Hitchin Girls School:Hitchin Girls School

HITCHIN GIRLS’ SCHOOL 

A Specialist Science College 

Summer Term 2012 

Term ends at 12.30 pm on Friday 20 July. 

Students moving into Years 7, 12 & 13 return for the new academic year at 8.40 am on Tuesday 4 September. 

Year 13 students will leave at 12.30 pm that day. 

Years 8, 9, 10 & 11 return at 8.40 am on Wednesday 5 September. 

From September there will be no afternoon registration period. Students will go directly to Period 4 after lunch and will be registered there for the 

afternoon session. There will be a five minute warning bell at 1.25 p.m. to ensure that Period 4 starts on time. 

Welcome to our Summer and final edition of the Newsletter 

for this academic year. The size of the newsletter is an 

indication of just how much has been achieved this term; it has 

been a very busy and enjoyable period in the life of the school. 

I am writing this in the week following an amazing celebration 

for the school, beginning with World Sports’ Day and ending 

with our traditional Founders’ Day. There were so many events 

taking place in the Olympic themed week, which you can read 

about in this newsletter. I was also most impressed by the 

entrepreneurial skills shown by the girls at the end of the week 

when each form ran their stalls on Sports’ Day to compete to 

raise the most money as part of our Enterprise month. 

We were lucky enough to be invited to take a group of students 

to Hitchin to see The Queen’s visit in June where our School 

Council represented us along with representatives from other 

Secondary and Primary schools in the town. 

This term has also been the main examination season for our 

senior students. The girls have worked incredibly hard and I 

wish them every success with their results in August and for 

their further studies. From September, our Year 10 students, 

along with others nationally, will no longer follow modular 

courses of study at GCSE, but will instead be taught and 

examined in a linear course where their examinations will all 

be taken at the end of the two years period of study. This will 

provide a different landscape for these students and the staff 

are working on these new programmes of study to support 

these changes. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who 

responded to our consultation, regarding our uniform and 

changes to the school day. Particularly to those of you who 

made comments and suggestions. I can assure you that these 

were all read and discussed by both the Leadership Team and 

the Governing Body prior to our decision and were of great 

assistance in making our final decision. 

A number of staff are leaving us this term for a whole variety 

of exciting opportunities. These are: 

Mrs. McAdam (Science) who is relocating to live and work in 

Scotland. 

Miss Rai (Science) who has taken a teaching job in Malaysia. 

Miss Shah (Psychology) who is going to teach in Oman. 

Mrs. Frampton (Head of RE) who is relocating. 

Miss Mellowship (PE) who has been here temporarily is 

transferring to another local school. 

Mrs. Plowman (Technology) who has been appointed to 

another school locally. 

Miss Jacobs (Student Development) who is going to train to 

teach PE. 

Mrs. Elliott (RE) who has completed her temporary contract. 

There are also a number of staff who are retiring, having given 

many loyal years of service to the school. They are Mrs. 

Morgan (Mathematics), Dr. Logie (English) , Mrs. Poole (History 

and formerly Head of Frank House), Mrs. Gannon 

(Psychology) and Mrs. Mead (Assistant Headteacher). 

I would like to extend our sincerest thanks to leaving staff for 

their dedication and commitment to the school and to wish 

them all the very best for the future. I am particularly indebted 

to those staff who have been in the school for many years and 

those retiring staff have between them given 111 loyal years 

of service to our girls. 

I would like to thank you all for your support again for the 

students and the school over this academic year. The 

partnership between parents, the staff and the students is what 

makes this school successful and your input and support is 

much appreciated. I hope that you all enjoy the summer 

period and that hopefully there will be some good weather for 

us all to enjoy. 

Frances Manning, Headteacher 

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Hitchin Girls’ School 

EXAM RESULTS 

Students can collect their exam results from the Lower 

School Hall at the dates and time specified below: 

YEAR 13 STUDENTS 

Thursday 16th August 2012 

Arrive from 8am 


Thursday 16th August 



Thursday 23rd August 2012 



Thursday 23rd August 2012 


SCHOOL BUILDINGS & 

FACILITIES IMPROVEMENTS 

SPORTS FACILITIES 

We are very pleased to report that our new changing 

facility and classroom on the Highbury site behind the 

Music School has been completed on time and budget and 

will be in full use from September. Known as the Pavilion, it 

comprises a large classroom, changing facilities with 

showers, and a staff office. Refurbishment of the netball 

and tennis courts will now start with the aim of having these 

ready for September as well. When complete, we will have 

courts which meet the standard for school, local league and 

club netball and tennis. 

HIGHBURY HOUSE 

When the school transferred to Academy status last August, 

the Local Authority transferred responsibility for Highbury 

House, the base for the North Hertfordshire Music School, 

to Hitchin Girls’ School to allow the school to have greater 

use of the building during the school day. Since then, major 

refurbishment has been underway including repairs to 

plaster, new heating, improvements to lighting, redecoration 

and new flooring. All this has taken place whilst 

still allowing the rooms to be used for Music during the day 

and for Music School classes in the evening. This work will 

be completed for September when the school will use three 

of the larger rooms in the building as classrooms. Individual 

Music lessons will still take place in the remaining rooms 

and the Music School will continue to operate in the 

evening and at weekends. 

SCIENCE LABORATORIES 

Over the past few years we have been refurbishing and 

upgrading our Science laboratories. Eight have been 

completed so far with one remaining. We are very pleased 

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to report that The Wolfson Foundation has awarded the 

school a grant towards the cost of refurbishing the final 

Science Laboratory and purchasing a class set of 

computers. We are extremely grateful to The Foundation 

for their support, which will allow us to provide modern 

teaching facilities for all of our Science classes. 

MOBILE CLASSROOM (M29) 

The ‘mobile’ classroom situated between the Gymnasium 

and Main School building was erected in the early 1990s 

to provide an additional teaching space. This building has 

now reached the end of its practical life and is going to be 

replaced. We have applied for, and obtained, planning 

consent to erect a new two-storey block in its place which 

will provide two large classrooms. Work on dismantling 

and removing the existing classroom will start in the summer 

holiday and we hope that the new building will be complete 

and available for use by October half term. 

IT FACILITIES 

Plans are also in hand to improve our IT and e-learning 

facilities during 2012/13. This includes a new wireless 

system to allow greater use of mobile technology and an 

update to some of the workstations in our computer rooms. 

We will also be providing additional Apple Macintosh 

computers for Music and Media Studies. 

