Stonar News Winter 2016-17

STONAR NEWS WI N TE R 2 016 - 17

INSIDE ART Embedding a creative culture in school

A GREAT START for Senior Co-ed

PLUS: PREP SCHOOL’S VIBRANT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT INVESTING AND IMPROVING NEW BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES

FROM THE HEAD

STONAR WINTER 2016

IN THIS ISSUE‌

Dear friends Welcome to Stonar News, with all the highlights from our busy Autumn term.

It has been a pleasure to welcome the first boys into the Senior School in a historic move for the school. They are a much valued part of our school community and it is a delight to see how well integrated they are after just one term.

As well as the intellectual and academic challenges our pupils grapple with, it is good to see the range of extra-curricular activities they throw themselves into. I’m pleased to see our Art Department highlighted for the excellent and inspirational work they do to ensure that creativity flourishes at all levels throughout the school. The Senior School production of Guys and Dolls was also a triumph; the standard to which our pupils perform never fails to impress.

Academic Successes p4-5

Pupils continue to benefit from the rich international opportunities that being part of the NACE group brings. The NACE Olympics, a major sporting tournament, hosted at Stonar in the summer term was a fantastic event, bringing together pupils from seven of our sister French and Spanish schools to compete in a variety of sports. Several international trips and exchanges are planned for the Spring term and it is good to see just how popular these are amongst our pupils as they look forward to renewing friendships with their peers abroad.

A final mention goes to the great results our pupils achieved in the summer examinations. We wish our departing Sixth Formers well as they embark on the next chapter of their lives, well-prepared and we look forward to hearing about their future careers.

Dr Sally Divall Head

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Prep School p8 PLUS 3 Development 4

Achievement & Challenge

6

Exploration & Inspiration

8

The Prep School

9

The Arts

12

Sport & Riding

14 Community 16 Boarding

10 January Term recommences 13 January Entrance Exams and Scholarship Assessments 16 January Year 11, 12 & 13 Mock Exams begin 23 January NACE Sixth Form visitors from EIB Etoile, Paris arrive 29 January NACE visitors from Barcelona arrive 31 January NACE Academic Olympics begins (Barcelona)

25 February Equestrian Centre Opening Ceremony 12 March Spring Concert 15 March Mid-Somerset Festival begins 20 March NACE exchange pupils from Agora Madrid arrive 25 March Riding Weekend in Devon

INVESTING & DEVELOPING We are ambitious for our school and we are going through an exciting period of transformation as a considerable programme of investment is rolled out.

TOP MARKS FROM TATLER We are delighted to have received a glowing writeup in the prestigious Tatler Schools Guide 2017.

EQUESTRIAN CENTRE The finishing touches are now being made to our comprehensive Equestrian Centre renovations and it is all looking very smart. New stables, new barns, new tack rooms, new office facilities,

a new viewing gallery and improved parking are among the enhancements made to ensure our Equestrian Centre continues to be among the best school facilities in the UK.

The review is researched and written by an independent editorial team. The review highlights our Equestrian Centre, but does not forget to praise our other ‘impressive achievements’, and ‘first rate pastoral care.’

‘Definitely one to watch,’ the report concludes.

NEW CLASSROOM BLOCK We bade a fond farewell to Curnow, home to many a happy boarder over the years, and following its speedy demolition, we are delighted that our new cedar-clad classroom block is starting to take shape. This will house humanities, languages and a brand new ICT suite and will open in the Spring term. Methuen will then be demolished and a new recreation area for senior pupils will be created.

“It is great to see the impact of all the investment that has been made in our facilities, ensuring the school continues to be well-equipped to deliver a modern and well-resourced education. In addition, our international connections with sister schools in Europe are adding global experiences to pupils’ education,” said Dr Divall. “There is a vibrant and confident feel about Stonar and I am looking forward to a successful future as a co-educational school.”

WELCOMING BOYS September 2016 was a historic month at Stonar as boys joined the Senior School for the first time, ending the single sex tradition which has been part of the school since its foundation in 1895.

of preparation for adult life; women and men need to work together and should learn to do this at school,” commented Dr Sally Divall, Head.

The Prep School is fully co-ed and now the first boys have been welcomed into Years 7 and 8. The school will be fully co-educational by 2019.

A fully refurbished boys’ boarding wing has been opened in Hart House, combining modern and comfortable rooms with the quirks and charms of a Grade II listed farmhouse.

