Winter 2015

Leweston Life

Head’s Welcome 3

Public Examination Results 2015 4

Academic Awards and Successes 5

Creative Life 9

Duke of Edinburgh 15

Senior Sport 16

Junior Department 22

Junior Department Sport 28

Nursery 30

Boarding 32

Spiritual Life 34

Dates for your Diary 36

Contents

www.leweston.co.uk

Page 22

Page 9

Page 11 Page 15

Cover image: AS Textiles Coursework Natasha Lau

Welcome from the HeadWelcome to the winter 2015 edition of Leweston

Life. It pulls together the highlights of what has

been an exceptionally busy, varied and, I hope,

fulfilling term for students, staff and parents alike.

As my first term in the role of Leweston’s Head I

have daily been reminded of the enthusiasm and

talents that our girls and boys possess and how

amazingly rich and varied their school days are.

As the new Head, the academic profile of

Leweston has very much been at the forefront of

my mind. My vision is to secure Leweston’s

reputation as a centre of excellence for teaching

and learning. I want it to be a school where every

lesson, all pastoral support and every decision is

framed by the crucial question – ‘is this the best for

this particular child?’. By sharing best practice in

the classroom and working closely with other

schools, I hope to keep the delivery of an

outstanding curriculum high on the agenda at

Leweston.

Nowhere has this been better demonstrated than

in another exceptionally strong set of A Level and

GCSE results which pay testament to the hard

work and dedication of the girls, as well as the

determination to go the extra mile for which the

staff here are well known. Our great results can be

read about on page 4.

The School continues to thrive across campus and

as we embark upon a new academic year, it is

wonderful to see such strong numbers in our

Nursery. We now have over 40 pupils on roll and

hope to see that number increase throughout the

year as more children are welcomed into the

Leweston fold, benefitting from the first class

education we offer right from the start. More

news from the Nursery can be found on pages 30

and 31.

It has also been a busy term for the arts at

Leweston, with the talent and creativity of the

pupils never ceasing to astound us all. Particular

highlights were the Fashion Show (pages 10 and

11) and the Junior Department and Senior School

Carol Services, not forgetting the wonderful Angel

Express Nativity. I was also delighted that three of

our Sixth Form girls were selected to appear in the

Sherborne Boys’ School musical production of

Sweeney Todd (page 13). The Sports Department

also goes from strength to strength, with more

exceptional achievements registered across

multiple disciplines (see pages 16-21 and 28 and

29) and we were delighted to be awarded

Penthalon GB Academy status at the end of term,

one of only 8 locations in the country.

Thank you to the Leweston community for making

me and my family feel so welcome in my new role.

I hope that you enjoy reading about the Autumn

term at Leweston and I look forward to 2016 and

all that it holds.

3

Kate Reynolds

Head

Leweston is delighted to once

again be celebrating an

exceptional set of public

examination results.

At A level Sixth Form girls

achieved a 100% pass rate with

92% of the exams passed at grade

A* to C or Pre-U equivalent and

77% at A* to B or Pre-U equivalent.

63% of the results were passed at

A* or A grades or Pre-U

equivalent, more than double the

national average of 26%. Average

UCAS points per candidate were

372, the equivalent of over three A

grades per candidate.

These results have enabled almost

all Leweston’s leavers to win

places at their chosen universities

or specialist colleges. The

outstanding achiever was Alina

Pietruszewicz with 3 A* and 3 A

grades who will read Natural

Sciences at University College

London. Many girls are going on

to the more selective institutions

including Bristol, Cambridge,

Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, St.

Andrews and University College

“It is wonderful to see such

strong academic results from

these multi-talented year

groups. Their achievements

across the subject and ability

range are as impressive as the

list of additional accolades

they have garnered in music,

sport and outdoor education;

all testament to the benefits of

an all girls’ education where

Leweston girls achieve to the

best of their ability both inside

and beyond the classroom.” Kate Reynolds - Head

London to study degrees such as

Accounting, Architecture,

Economics, English, Modern

Languages, Mathematics,

Medicine, Natural Sciences,

Nursing, Philosophy and Politics,

Psychology and Theology.

At GCSE 34% of examinations

were passed at A* with 59% of all

entries passed at A* or A. 84% of

examinations were passed at A*, A

or B. Congratulations to the 30%

of all candidates who achieved 9

or more A or A* grades and to the

17% of girls who got 9 A* grades

or more.

Particularly notable were the

results in the subjects of Latin and

Further Maths. 100% of the pupils

taking Latin achieved an A* with

94% of the candidates taking

Further Maths (representing 37%

of the year group) achieving an A*

or A.

Congratulations to Beth McMillan,

Elizabeth Hobbs and Elizabeth

Davis who all achieved 11 A*

grades. All three girls are

academic scholars at Leweston.

GCSE, A Level and Pre-U Results 2015

4

IN BRIEF...

30% of candidates achieve

9 or more A or A* grades

at GCSE

77% or A Level passed

at A* to B or Pre-U equivalent

Average UCAS points per

candidate of 372 (over three

A grades per candidate).

A Level and Pre-U candidates 2015

5

Leweston Sixth Form

er Receives

HighestAward

at the Cambridge

Chemistry Challenge

Academic Awards and Successes

Congratulations to Sixth Former

Katarzyna Zator who has been

awarded the prestigious Chemistry

Roentgenium Award after being

placed in the top 0.7% of over

8000 entrants nationally.

The Cambridge Chemistry

Challenge is a prestigious and

highly competitive international

Chemistry exam for Lower Sixth

pupils, which not only requires

significant subject knowledge but

also first class lateral thinking and

problem solving abilities. The Gold,

Silver and Copper awards are

topped by a Roentgenium, the

fourth and most rare of the noble

metals in Group 11 of the Periodic

Table.

