RMS Spring Update April 2019

Spring Update April 2019

NATIONAL CYBER SUCCESS FOR RMS Congratulations to our team of Year 8 "cybersleuths" who have been crowned national champions in the National Cyber Security Council / GCHQ CyberFirst Competition.

Led and inspired by the National Cyber Security Centre (a part of GCHQ), CyberFirst is a programme of opportunities and support helping young people explore their passion for computers and technology and introducing them to the fascinating and critical world of cyber security. The CyberFirst Girls competition is a high profile intervention by the NCSC to allow 12 to 13 year old girls the opportunity to explore cyber related challenges first hand.

Over 3000 teams from almost 900 schools from across the country pitted their cyber wits against a series of online challenges, before the top 10 teams nationally were revealed and invited to the final at the Playfair Library, University of Edinburgh.

We were thrilled when our Year 8 team of Hattie, Laura, Alexa and Angelina made it through to the final - but they weren't going to stop there.... After an intense day of problem-solving and code-cracking challenges, it was our team who eventually triumphed, proving themselves the UK's most cybersavvy girls!

As well as the prestigious CyberFirst 2019 trophy, they took home a new laptop each and £1,000 worth of computer equipment for the School.

Speaking shortly after they'd been revealed as the ultimate winner, the girls said: “At first when they called our name we thought it must be a prank! We are so shocked to have won.

We have really enjoyed the whole experience - it's a super competition that gives a detailed insight into vital cyber security skills.” www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

HOW IT FEELS TO BE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS..!

The CyberFirst competition was a thrilling experience. I feel really lucky for getting to participate and really proud that my team won. I learnt a lot about cyber security but also about teamwork and how I could work with my amazing team. The final was pretty terrifying - we had to present to a board, which was really frightening - but it was great fun and I’ll admit I’m a little sad now it is over. The CyberFirst competition is a really good idea to get girls into coding and I feel honoured that I was able to be part of that.

Alexa

On 24th March we travelled up to Scotland to take part in the finals of the GCHQ / National Cyber Security Centre CyberFirst Competition against nine other schools. Going into the finals, we were very nervous but also very excited. The day consisted of 17 challenges based around a scenario: working for a security team at a fictional company. As part of these challenges we had to send an email to the board of directors and present in a boardroom. At the end of the day when they announced that we had won we felt very proud and astonished Hattie The competition was an absolutely phenomenal experience and is something that I will never forget. Although my team mates and I were already great friends the competition made us even closer, giving us a bond that I don’t think will ever be broken. We learnt how to work together as more of a team, completing challenges that we never even believed we could have achieved a few months ago. We worked really hard sharing what we knew amongst one another, trying to fill our brains with as much knowledge as we could. Finding out that we had won was such a shock, none of us could believe it, really; even if we hadn’t won we still would have been proud to have got so far, reaching heights that we didn’t think were possible.

Angelina The competition was very exciting. We were ranked on screens, and throughout the day, we would go and check our ranking. I think we were in 8th as an absolute low, but most of the time we were fluctuating between 1st and 3rd. The challenges were, as expected, challenging, but we handled them logically and did our best to solve them. It was an amazing experience, and I will never forget it.

Laura

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

RMS CELEBRATES BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK The annual British Science Week got off to a flying start at RMS with a paper glider competition off the balcony of the Great Hall. Activities during the course of the week included sherbet making - and eating - sessions with our youngest scientists in Cadogan House and Ruspini House, and Year 9 got to visit the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham...

The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. It is an award-winning combination of exciting theatre shows, interactive workshops and exhibits and careers information from STEM professionals. The aim of The Big Bang Fair is to help students to understand how important scientists and engineers really are, and the sheer range of exciting career possibilities that exist within science, technology, engineering and maths.

During the course of our visit, our students had the chance to try out over 100 hands-on activities, see dozens of mind-boggling shows, hear from inspiring engineers and scientists from some of the UK’s biggest companies and find out about the opportunities available in STEM. They discovered virtual reality, medicine, marine biology, film and TV, space exploration, explosive chemistry, crime-solving, robots, computer coding, microscopic bugs, giant trucks and more.

It was a great day out and certainly helped to bring the GCSE Science they are studying in the classroom and labs to life, and to inspire the girls to think about a future in science and technology! www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

MATHS NEWS The UKMT Team Challenges promote mathematical dexterity, teamwork and communication skills.

They also give pupils the opportunity to compete against pupils from other schools in their region.

The UKMT Team Maths Challenge competition was great fun. Two Year 9 students and two Year 8 students went to Haberdashers' Boys to take part in a series of fun but difficult challenges, including a crossnumber - like a crossword, but where the clues are maths questions - and a set of group questions.

I feel like we learnt a lot, both about Maths and about how to work as a team, but we also had a lot of fun along the way. We placed around the middle of the pack - 23rd out of 37 teams - but we still had a great time. The questions were really interesting and not quite like what we do in class, so it was really fun to try and crack something different.

It was a great learning experience and I hope I can go next year as well. Thank you to Mrs Cubbon and the Maths Department for giving us this opportunity, and especially Mr Martin for taking us!