“There is a real buzz across the whole community and we are thrilled to open our doors to our first Senior boys. We believe co-education is an important part

Stonar will be growing the new co-ed cohort with mixed intakes into Years 7, 8, 9 and 12 in 2017 and welcomes all enquiries from parents of boys.

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STONAR NEWS

ACHIEVEMENT & CHALLENGE Taking pupils beyond the classroom is essential to switching on excitement and discovery.

A busy programme of trips broadens pupils’ horizons and strengthens learning.

TOP RESULTS Stonar’s pupils, parents and teachers alike celebrated after a fantastic crop of GCSE results at the school and 36% of grades at A*-A.

“This is testament to the hard work our pupils and teachers put in”

English results were particularly stellar, with 66% of pupils achieving A*-A compared to a national average of 13.7% and 100% of pupils reaching a C or above. Maths was similarly buoyant with 40% of grades at A*-A against a national average of 15.9%.

“We are delighted by our pupils’ success,” said Head, Dr Sally Divall.

“With much in the press today about the decline in grades, it is fantastic to see an upswing in the number of A*-C grades at Stonar. This is testament to the hard work our pupils and teachers put in.” The level of achievement at GCSE at Stonar has been consistently high over the past 6 years with the overall percentage of A* - C grades being regularly in excess of 90%. We consistently add value to pupils’ results, so many achieve a grade higher than predicted from independent assessments in Year 10.

Stonar’s A Level students were similarly delighted with their results. There were some outstanding individual successes and places gained at universities.

GCSE GRADES

Stonar National

A* grades

11.7%

6.5%

A*-A grades

35.9%

13%

A*-C grades

93.1%

66.9%

Felicity Birkett gained A*A*A grades in French, History and Spanish and has taken up her place at Durham University to read Modern Languages and Cultures. Meanwhile Isabella Journeaux is celebrating full marks in all her Geography papers: she is off to Southampton University to study Fashion and Textile Design. Other students were thrilled to gain places at universities such as Bath, Southampton and Cardiff to study a diverse range of courses including Biology, Computer Forensics, English Literature and Politics.

We wish them all every success in their future careers.

ACADEMIC AWARDS EVENING Our Academic Awards Evening was a wonderful celebration of the academic achievement of our pupils, recognised both for outstanding achievement and progress. Senior Research Fellow, Dr Duncan Sparrow, from Oxford University delivered the keynote speech and presented prizes.

PRETTY CURIOUS A group of Able and Talented Year 8 and 9 pupils got Pretty Curious with a trip to Bristol for a pop-up STEM experience, run by EDF Energy. The aim of the Pretty Curious events is to bring the fun and excitement of STEM to girls, encouraging them to get hands on with different tech challenges. An exciting series of challenges and activities tested pupils’ problem solving abilities and team working skills.

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Year 8 worked well together to win a team-based competition to design a new smart gadget using circuitry kits and craft materials. The team constructed a teleporting watch, praised by the judges for the originality of the device and the quality of the presentation. Our Year 9 team came out top of the leaderboard, after building a nuclear reactor almost a minute faster than their nearest rivals.

THE NACE OLYMPICS 7 schools, 140 pupils and 6 sporting competitions over 4 days; the IV NACE Olympics, hosted at Stonar was a celebration of sporting endeavour. Teams from our partner NACE schools in France and Spain travelled to Stonar to compete in the event and for four days, Stonar was a hub of sporting activity.

The non-stop action included tournaments in athletics, football, tennis, basketball, swimming and hockey. Stonar pupils held their own in the face of fierce competition and the Junior Girls team were overall winners of their category,

with our Senior Girls team tying for first place with our sister schools, Agora International Madrid and Agora Sant Cugat. Our Junior boys also acquitted themselves well, coming second in the swimming and third in the football.

In a celebratory closing ceremony, prizes were presented by Adam Pengilly, the British skeleton racer who competed at the Winter Olympics in 2006 and 2010.

He spoke about his journey in sport; how he, as a child, had been inspired by watching British Olympic champions and that had fuelled his drive to compete.

Richard Miller, Director of Sport at Stonar said, “This was a tremendous experience for our pupils who rose to the challenges admirably, both of the sports competitions, and of their duties as hosts. It was great to see the friendships developing through the week.”

