Head`s Lines - Withington Girls` School

APRIL 2011
Editor: Mr Ray King
Tel: 07768 022 082
Head’s Lines
Joseph Triumphs!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,
the School’s biggest and most ambitious musical
theatre production for a number of years,
proved a huge hit with audiences and a triumph
for all those who took part.
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s vibrant musical
was performed for an invited audience of local
primary schools and senior citizens at a matinee
performance on Monday 7th March and on the
evenings of the 7th, 8th and 9th March for an
audience of parents, fellow pupils and friends.
The production, months in the casting, planning
and rehearsing, involved a cast of more than
200 girls from the Sixth Form, Senior and Junior
Schools and virtually everyone in the design and
production of costumes, props and scenery.
Continued with more pictures on the
centre pages.
Dear Readers,
Traditionally, the Spring Term is the shortest in the
academic calendar, and it is often the most intense,
as we try to fit in a huge amount of teaching and
learning, and extra-curricular activities into relatively
few weeks. This Spring Term has been two weeks
longer than usual, due to the exceptionally late date
of Easter this year but there has definitely been no
slackening of the pace! The term began with the
Entrance Examinations and much of my diary in
late January and early February was given over to
interviewing, with senior colleagues, around 170
prospective 11+ pupils who had performed well
in the written tests. In recent weeks I have been
interviewing, again with senior colleagues, numerous
applicants for places in our Sixth Form and it is
good to know that so many young women aspire to
complete their secondary education at Withington.
It was lovely to meet all the girls and their parents,
and I am pleased to say that numbers for September
2011 are extremely healthy despite the impact of
the economic climate on many families. It has been
absolutely wonderful to be able to offer life-changing
opportunities to some very able girls whose families’
financial circumstances mean that they would
otherwise not be able to come to Withington. The
successful completion in January of the WGS 100
Plus Appeal has helped to secure the funding of this
means-tested bursary provision and I do thank most
sincerely all those who contributed.
I have been delighted to have the opportunity to
meet so many parents of girls currently in the school,
whether at the Lower Sixth Presentation Evening in
January, at one of the four Parents’ Evenings or either
of the meetings of the Parents’ Association that I
have attended this term or, indeed, at social events
like the Spring Fair. I have also met dozens of parents
on a one-to-one basis for a variety of reasons this
term, and read hundreds of reports for girls in Upper
II, Third Form and Lower V. One of the highlights of
my week recently has been to teach a Lower Sixth
General Studies module on the UK political process
and the role of the monarchy. All of these different
activities are giving me opportunities to get to know
the girls better, and I look forward to continuing the
process next term. Continued on Pg 2.
Continued from the front page.
During this busy time I was also called up for
Inspection duty and spent a very interesting and
informative few days as part of a small team
inspecting St Paul’s Girls’ School in London. This
famous establishment is a very similar school to
Withington in many ways, and it was fascinating to
have the chance to spend some time there, looking
at how and what they teach, as well as learning how
the new Inspection regime operates in practice.
As Withington is due for an Inspection at any time
now, this was extremely valuable experience which
I will be sharing with the staff on our forthcoming
INSET day.
As you will learn from the articles in this edition
of the Bulletin, the girls have had an absolutely
fantastic term! Who will ever forget the marvellous
whole-school production of Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat? (It was so good I saw it
twice!) More recently, I witnessed the Lower Sixth
production of Anouilh’s Antigone and Lower Fifth
devised response to Euripides’ The Bacchae. Both of
these drama performances were beautifully staged
and the girls’ performances were extremely moving.
I have also been delighted to attend an Informal
Concert for flute and guitar which blended the
talents of girls of all ages and levels of experience,
and also the Spring Concert which featured an
astonishing range of musical talent. The Gym Display
in February was a truly inspiring evening as the
girls performed with such joie de vivre and a real
sense of pride in each other’s accomplishments. I
was also proud to be asked to open the Latin and
Greek Reading Competition which was held here
at Withington, and in which so many of our own
students excelled! One of my enduring memories
from this term is of the poise and confidence with
which 10 year old Sasha Geim (Upper II) told the
whole school in Assembly about her father’s Nobel
Prize for Physics, and the experience of going with
him and her mother to Stockholm, to see him receive
his award from the King of Sweden!
There are school trips going out this holiday to Russia,
Barcelona and France and I wish the staff and girls
involved safe travel, and happy and memorable
experiences.
A separate letter to current parents will accompany
this Bulletin and key dates for next term are given on
the back page of this Bulletin.
I would like to send you all my very best wishes for a
peaceful and happy holiday at Easter.
Mrs. S. E. Marks, Headmistress
Food Glorious Food!
The new food service introduced in the week after February half term has
been universally praised by pupils and staff. Mrs Cartledge and the catering
team have earned the admiration and thanks of all who have enjoyed the
sheer variety, quality and freshness of the food on offer.
Prepared from fresh, nutritious ingredients, lunch now features four classic
main and ‘green’ meat-free choices and a hot or cold pudding. The new
Market Table loaded each day with colourful fresh salads and cut fruit
has proved to be a huge hit with the girls. And they LOVE the puddings,
especially the homemade yogurts and mousses with toppings, brownies
and cupcakes!
. I used to only eat pasta,
Now I’m having salads, and hot food
It all looks really nice.
now I eat veggies and other things.
have got it just right!
The people who are making the food
Tamara in Upper II
The new puddings, cakes and biscuits are made by new Pastry Chef,
Mr Dominique Schickele. Using only fresh ingredients – no premixes –
Mr Schickele also bakes a delicious range of fresh breads for lunch time
each day. He has also made some wonderful chocolate Easter eggs which
Junior School pupils raffled to raise funds for charity.
Almost universally students in all Years say they think the new service is
‘amazing’ and that it’s fantastic having more choice.
than I used to.
I look forward to lunch much more
e having lunch now.
It’s more social and I spend more tim
Hannah in Upper Sixth
Geography In Action
Workshop
Links established by Mrs Julie Buckley between
Withington and the Education Department of
Manchester University brought 25 Geography
PGCE students to School to take part in a
twilight workshop.
The after school session, attended by 25
geographers from the Lower and Upper Sixth,
provided almost a one-to-one class and centred
on the statistical analysis of various data.
Manchester
Upper Fourth geographers embarked on a fieldtrip
aimed at discovering more about the commercial
and residential regeneration of Manchester City
Centre in recent times. Cloud 23 high up in the
Beetham Tower gave us an impressive view of
the mixture of old Victorian Manchester and
the clean lines of modern developments such as
Spinningfields. We also employed a new technique
– ethnography – where we used all our senses to
gather empirical data on the bohemian society and
culture of the Northern Quarter.
Environmental assessments, land-use mapping,
sketching and interviewing the public gave the
girls insight into the residential and commercial
areas of the city. By the end of the day girls gained
a much deeper understanding of why people are
moving back to live in Manchester City Centre.
Warm Welcome
Miss Amanda Phillips
Castleton
The Third Form trip to Castleton on 28th March
was blessed with glorious weather this year. Nearly
90 girls were able to sit on top of Mam Tor looking
down on the valley where they could sketch
the view and identify the small village nestling
alongside the steep limestone cliffs.
They were able to appreciate the site and situation
of the village as well as the stunning physical
characteristics of the limestone scenery, all bathed
in lovely sunshine.
Trips down the Blue John and Treak Cliff Caverns
revealed an underground landscape of stalactites
and stalagmites and helped the girls to appreciate
the debate about whether St Winnat’s Pass may
once have been a huge underground cavern!
Once in the village observations, environmental
assessments and asking the public to complete
questionnaires helped pupils to understand the
many reasons why limestone landscapes attract
tourists. They returned to Manchester with a
much greater sense of appreciation for this unique
environment so near to our city.
Miss Phillips
has joined the
Mathematics
Department from the
Manchester Creative
and Media Academy
in Moston, where
she taught Science
and Mathematics.
Bradford-born
Miss Phillips is a graduate in Mathematics
and Chemistry from the University of Durham
and spent eight months travelling the world
after graduation. En route she stopped off to
teach for two months in South Africa and for a
short time in Nepal. A Duke of Edinburgh Gold
Award winner herself, she is looking forward to
becoming involved in the D of E programme at
Withington.
Mr Dominique Schickele
Mr Schickele has
been appointed
as the School’s
very own Pastry
Chef as part of the
transformation of
Withington’s food
service. He hails
from Strasbourg in
the French region of
Alsace and trained at Le Notre, one of the best
cookery schools in Paris.
Since coming to Britain he has worked in hotels
all over the country including the five-star
Lanesborough in London and he was in charge
of patisserie when Selfridges opened their first
store outside the capital in the Trafford Centre.
