Download - Leweston Life Winter 2015
Head’s Welcome 3
Public Examination Results 2015 4
Academic Awards and Successes 5
Creative Life 9
Duke of Edinburgh 15
Senior Sport 16
Junior Department 22
Junior Department Sport 28
Nursery 30
Boarding 32
Spiritual Life 34
Dates for your Diary 36
Contents
www.leweston.co.uk
Page 22
Page 9
Page 11 Page 15
Cover image: AS Textiles Coursework Natasha Lau
Welcome from the HeadWelcome to the winter 2015 edition of Leweston
Life. It pulls together the highlights of what has
been an exceptionally busy, varied and, I hope,
fulfilling term for students, staff and parents alike.
As my first term in the role of Leweston’s Head I
have daily been reminded of the enthusiasm and
talents that our girls and boys possess and how
amazingly rich and varied their school days are.
As the new Head, the academic profile of
Leweston has very much been at the forefront of
my mind. My vision is to secure Leweston’s
reputation as a centre of excellence for teaching
and learning. I want it to be a school where every
lesson, all pastoral support and every decision is
framed by the crucial question – ‘is this the best for
this particular child?’. By sharing best practice in
the classroom and working closely with other
schools, I hope to keep the delivery of an
outstanding curriculum high on the agenda at
Leweston.
Nowhere has this been better demonstrated than
in another exceptionally strong set of A Level and
GCSE results which pay testament to the hard
work and dedication of the girls, as well as the
determination to go the extra mile for which the
staff here are well known. Our great results can be
read about on page 4.
The School continues to thrive across campus and
as we embark upon a new academic year, it is
wonderful to see such strong numbers in our
Nursery. We now have over 40 pupils on roll and
hope to see that number increase throughout the
year as more children are welcomed into the
Leweston fold, benefitting from the first class
education we offer right from the start. More
news from the Nursery can be found on pages 30
and 31.
It has also been a busy term for the arts at
Leweston, with the talent and creativity of the
pupils never ceasing to astound us all. Particular
highlights were the Fashion Show (pages 10 and
11) and the Junior Department and Senior School
Carol Services, not forgetting the wonderful Angel
Express Nativity. I was also delighted that three of
our Sixth Form girls were selected to appear in the
Sherborne Boys’ School musical production of
Sweeney Todd (page 13). The Sports Department
also goes from strength to strength, with more
exceptional achievements registered across
multiple disciplines (see pages 16-21 and 28 and
29) and we were delighted to be awarded
Penthalon GB Academy status at the end of term,
one of only 8 locations in the country.
Thank you to the Leweston community for making
me and my family feel so welcome in my new role.
I hope that you enjoy reading about the Autumn
term at Leweston and I look forward to 2016 and
all that it holds.
3
Kate Reynolds
Head
Leweston is delighted to once
again be celebrating an
exceptional set of public
examination results.
At A level Sixth Form girls
achieved a 100% pass rate with
92% of the exams passed at grade
A* to C or Pre-U equivalent and
77% at A* to B or Pre-U equivalent.
63% of the results were passed at
A* or A grades or Pre-U
equivalent, more than double the
national average of 26%. Average
UCAS points per candidate were
372, the equivalent of over three A
grades per candidate.
These results have enabled almost
all Leweston’s leavers to win
places at their chosen universities
or specialist colleges. The
outstanding achiever was Alina
Pietruszewicz with 3 A* and 3 A
grades who will read Natural
Sciences at University College
London. Many girls are going on
to the more selective institutions
including Bristol, Cambridge,
Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, St.
Andrews and University College
“It is wonderful to see such
strong academic results from
these multi-talented year
groups. Their achievements
across the subject and ability
range are as impressive as the
list of additional accolades
they have garnered in music,
sport and outdoor education;
all testament to the benefits of
an all girls’ education where
Leweston girls achieve to the
best of their ability both inside
and beyond the classroom.” Kate Reynolds - Head
London to study degrees such as
Accounting, Architecture,
Economics, English, Modern
Languages, Mathematics,
Medicine, Natural Sciences,
Nursing, Philosophy and Politics,
Psychology and Theology.
At GCSE 34% of examinations
were passed at A* with 59% of all
entries passed at A* or A. 84% of
examinations were passed at A*, A
or B. Congratulations to the 30%
of all candidates who achieved 9
or more A or A* grades and to the
17% of girls who got 9 A* grades
or more.
Particularly notable were the
results in the subjects of Latin and
Further Maths. 100% of the pupils
taking Latin achieved an A* with
94% of the candidates taking
Further Maths (representing 37%
of the year group) achieving an A*
or A.
Congratulations to Beth McMillan,
Elizabeth Hobbs and Elizabeth
Davis who all achieved 11 A*
grades. All three girls are
academic scholars at Leweston.
GCSE, A Level and Pre-U Results 2015
4
IN BRIEF...
30% of candidates achieve
9 or more A or A* grades
at GCSE
77% or A Level passed
at A* to B or Pre-U equivalent
Average UCAS points per
candidate of 372 (over three
A grades per candidate).
A Level and Pre-U candidates 2015
5
Leweston Sixth Form
er Receives
HighestAward
at the Cambridge
Chemistry Challenge
Academic Awards and Successes
Congratulations to Sixth Former
Katarzyna Zator who has been
awarded the prestigious Chemistry
Roentgenium Award after being
placed in the top 0.7% of over
8000 entrants nationally.
The Cambridge Chemistry
Challenge is a prestigious and
highly competitive international
Chemistry exam for Lower Sixth
pupils, which not only requires
significant subject knowledge but
also first class lateral thinking and
problem solving abilities. The Gold,
Silver and Copper awards are
topped by a Roentgenium, the
fourth and most rare of the noble
metals in Group 11 of the Periodic
Table.
