St George’s Ascot News

1^st May 2009

. St George’s Day was well celebrated with a memorable Chapel service in the morning then, in the evening, the Chapel Choir sang for a special service at All Saints Church, Maidenhead. Several practical public exams have already taken place and as soon as we come back after the Bank Holiday, the main GCSE and A Level written exams begin. Our own school exams for 1^st to 4^th Year start in the week before half-term. All the staff join me in wishing everyone good luck. Miss Moody
YET ANOTHER OUTSTANDING SKI TRIP
This year’s Ski Trip to Alpe d’Huez was a resounding success; the weather was good with the right amount of sunshine and snow. There were some excellent skiers in our party and I am hoping that I will have a few contenders for the Schoolgirls’ races in Flaine at the end of January 2010. Courtney (1X) was the only person who had never had skis on her feet before, but she is a determined young lady with much ‘bottle’, and she was happily starting to parallel by the end of the week. We have used the Beau Soleil in previous years and its close proximity to the slopes makes returning to rooms for forgotten lift passes, goggles, gloves, etc, quite stress free. Our instructors were excellent as usual. We kept the girls very busy and they were enthusiastic about the evening entertainments: their karaoke expertise had to be heard to be believed and the few who braved the outdoor pool deserve a medal. I would like to thank Mrs Collingwood, Mrs Hadnagy and Mrs Gregan for helping to make the week run smoothly and also the skiers who made the trip so easy by being in the right place at the right time and being an absolute credit to the school. I am organizing next year’s trip as we speak. Chris Fidler
ST GEORGE’S HAS TALENT On the last day of term, the 3rd Year’s Talent Competition not only provided a popular alternative to lessons for the Junior classes (and those 5^th and 6^th Form girls whose timetables meant they too were able to be there), but it also raised a considerable amount of money for the Parkinson’s Disease Society. Such a wide range of talent was displayed by girls in 1^st to 4^th Year that the judges, led by Head Girl Lydia, had to have a “jump off” round before they awarded Third Prize to the energetic fun filled 1^st Year dancing “Sazzy Jazzies”, Second Prize to Alexandra (3X) for her beautifully graceful character dance and First Prize to Scarlett (2Y) for her extremely moving dialogue piece. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to the generous audience.
ART EXHIBITION
The opening of ‘New Work’, an exhibition of paintings by our Artist in Residence, Susannah Douglas, on the first night of term was well attended and a resounding success. Susannah has gained places at both Byam Shaw and Wimbledon Schools of Art to study for her MA from September and we wish her all the very best.  The exhibition ran in the South Lawn Room until Friday 1^st May. Chris Fidler
L6^TH BOARDERS GO KARTING We always knew that the Lower Sixth are a competitive group, and we really found out just how much so at the end of last term. The boarders enjoyed spending the afternoon “Go Karting”. Fast and furious they raced around the track, all trying to achieve the best possible race time. It was no surprise that Jessica took first prize, as she was first in the year group to pass her driving test. She was closely followed by Georgina, and Jade n took third prize. There was a superb element of team spirit among the girls and they all had great fun. They then enjoyed a well deserved meal at the international award winning pan Asian noodle restaurant Wagamamas. Mrs Black
GIRLS ENJOY Net-it CAMP
Net-it netball camp, held at St George’s School on the 16^th and 17^th of April, was fantastic Coached by the some of the top netball players in the country, it focused mainly on skills, including how to cut in front of your player, and how to shoot properly (which was taught by Rachel Dunn, the England team Goal Shooter). In the afternoon of the last day there was a tournament, followed by prize giving. We made lots of friends and had lots of fun. It was an amazing experience and I look forward to going back in August. Suzanne It was great to see former Georgians Alicia and Francesca John back as part of the coaching team. Net-it will be returning to hold a summer camp on 20^th and 21^st Aug and again, in the Autumn, on 28^th and 29^th October. Mrs Pearson
			1^ST YEAR HISTORY TRIP Making the most of the recent fine weather, the 1^st Years headed off on Thursday of last week to visit Mountfitchet Castle, a reconstructed motte and bailey near Stansted. This allowed the girls to review the work they have done on the medieval village and how the Normans defended themselves shortly after their arrival in England in 1066. We then went to Hedingham Castle, a stone keep, where we were able to compare the defences and do some brass rubbing. We had a glorious day. Mrs Potter
FUND RAISING CONCERT Members of the congregation of Holy Trinity Church, Bracknell, were treated to a splendid concert given by the Chapel Choir and soloists in aid of church funds. Rev Canon Nick Parish has taken many services at St George’s over the years; it was nice to be able to do him a favour for a change. In a mixed programme the audience was delighted by choral music from the 17^th century to the present day, including a work by Mr. Hillier. Two of our music scholars performed solos: Claudia (U6C) played Debussy’s Syrinx, conjuring atmospheric images of mythical creatures, and Charlotte (4Z) played Arnold’s Sonatina for clarinet with musical dexterity and sensitivity. Mr Hillier
						YOUNG ENTERPRISE – BUSINESS BRAINS OF THE FUTURE Presentations from the Young Enterprise companies Eclipse and Stampt impressed the judges with their entrepreneurial skills at the Young Enterprise South East Berkshire Area Finals on March 25th. Judging panel chairman Roger Williams said, “We were very pleased at the consistently high standard achieved by each of the companies.  Young Enterprise can only benefit the whole community if it enthuses our brightest youngsters to achieve such standards.  They gain a great deal of business knowledge through running their own companies”. Mrs Smith
MARKHAM BOARDERS VISIT OXFORD On a lovely sunny Saturday afternoon at the start of term Markham boarders headed to Oxford for a tour of Christ Church. Some girls were inspired by the history and tradition to aspire to be a student of the College, others were enthralled by tales of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - seeing the door and key hole she looked through into the secret garden. In the Dining Hall one could almost see Hedwig flying in with owl post - the hall and staircase being the setting of several Harry Potter films. To finish the afternoon, the girls had an hour or so of retail therapy at Bicester Shopping Village before returning to school. Ms Shipley
CARA JUMPS DOUBLE CLEAR
Cara (1Y) competed in the 11 and Under show jumping at the annual Pony of The Year Championship.  There were 125 entries for her class but only about 50 qualified to ride in the main Grand Prix.  The courses, which were very technical, included a water tray, a wall, some very difficult turns and a treble jump, and were designed to ensure that many of the children wouldn’t get through the first rounds. In the Grand Prix, Cara was one of only 20 who achieved “double clear”, and she was placed 11^th.   It was a really great reward for her hard work.
TRAVELLING BY TUBE On the first closed weekend of term, the Upper Sixth boarders accompanied by Mrs Farmer-Mason and Miss Davis, went to the Alpine Sports centre in Aldershot to go Snow Tubing, followed by the biggest Domino’s Pizza order ever! It was nice to go on one last trip together and snow tubing was the perfect care-free and fun activity to take our minds off work and our up-coming exams. An amazing time was had by all, and a huge thank you goes to Mrs Farmer-Mason for organising such a memorable trip. Francesca (U6D)
Looking Forward
MUSICAL NOTES FOR YOUR DIARY The Chapel Choir and soloists are giving a concert at Datchet Parish Church on Friday 8^thMay, at 7.30pm. There will be a Junior Concert in the school chapel on Wednesday 20^th May, starting at 7.30 pm.