the project with George and other family members.

Last year Beth approached me about attending work experience with us as she is interested in completing an aeronautical degree. How could we refuse such a request with her connections to our Hampden.

Hopefully after spending time with us she will have a better understanding of the aviation industry; she will always be welcome back.”

The Hampden is one of the museum’s longest running conservation projects, which has progressed considerably over the last year. As one of only three examples of the type remaining, the significance of this project is huge and is being led by one of the museum’s skilled Aircraft Technicians. This work includes manufacturing a forward fuselage (above the lower longeron) hand built and where possible, incorporating existing fixtures and fittings from the original cockpit. Another major component manufactured on site has been the aircraft’s tailplane which now has an operational flying control system (elevator and rudder) and the surfaces have been covered in Irish Linen and sprayed into Bomber Command green/brown camouflage pattern. The rear fuselage external structure is close to being finished with just a few small tasks to be completed on the bomb bay sidewalls. Internally, the wooden floor is being fitted; once installed this will allow for further rebuilds to be progressed.

(Credit: RAF Cosford)

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BOARDING NEWS Some of you may wonder what our boarders get up to once day girls have left on a Friday— there is never a dull moment in the boarding houses at weekends! This term they have camped out under the stars, visited the Bird of Prey Centre Legoland and the London Docklands, and eve celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday with our very own beacon..

Destination LEGOLAND! Boarders had a wonderful day at LEGOLAND Windsor recently, despite a mighty soaking on the very first ride, everyone remained in good spirits throughout the day and enjoyed lots of the attractions and rides on offer. Thankfully the weather was good as many of the rides involved further drenchings and by the end of the day we had even acquired 3 giant doughnut cushions.

Despite a full day there were still lots of things which we didn't see and so everyone is definitely up for a return visit!

Boarders become Eastenders!

Boarders had the opportunity to experience life in the London Docklands throughout History on their recent visit to The Museum of London Docklands. There were some fascinating exhibits and girls especially enjoyed the chance to spend time in a wartime "air raid shelter", playing cards and dominoes as they waited for the 'all clear' to sound. Afterwards we visited the lovely (and hidden) tropical oasis of the Crossrail roof garden, wandering the pathways and brushing up on our plant identification and photography skills. The girls each took on the role of 'Trip photographer and these images are their own work.

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BOARDING NEWS Queen’s Birthday Beacon On April 21st 2016, Queen Elizabeth II turned 90.

This was celebrated throughout the UK by the lighting of beacons, and rere at RMS we lit our own beacon to join in with the celebrations and show respect to the Queen. All the boarding houses with girls from aged 8-18 joined together at Zetland house for supper before heading down to watch the lighting of the beacon. After happy birthday had been sung everybody soaked up the celebratory atmosphere and warmed themselves by the burning beacon. It was a great opportunity for the girls in different houses to integrate with one and other, particularly at such a special event. We are all aware that this event would not have been possible without the help of the grounds men and catering department. This event was greatly enjoyed by all and made to feel like a true celebration by the fireworks going off near the school. As the night came to an end it was very special to watch the last few sparks of the beacon burn out.

Boarders’ Camp-out One of the highlights of the boarding year was out campout at the end of term—even the weather was kind, and we all thoroughly enjoyed toasting marshmallows over the campfire and of course the obligatory sing song!

You can see lots more of our photos here

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Art, Textiles, Photography & DT Exhibitions

Yet again the standard of work on display in the GCSE, AS and A Level Art, Textiles, Photography and Design Technology exhibitions was exceptionally high! There are galleries of all the work available to view online, but here are just some of the highlights! Well done to all the students whose work formed part of the exhibitions, and to the staff for setting them up!

View the full Design and Technology Gallery here

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Art, Textiles, Photography & DT Exhibitions

View the full Art and Textiles Exhibition here

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Art, Textiles, Photography & DT Exhibitions

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Art, Textiles, Photography & DT Exhibitions

View the full Photography Exhibition here

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SCHOOL TRIPS It has been another busy term at RMS, with lots of residential and day trips, work experience, sporting successes - and the small matter of exams! Lots of stories have been published on the website throughout the term, but here is a chance to read some of our highlights in one place!

