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Latest School News

 

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Date	Event
Wednesday 15 May	Debate v Radnor House 4.00-6.00pm
Thursday 16 May	Years 8 & 9 Maths (1) to Bletchley Park
Saturday 18 May	DofE Expedition - Surrey Hills (and Sunday)
	ISA National Swimming Gala
Monday 20 May	School Exams Begin
Wednesday 22 May	Year 13 Study Leave Begins at 3.45pm
Friday 24 May	DofE Silver Practice—Dorset (and Saturday)

 

 

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IMPORTANT REMINDER - NUT FREE SCHOOL

Please remember that, for health and safety reasons, St Catherine's School is a Nut Free Zone as several of our pupils suffer from serious nut allergies. Nut traces alone can trigger anaphylactic shock in severe cases.

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Senior School Newsletter

A full version of the fortnightly Newsletter can be accessed online by logging into the Parents Section of this website.

Parents Pages - Login

 

 

 

 

 

PE EXTRA-CURRICULAR SUMMER TERM 2013

Download

	LUNCHTIMES	AFTER-SCHOOL
MONDAY	Middle Distance Runners Training Radnor gardens Year 5 - 10 JHe + EM+ DH   1:05 – 1:30	Basketball Chessington Wild Cats External Coach (£3 cost for each session) Year 6 - 10  4:00 – 5:00 Prep Athletics SW
TUESDAY	High Jump Years 6, 7 and 8 JHe 1:05 – 1:30	Rounders Years 5, 6,7,8,9 and 10 JHe + SW 4:00 – 5:00
WEDNESDAY	Senior Swimming Club EM 1:05 – 1:30	Cheerleading Club (Free to begin with) External Coaches Year 7 - 10 4:00 – 5:00 Long Jump Year 5 - 10 EM 4:00 – 5:00 Prep Swimming Club Year 4 - 6 SW 4:00 – 5:00
THURSDAY	Rounders Match Practice EM + JH 1:05 - 1:30	Athletics Squad At School JHe + EM Year 6 - 10 4:00 – 5:00 Improvers Swimming Session SW 3:45 – 5:00
FRIDAY	Throwing Club All Years 1:30 – 2:00 EM

 

St Catherine of Siena Mass

April 29th is always a special day in the school – it is the Feast day of St Catherine of Siena, our patron Saint.

We began the day with Mass in the School Hall, celebrated by Fr Ulick, and joined by a good number of guests, both parents and parishioners. After Mass, our visitors were invited over to the Dining Room for some refreshments, while the students enjoyed their regular Feast Day treat of some chocolate! In addition, the caterers provided special 'St Catherine's' cakes at lunchtime.

Bikers' and Scooters' Breakfast

Friday 14th June 2013 at 7:50am

As part of our School Travel Plan, we are hosting a special Bikers' and Scooters' Breakfast for the girls who wish to ride their bikes or scooters into School. The price for breakfast is £1.80 but every girl will receive a gift kindly donated by Moore's Cycles of either a water bottle or a pink reflective slap band.

Download Flyer

Please call Chantal Goldburn to register your daughter for this great event.

0203 261 0142
Email: cgoldburn@stcatherineschool.co.uk

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Hannah Grist - GCSE Art

Another superb paintng by Hannah Grist in Year 10. Hannah is exploring excitng methods to portray wild animals for her current GCSE Art work. This is one of many huge pieces of art work she is producing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malawi Campout - Friday 3rd May 2013. - Back Field

We are all looking forward to the Campout on Friday 3rd May. Arrive by 6.30pm to get your tent put up ready for loads of fun and games. Bring some pocket money for the tuck shop. Please remember that you must be collected by 8.30am on Saturday morning.

Janet Saddler
Expedition Organiser

George Bullard Talk

Last term we were entertained by George Bullard who is one of the country's most prominent explorers, currently holding the world record for the longest fully unsupported polar journey ever.

He has been down the Amazon, swum marathons, cycled across Europe. He also works as an ambassador for the Britsh Exploring Society Many girls signed up to become members at the end! This week we had a talk from Briony Turner about her tme in Maasailand.

 

 

Year 7 and 8 Hockey Vs Putney Park

On Tuesday 26th March, the Year 7 and 8 went to the Bank of England sports ground to play Putney Park in a 7-a-side hockey match. The turn out from our students was fantastic, with 15 girls playing in the game. St Catherine's showed fantastic effort and sportsmanship throughout the game, with two early goals in quick succession. Our goal keeper for the first three quarters, Ella Clien, showed some excellent skills with her saves, while Zara Hill was our only goal scorer of the day. Charlo5e Wells, Daisy Langton, Esse Sellwood and Roisin Ayling-Neligan acted as superb defenders and saved the ball from reaching our goal on a number of occasions. Our midfield players showed excellent stamina and determination throughout the game, with Kony Olowe, Emma Doran, Eleanor Attridge, Miranda Hodgson, Megan Read and Josephine Grist outperforming the Putney Park team. Zarah Hill, Vajiha Naveed and Jemma Hardy showed some fantastic skills around the Putney Park goal, working together with the mid-field and even defenders to work the ball through the Putney Park defence.

 

The game finished with an excellent 4-0 victory to St Catherine's, although 5-1 would have been the final scoreline if it were not for two disallowed goals. Overall, a fantastic effort from both teams, with everyone showing excellent sportsmanship and effort.

Miss Bridge

Year 7 InterHouse Swimming Gala

On April 23rd 2013 many girls participated in the Year 7 Interhouse Swimming Gala after school. The Year 7 girls cheered on their teams to make it a fantastic atmosphere. Many girls showed promising swimming skills and all contributed to the gala to display brilliant team work, especially within the relays! Pankhurst won the gala with 25 points followed closely by Cavell with 20 points. Bronte took 3rd place with 18 points, with 4th place taken by Nightingale with 17 points. All girls gave 100% effort to make it a brilliant and very competitive swimming gala.

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Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Practice Surrey Hills

We could not have picked a better week-end. The weather was excellent, the girls were challenged with the map reading but getting lost in the sunshine was excellent practice for the assessment!

 

 

 

Many thanks to Mrs Ruffle and Mrs Parfitt for joining our team. I hope you enjoyed it. Looking forward to the assessment on 18th May.

Janet Saddler
DOE Leader

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New York and Washington DC – Easter 2013

On Easter Monday, a small group of students from Years 10 and 11 met at Heathrow, ready to head out for a few days in New York and Washington DC exploring the legacy of the Civil Rights movement, fifty years on from the 1963 March on Washington, accompanied by Miss Ryan and Mrs Stevens.

We arrived in New York rather tired, but still managed to summon up enough energy to take a stroll around Times Square and enjoy a late supper of authentic New York pizza before heading back to our hotel for a good sleep.  The next day, we enjoyed a guided tour of Harlem, and a visit to Columbia University where we met Mark Levy, a veteran of the Civil Rights movement who shared some of his stories and experiences with the students.  We had time for a visit to the 9/11 memorial in the Financial District the next day before boarding a bus to Washington that afternoon.

The next day included visits to the Newseum – a very interactive museum focusing on news reporting and the ethics of journalism.  This was followed by a tour of Capitol Hill.  We were sorted into groups for the tour and very amused to find ourselves accompanied by another ‘St Catherine’s School’ – a Catholic boy’s school from Anaheim, California!  Late in the afternoon we found ourselves back at the Smithsonian Museum, to see an exhibition marking the fiftieth anniversary of the march on Washington.  We also took part in a very powerful presentation on Civil Rights tactics, based around the story of the Greensboro lunch counter protests, with three St Catherine’s students volunteering to take the role of the protesters.

On our final morning, we walked in the footsteps of the Civil Rights protesters to the Lincoln Memorial.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the trip and found it a valuable experience:

‘I found the academic aspect of the trip to be very helpful in putting my knowledge of American history into perspective.’

‘I found the visit to the 9/11 memorial very moving – it also helped me with my Art.’

‘…Mark Levy was amazing to meet and the Newseum was fascinating.  We did too many things to list (and yet, still found time for some retail therapy) and even met an American St Catherine’s School!  All in all, a great experience!’

 

 

We Will Rock You

Last week the whole school musical 'We Will Rock You' (performed with permission from www.schoolswillrockyou.com) was performed in the Main Hall over three days. This production was the culmination of several months of auditions, casting and rehearsing (singing, dancing and acting). Over 50 pupils took part as either cast and/or production team.

Whilst the production was not without its challenges (broken radio microphones, curtains, illness, etc), everyone pulled together to ensure that the show went ahead for each performance. The additional challenge of several leading ladies allowed for more opportunities for these talented performers.

I wish to thank each and every pupil who contributed in this production, whether cast, production team or last minute addition. The very best part of my job is working with you to create a performance you can be proud of. Thank you to Mrs Casper for the hard work in preparing the cast for the rigorous singing.

Mrs V Penrose
Drama Department

Comments from pupils:

'I thought it was really good, especially the acting and singing'. Kasia Walls 9M

'I really liked the set - it was so cool. I also liked seeing all of my friends up on stage.' Chloe McDowell 9M

'I loved making friends with girls across the year groups. Sasha Gunning 9M (Scaramouche, Friday performance)

'I loved feeling part of something and I feel proud to have been a part of the production.' Amy Brydon-Jones 9M (Teen Queen)

'Being even just a small part, I really felt the atmosphere was great and it was such an enjoyable experience.' Nicole Maslen 9M (Justin Trousersnake - Bohemian)

'Although it may have been one of the scariest moments, knowing I had to sing in front of an audience for the first time in my life, I have never enjoyed any other experience as much in my life-it was amazing!' (Jade Hunt Year 12)

'Even though the rehearsals were long and tiring, it was completely worth it as it was one of the best experiences of my life; I had so much fun! I loved every second.' (Georgie Mills Year 12)

'The experience was amazing and it was a great opportunity for everyone. We all became good friends and I am so happy I was able to be a part of it. It was one of the best experiences of my life.' (Martha Sainsbury 11S)

'I loved being part of 'We Will Rock You', I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to be in it. It was lovely to meet and work with students from other years who we are now close to. I can't express how amazing the experience was; I loved every minute of it and I miss it already. I still forget I'm not meant to be at rehearsals.' (Lauren Jackson Year 13)

GIFTED AND TALENTED CONFERENCE

The Gifted and Talented Conference held at St Catherine's on 14 March met and, by the afternoon, had exceeded my expectations in terms of presenting our more able students in Year 10 and above with a completely different way of thinking about difficult, complex concepts.

The three speakers were strikingly different and all the better for it.

Julie Arliss began the Conference with an intriguing philosophical lecture exploring in very precise detail whether a snail has consciousness.

The students were enthralled as she set out the ways in which it might be possible to test this thesis - asking, amongst other things, whether the presence of consciousness could be assessed in non-humans - namely robots or computers; whether consciousness could be explained mechanically and how it might be
assessed in severely ill or anaesthetised patients or in people with altered states of consciousness.

The thread of this lecture was then picked up (after an interesting interlude when Jeffrey Hodges talked about the qualities of resilience and self-esteem) by Julie Arliss in her second lecture on the Philosophy of the Embryo.

Having taxed their brains with the concept of whether a snail has consciousness, the students were then faced with the linked, but even more daunting question of when a human embryo becomes a person with a right to life.

At what stage, she asked, does this occur?

At conception? At 14 days? When the embryo becomes "a person"? When does this happen? At "Ensoulment"? "When the Brain is "sufficiently developed"? At 24 weeks? At Birth? When it is "accepted by the community"?

These are just a selection of the moral and philosophical questions that were mooted. I think it fair to say that it was almost possible to hear the students' minds whirring as they tried to get their heads round the concepts - especially in the context of the previous discussion about the snail and its consciousness!