Alexa, Year 8

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

SPOTLIGHT ON LANGUAGES February Half Term saw our students of Spanish embark on a trip to Alicante, where they had some intensive language lessons, learnt to salsa, and ate lots of tasty Spanish food... At Easter it is the turn of those studying French, as they head to Montpellier for a homestay visit. We look forward to hearing how the girls get on, but in the meantime, here are some reflections on the visit to Alicante...

The Alicante trip was really fun. After arriving we went straight to our beautiful hotel, the Porta Maris - the views were amazing, and so was the breakfast! Each day began with three hours of Spanish school which was surprisingly fun, and I learnt a lot of new words.

One evening Mr Piqueiras and Mrs Ticozzi took us all to a tapas bar where we tried lots of new delicious foods, including octopus. We also got to visit the Santa BĂĄrbara Castle which was fascinating and commanded great views of the city and the sea. The tour guide only spoke in Spanish which made it even more fun for us, translating her words as we went along.

On one of the afternoons we also had a treasure hunt challenge, where we were given a shopping list and had to look around a market to find and buy all the items sometimes this got a little stressful, but it was also really enjoyable! We would all totally recommend any Spanish students to go on this trip next year!

Thank you SeĂąor P!

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

WORLD BOOK DAY AND OTHER EVENTS The week of 3rd-10th March was a particularly special week for the English Department as we celebrated World Book Day on 7th March and decided to tie several different events into the week.

Wednesday In summer 2017, we introduced Agatha Christie to the Summer Reading Challenge and were thrilled by the enthusiasm of the students – they flocked to collect their murder-mystery novels at the end of the year and devoured them over the summer holidays, with 'And Then There Were None', 'The ABC Murders' and 'Murder on the Links' as the most popular Christie novels.

Following on from this, we took the Year 9 students that had enjoyed these books to see a production of Christie's 'The Mousetrap', the longest-running theatre show in the entire world.

Every year, thousands of people come to experience 'The Mousetrap' in a live performance and vow to uphold theatre's best-kept secret.

This year, 'The Mousetrap' came to Wycombe Swan and the English Department took the Year 9 students out for the afternoon to see the play. We had a wonderful time and are pleased that so many students are continuing to read Agatha Christie and discuss their favourite mystery stories.

Thursday (World Book Day) We had a special event with Professor Michael Parker, an expert on Seamus Heaney, who came to RMS to discuss Heaney’s work.

Professor Parker, who works with the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, has published numerous books, including several about Heaney.

Professor Parker spent a lesson with our Year 12 English Literature students for a presentation on Seamus Heaney’s poetry in order to support their background knowledge for their upcoming coursework piece. After school, he also offered a tutorial for 'The Best of English' society, who came to learn more about Heaney and his works.

Professor Parker’s talks gave fascinating insights into Heaney’s life, influences and works, enabling students to view his poetry from different perspectives.

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

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Friday Friday was a particularly busy day within the English Department. We welcomed Chris Priestley, author of 'Tales of Terror' and 'Mr Creecher' amongst others, to our Resource Centre to give a special talk about his work as a writer and illustrator.

He spoke to our Year 8 and 9 pupils, many of whom went home with new signed books to begin reading. We have been really pleased to see these books popping up in school for their independent reading.

In the World Book Day Assembly, Mrs Gardner spoke about the influences that books play in our lives – whether consciously or unconsciously.

She also then described her own reading journey, highlighting some of the books that she considers the most influential in her life, from 'Thomas the Tank Engine' through to books she still picks up regularly today.

Since this assembly, numerous girls have requested copies of her presentation to help them choose books of their own. Mrs Gardner is currently updating it to include lots more texts that she would have also highlighted had there been time to do so, and will make sure to pass it on to all students in the forthcoming term. She would also like to encourage students to think about their own 'reading journeys' and to present these in the new term.

Also on Friday, we welcomed Mr Paul Dodd from Keynote Educational to RMS to spend the afternoon with Year 11s. Mr Dodd delivered a presentation about how to achieve the top grades in each section of the English Language examinations. His presentation was superb and the students felt that they had come away with some really helpful tips and practical ideas to boost their confidence and performance in the examinations. www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

This term, we have also introduced our new English society, open to students in Years 10-13. 'The Best of English' runs after school on a Wednesday or Thursday. The group meets to experience, debate and discuss short excerpts of literature from writers across the world. What has been particularly lovely is to see inspired students then going on to read the full novels or trying new writers.

We are also offering a series of additional trips; we have already been to see Kazuo Ishiguro’s 'The Remains of the Day' and are planning trips to see Henrik Ibsen’s 'Ghosts' and Shakespeare’s 'Richard III' early next term in order to further broaden students' literary knowledge and appreciation.

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

A LEVEL GEOGRAPHY TRIP TO SLAPTON On Sunday 17th March the Year 12 geographers, alongside Miss Cook and Miss Warr, had an early start and travelled five hours to Slapton for our Non-Examined Assessment investigations.

We first arrived in Totnes, a small tidal town situated on the River Dart, where we met one of our NEA teachers who gave us a brief history of Totnes - the first Transition Town - and talked us through the different ways in which we could measure aspects of its human geography. It was here that we looked at economic change in terms of the evolution of the high street, and the different methods the local council was using to make the town more sustainable.

