N E W S L E T T E RSummer Term 2016 – Issue 78

Mrs Sarah Buckle is retiring after an illustrious career which spanned Tiffin Girls’ School to Putney High School and, latterly for the last 9 years, saw her as Headmistress of Farnborough Hill. Sarah’s passion for

education, combined with a deep faith, has meant that her tenure has been characterised

by a strategic and clear-sighted programme for the school, which has gone from strength to strength. Ongoing improvements in academic results, an increase in numbers and a recent outstanding ISI inspection result are all testimony to Sarah’s single-minded vision. Extensive new building projects such as St Cecilia’s Music Suite, St Joseph’s Courtyard and the Alex Danson all-weather hockey pitch have greatly enhanced the pupils’ opportunities for learning. Sarah has led the school, guided by her belief and supported by the wonderful work of the founding members, the Religious of Christian Education. They will, like all the school community, greatly miss her for her outstanding leadership, her integrity and her sense of humour. We wish Sarah, her husband Ken, and their family every blessing for the next stage of their life and thank them most sincerely for their outstanding contribution to life at Farnborough Hill.

Farewell Mrs BuckleWritten by Mrs Claire Hamilton, Chair of Governors

For the full stories please go to our website www.farnborough-hill.org.uk

Celebrating the outstanding ISI Report in 2014A tea party for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

in 2012

Left: After the blessing of ‘Joyfulness’ in 2016

Opening of the Alex Danson Pitch in 2015

Right: Thanksgiving Mass for the school’s 125th anniversary

Right: At the Anniversary Ball

in 2014

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Pictured is the new Headmistress, Mrs Alex Neil, on a visit to Farnborough Hill. We look forward to welcoming her in September.

Head GirlsNew Head Girl, Anna, and Deputy Head Girl, Olivia, took up their roles as ambassadors for the school and key members of the student body this term. They are looking forward to helping the new Headmistress, Mrs Neil, settle into her first year at Farnborough Hill and we are sure that they will do an excellent job.

JoyfulnessThe whole school gathered on the Hollybush Lawn after the Feast Day Mass for the blessing of a new sculpture by Ian Gill commissioned in thanksgiving for 125 years of ‘educating the whole person’ – the mission at the heart of our school. The sculpture, entitled ‘Joyfulness’, depicts four girls and expresses a real sense of youth, vitality, friendship and happiness.

Above: Sister Mannion’s beautiful

arrangement using rhododendrons

from the grounds

Feast of the Sacred HeartThe Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the School Feast Day, was held in Chapel and attended by the whole school. It was very uplifting and joyful and included lovely scripture readings and singing. The celebrations ended with ‘lollies on the lawn’ – another favourite Farnborough Hill tradition!

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DofE Bronze ExpeditionWe congratulate the 42 Year 10 girls who have recently completed their assessed Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) expedition weekend in the New Forest. We are really proud of the girls because the DofE

requires a great deal of commitment – this weekend is only a small part of the Bronze Award. Particular thanks go to Mrs Brocklehurst and Mrs Wilson for their work throughout the year and to Mrs Zimmermann, Miss Peters and Mr Temple who helped them on the expedition and expedition training. Well done, everyone!

Gym and Dance DisplayThe Gym and Dance Display in the Sports Hall was a fantastic evening which showcased and highlighted the many talents of our girls in both gymnastics and dance. A huge variety of group and solo acts were performed, with many Year 9 and 10 girls helping to choreograph routines for the younger students. We are extremely proud of all the girls who performed in, and choreographed, this very enjoyable evening. Many thanks to the PE staff – we’re already looking forward to next year’s event!

Running SuccessThe third GB woman to finish the London Marathon this year was elite athlete Charlotte Purdue (Farnborough Hill 2002–2007). Charlotte discovered her talent for running at Farnborough Hill and we are looking forward to seeing her when she visits on our ‘Olympics Day’.

Following in her footsteps is Lucy (11a), who came second in this year’s Mini London Marathon in the U17 age group.

We are immensely proud of the achievements of these hard-working and talented athletes.

Memories of Mary TurnerMary Turner, who lives in New Zealand, says, “It was a wonderful surprise to receive the book, ‘From Hillside to Farnborough Hill’, from my daughter on my 80th birthday. This lovely book has brought back so many memories of my school days at Farnborough Hill from

1941 to 1953. I have always kept my old

school blazer and my daughter made me put it on for the photo.”

MASTERCHEFThe inter-house Masterchef competition challenged House teams to bake cheese straws and swiss rolls during the lunch-break against the clock. Miss Sexton and Mr McCready had the difficult task of scoring the delicious and very well-executed results – and the pleasure of tasting them! The Fisher House team were the winners, but all teams did incredibly well. Congratulations to all the girls who took part!