CHAIRMAN OF GOVERNORS 

END OF YEAR REPORT 

We are just completing our first year as an Academy and 

it seems appropriate to review how this new status has 

influenced the school and the community we serve. Many 

people will have noticed little difference in the day to day 

activity of the school. Others will have noted changes in 

attitude and approach to our longer term strategy as a result 

of greater financial and operational freedom. 

Where have some of these changes been? Hitchin Girls’ 

continues to be well oversubscribed. We have raised our 

planned admission numbers and following consultation with 

the Local Authority and community amended our admission 

criteria to maintain places for girls from the local Hitchin 

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The school is responsible for setting its own curriculum 

under Academy status. The Curriculum and Performance 

Committee has fully supported an increase in teaching time 

for GCSE subjects and a change from modular to linear 

teaching. A full review of the curriculum is taking place. 

The new Pavilion and tennis courts at Highbury Road are 

nearly complete and we are hoping to officially open the 

new building and courts early in October. This event will 

be combined with the re-opening of the Highbury House 

Music School following its refurbishment. This building was 

transferred to the school as part of the Academy settlement. 

The Asset Management Committee and all Governors 

decided that the old mobile classroom should be replaced 

as it is now not fit for purpose. Planning has been obtained 

for a new two storey building and contracts are being 

signed to commence this replacement during the coming 

summer break. We have been fortunate to obtain a grant 

of £40,000 from The Wolfson Foundation to complete the 

refurbishment of our Science laboratories. 

Financial management remains a major task in these days 

of austerity and reduced funding. Along with our Head 

and Financial Director the Finance Committee are able to 

keep a sensible balance between what the school needs 

and what it can afford. It is important that we maintain our 

Sixth Form numbers. We only have a very modest 

contingency planned for the next year or two. 

On behalf of the Governors I want to give grateful thanks to 

the Head, the Senior Leadership Team, Heads of Departments 

and House and all the staff for their magnificent contribution to 

the education and development of our students. This newsletter 

is full of the achievements of staff and students alike. 

Like every successful enterprise we see a healthy turnover 

of staff going to greater things whether professionally or 

personally. We lost our Deputy Head, Mrs. Donna Lodge, 

this year who was promoted to Principal of the new Studio 

School in Stevenage. We have been very fortunate in 

finding a new Deputy Head, James Crowther, who joins us 

in September from The Highfield School. We also 

welcomed two new Assistant Heads this term, Ruth Cooper 

and Richard Cave, who herald the change of focus on 

Teaching and Learning. Along with Assistant Head, Sally 

Mills and Director of Finance and Resources, Tony Hankin 

this makes a very able and very strong top team under the 

leadership of Frances Manning. 

At the end of this term we say farewell to our Assistant 

Head, Marie Mead, who is retiring. Marie has been 

serving this school for thirty nine years. This is a huge 

teaching lifetime of immense and incalculable value to so 

many students and colleagues. Amongst many other 

things, Governors will always remember her for the 

charismatic presentations of the year’s exam results. We 

wish her a long and happy retirement. 

The Governing Body welcomed three new Community 

Governors this year. They bring fresh skills and experience 

round the table. I would like to thank all our Governors for 

their energy, wisdom and good old fashioned common 

sense which they bring to bear in tackling the increasingly 

complex issues of Governance in this day and age. 

My final thanks go to the students themselves - you make us 

proud to be Governors. 

Colin Minton, Chairman of Governors 

AWARDS & PREFECTS 

Each year at the Founders’ Day assembly, a number of 

awards are presented to recognise achievement and 

service to the school. The following are congratulated on 

their awards: 

The Rand Award - presented for outstanding service to 

the school is awarded to Amy Saunders 

The Helen Porter Award for Biology is awarded to 

Stephanie Smith 

The Cathy Taplin Award for Art is awarded to 

Sophie Barks 

The Wendy Fitzgerald Award for English is awarded 

to Julia Speakman 

The Frank Ellis Award for Chemistry is awarded to 

Cassandra Kennedy 

The Beryl Wearmouth Award for Citizenship is 

awarded to Fiona Montgomery and Maria Verdeille 

The Anne Hendy Cup for Mathematics is a new award 

and is awarded to Sasha Gatselyuk 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Also at the assembly, the outgoing Head Girl, Ambir Mann, 

presented Chantal Taylor with the Head Girl badge for 

2012/2013. For the first time this year we have appointed 

two Deputy Head Girls, Gabrielle Hammond and Molly 

Mahoney, to assist our Head Girl. 

The Prefect Body for next year was also confirmed and the 

following are to be congratulated on their appointments: 

PREFECT BODY 2012-2013 

Head Girl – Chantal Taylor 

Deputy Head Girls – Gabrielle Hammond & Molly Mahoney 

AUSTEN HOUSE 

House Captain: Laura Sheldrick 

Deputy House Captain: Louise Fitzakerly 

Healthy Schools: Hannah Sheehan 

Sports Prefect: Hareena Gill 

BRONTE HOUSE 

House Captain: Anna Randall 

Deputy House Captain: Bobbi Minnis 

Healthy Schools: Ellie McKie 

Sports Prefect: Nikki Lau 

CURIE HOUSE 

House Captain: Gemma Brook 

Deputy House Captain: Ellis Wharton 

Healthy Schools: Vicky Barclay 

Sports Prefect: Sidney Nurthen 

FRANK HOUSE 

House Captain: Alexis O’Sullivan 

Deputy House Captain: Lauren Howe 

Healthy Schools: Laura Robinson 

Sports Prefect: Georgie Mumford 

JEWEL HOUSE 

House Captain: Anna Osborne 

Deputy House Captain: Jodie Vallance 

Healthy Schools: Megan Kerr-Barr 

Sports Prefect: Grace Mann 

TERESA HOUSE 

House Captain: Poppy Allen-Quarmby 

Deputy House Captain: Keziah Powell 

Healthy Schools: Alice Mills 

Sports Prefect: Zoe Waring 

STUDENT COUNCIL 

Behaviour for Learning: Serene Esuroso 

Healthy Schools: Claudia McPhail 

Making A Difference: Sammi Wong 

Community Cohesion: Aminah Ramzan 

Teaching and Learning: Aimee Magill 

SPECIALISM 

HGS COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS 

Once again this year’s cohort of Ambassadors has built on 

the excellent standard established by last year’s group. Both 

in school and in the wider community the praise for what 

our girls offer and contribute is overwhelming. The impact 

of the scheme is felt by students and staff alike with some 

Ambassadors now seeking to undertake degrees in areas 

related to their Ambassador roles. 

