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Leweston School Newsletter
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201
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Leweston Life
Heads’ Welcome 3
Academic News 4
Creative Pursuits 7
Sixth Form Centre 10
Art and Design Exhibition 12
Senior Sport 14
Prep News 18
Prep Sport 25
Spiritual Life and Community Service 28
South Africa Choir and Netball Tour 29
Trips and Visits 30
Boarding Bliss 32
Duke of Edinburgh Award 34
OA News 35
Dates for your Diary 36
Contents
www.leweston.co.ukCover image: AS Textile Coursework by Year 12 pupil Kasey Chiu
Page 16
Page 27
Page 32
Page 20
Welcome from the HeadsThe 2012-13 academic year has been a vintage one
at Leweston! In the last edition of Leweston Life
we reported on Leweston’s record breaking GCSE
results, and our placement in the top five percent
of schools nationally for Value Added up to GCSE.
This academic success has not stopped and since
the new year Leweston has been placed top of the
Department for Education League tables for
Dorset and Somerset for it’s A Level and Pre-U
performance and we have received a record
breaking set of Oxbridge offers for the girls in our
Upper Sixth (page 4).
The summer marked the opening of our new Sixth
Form Centre, the latest piece of campus
development at Leweston. The benefits to our
existing and future Sixth Formers will be numerous
and we are delighted that some of our students
were also involved in the design and planning
process, led by internationally renowned design
and interior refurbishment specialists, Resolution
Interiors (page 10).
On the creative side, a real highlight of the spring
term was this year’s Choral Society Concert, Zimbe!
which this year broke from tradition and featured
harmonies from South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.
The singers from across the Leweston campus and
the local community embraced the challenge of
singing in various African languages and produced
what was a truly outstanding and memorable
show (page 7). The pirate themed summer term
Prep production (page 20) was of its usual high
quality and we have also had our best ever year at
the Bath Festival of Speech and Drama (page 10). A
special mention must go to the three girls who
achieved Conservatoire Standard Diplomas in
piano, flute and saxophone (page 9).
Success has also come thick and fast on the sports
fields with 6 Leweston athletes from both the Prep
and Senior Schools being selected to represent GB
at this summer’s European Biathle Championships.
The development of our ‘athlon’ sports programme
at Leweston continues to go from strength to
strength and we have seen numerous school
records broken in the pool and in track and field
(page 16).
Many of our pupils continue with exciting activities
over the summer, perhaps most notably
Leweston’s inaugural Choir and Netball Tour to
South Africa. This will undoubtedly be a life
changing trip for the 30 girls taking part and we
look forward to reporting on the tour’s progress
through a blog on our website and Facebook page.
The end of term marked the end of school life for
our 2013 Leavers but we remain safe in the
knowledge that they leave Leweston well prepared
for the next stage of their lives. They have had the
opportunity at Leweston to take the right sort of
risks, emotionally, spiritually and physically, as
much as intellectually. They have been part of an
exceptional community and been supported
through the good and more challenging times,
made friendships that will endure long after their
time at school and they leave Leweston with
experiences and exposure to opportunities that
have helped shape their interests, ambitions and
drive for the future.
Leweston is a school where the pupils’ qualities of
commitment, enthusiasm and naturalness are
nurtured and we have no doubt that our leavers
will find Leweston a source of inspiration and
strength as they go on out into the world and
make their own way. Gaudere et Bene Facere!
James Savile
Head of Leweston Prep
Adrian Aylward
Headmaster
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Oxbridge Offers - A Statistical RecordLeweston is delighted that a record
number of girls, representing
nearly 10% of our Upper Sixth, have
been successful in obtaining offers
from Oxford and Cambridge.
Congratulations to Siobhan
Stewart who has received an offer
to study Biological Sciences at
Brasenose College Oxford, to
Rebecca Clayton who has received
an offer to study English and
Drama at Homerton College
Cambridge and to Monika Dec who
has received an offer to study
Mathematics at Trinity College
Cambridge.
Well done also to Sophie Hawkins
who received offers from every
Medical School she applied to,
continuing Leweston’s impressive
record of successful Medical School
applications.
These offers represent a historic
record for Leweston and builds on
the school’s reputation for enabling
our Sixth Formers to win places at
the most selective universities and
specialist colleges.
Leweston Comes Top ofDofE Performance Tablesfor Dorset and SomersetStaff and pupils at Leweston are delighted to have come top of
the Department of Education Performance tables for Dorset and
Somerset. Leweston’s A Level and Pre-U students achieved an
average UCAS point score of 976 per student, the best of all
independent and maintained schools in the two counties.
“We are delighted that the DofE data has placedLeweston as the top school in the area for itsperformance at A Level and equivalent. It is atremendous reflection on the girls, our committedstaff and the vitality of the all-round educationoffered at Leweston. This tops off an excellent yearwhich has seen Leweston ranked in the top 5% ofschools nationally for value added and our third set ofrecord GCSE results in 4 years.”
Adrian Aylward, Headmaster at Leweston
Some of Leweston’s 2012 leavers
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Year 13 pupil Monika Dec has won a
scholarship worth approximately $7000
offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute, to
spend the summer at Boston and Oxford
Universities studying alongside 60 other
students from around the world. The lectures
and seminars will be presented by some of
the World’s top academics.
There were over 500 applicants for the
Programme in Mathematics for Young
Scientists (PROMYS), a prestigious and highly
selective course, and Monika was selected for
one of only 10 scholarships available to
European Students. During the 7 week course
Monika will attend daily lectures in Number
Theory given by the world’s leading
mathematicians.
This is the most recent in a string of
mathematical success for Monika who was
placed 3rd Nationally in the UK Maths
Olympiad for girls which took place in
September. She also achieved top 25 placings
in both the 1st and 2nd rounds of the 2012
British Maths Olympiads and has an offer to
read Mathematics at Trinity College
Cambridge on completing her Year
13 studies.
Martin Crozier, Head of Mathematics
“This continues to show that Monika has the potential to be one of the world’s bestmathematicians and is perfect preparation for her as she embarks on what promises to bean exciting career in mathematics.”
Careers Day 2013
Pupils in Year 10 - 12 had
the exciting opportunity
of hearing from a variety
of professionals at their
Careers Day in the
Summer Term.
The girls heard from 9
speakers, 6 of whom were
Leweston Old Girls (pictured
below). The visitors offered
their experience in a wide
range of fields including
Law, Medicine, TV and Film,
Psychology, Marketing and
PR, Fashion, Engineering,
Veterinary, and the Forces.
Pupils chose to attend their
top three favoured
presentations and were
provided with some
practical tips on how to go
about getting into their
chosen careers. This was an
incredibly useful and
enlightening event and we
thank our speakers for their
time, energy and for being a
source of inspiration.
6
Sixth Former Wins Internship with Top London Fashion Designer
CONGRATULATIONS TOYEAR 12 PUPIL DASHAKORZNIKOVA WHO HASSECURED A SUMMERINTERNSHIP WITH TOPLONDON FASHIONDESIGNER, DAVID KOMA.
