HIGHLIGHTS Autumn 2014
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DRAMA
CORALINE curious and creepy! W
e were delighted that our resident Drama Teacher, Grant Corr, undertook to write a bespoke play for Year 7 and 8 this year. Year 8 girls auditioned for the lead parts and all of Year 7 were invited to participate in the choral roles. It was therefore a ‘World Premier’, wonderfully directed by Mr Corr as well. There were parallel worlds and of course, the ‘Other Mother’. Our Year 10 girls acted as Technical Crew, working the lighting, creating projections and costumes. The button eyes were particularly effective in suggesting the other world inhabitants. Katie Gambier’s Coraline was ably supported by a tight ensemble of exciting character parts that made for a very entertaining evening of theatre.
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DRAMA
Gadesden Competitions Senior School
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he Gadesden Drama Competition reached its 11 Year at Blackheath High School Seniors. Again, this year, the standard was extremely high and competition was fierce between the girls representing their respective Houses. We were delighted that our resident LAMDA coach Kate Wilton could judge the girls’ performances, bringing her expert eye to the proceedings. She was impressed with all the entries in the final and found it very difficult to choose the winner as there were many very worthy contenders. However after much deliberation she chose Esther Akinyomi from Year 7 as the overall winner with her beautifully timed piece ‘TV Spinechiller.’ Well done! Mrs Tyrrell
Junior School
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nce again this year, all the girls in Years 3 to 6 became playwrights and worked in House groups to write, rehearse and perform their own plays in preparation for the Junior Gadesden Competition. The competition final took place on 26th November when four groups in each year group, one representing each house, took to the stage in front of an audience and the judge, Mr Grant Corr (Senior School Drama Teacher). All of the plays were all highly amusing and original, so the audience was in stitches throughout! The performances had been carefully choreographed and rehearsed and the actors delivered their lines with clarity and confidence. When all the plays had been performed, Mr Corr spoke to every group about their performances, highlighting his favourite aspects of each play. He was particularly impressed by the original ideas and clever twists the girls had incorporated to surprise the audience. In particular, he complemented the girls on having developed characters so successfully. Finally the winners of this year’s winners of the Gadesden Trophy were announced: Martha, Eden, Mabel and Maisie from Year 4 representing Meridian House. Congratulations go to the winners and to all who took part to make the event so entertaining and successful! Our thanks go to Mr Corr for agreeing to judge the competition and for giving the girls encouraging and constructive feedback. Mrs Bolton Autumn 2014 Blackheath High School 3
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DRAMA
Our little Angels
“I thought it was really funny Tilly, Year 5
Nursery
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he nursery school girls performed their very first nativity in December. The girls told the story of the nativity through song. Each class then performed a special dance: NAM were angels and danced to the Sugarplum Fairy; NFT were stars and danced to Fredrika Stahl’s Twinkle Twinkle; and NPM were robins and danced to Rockin’ Robin. We were delighted to see so many parents and grandparents attend. It was a great performance by three and four year olds and they showed tremendous confidence. It was a wonderful start to the Christmas festivities and Santa Claus was informed of the girls’ excellent efforts!
Year 1 and 2 Nativity The Christmas season brought us a very festive performance by Key Stage 1 and EYFS as the Year 2 girls led a wonderful Nativity entitled, ‘Angel Express’. A cast of very excited angel reporters were preparing for the big day – the birth of Baby Jesus. The story follows Mary and Joseph on their long journey to Bethlehem and into a very special stable. They reported on the arrival of some very wise men and told us of shepherds who were paid a visit by the Angel Gabriel. The audience thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of song and dance, including beautiful singing from Year 1 who sang ‘Big Star’ and the Reception classes who put on an angelic dance routine. The girls looked fabulous in their decorative costumes and their talent and confidence was clear for all to see.
“I loved being on stage!” Matilda, Year 2
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HEAD GIRL TEAM
A Note from the Head Girl Team Senior School
Junior School
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e’ve had a very busy and rewarding term as the new Head Girl Team. In addition to giving speeches, attending meetings and helping to co-ordinate the prefect teams, we also had the chance to represent the school at the annual GDST Young Leaders’ Conference in October. It was a great opportunity for us to network with other girls from across the country, whilst learning invaluable public speaking and team building skills. We’ve really enjoyed bridging the gap between teachers and pupils, especially in such an exciting year with a new head teacher and the prospect of major building works.
L-R Emma Davies, Jahnavi Singh, Tegan Davies-Cooke, Clementine Simpkin
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L-R May Mundt-Leach, Nicole McIntosh, Dot Mundt-Leach, Izzy Bakpa, Helena Holder, Annabel Sim
What happens next…… The girls are currently studying for their final A level exams and have been very excited to receive offers from their chosen universities. The Head Girl team’s choice of Higher Education and Career paths reflects the diverse range of subjects that interest our girls and demonstrates how, at Blackheath High School, we genuinely cherish individuality and inspire every girl to achieve beyond her expectations. Dot – Medicine, Manchester May - Veterinary Medicine Izzy - Gap year, then Anthropology Nicole - Art Foundation Annabel - English at Oxford Helena - History + German at UCL
Next year I’m hoping to go to Manchester to study Medicine, but after 15 very happy years at BHS, I know it won’t be easy to say goodbye!” Dot Mundt-Leach (Head Girl)
he Junior Head Girl Team have very much enjoyed their first term of service to the school and have played key roles at many of the term’s events as well as regularly assisting teaching staff during assemblies. They have been practising their public speaking skills addressing the audience at the Harvest Festival celebration and giving readings at the wonderful Carol Concert in December. They also impressed prospective parents and pupils at the open mornings, explaining different aspects of the school through a series of interesting and informative speeches, delivered with confidence and poise.