One of the things that surprised me the most was the prevalence of vegan, vegetarian and zero-waste stalls - I had never been to such a uniquely eco-conscious community before, and it contrasted dramatically to my own, which is so globalised and influenced by chain stores. That evening we went to the Slapton Ley Field Centre classrooms, where we reviewed different ways to present our data, before enjoying a locally sourced meal - we were told the amount of carbon dioxide produced to make our meals, rather than the number of calories.

We began day two with a lesson on the coastal processes of Slapton Sands, before driving to the beach itself and using equipment such as clinometers to measure the beach profile, and practising using cost-benefit analyses to investigate the use of sea defences to protect the coast.

Following this, the next two days were spent solidifying our Non-Examined Assessment titles and collecting data to use as evidence. We either visited Totnes again to collect our data, if we had a human geography title, or went to Slapton Sands or Beesands if we had a physical geography title.

We were also taught about different methods of comparing secondary and primary data using statistical analysis tests, for when we write up our investigation in order to give our findings context. On the Wednesday we travelled back to school after our four-day trip to Slapton, ready to start writing our NEA.

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

EXCHANGE TRIP TO HARROW BANGKOK This term, a group of Year 9 students travelled to Thailand as part of the exchange programme with Harrow International School Bangkok. Our girls, accompanied by boys from John Lyon School, swapped the cold for an unforgettable two weeks of sunshine and new experiences. Below are some excerpts from the girls' diaries...

1st-2nd March - Departure and Arrival Today we are heading off to Bangkok! I can’t believe it’s finally here - we are off for two weeks by ourselves to experience the cultural differences and amazing views here in Thailand! We even get to experience what it’s like going to school, in such a hot country.

We finally landed in Bangkok after a long flight.

When we got off the plane it was extremely hot compared with home. The airport was very busy but we got through safely and on the other end there was a bus waiting for us with the air conditioning on full blast. The bus took us to a port where we got on a boat and set off on our journey to the island of Koh Samet.

The boat journey was exhilarating - it really felt as if we were flying through the water. When we arrived at the sunny beach on the island, we waded through the crystal clear water and headed to the hotel for a well-deserved rest...

3rd March - Island Life First full day in La Lune resort, Koh Samet.

We were told that we were going snorkelling which we were all very excited about! We got on a speed boat and sailed to some islands with a variety of different fish to look at.

At the end of the day we discovered that we had not adjusted to the heat as well as we thought we would, as we all came back a bit red. We had dinner at the resort and were all ready for an early night.

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4th March - Back to Bangkok Today was the day we were transferring back to Bangkok - it was a long journey so when we arrived we unpacked and went straight for dinner. After that we got our school clothes and bags sorted ready for our first day at Harrow International School.

5th March - First Day of School!

We were all a little bit nervous, but mostly excited. We had our first Thai cultural lesson which was fascinating, and then we hit the water with some kayaking on the lake at Harrow. I think we were all a bit tired but that didn't stop us heading out for dinner at the Baiyoke Tower and enjoying the amazing views over the Bangkok skyline. The buffet was just fantastic - there were so many new flavours to explore!

6th March - Back to School, and Thai Market Lessons again were different, especially since the children there are so advanced, and we were occasionally a bit lost in what they were learning about as we hadn’t yet covered some of the work - but we are all pretty smart (!) and the teachers were there to guide us. We had dinner at the boarding house, which was pretty great, including a spicy papaya salad! We also had the chance to visit a Thai market - there were so many different sights and smells to enjoy, which really showed us how far from home we were!

7th March - School, Shopping and Skating Back to school again - everyone is so friendly and the teachers are all so lovely.

Today was House Day, so we had to wear our house shirts to school - everyone is really making us feel so welcome and part of the school!

After lessons finished, we headed out to the Future Park mall, where we did some shopping - obviously, we ARE RMS girls after all! Then we went ice skating - which felt a bit odd in such a hot country!

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8th March - Time in the boarding house It may only have been a few days, but it feels like we have been here a lot longer as we have made such good friends with everyone. It is tough having to get up so much earlier than we do at home, but we are having so much fun we aren't complaining too much about the early starts!

Today we had a big barbecue at the boarding house after school and squeezed in a game of football too!

9th March - Cycling and the Ancient City Today we thought we were going to get a lie-in and a break from everything, but no! Up at 6.30 and leaving at 8.00, we headed out to the Ancient City where we found our transportation for the day - old tatty bikes with no gears and basically no brakes! After a few minor accidents trying them out, we got on our way - it was so hot and we were all dripping with sweat.

By the end all we wanted to do was get into the pool back at the hotel! While we were there we had lunch delicious chicken fried rice - and enjoyed all the sights.

Back in the city, we had an evening river cruise, complete with fabulous food and mocktails!

10th March - Rose Garden We headed off to the Rose Garden Thai Village to experience some unique culture. We learnt how they made decorations with flowers, crafted an elephant sculpture out of a lump of clay, and then painted a traditional Thai pattern. We then made fish out of coconut leaves and tried our hand at vegetable carving.

After a busy day we had an equally action-packed evening including bowling and finishing off with some delicious ice creams.