Katarzyna was one of 8 Leweston
pupils who entered the
competition this year. She achieved
the highest accolade possible, The
Roentgenium Award which placed
her in the top 0.7% of all entrants
(8481 students) nationwide and
qualified her to attend a 3 day
residential Chemistry Camp at
Cambridge University where she
had the opportunity to take part in
some advanced practical work in
their laboratories and was taken on
a tour of the Chemistry
Department. Katarzyna and Dr
Kemal, Head of Chemistry at
Leweston, were invited to attend a
reception at the Wellcome
Collections Museum in London
along with all the other
Roentgenium Award winners, at
which crystal trophies were
awarded to students and their
teachers. Katarzyna who gave a
short presentation about an
element of her choice wrote:
“Being at Cambridge and workingon challenging topics ranging fromquantum mechanics of electronorbitals to organic syntheses andbeing taught by inspirationalteachers amongst them Dr PeterWothers, the organiser of thechallenge and the author of thetext book that I so much enjoyedreading, was fascinating and sorewarding. Cambridge is abeautiful city and my briefexperiences at the camp has onlyserved to strengthen my desire tostudy Natural Sciences at StCatharine’s College.”
“Katarzyna’s element of choicewas Polonium. She delivered herpresentation with conviction andconfidence. I was proud to beescorting her to the awardsceremony. Trophies werepresented to both Katarzyna andto the school as further reward forsuccess. It was a great honour forLeweston School to be involvedwith this event and we areextremely grateful to all the staffat St Catharine’s College,Cambridge and their sponsorsfrom Saudi Aramco for makingthis event possible.”
Dr O. Kemal
Leweston’s Sixth Form Chemists
attended a day of lectures held at
University of London’s Institute of
Education in November. The day
focused on how science is used in
the real world and featured talks
from some of the world’s leading
Chemists on a range of topics
including Diamonds, The
Chemistry of Drugs, Rates of
Reaction and What Started Life on
Earth: the biggest unanswered
question in both Biology and
Chemistry. This was a fascinating
and inspirational day which delved
into the more advanced aspects of
Chemistry.
SIXTH FORM CHEMISTS EXPERIENCE
‘CHEMISTRY IN ACTION’
6
Physicists hear fromNobel LaureateBrian SchmidtSixth Form scientists enjoyed a
visit to Southampton University to
hear from the 2011 Nobel
Laureate for Physics, Brian
Schmidt. His lecture described
how leading Scientists traced
back the expansion of the
universe over billions of years and
discovered that it was
accelerating, a startling discovery
that suggests that more than 70
per cent of the cosmos is
contained in a previously
unknown form of matter, called
Dark Energy. The girls were also
able to meet and talk with current
physics undergraduates about
their work at Southampton
University. A great day!
History Comes alive atHampton CourtA party of girls from Year 11 went on a very rewarding visit to Hampton
Court Palace in September. Not only was the great beauty of the site
enriched by the presence of people wearing the costumes of bygone
eras like a benign ghostly presence, but Hampton Court’s education
department provided the opportunity to handle artefacts from the
distant past, bringing history to life. Hampton Court has always served as
a great stage set for intense royal and political dramas, including
pageantry and tragedy and the girls were able to connect with this
fascinating, complex and challenging heritage.
7
The girls involved in Leweston’s
Classics Club have had a creative
term developing their
understanding of life in Ancient
Greece and Rome. A new
academic year meant new toga
trends. The girls in Classics Club
have learnt about clothing in
ancient Rome and had great fun
designing their own togas with
newspaper! This was followed by
the girls attempting to create
models of Greek temples using
only spaghetti and
marshmallows. Ingenuity was
required as creative and
innovative architectural designs
led to eye-catching results. The
end of term culminated with a
recreation of Fishbourne Palace
following on from their work on
King Cogidubnus. Great efforts
were made by all, and the
attention to detail was
particularly impressive, with a
bath house complete with under
floor heating! Classics Club: To
gas and Temples
Leweston’s Budding
Writers Recognised at
Sherborne Literary
Festival
Congratulations to Year 10 pupil
Amelia Mercer, who has enjoyed
much success at this year’s
Sherborne Literary Festival. She
won first prize in the 12-16 year
old category with her poem
“Departures” and third prize in the
Short Story Competition, with
“Cow Parsley” on which the judges
commented:
“Intriguingly told, with abackwards structure thatcleverly compacts a life ofstrong emotions into a shortspace, with good descriptivelanguage”.
There was also a special mention
for Charlotte Sewed (Year 10), for
her story “Losing Will”,which
received a Highly Commended
certificate. The judges wrote:
“A powerful short story, toldwith imagination by a well-created narrator”.
Public Speaking SuccessTwo teams of Year 9 pupils represented Leweston at the local Rotary Club
Youth Speaks Intermediate public speaking contest, held at the Gryphon
School in November.
Congratulations to Team A of Emilia Brazier, Speaker: Eliza Dawson and
Vote of Thanks: Daisy Pilkington who provoked much discussion with
their speech entitled, ‘Exams: what is the point?’ and who, as runners up,
will go on to the next stage of the competition.
8
Leweston Staff and Students Inspired by Weekly TED TalksLeweston girls and staff are being challenged and inspired in a weekly
discussion and debate club enthused by speakers from around the world.
TED is a nonprofit organisation devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the
form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less) that cover topics from
science to business to global issues. It has been an engaging and exciting
first term of talks and we look forward to the club’s continued success in the
new year. Find out more at https://www.ted.com/.
LewestonWelcomes AuthorMaria FarrerThe English Department was
privileged to welcome Maria Farrer,
author of A Flash of Blue and Broken
Strings, in October. Maria talked to
pupils in Years 9 - 11 about her work
as a novelist, giving some fascinating
insights into the editing process in
particular. The girls will undoubtedly
find her advice on creating an
engaging narrative voice and to ‘be
brave’ as writers invaluable, both in
their creative writing and when
facing the challenges of exams.
