coloma convEnt Girls' school
coloma news upper shirley road, croydon, cr9 5as | 020 8654 6228 | www.coloma.croydon.sch.uk
spring 2018
tErm datEs Easter Holiday Friday 30th March to Friday 13th April (inclusive)
6th FormEr intErviEws dEPuty assistant commissionEr oF mEt PolicE Simone had been tasked with researching the Metropolitan Police’s publicity campaign, ACT for Youth ‘Run, Hide, Tell’, which educates young people on what to do if they find themselves caught up in a terrorist incident. Simone’s full report can be found on This Is Local London.
Lourdes Trip 31st March to 6th April Summer Term starts Monday 16th April May Bank Holiday Monday 7th May – school is closed to students
After the interview, Mrs Johnson received a letter from the Directorate of Media and Communications, Metropolitan Police, in which Press Officer, Adam French said, “I was extremely impressed with the way Simone conducted herself… [she] handled it with a poise and confidence that belied her age. Simone had clearly done a great deal of background research into the subject and the questions she prepared were well considered and on-point”.
Half-Term Monday 28th May to Friday 1st June (inclusive) Summer Holiday Monday 23rd July
diary datEs French & German Homestay 11th to 16th April Champagne Music Soiree Wednesday 18th April COGA Reunion Saturday 28th April An Evening of Song Wednesday 2nd May GCSE Exams Begin Monday 14th May A Level Exams Begin Monday 4th June Cultural Capital Week starts Monday 25th June St Peter & St Paul Feast Day Friday 29th June New Year 7 Induction Day Friday 6th July Sports Day Monday 9th July
Coloma 6th Form student, Simone Eligon, recently had the privilege of attending New Scotland Yard to interview the Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) of the Metropolitan Police, Lucy D’Orsi, as part of Newsquest’s Young Reporter Scheme. A one-to-one interview with such a senior officer is extremely rare and a great privilege.
Coloma has won a number of awards for academic achievements during 2017. These include:-
Mr French pointed out that during the interview, Simone had asked DAC D’Orsi about an ambassador scheme linked to the campaign. This had not previously been considered by the Police but DAC D’Orsi is now looking into how one could be delivered. Congratulations, Simone, on an excellent piece of journalism and for playing a significant part in raising safety awareness for London’s young people.
Educational outcomE awards
G an SSAT Educational Outcomes award putting it in the top 10% of non-selective schools nationally for attainment and progress at Year 11.
G A Certificate of Outstanding Progress from Alps placing the school firmly in the top 10% of schools, based on Alps analysis of A Level performance of 2,890 schools and colleges.
G Eligibility to join SSAT's Leading Edge, the national network exclusively available to high-performing schools.
These awards are each a fantastic achievement and a national recognition of the hard work of everybody at Coloma.
volume 11, issue 2 spring month 2018 l Page 01
dEbatinG
mEssaGE From thE hEadtEachEr I am delighted to present to you our latest Newsletter, a fully redesigned digest of snapshots of school news, which signpost the fantastic achievements of the students in our care. It is remarkable that our girls have access to such an array of experiences and activities and it is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all in the Coloma community. As ever, we have enjoyed some fabulous evenings of music this term and it was a pleasure for me to personally witness the girls working as tight teams to produce exceptionally polished performances (p7). Similarly, in sport, the girls have excelled themselves. Worth a special mention is our Under 19 netball squad who have represented Coloma in the prestigious National Netball Finals for the second year in a row, only the third time in Coloma’s long history (p8). Sixth Form students at Coloma have access to bespoke leadership and development opportunities, some of which are demonstrated on page 6 herein. I was particularly proud to receive a personal letter from the office of the Assistant Commissioner of the Met Police following Simone Eligon’s interview (p1). Simone clearly did a wonderful job and was a firstrate ambassador for the school. Christ is at the centre of everything we do at Coloma. His presence in our community is always an inspiration and you’ll be pleased to see that we’ve highlighted some such inspiration on pages dedicated to Spiritual Life at the school and charitable work (p4 & p5). Whilst Coloma has once again been recognised for its academic achievements (p1), we never rest on our laurels and remain firmly committed to further improvement and development. This is no better illustrated than by the astonishing fact that the great work of Coloma girls is now even making its way into space (p2)!
