www.newlandsgirlsschool.co.uk

Spring 2012Newlands Girls’ School

Welcome to the spring edition of the Newlands Newsletter which sees us introduce our new design. We felt spring was an opportune time to ‘refresh’

the look of our newsletter with the introduction of the seasonal theme of trees. We are really pleased with the design and look forward to hearing your feedback on it.

We have had another fantastic term and invite you to join us in reading about the latest news at our successful, happy school, celebrating the many achievements of our girls, and learning about some of the brilliant opportunities they have been given.

I am proud to announce that three of our students in Year 13 have been offered places at Cambridge University, two to read medicine and the other to study mathematics. This is a terrific achievement and shows that hard work pays off. We wish them every success.

We look forward to another busy term filled with accomplishments and educational activities.

Mrs Louise Ceska MA Headteacher

Duke of Edinburgh The annual Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) presentation awards evening was held on 10 November in Maidenhead Town Hall.

Mayor Councillor Asghar Majeed presented the awards, which recognise participation in volunteering, skills, physical recreation and expeditions.

Twenty of our girls here at Newlands received recognition, with thirteen taking home certificates and seven taking home awards. Well done girls, a great achievement.

Mrs Sally Vaughan, our school’s DofE Awards Leader, commented;

“Skills ranged from photography to cake decorating to instrumentals… we are very proud of this real community effort.”

Photograph courtesy of Maidenhead Advertiser

A ‘House’ of inspirational womenHaving decided that ‘inspirational women’ would be the overarching theme for our new House System, we can now announce the names of our Houses: Austen, Bronte, Curie, Darling, Earhart and Frank.

Led by a Head of House (member of staff), closely supported by two House Captains (Year 13s), a Deputy (Year 12), subject Prefects and House Leaders, we believe the new system will increase opportunities for leadership and foster a greater sense of community and participation within the school, as well as introduce an element of healthy competition.

The inaugural House event was Sports Day 2011 which proved to be a ‘House’ spectacular. The atmosphere was electric with entire Houses cheering for their members. Students accessorised their uniforms in House colours, adding to the atmosphere. Many congratulations to Curie for winning this event.

The House Cup was finally awarded to ‘Frank House’ on the last day of term after they earned an amazing 20,925 points; as a result, all members of the house won a mufti day in January!

Special mention goes to Tasha Walton, Year 10 and Hannah Winters, Year 7 who have both won a colossal number of points for their Houses. Well done girls, you are fantastic role models.

A polite reminder On behalf of the Thames Valley Police, could parents and drivers please be ‘safety aware’ when collecting and dropping off students. It is advisable to take a left turn when exiting the school site, as two way traffic can prove problematic in Farm Road during peak school times. If it is dark, please drive on dipped lights so that your presence is noticed by the students.Finally, please can the yellow ‘zig zag’ lines be kept clear at all restricted times, thereby helping to ensure student safety. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Meet ou r You ng Ambassadors Congratulations to Year 10 students, Anna McQuade and Ella Guerin, who have recently been appointed as our new Young Ambassadors following a competitive interview process.

To date, the Young Ambassadors have been actively involved in planning and preparing for the celebration of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. They have also attended Young Ambassador Conferences, as well as participating in other events such as the Royal Borough’s Leisure and Culture Awards and a training session with England hockey players.

Name: Anna McQuadeAge: 14

Favourite sport(s) at Newlands: Hockey (U16, Indoor U18 and U16), netball, rounders (captain last year) and athletics.

Achievements outside school: •BerkshireHockeyteamU16,

receiving ‘Most Improved Player’ during 2010/11 season

•WycombeHockeyclubU16,Ladies5thsand6ths•MarlowUnitedGirls’footballclubU16,receiving

‘Award for Excellence’ in the 2009/10 season•Regionaltrialslastyearforhockey

As a Young Ambassador what do you hope to achieve?I will adopt an enthusiastic approach to inspire young people to gain the satisfaction and fun that I have experienced from participating in sport, through using the Olympic values. I will use the opportunity to make a difference in the community through sport, while encouraging those already participating in sport to reach their full potential.