Leweston’s Cambridge Pre-U
students enjoyed an extra workshop
with Maria in which they immersed
themselves in the narrative voices of
a wide variety of writers. The girls
enjoyed a lively debate and were
offered a rare opportunity to see the
writing of fiction from an author’s
perspective. We would like to extend
our thanks to the Sherborne Literary
Society for offering us the
opportunity to host Maria’s visit.
Creative Life...
Autumn Term
Chemistry
Symposiums
Inspire and
EnrichThis term’s Chemistry
Symposium, involving the
Chemistry Departments
of Leweston, Sherborne
School and Sherborne
Girls has proved an
excellent forum for
showcasing scientific
literature research which
has inspired and enriched
the participants. Recent
talks have covered a wide
range of topics as diverse
as chemistry in the food
industry and explosive
types of drugs. At the
most recent Symposium
on the 25 November, two
of our Sixth Formers, Evie
Davies and Monika
Olejnik, delivered an
impressive presentation
on the exciting
applications of
Nanotechnology for a
healthy life and better
ageing, which stimulated
a lot of interest. We look
forward to the next
series of Symposia in the
new year.
This year’s Christmas Concert,
hosted at the Church of the Holy
Ghost in Yeovil, was a sell out with
pupils’ family and friends and
members of the local
congregation enjoying festive
performances from Schola
Cantorum, soloists from across the
school and many of our
instrumental ensembles. The
concert was raising funds for Jana
Jyoti, Leweston’s sister school in
Nepal, and for the Church of the
Holy Ghost. Thank you to all who
came and supported this event.
The Christmas Concert was, of
course, followed by the Carol
Service which once again
provided a moving and fitting end
to the autumn term in the
wonderful surrounds of Sherborne
Abbey. The service featured
spectacular performances by
Schola and Cantemus, as well as a
number of poignant readings from
pupils, staff, parents and the
Chairman of the Governors. It was
a tremendous and atmospheric
occasion, with the stunning festive
songs filling the majestic interior
of the Abbey from floor to vaulted
ceiling.
Christmas Carols and Concerts
Sixth Former Takes Part in Strings Workshop led by Classical Violinist Nicola BenedettiCongratulations to Sixth Former Evie Davies who was one of only a few school age
musicians selected to take part a strings workshop led by internationally renowned
Violinist Nicola Benedetti at the Royal Albert Hall (pictured left). Evie is currently a
music scholar at Leweston and as well as the Violin, she also plays the Piano and sings
as part of the school’s senior Choir, Schola Cantorum. Evie had a fantastic and
inspiring day in London and we look forward to her continued progress throughout
her Sixth Form years at Leweston.
9
The 2015 Fashion Show was a wonderful showcase of the creative talent
across the school. This year’s event featured work created by girls from
Year 6 through to Sixth Form. The girls in Year 6 created dresses made from
recycled plastics and paper, the work by the girls in Years 7 and 8 was on
the topic of circus head pieces whilst Year 9 work was inspired by jewels
and birds. GCSE pieces were on the theme of architecture, whilst the Sixth
Form pieces were self led and included the course work that will go
towards their A Level examination. The quality of the work was
exceptional. Over 100 pieces of wearable garments were showcased, all
modelled by Leweston pupils.
The creativity was not just limited to the catwalk. A Sixth Form team
created the set design, the music, the lighting and the stage design. Year
13 pupil Stephanie So, who plans to study Fashion Communication and
Promotion at university, also created a film documenting the preparations
and all the back stage action which can be seen on our website or our
Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/lewestonschool.
10
A2 exam piece by Kasey Chiu
A2 exam piece by Harriet Cook
GCSE
coursew
ork by Celeste Patterson
A2 co
ursew
ork by Lila Chillingworth
AS exam
piece by Ella M
onachello
AS co
ursew
ork by Ella M
onachello
12
Congratulations to talented Year 8
pupil and Drama Scholar Jessamy
Bowditch, who was awarded the
lead role in the Yeovil Youth
Theatre’s musical production of
‘Annie’ which ran between the
17th – 21st November. Jessamy,
who recently played Alice in
Leweston’s production of ‘Alice in
Wonderland’ (pictured)
performed in every show, without
an under-study, whilst managing
to balance all her school
commitments. No doubt a bright
future awaits.
Year 8 Pupil Jessamy Takes Lead Role
Sixth Former Awarded ATCLPerformance DiplomaCongratulations to Year 13 pupil and Music Scholar Natasha Panton
who has been awarded her ATCL Performance Diploma on the Flute.
This is an advanced exam and equivalent to the first year of a Music
Conservatoire Degree course. Natasha’s achievement builds on
Leweston’s strong record of success in this area. In 2013 three Year 13
Leweston girls achieved Distinctions in their ATCL (Associate Trinity
College, London) Performance Diplomas: Ellie Byfield on the Saxophone,
Emily Yang on the Piano and Imogen Massey on the Flute.
OldAntonianSecures Jobwith TomFordCongratulations to Leweston OA
(leaver year of 2011), Catherine
Hammick, who has secured a job
working for world renowned
American fashion designer and
Oscar winning film director Tom
Ford. Catherine recently
graduated from Istituto
Marangoni with a 1st with Hons
in BA Fashion Business. We look
forward to Catherine’s continued
success in the fashion industry
and wish her luck with the
new job!
Sixth Form Perform atDorset Schools’ CharityConcert
We are delighted that our Sixth Form
Vocal Duo and Sixth Form Wind Quartet
performed alongside musicians from
other local schools at the Dorset Schools’
Charity Concert at Sherborne Abbey on
Thursday 12th November. The event,
organised by the Royal British Legion,
raised funds for local Dorset veterans
and was a spectacular success. Our
pupils were joined by Old Antonian
Camilla Foster-Mitchell who featured as
Guest Soprano at the event. Camilla
wowed the audience with her rendition
of ‘Quando Men Vo’ from La Boheme by
Puccini and ‘Caro Nome’ from Rigoletto
by Verdi.