Mr Schickele said: “I have never worked in a
school before, so it was a bit of a challenge at
first – I am not used to working in such a small
kitchen – but I love it, it’s great.”
Informal Recitals
Two Informal Recital evenings were staged
this term. The first, on 10th February, was led
by Julie Murray (flute) and Peter Batchelar
(guitar). The Arts Centre was set out cafe style
and the pupils performed around the tables,
decorated with flowers and tea lights, which all
contributed to a wonderful relaxed ambience.
Pupils from the Junior School through to the
Sixth Form performed solos and ensembles for
an audience of family, friends and staff.
Director of Music, Mrs Gillian Sargent, said:
“The two most striking things about the
evening were that the girls accompanied
each other; guitar pupils accompanying
flautists with such poise and confidence - a
massive achievement - and how lovely it was
to see such a varied age range within these
performances, for example, a Lower II pupil
being accompanied by a girl in Lower Sixth. It
really was a fantastic evening of music with
a delightful programme rounded off by an
inspiring performance by Julie and Peter.”
The second concert on 24th March, showcased
flute and piano, led this time by Nichola Hunter
(flute) and Simon Leach (piano). The age range
of the performers, as for the earlier concert,
was from seven to eighteen. It featured 15
flute and four piano solo performances ranging
through traditional, classical and jazz.
At the car wash...
Withington’s 14-strong World Challenge team
have been raising funds for their forthcoming
expedition to Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro
in the summer by operating a car wash.
Their ‘soap opera’ ran in the staff car park at
the School every lunch time between 28th
March and 8th April. Charges were £4 for an
outside wash for small cars and £6 for large
and £8 and £10 respectively for an inside and
outside valet - an absolute bargain!
D of E Expeditions
The second Duke of Edinburgh Award programme Bronze training walk
from Marple to Hayfield took place on Sunday 13th February. Fifty-three
Year 10 girls started off in very wet weather that got steadily worse.
The exercise was not a race because teams plan different routes, but
the first groups in were Never Eat Shredded Wheat and Accidently Went
Backwards - all muddy, but most finishing fairly cheerful.
The Upper Fifth Silver practice walk went ahead on 20th March; all the
participants worked hard to improve their knowledge of map and compass
navigation. The Lower Fifth Bronze practice expedition took place on
Sunday-Monday, 3rd-4th April.
Read on...
The Library has a new management system, Eclipse, produced by
Stockport-based company Microlibrarian. Yes, it will make life
easier for the Librarians, Mrs Wells and Mrs Sutton, but more
importantly, because it is web-based, the software incorporates
more interactive content.
Initially, girls will be able to
search the Library catalogue from
any computer in school. Later on,
they will be able to check their
accounts, reserve books, read and
write reviews and keep an eye on
changing items such as Library
News and Book of the Week.
Pictured, right, is a facsimile of
the home page of the system.
Blind Date with a Book!
Valentine’s Day this year was celebrated in the Library by offering
girls a ‘blind date’ with a book. A steady flow of girls visited the Library
and took the chance of borrowing a mystery-wrapped book chosen by
the librarians.
When they returned their books they answered a few questions about
their experience of Blind Date and, since then, many had decided to go
on a return date with ‘their’ author!
Some girls wrote book reviews of their choice to enter a competition to
win an Amazon gift certificate.
Sitara Bartle of IIIX won the competition for her review of River Boy by
Tim Bowler.
Dramatic Goings On
Two compelling extracts from Diane Samuels’ play Kindertransport
kicked off a very busy season of activity for the School’s Drama
Department in January. Year 10 Drama students performed their
pieces to the entire Year group and then participated in an insightful
question and answer session with their teachers and peers, exploring
the challenging themes and ideas of the work.
On 9th February 20 Withington Drama and English students attended
a talk at Manchester Grammar School given by one of Britain’s leading
theatre directors, MGS former pupil Nick Hytner, before seeing his
production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Lowry Arts Centre, Salford,
the following day.
On 31st March the Lower Fifth GCSE Drama class presented
Unleashed, a devised piece conceived in response to the questions
posed by the ancient Greek play, The Bacchae, by Euripides. The girls
used a variety of physical theatre techniques which reflected the
different moods within it.
This was followed by the LAMDA Senior Showcase on February 1st.
Seventeen girls from Year 10 onwards performed extracts from modern
and classical dramatists for Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. Now a well
established extra-curricular pursuit, the LAMDA programme has proved
complementary to the GCSE and A-level syllabuses.
On 15th February Withington’s Drama Department teamed up with
MGS for an extra-curricular joint project based on Jim Cartwright’s
Bed. Bolton-born Cartwright’s play features seven elderly people
sharing a vast bed, to dream, remember and reflect on a long past. The
production also gave two girls, Rebecca Stockton and Laura Clayson a
chance to try their hand at directing as well as acting.
Head of Drama Mrs Jen Baylis said: “LAMDA supports the curriculum
work very well. You can see the girls incorporating the skills they have
learned in LAMDA lessons and it has raised the level of achievement at
all Key Stages in the School.”
Next up on 29th March was the AS Examination piece, Antigone.
The production explored the central conflict between two antagonists
and was presented ‘in the round’ using a stark black and white set and
minimal lighting.
As we go to press the Upper Fifth GCSE Drama group are in rehearsals
for the final presentation of Examination practical work to be
performed on 5th April. The play When She Was Bad is linked to the
theme of monsters and monstrosity. Having studied the way these
concepts are treated in literature the girls have devised a series of
pieces using a range of dramatic techniques to explore the stories and
communicate their ideas.
In addition to this series of multiple Studio productions and of course,
Joseph in the Arts Centre, many WGS pupils have been involved in the
Manchester Grammar School production of Bugsy Malone.
Greyhound Assembly
Miss Davies’ greyhound, Flashie, was the star of an Assembly in January. After learning a little
about the history of greyhounds as a breed, greyhound racing and the Retired Greyhound
Trust, the girls were able to meet an ex-racing greyhound in the flesh.
Flashie did not have the most successful racing career, but she has been a fantastic pet for
the last six years. Greyhounds are notably calm and friendly and Flashie demonstrated this
perfectly, while being more than happy to be stroked by over eighty Junior School girls.
Eco Warriors
Big Schools’ Birdwatch
For the second year running, the Junior School took part in the RSPB’s Big Schools’ Birdwatch.
The Outdoor Club, from Upper II, have been helping to keep the birds supplied with food in
the trees at the bottom of the field and small groups took turns to watch between 8.15 and
9.15am. They saw numerous species of birds and reported back to the RSPB.
Endangered Animals
Later in the term the Junior members of Eco warriors were busy again. The group wanted to
sponsor an endangered animal so six groups of girls from UII prepared a short presentation for
Junior School Assembly on their chosen animal. They asked the girls to vote for their favourite;
the animals were leopard, pandas, orangutans, cheetah, polar bears and tigers. They all
presented a good case (with lots of pictures of fluffy animals!) but the winner was the Polar
Bear, whose case was presented in a very entertaining fashion by Tamara Kwartz and Hannah
Wolowacz. The next job is to come up with ideas of how to raise the funds to pay for the
sponsorship. Watch this space!
Farewell to Poet David Horner
David Horner, the Junior School’s favourite poet, came for a two-day series of workshops with
each of the Junior year groups.
From his introductory Assembly to the final farewell ‘get together’, he constantly inspired the
girls to produce amazingly creative poems in his very own inimitable style!
The Transitioners went to the moon; Form I produced ‘can’t poems’ and colour riddles; Lower
II took on surrealism and Upper II did ‘twice upon a time ... ‘ Great fun was had by all and, in
between periods of busyness, there was lots of laughter.
Sadly, because he is retiring this year, this was David’s last visit to Withington. Thank you,
David, for the many years of enjoyable and hilarious days you have shared with us and we
wish you health and happiness in the future.
Birds of Prey visit the Juniors
On the 17th February the Junior School had a visit from the Welsh Birds of Prey Centre. As we
entered the room we were stunned into silence by the beauty of these creatures. There were
birds such as eagle owls, snowy owls, falcons and many more.
Two lucky people from each class were able to hold the birds; it was an experience of a
lifetime for them. Anam, from Upper II, was one of these lucky people and she said,
“The eagle owl, which I held, was not as light as I thought it would be, but I was too astounded
by its beauty to think about that. The man, who was called Mike, put a very thick glove on the
person’s left hand. This glove was to protect your hand from the sharp talons which are used
for hunting their prey. He then instructed them to hold out their left hand in a fist and then
with their right hand clasp it from underneath. After that the bird would perch itself upon the
hand and pose for the camera. Everyone had a wonderful time and it was
very memorable.” By Chantelle and Sasha
Amazing Joseph!