History Trip to Vietnam—Easter 2016 At the start of the Easter holidays we ventured on a dream trip to Vietnam. Here, we were to learn about the culture and history of this fascinating country. Our journey started in Saigon, where we enjoyed many of the sights. But of course one cannot visit Vietnam without exploring its troubled past, and this we did with a visit to Cu Chi, where we scrambled through the Viet Cong tunnels. We then headed to the Mekong Delta to explore some of the more rural parts of the country. It truly was a "trip of a lifetime" ..

Landing in Saigon and we were hit with a wave of heat. The city is busy and bustling and certainly a bit of a culture shock. Our first day was full of sight-seeing led by our enigmatic tour guide, Yee. We visited the Reunification Palace, which was grand and one of the few very modern buildings in Saigon. We saw some of the beautiful French colonial building, including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the central post office which was designed Gustav Eiffel before he made the Eiffel Tower. We visited many temples in the city one the most astonishing being the Emperor Jade Pagoda. It was built by the Cantonese community around the turn of the 20th century and is still buzzing with worshippers, many lounging in the front gardens. It is one of the most attractive pagodas in the city. Dedicated to various Chinese-Vietnamese divinities, in a mixture of Taoist and Buddhist styles, the pagoda houses numerous statues and delicate woodcarvings with intricate tiles on the roof.

SCHOOL TRIPS

We visited Vietnam's first traditional medicine museum, the FITO Museum which displays an amazing collection of 3,000 items relevant to the development of traditional Vietnamese medicine. Implements used to prepare indigenous herbs, objects commonly found in traditional pharmacies as well as ancient books and documents on traditional Vietnamese medicine can be seen in the galleries. We all stocked up on special herbal teas here that are meant to make us all look youthful and live forever… or so we hope anyway!

The War One of our main reasons for visiting Vietnam was to learn more about the impact of the war between the Vietnamese Communists and the Americans, fought in the 1960s. The Americans did not want the political system of Communism to take over the whole of the country and sent soldiers there to try and stop the Viet –Cong, who were the Vietnamese Communists, from taking over. This was a bloody and catastrophic war for the country as the American forces dropped thousands of litres of chemicals on Vietnam in an attempt to destroy the jungle there, in order to be able to bomb it more effectively. We visited the War Remnants Museum which contained horrific images and stories of the war, and included a real guillotine, a simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed foetuses blamed on the chemical Agent Orange. The Viet Cong were known for digging deep tunnels all across South Vietnam during the war and we experienced these when we visited Cu Chi. Here tunnels have been preserved and you can go down them and see what it was like for fighters in the Viet Cong. There was barely any room at all, it was hot and dark. We also could climb in some of the holes that the Vietcong would have climbed through. Unfortunately for Mr Grogan his department didn’t want to let him out of the hole! We all felt very brave as we emerged from the tunnel unscathed and feeling like we’d done some hard work! Mr Broome and Mr Grogan particularly enjoyed themselves as they were allowed to go and fire some real life guns on the shooting range.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

We had an afternoon at leisure when we visited Saigon Zoo where we saw a whole range of animals from elephants to giraffes to lions. Many of us spent some time of the fairground rides and let some steam off on the dodgems! We followed this up with a trip to a water puppet show which had to be seen to be believed. This was typical example of Vietnamese culture and a real treat to see.

The Mekong Delta After spending time in Saigon city we transferred down to the south to explore the more rural parts of the country. We took a boat ride down the Mekong River, taking a glimpse at the Delta scenery, houses built on stilts and local fish farms along the way. We cruised among the islands named Dragon, Unicorn, Turtle and Phoenix Islands. We then stopped off at a honey farm where we tasted freshly produced honey and peanut crackling. Round the back of the farm we were greeted with a surprise guest- a rather large carpet python who we were given the chance to hold. Mr Broome was straight in there for a hold, whilst some of us stayed well back! We then enjoyed a gentle bike ride on some vintage Vietnamese bikes through a tropical orchard garden. Saskia took a trip on the back of a moped and rode along next to us! We then ate fruit and enjoyed some traditional Vietnamese music before our boat ride back.