Year 11 student

"The eye opening session sparked great controversy and stimulated my mind to think of the possible reasons for and against abortion. The link with what it is to be human and the issue of human rights also added another dimension to the argument"

However, if the students were impressed by the sessions before lunch, they were totally (and, as it turned out,
literally) blown away by the performance of Dr Mark Lewney in the afternoon who revealed the physics of string theory with the help of his Jimi Hendrix-by-way-of-Albert-Einstein electric guitar playing!

The audience were propelled by sight, sound, sleight of hand, tricks and gags into thinking in multiple dimensions.

The lecture was billed as one which "communicates the thought world of Einstein through skilful mastery of music" and it did not disappoint in any way! Doctor "Loony" - as he likes to refer to himself - was a consummate performer who had the students captivated by what was a brilliant combination of mind expansion and entertainment designed to teach and inspire in equal amounts.

Year 10 student:

"Dr Lewney was able to incorporate electric guitar and a blizzard of jokes...our brains were hurting. However, his infectious enthusiasm and energy and outrageous humour enhanced our understanding of sound, the Universe....and EVERYTHING!"

In conclusion, this was a very worthwhile event as it generated genuine appreciation of what it is like to REALLY tax the brain. All the students, without exception, were bursting with excitement about the whole experience. I know that some are going to be producing a "talking heads" video as their response, whilst others have written 2 or three pages expressing their enthusiasm for being exposed to this level of thinking. I have specifically asked the students to come up with different and imaginative ways to feedback, and, so far, so good!

I am hoping to invite Dr Lewney to return to St Catherine's to speak at a Siena Society Lecture - which is bound to be another mind-blowing blast!

Jane Bailey
Director, Gifted and Talented Programme

Youth Crime Conference

A small group of Year 9 pupils attended the 19th Youth Crime Conference on 27th February 2013. The event was organised by Richmond Borough’s Community and Police Partnership and was held at the Stoop, home to the Harlequins. The students were given the opportunity to consider rights and responsibilities and keeping safe whilst looking at the effects and consequences of crime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was achieved through four workshop sessions, drama presentations and discussions covering the topics of Peer Pressure, The London Ambulance Service and Knife Crime, Domestic Violence and Arson Related Crime. The main aims of the Conference were:

• To discuss community safety and policing issues in an informal setting.
• To raise awareness of community safety issues To build constructive relationships with the police and other statutory and voluntary agencies
• To consider the impact of crime on families and friends
• To understand other points of view and consider different perspectives
• To share knowledge and greater awareness of community safety issues within school communities
• To incorporate young peoples’ concerns into community safety plans and strategies.

As with previous years, the Conference was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all.  Richmond Youth Partnership’s Youth Café Bus made an appearance again and proved very popular. A slogan competition was held during the afternoon along with an opportunity for question time and a number of prize draws were made.  An added bonus for our girls was that they won first prize in the ‘design a slogan’ competition.

We would like to express a huge thank you to all those involved in making this event such a worthwhile experience.

Mrs Grant
Pastoral Head of Key Stage 3

The Siena Society - Summer Term

Download Flyer

	Date	Speaker	Event
	25th April	Briony Turner - King's College, London	How many kilometres would you walk for a warm coca-cola in Maasailand, Tanzania? Briony has spent much of her professional time working within the Maasai tribe and her talk promises to be very enlightening.
	9th May	Dr Kathryn Harkup - The Science of Vampires	Ever wondered if there is more to Dracula than a pale complexion and difficulties shaving? This talk is a spooky tour through the history of vampires with frightening folklore tales, blood sucking bats and sinister scientific stories.
	20th June	Caz Butcher - Procurement Manager at BskyB	"How I got to be where I am today" Caz is an inspirational young woman who has achieved a high level of success in her career through making the right decisions at school. Some invaluable lessons can be learnt from her.

Each student from Years 9 to 13 must attend at least two of these lectures. Please book places with your Form Teacher.

Breakfast Club - Summer Menu

Opens at 7:50am and closes at 8:15am (last orders at 8:15am)

• Cost £1.80 per child (Cash on the day)
• From Nursery to 6th Form irrespective of whether your child has breakfast or not
• Location : Dining Hall
• Unlimited complimentary tea or coffee for accompanying parents
• Please register in the Dining Room

• Any queries please call Chantal Goldburn on 020 3261 0142

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Third Historical Association Balloon Debate

Each and every one of the St Catherine's Debating Society teams made a striking impact on the competition this year with outstanding performances against strong competition from nine other schools, including St Paul's Boys, Tiffin Girls, The London Oratory and Putney High.

Our debaters had taken on board the judges' general comments last year and ensured there was not only accurate historical content to their speeches but also that they employed oratory skills and presentational devises to persuade the audience to allow their character to remain in the sinking balloon.

True to this advice, none of our teams were hamstrung by flapping notes nor did they read off prepared scripts ("For the reasons mentioned above (!) I should stay in the balloon..."). The level of entertainment they achieved through attention to presentation and their assured delivery was exceptional - and so it was a bitter blow to the U14 and U16 teams especially that this year's judges seemed to have forgotten the criteria set by their predecessors last year.

However, I was very proud of the all the girls' determination to stick with their brief and not be swayed, to get up on the stage and PERSUADE through a CONVINCING PERFORMANCE WITH EYE CONTACT WITH THE AUDIENCE, to RESPOND THOUGHTFULLY to judges' questions rather hide behind reams of paper, with noses buried in a pre-prepared speech.

Significantly, by the time we got to the U18 competition, there was a new member of the judging panel. It took Frank Gardner, the BBC's renowned Security Correspondent, to restore the balance, when he stressed the importance of eye contact from the first word and commented that this competition was a debate and not a recitation of a GCSE or A level History essay! He later made a point of honourably commending our two U18 Teams, in particular (who were placed a very creditable 4th and 5th out of 17 characters) for their engagement with the audience, achieved through minimum use of notes and their willingness to think on their feet when responding to judges' questions.

All in all, the event was a great showcase for our girls' burgeoning oratorical skills and they have all come away with lots of food for thought filled with determination that next year will be THE year for St Catherine's Debating Society!

Mrs J Bailey

Year 7 Inter-house Hockey 4th March 2013

The week of inter-house hockey took a flying start with the Year 7s showing an excellent performance. The opening games of Pankhurst v Nightingale and Cavell v Bronte showed us just what a thrilling event this was to be. Nightingale took the early lead in the competition, winning 2-0 in their first match, with Bronte close behind, beating Cavell 1-0. Nightingale went on to beat Bronte in their second match, and Pankhurst got their first win of the competition against Cavell. The final two games proved to be the decider, with Pankhurst taking on Bronte, who were both tied on points at this stage, and Nightingale v Cavell, with Nightingale needing just a draw to win the competition. The two matches were end to end and the players put up a good fight, all the way to the final whistle. Pankhurst and Bronte finished the game tied at 0-0, leaving their total points equal, while Nightingale beat Cavell 1-0, securing First place in the competition. Pankhurst were awarded Second place with Bronte in Third, due to the short corners they received, and Cavell put up an excellent fight to finish in Fourth.

Winning Team: Nightingale – Lucy Hopkins, Amanjeet Rekhi, Roisin, Neligan-Ayling, Josephine Grist, Carmen Raad, Emilia Belligero, Elaine Mpofu, Liberty Scutcher, Mo Awe, Anna Fraser, Ella Tilley, Ella Clein.

The players also awarded one girl from each team the “Girl of the Match” award: Cavell – Daisy Langton,

Bronte – Jaya Sudera, Pankhurst – Zara Hill, Nightingale – Josephine Grist.

Overall Results:  

Nightingale        9pts       1st place                              
Pankhurst          5pts       2nd Place
Bronte                 5pts       3rd place
Cavell                  3pts       4th place

Malawi/Tanzania Auction - 28th September 2013

We will be having our main fundraising event for Malawi in the Autumn Term and are hoping that you may be able to help with Auction Prizes.

In the past we have had holiday homes/corporate boxes/meals cooked in the home/celebration cakes/personal training sessions/website design to name but a few. The girls are working very hard to achieve their goal and these events go a long way to help them in their efforts. It is always a fun evening and the more prizes the better. If you are able to donate anything please could you get in touch with me either by blazer post or email.

Janet Saddler
Expedition Leader

 

UCAS CONVENTION

Last Friday all Year 12 students went with Mr Pearson to Olympia to attend the UCAS convention in order to speak to representatives from hundreds of different universities. Few of us were prepared for the sheer size of the event and the number of universities that actually exist in the UK! Not only did we have the opportunity to ask pre-prepared questions of all the universities we have been considering but we also had the opportunity to attend seminars on personal statement writing, student finance and Oxbridge applications.

After 3 hours we all felt exhausted and daunted by the prospect of the journey home laden with bags full of university prospectuses. All together it was a really useful day and has got our minds fully focused on UCAS!

 

'Best of St Catherine's' Concert

The Best of St Catherine's concert was an enjoyable evening with many stellar performances. Building on the tradition of The Scholars' Concert of earlier years, The Best of St Catherine's featured music scholars, gifted and talented musicians and St Catherine's Singers, the school's most experienced choir.

Girls from the Prep and Senior Schools performed music from the 1600s to the present day from the Western Classical tradition. Some were preparing for music exams and found this a welcome opportunity to play and sing for an audience.

The pupils' teachers were on hand to warm pupils up and support them. These included Mrs Garty, Mrs Hyde, Mrs Varley, and Mrs Casper. From Grade 2 to Grade 8 standard, solos, duets and choral pieces were well-prepared and delivered with style and energy.

Senior girls were impressed by the skills of the Prep Department participants and vice-versa. It was a fine evening to share their talents and hard work with each other, parents, teachers and governors.

'If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music.' Gustav Mahler

Mrs Casper-Head of Music

 

CAREERS FAIR - SATURDAY 9th MARCH 2013

On Saturday, 9th March St Catherine's hosted its own Careers Fair in the Main Hall. The event was compulsory for all girls in Years 9 to 13 and proved to be a real success. We are very grateful to all the stand holders (many of them either parents or representatives of companies with close links the school) who had clearly taken a great deal of time and effort over their displays and material. Whilst we had 24 stand holders, we are aware that not all professions were represented but hopefully if word gets around, the event will expand so that in two years' time we can have nearer 50 stands.

We are particularly grateful to our two speakers, Ms Nadia McCarthy from BP and Mr Rob Dykes from UBS for delivering such informative and inspiring talks; the points they raised were especially relevant.

If you did have any suggestions on how the event could be developed please do email them to:

Email: apearson@st-catherines-twickenham.org.uk

 

Matt Dickinson - The Siena Society

Thursday 14 February, 2013

On Thursday 14 February, the renowned explorer and author, Matt Dickinson presented a riveting lecture about an expedition he organised to Antarctica in which he and eight others planned to trace his own father's footsteps from half a century earlier. Matt planned to sail from the southern-most tip of South America, around Cape Horn to Antarctica with the particular aim of climbing the highest mountain down there; a feat his father never sadly accomplished. Matt punctuated his lecture with video clips and some of the images we saw of the voyage across the Southern Ocean in their 60 foot yacht, Pelagia, were truly terrifying! What must have been a particularly poignant moment for Matt was when they came across his father's camp, abandoned 50 years earlier; tins and debris lying undisturbed for all that time. As always with Matt, he passed on much good advice to the girls; this time he recommended that any girl interested in a career in journalism, should find something meaningful to campaign for and then write articles in support. And yes they did manage to climb the highest mountain in Antarctica and sail safely back!