Katarzyna was one of 8 Leweston

pupils who entered the

competition this year. She achieved

the highest accolade possible, The

Roentgenium Award which placed

her in the top 0.7% of all entrants

(8481 students) nationwide and

qualified her to attend a 3 day

residential Chemistry Camp at

Cambridge University where she

had the opportunity to take part in

some advanced practical work in

their laboratories and was taken on

a tour of the Chemistry

Department. Katarzyna and Dr

Kemal, Head of Chemistry at

Leweston, were invited to attend a

reception at the Wellcome

Collections Museum in London

along with all the other

Roentgenium Award winners, at

which crystal trophies were

awarded to students and their

teachers. Katarzyna who gave a

short presentation about an

element of her choice wrote:

“Being at Cambridge and workingon challenging topics ranging fromquantum mechanics of electronorbitals to organic syntheses andbeing taught by inspirationalteachers amongst them Dr PeterWothers, the organiser of thechallenge and the author of thetext book that I so much enjoyedreading, was fascinating and sorewarding. Cambridge is abeautiful city and my briefexperiences at the camp has onlyserved to strengthen my desire tostudy Natural Sciences at StCatharine’s College.”

“Katarzyna’s element of choicewas Polonium. She delivered herpresentation with conviction andconfidence. I was proud to beescorting her to the awardsceremony. Trophies werepresented to both Katarzyna andto the school as further reward forsuccess. It was a great honour forLeweston School to be involvedwith this event and we areextremely grateful to all the staffat St Catharine’s College,Cambridge and their sponsorsfrom Saudi Aramco for makingthis event possible.”

Dr O. Kemal

Leweston’s Sixth Form Chemists

attended a day of lectures held at

University of London’s Institute of

Education in November. The day

focused on how science is used in

the real world and featured talks

from some of the world’s leading

Chemists on a range of topics

including Diamonds, The

Chemistry of Drugs, Rates of

Reaction and What Started Life on

Earth: the biggest unanswered

question in both Biology and

Chemistry. This was a fascinating

and inspirational day which delved

into the more advanced aspects of

Chemistry.

SIXTH FORM CHEMISTS EXPERIENCE

‘CHEMISTRY IN ACTION’

6

Physicists hear fromNobel LaureateBrian SchmidtSixth Form scientists enjoyed a

visit to Southampton University to

hear from the 2011 Nobel

Laureate for Physics, Brian

Schmidt. His lecture described

how leading Scientists traced

back the expansion of the

universe over billions of years and

discovered that it was

accelerating, a startling discovery

that suggests that more than 70

per cent of the cosmos is

contained in a previously

unknown form of matter, called

Dark Energy. The girls were also

able to meet and talk with current

physics undergraduates about

their work at Southampton

University. A great day!

History Comes alive atHampton CourtA party of girls from Year 11 went on a very rewarding visit to Hampton

Court Palace in September. Not only was the great beauty of the site

enriched by the presence of people wearing the costumes of bygone

eras like a benign ghostly presence, but Hampton Court’s education

department provided the opportunity to handle artefacts from the

distant past, bringing history to life. Hampton Court has always served as

a great stage set for intense royal and political dramas, including

pageantry and tragedy and the girls were able to connect with this

fascinating, complex and challenging heritage.

7

The girls involved in Leweston’s

Classics Club have had a creative

term developing their

understanding of life in Ancient

Greece and Rome. A new

academic year meant new toga

trends. The girls in Classics Club

have learnt about clothing in

ancient Rome and had great fun

designing their own togas with

newspaper! This was followed by

the girls attempting to create

models of Greek temples using

only spaghetti and

marshmallows. Ingenuity was

required as creative and

innovative architectural designs

led to eye-catching results. The

end of term culminated with a

recreation of Fishbourne Palace

following on from their work on

King Cogidubnus. Great efforts

were made by all, and the

attention to detail was

particularly impressive, with a

bath house complete with under

floor heating! Classics Club: To

gas and Temples

Leweston’s Budding

Writers Recognised at

Sherborne Literary

Festival

Congratulations to Year 10 pupil

Amelia Mercer, who has enjoyed

much success at this year’s

Sherborne Literary Festival. She

won first prize in the 12-16 year

old category with her poem

“Departures” and third prize in the

Short Story Competition, with

“Cow Parsley” on which the judges

commented:

“Intriguingly told, with abackwards structure thatcleverly compacts a life ofstrong emotions into a shortspace, with good descriptivelanguage”.

There was also a special mention

for Charlotte Sewed (Year 10), for

her story “Losing Will”,which

received a Highly Commended

certificate. The judges wrote:

“A powerful short story, toldwith imagination by a well-created narrator”.

Public Speaking SuccessTwo teams of Year 9 pupils represented Leweston at the local Rotary Club

Youth Speaks Intermediate public speaking contest, held at the Gryphon

School in November.

Congratulations to Team A of Emilia Brazier, Speaker: Eliza Dawson and

Vote of Thanks: Daisy Pilkington who provoked much discussion with

their speech entitled, ‘Exams: what is the point?’ and who, as runners up,

will go on to the next stage of the competition.

8

Leweston Staff and Students Inspired by Weekly TED TalksLeweston girls and staff are being challenged and inspired in a weekly

discussion and debate club enthused by speakers from around the world.

TED is a nonprofit organisation devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the

form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less) that cover topics from

science to business to global issues. It has been an engaging and exciting

first term of talks and we look forward to the club’s continued success in the

new year. Find out more at https://www.ted.com/.

LewestonWelcomes AuthorMaria FarrerThe English Department was

privileged to welcome Maria Farrer,

author of A Flash of Blue and Broken

Strings, in October. Maria talked to

pupils in Years 9 - 11 about her work

as a novelist, giving some fascinating

insights into the editing process in

particular. The girls will undoubtedly

find her advice on creating an

engaging narrative voice and to ‘be

brave’ as writers invaluable, both in

their creative writing and when

facing the challenges of exams.

Leweston’s Cambridge Pre-U

students enjoyed an extra workshop

with Maria in which they immersed

themselves in the narrative voices of

a wide variety of writers. The girls

enjoyed a lively debate and were

offered a rare opportunity to see the

writing of fiction from an author’s

perspective. We would like to extend

our thanks to the Sherborne Literary

Society for offering us the

opportunity to host Maria’s visit.