Again this year we shall be celebrating their 

achievements at our annual Celebration Breakfast on 

Thursday 19 July where those that have been 

Ambassadors will be presented with certificates. This also 

marks the official end of their Ambassadorial role, many 

will continue their roles into Year 13 on a voluntary basis 

and we look forward to their continued contributions. We 

would like to thank all of the Primary schools and 

community group colleagues for their continued support 

and enthusiasm for this scheme. 

We were exceptionally pleased that our fantastic art work 

for The Memory Project received coverage in The Comet 

newspaper. 

We are anxiously waiting to receive footage of the orphans 

receiving their portraits which we will share with everyone 

in the Autumn newsletter. Until then we have received the 

following comment from The Memory Project’s founder, 

Ben Schumaker: 

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‘Thanks so much to you and your talented, creative, 

dedicated team. These will be delivered to the kids in 

Honduras over the summer. The kids are really going to 

value these gifts.’ 

We were also thrilled to receive the images below of the 

portraits that our friends at The Chapin School have been 

creating for the same orphanage in Honduras. 

Mrs. R. Cooper, Assistant Headteacher 

STUDENT GLOBAL 

LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE 

This summer, we; Rebecca Hankin, Ayo Awokoya and 

Nikki Lau (Year 12) will be travelling to Hawaii for two 

weeks to attend this year’s Student Global Leadership 

Institute. This will involve many different schools from 

countries all around the world, including America, China, 

Singapore, Sweden and Japan participating in activities 

based on this year’s topic which is ‘Health’. On our first 

day, we must give a presentation about ‘Health’ from our 

perspective, i.e. as we know it in our own country. This will 

give us an amazing opportunity, working with students from 

other schools, to see how the UK’s health system compares 

with that of other countries, such as the United States and 

China. For example, a major topic (of course) will be the 

NHS, and the pros and cons of being able to have a free 

National Service for the whole population. 

During our stay, we will be listening to talks and seminars from 

many prominent figures from the International Health Industry. 

So far, we have been completing online tasks as 

‘homework’ for the upcoming trip, we have contacted girls 

from The Chapin School who we are combining with to 

represent global girls’ education for the trip. Our friends 

there seem very enthusiastic about the trip and we are also 

very excited to meet them, so we can further develop our 

partnership with their school. 

Upon our return we will begin to put into action, both in 

school and the local community, the project we have 

devised whilst at the SGLI. 

We would love for you to follow us while we are away. We 

will be making a daily blog and video diary which you will 

be able to access via the school website. 

HGS OLYMPICS WEEK 

In this great year of British sport we marked the forthcoming 

London 2012 Games with a fun packed week in school. 

Across all subjects students had Olympic themes and elements 

highlighted in their normal lessons. Just some examples of the 

activities that took place are: 

The Paula Radcliffe Challenge – Year 10 girls tried to 

complete the same distance and time as Paula Radcliffe – 

even by combining their efforts this was hard! 

Year 7 composed fanfares for the opening ceremony in Music. 

Qualities of an Olympian were explored through lessons in 

English. 

Students in Classics lessons looked at the Ancient Olympic 

Games and what they contributed to modern Olympics – not 

to mention Miss Hay, Amy Saunders and their team of 

students preparing the performance for the ‘sacred lighting 

of the flame’ for the Opening Ceremony. 

Health and Social Care students looked at Disability in Sport. 

Get set - on your marks, get set, breathe experiments were 

undertaken in Biology lessons throughout Years 7-9. 

Technology ran a competition for students to design their own 

Olympic Logo and have it made into a t-shirt. 

In Art students looked at how movement is captured and 

represented in Art looking at the work of an artist from the 

Futurist movement. 

Olympics based tasks, differentiated at Bronze, Silver and 

Gold level to cover different year groups and abilities, were 

used in Maths along with the Grand Finale of our annual 

Maths Road Show with teams from William Ransom, Purwell, 

St. Andrews schools and our own Year 7 students. 

In MFL lessons students undertook language tasks against 

the clock. In doing so they built up a range of vocabulary 

and structures relating to the Olympic Games and 

developed a greater understanding of how foreign 

languages play a pivotal role in the success of the games. 

In Geography students continued with their ‘Faster, Higher, 

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Stronger’ project. 

We all (staff included!) kick started the week with a mass 

Zumba session on the field! Nearly 800 students and staff 

met on the field at 8.50am and proceeded to be led in an 

invigorating Zumba session that left us all energised for the 

day ahead. We would like to thank Ruth our professional 

Zumba instructor who led us all in dance. 

In addition to this the PE department ran a range of exciting 

activities both during lessons and at lunchtimes which 

included a Cheerleading workshop, Dance workshops, 

Wheelchair basketball, Christians in Sport, UK Jump Rope 

team workshops and Rugby workshops. 

The whole week was captured on camera and thanks go 

to the Media department for their help in organising this. 

Special thanks go to Vicky Barclay (SF C2) who filmed the 

vast majority of the week and who has created a wonderful 

film that students will see during the end of year Celebration 

Assembly. 

Our HGS Olympics Week culminated in a very special day 

that saw in the morning our Founders’ Day followed by a 

very special Sports’ Day complete with full Opening 

Ceremony, Olympic Flame and Medal Ceremony. 

Throughout the afternoon announcements were given in a 

variety of languages spoken by our girls including German, 

Swedish and Hungarian as a celebration of the wonderful 

array of home languages that our girls speak. Thanks go 

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each challenge. 

Winning teams from most of the schools attended the 

Roadshow Finale here at Hitchin Girls’ School and were set 

even more complex challenges. They worked solidly for 

over 90 minutes on a very warm afternoon and the 

competition was fierce! Congratulations to Purwell School, 

who were the winning team 

to the MFL department for organising and co-ordinating this. 

We have made significant and important progress during 

this academic year to the international work that we do and 

with our participation in the SGLI this summer and the 

collaborative work we plan to establish with Miss Rai when 

she has settled in Malaysia and Miss O’Reilly when she is 

settled in India. We know that it will only be a matter of 

time before we secure the Full International School Award 

from The British Council. 

MATHS DEPARTMENT 

THE HENDY CUP 

This year sees the inauguration of a Mathematics Award, 

The Hendy Cup. It is presented to a student who has not 

only distinguished themselves mathematically, but has 

contributed to the promotion of mathematics within school. 

Mrs. Hendy is a former Head of department who has spent 

her entire teaching career at Hitchin Girls’ School. She has 

had an incredible impact on the school, the Mathematics 

department, and the thousands of students whom she has 

taught and supported through their mathematical studies 

and examinations. 

This year the cup has been awarded to Sasha Gatselyuk 

in Year 13. 

