20 March 2020

Windsor Girls’ School

Mock Magistrates Competition ‘A few weeks ago, my friends and I decided to go to Mock Magistrates club not expecting the incredible experiences that came from it. After practising non-stop every Monday after school and even during some school days with help from an actual magistrate, we were ready go to the Crown Court in Reading to compete against other schools. Once we had all arrived, we proceeded through to our first court room and waited nervously for the other school to arrive. First, we had the defence lawyers and witnesses going against the prosecution lawyers and witnesses from the opposing team.

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Dear Parents and Carers Last weekend, a range of extra-curricular activities took place with thirteen Year 9 students visiting Reading Crown Court for the annual Mock Magistrates competition. Students prepared their case thoroughly and had the opportunity to defend and to prosecute the defendant over the course of two impressive rounds. We had excellent feedback about the students’ preparation and performances from Magistrates and organisers and we are very proud of their achievements. Also last weekend, students completing the Silver Duke of Edinburgh award travelled to camp to hone their skills, working in different groups across the weekend with some steep hill walking along the way. As ever, we are very proud to be considered a centre of good practice in D of E, with such a wide range of students participating in linked activities and developing their LORIC skills. We also offer our warm congratulations to Lottie Dewar who qualified for the England Cross Country team last week; this is certainly an impressive achievement. We would also like to congratulate Zoe Pugsley who as part of the Reddam Team Gym achieved a gold medal at the Southern qualifiers at Burgess Hill on 15 March 2020. The team will now compete in the British Championships in Liverpool in July 2020. Our celebration of National Careers week took place this week, with an assembly for Years 10 and 13 students focusing on top tips for interviewing and CV writing. Students in Year 12 also benefitted from a more intensive CV writing workshop. Elsewhere in school this week, students in Years 9 and 10 have continued their preparations for the BBC Young Reporter national event. MFL orals have also been taking place in school as have Year 13 Drama practical examinations. As you will be aware, we have continued to update you on the recent Coronavirus situation and will provide future updates via our website, school Twitter and Group Call. We took the difficult decision to postpone Year 12 Subject Evening - further information will be provided at a later date. As you will be aware from other communications, government guidance has been released regarding school closure. A separate letter has been sent out containing further details. We will continue to update you as the situation evolves and ask that your daughters regularly check Show My Homework and their school email for work set by their teachers. We thank you for your support. We hope you enjoy reading in more detail about the many events taking place across our school and wish you a happy and restful weekend. Mr P Griffiths and Mrs E O’Carroll Co-Headteachers

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Mock Magistrates Competition During the trial, everyone was brilliant and really got into character! I was a magistrate along with Lucy and Elena. We had to write down a lot of important information from the trial, and then confidentially discuss with the lead magistrate and magistrates from the other team. This really helped with confidence and being able to speak about everything you noticed and believed during the trial. At the end, we had to make a decision whether the defendant was guilty or not based on what you understood in the trial. This helps massively with decision making as you’ve got to decide an important verdict with evidence contradicting from both sides of the argument.

The other members of our team performed amazingly too, and even though it was a very tough competition, they showed so much confidence and talent! They argued really well and showed the other teams how strong, bold and optimistic we are. Overall, we learned so many important skills and had so much fun! Thank you so much to Miss Hynes who we couldn’t have done it without and for supporting us and also to Mr Griffiths who came in to help us too.’ - Anna Wadley, Year 9

‘Recently, I participated in the Mock Magistrates Trial at Reading Crown Court. The day started with getting shown around the court room and making sure everyone knew where they were meant be. As the day went on, we competed against two schools. On our first trial, our defence team were victorious in the case as the defendant was found not guilty. On our second case, our prosecution team were very strong, but the defendant was found guilty. The opportunity to take part in the Mock Magistrates Trial was an amazing experience and helped to provide a clear perspective of what it is like in the law industry. Even though our team did not place, we worked very hard and put a lot of effort into this competition. However, none of this would have been possible without the help of Miss Hynes, who organised everything and brought the team together. Also, the help from real life magistrate Mr. Griffiths was very helpful and provided all of us with insight into the trial. Our team was as follows: Defence Lawyers: Leilani Ijeoma and Zuzanna Zakrzewska Prosecution Lawyers: Jona Veizaj and Yasmeen Elgamri Magistrates: Lucy Thompson, Anna Wadley and Elena Kratsis Defendant: Ashwin Kular Usher: Aanya Abdus-Samad Legal Advisor: Sienna-Grace Nettle Witnesses: Willow Hancock, Sinead Denwood and Helena Birkowka’ - Lucy Thompson, Year 9