During her interview, David
commented on the quality of her
textiles samples and on how well
her Leweston sketchbooks were
presented and organised. He also
gave Dasha some useful feedback
on her AS Level work.
David studied for both his BA and
MA at Central Saint Martin’s
College of Art and Design and has
just shown a collection at the
2013 London Fashion Week.
Well done Dasha and good luck!
Find out more about David Koma
at www.davidkoma.com
‘Maths Juggler’ Colin Wright Entertains Budding Mathematicians
Leweston was delighted to welcome infamous Mathematician and
‘Maths Juggler’ Colin Wright in March.
As part of his visit to Leweston,
Colin ran a series of short
lectures and activities
demonstrating the beauty of
maths and its relevance in the
natural world. The series of
lectures was aimed at Gifted and
talented Year 6 Mathematicians
and we were delighted to
welcome pupils from Sandroyd,
Forres Sandle Manor, Sunninghill,
Yarrells and our very own
Leweston Prep.
The master class offered pupils
an exploration into the
mathematics which underpins
nature and allowed pupils to
gain an insight into how
mathematics is applied outside
of the classroom and also to
catch a glimpse of some higher
order mathematical techniques
and ideas. The pupils took part in
short lectures interspersed with
linked activities enabling them to
explore the ideas for themselves.
Colin Wright graduated in Pure
Mathematics at Monash
University, Melbourne, before
going on to get a PhD at
Cambridge. While there he
learned how to fire-breathe,
unicycle and juggle. These days,
he is director of a company that
specialises in software for marine
radar, but takes out time to give
juggling talks all over the world.
He now has several TV
appearances to his name, and
more speaking requests than he
can sensibly handle so we were
delighted to be able to welcome
him to Leweston!
Creative Pursuits
Zimbe!Leweston was delighted to welcome a record audience to its Choral Society Concert onSunday 3rd March. This year’s concert entitled Zimbe! included vocalists from LewestonSenior School, Leweston Prep School and members of the local community who cametogether to form this year’s Choral Society. The choir was accompanied by the ‘Call me Al’Jazz Quintet which included Alexander L’Estrange, the composer of Zimbe! and the Choirhad the fantastic opportunity to work with Alexander during some of their rehearsals...
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“My aim for this year’s Choral Societywas to spread the sheer joy of what musicand singing gives us through the infectiousharmonies and rhythms of Africa acrossthe campus and into the localcommunity. Zimbe! was an unusualchoice of work for this year’s ChoralSociety, but an opportunity not to bemissed, in bringing together Schola,Junior Choir, the local community andcross campus inviting the Prep schoolchildren to form the Children’s Choir.What better way to promote andfundraise for our Schola and netball tourto South Africa in July, than to fillpeople’s ears with the sounds of Africa?The lilting African harmonies took theaudience on a journey from South Africaall the way to Ghana and Kenya, singingabout life, from playground songs,weddings, funerals and even simply thesun rising and setting. It was wonderfulto see the pleasure this gave to all thesingers and audience alike. I am veryproud of everyone’s hard work andcommitment to this project.”
The concert was a challenge for all involved
including Claire who was conducting two
lots of Soprano, Alto, Tennor and Bass. It was
also a challenge for the chorus and semi
chorus and for the singers who had to learn
the words in Swahili, Shona, Xosa and sing
without scores.
Funds raised from this outstanding concert
went towards Leweston’s inaugural Choir
and Netball Tour to South Africa in July.
Find out more on page 29.
“It was a joy to have such cross-agecollaboration. The age range of the choirwas from 5 years to 90 years old and thisis what singing is all about. You all didZimbe! proud and you rocked!”
Alexander L’Estrange, Composer
Claire Hawkes, Director of Music
Claire Hawkes, Director of Music
Alexander L’Estrange, Composer
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Dip
lom
a D
istin
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Sherborne Abbey Festival
Schola Cantorum gave a most enchanting and exhilarating
lunchtime recital at the Sherborne Abbey Festival in May. The
programme took the audience on a day’s journey from ‘Dawn to
Dusk’, beginning with ‘This Day’ by Bob Chilcott and ending with
‘The Lord’s Prayer from African Sanctus’ by David Fanshawe.
Another wonderful performance that will be long
remembered by the audience members who attended.
Congratulations to the three
Year 13 Leweston girls who
took their ATCL (Associate
Trinity College, London)
Performance Diplomas in
November: Ellie Byfield on
the Saxophone, Emily Yang
on the Piano and Imogen
Massey on the Flute.
All three candidates passed
their Diplomas with both
Ellie and Immie achieving a
Distinction – this is no mean
feat at Diploma level which is
an advanced exam and
equivalent to the first year of
a Music Conservatoire
Degree course. Well done all!
Another Bumper Year atThe Bath Festival ofSpeech and Drama
The Leweston Drama department
has amassed an impressive haul of
cups and trophies at the 112th Mid-
Somerset festival of Speech &
Drama held in March.
Congratulations to Year 7 pupils
Charlotte Sewed, Fleur Crittall and
Portia Manson (pictured above)
who won the U12 group acting
silver gilt trophy. Year 11 pupils
Antonia Redpath and Olivia Manson
won the high status David Garrick
trophies for their Shakespeare
duologue (U18 years) and Lila
Chillingworth and Ellie Mules won
the Norah Balls Cups for duo acting
(U21 years).
There were other high
achievements including Year 9
pupils Isabella Boyden and Lettie
Worrall achieving third place in the
U15 duo acting. Many other girls
achieved distinctions, merits and
highly commended. Well done all,
this was one of the most out-
standing Leweston performances at
the festival!
10
BOTH THE GIRLS AND STAFF AT LEWESTON SCHOOL ARE DELIGHTED WITH
THE LATEST CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, A NEW SIXTH FORM CENTRE
WHICH OPENED FOR USE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SUMMER TERM!
The Centre is located at the heart of the school, close
to the Library and careers resources. This wonderful
new resource offers Sixth Formers a place to socialise
and relax, host guests and events, as well as access
their emails using the Wi-Fi facility. It also incorporates
a courtyard allowing girls to socialise outdoors.
The decision over the location, purpose and use of the
Centre was decided upon after consultation with girls
in Years 11 and 12, some of whom then had the
exciting opportunity to work with internationally
renowned design and interior refurbishment
specialists Resolution Interiors whose clients include
Bose, Links London and Molton Brown, to come up
with the final design.
This latest piece of campus development comes at the
end of a year of exceptional academic success for
Leweston with the third set of record GCSE results in 4
years, alongside a record number of Oxbridge offers
for girls in the Sixth Form as well an impressive
number of pupils obtaining offers to study Medicine
and other competitive subjects at Russell Group
universities. Leweston has also been ranked in the top
5% of schools nationally for value added at GCSE by
the Durham University Centre for Education.
“The completion of the new Sixth FormCentre will undoubtedly benefit both theexisting and future Sixth Formers atLeweston and will complement the excellentteaching and social opportunities that ourgirls already receive. We look forward tothe girls making the most of this excitingnew resource which will help us to meet ouraim of enabling them to achieve to the bestof their ability, going on to take their placein the world with confidence.”