Shopping Our tour guide Yee was a fun character who spent a lot of his time teaching us some words and songs in Vietnamese. By the end of the first day we were all singing along to Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh! very loudly, particularly Minty! Yee also treated us to a song he wrote called Honey I love you where he sang to us about his girlfriend leaving him all alone. No RMS trip would be complete without a bit of shopping. We visited several large markets in the city and soon got to grips with bartering for the produce we wanted to buy. We filled our bags with Vietnamese traditional hats, t-shirts, magnets, baggy trousers and plenty of gifts to bring home.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

Our final night was spent in a luxury hotel in the centre of Saigon which gave us the chance for some relaxation around the rooftop pool. This also meant that quite a few of us went home with some very questionable tan lines and burnt bits! We rounded off our trip with a mocktail on the roof of our hotel as we watched the sun go down. This was followed by a night of karaoke, which we have promised we will never mention again…..

Food!

We ate so many new foods in Vietnam. Every night we dined at a different restaurant, leading up to our final day when we dined in a restaurant that is in the top 100 restaurants in the entire world. One night we ate on a cruise liner as we sailed down the Mekong River and experienced traditional Vietnamese dancing. We did dare each other to eat some strange and wonderful foods in our evening game of food roulette, but no-one dared try the baby chick that had been boiled alive in its shell!

Experience of a lifetime Our trip to Vietnam was an unforgettable experience. We have learnt so much about the culture of the country and taken ourselves out of our comfort zones. Every day was jam-packed with culture and it was great to experience this with all of our friends. Our tans may have faded but our stories and memories will last for many years to come- much longer in fact than Miss Simmonite’s handbag from Ben Thanh market…

Thank you to the staff who accompanied us for making this such an unforgettable trip!

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SCHOOL TRIPS

French Trip to the Opal Coast—Easter 2016 After an early start from School, we arrived in France and went straight to a ‘boulangerie’, where we split into two groups (the second group looked a bit nervous, for a man with a big, heavy stick led them to learn about criossant-making). Meanwhile, the first group was taken to see how to make bread by hand. As a thank you for coming, each girl received a pain au chocolat or a croissant to take back to the hotel.

The following morning we ate traditional French croissants for breakfast and packed our lunches. We then went to the coach and set off for Montreuil-Sur-Mer where we split into two different groups. Whilst one toured the town, filling in our booklets as we did so, the other did a language workshop, which was fun, as we created role plays in French.

Once everyone had eaten their lunch we played Chinese Whispers, Miss Lavelle would say a short sentence in French and we’d see what it translated to by the end it reached the line.

It was really funny to see what people said at the end.

Afterwards we got on our coach and drove to the goat farm.

The goats were really cute and one even jumped up on the bars of the pen. We then got to hold the goats and bunnies!

After we watched the process of cheese being made, we were shown a week old, a month old and 6 months old matured cheese.

Later we went to have dinner and afterwards made crepes.

After we had all made crepes we had a quiz on French TV and foreign languages, then all went to bed after a busy day.

Thursday was the day we had all been looking forward to — we were going to the chocolate factory! And we were scheduled for a trip around Boulogne, which included shopping. After a breakfast of cereal, we made our lunch and our beds and climbed aboard the bus.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

“Alright girls!” Madame Roberts began. “There has been a slight change of plan. The chocolate factory is closed.” There was some discontented murmuring among the students until Madame Roberts laughed and admitted she was joking. When we arrived at the chocolate factory we were met by the owner and taken to a room where there were literally waterfalls of melted chocolate. It smelled delicious and the small sample we were given tasted even better.

After hearing about the chocolate making process and buying a little chocolate, we proceeded to the aquarium. We split into four groups and began to explore. We saw turtles, sharks, seals and even a crocodile or two. We ate our lunch and got back on the bus.

On Friday we all packed our bags in the morning. We then went down to breakfast where we ate croissants and packed our lunches for the last time. Then we got on our coach and headed off to Calais. There we filled in a sheet about the town. After eating lunch we were given spare time to have fun with friends.

My friends and I looked around the town and bought the last of our gifts for families. Kitty and I shared a giant candy floss and we all tried a Diablo menthe. It was disgusting!

After we had gone round the town we reluctantly got on the coach and headed to the ferry. We then sailed back to England where we got back on our coach and headed back to school. we really enjoyed our trip to France and would like to thank Mrs Roberts for organising it, and all the staff who came with us.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

Year 9 History Trip to the Battlefields of Northern France and Belgium In Year 9 History lessons, we start to learn about the First World War. The Battlefields trip is a unique opportunity for us to see the battlegrounds, trenches and memorials of the Great War, and see what we've studying in the classroom in real life. Since 2014 the world has been marking 100 years since the outbreak of the Great War, and the importance of this is immediately apparent when you visit the sites.