THE MATHS ROADSHOW 

The Maths Department have again been visiting local 

primary schools with the Maths Roadshow. Year 5 and 6 

students have been set many problems to solve, including 

tangrams, code breaking and number puzzles and have 

felt a real sense of achievement when they have completed 

MATHS CHALLENGE 

This term we have had great success with the UK Maths 

Challenges that we have undertaken. These test the girls’ 

problem solving skills and mathematical abilities, stretching 

and challenging some of our most able students. 

Firstly, in the Junior Maths Challenge, the girls achieved 20 

Bronze Awards, 21 Silver Awards and a special mention 

goes to Charlotte King, Florence Allard, Violet Pritchard, 

Priya Mann, Fiona Burn and Emily Brewis, who all achieved 

Gold Awards, with Shannon Fang gaining best in Year 7 

and Isolde Pryle best in School. 

Secondly, two teams from Year 7 were entered into the 

Hertfordshire Team Challenge. One team was selected to 

take part in the County Final, they came a very close fifth. 

Mr. B. Allison, Head of Mathematics 

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Have a go at the following puzzles: 

1) In a certain family, each girl has as many sisters as 

brothers but each boy has twice as many sisters as 

brothers. How many children were there? 

2) Betty and Belinda’s combined age is 91. Betty is now 

twice as old as Belinda was when Betty was as old as 

Belinda is now. How old are they both now? 

ANSWERS ON PAGE 11 

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT 

CHEMISTRY 

ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY ANALYST 

COMPETITION 

This term we have entered two practical Chemistry 

competitions. In the Analyst competition, two teams of Sixth 

Form students carried out detailed chemical experiments 

which were designed to show how accurate and precise they 

could be. They competed against several public schools and 

finished creditably in fifth and sixth places respectively. 

SALTERS CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE 

We also entered a team of Year 8 students for the Salters’ 

Chemistry Challenge. This was a practical, problem-solving 

day held at the University of Bedfordshire with a dozen 

other teams. Congratulations go to our team of Dora 

Housham, Isolde Pryle, Katharine Morley and Hannah Croft 

who beat off stiff opposition to win first prize! 

BIG BANG SCIENCE FAIR 

As I write we are just about to send off three teams to the 

Big Bang Science Fair at Duxford. This is an opportunity for 

the winning teams to display the work they did for the 

school Science Fair in March with up to one hundred 

schools from the Anglian region participating. 

OTHER NEWS.... 

Finally the Summer term would not be the same without our 

visits to local junior schools to present ‘The Potions 

Roadshow’. This is a chance for us to show off our best 

experiments and to stimulate young minds to the wonders 

of Science. If you have not seen it yet, make a date to come 

to next year’s Science Fair in March. 

Mr. P. Jackson, Head of Science 

PHYSICS 

CERN, GENEVA 

On the 12 and 13 July, Miss O'Reilly and I will accompany 

a group of 11 A-level Physics students to CERN in Geneva, 

host to the largest particle accelerator in the world. 

Relevant to the A2 Physics course where Particle Physics 

forms an important part of the syllabus, this will be a useful 

opportunity for the students to study and learn about one 

of the top research facilities in the world, currently engaged 

in the search for the illusive Higgs Boson or 'God particle'. 

This is one of the so far undiscovered fundamental particles 

which is expected to be found by CERN if our ideas about 

Particle Physics are anywhere near correct. There will be 

opportunities for the students to question Research 

Physicists about their work as well as having a tour of the 

laboratories, detectors and computer facilities in this huge 

complex that stretches across the French-Swiss border. 

Over lunch the group will also meet Ph.D. and Post- 

Doctoral students working at CERN with a chance to ask 

about their research projects in a more informal setting. 

Mr. Adrian Jackson, Head of Physics 

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Come & Join In 

The Fun! 

You’ll discover the history of elementary education 

housed in two impressive grade 2 listed school buildings. 

Explore Victorian, Edwardian and WW2 classrooms, have 

a go at writing with an ink pen or in a sand tray! 

Peek into the home of a Victorian headmaster’s family 

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Lots to see – Lots to do, Rain or Shine! 

Open to the public March – November: 

Tuesdays 10am – 4pm 

Saturdays 10am – 1pm • Sundays 2pm – 5pm 

Extra summer holiday openings 

between 27th July - 31st August: 

Wednesdays 10am – 3pm • Fridays 10am – 1pm 

Admission Charge – Café & Gift Shop 

BRITISH SCHOOLS MUSEUM 

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BIOLOGY 

BAYFORDBURY 2012 

In May all A2 Biologists took part in an ‘Ecology in a Day‘ 

course at the East of England Learning Centre. It was a 

packed day of theory and practical work with lots of walking. 

The students had to work hard but it was worth it as we 

actually finished the A level course that day and additionally 

several students were able to improve their practical skills. 

INDONESIA 2013 

This proved to be a popular trip and 30 students from the 

present Year 11 and 12 groups were lucky enough to gain a 

place. We will travel to Indonesia in July and August 2013 

where students will study tropical rainforest ecology including 

canopy access. We will be living in satellite camps and 

sleeping in hammocks. In the second week we travel to the 

coast and students will be trained for their PADI diving open 

water qualification and then take part in tropical reef surveys. 

Mrs. M.Dixon, Head of Biology 

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT 

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YEAR 7 SPELLING BEE SEMI FINALISTS! 

Eleanor Graham, Lauren Moore, Mary Thornton and Olivia 

Abbiss proudly took Hitchin Girls’ School through to the 

Regional Semi Finals in Cambridge on Thursday 17 May. 

After competing in the online round at school, we found that 

we were one of only 100 out of 1200 schools nationwide 

to get through to the semi finals! We continued to practise 

with weekly meetings until the 17 May when we all 

feverishly hoped we were 

ready! 

On arrival at Cineworld 

we prepared to face the 

fearsome judges. The first 

round was just like a 

game show and the 

teachers watched in 

nervous anticipation. 

After a short break, came the tense quick-fire round and the 

pressure was on! Sadly, we were not victorious, but we did 

have lots of fun! 

By Mary Thornton and Olivia Abbiss, 7J 

MICHAEL MORPURGO MASTERCLASS 

I was lucky to attend the Creative Writing Masterclass at 

Ashlyns School in Berkhamsted with Michael Morpurgo. 

The aim of the day was to find out more about Michael 

Morpurgo and the inspiration for his writing. 

I have enjoyed Michael Morpurgo’s books so much and I 

was very excited to be meeting him in person. He started 

the day by talking about how he picks out experiences from 

his life on which to base his stories. He spoke about his 

career as a teacher and how his writing began. When he 

read to his Year 6 class the students were bored, so he 

decided to make up his own stories. 