Creative Life...

Autumn Term

Chemistry

Symposiums

Inspire and

EnrichThis term’s Chemistry

Symposium, involving the

Chemistry Departments

of Leweston, Sherborne

School and Sherborne

Girls has proved an

excellent forum for

showcasing scientific

literature research which

has inspired and enriched

the participants. Recent

talks have covered a wide

range of topics as diverse

as chemistry in the food

industry and explosive

types of drugs. At the

most recent Symposium

on the 25 November, two

of our Sixth Formers, Evie

Davies and Monika

Olejnik, delivered an

impressive presentation

on the exciting

applications of

Nanotechnology for a

healthy life and better

ageing, which stimulated

a lot of interest. We look

forward to the next

series of Symposia in the

new year.

This year’s Christmas Concert,

hosted at the Church of the Holy

Ghost in Yeovil, was a sell out with

pupils’ family and friends and

members of the local

congregation enjoying festive

performances from Schola

Cantorum, soloists from across the

school and many of our

instrumental ensembles. The

concert was raising funds for Jana

Jyoti, Leweston’s sister school in

Nepal, and for the Church of the

Holy Ghost. Thank you to all who

came and supported this event.

The Christmas Concert was, of

course, followed by the Carol

Service which once again

provided a moving and fitting end

to the autumn term in the

wonderful surrounds of Sherborne

Abbey. The service featured

spectacular performances by

Schola and Cantemus, as well as a

number of poignant readings from

pupils, staff, parents and the

Chairman of the Governors. It was

a tremendous and atmospheric

occasion, with the stunning festive

songs filling the majestic interior

of the Abbey from floor to vaulted

ceiling.

Christmas Carols and Concerts

Sixth Former Takes Part in Strings Workshop led by Classical Violinist Nicola BenedettiCongratulations to Sixth Former Evie Davies who was one of only a few school age

musicians selected to take part a strings workshop led by internationally renowned

Violinist Nicola Benedetti at the Royal Albert Hall (pictured left). Evie is currently a

music scholar at Leweston and as well as the Violin, she also plays the Piano and sings

as part of the school’s senior Choir, Schola Cantorum. Evie had a fantastic and

inspiring day in London and we look forward to her continued progress throughout

her Sixth Form years at Leweston.

9

The 2015 Fashion Show was a wonderful showcase of the creative talent

across the school. This year’s event featured work created by girls from

Year 6 through to Sixth Form. The girls in Year 6 created dresses made from

recycled plastics and paper, the work by the girls in Years 7 and 8 was on

the topic of circus head pieces whilst Year 9 work was inspired by jewels

and birds. GCSE pieces were on the theme of architecture, whilst the Sixth

Form pieces were self led and included the course work that will go

towards their A Level examination. The quality of the work was

exceptional. Over 100 pieces of wearable garments were showcased, all

modelled by Leweston pupils.

The creativity was not just limited to the catwalk. A Sixth Form team

created the set design, the music, the lighting and the stage design. Year

13 pupil Stephanie So, who plans to study Fashion Communication and

Promotion at university, also created a film documenting the preparations

and all the back stage action which can be seen on our website or our

Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/lewestonschool.

10

A2 exam piece by Kasey Chiu

A2 exam piece by Harriet Cook

GCSE

coursew

ork by Celeste Patterson

A2 co

ursew

ork by Lila Chillingworth

AS exam

piece by Ella M

onachello

AS co

ursew

ork by Ella M

onachello

11

Fashion Show Collections 2015

AS coursework by Stephanie So

12

Congratulations to talented Year 8

pupil and Drama Scholar Jessamy

Bowditch, who was awarded the

lead role in the Yeovil Youth

Theatre’s musical production of

‘Annie’ which ran between the

17th – 21st November. Jessamy,

who recently played Alice in

Leweston’s production of ‘Alice in

Wonderland’ (pictured)

performed in every show, without

an under-study, whilst managing

to balance all her school

commitments. No doubt a bright

future awaits.

Year 8 Pupil Jessamy Takes Lead Role

Sixth Former Awarded ATCLPerformance DiplomaCongratulations to Year 13 pupil and Music Scholar Natasha Panton

who has been awarded her ATCL Performance Diploma on the Flute.

This is an advanced exam and equivalent to the first year of a Music

Conservatoire Degree course. Natasha’s achievement builds on

Leweston’s strong record of success in this area. In 2013 three Year 13

Leweston girls achieved Distinctions in their ATCL (Associate Trinity

College, London) Performance Diplomas: Ellie Byfield on the Saxophone,

Emily Yang on the Piano and Imogen Massey on the Flute.

OldAntonianSecures Jobwith TomFordCongratulations to Leweston OA

(leaver year of 2011), Catherine

Hammick, who has secured a job

working for world renowned

American fashion designer and

Oscar winning film director Tom

Ford. Catherine recently

graduated from Istituto

Marangoni with a 1st with Hons

in BA Fashion Business. We look

forward to Catherine’s continued

success in the fashion industry

and wish her luck with the

new job!

Sixth Form Perform atDorset Schools’ CharityConcert

We are delighted that our Sixth Form

Vocal Duo and Sixth Form Wind Quartet

performed alongside musicians from

other local schools at the Dorset Schools’

Charity Concert at Sherborne Abbey on

Thursday 12th November. The event,

organised by the Royal British Legion,

raised funds for local Dorset veterans

and was a spectacular success. Our

pupils were joined by Old Antonian

Camilla Foster-Mitchell who featured as

Guest Soprano at the event. Camilla

wowed the audience with her rendition

of ‘Quando Men Vo’ from La Boheme by

Puccini and ‘Caro Nome’ from Rigoletto

by Verdi.

