You’ll find all the latest news on our website at www.st-teresas.com

ISSUE 11 – SEPTEMBER 2017

TTER OFTHE NEWSLET

ST TERESA’S EFFINGHAM

GCSE STARSOur Year 11 achieved excellent GCSE results this year, with over 50% of the cohort achieving A* and A grades. There were incredible performances across the year, with many girls achieving a string of top grades, and a host of others proved that dedication and determination are the keys to success, surpassing expectations and enjoying richly deserved results. Deputy Headmistress (Academic), Dr McShane commented: ‘We are utterly delighted with all the girls’ achievements. At St T’s we are blessed to have girls who work with such commitment and good cheer. Importantly, we will never lose sight of the victory of the hard-fought B and C grades as well as the many A*s. We are proud of all our girls.’

Not to be outdone, our A Level cohort achieved some excellent results and there were truly outstanding individual performances. Nearly all took up places at their fi rst choice university, and will be remembered as a cohort of diligent, humorous and thoroughly likeable young ladies, who combined academic focus and rigour with good humour. They are true St T’s girls, and venture off with our fond good wishes.

OUTSTANDING PREP INSPECTIONFollowing the inspection in May the Prep School has been rated as excellent in every category. Commenting on this success, the new Chair of Governors, Annette Turner, said “This is a tremendous achievement and a ringing endorsement of all the excellent hard work of Mrs Conrad and her dedicated team of staff. They deserve real praise and thanks.”

EDUCATIONAL QUALITY INSPECTION

ST TERESA’S PREPARATORY SCHOOLJUNE 2017

“The quality of pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent.

Expectations for the achievement of all are consistently high and

pupils of all abilities are challenged.”

ST TERESA’S PREP SCHOOL, EFFINGHAM

Independent Schools’ Inspectorate

Inspection Report June 2017

ST TERESA’S

EFFINGHAM

INSPEC

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NATIONAL U13HOCKEY CHAMPIONSSt Teresa’s U13 Hockey team were crowned champions of the Schools U13 In2Hockey tournament, making Hockey history as the fi rst St Teresa’s team to be named U13 National Champions. Please see the Sports pages for further details.

SIXTH FORM CENTRE WORK COMMENCES!

DID YOU KNOW?

St Teresa’s ToddlersPARENT & TODDLER GROUP FOR BOYS & GIRLS UP TO 4 YEARS OLD

Every Tuesday morning during term time at the Prep School from 9–10am with the opportunity to swim in our pool from 10–10.30am. Refreshments are available for children and parents.

The perfect place for enquiring minds

Come along and have a coffee and a chat with other parents and carers whilst your children play and make new friends within our wonderful Early Years environment.

We have our own horses, pond, woodland and indoor swimming pool, and there are plenty of opportunities for creative play.

For more information, please contact Annabel Charles on 01372 750204 or email a.charles@st-teresas.com

St Teresa’s, Effingham, Surrey RH5 6ST

Telephone 01372 750204

www.st-teresas.com

JUST 20 MINUTES FROM LEATHERHEAD, DORKING AND GUILDFORD

We run a Toddler Group every term-time Tuesday morning at the Prep school for boys and girls up to 4 years old.

See the website for more information.

Demand for places at St. Teresa’s is

at an all time high…

OVERSUBSCRIBED…with a new school roll of 630

and a record number of registrations for 2018/19

(and beyond)

Project 16/18

The architects for the Sixth Form Centre are IF_DO, a young emerging practice based in Bermondsey, South London. They recently won signifi cant acclaim for their summer pavilion at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, which was the fl agship of this year’s London Festival of Architecture. They were named as one of the world’s top 20 emerging practices by Wallpaper* magazine in their Architects’ Directory 2017. You can fi nd out more about them on their website, at www.ifdo.co

After various planning issues, the school successfully gained full permission for the new Sixth Form Centre in May. The project has been driven forward by the award winning architects, IF_DO, and with the kind support and assistance of St. Teresa’s parent, Mr Michael Meanley.

The Sixth Form Centre has been designed to emulate university student life and will contain eight specialist classrooms, a study centre, a common room and a lecture theatre. Building work will commence in October, with completion in spring 2018.

The circus came to town on Saturday 20th May when FOST were delighted to host the FOST Ball in the gorgeous setting of Wotton House, Dorking.

The circus theme was evident from the off, with acrobats to beguile guests at the entrance to the hotel, a ring master who ran proceedings and the banqueting

suite dressed as a Big Top.

Guests enjoyed a delicious meal, took part in auctions bidding for a parking space at school for a year and Chelsea Flower Show tickets amongst

other exciting lots, and fi nally danced the night away to an incredible band, who as one St T’s mother said

had “everyone pinned to the dance-fl oor”.

FOST would like to thank everyone who came to the event for making it a truly fantastic occasion and

one which we will all remember for a long time.

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ENGLISHThe English Department has had another packed year, fi lled with events and activities to enhance students’ experience and love of the written and spoken word.

Within school, workshops on The Tempest took place for Year 8 students. This wholly interactive and dynamic activity explored ideas of power and was most enjoyable. Shakespeare Live, a touring theatre group, presented a lively and gripping selection of scenes from some of Shakespeare’s plays to Y7 and Y8 students. Watching students as they became witches or fought on stage with swords, was tremendous fun.

World Book Day in March was celebrated with a myriad of costumes as girls dressed up as their favourite character. This was followed in the evening by our annual Literary Evening, where many students presented extracts from their creative writing. As usual this was very well attended by parents and friends and their continuing support is very much appreciated.

MATHS SUCCESSThis year our students have achieved high levels of success in all of the UKMT Maths Challenges.

In the Senior Challenge Rowena Cao and Helen Lin both achieved Gold, with Silver certifi cates awarded to Lynn Xie, Gabriella Li, Rimo Song and Sophie Tang; Nicole Qi achieved a Bronze. The two highest achievers made it through to the next round of the competition – the Senior Kangaroo, in which Helen was awarded Merit and Rowena a Qualifi cation certifi cate.

Next came the Intermediate Maths Challenge in which Amy Wu was awarded a certifi cate for Best in School and a Gold award. Lisa Wang also achieved Gold, with Silver certifi cates awarded to Tiantian Li, Ella Lau, Andrea Ize-Iyamu, Natasha Tait, Sophie-Louise McClean and Ana Francisca Bernal Fernandez. Bronze certifi cate winners were Kirstin Malcolm, Sophia Pollock, Florrie Clarke, Isabelle Honey, Honor Edwards and Rafi De Pommes. Natasha Tait was the only Year 9 student to reach the next round of the competition in which she was awarded a Qualifi cation certifi cate; Amy Wu was awarded Merit in the next round for Year 10 students.

The Junior Challenge saw our Year 7 and 8 students performing well. In Year 8 Georgie Seaton was awarded Best in Year and Silver, Abby Hislop also achieved Silver, whilst Bronze certifi cates were awarded to Imogen Lawford, Lara Andrews, Ruby Dean and Rachel Bayley. In Year 7 Jess Dyson was awarded Best in School, Best in Year and Silver certifi cates. Jess Hill and Kirsten Low also achieved Silver, with Bronze certifi cates going to Rosa Johnson, Freya Edwards, Ella Thomas and Freya Reilly.

Congratulations go to all students who took the challenges and we look forward to continued success in next year’s competitions.

FOST TREE PLANTING

Theatre trips are a perennial treat and are very important in helping students to consolidate their understanding of the texts we study. Year 9 were suitably terrifi ed by ‘The Woman In Black’ in May; the enrichment trip to see ‘Jane Eyre’ in June proved a rare chance to see a thrilling, sensitive, highly imaginative production of this wonderful book. Year 10s saw ‘An Inspector Calls’ in October in the best production we have seen for some years; it enabled them to engage with the main themes and ideas of the play. The Sixth Form A level Literature students saw one of their key texts, ‘Othello’, at the Globe theatre in March. Its unusual casting made for very thought-provoking discussions afterwards. To develop their responses to the A level Literature topic of ‘WW1 and its Aftermath’, we took students to the Somme to visit the battlefi elds and towns where their texts are set. It was unbearably poignant and will have helped them think and write with greater understanding.

Our Public Speaking teams enjoyed success this year in the Rotary Youth Speaks competition, held during the year. The Intermediate team came joint 3rd in their competition, with Lexie Watkins speaking on ‘Capitalism’. The Senior team won their local round and greatly benefi ted from being part of the Regional round. In the Catenian competition, Emily Beecroft and Lydia Lynn spoke on gun laws and lowering the voting age, respectively. Being part of a large competition such as these is very valuable in developing a sense of the content and structure of effective public speaking.

Throughout the year there have been poetry and prose competitions to enter: the Rotary Club voted Tia Fattal’s entry to their short story competition to be worthy of a prize and Charlotte Watts to be commended; in addition, a number of poems have just been submitted to the Foyle’s Poetry Competition…watch this space!

Our Year 11 and Upper Sixth students have just fi nished their GCSE and A level examinations, the fi rst cohort under the new specifi cation. They worked very hard and we wish them every success.

Staff and students alike are looking forward to welcoming back our Head of Department, Mrs Kerry McGrath, after her maternity leave. She has been much missed.