“I really enjoy blies helping out at assem ng to and events and getti year nt know girls of differe a position of groups. I like having ing a ‘familiar responsibility and be the school, friendly face’ around never I can.” helping others whe in Clementine Simpk (Head Girl)
“Being Head Girl is a great opportunity and I have enjoyed taking on new challenges and building my confide nce through public speaking and having responsibilities.” Emma Davies (Head Girl) “I enjoy everything about being part of the Head Girls’ team. We “I have being have a lot of responsibilities building lots of life and I like to fulfil them to the g Deputy skills since becomin best of my ability. The jobs through Head Girl, especially are also fascinating, such as has made eaking at events. It sp speeches, interviews, tours. too.” me more confident My favourite part of the job k Tegan Davies-Coo is to take prospective parents l) (Deputy Head Gir on tours, as they want to know if ours is the right school for their child’s future.” Jahnavi Singh Autumn 2014 Blackheath High School 5
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TRANSITIONING
Smoothing the transition into Senior School Preparing the path to Senior School
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arents are often surprised when they realise how many transition initiatives are in place to ensure the move to Year 7 is a smooth one. It is probably a measure of the value and enjoyment derived from the events themselves that the transition benefits are sometimes not immediately obvious but they are certainly there! From as young as Nursery, our girls are used to seeing our Sixth Formers helping them as Minibus supervisors and After School Club assistants. They soon learn that the girls in the Senior School are not at all scary, but kind and very good fun. The girls look forward to the assemblies that the Senior School girls come down to present to us. They have enjoyed musical performances, presentations from the Head Girl Team and a lovely Pantomime in French by some talented Year 7 linguists, to name but a few events this year. One of the highlights of the year for us is when the whole school joins together for an afternoon of home-grown entertainment in the theatre at Wemyss Road. The girls become used to other familiar faces from Vanbrugh Park. They all have the benefit of seeing Mrs ChandlerThompson at our weekly ‘Stars Assembly’ and during class assemblies, while the older girls in Key Stage 2 are taught by specialist Science, DT and Latin teachers from the Senior School. There is excellent continuity in the PE department too with Mrs Hallett teaching girls at both sites, so there are many familiar and friendly faces that the girls recognise when reaching the Senior School. Our Year 6s go to VP once a week for lessons but there are plenty of opportunities for the girls to visit the Senior School building before they reach the very top of the Junior School. Years 3 and 4 enjoy cookery sessions in the wonderful kitchen suite. There are also special days when the girls team up for
with older year groups at Vanbrugh Park; ‘Maths Morning’ for Years 5 and 7 and ‘Architecture Day’ for Year 6 and 9 girls, for example. Year 4s also collaborate with Senior girls for an annual Design Technology exhibition which will take place at the Rangers’ House, Greenwich this summer. In March, the whole of Year 5 thoroughly enjoy taking part in the Senior School drama production at Greenwich Theatre - this year they are delighted to be taking part in a performance of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Building on the success of last year’s pilot event, this year, girls from both sites have worked together on an exciting, high profile venture with the United Nations, built around International Women’s Day. There are also many cross-key stage sporting events such as the Year 6 and 7 Inter-house Netball tournament and the KS2 and Year 7 cross country. We never like to miss an opportunity to mingle Junior and Senior School girls, so, for us, the redevelopment of the Wemyss Road kitchen will be a chance to introduce the girls in Years 4 to 6 to the delights of the Vanbrugh Park dining room as they will be taken over once a week for lunch. For parents, we run an evening presentation giving details about the Senior School provision and an opportunity to meet staff. Any queries about the transfer to Seniors can be made at any time, to Mrs Nichols our Admissions Officer for the Senior School and there is a wealth of information available on our website. By the time the girls reach Year 6, they are comfortable enough with both the Senior School buildings and the teachers there, to see it as an exciting move up, not a frightening move away. Mrs Skevington, Head of Junior School
rnament
Morning of Maths
Inter-House Netball Tou
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TRANSITIONING
The exciting move up to Senior School
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e realise how important it is for our pupils to feel confident and secure when starting the new phase of their school career at the Senior School in Year 7. We endeavour to ensure that all new pupils are given time to meet and build friendships, particularly during the first term and even before the start of the school year, at our Summer School. Within the first six weeks of their new school life, our Year 7s are very happy, busy and stimulated with a range of innovative experiences and events that are especially designed to promote self-awareness, confidence, and resilience. These are all aspects that help to develop the ‘whole’ person. These focused and planned events are a fusing together of both academic and personal experiences, that are designed to be inclusive for all girls in Year 7 and help to foster sense of team work and comradeship amongst the pupils. Prior to the beginning of the academic year, girls embark on the exciting transition into senior school with our fantastic Summer School Programme in the last week of August (provisional dates for this year’s summer school are Monday 24th August to Thursday 27th August 2015). Activities over the four days will include cake-making in our fantastic cooking suite, an art and textiles project, sports activities, a picnic in Greenwich Park and a cinema experience in our fabulous theatre. Whilst giving the girls the opportunity to learn lots of new exciting skills, the main emphasis will be on team work and relationship building through
Whole year group day trip
“Blackheath High is so great at helping you settle in when you join year 7. As soon as you start there is so much variety across lessons and clubs, you really look forward to going to school. The whole experience is enjoyable and you will make so many good friends.” Maddie Halil practical activities to ensure that they feel happy and relaxed when starting at the school in September. It is also a great opportunity for the girls from our junior school to make new friends with girls joining us from other schools. The Year 7 Pastoral team of 3 Form Tutors led by a Head of Section, also plan and create a special “Induction” day to enable the girls to familiarise themselves with the school buildings and, most importantly, to get to know their Form Tutor and fellow classmates. This is an exciting day which includes a range of fun team-building games and activities, with many opportunities to make themselves feel comfortable and familiar with their new surroundings and with the expectations of secondary school life.