ROBOTICS CHALLENGE FOR YEARS 6 & 7 Year 6 and 7 have worked all term with Lego Robotics, building and programming their robots to complete a series of tasks on the theme of ‘Animal Antics’. A group will travel to the FIRST Lego League event at HP Labs in Bristol, where their robots will compete and the team will deliver a presentation on their work. We look forward to hearing how they get on!

TEDx BATH The entire Sixth Form, a group of whom are pictured above, were lucky enough to attend a TEDx conference. With a total of 17 presentations, a fantastic range of topics were covered, with speakers including Frank Gardner, OBE, Stephanie Millward, gold paralympian, and Colonel John Blashford-Snell OBE. Luna in Year 12 commented, “I was very moved by Stephanie Millward’s story who, despite her health challenges, never gave up and achieved her dream whilst exceeding all expectations.” Anthony Curtis, Head of Careers, said “this was an amazing TEDx conference with speakers who, through their personal stories of triumph through adversity, determination to succeed, dedication to a cause, and a spirit for discovery and adventure, showed us what can be achieved or overcome in life.”

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STONAR NEWS

EXPLORATION & INSPIRATION Pushing our pupils out of their comfort zone is one of the most rewarding things we do. Doing more than they believed they could, pupils grow in confidence, learn to trust their ability and aim high.

UP FOR DEBATE Representing Stonar for the first time in the ESU’s Mace competition, Nina Fitzmaurice and Holly McManus spoke with eloquence and passion as they argued against the motion that the voting age should be lowered to 16.

Both pupils presented themselves with real confidence and skill delivering prepared material and thinking on their feet as they battled verbally, toe to toe, with their opponents. The whole evening was impressive, featuring as it did, well prepared and intellectually flexible Sixth Form pupils who were more than prepared to face new challenges.

Year 11 pupils, Chloe Brown, Rosie MacAndrew, Nicole Amez- Droz, Emily Williamson, Milly Cooper and Angie

YEAR 11 LYNDHURST VISIT Cunningham took part in the ESU public speaking competition at St Mary’s School, Calne. Many openly admitted they were nervous, but impressively, they all battled through to present with confidence and style. Ably assisted by supporters Molly Manwaring and Danielle Frost, our speakers Nicole and Chloe presented the two motions ‘You’ve got to fight for your right to party’ and ‘Smart Phones, can they get any smarter? The girls represented themselves with genuine style and confidence.

GCSE geography students visited the New Forest, where they collected primary data for their controlled assessments on the impact of tourism in a honeypot site.

Head of English, Mr Dyde, commented that ‘we are really beginning to establish a culture where speaking in public is something that the pupils are not afraid to try, right from Year 7. Having a go is what’s important’.

Year 6 got to grips with inventions at the Haynes Motor Museum, building on their study of inventors and inventions this term.

HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT Year 12 enjoyed a fascinating day in London, learning about democracy and how laws are made at the Houses of Parliament. The visit included tours of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, followed by a workshop on 6

law-making which took pupils through the various stages a bill has to go through before it is made law. Pupils had the chance to apply the theory for themselves and created a law against the tampon tax.

GEOGRAPHERS IN STUDLAND A beautiful day for our AS and A2 Geographers collecting primary data for their investigation into vegetation in a psammosere.

NATIONAL STORY-TELLING WEEK Pupils across the Prep School got involved with National Story Telling Week, sharing their favourite books with one another. A warm and wonderful highlight of the week was story-telling

AUTHOR INSPIRATION Creative chatter filled Buckle Hall as Years 7-9 enjoyed being off timetable for the day to create their own, carefully crafted stories in a workshop, lead by Fleur Hitchcock, author of Bus Stop Baby, Dear Scarlett and Saving Sophia.

Her inspiring presentation focused on her dyslexia and her initial difficulties with the written word. Perceptive questions and comments from the pupils highlighted the fact that we all have the capacity to create stories in a wide variety of forms. Fleur’s creative challenge to use two suggested scenarios as starting/ending points for pupils’ own writing was more than met as they

around the fire in Forest School, where older pupils read stories to the Nursery children, and all shared hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows.

worked independently and co-operated in groups.

The final part of the session saw pupils from each year group read their pieces aloud to everyone. Many pupils spoke in glowing terms about the opportunity to write for a sustained period of time where characters and situations could be developed. Fleur acknowledged the creativity and impressive autonomy of the Stonar pupils.

“I go into lots of schools and it’s very rare that pupils work so productively without very close supervision. They were not afraid to take risks. It was a real pleasure coming here today.”