Mr A Pearson
Head of 6th Form

Forthcoming Event  - Clarins at Bentalls

21st March 2013 - £20 per ticket

Our very popular fund raising event is fast approaching.  Our VIPs from St Catherine's receive an exclusive hour long pamper session including a mini facial, hand layering treatment along with a mini makeover to indulge in. Light refreshments will be available throughout the day allowing you to relax and also take advantage of our free gift with purchase worth £61, when purchasing 2 or more products.

There will also be an amazing opportunity to win one of 3 Clarins hampers, worth up to £150!

We look forward to seeing you, The Bentalls Team.

Booking forms will be sent home during the coming week.  First come first served get your booking in early.

Janet Saddler
Malawi/Tanzania Expedition

VENICE 2013

We are so lucky at St Catherine's, every school trip I have even taken abroad has had sunny weather and not a drop of rain; and that happened again in Venice.

Our girls were also amazing, polite, well behaved and full of enthusiasm for this wonderful city.

The staff worked well as a team and all involved themselves fully in the smooth running of the trip, so I must give a big thank you to Mrs Gingell, Mrs Collett and Mrs Stewart for their help and assistance.

So we saw and enjoyed VENICE and as well as all the normal landmarks, we went to St Mark's Square, where the girls played rounders one evening and on another evening, on the steps of Salute, we enjoyed an impromptu concert of merit from Hannah Graystone (the next ADELE) and Melissa Chitura-Bidwell.

Thank you to all the girls it was a wonderful trip.

Mrs A Jones
Head of Art and Photography

 

 

 

Ski Trip to USA

 

In February half term twenty girls joined Mrs Ward, Mrs Saddler and Sister Paula in new Hampshire, USA. We stayed in a lovely hotel called the Snowy Owl Inn. Each day we had four hours of Ski School to improve our technique. The ski instructors were great. We went skiing in two resorts, Waterville and Loon Mountain. We all had so much fun we will remember this school trip for a long time to come.

Phoebe Thornett - Year 6

 

 

 

Scholars, Gifted and Talented and St Catherine's Singers'

Wednesday 6th March 2013 at 7:00pm

If you would like to reserve your place, please contact Chantal Goldburn on:

0203 261 0142
or
Email: cgoldburn@stcatherineschool.co.uk

Download Form & Flyer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production: 'We Will Rock You !'

Performances in the main hall on:

Thursday 21st March at 7.00pm
Friday 22nd March at 7.00pm
Saturday 23rd March at 2:00pm

 

Download Form & Flyer

 

 

SIENA SOCIETY
JESS SMITH, UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

On Thursday, 24th January, the Siena Society hosted a talk by the University of East Anglia's admission tutor, Jess Smith. The older sister of a girl currently studying GCSEs, Jess was ideally suited to speak to the girls at their level about entry to university.

She gave good advice as to what questions a girl should be asking when researching a degree course and university:

• What is the reputation of the course?
• What are the entry requirements? (An applicant must be realistic about her academic potential)
• What is the content and structure of the course? How is the course taught and assessed?
• Why do you think you would enjoy the course? Do you want to move away from home?
• Do you want a city or campus university?
• Do you want to be part of a large (eg 40,000 students) university or a small one (6000 students)?
• What will the living costs be like? (Accommodation at the UEA ranges from ¬¨¬£59 per week for a shared room to ¬¨¬£110 per week for a single en-suite room)
• What is there to do nearby the university?

Further excellent advice that Jess offered centred on the 3 key areas university admissions tutors looked for in a student's application:

• Academic ability (evidenced by GCSE and AS results)
• Motivation (evidenced by relevant reading, experience and skills)
• Research- the applicant needs to demonstrate an understanding of what the course will involve.

The earlier the girls at St Catherine's grasp the importance of this advice, the simpler will be their task in Year 12 when they actually have to make the decision as to which course they want to apply for and at which 5 universities they will apply to read it.

Yesterday's Siena Society lecture saw David Rice from Birmingham University also present a talk on university admissions; there will be feedback on this in the next newsletter.

Angus Pearson
Head of Sixth Form

ISA Cross Country Championships.

Friday 8th February 2013

A total of 19 Schools attended these Regional Championships. St Catherine's snatched 1st place in the U14 category!

5 students were selected to compete at the Nationals in March! ( The 1st 10 runners in each age group go through.)

Eleanor Attridge (Year 8)and Amelia Mackie (Year 6) achieved 3rd place in the U12 and U14 categories!

The PE Department staff are incredibly proud of the following who have been training throughout the year and were selected to compete. All completed the gruelling course displaying great determination, strength of character and true grit :

The Teams and positions were:

U14 Girls ( Yr 7& 8) Team	U16 Girls (Yr 9 & 10) Team
Megan Read 17th	Nicola Lovegrove 29th
Daisy Langton 8th	Francesca Turner 14th
Josephine Grist 9th	Emily Burge 26th
Eleanor Attridge 3rd	Isabella Kessell 19th
Gracie Mackie 4th	Ellie Plumb 31st
Jemma Hardy 24th	Lydia Rodford 32nd
	Florence Golder Res

Small Schools Swimming Gala 2013

On Wednesday 6th February the Senior Swimming Squad competed in the Small Schools Gala 2013, hosted by Emanuel School.  The St Catherine's swimmers performed outstandingly in their individual events. The following girls came 1st place and received a Gold medal; Gracie Mackie, Jessica Kirkham, Daisy Langton, Rebecca Holt, Charlie Mitchell, Megan Read and Lydia Rodford. The Year 8 team won their Medley Relay and the Year 7 team came 1st for their year group. St Catherine's only just missed out on first place, but achieved a very well-deserved second place overall to Emanuel, but beating Ibstock Place and The Harrodian. Well done to all of the swimmers who competed!

Mrs A Edwards

Breakfast Club - Fun Friday

Come and join us for 'Fun Friday' on 15th March 2013

7:50am to 8:15am

Fabulous food all for only £1.00 per child

Please call Chantal Goldburn to reserve your place

0203 261 0142

Menu

• Crispy bacon
• Cumberland Sausages
• vegetarian sausages
• baked beans
• Pancakes
• Muffins
• Waffles
• Boiled eggs
• Poached eggs
• Scrambled eggs
• Toasted cheese muffins
• Toasted cheese and ham muffins
• Smoothies
• Toasties

Sainsbury's 'Active Kids' Vouchers

"I'm passionate about inspiring kids to try a new sport. And that's exactly what Active Kids is all about -
encouraging kids to try, and hopefully really enjoy something new."

David Beckham - Active Kids Ambassador

SainsburyActive Kids aims to help young people of all ages and abilities lead healthier, more active lifestyles whilst having fun.

We have until 22nd May 2013 to collect as many Sainsbury's Vouchers as possible. Last year proved to be extremely successful and we were able to get lots of new sports equipment for both the Senior and Prep departments. We appreciate every effort made by pupils, parents, staff and friends. 

PE Department

Entrance Exam

Congratulations to all the girls who sat the entrance exam on 7th January. Despite the inevitable apprehension before the exam, it was wonderful to see so many smiling faces.

Our prefects did a great job in introducing the girls to each other, calming them down and in explaining the arrangements for the morning. The Small Hall was soon full of chatter and laughter.

Once the exams had been completed the activities began, including; Swimming, Cooking, Art, Trampolining, Science and Spanish. These gave the girls an opportunity to wind down, have some fun and get to know others in their group, in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Two weeks on, the papers have been marked and we are so thrilled that all of our own Year 6 pupils achieved exceptionally high marks, with several individuals placed within the top seven. The examination papers were challenging, therefore, both the girls and Miss Hodgson should be very proud of their preparation, hard work and success. We look forward to them joining the Senior School in September, where they will be sure of a warm welcome from us all.

Mrs Grant Pastoral
Head Key Stage 3

Ski Trip - 15th February - 22 February 2013

New Hampshire

Just a reminder that all girls going on the ski trip will be leaving school at 1pm on Friday 15th February. Girls must be at Heathrow Airport, Terminal 5, no later that 4pm where staff will be meeting you for a speedy check-in.

Looking forward to our trip.

Mrs Saddler
Ski Trip Organiser

Year 4-7 Swimming Gala v The Harrodian School

On Tuesday 22nd January, St Catherine’s hosted a Swimming Gala against Harrodian School. The squads involved A and B teams from Year 4 to Year 7. The St Catherine’s swimmers performed outstandingly and, although the scores were close, we won 107 points to 95. Well done to all of the girls who competed and thank you to the senior pupils who came along to help score and be place judges.  
 
Mrs Edwards
PE Department
 

ISA CROSS COUNTRY

We wish the following Senior competitors the very best of luck for this event:

U14 - Megan Read, Daisy Langton, Josephine Grist, Eleanor Attridge, Gracie Mackie, Jemma Hardy and Scarlett Wright

U16 - Nicola Lovegrove, Francesca Turner, Emily Burge, Izzy Kessell, Ellie Plumb, Lydia Rodford and
Flo Golder.

Mrs Healey
Head of PE

 

Duke of Edinburgh Award

All girls taking part in the Bronze Award will be expected to attend their planning sessions every Wednesday from 4 - 5 pm each week.

These sessions are compulsory and any doctor/dentist appointments should be made outside these times please to avoid disruption to groups.

ALL girls taking part in the Silver Award must attend the meeting this coming Wednesday 30th January to start planning for your practice expedition.

Mrs Saddler
Duke of Edinburgh Leader

 

 

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Visit to the Royal Opera House

On Monday 14th January, Year 9 and four Sixth Formers visited the Royal Opera House in London to see a matinée performance of 'La Bohème'.

 

 

The performance, funded by the Taylor Family Trust, was a humorous and witty opera that explored the lives of a group of friends living in the bustling and busy city of Paris.

The opera was enjoyed by all and will remain a memorable experience.

Sasha Gunning 9M

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BREAKFAST CLUB

Come and enjoy our Breakfast Club each day from 7:50am until 8:15am. Our Spring Menu includes, sausage and egg, waffles and bacon sandwiches. Any enquiries please call Chantal Goldburn on

Tel: 0203 261 0142
or email cgoldburn@stcatherineschool.co.uk

We will be holding a 'Fun Friday' at Breakfast Club soon .....whereby you will be able to sample our new summer menu all for only £1.80 Spaces will be limited so watch out for the date to be released .... because we are 'The Best Breakfast Club in Twickenham'!

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Farmhouse Breakfast Week

This week has been Farmhouse Breakfast Week and we have been having great fun in the Food Technology Room. Year 7 have been learning how important BREAKFAST is and how quickly you can make a filling poached egg on toast. Sr Paula, Molly, Mrs Faulkner Ms Fisher and Mr Harris all received their stickers for taking part. For recipes and information on what an important meal breakfast is go to Website Link

Mrs Saddler
Food Technology

 

The Netball Teams went skating at Hampton Court with Mrs Edwards.

 

ISA London west Cross country Championships

This event is due to be held on Friday 8th February at Sherfield School ,Hampshire and the PE Department is currently considering entries. The course distance will be approximately 1800m for U12 and 3600m for U18s. We shall be entering teams from Year 5- Year13.

Please do encourage your daughter to attend Cross Country Club on Tuesday lunchtimes, should she wish to be selected and not miss out on this opportunity. All are welcome to give trials a go!

Netball at St Catherine's.

Due to great popularity we have decided to sustain all efforts in continuing netball clubs/matches etc until Easter. Netball Club for Year 7 and 8 students now currently runs on Wednesday lunchtimes at school and for Years 9-13 on Thursday after school at St Marys. We look forward to seeing both old and new faces.

 

House Drama 2012-13

The first ever House Drama competition was launched last term and was a roaring success. The four houses were given the theme of Christmas and asked to create, cast, write and direct a piece lasting no more than 20 minutes. Design and technical elements were also part of the criteria. House Captains and Vice-Captains were responsible for the organisation of rehearsals and rose admirably to the challenge.

