St Benedict's News - Lent Term 2018

ST BENEDICT’S

NEWS

BENEDICT’S SCHOOL a

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LEN T TER M 2018

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M headmaster@stbenedicts.org.uk

F St Benedicts School, Ealing •

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World Book Day – page 24

Dear Parents, At the end of another extremely busy term at St Benedict’s, I hope you will enjoy reading about the many activities and achievements of our pupils. Academic Challenge has received a further boost, with the opening of the Helikon Centre, where a stimulating programme of weekly talks and discussions takes place. Our emphasis on independent research continues too, as the EPQ is now available to Middle School pupils. (Sixth Form researchers have once again received top marks for their projects.) Drama is a great strength of the school and the production of Oh! What a lovely war was truly impressive. Our musicians, too, have been busy, with a Music Festival and Jazz Soirée. Finally, a particularly cold Lent Term concluded with St Benedict’s Day: the Mass was celebrated by Bishop Paul McAleenan, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, and our fundraising this year supported Caritas, the Jesuit Refugee Service and the Sri Lankan charity, Foundation of Goodness.

I wish you and your families a very Happy Easter.

With best wishes,

Andrew Johnson Headmaster

The children have certainly been making good use of their time, though a few of them may have been a tad disappointed that they missed out on the ‘snow days’ in early March. The school has been blessed with a number of really interesting guest speakers during the course of the term: David Edwards (Explorer and Mountaineer); Kiko Matthews (Transatlantic Solo Rower); Lewis Travers (Old Priorian-2007 & RAF Pilot); and Capt. Nick Anderson (Virgin Atlantic) all made a deep impression upon the children that they met. Trips to Tate Britain and Windsor Castle were well received and informative. School activities have included skiing; Science Week; the Spring Concert; the SBJS Netball and Rugby Sevens Tournaments; the Dance Recitals; the Lenten Assemblies; and Lenten Reflection in Ealing Abbey Church.

Thank you for being so supportive of the Lenten Appeal. The funds will undoubtedly be put to good use by The Passage.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

I wish you and your families an enjoyable and peaceful Easter holiday.

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With best wishes,

Rob Simmons Junior School Headmaster

Pre-prep visit Windsor Castle Children in Pre-prep 2 and 3 enjoyed a trip to Windsor Castle, as part of their Turrets and Tiaras topic. They had hoped to meet the Queen but sadly Her Majesty was not at home. Seeing the Changing of the Guard was almost as exciting though, and they learned a lot about castles, chivalry, history and heraldry.

Cyrus: “I really enjoyed seeing Queen Mary’s Dolls House and all the nice things inside.”

Archie: “I liked St George’s Chapel the best.”

Finn: “We saw a statue of Queen Victoria with her favourite dog!”

“

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Spotify and understanding the ideas behind the business. These included wanting fair profits for the artists as well as giving them an insight into who is listening to their music.

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Sophie Slaughter (Upper 5th)

Spotify’s Global Agency Lead, Pete Beeney, keynote speaker at the recent St Benedict’s Careers Fair, had offered a tour to the pupils posing the best questions at the end of his talk. The lucky winners were Lauren West (Lower 5th), Ben Michael (Lower 6th), Sebastian RuanoKnapp (Upper 4th) and Sophie Slaughter (Upper 5th).

At the Careers Fair, Pete had spoken about the importance of being open to opportunities, personal growth and risk taking, all of which had led him to the top of this highly successful company: “The ability to turn up, work hard, be adaptable and positive is of massive value”, he said.

Pete emphasized the importance of people and the unique Spotify culture. He also explained that, as a digital streaming service, Spotify is rich in digital analytics, and understanding and using data is critical to success.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Spotlight on Spotify

Four St Benedict’s pupils visited the Spotify London office, to find out about the company that is changing how we listen to music.

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“It is not the

mountains we conquer, but ourselves.

” FORMS 1 & 2 EXPLORE MOUNTAINS

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

“It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves.”

The words of Sir Edmund Hillary opened David Edward’s fascinating talk on Mountains, as part of this term’s Hillary’s Heights topic. The children learned about the highest mountains in the UK and around the world; how they were formed, their climate, flora and fauna, and how they can be ascended.

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Mr Edwards has climbed in Britain, Canada, USA, Norway, Iceland, New Zealand, the Italian Dolomites and the Alps.

His many adventures include falling off a mountain in winter, when he had to self-rescue with two broken legs!

He has also survived a volcanic eruption in Montserrat, been charged by an elephant, carried snakes with his bare hands, and narrowly missed a close encounter with a grizzly bear.