Summer School
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TRANSITIONING Then, in September, all of Year 7 take part in a residential weekend trip to the PGL adventure centre at Windmill Hill. Girls conquer their fears and try out a range of multi-sport activities run by fully qualified instructors that help them to overcome any selfconsciousness, build resilience and develop a sense of team work and the determination to achieve. The girls very much enjoy the social evening activities and build friendships that are also consolidated through these shared team experiences. In November the girls plan their own “Tea Party celebration” event for their parents. Our Year 7 pupils perform to their guests and give talks that celebrate their achievements within their first half term at Blackheath High. They also embark on a ‘school trip’ as a whole year group. This day is usually fully devoted to the investigation of Art and recently pupils have visited both the Saatchi Gallery and National Portrait Gallery as part of their induction into working as a year group but also to learn in-depth research into a particular curriculum area. Mrs Tyrrell, Head of Year 7
“The whole of Year 7 went on an amazing bonding trip to PGL in Windmill Hill. We did loads; from crawling around in tight spaces (tunnel trail) to flying in the sky on a giant swing! We bounced around in aeroball, and whizzed down the rope on zip wire. It was a brilliant experience and our teachers joined in too. Ms Watson was the first teacher our instructor had seen tackle the intrepid depths of the wormholes (tunnel trail) and everybody can confirm that Mr Parsons screamed “Aunty Claire!” as he plummeted the through the air on the giant swing! We had a great time, ‘hooray for PGL’ it was EPIC!” Hannah Edwards
“PGL did not disappoint this year, with the girls eagerly climbing, swinging, abseiling and more all weekend. Most importantly new friends were made and the girls bonded and integrated well setting them up for their busy academic year together”. Mrs Tyrrell
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ENRICHMENT
Thinking Outside the Box Our bespoke academic enrichment courses – ‘Matrix of Knowledge’ and ‘Theory of Knowledge’ Matrix of Knowledge The Matrix of Knowledge is a non-examined ‘history of ideas’ course, specially designed for Year 11 students at Blackheath High, to challenge them intellectually and extend their knowledge beyond the examined curriculum. Charting the development of western civilisation from pre-history to the present day, the course plots traditional historical periods against key figures and events, and developments in religion, philosophy, the arts, science and politics. The aim is to highlight how these often seemingly disparate subject areas interrelate and impact upon the broader, evolving ideological picture. Completion of the course and ‘the Matrix’ enables students to situate aspects of their five years of secondary education, and consequent studies at A level, within a broader historical, artistic and intellectual context, familiarising students with core ideas that arguably define western intellectual development.
The first half term explores the history of medicine, culminating in a busy trip around Bloomsbury to visit: The Wellcome Collection; The Enlightenment Gallery at the British Museum; The Sir John Soane Museum; and the Hunterian Gallery and Museum of Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, after which lectures, debate, student presentations and documentaries follow a broader linear chronology including early Christianity, Islamic Spain, the Renaissance, Reformation and High Modernism to name but a few. The absence of an external examination helps facilitate spontaneity, risk taking, breadth and limitless intellectual scope to really stretch our students. With a nod to Julian Barnes’ ‘History of the World’, the reference to ‘25½ lessons’ is very much an acknowledgement of how ambitious an undertaking the course is!