Name: Ella GuerinAge: 14

Favourite sport(s) at Newlands:

GymandDance

As a Young Ambassador what do you hope to achieve?

I want to raise awareness of the Olympics and Paralympics this year; and I want to encourage enthusiasmforTheGamesfromother Newlands’ students. I would also like to increase the amount of physical activity people do on a regular basis. I think it is important to promote the Olympic and Paralympic values across the school and the borough, as they are fundamental, not just to sport but to all aspects of life.

WilloW WorkShop The Art Department took great pleasure in hosting a ‘willow lantern making’ workshop with professional artist, Kate Hadley, in collaboration with Norden Farm Centre for the Arts. The workshop was part of a community project that culminated in the ‘Maidenhead Noisy Lantern Parade’ on 10 December 2011. Girls from Years 8, 9 and 13 created inspired constructions from willow and tissue paper, which were lit up for the parade. The work has been an inspiration to us all; many thanks to all those who participated in the parade, and who made it such a success.

Eleanore Manning tells us about the Year 13 History trip to Warwick University:“In November, we visited Warwick University and attended an interesting lecture on Russian History, delivered by Chris Read. Two student ambassadors gave us a tour of the university campus, giving us lots of useful information about university life.

Overall, the trip was a great experience. It opened our eyes to the options available to us when applying for university.

A huge thank you to the History Department for organising such a beneficial day for us!”

Invaluable advice: Newlands’ Medical Society This term, our new Medical Society, set up by Beth Russell, Louisa White and Rebecca Zhao, hosted two very popular events. In the first, a physician and a consultant surgeon from Bristol Royal Infirmary spoke to students about their future careers. They gave invaluable advice about how to apply for medicine and the skills and aptitudes that girls should have before considering making such an application. They also spoke about surviving the financial burden of the course and how to achieve a good work-life balance in this demanding career. In addition, there was a chance for students to practise suturing and key-hole surgery, an exclusive opportunity not many people can say they’ve had!

The second event was a presentation on the development of drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis. It was delivered by a scientist from UCB in Slough, a global biopharma company. Students found out about how drugs are developed or designed to treat specific conditions. This event was also very well received and of great benefit to the Years 10 to 13 who attended. It both supported and extended their Science curriculum.

We are very grateful to all the speakers who gave their valuable time to help our students prepare for the future. Feedback from students and staff has been excellent. We look forward to hosting similar events in the coming term.

PGL tr i ptoOsmingtonBay“In November, we set off on an exciting adventure with our new school.

After a long journey and having sorted out our groups we finally arrived and eagerly awaited the news of who we were sharing a room with! We soon settled in after a tour of the site.

The activities were fun for some and scary for others, but I think we all enjoyed them regardless. We had a go at rock climbing, abseiling, team games, the giant swing, the zip wire, the leap of faith and lots more; even the teachers had a go!

I think we all enjoyed our first Year 7 PGL trip and I look forward to more trips during my time at Newlands!”

Account by Year 7 student, Josephine Cadinouche.

A DrAmAtic turn of events It’s certainly been a busy term for the Drama Department; clubs have been well attended and students have practised hard and shown great enthusiasm in their performances.

In December, Year 11 Drama students took their first GCSE module, worth 30% of their overall mark. There was a wide variety of work on display, ranging from a piece set in World War Two to a contemporary exploration of the problems of drug addiction. The students had clearly worked hard to produce some creative group pieces. The GCSE showcase is at 7pm on Tuesday 13 March in the Drama Studio. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents and friends to see the scripted exam pieces prior to the Year 11 examination.

Our Key Stage 5 students began their year with a visit to the The Royal Court Theatre in London which gave a fascinating insight into the work of a professional theatre. The girls then went on to see a production of ‘My City’, Stephen Poliakoff’s first play for 12 years, at The Almeida Theatre and in November they travelled to The Rose Theatre in Kingston to see a performance of ‘Lysistrata’, the A2 set text.