Three St Benedict’s singers join the National Youth Choir of Great Britain Toby Moore (Upper 4th), Mark Maalouf (Form 3) and Artie Hair (Form 2) have been accepted into the National Youth Boys’ Choir. They auditioned with hundreds of young singers from all over the UK. All three are, or have been, choristers in the Ealing Abbey Choir, and sing in numerous other choirs at St Benedict’s.

They will attend two National Youth Choir residential courses later this year, joining up to 150 singers of the same age.

St Benedict’s Director of Music, Mr Chris Eastwood, said: “I am delighted that Mark, Artie and Toby have been offered places in the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.

This is a great testament to their talent and hard work over a number of years. I am sure they will have a wonderful time as part of a world-renowned institution.”

WINNERS Flohouse Cup Douglas Ashby (Marimba and Piano): Fabian Theory (Westlake) and Sonata Pathetique, Mvt I (Beethoven) Senior Section Cup (Sixth Form) Rosalind Sheehan (Voice): I’m still hurting (Jason Robert Brown) Intermediate Section (Lower and Upper 5th) Valentina Elner-Kupcha (Clarinet): Brazileira (Milhaud)

MUSIC FESTIVAL 2018

The St Benedict’s Music Festival concluded with the Finalists’ Concert in the Orchard Hall, with impressive performances from the winners of each heat.

The Festival had been running throughout the previous week with 250 solo entries and group entries.

This year’s adjudicator was conductor Nicholas Chalmers, artistic director of the award winning Nevill Holt Opera, and conductor with Northern Ireland Opera.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Junior Section Cup (Form 3, Lower and Upper 4th) Jem Mawer (Drumkit): Full English Breckerfest (Alderidge)

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“

It made me want to watch more Shakespeare plays.

”

Helina

THE YOUNG SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PERFORM

THE TEMPEST

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The Young Shakespeare Company introduced Lower and Upper Prep to The Tempest, as part of this term’s Storms and Shipwrecks topic.

Shakespeare’s tale of magic was brought vividly to life around and among the children, sometimes involving the whole audience to create various dramatic scenes, such as the storm that wrecks Prospero’s boat.

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The children were actively involved in the play from the start, answering questions about the characters and the plot. Everyone had the opportunity to speak and enjoy Shakespeare’s words in short, accessible sections, while some played the part of individual characters.

“I thought it was a delight to watch.

Prince Ferdinand was my favourite character because he was quite brave and didn’t worry about being washed up on an island.”

Finlay

“It was the best play I’ve ever seen because there were funny bits and serious bits.

Caliban was my favourite character because he was very dramatic and shouty.”

William “I liked it because there were lots of things going on and it never got boring.

There was always something to look at.”

Nancy

‘STORMS & SHIPWRECKS’ AT TATE BRITAIN

“My favourite painting was ‘Burial at Sea’ because it made me feel sad and emotional.”

“I liked ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’ because it was colourful and had so much detail in it, like the French and British flags and the cannons.”

“My favourite was ‘The Shipwreck’ because it was very detailed and dramatic.”

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Children in Upper Prep enjoyed a trip to Tate Britain, to research seascapes. After a talk about the work of JMW Turner, everyone looked closely for details and effects in the many wonderful paintings.

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JUNIOR SCHOOL CONCERTS Soloists Concerts Two concerts gave soloists the opportunity to perform, on every orchestral instrument, piano, guitar and voice. The Key Stage 2 Soloists Concert included Bach’s Invention in A minor, Ode to Joy and La Donna è Mobile.

Younger musicians, aged 5 to 11, gave over 60 polished performances, such as Tallis’ Canon and Theme from the Surprise Symphony, some making their concert débuts.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The Spring Concert St Benedict’s pupils aged 7 to 11 gave a range of outstanding choral and instrumental performances at the Spring Concert. Inspired by the theme of ‘The 60’s’, the programme included 7 different instrumental ensembles and 3 choirs, demonstrating the enthusiasm and musical engagement of pupils in Lower Prep to Form 2.

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TOP MARKS FOR EPQ RESEARCH Sixth Form students at St Benedict’s have received excellent results for their Extended Project Qualifications.

Ten students have been awarded A*s, and 75% of this year’s cohort have gained A*/A. The EPQ level 3, which is the equivalent to half an A level, allows students to research a subject of their choice. It can be a dissertation of around 5,000 words, a composition, report or artefact, backed up with paperwork.