Mrs Jessica Miles, Head of Sixth Form
Leweston’s New Sixth Form Centre
11
2013 LEITHS Graduates
Congratulations to 6 Year 13 girls who
make up Leweston’s 2013 Leiths School of
Cookery graduates. Leanne Atkinson, Ellie
Byfield, Beth Richards, Esmee Roach, Daisy
Powles and Jade White all passed the
Leiths Certificate in Food and Wine with
Beth achieving a first class pass and
winning the Leiths book prize. The course
is a huge commitment to take on in
addition to A Levels, sport, music and
drama, but as always the girls have
demonstrated perseverance, stamina
and dedication.
Find out more about Leweston’s Sixth Formoffering at our Sixth Form Open Evening on
Friday 4th October. Find our Sixth FormProspectus and Course Directory at
www.leweston.co.uk
Summer GCSE and A Level Art and Design Exhibition
THIS YEAR’S SHOWCASE OF THE ABUNDANT CREATIVE TALENT AT LEWESTON WAS OPEN TOPARENTS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FROM THE 7 - 13 JUNE.
THE SHOW FEATURED COURSEWORK BY THIS YEAR’S GCSE AND A LEVEL STUDENTS THATIMPRESSED ALL WHO CAME TO SEE IT. THE WORK INCLUDED FINE ART, TEXTILES, JEWELLERY,GRAPHIC DESIGN, AND SCULPTURE.
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Jemima Christie, Year 10
Hannah O’Toole-Thrower, Year 12 Daisy Powles, Year 13
Dasha Korznikova, Year 12
Emma Tremewan, Year 13
Harriet Woodland, Year 12
Dasha Korznikova, Year 12
Lila Chillingworth, Year 12 Harriet Woodland, Year 12
Kasey Chiu, Year 12 Zoe To, Year 12
Alic
e H
agu
e, Y
ear
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Isabella Holroyd, Year 12 Alice Hague, Year 12
Six Leweston Athletes Qualify to Represent GB at the2013 European Biathle ChampionshipsWe are delighted that 6 athletes
across both the Prep and Senior
School, have qualified to represent
Great Britain at the 2013 European
Biathle Championships which will
be held in Portugal in July.
Congratulations to Anya Evans Year
4 , Elektra Covell Year 5, Portia
Manson Year 7, Poppy Boyden Year
7, Olivia Manson Year 9, Victoria
Halford Year 11(not pictured).
The girls qualified for the event
following their performances at
the South West Biathle
Championships at Leweston
School, which took place at the
end of the South West Modern
Pentathlon Training Camp.
The camp was run by National
Biathle Coach and Leweston staff
member Mick Flaherty who
commented:
“It has been a pleasure to work atLeweston with some outstandingathletes such as the six girls whohave qualified for this event. Tobe more directly involved withtheir coaching programmes atschool and with other up andcoming athletes who have thetalent and opportunity to follow intheir footsteps is a rewardingexperience. It is exciting for me asa coach to be given theopportunity to work with the girlsat Leweston and to introduce anddevelop a modern pentathlon andother ‘athlon’ sports programme.”
This is not the first International
Biathle success for Leweston. This
year, Year 11 pupil Victoria Halford,
brought home her second gold
medal for Great Britain at this
year’s World Championships
in Dubai.
Senior Sport
In Other Biathle News…
Congratulations to the Leweston
teams who were crowned
Champions at the 2013 Dorset
Schools’ Biathle Relay and at
the South West Schools’ Biathle
Competition, hosted at
Leweston for the first time. At
this regional event the Year 7 and
8 Girls finished in second place,
and this, along with some
outstanding Prep School team
results (please see page 25),
meant that Leweston clinched
victory yet again!
Congratulations also to the 13
girls who qualified for the Great
Britain Schools Biathlon Semi-
Finals in January following
excellent performances in the
regional rounds.
15
5 Leweston Girls Selectedfor National FootballDevelopment Camp!Well done to the five Year 11 girls
who have been selected for the
2013 Independent Schools
National U18 Football
Development Camp.
Congratulations to Year 11 pupils
Freya Aylward, Kate Zibrova,
Charlotte Edwards, Flo Perkins and
Harriett Trollope-Bellew. Their
selection builds on Leweston’s
impressive record of regional and
national representation on the
football pitch over the last few
years (including 2 internationals!).
A series of camps and fixtures will
be arranged throughout the
season and if the girls play well
they will be selected to represent
the national side at the first
fixtures scheduled for October
and December this year.
Mud, Sweat & Tears...Leweston has once again
gathered another impressive
haul of trophies and titles over
this cross-country season.
Leweston was victorious at the
Downside Cross-Country
Competition (arguably the
hardest on the circuit), the
Canford Relays and the
Clayesmore Relays and were
runners up at the DorsetCross-County Championshipsin Bournemouth. Some
exceptional individual
performances at this event led
to eight girls being selected
for the Dorset County Squad.Well done to Poppy Boyden
(Year 7), Victoria Halford
(Year 11), Georgie Waite (Year
9), Georgia Buckland (Year 11),
Siobhan Stewart (Year
13), Ciara McCarthy (Year
12), Ysaline de Wilde (Year 12)
and Ximena Ortiz (Year 12).
Leweston also managed top
three finishes at the
Kingswood Relays, the
Sherborne Trophy and the
Marden Trophy held at Kings
Bruton. The school won two
races at this year’s Studland
Stampede with Victoria
Halford (Year 11) and Georgie
Waite (Year 9)
comfortably
winning their
respective
age groups.
Well done
also to Year 8
pupil Juliette
Barlow who
finished
second in the
Junior race.
The season was also littered
with impressive individual
achievement most notably in
the form of Sixth Former
Siobhan Stewart. Siobhan
secured some fantastic
individual wins at the Marden
Trophy and the Downside and
Clayesmore Cross-Country
Competitions. It is therefore
not surprising that she was
selected to represent Dorset at
the National Cross-CountryChampionships in
Derbyshire. This is the 6th
consecutive year she has been
selected, a tremendous
achievement which marks 23
years of Leweston’s
involvement at this level.
Sixth Former WinsAviation AwardCongratulations to Leweston Sixth
Former Molly Kerslake, who has
been awarded ‘Best student’ on a
Royal Navy flying course. Molly
attended the course over the
Easter break after being awarded a
gliding scholarship by the Fleet Air
Arm (the flying part of the Royal
Navy). She completed 16 flights to
2000 feet and a total flying time of
over 5 hours. In one memorable
flight Molly centred on a thermal
at 2100’ and rose to 4500’ in just
over two minutes – a climb rate in
excess of 10 knots. These
conditions are rarely seen in
mainland UK let alone on an ab-
initio course!
Dorset IndependentSchools’ Athlete of the YearWell done to Year 11 pupil Victoria
Halford who has been crowned
Dorset Independent Schools’
Under 16 Athlete of the Year.