“‘I loved M atrix of Knowle dge in Year 11 and I am enjoying T heory of Knowle dge very m because it uch makes me think abou things diff t erently. It encourage me to dec s onstruct th in gs that yo know abo u ut civilisati on and art, and look at again, but without unnecessar y stuffiness .” Elizabeth Isaac
Theory of Knowledge In the Sixth Form we offer another non-examined course, ‘Theory of Knowledge’, which follows on from Matrix of Knowledge studied in Year 11 sharing the spirit of learning purely for sake of satisfying intellectual curiosity. Based upon the core and most distinctive component of the IB Diploma, this course encourages and develops the ability of students to question ‘knowledge’ and ‘truth’ by reflecting critically on the methodological underpinnings of different subject areas (science, religion, the arts etc.) and to consider the role and nature of knowledge in their own culture, and the cultures of others in the wider world. Whilst the course is philosophical in nature (relating to the field of epistemology) its chief concern is the application
of critical thinking skills to current cultural, political and scientific developments such as stem cell research, voluntary euthanasia, ecology, economics and religious radicalism, to name but a few. The course is academically demanding and particularly benefits those students aiming for Oxbridge and Russell Group universities where interviews are likely to test a student’s capacity for divergent and lateral thought, and awareness of the underlying assumptions upon which the applicant’s chosen subject discipline is based. It is of great credit to our students that these courses are so popular, given how busy they are with examination courses and extensive extra-curricular activities. Mr Parsons, Assistant Head
“The Theory of Knowledge course revolves around the study of epistemology – encouraging us to challenge what we hold to be ‘knowledge’. The depth and breadth of the course is engaging and thoughtprovoking, and enables us to broaden our understanding of a variety of complex topics. In particular this course has greatly developed my critical and lateral thinking skills, which have been invaluable for university interviews.” Annabel Sim
Autumn 2014 Blackheath High School 9
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STEM
Focusing on STEM
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TEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) includes physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, engineering, computing, medical and life sciences. It can also include relevant managerial fields, manufacturing and processing areas, as well as building and architecture. We believe that teaching STEM and related subjects is important; it pervades every aspect of our lives, and the future lives of our children, who are growing up in a dynamic technological age. Currently, a major skills shortage is predicted; by 2022 the UK will need at least 1.82 million new engineering, science and technology professionals to meet technological and scientific advances and energy demands. There is an increasing need to inspire many more young people to take up careers in these key areas, which will pave the way for the UK’s future economic development. Dame Mary Archer, who graduated top of her year in Chemistry at Oxford University, has recently been quoted in a media interview about STEM careers “Going to a single-sex school is quite a traditional route for women my age into science because nobody said ‘You shouldn’t do that, dear’ - not until it is too late anyway” In her recent blog, ‘Why don’t girls believe in their own brilliance?’ our Head, Mrs Chandler-Thompson, supports the need to develop the brain, to adopt ‘can do’ thinking and to change behaviours: “By helping our girls to understand neuroplasticity, and the power of application and practice, we are providing them with the tools of future success.”
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The Government’s ‘Your Life’ campaign http://yourlife.org.uk/ is a three-year campaign to ensure young adults in the UK have the maths and science skills needed to succeed in the current competitive global economy. The GDST has signed up to the ‘Your Life’ campaign with a series of supporting pledges. GDST schools buck the national trend, with over 40% of our graduates going on to study Science, Medicine, Maths and related subjects. As a GDST school, Blackheath High actively supports the ‘Your Life’ campaign by delivering a wide range of STEM-based projects and co-curricular activities, as well as learning from inspirational alumnae who are forging successful pathways into STEM careers. Their learning is supported by state of the art equipment including the use of iPads in lessons, 3D laser printers and other specialist DT equipment.
Our STEM work and actvities include... Formula 100 Competition The Formula 100 Competition invites students to submit 30 second videos outlining what they would invent and why. “I introduced this competition to the whole school in assembly in January. It encourages the girls to use their imaginations to think of something they would like to invent. Our girls are very creative and I had an immediate response from several girls ranging from year 7 to year 11 before I had even left the room! Each girl is encouraged to make a short, 30 second, video describing what she would like to invent and the prizes were very exciting.” Mrs O’Hanlon, Head of Maths Faculty
Formula 1 Club The girls at Seniors meet at “Formula 1 F1 Club every Tuesday, Club helps me ap ply quite and have been very a bit of the mat hs learnt in clas successful, being s into a real-life co the only all-girl ntext. It is also really good fun as you secondary team get to enter com pe titions school to take part throughout the year, which spur in the National s u s on to work out stra tegies in order to Final Competition get the fastest laps. On last year. We are ly two girls can be put forward for the currently perfecting final so it can ge t our technique by very competitive !” setting up various Lara Atkinson mock races on the Jaguar (Year 9) Maths in Motion software. Mrs Silvestros, Maths Teacher
Nela Brown Visit Blackheath High School was delighted to welcome Nela Brown to talk to students aged 12-15. Nela is a sound artist, musician, designer, technologist and PhD researcher at the School of Electronic Engineering & Computer Science at Queen Mary University London (QMUL). Nela talked about her career to-date and was very inspiring. She showed some examples of her work, including interactive installations with QMUL based G.Hack and sound design for a mobile phone app. She also talked with students about their career aspirations and what they are doing currently to support these goals. GCSE Computing students Maiya and Angele showed off the Python programs which they created this year, expressing real enthusiasm for creative coding. Miss Dickinson, Head of Computing
Headstart and Inspire courses Headstart has been established for more than 16 years as a charitable trust, providing hands-on STEM activities and engineering taster courses to encourage young people into technology-based careers. These courses, for girls in Year 12, are held at top universities, offering the girls the opportunity to find out more about the exciting career opportunities a particular degree course might lead to. The Inspire courses are aimed at Year 11 girls, offering an opportunity for the girls to learn new skills and get ahead in the Sixth Form and beyond. They are soft skills courses, set against a science/technology project. Mrs O’Hanlon, Head of Maths Faculty And, by the time you read this article, we will also have celebrated Science Week with themed visits and experiments, and participated in a United Nations project on International Womens’ Day and interviewed several scientists for BBC News Report Day!