Every girl in the Junior School had the chance to perform in Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat. Transition were naturals in their roles as angels while Form I danced as
sheaves of corn and golden stars. Lower II and Upper II sang in the choir adding their voices to
those of the Senior girls.
AJIS Netball Plate Winners!
On 17th March 2011, ten Upper II girls played in the annual AJIS Netball Tournament held at
Stockport Grammar School.
The squad played brilliantly in the group matches, losing only one game against the eventual
trophy winners. They finished second in the group stage taking them on to play in a ‘round
robin’ tournament against the other groups’ second-placed teams.
An excellent performance by all girls resulted in WGS winning the plate on goal difference.
Having lost only two games throughout the whole day the team was a true credit to the
School.
WELL DONE! Mrs Jayne Lane, Netball Coach
Overnight Trip to Edale
On Thursday and Friday, 17th and 18th March Transition and Form l enjoyed an exciting
adventure to The Peak Centre, a residential childrens’ activity centre in Edale, Derbyshire.
With bags as big as themselves and teddies in tow, the two youngest year groups in the
School descended on calm and beautiful Edale. As we arrived, the girls unpacked in their
dormitories and the first activity of bed making began. Following this, the girls took part in
puppet making, outdoor activities, circus skills and fencing. It was a fabulous two days and the
girls can’t wait to go away again with School.
Junior Fencing
Fencing coaching provided by Coach Robert Kiss has been part of the Junior extra-curricular
physical exercise programme for almost eight years giving many girls the chance to participate
in this thrilling and heroic sport. We were delighted to hear that Mr Kiss has recently won the
National Veterans Championship. His impressive resume includes two Olympic Games in 1996
and 1992. He has also been Hungary National Champion no less than seven times.
Tennis Assembly
New extra-curricular Tennis Coach James Oliver came to talk to the Juniors in Assembly on
10th February. He talked about his love of the game and how he came to be a tennis coach.
He showed some video-clips of Andy Murray playing at his best then some of the girls had a
try at some tennis exercises with racquet and ball. James has run indoor mini-tennis sessions
during the Spring Term and is all set to begin outdoor tennis coaching after school on Tuesdays
in the Summer Term. Bring on the sunshine!
Book Fair
The Book Fair visited the Juniors for the week beginning 28th March. Our Book Fair
representative told the Junior girls about all the new books on offer and also reminded them
about the old favourites. The Fair opened every lunchtime and during the PTA Spring Fair. As
always, the Book fair stimulated much discussion about favourite books and how much Junior
girls love reading.
A Very Happy Visit!
The Juniors welcomed a very famous celebrity on Wednesday 30th March – ‘Mr Happy’ himself
spent a few hours with the girls.
He was on his way from John O’ Groats to Land’s End, running the entire 874 miles in aid of
Leukaemia research. Senior girls were bemused to see Mr Happy wandering the corridors with a
troop of Junior girls in tow and many stopped to stare!
Mr Happy told the girls all about his run and that he will shortly be running the London Marathon
along with his friend Mr Bump, Mr Tickle and a few other friends. He will be half way through his
challenge when he reaches Congleton. The Juniors were inspired do some fundraising for Children
with Leukaemia, a national charity dedicated to wiping out childhood Leukaemia. Upper II will
begin the campaign by selling Little Miss books that they have written and illustrated themselves.
The Juniors all wished Mr Happy good luck in the second half of his run. Anyone can keep up with
his progress by visiting his website: www.mrhappyrunsbritain.org
Weekend at Winmarleigh
From directing a robot, to reaching the target on the climbing wall, Upper II had a fabulous time at
Winmarleigh Hall. Winmarleigh Hall is one of the PGL centres, in North West England.
I asked Rosie and Claudia how they found Winmarleigh Hall. Claudia commented,
“The overall experience was amazing, I will never forget our trip!” and Rosie said, “A great way to
end our exams!”
There were over ten activities including the sensory trail, which is when your sight is taken away
and you have to follow a piece of rope, through obstacles (tyres, water) and over obstacles (planks
of wood), and the Disco which I gave eight out of ten. The food was very inviting, including
vegetarian and halal options. The dinner menu on Saturday was toad in the hole, vegetable hotpot
with sides and a jam doughnut; I liked how they had a salad bar and a soup of the day with your
lunch. Even though the weather was rain, more rain, and even more rain we still had fun.
By Zoe, Upper II
Cold, wet, muddy... but fun! Upper II stepped out of their comfort zones and plunged into the
muddy depths of Winmarleigh Hall. From programming robots, to zooming down the zip wire,
Winmarleigh Hall had plenty of activities to keep us busy.
“For me, Giant Swing was the best experience ever!” babbled a thrilled Tamara as she leapt
excitedly off the sling she was strapped into. “When I dropped it felt like I was going to die!”
Many girls had to face their fears, including heights and mud! There were plenty of opportunities
to do this, including Team Challenge and Sensory Trail. “The worst bit was getting blindfolded,”
said a wet, muddy Elisha as she crawled under the last obstacle on Team Challenge. “It was very
claustrophobic, but it was still great fun.”
The food was delicious, and warmed us up when we were cold. The rooms were really cosy,
and the beds were comfortable. Everyone was really sad to leave, as it had been a thoroughly
enjoyable time.
By Hemma, Upper II
Recipe For Success
Withington’s business ‘Apprentices’ have turned out to be very
smart cookies.
The School’s Young Enterprise team Yum, which designed an original
children’s cook book featuring healthy eating recipes, scooped awards
for Best Company Report and Best Overall Company and will now
represent North and South Manchester at the Young Enterprise Greater
Manchester Final at the Bridgewater Hall on 3rd May.
Their latest triumph came at the Young Enterprise North and South
Manchester Area Board Final, held at HSBC, Spinningfields in
Manchester’s business district. Seven companies took part. It meant
that Withington teams have chalked up four Best Overall Company titles
in the last five years and the School received the prestigious Centre
of Excellence award recognising outstanding involvement with Young
Enterprise over the period.
Yum had emerged winners as more than 40 companies from schools all
over Manchester competed at the YE Trade Fair at the Trafford Centre.
The team had earlier been awarded a prize of £100 for coming out top
in the Dragon’s Den phase of the YE competition at the city offices of
accountants Ernst & Young.
Withington’s second YE company, Embark, which engaged in the
marketing of customised USBs and cards for all occasions, also
performed well throughout the process.
The School’s Young Enterprise Coordinator, Mrs Catherine Ositelu,
said: “Both our teams are to be congratulated for their enthusiasm,
competitive spirit, teamwork and excellent performance in all areas:
presentation, trade stand and company report.”
4-Schools Project
On February 1st, a group of 30 Year 7 students
from Manchester Grammar School, William
Hulme Grammar School, and Withington Girls’
School joined forces and travelled to the
Catalyst Museum in Widnes for an exciting,
stimulating day of Science. This collaboration
started just over a year ago
involving four schools in the
local area. (Unfortunately
students from The
Manchester Academy were
unable to join us on this trip.)
Girls who participated said:
Going to the Catalyst Museum was
l.
fun and exciting but still educationa
We learnt a lot from Dr Bunhead’s
ht
Exploding Energy Show, which taug
tion
bus
com
ut
abo
s
us interesting fact
and energy-related Chemistry.
Dr Bunhead had a great sense of
humour. I also enjoyed the Stings
workshop where we had to find the
gs.
best cure for different types of stin
Lily Gu
I found the Catalyst trip an amazing
experience, giving breadth to extracurricular Science activities which
were taught in a relaxed and fun
environment. There were plenty of
explosions in Dr Bunhead’s show!
I loved the trip and made lots of new
me.
friends from MGS and William Hul
Ayesha Chaudry and Adi Jacobson
Ground control to
Withing Ton....
Sixteen Physics pupils accompanied Mrs Ruth
Lindsay Dunn to the morning session of the North
West Gifted and Talented day of lectures staged at
the Queen’s School, Chester, on 16th February.
The highlight of the event was a unique
opportunity to hear a talk by Professor Alexander
Martynov titled The Manned Mission to Mars.
Professor Martynov worked in the Russian Space
Programme’s Mission Control Centre from 1968
to 1992 specialising in the design of re-entry
modules and controlling their flights to provide
soft landings on Earth, Mars, Venus and other
planets in the Solar System.
Diplomatic Coup
Withington’s delegates at the big Model United Nations Conference
in Bath, staged over the first weekend in March, achieved a string of
impressive results against strong national and international competition.
The conference, staged at the Kingswood School is one of the biggest
in the MUN calendar, involving over 600 students from as far afield as
Russia, Germany, Portugal and the Czech Republic and, from within the
UK, Edinburgh, Glasgow and York.
