Terms 3 to 4 2019

Issue 2 2019

RGS Newsletter

Spring Edition

CONTENTS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

M ESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 1

H INAMATSURI FESTIVAL, 3RD MARCH 201 9 2

RGS YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR FINAL 201 9 2

SONGS OF PRAISE—N CHANT 3

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD CEREMONY 3

TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS TOURNAMENT 4

N ATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK 5

ROTARY CLUB TECHNOLOGY TOURNAMENT 5

CHOIR TOUR TO A MSTERDAM 201 9 6

S ISTER ACT 7

SPORTS NEWS 8

SPRING CONCERT 201 9 8

F LAIR GOES TO THE F LICKS! 9

W ORLD BOOK DAY 9

BERLIN EXCHANGE 1 0

RGS CHARITY F UNDRAISING 1 0

V ISIT TO YPRES 11

Y EAR 11—THE LION KING 12

S IXTH FORM OPEN EVENING 12

JOIN THE RGSA! 12

N EW S IXTH FORM EXECUTIVE TEAM 13

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS 13

IMPORTANT DATES FOR TERMS 5&6 14

Dear Parent/Carer

In my first term as Acting Head of School I have been very impressed with the vibrant and exciting events that have been taking

occurred since January. As I write I know the finishing touches are taking place to the annual Multicultural Fashion show, planned

completely by our students, and I am excited to see how this year’s team have developed the show in new and creative ways.

There have been so many opportunities for students to showcase their creative talents since Christmas, with a plethora of shows and

performances that many of us have been fortunate enough to attend. I am sure those of you lucky enough to get a coveted ticket to

‘Flair goes to the Flicks’ and enjoyed the outstanding dancing choreographed to the soundtracks of iconic movies by our talented staff

and students, would join me in thanking the all those involved who worked many hours to ensure the show’s success.

Likewise the school show this year, ‘Sister Act’ saw more incredible talent on display and, as someone who could recite the film off by

heart, I looked forward to the RGS version and was not disappointed by the many actors and actresses that sang and acted to such a

high level. Even more impressive was that so many of them left that evening to perform at the BBC Songs of Praise Young Choir of the

Year competition, driving all the way to Bolton. We wait with baited breath to watch the semi-finals and hopefully the finals to see how

NChant got on. The music department have had a busy time, not only supporting the school show but also the Spring concert, RGS

Musician of the Year and the Choir tour to Amsterdam providing many opportunities to experience the depth and breadth of musical

talent in the school.

One of the highlights of the term was both staff and students this year dressing up for world book day. This was the first year students

also joined in and it was an immense success with an extremely convincing Mary Poppins and Oompa Loompa (completed with orange

face) winning joint first prize in the fancy dress competition. Seeing so many staff and students celebrating literature was a pleasure and

this event continues to go from strength to strength at RGS.

Science has also been busy with many competitions and celebrations of scientific skills taking place. National Science Week gave

students many opportunities to experience different aspects of science and a chance to compete in the Rotary Club Technology

Tournament, with both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 winning first place in their divisions. The RGS Robotics club also had their most

successful tournament to date, showcasing the varied talents RGS students have.

Students have also had many opportunities to ‘get global’ with exchanges to Berlin, History trips to Ypres, choir tours to Amsterdam

and the creation of Hina-dolls in Japanese club. I know these additional opportunities to enrich students learning are valued by staff

and students alike. Those staying closer to home celebrated getting their Bronze, Silver and even Gold Duke of Edinburgh awards, a

fantastic achievement which takes a lot of hard work and dedication to complete.

Finally I would like to congratulate and thank our new Executive team of Ellie, Mayong, Michelle, Amy and Magda. They have

certainly hit the ground running with their work with the school council and multicultural week being particularly impressive, but also

the support they have provided me in my first term has been invaluable. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the old

Executive team of Alice, Simren, Arwen, Yasmin and Dami for all of their hard work for RGS and wish them and the rest of Year 11

and 13 every luck in their upcoming examinations.

Issue 2 2019 March 2019

Term 3-4

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

RGS Newsletter

Mrs Wadey Acting Head of School

RGS Newsletter Page 2

H INAMATSURI FESTIVAL,

3RD MARCH 2019

RGS students attending the Japanese club have been learning

about the Japanese Hinamatsuri Festival and have created their own Hina-dolls in origami.

Hinamatsuri also called Doll's Day or Girls' Day and is a special

day in Japan. It is celebrated each year on 3rd March. Platforms are covered with a red carpet-material and are used to display a

set of ornamental dolls (hina-ningyō) which represent the Emperor, Empress, attendants and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period.

Our link school in Kobe, Japan kindly gave the school this

wonderful present of two ornamental Hina dolls to celebrate with them this Girls’ day.

The final of The Rochester Grammar School Young Musician of the Year 2019 was held on Thursday 14 th February. There was a

thorough audition process just to reach the final and we had an excellent evening as the eight finalists all performed to an exceptional standard.