Congratulations also to Siobhan
who was runner up in the Under
18 category. This is the 4th year in
a row that a Leweston girl has
been awarded this honour and will
undoubtedly not be the last.
Move over Murray!Congratulations to the U12 tennis
team who are the 2013 North
Dorset Champions!
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Well done to Alice Liddle (Year 8)
who set a new school 50m
backstroke and 25m butterfly
records, Olivia Robson (Year 8)
who achieved a similar success in
the 25m backstroke and Portia
Manson (Year 7) who has set new
records in both the 25m and 50m
breaststroke events. Eve
Southcombe also secured 2 new
records for Year 8 in the 50m
freestyle and the 25m freestyle. It
is no surprise therefore that the
relay team comprising Alice, Portia,
Poppy Boyden (Year 7) and Lauren
Sewed (Year 8) also set a new
school record this summer.
The same success can also be seen
in the top half of the school with
the following pupils setting new
school records: Victoria Halford
(Year 11) in the individual
medley and butterfly, Constance
Reynolds in the 25m butterfly and
50m freestyle, Connie Robins in
the 25m breaststroke and Freya
Logan in the 25m butterfly. The
Senior relay teams also triumphed
shaving 2 seconds off each
of the school medley and
freestyle records.
U12s are District Champions
Congratulations to the U12
swimmers who are North Dorset
Champions after their sterling
performance at the North Dorset
Swimming Gala during the final
week of term. As a combined team
Leweston finished a creditable
second of all competing
Senior Schools.
Making a Splash!
Swimming at Leweston continues to go from strength to strength with many girls training veryhard throughout the term and during the holiday periods. This is clearly paying dividends andhas kept the archivist busy rewriting the record books . . .
Medal winners at this year’s Swimming Gala
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Olympic Silver Medallistvisits Leweston’s ModernPentathlon TrainingCampLeweston was delighted to
welcome Heather Fell, Olympic
Silver Medallist from the 2008
Beijing Games, to the inaugural
South West Modern Pentathlon
Association week-long Modern
Pentathlon training camp which
took place over the Easter break.
The camp, run by Leweston staff
member and GB Biathle Coach
Mike Flaherty, was attended by
over 60 athletes aged between 9
and 17 from all over England.
The former Olympian, who also
won Silver in last year’s World Cup
Final in Chengdu, encouraged the
young athletes at the camp,
inspiring them to perhaps become
future Olympians.
Peter Evans, the Pentathlon GB
Development Officer for Southern
England commented:
“Heather is an extremelyarticulate athlete, who is strongminded and has a bubblypersonality. She is a role modelfor both current and emergingathletes and an idealambassador for our sport – theyoung athletes have gained alot from meeting her”.
The camp was a hit with all the
participants - in fact, it was
mentioned on Radio 2’s Chris
Evans Breakfast Show and given
10 out of 10 by the featured
listener!
There will be further opportunities
to take part in Modern Pentathlon
Camps at Leweston over future
summer and Easter breaks. Find
out more at www.leweston.co.uk.
Awesome AthleticsLeweston has enjoyed a very
successful track and field
season. The U13 team were
joint winners of the North
Dorset Athletic
Championships and in the
County Championships
Olivia Gregory (Year 12) was
2nd in the Senior Girls 200m,
400m and discus, Poppy
Boyden (Year 7) finished 3rd in
the minor girls’ javelin and
Lexsis Nyeko finished 2nd in
the intermediate girls’ discus.
There were also many fine
performances in the 2013
Wessex Athletics
Championships. Charlotte
Sewed (Year 7) finished 3rd in
the U13 discus, Eve
Southcombe (Year 8) came
3rd in the 200m and Juliette
Barlow (Year 8) also finished
3rd in the 800m. Alice Liddle
(also Year 8) won a medal
finishing 3rd in the 1500m and
a special mention must go to
Year 8 pupil Olivia Henry-
Thrussell who won both the
shot and discus events.
Following their outstanding
performances at the Wessex
event, Juliette and Olivia were
selected for the National
Championships in
Birmingham, where Juliette
finished 6th nationally in the
800m and Olivia Henry-
Thrussell came 7th in the Shot
and 12th in the discus.
Sharp Shooting!5 girls have been introduced to
pistol shooting since the start of
the spring term under the
tutelage of Mick Flaherty and
Pentahlon GB shooting coach
Alan Brown. For some this is a
standalone sport and for others it
will form part of their multi-sport
development programme.
Introductory fencing sessions also
commenced in the spring. The
participating pupils have taken to
the sport very well and are
enjoying using the new and
user friendly equipment – watch
this space!
Half Marathon HighsCongratulations to Sixth
Formers Imogen Massy and
Laura Bowker who completed
their first half marathon in
Bath in March. Both
completed their runs in sub
2 hour times and raised an
impressive sum for the
MS Society.
Olympian Heather Fell with young athletes
PrepRUNNERS UP IN NATIONAL WALLACE AND GROMITSOUNDTRACK COMPETITION
The pupils at Leweston Prep School take their Music composition
terribly seriously so when the BBC announced that it was to run a
national competition, they were ready for the challenge. The task was to
compose a soundtrack to accompany the train race scene in the Wallace
and Gromit film “A Close Shave” and over the following few weeks, the
children in Year 5 used their music lesson time to compose and
synchronise their music with the film clip. Congratulations to Year 5 pupils Isabelle Bridge, Freya Sadler, Elektra
Covell and Grace Milbank whose work has been rewarded with a “highly commended” second place out of a field
of over 400 entries. Their prize was a guided tour of the amazing Aardman Animation studios in Bristol!
Pupils in Years 1-6 took part in
Leweston Prep’s Science Day
during the first week of the
summer term. The children spent
time in their school houses as they
worked through four science
based activities during the day. It
was a great chance for the older
pupils to work with the younger
children in the school and share
their excitement for science.
The pupils learned about
chromatography, analysed their
own finger prints and investigated
the finger prints of their teachers.
Other activities included the
construction of a marble run made
out of newspaper, making water
divers from pen lids and exploding
water patterns!
“It’s amazing what you can dowith science, that’s probablywhy today was so fun!”
Eleanor, Year 6
Science Day 2013
First Holy CommunionsAt a special Mass in June, four
young people from Leweston
Prep and Sunday congregation
made their First Holy Communion.
The School Chapel was filled to
the brim for this important
moment in their lives and those of
their families. For the last year they
had been prepared by a catechist
from our own Prep School staff, Ms
April Walker-Bambury.
Leweston’s Visiting Chaplain, Fr
Peter, was the celebrant and our
nuns from Sherborne Parish
joined us for this special occasion.
Refreshments were served in the
school’s Eleanor Library following
the Mass, which the children had
helped to write. Congratulations
to all the communicants: Jamie,
Tillie, Sebastian and Alexander.
The pupils at Leweston Prep have
raised £240 for the charity ‘The
Chernobyl Children Life Line’. The
charity supports children affected
by the aftermath of the Chernobyl
disaster and several local families
in and around Sherborne help
support the charity by providing
4 weeks of annual respite care for
affected children.