HANDS-ON LATIN FOR YEAR 9 A fascinating trip to the Roman Baths for Year 9, who were able to study Latin from primary sources and learn about Roman life and culture. Year 9 will be sitting their WJEC certificate in Latin and Roman Civilisation.

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STONAR NEWS

THE PREP SCHOOL Learning is at the heart of everything we do. My favourite phrase of the term: ‘I can’t do this… yet’ from a Year Four girl.

Favourite conversation so far: listening to a pupil showing their book to, and talking about their learning with a visitor so enthusiastically and for so long that I had to force them to stop.

Mark Brain, Head of Prep, provides an insight in to the Prep School’s approach to developing children both academically and personally.

Everything begins with the Prep School ‘personal goals’ of which there are 9 attributes including enquiry, communication, cooperation, thoughtfulness, resilience, international mindedness, morality, adaptability and respect. Learning is explicitly focussed on these qualities and learning dispositions; and they are integral to what we do at Stonar, underpinning personal development.

In order for the children to develop academically it is crucial that they understand the learning process. We help the children to break down their learning into knowledge, skills and understanding and teach them the importance of ‘growth mindsets’.

• Year Five have been learning through ‘Mission to Mars’ • Year Six have been learning through ‘What Price Progress?’

There is also an international element to our learning. Our aim is to help children move towards an increasingly sophisticated global perspective. We call this international-mindedness. As part of the NACE group, there are many opportunities to share learning experiences and events with children in other countries which reinforces the lessons learned here.

connections throughout their learning and see how their subject learning is related to the world they live in.

All of this has added up to a vibrant learning atmosphere. Alongside their core subjects of English and Maths, children have been studying the foundation subjects within a sophisticated interlinking system, centring around a theme. This allows them to make purposeful links and

• Year One have been learning through ‘Who am I?’ • Year Two have been learning through ‘Seeing the light’ • Year Three have been learning through ‘Chocolate’ • Year Four have been learning through ‘Paintings, pictures and photographs’

Each class began their theme with an Entry Point. This is designed to hook the children’s interest and make them curious about future learning, such as Year 5’s trip to @Bristol to visit the Planetarium and Year 4’s creation of a giant collage of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’. There have been opportunities for collaborative learning, for active learning, for learning outside the classroom, for role play and for children learning from each other.

Each class finishes with an ‘exit’ point where they conclude their learning by presenting or teaching others. Year 4 set up an art exhibition for visitors and Year 3 invited their parents to their chocolate factory.

Favourite quote of the term so far: a parent telling a teacher that their PrePrep child, when asked what they had learned at school the previous day, had responded by saying ‘so much because my brain neurons were firing like crazy!’

Favourite moment so far: the cheer heard from a Key Stage Two classroom, when it was announced what their foundation theme was going to be this term.

Favourite phrase of the term: ‘I can’t do this…yet’ from a Year Four girl.

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THE ARTS

GUYS & DOLLS The Senior School production, Guys and Dolls was a musical and theatrical tour de force! Pupils clearly enjoyed performing in this fast-paced musical which delivers laughs aplenty as it follows the romantic mishaps of Nathan Detroit, Miss Adelaide, Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown. Alice Sheppard, as the lead Nathan Detroit, deftly brought the play together, setting an energetic pace. Ysobel Andrews, as Miss Adelaide, delivered some stand-out moments, performing the Take Back Your Mink and Bushel and a Peck, with the ‘Hot

Box’ dancers in fabulous voice. We also enjoyed some great interplay between the two characters of Sky Masterson, played by Olivia Anniss, and Chiara Aylett as Sarah Brown. A mention must also go to a trio of wonderful voices from Anna Watson, Reli HarrisJohnstone and Amy Tokel.

A terrific feel-good evening with easy and delightful humour abounding in this comedy of errors about love, gallantry and small-time crooks.

HENRY IV PART 2 Having enjoyed the autumn production of Henry IV Part 1 so much in the Autumn, pupils got together to put on an abridged production of Part 2 in the summer term. Pupils performed outside in Buckle Courtyard in the round in an energetic performance, much enjoyed by all.

PREP’S POETRY SLAM

MUSICAL ASSEMBLIES

The Prep School hosted a wonderful morning of spoken poetry for friends and parents at the inter-house poetry slam. The fun and confidence with which pupils spoke both individually and in groups was fantastic to see.

Musical assemblies are a regular feature of Prep School life and we have been treated to some wonderful performances from our pupils. It is fantastic to see the talent burgeoning in the school and pupils overcoming nerves to enjoy performing.