It was a pleasure to welcome Mrs Graham, the Director of Music from the Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, to be the judge. The standard was very high: Mrs Graham commented, ‘There were some fantastic performances and all students should be

proud of their achievement in reaching such a level’.

In first place was Emily de Bie, on clarinet who impressed Mrs Graham with her musicality and communication with the audience. In

second place was Annabel Beniston on double bass who showcased the whole range of the double bass when performing ‘Kicho’ by

Piazolla. In third place was Eleanor Masters who showed excellent vocal range and technique to take the final podium position. The award for the most promising player went to April Wells who both sang and accompanied herself on piano. It was once again a lovely

evening and a demonstration of the talent we have here at RGS.

RGS YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR FINAL 2019

Issue 2 2019 Page 3

In fantastic news NChant, the senior girls’ choir,

have successfully auditioned to get to the semi finals stage of the established Song of Praise

Young Choir of the Year Competition 2019 which will be recorded by the BBC and televised

later in the year. After lengthy and rigorous audition process, NChant were successful in

making to the final five senior choirs to be

chosen from schools across the UK. As the semi-finals (and finals) are recorded, the choir had to

head to Bolton for the filming of the competition. We left RGS on Saturday

9th March straight after the final Sister Act performance to drive into the night up to Bolton.

After a late night there was a welcome lie in and

breakfast at the hotel before heading to the Victoria Halls in Bolton for the television

filming. The Choir sang brilliantly for a panel of judges which included Carrie Grant & Russell

Watson. NChant’s Choral Director, Mrs Woodman, said, ‘We were delighted to

have been selected to sing in the semi finals of

this nationwide school choir competition. The girls are so committed to the choir and their

hard work has been rewarded. This whole experience will be one that they and their

families will never forget.’ From the five schools, three were chosen to go into the final

SONGS OF PRAISE—NCHANT

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD CEREMONY

round (which takes place on the same

day at the same venue). The semi finals will be aired on BBC on Sunday 26th

May 2019 and the finals (should we have made it) on 2nd June 2019. Make

sure you tune in to see NChant

represent RGS in one of the most

prestigious choir competitions, and to see if they made it to the final!

Mr Chapman

Director of Music

Spring is always an exciting time of year for those taking

part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. As new groups start preparing for their expeditions, older

students who have passed their award are given the opportunity to attend the presentation evening at

Rochester Cathedral. The presentation evening held at the Cathedral was very

well attended and it was a time to celebrate the

achievements of the students. This was the first year we

had had our own Gold students and I was delighted that

5 students had been able to complete their award in time

for the presentation evening. I had joined them for their

practice expedition in the summer so I knew first-hand

how hard they had worked to achieve their Gold award.

A total of 42 students achieved their Silver award and 89

students have achieved their Bronze award over the past year. Each one of them should be congratulated as each award represents a

personal achievement and I hope that each student has benefited from the experiences they have had completing their award.

Our Year 9 students spent a Friday afternoon and evening earlier this term, learning how to cook on a Trangia, how to put a tent up,

how to pack a rucksack, how to use a compass and a map and how to administer basic first aid. 110 students then successfully

completed their practice expedition at Bexon Lane earlier this month. Our 10 groups of Silver students have been planning their

practice expedition in Dover and this will be held over Easter. We have never had so many Silver students on expedition at one time

and so I am very excited about this.

Dr Vickery

RGS Newsletter Page 4

TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS TOURNAMENT

The RGS Robotics Club recently competed in the Tomorrow’s

Engineers Tournament held at Mid-Kent College. They took home first place trophies in the robot design and team work portions of the

competition.

The RGS Robotics Club recently competed in the Tomorrow’s

Engineers Tournament held at Mid-Kent College. They competed against other local schools in a series of challenges.

The Robotics Club has been working to prepare for this event for many months by meeting together during lunchtimes and

after school. They were a mixture of older and experienced robotics students and many younger students. They were

coached by Mr Jackson and Mr Vidler and Sixth Form students David Fadare and Ore Emmanuel.

The theme for this year was “How could engineers support humanitarian aid in the future?” The team researched and

presented on how technology has led to ever advancing prosthetics for amputees and how these devices can become

more useful and integrated for the wearer. Our students were confident in their presentation and delivery before the panel of

judges as they discussed their research.

The students then competed in the robotics portion of the

tournament by designing, building, and programming a robot made from Lego technic pieces. The robot had to complete a

series of tasks within a certain time frame. The students who participated in this portion of the competition were all in Year

7. They had a lot to learn to prepare for the competition. They

also had the opportunity between matches to improve and perfect their design and programme. Great improvement was

seen over the course of the day and the judges remarked on the quick advancements.

This progress was also seen in the racing portion of the event

where they had to design a robot to travel a length of three

metres as fast as possible. Some last-minute changes to the gears

used to power the robot helped to cut their time down by half, ultimately coming in second place.