11th March - School The day started with school as normal, after which we went to a market where everyone got bubble tea which was lovely and refreshing. Seeing the Thai market was great as it was so different to the ones we have in England. We then went to a shopping centre to grab some dinner - lots of people went for KFC as we hadn't had one for a while - before we all walked home. www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

12th March - Time in the boarding house Today we were back at school again where we had another fun day! Our lesson before lunch was water activities, during which we did kayaking and yes, most of us capsized...

After a busy day, we were moving on to explore the different ways of travelling in Bangkok. Firstly we went on a Skytrain which was just as busy as the London Underground at rush hour; then we went on a boat trip which took about forty minutes; and after this we took taxis to the River Tree House restaurant, where we sampled different Thai food.

13th March - Happy Birthday Mrs A We started off the day by celebrating Mrs Adamson’s birthday with Thai tea cake, presents and a card made by Miss Gratte!

Next it was time for some sightseeing at the Grand Palace, where we soon noticed that it was a lot hotter then anywhere else we had been! In our groups we may or may not have got a bit lost, but we managed to navigate our way back to the meeting point. Every building was so pretty and looked amazing. There were lots of guards, and out of respect for King Rama X you had to wear clothes which covered your shoulders, knees and stomach.

Before you entered there were people checking your outfit, and if you weren’t dressed appropriately you would have to go and buy different clothes.

After the Grand Palace we set off to the MBK shopping centre, which sells a lot of probably fake goods. We bought lots of items, and even tried out haggling to work the price down as that's the norm.

We were all very tired after this so headed back to the hotel for a swim.

Overall our trip to Thailand was quite simply AMAZING! We were so sad to see it end, although it was nice to come back to family and friends.

Thank you to Mrs Adamson and Mrs Gratte for accompanying us on the trip of a lifetime! And thank you to the staff and students of Harrow International School for making us feel so welcome! www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

RMS VOICES HIT ALL THE RIGHT NOTES AT THE MID-SOMERSET FESTIVAL Earlier this term, one of our choirs, RMS Voices, travelled to Bath to compete in the Female Voices category at the Mid-Somerset Festival. The festival was founded in 1902 and has been running continuously ever since – even two World Wars couldn’t stop it – making it one of the oldest festivals in the country.

The choir were required to sing two contrasting items in three or more parts with a total performance time of no more than seven minutes. They began their programme with Lee Kesselman's arrangement of the traditional Scottish folk song 'The Skye Boat Song', and concluded with the Zulu folk song 'Jabula Jesu' arranged by Stephen Hatfield.

The choir was competing against Marlborough Youth Choir and Westonbirt Chamber Choir, both of whom gave excellent performances. The adjudicator - Michael Johnson - remarked that RMS Voices produced: '...outstanding interpretations of both pieces. The phrases were carefully balanced and the choir produced a fine, bright tone. The part singing was very secure and there was a most impressive range of dynamics.'

When commenting about our second piece in particular he remarked that 'the choir was fully engaged in this totally convincing, vivid interpretation'.

RMS Voices were awarded 90 marks out of a possible 100 and, better still, first place in the category. We returned to school with The Muriel Davies Salver which is now proudly on display in the main school reception.

Congratulations to all the girls involved, and to Head of Music Mr Werner.

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

PERFORMING ARTS NEWS This term has seen the fantastic Lower School Musical production of 'Little Shop of Horrors' and our annual dance show, which this year was entitled 'Around the World in 90 Minutes', which showcased a wide array of international dances. Here we look back on a busy term...

It was a huge shame that our vocal masterclass with international opera singer Mareke Freudenberg had to be postponed due to a sudden snow storm! Ms Freudenberg was massively disappointed to miss working with the girls and is currently planning when she can return.

Our Rush Hour Concert series was also affected that week, but last month saw a lovely afterschool concert featuring girls from both Cadogan House and Senior School, playing solos and ensemble work. Many thanks to Mr Hagyard for organising these popular informal concerts - they are a highlight of the week for both performers and the audience.

Just before half term our dance company, Fusion, took centre stage in 'Around the World in 90 Minutes'. The school dance shows always provide such a range of different styles, but never so varied as in this show which featured performances of American street jazz, Irish dancing, French chanson, and Indian dance just to name a few. Over many years, Mrs Isherwood has made dance so incredibly popular at RMS, and the yearly dance show was a great opportunity for girls to perform demanding solos and impressive group numbers. www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

Following our sell-out performances of 'Les Miserables' in the Michaelmas term, this term showcased the musical theatre talents of Years 7-9, with a hugely successful and fun production of the hit show 'Little Shop Of Horrors'. This was stagedesigned and directed by Mrs Heaffey. The star of the show was the ever-growing man-eating plant!

The final performance was packed to the rafters and was a fitting tribute to the many weeks - and weekends - of hard work by the large ensemble cast and staff.

The last week of term saw our Senior School Spring Concert - always an evening slightly tinged with sadness as we take the opportunity to say goodbye to the girls in Year 13 who will be leaving us. Indeed, a number of them struggled to make it through one of the choir numbers as their emotions were running high! Performances that evening included the Sinfonia - performing repertoire ranging from Beethoven's Fifth to the theme from ET - as well as the Concert Band, RMSO, the Flute Group and all the choirs. RMS Voices performed for us, fresh from their success at the Mid-Somerset Festival.