PSHETo promote Stop Cyberbullying Day on 16th June, Year 7 Form Captains Ellie Rutter, Katie Roberts, Freya Edwards and Elena Wilson gave a highly informative assembly to the rest of their year group on the effects of cyberbullying, what the law says and what to do if you are cyberbullied. Similar assemblies were given, also very professionally, by Saskia Couzyn, Holly Hird, Anouska White and Annabel Reid from Year 8; Dejanai Diah, Polly Graham, Alice Jenkins and Grace Gibbon from Year 9 and Lydia Cannavina, Lucy Keen and Olivia Wilde from Year 10. Well done girls!

In the Year 11–13 PSHE & Citizenship programmes, we were delighted to welcome back three previous St Teresa’s students: Laura Sessions and Rachael Wheeler née Browning who talked to our current pupils about their careers; and Josie Standbrook (née Piercy) who talked to them about the use of mindfulness techniques to combat exam stress. We hope the Year 11–13 girls were inspired to do the same one day as we always love to see past pupils!

In March, our library was transformed into a theatre for Year 9’s as they watched a gripping play from Peer Productions on drugs awareness. Complimenting their PSHE lessons, this play gave them a valuable and realistic insight into the effects taking drugs can have not only on the person themselves but on their family and friends too.

PRIZE GIVING 2017We were thrilled to welcome Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards to St Teresa’s to distribute the prizes at the close of the school year. He spoke with characteristic enthusiasm and liveliness on the importance of taking risks and following your ambitions – no matter in what direction they might lie. It was a memorable and moving Prize Giving, and extracts from the speeches made by the outgoing Deputy Head Girl, Carla Burdett Zulaica, and outgoing Head Girl, Amber McEvoy, are below.

We live life forgetting that we are on a set path, a limited path. A path that you create with each step you take. Because guess what? What you do today will affect who you are tomorrow. Live everyday as if it were the last day of your life. Because it’s better living fully and making mistakes and getting hurt and taking risks, than living a life of regret. A life of “what ifs?”

The past has set out the present, a present that will shape your future. Dream big, but don’t forget to work for them. Remember they do come true. Remember to lose yourself, yet always knowing who you are and what you stand for.

But what can you do today? To make today THE day. The fi rst step of many. A new day gives you 64,800 seconds of opportunities. Take them and use them.

Carla Burdett Zulaica, Deputy Head Girl

Seven years ago a shy, timid girl in a red and green tartan kilt got lost in the maze of St. T’s within minutes of arriving. Seven years later that girl is wearing a navy blue and pink suit, knows St. T’s like the back of her hand, and is standing on a stage giving a speech in front of hundreds of guests. The staff who assisted in the transformation process from my awkwardness to my confi dence (apparently, teachers can now always locate me due to the volume of my laughter), I’m sure we can agree that St T’s truly brings out the best in us all.

To all you girls just starting your journey at St. T’s always remember that you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. Make the most of every opportunity that life offers you, especially at this school, and remember that whether it’s your peers or the staff around you, there is always someone with you every step of the way.

Amber McEvoy, Head Girl

BoardingWhat are the best things about Boarding at St. Teresa’s? We decided to ask our girls this question. Here are their top three Best Bits:

BEST BIT OF BOARDING No. 1: FRIENDS Whether it is distributing St. David’s Day daffodils, applying face masks, playing piano together or enjoying after-school biscuits and smoothie boxes, Boarders at St. Teresa’s live side by side and develop strong bonds of friendship.

As the days have drawn longer, friends have been spotted dancing along to music videos, working on jigsaw puzzles and snuggling teddy bears whilst watching the TV show of the moment. They have chatted on trips to the local supermarket, sung at the top of their voices in the bus on the way to Mass and dashed around Main House giggling as they made a movie for New Boarders. Friends have cooked endless pots of noodles together, soaked each other during water fi ghts and covered each other in paint during games of messy Twister. They have cried together and laughed together, and have made our Boarding Houses joyful, compassionate places to live and work.

BEST BIT OF BOARDING No. 2: STAFFAt the end of a busy year the girls have shown their appreciation for the Boarding staff, whom they describe as friendly, kind, supportive, helpful, effi cient, fair and genuine.

Mrs. Elburn, Dr. McShane, Dr. Parish, Miss Snow and Ms. Butt have all been intensively involved in Boarding this year, in addition to their busy roles in the day school, and we’d like to say a huge thank you for their support, their sense of fun and their total dedication to the girls.

We also say a very fond farewell to our trainee WonderWomen (also known as Boarding Gap Assistants): Miss Lucy and Miss Maria. The support they have given the Housemistresses and the Boarders this year has been invaluable. Somehow they have managed to fi t it all in, as well as supporting the work of the Modern Foreign Languages and Music Departments.

This September we will welcome into Boarding Miss Portia Cantwell who will join us as Musician in Residence, and Miss Alejandra and Miss Ana from Mexico and Miss Amelie from Germany will be our Boarding Gaps. Miss Ana and Miss Amelie were Boarders at St. Teresa’s once upon a time – it just goes to show how the special magic of Boarding gets under your skin!were Boarders at St. Teresa s once upon a time it just goes to show how the special magic of Boarding gets under your skin!

BEST BIT OF BOARDING No. 3: ACTIVITIES & TRIPSWe have led a total of 34 weekend trips this year and the spring and summer months have seen the Boarders adventuring all over, in all weathers. Girls have strolled along Brighton Pier and painted keepsake pebbles from the beach. They have taken in some of the world’s best artwork at London’s National Portrait Gallery and enjoyed the cinematic feast that was Beauty and the Beast. A showing of the musical The Lion King had the girls on the edges of their seats, whilst water slides, ice skating and laser quest frequently put them on them! Thorpe Park and the Harry Potter studios added yet more magic, and we have lost count of the number of shopping trips the girls have enjoyed.

Dr. Parish’s Baking Club has continued to be popular, as has Miss Snow’s initiative to bring a Personal Trainer into school twice a week for girls and staff to work out and de-stress. These activities have been

complemented by our Simple Saturday initiative, which emphasises enjoying one another’s company and having fun together in our local surroundings. This summer we have enjoyed ice creams in the beautiful surroundings of the Medicine Garden near Cobham, played badminton on the Magdalen lawn and rambled on Ranmore Common.

With all these Best Bits, we are looking forward to freshening up our common spaces and redecorating Luke bedrooms this summer, as well as enhancing our provision of weekday after-school

clubs and collaborating with our girls to create exciting additional menu items for breakfasts and suppers in September. The work of creating a warm, welcoming home-from-home for our Boarders continues, and we are loving it!

YEAR 11 PROM

What a wonderful evening this was! Burford Bridge’s Garden Room was the perfect venue to celebrate the

end of GCSEs for Y11 and the beginning of the next phase of their lives. The garden area was the ideal backdrop for photographs and a wonderful area for just sitting and lying

around chatting with friends. Even the weather smiled on us, giving us a warm, balmy summer evening. The glamorous young

women who arrived looked poised and elegant for photos, and entirely comfortable in their own skins as they leapt around the dance fl oor and sang their hearts out. They were a credit to themselves and their parents. It was a

very memorable evening, fi lled with happiness and camaraderie. We wish all of Year 11 a happy,

restful summer break and all the very best for their future studies.

THE BRITISH PHYSICS OLYMPIAD, PHYSICS CHALLENGEEvery year Oxford University runs a Physics competition for Year 12 students. This is a very diffi cult challenge and reaching the standard required to gain a certifi cate is a considerable achievement.

Three girls in year 12 were awarded certifi cates this year: Rimo Song, who gained a Bronze award and Helen Lin and Lynn Xie who achieved Silver awards.

St Teresa’s Year 8 forensic team sprang into action in Area 51 (the library), when the body of an alien was discovered one Friday morning during their science lesson. While police offi cers took fi ngerprints of all the suspects, the forensic team gathered the evidence (even the maggots that were found on the wounds of the victim). The students went on to learn about fi ngerprint analysis, forensic entomology, chromatography and criminal psychology. After careful analysis of the crime scene, they were able to deduce the order of events.

Year 7 and 8 were introduced to robotics, drones and some of the many exciting opportunities open to girls in Engineering.

Representatives from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and BAE brought a roadshow to school, during which the girls were able to see a drone in fl ight, learn how computers store information and watch a robot dance. The adorable robot even laughed when he was tickled by Flossie Wigley.

Science

YEAR 7 CHEMISTRY CLUBLunchtime Chemistry Club organised and run by Sophie Tang and Dr. Evans (with the help of the technicians) has proved very popular with the year 7 students and lots of fun was had by all. They made bath bombs, tested sandcastles and got sticky fi ngers making silly putty to name but a few.

SPECTROSCOPY IN A SUITCASE – ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY A STEM ambassador, Mark Osborne from Sussex University came to the school last academic year to talk to the Year 12 and 13 chemistry students about Spectroscopy. This is an analytical technique widely used in all areas of science across the country. It was a great opportunity for the students to learn about some advanced analytical techniques available and also get a chance to use the equipment and analyse their own samples.