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He spoke about ‘Private Peaceful’ and ‘War Horse’ and 

how he based his stories around an object. He enjoyed 

going to museums to look at objects and conjure up 

possibilities for his stories. His characters are based on 

people he has met over the years. 

He read a passage from ‘Private Peaceful’ and used voices 

to get the identity of the characters across. Sometimes he 

sounded quite dramatic and it brought the characters to life. 

He said it was very important to read every day to broaden 

your imagination. 

I enjoyed the day very much; I just wish there had been 

more time to ask Michael more questions. 

By Isobel West 7B 

MUSIC DEPARTMENT 

animated music and to have conversations with the girls. 

Founders’ Day was on Friday 29 June, this is a very 

important part of school life for students in Years 11 and 

13 as it often marks the end of a school ‘journey’, and the 

Senior Choir plays a very important role in this. This year’s 

selection of music was chosen and conducted by Ms. 

Hetherington from Hitchin Boys’ School, as this is rotated 

between the two schools’ Music departments. As always, 

the choir performed in a professional manner and the 

occasion was one to remember not only for leavers in Years 

11 and 13, but for all involved, including those in Year 7 

participating for the first time. 

The Summer Concert involved ensembles of all sizes from 

the Junior Flute Group to Wind Band. For many, this was 

the last concert with the school after 7 years of 

participation in musical extra-curricular activities. They will 

be sorely missed and thanks go to these girls for all their 

support over the years. 

Mr. B. Chambers, Head of Music 

SPANISH PAELLA EVENING 

On 30 May, the Modern Foreign Language and Food 

Technology departments hosted a Spanish Paella Evening 

for Year 9 students interested in studying GCSE Spanish in 

Year 10 and keen to sample a typical Spanish dish. The 

evening started with a demonstration by Mrs. Richards and 

then the girls made their paella (with or without seafood!) 

whilst listening to some Spanish music 

Miss. C. Gunns, Modern Foreign Languages 

Although the Summer term is always the busiest due to 

exams for all years, students have continued to engage in 

the extra-curricular music activities. Earlier this term, the 

HGS Folk Group went to entertain the residents of Elmside 

Care Home. The residents were very pleased to hear the 

ART DEPARTMENT 

ART AND DESIGN A LEVEL ART SHOW 

Our annual exhibition of work by AS and A Level students 

was presented to students, family, friends and the general 

public between the 25 and 27 June. The work, which filled 

the Drama room and main school corridor, represented the 

hard work and talent of our forty two students over their 

respective one year courses. 

The standard of the work was as high as ever, with the 

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addition this year of film work to complement the sculpture, 

painting, drawing, textiles and photographic work on show. 

Congratulations to all the students concerned. 

THE QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE 

Year 8 students at Hitchin Girls’ School have created three 

major, collaborative pieces of textile art to mark The 

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. These ambitious wall hangings 

are the result of an on-going homework based project run 

jointly by the Art and History departments. 

We wanted our Year 8 students to mark The 

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and develop 

valuable independent study skills. The Jubilee 

Time Capsule - an ambitious on-line time 

capsule that gives people across the globe 

the chance to create a digital Diamond 

Jubilee gift for Her Majesty The Queen – 

proved the ideal focus for the project. 

Students have researched History from The 

Queen’s reign, collected and written stories from their own 

and others’ memories and researched a commonwealth 

nation. As well as creating individual entries for the on-line 

time capsule, they have used further research into historic 

and contemporary textiles and art to inspire the making of 

their own textile flag to represent a Commonwealth nation. 

The final works were put onto the Jubilee Time Capsule as an 

entry which has been in the top sixty and will, if chosen by a 

panel of judges, be shown to The Queen. Entries were due to 

be judged in June, but the deadline has now been extended 

until this autumn, so please keep voting for our entry ‘Art for 

the Queen’ at http://www.jubileetimecapsule.org. 

This project was only possible due to the kind donation of 

fabrics by parent Millie Reeves, founder of Quantum 

Interiors who can be contacted via www.qidesigners.co.uk. 

Ms. S. Wallace, Head of Art. 

participation in an interactive programme Year 12 students 

will continue to develop transferable skills, knowledge and 

understanding for use in full-time education and in the 

working world. 

On 25 June we were delighted to welcome Peter Thorp from 

Studyflex. While Peter worked with the students new ideas 

blossomed about how they could develop current and future 

job roles. Students also discussed and presented ideas on 

how the course might help them adapt to life at university. 

Successful completion of the course leads to the Level 3 

Award in First Line Management accredited by the CMI, 

the UK’s leading awarding body for management 

qualifications. Our students are showing real enthusiasm 

and commitment which we hope leads to them becoming 

members of the CMI Academy. 

ENTERPRISE MONTH 

As Enterprise month draws to a close, we were pleased the 

wind and rain did not deter 

our students from setting out 

their stalls on Founders’ Day. 

This year our young bakers, 

aided by parents and carers, 

produced a wide selection of 

tempting goodies many of 

which were linked to a Jubilee 

or Olympic theme. Under the 

watchful eye of Mrs. 

Wheelock pancakes galore 

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BUSINESS STUDIES 

The department is working with 

Studyflex to deliver a programme of 

study that provides an introduction 

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consumed. Our students also used their art and craft skills to 

entice buyers with a range of jewellery and hand and face 

embellishments. Customer service was taken to new heights 

as staff were encouraged to try new experiences. 

So far, we have raised just over £1,500, which will be 

added to the profit made during Enterprise month last year. 

All the monies raised will be used to purchase sports 

equipment for use in the new sports hall. 

The activities provide pupils with many new experiences 

which would not be possible without the support of parents, 

carers and sponsors. We extend our thanks to all who 

supported the day. 

Mrs. J. Molloy, Head of Business Studies 

DRAMA 

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT DRAMA 

FESTIVAL 

Mr. Balfe, Head of Drama, represented Hitchin 

Girls’ at the International Student Drama Festival 

(ISDF) in Sheffield in June. Mr. Balfe has been 

attending the National Student Drama Festival 

(NSDF) as a student and teacher since 1981 and 

has taken groups from Hitchin Girls’ and Hitchin 

Boys’ Schools in the past. The ISDF was a special one-off 

version of the NSDF designed to celebrate the 2012 

Olympic Cultural Festival. In the four days he attended Mr. 

Balfe saw ten plays in six different theatres, including the 

entries from Japan and Germany. He also saw a film 

presented by a theatrical practitioner from Gaza showing 

children’s monologues. As well as the plays there were 

various discussions, special events, workshops and talks. 