Some of the girls performing had been at RMS for as long as ten and fourteen years, which means over those years they have performed in upwards of 30 Performing Arts concerts, shows and events. This is beaten only by Dr Hyde, to whom we said our official 'goodbyes' at this concert. He leaves us to be Head of Secondary at Singapore School in Jakarta, Indonesia at the end of next term.

Next term is a little quieter, as the older girls prepare for their forthcoming examinations. However, we still have a brass masterclass, a Rush Hour Concert and the concert for the Summer Prize Giving, and we hope you will join us for some of these events.

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL SPORTING SUCCESS Every term, RMS celebrates some spectacular sporting successes on both a team and individual basis - both in and out of school. This term has been no exception, and here we celebrate just a few of our girls' achievements...

Trampolining Our trampolining squad made RMS history by qualifying for the National Finals of the ISGA competition for the first time. Not only that, but they came away with silver medals for coming second in the UK, a spectacular achievement for a new squad! Well done to Beatrice, Talia, Charlotte and Gabi!

Gymnastics RMS has long had an enviable reputation for gymnastic success, and once again squads of all ages did the school proud in the national schools' competitions, with teams competing in Milano and Acro.

In the Milano competition, the Under 16 team - Miranda, Talia and Sophia - came 5th overall, and 3rd as part of the Eastern Region team with Haberdashers' Girls. They also came 1st in their group routine, with some outstanding vaulting on display! The Under 13 team - Victoria, Eloise and Kyra - came 4th overall, and 2nd as part of the Eastern Region girls' team, and 1st overall as part of the boys, girls and mixed teams from the Eastern Region. The Under 11 team - Sophie, Sowmiya and Olivia - came first as part of the Eastern Region.

Judo Congratulations to Kitty in Year 10 who participated in the British Schools National Judo Championships, winning GOLD in the 44kg category. Her achievement is even more impressive when you consider that this is only the second major competition she has taken part in, meaning that she is an amateur compared to many of the others who regularly compete. The whole school is immensely proud of Kitty's achievement!

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL SPORTING SUCCESS Gymnastics This year the gymnastics team has done very well representing the school throughout the competition season as we have come home with a multitude of medals, trophies and awards.

Acro We started the term off with the Acro competition held in Milton Keynes where both pair and group routines were performed, as well as some girls taking part in the tumbling. For the tumbling the girls did very well as there was tough competition across the board, yet they managed to come away with a few medals, as well as a sense of achievement as Kyra came 3rd, Victoria and Eloise came joint 4th, and Ynes came 7th. In the Under 14 pairs Kyra and Victoria came 2nd overall, Livvy and Josie came 3rd, and Jemima and Sofia came 4th. The next to compete were Sophia and Mia in the Over 14 category - they came 1st overall and are now going through the the Nationals in May. The competition then came to a close with the groups and overall we did very well as a school: the Under 14s - Livvy, Gabi, Josie, Jemima, Sofia and Eloise - came 1st and so did our Over 14 team - Molly, Miranda, Amelia, Sophia, Beatrice and Talia. Both teams are now competing at the National finals in Stoke-On-Trent.

Milano Once again the gymnastics team took another competition by storm as our Milano team got through to the National Finals where the Under 11 team came 1st as a part of the Eastern Region, the Under 13 team came 4th overall as well as 2nd as a part of the Eastern Region, and finally the Under 16s came 5th overall but due to an outstanding performance in their group routine they came out with the highest score placing 1st for that.

Floor and Vault For the Floor and Vault competition the Under 11s came 1st in the Eastern Region as well as going through for the Nationals in May. In addition the Under 13s came 3rd, but unfortunately narrowly missed out on 1st place by just 0.3 marks, showing how tough these competitions can be. www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

ISGA We then completed this season’s regional competition with ISGA, which consists of 2 vaults, 2 floors and a group sequence. Overall we did extremely well and the hard work paid off, as we left the competitions with both medals and trophies in hand.

The competition started with the Under 9s who came 8th overall, and 7th in their group sequence. In addition Scarlett deserves special mention for coming 8th individually out of the 60 gymnasts who competed in her age category.

Next up were the Under 10s who came 13th overall and then 8th in their group. Isobel also pulled off an excellent performance on the day as she came 8th out of 83 gymnasts, which is extremely good given how tough the competition was.

As the weekend commenced the Under 11s finished their competition by coming 3rd overall as well as 1st in the group. Another special mention for Sowmiya and Sophie as they came 10th and 14th.

Furthermore, their group was so good that they were asked to perform once more in order to illustrate the standard other gymnasts should strive to achieve for next time - this was of course great to hear, showing how their hard work has really paid off.

The Under 13s then came 6th overall and 2nd in group, with Victoria coming 19th out of 80 competitors. As the weekend drew to a close the Under 15s came 8th overall and 2nd in group.

Finally the Over 13s finished the competition off with an outstanding performance by Miranda who came 9th and Amelia who came 14th individually, as well as the team coming 5th overall and 1st in the group sequence.

Overall this has been an extremely successful term for the gymnastics team, and everyone should be very happy and proud of what they have achieved.

www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

Hockey Once again, our teams proved to be 'the ones to beat' in the local competitions.