“I attended a Headstart course last year, specifically the ‘Girls Only Insight Into Engineering’ at the University of Salford, in order to gain an insight into the varied fields of engineering. It was a valuable experience, enabling me to meet and work with new people.” Alex Eastaugh
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STEM
Take Three - Meet Blackheath High Alumnae... Farah Caswell - Environmental Engineer “My time at Blackheath High provided me with the necessary skills, support and confidence so that I was ready to face the world after school. From the very first time I entered and decided it was the school for me, to the last time I left, I enjoyed every minute and still look back fondly! Blackheath High and its teachers have a way of helping you find your strengths and building on them. Not to mention, friendships that stand the test of time. The warm and nurturing
Libby Richardson - Dentistry Student “I spent 11 happy, challenging years at Blackheath High in an environment in which I felt wholly supported and encouraged. The academic support and Higher Education opportunities available to us all were fantastic. Another benefit was the eclectic mix of extracurricular activities on offer, especially the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The teachers were able to pass on invaluable advice and guidance which
environment offers every opportunity it can, so that when you take that first step after school, you’re ready for what may come your way. Looking back, I realise how fortunate I am to have had such a great start to my education and my career.” Farah completed her Civil Engineering degree at Imperial College London and joined Foster & Partners as an in-house Environmental Engineer.
has undoubtedly helped me get to where I am today. I cannot express how well this set me up for the exciting prospect of University and the wider world beyond.” Libby is studying Dentistry at King’s College London and thanks her teachers for all their encouraging words and advice with mock interviews, work experience and careers guidance which all helped to cement her determination to follow this path.
Doctor Sarah Payne BSc (Hons) PhD MRCP (UK) - Specialist Registrar (SPR) in Medical Oncology After completing A-levels, Sarah went straight on to study Medicine at UCL, achieving a first class Honours in her Intercalated BSc and final MBBS exams. She went on to complete her junior doctor training in a number of London hospitals, during which time she made a decision to specialise in Oncology. She started her specialist registrar (SPR) training in Medical Oncology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 2003. She was awarded an MRC grant to complete a PhD in breast cancer during her training, which she successfully completed in 2010. Sarah most recently transferred to Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in March 2014, to gain valuable experience working in another centre of excellence. Sarah successfully completed her training in January 2015 and was appointed a post CCT fellow at Guys and St Thomas’ Hospital
with a specialist interest in education. She was simultaneously appointed as undergraduate lead in clinical skills development for the Trust and oncology lead for undergraduate curriculum development. Sarah is currently looking to apply for a consultant position, hopefully in London, and is very keen to continue and develop her education role alongside her clinical work. “My interest in teaching and education has very much been influenced by my time as a pupil at BHS, and the extensive opportunities I had to lead and teach. I particularly remember organising the Science Society and seeing the enjoyment of the other pupils when we ran sessions on “Bubbles” and the “Science of the Flame”. Sarah is married to Iain Soulsby, a local dentist, and they two daughters, Charlotte (2 years) who is still at nursery, and Emily (6 years) who is in year two at Blackheath High Junior School. Both Iain and Sarah are very active on the BHS Parents Association and Sarah is also Vice-Chairman of our Old Girls’ Association. “It is lovely to see that the atmosphere is still warm, friendly and personal as well as supportive of individual development and achievement. It has been fantastic to stay connected with the school and watch Emily, and soon Charlotte to have the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful school community” says Sarah.
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STEM
Focus on STEM Higher Education and Careers: Oxbridge & Russell Group Offers Congratulations to our girls who have received STEM-related university place offers from leading institutions, including: • Sissy Li - Mathematics at Jesus College, Oxford • Head Girl, Dot Mundt-Leach - Medicine at the University of Manchester (and another two university interviews still to go). • Sian Adeyoye – Chemical Engineering offers from Bath, Newcastle and Birmingham • Temi-Lola Mahir – Chemical Engineering offers from Sheffield and Newcastle
Year 9 ‘Look to the Future’ Event Our Year 9 Pupils had an opportunity to talk to professionals from a variety of STEM careers, including an engineer, a dentist and a computer programmer, at their ‘Look to the Future Day’ on 2nd February 2015. A packed programme included the launch of the EP9 Research Project for Year 9 girls and career talks from a range of professionals. Feedback on the afternoon was very positive from the Year 9 girls who attended. Thank you to all the volunteers, including parents, who kindly gave up their time to come and speak to our students!