 

 

 

 

Each house had to ensure there were two pupils from each year group (Year 5 through to Sixth Form) participating in some way. This led to a lovely sense of camaraderie that was created amongst the pupils. The houses faced many challenges along the way, not least of which was trying to find suitable rehearsal times and venues.

Bronte performed first and gave us a 'High School Musical' inspired vision of Christmas, with Emma Nail stealing the show as 'Troy', complete with fake tan! Cavell performed next with their soulful ensemble piece, followed by a 'Chav-tastic' vision of Christmas from Pankhurst, complete with Mr Rock as a moody angel. Lastly, Nightingale entertained us, especially with a female Father Christmas (Mrs Oakley). Lauren Jackson stole their performance as the crazy 'Bouldermort', going on to win 'Best Actor' overall. Pankhurst were the overall winners.

A big thank you to all pupils and staff who took part, and especially to each House Captain and Vice-Captain for your hard work and dedication. A special thank you to Mr Jasper Jacob, our guest judge. I look forward to seeing everyone's efforts in the 2013-14 competition. Mrs V Penrose-Drama Department.

 

 

 

GCSE Showcase December 11 and 12

The Year 10s and 11s performed their controlled assessment pieces to an audience of parents, peers and staff on December 11 and 12. Year 10s performed scenes from the rather hard-hitting feminist play 'My Mother Said I Never Should'. Year 11s performed scenes from the school-based comedy 'Teechers'.

'My Mother Said I Never Should' focuses on four generations of women and the secrets that threaten to divide them. The play is set over 80 years.

'Teechers' focuses on three school leavers who stage a play based on the experiences of their beloved Drama teacher who is leaving them.

The performances were a result of having spent the autumn term reading, studying, casting, blocking and creating believable characters from page to stage. Each group was responsible for their use of SFX/LFX, costumes and props. All pupils are to be congratulated for their hard work and level of dedication. All performances were directed by myself.

 

 

Mrs V Penrose
Drama Department

CAROL SINGING

St Catherine's Singers carolled extensively this Christmas, ringing in the festive season at Hampton Wick, Trafalgar Square and The Alexander Pope before joining the other choirs and the Orchestra for a lovely Carol Service at the school on the Tuesday evening before we broke up. Many thanks to the parents and staff who came along, sang and supported the girls so well.

CAREERS FAIR

SATURDAY 9th MARCH 10.00am-1.00pm

St Catherine's is holding a Careers Fair on Saturday 9th March at which there will be over twenty five exhibitors from a wide variety of professions and industries and will include two key-note speakers.

Attendance at this event is compulsory for Years 9 and above; parents are most welcome too.

 

Staff v Pupils Netball

During the last week of term the staff 'A Team' took on both the Year 11s and the 6th Formers in two very competitive Netball matches. Despite freezing weather, many pupils came during lunchtime to cheer the players on and watch as the staff team beat the Year 11s 6-3 (with a bit of help from Mrs Saddler the umpire) and won against the 6th Formers 5-3.

 

 

ISA National Swimming Gala in Coventry

We wish the following swimmers the very best of luck for the upcoming ISA National Swimming Gala in Coventry on Saturday 19th January 2013:

• Lydia Rodford
• Amelia Mackie
• Olivia Weedon
• Rosin¬¨‚Ć Neligan-Ayling
• Mary O'Donnell
• Maisie Rodford
• Megan Read
• Hannah Mackie
• Gracie Mackie

Siena Society - The EU and the UK, better off out?

The EU is constantly in the news, mostly for the wrong reasons, as far as UK citizens are concerned.  So I wanted to explore some of the reasons why the EU is where it is today and crucially why the UK may soon reach a crossroads in its relationship with the EU (although nothing ever happens quickly in the EU-we still don’t even have entirely free trade within the bloc).

I tried to take a neo-functionalist approach, in that the European integration becomes accepted and desired by the population, because of its practical effects, starting with economic motives.  Further integration can then occur in other areas such as social policy and justice.  The problem for us Brits is that we see the EU as a place to trade, to visit and not much else.  

The establishment of the Euro has accelerated the need for the EU to bind itself even more closely, or in the words of the EU ‘ever closer integration.’ That means fiscal union, where it will be those (unelected technocrats) in Brussels that decide how much tax individual (elected) governments can raise and where they may spend it.  So UK tax revenues could be spent…..well anywhere the EU decides, perhaps on Italian pensions, the Greek education system, the Romanian prison system.

Could the UK survive outside the EU?  Or would our partners tolerate us being a semi-detached member, picking and choosing which rules and regulations we are prepared to obey?  I think when push comes to shove, we will have to ask ourselves whether we are willing to trade sovereignty for influence.  We live in interesting times!

L Casey
subject leader Economics and Business Studies

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD

Bronze Kit Meeting Wednesday 16th January - 4.00pm Drama Studio

There will be a meeting for both parents and girls on Wednesday to order your complete kit for your expedition section. Our supplier will be present to answer any queries.

There will also be an opportunity for any questions parents may have regarding the Award. The meeting is compulsory for ALL girls.

Bronze Navigation Exercise - Sunday 3rd March 08.15 Bushy Park

Yes, - there are two 8 o'clocks in the day! A leisurely walk in the park whilst practising your navigation is a great way to see 8.00am on a Sunday morning. All girls participating in the Bronze Award must attend the session to navigate on flat ground before tackling the Surrey Hills in April.

Mrs Saddler-DOE Co-Ordinator

Poetry Competition

At St Catherine's we celebrate National Poetry Day by holding a poetry competition for Years 7-9. The theme of this year's poetry completion was "Stars" and, as always, it was very hard to choose the winners. In the end, there was a very clear overall winner.

• Year 7 Grace Moore 7S and Daisy Langton 7M
• Year 8 Hannah Drugnick 8C
• Year 9 Holly Morris 9S and Annabelle Warrior 9C

The overall winner was Anastasia Payne 9C

All winners won a box of chocolates and Anastasia received money to spend on a book.
We look forward to hearing the poems in an assembly soon. Mrs Turner-Head of English

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Duke of Edinburgh Award - Diary 2013

Bronze Award

Bronze Practice Surrey Hills	20th & 21st April 2013
Assessment Surrey Hills	18/19 May 2013

Silver Award

Practice Dorset	24th - 26th May 2013
Silver Assessment - New Forest	20th- 22nd June 2013

Gold Award

Gold Assessment - Lake District

23rd - 28th June 2013

Janet Saddler

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Siena Society - Spring Term 2013

Lectures will normally take place on Thursday evenings at 4:15pm in the Drama studio

Pupils and parents are all very welcome to attend.

(Refreshments available)

Download Flyer

	Date	Speaker	Event
	Postponed to Summer Term	Tracey Rodford	Solicitor at Abbott Delves/Abbott Cresswell LLP will talk about family law and the impact of career breaks on women's employment.
	24th January	Jess Smith	Admissions Tutor at East Anglia University
	7th February	David Price	Admissions Tutor at Birmingham University
	14th February	Matt Dickinson	Explorer and Author, will talk about his latest journey through Antarctica
	7th March	George Bullard	British Exploring Society, will talk about his own experience as a Leader and Explorer as well as talking about opportunities for students to join various expeditions around the world in summer holidays or GAP years.

Each student from Years 9 to 13 must attend at least two of these lectures. Please book places with your Form Teacher.

 

St Catherine's School Senior Carol Service

Followed by mulled wine and mince pies

Tuesday 18th December 2012 in the Main Hall
at 7:00pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debate - vs: Radnor House, 28th November 2012

Year 11 Team - comprising Jessica Maguire, Serena Sekhon and Marie Claire de Voil - who participated (and won!) the blind debate against Radnor House on 28th November debating "This House Would Rather Be American!"

 

 

 

Years 10 and 11 GCSE Showcases

10th and 11th December 2012 - In the Drama Studio

Year 10 Drama Showcase
'My Mother Said I Never Should'
By Charlotte Keatley

Year 11 Drama Showcase
'teechers'
By John Godber

Historic Football Match - 28th November 2012

St Catherine’s had their first historic football match on 28th November against their great rivals from across the road Radnor House.  In a very evenly well contested game St Catherine’s just about deserved their 4-2 victory.   We took the lead when Josie Grist scored our  first ever goal to put them into a 1-0  lead.  Captain Molly Holmes scored the first of her hat  trick with a screamer from well outside the box to put St Catherine’s 2-0 up.  Radnor scored the next goal to pull the score back to 2-1 which was also the half-time score. It remained that way for most of the second half until Molly scored two more great goals to put St Catherine’s  4-1 up. Radnor House pulled one back to make the final score 4-2 to us.  The game was watched by large crowd who went ecstatic at the final whistle to celebrate St Catherine’s first football match with a memorable victory.

ISA Regional Swimming Gala 2012

On Thursday 22nd November our School took part in the London West Swimming Gala at Aldershot. 18 Schools competed in the Junior and Senior sections.

St Catherine’s put in an excellent team effort with some outstanding individual performances from both Seniors and Juniors. St Catherine’s came home with no less than 35 medals! We were placed 2nd overall to Hawley Place School- a new School record.  Our Juniors were joint 1st with Hawley Place.

VISIT TO NATIONAL THEATRE

On November 28th, the GCSE Drama pupils had the privilege of attending a ‘Devising’ practical workshop at the National Theatre London. The workshop was run by Al and Liam, two professional actors. Al has worked as both actor and puppeteer on the West End hit ‘Warhorse’ and Liam has worked on the hit play ‘Mile End’ (among many others).

The practical session lasted for two hours and each of the pupils who attended gave their full attention and focus to it. Several commented on the ‘funnel theory’ as being a particularly useful tool for their own devised pieces which they will begin working on in January. Pupils also commented that they now have a better realisation that they should not begin the process by believing that they must have the entire piece created by the end of the first lesson. They now know that the need to research appropriate stimuli to enable them to become collaborators is vital to the process.

A great experience was had by all and we thank Mrs Turner for attending the workshop with us.

Mrs Penrose - Drama Department

Sixth Form Retreat

The afternoon of Friday 23rd November saw a group of nine sixth formers setting off in the minibus with Miss Ryan and Mrs Cotton on their first Sixth Form Retreat. We were heading for the Cold Ash Centre, in Thatcham, Berkshire for an overnight stay.  Cold Ash is a retreat centre run jointly by Franciscan sisters and brothers.  We were met by members of the community who would be guiding us through the retreat; Sr Roisin, Fr Anthony, and Br Danny who welcomed us with a very refreshing cup of tea!

The theme of the weekend was ‘Transitions’ and we spent time reflecting on who we are as individuals and how we relate to others around us through a range of discussion and creative activities which really drew out the artistic side of the Sixth Formers as well as the staff.

After supper, we went on a walk through the woods – well armed with wellies and torches, and trying to avoid slipping in the mud.  When we reached the centre of the woods, we paused and turned off the torches to be still and listen to the quietness of the countryside and think about our place in Creation.

We had a chance to meet some of the four legged residents of Cold Ash, including Ben, a very friendly black Labrador, who joined us for night prayer and then fell asleep and started snoring!  For the Sixth Formers, it was a brief but welcome respite from their studies.

‘I found myself completely relaxed and it was nice to get to know others in the Sixth Form and bond with them. The monks were lovely and welcoming as was Sr Roisin.

I would love to go back.’

Emmeline Wear

‘We enjoyed the weekend, especially the walk after dark as we felt at one with nature.  The monks and nuns were very welcoming and we would love to go back as it was very beneficial.’