STEM ENRICHMENT – SCHOOLS ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY COMPETITIONThree year 12 students, Rimo Song, Sophie Tang and Lynn Xie were chosen to take part in an RSC Chemistry Competition held at Kingston University. They spent the day completing a number of practical activities in very impressive labs. It was an opportunity for them to experience working in a University laboratory and use a range of equipment that they would otherwise not be able to. They all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learnt a great deal.

CAMBRIDGE CHEMISTRY CHALLENGECambridge University has for several years written a paper for year 12 students to compete in across the country. The paper is designed to be exceptionally diffi cult with the aim being to stretch and challenge students with an interest in chemistry. So it was very pleasing that four brave year 12 students decided to undertake the challenge, Rimo Song, Sophie Tang, Kristy Weng and Lynn Xie. It was even more impressive when you factor in that several of the students were still sitting external examinations. We are awaiting the results!

TOP OF THE BENCH CHEMISTRY COMPETITION St Teresa’s students did us proud at this chemistry competition run by the RSC, held at King Edward’s School, Godalming. Jessica Freeman (Year 11) and Sofi é Davidson (Year 10) undertook an individual practical exercise, written questions and a multiple choice quiz. Olivia Endacott and Eleanor Sutton (Year 9) had to do the same but were working together. They all performed brilliantly and, against tough competition, came third. Well done.

BIODIVERSITY AREAA number of classes were able to make use of our lovely Biodiversity Area during the summer term, where they were able to investigate invertebrate life in this fascinating ecosystem.

MusicSUMMER CONCERTThe summer concert was a great success and featured many of the year 13 girls that have given great service to the music department over the years.

Highlights included Celine Wang playing a Waltz by Merikanto, Pixie McCann’s composition; Story of my Life and Alex Jukes power singing in Listen by Krieger. The choral items were all chosen by the year 13 choir members and they were sung very movingly. Many songs were chosen to refl ect the great times that have been experienced on the choir tours. Mr Caister would like to thank all the girls for their amazing hard work and service through the years.

CHOIR TRIP TO LES MISERABLESOn 3rd July, Mrs Knight and Mr Atkinson accompanied twelve members of the choir to Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre, London.

The girls all enjoyed seeing the production after having sung medleys from the show over the years. They were a real pleasure to take out and great fun was had by all.

MR CAISTER

Mr Caister has been busy playing on the French horn with orchestras this summer. He has taken part in the Vail Music Festival in the USA, playing

with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, with the violin soloist Joshua Bell. Please see the link attached

for a taste of the music he performed there. https://tinyurl.com/y7lvropo

Mr Caister is also performing with the City of London Sinfonia in a Prom at the Royal Albert

Hall on Sunday 20th August. It will be broadcast on TV and will feature music

from the Passions, including J S Bach.

MFLGRANADA TRIP The trip went very well. The students behaved amazingly and they truly were the best ambassadors of the school. We really enjoyed Granada and the variety of places we visited. The food like the churros and tapas, and the culture was amazing and we loved going and visiting the Alhambra. We went to a Spanish academy for some Spanish lessons, we enjoyed the interactive games with Kahoot and our Spanish teacher was a real character! We had a private Flamenco dance lesson and we experienced the real fl amenco dancing in the very famous gypsy caves in the Albaicin. We had an amazing guided tour of the Royal Chapel where the Catholic King and Queen were buried and we visited the Arab quarters. We were able to have freedom on the last day, as we went shopping and practised our Spanish in the town. The hotel we stayed in was also very nice and comfortable and we were able to choose who we stayed with. Thank you to Señora Porcel-Martín and Señora González-Weekes for making the trip even better! We hope to go again! Izzy James, Emma Davies, Lauren Ewer, Amelia Grimshaw, Lydia Cannavina.

TEACHING SPANISHAs part of her DofE Charlotte Davies has been teaching Spanish in the Nursery twice a week for two months. She still will do another month in September. The Spanish department is really proud of her as she is doing such a fantastic job. The children at nursery love her lessons.

SPANISH PROJECT Rachel Bayley, Eliza Moden and Chloe Farrell-Hudson. They have done an excellent Spanish end of year project called “Mi mundo y yo”. They all got the First Prize – Headmaster commendations.

FRENCH FARCEIn January, all girls learning French from Year 7 to Year 13 enjoyed a comical French play performed by the theatre company Onatti. Based in a French café, they saw young waitress Colette dealing with all sorts of farcical problems when left alone on her fi rst day!

PERFORMING ARTS EVENINGAn array of talented dancers, LAMDA students and Drama students, plus members of Glee , Dance Club and Musical Theatre Club entertained a captive and delighted audience as they danced, sung and acted in this year’s Performing Arts Evening June 29th 2017. The evening showcased some of the many talents the girls, throughout the school, have and the event gave them the opportunity to showcase their talents. The evening included an entertaining variety of LAMDA exam pieces, Year 10 Dance GCSE, Year 9 Dance Club, Glee Club singing ‘Love Story’ and Year 7 Musical Theatre Club singing ‘Stick it to the Man’. Thank you to Miss Clarke and Miss Holmes who worked with the girls and organised the evening, plus Grace Gibbon and Alice Jenkins who were excellent emcees

YEAR 7 DRAMA FESTIVALOn the 28th and 29th June 2017 the Year 7s participated in the annual St Teresa’s Year 7 Drama Festival. During their Drama lessons the girls had been split into groups and asked to write a script. They then swapped the script with another group, which they performed in the festival. There were some unique and interesting scripts this year and Year 7 loved seeing their plays being performed by their contemporaries. ‘It was great performing in something written by one of us and then seeing our own work being performed. I really enjoyed it’ The event was extremely well attended by the year group and enjoyed by all. Thanks go to Miss Holmes, Year 7 Drama teacher and Mrs Smith, who joined the Year 7s for their end of term event.

WEST END TO BROADWAYCongratulations to all those who participated in the musical production ‘West End to Broadway’. There were fantastic performances across all year groups; from bucket wielding orphans in ‘Annie’ to scootering school kids in ‘Matilda’. The idea was to bring together some of the best loved songs and dances from the world of musical theatre and present them in the context of the show they are from. Year 8 took on the role of the narrators, introducing each of the songs. We wanted to break the 4th wall and show the audience the preparation which goes into putting on a production of this scale, with cast members setting the stage and putting on costumes in the opening number ‘Bless Our Show’ from Sister Act. Transitioning from song to song was also shown for all to see with no use of blackouts. The students certainly rose to the challenge of performing the various styles of musical theatre. Many of them worked tremendously backstage, creating costumes, dressing the girls and adding fi nishing touches such as hair and make-up. Organising the props was a challenge, making sure they were in the correct places at the correct times for when the actors needed them. Working the lighting and sound was a huge task and an extremely important one. The skill of the technical side of putting on a production is important and in this case it gave such a professional edge.

Miss Holmes and Miss Clarke. (Directors)

Art

Sixth FormIn June the Sixth Form welcomed all of our Year 10 students to become a Sixth Former for the day in our annual ‘10–12 Day’ event.

Our Upper School prefects Hayley Manning and Yoon-A Chung, assisted by both our Inclusion Prefect Blessing Edionwe and Head Girl Team, hosted a jam packed day of A Level taster lessons and activities, including two alumni speakers, a Sixth Form Quiz, a BBQ and a Sixth Form Subject Ambassador conference.

Our Year 12 students all enjoyed showing Year 10 what it is like to be a Sixth Form student as St Teresa’s.

STAFF v SIXTH FORM NETBALLOur Sports Prefect Kristjana Bjarnason organised the fi nal of our two year competition of Staff vs Sixth Form Netball.

The match was very close throughout, with less cheating from the staff team than we had seen in previous matches. There was only one foul from the staff team this match when Mr Caister picked Mr Atkinson up in an attempt to make a taller player so as to catch the ball. We are pleased to report that despite Mr Farmer being unexpectedly tripped up by a crash mat, he recovered quickly and with a positive spirit to re-join his team, providing valuable comedy for all of the staff

and students in the crowd. The Sixth Form team once again offered

dexterity and energy throughout, deserving to be crowned the fi nal champions after two years of competitive matches. Thank you to Kristjana Bjarnason for being an excellent Sports Prefect during her time in the Sixth Form, staff and students have enjoyed the competitive fun and entertainment that Staff vs Sixth Form netball has offered us all.

THE SIXTH FORM BALL

Trips YEAR 9 PGL TRIP 2017

59 girls and 5 members of staff spent a delightful weekend on the Isle of Wight. Here all the girls and some of the staff challenged themselves to climb to

great heights, jump off to catch a trapeze, swing as high as possible on the giant swing and shoot the bullseye in archery. Many new friendships were made within the year group and there was some excellent team work particularly on the Jacob’s ladder. It was wonderful

to see the girls encourage and support each other. From the pictures below you can

see some of the challenges faced. A good time was had by all.

CLASSICS TRIP TO ROME AND POMPEIIIt was with great excitement that 32 girls from Years 8 and 9, accompanied by Dr McShane, Mrs Elburn, Mrs Gardner and Mrs Randall, left Heathrow bound for a tour of Rome and Pompeii. First stop: Rome. After a quick settling-in to the hotel and dinner we took the metro to Spagna, and soaked up the evening atmosphere of the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

The next morning heralded an epic day of sightseeing and walking. After breakfast, girls and teachers embarked on an odyssey that took in the wonderful Michelangelo church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, built inside the ruined frigidarium of the Baths of Diocletian. The Diocletian baths were once the largest imperial baths and were built between 298 and 306AD; after the fall of the Roman Empire, the building was renovated by Michelangelo who used the extraordinary light to create an airy and spectacular church, which, from the outside looks like an unprepossessing Roman ruin. It was an arresting juxtaposition.