1st Fisher House

The school hall was transformed into a riverbank as our Lower School actresses put on a wonderful production of Alan Bennett’s stage adaptation of The Wind in the Willows. The lead roles were superb and the supporting cast delightful; it was lovely to see the stage full of squirrels, mice, hedgehogs and rabbits, alongside the sinister weasels and stoats with their black leather jackets, dark glasses and red eyes. The set design, costume, makeup, lighting and incidental music all contributed to this highly polished and accomplished production.

Wind INTHE

WilloWs

The

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N E W S L E T T E R

Trinity Drama ExamsA new initiative this year was the ‘Trinity Showcase’ where girls presented their Trinity Examination performances. There was a very impressive range of genres on display and the girls were funny, charming, hugely talented and very deserving of the distinctions and high merits awarded to them. Well done to all involved!

Refreshments for The Wind in The Willows made by a small team of fabulous Year 9 Food Technology girls. They look delicious!

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Choral ConcertOur annual Choral Concert provides our students with an exciting and memorable opportunity to sing challenging works, accompanied by professional musicians in our beautiful Chapel. This year’s concert was a glorious celebration of all things British and was an apt reflection of the national mood on St George’s Day, the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and a few days after the Queen’s 90th birthday. Particular thanks must go to our music department, Dr Taylor, Mr McSweeney and Miss Warwick, for their vision, incredible hard work and inspiration.

Year 8 had a wonderful time visiting the amazing Warner Brothers Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter.

At Easter, 83 Classics students and 12 staff went on a study tour to Italy. They had a great time visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Rome and climbing Mount Vesuvius! It was a super trip and everyone was very excited to see the places which they had learnt about in school. Thank you to all the staff who accompanied the trip.

Italy Trip

Students and staff on the top of Mount Vesuvius – a glorious view and wonderful weather!

Year 7 at the Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium pictured with a life-sized model of astronaut, Tim Peake.

Working together at PGLYear 9 enjoyed a fabulous (if slightly damp) residential at PGL Swindon. Activities ranged from playing sardines in the tunnels to vertical challenges and Jacob’s Ladder. Girls worked together to complete challenges, consolidating old friendships and building new ones in the process, and great fun was had by all!

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FAREWELL...

A ROYAL TREATLearning Support specialist and English teacher Mrs Winch-

Johnson attended a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in May in recognition of

her 35 years of volunteer work with the English Speaking Union (ESU). Mrs Winch-Johnson is currently Chairman of the Guildford and District Branch and, for many years, coached Farnborough Hill students for public speaking competitions, achieving National success.

A very well-deserved treat!

Good Luck Year 11 The whole school enjoyed a wonderful End of Year 11 Assembly before GCSE study leave. We opened with Megan’s beautiful rendition of ‘For Good’ from Wicked. Particular thanks to Emily for masterminding the whole assembly which was concluded with some final words and a prayer from Mrs Buckle. The very best of luck to this super year group.

Having made outstanding contributions to the school, four members of staff are retiring this year: Mrs Helena Rix (Head of Religious Education) after 23 years; Mrs Susan Gregory (Teacher of French) after 19 years; Mrs Davina Robinson (Director of Drama) after 16 years and Mr Philip Butler (Teacher of French and Classics) after 16 years. We are sure that Mrs Rix and Mrs Robinson would want you to know that it is a very early retirement from teaching; Mrs Rix has relocated with her family to Ireland and Mrs Robinson will be helping her husband to run his business. Mrs Christine Wilding (Matron) is also retiring (most unfortunately due to ill health). Other members of staff who are moving on are Mrs Danielle Robinson (Admissions Assistant), who has relocated, and Mrs Elisa Fashola (Modern Languages Assistant), who is going to train as an MFL teacher. We will miss them all and wish them well for the future.

...AND WELCOMEFarewell Year 13 We said a very fond ‘farewell’ to Year 13 with a special breakfast of pastries, strawberries and bucks fizz shared with Sixth Form staff. At the end of the day, the whole school attended an Assembly led by Year 13. Tributes were paid to them by Mrs Buckle and Miss Sexton. They have been a fantastic year group who have embraced opportunities with great enthusiasm as well as being dedicated, hard-working and level-headed students. We know that they have exciting futures ahead of them.

Wedding Bells... We congratulate Miss O’Laoire on her recent marriage – she had a wonderful day and looked really beautiful. She will continue to be called Miss O’Laoire.

Miss Ferguson, Miss Price and Mr Brown are all getting married this summer and so will return as Mrs Swire, Mrs Bell and Mr McCarthy-Brown.