Sweeney Todd
Congratulations to Sixth Formers Freya Logan and Lexsis Nyeko
who were selected to take part in the joint schools’ production of
‘Sweeney Todd’ featuring pupils from Sherborne School, Sherborne
Girls and Leweston. The musical is one of the more macabre
musicals in the canon, and the performers did its grisly sense of
humour great justice with their beautiful and highly-moving
production.
Royal Academy Life Drawing Workshop
Artists in Years 10-13 enjoyed a life drawing session
this term with an artist and model from the Royal
Academy of Art. Girls sketched the form through
specialist workshops and enjoyed trying out different
materials. The session provided a fantastic
opportunity to develop expressive drawing.
Wish You Were Here
Year 10 - 13 Category Winner:Neen Jarosombat (Year 12)
Year 7 – 9 category Winner:Sophie Lyons Montgomery (Year 7)
Popular Vote Category Joint Winners:India Cole (Year 9)
Popular Vote Category Joint Winners:Grace Pilkington (Year 7)
Photography Competition
We had an excellent number of quality entries
for our inaugural School summer photography competition.
Congratulations to the prize winners’
whose photos can be seen below
15
Record Numbers of Girls Complete their Awards at all LevelsIt has been a bumper Duke of Edinburgh season at Leweston with a record
number of girls taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award at all three levels and
an unprecedented number of girls completing their Gold Award.
The Bronze and Silver teams benefitted from the county outdoor centres for their
training which, with the exception of one particularly cold night, was consider a
great success. The three Bronze teams focused on Purbeck for their expeditions
while the two Silver teams went to new locations in the Quantocks.
To complete a DofE programme is a huge achievement. It has been a challenge
both physically and mentally for the Bronze and Silver teams and yet again the
Leweston girls have risen to the occasion, completing and passing their final
assessments with tenacity and a great sense of team spirit. In doing so, they have
gained the respect of their leaders, supervisors and assessors.
This year we had a very strong Gold team who headed to Dartmoor for both their
practice and assessment. Rugby and illness meant that teams were changed but
the final 4 on assessment were well prepared and highly commended by the
assessor. The teams were lucky with the weather, experiencing very little of the
micro-climate for which Dartmoor is famous. Blisters, bruises and ticks were the
only remnants of a highly successful final expedition. Well done all!
Mr Keith Whitehead, D of E Co-ordinator
16 16
Leweston is delighted to
have been awarded Academy
status by Pentathlon GB with
effect 1 January 2016, making
it the eighth PGB Academy.
The award has been made in
recognition of the support
and contribution the school
has made to the sport of
Modern Pentathlon and the
development of Leweston
and local community
athletes.
A Pentathlon GB
representative commented
“Leweston makes a significantcontribution to the PGBPathway and is one of thecornerstones of the GBBiathle Squad. ResidentCoach Mr Mick Flaherty hasworked tirelessly towardsearning Academy status forthe school and he iscongratulated for thesignificant contribution hemakes to our sport.Well done.”
Senior Sport
Leweston AwardedPentathlon GB AcademyStatus
Pupils Inspired by InternationalAthletes at Girls Go Gold PEConference 2015Six pupils in Years 11 and 13 attended the Girls Go Gold Gold
conference at Headington School in Oxford in September.
Daisy Liddle, Year 13 Prefect, writes...
The 2015 Girls Go Gold PE
Conference was put on by the
Girls’ Schools Association and
attended by over 400 girls from
schools all around the country. The
day consisted of various lectures
and workshops on the topics of
sports nutrition and sports
psychology. The sports nutrition
session was particularly interesting
and we were able to pick up some
tips on what foods are the best
choices, with particular emphasis
on what to eat for breakfast to
provide energy to complete
challenging training programmes.
The event’s workshops were
equally interesting and included
‘controlling the controllable’
during which we learnt about the
things that we, as athletes, can
control to give us the best chance
of success. We greatly enjoyed the
high intensity training (HIT)
workshop where we were given a
taste of a hard sprinting session on
spinning bikes and a rowing taster
which was lead by Katie Greves,
Team GB rower working towards
Rio 2016. We also had the
opportunity to attend a higher
education exhibition of
universities which specialise in
sports related courses. The day
ended with a speech from Sally
Gunnell (pictured above left), the
1992 Olympic Gold medallist at
the 400m hurdles and the only
woman to have ever held the
Olympic, World and
Commonwealth titles at once,
followed by a Q&A with the very
popular young athlete and current
Junior Heptathlon World
Champion, Katarina Johnson-
Thompson (pictured above right).
Her talk was truly inspiring as she
is a real role model to all of us.
Overall the day was amazing and I
think we will all take away what we
have learnt and use it to become
better competitors.
17
We were delighted to host staff and pupils from Firbank Grammar School (Melbourne) as part of their two week
multi-sports tour to the UK at the start of term. The 28 visiting pupils were hosted by Leweston families and over
their three day visit the girls enjoyed many competitive sports fixtures against Leweston in the pool, on the
netball court and on the football pitch. The Australians clinched victory on the netball court, but Leweston girls
emerged victorious in the pool and on the football pitch. The Firbank girls were amazing ambassadors for their
school and we had a great few days full of laughter and fun. We look forward Firbank visiting again in 2018!
Leweston WelcomesAustralian Touring Team
Leweston Relays 2015The annual Leweston Cross Country Relays took place on Thursday 26
November resulting in some outstanding success for the home teams.
This year’s event saw 75 teams and over 300 competitors representing
schools from across the South West. Leweston enjoyed much success
with teams taking the top spots in the Minor Girls category (girls in Years
5 and 6) contested by 18 teams and in the Intermediate category (girls in
Years 9 to 11), also of 18 teams. Leweston also took podium positions in
the Junior event (girls in Years 7 and 8) coming second and in the Senior
Competition (Sixth Form) coming third. A special mention must go to Year
7 pupil Issy Colwell who produced the fastest lap of the 112 runners in
her category, quite an achievement.
