Parent Newsletter 18/09/15

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS UPDATE Friday 18th September 2015 This Half Term at a Glance…

Here are just a few important forthcoming events—for our full calendar, click www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk/media/ calendar Tuesday 22nd September Year 12 Politics to the Houses of Parliament Year 10 YELLIS testing Thursday 24th September Year 9 to the Black Country Museum Year 11 Geography to Oxford Thursday 1st October Non-uniform day

Day Girls staying for Tea at School RMS welcomes Day girls who wish to stay for tea because they are either attending an activity, have attended an activity after school, or because parents need to pick them up later. However, these meals must be booked THREE DAYS IN ADVANCE of the requirement.

This also applies to Guides, Brownies, ACF and school rehearsals and Cadogan House After School Club.

If the meal has not been booked in

Friday 2nd October—Sunday 4th October

advance, we cannot guarantee that a

First Exeat weekend

meal can be provided.

Monday 5th October

For Senior School the booking request

Harvest Festival

must go to Miss Whitfield

Science Lecture NMH from 4.30pm (suitable for

ywhitfield@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk

Year 10 and above, all parents welcome)

THREE DAYS in advance.

Tuesday 6th October

Senior girls will be issued with a tea ticket

Cake Sale at Break

which they must collect from Miss

Sunday 11th October

Whitfield in Devonshire House in advance.

WHOLE SCHOOL OPEN DAY—

The charges for the meals will be added

ATTENDANCE IS COMPULSORY FOR ALL

to your School account.

GIRLS Thursday 15th October CEM Information Evening (Years 7-9) Friday 23rd October Senior School Prize Day Friday 23rd October—Sunday 1st November Half Term

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

OTHER INFORMATION Emails Sent this week Apologies for the large number of emails that have been sent since the beginning of term.

If you have not received any of the emails listed below, please contact Pippa Hopkins phopkins@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk Year 12 English Lit

Letter regarding trip to “Hamlet” screening

Year 12/13 Chemistry

Letter regarding trip to “Chemistry in Action”

Year 10

Letter from Mrs Cubbon regarding new Maths sets

Full/Weekly Boarders

Letter from School Medical Office regarding Flu vaccination

Whole School

Letter from Mrs Rose regarding examination results

Year 9

Letter from Miss Morris regarding Havergal Exchange Programme

Year 7

Letter from Ms Solomons regarding trip to “Wendy and Peter Pan”

Year 11

Work Experience and COA Information

Year 12/13

Reminder from Mrs Freeman regarding Aachen trip

Year 10-13

Letter from Mrs Sears about St John Ambulance First Aid Course

Year 10-13

Letter from Mrs Timoney about Professor Smith Science Lecture

Year 7—13

Invitation to Prize Day (23rd October)

Year 7—13

Letter from FORMS

Parent Portal queries & updating contact details To advise us of any changes to your contact details, change of boarding status etc., please contact changeofdetails@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk . This is a group email address and your communication will be sent to all the relevant parties within the School.

Year 7 “Meet the Tutor” Evenings

Extra Curricular Activities

Please note that the Year 7 'Meet the tutors'

Please note that the extra curricular activities booklet for this term will be emailed to girls in Years 7-10 (who have iPads) to download. Girls in Years 11-13 will receive paper copies. The booklet is also available on the Parent Portal (under extra curricular).

evenings will now take place on TUESDAY 24th NOVEMBER and THURSDAY 26th NOVEMBER. These meetings will be a 10 minute slot with your daughter's form tutor to talk about how she is settling in and to discuss her first interim report.

Invitations to one of these days will go out later on this half term.

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

SCHOOL NEWS

ACF Success for Isabella Congratulations to Corporal Isabella S (Year 12) on being awarded the Best Section Commander trophy at a recent military skills cadet competition in Ireland.

She faced tough competition in the form of 16 others who were all older, higher ranked and male, but Isabella beat them all to win the trophy. Her Detachment Commander says the Isabella is “an inspiration to the cadets and shows outstanding commitment to her Detachment”. Isabella has also won numerous other accolades this year, including “Best Cadet” at County Camp, and “Highly Competent” award on a national course called Cadet Leaderhip which is run by regular soldiers.

Well done Isabella!

Extra Curricular Sports Coaching Registers for Michaelmas term 'paid' sports coaching can be found on the parent portal (under PE). If your daughter’s name appears in the blue shaded area this means she is on the waiting list and will be notified as soon as a place becomes available. Trampolining has been exceptionally popular and we will endeavour to find resources to accommodate these numbers after half term if at all possible.

Please note:

 All sessions will begin the week commencing Monday 21st September and run until Friday 4th December with a one week break for half term.

 The numbers for street dance are currently very low and will unfortunately not be able to run at this stage.

Fees for the coaching session will appear on your School bill at the end of term.

Should you have any queries, or if your daughter is for any reason unable to attend an allocated session please let Mrs Spendiff know as soon as possible so that her place can be given to another pupil espendiff@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk If these are portal related please contact Mrs Hopkins (phopkins@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk) We trust that your daughter/ward(s) will enjoy the excellent opportunities expert coaching provides, and will develop not only her sporting ability, but also her confidence and enjoyment in her chosen activity/ies.

Mrs Spendiff

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

OPWALL Mexico Trip During the summer holidays, 12 very lucky students got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embark on a biodiversity and conservation trip to Mexico. After months of planning and preparation, the day of departure finally dawned upon us and we were all excited about the adventures that lay ahead. I was slightly daunted by the prospect of being away from home for two whole weeks, however everyone managed to quickly hit it off and it was clear that we were going to have a lot of fun together, which was reassuring to know.