Year 7 Hockey at RMS this year has been great fun. It has encouraged us to make new friends from other forms and share our passion for hockey with each other. We have learnt new skills which have helped us when we have been invited to play matches against other schools.

Both A and B teams have had many matches against local schools and some further afield.

We were very fortunate to be able to compete in two leagues - The County Cup and the District.

We have had a very successful season with the A team coming second and the B team placing third, in their respective District tournaments. In the County Cup we have also had some big wins, winning 5 out of the 6 games - beating Beaumont 5-1 and Dame Alice Owen's B team 6-0. At the County Cup Tournament the A team to finish second in their pool, narrowly missing out on the final.

The Year 8 Hockey season was fantastic, everyone played their very best and it ended very well.

We played 10 matches between qualifiers and friendlies. We won 7, drew 2 and just lost 1. We had fantastic scores in many of them. To name a few, the A team won 5-1 against Rickmansworth and 4-1 against St Michael's, while the B team did exceptionally well by scoring 5 goals in a match against Parmiter's and thrashing JFK with an amazing 6-0! We are all so impressed with these outcomes.

We also took part in the U13 county 7-a-side tournament. We proudly came first in our pool again, winning two matches and drawing two. We re-took our county champion picture - déjà vu - with our gold medals at Queenswood.

When we became a team in year 7 some of us had never even played hockey before but we persevered and made mistakes together in order to learn. This team is filled with energy so every match, tournament and training session is energetic and lively! www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

The C team have had good fun, with lots of the players trying hockey for the first time. We have all really enjoyed our first hockey season at RMS and are very grateful for the amazing opportunities we have had playing against other teams and representing our school. We look forward to seeing the hockey squad grow next year.

Sophie and Lilia

I really enjoy and feel proud to be part of this squad - they’re such a lovely group to play with. But none of these outstanding results would have been possible without the continuous coaching and encouragement of Mrs Booth. Thank you all for yet another spectacular season. Well done RMS U13 Hockey squad.

Through this season the Year 9 Hockey A and B team has progressed massively. Our teamwork has improved so we working even better together.

Our ability to communicate on the pitch has really fed through into our performance. By losing some of our matches we have learnt from our mistakes.

The whole team persevered and tried very hard throughout every match, leading to some great wins. During training sessions we tried out different strategies and positions to achieve our best in all matches. As a result, we won the District Tournament for the third year running. Thank you to all the members of the hockey team and a big thank you to Mrs Marsh.

Over the past season, our Year 10 Hockey team have been competing in regular matches, playing to a good standard. We have successfully won our district tournament and were runners-up in the county cup semi-final, unfortunately losing to Queenswood in the final.

Over the course of the season we have only conceded 11 goals while collectively scoring a total of 41 goals. We had a goal fest during two of our matches against Watford Girls and St Michael's, both reaching 8-0. Our end of season awards went to Hattie for players' player, Betsy for most valuable player and Heidi for most improved player. We have had a very successful season and all of us cannot wait to be part of the senior team next year.

Libby & Betsy

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This year the Senior Hockey team has had a really fun season full of learning and improvement. As we welcomed many new players from Year 11, the team had to quickly work out how to play best together. We communicated well with each other to learn what positions suited each player, and improved our team working skills.

During the district tournament, the team played extremely well and narrowly missed out on the win, coming second to Parmiter's. During the county cup league we won matches against St Clement Danes, Watford Girls, Queenswood and drew with Dame Alice Owen’s where Mia scored our equalising goal and was named player of the match.

We’d like to thank Mrs Booth for being a great coach and taking us to all of our matches, and all the members of the team for showing great commitment and enthusiasm throughout the season.

Badminton The badminton team has performed extremely well this season. Each training session we have practised a variety of skills, portraying resilience and participation throughout. The team have entered several leagues, with the U14 and U16 teams finishing second and first respectively in the district tournament. The U16 team went through to compete in the County section of the National Schools Championship - Monika, Holly, Lottie and Florie fought very hard and came a very solid fourth, only a couple of points behind the school in third place.

There have been some highly competitive tournaments across all age groups, with everyone doing very well. Well done in particular to the U13 pair placing 3rd and the U15 pair placing 2nd in the doubles tournaments. Within the league matches the U15 have stood out as top performers, comfortably winning games and finishing 4th in the league. Overall the past two terms have been very successful and we can’t wait for the next season!

Florie and Lottie

Swimming It has been a term of success on both a team and individual level; the school team have swum in friendly and league galas and also entered and qualified to swim at the National Finals, where our senior team placed 13th in the UK in the medley relay and 24th for the freestyle relay.

We also celebrated the individual successes of two Year 7 students, Victoria and Amy, who both won multiple medals at the Berkshire / South Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire County Finals - at the latter, Amy won the trophy for best 12-year-old female swimmer too!

Congratulations to all of our swimmers!

Indoor Athletics The athletics season will begin in earnest next term, but RMS got off to a flying start with the Year 10 and 11 team retaining their title at the Hertfordshire Indoor Athletic Championships.