Winners at theSt Mary’s RelaysCongratulations to the U16 Cross
Country team of Zuleika Voegele-
Downing, Libby Tolly, Poppy
Boyden and Daisy Davies who
won the St Mary’s Shaftesbury
Cross Country Relays last
Wednesday. The girls beat 14 other
teams winning comfortably by 59
seconds. Well done!
LEWESTON HOSTS REGIONAL ROUND OF THE ESAA NATIONALSCHOOLS CROSS COUNTRY CUPLeweston was delighted to host the Regional Round of the ESAA National Schools Cross Country Cup
competition in November. 48 teams from 29 schools attended the championships, in a region that
stretched from Land’s End in Cornwall to Reading in Berkshire. Both home teams had qualified for this
prestigious event, with the Junior (Year 7/8) Team and the Intermediate (Year 9/10) Team finishing a
creditable 5th out of the 12 schools in their category.
18
Congratulations to the two equestrian teams who had a record breaking weekend at the National Schools
Equestrian Association Championships at Addington Manor at the beginning of November. In the ‘Jumping with
Style’ event the Leweston’s team came 8th out of 35 teams who had qualified for the event from all over the
country, the highest place Leweston has gained at the prestigious and highly competitive championships.
Congratulations to Eve Southcombe, sisters Kitty and Sacha Godman-Dorington and Portia Alexander. Well done
also to the show jumping team of Issy Colwell, Alice Southcombe, Kitty and Sacha Godman-Dorington who came
a creditable 19th out of 43 teams, also an outstanding achievement.
Success at the National Schools Equestrian Association Championships
Leweston Inter Schools’ Show
Jumping Competition 2015 We were delighted to welcome riders representing schools
from all over the South West to our annual Inter Schools’ Show
Jumping Competition on Saturday 26 September. The
Leweston equestriennes did exceptionally well in the team
results coming third in Class 1, sixth in Class 2 and first of 16
teams in Class 3. Well done to all the competing schools and
riders on another successful event. A full copy of the results can
be downloaded fromwww.leweston.co.uk
19
Leweston Girls Win Bronze for GB at theWorld Biathle Championships
Three Leweston girls travelled to
Batumi Georgia to represent Great
Britain at the World Biathle
Championships in September. In
order to be selected for Great
Britain the girls had taken part in
several Biathle races around the
country and put in lots of training
hours, in the pool, in the sea and on
the roads. Their hard work was
rewarded with much success with
Year 10 pupil Libby Tolly finishing
6th and Olivia Manson (Year 12)
finishing 13th in the Girls 16 and
Under event. The girls formed 2
parts of the three woman team and
their performances meant that the
team took a Bronze medal, just
behind South Africa and Russia. In
the Girls 18 and Under event, Year
13 pupil Georgie Kemp, finished
10th at the end of her first season
of Biathle. Well done!
MEDALS AND PBS GALORE AT THENATIONAL BIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS
Leweston’s athletes enjoyed another successful year at the
National Biathlon Championships at Solihull. Leweston was
delighted to have 14 representatives at the competition and a
competitor in every age group - an outstanding achievement.
A special mention must go to Ginny Bruce (Year 5) who helped the
Dorset Pentathletes come 1st in the U10 event (pictured above
right). Well done also to Year 9 Sports Scholar Daisy Davies
(pictured above left) who took bronze individually in the U14
event helping her team to a silver medal. Libby Tolly (Year 10) also
came a creditable 6th in the U16 event helping her team to Bronze.
Well done to all the Leweston competitors who performed
brilliantly on the day.
Leweston Dominates at theDorset Schools’ BiathlonThe Dorset Schools’ Biathlon took place at
Leweston School on Sunday 4 October with
over 120 competitors taking part. Once again
Leweston was well represented with the girls
generating some excellent results including a team win in the U12
event and individual wins in the U12, U16 and U19 event.
Leweston School wasproud to host aSouth West schools’Junior air pistolshooting competition;the first of its kind inthe country.
The competition, held in
October, was run by British
Shooting in partnership with
the NSRA and attracted over
120 competitors from schools
all over the South West. It was
a busy schedule with 3
different age groups Junior
(Year 5 & 6), Intermediate (Year
7, 8 & 9) and Senior (Year 10,
11, 12 & 13). Leweston was the
only school to win a medal in
each final: well done to Lily
Amor (Year 6) who won gold
in the Junior shooting with
Holly Johnson (Year 6)
following behind her in 7th
place. In the Intermediate final
Elektra Covell (Year 8) took the
bronze medal behind 2 Welsh
internationals and Issy Colwell
(Year 7) came 8th. In a very
competitive Senior final Libby
Tolly (Year 10) had a great
shoot which saw her win the
bronze medal. A hugely
successful and enjoyable day
for all those involved.
20
Leweston Hosts the First Junior Air Pistol Championships
Elektra Year 8 Issy Year 7 Libby Year 10
Well done to Year 8 pupil Elektra
Covell who came 2nd
individually in Under 13 girls
(Youth D) at the National
Tetrathlon Championships in
September. Elektra (pictured
centre) won her fencing and
shooting events and still had the
energy to pull out a personal best
in the pool. Her performance,
alongside those of her two
teammates (also pictured) meant
that they took team Gold for
Dorset Pentathletes.
Team Gold at the National Tetrathlon Championships
21
Row Like A Girl: Old AntonianDeparts on 3000 Mile TripAcross the AtlanticThe first day of advent also saw Old
Antonian, Olivia Bolesworth (’06),
set off on the Talisker Whiskey
Challenge: an Atlantic crossing in a
row boat as part of a team of four
girls. The intrepid team are
planning to row 3,000 nautical
miles from La Gomera in the
Canary Islands to Antigua in the
Caribbean, in support of Plan UK’s
“Because I am a Girl” campaign.