Withington’s 21-strong contingent represented four tricky delegations –
Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and Latvia – and
the first two won Commended Delegation Awards. It was a ‘significant
achievement’, said Head of History, Ms Jane Maher. Withington also
picked up an array of individual awards.
That was followed by a presentation by Ian Jones,
Chief Executive Officer of the Goonhilly Earth
Station in Cornwall, who has been involved in
many space education initiatives, contributing
to several government studies and strategy
initiatives, developing space education centres and
resources and delivering space lectures in schools.
Leila Mehrez, Nisha Desai, Charlie Moss McCrory and Izzy Greer were
named Commended Delegates, as was Fifth Former Hunadda Sabbagh
who won the award for the testing task of representing Lebanon
in the Security Council. Talisa Ross and Charlotte Ward won Highly
Commended Delegate awards for work in Politics and the Middle East
respectively and Holly Ward earned a coveted gavel as Best Delegate in
the Africa Committee.
Mrs Lindsay Dunn said: “The Russian space
scientist was brilliant. He gave an excellent
presentation with a lot of entertaining video of
how cosmonauts coped inside the space station
and was very persuasive about the desirability
of a mission to Mars. The girls enjoyed it and all
went smoothly.”
Ms Maher said: “Considering the numbers involved at this conference
these were excellent results and all the girls participated fully, speaking
really well and being involved and engaged in committee. Miss West and
I would like to thank all those involved for their excellent company.”
Open University
Twenty-five members of the current Upper Sixth
have successfully completed science-based
Open University short courses, giving them the
opportunity to develop their independent study
skills and to pursue their passion for a scientific
topic of their choice at first year undergraduate
level. Topics credited included Molecules,
Medicines and Drugs: a Chemical Story; Human
Genetics and Health Issues; How the Universe
Works; Empire of the Microbes and Elements of
Forensic Science. Well done to all girls who took
on this extra challenge.
Meanwhile, the next generation of Withington conference delegates
– Little WiMUN - have been engaged in regular lunchtime debating
sessions. Topics covered have included many difficult and sensitive
issues such as enforced sterilisation, child marriage, internet freedom,
use of torture, child soldiers and nuclear proliferation.
Brain Olympics!
Linguistics Olympiad
More than half of the 54 Withington girls who participated in the first
round of the second UK Linguistics Olympiad in February received awards.
At Advanced Level, the girls undertook a challenging two and a halfhour paper that involved problem solving in unfamiliar languages. “They
performed very well and the examiners were impressed by the overall
standard of our participants – and especially by the scores achieved by
our top pupils,” said Dr Anne Maisey.
Three Withington girls – Alison Coxon, Sophie Ngan and Holly Whiston
– achieved Gold Standard; Zainab Anwar, Elizabeth Le, Roshi Mitra,
Nabeeha Qazi, Charlotte Senn, Rachel Solomons, Rebecca Waterman and
Siyang Wei achieved Silver and a further 17 girls achieved Bronze.
Physics Olympiad
Nineteen girls took part in the British Physics Olympiad Physics Challenge
competition open to GCSE students. The challenge involved a testing
one-hour paper for which questions were not only taken from topics the
girls had studied as part of their GCSE course, but also from areas that
were totally new to them. Silver Awards were won by Sophie Ngan and
Charlotte Senn and a further 14 Bronze awards were achieved.
Biology Olympiad
Six Upper Sixth girls entered the prestigious Institute of Biology Olympiad
competition early in the New Year. The girls were all rewarded with
medals and have been invited down to London for the presentation
ceremony and lecture in July. Silver medals were awarded to Emma
Callanan, Emily Goddard and Tashy Rodgers and Rhea Bhagdev, Fei Lin
and Faye Sheldon all achieved Bronze.
Chemistry Olympiad
Five girls from the Upper Sixth entered the Chemistry Olympiad on
Tuesday, 8th February. The competition is run by the Royal Society of
Chemistry and is only suitable for the best – and most mathematical – of
student chemists.
Head of Chemistry, Mrs Jillyann Farrell said: “The paper was difficult,
requiring analytical skills beyond A Level and I expect the girls found
it quite a challenge but also interesting and intellectually stimulating.”
Results will be published later in the year.
Congratulations to all who stepped up to be taxed and tested by these
challenging competitions.
(Full lists of pupils who achieved so well at all levels will be published in
the Annual Newsletter)
Born To Dance
Lower Fifth pupil, Georgina Ashworth Kwasnik has been awarded a
scholarship at the English National Ballet summer school. She took part
in the Young British Dancer of the Year competition on the 12th March
where she was the absolute baby of the competition for girls aged 15 –
17, as the first round was on her 15th birthday. She was one of only two
dancers not at the full time vocational Royal Ballet School to make it
through to the semi-final, and has since been offered a place as a Senior
Associate at the Royal Ballet School.
Georgina has also been selected to represent England at the International
Dance World Cup to take place in Paris in June
2011 where she will perform 5 dances before an International
panel of judges.
Georgina trains 6 days a week at Centrepointe Dance School
and at the Northern Ballet Theatre.
Georgina, who has attended Withington since Transition,
says she is very grateful for the continued support
from School which allows her to pursue
her passion for dance.
Phenomenal fundraising
Withington’s phenomenal fundraising efforts continue to bear much fruit for
a whole range of good causes.
There have been cake sales and raffles aplenty but the biggest project has
been the Upper Fourth’s Masquerade Ball in aid of the Maua Hospital and
the victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. The girls began with a cake
sale to raise money to purchase raffle prizes then went on to raise even more
funds from the raffle of a hamper and a designer charm bracelet. They also
made and sold decorative masks, all leading up to the big event of the ball
at the Hilton Hotel Manchester on Thursday 31st March. The Junior girls also
joined in by donating to the fund and then making their own masks. At the
time of going to press the total raised was £1200 and counting.
A cheque for £3950 - half the funds raised by the Fashion Show 2011 - was
presented to Barnardos and the same was sent to Living Water Africa.
Some of the many activities too numerous to list in the space available here
were an own clothes day for CHIVA, the Africa HIV charity; Easter Egg Hunt;
Don’t Laugh for Comic Relief; Paper Cranes for Japan earthquake victims and
the Gambia group’s Balloon race.
Funds raised this term brought the year’s total to more than £20,000.
Fond Farewell
The School bids farewell with thanks to
Mrs Sarah Mounteney, Miss Nicki Maddern,
and Mrs Emma Othen who have left Withington
since the end of last term.
Mrs Mounteney
who joined the staff
at the beginning
of 2004 to teach
Mathematics and
latterly acted as the
School’s Fire and Risk
Assessment Officer,
left Withington at the
end of the Autumn
Term to take up her
new post as Head
of Mathematics in
the Girls’ Division of
the King’s School,
Macclesfield.
Miss Maddern joined
the Junior School
staff as Form I teacher
last year, providing
maternity cover for
Mrs Helen Stallard,
and left at February
Half Term. She is off
on an extended long
haul holiday and we
wish her all the best
on her travels.
Former Withington
pupil Mrs Othen leaves
us after covering in the
Classics Department
during Mrs Elizabeth
Robinson’s maternity
leave. Emma was
very active in, and
a great supporter
of, the School Choir
and gave her time
most generously for
extra-curricular visits
and activities and
benefitted Department
meetings with her
experience in
other schools.
Continued from front page...
Director of Music, Mrs Gilly Sargent, said: “The aim of Joseph was to enthuse,
nurture and promote the performing arts within Withington Girls’ School; to
provide the opportunity to cement friendships and develop self-esteem through
the joy of music and dance as well as learning and employing the need for
commitment, self-discipline and knowing what it is to be part of a team.”
She added: “It is the ideal vehicle for this because the musical is fun, lively and
totally inclusive, offering something for everyone. It’s just a very happy show.”
“For me it was brilliant to see how the characters and the girls themselves grow in
confidence and see the delight on their faces as they took their standing ovations.
It will provide the memory of a lifetime. The sounds, lighting, props, scenery
and costumes were all fantastic and engendered a sense of team spirit as all the
different departments made their contributions. I cannot thank colleagues enough
for the massive support they gave to me and to the girls.”
Headmistress, Mrs Sue Marks, said: “It has been a real joy to watch the entire
school community come together over the past several months to bring this
production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to life.
I cannot recall
ever having seen
Proudly Presents
Withington Girls’ School
a whole-school
activity which
has so evidently
brought so much
pleasure to those
involved.”