Aneet Gill, Anisha Chawla & Heetashi Shukla

INTERHOUSE NETBALL TOURNAMENT

Year 11

On Thursday 18 October, all Year 11 girls were ready and prepared to compete against each others’ houses in the Year 11 Inter-House netball tournament.  It was a very close tournament but all girls showed fantastic netball skills throughout. However taking 1st place was Nightingale with 9 points and a brilliant 20 goals scored overall. Bronte, Cavell and Pankhurst then all managed to achieve the same amount of points, so the positions were based on the amount of goals they had scored overall in the tournament. So taking 2nd place was Bronte with 5 points and 11 goals scored, 3rd Cavell with 5 points and 6 goals scored and 4th went to Pankhurst with 5 points and 4 goals scored. It was a brilliant tournament and the atmosphere was great.  All teams showed amazing team spirit no matter what the outcome of their games.                                                
 
On Monday 15 October, all Year 7 girls cheered on their teams to make a fantastic atmosphere at the Year 7 Inter-House Netball Tournament. Many girls showed promising netball skills and all contributed to the tournament to display brilliant team work! However Cavell won the tournament with 15 points followed closely by Nightingale with 12 points. Year 6 also joined in with the tournament to take 3rd place, 4th place went to Pankhurst with 7 points and 5th place to Bronte with 5 points. All girls gave 100% effort to make it a brilliant and competitive tournament.

Year 8

On Thursday 8 November, all Year 8 girls took part in the Year 8 Inter-House Netball Tournament wearing their house PE tops and big smiles. The atmosphere was fantastic with all the girls performing their house cheers and supporting each other from the side-lines. It became a very close and tense tournament with 1st place going to Pankhurst with 8 points. However 2nd place went to Bronte who also scored 8 points but second place was determined by how many goals were scored against them. This meant that Pankhurst won the tournament by just 1 goal. The 3rd place went to Cavell with 5 points and 4th place to Nightingale with 3 points. All the girls showed brilliant sportsmanship throughout the tournament and played extremely well to make it an exciting afternoon.

Year 9

On Friday 9 November, the Year 9 girls took to the netball courts to play against each other in the Year 9 Inter-House Netball tournament. The teams’ chants were fantastic and Bronte showed brilliant support for each other from the side-lines. It was a very close and nerve racking competition with the last game determining the positions for the overall tournament. Nightingale finally took the lead to 2 – 1 in their match against Bronte meaning that they won the tournament by just 1 goal to give them 8 points. Bronte then came second with 7 points. On the other netball court Cavell and Pankhurst were battling it out to determine their overall tournament position but Pankhurst won the match against Cavell giving 3rd place to Pankhurst with 6 points and 4th place to Cavell with 3 points.

Year 10

On Friday 19 November, all Year 10 girls played many netball matches to create the Year 10 Inter-House Netball tournament. The girls’ team spirit was fantastic which created an enjoyable and fun morning. All captains lead their teams incredibly but Nightingale won all their matches against the other houses which meant they took 1st place with 9 points and overall 10 goals scored. Taking 2nd place were Cavell with 7 points and 13 goals scored followed by Pankhurst with 5 points and Bronte in 4th with 3 points. Brilliant netball play was shown among teams and individuals and all the girls powered through their tiredness to try and win the Year 10 Inter-House Netball Tournament.

 

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21st November 2012

Twelve Sixth Formers, made up of proto-lawyers, politicians, criminologists, dentists, medics, historians and every possible aspirational career in between, had an action-packed day visiting the United Kingdom Supreme Court and the Palace of Westminster - via an unexpected detour into the wood panelled private office in Portcullis House of the larger-than-life MP for Mid Sussex, The Rt Hon Nicholas Soames, grandson of Sir Winston Churchill.

On arrival at the impressive neo-gothic building which now houses the new Supreme Court, we passed through the high security checks and made our way immediately to Court 1 to secure our places to watch what we had been told was a case that would attract a lot of interest. As seven (of the twelve) Justices of the Supreme Court entered, everyone remembered the etiquette: standing on the call of "All rise!" as the seven judges made their way to their particular seat in the horseshoe arrangement of the Bench, waiting for them to bow to us and then returning the compliment before finding our seats again. The command of complete silence, where one could literally hear a pin drop - no coughing, no shuffling, no low level chat -was both impressive, as it is so unusual, and majestic.

Different Judges took the lead to deliver the judgement of the Court in three earlier appeals with precision and clarity - so much so that every single person in court understood exactly what the issue had been about - and, most importantly, with utmost fairness. "I would advise everyone to go on this visit, no matter their interests or area of study" Jade Hunt

The gravity of the work undertaken by the Supreme Court was immediately apparent as the judgements ranged from dismissing the appeal of an infamous terror suspect against refusal of his application for asylum, to holding that it was fair, just and reasonable to hold an employer vicariously liable for the sexual abuse perpetrated by its employees on young children in their care (an extremely "hot topic") - all of which made a lasting impression on the St Catherine's students.

Following on from the judgements, we were then lucky enough to observe the start of the fascinating appeal in the case of O'Brien v The Ministry of Justice. I do not think I was alone in noticing how the only female Supreme Court Justice, Lady Hale, was in complete and utter control of the proceedings and how - always of course maintaining the utmost courtesy and respect - she was able to convey to everyone listening and watching that the unfortunate QC ("Queen's Counsel") acting for the Respondent was, in her view, not really up to the mark as far as legal arguments that he was placing before the Court were concerned.

To say that the poor man was getting a bit of a savaging from Lady Justice Hale is probably overstating it, but I do not think that I was alone in cringing as she fired off volley after volley of damning questions that put him on the spot and, on occasion reduced him to an embarrassed, stuttering, apologetic schoolboy! We only saw the first half hour of the mauling and the chronology of proceedings indicated that he had been allotted a three hour slot for his arguments. One cannot imagine the state he must have been in by the end!

Unfortunately we then had to move on to the next part of our experience, which was the talk about the Supreme Court. The students , by now seated in Court 3, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, surrounded by all the flags of the Commonwealth, were intrigued by the Education Officer Peter Jarrold as he recounted the history of the House of Lords and, more recently, the Supreme Court.

After the Supreme Court, we rushed over to Portcullis House to meet the Rt Honourable Nicholas Soames, MP for Mid Sussex in his extraordinarily small (and cluttered!) office. He had quite a number of choice words in answer to the question whether he thought Nadine Dorries was right to go on "I'M A CELEBRITY. Get Me Out Of Here!" - none of which are printable here! When I told the girls later that they had just shaken hands with the grandson of Winston Churchill, I think some of them thought I was pulling their leg! This was certainly a glimpse of life as an MP at the coal face which we were extremely fortunate to get. "The whole day was extremely informative and exciting and opened my eyes to the world of Law; also meeting and speaking to Sir Winston Churchill's grandson, The Rt Hon Nicholas Soames MP, was an unexpected surprise!" Aneet Gill

In the afternoon we joined a number of other schools in a Panel discussion with three MPs from different Parties and one Member of the House of Lords, Lord Tyler, where there were some very lively debates on such diverse topics as whether the voting age should be reduced to 16 , whether there should be new legislation setting out a mechanism to recall MPs (perhaps particularly relevant since the "I'm a Celebrity" affair!) and whether there should be reform of the House of Lords to create an elected Second Chamber.

After this, we went through the underground passage to the Palace of Westminster where we caught up once more with Lord Tyler (who had rushed over quickly too), this time taking part in a rather soporific debate in the House of Lords. After this we climbed the many stairs up to the public gallery in the House of Commons and observed a much livelier affair.

All in all, it was a terrifically eye-opening experience for everyone concerned - lawyer and non-lawyer alike. (I suspect there might even be a couple of converts over to the "Legal Dark Side"!) "The visit has given me more inspiration to pursue my interest in Law and Politics" Rushnay Sikander

I know that I was not alone in coming away from the day with a true sense not only of awe because of the sheer majesty of the buildings, their architectural grandeur and significance and their beautiful interiors, but with a genuine sense of pride in our national heritage and the unique and special traditions that we uphold so powerfully in this country. "It was a fascinating experience, in fact, the opportunity of a lifetime! I felt extremely privileged to have visited the highest court in the land to watch a real life case" Emmeline Wear

Mrs J Bailey
Head of Law, Director of Gifted and Talented Learning and Provision

VISIT TO OXFORD

On Thursday, 11th October the whole of Year 12 and a selection of girls from Year 11 spent the day amongst the 'dreaming spires' of Oxford University, visiting Worcester College in the morning and the Ashmolean museum in the afternoon.

Worcester College, an amalgamation of pretty 15th century cottages and imposing 18th and 21st century architecture, is set in 26 acres of stunning gardens and grounds and yet is only a 5 minute walk from the city centre.

On arrival we assembled in the very grand Hall for refreshments before listening to a talk from the college's admissions tutor on the admissions process and the benefits of studying in a collegiate university, centred around the tutorial system.

There then followed tours of the college buildings: the JCR, the grounds, libraries and chapel, by current under-graduates. This afforded our girls the valuable opportunity to hear first-hand about life in an Oxford college, the admissions process and so on, from those very close in age and experience.

After a sumptuous lunch in Hall, we strolled up to the Ashmolean for a whistle stop tour of this bright, airy and diverse museum. The energetic lady who showed us around, spent no longer than 10 minutes in each gallery, engaging the girls in a wide variety of exercises, to make the experience a very memorable one. At one point she got us all to sketch an artefact blindfold with our 'wrong' hand...surprisingly some of the sketches were very impressive!

Before catching the coach back to Twickenham, the students had an hour or so to explore Oxford and many had a race to see how many other colleges they could gain entry to. I think the winner saw 6!

All the students were very enthused by the day. Here are some quotes from them:

'Oxford University really gave us a goal to reach for. The town and university were amazing and it was really worth the trip' (Amrita and Roisin- Year 11)

'The Oxford Trip was a really interesting and informative experience. It really opened our eyes to the wide range of university choices we have, with Oxford being a possible option. Being able to see and explore the college was very valuable and we had the chance to feel the atmosphere there. This will be useful when we come to comparing other universities later.' (Aneet, Heetashi, D'Nelle and Anisha- Year 12)

'It was fantastic to explore an Oxford college and get an insight into collegiate universities. I found the day helpful and inspiring'. (Serena- Year 11)

Autumn Concert

The Autumn Concert on 18th October was full of pizazz as well as raising one's spirits through beauteous song. The Choirs, Orchestra, Ensembles and Soloists lit up the stage with their magnetic presence and scintillating music. Selections ranged from Emeli Sande to Mendelsohn and each piece was introduced by able announcers, Lauren Jackson and Marie-Claire DeVoil, creating a much appreciated continuity which brought out interesting background to the music being performed.  

The performers should be proud of the accomplished sound they achieved in just a half-term of work. Many have gone on to take recent ABRSM exams earning Merit and Distinction. The musical lives of the students a St Catherine's is alive and well. There are additional music clubs on this year including Flute Ensemble and Folk Music Club. The Experimental Choir is run by Year 11 and 6th Form pupils, and continues to produce a high-quality product including beat-boxing and vocal gymnastics unequalled by previous student-led ensembles.

Mrs Casper supports all of the individual endeavours and those of independent-minded groups, making time available in the Music Room for practice at  breaks and lunch. There are so many talented young women here, and their continued involvement will ensure excellent music programmes for the future. We are hard at work preparing for the Carol Service now, and are sending off St Catherine's Singers recording for Songs of Praise. Wish them luck and come to Trafalgar Square on 15th December from 8.00pm -9.00pm to sing carols around the tremendous tree brought in from Norway!

ORANGE TREE THEATRE VISIT

The Orange Tree Theatre came to St. Catherine's on Monday 19th November to give interactive workshop productions of "The Tempest" to Year 7 in the morning and Year 8 in the afternoon. These workshop productions formed part of the girls' work on Shakespeare in English.