On Monday, 5th February, three teams of girls went to Dulwich College for the Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition for a night of quick-paced, exciting debate. The girls were given a chance to meet the debaters from the other schools. Soon after, around 50 teams gathered in the grand hall where the ‘motion’ (the statement that the teams were to argue either for or against) was announced. This was scribbled down by the assembly before the teams rushed off into various rooms whilst hurriedly discussing their plans. The teams then had 15 minutes to find their room, brainstorm ideas and think up their debates before the four teams entered and the debate began.
Eight people, four teams – with each person speaking for five minutes. Our two motions were ‘Whether or not prisoners should be allowed to raise their children behind bars’ and ‘Whether we should allow an education system that offers vocational subjects as well as academic subjects.’ Each team put up a strong argument and each approach was from a unique angle. In feedback, teams were congratulated on their speaking style, speech’s structure and ability to introduce a wide range of points into the debate. Whilst our teams weren’t put forward to the next round, we enjoyed an exciting night of fast, stimulating debate and learnt a lot from the quick-fire dialogue that the competition offered. Sorcha Lydon
coloma launchEs into sPacE! School children around the country were offered a chance to send a sculpture into space on board a NASA rocket. The mission is to test a camera which may be used to search for water on the moon. The sculptures are going to be filmed floating in micro gravity at the same time. Coloma students from the Year 8 Science and Engineering Club spent three lunchtimes trialling and making their sculptures from clay. There were strict guidelines to follow, and the sculpture
could be no larger than a sugar cube. The club and science staff then voted for their favourite, as only one entry per school was allowed. The winner was Megan Shakespeare, pictured here with her green alien sculpture. The launch will be on 4th April from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The flight will last 30 minutes and will travel into sub-orbital space. The sculptures will hopefully be recovered when the rocket returns to Earth, and returned to the schools, with a certificate authenticating that they have been in space. Find out more and watch the launch at http://www.sugre-1.com/.
coloma studEnts sEE “wickEd” in siGn lanGuaGE On the 9th September 2017, six girls from Sign Language Club went to see a British Sign Language (BSL) signed production of Wicked at The Apollo Theatre, London.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a restful Easter and look forward to welcoming you back to school on Monday, 16th April.
The girls had a great afternoon; they really enjoyed the show but also appreciated the professionalism of the signer making the show accessible for everyone.
Mrs J Johnson, Headteacher
The tickets were purchased using funds from the Jack Petchy Foundation.
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school nEws maths on thE back oF an EnvEloPE
Rob Eastaway is an English author who actively promotes maths, especially amongst young people. On Thursday, 8th March, he came to Coloma to speak to Year 11 about ‘Maths on the Back of an Envelope’. He told us the two most important maths skills that the average person would need in their day-to-day life: knowing your times tables and how to accurately move a number around a decimal place. We also learnt the dangers of not being able to utilise these skills correctly. An example of this was a nurse miscalculating the amount of drugs needed for a patient; the after effects of this were fatal. Spurious precision, where a number is presented with more precision than is actually possible or justified, was explained to us. By knowing this, we’re able to figure out when a news article or politician is trying to influence your opinion on something based on manipulated statistics. An example of this was when an MP announced that a £2 million project was to be carried out to aid the Somerset flood crisis. With a quick calculation, we were able to calculate that this was only 2 centimetres being pumped out of the streets each day. All in all, the lecture was very insightful, and taught us that with a few simple skills we’re able to calculate problems we never thought we’d be able to. Junova Buckman 11W
maths and PsycholoGy lEcturE by rob Eastaway
All the mathematicians in Year 11-13 had the opportunity to hear a lecture from Rob Eastaway. He is an English author who is active in the popularisation of mathematics and was awarded the Zeeman medal in 2017 for excellence in the promotion of maths.