The Year 7 team also did well, finishing in 5th place behind some very strong teams. Well done to all our athletes, and we look forward to seeing how you all get on once the outdoor season gets underway! www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

Netball The Year 8 Netball team have had a fantastic season, making small but essential improvements to their game, and are now a more cohesive and spatially aware squad. The results from the season can be seen below, however, the highlight was both the A and B squads winning the district championships. Within this tournament, the A team came back from being 6-2 down at half time to Habs, showing poise, determination and level heads to draw, which with their exceptional goal average, crowned them champions. The C team have continued to train hard and have enjoyed matches in the later stages of the season.

The Year 9 Netball team have had a great season - albeit injuryprone - with some amazing results and considerable improvements to their court play. The focus of passing, midchannel play and side lines throughout training has developed their teamwork and overall performance. The results from the season can be seen below. Unfortunately the District Tournament was cancelled; we look forward to this next year.

The squad has grown throughout the year with newcomers who have integrated themselves nicely, and will be looking to challenge an A team position next year.

Year 11 Netball have been playing many matches and improved massively from the beginning of the season. The A team won all their district matches with our best win against St Margaret's Bushey concluding with an amazing 18-point difference! At the district tournament at Parmiter's we were runners-up after Haberdashers'. The score was very close but we played our hardest. The B team continued to show great determination and commitment throughout the season. Unfortunately some of their games were cancelled, however they continued to attend training to better themselves as individuals and as a team. The A team faced their toughest matches in the county league this year and were fully determined to play their best. We won some of our matches and fought hard with very close results, finishing 4th in the county overall. At the county tournament in September, we played against many schools and played extremely well. As well as being involved in their district league, the B team had many friendly matches too, during which they showed great sportsmanship and team spirit. Unfortunately, this year hasn’t been plain sailing as we’ve had a couple injuries, including myself. However, we’ve adapted and been optimistic about it and refused to give up. The A team have had a variety of MVPs this year which shows the team's talent and the effort they put into netball. www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

Netball This season, the Senior Netball teams have done extremely well, with both A and B showing skill, determination and teamwork.

Both teams competed in the District League and performed superbly, with the A team finishing 2nd and the B team finishing 4th - even though they were competing in the A team league! Against St Clement Danes, the RMS A team won with a score of 19-8, however the B team narrowly lost out. Both teams won their matches against St Margaret's and Watford Girls.

The A team also played extremely well to take a win against Habs' B team, however the RMS B team suffered an unfortunate defeat. Both RMS teams lost their matches against Parmiter's but played excellent netball and displayed honourable sportsmanship, taking defeat in their stride.

The Senior A team also took part in the County league, where the girls came across some very tough competition. After several challenging matches, we ended up placing 5th, and so the girls should be extremely proud of their achievement.

I have thoroughly enjoyed leading the girls in the Senior team this season and have been honoured to watch each girl grow and develop their skills in netball, whilst enjoying the sport all the while. I hope all the Year 13 girls move on to the next chapter of their lives continuing to play netball, and that the girls competing next year have a successful season.

I finally want to thank Mrs Pooley for coaching and supporting the girls throughout their season, as without this help the results we achieved would not have been possible.

Talia, Senior Netball Captain 2018-2019

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ART AND TEXTILES NEWS Congratulations to Jasmine in Year 12 who has been named one of three finalists in the Regent's University 'Future Fashion' competition.

Jasmine entered the 'Future Fashion' competition, which invites students to research the topic and design an outfit which they must also then construct. The competition is open to both UK and international pre-degree students.

Students interested in entering were encouraged to watch a 1939 short film from PathĂŠ, entitled 'Clothing of the Future', showing what the fashion designers of America predicted women would be wearing in the year 2000 AD, then 61 years in the future; some of their predictions came true.

Regent's University went on to explain that fashion is primarily concerned with the future; designers naturally design with the future in mind, and the design process itself takes place six months before a fashion show happens, and it will then be another six months before the clothes are actually sold in shops or online.

Entrants were asked to imagine the lifestyle of someone in the future, in terms of what they might wear, why they would wear it and what the function of the garment might be.

Jasmine's design, a sustainable jacket, fitted the brief perfectly and was created using only recycled materials. Jasmine has now been invited to attend the static exhibition, during which the overall winner will be announced, as well as the graduate fashion show in May.

Published Artists!

Congratulations to two of our A Level students whose work was selected for publication in a specialist craft catalogue!

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NATASHA DEVON VISIT Natasha Devon MBE visited RMS during the last week of term, and delivered engaging and thought-provoking workshops to all senior school year groups.

She covered body image, anxiety, stress and mental health. As she says, 'We all have a brain, we all need to take care of our day to day mental and emotional well-being'.

Natasha delivered her sessions with enthusiasm and insight, never seeming to tire in her busy schedule. In addition, she provided sessions for staff and parents, and she presided at the official opening of our new Pastoral Hub, a central base for the Heads of Year which you can read more about later in the update Keen reporters from the school magazine 'Machio' interviewed Natasha for their next publication, so please look out for this interview later in the year.

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CHARITY UPDATE As ever, it has been a busy term for the Charity Committee, with several non-uniform days and cake sales, including one for World Book Day. The Charity Committee also held a Year 7 and 8 disco which took place on Friday 22nd March, and raised around £800 for the School charity for this year, The Rainbow Trust. Just over 100 pupils attended, from St John's, Merchant Taylors' Prep and York House, as well as our own students.