Sweeney Todd

Congratulations to Sixth Formers Freya Logan and Lexsis Nyeko

who were selected to take part in the joint schools’ production of

‘Sweeney Todd’ featuring pupils from Sherborne School, Sherborne

Girls and Leweston. The musical is one of the more macabre

musicals in the canon, and the performers did its grisly sense of

humour great justice with their beautiful and highly-moving

production.

Royal Academy Life Drawing Workshop

Artists in Years 10-13 enjoyed a life drawing session

this term with an artist and model from the Royal

Academy of Art. Girls sketched the form through

specialist workshops and enjoyed trying out different

materials. The session provided a fantastic

opportunity to develop expressive drawing.

Wish You Were Here

Year 10 - 13 Category Winner:Neen Jarosombat (Year 12)

Year 7 – 9 category Winner:Sophie Lyons Montgomery (Year 7)

Popular Vote Category Joint Winners:India Cole (Year 9)

Popular Vote Category Joint Winners:Grace Pilkington (Year 7)

Photography Competition

We had an excellent number of quality entries

for our inaugural School summer photography competition.

Congratulations to the prize winners’

whose photos can be seen below

15

Record Numbers of Girls Complete their Awards at all LevelsIt has been a bumper Duke of Edinburgh season at Leweston with a record

number of girls taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award at all three levels and

an unprecedented number of girls completing their Gold Award.

The Bronze and Silver teams benefitted from the county outdoor centres for their

training which, with the exception of one particularly cold night, was consider a

great success. The three Bronze teams focused on Purbeck for their expeditions

while the two Silver teams went to new locations in the Quantocks.

To complete a DofE programme is a huge achievement. It has been a challenge

both physically and mentally for the Bronze and Silver teams and yet again the

Leweston girls have risen to the occasion, completing and passing their final

assessments with tenacity and a great sense of team spirit. In doing so, they have

gained the respect of their leaders, supervisors and assessors.

This year we had a very strong Gold team who headed to Dartmoor for both their

practice and assessment. Rugby and illness meant that teams were changed but

the final 4 on assessment were well prepared and highly commended by the

assessor. The teams were lucky with the weather, experiencing very little of the

micro-climate for which Dartmoor is famous. Blisters, bruises and ticks were the

only remnants of a highly successful final expedition. Well done all!

Mr Keith Whitehead, D of E Co-ordinator

16 16

Leweston is delighted to

have been awarded Academy

status by Pentathlon GB with

effect 1 January 2016, making

it the eighth PGB Academy.

The award has been made in

recognition of the support

and contribution the school

has made to the sport of

Modern Pentathlon and the

development of Leweston

and local community

athletes.

A Pentathlon GB

representative commented

“Leweston makes a significantcontribution to the PGBPathway and is one of thecornerstones of the GBBiathle Squad. ResidentCoach Mr Mick Flaherty hasworked tirelessly towardsearning Academy status forthe school and he iscongratulated for thesignificant contribution hemakes to our sport.Well done.”

Senior Sport

Leweston AwardedPentathlon GB AcademyStatus

Pupils Inspired by InternationalAthletes at Girls Go Gold PEConference 2015Six pupils in Years 11 and 13 attended the Girls Go Gold Gold

conference at Headington School in Oxford in September.

Daisy Liddle, Year 13 Prefect, writes...

The 2015 Girls Go Gold PE

Conference was put on by the

Girls’ Schools Association and

attended by over 400 girls from

schools all around the country. The

day consisted of various lectures

and workshops on the topics of

sports nutrition and sports

psychology. The sports nutrition

session was particularly interesting

and we were able to pick up some

tips on what foods are the best

choices, with particular emphasis

on what to eat for breakfast to

provide energy to complete

challenging training programmes.

The event’s workshops were

equally interesting and included

‘controlling the controllable’

during which we learnt about the

things that we, as athletes, can

control to give us the best chance

of success. We greatly enjoyed the

high intensity training (HIT)

workshop where we were given a

taste of a hard sprinting session on

spinning bikes and a rowing taster

which was lead by Katie Greves,

Team GB rower working towards

Rio 2016. We also had the

opportunity to attend a higher

education exhibition of

universities which specialise in

sports related courses. The day

ended with a speech from Sally

Gunnell (pictured above left), the

1992 Olympic Gold medallist at

the 400m hurdles and the only

woman to have ever held the

Olympic, World and

Commonwealth titles at once,

followed by a Q&A with the very

popular young athlete and current

Junior Heptathlon World

Champion, Katarina Johnson-

Thompson (pictured above right).

Her talk was truly inspiring as she

is a real role model to all of us.

Overall the day was amazing and I

think we will all take away what we

have learnt and use it to become

better competitors.

17

We were delighted to host staff and pupils from Firbank Grammar School (Melbourne) as part of their two week

multi-sports tour to the UK at the start of term. The 28 visiting pupils were hosted by Leweston families and over

their three day visit the girls enjoyed many competitive sports fixtures against Leweston in the pool, on the

netball court and on the football pitch. The Australians clinched victory on the netball court, but Leweston girls

emerged victorious in the pool and on the football pitch. The Firbank girls were amazing ambassadors for their

school and we had a great few days full of laughter and fun. We look forward Firbank visiting again in 2018!

Leweston WelcomesAustralian Touring Team

Leweston Relays 2015The annual Leweston Cross Country Relays took place on Thursday 26

November resulting in some outstanding success for the home teams.

This year’s event saw 75 teams and over 300 competitors representing

schools from across the South West. Leweston enjoyed much success

with teams taking the top spots in the Minor Girls category (girls in Years

5 and 6) contested by 18 teams and in the Intermediate category (girls in

Years 9 to 11), also of 18 teams. Leweston also took podium positions in

the Junior event (girls in Years 7 and 8) coming second and in the Senior

Competition (Sixth Form) coming third. A special mention must go to Year

7 pupil Issy Colwell who produced the fastest lap of the 112 runners in

her category, quite an achievement.