Catherine Freeland of Year 7 writes:

The workshop started with a general introduction about The Tempest, its plot and the characters in it. I thought this was a very good idea as it helped me to understand the Shakespearian language. One of the first things that struck me was that there were only four actors in the WHOLE play. Would it be confusing, as of course they looked the same but were playing different characters? But actually this wasn't a huge problem because of the change of costume and they were excellent at performing many parts. I also noticed how they had set up the stage. They had used just cardboard boxes! At first, I thought it was a bit odd, but as the play developed, I began to like the idea. I thought it was rather effective how they also used them as things to lie and sit on.

One of the key elements of the play was the jokes and songs. The main one that I remember was the twist of the modern rap song 'Gangnam Style'. The actors turned it into 'Tempest Style' so it would engage with the younger generation.

A line that I recall from the play was "Thou liest, most ignorant monster" which was a very strong and powerful line that they acted well.

Emma Grunnell of Year 7 writes:

The stage setting was very effective but very simple. There weren't any props because the actors wanted the audience to look at them not at props. There were several costume changes so the actors could change character
quickly.

Yr 10/11 Netball Matches v Putney Park Tues 9th October 2012

Our congratulations go out to all those, listed below, who represented their school and secured a convincing, win of 12-2 at this fixture. We were really impressed with your determination and spirit throughout:

Yr10/11: Sabrina Snyders, Alison Martin, Shanel Saini, Lucy Singh, Isobel Kessell, Charlotte Hogben

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My Daughter Newsletter - October 2012

 

Download (PDF Format)

My Daughter - Facebook

My Daughter Newsfeed

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landmark Arts Centre Festival of Song

On Thursday 8 November, the Prep Choir and St Catherine's Singers joined choirs from other schools in the borough to take part in the Landmark Arts Centre's Festival of Song.

As the Prep Choir assembled in the Small Hall for a warm up on Thursday 8 November the excitement and anticipation of their imminent performance was tangible. The girls glided up and down their warm up excercise more smoothly than ever before and gave a

show-stopping rendition of "Dem Dry Bones" to an audience of two -that was before we had even stepped outside the school.

The weather was kind and the girls enjoyed a lovely, brisk walk to the Landmark Arts Centre accompanied by three members of staff, six parents and a grandparent, whose assistance was greatly appreciated. When we arrived, further excitement was generated by the sign of the giant spider sculpture above the entrance and the massive proportions of the inside of the building.

The Prep Choir was one of four choirs taking part. The St Catherine's singers impressed everyone with their beauty of tone. Two other choirs from Feltonfleet School and Westbury House sang a wide range of songs with great gusto. When it came to the turn of the Prep Choir to perform, the girls were so eager that they sprang up onto the stage with the speed and lightness of gazelles. They started with a rousing performance of a lively spiritual called, "Dem Dry Bones" and followed this with a beautiful two part arrangement of the Beatles' song, "Yesterday". The girls then sang a topical song entitled, "Save our Planet" with great conviction and energy. The choir ended their performance with a beautiful African lullaby called, "Abiyoyo", which they sang with a very gentle and gorgeous tone and which helped to calm the audience. The afternoon ended with "Mango Walk", a joyful song which was performed by all four choirs and accompanied by some of our very able Year 6 xylophone players. A wonderful time was had by all.

Mrs H Thresh - Music Teacher

 

ISA SWIMMING GALA

Congratulations to the entire Swimming Squad which was placed 2nd overall in the ISA Swimming Gala held on Thursday 22 November.  The Prep Department was awarded 1st place in their section and the Senior  Department came 2nd in their section.  In total, the Swimming Squad earned St Catherines's School a grand total of 35 medals which is a School record! Well done to all the girls and a big thank you to all the parents and supporters who attended the event. 

Mrs S Ward - P E and Swimming Teacher

Cross Country Trials - 2nd December / Bushy Park

I am very pleased to announce that Cross country running at St Catherine's School has become a popular club. It meets every Tues lunchtime and currently involves 28 students. Many of these students also lend their time competing in Parkruns in Bushy/Richmnind park to train further. Amelia Lovell, Nicola Lovegrove , Eleanor Attridge and Olivia Abrey are regular participants.

Trials for St Catherine's Cross Country team will take place on Sunday 2nd December , 11am start, at Bushy Park, during an organised 2K Parkrun. All competitors wishing to take part should register first at least 24hrs before the day. Simple instructions to do this may be found on the Parkrun , Bushy Park website. We wish all students the very best of luck and look forward to seeing you on this Sunday.

Our congratulations go out to Eleanor Attridge who has been selected to represent the borough at the London Youth Games Cross Country event this Saturday 17 November at Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath. The London Youth Games is Europe's largest annual sporting event where the 33 London boroughs compete against each other in over 30 different sports. Cross Country is the first event of the LYG 2013 calendar. We wish Eleanor the very best of luck.

Mrs J Healey BEd
Head of PE

NETBALL TRIP TO SPAIN

I have recently come back from the netball tour 2012. The tour was an amazing boost of confidence for me, and it helped me as a player. The netball tour was an amazing experience, I thought that we would just go out into the boiling hot sun and play netball hour after hour, but it wasn't like that at all; it was fun. We didn't have to get up too early; we had coaching every day in the morning and then a mini tournament in the afternoon.

The mini tournaments were really enjoyable. When we found out that we would not be playing as a St Catherine's team, but that each team would comprise people from different schools and of different ages, we all panicked but it turned out to be really good. We had two mini tournaments and one main tournament that was on the last day.

The main tournament was amazing! You had the whole school cheering you on, when you got a goal everyone clapped and cheered, it was great. At the end of the tournament St Catherine's kept the whole coach waiting as we needed a team photo by the graffiti wall.

The entertainment was really enjoyable; we had karaoke and a quiz. The karaoke was great and I never thought I would see our PE teachers dance to gangnam style.

The rooms were great, we had a bathroom, double bed, two single beds, a sofa, TV and our own kitchen.

The pool was freezing, some girls went in, I tried to but the furthest I got was to my ankles. The hotel we stayed in was a 5 minute walk from the beach. The beach was lovely and there were very few people. We had so much fun playing volleyball and rounders.

I had a great time and so did all the other girls. If you ever get the chance to go take it!

Ava Laird 8M

St. Issey October Half Term

Another successful trip. What can I say; we had 37 girls with us this year, the largest number in the 12 years I have been taking our pupils to the idyllic spot that is known as The Manor House, St. Issey. Samantha and Emily both received long service teddy bears as they have been to Cornwall for the past 5 years! Surfing, Cycling, Walking, Kayaking-just an example of the activities we took part in this year as always, along with wonderful weather.

Many thanks to Mr Melling for giving up his time to accompany us.

We are already looking forward to next year.

Mrs Saddler
Trip Organiser

Barcelona Trip 2012

On Friday 19th October, a selection of girls from Years 7-11 went to Barcelona, Spain for five days. On the first day, we assembled at Gatwick Airport at 10:00am ready for our 1:00pm flight and were greeted in Spain by the amazing hot weather. We saw an array of famous monuments, including La Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, Park Guell and an enormous cathedral. My favourite part was visiting the local Catholic school, El Pinar de Nuestra Senora, where we spent the day with the Spanish students.

I also really enjoyed visiting the Spanish school as I have made some really good friends which I hope to stay in contact with for a long time.

I enjoyed meeting new people and soaking up the Spanish lifestyle whilst trying new foods

Lydia Weaving, Emily Burge, Simran Bal Year 10

The Barcelona trip was a great success with pupils using their Spanish in the hotel, in cafes and whilst shopping. We visited all the major sights as well as an amazing farmers' market outside the Gothic Cathedral. The day in the exchange school was also an ideal opportunity for pupils to speak with their partners and see a Spanish school first hand. Our girls gave an impressive presentation to the Spanish pupils and teachers. The girls were a credit to the School and we had several positive comments about their behaviour during our trip. I would like to thank them all for their active participation and the support of Mrs Haehnel and Mrs Collett.

Mrs J Gingell

 

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Practice - Lake District.

Sunday 29th October was a reasonably sunny day at the start of our practice expedition to the Lakes with Hampton School. The girls arrived at 7.00am to load up the vehicles with kit needed for our trip and to meet the students they would be walking with.

To say the weather was challenging is an understatement; we had sun, rain and lots of it for the duration of the trip along with gale force winds. I have to say I am very proud of Lauren Jackson who battled on regardless of almost being blown off the top of the mountain on more than one occasion. At one point Haweswater Reservoir could have been the middle of the Atlantic Ocean it was so dark and wet!

A good time was had by all and it will at least make the Assessment Expedition in June seem easy in comparison. I know the girls found it a challenge but I am also confident that they will be a whole lot fitter and organised for the real thing.

The link that we have with Hampton Boys School is invaluable to ensure that students are able to journey with other young people who are also taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

Janet Saddler
Expedition Leader.

 

Visit from Matt Dickinson, Climber and Novelist

The English Department welcomed Matt Dickinson, the climber and novelist, to St. Catherine’s School on Friday 28th September to give a series of creative writing workshops to girls in Years 8,9 and 10. His theme of “victims” was particularly useful for girls in Year 10 who were inspired by Matt Dickinson when preparing for their first GCSE English Language controlled assessment. Some of them commented on the ideas he gave them for their creative writing…

 

 

“He inspired me to use aspects from my own life in my writing.” (Charlotte Smith)
 
“He made me think about the importance of the storyline.” (CeCe Shao)
 
“He made me realise that I had to develop my characters throughout the story.” (Temi Oyewusi)
 
“I loved his idea of the story being a ticking clock with time running out at the end.” (Lucy Singh)
 
“He explained that you should not overload your story with too many ideas or characters. You should just choose two or three and develop each properly.” (Akansha Ramakrishnan)
 
“Before meeting Matt Dickinson, I felt I had to use a serious theme for my story. I was wrong. He made me realise I could use humour if I chose.” (Humaira Hussein)
 
“He made me understand that you shouldn’t make too much happen in your story.” (Rhianna Gandhi)
 
“I realised that my story must have change as a major theme. The characters or their circumstances must change. “Toy Story” is a good example of how characters must respond to change in their lives.” (Rosie James)
 
“He taught me to make the antagonist in my story very evil.” (Melissa Chitura-Bidwell)
 
“He gave us examples of different victims in stories e.g. Katniss Everdene in “The Hunger Games” to inspire us.” (Shauna Everitt)
 
“Not only do you need to develop the characters in your story, you also need to construct the world they live in.” (Kate Brownrigg)

The visit was organised by Mrs Turner, Head of English

Sixth Form Open Evening

On Wednesday, 19th September, the school hosted the first of its two annual Sixth Form Open Evenings.

The evening began with  a talk by our Head of Sixth Form, Mr Angus Pearson, who spoke about the benefits to our girls of continuing their A level education at St Catherine’s.

He spoke of the advantages of a single sex education and the confidence that this gives girls when faced with the challenges of a more rigorous academic  curriculum. He also emphasised the benefit of studying A levels in a relatively small establishment where the teachers have a good prior understanding of the students; their strengths and weaknesses. Mr Pearson went on to give a picture of the busy life that a girl at St Catherine’s can expect to lead when she is in Year 12 and 13 but stressed how supported she would feel with good communication being key to her happiness and success.

We then heard from our Head Girl, Simrin Grewall, who gave us a view of what life is like from a Sixth Former’s point of view. She talked about the support that she had received in writing her UCAS application and the standard of teaching that she had received since coming to St Catherine’s in Year 12: ‘simply excellent’. Sim also spoke about some of the privileges enjoyed by the students: being allowed off site, wearing business dress, make up and so on. Sister Paula concluded the talks with a clear and positive message: that we are a rapidly expanding Sixth Form, already with some excellent A level exam results to be proud of (2012:  78% A*-B) but that the ethos of our Sixth Form will always be preserved: through the expertise and experience of its teachers and tutors, a Sixth Former at St Catherine’s can be assured of a challenging education which will provide her with the confidence and skills to succeed in her future life.