Dentist Suki Bassi and colleague
“It opened my mind to things I’d have ruled out immediately and I am now considering more options for my future.” Year 9 pupil
Engineer David Barnewell
“Although I don’t know exactly what I want to do as a career, the afternoon helped to give me an idea of the possible jobs open to me that I may not have thought about.” Year 9 pupil Computer programmer Tim
Cannon
Autumn Blackheath High School 13
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MUSIC
Music Round-Up
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he Autumn Term is always incredibly busy for the music department and this year seemed to be the busiest ever! We kick started with a series of ‘Taster Workshops’ and a ‘Taster Concert’ in September to help the Year 7s make an informed choice on which instrument they would like play as part of the Taster scheme. Before long, we were performing at the Tea Time concert followed by the House Music Competition. Exam entries lead us to the termly Exam Concert followed quickly by Carol Singing at Lewisham Shopping Centre to help raise funds for St Christopher’s Hospice. The Autumn Concert was a huge success with every choir and ensemble in the senior school being given the opportunity to perform. There was lots of percussion and singing but the newly rebranded ‘Ukulele Orchestra of Blackheath High School’ made a comeback appearance under the leadership of one of our A Level Music students: Philippa Jackson. After such a busy week, Chamber Choir performed at Blackheath Centre for Singing’s Christmas Concert at St Margaret’s Church, Lee. Year 11 made their Christmas visit to Dowe House and entertained the residents with a selection of carols with solo performances given by Jemima Robinson, Nadia Neffar and Maev MoriartySmith. ‘Vocalise’ entertained guests before Prize Giving with a selection of jolly carols before we heard the fantastic performances by Dot Mundt-Leach, Helena Holder and Ellie Delieu-Quinn in the main Prize Giving Ceremony. The week rounded off with Rock Band and the staff Choir performing in the final assembly followed by the annual Christmas Afternoon at St John’s Church. Mrs Gunton, Director of Music
Senior School House Music Competition
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e were delighted to hold our annual House Music Competition on 19th November 2014. The day started with the Piano category and our adjudicator worked tirelessly through to the afternoon when we finished with the Guitar category. The number of entries had increased this year and we were treated to over 60 performances in the morning alone. The winners from each category performed to the whole school in the afternoon before each house delivered their performances. The set song was ‘Rock Around the Clock’ and there was also an ‘own choice’ song. We saw some truly inspiring performances and it was fantastic to see the hard work that each house had put into rehearsing. The winner of the house song was Paragon and Lizzie Ball, our adjudicator, was impressed with the imagination each house had demonstrated through their performances. Overall Paragon House won the event and gained 100 house points and a now proudly have their name engraved on both the ‘House Song’ and ‘House Music Cup’. The House Music Competition is now a firm fixture in the school calendar and I am looking forward to next year already. Congratulations to everyone who took part.
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“I thoroughly enjoyed my day as adjudicator for this year’s house music competiti on and was extr emely impressed with the student’s at titude and effort to take pa rt and perform to the best of their ability. Th ere were some st an dout solo talents and it w as also great to see good teamw happening for th ork e house group so ng category. I wish the girls al l the best with th eir continued musical endeav ours!“ Lizzie Ball, Pro fessional Violin ist (http://www.liz zieball.com/ biography/)
MUSIC
Christmas Afternoon at St John’s Church
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he end of term Christmas Afternoon took place at St John’s on Friday 19th December and it was an opportunity for the whole school to come together on the last day to sing a selection of carols and celebrate Christmas. There was a selection of beautiful readings chosen by Ms Chandler with each year group being represented alongside the Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl, Dr Pascoe and Mrs Chandler-Thompson. The congregation was treated to an exciting performance by Year 7 Choir singing ‘White Christmas’, and an a cappella arrangement of ‘Twelve or so Days of Christmas’ by Vocalise alongside ‘Christmas Blessing’ and ‘O Holy Night’ sung by Chamber Choir. The afternoon was rounded off with ‘O Come all Ye Faithful’ sung by the whole school with the triumphant descants sung by the sopranos from Chamber Choir.
Winning House ‘Paragon’ with Lizzi Ball
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SPORT
Senior School
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he beginning of a new academic year brought with it some new additions to the PE department in terms of both new activities and additional coaches. In Key Stage 4 and 6th form, Jane Evans has joined us to provide ‘Boxercise’, cardio and toning classes to our Year 11, 12 and 13 students, plus Personal Fitness training with the Sixth Form. The feedback from these sessions has been really positive with the students appreciating the personal guidance and goal setting. Sixth Form students are also enjoying the new Self-Defence classes, with new coach Matthew. Another addition to our programme is the introduction of a Trampolining Academy run by Fabiana Flores. We have been very fortunate to have Fabiana join our team of coaches; with her vast experience at national and international level our trampolinists really having benefitted our budding trampolinists already. Both Junior and Senior students have joined the club to train towards the trials for spaces on the Greenwich team to compete at this summer’s London Youth Games. We have continued to develop our Hockey and Netball teams, with them competing in a wide range of fixtures throughout the term. Our U14 netball squads entered the Kent County events with skilful performances, narrowly missing getting through the next round. This year we hope to continue coaching both squads and entering them as the teams representing Greenwich in the summer at Crystal Palace. In the ‘Morning of Dance,’ Year 7 had the opportunity to sample; Street, Irish and Contemporary Dance which culminated in the girls performing in a ‘dance-off’ at the end of the morning which everyone agreed was superb fun. Cross country continues to develop and we participated in the first round of the GAL league event. It was a rapid race with failing light but our Year 9 team won their first round and Year 7 and 8 came 3rd.