The students then explained the design of their robot to a panel of

judges. Before this presentation took place our older students, who have been to a previous robotics competition, helped to coach the

younger students on refining their presentation, making eye contact,

and speaking rather than reading from a script. They held quick practice sessions before they appeared before the judges. During

their talk, the students did brilliantly, and took home the first-place trophy for this portion of the competition.

The team also excelled on the teamwork portion of the event. They

had to quickly assemble a container out of an assortment of Lego

bricks. The container had to safely travel down a steep incline while holding the cargo of a large rubber ball. The students were very

quick to get to work on this timed task and assigned everyone a portion of the container to build. They worked with amazing speed,

all helping and assisting the others. They judges were impressed not only by their team work but also later remarked on the manners as

they were the only team to say “thank you” to the judges. They

took home the first-place trophy for this event as well.

This was the most successful competition for the RGS Robotics Team so far. They are continuing the improve their knowledge of

engineering, computer programming, design and research skills. The team continues to welcome new members who are interested in

learning more. The next competition on the calendar will see the

team move away from the Lego system and utilise the VEX-IQ robotics system for their next challenge.

Mr Jackson

Head of Science

Tomorrow’s Engineering Team Photo

Page 5 Issue 2 2019

The Rochester Grammar recently

celebrated National Science Education Week (11 to 15 March). This year the

theme of “journeys” was woven into a wide range of activities where students

participated in house competition to earn points towards the Golden Bunsen Burner

Award.

Key Stage 3 classes had special practical

lessons all during the week. The Year 7 students designed and built a boat to test

and see how much mass it could hold before sinking. They also had a great time

making slime and building mini rockets where they had to calculate the right

amount of reactant to have it launch after

a set period of time. Year 8 classes designed and built bridges out of paper

and wooden splints. They tested them to see how much mass they could hold before

collapsing. DNA was extracted from

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK

strawberries and the journey of the

discovery of the structure of DNA was explored. They also worked to created

posters on the theme of “journeys” that

will be sent to a national competition.

Year 9 classes competed to design and build a windmill that could lift the most

mass. They also participated in a careers-based activity called “People

Like Me” that sought to link their

personality traits to those needed in various STEM careers. Year 10 classes

tried to build the tallest light house using only a limited set of resources.

Students had to the chance to watch the

film ‘Hidden Figures’ that shows how

women were some of the critical workers that computed the numbers

necessary to enabled humans to fly to space.

Friday was the culmination of the festivities

for Science Week. Students were able to see a vast array of amazing chemistry

demonstrations whilst other participated in a contest to see who could remember the

elements of the periodic table. Two students

were able to memorise all 118, in order! The science teachers got into the spirit of the

week by creatively dressing up in costumes related to the theme of “journeys”.

Rochester also sent teams to the Rotary Club

Technology Tournament held at the Royal

Engineers’ Museum. They competed in all day STEM challenge against other local

schools. Our Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 teams both one first place in their divisions.

RGS recently sent teams from each Key Stage to compete in the annual Rotary Club

Technology Tournament at the Royal Engineers Museum.

Key Stage 3- Alice Lean, Alexandra MacLean-Simon, Riya Sunil, Macey Thronton

Key Stage 4- Tochi Chisom-Nwosu, Maja Kazmierczak, Kayleigh Shaw, Emily Riley

Key Stage 5- Amy McGregor, Jenny Nock, Chelsea Oluneye, Emily Tebbut

For the competition each team was given a task that required a technical solution. They had to design and build a device that could

travel across a table and use an electric motor to retrieve an object inside a container on the far end. They had to discuss their ideas and create a design portfolio. A selected and limited amount of materials were provided that they had to utilise to build and test their idea.

A key component of the contest was how well each team worked together to overcome obstacles and achieve their goal. Rochester teams won for the third year in a row! The Key Stage 3 and 4 teams both won first place in their division.

Mr Jackson Head of Science

ROTARY CLUB TECHNOLOGY TOURNAMENT

Issue 2 2019 Page 7

This year’s whole school production Sister

Act ran from 7th-9th March, but the

friendships and memories created are sure

to last for years to come.

In October a huge amount of talent

auditioned, and although there was a sense of competition, this never impeded the

support for each other: standing outside the drama studio, nervous but excited, students

across the school only encouraged and wished the best for one another. Over the

seven years I have partaken in whole school

productions, this genuine enthusiasm and

pride for each other’s achievements has

always stood out to me. We truly do feel like a family.

At our first rehearsal in November, it was

clear that it was going to be a very funny few months to come. The cast was by far

the biggest yet, with over 35 students

involved (and that’s just the actors!), but

that didn’t stop us from becoming just as

tight-knit as every other year. Within a few minutes, we were all laughing and bonding

over our ice-breaking interesting facts (far too many of which concerned various

burns we’d suffered (!)).