There then followed opportunities to tour around the school, meet the Heads of various departments and view the school’s extensive facilities.

It was lovely to see so many new faces present, from families outside St Catherine’s as well as more familiar ones from lower year groups.

Some key dates:

• Next Sixth Form Open Evening: May 1st 2013 (6.30pm)
• Deadline for Sixth Form scholarships applications: 5th November 2012

Theatre trip to see ‘Private Peaceful’

On Wednesday, September 26th, the GCSE Drama pupils went to see ‘Private Peaceful’ at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. It was a National Theatre production and pupils who had studied the novel in Year 9 English were anticipating an emotional performance.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the National Theatre’s production was a one man show, with Mark Quartley playing each of the characters featured in Michael Murpurgo’s novel. The response was largely positive, most enjoying the ‘mesmerising way in which he was able to portray the many different characters’, said one Year 11 pupil.

All agreed that Quartley’s performance was useful in helping the pupils in their own performances of characters for the GCSE Showcase of scenes from ‘My Mother Said I Never Should’ (Year 10s) and ‘Teechers’ (Year 11s). Thank you to Mrs Turner for accompanying us on the trip.

Mrs Penrose
Drama Department

SIENA SOCIETY - 4th October 2012

On Thursday, 4th October, the Siena Society was treated to an astonishingly thorough and informative talk about the training and working life of a General Practitioner.

Dr Lynch, a mother of a girl at St Catherine’s, not only spoke about the reasons for becoming a doctor: the wide range of careers opportunities and the stimulating and rewarding nature of the work; but she also gave some good reasons why not to become a doctor, including the long hours and stress associated with such a demanding career.

She went on to detail the extensive training required: a 5 Year Medical degree, followed by 2 years as a trainee doctor then either a further 3 years speciality training to become a GP, or 10 years to become a consultant. Quite a commitment!

It was fascinating to hear about Dr Lynch’s own career development: she spent a period in the Endocrinology unit in Bagdad hospital during the Iran-Iraq war, avoiding SCUD missiles, then to Dublin and Sheffield for her GP trainee years before settling in Hanworth which is where she currently practises.

In explaining why she chose to be a GP and not a hospital doctor, Dr Lynch stated: ‘In a GP practice, people stay, diseases come and go. In hospitals, diseases stay but people come and go’. This seemed a particularly neat way of summing up the differences.

Dr Lynch concluded her talk by explaining the highly competitive nature of applying for a Medicine degree: not only will you need a minimum of 3 As at A level, but even then a student’s application has to stand out to beat the mathematical odds of being offered a place at medical school: 3 applicants to 1 place.

The St Catherine’s girls could not have received a more engaging and informative talk about  Medicine and life as a doctor. We are very grateful to Dr Lynch for giving up her precious time to come and talk to us.

Angus Pearson
Head of Sixth Form

Legoland

Year 7 pupils took part in an ICT day  on Thursday 20th September when they visited Legoland, Windsor. This was an opportunity for pupils to attend the 'Dr Heartbeat' Lego robot workshops. These were hugely  enjoyed and gave pupils the  opportunity to appreciate the practical aspects of converting computer based instructions into real life movements. It was not all work – after completing a survey of food outlets around the park, pupils got the opportunity to try out many of the rides. The weather stayed dry and an informative day was enjoyed by all.

Mr Melling
Head of ICT

Chessington

Pupils from Year 8 spent the day at Chessington World of Adventures  on Tuesday 18th September. They were there to find out how ICT is used at Chessington. Everyone took part in a workshop where they learnt about the technology used in the rides and also about the food outlets there. After the workshop, pupils had the chance to explore the rides and see the animals.  We were blessed with sunny weather for the day and pupils enjoyed a purposeful and memorable trip.

Mr Melling
Head of ICT

New Parent Social Evening – 25th September

A big thank you to all the parents who came to our social evening.

It was a great opportunity to put names to faces for both staff and parents.

It is a daunting time for the girls and their parents when they start a new school and this event is to help put everyone at ease and help them make some new friends along the way.
I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Mrs Angelita Faulkner FAPA
PA to Sr Paula & Admissions Secretary

 

Mass - 24th September

On Monday 24th September we marked the Feast of Our Lady of Mercy with a Mass in the School Hall, celebrated by Fr Ulick.  It was a pleasure to welcome a good number of parents and parishioners, including some of the Sisters of Mercy, who were able to share their Feast Day with us and enjoy a cup of tea in the Dining Room afterwards.

This Mass was also one of the first opportunities to use our new St Catherine’s Hymn Books which arrived from the printers at the beginning of the month.  After almost a year of planning, choosing hymns, editing texts and working with the publishers, all students and staff now have a new book which contains a range of traditional and modern hymns as well as the Order of Mass and some information about St Catherine of Siena and the history of our school.  We know it will be of practical use during Masses and assemblies, but hopefully, it will be something our students will also want to keep as a memento of their time at the school.

The response from the pupils and parents so far has been very positive.

Miss Ryan
Head of RE

St Catherine's School Senior Autumn Concert

18th October 2012 - In the Main Hall

Doors open at 6:30pm for refreshments

Concert starts at 7:00pm

Download Flyer & Form

 

 

 

 

St Catherine’s Pupils experience the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games!

Before the summer holidays over 35 lucky pupils who     entered a school competition won themselves a chance of a lifetime and received tickets for various Olympic and    Paralympic events. These included cheering on the GB   women as they beat Brazil at Wembley Stadium, supporting the Basketball and watching the Athletics in the Olympic Park. The PE Department received these tickets through the London 2012 ticket share scheme for Schools, which has certainly given some of the St Catherine’s girls a very  memorable experience which I am sure they will look back on in years to come.

Mrs A Edwards

U15 Netball Tournament

On 24th September 2012, Year 10’s took part in a netball tournament at the Bank of England, held by Ibstock. The players were, Emily Tanner, Robyn Holder, Shauna Everitt, Sabrina Snyders, Emily Gillum, Livey Katz, Rosie Tendi, Izzy Kessel, Temi Oyewusi, and Charlotte Smith. We won two of our matches against Highgate and The Hall, with a win of 10 – 5. Each member of the team put every last bit of effort into each match, and didn’t stop trying even when we were losing, despite not having a break between any of our matches.

As Captain, I felt that each and every one of the members of the Netball Team played extremely well, improving a lot since our last matches, however, I feel that Emily   Tanner was the player of the tournament. This is  because she played very well, playing four different positions, GD, GA, GK and C, despite having never played Centre before. She helped me keep the team’s spirit up after losing a match, and was always in a space waiting for the next pass. Once again, well done to all players who took part.

Shauna Everitt, 10S

PHOTOS for SALE

Queens Jubilee Celebrations at St Catherines - Supporting FOSC

A collection of 172 professional photos were taken of the Queens Jubille Celebrations and are available to purchase in aid of FOSC.

Click here to open the Photo Gallery

They come in two sizes 7' x 5', which are £3.00, and 8' x 10', which are £5.00. These can be ordered via Debbie Lebosquet at:

Telephone: 07958 653062
Email: piggysimmons@googlemail.com

When submitting your order please give your daughter's name and class, photograph number and quantity required.

Payment should be made payable to FOSC.

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Jessica Warrior (year 11) who took up Kayaking in 2010 after a Nation-wide school talent search, is seen here with her partner, wearing her GB kit with pride.

Congratulations and the very best of luck for the future.

Head of PE

 

 

German Exchange

An exchange with a difference!

Pupils in Year 7 and 8 recently experienced a taste of German family life as they spent a night in a German home with their partner from the German School. We attended a reception at the school in May and met the host families. St. Catherine’s pupils reciprocated last weekend. After our reception in the Drama Studio we gave the Germans a tour of our school. Many of them had never been in a British school before despite living in the vicinity. The exchange was a great success and we plan to expand it next year. Thank you to all the families who hosted a German partner, it was greatly appreciated.

Mrs J Gingell
Head of MFL

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Open Afternoon

A very successful Open Afternoon was held on Saturday 23rd June with over forty families touring the school to see both the Prep and Senior School.

This was followed by an address by Sister Paula. The Head Girl and the two Deputy Head Girls also spoke about life at St Catherine’s.

 

Art Prize Winners

The results of the competition to create a picture of the school buildings to be printed on a card to be used by Sister Paula are as follows:

• 1st prize:  Alice Billington
• 2nd Prize:  Kitty Winfield
• 3rd prize: Vajiha Naveed

The St Catherine's School Gifted and Talented Programme Presentations

There was standing room only for the G & T Presentations on Tuesday evening as more than a hundred parents, teachers, pupils, friends and invited guests packed into the Drama Studio in order to be told about the challenging and exciting events on "The London 2012 Project"  this year.

The evening began with everyone mingling, drink in hand, as they enjoyed the beautiful piano playing by the talented quartet of musicians, as well as admiring the Olympic themed artwork and installations which had been put up in the Studio especially for the evening.

The stylish DVD, which the 6 teams had worked extremely hard upon to put together as a lasting memento of their achievements on "The Project", sold like proverbial hot cakes as everyone waited patiently for the presentation proper to begin.  There was a tangible spark of excitement and anticipation in the air when, at 7 o'clock,  the audience was finally invited to take their seats.

The presentations  from both the Prep Gold Team and the 5 Senior School Teams were extremely well received, with the girls demonstrating why it was they had been selected to join the Programme in the first place with assured, well delivered performances, conveying not only the essence of challenge they had faced but also the way in which they had risen to it, both individually and as part of their team.  The audience was captivated in turn by each team's DVD clip - which each in its own way demonstrated just how far the girls in that particular team had come since being given the original idea for "The Project" back in December last year.

The evening was a very fitting culmination to a year of immense hard work and dedication by all the girls on the Programme and was a clear demonstration that taking up the challenge to learn more independently is both within their capability and is very rewarding.  The girls were genuinely proud of what they had achieved and were appreciative of the positive impact the experience had had on their learning generally.

There are still some copies of the DVD available (please see Ms Goldburn before the end of term)  - which ought be a "must-watch" item for those pupils in both the Prep Department and in  the Senior School who aspire to be on the Gifted and Talented Programme next year.

Mrs J Bailey
Director, Gifted and Talented Programme for Challenge and Excellence in Learning

Must have keepsake and memento of your daughter’s journey as part of the Gifted and Talented programme at St Catherine’s School for the London 2012 Project.

If you would like to purchase a CD, please send in £10.00 either cash or cheque made payable to St Catherine’s School for the attention of Ms Chantal Goldburn.

Year 8 Rounders Tournament

On Tuesday 19th June the Year 8 Rounders Team participated in a Tournament at the Bank of England Ground. The team was very successful, winning the B-Team Tournament! The team comprised Hannah C, Jody E, Emily V, Lydia R, Ellie P, Amelia L, Charlotte S, Francesca T, Molly M and Matilda H.

Congratulations for doing so well.

By Francesca Turner (Team captain)

Borneo Campout

Many thanks to all who supported our final fund raising event for Borneo.

Ninety girls arrived on the back field to set up camp for the night.  Everyone had great fun with lots of rugby games to wear the girls out, in the hope that they would sleep!  The last chatting stopped around 3-15am, thank you Year 7 and Year 8 tents!  

I am looking forward to more campouts for our next expedition to Madagascar in 2014.