Afterwards, it was onwards to view Trajan’s Column in the Old Forum, a quick photo opportunity on the steps of the Monument to Victor Emmanuel, a look at the cat sanctuary located in the Torre Argentina (home to some of the oldest ruins in Rome), crane our necks to look at the opening in the roof of the Pantheon, before enjoying lunch and ice cream amongst the Bernini fountains in Piazza Navona. Then it was a brisk route march towards St Peter’s Square, where we spent the afternoon looking at the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica. Blisters were proudly compared in the evening.

The following day heralded a tour of the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and, of course, the Colosseum, in fairly brutal temperatures, before a journey down the coast to Sorrento. Our second hotel had lovely views over the Bay of Naples, and it was with great excitement that we made our way to the highlight of the tour: Herculaneum and Pompeii. Herculaneum was our fi rst stop, and it truly retains a feel of a town – two storey buildings have been preserved, along with beds, amphorae, a cradle, wall paintings, the paraphernalia of daily living, and winding streets. In the warehouses below the town, however, the solemn sight of dozens of skeletons of the people who had raced down to seek refuge brought home the devastating reality of the impact of Vesuvius’s eruption. In Pompeii, a grander town, we saw the ‘statues’ of people (and the famous dog of Pompeii) frozen in time at the grim moment of their deaths, alongside their beautiful villas, the stepping stone streets, the forum and the amphitheatre. A visit not only telling us about the human cost of the enormous volcanic eruption, but also about these living, breathing Roman towns where daily life was enacted in a manner not signifi cantly different from our own.

Our fi nal destination was the volcano at Solfatara, where Mrs Elburn’s geographical knowledge came into its own. Once considered to be the entrance of the Underworld, the churning, boiling noises emitted from the earth demonstrated how this notion could have been believed by the ancients. Jets of sulphurous steam added a particularly interesting aroma to the visit, which was still making its presence felt on the fl ight home.

It was a superb trip; girls were impeccable, and a great time was had by all.

Dr McShane

GCSE GEOGRAPHY FIELD TRIP TO SWANAGE, DORSETIn April the Year 10 GCSE Geography pupils went on a Geography fi eldtrip to Swanage in Dorset. They completed fi eldwork activities in Swanage, assessing housing quality by pacing streets, counting numbers and types of houses, recording services and completing surveys to learn fi eldwork skills, as well as a little tourist shopping! They were recording data to use in their fi nal exam papers in Y11. The girls also visited Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door and Stairhole which are lovely coastal features, ate ice cream and chips and learnt lots about coastal landforms and erosion.

The fi nal day involved a walk out to view Old Harry, a chalk stack, and a visit to Studland Beach and the sand dunes. The weather was kind to us, only a little rain and we even had some sun! Swanage Youth hostel provided us with a good base and the girls reinforced their learning from the classroom – and had a good time too!

NETBALLThe Netball Season of 2016–17 has been one of many events for the girls at St Teresa’s. A huge number of girls have taken part, allowing for A–D teams in a whole host of age groups. There have been tournaments galore, and even more matches than last year with a variety of new schools joining us as opposition.

We entered the Surrey schools tournaments once again from U12–U16. The U15 should be congratulated on qualifying for the Surrey Finals, and narrowly missing out on the semi’s, placing 3rd in their section. Equally, the U12 team who were formed as a new team at the beginning of the year from a whole host of new students, should be congratulated on coming 3rd in their pool in the qualifying rounds. They narrowly missed out on making the Surrey Finals alongside the U15’s. They have worked hard to get to know each other as players and improve their netball skills this year.

We also attended the GSA netball weekend, taking both the U13 and U14 teams. Both age groups had a fantastic weekend of netball with the U13 winning the Cup tournament and the U14 group placing 3rd in the country in their tournament.

The District tournaments were yet again a success, with the U14 A’s placing 1st, U13A’s placing 3rd and U12 A’s placing second, and both the U12B and U13B placing 1st in their tournaments.

We have also welcomed a netball coach into our netball programme, Sarah Porter. The girls have gained in knowledge through the extra coaching and feedback she has provided at training and fi xtures.

Here is a summary of the lower school’s netball this year as seen from the girls’ perspective:

The U12’s Season by Leah Clarke“This year, the team have achieved many goals. At the beginning, we were a little rough around the edges and didn’t play as a team, but now we are working together to be the best that we can be. The team have accomplished many wins in matches and tournaments. Even though we sometimes lose matches, we are all positive to each other and talk about what we can improve on. The squad went to Surreys and we played well together as a team. Our team is very loyal and we teach each other ways to improve our skills and match play. We can’t wait to start netball in Year 8, so that we can learn new skills and match play.”

The U13’s Season By Scarlett Meurisse, Hannah Havard & Hannah Knocker“We have all thoroughly enjoyed this netball season, especially the GSA trip because we all learnt a lot of new skills and bonded as a team, and with the year nines. As well as playing lots of netball, there were also a lot of fun activities to participate in. We especially enjoyed putting our hard work to the test in various matches and tournaments. We have loved playing against the more experienced year groups in the school so that we would be challenged to do our best. Overall we have defi nitely improved our skills massively and have become closer as a team this season!”

The U14’s Season By Amy Caporn and the U14 Squad“This season we have had many highlights. These included going on the GSA netball tour where we came equal 3rd in the country with St Catherine’s, Bramley. We really came through as a team and exceeded our expectations. We can’t wait to go on another tour and are in the process of planning one as we speak! The team also played incredibly well, winning the District Tournament and then soon after, qualifying for the Surrey Schools Finals. We have enjoyed all of our matches and tournaments and have worked together and helped each other throughout the season. I can say that on behalf of everyone in the team, we have really loved our netball this year and cannot wait for the challenges ahead.”

We have also had 4 girls in the County Netball set up and more recently, Chloe Duncan has had success in trialling for the Surrey Storm U15 team.

The future is bright for St Teresa’s Netball and we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

Sport

TRAMPOLINE GOLD EMILY SMITH On Saturday 10th of June Emily Smith in Year 9 came fi rst in the fi rst National Trampoline League event of 2017 at the National Indoor Athletics Centre (NIAC) in Cardiff.

In the League 3 Female 15–16 age group Emily, at just 14, qualifi ed for the fi nal in 7th place out of a colossal starting line-up of 58 competitors. She executed a stunning routine and leapfrogged fi ve places to claim a very well deserved gold medal.

Emily will be defending her title in Birmingham on Saturday 2nd September and hopes to be amongst the gymnasts who qualify for the prestigious Trampoline League Finals at London’s Olympic Park Velodrome in December.

U14 3rd place at GSA Netball Tournament

U15 District Netball Tournament

U12A District Netball Runners Up

U14B District Netball Tournament

“We really came

through as a team and exceeded our

expectations”Amy Caporn on

the U14s

GCSE PEGCSE PE has made a great impact on the pupils participating and encourages great numbers for next year’s cohort. Here are a few examples of the interesting and exciting activities the girls have been learning about and involved in so far; competitive and fun lessons, meeting Sporting Heroes, visiting the Olympic Park legacy, designing body systems out of food, wearing boiler suits with the skeletal system drawn on around school (well done Tilly Hansen-Hamilton –winner) and much more.

SPORTSSCHOLARS

St Teresa’s Sports Scholarship programme is new and emerging. With the

hope to develop smart and strong athletes the programme is developing and growing. Here are a few examples of the fi rst year; year 7 scholars day to Bede’s school to learn about nutrition, injury prevention and stretching, then evidence of the

girls applying their knowledge. Strengthening and Conditioning sessions with Ryan Hicks

(Wasps Academy NSC Coach) and Individual sessions

on speed.

HockeyNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPSThis year’s Boys & Girls In2Hockey Schools Championships were once again hosted at Nottingham Hockey Centre on Friday 12th May 2017. On Thursday St Teresa’s drove up for a training session followed by a #pinkpower team and parents carbohydrate loading dinner in preparation for the big day ahead.

In the Pool C of the girls’ competition, St Teresa’s took an early lead, with some high scoring games including a 4-0 against The Grange (Tamera Cookman x 2, Tasmin Cookman & Hannah Knocker), and a 6-1 win against Dean Close (Hannah Knocker x 2, Jess Dyson x 2, Pippi Spawforth and Tamera Cookman). Winning comfortably against Trent College 3-1 (Tasmin Cookman x 2 and Pippi Spawforth) and then closest score line of our tournament against Kent College 1-0 scored by Tasmin Cookman.

They went on to fi nish 1st place in the pool, followed by Kent College & Dean Close both on 6 points. The fi nal standings in the pool were: 5th Trent College, 4th The Grange, 3rd Kent College, 2nd Dean Close, 1st St Teresa’s.