You must remember the old rock paper scissors game, right? Well what if we told you that there is a strategy out there, which will make sure that you win against your opponent all the time. How? It's the concept of "Game Theory". Do you choose to be nice or nasty? The lecture was very interactive as we played some games, to understand the idea of Game Theory in the mathematical concept using probabilities. Marie-Manuelaa Yogarajaa
ccF camP On Friday, 19th January, 98 cadets, 35 from Coloma, left Royal Russell School at 5.30pm for Longmoor army base in Hampshire for our winter camp. For the senior cadets, activities started immediately upon arrival and they did not see their billets until gone 11.30pm.
outside! The weather was NOT good. In fact it did not stop raining all day Sunday and we even experienced the snow. The cadets remained in good spirits throughout and thoroughly enjoyed the challenges they faced, including live firing and an obstacle course.
For most of the cadets, the purpose was to obtain their Advanced Infantry Qualification and all knew this was going to be a difficult camp. The majority of the weekend was taken up with different aspects of fieldcraft and this meant being
We returned to Royal Russell around 7.30pm on Sunday, very wet and tired but with a sense of achievement. Well done to all the cadets who persevered throughout the horrendous weather and still managed to smile!
On Friday, 26th January, the Year 13 History students delivered an assembly about Concern For Others to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day. They reminded us that the day commemorates not just the Jews but the other groups that were murdered by the Nazis including the disabled and Gypsies. They also drew our attention to the ongoing genocide in Darfur. They emphasised that genocide does not happen out of the blue; it is the result of the prejudice and persecution of a group seen as different to the rest of society. The theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is the power of words so we were asked to think about how words have been used for good and evil to discriminate, dehumanise and destroy
holocaust mEmorial day assEmbly: concErn For othErs
but also to resist, protest and survive. We were reminded of the power our words have and of our responsibility to use our words for good today. We were asked to commit ourselves to doing something, however small, to stand up against prejudice in our communities.
spring 2018 l Page 03
charitiEs marsdEn march - sunday 4th march 2018 I felt privileged to be asked to take part in a sponsored walk to raise funds for The Royal Marsden Hospital by my friend, Veronica Mouat, whose husband Chris sadly died from lung cancer last May. Veronica's niece, Rebecc,a had also received treatment at The Royal Marsden for leukaemia as a young child and was taking part in the walk with her brother, Michael and Veronica's friend, Marcia. Our team name is 'The Cancer Crusaders' and I have to say that I thought the March might be a bit of a battle! Lots of kind people sponsored us and gave donations and we are very grateful to all the Coloma Staff who sponsored us and offered encouragement. We were fervently praying that the snow would melt in time for us to take part in the march and it did miraculously melt on the day before our walk. The sun shone in Chelsea and there was a party atmosphere with balloons and motivational music as we started our walk from The Royal Marsden Hospital at 9.30am. Some people taking part in
the march were doing so in memory of loved ones which was very poignant as you read the tributes on the back of their T-shirts; some were walking in thanks for their friend's or relative's recovery. We all were grateful to have such world class facilities available to our families and friends and conscious that more funding was needed for improving research and treatment of cancer. We settled into a comfortable pace shepherded by volunteers who supervised us crossing roads and pointed us in the right direction, though there was little chance of us getting lost as we could see trails of balloons attached to all the walkers in front of us. We strolled over Putney Bridge and on towards Wimbledon Common where refreshments and 'portaloos' were available and as there was a little drizzle, waterproof ponchos were provided as well. There was another break at Nonsuch Park in Cheam where we had our team
moonliGht walk On 24th February, over 220 walkers walked four miles by moonlight in memory of their loved ones and to raise money towards St Christopher’s Hospice Bereavement Services. Coloma Convent Girls’ School was happy to lend its facilities by acting as a start and finish point to support such a worthwhile cause. At the time of writing, nearly £24,000 had been raised in sponsorship and registration fees. Adelle Sanders, Special Events Project Co-ordinator, St Christopher’s Hospice said, “This is the first time we have organised a Moonlight Walk in Croydon! It was very inspiring to see so many supporters enjoying the walk and braving the freezing temperatures. Thank you very much to everyone at Coloma Convent Girls’ School and special thanks to Kevin Jackson, Sallie Trembath and Mrs Johnson for all your support.” Please visit St Christopher’s Hospice website if you would like to donate or get involved in future events.