And this didn’t stop: from the first read-

through to the final show, both onstage and backstage the bonds developed, and as

I’m sure the rest of the cast will relate to, I became increasingly prouder of the talent I

could call my friends. From the first ‘break a leg!’ which kick-started each show, to the

extravagant thumbs-up in a bid to attract

attention from the other wing, we shared each and every moment with each other.

And there was certainly no questioning the genuine emotion in the most heart-

warming final scene of solidarity, as we all came together to celebrate the love we

shared for each other not only as sisters,

but as friends.

It is very upsetting to think that this show was my last with this school, but I can

genuinely say that the dedication, compassion, hilarity, and genuine kindness

of the whole cast and crew have helped to

make it the best one yet. These

productions and the irreplaceable bonds I’ve formed have been such a huge part of

my life, and I cannot wait to see the great things I know so many of the cast are

destined to do. Thank you all for creating

the world I can call home. As Deloris Van Cartier would say:

And with my sisters standing strong, I’m on the stage where I belong.

Arwen Pike, 13G

RGS Newsletter Page 6

CHOIR TOUR TO AMSTERDAM 2019

Bright and early on Saturday 16th February, an excited RGS

Tour Choir set off for Amsterdam, continuing the fantastic tradition of international choir tours here at RGS. After hours

of travelling (and lots of singing and sweets!) on the coach we made it to our hotel in Haarlem just outside of Amsterdam.

After a quick breakfast the following morning, we went on a

scenic river cruise along the canals of Amsterdam. This was a

great opportunity for us all to see some beautiful Amsterdam sights and take in the new surroundings. After the river cruise,

there was time for a visit to the impressive Rijkmuseum. In this

museum there was artwork by many famous artists, including

Rembrandt and Van Gogh. There was also a room in the museum dedicated to the Battle of Medway – it was interesting

to be able to see another perspective on an important event in our areas history! After a somewhat hurried lunch break we

departed Amsterdam and made our way to Zaanse Schans. This picturesque traditional Dutch village was a fantastic example of

Dutch traditions, including clog making, pancakes and

windmills!

After a busy day we made our way back to the hotel for an early evening meal before getting ready for our first concert of the

tour! Dressed and with our music in hand we were dropped off

at the edge of the town of Edam. Unusually, we had to walk

from the edge of the town to the church in the centre as the coach was too heavy for the delicate bridges and cobbled streets

of the town (those of us wearing heels found this a trickier than anticipated task). We had time for a small rehearsal and sound

check before we welcomed in the audience. All the songs in the

programme were based around the theme of Believe and this included ‘When You Believe’, ‘Believe’, ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, ‘I’m

a

Believer’ and ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ as a massed choir, in addition to NChant singing ‘Lift My Eyes’, ‘Shine Down’ and

‘There is Sweet Music’. There were also some excellent solos from

singers Eleanor Masters, Alice Humphrys (whose 18th birthday it was that day!) and Francesca Lewell, pianist Emma Spence and

violinist Emma Beniston. The performances were fantastic and the audience really enjoyed it. The concert was even recorded so it

could be broadcast for the local church radio station!

On day three, we were once again up and out early for a visit to the

Anne Frank House musueum, which was a very moving and thought provoking experience and was one of the highlights of a

busy tour. Following lunch, we moved to our next concert at the Dr Sarphatihuis house in Amsterdam. Again, the audience loved

hearing the tour choir sing and the students were once again

fantastic even after a gruelling few days. After the concert there was some time for shopping in Harleem before it was back to the Hotel

for games and dinner. On the final day there was (finally!) time for a small lie in before we were back on the coach for the return

journey, although on this coach trip there was more sleeping and less singing than on the way down! At around 7.30pm on Tuesday

19th February a tired choir arrived back at school after a busy

couple of days. All of the choir had an absolutely fantastic time in Amsterdam and we want to thank the teachers for organising such

an amazing trip!

Annabel Beniston 10Hg4

RGS Newsletter Page 8

On the evening of Tuesday 19th March RGS hosted their

annual Spring Concert. As always this highly anticipated event was well supported and the audience enjoyed a variety

of high quality music making.

The concert opened with RGS Symphony Orchestra playing ‘Rondeau’ by Purcell and the ‘Emperor Waltz’ by Strauss.

This was quickly followed by the Year 7 Choir who gave an

emotional rendition of ‘A Thousand Years’ before given a lively performance of ‘Mamma Mia’. All the soloists were

prize winners in the RGS Young Musician of the Year competition which had been held in February and the first

soloist of the evening was April Wells performing a song she had written herself: ‘You Thought’. This was followed by a

powerful performance of ‘Waymaker’ by the Gospel Choir

before we heard Eleanor Masters (3rd place in the RGS Young Musician competition) impress with a performance of

‘Honesty’.

As the first half drew to a close we heard to RGS Chamber Orchestra perform the 3rd movement of Elgar’s Serenade for

Strings before the final items from the RGS Tour Choir. It

was great to give the parents a chance to hear the choir that had performed in Amsterdam and for the students on the

Tour to show what all their hard work had created.

