2019 Spring Term

One of the highlights of the Arts calendar at St Mary's is the Golden Lily Awards, St Mary’s very own Oscars! 

This week the girls learnt about German and Swiss Easter traditions. It is a German tradition to decorate trees and bushes with colourful Easter eggs, known as the Ostereierbaum, or Easter egg tree.

After four rounds of debates, St Mary’s got through to the Nationals of the English Speaking Union Mace Debating Competition. They were one of 12 teams, who were all regional champions in their own right from across England, whittled down from over 230 teams who started off in the first round!

On the morning of Sunday 24th March, in glorious weather, the LV (Year 10) set off in teams for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award Practice Expedition. The day started at school with full kit checks and backpacks being weighted to ensure the teams were ready for the long walk to the campsite.

We are absolutely delighted to announce our latest Springfields/St Mary's partnership - we are building a car! The Westfield kit arrived at the Springfields mechanics suite three weeks ago; the overalls have arrived, the manuals read and now it is time to start assembling.

Many congratulations to Senior Teacher and Head of Science, Alexandra Haydon, who has won the i25 Award, which celebrates innovators and influencers in the independent sector. 

On the night of Wednesday 20th March, we held our annual Grosstete Company Supper. We chose a theme which we thought would appeal to all and people came dressed as their favourite internet memes and vines, with some great efforts made.

On Friday 8th March Mrs Foreman, in liaison with Harriet (Year 13) and the student Wellbeing Committee, hosted a Wellbeing Evening for the whole school. Pupils learnt how to meditate to avoid exam stress and how to produce a healthy meal using raw ingredients and a spiraliser. The girls also had a range of activities to choose from including Yoga, Pilates, Capture the Flag and Strictly Dancing.

On Thursday of Science Week, before the live performance of the school's 'Ada Ada Ada' event, the LIV (Year 7) students were involved in a really exciting workshop which combined STEM with textiles. The group had to create a circuit using a battery pack, wiring and LED lighting, but weaved through felt.

On Tuesday 12th March, we were delighted to welcome Libby Jackson as our Keynote speaker for British Science Week 2019. She was also our final guest for this academic year’s Lecture Programme, and what a wonderful way to bring it to a close. Libby came to our attention during the lead-up to Tim Peake's trip to the International Space Station - she was in charge of the education programme for his flight but it was not until I picked up a copy of her book, A Galaxy of Her Own did I realise the extraordinary career that she has had.

On Wednesday 13th March, a group of excited students and staff set out for Crete to see the Minoan palaces and industrial towns of 2,000 BC whose foundation walls and cobbled streets still exist today.

Science Week culminated in our annual Great Science Bake Off. The cooking session was held on Wednesday evening; each Company had two enthusiastic volunteers who were tasked with turning biscuit dough into an edible creation on the theme of 'Journey'.