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photo taken with the caption 'only three miles to go'. Unfortunately, there were a few casualties on the last lap with people suffering from blisters and sore muscles but, after a brief stop, they soldiered on. We were met at the finish at The Royal Marsden, Sutton branch by crowds cheering and were given a medal and goody bag to revive us and had our final team photo taken. It had been a marvellous experience and happily not a battle. If you would like to donate, please use the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundrai sing/veronica-mouat. Margaret Barrett
ElEction oF croydon’s First younG mayor Croydon has elected its first ever Young Mayor, giving the young people of Croydon their first taste of democracy in action. Two of the 28 candidates were Coloma students: Isabella McGurry, Year 12 and Caitlin Farrell, Year 11. Following two months of active campaigning, there was a hard-fought election on 13th March, with Coloma being one of the polling stations in the borough. The candidates attended a three-day ‘boot camp’ during half-term in which they honed their skills in active listening, public speaking and planned and produced their promotional videos which were posted on YouTube. All candidates now become part of the Youth Forum, run by the Mayor, which meets monthly to address issues concerning the young people of Croydon. Caitlin said, “It is a wonderful initiative and I would definitely encourage others to take part.” Isabella said, “It encourages young people to play an active role and strive to meet the aims they have for Croydon.”
sPiritual liFE yEar 9 day oF rEFlEction
yEar 12 GEnEral rEliGious studiEs
At the end of February, as part of the General Religious Studies programme for Year 12, Rabbi Nathan Asmoucha from Shirley Synagogue came to speak to the girls about his faith and beliefs. He spoke of the key beliefs in Judaism, giving an insight into its origins and history. He talked about Jewish worship; ethical principles and beliefs about the sanctity of life, his role as a Rabbi; food laws and kosher food; the differences between Hasidic Jews, Orthodox and Reform Jews and he answered many questions put to him by the girls. He ended his talk reflecting on the challenges faced by the Jewish community in Britain today. On Wednesday March 7th RISE Theatre Company came to Coloma to perform their very powerful and moving play ‘Romero - Heartbeat of El Salvador’ for Years 9 and 10. RISE is a professional Christian theatre company with a passion for delivering exciting, original, transformative and thought-provoking theatre. The play is the true story of Blessed Oscar Romero and his fight for justice for the poor oppressed people of El Salvador. The company consisted of three actors; John Noronha played the lead character Oscar Romero and one other character. Katie Krane and Jake Clifford between them played forty-two characters. This was ingeniously achieved through subtle changes of costume or small items of clothing to indicate the character changes to the audience. The opening scene portrayed the moment when Archbishop Romero was assassinated whilst saying Mass in the chapel of the Hospital of Divine
chose because of their hidden gifts, gifts they did not know or recognise in themselves. The morning closed with an introduction to prayer through scripture – Lectio Divina.
As half-term loomed, girls in Year 9 spent a day reflecting on Who Am I? The day began in the school chapel with morning prayer, before moving to spend the day together in the Winton House Performing Arts Centre. The first session was taken up with games, video clips, talks, discussions and hands-on tasks based around the theme of the day. After recess, the focus shifted to reflect on each person’s individual talents and the unknown or unexpected talents we discover. The girls were introduced to characters in the Bible such as Ruth, Hannah, Samuel, David, Mary and the Samaritan woman, all of whom God
After lunch, the girls heard about the Lampedusa crosses. They even got to touch the one brought by Deacon Tony Flavin and listened to the story of how they were made from the wreckage of wooden boats used by refugees that washed up on the shores of the island of Lampedusa off the coast of Italy. Following this the girls took part in ‘On the Move’ in which they re-enacted the journey of a refugee family. The refugees had to deal with many challenges and make decisions such as which family members to take with them, which items they could carry and how to reach their ultimate goal with no money and very little food. The day ended with a period of quiet prayer, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction in the Chapel.
risE thEatrE visit Providence in San Salvador on 24th March 1980. The audience was immediately taken back to Oscar’s childhood when he first made it known he wanted to be a priest. What followed was fast moving, taking the audience through significant moments in Romero’s life and witnessing him struggle with the demands of his role as Parish Priest, later Monsignor to the Bishop at the time and later still as Archbishop himself. He is caught between being leader of the Church and the cries of the poor and oppressed in El Salvador. He spoke out passionately against poverty, injustice, assassinations and torture, with his key message being liberation and the preferential option for the poor desiring a social revolution based on interior
reform. The assassination of his dear friend Fr. Rutilio Grande spurred him to speak out even more earnestly. Through it all, his key message was love, forgiveness and reconciliation. All of this was very powerfully and movingly portrayed throughout the performance.