During the first week of our trip, we resided in Calakmul, where we stayed at a jungle camp, named ‘kilometre 20’. Luckily for us, this was a slightly more ‘luxurious’ camp compared to others we heard about, which meant we had the privilege of flushing toilets and even a shower! These basic conveniences that we are so used to became sacred luxuries and I, for one, certainly savoured every second of my showers.

After acclimatising to the more basic lifestyle in Calakmul, we were catapulted into the daily routine of activities that were on offer. Led by the scientists, each an expert in their own specific field, we helped out in at least three surveys per day. Those that involved animals included bats, birds and herpetofauna. With the animals that we found, we recorded data by measuring their features, identifying their gender and weighing them. Everyone’s favourite part seemed to be tagging the bats, as it involved painting their toe nails; not something many people can say they have done before!

Elsewhere, we also participated in habitat surveys, mammal trails, camp survival and daily lectures, which were equally enjoyable.

After our week in the jungle, we set off for the coastal town of Akumal, bidding farewell to our tents we had come to love, as well as the insects and copious amounts of rice, beans and fresh mangoes.

However, people did not remain disheartened for long, as we were soon standing on the idyllic beach that would be the setting for the next week’s scuba diving and surveys. Everyone’s feelings of contentment may have been somewhat derived from the fact that we also had access to Wi-Fi as well!

In the duration of this final week, some of us started doing scuba diving surveys, whilst others completed their PADI course before joining everyone else. The coral and sea life was extremely interesting and it felt bizarre to be swimming alongside real fish! Some of us were even lucky enough to see a dolphin, a nurse shark and a few turtles, which was incredible.

Furthermore, we learnt about the impact of tourism on Akumals’ ecology, including how the products we used on ourselves wash down the drain and subsequently end up in the ocean, affecting the coral. This heightened awareness for the environment extended to when we took part in a beach clean-up as well.

As the trip drew to a close, everyone felt sad to be leaving such a vibrant and lively community as Akumal. We took advantage of the local market and shops which sold a vast range of handmade goods, such as bracelets and pottery. On our final evening, we went to the local ‘Wi-Fi Café’, as it had come to be known as, and we shared our memories about the trip together. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that Mexico 2015 was a truly incredible experience and one which none of us will ever forget.

On behalf of everyone on the trip, I would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Timoney for organising such a mammoth task and to Ms Weatherston and Miss Tarbox for accompanying us. You were a great support and we hope that you enjoyed yourselves as much as we all did!

By Katie, Year 12

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

COMMUNITY NEWS Concert in Aid of the Peace Hospice All members of the RMS Community are invited to a concert featuring song arrangements and compositions by our own Mr Brammeld, sung by Thomas Isherwood (Mrs Isherwood’s son) The concert takes place in the New Mark Hall on Friday 2nd October from 7.00pm. Admission is free, but there is a collection in aid of the Peace Hospice.

We hope lots of you are able to attend to support this local charity.

Science Lecture Monday 5th October at 5.00pm in the New Mark Hall As part of our Science Department Lecture Series, we are delighted to welcome Professor Geoffrey L Smith FRS from the University of Cambridge who will be delivering a lecture entitled, “A career in science with viruses: plagues, pathogens and politics”. After the talk Professor Smith would be happy to talk to interested students about the selection process that is run by the University. All are welcome, but this will be of particular interest to

Chorleywood Bookshop Events High Tea with Jacqueline Harvey Sunday 4th October 1.00pm at Moor Park Mansion Take part in a fun afternoon with the author of the Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose series.

For more information and to book tickets, click here An Evening with Tom Kerridge Tuesday 20th October at 8.00pm Dr Challoner’s High School An evening with the Michelin starred chef and owner of local restaurant Hand and Flowers Tom Kerridge. To book tickets, click here

students in Years 10 and above. To book your place, please email Pippa Hopkins (phopkins@royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk) . For more information, click here

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls

FORMS NEWS On behalf of FORMS welcome back to School and a very warm welcome to all the new families that have joined the School this term. We have a busy term of events ahead, notably our first event is the Family Bingo Night, to be held on Saturday 3 October 2015, in the Dining Hall doors open at 6.00pm. See here for details.

This was a very popular event last year so booking tickets quickly is strongly encouraged.

There are two ways of purchasing tickets, you can look out for ticket sellers on the Cadogan playground and in the car park by the notice board or by contacting us at forms.bingonight@gmail.com.

Last day for purchasing tickets will be Tuesday 29 September, 12.00pm to enable us to formalise catering.

Please note the following event dates for this academic year so far:Fireworks

Friday 6th November (ticket on sale from Saturday 3 October)

Christmas Fair

Saturday 28th November

Burns Supper

Saturday 23rd January

Quiz Night

Saturday 5th March

Please look out for a catalogue of smaller events to entice the more creative amongst us!

Our next second hand uniform sale will be held on Friday 2 October In the Governors Dining Hall from 3.00pm. For further information please contact our second hand uniform coordinator Abbey Robinson: Forms.rms2hu@gmail.com.

In the weekly newsletters we will be sending out information and asking for help at various points, the Christmas Fair always requires a lot of manpower to make it the success it is. Please do volunteer where you can as without the support from the parent community it is very hard for FORMS to continue facilitating events. If you would like to be included on our volunteers list please email Teri Bishop: forms.volunteers@gmail.com.

Our next FORMS meeting is to be held on Tuesday 22 September, 7.30pm in the Governors Dining Hall, our meetings are open and welcome to all parents and guardians of the school. For more details and directions please contact Penny Smee: forms.secretary@gmail.com We look forward to seeing you throughout the year.

Fiona Gratte - Chair: forms.chair@gmail.com Anne-Marie Foster - Vice Chair: forms.vicechair@gmail.com Penny Smee - Secretary: forms.secretary@gmail.com

www.royalmasonic.herts.sch.uk www.twi er.com/RMSforGirls