Issue No.71 November 1999
Issue No.71 November 1999
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FROM THE HEAD TEACHER RECRUITMENT TIME \With more than 350 parents and children taking up our offer of guided tours and about 750 attending the Open Evening our recruitment programme was highly popular. We trust that this success will be reflected in the numbers opting to come to Therfield next September. Going around the school it was good to hear the many positive comments made and to know that Mole Valley parents take the question of secondary schooling very seriously indeed. |
DRAMA Ms Beth Harris, Head of Drama, was rushed into hospital on 12th November and required immediate surgery. She is now back home and we wish her a speedy recovery. We have managed to appoint an experienced teacher to cover most of her classes and owe a big thank you to Miss Steel for holding the fort at an especially demanding time with GCSE Moderation and an 'A' level production happening now. Tonight (25th) and tomorrow (26th), the Year 13 students will be presenting After Easter a funny and moving play by Anne Devlin, set in Northern Ireland. Tickets are £3 each and can be purchased on the door. The students are rallying round brilliantly determined to put on a show of which Ms Harris would be proud. |
THANK YOU TO THE FRIENDS FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT Fund raising efforts such as the recent very successful and well supported Craft Fair are enormously helpful in providing items that our budget will not cover. The next major event is the Christmas Fair on Sunday, December 5th, starting at 2pm. |
LOWER SCHOOL PRIZEGIVING It was good to have an old boy of the school to present the awards at the Lower School Prizegiving last month and Squadron Leader Alex Muskett RAF proved to be an untiring guest of honour as he talked to and met present pupils, parents and members of staff. The awards, numbering some 150, covered all areas of school life, including service, punctuality, attendance, academic achievement and colours for sport, music and sailing. A fuller report of the evening appeared in the local Press. |
EARLY CLOSURE Please note that school will close at 3.15pm on Wednesday, 1st December so as to accommodate the Year 8 Parents' Evening. |
POST-16 CHANGES A special meeting for Year 11 parents will be held on December 2nd at 7.30pm to give information on the changes in Post -16 education. |
WORK THEN PLAY Year 11 have their mock exams starting on December 3rd and celebrate the final day with the Year 11 Ball on Friday 10th. Traditionally this is a 'dress-up' occasion and parents and staff are often surprised at how elecant and smart evervone looks. |
CATERING Surrey Commercial Services, who provide our school meals, confirm that no French meat is supplied to Surrey schools. |
SUCCESS AT THE BAR Congratulations to our team of Sixth Formers - Tom Newman, Nicola Kerr, Emily Ridge, Richard Timms, Hannah Farrow, Jocelyn Hetherington, Natalie Butler and Sandy Hicks - who won the London heat of the National Mock Bar Trial on Saturday. Ms Roberts was ecstatic having felt 'we were robbed' of glory two years ago. 'Everyone performed magnificently", she reported. Having beaten 15 other schools to the title, the team now go forward to the national final to be held in London on March 18th 2000. The team have a barrister seconded to them to advise on legal technicalities but he/she is not allowed to 'coach' so if any parent is able - or knows someone - who could give a few useful pointers on court technique in a criminal trial, Ms Roberts would be pleased to hear from you. |
MUSIC ROUND-UP Each year the 'Schools Prom' concerts in November mark the culmination of a highly competitive process in which musical groups from schools and colleges all over the UK strive to be among the lucky few that perform at the Royal Albert Hall. This year's concert on 9th November marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Schools Prom and to mark the occasion nearly 700 singers and players from Surrey schools gave an electrifying performance of part of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff before a full house, with HRH Prince of Wales as guest of honour. Therfield was, as usual, well represented and we were all overwhelmed by the high standard of music making as well as having a wonderful time singing Land of Hope and Glory. All the traditional 'last night' flags and funny hats were there as well as, for the first time, an indoor firework display! Therfield has for the last two years held its Annual Carol Service in the chapel at SeeAbility. This year, sadly, is the last occasion on which we shall be able to use it and our Carol Service will take place on the evening of Monday, 13th December at 7.30 pm. The majesty of the old Victorian chapel with its resonant acoustics has added a particular magic to our occasion. Seating is limited so you will need to arrive early to ensure a seat - and be in good voice for all the traditional carols. The retiring silver collection at the Carol Service has, on both occasions hitherto, been given to SeeAbility in lieu of 'hire charges' for the chapel. Therfield is therefore seen as a benefactor and on Monday, 15th November, Mr Pratt and two senior music students, Emily King and Timothy Boniface were invited to a 'thank you' reception in the magnificent surroundings of St James's Palace in the presence of HRH the Duchess of Gloucester to mark SeeAbility's 200th birthday. Mr Pratt reported, "We felt very honoured to be invited and it was certainly a 'once in a lifetime' experience". The Samba Band is proving to be extremely popular and is open to all years. Once again the Friends are thanked for their generous contribution which enabled this musical enterprise to get under way. |
SIXTH FORMERS IN FRANCE After an uneventful journey to the Auvergne, partners were met and our students whisked off into the night, not to be seen until the following afternoon, after they had enjoyed a full morning of diversified lessons in the partner school and an opportunity to compare lunchtime fare on both sides of the Channel! The week was spent sampling local culture, history, geography and hospitality. The weather allowed students to experience in full the volcanic scenery of the Auvergne - though neither Mr Boucry nor Miss Collier want to be reminded of the hike!! Friends were made beyond the limits of the Exchange and students returned with a deeper knowledge of the region through contacts made and questions answered. |