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sixth Form votinG & dEmocracy lEcturE
On Wednesday, 31st January, Ms Ria Ivandic, Post Graduate Teaching Assistant in Politics at the London School of Economics, delivered a lecture to sixth form students on Why YOU should vote: a brief history of democracy. Ms Ivandic is currently working toward her PhD on a behavioural theory of voter turnout. Her primary research interest is the economic analysis of electoral politics. The lecture outlined the historical background of the enfranchisement of women. Students were surprised to find that women in Portugal were not enfranchised until 1976! It also compared the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments across the world. It assessed the reasons people give for not turning out to vote and evaluated different options for increasing turnout. Examples from UK and USA elections will be used to show how voter turnout affects results and why we should never waste our opportunity to vote.
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modEl unitEd nations conFErEncE succEss at croydon hiGh school Eight girls from Year 11 and Year 13 attended the Croydon High School Model United Nations conference on the 18th November. They represented Argentina and India and spent the day debating and discussing topics in a variety of committees. Following some hard-fought diplomacy and some excellent speeches, India (Charlotte Lamb, Lauren McLean, Sorcha Lydon and Joanna Marchong) were given the prestigious Outstanding Delegation award for their work. Caitlin Farrell, representing Argentina in the Political committee, was given an Outstanding Delegate award. It was a very rewarding demonstration of diplomacy and the importance of the United Nations.
a carEEr in law: a woman’s PErsPEctivE On Tuesday, 6th February, Judge Atkinson (QC) gave an inspiring talk on the day-to-day life of a senior circuit judge at a family court. Judge Atkinson (also known as Mrs Kinch) talked about how a woman can have a family of her own whilst also getting ahead in her career. After being a barrister for 22 years and then becoming a judge in 2007, she talked about On Thursday, 5th October, the BTEC and A Level Business girls were delighted to be invited to visit the Canary Wharf Waitrose Store. This gave them the opportunity to find out first hand how a real life business is run - rather than just reading about it in textbooks. The girls had a tour of the store and were able to recognise the vast scale of operations at Waitrose. In addition, they also had a very informative seminar with the HR manager who was able to discuss the recruitment, selection and training practices that they use within the whole John Lewis Partnership. Before they left, the girls were treated to a
the barriers she’s had to face as an aspiring female barrister in the field. Overcoming the struggles of being a woman from a workingclass background in a male-dominated profession, she excelled in her goals and aspirations. She has proved that with confidence, focus, determination and most of all resilience, any goalcan still be achieved regardless of gender or background .
businEss studEnts’ visit to canary wharF waitrosE
few surprises including mocktails, oysters and a Waitrose goody bag! The girls would like to extend their thanks to everyone at Waitrose for making them so welcome.
music kinG drummErs
sixth Form soiréE
For the second year running, the King Drummers were invited to perform at the Music for Youth Regional Festival in Sutton, which was held on Friday, 9th March. The King Drummers certainly caught the attention of the audience with their big sound and groovy rhythms, emphasised further by the acoustics of the beautiful church. Amongst the repertoire was a piece composed and led by Pearl Young in Year 11, which gained special recognition from the MFY Music Mentors. The feedback was very positive, praising the King Drummers on the ‘energy and commitment from every player’ which was, in their words, ‘stunning’, and appreciated the ‘self-discipline and focus’. Here’s hoping we get through to the next round in Birmingham! Julian Fagan-King
sPrinG instrumEntal EvEninG On Tuesday, 6th March, the Spring Instrumental Evening took place, showcasing many of our bands and ensembles, including the debut of two of our brand new rock bands Blue Monday, playing ‘You Really Got Me’ by The Kinks, and Third Rock from the Sun with ‘Forget You’ by CeeLo Green – and what an incredible premier it was! As well as this, we were delighted with a performance by the King Drummers of an original piece composed and led by Pearl Young (11Z) called ‘Bounce’. We were also entertained by performances by our strings, flute,
percussion and wind ensembles, the Jazz Band, the Potger Quartet and the Coloma Orchestra. All in all, a very successful and enjoyable evening with many new elements that we hope to see again in the future. By Martina Gonzalez (10Y)
On 7th February, parents, staff and friends were treated to an evening of performances by our A Level Music students in the Music Studio. We very much enjoyed the variety of instruments and musical styles, as we listened to a lyrical piece played on the violin by Eve Abiodun, which contrasted with a flambuoyant piece from Elena Fiderio. Other performances included an exhilarating solo for cello, performed by Shyarma Lewis (as in the photo), a lovely romantic piece for piano played by Jasmin Bennett, and a great variety of songs, ranging from simple folksongs to operatic arias and songs from musicals, sung by Becca Hayes, Maryam Wocial and Hannah Swadling. The next 6th Form Soirée will be the Champagne Soirée, on Wednesday, 18th April – a date well worth putting in your diary!