They are also hoping to set new
world records as the youngest and
fastest four girls to cross the
Atlantic. Crossing the Atlantic is not
an easy task and the girls will face
extreme conditions, mental and
physical hardship, sleep
deprivation, exhaustion (they will
be rowing 24/7, non-stop, in a 2
hour shifts for 3000 miles),
isolation, harsh weather conditions
(including 30-40ft waves, storms
and a dangerous range of hot and
cold temperatures), vulnerability,
heath issues, nutritional issues,
solitary confinement, rowing in the
dark, and being solely responsible
for the upkeep and maintenance
of the vessel.
For more information about Plan
UK and the “Because I am a Girl”
campaign, please visit http://plan-
international.org/girls/. The team
are hoping to raise £50,000 for the
cause and would welcome any
help to reach their goal. Updates
from the girls and ways to support
their fundraising efforts can be
found at www.rowlikeagirl.uk
Junior Department
Pupils in Years 5 and 6 went to
Portsmouth to find out more
about the Mary Rose and see HMS
Victory early in the autumn term.
The children visited the Mary Rose
Museum and saw many of the
thousands of artefacts that have
been found. They took part in a
gun drill with a replica ‘port piece’
breech loading gun and tried their
hand at a model long bow. The
other workshops involved Tudor
navigation and military planning,
either as the French attacking
Portsmouth or the English
defending it. The pupils sent their
work to Mary Rose Education
which was promptly posted on
twitter…
Mary Rose Education tweeted…
Brilliant work from
@LewestonSchool after their visit
@MaryRoseMuseum “We had a
marvellous time”
YEAR 5 AND 6 HISTORY TRIP TO PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD
23
Grandparents’ Day We were delighted to welcome
many of the grandparents of
pupils in the Junior
Department to this year’s
Grandparents’ Day in
September. Our visitors
enjoyed returning to school for
a wonderful welcome from
Head Girl, Polly Harwood and
Games Captain Lily Amor,
before heading off with their
grandchildren to take part in
lessons which were of a
European Theme as the school
was also celebrating the
European Day of Languages.
Later that morning there was a
moving Blessing in the Chapel
which featured prayers that
been written by the children
for their grandparents. There
was not a dry eye in the house.
We look forward to next
year’s event.
Fossil Hunting in Lyme Regis
YEAR 5 AND 6 LATINISTS LEARN ABOUTTHE ROMAN FESTIVAL OF SATURNALIA
Year 5 and 6 students have had a
fascinating term learning about
life in ancient Greece and Rome.
The term’s lessons culminated in
a study of the ancient Roman
festival of Saturnalia with the
pupils exploring the idea of the
reversal of traditional roles by
becoming the teacher for the
afternoon. Miss Flannery
enjoyed hearing about the
topics they had learnt in Latin
this term and was impressed by
their enthusiasm and confident
delivery!
Pupils in Years 1 and 2 enjoyed a
windy and action packed trip to
Lyme Regis as part of the
science curriculum in
September. The pupils enjoyed a
Museum visit, a very successful
fossil hunt and rock pooling on
the beach. The fossil guide was
old Antonian, Kate Acheson,
who took time out from her
doctorate studies to lead the
group. A wonderful trip enjoyed
by all.
One grandparent commented
“How fortunate ourgrandchildren are tobe educated atLeweston and howlucky we are to feelinvolved. Thank youagain”.
24
Harvest Mass
We were delighted to celebrate a
beautiful Harvest Mass on
Wednesday 30 September led by
Year 4 pupils. Thank you to all who
donated food items which were sent
to the Lord’s Larder in Yeovil to help
those in need. Well done also to the
Year 4 and 5 cookery club who made
the wonderful Harvest Loaf which
took pride of place on the altar!
Leweston Remembers
Following Father Peter’s moving Mass on the morning of Armistice
Day, pupils in the Junior Department held their Remembrance
ceremony including the customary two minute silence at 11am.
Poems were read and poppies and wreaths were laid. The older pupils
had been selling poppies in the run up to the event and many children
brought in photographs or memorabilia of family involved in war, both
past and present. A moving and thought provoking event as always.
A SpectacularBonfire NightPupils, parents and friends of
Leweston enjoyed a fantastic
Bonfire Night on Thursday 5
November. The grounds were
bathed in the glow of the
magnificent bonfire whilst guests
tucked into a delicious hog roast
and watched the spectacular
fireworks explode across the
night sky. Thank you to all
who came!
25
JUNIOR PUPILS IMPRESS ATAUTUMN CONCERTThe Junior Department Autumn Concert was yet another spectacular
showcase of the wealth of musical and dramatic talent in the Junior
Department, with fantastic performances by instrumentalists, LAMDA
groups and the Performing Art group. Congratulations to all the
performers on another wonderful concert!
Funky Tops andTails for Children in Need
25
Pupils and staff in the Junior
Department (and across the
campus) had fun raising
money for BBC Children in
Need 2015 by donning funky
tops and tails for the day and
what a wacky selection there
was. Thank you to all who got
involved, your efforts helped
us raise £190 for the charity
this year.
} Parents, grandparents and
siblings were all treated to a
fabulously festive Nursery to
Year 2 Nativity at the end of
term. Their festive musical,
Angel Express, was filled with
confident and talented
performances from
Leweston’s youngest pupils.
Huge thanks go to our
enchanting, enthusiastic cast
and crew for putting
together such a wonderful
production – always a
highlight in the Leweston
calendar!
ANGEL EXPRESSNATIVITY PLAY
Families Enjoy a ‘Taste’ of Life inReception at Leweston Junior Department
We were delighted to welcome
local families as well as our
Nursery parents and pupils to the
Reception @ Leweston taster event
on Thursday 26 November. This
action packed morning enabled
families to find out more about
Leweston’s Reception in a fun and
informal setting. Parents enjoyed
chatting to the staff whilst
children enjoyed indoor and
outdoor phonics, French and
Christmas themed activities.
Parents and prospective Reception
pupils also enjoyed a taster of this
year’s Nursery – Year 2 Nativity
production: ‘Angel Express’, and
there was even time for a
swimming lesson with our
specialist Early Years instructor in
the school pool. A particular
highlight was a visit to Father
Christmas in his grotto. He had
flown in specially to give all the
children a pre-Christmas present.