We also entered the Greenwich School Cross Country Championships at Avery Hill during the autumn. Lara Atkinson won the Year 9 race and our Year 8 team came 3rd and our Year 7 team 2nd, a great set of results for a first attempt! Several individuals were then invited to run for Greenwich on Saturday 15th November in the London Youth Games over at Parliament Hill. Several of the girls ran great times, given the tough and muddy course. We’ll keep you updated with their progress over the Spring Term 2015. Finally, we are delighted to announce that we are organising the first GDST key stage 3 netball tournament in March. Eighteen GDST schools will be participating, with a total of forty-five teams, comprising over four hundred students! The event is taking place at the imposing Condover Hall in Shropshire and we are very excited that Stacey Francis from the English Netball Team will be joining us to share her expertise and experiences with the girls. Look out for a full feature in the next issue of HIGHlights. Miss Holland, Director of Sport
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Junior School
T
he Junior PE department had a busy start to the academic year with girls in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 participating in numerous sessions at the field and a programme of interschool matches. We started the season by hosting our annual Year 6 ‘Start of Season Netball Tournament’ and, with ten schools attending, it was a fantastic event. The Year 6 squad played very well and set themselves high standards for future games. The girls have gone on to play many league matches and look forward to the “End of Season Tournament” which will held at our field site at the end of February. In October, our Year 5 and 6 Cross Country Relay teams travelled to Merton Court Prep. School for an event in which each year group team raced after the other to culminate generate an overall team result. It was a fun and exciting afternoon which saw our Year 5 team being placed 2nd overall and the Year 6 team, gaining a respectable 3rd place. Following on with the Cross Country theme, Year 3, 5 and 6 girls then competed at Farrington’s School, where the teams were placed 2nd, 1st and 3rd respectively. This included some fantastic individual results with Sienna Miles-Garrigues winning her race. Congratulations must also go to our
Year 3 team who did themselves proud in their first Inter-school event. The final Cross Country event of the term saw lots of girls being placed in the top 30 in The Tony James Memorial Cross Country held annually at Bromley High School. The autumn term also included the Year 6 and 7 Inter-House Tournament, where the girls worked across the year groups to form mixed teams to compete against other Houses. Paragon were outstanding on the day and won the tournament, being awarded points for their House. Once again the Year 6, A team gave a strong performance in the GDST Netball Tournament in Northampton, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. The weather was not kind last term but we demonstrated our resilience and played as much sport as was possible. We are hoping for better weather this term, especially as we are looking forward to many events including: the Mini Marathon, Inter-House Cross Country tournament, Hockey Tournaments and many more Netball matches. Mrs Hallett
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SHINE
SHINE - Serious Fun on Saturdays T his winter has seen the third successive SHINE* season and once again it has been enormously successful. The ‘Serious Fun on Saturdays’ programme is an innovative partnership between Blackheath High School and Brindishe Green, Brindishe Manor and Brindishe Lee Primary Schools where we open our doors for ten successive Saturdays, lending our teaching facilities, resources and teachers to local students from disadvantaged communities. Central to SHINE is the idea of partnership: independent school working with state school; children working with each other, using specialist equipment in specialist teaching rooms. The 30 children involved in the scheme were aged 9 and 10 and enjoyed a very exciting selection of engaging sessions from designing and making acrylic mirrors and T-Shirts and bags, to working with iPads and cooking apple turnovers. The children gained an enormous amount
from every session; they make new friends from the other two schools and they learn to work as part of a team – with teachers they have never met before. Throughout the sessions, they are mentored by our own Sixth Form students who are the mainstay of the program. They sacrifice their Saturday morning lie-in, and they even sacrificed some revision time during their mock exams to mentor the children in small groups so that they gained maximum benefit from the sessions. The SHINE programme encourages the children to do their very best – high achievement and personal development are the orders of the day. Mrs Maddison, Assistant Head
* http://www.shinetrust.org.uk/what-wefund/serious-fun-on-saturday/projects/ blackheath-high-school/
Quotes from Participating Children:
“It was hard to say goodbye to all the new friends that I had made.” William “We made lots “I loved every of awesome stuff of minute and I made loads ” y. da every of new friends.” Hebe Rosie
“At first it was hard and I didn’t want to speak, but I found a I new friend and then ng really enjoyed putti my hand up.” Kira
“It was a really great experience and I made lots of friends.” Ruth
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SHINE
Quotes from Participating Teachers:
“A few years ago I was involved in a project with the RSC called “Stand Up for Shakespeare”. This was a manifesto launched to improve Shakespeare teaching, making it accessible to children and not daunting. The main thrust of the manifesto was “see it live”, “Do it on its feet” and “start young”. As a secondary school teacher I could do the first two easily but not the “start young” as I taught Year 8 upwards. SHINE gave me the opportunity to explore Shakespeare with Year 5 pupils which was really exciting. Their ability to access the themes and the iambic rhythm to release the text was excellent and they left the session excited about Shakespeare not seeing him as dead and boring.”
“Working with the Year 5 children is very rewarding. They are very enthusiastic about writing and sharing stories and it is great to see their confidence improve during the project. I also enjoy seeing the Blackheath High girls work closely with the Year 5s, offering their help and encouragement.”
“I wanted to give the SHINE children an enjoyable and enriching experience of Maths. They really enjoyed using their hands to make the 3D shapes with straws and pipe cleaners which will hopefully help them to remember the names of the shapes and what they look like.”