Girls Pool D was once again very close on points. Bedford Girls fi nished 1st in the pool to face St Teresa’s in the fi nal, followed by Surbiton High School who therefore battled Dean Close for 3rd place. SHS managed to regroup successfully meaning two Surrey Schools fi nished in the top 3 teams.

The classifi cation games took place in some torrential rain, however all teams kept spirits up and displayed excellent hockey right until the fi nal whistle. In the Girls competition, St Teresa’s took the lead against Bedford Girls School with a goal from Tamera Cookman in the fi nal minute before half time to everyone in the #pinkpower teams’ relief. St Teresa’s then extended their lead with a late goal from Tasmin Cookman, to secure the title of Girls Schools In2Hockey Champions.

Well done to Pippi Spawforth (c) Tasmin Cookman (top goal scorer), Tamera Cookman, Hannah Knocker, Sophie Jennings, Nia Munro and the year 7 players Jessica Dyson, Ailsa Malcolm and Catherine Maher (GK). Big thank you goes to Miss Kay and Rob Farrington for coaching throughout the season and support from Miss Nelson on the day and an extra thanks to the parents that cheered loudly and proudly on the pitch side and via the whatsapp group!

#PINKPOWER #NATIONALCHAMPIONS

The challenge is the move to 11 a-side at U14 but I have every faith in the girls continuing to learn, grow and improve as a team. Bring on 2017–18.

HOCKEY ROUND-UPWe have had a busy season this year full of ambition and determination, hockey is growing strength to strength. The results of the girls’ hard work and effort in lessons, training and matches are paying off.

In the District we can now boast holding 1st and 2nd place in all age groups bar U16 – however this year the U16 improved to 5th place, well done.

U12 A – 1st in the Cup

U12B – 5th in the Trophy

U12C – 1st in the Trophy

U13B -4th in the Cup

U13C – 2nd in the Cup

We entered the Surrey Schools Tournaments once again with a good level of success and look forward to improving further in the competition next year. The U15 fi nished 2nd out of 16 schools in Surrey after narrowly losing the fi nal to RGS after some intense penalty fl ick rounds. The U14A fi nished 3rd in the Trophy.

U12A&B and U13A&B entered the In2Hockey competitions with great success for the U13A team winning the National title. All other teams have learnt a lot and now are aware of the level they will need to achieve to succeed further. Bring on 2017–18!

St Teresa’s also hosted our Annual Invitational U14B team tournament for local clubs and Guernsey Development hockey team, which was a fantastic experience and strengthened by the tour the girls had taken to the Channel Islands earlier in the year. We look forward to continuing this connection in the future.

The U16 Indoor team made an impact on our fi rst year of entering the schools competitions by making the South Finals. The squad is made up of no U16s but a variety of girls in U12, U13, U14 and U15 and they showed the older girls of Ardlingly, Hurst and Godolphin and Latymer how to play exceptional hockey in the heats. Great work girls. More #pinkpower for next season please – National Finals is our goal.

This has been the season of many fi rsts, another being the start of an annual STOGA v Staff and current pupils fi xture which was a great success!

Finally a big congratulation to all girls that have applied themselves outside of school hockey, it is great to hear about so many playing at local clubs, playing in national competitions and enjoying camps in the holidays. Special congratulations must also go to the girls competing in the England Hockey player pathway;

Olivia Wilde U17 NAGs, Futures Cup and Performance Centre

Pippi Spawforth U15 Future Cup and Performance Centre

Jessica Dyson U13 Middlesex (Captain) and U15 selection for Performance Centre 2017-2018

Mollie Kelly U15 Surrey JAC

Sienna Miller U14 Middlesex JAC

Poppy Walters U14 Middlesex JDC

U13D – 6th in the Trophy

U14 – 2nd overall

U15 – 1st overall

U16 – 5th overall

1st XI – 2nd overall

Making St T’s Hockey history as the fi rst St Teresa’s

team to be named National Champions. It was made even

more special as the team celebrated Kara McIntosh’s

13th Birthday on the same day!

ROWING SUCCESS AMELIA GRIMSHAW On Saturday 22nd April, Amelia and her doubles sculling partner, took part in the Junior inter regional rowing championships. She was racing against the top twelve J15 double crews that had been selected after time trials from the twelve regions in Great Britain. Amelia and Tallulah came home with silver medals, which means that they are ranked second in Great Britain.

NATIONAL SWIMMING In January the girls took part in the Surrey Swimming Individual Championships. All the girls swam brilliantly with the intermediate team coming second and the junior team being crowned champions for the second year in a row. Well done girls.

SPORTS DAY

SCIENCE WEEKThere was a great deal going on in the Prep School for Science Week this year. Vet, Sophie Bagnall, came in to talk to the girls about her job. She told them about how she studied Maths and Science at school so that she could learn to be a vet at university. She showed x-rays of different animals and the girls had to guess what they were. We also had a visit from another female scientist; this time a doctor. Dr Bruce gave Upper Prep a very interesting talk about what you have to do to become a doctor and the work that she does every day.

There was also an assembly presented by Science Club which started off with a bang when they popped hydrogen balloons to wake everyone up! They also demonstrated how to make a lava lamp which we hope lots of people have tried out at home.

The main event of the week was the Science Fair, run by Years 5 and 6. There was a grand total of nineteen very impressive stalls with a great variety of ideas from a homemade

popcorn machine, to active volcanoes, to how your brain works, to racing cars and what Tim Peake did in space. The whole school really enjoyed visiting the fair and learned a great deal.

Prep News

popcorn machine, to active volcanoes, to how your brain works, to racing cars and what Tim Peake did in space. The whole school really enjoyed visiting the fair and learned a great deal.

MATHS CHALLENGE DAYThe girls in Years 1–6 were very lucky to take part in an exciting Mathematics Challenge Workshop run by a visitor from Cambridge University’s NRICH. The girls were split into pairs and small groups to tackle a range of problems. Some problems involved tangrams, dominoes, cubes, counters and even tea cups! All problems required perseverance and communication to be successful. We were all really proud of the girls for refusing to give up on trickier problems, even spending a long time testing out different strategies.

CHEFS ADOPT A SCHOOL – YEAR 5

Year 5 enjoyed taking part in a scheme involving our chefs, Gary and Bev, called Chefs Adopt a School (CAAS). CAAS is a national

charity which teaches children about food, food provenance, healthy eating, nutrition, the importance of eating together and cookery.

The fi rst session focused on how to make bread with all the girls, working hard to make and knead the dough, before being able to take two rolls to

bake at home. Whilst wearing professional chefs hats, the bakers learnt about where wheat comes from as well as how they could reduce the waste

produced in kitchens, taking home two recipes for using up left overs that may be in the fridge. The next day, they were treated to cinnamon bread, garlic

bread, plaits and delicious rolls. In Thursday’s session, the girls thought more carefully about the etiquette of food service, with some fun role play involving customers and service in a restaurant.

The girls enjoyed the sessions and contributed thoughtfully to discussions and to the tasks that they were given. They developed their understanding of healthy eating,

home cooking and expectations at a restaurant. Some girls even had to deal with tricky

customers!

bread, plaits and delicious rolls. In Thursday s session, the girls thought more carefully about the etiquette of food service, with some fun role play involving customers and service in a restaurant.

The girls enjoyed the sessions and contributed thoughtfully to discussions and to the tasks that they were given. They developed their understanding of healthy eating,

home cooking and expectations at a restaurant. Some girls even had to deal with tricky

customers!

NATIONAL INTER-SCHOOLS QUIZ CHAMPIONSHIPSTwo teams of girls from Years 3 to 6 took part in the heats of the National Inter-School Quiz Championships at Manor House School. The questions were challenging, but the girls performed brilliantly and achieved third and seventh places against strong competition. Congratulations go to Cerys, Chloe, Clemmie, Anais, Georgina, Amy, Ella and Julia.

PUBLIC SPEAKING SUCCESSCorellia, Taylor and Mia in Year 6 and Lois, Chloe and Tabitha in Year 5 took part in a Public Speaking Competition at Downsend School.

It was only St Teresa’s second year of entering this competition and nerves were running high. However, in true St Teresa’s style, the girls rose to the occasion and were very composed, speaking confi dently about their subject and answering the questions posed to them with ease.

They all performed superbly and, after much deliberation, Lois was awarded ‘Best Speaker’ and the St Teresa’s Year 5 team were announced the ‘Overall Winners of The Competition’! A fabulous result that was testament to the hard work that went into writing and preparing their speeches.

We are extremely proud of the girls and the way in which they performed against some tough, local completion.

YEAR 4 ENGLISH COMPETITIONThe Year 4 Team represented St Teresa’s in the Greenfi eld English Competition on Thursday 4th May. They competed against 8 other teams and represented the school exceptionally well. It was a great learning experience for them all. Well done to Clemmie, Isabella, Beth and Augusta.

The Year 6 girls participated in an exciting Business and Enterprise course, ‘Putting Young Minds to Work’, run by Stride Ventures. They worked in groups to set up small businesses and made products to sell to the girls at The Enterprise Fair.