Our Year 13 students performed their examination for Unit 3 of their Theatre Studies course. Two groups performed, ‘Agency XX’, about the uniqueness of being human, and ‘Face-to Face’, an exploration of the pros and cons on the rise of internet communication. Two enormous subjects both, tackled with enthusiastic theatricality with some comedy thrown in for good measure. Well done to all students.

A real inspiration The Design and Communication Technology Department got off to a flying start this year, acting as host for former Newlands student, Vicki Simpson who, since leaving the school, has soared through the fashion industry becoming a buying manager for Florence + Fred at Tesco.

The current Year 11 and Sixth Form Textiles students had the privilege of having Vicki speak to them about her exciting profession. They gained a lot of knowledge about the life of a buying manager, varying from sourcing new trends and briefings with designers, to the jet-set lifestyle of visiting factories in countries such as Hong Kong, India and Mauritius and shopping for samples in New York, Paris and Milan. For some reason, the girls found this part of her role the most attractive!

Next, the students were challenged to a fun, creative task and a chance to experience a section of the actual interview process that junior buyers go through. Having been given a variety of fabric swatches and fashion magazines, students were set the task of creating a mood board to represent up and coming themes for 2012, including ‘Tea Party, ‘Culture Shock’ and ‘Oriental Express’. After a manic 20 minutes of cutting, gluing, ripping and stapling, we were left with an amazing range of mood boards with each theme interpreted differently by the groups.

This was a great opportunity for the girls to see what can come out of this creative subject, giving them a real idea of life in the fashion industry. Vicki has really helped inspire our girls to do well in this subject and is a great role model for our budding designers, manufacturers and buying managers, showing that anything is possible when you put your mind to it.

Congratulations to Form 8C as the

overall winner for Curie House in the Year 8

inter-house pantomime competition.

ATasteofGermanyOur Year 8 German students were given the opportunity to sample some German Christmas specialties. Food was ordered, and commented on in German. The general verdict to the tasting session was described as “Lecker!” (delicious)

tuDor timES trip At the beginning of last term, all Year 12 historians visited Bisham Church. They had a lesson on-site in the beautiful Thames-side building, which features tomb monuments surviving from the Tudor period. The trip helped the students to understand 16th century religion, a central topic on the AS History course.

Emily Hine, Year 9, tells us all abouthertriptoGermany…“Year 9 and 10 students had the fantastic opportunity to go on a trip to the beautiful city of Aachen. After all taking turns to ask for hot chocolate at a local café, we interviewed unsuspecting local citizens on a range of topics. We were delighted when they understood our questions and we even understood their answers! We then visited the cathedral situated in the centre of Aachen. The interior was magnificent, with intricately carved ceilings and candles lit in every corner. The final destination of our trip was the magical Christmas Market. All the small huts were brightly lit and you heard the bustling of the jolly people buying and selling their Christmas goods. I had a great time and hope I will visit Germany again one day. Fantastisch!“

Christmas Market i n Li l l e The Christmas market in Lille was exactly the magical place students envisaged. Each stall had a distinctive character and it was a pleasure to witness the wide variety of products on sale. The buzzing atmosphere was contagious and the town centre was bustling with locals, as well as visitors from other countries. The trip proved to be a fantastic opportunity to integrate with the French culture and to practise the language!

“It felt like we were in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by snow and Christmas trees! The stalls sold so many products for really good prices. It was a great way to do my Christmas shopping.”Sophie McLellan, Year 13.

A world of opportunity

DeutscherAustausch/IntercambioespañolOur annual exchange visits to Germany and Spain, organised by our Modern Foreign Languages Department, took place during the autumn term. Our partner schools are in Duisburg, Germany and Almeria, Spain.

Students from Years 10 - 13 took advantage of the opportunity to experience at first hand the language and culture of their GCSE, AS and A2 languages. In both countries, students spent time in school and visited local places of interest.

During their visit, students developed strong friendships with their host families, as well as locals from Germany and Spain. In Germany, Year 12 students also undertook work experience placements in primary schools, which proved extremely beneficial to their studies.