ART GALLERY
Autumn 2014 Blackheath High School 19
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Pho P Ph ho h otog og o grra rap ap a ph hyy by by SSa Sam am a muel ue u el Wa el Water ter te ers BHS_12_rev3.indd 20
Association) is the The BHSA (Blackheath High School and teachers together to school’s PTA. It brings girls, parents which is spent on special socialise, have fun and raise money – solely by volunteers – extras for the school. The BHSA is run ertise for free. Without them, parents who donate their time and exp ated is hugely appreciated. it couldn’t operate - so every hour don ut the year, and include Fundraising activities are spread througho as Fair, Quiz Night, Easter a Welcome (Back) Drinks evening, Christm addition, there are teams of Fair, Camp Night and a Car boot Sale. In uniform scheme, a weekly parent volunteers who run a second hand ate individual projects such coffee shop, bars at events and co-ordin pping paper. as the Christmas cards, tea towels and wra £17,055.62. These In the last school year, the BHSA raised for the Junior School gym, monies have gone towards new curtains furniture for Year I’s a timpani drum, an International Film Library, club. ‘Outside Classroom’ and a Yarn Bombing of parents donating As the BHSA relies totally on the good will get in touch. If time is their time, if you are able to be involved, do Easyfundraising. This already stretched, then instead sign up to money for nothing. If you scheme is a way of, quite literally, getting inating Blackheath High sign up at www.easyfundraising.org, nom a participating retailer School, every online purchase you make with It doesn’t cost you anything, gives the BHSA a portion of your spend. . and so far it’s earned the school £1,500 Karen, the joint BHSA To know more, or to chat to Carolyn and ’. Chairs, please email ‘bhsachairs@gmail.com
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FUNDRAISING
Fundraising Senior School
L
ast term was another very busy period of fundraising at the Senior School . Having staged a traditional Harvest Festival food collection for the Salvation Army, Captain Kevin Sainsbury from the Deptford branch delivered an entertaining assembly about their community work before loading the Salvation Army van with eight crates of food for those less fortunate than ourselves. This was followed in November by the ever-popular ‘Cakefest’ in which Houses competed to bake the most creative and delicious cakes before selling these sponge-based delights to raise money for their chosen charities. Year 8’s sixth ‘Children in Need Talent Show’ was another huge success with a range of acts including gymnastics, a Coldplay song performed on marimba, a bizarre comedy routine and a surreal trombone performance by Mrs Rose, Head of Year 8. In the run-up to Christmas we launched our annual ‘Crisis at Christmas’ campaign which saw a flurry of activity across the school including a Year 7 Christmas Market, Year 9 tarot and palm reading, further bake sales, a hair salon and nail bar to name but a few.
The Chamber Choir also sang Carols in Lewisham Shopping Centre in the lead up to Christmas in order to raise funds for St Christopher’s Hospice. It’s always a joy to see the enthusiasm with which our community spirited young women embrace charitable activities which are invariably great fun. Mr Parsons
Junior School
W
e kicked off our fund raising for the new academic year with a mufti day for Jeans for Genes and Breast Cancer Awareness. The girls came to school dressed in a combination of jeans and pink to raise money for these important causes. We collected a total of £185.11 for Jeans for Genes and £185.12 for Breast Cancer Awareness. The Annual Harvest festival assembly in November was a mixture of wonderful, thoughtful and fun songs and poems with the girls and parents excelling in our ‘Community Spirited’ school Pillar of Learning. The Theatre was filled with an abundance of food generously donated by our parents and each year group entertained the audience with Harvest Festival themed song, poems and dances – from Nursery’s action song all about the Big Red Combine Harvester which helps the farmer gather the crops from the field to Year 6’s. Every year group’s contribution was most enjoyable and entertaining. Captain Stanbury, from the Salvation Army, wowed the girls with his magic skills as he explained how our donations of food make such a big difference to local people who are in real need. November also brought our main fund raising event, Children in Need. As usual, each year group ran an activity or competition and the ever important cake sale was a huge success. All of the effort and hard work paid off and we raised an astounding £1306.02, which beat last year’s total. Then, in December the girls showed their support for another very worthy cause by holding a cake sale to raise urgent needed funds for the Ebola crisis. The final total, with match-funding was a fantastic £663.38! We are very grateful for the generosity of the girls and their parents. Mrs Donnelly 22 Blackheath High School Autumn 2014
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Forthcoming Events MARCH FRIDAY 6TH MARCH Book Week – Dress as a Book Character Day FRIDAY 6TH – SUNDAY 8TH MARCH GDST Netball Weekend SUNDAY 8TH MARCH International Women’s Day TUESDAY 10TH MARCH Year 8 Curriculum Evening WEDNESDAY 11TH MARCH Year 3 Coffee Morning, 8.45-9.30am THURSDAY 12TH MARCH Year 4 Coffee Morning, 8.45-9.30am FRIDAY 13TH MARCH British Science Week FRIDAY 13TH MARCH 5H Assembly FRIDAY 20TH MARCH 1B Assembly
FRIDAY 13TH MARCH Comic Relief Fundraising Day SATURDAY 14TH MARCH BHSA Easter Fair (see inside for full details)
MONDAY 16TH MARCH Beauty and the Beast, Greenwich Theatre MONDAY 16TH MARCH Year 5 Coffee Morning, 8.45-9.30am WEDNESDAY 18TH MARCH Nursery to Year 2 Parents’ Evening, 4.15pm, Hall THURSDAY 19TH MARCH Year 6 Coffee Morning, 8.45-9.30am THURSDAY 19TH MARCH Year 7 BBC News Reporting Day
MONDAY 23RD MARCH Senior School Music Concert, 6.00-7.00pm THURSDAY 26TH SATURDAY 28TH MARCH Duke of Edinbugh Award – Silver expedition THURSDAY 26TH MARCH Last day of term APRIL MONDAY 13TH APRIL Start of summer term
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