The project culminated in the “Perfect Pitch” where each group had to present their business idea to a panel of judges. The pitches were energetic and full of information about budgets, income, expenses, marketing and their top tips for running a business. The Business Enterprise Fair was held in the afternoon, where the groups sold their products to the school and parents from their beautifully decorated stalls. Prizes were awarded to the best pitch and the most profi table company. The girls had a really rewarding experience and learnt a great deal about running their own business. An incredible total profi t of over £800 was made by the girls’ business ventures.

YEAR 6 – STRIDE ENTERPRISE FAIR

UPPER PREP PRIZE GIVING

The Summer Term in the Prep School culminated in our Upper Prep Prize Giving. Prizes were awarded to the girls by our special guest, Blue Peter Presenter, Lindsay Russell, who gave an inspiring speech to us all about the value of perseverance and pushing yourself to achieve your dreams.

HEADTEACHER FOR THE DAYWe were privileged to have two very special Headteachers at St Teresa’s for the day. As part of the lot that their parents bid for at the FOST Ball to be the Headteacher for the day, Miss Sherazee and Miss Brod greeted the children at the school gates with Mrs Conrad, helped run an assembly, enjoyed ‘tea’ (well, orange squash and marshmallows!) with Mrs Jones and Mrs Nelson, read a story to Nursery, enjoyed lunch with Mrs Conrad and Mrs Irons in the Boardroom, helped chair a committee meeting and toured the grounds with the Bursar for a maintenance walk! Phew—it was a busy day!

VISITING AUTHORShortly after World Book Week, Years 4 to 6 were entertained by another visiting author, Christian O’Connell. Mr O’Connell’s lively talk about his life and work (he is also a DJ on the Absolute Radio Breakfast Show) had staff and pupils in stitches. There were some serious and important messages mixed in with the fun – about persistence, reading, how to achieve your dreams and making the most of your life. Mr O’Connell signed copies of his fi rst book ‘Radio Boy’ and answered questions and chatted with the pupils afterwards. This visit was such a success that we have booked Mr O’Connell for World Book Day next year, before anyone else could snap him up! We’re all eagerly waiting for book 2…

WORLD BOOK WEEKWorld Book Week was a highlight of the school calendar.

The girls loved working with a choreographer to create a dance based on The BFG. They enjoyed listening to the author Pippa Goodhart, author of Winnie The Witch, speaking about what it is like to be an author and telling funny stories about her life.

Year 3 created book boxes inspired by their favourite stories. Each box was fi lled with items related to their chosen books, and the girls used their fantastic imaginations to present their ideas to their classes.

All the outfi ts that the children (and staff!) wore on World Book Day were fantastic – so many different characters came to school and we were really impressed with the imaginative and creative costumes!

y p gcreative costumes!

ALENCON CHOIR The Alencon Choir took part in their fi rst competition in the beautiful Chapel at Charterhouse School, as part of the Godalming Music Festival. They were very excited and performed their two songs really well. They were awarded Distinction for their performance, putting them in 2nd place. Well done girls!

Prep Music

LISIEUX CHOIRThe choir took part in the Music for Youth Regional Festival. The adjudicators were very impressed with the girls and said that “the part singing was very accomplished” and that they were “captivated” by their performance. The Choir also took part in the Godalming Music Festival, where they came 3rd in their category. On this occasion the adjudicator, who is the Master of Music at Guildford Cathedral, commentated that “the girls had a very expressive style”.

CHAMBER CHOIRAt the end of a very busy week for the Music Department, the Chamber Choir went to Dorking Halls. They sang in the Youth Choirs’ Competition as part of the Leith Hill Music Festival. This is a music festival which was set up by the composer Vaughan Williams who lived locally and has been running since 1905. The girls once again sang beautifully and the adjudicator commented on their “strong and uniform sound, energy and strong communication”. The girls were placed 2nd in the competition. Well done girls!

CONCERT WITH THE BAND OF THE ROYAL MARINESIn the Summer Term, the Chamber Choir performed in an amazing concert in Dorking Halls with the Band of HM Royal Marines (Portsmouth). Once again, the girls sang wonderfully. Their repertoire included a medley of Disney songs. After that, there was a great deal of fl ag waving and patriotic fervour in the Hall for the singing of Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory.

“...strong and uniform sound,

energy and strong communication”

“the girls had a very expressive

style”

ANNIE JR 2017At the end of last Half Term, the Year 6 girls put on a fantastic performance of Annie Jr., supported by a superb Year 5 choir. They worked really hard during the rehearsals which included: learning lines, following choreography and, most importantly, working as a team. It was such a fun and enjoyable performance and the girls really brought this fabulous show to life for us all with their acting and singing skills.

YEAR 1 TRIP TO BOCKETT’S FARMIn the Summer Term, Year 1 learnt all about farm animals and buildings and set off to Bockett’s Farm to get some practical experience. The day started with a tour around the farm to see different animals including horses, cows, sheep and even llamas! We learnt how they are cared for and what their young are called. Next we went on a tractor ride around the farm to see the animals in their fi elds and different crops growing around the farm. Then we had an animal handling session where they saw a goat being milked and handled many different animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chicks and ducklings. In the afternoon we saw a very exciting pig race and looked around the farm at the different buildings, animals and crops growing. We all had a fantastic day with some of the girls talking about owning their own farms and animals when they are older!

Prep Trips

YEAR 2 TRIP TO THE LOOKOUT CENTREYear 2 went to the Look Out Discovery Centre in the Spring Term and it was a great day out! There was so much to explore and they learnt about all sorts of interesting things. There were 5 exciting science zones in total and each one had a range of challenges to solve.

Team work was key to complete some of the activities and the girls particularly enjoyed the Bubble and Splashes talk where they got to perform a magic trick on Mrs Prothero.

YEAR 1 TRIP TO PAINSHILL PARKYear 1 enjoyed a wonderful trip to Painshill this term. They learnt about the journey of a seed, what plants need to grow, created fairy gardens in the woods, visited the Crystal Cave and made lovely perfume using plants. Their favourite bit was the Crystal Cave, as it was so sparkly and pretty. Their tour guide, Adam was fun and energetic and they had a great time learning all about plants and their senses.

RECEPTION TRIP TO

SEA LIFE CENTREIn the Summer Term, Reception headed off to Brighton to visit the Sea Life Centre. It was the most amazing day with gorgeous weather. They saw a huge variety of fi sh,

rays, sharks, seahorses and even touched a bumpy starfi sh and sticky sea anemones.

Lunch was enjoyed on the beach with the seagulls before beach combing for treasures and paddling in the sea.

A fun day out was had by all.

YEAR 5 SCIENCE MUSEUM TRIPYear 5 went to the Science Museum in London. The girls investigated the space exhibit and learnt all about astronauts and how they live in space. Most importantly, they learnt about the planets and their unique characteristics and atmospheres. As they explored the museum, they saw the engines of rockets and marvelled at the mechanisms used to power them. One highlight was seeing a tiny piece of chipped moon rock! The day continued with a workshop led by an actor who taught them about the astronaut Gene Cernan and his time in space.

After the workshop, they all went to the spectacular, mind-blowing Wonderlab. As they entered the lab, they laid eyes upon the interactive games and the enormous building full of exciting activities including friction slides, magnetic logs, and a single mirror that could create multiple images of oneself! The Wonderlab was defi nitely everybody’s favourite place. Thank you to all the staff and other adults that looked after us.

YEAR 3 BUTSER FARMWhat a glorious day Year 3 had at Butser Farm. They took part in many different activities –spinning, mosaic making, an archaeological dig, where many unusual items were found, and jewellery making. The girls behaved so well and showed off their knowledge of the Celts.

YEAR 4 TRIP TO THE BRITISH MUSEUMYear 4 visited the British Museum in London. It was wonderful to see real artefacts that they had been learning about. They began by looking at examples of hieroglyphs on the famous Rosetta Stone, then it was onto statues of pharaohs and the mummies. They were fascinated! They also saw artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods including the Sutton Hoo warrior helmet. Many sketches were made and notes taken before the trip back to school.

YEAR 6 TRIP TO THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMYear 6 visited the Imperial War Museum in London. They looked around some of the exhibitions including “Family in Wartime” and the First World War Galleries. In the “Family in Wartime” exhibition they learnt about the Allpress family, how they lived and their experiences of living through World War Two. They even went inside an Anderson air raid shelter with sound effects to experience what it might have felt like back then. The highlight of the day was meeting two evacuees themselves. The eyewitnesses’ names were Rose Nash and John Trasker, both now in their 80s. Year 6 sat and listened to their experiences of being an evacuee from London and we even got to interview them both. It was amazing and so interesting to hear how different their stories were and how they felt about being evacuated. I felt very honoured meeting Rose and John, I could have talked to them all day! Connie Mortimer (Year 6)

YEAR 5 TRIP TO OSMINGTON BAYIn the Summer Term, Year 5 went to Osmington Bay in Dorset. It was a great experience for all. Learning new games was fantastic, but most importantly everyone had fun! Before we arrived, we stopped off at Lulworth Cove, which was a beautiful sight with the sea right in front of us and an immense cliff, silently waiting in the distance.

When we arrived at PGL, after our long trip, we were escorted by our friendly instructor to our rooms. Soon after we’d settled in, we were bombarded with songs and games. One of our favourite games was called Ambush. To play, we were split into two groups. One group was hiding and the other group was seeking. The hiding team would place some arrows along the way, with two fi nal arrows: one as a decoy and one pointing to where they were actually hiding.