Mr. Balfe is hoping to organise a visit by Sixth Formers to 

Scarborough, home of the NSDF, for the 2013 Festival 

which runs from 23 to 29 March. It is even a possibility that 

we might enter a play to be auditioned for the Festival – 

further details will be available next term. 

THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S 

AWARD 

A number of Year 11, 12 and 13 students attended a 

presentation evening recently to collect their Duke of 

Edinburgh’s Awards. The evening was hosted by Hitchin 

Girls’ School and the awards were presented by ex-pupil and 

now successful Author and Comedienne, Emma Kennedy. 

Congratulations to all those who achieved their Bronze and 

Silver awards. 

HISTORY 

In February Ayo-Oluwa Awokoya (Year 12) and Tara 

Anderson (Year 13) took part in The Holocaust Education 

Trust’s Understanding the Holocaust Programme. This 

involved visiting the Polish WW2 Camp and communicating 

their experience and understanding to the wider school 

community upon their return. 

POLAND TRIP AUSCHWITZ 

As part of The Holocaust Education Trust programme I took 

the opportunity to visit the Polish Death Camp Auschwitz 

with Tara Anderson (Year 13). The main aim of the trip was 

to gain a better understanding of The Holocaust and the 

enormous impact it had on the Jewish population within 

Europe. What I learnt on that trip was invaluable, allowing 

me to experience some of the obstacles the Jews had to face 

and though I could never truly grasp the hardships faced 

during The Holocaust the perceptions I entered with 

changed completely. Going on that trip was a worthwhile 

experience that I would encourage others to participate in. 

By Ayo-Oluwa Awokoya. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-15-

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SPORTS’ REPORT 

SUMMER 2012 

The summer has been one of the most disrupted summers 

that we, in the PE department, can remember for many 

years, due to the inclement weather. We have had a 

number of important fixtures and events postponed and so 

at the time of going to press are still in the middle of trying 

to complete all our matches, clubs and many of our lessons. 

We started the Easter holidays with our first Senior Netball 

Tour to Malta where our Senior Netball players took part in 

a busy week of coaching and fixtures, against a number of 

British and International teams. The students were excellent 

Ambassadors for the school, both on and off the sports’ field. 

Congratulations also to Miss Mellowship and Miss O’Reilly for 

completing the London Marathon at the beginning of this term. 

A few days into the Summer term, our Cricketers took part 

in the Regional rounds for Women’s Cricket. They all 

played commendably against some tough opposition. 

Our Gifted and Talented athletes attended a training 

afternoon, where they were coached in the finer points of 

a number of events. 

Also our GCSE and A level PE and Dance students worked 

hard at the beginning of the term to complete their practical 

coursework. Many of the Year 11 students took part in a 

highly charged Saturday revision session and our dancers 

displayed their choreography in an ‘Evening of Dance’ for 

parents and friends. 

Many of our students have been taking part in the Inter- 

House League although the weather has caused us to 

postpone and re-arrange a considerable number of these 

fixtures. We are hopeful that we will be able to complete 

this League before the end of term. 

A large Year 7 team also took part in a Sporting Festival at 

Knights’ Templar School, where they participated in a wide 

range of Paralympic activities including Wheelchair 

Basketball and Boccia. 

Our Sports’ Leaders are coming to the end of their level 1, 

2 And 3 Awards, continuing to develop their coaching and 

leadership skills in school, in our local feeder schools and 

at local festivals. Our Year 10 Netball players have 

completed their Young Netball Leaders Award. 

Our athletes have competed at County and District level 

and also in the County Championships and District 

Championships. We started the term with the County Multi 

Events Championships, with our Under 17 team of Olivia 

Dixon, Alice Sunderland and Fran Maydom finishing in 

2nd place overall. Individually, they all finished in the top 

12 with Fran Maydom being selected as second reserve 

for the County Schools team. At Under 15 level, Sophie 

Pyle achieved 21st place. She also achieved 7th place 

overall in the Hertfordshire Pentathlon Championship later 

in the term. At the Individual County Championships, Emily 

Evans finished in 1st place in the Under 17 Hammer event 

and has been selected to represent Hertfordshire at the 

English Schools’ Championship in July. At County level, 

Alessandra Stevens finished second in the Under 17 

Hammer, Kirsty Bateman-Foley finished 2nd in the Under 

17 Javelin and Vicky Marquiss achieved 6th in the Under 

17 300m. At Under 15 level, Ellie Mann was 5th in the 

200m and Alana Hollingsworth Biggs was 12th in the 

1500m. In her first athletics season, Synovia Green (Year 

7) achieved an outstanding 2nd place in the 100m finals 

at Under 13 level. Alessandra Stevens also competed at 

East Region Club level in Hammer where she finished in 1st 

place, ranking her at 14th in the UK. 

At District level our Year 7 (A and B teams) finished 2nd 

overall, the Year 8 (B and C) team finished 2nd and the 

Year 9 (B and C) team were overall winners! 

At County League level, our Year 8 and Year 10 teams, 

reached the plate finals where they finished in 6th and 4th 

place respectively. 

The Senior District Championship took place on the evening 

before the examinations started and we were delighted that 

our Senior team finished in 1st place overall. The District 

Championships for other years saw all girls work hard in some 

tough competitions with many Gold, Silver and Bronze medals 

being won in a number of events. Overall, we achieved 4th 

place in the Year 8 competition and were 2nd in the Year 9 

and joint 1st place in the Year 7 and 10 competitions. District 

Champions were Hettie Inniss (Hurdles), Olivia Dixon 

(Hurdles), Kirsty Bateman-Foley (100m and Javelin), Synovia 

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Green (Long Jump and 200m), Ellie Mann (200m), Ria 

Xenophontas (Shot) and Maddy Davies (Discus). A special 

mention to Kirsty Bateman-Foley who now holds the record for 

the Year 10 Javelin at District level. 

We continue to challenge all 

of our students who are 

taught Athletics during 

lessons, to complete the 5 

star Award scheme; this 

year, the top award of 5 

stars was being calculated 

as this bulletin went to press 

and will be announced in 

Final Assembly. 

The week of Sports’ Day was 

especially busy as we made 

this our Olympic themed 

week, where students were 

given the opportunity to take 

part in numerous extra 

activities. In PE lessons the 

girls were able to access the expertise of Rugby coaches, 

Cheerleader coaches, Specialist Dance workshops, 

Wheelchair Basketball and took part in workshops run by 

the GB Jump Rope team. Sports’ Day took place over two 

days but culminated in an Olympic Sports’ Day afternoon, 

all teams represented a country with a display of flags and 

mascots. We were delighted that a number of our old girls, 

who are existing record holders, were able to return for the 

afternoon and present our special commemorative medals 

in their particular events. The trophies this year were won 

by Year 11 (Senior), 9A (Intermediate) and 7J (Junior) with 

the House trophy being won by Austen. 