The second half opened with the RGS Wind Ensembles performance of the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ before we heard

Annabel Beniston (2nd place in the RGS Young Musician of

the Year competition) on the Double Bass perform ‘Reverie’ by Bottesini. Dynamic Voices were next to take the stage

with an exciting performance of ‘The Rhythm of Life’ before a poignant version of ‘Fix You’. Our final soloist was the

SPRING CONCERT 2019

RGS Young Musician of the Year 2019 Emily de Bie on Clarinet

playing ‘Sonata’ by Saints-Saëns and demonstrating why she is a deserved competition winner. The concert finished a real high thanks

to NChant and their performances of ‘When You Believe’ and one of their Songs of Praise competition songs ‘Shine Down’.

Overall the whole event was a brilliant showcase of the amazing

musical talent at RGS and was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

Mr Chapman

Director of Music

SPORTS NEWS

Our netball fixtures have now come to an

end for this season and we are hopeful that the teams will have been successful in

the league. Unfortunately, our matches against Chatham Girls were cancelled

which even though we received the points it was disappointing for the girls who

wanted to play the match. Last week we

had some rescheduled matches against Rainham Mark Grammar School where

the 9A team won 20-5 and the U16 lost 8-32.

On the 5th March 2019 we entered a

Swimming Gala at Kings School

Rochester where we entered teams into the Year 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12/13 age

groups. Our Year 7/8 team came 1st overall, our Year 9/10 team finished in

4th and our Year 11/12/13 team finished in 3rd. There was a lovely atmosphere

throughout the gala with all of the girls

supporting each other no matter which age group they were in, well done!

A couple of weeks ago the Year 7 A team

competed in their first Kent netball tournament. The girls played a total of

six games against teams from schools across Kent. During the day they won

one game, drew two and lost three. This was a great experience for the girls as they

were able to both watch and play against

a high level of competition.

We also had two of our Year 7 students

representing Kent in the South East Schools Inter County Cross Country

Championship. There were around 100 competitors in each race and the course

was very flat and firm. Alice and Gabriella both represented the U13s running 2.5km

each. Alice Stawowska finished in 74th

place (the 14th runner representing Kent) and Gabriella Horne finished in 10th place

and she was the 3rd runner home for Kent. This resulted in Kent being the overall

winners of the whole event. Well done girls!

Mrs Hutton

Page 9 Issue 2 2019

F L A I R G O E S TO T H E F L I C KS ! The Rochester Grammar School performed its 9th annual charity dance show on 6th-9th February

2019. Over 80 students worked tirelessly since September in numerous roles including choreography, performance, set production and advertising to produce a spectacular show.

This year’s theme was focussed entirely on iconic movies. The choice of music was varied and exciting and the students thoroughly enjoyed choreographing to songs old and new; it was clear to see that the

show gave the students the opportunity to grow and develop as cast members, performers and friends.

This year, we were thrilled to support Kent Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. Last year alone, they were called out to help over 2,000

people in life-threatening conditions. The charity never stops innovating and improving the care that they can give, which means as an

independent charity that every donation is vital. The charity headquarters and forward operating base are located at Rochester Airport, with the aircraft hangared and maintained at Redhill Aerodrome. When the call comes, the aircraft can reach any part of our region

within 25 minutes. The service and life changing support they provide is astounding. We are exceptionally proud to announce that as a school, we raised over £5,700 for this amazing charity. Each year the girls push themselves to new limits for the charities that we

support and this year’s efforts will go a long way not just to changing lives but to saving them.

As a team of staff, we are always in awe of how talented, kind and compassionate the girls are and how freely they give their time for

others. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the students, both cast and crew who took part in the show, with a special mention to our senior choreographers, Amy, Ellie and Ellie, without whom it is fair to say the show just wouldn’t go on! We look

forward to more dancing success and charitable efforts in the years to come!

Mrs Cullis, Dr Osmotherly, Mrs French, Miss Janke, Miss McNamara and Mrs Reckless

WORLD BOOK DAY

On Thursday 7 March, RGS celebrated World Book Day. This year, not only did teachers dress up as characters from their favourite

books, but students were also invited to join in. Teachers also created book posters for their classroom doors and starter activities on that day consisted of teachers reading extracts to the students from their favourite book. At lunchtime, an activities fair was held in the

library where students could take part in literary quizzes, create a character profile for a novel, write a book review or just chat to their friends about the books they have enjoyed. A popular feature was the book swap, where students were asked to wrap up a book they

had read and bring it in to swap for another ‘mystery’ text. Students greatly enjoyed unwrapping their new books and were looking forward to reading them. Finally, a competition, judged by Acting Head Teacher Mrs Wadey, was held for the best student costume.

Because the standard was so high, Mrs Wadey had difficulty choosing an outright winner so Chloe Hodges’ Mary Poppins and

Daisy Drewett’s Oompa Loompa triumphed.