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Student Leadership Challenge

‘As part of the Head Girl and Student Leader application process, we met on Wednesday afternoon to participate in a challenge. After being placed into groups, we were provided with paper straws, paper and Sellotape to construct something to protect an egg from a ten-foot drop. Despite the time constraints, many eggs remained intact. The challenge really helped us develop our teamwork skills and ability to work under time constraints. In terms of LORIC skills, the main focus was communication - an essential skill for a Student Leader. The task was very entertaining, yet it was also valuable as it tested our logical thinking, decision making skills and ability to listen to everyone’s ideas within the group. Overall, even if some eggs were sacrificed, it was a very enjoyable way to officially instigate the selection process.’ - Chloe Rodgers and Harriet Cook, Year 12

DofE Silver Award

Last weekend, 17 Year 11 students made their way around the South Downs to complete their Silver DofE practice expedition. They encountered some challenging weather conditions in the form of heavy rain overnight on the Friday night which led to plenty of muddy paths to contend with on the Saturday. Luckily, the rain held off long enough though for us to enjoy a fun campfire on Friday night! They completed two days of trekking and two nights camping and returned on Sunday afternoon. The students’ attitude was fantastic and they showed some tremendous resilience to complete the trek on day two after encountering many challenges. A big well done to all involved! Also, a big thank you to our two DofE Ambassadors who came down to help and also the four staff members who gave up their weekends to drive the students down and assist them. - Mr Andrews

DofE Silver Award

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Alzheimer’s Society Glow Memory Walk

‘On Friday, 13 March, I walked the 2020 Alzheimer’s Society Glow Memory Walk. The memory walk was in Battersea Park and lasted from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. I took part in the walk as Alzheimer’s and dementia has affected the people I love and also for my friends who have experienced a family member with dementia. My original target was to raise £160 and I am so pleased to say that I raised £351. I am also so grateful to the Windsor Observer and the South West Londoner newspapers for interviewing me to share my story. The night was filled with happiness and tears. It was overwhelming seeing so many people walking for their loved ones and discussing with others how dementia and Alzheimer’s has affected their family and what more we can do to hopefully

eradicate the diseases. It was amazing to see the community all come together as one and shine a light on dementia, to forget about the negativity that is going on in the world and focus on how we can be positive and spread awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. I just wanted to say a massive thank you to my friends who came down and supported me through the emotional night and to everyone who donated and shared my Just Giving page, I really am so thankful.’ - Fatimah Saleem, Year 12

Message from Interact In light of recent events, we understand that this may be a tough time for some people so we at Interact would just like to say that there is always someone to speak to. If you feel lonely or sad please pick up the phone or text someone. We have linked a few websites to try and make this time as stress free as possible. We wish everyone the best and hope to see everyone soon. Please stay safe. Fatimah Saleem Year 12 https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/health/health-advice/amp31697332/staying-fit-healthy-self-isolating/ samh.org.uk/get-involved/going-to-be/information-help/children-and-young-people https://www.empoweredsinglemoms.com/fun-activities-for-teens-when-bored/

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Year 12 - Careers

Year 12 students participated in a CV writing workshop on Monday, 16 March. The hour long workshop shared with students how to structure a CV, top tips on what makes a CV stand out and the session allowed them to create their very own CV in preparation for their work experience week in the Summer term. Noshin Janan, Year 12 said, “It was a very useful session and having the opportunity to understand what makes a good CV and how to make your CV stand out was really useful.”