All of the activities were spectacular, but our favourite activity was the Giant Swing. One of the main things that we learnt was to be more independent. Thank you to all of the staff for taking us on our trip to PGL.

By Sophie and Millie, Year 5

YEAR 4 TRIP TO JUNIPER HALLYear 4 had the great excitement of going on their fi rst residential to Juniper Hall in Mickleham (not too far away!). They left here early on the Tuesday morning and didn’t return until Wednesday afternoon. On Tuesday, the sun shone down on the girls as they waded into the River Mole hunting for invertebrates. The girls were then given keys to help them classify the creatures found. After a well-deserved picnic, they walked back to the fi eld centre where they examined some of the invertebrates further, using microscopes. Later on in the afternoon, the girls were kept busy with various outdoor art activities, inspired by Andrew Goldsworthy. After a hearty supper, they set up the small mammal traps and then toasted marshmallows around the campfi re before heading off to bed. Despite the drizzly, inclement weather on the Wednesday, the girls had great fun running around outside completing a series of orienteering and geo-caching activities. They had one successful result in our mammal traps – a vole. Finally, the last activity saw us hunting for minibeasts in the fi elds and in the woods, before heading back to school. The trip was a great success, all the girls were exceptionally well behaved and we all had a fabulous time. The prize for the tidiest bedroom had to go to Lily, Taylor and Eva who surprised us all with how they managed to transform a functional sleeping space into a cosy, well ordered bedroom.

FRANCE TRIPThis May, Year 6 had the exciting opportunity to go to France. There were lots of laughs and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Fortunately, the weather was spectacular and, with the help of our trusty bus driver, we went to several exciting places, these included: the Snail Farm and the market. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the French countryside and try new activities and food (snails and frog’s legs)! The chateau was beautiful and everyone, including the teachers, had an amazing trip. The memories we made that week were unforgettable. By Yoon-Jee Nam, Year 6

HOCKEYIn March, the U11 hockey team competed in a regional event called the In2 Hockey Tournament. They all played extremely hard and kept on fi ghting to the end. In the semi-fi nal match, the score was a draw, which meant the girls had to do a penalty shoot-out. Connie and Harriet went fi rst and both scored their goals, meaning that St Teresa’s came away with bronze medals.

On Tuesday 7th March, the U11 team travelled to Old Cranleighan’s Hockey Club to compete in a hockey tournament held by Weston Green School. They made it to the semi-fi nals and took third place coming away with medals and certifi cates.

On Saturday 11th March, 10 girls from Year 5 competed in a hockey tournament held at Rowan School. All of the girls performed outstandingly, winning all but one match. They fi nished in 2nd place, a great fi nish to the end of the hockey season.

This year has been a hugely successful and fruitful year, with children attending clubs left, right and centre. A variety of clubs have been offered including football, canoeing, athletics and cricket. Our sports captains, Connie and Rosie summarised the year:

“This year has been really fun. We have had the chance to help teach the younger years and help out with sports day. We really enjoyed competing against other schools and have had an amazing experience.”

Here are a few highlights of the last two terms:

Prep SportNATIONAL BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPSCongratulations to the St Teresa’s prep school girls who qualifi ed and competed in the National Biathlon fi nal on 25th March at Crystal Palace. Top performances go to Connie Mortimer, who came 23rd and Abi Bushell for coming 26th.

NATIONAL AQUATHLONOn June 26th, St Teresa’s hosted the annual National Schools Aquathlon. Hundreds of children took part from over 20 Schools. We had 30 children from the Prep School taking part and, for a few, it was their fi rst time. Well done to Connie Mortimer for placing 1st in the U11 sprint race, making her a National Champion, and to Phoebe Wilson for placing 2nd in the super sprint.

ENGLISH SCHOOLS SWIMMING ASSOCIATION (ESSA) On Saturday 18th June, the U11 swim team (Ella Burge, Connie Mortimer, Rosie Runnicles, Anna Sweetbaum and Sophie Knocker) took part in the English Schools Swimming Association (ESSA) National fi nals. In the fi nal, the girls were nervous going up against the best U11 teams in the country, especially as half of the team were U10’s! It was a close battle and the girls fi nished 5th in the medley race and 8th in the freestyle relay, which was an amazing achievement.

INDEPENDENT ASSOCIATION OFPREP SCHOOLS SWIMMING FINALSOn the 6th May, Anna Sweetbaum and Connie Mortimer represented St Teresa’s in the Independent Association of Prep Schools Swimming Finals. Connie Mortimer came 2nd in the U11 50m breaststroke and Anna came 16th in the 25m freestyle. A fi rst for St Teresa’s!

GYMNASTICS

ATHLETICSThroughout the Summer Term, the girls developed their speed, power and strength on both the track and the fi eld. Athletics club has run before and after school, with girls working towards their English School Athletic Awards.

Girls that achieved Gold awards this year were:

SPRINTS

Y4: All

Y5: Harriet Coughlan, Tabitha Littler, Flavia Wilson, Phoebe Wilson

Y6: Ella Everitt, Cerys Love, Yoon-Jee Nam, Rosie Runnicles

DISTANCE

Y3: Georgia Kemp, Abi Martin, Scarlett Rudge

Y4: Abi Bushell, Francesca Simmons

Y5: Harriet Coughlan, Tabitha Littler, Evie Louw

Y6: Ella Everitt, Rosie Runnicles

HURDLES

Y6: Ella Everitt, Yoon-Jee Nam

LONG JUMP

Y5: Harriet Coughlan, Tabitha Littler, Evie Louw

Y6: Ella Everitt

HIGH JUMP

Y5: Tabitha Littler, Phoebe Wilson

Y6: Ella Everitt

THROWS

Y4: Francesca Simmons

Y5: Harriet Coughlan, Holly Kemp, Roxy Lamming, Phoebe Wilson, Lois O’Connell

Y6: Ella Everitt, Cerys Love, Yoon-Jee Nam, Rosie Runnicles

For the fi rst time, St Teresa’s entered the District Athletics held at Spectrum in Guildford. The girls were slightly apprehensive, with the majority of them competing in an athletics competition for their fi rst time. Our top performances were from Abigail Martin winning the U8 Long Jump, Georgia Kemp winning the U8 Rounders ball

throw and Francesca Simmons for coming 3rd in the U9 Long Jump.

At the Manor House athletics fi xture, the girls excelled, scoring personal bests on the track and fi eld. Our top track performances were: Abi Bushell – 1st in U10 800m; Grace Hannon – 2nd in U9 150m; Ella Everitt – 3rd in U11 800m.

Top performances were:

NOVICE LEVEL

Y3 Anais 14th,

Y4 Isabella 15th

Y5 Ella Burge 8th Lucy Sarch 9th

Y6 Georgia Bishop 7th Alicia Sasso 8th place overall

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Y4 Hana Aiken 6th place

Y6 Mollie 4th, Keya 6th, Sophie 7th & Jana 9th place

Congratulations to all of them!

Gymnastics is a key part of many of the girls after school activities. On Sunday 14th May, 18 girls from Years 3 to 6 competed in the British Schools Individual Gymnastics competition in Kent. Each had to perform a set fl oor routine along with 2 vaults.

TOUGH MUDDER EVENTOn Friday 19th May, twelve girls from Years 5 and 6 travelled to St Bede’s school in Eastbourne to take part in an obstacle race event. The girls had to complete the course in groups of 4, supporting each other and working as a team. The girls were an asset to the School, showing exemplary behaviour, and came 5th despite being the only prep school taking part.

SPORTS DAYThe girls were outstanding on Sports Day, showing grit and determination in all of their races. Our top jumpers and throwers for the Prep school are listed below:

Long Jump: Connie Mortimer (Year 6) 3.41m

Triple Jump: Amelia Gallagher (Year 5) 4.76m

High Jump: Connie Mortimer (Year 6) 1.20m

Rounders Ball Throw: Harriet Coughlan (Year 5) 23.50m

Shot Putt: Roxy Lamming (Year 5) 10.3m

Javelin: Ella Everitt (Year 6) 15.4m

Outside of school, Connie Mortimer in Year 6 was crowned Surrey Champion in the Surrey County Swimming competition A division, held over 3 weekends in February. Connie qualifi ed and competed in events for all four strokes, achieving some impressive personal bests. Connie particularly excelled in the breaststroke, winning silver medals in both the 200m and 100m events as well as achieving gold in 50m breaststroke, making her the county champion for the 12 year old age group. Well done Connie on some fantastic swimming!

CROSS COUNTRYLots of fun and progress has been made in cross country club, with some weeks a lot muddier than others. Top performance goes to Scarlett Rudge for coming 3rd in the U8 cross country at Guildford High School.

KAYAKING CLUB Over the Summer Term, twelve girls in Years 4 to 6 took to the water to develop their canoeing and kayaking skills. Each week the girls tried different boats, with most sessions involving swimming in the canal. The girls had a lovely time and became extremely confi dent paddlers.

Kayaking club will be running again next Summer.