We are all looking forward to the return visit of our exchange partners in March and are confident we will offer the same generosity and hospitality as we received during our stay.

Appreciating cultural differences As part of the Year 7 Philosophy and Religious Education (PRE) course and the ‘places of worship’ unit, students visited the Maidenhead Synagogue, All Saints Church and Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha (Gurdwara). The aim of the trip was to find out from people of different faiths why their buildings are important and special to them and to find out what happens in the places of worship.

Creati v i ty w ith languageYear 7 students were challenged to produce an Advent Calendar with as much French, Spanish or German Christmas vocabulary as possible, using sustainable materials. We were delighted with the creativity and imagination that went into the calendars, which were displayed during the week before Christmas. The winning students, judged by Modern Foreign Language House leaders, were Rhiannon Millard and Alexia Stephenson (1st place), Abbi Rees and Trishna Patel (2nd place), and Millie Winsor, Caitlin Warner and Danni Francis (in 3rd place).

AtriptoBerlinDivya Pandya, Year 11, tells us about her time in Berlin in November...

“After days of excitement, the 29 November finally came! It didn’t start very enthusiastically, with 43 bleary-eyed faces gradually appearing at school, frustrated at having to wake up at 3:00 am.

Soon after arriving in Berlin (and with the help of a little sleep on the plane), we excitedly ventured out to experience the wonders of Berlin, as well as the horrors of Nazi Germany.

Our trip first took us to the desolate Sachsenhausen Labour Camp where so many people faced atrocious living conditions, back-breaking labour and sometimes eventually death.

We also visited other historical places such as Wannsee Villa, the Reichstag and the remnants of the Berlin Wall. It was certainly a trip to be remembered for a lifetime.”

Links across Europe At the beginning of this academic year, Newlands linked with four schools from Italy, Romania, France and Germany as part of an EU scheme to create partnerships across Europe and improve educational standards.

The scheme, Comenius, funded by the European Commission and managed by the British Council, aims to enable students and teachers across Europe to work together and learn about each other’s culture and education methods. A series of five European weeks will be held in each country over two years with programmes of activities focusing on the topic of ‘work’.

Highlights for the students included a trip to an emigration museum in San Marino, producing a piece of installation art in the school’s lecture theatre, learning how mosaics are produced and visiting a gelato factory.

After the Comenius Team’s trip to Italy in November, Aafi Ali commented: “The experience gave us first-hand knowledge of what the Italian culture is like...amazing.”

“The tours were incredibly interesting. Everyone loved it and we learnt a lot!” Year 7 student

Newlands ‘Get Set’ for the Olympic and Paraylmpic Games

International Paralympic DayCelebrationsEarly in the autumn term, five very lucky Year 9 students went to Trafalgar Square to join in the celebrations for International Paralympic Day 2011, an event broadcast all over the world. Students were involved in a press shoot, along with Lord Coe, Oscar Pistorious, Ellie Simmonds, Mandeville the Mascot and many more world class Paralympians and dignitaries.

Students learnt about the different Paralympic events, and were able to meet and talk with a huge variety of athletes from different sports and countries. They had fantastic fun collecting autographs, being filmed for Channel 4’s ‘That Paralympic Show’, being interviewed by crews from Chinese and Ukrainian TV Stations, watching a world record breaking seated volleyball rally, and countless demonstrations of different Paralympic sports. It really was a remarkable day that won’t be forgotten!

Promi s i ng futu res for our girlsMeet Year 10 student Anaka Nair who reveals all about the Coca-Cola Enterprises...

“The Real Business Challenge is an exciting competition for Year 10 students run by Coca-Cola Enterprises. During ‘Activities Week’ in July, students were assigned teams and given the brief to design a drink for the London 2012 Olympics. Our team founded the company name ‘Imprint’ with our fruit juice named ‘Jugo’. Of the 25 rival teams in the year group, ours was selected to represent the school and our presentation sent to Coca-Cola to be judged. Months passed with no information from Coca-Cola and this left us unsure of where we stood in the competition. However, in October, Mr Horton enlightened us with the news that we were chosen to participate in the South East Regional Finals in Southampton.