The qualification is highly regarded by universities for the academic independence and organisational skill it demonstrates.

Nerina Dow, Aine McColgan and Victoria Szymanska achieved full marks for their projects: Nerina explored the use of the placebo as an effective alternative to modern medicine; Victoria researched how prenatal exposure to music directly affects the development of the unborn child; Aine’s title was Should CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) research into human disease be limited only to somatic gene therapy?

Nerina Dow with Dr Greenhough, EPQ Coordinator

EPQ

EPQ LEVEL 2

The EPQ Level 2 is now being offered to Middle School pupils, following a successful pilot scheme this year involving 33 Upper 4th pupils. Level 2 is worth half a GCSE, and consists of a 2,000 word essay, or artefact, and final presentation.

From left to right: Felix, Arianna, Amy and Rhodri

EPQ LEVEL 2 PROJECTS Felix Mac-Fall: To what extent are preventions of malaria more effective than a cure?

Arianna Pittini: The safety of iCloud: Are our memories, preserved through photographs, in good hands?

Amy Slaugher: A comparison of the media coverage of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings and the 2017 attack on London Bridge

Rhodri Darwent: Will Blockchain affect how we buy and sell goods?

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Research workshops at the British Library and universities have supported EPQ pupils, who are also guided by a teacher-supervisor.

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MUSE, READ, THINK, DISCUSS… Is war a necessity for human progress? Should some books be banned? Is it OK to clone a human being? Should the whole world speak the same language?

In celebration of learning for its own sake, intellectual curiosity and the sharing of ideas, St Benedict’s has created a dedicated space for stimulating intellectual activity for pupils and staff alike. The Helikon Centre is named after Mount Helikon – a place where the Muses sought inspiration.

Here, you will find weekly talks given by St Benedict’s staff and visiting speakers; faculty ‘café’ sessions (informal lunchtime gatherings based around a subject, with plentiful supplies of pizza); live screenings of lunchtime lectures from institutions such as the British Library and UCL, and TED talks.

The Trethowan Society meets here too, allowing Lower 6th students to sharpen their wits through debate and discussion.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

“The Trethowan Society enables us to take part in the discussion of academic subjects, current affairs, general knowledge and culture. A plethora of different activities is offered and there is often a fiery debate in which the whole cohort is encouraged to contribute.”

Cerys Edwards (Lower 6th)

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“Trethowan’s intellectually challenging programme leaves us with a thirst for knowledge, opening boundless scholastic possibilities. Book reviews encourage further reading for pleasure and provide an opportunity to discover unfamiliar texts.”

Louis Lota (Lower 6th) Weekly Thinking Forum topics, such as capitalism, war and fake news, can be debated in the Helikon. The door is always open, for students to pursue their academic interests, by reading and informal discussion.

MUSE

THE

TRIAL Upper 6th A level Drama and Theatre students performed The Trial

by Steven Berkoff.

This excellent ensemble performance was deftly executed by Isabella Wingrave, Katelyn Fouladgar, Tanya Michael, Dulcie Godfrey, Amelia Hammani and Eden Comins.

The multiple roles, choral responses and meaningless babble all served to represent K’s conflicted inner thoughts, while dreamlike movement created the dark, surreal world of Joseph K, pulling the audience into his eternal nightmare.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Concerned with the inner life of the individual, The Trial begins with the arrest of bank clerk Joseph K in his bedroom one morning for an unspecified crime, and follows his attempts to discover why this occurred and how he can acquit himself.

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MOVIES A N I G H T AT T H E

Over 160 Junior and Senior School dancers, aged 5 to 17, performed in A night at the movies.

The Junior School show included scenes from Grease, Bugsy Malone and Batman, with some very cute pre-prep Trolls.

Senior School dancers presented scenes from The Lion King, Ghost and La la land.

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Oh! What a Lovely War This theatrical chronicle of the horrors of the First World War (first performed in 1963 under the direction of Joan Littlewood) is told through songs, short episodic scenes and documents of the period.

A talented cast rose to the challenge of balancing irony and bitter truths with music-hall comedy and singing.

Performers switched rapidly between lower ranks, officers and civilians, showing a range of perspectives from all the nations involved in the conflict. Sylvia Pankhurst’s appeal for the world to come to its senses contrasted starkly with Sir Douglas Haig’s determination to continue sending thousands of men to the front.

The songs – including Goodbye Dolly Gray, Keep the home fires burning and Pack up your troubles – were beautifully sung.