As part of our involvement in the Olympic Get Set programme, 

we were given 16 tickets for the Women’s Football events 

which will be distributed at the end of this term. 

One of our most exciting individual achievements this Summer 

happened at the Olympic Stadium, where Maria Verdeille 

(Year 11) qualified to compete in the 100m and 200m in an 

International Pre-Test event and the National School Games. 

She achieved two consecutive 

Personal Best results in the 100m 

over 2 days, with a Season’s Best in 

the 200m. We are all very proud of 

Maria’s achievements and look 

forward to seeing her compete at a 

high level in the future. 

A special mention also to Sophie 

Pyle who competed at National 

level in Diving where she finished in 

11th place in the 14–16 age 

group. Also, many congratulations 

to Charlotte Reid who competed in 

the ASA National Championships 

in Sheffield where she qualified for 

the finals in the 50m Backstroke. In 

doing do, she also broke the East 

Region record for this event which 

means that she holds the fastest time 

within 6 counties. 

Congratulations to Louisa Field (Year 7) who achieved first 

place overall in the Herts. Artisitc Gynmastics Grade 9 

competition and then went on to win second place in the 

Regional Championship. 

Our Rounder’s teams have continued to play well this season. 

At the District tournaments, the Year 13 team finished in 3rd 

place in their round, with the Year 12 and Year 11 teams 

losing out in the semi-finals. The Year 7 team narrowly missed 

qualifying for the semi-finals finishing 2nd in their section and 

the Year 8 team were knocked out in the semi final match. 

The Year 9 will play their tournament at the end of term. 

Tennis Clubs have been well attended this term despite the 

weather. Congratulations to Elizabeth Hodge and Aoife 

Scanlan who have been excellent Tennis leaders this term, 

helping out with the House League and Tennis Clubs. The Year 

8 Tennis team of Sophie Taylor and Juliet Todman won the 

Letchworth Tennis Tournament coming up against another 

Hitchin Girls’ doubles pair, Libby Brodie and Katherine Morley 

in the finals. This team of girls have also qualified for the 

Nicola Mabbitt Final later on in the term. 

We were fortunate to obtain Wimbledon tickets this year and 

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10 students were able to go along on the first day of play. 

The annual Gym and Dance display involving over 200 

students took place during the week of 2 July. The 

participation rates in these clubs and activities are unfailing 

and we are continually amazed at the commitment and 

enthusiasm for this annual event. We are also very grateful 

to the army of senior students who assist and lead a variety 

of Gym and Dance clubs; without them we would not be 

able to offer the breadth and range of activities. 

As another busy Summer comes to an end, we continue to 

be impressed with the achievements of the girls and look 

forward to re-starting the Winter activities in September. 

Have a good Summer and enjoy the Olympic Games! 

Mrs. D. Maydom, Head of Physical Education 

AUSTEN HOUSE 

Well done to all the girls who have worked very hard for their 

exams. I hope the results will send you off to your chosen 

destination at University or College. I must also thank the 

outgoing Prefects, for their hard work. I would also like to 

welcome Austen’s new Prefects who have already started 

enthusiastically becoming involved with the lower forms. 

Since the school exams each form has been busy getting 

ready for various activities happening this term. There have 

been House Rounder’s and Tennis Leagues, teams for Sports’ 

day, stalls for the Enterprise event and Choir and Orchestra 

rehearsals for Founders’ day; We gained an excellent result 

on Sports’ Day with 7A in 3rd place, 10A in 2nd place and 

9A winning their year group. Overall Austen House won 

Sports’ Day, an excellent achievement! I am very proud of 

all the girls. Well done to all those girls who have managed 

to work all year with 100% Behaviour for Learning; at half 

term there were 73 girls. Also a very special mention to 

95 students who have an exceptionally good attendance 

record of 95% or above. Certificates will be awarded for 

this outstanding achievement at the end of the Summer term. 

May I take this opportunity to wish Miss Rai all the very best 

in her new job and thank her for all her hard work with 9A. 

I wish all Austen girls and staff a very restful Summer holiday. 

Mrs. J. Cornell, Head of Austen House 

BRONTE HOUSE 

Bronte students have been working hard this term to organise 

wonderful Enterprise stalls for Founders’ Day, which include 

selling bath bombs, face masks, henna patterns, bracelets, 

fruit cocktails, samosas and the ever popular cup cakes! 

We have had representatives from each Bronte form taking 

part in the Summer Sports League at lunchtimes throughout 

this term and I am delighted to say that Bronte came 2nd 

in Sports’ Day this year. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Bronte 

House Prefects and welcome in the new. 

As House Captain, Tara Anderson-Bonner has represented 

Bronte House with confidence and an approachable smile. 

This term Tara delivered a thoughtful and insightful wholeschool 

assembly reflecting on her trip to Auschwitz. This, 

as well as helping to organise numerous House activities 

has shown Tara’s competence as a leader and she has 

done herself and Bronte House proud. I would like to thank 

Tara and the rest of the Prefect team for their contributions 

to Bronte House this year. 

We took time this term to look at photographs and share 

stories of students in Years 11 and 13 who will be leaving 

us at the end of this academic year. It was a time to 

remember the good times and celebrate their growth as 

individuals and their achievements. We wish you every 

success in your next steps. 

Miss. C. Evans, Head of Bronte House 

CURIE HOUSE 

This term has been an eventful one for Curie House with 

many individual achievements and successes across a wide 

variety of criteria. At the annual Sports’ Day whilst Curie 

House did not win the overall competition, there were some 

individual successes. Amy Allpress (7C) was our only 

individual champion winning the Junior Javelin, and 7C and 

8C achieved 6 more second place finishes in other events. 

Four new prefects have been appointed, they will be 

supported by additional appointments to the prefect team 

in September. I would like to extend my personal thanks to 

our departing prefect team, led by Rebecca Dawson, for 

their contributions during the past 12 months. 

Our second annual Enterprise Day was an opportunity for the 

lower school forms to follow in Sir Alan's footsteps and turn 

£10 into a healthy profit. Whilst at the time of writing totals 

are yet to be submitted, our stalls had an impressive diversity 

and creativity. From a Ja-make-a-cake stall and a temporary 

tattoo parlour to a bracelets and a cut out lion king photo 

opportunity, it was a very successful afternoon and a great 

advert for the school. A special mention needs to go to 7C 

who somehow convinced their Head of House to stand in the 

stocks whilst they tipped a bucket of water over him.... 