Mrs Sargent’s
belief that
involvement would
be an unforgettable
experience was
echoed by all the
leading members of
the cast.
rch 2011e
7th ~ 9th Ma
7.00pm in the Arts Centr
We’ve Done It!
We are delighted to announce that the 100 Plus Bursary Appeal has
reached its target of £2 million. This means that the current provision
of means-tested Bursaries is now secure and will continue to grow in
the future. Thank you for your contributions - without these and the
support from the WGS Trust, the School would be unable to offer one
in six girls in the Senior School a Bursary.
Some of the many stories from our Bursary recipients at university and
beyond show the real value of the Bursary Scheme at Withington. The
very many donations and letters of support demonstrate the depth of
support for the Bursary Scheme from former pupils, parents and staff.
We now plan to build on the success of the Bursary Appeal to raise
further funds. This will ensure that all bright girls across the North West
are made aware of the Bursary Scheme and can attend Withington
regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. Thank you.
£2,000,000+
£1,500,000
£1,000,000
Celebration Ball
The Mere Golf Resort & Spa
Saturday 11 June 7pm
To celebrate reaching the 100 Plus Bursary Appeal target, School is holding
a Celebration Ball at The Mere Country Golf Resort & Spa in Knutsford on
Saturday 11 June 2011. We hope you can join us at this fun event as we
celebrate the Bursary Scheme to date and look to its future. Priced at £50,
tickets are now on sale from the Development Office. Places are limited so
do make sure you reserve your ticket as soon as possible.
£500,000
Telephone Laura Firth on 0161 249 3494
or email [email protected]
for your ticket. See you there!
£0
Prestigious Appointment for Former Pupil
One former pupil has been in touch recently
with some exciting news. Our congratulations
go to Dr Sindy Newman [née Buttoo,
1977] following her appointment as the
new President of the British Red Cross for
Lancashire.
Sindy lives in St Annes-on-Sea, and is no
stranger to charity work, having recently
raised thousands by organising a charity ball
at the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom, in aid
of the Kim Foundation for Children, Victims
of War. The guest of honour, Miss Kim Phuc,
UNESCO Goodwill Peace Ambassador, was a child victim of the Vietnam
War and became known as ‘the Girl in the Picture’ when she was burnt in
a napalm attack.
As Lancashire President, Sindy, a mother of three and physician
specialising in medical obesity with four practices across the North West,
will help promote the Red Cross as an advocate and ambassador, hosting
and attending events and helping the organisation to raise funds and find
new volunteers. Sindy became involved with Red Cross due to her passion
to help those who are suffering, and says: “People tend to be aware of the
emergency service work of the Red Cross, particularly abroad, but they
also do a lot to help vulnerable people in their homes to maintain their
independence across the UK. Taking on this role with the Red Cross is a
tremendous honour and really comes from the heart. I feel there is a huge
amount of work to be done and can’t wait to get started.”
Withington After Hours, London
Withington’s first ‘After Hours’ informal drinks event
for Alumnae was held on Wednesday 23rd February at
Babble Bar in London’s Mayfair.
At the event, over twenty-five leavers from the 1950s
through to the 2000s gathered together over drinks
and nibbles, sharing their current news and laughing
over memories of their time at Withington. Timed to fit
in with the busy work schedules of our London-based
Alumnae, many commented that the informal format
was something they had thoroughly [and in some cases,
unexpectedly!] enjoyed.
The lively atmosphere ensured that guests headed off
into the evening smiling. Future ‘After Hours’ events are
being planned so keep checking the Alumnae webpage
at www.withington.manchester.sch.uk for news.
Exclusive “Access All Areas” Wimbledon
Alumnae and Former Staff are warmly invited
to a very special ‘Access All Areas’ Wimbledon
event, at the All England Lawn Tennis Club,
Wimbledon, on Tuesday 3rd May 2011,
from 6-9pm.
At the event, guests will be treated to a ‘behind
the scenes’ tour led by Denise Parnell, 1979
leaver and Assistant Referee at The Wimbledon
Championships, followed by a drinks reception
and hot buffet; and will also be given the
opportunity to hear Denise speak about her
fascinating career in the world of professional
tennis, which has spanned over thirty years and
has taken her around the world.
Numbers are limited so please contact Laura in the Development Office
on 0161 249 3494 by Monday 25th April to buy your ticket.
Forthcoming
Reunions
We are looking forward to two upcoming
reunions held at School during the Summer:
A special ‘Sizzling Seventies’
open reunion. All 1970s
leavers and staff are warmly
invited to join us at this special
event on Saturday 14th May
2011, from 10.30am-4pm.
On Saturday 18th June, a Golden Anniversary
reunion will be held at School for all 1961 leavers,
to celebrate the fiftieth Anniversary of their
leaving Withington.
Tickets are now on sale for both events, and guests
are more than welcome. Please contact Laura in
the Development Office on 0161 249 3494, or at
[email protected] to reserve
your place.
Alumna Laura Offers Careers Help
In the recent Alumnae Census, produced
by Withington’s Development Office,
many former pupils volunteered to help
other Alumnae and current pupils in their
careers. The Development Office is now
developing a network of Alumnae who
are able to offer both current and former
pupils support and guidance in their
chosen profession.
Laura Yates [1998 leaver], one of the
speakers at the successful ‘Withington
in the Media’ event held at School in
November, generously assisted 2008
leaver Laura Cress in securing a week of
work experience at BBC North West Tonight last Autumn. Laura, who is
currently studying English Literature at the University of York, is hoping to
go on to study an MA in Broadcast Journalism after graduation, and was
delighted to be able to gain such valuable experience.
We are always looking to work with former pupils who wish to offer
Alumnae and current pupils assistance with their career choices.
If you have not already offered your help, but would like to do so,
please contact the Development Office on 0161 249 3494,
or at [email protected].
WGS Online
School’s Alumnae Association, Withington
Onwards, is fully online, now keeping up with
hundreds of Alumnae through Facebook,
LinkedIn and Twitter! Join us.
Add: Laura J Holderness
Join: Withington Girls’ School Alumni - group
Add: Development Office - Withington Girls’ School
Join: Withington Girls’ School Alumnae - group
The Development Office ‘tweets’ news of School and
Alumnae every day, so make sure to follow
@WGSAlumnae to stay in touch and be the first to
hear the news hot off the press!
Got To Dance
Huge congratulations go to Upper Fifth pupil
Maya Szlachetko and her sister, former Head
Girl and 2010 leaver, Sophia, who as part
of Ukrainian dance troupe, Podilya reached
the live semi-finals of Sky 1’s Got to Dance
competition. Despite recording a flawless
performance, including some very dangerous
moves with swords, Podilya were disappointed
not to advance through to the final.
Sophia and Maya, whose mother Linda is
Podilya’s choreographer, regularly travel
together to festivals and dance competitions to
perform. The group, all of whom are secondgeneration Ukrainian, rehearse together weekly
and are passionate about celebrating their
Ukrainian heritage.
Sophia, who is currently studying Economics
and French at Nottingham University, said:
“Rehearsals were very intense, requiring a
huge level of commitment and sacrifice from
all members of the group. Although all our
hard work didn’t take us all the way through
to the final I think we did achieve our aim to
entertain!”
Classic Times
Germany Calling
“The essay I wrote was about the importance of historical accuracy in
films set in the Classical world, so it was a great opportunity to combine
an interest in Classics with the fact that I watch too many films. I was
surprised and really thrilled to have won and the money will be well spent.”
During a sunny but freezing cold week, the group - the biggest ever –
visited Stuttgart’s TV tower and the city’s shopping centre, the castle and
Museum of Pharmacy in Heidelberg and the shops and Technical Museum
in Mannheim as well as spending time in school with the girls’ exchange
partners.
The Classics Department has had two successful ventures recently:
Holly Whiston of the Lower Sixth won herself £75 and a great deal
of prestige by winning an essay competition set by St John’s College
Oxford. She says:
The second success was our participation in the Classical Association’s
Latin and Greek Reading Competition. Withington hosted this event on
Wednesday March 16th, with 100 pupils from 10 schools participating,
and enjoying Mrs Cartledge’s tea afterwards. Withington almost swept
the board by winning five of the six competitions: the Beginners’
Section, the GCSE Classical Greek, the Sixth Form Prose, the Sixth Form
Verse and the Sixth Form Classical Greek. Many congratulations to
all pupils who practised hard but special mention must go to Radhika
Saggar and Frances Li of Lower Fourth, Naomi Rasmussen of Upper Fifth
and Sixth Formers Nicole Barber, Charlotte Ward and especially Rebecca
Livesey who won both Latin and Greek verse competitions – a feat not
achieved by anyone in recent years.