Winners at theSt Mary’s RelaysCongratulations to the U16 Cross

Country team of Zuleika Voegele-

Downing, Libby Tolly, Poppy

Boyden and Daisy Davies who

won the St Mary’s Shaftesbury

Cross Country Relays last

Wednesday. The girls beat 14 other

teams winning comfortably by 59

seconds. Well done!

LEWESTON HOSTS REGIONAL ROUND OF THE ESAA NATIONALSCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CUPLeweston was delighted to host the Regional Round of the ESAA National Schools Cross Country Cup

competition in November. 48 teams from 29 schools attended the championships, in a region that

stretched from Land’s End in Cornwall to Reading in Berkshire. Both home teams had qualified for this

prestigious event, with the Junior (Year 7/8) Team and the Intermediate (Year 9/10) Team finishing a

creditable 5th out of the 12 schools in their category.

18

Congratulations to the two equestrian teams who had a record breaking weekend at the National Schools

Equestrian Association Championships at Addington Manor at the beginning of November. In the ‘Jumping with

Style’ event the Leweston’s team came 8th out of 35 teams who had qualified for the event from all over the

country, the highest place Leweston has gained at the prestigious and highly competitive championships.

Congratulations to Eve Southcombe, sisters Kitty and Sacha Godman-Dorington and Portia Alexander. Well done

also to the show jumping team of Issy Colwell, Alice Southcombe, Kitty and Sacha Godman-Dorington who came

a creditable 19th out of 43 teams, also an outstanding achievement.

Success at the National Schools Equestrian Association Championships

Leweston Inter Schools’ Show

Jumping Competition 2015 We were delighted to welcome riders representing schools

from all over the South West to our annual Inter Schools’ Show

Jumping Competition on Saturday 26 September. The

Leweston equestriennes did exceptionally well in the team

results coming third in Class 1, sixth in Class 2 and first of 16

teams in Class 3. Well done to all the competing schools and

riders on another successful event. A full copy of the results can

be downloaded fromwww.leweston.co.uk

19

Leweston Girls Win Bronze for GB at theWorld Biathle Championships

Three Leweston girls travelled to

Batumi Georgia to represent Great

Britain at the World Biathle

Championships in September. In

order to be selected for Great

Britain the girls had taken part in

several Biathle races around the

country and put in lots of training

hours, in the pool, in the sea and on

the roads. Their hard work was

rewarded with much success with

Year 10 pupil Libby Tolly finishing

6th and Olivia Manson (Year 12)

finishing 13th in the Girls 16 and

Under event. The girls formed 2

parts of the three woman team and

their performances meant that the

team took a Bronze medal, just

behind South Africa and Russia. In

the Girls 18 and Under event, Year

13 pupil Georgie Kemp, finished

10th at the end of her first season

of Biathle. Well done!

MEDALS AND PBS GALORE AT THENATIONAL BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Leweston’s athletes enjoyed another successful year at the

National Biathlon Championships at Solihull. Leweston was

delighted to have 14 representatives at the competition and a

competitor in every age group - an outstanding achievement.

A special mention must go to Ginny Bruce (Year 5) who helped the

Dorset Pentathletes come 1st in the U10 event (pictured above

right). Well done also to Year 9 Sports Scholar Daisy Davies

(pictured above left) who took bronze individually in the U14

event helping her team to a silver medal. Libby Tolly (Year 10) also

came a creditable 6th in the U16 event helping her team to Bronze.

Well done to all the Leweston competitors who performed

brilliantly on the day.

Leweston Dominates at theDorset Schools’ BiathlonThe Dorset Schools’ Biathlon took place at

Leweston School on Sunday 4 October with

over 120 competitors taking part. Once again

Leweston was well represented with the girls

generating some excellent results including a team win in the U12

event and individual wins in the U12, U16 and U19 event.

Leweston School wasproud to host aSouth West schools’Junior air pistolshooting competition;the first of its kind inthe country.

The competition, held in

October, was run by British

Shooting in partnership with

the NSRA and attracted over

120 competitors from schools

all over the South West. It was

a busy schedule with 3

different age groups Junior

(Year 5 & 6), Intermediate (Year

7, 8 & 9) and Senior (Year 10,

11, 12 & 13). Leweston was the

only school to win a medal in

each final: well done to Lily

Amor (Year 6) who won gold

in the Junior shooting with

Holly Johnson (Year 6)

following behind her in 7th

place. In the Intermediate final

Elektra Covell (Year 8) took the

bronze medal behind 2 Welsh

internationals and Issy Colwell

(Year 7) came 8th. In a very

competitive Senior final Libby

Tolly (Year 10) had a great

shoot which saw her win the

bronze medal. A hugely

successful and enjoyable day

for all those involved.

20

Leweston Hosts the First Junior Air Pistol Championships

Elektra Year 8 Issy Year 7 Libby Year 10

Well done to Year 8 pupil Elektra

Covell who came 2nd

individually in Under 13 girls

(Youth D) at the National

Tetrathlon Championships in

September. Elektra (pictured

centre) won her fencing and

shooting events and still had the

energy to pull out a personal best

in the pool. Her performance,

alongside those of her two

teammates (also pictured) meant

that they took team Gold for

Dorset Pentathletes.

Team Gold at the National Tetrathlon Championships

21

Row Like A Girl: Old AntonianDeparts on 3000 Mile TripAcross the AtlanticThe first day of advent also saw Old

Antonian, Olivia Bolesworth (’06),

set off on the Talisker Whiskey

Challenge: an Atlantic crossing in a

row boat as part of a team of four

girls. The intrepid team are

planning to row 3,000 nautical

miles from La Gomera in the

Canary Islands to Antigua in the

Caribbean, in support of Plan UK’s

“Because I am a Girl” campaign.

They are also hoping to set new

world records as the youngest and

fastest four girls to cross the

Atlantic. Crossing the Atlantic is not

an easy task and the girls will face

extreme conditions, mental and

physical hardship, sleep

deprivation, exhaustion (they will

be rowing 24/7, non-stop, in a 2

hour shifts for 3000 miles),

isolation, harsh weather conditions

(including 30-40ft waves, storms

and a dangerous range of hot and

cold temperatures), vulnerability,

heath issues, nutritional issues,

solitary confinement, rowing in the

dark, and being solely responsible

for the upkeep and maintenance

of the vessel.