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STONAR NEWS

DEPARTMENT IN FOCUS

ART

curriculum and an important aspect in the education of every student.”

Austen and Nicola explore a diverse range of techniques and materials with pupils, encouraging them to find their own preferred media, and then equipping them with the skills they need to develop their talent as far as they want to take it. As well as work in the classroom, pupils draw inspiration from trips and visiting artists.

The Art Department at Stonar is a vibrant and an exciting place to be where pupils can explore their creativity and develop their artistic talents. The comprehensive facilities include a dark room and a kiln, and spans three studios; one mainly for art, another for photography and a third studio for Sixth Form students, set up similarly to an art college studio.

Head of Art and Photography, Austen O’Hanlon has been an artist for over twenty years and graduated as an art teacher at Goldsmiths College, followed by a post-grad in fine art at the Chelsea College of Art in 2005. The department also includes Nicola Gardiner, a practising artist who has taught art and design for over 15 years and has a wealth of experience in mixed media art works and printmaking. Justine Skinner heads up art in the Prep School, embedding the foundations for an understanding and a love of art.

Austen explains why, far from being a second-class subject, art is an important part of the school curriculum.

“The importance of art to a school is to 10

encourage a space for creative thinking and exploration of ideas. Our students do this by learning essential practical skills, the appreciation of artists and photographers and encouraging them to develop an increasingly autonomous approach to their learning. Education and engagement in art and photography are an essential part of the school

Austen explains more, “Our visiting artist programme combines an exhibition by an artist at the school for a term and workshops with pupils to introduce them to how they work and share their creative practise. Recently, landscape painter Helen Garrett worked with our sixth form students, bringing inspiration with her in the form of a basket of natural objects. Illustrator Ben Rothery shared his exacting techniques for capturing precise and beautiful

details and Alex Compton, a local glass artist, worked with our year 8 students to create beautiful glass snowflake decorations that are currently hanging on the giving tree in the centre of Bradford on Avon.”

“Engaging the students and seeing the students learn is a privilege of a teacher.

Picasso said “If you know exactly what you are going to do, what is the point in doing it”? Art and photography offer an explorative process where the students are given the space to develop their ideas and understanding creatively. This is achieved through a commitment to and an enjoyment of the subject.”

Art begins in the Prep School with Justine Skinner, who works with the children in imaginative ways both in class and the over-subscribed art club, encouraging even children who don’t see themselves as arty, to find a love of creativity.

She says, “Art in the Prep school is about giving children a love of the subject. It is an integral part of each year group’s learning and is approached through the themes underpinning each unit of work.

We aim to let the children experiment with a range of resources in their lessons and in the very popular art clubs that are

on offer. They learn that mistakes are a natural part of learning and use resilience and persistence to refine their skills and to develop as artists. We encourage enquiry through the introduction of new artists, art movements, styles and cultures, helping to foster an interest in the wider world and enriching their learning experience…. and of course, art at Stonar is great fun!”

“I have found the children in the prep school to be extremely confident in their approach to this subject. They embrace every challenge and are able to work with an impressive degree of independence. The nurturing atmosphere of the prep school encourages and celebrates creativity and the children flourish as a result of this. They are a joy to teach and there is a wealth of artistic talent which leads to some beautiful outcomes, enabling us to surround ourselves with junior masterpieces.”

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STONAR NEWS

SPORT & RIDING HOCKEY ROUND UP

GOLF Congratulations to Laura Curtis in Year 8 for winning the Wiltshire U15 county championship and finishing runner up in the girls U11/U12 national final at St Andrews.

Congratulations to Izzie Sowels in Year 7 and Emily Gerrish in Year 11 who have both been selected for the Wiltshire JAC, (Junior Academy Centre), Wiltshire’s Junior Hockey pathway.

After just 2 years of hockey training and still 11 years old, Izzie will be one of the youngest members of the U14 squad. Emily, who joins the U17s will be

training at Marlborough College and will be part of the squad who play in Bristol in April 2017.

All teams have played some good hockey this season with some notable successes and it has been a pleasure to see the skills and confidence grow through the term. The U13A team have had a particularly fantastic hockey season, winning 5, drawing 1 and losing 1. With the majority of girls playing up a year they should be incredibly proud of their achievement. Well done to all involved.