strinGs EvEninG On Wednesday, 21st February, some forty girls took part in the annual Strings Evening in the Performing Arts Centre. As its name suggests, all the girls were performing on stringed instruments, and the items ranged from solos for violin, viola, cello, double bass and harp to
various duet items and string quartets. Pupils from Year 7 up to Year 13 all took part and, as always, everyone learnt a lot from listening to each other. Musically, there was something for everyone, ranging from ancient music for violin to Caribbean music played on the double basses – quite a variety!
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sPorts surrEy schools nEtball On 15th March, the U15 & U19 squads competed at the Surrey Schools Netball Final. The U15s played well but narrowly missed out on a place in the semi-final. The U19s came top in their section and progressed onto the semi-final where they beat St George's. It was a nail biting final but unfortunately we lost to Guildford High by two goals. The girls played fantastically and we wish the U19s every success at the National School Finals on Saturday.
national nEtball Finals On Saturday, 17th March our U19 Netball Squad competed at the 2018 National Netball Finals in Welwyn Garden City. This was the second year in a row and only the third time ever that Coloma had been represented at this prestigious event. The girls had to play a total of seven games over the course of the day and, despite it snowing and being -1°C, team spirit was in abundance. The girls played their hearts out all day and managed to finish 11th in the country! Thank you to all the girls for their hard work and to their parents for their continuous support.
7-1 win For undEr 14 FootballErs Our U14 football team took on Woodcote High in early March and came away with an outstanding win. It was clear from the game that the hard work in training had paid off, as one-touch passing and good communication between players resulted in a 7-1 win. Well done girls.
coGa rEunion lunchEon EvEnt SATURDAY 28 APRIL 2018, from 11:30am - Tickets: £25 Price includes glass of bubbly at the Prosecco and canapé reception, a two-course luncheon (with a choice of dishes) plus a glass of wine and afternoon tea and cake. Soft beverages will also be offered, and a cash bar will be available for additional drinks. To book, please complete a membership application form and reunion booking form, both of which can be downloaded at www.coloma.croydon.sch.uk/coga. (If you have membership, you only need to return your reunion booking form.)
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yEar 9 ski triP
On Wednesday, 7th February 2018, 85 very excited girls set off for the ski trip to Austria. We had a good journey without any holdups and arrived in Würmlach around 8.30am on Thursday. The girls settled into the house and hotel and enjoyed a walk into town and a play in the snowfield. There was PLENTY of snow this year and the weather was glorious. The girls were split into nine ski groups of mixed ability, apart from group one. Only a handful of girls had skied before! Progress was amazing and, by day two, all girls were managing the button lift. Most girls conquered the chair lift by day three and before the end of the trip EVERY girl skied from the top of the mountain. The red run, Laas, was open this year too and a number of girls successfully skied it. We had fun on the shopping day and enjoyed a hot chocolate night around a campfire and concluded the trip with a very loud disco! Although we had a very large group this year, the girls did everything they could to ensure this wasn’t a problem. They were helpful, enthusiastic and encouraging to each other and to staff throughout the trip. They really were a credit to Coloma in every possible way. Not only did they learn to ski but also learnt to live without their phones (or any other technology!). They learnt to make their bed, clean toilets, wash and brush up. They made many new friendships and bonded as a year group. Above all, they learnt to believe in themselves and came to realise that anything is possible with perseverance and the support of others. It was a trip to remember for all the right reasons! U Greenwood