Much fun was had by all!
Junior Department Sport
LEWESTON RELAYS 2015
The annual Leweston Cross Country
Relays took place on Thursday 26
November resulting in some
outstanding success for the home
teams. This year’s event saw 75 teams
and over 300 competitors representing
schools from across the South West.
Leweston enjoyed much success with
the Junior Department’s A team of Lily Amor, Molly Colwell, Alice Anderson and Ginny Bruce taking
the top spot in the Minor Girls category which was hotly contested by 18 teams. A special mention
must go to Year 6 pupil Alice Anderson who came fourth individually out of the 72 runners in her
category, quite an achievement.
In other Cross-Country News… Congratulations to the children in St Margaret who were the winning house in this year’s Inter-
House Cross Country competition. Luckily the rain held off and all the children ran brilliantly. Well
done to all competitors.
Ginny Wins Gold at the National Biathlon ChampionshipsLeweston’s athletes enjoyed another successful year at the National Biathlon
Championships at Solihull. We were delighted to have 14 representatives at the
competition and a competitor in every age group - an outstanding
achievement. A special mention must go to Ginny Bruce (Year 5) who helped
the Dorset Pentathletes come 1st in the U10 event. More success followed for
the Senior School which is detailed on page 19. Well done to all the Leweston
competitors who performed fantastically on the day.
28
29
Leweston Hosts theFirst Junior Air PistolChampionships
Leweston School was proud to host a
schools air pistol shooting
competition in October; the first of its
kind in the country. The competition
was run by British Shooting in
partnership with the NSRA and
attracted over 120 competitors from
schools all over the South West. It was
a busy schedule with 3 different age
groups Junior (Year 5 & 6),
Intermediate (Year 7, 8 & 9) and Senior
(Year 10, 11, 12 & 13). Leweston was
the only school to win a medal in each
final: well done to Lily Amor (Year 6)
who won Gold in the Junior shooting
with Holly Johnson (Year 6) following
behind her in 7th place. Once again
there was also success for the Senior
School which can be found on page
20. A hugely successful and enjoyable
day for all those involved.
During September, all of the Junior Department pupils in Years
5 and 6 participated in a two day RYA sailing course at a
Rockley Watersports, Poole Park. The children rose to the
challenge of completing both the practical and theory sections
of their relevant sailing courses. Some pupils had already
attained entry levels in the RYA Youth sailing scheme and were
undertaking the first part of their more demanding Stage 3
courses. Most children were new to the sport of sailing and
were embarking on their Stage 1 courses with enthusiasm.
Congratulations to all Stage 1 participants who passed their
entry stage with flying colours and the more experienced
group of sailors managed to tick off a great deal of their Stage
3 course requirements. The Year 5 and 6 children are now
looking forward to the next course, due to take place this
coming summer term, to continue developing their
burgeoning sailing skills.
RYA SailingSuccess!
Fabulous Phonics
Nursery
Christmas is always a special time in the
Nursery with the children embracing the
joys and delights of the festive season
with complete abandon. The seasonal
celebrations commenced with our annual
Christmas Jingle Nursery Activity Morning
and we were delighted to welcome over
20 families to this event for some festive
fun. This was followed by the wonderful
Nativity ‘Angel Express’ (see the photos on
page 26) and the Carol Service at the end
of term. Perhaps unsurprisingly the
children in the Nursery had still not run
out of energy (not the same can be said of
the staff!) and so to finish the seasonal
proceedings the Nursery hosted a
wonderful Christmas Party at which Father
Christmas made an early appearance.
Parents and children enjoyed the many
festive activities on offer – we are not sure
who had the most fun!
Christmas
Crackers!
We were delighted that our 3-4 year olds
in the Nursery started their daily phonics
sessions with our new Reception teacher,
Miss Hosegood at the start of the autumn
term. They are enjoying learning the
sounds through songs and actions. All the
children have already made exceptional
progress and we look forward to more
fabulous phonics in the spring!
Make New Friends at Leweston!It’s never too early to join the Leweston community. We run a weekly Parent and Toddler Group
for newborns to 4 year olds on Thursday mornings from 9.45am until 11.30am (£1.50 per session)
and an Aquatots Group for parents and toddlers aged from 3 months to 3 years every Wednesday
from 10am-10.45am at the Leweston School Pool (£3.50 per session).
HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!
FOREST SKILLS FUN
Our October Forest Skills Nursery Activity Morning was
another fantastic success. We were blessed with the
weather and were delighted to welcome over 20 families
to the event. During the morning the children enjoyed
making woodland pictures, exploring the Enchanted
Wood, den making, making forest crowns and listening to
woodland stories. Thank you to all who came!
Aspiring Boarders Enjoy
an Aquatic AdventureAfter the success of previous years, this
year’s Rose House Boarding taster (a sell
out) was met with eager anticipation. The
house was full to bursting with girls
looking at joining Leweston in September
2016 as well as some of our own girls who
were trying boarding for the first time. The
weekend’s theme was ‘Commotion in the
Ocean’ and the House was decorated along
the theme with the staff even donning
special outfits for the occasion!
After a busy evening enjoying the fabulous
Leweston Fashion Show, exploring the
Boarding House and enjoying oceanic
themed craft activities and a film night, the
girls spent a thoroughly enjoyable day at
Weymouth Sea Life Centre. It was soon
time for the happy explorers to be
collected but we look forward to
welcoming you back in September 2016!
Boarding ...
Boarding Skills AwardWe are delighted that all the boarders in Years 7 and 9 are in the process of completing their Boarding Skills
Award. The Award has been produced to create a flexible and attainable award to reflect the skills and
experiences generated from being a boarder in a British Boarding School. We look forward to the girls’
continued progress next term.