The funds were raised at a concert
which the Prep School put on in
Sherborne’s Digby Hall to
celebrate the end of the tenure of
the current Mayor, Cllr Peter
Rhodes. This marvellous concert,
which featured all the children in
the Prep, included Country
Dancing displays, recitals by the
Prep Orchestra, Guest Choir, String
Quartet, Clarinet Trio, Recorder
Ensemble and several talented
soloists. Music and dancing were
not the only entertainments on
offer and the audience was also
regaled by several Prep School
performing arts groups and
LAMDA group renditions. The
Mayor attended a school assembly
to collect the cheque from Daisy
Pilkington, Charities Prefect and
Eliza Harwood, Music Captain who
worked hard to help Mrs
Robotham organise the concert.
19
£240 raised at Mayor’s Charity Concert
Year 3 Travel Back in TimeYear 3 stepped back in
time when they visited
the Ancient Technology
Centre at Cranborne as
part of the History
Curriculum. Some of
descriptions of the
exciting activities the
children took part in can
be read below...
“I loved the blacksmithing because we made an Anglo Saxonbrooch. We had to push some bellows to make the fire hotenough for the metal to reach 7000C.”
“Making the bread was fun because it is not like how we makebread now. It was exhausting when you had to turn the Vikingquern stones to make flour. The bread tasted very wheaty.”
Charlie
Isabella
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PACKED AUDIENCES WERE
ENTERTAINED BY THIS YEAR’S
SUMMER TERM PREP
PRODUCTION, PIRATES OF THE
CURRY BEAN, A HILARIOUS AND
SWASHBUCKLING SHOW!
This brilliant production saw many
colourful characters set sail for a
swashbuckling pirate adventure
on the high seas. Exceptional and
engaging performances were
given by all the lead roles and
those in the chorus entertained
with an abundance of songs and
sea shanties. The cast was
supported by an excellent
backstage and production crew
who worked tirelessly to create
another outstanding show!
Pirates of the Curry Bean!
Scientific Sound Sensation!
Over 200 local school children
from Buckland Newton, Bishops
Caundle, William Barnes, Hanford
Prep School, Trent and St
Andrew’s Yetminster enjoyed a
science based theatre
performance by the well-known
schools’ theatre company Kinetic
Theatre at Leweston on Tuesday
5th March.
Kinetic’s performance of Lady
Cecily’s Sound Box was an
interactive and engaging tale of
mistaken identities and
murderous shenanigans. The
story explored how sounds are
created as the result of vibrations
and explained that frequency is
related to how we hear sounds
(demonstrated with the use of a
signal generator!). The actors also
showed how sound travels
through air and its speed
compared to that of light!
A fantastic way to learn some
scientific lessons enjoyed by all
the children present.
“Dear Leweston School,thank you very much forletting us watch thewonderful play of ‘LadyCecily’s Sound Box!’ It wasvery good and certainly veryexciting! It taught me a lotabout sound and also made itvery interesting too. The‘BOOS and HISSES’ goingon throughout the play wasvery funny and the actorsenjoyed all the noises we made!”
Easter Egg Hunt The sun shone for the annual spring term Easter Egg Hunt at Leweston
Prep! Children in the Pre-Prep and Prep enjoyed searching for pegs
which could be exchanged for an Easter Egg at the end of the hunt.
Thank you to the Prep Friends who organised the event.
Join us each week for our new
interactive Aquatots group.
Specifically designed for children
aged from 3 months to 3 years
with an accompanying adult, our
Aquatots group will introduce
your baby to swimming through
play and helps build water
confidence in a fun and friendly
environment.
Activities are led by dynamic and
experienced pre-school swim
teacher Carol Herbert and include
a different set of activities each
week. Hands-on fun includes:
crafts, stories, songs, animal
encounters and games.
£3.50 per session with your first
session FREE! To register your
attendance or for further
information please contact
Louisa Cox on 01963 211010
or email
STOP PRESS!Leweston Prep Launches New Aquatots Group!For parents and toddlers aged from 3 months to 3 years. Every
Wednesday from 10.30am-11.30am at the Leweston School Pool.
Junior House Boarding Taster NightSeven girls from Years 3 and 4
joined the other Prep boarders for
a fun filled ‘taster’ night in Junior
House in May. With great
excitement they wheeled their very
full suitcases up to Junior House
and found their beds in Bronze
Dorm. After a great game of ball
tag outside with Spud the ‘House’
dog, the girls cooled down with ice
lollies and after supper, Leweston’s
new Boarding Pass Certificate was
introduced. All the girls decided
they would like to try and complete
Stage 1 by discovering more about
Junior House: drawing a plan of all
the rooms, finding out about what
to do if there is a fire alarm and
what time bedtime is. Much fun
was had by all the girls and they
must have been tired as not a peep
was heard from them all night!
Charity Cake Sale
The pupils and staff in the
Prep have raised over £100
for the Dorset charity Mosaic
which offers support to
bereaved children, young
people, parents and carers.
The money was raised by a
cake sale held in the spring
term and not a crumb was
left! Find out more about
Mosaic at www.mosaicfamily
support.org.uk
The sun shone for the Friends of Leweston Prep Summer Fête on bank holiday Monday 6th May. The
crowds enjoyed an abundance of activities including face painting, splat the rat, bouncy castle, lucky dip,
‘name the bear’, pottery demonstrations ‘hook a duck’, cake sale, tombola, toy and book sale, biscuit
decorating, obstacle course and wellie throwing! Much fun was had by all and thank you to the Friends’
Committee who made it all happen!
22
Friends of Leweston Prep Summer Fête
We have been delighted with
the popularity of our first
nursery activity mornings
which took place during the
spring and summer terms.
Parents and toddlers enjoyed
a morning of fishy fun during
‘Commotion in the Ocean’ in
April followed by a sunny
Teddy Bears’ Picnic in June
where guests (and their teddy
bears) were able to make the
most of the beautiful
Leweston grounds.
We look forward to our
autumn term events:
‘FOREST SKILLS’ on
Thursday 10th October and
‘CHRISTMAS JINGLE’ on
Thursday 5th December (both
10am-12noon). Everyone is
welcome, please contact
or tel: 01963 210783 if you
would like to attend!
Nursery Activity MorningsA Rip-Roaring Success!
24
Braeside 2013
Years 5 and 6 spent an action
packed 3 days at the Braeside
residential centre in Devizes
at the end of June. This
annual trip is one of many
opportunities that pupils at
Leweston Prep are given to
reap the benefits of outdoor
learning.
Orienteering, pond dipping,
map reading and compass
skills are just a few of the skills
and activities that are packed
into the three days. There is
also plenty of opportunity for
creativity, team-building and
enjoyment. Every year the
pupils bring back memories
and skills that will stay with
them long after they have left
Leweston Prep and this year
was no exception!