The day was a huge success and we are already looking forward to next year.

Miss Cumming

Curriculum Leader of English

RGS Newsletter Page 10

BERLIN EXCHANGE

As part of our Global Exchange Programme, a group of students

from RGS, who are taking German as a language GCSE, visited our partner school Leibniz in Berlin last January. They had the

chance to experience a school day at in Germany, and attended several lessons.

Many students have expressed how much they enjoyed the trip,

with one saying, ‘it was an amazing experience’, and they all

thoroughly enjoyed staying with wonderful host families, who made them feel welcome and enjoyed sharing with them their

culture and customs.

This group of students were so enthusiastic, excited and eager to participate in all the planned activities, that the trip was an

unforgettable experience for them and the teachers involved. The

group of girls were a credit to our school values of “Transforming Life Chances”, and they are looking forward to welcoming their

exchange partners from Leibniz in March.

“Berlin will be one of the most memorable experiences of my time

at RGS. It was incredible, the culture shock of life in a city was more than I could have imagined, my family was so welcoming

and made me feel at home. My German and my accent has improved exponentially thanks to their patience and help. By the

end of the week I didn’t want to go home! The time with my exchange partner and my friends was amazing, I am so happy I

went.”

“Berlin was and will be one of the best experiences in my life. Not

only did I visit a country that I always wanted to see, but I also learnt about the culture and life in Berlin. The places we visited

were very beautiful and interesting and I especially enjoyed the Berlin Zoo. But most of all I improved my German and made a

friend for life.”

RGS CHARITY FUNDRAISING

MONEY RAISED FROM MARCH 2019 -

Date Details of Donation Charity Name Amount

6.12.18 Whole School Poppy Appeal 176.46

19.12.18 Whole School TAG Day Children in Need 866.74

7.1.19 Tomlinson Charity Week Jane Tomlinson Appeal 195.38

21.1.19 Somerville Charity Week Demelza House 282.69

11.2.19 Byron Charity Week Bede House—starfish project 585.67

Flair Production Kent & Surrey Air Ambulance 5295.31

26.3.19 Hildegard Charity Week Cancer Research 355.23

7757.48

Issue 2 2019 Page 11

On 1st March, myself and around 75 others went to Ypres in

Belgium to gain an insight into the First World War and commemorate the dead and missing.

The day started off very promptly at

6:00 am and we arrived in Belgium at about 9:30 am. With the coach full of

excited students, we set off to our first

stop, Lijssenthoek. This is a very large British Cemetery that is mostly full of

the soldiers who died from battle wounds at the farm nearby. As well as

British soldiers, there are many nationalities of soldiers buried there

such as Indian and Chinese and men of

many religions and faiths. This cemetery has a hidden secret; buried amongst all

the 10,700 valiant men, is a nurse named Nellie Spindler who was killed

during the Battle of Passchendaele when shellfire hit the casualty clearing station where she had been posed.

She is one of only two women from the Great War who are buried

in Belgium.

To get a sense of the warfare soldiers experienced, we visited a recreation of a German trench. It was very accurate apart from the

fact that the sides were very short and you could be easily seen! We

also briefly looked at shells and our tour guide had some pieces of shrapnel that were passed round. It wasn’t hard to believe that

these metal chunks were the greatest killer of men in WW1.

After exploring the trenches our coach went to the Menin Gate

outside Ypres. This is a huge memorial that includes the names of more than 54,000 soldiers who died before 16 August 1917 and

have no known grave. I felt very shocked at how this was only a small proportion of the many more men that died and still lie out

in the fields of Europe. My group looked at a particular man’s name who had come from Rochester, George Fredrick Kill.

Strangely, he fought with the East Yorkshire Regiment.

When we had finished looking at the Menin Gate it was time for

chocolate; something a million more times cheerful (though not as interesting) than what we had looked at previously in the day. We

spent a long while gazing at the hundreds of little chocolate delicacies before we took our pick. They were delicious.

Then, after finishing a very large portion of chips, we went to the German Military Cemetery. As we arrived I noticed that it was

much more sombre than the British one. Instead of white clean headstones, these were black, grey and lay flat on the floor. There

were no flowers anywhere and the trees seemed to give the place a very dreary feeling. Another thing that was pointed out was the

fact that in the British cemetery all solders had an individual grave

but here, there were many men piled into one.

V ISIT TO YPRES

So we could learn more about gas

and how soldiers protected themselves against it, we went to

Vancouver Corner. This is where the first gas attached was launched

in the war. It was carried out by the Germans and their target was a

Canadian/French regiment. The

attack wiped out 2,000 soldiers. The memorial “The Brooding

So ld i er” s t a nd s t her e to commemorate the dead. As well as

paying our respects, we looked at how gas masks developed through

WW1 and into the start of WW2.