We wish all the couples a long and happy future together.

Mrs Deborah Hall, the new Finance Manager, and Miss Isabel Hernandez, Finance Assistant, have been working their socks off in the Bursary since January, despite their omission from the last newsletter. We also welcomed Mrs Mel Mitchell to the administrative team and Mr Philip Cross as Facilities Manager.

L to R: Davina Robinson, Elisa Fashola, Sue Gregory and Philip Butler

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ATHLETICSPARENTS’ DIARY 2016

CHRISTMAS TERM6 Sep Year 7 & LVI Induction: 9.30 am –

12.30 pm7 Sep Full School Day for all: 8.45 am9 Sep Sixth Form Team Building Day 14 Sep Year 8 Pastoral Trip to Horseshoe Lake 15 Sep Friends of Farnborough Hill AGM: 7.00

pm Evening for New Parents: 7.30 pm17 Sep Farnborough Hill Old Girls’ Reunion:

2.00 – 6.00 pm23 Sep Phyllis Tuckwell Fundraising Concert:

7.30 pm29 Sep Mass of the Holy Spirit: 11.45 am Sixth Form Information Evening for

Year 11 students and parents: 7.00 pm6 Oct Year 10 GCSE Studies Evening and talk

by Elevate Education for students and parents: 7.00 pm

7 Oct CAFOD Harvest Fast Day Harvest Festival: 8.55 – 9.45 am Open Afternoon for Prospective

Parents: 1.30 – 4.00 pm12 Oct Pastoral Information Evening for

Year 8 & 9 parents: 7.00 pm13 Oct Year 7 Parents’ Evening 7A & 7B:

6.00 – 8.30 pm 15 Oct Friends of Farnborough Hill Quiz Night:

7.00 pm19 Oct Musical Soirée in St Cecilia’s: 7.00 pm20 Oct Year 7 Parents’ Evening 7a & 7ω: 6.00

– 8.30 pm 21 Oct Half Term begins: 4.00 pm 1 Nov Half Term ends: 8.45 am Interview Technique Evening for UVI

students: 7.00 pm1 – 7 Term Tests for Years 7 & 8 Nov3 Nov Talk to Years 9–11 parents on eSafety

6.30 pm TBC8 Nov Senior Maths Challenge Year 11 Students’ & Parents’ Evening

11A & 11B: 6.00 – 8.30 pm11 Nov Diocesan Schools’ Day School ends: 12.50 pm Prize Giving: 7.30 pm14 Nov Year 11 Students’ and Parents’ Evening

11a & 11ω: 6.00 – 8.30 pm15 Nov Open Afternoon for Prospective

Parents: 1.30 – 4.00 pm17 Nov Year 11 GCSE Performance: 5.00 pm17 – 25 Year 9 Term Tests Nov18 Nov Community Feast Day Mass: 2.00 pm27 Nov School Christmas Bazaar: 2.30 pm Advent Carol Service: 4.30 pm 6 Dec Year 12 & Year 13 Students’ and

Parents’ Evening: 6.00 - 8.30 pm9 Dec Christmas Celebration: 7.00 pm 14 Dec School Carol Service Term ends: 12.50 pm

Senior District Athletics results:Isabella B (10a) 80m hurdles champion; 2nd Long Jump; runner up for Best Track performance Chloe (10a) 2nd 200m and 3rd JavelinIsabella R (10a) 2nd 1500mAila (10A) 3rd Triple Jump Sophie G (9B) 2nd Javelin

BIATHLE

Emma (7A) – represented Great Britain at the Biathle U15 World Championships held in Austria and came 2nd. (Biathle is a sub-sport of modern pentathlon and is a continuous run-swim-run competition).

Very well done, Emma!

Sophie M (9ω) 3rd Shot PutU17 Relay team District Champions (Isabella, Chloe (both 10a), Aila (10A) and Katherine (10ω)Isabella and Aila went on to represent the District at the County Championships and came 2nd and 5th respectively

Well done to all the girls.

District LeagueYear 7 A team were winners of Pool A Year 7 B team were winners of Pool B and promoted to Pool A Year 8 A team were winners of Pool A Year 8 B team came 3rd in Pool B Year 9 A team were runners-up in Pool A Year 9 B team came 5th in Pool A Year 10 team were runners-up in Pool A Year 11 team came 7th in Pool A

District TournamentsYear 7 A team came 1st in Pool A Year 7 B team came 2nd in Pool B Year 8 A team came 1st in Pool A Year 8 B team were runners-up of Pool B Year 9 A team were runners-up in Pool A

NETBALL

Year 8