As always when we reach the end of a year we say goodbye 

to some members of the House. Some of our Year 11 students 

and all our Year 13 students have already left and Mrs. 

McAdam will be leaving to work in Scotland at the end of the 

term. I wish all of them the best of luck in the future and look 

forward to a successful year for Curie House next year. 

Mr. A. Jackson, Head of Curie House 

FRANK HOUSE 

7F has had an excellent term. The Charity Carwash raised 

a great deal of money. We also had the Easter Raffle, Easter 

Quiz, Rainbow Revision Tombola and a Sweet Sale. Scarlett 

Welbury has also launched a Creative Writing Competition 

and we will be publishing the winners in September. 

-20-


Lately, our tutor group, 8F, has been showing team spirit. 

We took part in the energetic Zumba at form time. Many 

of 8F took part in the Athletics tournament and had a good 

Rounders team. Lastly, we had the best Behaviour for 

Learning points for the week commencing 18 June. 

Aphrah Raja 8F 

9F have done many things this term, particularly Emily 

Hornblower who took part in the 1500m after already 

running more than 1km in her previous lesson. We have 

held various charity events such as Founders’ Day and 

helping with the Fairtrade stall for Healthy Schools. 

Lucy Ahern, Beatrice Simpkiss and Maia Perry 9F 

10F have had a good summer term. They have worked 

hard, taken modular exams and internal exams and 

completed many Controlled Assessments. There have been 

many good achievements including Alisha Keeling who has 

worked hard at her subjects and April Hammond who has 

achieved a high Philosophy and Ethics grade this term. 

There have been some noticeable sporting achievements: 

Evie Darrell won the House Tennis Doubles competition, 

and Lauren Batten has had a very good year competing in 

Athletics events. Everyone in 10F is looking forward to the 

challenge of Work Experience and then enjoying the 

summer holiday. Annisah Dhillon 10F. 

It has been a privilege being the Form Tutor of 11F over the 

last five years. The last day before study leave was one of 

mixed emotions; sadness at the end of one stage, mixed 

with pride as well as excitement about what the future will 

bring. During their exams, 11F were exemplary, I wish them 

good luck in their exam results in August. TTFN! 

Mr. A. Gaunt. 

SF12 have been very busy taking their AS Level exams this 

term - good luck to everyone! The form are now working 

on their UCAS applications. Alexis O'Sullivan was a 

member of the winning Sixth Form team in the traditional 

form running event which took place at the end of last term. 

From Laura Robinson, Sian Adams, Serene 

Esuruoso and Mr. S. Hanse. 

I hope everyone has a good Summer break 

Mrs. D. Pearce, Head of Frank House 

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girls have received certificates throughout the year for keeping 

a clean Behaviour for Learning record. I am very proud of the 

girls in Jewel House and I would dearly like to see their efforts 

and conduct recognised by winning 

the ‘fish and chip’ lunch. 

SPORTS NEWS: Congratulations 

and thanks to all those who have 

taken part in our recent Sports’ Day, 

and in various House sporting events 

throughout the year. Firstly 

congratulations to 9J, who have won 

both the Year 9 Rounders and Tennis Leagues this year, and to 

7J who came first in the Year 7 Sports’ Day, and 2nd in the 

Netball and Hockey House League. Special congratulations 

go to the Year 7 relay team, who set a new school record for 

the 4x100m relay on Sports’ day. The team members were 

Synovia Green, Molly Beard, Hettie Inniss and Georie 

Felstead. Well done girls. Synovia has also been selected to 

run in the North Hertfordshire Athletics team. Mrs. Edwards 

has said Synovia is the fastest runner she has taught since 

teaching Synovia’s mum! 

LITTLE GEMS: It continues to give me much pleasure to read 

of all your achievements both inside and outside school. 

Remember, you do not have to be an Olympic Gold 

medallist to have achieved something worth shouting about. 

NEW PREFECTS: I am very pleased to officially welcome 

our Prefect body for September 2013. I very much look 

forward to working with them all and watching their 

contributions to the success of Jewel House. I must also 

thank the out-going prefect body who under the leadership 

of Georgia Tomkins have supported both the pupils and 

staff of Jewel House. I hope experiences they have gained 

in their roles will prove valuable to their futures ahead. 

As we say goodbye to our Year 13, we must also say goodbye 

to their Tutor! Dr. Logie has supported her form for the past 

seven years in a very caring and professional manner. I wish 

her much enjoyment and fulfilment in her retirement. 

It has been a wonderful and very rewarding year being 

your Head of House. I could not, of course, support any of 

you without my team around me, and so my gratitude and 

thanks must also go to the wonderful Jewel House Tutors. I 

Looking Good 

FancyDress 

for every Occassion 

Telephone: 

01483 72 22 71 

Opening Days: 

Wednesday, Thursday, 

Friday & Saturday 

Stevenage Indoor Market 

wish everyone a happy, safe and relaxing summer break. 

Mr. S. Ferguson, Head of Jewel House 

TERESA HOUSE NEWS 

It has been my first year as Head of Teresa House and I have 

been so impressed with all your efforts. I would like to take this 

opportunity to publicly thank your Tutors for all their hard work 

in helping all of you achieve the 

very best that you can. 

Sports Day and Enterprise: 

Congratulations on a fantastic 

day - your sporting efforts and 

Enterprise stalls were fabulous! 

Our sporting champions include 

Emily Saunders in 8T, Emma 

Saunders and Ellie Mann in 9T. 

Teresa House representatives in the Year 11 team performed 

brilliantly. Special congratulations to Fran Maydom, Alice 

Sunderland and Caroline Willis who won their events. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing 

Teresa House prefect team for their considerable efforts over 

the course of the year. Their support and hard work have 

been much appreciated and the Teresa students further 

down the school have benefitted greatly from their guidance 

and expertise. You are all Teresa Stars! 

We welcome the incoming prefect team and look forward 

to sharing in their exciting ideas over the coming year. 

SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORED CHILD 

This term we sent a parcel to our sponsored child, Aracele. 

No doubt she will enjoy all the lovely things you gathered 

for her. Thank you especially to Natasha Kumar for sending 

the parcel on behalf of Teresa House. 

Farewell...but not goodbye, we would like to wish Miss O- 

Reilly well in her secondment to India next academic year 

where she will be teaching in a school and also training 

teachers. We look forward to hearing about life in an Indian 

school when she returns to us. 

Have a restful and enjoyable summer break and I look 

forward to welcoming you back in September. 

Ms. A. Salmon, Head of Teresa House 

Stevenage Indoor Market 

01438 72 22 71 

Open: Wednesday, Thursday 

Friday & Saturday 

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