Out & About…Other trips and visits this term have
included Team Building with Lifesigns
Group, Flying Saucers Pottery Café,
Ringos at Warmwell Snowsports Centre,
Splashdown Water Park, Dorset Heavy
Horse Centre, Abbotsbury Swannery,
Paintballing, Sherborne Castle Fireworks,
Harry Potter Studios Tour at Elstree
Studios, Chococo Chocolate making,
Water Zorbing and the Exeter Christmas
Markets – what a term!
Boarders in Rose and
Glyn House have had
a lot of fun Pizza
making at Head, Kate
Reynold’s House this
term. The mess was
worth it; the Pizzas
were delicious!
Head’s Pizza Nights
33
34
Spiritual Life STAFF ANDSTUDENTSEMBRACE THESEASON OFGOOD WILLThe Leweston Community had a
busy end of term hosting many
events to raise money for several
charitable causes. The annual
Leweston Christmas Fair raised
money this year for the Dorset and
Somerset Air Ambulance and the
Leweston Bursary Fund and on the
same day we were delighted to
host a Christmas Concert at the
Church of the Holy Ghost at Yeovil
which raised funds for the Church
itself and for Jana Jyoti, Leweston’s
sister school in Nepal. The final
week of term saw pupils don their
festive finery for our Christmas
Jumper Day in aid of Macmillan
Cancer Support, Make a Wish and
Save the Children. We were also
delighted to welcome the local
residents who form part of our
Community Service programme to
a Christmas Tea Party which was
much enjoyed by all who
attended. Thank you to all who
came to these events and
supported these fabulous causes.
Old Antonian Award WinnerShares OMV PilgrimageExperienceYear 13 Old Antonian Award winner Rhiannon Valentine gave an
inspiring presentation to 6th Formers in November to share her
experiences as a volunteer assisting a group of disabled people on
the Order of Malta Volunteers annual charity pilgrimage to Lourdes.
In her own words… ‘I spent a week in Lourdes as a helper with theOrder of Malta Volunteers. This was an invaluable experiencewhere I learnt a great deal from both the hospital pilgrims andhelpers. Many of the pilgrims were unable to walk, talk or feedthemselves. I particularly enjoyed looking after and learned a greatdeal from a girl around my age, who had cerebral palsy. Shetaught me that even if you have a physical illness which makescommunication difficult, your personality and sense of humourcan still shine through. Most of all, my experience at Lourdes hastaught me to be humble and patient.’
The OA Award is a sum of money available annually to assist a pupil
or former pupil of Leweston School whose project develops the
School’s mission statement of work for the less privileged. The OA
Award Committee commented ‘We are delighted to have supportedRhiannon’s trip and this worthwhile cause.’
Year 7 Explore‘Friendship’ at St Rita’sOur new Year 7 pupils travelled to St Rita’s, Honiton in October for
their Retreat along the theme of ‘Friendship’. During the two day
event the girls had time to reflect on both the nature and demands
of their relationships with each other and it was valuable to spend
time together, as a year group, briefly away from the busy school
routine. St Rita’s staff made everyone very welcome and the girls
were invited to join the community for Mass on Friday morning
where three Leweston girls took responsibility for readings. St Rita’s
is set in beautiful grounds and the girls were able to take advantage
of the autumn sunshine with outdoor play and team building
activities. Friendship was both the theme and the outcome of the
trip which saw many of the girls strengthen the bonds they had
made since starting Leweston in September.
BakingBrilliance
Leweston is delighted to have raised
over £300 for Macmillan Cancer
Support following this September’s
coffee morning at the Junior
Department and Cake Sale at the Senior
School, all as part of the Macmillan
World’s Largest Coffee Morning Event.
Thank you to all those who donated
their fabulous bakes for the occasion!
LEWESTON SCHOOL, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 6EN01963 211010
[email protected] is a registered charity number 295175
Thursday 17 March 2016Nursery Activity Morning: ‘Spring Along’ 09.45 – 11.30
Bank Holiday Monday 2 May 2016Joint Schools Open Morning 09.45 – 13.00
Saturday 18 June 2016Nursery and Junior Department Open Morning 09.00 – 12.00
Open Mornings 2016
Monday 25 January – Tuesday 26 January
11+, 12+, 13+ Scholarship Days
(September 2016 entry)
Thursday 3 and Friday 4 March
18.30 – 20.00 School Musical ‘The Lion King’
Week 1: Tuesday 29 March – Friday 1 April
Week 2: Monday 4 – Friday 8 April
EASTER HOLIDAY FUN CLUB: OUTDOOR EDUCATION
SPORTS AND ADVENTURE WEEKS for 5 – 11 years olds
9.00 – 17.00
Monday 4 – Saturday 9 April
EASTER PENTATHLON, GB BIATHLE AND TRIATHLON
TRAINING CAMP
Residential training camp for 9 – 18 year olds run by
GB Biathle coach Mick Flaherty
Saturday 7 May
Gaudy Reunion for various leaver years
Friday 10 June
GCSE AND A LEVEL ART EXHIBITION PRIVATE VIEW
Manor House 17.00 – 19.00 (Exhibition open to all
Monday 13 – Friday 17 June)
Monday 25 July – Friday 19 August
SUMMER HOLIDAY OUTDOOR EDUCATION, SPORTS
AND ADVENTURE WEEKS for 5 – 11 year olds
9.00 – 17.00
Monday 4 July – Sunday 28 August
LEWESTON SUMMER CLUB
(Enjoy the use of Leweston’s swimming pool, tennis
courts and extensive grounds – various membership
packages available)
Monday 8 – Saturday 13 August
SUMMER PENTATHLON, GB BIATHLE AND TRIATHLON
TRAINING CAMP
Residential training camp for 9 – 18 year olds run by
GB Biathle coach Mick Flaherty
Weekly Events:
Aquatots: : Every Wednesday from 10.00 – 10.45
in the School Pool
Parent and Toddler: Every Thursday from 9.45 – 11.30
at the Junior Department
For more information about any of these events,
or to register your attendance, please call
01963 210783 or email
Dates for your Diary…