NEW PREP PROGRAMME The new Prep School sports programme has been introduced and Reception to Year 4 are laying down the foundations for ‘physical literacy’ including body control and ball control skills.

CROSS COUNTRY At the West Wilts Area Cross Country Championships 13 Stonar pupils were selected to represent West Wilts in the Wiltshire Cross Country at Sheldon School.

Congratulations to: Spencer DymondHall, Joseph Wills, Natalie Grimes, Victoria Navarro del Aguila, Luana Petersen Barreto, Eva Stenner, Bella Harris-Johnstone, Consuela BeauchampDavies, Holly McManus, Abbie Short, Charlotte Draper, Chelsea Pearce

FOOTBALL In the opening game of the ESFA 5-a-side football tournament Stonar drew 1-1 against Ridgeway School thanks to a finely taken shot from Joe Wills. Stonar improved their performance to win 2-1 in the following game with some excellent defensive work displayed by Spencer DymondHall and Oliver Brogden. In a tightly contested and highly competitive final match against Lydiard Park Academy both teams managed to restrict each other’s chances to score and the game

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RUGBY finished 0-0. Lydiard Park Academy won their other two matches and the tournament.

Congratulations to Hermione Titcombe, Year 10, who has had an excellent first season of rugby with Somerset U15s, who have scored 129 points this season and conceded only 19.

RIDING ROUND-UP ISODE Two individual firsts, a team first and several placings for Stonar’s riders!

It was a fantastic ISODE for Stonar’s riders. The event, which is always highly competitive, welcomed hundreds of competitors from schools across the country. Stonar’s riders acquitted themselves well and we are very proud of the following pupils, all of whom rode superbly to clinch places as follows.

Class 1 (70cm) Individual 1st: Francesca Frost Class 2 (80cm) Individual 1st: Chloe Brown Individual 3rd: Evie Houseman Individual 7th: Sophie Kelly Joint 9th: Carrie Munro and Kaytlyn Hughes Team 1st: Chloe Brown, Evie Houseman, Sophie Kelly, Pauline Bayer

Class 3 (90cm) Individual 3rd: Scarlett Parker Individual 4th and 8th: Poppy Richardson Individual 10th: Hattie Blokland Team 3rd: Georgia Howe, Scarlett Parker, Olivia Hayward Team 4th: Hattie Blokland, Poppy Richardson, Tippy Pullin, Minty Mayhew

TEAM GB TRIUMPH FOR CHELSEA PEARCE A truly stellar achievement for Chelsea Pearce, representing Team GB in the FEI European Eventing Championships Juniors in Italy this year. As well as taking team bronze, Chelsea was placed 8th, the highest individual placed Brit – an outstanding result - on her first outing for the team. Our Director of Riding, Darrell Scaife, back from a successful Rio Olympics, accompanied the team as coach.

NSEA SHOW-JUMPING, DAUNTSEY’S Class 3 (90cm) Team 6th Kaytlyn Hughes on Ferrero Roche Carrie Munro on Olaf Minty Mayhew on Scarthy Robin Tippy Pullin on Roscow Delight Individual 3rd: Carrie Munro on Olaf 5th: Tippy Pullin on Roscow Delight

Class 4 (1m) Team 3rd Tippy Pullin on Roscow Delight Carrie Munro on Olaf Minty Mayhew on Scarthy Robin Chloe Brown on Muchwood Comanche Individual 3rd: Tippy Pullin on Roscow Delight

NSEA JUMPING WITH STYLE, HARTPURY Class 1 (75cm) Team - 5th Emily Singleton on Bomba Issy Down on Black Beauty Carrie Munro on Olaf Kaytlyn Hughes on Ferrero Roche Individual 1st: Olivia Hayward on Curious Cove

7th: Carrie Munro on Olaf Class 2 (85cm) Team 6th Georgie Howe on Crannard Dun Eva Stenner on Flash of Freedom Carrie Munro on Olaf Minty Mayhew on Scarthy Robin

INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS Congratulations to Lily Williams-Musitano, Year 5, a side-saddle star who successfully competed on her show pony GB all summer, bringing home a grand total of 2 trophies, 1 silver plate, 1 medal and 36 Rosettes, with great results at Equifest.

After good performances in the qualifiers, Poppy Richardson, Year 9, was selected to compete at the Pony Club Championships taking a team 4th for dressage, an individual 7th and a team 8th in the Stonar Novice Eventing.

Congratulations to Cara Teton and Bug who have qualified for the NSEA plate championships at Keysoe.