Skilful choreography moved military advancements, marching suffragettes, dancing generals and washerwomen across the stage.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

“And when they ask us, how dangerous it was” closed the play, against a backdrop of final, sobering statistics – 10 million dead, 21 million wounded, 7 million missing – driving home its message – the futility of war.

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OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR 10 MILLION DEAD

21 MILLION WOUNDED

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

7 MILLION MISSING

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Award-winning theatre company Ten Ten gave a powerful performance of Grace, a one-woman play about child exploitation and human trafficking.

The play helped pupils in the Upper 5th to explore modern slavery and human dignity, as part of their PSHE programme.

GRACE News from the Society of Parents and Friends The SPF has two aims – to host fun events that will bring our community together, and to raise money through these events to support some of the school’s initiatives. This year we donated £15,000 to purchase a new climbing frame for the Junior School and robotic computing equipment to be used across the school. Last year we funded beautiful stained-glass windows, designed by a pupil, for the Senior School Chapel.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

This year has already been really busy, and there is more to come so please make space on your calendar for some of the upcoming events!

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The Christmas Ball kicks off the festive season with a night of glamour and fun. Last December, 250 parents enjoyed an evening in the company of friends, with delicious food and wines and much vigorous action on the dance floor – not to mention some very competitive bidding at the

auction and lots of happy (winning) faces following our 5-star prize draw!

The annual Quiz Night took place on Saturday 10th March. Over 100 people supported this highly competitive event, which was won by a table of Lower 4th parents.

Bollywood Night was launched last year and it was a fabulous, superglamorous night. Those who weren’t there quickly knew they had missed something very special – the Bangra DJ who played the best music, the Dhojl player, the wonderful entertainment and delicious Indian buffet! The next Bollywood Night is on Saturday 28th April and tickets are just £25. Please feel tempted to dress Bollywood-style – not compulsory but fun! Book now at stbenstickets@gmail.com.

The Summer BBQ will take place on Saturday 16th June. Traditionally this is mostly supported by Junior School parents, but we are suggesting Upper Sixth parents think of it as a last get together before school’s out for their sons and daughters. Join us!

Dates for the diary: Bollywood Night: Saturday 28th April, 7–11pm. Tickets £25. Book at stbenstickets@gmail.com Summer BBQ: Saturday 16th June: Tickets go on sale after the Easter holiday Christmas Ball 2018: Saturday 1st December

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD NEWS Record numbers of St Benedict’s pupils are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, with 117 completed awards this year! (78 Bronze; 28 Silver; 11 Gold.) There are currently 295 pupils taking part in the scheme. (173 Bronze; 67 Silver; 55 Gold.)

AT T H E J U N I O R S C H O O L

SCIENCE WEEK Science Week proved to be as thrilling and explosive as anticipated! Workshops were held all week, with every child encountering some new aspect of the scientific world.

Upper Prep and Form 1 learned about engineering, by creating strong structures from rods of newspaper.

The Nursery children concocted extra strong bubble mixture and Pre-Prep 1 investigated chemical reactions, mixing vinegar and sodium bicarbonate to make a fantastic erupting volcano.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

A Rainbow Bubbles workshop enchanted Pre-Prep 2 and 3, who also discovered that white light is actually a spectrum of colours. Lower Prep and Form 2 explored chemicals by testing the pH (acidity) of household products and creating slime.

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

SCIENCE FAIR

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Lower 4th pupils presented a range of fascinating projects at the Science Fair, which was attended by 340 children from local primary schools. Topics included: How do muscles move bones? Are fingerprint patterns inherited? Does music affect your concentration? and How much weight can an egg support?

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ST BENEDICT’S

SENIOR SCHOOL SPORT HOCKEY Congratulations to nine St Benedict’s hockey players who have been selected to represent Middlesex County.

Back row: Wairimu Guede (U17); Christopher Moon (U13); Tallulah Pilgrim (U14); James Ball (U17) Front row: Matthew Cook (U15); Daisy Burns (U14); Polly Burns (U13); Rachel Kelly (U13) (Not pictured: Dominic Taylor who will be representing the U16)

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Polly Burns has done exceptionally well as she has been selected to join the U13 squad a year early.

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RUGBY St Benedict’s 1st XV captain Ben Keen has been selected for the National Lambs Squad. In November Ben was nominated for a South East Lambs trial where some of the strongest players from independent schools

took part in training and trials. He was then selected for the National trials and has now made the Lambs national squad, where he represented the national team against Exeter Chiefs Academy and Nottingham University. St Benedict’s Director of Sport, Mr Zoran Higgins said: “It is fantastic to see someone of Ben’s calibre recognised within a national

Ben Keen

development programme. He has worked extremely hard this year and typifies everything that St Benedict’s rugby stands for. He is a great asset to our squad and the school.”