Mrs Beedell is also raising money for the Rainbow Trust as she is taking part in this year’s London Marathon on 28th April – here is a link to her Just Giving page: bit.ly/2UxlkkZ Good luck Mrs Beedell!

Additionally, Mr Carson, Ms Bailey, Mrs Freeman, Mr Cox and Mrs Sears will be donning their running shoes for the Great North Run in September. They will be joined by a group of Year 12 students (and a parent!) who have been training hard running around the grounds with Mrs Freeman every Wednesday. They too can be sponsored here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rmsteam About the Rainbow Trust Rainbow Trust Children's Charity enables families who have a child with a life threatening illness to make the most of precious time together; providing expert practical and emotional support, where they need it, for as long as it is needed. £26 will provide one hour of care, enough time to entertain a seriously ill child so that their parents can have a break.

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BOARDING UPDATE All of a sudden, the term is over and the boarding houses are unnaturally quiet once again. The mammoth task of getting everyone home complete. Thanks must go to all those involved in helping with all the arrangements. Our taxi company is just amazing!

It has been a very busy term with all the usual highs and lows; we have laughed and cried together but importantly the girls have grown, each in their own unique way. Boarding certainly helps girls to realise a better understanding of themselves and it is good to see the friendship dynamics change as they all mature and grow in confidence.

We have had many enjoyable outings and activities which have been highlighted on Twitter and Facebook and as always the girls' input into these outings has been amazing and at times hilarious... Of note was the trip to The London Dungeon which was voted one of the best, but not scary enough!

Exams are imminent and wellbeing is of utmost importance at this stressful time, all staff are here to help and to keep life on an even keel. We had an excellent reminder about emptying our stress buckets in whatever way works best for the individual - thanks to Natasha Devon for her amazing talks on stress and anxiety, it definitely hit home. It is all about balance, especially getting enough sleep and down time. It has been great watching my Year 10s and 11s dashing off to the gym before tea and prep time.

We live in a rapidly changing and technology-driven world and I was lucky enough to go for some horse riding sessions with ten boarders - what a fantastic opportunity, no phones and a chance to experience the joy of doing something outdoors with responsibility to the horses, the girls love it.

They all come back tired, exhilarated and hungry, yet ready for studying and revision, a wonderful example of the value of down time. I should add that that I didn’t actually get on a horse!! The joy of watching the girls in a different environment.

During the course of next term we have to say goodbye to our Year 13s, especially sad to see our Heads of Houses go. They have been a fantastic group and a true example of “this RMS girl can”; I had an interesting conversation with them and while they thought they had not made much of a difference, they said they had learnt a lot about compromise and people. Wow! That says it all.

I want to tell them they have made a huge difference to the life of boarding at RMS, and to individual girls and staff. You will be remembered; I look forward to hearing about all your new ventures so keep in touch. I will miss our chats.

Congratulations to our newly elected team of prefects for boarding - I know it is going to be an exciting year ahead!

Enjoy the holidays with your girls. I will look forward to seeing them soon.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter.

Miss Dobson, Zetland Housemistress www.rmsforgirls.org.uk

THE BOARDING TERM IN PICTURES

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SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT NEWS This year has been extremely busy for the works team at RMS as they oversee multiple projects, continually improving the facilities here at the school to ensure we are providing the best learning environments for the girls.

Performing Arts The largest project which is on track to be completed well in time for September is the brand new Performing Arts Centre. Alexandra House is undergoing a total transformation, it will house a Drama Studio with full lighting rig, Dance Studio with sprung floor, Music Technology classroom, Recital Hall, filming and editing suites, Music classrooms and practice rooms with stunning views across the Lowers.

It is an understatement to say that we are very excited about the benefits that this facility will bring to all of our students. Communication, creativity and collaboration are vital in all spheres of life and the new centre will help to nurture these skills in every RMS pupil, whatever their interests and ambitions.

We are enormously grateful to our generous benefactors who have made this project possible and look forward to seeing the girls make the most of this dedicated building.

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SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT NEWS Science Labs After the successful refurbishment of one science lab last summer, two more will undergo a complete refit over the Easter and half term holidays.

Teachers and pupils are looking forward to working in the brand new spaces as soon as they are ready to go.

Pastoral Hub Our pastoral team have long needed an inviting space to hold one to one meetings with the girls.

A disused space right at the heart of the school, next to the Library, has just been converted to create small meeting rooms for this purpose. The new spaces will be a huge asset to our pastoral team as they meet with girls to discuss academic and pastoral matters.

We were thrilled that Natasha Devon MBE was able to open the Pastoral Hub officially on her visit on 2nd April.

Thanks to RMS Catering for the cake too!

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FOUR SEASONS IN ONE TERM (ALMOST) At RMS we are so lucky to have such spectacular grounds to enjoy - in both sunshine and snow. In February we had snow, and at time of writing, the sun is shining and the blossom is blooming! We hope you enjoy these photos...

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RMS Girls think differently

RMSforGirls.org.uk @RMSforGirls The Royal Masonic School for Girls Rickmansworth Park Rickmansworth Hertfordshire WD3 4HF 01923 725354