Leweston Athletes Qualify to Represent GB at the 2013 European Biathle Championship
In Other Biathle News…Well done to the girls in Years 5
and 6 who competed in the semi-
finals of the Dorset Schools’
Biathlon held at Millfield in the
summer term. Competition was
tough with 70 athletes from the
South West region competing.
All the girls performed well
achieving many personal bests in
the pool. Well done especially to
the top 3 Year 5 girls: Elektra Covell,
Grace Milbank and Alice
Southcombe who scored 6207
points between them and
achieved an impressive 9th place
in the team standings.
Congratulations also to the
Leweston teams who put in some
outstanding performances at the
South West Schools’ Biathle
Competition hosted at Leweston
for the first time this year. The Year
4 team won its event with
excellent races from Anya Evans
(1st), Sophie Worrall (5th) and Erin
Cassingham (7th). The Year 4 boys
and the Year 6, 7 and 8 girls all
finished in second place rounding
off not only a tremendous event
but an excellent set of results
which meant the Leweston
athletes were crowned champions!
Prep Sport
Congratulations to Anya Evans (Year 4) and Elektra Covell
(Year 5) who, along with four girls from the Senior School, have
qualified to represent Great Britain at the 2013 European Biathle
Championships which will be held in Portugal in July. This is a fantastic
achievement and we look forward to reporting on their progress.
The Year 5 team at the Dorset Schools’ Biathlon
GB athletes Anya and Elektra
26
The fourth IAPS National Sailing
Regatta took place at the end of
the May half term at Weymouth
and Portland Sailing Academy.
Amid unseasonably high winds
the U11 Leweston Prep sailing
team battled hard to compete
against some of the best young
sailors in the country.
The conditions proved very
challenging for all crews with only
half of the original fleet of 46
boats making it to the start line for
the first (and only) race of the day.
Our first Year 6 crew of Gabriella
Strachwitz Hamilton and Poppy
Bailey made the start line and
were lying in 5th position overall
coming into the final leg of the
race. However, a capsize close to
the finish line ended their chances
of a classified result but they
should feel justifiably proud of
their achievements. Likewise,
having succumbed to the morning
conditions, our second crew of
Daisy Pilkington and Scarlett Cole
bravely re-entered the afternoon
sprint races event and put up a
sterling challenge, racing other
crews from the slipway to a far
buoy located in the lagoon area of
the Sailing Academy waters. By the
time they attempted to round the
pin end all the boats were being
relentlessly buffeted by strong
winds and waves, making the
sailing very tricky indeed. All
credit must be given to both crews
who ended the day smiling
despite the treacherous conditions
they had faced!
Making Waves!
Show Jumping Successfor Perdi!Congratulations
to Year 5 pupil
Perdi Digby, who
has been
presented with
an award from
the Dorset Area
of British Show
Jumping in
recognition of
her outstanding
string of recent
results.
This is one of only two awards
presented to Junior members
each year (a junior member being
16 years and under) and a
fantastic achievement as Perdi is
currently only 10 years old and has
been a member of British Show
Jumping for just 7 months! No
doubt a bright future awaits.
In other Show JumpingNews…Congratulations to the Leweston
team who won the 2013 Millfield
Grass Roots Show Jumping
competition. Prep pupils Alice
Southcombe and Sacha Godman-
Dorrington (Year 5) rode excellent
double clear rounds and their
sisters and Senior pupils Eve and
Kitty (Year 8) also put in great
performances. Their combined
hard work led to a win for the
team – well done girls!
Inaugural ‘DorsetTriangle’ SailingFixtureThe Year 5 and 6 sailing
pupils from Leweston Prep
had the opportunity to race
competitively against strong
opposition from 2 local Prep
Schools at an inaugural
Dorset Triangle’ sailing
fixture at the end of the
summer term. It was
fantastic to see all of our
pupils apply their recently
acquired sailing skills in the
racing environment of the
Olympic waters.
Congratulations to Elektra
Covell, Perdi Digby and Alice
Southcombe for achieving
silver and bronze medals
respectively in their
U10 races.
27
Gold at NationalTriathlon ChampionshipsCongratulations to Year 5 pupil
Elektra Covell who helped the
Dorset Pentathlete U10 team win
gold at the 2013 National Triathlon
Championships in Solihull. Elektra
came seventh individually in the
event – very well done indeed!
Boys’ SportThe boys at Leweston Prep have
shown some outstanding skill and
teamwork during their hockey,
football and cricket fixtures this
term. On the hockey pitch the
boys have secured some great
wins against local competition
often dominating play and
demonstrating strong, accurate
pushing of the ball, good use of
the reverse stick, ‘tic tacking,’ and a
fine defensive display. On the
football pitch the boys displayed
passion and intensity as well as
skill. During their fixtures the
teams created many chances and
put up some resolute defence to
secure some excellent wins.
More success was evident on the
cricket pitch where but the boys
scored plenty of runs against some
older and more experienced
teams. In the final game of the
season the team demonstrated
the fine technical ability they had
developed throughout the season,
with every Leweston player
striking a boundary! An excellent
season of boys’ sport.
Records Smashed in the PoolIt was evident at this year’s
Swimming Gala that the standard
of swimming has improved
considerably with the newly
enclosed swimming pool and
specialised coaching which has
helped with the continuity of
training over the course of the
year. This was reflected in the
performances of all pupils from
Reception through to Year 6 with
many school records being
broken. Well done to the following
pupils who all set new school
records: Hector Digby and Flora
Pilkington (Year 2), Angus Evans
(Year 3), Anya Evans (Year 4),
Elektra Covell (Year 5) and Poppy
Bailey and Gabriella Strachwitz-
Hamilton (Year 6). Congratulations
to St Antony’s which was the
winning House on the day.
Hitting the Slopes!The pupils in Years 5 and 6 have
completed their first term of skiing
at Dorset Snowsports Centre over
the spring term, making significant
progress in their individual skiing
skills. This opportunity served as
an excellent introduction to the
sport for those first time skiers and
also supported those keen skiers
who will be heading off for ski
holidays later this year.
Prep AthleticsThe Prep School athletes have had
some wonderful results this
summer. At the Junior Clayesmore
Athletics Competition Year 5 pupil
Perdi Digby was outstanding in
the 100m winning it comfortably,
whilst Isabelle Bridge (Year 5) was
an excellent 2nd in the 800m and
Gabriella Strachwitz-Hamilton
(Year 6) 3rd in her 800m race. The
highlight, however, was victory in
the 4x 100m relay in which the
changeovers were slick and the
running powerful! Later in the
season, Perdi and Isabelle travelled
to Hordle Walhampton to
compete in the Junior Wessex
Competition both finishing a
creditable 4th place. Well done
also to Gabriella who qualified for
the County Finals following her
excellent performance – another
successful track and field season
for Leweston!
28
Community Service Tea
The Year 12 Community Service
group welcomed several of the
local residents they have been
visiting on Tuesday afternoons,
to an afternoon tea in the Manor
House during the last week
of term.