At the beginning of the Great War and after the first gas attack,

soldiers would always have a bucket of urine in the trenches and

if the gas siren went up you would grab your sock or a piece of rat, dump it in the bucket and cover your nose and mouth. This

later developed into

using a bandage that you could tie around

your neck and then into goggles to protect your

eyes against chlorine gas. The final outcome

was a mask that

covered the entire face and a filter that would neutralize the gas.

To finish off a great day, everyone on the trip gathered at Tyne

Cot which is the biggest British Military Cemetery in Belgium. Many of the graves say “A Soldier of the Great War, Known

Unto God” because the bodies found were unidentifiable. Also

around the edges of the cemetery are many names of the dead whose bodies were never found. At the very end of the trip we

laid wreaths for the Kent Regiment soldiers that had no known grave and had a minute’s silence to remember them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this once in a lifetime adventure because

not only was it interesting but it also gave me a chance to respect

the men and women who gave their lives for the country so we could live how we do today. It was an emotional experience and

one I will never forget.

Ada Rising, 8 Hg3

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmattandvicki.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F02%2Fday-5-war-monuments%2F&psig=AOvVaw11uDuoEONeOlhuirmMRru6&ust=1554202327389585

This year’s Sixth Form Open Evening on 23rd January offered prospective students a view of all The Rochester Grammar School has to

offer at Sixth Form, whether it be at A level or the International Baccalaureate. Informative tours were given of the school by current

Sixth Form students where prospective students were given an insight into individual subject areas and departments at RGS, as well as

the opportunity to ask questions to students themselves. An overall view of the school was then given by Mrs Brinklow during her

speech. Additional speeches were given by the Head Girl, Ellie McIntyre, and one of our international students, David Fadare; they

each shared their unique journey and why they chose the Rochester Grammar School. All in all, the evening was a great success!

S IXTH FORM OPEN EVENING

RGS Newsletter Page 12

WE NEED NEW PARENT MEMBERS

TO JOIN THE RGSA!

The RGSA are a group of parents supported by staff whose purpose is to raise funds so that various departments can purchase items

to support your daughter’s learning.

The RGSA help out at events throughout the year to enrich your daughter’s life outside the curriculum. These include: Drama and Music events, Flair, Parents’ Evenings, Discos, Founders’ Day ball etc. The meetings take place once a term and the group are a

registered charity. The RGSA also co-ordinate the sales of the nearly new uniform; the uniforms are then sold before the meetings which are advertised. We need committee members and helpers to successfully run as a charity.

Meetings take place once a term but you do not need to attend every meeting to support the RGSA, all are welcome to support school

events throughout the year.

If you would like more information, please contact office@rochestergrammar.org.uk.

On 13th March 2019,

Year 11 went on their annual trip to the London Lyceum theatre.

The production watched this year was a vibrant performance of The Lion King, not

only being a popular Disney animation but a successful musical masterpiece in the

West End. With around 170 teenage girls

(plus a very anxious Mrs French) anticipating having to witness the death of

Mufasa again, the idea of our childhood being brought to life in front of us was

thrilling and many of us discussed our excitement over the pizza and chips

provided for us during Period 3 before

getting on the coach.

Upon arriving at the theatre from an hour and half journey, there were many posters

of The Lion King displayed in front of the building; a buzz of energy amongst students

came from it as we stood outside waiting to

go in. Although the trip up the steps was long, it proved worthwhile due to the

school’s allocated seating area having a good view of both the stage and the

orchestra which additionally included two percussionists that created many of the

sound effects and played the African

drums.

I will never forget the opening of the performance. From not knowing what to

expect from a live adaption of the film I knew so well, I was suddenly

overwhelmed by the music and array of

colours that came from the lifting of the curtains. The first few scenes shown were

of the iconic “The Circle of Life” number where many actors intriguingly mimicked

the movements of both animal and plant alike with extravagant costumes

For me personally, despite the actors all doing an amazing recreation of the

characters in the story, the best representation of a character was George

Asprey’s “Scar”. He captured the lion’s demeanour and nonchalance effectively to

the point that I was conflicted over

cheering for the actor’s showmanship or booing the villainous character that is

usually done in shows like this one. Overall, the play was different, exciting

and an experience I will never forget.

To bring the day to a close, we presented

Mrs French with a Lion King gift for her baby that we collectively contributed

money for and bought at the theatre, organised by students from Hildegard

house. The coach home seemed even livelier than on the way there, where the

performance was a hot topic of

conversation and turned into everyone singing songs together. On coach 1, both

Byron and Cassidy’s Year 11 choir songs were belted out from every direction,

followed by teachers joining in to a badly sung rendition of Mr Brightside and No

Scrubs. Evening, our coach was nearing

the school and probably one of the highlights of my day was when the drive

Mike announced that we had not only been the best entertainment but the best

group he had driven in his lifetime. Of course, this led to cheering and a very

proud performance of the school song to

end the day. On behalf of my year, I would like to say a huge thank you to the

everyone who organised and took us on this trip. So to everyone, Hakuna Matata!