Other external activities in the Department this term have been a visit
to Manchester University by the Sixth Form for a “Texts Day” and
involvement in the CICERO Translation Competition; CICERO being the
acronym for ‘ a world-wide translation competition’ with pupils from
Australia, France, Spain, UK, tackling the same demanding extract on
approximately the same day, linked by video-conferencing.
Seventeen girls – five from the Lower Fifth and 12 from the Upper Fifth
– participated in this year’s German Exchange and spent the February halfterm at Withington’s partner school, the Auguste Pattberg Gymnasium in
Mosbach, near Heidelberg.
They were accompanied by Deputy Head Mrs Sarah Haslam and Miss Jane
Ellis, who said: “It was a really challenging but worthwhile experience. The
girls were excellent company and all made a good effort to speak lots of
German!”
The return visit by pupils from the German school took place between
February 26th and March 4th and included visits to Liverpool, Quarry Bank
Mill and Imperial War Museum North.
Artistic Excellence
The Lower Fifth GCSE class
visited The Gallery of Costume
at Platt Hall on Thursday 24th
March. The purpose of the trip
was to gather important critical
and contextual reference
material for their current
textile-based project called
In The Wardrobe, in which
the girls will be designing and
making their very own body
adornment. It was a very
inspiring and enriching visit
where girls were able to see
and experience rich and diverse
garments, accessories and
fabrics from different centuries,
with additional exhibits from
very current and contemporary
fashion designers too. What
was also rewarding was being
able to explore Platt Hall itself
from the exterior and interior,
from its beautiful plaster work
in the main dining room to the
decorative and grand wrought
iron staircase.
Living Edge Magazine Competition
Fantastic and varied artwork from three girls in school was carefully
selected and entered into the annual Living Edge Art Competition which
celebrates and rewards North West schoolchildren for their achievements
during the year in Art. In the under 14 category, Ella Langley’s imaginative
self-portrait was entered which was created using the reduction linoprinting process. In the under 16 category, Yini Zhang’s breathtaking
Native American inspired painting was entered and in the Under 18
category, Ellie Fleming entered her technically brilliant figurative pencil
drawing of a pair of jeans! Both of these pieces of work were part of their
Summer Examination projects. Their work formed part of an excellent
exhibition held at the Lowry Art Gallery in Salford Quays. The contest was
judged by an expert panel of current practitioners and they awarded Yini’s
self-portrait with a highly commended prize. All the girls’ work is being
shown currently on the Living Edge website and in their magazine.
Awards galore
Withington’s entrants in the Intermediate
Maths Challenge run by the Leeds-based UK
Mathematics Trust reaped their best harvest of
gold, silver and bronze certificates in years.
Faced with tough problem-solving tasks
involving all strands of Mathematics, especially
Geometry and Algebra, girls from the Upper
and Lower Fifth forms excelled. Head of
Mathematics Mr Kal Hodgson said: “It was a
very impressive performance – the best for at
least five years.”
Upper Fifth entrants scooped 13 gold
certificates, 22 silver and 13 bronze; Lower
Fifth girls took six gold, 26 silver and 24 bronze
awards.
Dr Louise Terrill said: “The mathematical
challenges are lively, intriguing multiplechoice question papers, which are designed to
stimulate interest in Mathematics and to equip
students with problem-solving skills. We use
the resources provided by the United Kingdom
Mathematics Trust to challenge and enthuse
pupils at all levels.”
Three Upper Fifth formers, Helen Carrington,
Charlotte Senn and Sophie Ngan, and three
girls from the Lower Fifth, Helen Wheeldon and
Lucinda Chamberlain, progressed to the next
round. Results will be known after Easter.
In the Regional Team Maths Challenge Final on
3rd March, Helen Ng, Julia Rea, Izzy Byrne and
Penny Jones who represented Withington were
very pleased to be placed 3rd – just missing
out on 2nd place by a single point. One of the
biggest challenges the girls had to face was to
fight their natural preference for perfection
over speed in order to tackle as many questions
as possible – an instinct which they conquered
admirably!
Oxbridge and the
Ivy League beckon
The dreaming spires of Oxford and Cambridge
Universities beckon for seven Withington Sixth
Formers who have won conditional offers of
places at leading colleges.
Head Girl Alison Coxon, who represented the
UK in the Linguistics Olympiad in Stockholm
last year, is set to read German and Spanish
at The Queen’s College, Oxford; Julia Rose
has been offered a place at Downing College,
Cambridge, to study History; Emma Callanan
has won a conditional offer of a place at
Exeter College, Oxford, to read Medicine;
Claire Abrahams has a conditional offer of a
place from Trinity College, Cambridge, to study
Politics, Psychology and Sociology; Grace
Carroll, Emily Goddard and Emma Scholefield
have won conditional offers of places at
Fitzwilliam College, Murray Edwards College
(formerly New Hall) and St Catharine’s College
Cambridge to read Politics, Psychology and
Sociology, Natural Sciences and Mathematics
respectively. And for Deputy Head Girl Tashy
Rogers has achieved an offer to read Medicine
at Harvard.
Headmistress Mrs Sue Marks said: “Naturally
we are delighted for these girls to have
achieved their ambition to win the offer of
places at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. We
are equally pleased for the many girls who have
also achieved success in applications to other
fine Universities and Colleges of Art in the UK
and abroad.”
Gambia 2010
Extracted from a longer article by Rachel Lloyd
Teaching, painting, singing, early mornings, dancing, jeep rides, baby
wipes, hand sanitiser, Malarone, Rihanna’s latest song and a Gambian
hospital. All of these came together for a week to make the 2010
Gambia trip (15th - 22nd December 2010) an unforgettable experience.
Twelve Withingtonians - plus Miss McManus, Mrs Pickering, Mrs
Browning and Miss O’Neal - immersed ourselves in the Gambian
culture and way of life, even if that meant using the laidback Gambian
approach to excuse a rare lack of punctuality or simply eat delicacies
such as chicken yassa and domoda.
Our main activities took place up-country in Sibanor, where we taught
arts and crafts to children aged between 3 and 7. Finger painting with
3-5 year olds is no easy task as 6 members of the team discovered when
one child tipped over a whole pot of paint. Luckily, they simultaneously
discovered the versatile uses of the baby wipe, and why Miss Browning
had insisted it was a staple item to pack. Half the group returned the
next day and painted a Garden of Eden scene on a wall whilst the other
painted an African sunset at the nearby HIV clinic. Both murals were
extremely successful and striking and we were assured that they would
be thoroughly enjoyed by the children and patients. A tour of the clinic
was one of many moving experiences of the trip, as we observed firsthand the schism in medical resources between the Western and Third
World and the invaluable work being done for the local community.
We spent the remaining days at an environmentally sustainable farm
and Lamin’s compound. The farm aims to give practical advice to local
farmers and teach the workers, who are mostly women, sustainable
and productive agricultural techniques. The trip to Lamin’s compound
was outstanding, not only because of the mass of adorable children
who waited for us and held our hands upon arrival, but also as we were
able to see the chicken farm which had been funded by the previous
WGS group and the computer centre which we had contributed to.
It was rewarding to see Withington’s hard work paying off in reality
and a song composed by the staff of Mama Tamba nursery school
commending our continued support was extremely touching.
Whether singing “What’s my name?” at the top of our voices in the
Jeep, handing out pencils, crayons and sweets to children on the street
or clutching our noses at the smell of the fish market in Banjul, the
Gambia trip was a truly educational and extraordinary week. I would
like to thank both the staff that accompanied and tolerated us, the
other ‘Gambia Girls’ themselves for being such great value and Miss
Browning, without whom the whole trip would not have been possible.
The full article can be read on the School website.
Gym-tastic
Gymnastics of a brilliant
standard made the task
of Mrs Sally Fletcher,
judge for Withington’s
2011 Gym Competition,
an extremely difficult
one. The first three in
each category then
went on to perform
their routines a week
later at the annual Gym
and Dance Display in
the Arts Centre. The
Display also included
every girl in the Junior
School and the whole of
the Third Form. It was
a heart-warming and
breathtaking occasion
as around 180 girls
demonstrated their
amazing routines.
Business Skills
Competition
In February six Lower Sixth Economists
entered the Institute of Chartered Accountants
business skills competition. They had to solve a
challenging business problem and present their
findings to a large audience. The Withington
team came runners up in their section.
Congratulations to all!
Stop Press
Life in the fast lane
Former Withington pupil Clare Sibley has
embarked on a trailblazing career path
by starting work at Mercedes-Benz High
Performance Engines in Brixworth, Northants
whose principal business is the design and
manufacture of Mercedes-Benz engines for
Formula 1 racing cars. Their primary F1 team
is the McLaren-Mercedes all-British team of
Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, but they
also supply and support the Force India and
Mercedes teams.