The opportunity to give back
to the community is a vital
component of Leweston’s
co-curricular programme and
through our Community Service
links, girls in the Sixth Form are
encouraged to create a
meaningful link between their
School life and the wider
community. Sixth Form girls in
their free time offer their services
to our neighbours in Longburton,
Yeovil and Sherborne who may
need assistance in performing
daily chores or who may simply
need companionship and
somebody to talk to.
New Forest Retreat
Eight girls from various year groups were lucky enough to
join the Dominican sisters deep in the heart of the New
Forest whilst on retreat at St Dominic’s priory towards the
end of the summer term. Warmly welcomed, the girls were
made to feel at home from the start and invited to join in
the daily rhythm of prayer. Sr Hyacinthe, internationally
renowned speaker last seen teaching catechesis to 5000 in
Dubai, took the group through the finer points of ‘The Moral Life’ using artworks projected on the wall. The
evening was spent eating pizza, watching Sister Act and quizzing other sisters from Nigeria, USA and France
on ‘a nun’s life’. A fun and reflective time was had by all!
Catholic Confirmations at Leweston
Thirty five girls and boys from Leweston, Sherborne Boys and several
other local schools were confirmed at Leweston on Saturday 4th May at a
service led by Bishop Christopher of the Diocese of Plymouth. For some of
the candidates it was also the occasion of their First Holy Communion.
The school Chapel was full of friends and family who were all there to
support the confirmation candidates and to celebrate this important and
happy day. A special mention must go to Leweston’s Schola Contorum
who performed beautifully during the service and received many
complementary comments from the congregation. We look forward to
the Anglican Confirmations on Saturday 22nd March 2014 in
Sherborne Abbey.
Spiritual Life & Community Service
29
Pupils and parents have been hard at work raising funds totalling
£17,000 to support the tour. This impressive sum has been raised
through the sale of tour brochures, a quiz and curry night, the Christmas
Concert at Chideock Church, the Zimbe! concert in March and a textile
recycling scheme. The girls also made and sold cakes and refreshments at
Leweston’s café at large sporting events held at Leweston over the year
and held a ticketed social at Leweston
featuring the Lady As, a band consisting
of some of Leweston’s Year 10 girls.
Thank you also to the tour’s generous
sponsors.
This promises to be a life changing trip
for the girls who take part and we look
forward to reporting on the tour’s
progress through a blog on our
website. This can be found at
www.leweston.co.uk and on our
Facebook page
www.facebook.com/leweston
500 miles. 35 days. 2 pairs of feet...
This summer, 2 members of
Leweston’s boarding
department, Miss Fielding and
Miss Flannery, will be walking
the Camino de Santiago de
Compestela on the ancient
way of St James. Their
pilgrimage will begin in
St. Jean Pied de Port in
the South of France on 7th
July, and finish 35 days later
in Santiago!
Both are raising money for
extremely worthwhile
charities; Miss Fielding for The
Alzheimer’s Society and Miss
Flannery for the Teenage
Cancer Trust. Find out more
on their Just Giving pages:
www.justgiving.com/
Lyndsay-Fielding
www.justgiving.com/
Lucywalks500miles
South Africa Choir and Netball Tour Update
It’s nearly here… Leweston’s inaugural Choir and Netball
tour to South Africa commences on Monday 15th July!
During the tour’s 12 day duration, the 30 girls involved will
be visiting schools in Cape Town and will play over 15 sports
fixtures against schools and local teams. The trip will also
involve 5 public performances by the Leweston Tour Choir at
host schools, local parish churches and the V&A waterfront
Amphitheatre in Cape Town.
Leweston ScholaCantorum CD Now for Sale!Leweston’s Schola Cantorumhas recorded a CD of tracksthat it has performedthroughout the yearincluding at the SherborneAbbey Festival in May andthe Choral Society ConcertZimbe! in March. These CDsare being sold through theschool at £10 each and allproceeds will go towards theChoir and Netball Tour. Youcan listen to some of thetracks atwww.soundcloud.com/lewestonschool/tracks
Please [email protected] or phone 01963210691 if you would like tosupport the tour by orderinga copy of the CD.
After Washington the group
travelled by Amtrak to the bustle,
noise and drama that is New York.
The hotel was right opposite
Madison Square Garden so the
group was at the heart of the city.
All the key sites were visited
including the Empire State
Building, a boat cruise to the
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island,
The 9/11 Memorial and Central
Park, as well as the most fantastic
museums including the
Metropolitan Museum,
Guggenheim and the Museum of
Modern Art. A highlight was a
walking tour with a resident New
Yorker around the streets of Soho,
Little Italy and Chinatown. The
evenings were filled with dinner at
a range of interesting restaurants
including the Hard Rock Café in
Washington, Ruby Foo’s Pan Asian
restaurant and the best of all,
Ellen’s Stardust Dinner where the
students were serenaded by the
waiters who were out of work
Broadway actors. It was incredible
just how much the group
managed to see in 6 days and
it was certainly an experience
that the students will find hard
to forget.
Trips and Visits
Washington and New York Study Tour with Sherborne SchoolA group of Sixth Form students from Leweston and Sherborne School took part in a study
tour to Washington and New York in February. It was a wide ranging trip which took in the
political and historical buildings and monuments of Washington together with amazing
museums. Whilst visiting the Capitol building the group was able to watch a live vote in the
House of Representatives and tour the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.
Photos by Daisy Powles, Year 13
Year 9 Paris TripThe summer term saw
another enjoyable and
educational trip to Paris for the
girls in Year 9. The group was
completely immersed in the
Parisian culture, staying in the
Marais, the centre of the city of
Love. Every morning started
with a French patisserie and
during their 4 days the girls
went on to explore the beautiful
sites of Paris, including a boat
trip on the Seine, The Notre
Dame and l’Opera Garnier. Year 9
also had the chance to see the
incredible collections at the
Louvre and the Pompidou
Centre and some of the girls
decided to fully embrace the
culture, and try the delicious
delicacy of French snails. A
fantastic time was had by all!
CordobaFor seven days over the
February half term, a record
number of Spanish
GCSE students from Leweston
and Sherborne School
immersed themselves fully into
the life and language of
Córdoba in Spain on a study
tour to the city. The students
attended lessons in the morning
at Academia Hispanica and also
participated in language
workshops with Spanish pupils
from Colegio de la Inmaculada.
They stayed with Spanish
families and had the
opportunity to sample the local
food in restaurants, enjoy a
flamenco show in El Cardenal and visits to the great Mezquita/Catedral
and the beautiful old city of Medinat-Alzahara, just outside the city.
31
Badminton
Horse Trials
Beading Workshop
Fun at the Belevdere
Camp LewestonRoman Bath
s
Chinese New Year
Spinaker Tower
Portsmouth
Weymouth
Snow!First week
end
of Summer
First weekend
of Summer
Ja
Boarding Skills Award Update
Congratulations to Year 9 pupils Valerie, Ivy, Claudia and Lizzie
who have all completed their Standard Level Boarding
Skills Certificate.