For more information about Plan

UK and the “Because I am a Girl”

campaign, please visit http://plan-

international.org/girls/. The team

are hoping to raise £50,000 for the

cause and would welcome any

help to reach their goal. Updates

from the girls and ways to support

their fundraising efforts can be

found at www.rowlikeagirl.uk

Junior Department

Pupils in Years 5 and 6 went to

Portsmouth to find out more

about the Mary Rose and see HMS

Victory early in the autumn term.

The children visited the Mary Rose

Museum and saw many of the

thousands of artefacts that have

been found. They took part in a

gun drill with a replica ‘port piece’

breech loading gun and tried their

hand at a model long bow. The

other workshops involved Tudor

navigation and military planning,

either as the French attacking

Portsmouth or the English

defending it. The pupils sent their

work to Mary Rose Education

which was promptly posted on

twitter…

Mary Rose Education tweeted…

Brilliant work from

@LewestonSchool after their visit

@MaryRoseMuseum “We had a

marvellous time”

YEAR 5 AND 6 HISTORY TRIP TO PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD

23

Grandparents’ Day We were delighted to welcome

many of the grandparents of

pupils in the Junior

Department to this year’s

Grandparents’ Day in

September. Our visitors

enjoyed returning to school for

a wonderful welcome from

Head Girl, Polly Harwood and

Games Captain Lily Amor,

before heading off with their

grandchildren to take part in

lessons which were of a

European Theme as the school

was also celebrating the

European Day of Languages.

Later that morning there was a

moving Blessing in the Chapel

which featured prayers that

been written by the children

for their grandparents. There

was not a dry eye in the house.

We look forward to next

year’s event.

Fossil Hunting in Lyme Regis

YEAR 5 AND 6 LATINISTS LEARN ABOUTTHE ROMAN FESTIVAL OF SATURNALIA

Year 5 and 6 students have had a

fascinating term learning about

life in ancient Greece and Rome.

The term’s lessons culminated in

a study of the ancient Roman

festival of Saturnalia with the

pupils exploring the idea of the

reversal of traditional roles by

becoming the teacher for the

afternoon. Miss Flannery

enjoyed hearing about the

topics they had learnt in Latin

this term and was impressed by

their enthusiasm and confident

delivery!

Pupils in Years 1 and 2 enjoyed a

windy and action packed trip to

Lyme Regis as part of the

science curriculum in

September. The pupils enjoyed a

Museum visit, a very successful

fossil hunt and rock pooling on

the beach. The fossil guide was

old Antonian, Kate Acheson,

who took time out from her

doctorate studies to lead the

group. A wonderful trip enjoyed

by all.

One grandparent commented

“How fortunate ourgrandchildren are tobe educated atLeweston and howlucky we are to feelinvolved. Thank youagain”.

24

Harvest Mass

We were delighted to celebrate a

beautiful Harvest Mass on

Wednesday 30 September led by

Year 4 pupils. Thank you to all who

donated food items which were sent

to the Lord’s Larder in Yeovil to help

those in need. Well done also to the

Year 4 and 5 cookery club who made

the wonderful Harvest Loaf which

took pride of place on the altar!

Leweston Remembers

Following Father Peter’s moving Mass on the morning of Armistice

Day, pupils in the Junior Department held their Remembrance

ceremony including the customary two minute silence at 11am.

Poems were read and poppies and wreaths were laid. The older pupils

had been selling poppies in the run up to the event and many children

brought in photographs or memorabilia of family involved in war, both

past and present. A moving and thought provoking event as always.

A SpectacularBonfire NightPupils, parents and friends of

Leweston enjoyed a fantastic

Bonfire Night on Thursday 5

November. The grounds were

bathed in the glow of the

magnificent bonfire whilst guests

tucked into a delicious hog roast

and watched the spectacular

fireworks explode across the

night sky. Thank you to all

who came!

25

JUNIOR PUPILS IMPRESS ATAUTUMN CONCERTThe Junior Department Autumn Concert was yet another spectacular

showcase of the wealth of musical and dramatic talent in the Junior

Department, with fantastic performances by instrumentalists, LAMDA

groups and the Performing Art group. Congratulations to all the

performers on another wonderful concert!

Funky Tops andTails for Children in Need

25

Pupils and staff in the Junior

Department (and across the

campus) had fun raising

money for BBC Children in

Need 2015 by donning funky

tops and tails for the day and

what a wacky selection there

was. Thank you to all who got

involved, your efforts helped

us raise £190 for the charity

this year.

} Parents, grandparents and

siblings were all treated to a

fabulously festive Nursery to

Year 2 Nativity at the end of

term. Their festive musical,

Angel Express, was filled with

confident and talented

performances from

Leweston’s youngest pupils.

Huge thanks go to our

enchanting, enthusiastic cast

and crew for putting

together such a wonderful

production – always a

highlight in the Leweston

calendar!

ANGEL EXPRESSNATIVITY PLAY

Families Enjoy a ‘Taste’ of Life inReception at Leweston Junior Department

We were delighted to welcome

local families as well as our

Nursery parents and pupils to the

Reception @ Leweston taster event

on Thursday 26 November. This

action packed morning enabled

families to find out more about

Leweston’s Reception in a fun and

informal setting. Parents enjoyed

chatting to the staff whilst

children enjoyed indoor and

outdoor phonics, French and

Christmas themed activities.

Parents and prospective Reception

pupils also enjoyed a taster of this

year’s Nursery – Year 2 Nativity

production: ‘Angel Express’, and

there was even time for a

swimming lesson with our

specialist Early Years instructor in

the school pool. A particular

highlight was a visit to Father

Christmas in his grotto. He had

flown in specially to give all the

children a pre-Christmas present.