SURREY COUNTY SWIMMING COMPETITION

PONY DAYSPony days running every holiday, Monday to Friday. If you are aged between 6 and 18 and mad about horses and ponies, come and join us! As well as riding up to twice each day, and taking care of the horses/ponies with us, riders will take part in plenty of games and activities to get to know each other/their ponies.

Running from 10am to 4pm daily, parents also have the option of dropping off early (from 8.30am onwards) or collecting late (up to 5.30pm) for an additional fee.

£70 per day. A one-off registration fee of £20 for non-STE members applies. Places are strictly limited so book early.

For more information/to book see website at www.st-teresas.com or call direct on 01372 750257 or email equestrian@st-teresas.com

STE Autumn Term dates Monday 18th September to Saturday 9th December 2017.

Half Term weeks commencing 23rd October and 30th October 2017.

Please contact us on 01372 750257 or email equestrian@st-teresas.com for more information.

BHS EXAMSWe had 8 of our more senior riders participate in the British Horse Society (BHS) Stage 1 Training. (Progressive Riding Tests). This is the fi rst step on the professional ladder for equestrian qualifi cations. The BHS has put together a package of 6 “Progressive Rider Tests” in both stable management/care, and riding, which taken together over the course of 10–12 weeks, and at an Approved Centre such as ours, cover the syllabus for the BHS Stage 1. We will run the training again on Monday evenings in the Autumn Term and examine as we go, from 6.30pm – 8.30pm. The cost is £320. Apply to Sylvia – and/or talk to Alison or Tess if you want more information. If you are at all interested, apply now anyway, so that we put you on our email list.

We are a Pony Club Centre. Lots of girls have joined and we have run several Pony Club E test and Mini Road Rider this year. Membership forms available from the STE offi ce.

Road RiderWe are delighted to announce that all 3 of our Pony Club “Road Rider” Test candidates passed their Test in style on Sunday 12th March. The Road Rider is the highest test the Pony Club offers in road safety and encompasses a simulated road experience, with an external examiner. Well done to Ilyana Cortes, Natalia Sanchez and Julia Simon, you were all a credit to St Teresa’s.

We have had two wonderful Spring and Summer terms of riding, with so many lovely comments about the ponies, the teaching, and how much the girls are enjoying their riding. We have been using our woodland trail and grass ride around the fi elds for hacking on site, and taking our more experienced riders off site on hacks on Ranmore Common, as well as teaching more advanced dressage and jumping lessons. The girls have all worked so hard and improved so much.

OCTOBER 2017HALF TERM PONY DAYS (non-residential)Introducing St. Teresa’s Equestrian, which opened in the Summer of 2015

and is a not-for-profit, equestrian centre based at St. Teresa’s School in Effingham.

If you are aged between 6 and 18 and mad about horses and ponies,

come and join us on one of our October Half Term Holiday Pony Days. DETAILS OVERLEAF

AN INITIATIVE FROM ST TERESA’S EFFINGHAM • BOARDING & DAY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS AGED 3–18

Open to riders of all abilities from lead-rein upwards

STTA hosted its fi rst STOGA Tennis Tournament for the senior girls on Sunday 7th May. They all enjoyed a wonderful, sunny afternoon watching some highly competitive matches. The girls produced some fantastic tennis with many nail biting rallies! It was a great way for the girls to put their tennis match skills into practice in a fun but competitive environment.

COMPETITION SUCCESSWe took 8 nervous and excited girls to the National Schools Equestrian Association competition at Great Bookham Equestrian Centre in May, and were very pleased with the results. 40cm jumping 1st Mia Sherazee; 50cm jumping 2nd Lulu Banks, 4th Flossie Wigley, 5th Mia Sherazee and a team 1st. Dressage results – Team Blue 3rd place (combination of Prelim 13 and Novice 24 test) made up of – Soraya Rogers, Flossie Wigley, Livvy Meanley. Team Pink 5th place (combination of Prelim 13 and Novice 24 test) made up of Mia Gibbs, Illy Cortes and Mia Sherazee. Elementary 49 – individual 1st Soraya Rogers.

Congratulations to Olivia Meanley (Preliminary Dressage) and Soraya Rogers (Elementary Dressage) who have both qualifi ed for the NSEA National Championships in October at Addington.

Olivia Meanley in Year 7 with her pony Evington Captain, continued their successful run with a 1st place in the Pony Club Introductory test at the Chiddingfold Farmers Easter Monday competition. Olivia and Captain then topped this by going to the BYRDS (British Young Riders Dressage) ‘Spring Show’ at Oldencraig on Easter Sunday, coming 6th in her Prelim and an impressive 5th in the Rider Test ‘C’ Squad.

Finally, on 2nd July, Olivia and Captain also won their Area Pony Club Dressage Qualifi er for the Pony Club Competition, National Championships in Cheshire in August. What a successful end to her year.

PREP TENNISThe girls have enjoyed their tennis lessons in the Summer term, with fi xtures throughout for Years 1 to 6. In the matches against Danes Hill, the U11 team were victorious, winning all of them. The U7’s played Parkside School for their fi rst match of the season and won 14–6. A great Summer of tennis!

PRIZE GIVING RECIPIENTS OF AWARDS 2016/2017Wizard Trophy (Years 10, 11, 12, 13)Natalia Sanchez (Boarding)

Craig-Fisher Trophy (Years 7, 8, 9)Livvy Meanley (Senior)

Sirus Trophy (Prep) Connie Cook (Prep)

Top Student Plaque Julia Simon (Boarding)

Sportsmanship Plaque Emma Hull (Senior)Runner Up Rosette Francesca Brown (Prep)

Teamwork Plaque Catherine Waring (External) Runner Up Rosette Lulu Banks (Senior)

Empathy Plaque Mia Gibbs (Senior) Runner Up Rosette Penelope Brown (Prep)

Horsemanship Plaque Jo Jo Lee (Senior)Runner Up Rosette Tabitha Sarch (Senior)

Most Improved Junior Nicole Farquharson (Prep)

Most Improved Senior Jenna Namthorn (Boarding)

Top Volunteer Award Izzy Muir (Senior)

Most Dedicated Illy Cortes (Senior)

Best NSEA Grassroots Rider Mia Sherazee (Senior)

Best NSEA Seniors Rider Soraya Rogers (Senior)

Best Pony (voted for by the girls) Flora

INTERSCHOOLS COMPETITIONWe hosted Lingfi eld College on Sunday 11th June for an Interschools Dressage Competition. It was a fairly evenly matched result with Lingfi eld teams fi nishing in 1st and 3rd position, STE in 2nd and 4th. Well done to Mia Gibbs who achieved the highest individual result with 79.78%.

St Teresa’s, Effi ngham, Surrey RH5 6STTelephone 01372 452037info@st-teresas.com • www.st-teresas.com

St Teresa’s School Effi ngham Trust • Registered Charity No. 1095103

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INTELLECTOUR SCHOOL VALUE OF THE YEAR, 2017–2018

The fi fth of the fi ve values on which an education at St Teresa’s is based is Intellect. Our mission with this value is to create a stimulating learning environment where academic study and intellectual pursuits are cherished, valued and celebrated.

We seek to enable pupils to become questioning, refl ective young people who can appropriately use their knowledge to understand, interpret and interact with today’s world, and thus become effective and useful contributors to wider society.

In the assembly which inaugurated our Year of Intellect, the following extract was delivered:

It is possibly a truism that curiosity is most often in evidence in times of real hardship (necessity is the mother of invention) or real sustained passion. But there is also a slight complacency with modern life: everything is instantaneous, and everything has been designed for ease of use and purpose. This is possibly fostering a sense that life is something that simply happens to you - it is utterly feasible, for example, to drift onto a train, without wondering how it works, get off in London, cross the capital via a series of improbably vast and deep tunnels without appreciating the engineering genius that has gone into achieving a transport system that carries 95 million people through Waterloo each year alone. It is easy to remain passive and uninterested during your journey, instead of marvelling that you are standing on the longest escalator on the Tube network at Angel. Actually, there are stories, there is history and science and feats of bravery and heroism and chaos and beauty and the soaring heights of human endeavour all around us, constantly, if you would but look. Life is something that is active; it is not a passive thing, in which you fl oat along in a cloud of unknowing; it is something that requires, nay demands your attention. Be brave enough to ask good questions: why is Roman cement better than modern cement? Why do fi sh communicate in different regional accents? Does Richard III deserve his reputation? Who designed the font used on road signs? What does the Cornish language sound like?

ST TERESA’S EFFINGHAM

FAITHCHARACTERCOMMUNITYCOMPASSION

INTELLECT

What is it that you don’t know? This year we will be exploring the unknown and we will be encouraging you to ask the ‘stupid’ questions, to marvel at the things of everyday life that surround you, and to push yourself to learn just a touch more than you thought you needed to pass an exam. The thing about knowledge is that, once it is there, no one can ever take it away from you – and it should never be about need or suffi ciency.

We will be running a series of higher profi le activities, one per half term, to celebrate intellectual curiosity, as well as weekly events, before culminating in our exciting Festival of Intellect in the summer term, which will be an opportunity for you to showcase all that you have been curious about this year. Girls, be active in your quest for knowledge, and approach life with a boundless thirst for answers to questions you had never thought to ask before. To be intellectual is within us all.

Dr McShane