Mrs Saddler

Art Department 2012

Picture Gallery

(This slideshow requires the Flash Player to view. Click here to download a free version of Flash if this slideshow fails to open)

 

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The Teams Of St Catherine's School Gifted & Talented Programme Present:

The London 2012 Project

Tuesday 26th June

Doors Open for Refreshments at 6.30pm
Talk Starts at 7.00pm

 

 

 

 

 

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St. Catherine's Debating Society - St. Catherine's vs Radnor House

Tuesday 3rd July 2012 - Drama Studio from 4:15pm - 6:30pm

Years 7, 8 and 9

Our keen public speakers are proposing two highly topical motions:

• Year 7 : "This House Believes That Schools Should Be Mobile-Free Zones"
• Years 8 and 9 : "This House Believes That The Olympic Dream Is Dead"

Download form to attend the debate

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RUGBY DANCE PROJECT

The 26th of May proved a glorious day in more ways than one.

Without a cloud in the sky, 35 St Catherine’s pupils took to the pitch of Twickenham Rugby Stadium to dance their hearts out. They made up a 600 strong dance troop who performed in the pre-match celebration of the Premiership Rugby Final.

The girls performed along side actor Tyger Drew-Honey, following weeks of rehearsals- including 30 hours of intense choreography.

The girls must be congratulated on their hard work and commitment to this project.

FLAG BEARERS

30 lucky pupils from Years 4-11 were also involved in the Premiership Rugby Final, enjoying the chance to venture onto the pitch and encourage the crowd whilst waving flags.

 

More Pictures

 

 

Regional Athletics Championships, 29th May 2012

Over 60 St Catherine’s pupils form Years 4 to 10 travelled to Eton to compete in the 2012 ISA London West Regional Athletics Championships.

Everyone gave their best efforts in their events, showing a mature and focused approach during a hectic and high pressured day. Congratulations must be offered to everyone involved for making it another sporting success.

All girls need to be recognised for their efforts and for representing the school at this high level.

More details

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What will studying at a Russell Group University REALLY be like?

As part of the Extended Project Qualification Programme and general Sixth Form Studies, Chris Fuller from the University of Southampton ’s “Learning With Us” Programme visited St Catherine’s to give  our Year 12 and 13 students a taste of what will be expected of them should they go on to study at a Russell Group University.  

The girls discovered that the days of having learning handed to them on a plate will be well and truly over once they get to a university like Southampton, where the emphasis is quite different from School: it is less about lecturing and teaching and much more about cutting edge research intensive learning.

Chris Fuller began by literally throwing our girls in at the deep end with a fascinating lecture entitled “The Only Game in Town?” Unmanned Drones in US Counterterrorism and Wider Foreign Policy.

Although the students were initially rather daunted, thanks to Chris’s totally engrossing style and delivery, impressive use of a Powerpoint presentation of maps, charts and video clips (plus the
novelty factor of each girl having her own hand held voting device!) – the lecture quickly became very interactive with the girls being invited to cast their vote on different key issues thrown up as the talk progressed.

An informal seminar followed the lecture - mimicking what would happen at university - where Chris handed over the floor to the girls to debate whether or not the US, having declared “War on Terrorism” had “just cause” and whether the use of proactive military force such as unmanned drones designed to kill leading members of al-Qaeda were, in fact, effective, legal or, ultimately, moral.  The argument between torture, killing and legal methods is a precarious one and it was fascinating to see how the girls battled to formulate an argument for or against the different aspects of the matter under discussion.

The topic was then made startlingly relevant when, the very next morning, the issue of America’s use of unmanned drones was on the BBC News – providing a clear evidence of how academic study relates to real world events.

The final element of the session provided valuable advice to those students who will be beginning to research and write their EPQ paper over the summer to makes sure they “explode” the terms of their proposed titles so that they are not impossibly wide and also to use as many primary sources as possible.  

All in all, it was a highly informative and interesting series of talks which will have given the girls an invaluable taste of the exciting and different challenges that lie ahead for them in Higher Education.

Mrs J Bailey
Director, Gifted and Talented Programme

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The St Catherine's School Gifted and Talented Programme Presentations

There was standing room only for the G & T Presentations on Tuesday evening as more than a hundred parents, teachers, pupils, friends and invited guests packed into the Drama Studio in order to be told about the challenging and exciting events on "The London 2012 Project"  this year.

The evening began with everyone mingling, drink in hand, as they enjoyed the beautiful piano playing by the talented quartet of musicians, as well as admiring the Olympic themed artwork and installations which had been put up in the Studio especially for the evening.   

The stylish DVD, which the 6 teams had worked extremely hard upon to put together as a lasting memento of their achievements on "The Project", sold like proverbial hot cakes as everyone waited patiently for the presentation proper to begin.  There was a tangible spark of excitement and anticipation in the air when, at 7 o'clock,  the audience was finally invited to take their seats.

The presentations  from both the Prep Gold Team and the 5 Senior School Teams were extremely well received, with the girls demonstrating why it was they had been selected to join the Programme in the first place with assured, well delivered performances, conveying not only the essence of challenge they had faced but also the way in which they had risen to it, both individually and as part of their team.  The audience was captivated in turn by each team's DVD clip - which each in its own way demonstrated just how far the girls in that particular team had come since being given the original idea for "The Project" back in December last year.

The evening was a very fitting culmination to a year of immense hard work and dedication by all the girls on the Programme and was a clear demonstration that taking up the challenge to learn more independently is both within their capability and is very rewarding.  The girls were genuinely proud of what they had achieved and were appreciative of the positive impact the experience had had on their learning generally.

There are still some copies of the DVD available (please see Ms Goldburn before the end of term)  - which ought be a "must-watch" item for those pupils in both the Prep Department and in  the Senior School who aspire to be on the Gifted and Talented Programme next year.

Mrs J Bailey
Director, Gifted and Talented Programme for Challenge and Excellence in Learning

Must have keepsake and memento of your daughter’s journey as part of the Gifted and Talented programme at St Catherine’s School for the London 2012 Project.

If you would like to purchase a CD, please send in £10.00 either cash or cheque made payable to St Catherine’s School for the attention of Ms Chantal Goldburn.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Bronze Assessment  -  Surrey Hills

An excellent weekend was had by all.  Meeting at Newlands Corner ready to leave for 08.30am (yes there are two 8 o’clocks in the day at the week end), everyone was raring to go with backpacks that were a lot lighter than the practice.  A lesson learnt, do not carry what you are not going to use!!!

We were blessed with the weather; the rain that was forecast did not arrive and we all got up on Sunday morning to a bright morning with tents that did not even have a drop of dew on them.  As you know tents are much easier to carry when they are not wet!

There was a record finish time of 1.30pm for the first group and 2.30pm for the final group in.  Well done everyone on a job well done.  We look forward to the Silver assessment in the New Forest on 29th June.

Janet Saddler
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition Leader

SWIMMING GALA v HARRODIAN

On Thursday 10th May the Senior Swimming Squad travelled to the Harrodian School in Barnes to compete in their outdoor pool. The St Catherine’s swimmers performed outstandingly in both their individual events and relays. The final score was 28 – 12 to St Catherine’s.

Well done to all of the swimmers involved; Eleanor Attridge, Gracie Mackie, Rebecca Holt, Charlotte Wells, Lydia Rodford,    Matilda Harper, Francesca Turner, Charlie Mitchell,  Jessica Kirkham and Emily Currey.

Year 9/10 Rounders v Putney Park School

On Wednesday 16th May a Year 9/10 Rounders team travelled to the Bank of England Sports Ground to play a friendly fixture against Putney Park School. The match got off to a great start and our team scored 4 rounders to 2 in the first innings. The St Catherine's team batted exceptionally well throughout the second innings, scoring a total of 8  rounders and winning the overall match  12 - 5.

SENIOR CHARITIES WEEK

The Charities’ Week held last term raised over £4000 in all. Eight charities received £500 each as follows: Shooting Star CHASE, GOSH, The Mulberry Centre, Help for Heroes, WaterAid, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Barnardo’s.

SIENA SOCIETY

On Thursday, 10th May, the Siena Society was treated to a dazzling lecture on the Nature of Colour by Dr Andrew Hanson from the National Physical Laboratory in nearby Teddington.

He introduced his talk by explaining how our eyes interpret colour and that images are created by the way our eyes respond to lights within a spectrum. Our eyes can only perceive a limited spectrum of colours. At one extreme, ultraviolet light would destroy the biology of our eyes and so we are prevented naturally from seeing it. At the other (infra-red) end of the spectrum, the light is simply not powerful enough to excite our eyes into action!

In addressing the question: what are complimentary colours? Andrew illustrated the answer very cleverly. He got us to stare at a union jack made up of Cyan, Yellow and Black. After we had stared at the image for about 30 seconds, the image was removed but to our amazement an image remained etched on our retinas. But the image was in red, blue and white!! It seems that there are 3 ‘additive’ colours: Red, Green and Blue which essentially add light to create a whole range of other colours. (TVs use these 3 colours). The true complimentary, ‘subtractive’ colours which take light away, are Cyan (-Red), Magenta (-Green) and Yellow (-Blue) which are used by artists and ink-jet printers. What was particularly interesting about this was that it would of course be prohibitively expensive for a printer to achieve a pure black from these 3 colours which is why our printers have a 4th colour-‘off’-black.

Andrew Hanson spoke with huge enthusiasm about many other fascinating facts about colour and I would highly recommend a look at a short video of Dr Hanson lecturing on the Craziness of Colour at http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxTeddington-Andrew-Hanson-Co

BREAKFAST CLUB

The new price for Breakfast Club as of Thursday 6th September will be £1.80 per head.

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2012 ISA Regional Athletics Squad

Congratulations to the following pupils who have been selected to represent St Catherine’s this year.

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St Catherine’s School Celebrates Completion of Building Programme

The five-year multi-million pound programme to develop and renovate St Catherine’s School, Cross Deep, Twickenham concluded on Monday, 30th April, with a poignant blessing ceremony of the Lawn Building by Bishop John Sherrington, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Westminster.

Last year St Catherine’s opened a new Sixth Form centre, along with a new library, fitness suite and drama studio. On Monday Bishop Sherrington blessed the redesigned ‘Lawn Building’ which now houses a light and airy kitchen and dining room that provides fresh, healthy lunches cooked on the premises for all the girls and staff. On the first floor are new classrooms equipped with the latest IT technology.

As the Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster with special responsibility for education, Bishop Sherrington, said:¬¨‚Ć “I was delighted to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving and opening the Lawn building, in St Catherine’s school, Twickenham. ¬¨‚ĆThe new classrooms for Religious Education and the new dining room are a wonderful edition to the school; I thank Sister Paula and her staff for their warm hospitality and the girls, especially the choir, for an inspiring Mass in honour of St Catherine’s.”

“This was an auspicious day for St. Catherine’s.¬¨‚Ć We are delighted with our amazing new facilities and it was a joy to celebrate it as a school community together with so many people who have helped to make it all possible.¬¨‚Ć It was a privilege to have Bishop John Sherrington here, together with priests from the surrounding parishes.¬¨‚Ć The blessing and Mass were a perfect way to mark such a momentous day for the school.”¬¨‚Ć Sister Paula Thomas, Headmistress.

After Mass pupils were given a small treat and, at lunchtime, cakes with an image Catherine of Siena were served.

 

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School Lunch Menus

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Len Smiths / Online School Uniform Service

Len Smiths - Supplier of School Uniform - Online Service

The above link includes an online shopping cart and a 24 hour online service.

For those parents of children entering the school for the first time and wishing to buy a full school uniform you are advised to visit Len Smiths' shop in Twickenham, where girls can try on different sizes for the best fit, - unless you are confident about the sizes of items required.

Price Lists

Early Years
Prep Years
Senior Years

Shop Contact Details

Len Smiths
1-15 Heath Road
Twickenham
Middlesex
TW1 4DB

Sales 020 8892 2201 [ Option 1 ]