Much fun was had by all!

Junior Department Sport

LEWESTON RELAYS 2015

The annual Leweston Cross Country

Relays took place on Thursday 26

November resulting in some

outstanding success for the home

teams. This year’s event saw 75 teams

and over 300 competitors representing

schools from across the South West.

Leweston enjoyed much success with

the Junior Department’s A team of Lily Amor, Molly Colwell, Alice Anderson and Ginny Bruce taking

the top spot in the Minor Girls category which was hotly contested by 18 teams. A special mention

must go to Year 6 pupil Alice Anderson who came fourth individually out of the 72 runners in her

category, quite an achievement.

In other Cross-Country News… Congratulations to the children in St Margaret who were the winning house in this year’s Inter-

House Cross Country competition. Luckily the rain held off and all the children ran brilliantly. Well

done to all competitors.

Ginny Wins Gold at the National Biathlon ChampionshipsLeweston’s athletes enjoyed another successful year at the National Biathlon

Championships at Solihull. We were delighted to have 14 representatives at the

competition and a competitor in every age group - an outstanding

achievement. A special mention must go to Ginny Bruce (Year 5) who helped

the Dorset Pentathletes come 1st in the U10 event. More success followed for

the Senior School which is detailed on page 19. Well done to all the Leweston

competitors who performed fantastically on the day.

28

29

Leweston Hosts theFirst Junior Air PistolChampionships

Leweston School was proud to host a

schools air pistol shooting

competition in October; the first of its

kind in the country. The competition

was run by British Shooting in

partnership with the NSRA and

attracted over 120 competitors from

schools all over the South West. It was

a busy schedule with 3 different age

groups Junior (Year 5 & 6),

Intermediate (Year 7, 8 & 9) and Senior

(Year 10, 11, 12 & 13). Leweston was

the only school to win a medal in each

final: well done to Lily Amor (Year 6)

who won Gold in the Junior shooting

with Holly Johnson (Year 6) following

behind her in 7th place. Once again

there was also success for the Senior

School which can be found on page

20. A hugely successful and enjoyable

day for all those involved.

During September, all of the Junior Department pupils in Years

5 and 6 participated in a two day RYA sailing course at a

Rockley Watersports, Poole Park. The children rose to the

challenge of completing both the practical and theory sections

of their relevant sailing courses. Some pupils had already

attained entry levels in the RYA Youth sailing scheme and were

undertaking the first part of their more demanding Stage 3

courses. Most children were new to the sport of sailing and

were embarking on their Stage 1 courses with enthusiasm.

Congratulations to all Stage 1 participants who passed their

entry stage with flying colours and the more experienced

group of sailors managed to tick off a great deal of their Stage

3 course requirements. The Year 5 and 6 children are now

looking forward to the next course, due to take place this

coming summer term, to continue developing their

burgeoning sailing skills.

RYA SailingSuccess!

Fabulous Phonics

Nursery

Christmas is always a special time in the

Nursery with the children embracing the

joys and delights of the festive season

with complete abandon. The seasonal

celebrations commenced with our annual

Christmas Jingle Nursery Activity Morning

and we were delighted to welcome over

20 families to this event for some festive

fun. This was followed by the wonderful

Nativity ‘Angel Express’ (see the photos on

page 26) and the Carol Service at the end

of term. Perhaps unsurprisingly the

children in the Nursery had still not run

out of energy (not the same can be said of

the staff!) and so to finish the seasonal

proceedings the Nursery hosted a

wonderful Christmas Party at which Father

Christmas made an early appearance.

Parents and children enjoyed the many

festive activities on offer – we are not sure

who had the most fun!

Christmas

Crackers!

We were delighted that our 3-4 year olds

in the Nursery started their daily phonics

sessions with our new Reception teacher,

Miss Hosegood at the start of the autumn

term. They are enjoying learning the

sounds through songs and actions. All the

children have already made exceptional

progress and we look forward to more

fabulous phonics in the spring!

Make New Friends at Leweston!It’s never too early to join the Leweston community. We run a weekly Parent and Toddler Group

for newborns to 4 year olds on Thursday mornings from 9.45am until 11.30am (£1.50 per session)

and an Aquatots Group for parents and toddlers aged from 3 months to 3 years every Wednesday

from 10am-10.45am at the Leweston School Pool (£3.50 per session).

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!

FOREST SKILLS FUN

Our October Forest Skills Nursery Activity Morning was

another fantastic success. We were blessed with the

weather and were delighted to welcome over 20 families

to the event. During the morning the children enjoyed

making woodland pictures, exploring the Enchanted

Wood, den making, making forest crowns and listening to

woodland stories. Thank you to all who came!

Aspiring Boarders Enjoy

an Aquatic AdventureAfter the success of previous years, this

year’s Rose House Boarding taster (a sell

out) was met with eager anticipation. The

house was full to bursting with girls

looking at joining Leweston in September

2016 as well as some of our own girls who

were trying boarding for the first time. The

weekend’s theme was ‘Commotion in the

Ocean’ and the House was decorated along

the theme with the staff even donning

special outfits for the occasion!

After a busy evening enjoying the fabulous

Leweston Fashion Show, exploring the

Boarding House and enjoying oceanic

themed craft activities and a film night, the

girls spent a thoroughly enjoyable day at

Weymouth Sea Life Centre. It was soon

time for the happy explorers to be

collected but we look forward to

welcoming you back in September 2016!

Boarding ...

Boarding Skills AwardWe are delighted that all the boarders in Years 7 and 9 are in the process of completing their Boarding Skills

Award. The Award has been produced to create a flexible and attainable award to reflect the skills and

experiences generated from being a boarder in a British Boarding School. We look forward to the girls’

continued progress next term.

Out & About…Other trips and visits this term have

included Team Building with Lifesigns

Group, Flying Saucers Pottery Café,

Ringos at Warmwell Snowsports Centre,

Splashdown Water Park, Dorset Heavy

Horse Centre, Abbotsbury Swannery,

Paintballing, Sherborne Castle Fireworks,

Harry Potter Studios Tour at Elstree

Studios, Chococo Chocolate making,

Water Zorbing and the Exeter Christmas

Markets – what a term!