After arriving at the venue, and with plenty of time to see our eight opponents from across the region, we were given our new task of creating a billboard, radio advertisement and presentation. Four hours later and our final deadline ensued. Whilst we eagerly awaited the news of who had won the competition, the accompanying teachers from the schools presented their own takes on the same task Coca-Cola had issued us. Undoubtedly, of the two groups, Mr Horton’s was the winning team! After a long wait, the head judge returned with the highly anticipated results. “The winners of the Real Business Challenge Regional Finals are… Newlands Girls’ School!”

We quickly recovered from the shock, collected our trophy and assembled for the photos.

update on our olympic challenge After a very successful day bouncing, we managed to cover another 206 miles of our Olympic journey, an impressive distance covered on trampolines and trampettes, contributing to the 5,000 mile journey we are hoping to complete before The Games start. We are still in Ukraine, but have now made it to a place called Poltava, with approximately 1,400 miles left to London! Thanks to all those who are getting involved in our journey.

Photograph courtesy of Coca-Cola

GirlsdisplaytheirtalentHaving been successful in their application, it was recently announced that Windsor and Maidenhead will be having the Olympic Torch Relay coming through the borough on Tuesday 10 July. For the announcement of this good news, a prestigious event was held for local dignitaries at the Guildhall in Windsor.

As a result of our links with the Sports Partnership and local Olympic Group, Newlands was asked to open the event with a dance to the official Torch Relay song – ‘Spinnin’ for 2012’. Predominately choreographed by Lizzie Challis, with the assistance of other dancers Natasha Thorogood, Beth Russell, Emma Jordan, Bethany Ive and Kate Robinson, the piece they created was fantastic and beautifully performed. The girls rightly received praise from all the people watching and appeared in the local press and on the TV evening news. Well done girls.

Indiv idual success A special well done goes to the modest Ruth Dow, Year 11, who finished a week of strenuous skiing in Italy (learning the skill for the very first time and being moved to the intermediate group almost immediately), before enduring a very long car journey back to Maidenhead, where she participated in a National Rugby Tournament, representing the South of England.

At the end, Ruth was awarded player of the tournament! Ruth is a member of Reading Girls’ Rugby Club Berkshire, and one of only two girls in her U16 squad to have been selected to play for South West England. Congratulations Ruth, you should be very proud of yourself; a fantastic achievement!

A swimming SpEctAculAr Lily Glover, Year 11, tells us of her trials, tribulations and successes as a competitive swimmer…

“I began swimming at the age of five and began competitive swimming at the age of nine, when I joined Newbury District Swimming Club. I stayed there for four years and then moved to Windsor Swimming Club at the age of 13. I train roughly 20 hours a week, not including gym hours. I am an Individual Medley swimmer, which consists of swimming four strokes: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle.

I have swum at County, Regional, National and British Championship level in all four strokes and I have qualified for the 200 metre Butterfly at the Olympic Trials, which will be held at the new Olympic swimming pool in March. My most immediate swimming goal is to qualify for additional events at the Olympic Trials, such as the 200m Individual Medley, 400m Individual Medley and 100m Butterfly.

Swimming is a huge part of my life and I couldn’t imagine not being able to do it, despite the time and commitment it demands.”

We wish Lily all the best of luck in achieving her ambitious goals.

Sporting success

Magpies’ Football Mural Maidenhead United Football Club is now the proud owner of two murals painted by Sixth Form students from Newlands. The more recent features an Escher-inspired pattern of magpies, the club crest, flying over the heads of a crowd celebrating a goal. This painting sits at the opposite end of the pitch to a design painted by two Newlands Sixth Form students, Esther Ansari and Collette Corkery, nearly 20 years ago.

The new mural was created by Anna Stileman, Katy Robertson, Hannah Hetherington, Kitty James, Nathalie Hall, Rebecca Boland, Lauren Boland and Emma Cripps. They prepared a proposal for the new painting and presented their ideas to Stefan Prychidko, member of the Maidenhead United Supporters’ Association and community governor at Newlands, club director Graham Alfred and club chairman Peter Griffin. The design also includes the club’s badge and the original FA Cup and celebrates Maidenhead United taking part in the first FA Cup competition in 1871.