LOOKING AT HISTORY Sixty Year 9 pupils visited the Ypres Salient before half term. In appropriately wet and muddy conditions, the group visited many of the important cemeteries and memorials witnessing to the intense and terrible fighting which occurred in this part of Belgium. They also walked through some of the reconstructed trenches and attended the nightly Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in the centre of Ypres. On their return, many of the pupils were inspired to produce some excellent work. Runner s -up prizes will go to Danny Simpkins, Nick Golding, Emily Davis, Alice Cuffe and Jonathan Collins for their superb projects and art work. Top prize goes to Simon Holmes for a stunning model of the trench network. It was greatly admired at the recent Open Evening. |
'ROOM IN A BOX' Year 8 pupils were awarded prizes for some intricate and imaginative art work when they successfully completed a project to design and construct a room within a shoe box using a variety of materials. Mrs Robin was impressed by the enthusiasm and ingenuity shown, with first prizes being awarded to Philip Kyriacou, Hannah Thain, Rachel Ellis, Rachel Haynes, Sophie Gittins and Laura Burgess. |
ZOO LECTURE 18 Year 13 Biologists and Miss Wood spent a very worthwhile and enjoyable day at London Zoo earlier this month. They attended a very informative lecture about adaptations for temperature control and visited the fascinating new exhibition called the 'Web of Life'. Look out for a TV programme about this new exhibit as some of the students were filmed whilst they were enthusing about the information available. |
BETTER LATE... Two years ago, a group of Mr Boucry's students won a national competition organised by a publishing firm. Next month they are 'collecting' their main prize by visiting the Europa Centre in Hornchurch, Essex. This is a simulation centre set out in the form of a French village with shops, a hotel, market square and other facilities so that visitors can practise their French without ever leaving these shores! |
ARABIAN NIGHTS The Hawth Centre at Crawley provided a colourful production as the story telling Queen Shahrazad brought to life the stories of Ali Baba, Es-Sindibad the Sailor and others for 86 GCSE Drama and Theatre Arts students. Students were able to appreciate the amazing lighting effects, sounds and costumes used to capture the culture of the mystic East as well as a number of illusions that amazed the audience. It proved to be a most enjoyable visit - despite the thought of the essays that would have to follow it! |
CHILD DEVELOPMENT Winners of the poster competition following a visit to the Year 10 Child Development group by Mrs Jane Siegle, Mole Valley's Road Safety Officer, were Samantha Gidlow, Sarah Kiteley, Jennie Phillips and Rachel Stamper. They were able to'work shadow' Mrs Siegle on visits to two primary schools and it is now planned to build this aspect of child care into the course. A group visit to Tesco Stores also proved popular when students were able to watch fish being gutted and prepared, bread being baked and enjoy the samples of cheese at the delicatessen counter. |
THEATRE VISITS English students were able to appreciate the bold and inventive interpretation of Hamlet in the Red Shift version at the Harlequin Theatre, Redhill. This radical production was accompanied by urban modern dress and an eerie stage set in the shape of metal, rectangular pillars, the latter often being used for violent percussion treatment! Another visit to the Harlequin was to see Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which proved to be excellent and highly entertaining - two productions which provided plenty to talk about. |
MARVELLOUS WORK The postilion riding Charlie, the lead horse in a team of six pulling the Lord Mayor's Coach in the colourful traditional ceremony through the City of London was none other than Caroline Redman, a Year 11 pupil. Caroline went on work experience to Youngs' Brewery and that, combined with some personal contacts, led to her 'dream ride'. |
A GOOD NAME Kelly McGrath in Year 7, together with her younger sister, Chloe, was a VIP guest at the opening ceremony of the new Vale Primary School. In a competition the name for the school submitted by the two sisters was judged to be the most suitable. |
SPORT Cross Country - Good luck to our Intermediate Girls Cross Country team who travel to Wakefield in Yorkshire next month to take part in the national finals of the TSB Championships. The boys did well in the District Cross Country competition - we took first place in the Junior and Intermediate sections and have 11 boys selected to run in the county finals. Football - We have played 38 games to date, winning 19, drawing 4 and losing 15. The Year 7 side are still in the County Cup. By the end of the season we will have played about 80 games, with fixtures most Saturdays, including a number of B team matches. Badminton - Well done - Chris Langridge and James Molyneux were in the Surrey U15 team which won the Six Counties Badminton Tournament. Biathlon - Simon Holmes has qualified for the final of the British Schools Modern Biathlon Contest. He came 6th in the Southern Qualifying round. |
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DATES & TIMES TO
REMEMBER |
| 1st Dec | Y11 Study Leave begins Y8 Parents' Evening |
| 2nd Dec | Y10 Modular Science Exams Information Evening for Y11 parents on Post-16 changes. |
| 3rd Dec | Y11 Mocks begin |
| 5th Dec | Friends' Christmas Fair |
| 10th Dec | Y11 Ball |
| 11th Dec | Friends' Millennium Ball |
| 13th Dec | 7.30pm Carol Service at SeeAbility |
| 14th Dec | Senior Citizens' Party at school |
| 17th Dec | School closes for Christmas - 1.00pm approx. |
| 4th Jan 2000 | Start of Spring term (Week 2) |
| 7th Jan 2000 | Presentation Evening |