Boarders in Rose and

Glyn House have had

a lot of fun Pizza

making at Head, Kate

Reynold’s House this

term. The mess was

worth it; the Pizzas

were delicious!

Head’s Pizza Nights

33

34

Spiritual Life STAFF ANDSTUDENTSEMBRACE THESEASON OFGOOD WILLThe Leweston Community had a

busy end of term hosting many

events to raise money for several

charitable causes. The annual

Leweston Christmas Fair raised

money this year for the Dorset and

Somerset Air Ambulance and the

Leweston Bursary Fund and on the

same day we were delighted to

host a Christmas Concert at the

Church of the Holy Ghost at Yeovil

which raised funds for the Church

itself and for Jana Jyoti, Leweston’s

sister school in Nepal. The final

week of term saw pupils don their

festive finery for our Christmas

Jumper Day in aid of Macmillan

Cancer Support, Make a Wish and

Save the Children. We were also

delighted to welcome the local

residents who form part of our

Community Service programme to

a Christmas Tea Party which was

much enjoyed by all who

attended. Thank you to all who

came to these events and

supported these fabulous causes.

Old Antonian Award WinnerShares OMV PilgrimageExperienceYear 13 Old Antonian Award winner Rhiannon Valentine gave an

inspiring presentation to 6th Formers in November to share her

experiences as a volunteer assisting a group of disabled people on

the Order of Malta Volunteers annual charity pilgrimage to Lourdes.

In her own words… ‘I spent a week in Lourdes as a helper with theOrder of Malta Volunteers. This was an invaluable experiencewhere I learnt a great deal from both the hospital pilgrims andhelpers. Many of the pilgrims were unable to walk, talk or feedthemselves. I particularly enjoyed looking after and learned a greatdeal from a girl around my age, who had cerebral palsy. Shetaught me that even if you have a physical illness which makescommunication difficult, your personality and sense of humourcan still shine through. Most of all, my experience at Lourdes hastaught me to be humble and patient.’

The OA Award is a sum of money available annually to assist a pupil

or former pupil of Leweston School whose project develops the

School’s mission statement of work for the less privileged. The OA

Award Committee commented ‘We are delighted to have supportedRhiannon’s trip and this worthwhile cause.’

Year 7 Explore‘Friendship’ at St Rita’sOur new Year 7 pupils travelled to St Rita’s, Honiton in October for

their Retreat along the theme of ‘Friendship’. During the two day

event the girls had time to reflect on both the nature and demands

of their relationships with each other and it was valuable to spend

time together, as a year group, briefly away from the busy school

routine. St Rita’s staff made everyone very welcome and the girls

were invited to join the community for Mass on Friday morning

where three Leweston girls took responsibility for readings. St Rita’s

is set in beautiful grounds and the girls were able to take advantage

of the autumn sunshine with outdoor play and team building

activities. Friendship was both the theme and the outcome of the

trip which saw many of the girls strengthen the bonds they had

made since starting Leweston in September.

BakingBrilliance

Leweston is delighted to have raised

over £300 for Macmillan Cancer

Support following this September’s

coffee morning at the Junior

Department and Cake Sale at the Senior

School, all as part of the Macmillan

World’s Largest Coffee Morning Event.

Thank you to all those who donated

their fabulous bakes for the occasion!

LEWESTON SCHOOL, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 6EN01963 211010

ADMISSIONS@LEWESTON.DORSET.SCH.UKWWW.LEWESTON.CO.UKLeweston is a registered charity number 295175

Thursday 17 March 2016Nursery Activity Morning: ‘Spring Along’ 09.45 – 11.30

Bank Holiday Monday 2 May 2016Joint Schools Open Morning 09.45 – 13.00

Saturday 18 June 2016Nursery and Junior Department Open Morning 09.00 – 12.00

Open Mornings 2016

Monday 25 January – Tuesday 26 January

11+, 12+, 13+ Scholarship Days

(September 2016 entry)

Thursday 3 and Friday 4 March

18.30 – 20.00 School Musical ‘The Lion King’

Week 1: Tuesday 29 March – Friday 1 April

Week 2: Monday 4 – Friday 8 April

EASTER HOLIDAY FUN CLUB: OUTDOOR EDUCATION

SPORTS AND ADVENTURE WEEKS for 5 – 11 years olds

9.00 – 17.00

Monday 4 – Saturday 9 April

EASTER PENTATHLON, GB BIATHLE AND TRIATHLON

TRAINING CAMP

Residential training camp for 9 – 18 year olds run by

GB Biathle coach Mick Flaherty

Saturday 7 May

Gaudy Reunion for various leaver years

Friday 10 June

GCSE AND A LEVEL ART EXHIBITION PRIVATE VIEW

Manor House 17.00 – 19.00 (Exhibition open to all

Monday 13 – Friday 17 June)

Monday 25 July – Friday 19 August

SUMMER HOLIDAY OUTDOOR EDUCATION, SPORTS

AND ADVENTURE WEEKS for 5 – 11 year olds

9.00 – 17.00

Monday 4 July – Sunday 28 August

LEWESTON SUMMER CLUB

(Enjoy the use of Leweston’s swimming pool, tennis

courts and extensive grounds – various membership

packages available)

Monday 8 – Saturday 13 August

SUMMER PENTATHLON, GB BIATHLE AND TRIATHLON

TRAINING CAMP

Residential training camp for 9 – 18 year olds run by

GB Biathle coach Mick Flaherty

Weekly Events:

Aquatots: : Every Wednesday from 10.00 – 10.45

in the School Pool

Parent and Toddler: Every Thursday from 9.45 – 11.30

at the Junior Department

For more information about any of these events,

or to register your attendance, please call

01963 210783 or email

office@leweston.dorset.sch.uk

Dates for your Diary…