Clare, who specialised in Material Science at
Cambridge, has been involved with material
and mechanical engineering design work on
computers at Brixworth since last September.
She said: “I really enjoy the job. It’s definitely a
challenge in that the engineering has to be so
precise for engines capable of powering cars to
well over 200mph.”
A closer look at
Biological Sciences
Lower Sixth biologists interested in a medical
research career, spent an informative day at the
Paterson Institute which is the research wing
associated with the Christie Hospital. They
were able to see how cutting-edge research
can be used directly in the development of
new diagnostic procedures and treatments for
patients with cancer.
In addition, Dr Allan Jordan from the Paterson
Institute came to School to talk to the Lower
Sixth about recent work on new medicines and
their impact on society.
This talk was part of the General Studies
lecture programme and timed to take place
during Science week.
In addition, 10 Lower Sixth pupils considering
a career in Medicine took part in a one-day
workshop offered by The Christie. All the girls
enjoyed a very busy day visiting the different
hospital departments, talking to medical
students, consultants and other hospital staff
(including the hospital porters) to gain a
snapshot of the hospital environment. Staff
from Manchester University Medical School
were also on hand to offer advice and guidance
about the medical admissions process.
Ski Italia
Seventeen girls accompanied by Mrs Ferrol and Miss Richards enjoyed
a week of brilliant skiing in the Italian winter sports resort of Folgaria
during the February half term.
The party flew to Verona-Brescia followed by a three hour transfer to
their home for the week, the Hotel Kapriol, which offered a friendly
welcome, comfortable rooms and fantastic Italian food.
With snow falling on the first and second day, conditions remained
superb throughout the week and the instructors were excellent. All the
girls had great fun; the beginners made fast progress and the advanced
group particularly enjoyed tree hugging – all wearing helmets.
Next year’s trip – to Bulgaria – is already planned and the Withington
skiers, staff and pupils alike, can’t wait.
Did they eat cake?...
A small group of Lower Sixth historians spent the first weekend of the
February half term break touring the key places of Revolutionary Paris,
seeing sites and artefacts linked closely to their AS studies.
The party, accompanied by Ms Maher and Mrs Gavan, visited the Museé
Carnavelet and the Conciergerie where Marie Antoinette and many
others spent their final hours before the tumbrils carried them to their
deaths. They sampled the peace of the beautiful chapels of Notre Dame,
Sacré-Cœur Basilica and La Sainte-Chapelle and the contrasting bustle
of the Place du Tertres in Montmartre, the shops of the Champs-Élysées
and the bohemian gaiety of the Latin Quarter.
A day was spent at the Palace of Versailles where an excellent guided
tour showed them the inner rooms and the wonderfully restored
Opera. Snails and other French delicacies were sampled at the splendid
restaurant of Chartier where only French is allowed!
Withington’s Question Time
In a first for Withington, the School staged a local version of the BBC’s Question
Time before an audience of more than 300 in the Arts Centre on the evening of
16th December.
The event, which attracted a panel of leading North West academics, politicians
and media personalities, raised more than £2,200 towards a community building
project planned by the 14-strong party of Withington pupils on their World
Challenge Expedition to Tanzania next summer.
Chaired by veteran BBC North West Tonight anchorman Gordon Burns, the panel
comprised Jim Hancock, the BBC’s former north west political editor; David
Mowat, Conservative MP for Warrington South; Lord Bradley of Withington,
former minister in Tony Blair’s governmen t; Professor Roderick Coombs, Deputy
President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester; Professor Jonathan
Tonge, Head of Politics at Liverpool University and Liberal Democrat Manchester
city councillor, Marc Ramsbottom.
The evening was initiated by Sixth Former Hannah Fitzgerald who applied many
times to be a member of the audience on BBC television’s Question Time, but was
never successful. Hannah said: “We were brainstorming about how to raise funds
for the trip and I suggested hosting a Question Time. From there, I was fortunate
that Gordon Burns and the panellists so generously agreed to take part.”
During the entertaining and informative two-hour session, questions covered a
wide range of topical and controversial issues ranging from whether democracy
is aided or undermined by WikiLeaks revelations through to whether the general
election TV debates had rendered political ideology less likely to win votes
than party leaders’ looks. Debate also centred on whether Britain had become
America’s 51st state; the chances of the Coalition Government lasting a full fiveyear Parliamentary term; which of Labour’s Miliband brothers would have posed
the greater threat in Opposition and whether politicians ever took any notice of
protest. The hottest topic of the evening was sparked by the question: “Could
universities survive in the current economic climate without increasing tuition
fees and would the cap be lowered if the economic climate improved?”
The School’s World Challenge Coordinator Ms Kaeren Browning closed the evening
by thanking Gordon Burns and the panellists for giving up their time to facilitate
what had turned out to be a most thought-provoking and entertaining evening.
Spanish Exchange
Thirteen pupils from both AS and A2 Spanish
groups participated in the first WGS Spanish
Exchange with the La Vall school in Barcelona
where they stayed with a great variety of families
ranging from one to eight children!
The families welcomed our pupils with open arms
and they were able to actively use their Spanish
during a whole week. Attendance at lessons was
combined with trips to the Sagrada Familia, the
Gothic Quarter, las Ramblas, Montserrat and other
attractions and interesting places in Barcelona.
The Spanish pupils came here a week later and
were able to see the performance of Joseph and
share life in Manchester with our girls.
Every single family commended the behaviour and
interest of our girls in Spain. A highly enjoyable and
productive experience for all!
Top Honour
The highest award the University of Manchester can
bestow – the Medal of Honour – has been presented
to Mrs Margaret Kenyon, Withington’s eighth
Headmistress.
Mrs Kenyon, former chairman of the University Press
Board, received her medal along with Mr Warren
Smith, Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and
Rabbi Rubenstein, the university’s Jewish Chaplain.
The Medal of Honour recognises individuals who have
made a real contribution to the university, the city
and the region.
Mrs Kenyon was Headmistress at Withington
from 1986 to 2000 and remains a member of the
WGS Trust.
Penalty!
Upper Sixth Former - and amateur football
referee - Jasmin Lane hit the headlines
this term when she spoke out about the
controversial dismissal of Sky Sports’ football
pundits Andy Gray and Richard Keys.
Jasmin thought ‘the sacking of the two
presenters was no more than they deserved’,
when they were caught making off-air sexist
remarks about female assistant referee Sian
Massey’s ability to understand the offside
rule before a Premier League clash between
Liverpool and Wolves.
Jasmin, 18, who officiates in Sunday league
matches around Stockport and has run the line
in the Cheshire League, says she regularly has
to put up with similar jibes from the touchline
during matches. Jasmin - who captains
Withington’s netball team and has represented
Cheshire at the sport since she was 12, began
refereeing football three years ago – reckons
she’s shown the red card to about 30 players.
Jasmin, who is hoping for a career in Medicine,
said: “Their views haven’t put me off. It’s more
of a challenge because I deal with that kind of
stuff every week and just shrug it off. There
will be more women coming through – don’t
forget that Sian Massey demonstrated just how
well she knew the offside rule by getting the
most contentious decision in Saturday’s match
absolutely right.”
“I’m determined to keep at it and my next
development stage as a referee will be stepping
up to officiate in Cheshire League matches.”
Sporting Successes
North Lacrosse Champions!
Hockey heroes
Extracted from a tournament report written by Withington parent, Howard Sinclair.
The School’s U13 Hockey team have won through to represent Greater
Manchester in the next round of the National Schools Tournament.
The next generation of Withington Girls’ School Lacrosse walked in the footsteps
of their elders with a convincing win on 12 January 2011 in the U14 North
Schools Tournament at Queen Margaret’s School in North Yorkshire.
With seven teams and two manicured pitches, the tournament format was
Round Robin with each match lasting 15 minutes including a change of ends at
half time. The first match was against Harrogate Ladies College which WGS won
5-0. It was Queen Margaret’s for their second match and a hard fought match
saw WGS win 5-2. Afterwards the team agreed that the extra practice afforded
by the newly installed floodlights at WGS had made a big difference to their
confidence and skill.
The last match before lunch was lost 8-1 against Moreton Hall but, fortunately,
because they are a Midlands team and were competing only for practice and
pleasure, were not allowed to win the tournament. After studying the morning’s
results, Withington overcame Casterton and Queen’s Chester in the next two
matches, and went on to win 8-4 and 6-2 with some excellent individual goals
and passing of a high standard.