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STONAR NEWS

COMMUNITY

ROTARY YOUNG CHEF Five Stonar chefs entered the first round of the Rotary Young Chef Challenge, cooking a two course meal against the clock. The high standard was praised by the Rotary judge who observed pupils throughout the cooking process as well as judging from the finished product.

Grace Collins goes through to the next round after her prawn and mango salsa starter followed by chicken and cous cous salad. Emmi Cook achieved second place with a vegetarian menu of stuffed peppers followed by an aubergine and ricotta pizza.

HARVEST FESTIVAL The Prep School walked to Atworth Church for a warm and wonderful autumn celebration. Pupils donated food to Julian House, a local charity which supports homeless people.

TUG-OF-WAR The tug-of-war competition in the first week of term saw Years 3-8 pitting their pulling power against each other for house points. After the heats, each house picked teams to include one child from each year group to compete in the final round. Kennet were the victors, to much noisy celebration! Well done all who took part.

CLUB STONAR It’s been a pleasure to welcome our pupils and external boys and girls to Club Stonar, our fun and friendly holiday club. With multi-activities including outdoor fun, art and craft, sports sessions, cookery and forest school, children never have the chance to get bored! “My children’s favourite holiday club experience yet!” said one mother of two. Club Stonar runs during every school holiday and dates are available on our website.

INTER-HOUSE DANCE Energy, enthusiasm and talent were on display in abundance in the interhouse dance competition and it was a particular pleasure to see our Senior boys throwing themselves into their first inter-house dance challenge. Congratulations to Farleigh, winners of the Junior and Senior dances, and Kennet, winner of the Whole House dance.

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REMEMBRANCE SERVICE Pupils in Years 5-13 came together along with staff for a special assembly and act of remembrance. The assembly included readings by Poppy Singleton, Year 6, Molly Manwaring, Year 11 and Isabella Collins Year 13. The act of remembrance was led by the Head; with words from Laurence Binyon’s poem ‘For the fallen’ spoken by Mr Wicks, Luna Haag, Maya Lorigiola and Becky Moreno in English, German, French and Spanish respectively. Miss Meehan played the Last Post and Reveille, before the Chamber choir closed the assembly by singing Wherever You Are, by Paul Mealor, a song made famous by Gareth Malone and the Military Wives choir.

ROMANIA CHALLENGE After raising a spectacular £6,787, a group of Stonar Sixth Formers travelled to Romania in half term to work alongside Trowbridge based charity, People Against Poverty, in their work in poor rural communities there.

The Sixth Formers joined a project to establish a farm which supports destitute Romanian families in Uncesti where the farming communes have collapsed following the revolution. The farm benefits 150 families in the area, lifting the community into a position where they have the means to work, produce, trade, sell and earn.

Pupils discovered skills they didn’t know they had as they sawed, hammered and planed to construct a 17 metre polytunnel on the site, which they finished in good time. The girls then turned their hands to assisting with the building of a house and making doors for a mill building. As pupils had raised such a large amount, they were able to contribute financially to the mill project which will enable all the families in the area to grind maize and help the farm become more self-sufficient. This was the second polytunnel on the site which also includes a crop area and livestock.

A community centre nearby run by the charity provides children with a hot meal every week.

Pupils joined children in the community centre for an afternoon entertaining the children, teaching them songs, making loom band bracelets, mask-making and games.

“It was an amazing and eye-opening experience and we all enjoyed working together towards such an important cause,” said Amy. “Each girl worked extremely hard and I can speak on behalf of the whole team when I say that this amazing experience has allowed us to develop personally in different ways,” commented Issy.

Our thanks go to everyone who contributed to pupils’ fundraising and made this trip possible.

Pupils discovered skills they didn’t know they had as they sawed, hammered and planed to construct a 17 metre polytunnel

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STONAR NEWS

BOARDING Fun at Laser Quest

Exhilaration at white water rafting at the Cardiff International centre

Senior boys settle into the boys boarding wing

The inter-house pumpkin challenge; ready for the bonfire night display

A trip to Bristol combined shopping at Cabot Circus and exploration on the SS Great Britain

The traditional English taste of a cream tea

Boarders ice skating

STONAR

Cottles Park, Atworth, Wiltshire, SN12 8NT T: +44 (0) 1225 701740 F: +44 (0) 1225 790830 E: office@stonarschool.com www.stonarschool.com

Cinema Trip Sight-seeing in Bath