Following Leweston’s selection as one of only 10 schools in the
country to trial the new BSA Boarding Skills Award in 2012,
Leweston extended its provision in 2013 by running two levels
of the qualification, the Basic and Standard level. The four girls
above are the first Leweston girls to achieve the Standard
Level qualification.
The course is designed to evidence the soft skills learned by
boarders that employers can use as currency for employability
alongside academic results in an ever more competitive jobs
market. We look forward to the continued success of this
course at Leweston and to the benefits it will bring to the girls.
Bristol Zoo
Durdle door
Durdle door
Summer
Junior Boarders
at Minterne House
Boarding taster
weekend
Montecute
Moors Valley
34
Duke of Edinburgh Award Update
D of E GoldPresentations at St James’s Palace
After months of hard work
and determination, two of
the 2011-12 Gold Duke of
Edinburgh Leweston team
members travelled to
St. James’s Palace to collect
their Gold Awards. There
was a real sense of occasion
as participants from across
the Country gathered and
the girls enjoyed meeting
the Duke of Edinburgh
himself. For more details of
their Gold trip to Morocco
please visit
www.leweston.co.uk
Bronze and Silver Group Success
Keith Whitehead, Duke of
Edinburgh Co-Ordinator writes:
As we approached the end of the
school year both the Bronze and
Silver groups headed for rural
locations to take part in their
expeditions. The Bronze group
were the first to don their
rucksacks as they headed for
Cranborne Chase and their
assessment. As we dropped them
at the start point they were in
good humour and ready for the
challenge. It is always a little
concerning when a group goes in
the wrong direction but Blue 9
quickly corrected their error as
they passed through Berwick St
John. The real trauma was caused
by Blue 10 who decided to take a
very different route and added 3
hours to their journey! In contrast,
the Year 9 teams were in camp on
time, having successfully
navigated their routes. After a
good meal they relaxed in the
Campsite playground.
Day 2 was less eventful, with Blue
10 proving that they could
navigate and reaching the end on
time. All the girls passed their
expedition and, despite a number
of sore feet, they were all in high
spirits. Well done!
Two days later the Silver groups
headed to the New Forest for their
practice expedition. There was a
lot of discussion about the weight
of rucksacks but they departed
from the start point with a spring
in their step. The New Forest is
difficult to navigate but as I
watched the Green team enter
their wild camp for the evening I
was impressed with how well
they were working together.
Both teams settled in for their
first experience of a ‘wild camp’
and they enjoyed a very
pleasant evening.
It was slightly more difficult to get
the girls going on the last day but
once on track they made good
time. Although we could not find
the Green team all day, they
arrived at the end point shortly
after their planned time. Sadly it
was not the same for the Blue
team and, with the prospect of the
journey back to Leweston, we
picked them up before the end of
their route.
Both teams did extremely well and
they should be confident about
their forthcoming assessment
in September.
OA News
CONGRATULATIONS TO OLDANTONIAN DIDO HARDING, WHOHAS BEEN VOTED ONE OF THENATION’S TOP 100 MOSTPOWERFUL WOMEN BY BBCRADIO 4 WOMAN’S HOUR.
Dido Harding was appointed CEO of
TalkTalk in 2010. After her time at
Leweston, Dido studied at the
University of Oxford. On graduating
she joined McKinsey & Co as a
consultant in 1988, before taking on
a number of directorial roles in
marketing for high-street names
such as Thomas Cook, Woolworths,
Tesco and Sainsbury’s. She has
been a Non-executive Director of
The British Land Company PLC
since 2010.
Leweston has been delighted to
welcome Dido back to the school on
numerous occasions including
school Speech Days and Careers
Days. She remains an inspirational
figure for many of our girls and we
are delighted that her outstanding
achievements have been recognised.
Sisters of LewestonCelebrate theirDiamond, Goldand Silver JubileesSister Josephine, Sister Carmel
and Sister Brede, who reside
in St Antony’s convent,
Sherborne, celebrated their
Jubilees years at the Church
of The Sacred Heart and St.
Aldhelm in Sherborne in May.
Sister Josephine celebrated
her Diamond Jubilee, Sister
Carmel, her Golden Jubilee
and Sister Brede, her Silver
Jubilee. The Church was full
with all the Catholic
parishioners, friends and
family for this great occasion.
Congratulations to all
the Sisters.
The Best ThingsSaid Come Last:Some parting words from
our 2013 leavers and new
Old Antonians...
“Coming to a school with sucha close community wasdaunting but I was part of itin no time! Along withkindness and loyalty, my newfriends showed they all havetheir own unique and quirkypersonalities which alwaysshine so brightly. Lewestongirls make memories whereverthey go, I am honoured to bea Leweston girl and will neverforget my time here.”
Sophie Bennett
“A few words is not enough toexpress by love and gratitudefor Leweston and all thepeople in it. I have made thebest friends anyone could askfor, laughed until I cried andexperienced things I neverimagined I would do.”
Emily Billington
“The future seems a scary yetexciting prospect, but I thinkwe’re ready for what theworld will throw at us in yearsto come. I have made themost fantastic friends for life –good luck everyone.”
Annabelle Fricker
Gaudere et Bene Facere
Rejoice and Do Well!
Some of the Year 13 at their Leavers’ Ball
LEWESTON SCHOOL, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 6EN01963 211010 [email protected]
WWW.LEWESTON.CO.UK
Saturday 28th September
Leweston Inter-Schools’ Show Jumping Competition
Friday and Saturday 18th and 19th October
Activity Day and Junior House Boarding Taster
Weekend (for prospective Senior School pupils)
Monday and Tuesday 21st and 22nd October
Leweston Fashion Show
Tuesday 5th November
6.30pm
Bonfire Night and Hog Roast
Thursday 7th November
10am – 5.30pm
Leweston Living and Christmas Fair
Friday 8th November
Sixth Form Taster Experience (for girls in Year 11)
Monday and Tuesday 18th and 19th November
Sixth Form Scholarships for 2014 entry
Deadline for applications: Monday 11th November
Monday 2nd December
Prep Scholarships for 2014 entry
Deadline for applications: Monday 25th November
Sunday 8th December
Christmas Concert at Chideock Church
Thursday 12th December
Prep and Senior School Carol Services
Weekly Events:
Aquatots: Every Wednesday from 10.30-11.30am in
the School Pool. Parent and Toddler: Every Thursday
from 9-11am at the Prep
For more information about any of these events,
or to register your attendance, please call
01963 210783 or email
Leweston is a registered charity number 295175
Dates for your Diary…
Friday 4th October 2013Joint Schools Open Day 9.45am
Sixth Form Open Information Evening 6.00pm
Thursday 10th October 2013Nursery and Pre-Prep Open Activity
Morning ‘Forest Skills’
10am - 12 noon
Thursday 5th December 2013Nursery and Pre-Prep Open Activity
Morning ‘Christmas Jingle’
10am - 12 noon
Friday 14th March 2014Nursery and Prep Open Morning
10am - 12 noon
Bank Holiday Monday 5th May 2014Joint Schools Open Day 9.45am
Open Days 2013/14