Early morning on 30th April we set off to France. On our arrival we visited La Boisselle, which was situated at the heart of what had been the Somme Battlefields. With the War on the surface at stalemate both sides had begun searching beneath their opponents’ trenches in an attempt to gain an advantage. In December 1914 French and British engineers had begun tunnelling beneath this region and placed explosive charges. This particular crater was made by a gigantic underground mining explosion which had been sprung on the 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The crater has been preserved as a lasting memory to this war and the men who died. A service is held here on the 1st of July every year. The following day we visited The Somme Museum and explored the many artefacts that have survived.

We then visited the Thiepval Memorial. This is the largest of the Memorials to the Missing men of the war. On the panels of the arches are the names of those who have no known grave and are thus ‘the Missing.’ There are over 70,000 names on the arches of men who died in the Battles of the Somme. The memorial was unveiled by the then Prince of Wales on the 1st of August, 1932. He made a speech partly in French and British and said that ‘our first thoughts should be with the relatives of those whose death has purchased our current freedom’. We found this memorial particularly moving.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

Afterwards we visited the Ulster Tower, a memorial to the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division and enjoyed a warm cup of tea in the cafe. At the entrance to the tower is a plaque commemorating the names of 9 men of the Division who won the Victoria Cross during the Somme. There is also an inscription which reads: "This Memorial is Dedicated to the Men and Women who at the call of King and country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger, and finally passed out of the sight of man, giving up their own lives that others might live in Freedom.”

We then made our way to Vimy Ridge. This site commemorates the attack which was undertaken by the Canadian troops in April 1917. The Germans had held this important area since the outbreak of war in 1914 so this was a very important battle. The Canadian government now run the site and it is a memorial to their Forces who fought in the Great War. On average 45 Canadian students run this and other Canadian sites and provide detailed tours to visitors.

That afternoon we made our way to Belgium. Our first stop was Talbot House, which today is a living museum.

Thousands of British soldiers passed through this house during the three years it was open from 1915 to 1918. It was a place where the soldiers could escape from the terrors of the Front line. The soldier’s rank was left at the door and there was always a cup of tea on the go. We were encouraged to play the piano and treat it how the men would have treated it, as a place behind British lines where men could spend time relaxing in a British ‘home-from-home’.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

Afterwards we met our guide, Simone. She was great and very knowledgeable about the sites we were seeing. She started our tour by taking us to Essex Farm cemetery and medical dressing station. This is perhaps most famous for its association with John McCrae who, whilst stationed at Essex Farm in May 1915, wrote the very famous poem ‘In Flanders Field’.

He wrote this poem after one of his close friends had been killed and buried and he saw the poppies blowing in the wind near the graves and this influenced the words he wrote; In Flanders’ Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row.

That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We then visited Langemark German cemetery. This cemetery outlined a stark contrast to the bright and uplifting memorials we had just seen and many of us considered it to be a different experience altogether.

Afterwards we travelled to Tyne Cot cemetery, which is a burial ground for the Commonwealth dead of the First World War; it is also the site where RMS holds their Remembrance Ceremony each year to the Old Boys of RMS. We gathered in a circle and the teachers read out the Act of Remembrance. They then read out the 112 names which are on the memorial along the Chapel Corridor.

This was a particularly moving experience as for each name read aloud a student laid down a red carnation and we would like to thank FORMS for providing the red carnations for this ceremony.

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SCHOOL TRIPS

Hill 62 was next on our tour. We were encouraged to go into the museum and explore the huge array of artefacts on show. We then went outside to go into the trench system. It was very muddy and had a distinctive smell and although we couldn’t truly appreciate the soldiers' experience we knew that we wouldn’t have liked to stay in there for too long, especially as some of us went through the dark tunnels and could be heard above ground screaming thinking there were rats in there with us… which was not the case!

Having cleaned ourselves up we then headed back to Ypres to have dinner and then see the Last Post at the Menin Gate. At 8.00pm each day, the masses gather at the Menin Gate to hold this ceremony. A young boy from a Scottish school accompanied the trumpeters with bagpipes making this an even more special occasion. It was a touching end to what had been a moving day and also gave us an opportunity to give the Last Post Association the money we had raised through our cake sale - thank you to all those who bought them and helped us raise over £200!