Withington enjoy a healthy sporting rivalry against local schools and a
tournament decider against Bolton was greeted with a mixture of excitement
and nerves. The girls went through their pre match routine with a rousing rap
before inserting their mouthguards and marching onto the pitch to take up their
positions. There were plenty of goals in this Withington team and a 5-0 win was
testimony to their team spirit, morale and tactical nous.
When the final whistle blew, our U15s who had been cheering on the touchline
ran on to congratulate the U14s and the celebrations began. Then in front of the
pavilion, the Withington captains were presented with a cup by the Headmaster
of Queen
Margaret’s to
loud cheers and
applause as the
best U14 school
team in the north
of England.
Mr Sinclair’s
full report can
be read on the
School website.
In the Greater Manchester round’s section matches on Thursday, 3rd
February, Withington beat Altrincham ‘C’ 2-0 and St Bede’s 1-0 before
securing a 1-1 draw against Altrincham ‘A’. In the crossover matches, a
breakaway goal against a very strong Cheadle Hulme side was enough to
take Withington through to the final. Despite a 0-2 defeat to Altrincham
‘A’, leaving us runners-up in the competition, both finalists progress
through to represent Greater Manchester in the North of England stage.
**Congratulations to four Withington girls who have been selected to play
for their counties. Katie Bodha and Julia McCarthy have been chosen for
the Greater Manchester Squad and Eleanor Hughes and Lauren Woodhead
have been selected for Cheshire.
Tennis
National Schools Lacrosse
Tournament
By Tashy Rogers and Sophie Whitehead
On Thursday 3rd March 16 eager Lacrosse players set off down to London’s
Imperial College for the annual National Schools Tournament. After a
lengthy 5 hour journey, including many renditions of Mamma Mia, we
finally arrived - at the wrong hotel!! With lots of curious looks we changed
hotels quickly.
On the first day we had a lot of success, including drawing with one of last
year’s finalists. Therefore we won our group on goal difference after an
unbeaten day. This put us through to the top group for day two. Knowing
that we had a hard day ahead of us, we all endured 7½ minute ice baths
to relieve our aching legs and had a tasty three-course carb loaded meal
at Pizza Express.
House Matches
From 14th-31st March, Senior girls have been involved in winter sports
House Matches. This year’s weather has been kind and during lunchtimes
all the sports pitches have been alive with girls playing Netball, Hockey
and Lacrosse. All Senior girls get the chance to play in this annual event
and all matches are fought in a highly competitive but friendly spirit. Sixth
Form House Captains do much of the organising up to and including very
loud cheers from the sidelines!
Tennis coach James Oliver has joined the School
this term as extra-curricular Tennis Coach and
Sixth Form Fitness Instructor. Transition and
Form I have had the opportunity to receive
indoor mini-tennis coaching on Thursday
Mornings and Sixth Form pupils have enjoyed
circuit training sessions on Tuesday and Friday
lunchtimes.
James, a coach at the Manchester Tennis
Centre at SportCity, captained Cheshire at
the age of 16 and later became skipper of the
Manchester University Tennis team whilst
completing his degree in Psychology.
He has also coached at the Northern and High
Legh Tennis Clubs and spent six months in
Perth, Western Australia, running a coaching
programme for Matt Bull, twice winner of the
Australia Tennis Award for coaching ‘hot shots’.
On the second day we started very well with two draws against two of
the top teams. Unfortunately our fitness did not stand up to the boarding
schools’ training, and we closely lost the last four of our matches. However
owing to the complicated point system we were placed 5th in our group
and 10th in the country. This is the highest Withington has ever been
placed in the National Schools Tournament.
James will be providing outdoor extracurricular tennis coaching for Juniors and
Seniors on Tuesdays after school in the
Summer Term.
Many thanks to Miss Richards and our coach Maddie for an amazing
weekend of Lacrosse.
Three Withington girls took part in the
Manchester Schools’ Cross Country event in
Wythenshawe Park on 19th January. The trio
raced in the Year 8 and 9 girls event and Flora
Whyte of the Lower Fourth achieved a brilliant
third place and Upper Fourth’s Maddie Williams
and Charlotte Menzies, came ninth and 33rd
respectively.
Cross Country
The results meant that Flora and Maddie were
selected as members of the Manchester team
that participated in the Greater Manchester
event which took place on Saturday 5th
February at Canon Slade School in Bolton.
Flora was placed eighth in the race – a splendid
effort which led to her being selected to run
for Greater Manchester in the North of England
event in Nottingham in March. The Greater
Manchester team came 8th overall.
Well done to all!
Destination
Downing Street
Summer Term 2011
Lower Sixth Former Nikita Sinclair enjoyed a
fascinating tour of the Palace of Westminster
and No 10 Downing Street after winning a
national writing competition.
APRIL
Nikita, studying Politics, English Literature,
English Language and Mathematics at A-level,
won the competition Write Now, organised by
the Parliamentary Press Gallery. The challenge
was to write a 500-word political blog on
a current issue; she chose the controversy
surrounding proposals to give prisoners the
vote.
22nd
26th
[Tuesday]
Staff In-service Day (No pupils in School)
27th [Wednesday] Term Starts
29th [Friday]
Royal Wedding, School closed
30th – 2nd
[Sat - Mon]
DofE Gold Practice Expedition: Lower VI
2nd [Monday]
4th [Wednesday] Parents’ Evening: Upper IV
6.00 – 8.00pm
5th
[Thursday]
Informal Concert
6.00 – 7.00pm
Nikita, who wants to read Politics at university,
said: “As well as touring Parliament, there was
a visit to the ITV studios at Millbank which
was really exciting. I’d never seen anything like
that before. And being inside Number Ten was
amazing.”
6th – 7th
[Fri –Sat]
Stratford Weekend
12th [Thursday]
Art Exhibition: GCSE and A Level
May Bank Holiday
She was presented with the winner’s certificate
by the Speaker of the House of Commons,
Mr John Bercow, in the Speaker’s House.
Junior School: Form Photographs
13th
[Friday]
Study Leave commences: Lower VI & Upper V
18th
[Wednesday] Musical Showcase: Thirds – Lower V
20th
[Friday]
Geography Fieldtrip to Llandudno – Lower IV
23rd [Monday]
Leavers’ Concert and Dinner
23rd – 27th
[Mon – Fri]
Junior School Examinations
25th [Wednesday] Biology Trip to Chester Zoo: Third Forms
26th
[Thursday]
30th – 3rd June [Mon-Fri]
7.00pm
7.00pm
6.00 – 7.00pm
Half Term
Pupil absence: Please would all parents use
0161 249 3476 to inform the school of pupil
absence before 8.30am on each day of absence.
6th – 10th
[Mon – Fri]
Senior School Examinations: Thirds – Lower V
10th – 12th [Fr – Sun]
Junior School Trip to Abernant Lake: Lower II & Upper II
13th
[Mon]
Lower VI return from Study Leave
20th – 21st [Mon – Tue] DofE Bronze Qualifying Expedition: Lower V
For contact after school please use these numbers:
Senior Late Room: 0161 249 3492
Junior Late Room: 0161 224 1077
23rd
[Thursday]
Third Form Induction Day
27th – 28th
[Mon – Tues] DofE Silver Practice Expedition: Upper V
29th
[Wednesday] Enterprise Day: Lower V
30th
[Thursday]
Junior School: Strawberry Serenade
6.30 – 8.00pm
[Friday]
Swimming Gala
6.30pm
JULY
1st
Talk by Recent Leavers: Lower VI
2nd
[Saturday]
PTA Summer Party
4th
[Monday]
Sports Day
5th
[Tuesday]
Citizenship Day
6th
[Wednesday] House Plays
7th
[Thursday]
Festival of Spoken English & Drama
8th
[Friday]
Term Ends
9th – 12th
[Sat – Tues]
DofE Gold Expedition
9th – 13th
[Sat – Wed] Trip to Berlin: Upper IV
Geography Trip to Sicily: Lower V – Upper VI
10th – 15th
Trip to Disneyland/La Rochelle: Lower IV
[Sun – Fri]
JUNE
Do call us (Before we call you!)
LAMDA Showcase
27th – 7th July [Mon – Thurs] Work Experience Placements: Upper V
MAY
Informal Concert
[Wednesday] Enterprise Day: Lower IV
pm
pm
2.30pm
World Challenge Expedition to Tanzania (dates tbc)
AUGUST
18th [Thursday]
Results Day: A2 and AS
25th
[Thursday]
Results Day: GCSE
26th – 1st Sept [Fri – Thurs] Biology Fieldtrip: Upper VI
Withington Girls’ School, Wellington Road, Fallowfield, Manchester M14 6BL
Tel: 0161 224 1077 Fax: 0161 248 5377 Email: [email protected]
Web: www.withington.manchester.sch.uk Registered Charity No. 526632