Year 10 French

Je voudrais le plat du jour! Our Year 10 French students have been practising role plays for ordering food in a restaurant, asking questions, complaining, and generally having a conversation. Much fun was had by all, and lots of useful learning too!

A Level Drama Exam

The Year 13 Drama examination performances took place this week. The students were a credit to the school.

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Mindfulness

As the school is due to be closing from next week it will mean a postponement of the Mindfulness course which we have had up to 30 students attending in recent weeks. Next week’s lesson was due be on ‘Befriending the Difficult’ so I thought I would share some of the content for everyone as we approach this challenging time. The lesson begins with the simple statement of ‘stuff happens’ in life that sometimes we are not prepared for or not expecting. This has never been so evident than with the current situation regarding the Coronavirus and subsequent school closure and cancellation of the summer exams. This situation and the uncertainty surrounding it will potentially be a cause of stress for many.

The next part of the lesson invites pupils to reflect on their own reactions to stressful situations by discussing what they feel happens in their body, mind and in their actions when stressed. Some common answers being - an increase in their heart rate, butterflies in the stomach, tightness in the chest, twitching legs or hands, a racing mind, inability to think clearly or overly reactive behaviour. They are encouraged to draw their own stress signature so that they can start to recognise the signs of stress should they arise. The question is then posed, do we have to react to stress or can we respond more skilfully?

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Mindfulness

So what actually happens when we are stressed? In our brain we have many different parts which are responsible for different things. Two important parts we are interested in when talking about stress is the Amygdala and the Prefrontal Cortex. The PFC helps us to concentrate, pay attention, make choices and decisions, and notice what’s going on around us (as well as many other things!). Think of it as the sensible team leader. The Amygdala is the oldest part of the brain, and is designed for survival, allowing us to take action in a split second if need be. So, when the Amygdala is activated like this in times of stress, we don’t process what is happening through the PFC. Instead, the Amygdala prevents us from being able to do things like make decisions, step back and think clearly. It simply triggers a process in the body that leads to quick, efficient action. Once we have calmed down again, then the PFC is able to re-engage and begin to do its work. This can be really helpful when dealing with acute threats to our lives but in modern times this stress response can often be triggered constantly throughout the day through simply overthinking or worry-ing about things. Many of the ways that stress affects our bodies are programmed into us by evolution – they evolved to help us deal with threats such as this sabre-toothed tiger! They prepared us for FIGHT, FLIGHT or FREEZE – for physical action that uses stress hormones and burns them up. It is these hormones that can cause us problems if constantly activated so it is essential to try and reduce stress when we can.

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Mindfulness

There are three things you can do as you notice stress arising:

1. Firstly, try turning towards the feelings of stress; make friends with them. Observe them like visitors in your body, guests that have come to see you. Observe them using an attitude of curiosity, of being with whatever you notice.

Notice how the child is looking at the snake with real curiosity, turning towards it with a kind of fearless interest. As best you can, see if you can allow these feelings to happen; by allowing and accepting it, you won’t be feeding it. Allowing it also enables you to begin to understand it, and by

understanding it you will loosen its grip on you.

2. Secondly, breathe with the feelings of stress. Allow and breathe with the feelings, or even breathe INTO the feelings and breathe out from them too. Somebody once said “What you can breathe with you can be with”. You might like to explore the extent to which this is true in this moment. It’s not always easy, and certainly takes some practice.

3. Drop your attention into the lower half of the body. For instance, feel the stability of your feet on the floor; switch your attention into those feelings of contact, pressure, fizzing, tingling or anything else you notice in the feet.

The lesson concludes with this short poem by poet Rumi which describes the mind as being like a guest house. Treat all thoughts / situations like ‘guests’ at a hotel welcoming them all! Hopefully this information can come in useful over the coming weeks and months. If anyone has any questions on this, please do not hesitate to contact me (Mr Andrews) on: andra001@windsorgirls.net In the meantime, here is a link to an animation exploring these ideas a little more and a short mindfulness practice to try at home to help relax: https://youtu.be/T5ut2NYdAEQ

Mindfulness

The Guest House by Rumi This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honourably . They may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

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