Our final visit was to "In Flanders Field Museum", in Ypres. The museum is full of interesting artefacts, and its layout is intentionally designed to make the visitor feel uncomfortable, which adds to the atmosphere. It was a good way to end the trip and summarise all that we had been learning about.

We would like to thank the staff (Mrs Eccles, Mr Grogan, Miss Callow, Mr Broome and Mrs Burrows) for taking on this fascinating trip.

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SCHOOL TRIPS Geography Field Trip—Slapton Sands, Devon On Friday 13th May, 25 GCSE Geography students from Year 10 went on a field trip to Slapton Sands. After a six hour bus journey we arrived in a very sunny Devon feeling quite tired. We had a quick introduction to the Field Studies Centre where we were staying, and then set of to walk to Torcross.

When we arrived, we sat on the beach and were able to discuss different methods of sustainable management that are in place on the beach at Torcross. This was very interesting as we could see how what we have learnt about in lessons, was actually put into practice. After a quick ice cream, our group walked to a different section of the beach where we were able to conduct a field experiment, testing how the steepness of the beach changed from the ocean to the road, from one end of the beach to the other. This was an exciting experience that involved lots of equipment and even more walking down the steep beach. When all our results were collected we did a survey on the different types of rock found at the beach which proved to be a large variety from very far out to sea, showing how far the ocean carries its load, we even did a demonstration where we were required to be pebbles, and the ocean moved us down the beach, luckily the beach wasn’t too busy so the strange looks were minimal.

After the walk home we set to work in our designated lab compiling the results and looking at them as a whole to see how long shore drift affects the shape of the beach. After this the whole group was extremely tired, so everyone went to bed for an early night.

SCHOOL TRIPS

Saturday was focused on the river section of our Geography course.

We visited three sections of the River Lemon, the upper, middle and lower course. The first section of the River was found in Dartmoor, near to the Hay Tor rock. Here we were able to get knee deep in the river conducting tests to measure factors such as: depth, speed of the water, the distance between banks and the size of the rocks. We were able to climb the Hay Tor and have a quick photo shoot before heading out to our next location. Next on the list was Yeo Valley, sadly we discovered the yogurt is not made here but in Somerset. After the large disappointment that there would be no yogurt we conducted the same tests in the middle course of the river, as we would later compare the results for each section of the river. Finally, we travelled to Newton Abbott for the final section of the river.

After conducting our tests, we had enough time for a quick “Welly Wang.” This involved taking your welly partly off the trying to kick it as far as you could, sadly I did not win as I fell over before we had even started, trying to take my welly off, much to Miss Cook's amusement. We then returned to the field centre to discuss and compare our findings and complete a few activities to consolidate our learning.

Finally, Sunday was focused on the living world, the final topic of physical Geography. We were able to walk through Slapton Ley, an area of immense beauty. We were studying different types of trees and vegetation that grew when the trees had been coppiced and when they hadn’t. We had to climb a small bank to conduct our experiment, which caused some hilarity when everyone was trying to get down the steep incline without falling over. We carried out our experiment in three locations where we had to get nice and dirty by sifting through leaf litter to look for creepy crawlies. We then walked to the Ley where we took samples of the water to see what wild life lived in the Ley, as indicators for pollution. The many Mayfly larvae told us that the Ley was very clean and unpolluted.

After a geography fact filled weekend the very tired group set off for the very long journey home, ready to face the forthcoming exams….!

Florence MacS, Year 10

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STAFF FAREWELLS

It was an emotional end of term as we bade farewell to a number of staff members, some of whom have been at RMS for a long time!

We wish each and every one of them either good luck in their new jobs, or a happy, relaxing and well deserved retirement!

Each member of staff will be sorely missed!

Senior School teaching and boarding staff we said farewell to are:

Miss Davies and Miss Lord—Sixth Form Housemistresses, Miss Taylor—Housemistress, Dr Bhatt, Mr Dichlian and Mr Snow—Science, Mrs Silva, Mr Hogg, Miss Lomax, Miss Hilton and Miss Morris —MFL, Mrs Hodgeson—English, Mrs Bending and Miss Gent—Maths, Ms Sallans—Social Care Miss Mordue—Photography, ICT and DT, Ms Weatherston—Head of Sixth Form, Biology Mrs Couldridge—Director of Studies, Geography

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Wishing all our families a wonderful summer break – see you in September

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