The design proposal was very well received and the girls went ahead and painted it, doing most of the work in one day at the end of the summer term. Anna Stileman, who took a leading part in the mural’s creation, completed the design by adding wording to accompany the FA Cup’s image.

VarietyClubDonationThis month, Newlands Girls’ School saw the official unveiling of its new disabled stage chair lift, funded in part by an £8000 grant from the Variety Club, £2000 from Newlands Parents’ Association, £300 from Waitrose and £200 from a staff ‘Cake Sale’.

Pamela Sinclair, Grants Programme Chairman and Janet Armitage, Grants Committee from the Variety Club, cut the pink ribbon, declaring the lift open for use, saying “we were absolutely delighted to help Newlands with its disabled stage chair lift.”

The lift transforms with a flick of a switch from a set of stairs to a flat platform for wheelchair users.

Student Natalie Brown (pictured) commented, “I feel more included in many aspects of school life which is really exciting and offers new opportunities.”

We are proud to cater for the full range of needs at Newlands and the disabled lift means that now all our students can take an active part in assemblies and school performances on our school stage.

Mars Donati onWe have recently received a £1,125 grant from the Mars Foundation to buy a wheelchair accessible Greenhouse for our new ‘Reflections and Sensory Garden’. The garden has been built with raised flower beds and a decked area which can be used as an outdoor classroom.

The Parents’ Association kindly provided the materials for the landscaping, as well as paving and wood to make the benches and flower beds. Volunteers from companies Genband and Timberland have helped to create the garden, together with our own Site Department.

We are now running the ‘Flower Power’ Garden Club for Years 7, 8 and 9; with our new greenhouse, the club can run all year round and grow plants from seed. Our garden will be looking ‘Bloomin’ Marvellous’!

Helping you turn the page to a more organised lifeAfter months of hard work, ‘Platform’, have now launched their new personalised planners! They are on sale for an individual price of £7.49 RRP.

The group of Year 12 students who have shown a keen interest in the business world have been participating in the Young Enterprise Scheme to broaden their knowledge and skills, with the help and support of Business Advisers and teaching staff to create their product.

The team, up against seven other companies, was recently acclaimed the winner of a Business Plan competition. Judges commented “we were hugely impressed with the outcome from the group; the business plan had been very well thought out.”

Getting your hands on your very own copy:• Email our sales director Katie Mckenna

on: mckek001@rbwm.org

To make this possible, £500 worth of shares were sold, and a number of fundraising activities took place. Thanks to everyone for their support. It has been greatly appreciated.

ProducedbyGrebotDonnelly

A team effort

Tel: 01628 625068 Fax: 01628 675352

Email: newlands@rbwm.org www.newlandsgirlsschool.co.uk

FarmRoad,Maidenhead,BerkshireSL65JB

the Newlands parents’ AssociationAlong with their generous contribution to the disabled lift for the school stage, the Newlands Parents’ Association is proud to announce its highly successful fund-raising year by releasing funds for several school projects.

This included over £1,000 for a Relief Printing Press for the Art Department, a MacBook for the Music Department, and various items of equipment for the Modern Foreign Languages and Business Studies Departments.

The Parents’ Association had already provided the regular funding for the School Minibuses and also contributions of £2,000 towards equipping the new Sixth Form Block and £3,000 for the Reflections Garden.

A huge thank you to all who helped throughout the year. Contact details and further information can be found on the school website.

Thank youOne last thank you to everyone who has

contributed milk bottle tops to raise money for the Berkshire

Air Ambulance this year. The grand total was an impressive 46,045.

Datesforyour2012diarySpring term Term starts on: Monday 20 FebruaryTerm ends on: Friday 30 MarchSpring Holiday: Monday 2 - Friday 13 April Good Friday: Friday 6 AprilEaster Monday: Monday 9 AprilINSET day: Monday 16 AprilSummer Term starts on: Tuesday 17 April