St Benedict’s rugby has always been a great supporter of the RFU’s game development strategy: eight players are working within the London Irish premiership academy and three players within various Middlesex County rugby squads.

“

He [Ben] has worked extremely hard this year and typifies everything that St Benedict’s rugby stands for.

Mr Zoran Higgins Director of Sport

”

This season has seen growth and improvement across all year groups. The A teams have shown an exceptional level of determination and gelled as teams, enhancing their sportsmanship and tactical play.

The commitment from the girls towards team development has evidently paid off, demonstrated by many convincing wins. These include a nail-biting 1st VII match against Notting Hill & Ealing High School, outstanding wins from several year groups and the unbeaten U13s against St Mary’s.

We say goodbye to 1st VII captain Jolie Bediako, Alex Thomas, Emma

Lyons and Maddie Tipping, who finish Sixth Form this year. These girls have been outstanding on court and have also set an excellent example to the younger year groups. We look forward to seeing a new 1st VII come together next year.

Many of the girls are set to attend London Youth Games trials over the next month and we wish them all the best of luck.

CRICKET St Benedict’s cricket season is well underway with weekly training for all age group A squads. The U15s have been training especially hard, in preparation for the Easter cricket

Inspirational Coaching Session with Former England Rugby 7s Captain

tour to Sri Lanka. They will be joined by four of the U14 squad: Oscar De Abaitua Hind, Jared Braddock, Cathal Sheehan and George Curtis Raleigh.

After winning the Middlesex Cup last season, the U13 squad will go forward to represent the county in the 1st Round of the National Cup, and will play St Andrew’s Preparatory School, Eastbourne (Sussex) on Friday, April 20th.

FENCING St Benedict’s has had a very successful term, winning tournaments at St Paul’s Cathedral School, Winchester College and Highgate.

Ollie Phillips, former England Rugby 7s Captain, led a training session for the U14s 7s squad.

“The main aim of the session was work rate: throughout the afternoon he said, if in attack or in defence, always put in 100%. Some of the skills he taught us were to run straight, move the ball to the wings and run from deep onto offloads.”

Cathal Sheehan (Upper 4th)

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

NETBALL

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ST BENEDICT’S

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT NETBALL

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The U9s have worked hard to develop their skills in High 5 netball (designed for younger players).

In their first competitive fixture, against Orley Farm, they learned valuable lessons about teamwork, communication and decisionmaking under pressure. Aniela Hanc showed impressive leadership qualities, and Klaudia Cifliku held the centre position well.

The U10s are excelling in 7-a-side netball, recently winning 7-0 against Queen’s College Prep.

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The U11s have worked extremely hard this term and are beginning to show promising levels of skill and sportsmanship.

St Benedict’s High 5 Netball Tournament (U10) This was the largest High 5 tournament that has been hosted at St Benedict’s, with16 local primary schools taking part. There was a real

buzz at the playing fields with lots of excited girls!

Our A team did particularly well, winning 5 matches and drawing

one. The Bs tried really hard throughout and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Iris Whiteley and Lily Hussein were awarded Players of the Tournament.

Highlights include wins over University College School, Clifton Lodge and St Helen’s College.

RUGBY St Benedict’s Junior School Sevens Festival A total of 12 U11 teams competed in our 31st festival.

The U11Bs played against a tough Eltham College A team, with Conleth O’Haire named Player of the Day. The A team had some good results over King’s House and St John’s Northwood, and tight encounters with Thomas’s Fulham, Danes Hill and Northcote Lodge.

The Player of the Day was David Shenas, and commendations go to Arthur Maltais, Jonny Connery and Jude Higgins.

Director of Rugby, Mr James Coles, said: “The boys played some fantastic rugby, showing a huge amount of potential, in what is always an excellent day.”

“

The U9s have developed well this season. In competitive fixtures against King’s House, the A and C teams won (with Tobiah Marletta scoring 12 of our 13 tries) and the Bs drew. They also competed well at the Shrewsbury House Tournament, where Nick Lewis was voted Most Improved Player, Aubyn Georghiades was Best Tackler and Finlay Burns captained brilliantly.

The boys also worked hard at the Bill Sharrock Cup, losing just one game.

The U10s have made massive strides in their progress, with notable fixtures against St John’s Northwood, St Paul’s Prep and King’s House.