GabrielleOseni, Cd6

YEAR 11—THE LION KING

Issue 2 2019 Page 13

NEW S IXTH FORM EXECUTIVE TEAM

Following a rigorous process, we now have in place our new

Executive Team who we have every faith in successfully leading

the study body and serving as positive role models. They were put

through their paces and proved their leadership skills through a

range of interviews, learning walks and delivering in a whole

school assembly, justifying which individual they would put on the

new £50 note. Following a vote and one final interview, we are

pleased to announce the following students have been selected for

the new team.

The new team area: Magda Sime (Executive Officer for

Communications), Amy Cottrill (Executive Officer for House

Officers), Mayong Tabe (Deputy Head Girl for Academic Officers),

Ellie McIntyre – Head Girl, and Michelle Ngugi (Executive Officer

for Community).

We would like to congratulate these students and we wish the new

Executive Team the very best of luck in their new roles.

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

Acting as Chairman of Student Council, alongside my Exec

Team and House Captains, has been a highlight of my time as Head Girl. It was enlightening to see how involved student

council actually are within the school whether that involved organising events or the little changes happening every day.

Throughout the year we blended and learned how to make important changes as a group working towards the same goal-

making the school an even better place to be. Witnessing the little

successes that we knew we had been involved in always made the process worthwhile. One of the most notable changes we made

was the implementation of the new Student Rep system. We were concerned that the feedback we received from House

discussions may not be entirely representative of the whole student body. In order to combat this, we created a system that

ensures each year group has their voice heard and reported to us.

I am excited to see how the new student council will make use of this system.

There have definitely been challenges during my time on the council, but these came hand in hand with exciting experiences

and rewarding outcomes. There were no challenges that our little team found impossible to handle, considering the positive

dynamic we developed throughout the year. As the new student

council take over, I am confident that the school will only continue to make positive changes through the student council

system.

Alice Humphrys—Head Girl 2017-18

Our very first Student Council experience was very interesting to

say the least. We sat there surrounded by our respective counterparts- the only difference was that they had a year of

experience underneath their belts and could navigate each topic of feedback seamlessly without diverting too far into tangents. It was

very clear to see that these were very big shoes to fill but through every step of the way, they integrated us cleverly into the routine to

get us used to how things work.

Two Student Council meetings later, I am proud to say that we have found our stride as a team and hit the ground running. It has

been incredibly inspiring to see initiatives we have discussed using feedback from all over the school in our meetings being

implemented in school already. In just about 2 hours, we have gone from getting meal deals for all students put in place to getting

the clocks around school replaced and working, as well as lots of

other little things in between. We cannot wait to spend more time working with the rest of the student body and the senior leadership

team to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and that our school continues to elevate for everyone in it.

Thank you to the old Student Council for all they achieved, leaving them as a tough act to follow and here’s to the next year of

constructive meetings and results!

Michelle Ngugi – Community Officer

Issue 2 2019 Page 14

LOOKING AHEAD—

IMPORTANT DATES FOR TERMS 5&6 2019

The full newsletter can be downloaded from the RGS website.

Tuesday 23 April Start of Term 5

23-28 April Year 11 GCSE oral examination

24 April Year 7 Parents Evening (1)

24-26 April Year 12 Art Mock exam

24-26 April Fitzgerald Charity Week

29 April – 17 May IB External examinations

29 April – 10 May Year 12 A level and IB Formal full unseen mocks

29 April Year 8 Options Taster Day

30 April RGSA Meeting (18:30)

1 May Year 8 Cornwall Parents’ meeting

2/3 May Year 7 Trip to Port Lympne

6 May May Day Bank Holiday

7-24 May Year 13 Revision Programme

9 –10 May Art GCSE examination

13 May- 7 June GCSE/A level external examinations

15 May Year 7 Parents Evening (2) and POL celebration

16 May Year 8 HPV

16 May 12IB Geography Fieldwork trip to Juniper Hall

17 May Year 9 HPV

20-21 May Year 10 Geography fieldwork days

20-24 May Year 13 Art A level examination

24 May Last Day of Term 5

Monday 3 June Start of Term 6

2-7 June Year 8 Cornwall Trip

10-14 June Year 7 Summative unseen exams

17-21 June Year 13 A level Art exhibition

24 June Year 9 Exel day

25/26 June Year 7 Dover Trip

26 June Year 5 Taster evening

28 June Year 12 Bank of England Visit / Year 11 & 13 Book Return day

1-3 June Year 11 into 12 Sixth Form Induction / Trip to Thorpe Park

3 July Year 6 Induction evening

4 July Year 6 Induction day

8-11 July Year 12 – Virtually University

12 July Founders’ Day and Fete

16 July Sports Day

17 July Olympiad

18 July House Arts Day

19 July Last Day of Term 6

3 September 2019 Start of Term