The U11s played in the Haileybury Festival at Allianz Park, where British and Irish Lion Michael Owen refereed some of their matches!

In their best performance, the U11 Bs beat Hampton Prep 10 tries to 8, with notable performances from Paul Benson, George Aldridge and Man of the Match, Elio Nutt.

The boys played some fantastic rugby, showing a huge amount of potential...

Mr James Coles Director of Rugby

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

BOYS’ HOCKEY

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WORLD BOOK DAY ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Pupils at St Benedict’s witnessed a startling transformation in their teachers, in celebration of World Book Day, as a full and varied cast of well-known book characters magically appeared in the library.

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Peace descended at 10:30 as everyone dropped everything to read for 20 minutes. Senior School pupils heard a few paragraphs from a short story in each lesson, and Thinking Forum was a debate about E-Books versus printed books.

#WBD #THROUGHSTBENEDICTS

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

JAZZ St Benedict’s pupils performed with professional musicians in a highly successful Jazz Soirée, following a series of jazz workshops. World class drummer Sam Blue, who has performed with Corinne Bailey Rae, Paloma Faith and Tom Jones, joined the school’s jazz ensembles, along with Marcel Pusey from Bassistry Music on bass guitar and jazz singer Megan Thomas, resulting in a superb evening of entertainment.

The Senior and Junior Jazz ensembles and Big Band performed popular jazz standards such as Summertime, Ellington classic Take the A Train and Miles Davis’ All Blue.

The Jazz Choir, accompanied by double bass and guitar, sang Don’t worry, be happy, and Leonard Cohen’s Alleluia, with confident improvisations from several singers.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Myfon Bassey, who sings with the Jazz Choir, said: “Working with Marcel and Megan Thomas during the workshop was an exciting experience. I learnt so much from them, such as how to pick a simple melody and improvise, and how to have a better stage presence by looking round at the audience.”

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DEVELOPMENT OFFICE NEWS OUR PROJECTS Bursaries

285%

(Target £10,000)

Pond & Greenhouse

(Target £10,000)

Computing

30%

(Target £17,800)

Music

Drama

44%

(Target £2,900)

Sport

12%

Junior School

(Target £18,000)

FUND OUR TARGETS

20%

(Target £15,000)

(Target £23,050)

ANNUAL A NUAL

0%

2017–18 20 7–18 74%

OUR PROGRESS

Annual Jazz Soirée The evening raised over £1,000 for the Music Department projects.

Thank you to all our parents and Old Priorians who supported us on the evening.

Careers Focus Breakfast This term we were delighted to welcome back Chris Wakefield (OP 10). Chris, who now works as a Business Associate with the Cannes Lions and Money 20/20, delivered a very insighful account of his career to date. Any student who attended the breakfast has been offered the opportunity to apply for a work experience day shadowing Chris.

(Applications should be made via the Head of Careers, Mrs Hopgood.)

Alumni News The term opened with our annual Oxford and Cambridge Dinner which this year welcomed Captain Gordon Wilson (OP 60) as Guest of Honour.

The dinner has become a firm fixture on the OPA calendar and will be held again in February 2019.

We welcomed Simon Tait (OP 06) who came back to visit St Benedict’s for the first time in 10 years. Simon, who now works in advertising, will also be joining our Mentoring and Networking Programme.

We will host our first Old Priorian to Old Priorian mentoring and networking evening in the Wright Bros. Restaurant, Soho in June.

Golf The OPA and St Benedict’s Golf Day will be held on Friday 15th June at Ealing Golf Club, for golfers of all abilities. Parents and friends are welcome to attend this enjoyable day.

We plan to play the day in a 4 ball format and prizes will be awarded for the best individual Stapleford, best team Stapleford, nearest to the pin and longest drive. The golf is followed by a BBQ so if you are not able to play golf please do consider joining us for the evening. If you would like to play in this year’s event, please email us: development@ stbenedicts.org.uk. All funds raised will be in aid of the Annual Fund.

Forthcoming events: Old Priorian Annual Dinner Annual Rugby Presentation Rugby Dinner Old Priorian Mentoring and Networking evening The St Benedict’s & Old Priorian Association Golf Day

Chris Wakefield

Old Priorian Annual Sports Day

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Annual Fund Thank you very much to our parents and Old Priorians who have generously supported the fund since its launch in October. In particular, I would like to thank the SPF Committee for their support with a gift of £15,000 to the Junior School and ICT projects. We still have some way to go to achieve our targets and I do hope you will consider suporting the Annual Fund if you have not already done so.

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