Towers News 2010 - 2011

The Towers Convent School, Henfield Road, Upper Beeding, West Sussex, BN44 3TF. Tel 01903 812185 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.towers.w-sussex.sch.uk Happy Reading! This edition of Towers News runs from October 2010 to November 2011. As you will read, it has been an action‐packed year and the aim was to include as many events as possible. I do hope that we have been successful. Carole Baker ‐ Headmistress

Fine Dining Best Foot Forward The girls and staff were delighted to Twenty‐six Year 10 and 11 pupils return after half term to discover the began their Bronze Duke of newly extended and refitted dining Edinburgh expedition training on room. The room is light and spacious Saturday 20th November. The with new counters (one with group gathered at 8.30am for a homemade soup, another for the briefing before setting off on a ‘grab and go’ items to suit busy girls 10km walk which began at The who are in a hurry and a new hot one Towers and visited Windmill Hill for hot puddings). Particularly and the River Adur. All the pupils popular are the bar stools and the were fantastically enthusiastic, raised counter along the back of the completing the walk in excellent room! Thanks to the PTA for all the time and developing valuable super new furniture and to the navigation skills along the way. kitchen staff for coping with all the They supported each other mess during the construction period. throughout the walk and made the Well done to David Treharne and his best of the cold, damp and VERY building team – another success! muddy conditions! Congratulations to the pupils for the successful start to their D of E training.

Covent Garden The annual trip to Covent Garden proved to be its usual success. The girls and staff braved the bitterly cold weather to rehearse, shop and finally sing in the Concert of Christmas Music for the 'Voices of Youth'.

The music was glorious and the girls were in good voice. Instrumental soloists and choral soloists were confident and were a credit to Mrs Gray. Another triumph and a fun day too! Fly me to the moon! The entire community had the opportunity to explore beyond the Earth between 15th and 19th November. An exciting package arrived Monday morning containing genuine NASA samples of lunar rocks and meteorites from the Natural History Museum. Year 8 studied these samples as part of their topic ‘Journey into Space’; while Years 10 and 11 studied the lunar samples as part of their studies of How Science Works. All the pupils displayed fantastic scientific skills, using evidence to evaluate theories of moon formation and the origin of the inner planets. Key Stage 2 pupils also had the opportunity to visit the Senior School labs and study the moon rocks, with Years 5 and 6 discussing the evidence to decide whether NASA really visited the moon. A particular highlight for pupils, parents and staff was Tuesday afternoon when lab 3 was transformed into a space museum for an hour, allowing visitors to investigate these amazing samples first hand. It was a wonderful opportunity to study these rare specimens, as the majority of lunar rock and meteorite samples are held in universities or museums. Thank you to Jane Butt from the STFC for organising the loan and to pupils, staff and parents for their enthusiastic support of the week.

Founder’s Day Treat November 30th is already a very special day in the life of The Towers Community at Upper Beeding as not only is it Founder's Day (the day when Blessed Peter Vigne founded the Order of the Blessed Sacrament Sisters) but it is also the feast day of Sister Mary Andrew as it is St Andrew's day. However, this year it was made even more special when Natalie Cheng, who was in Year 10 at the time, decided that she would like to be received into the Catholic Church and would like to make the day for her Baptism and First Holy Communion coincide with Founder's Day. Natalie was prepared for the Sacraments by Sister Breda and her sponsor was Mrs Anne Bowerman. Father Dominic O'Hara, who celebrated Mass for the School, commented on how generous it was for Natalie to share her wonderful day with the entire school and enable even the Reception children to experience this very unique event. One of Natalie's friends, Alice Standen, videoed the morning so that Natalie's parents in Hong Kong would be able to 're‐live' the day when she returned home for Christmas. The morning was followed by a delicious lunch and an inter‐house dance competition.

Bizarre Bazaar Just as everything was on track and the PTA Bazaar was ready to go the snow arrived! So the Bazaar was postponed and rescheduled for the same day as the second performance of 'Jesus Christ Superstar.' This could have been chaos but the PTA were remarkable and the stalls were set up, Father Christmas arrived and the parents joined their children to try their luck at the tombola or browse the lovely gifts. The raffle was drawn at 3:45pm and by 5:30pm Father Christmas had returned to Lapland, the stalls and chocolate fountain were all cleared away and the gym became an auditorium once more. Moving Musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' was a brave choice by Mrs Sparkes and Mrs Gray as the music is difficult and the singers required powerful voices but we need not have worried. Jesus Christ, played by Sophie Sparkes, and Mary Magdalene, played by Nancy Holt, were re‐ markable. Herod (Phoebe Murphy‐Dunn), Pilate (Daisy Parker) and Peter (Catherine Crick) were simply perfect and the High Priests (Mary Haruna, Saoirse O'Halloran and Zofia Reeves) were powerful and quite menacing. The final accolade must go to Angela Nabuufu whose portrayal of Judas was magnificent and really put across his struggle and final act of self‐destruction. The choreography (Maddy Brooks, Ella Turner and Mrs Pappenheim) was just right and the entire cast put their hearts and souls into all four days. This was possibly one of the best musicals ever and the girls should be congratulated on their energy and commitment.

A Musical End To The Christmas Term

Junior School Carol Service Christmas Nativity Chloe Ellman‐Baker The last week of term was full of all manner of musical events with the Junior School Carol Service complete with Christmas Nativity featuring Chloe Ellman‐Baker ‐ our Year 6 harpist. The same day sixty girls from the Senior Choir and Orchestra went to Holmbush to sing to raise money (£364) for the homeless of Worthing and Brighton whilst some others went with Sister Breda to sing to the residents of Adur View. The next day Mrs Gray took one of her Year 8 classes to Valerie Manor to sing carols for the elderly residents. On Wednesday the Rainbow Theatre presented their production of Aladdin to the Nursery and Junior School. The children took part in the production both acting and singing in this lively version of a well known tale. Then at the end of the week the Seniors finished the term with their two Carol Services – parents added to the money collected at Holmbush and we were able to send a total of £560 to the charities who care for the homeless in Worthing and Brighton. In addition the girls collected warm clothes, flasks and toiletries for the homeless who use St Anne’s Day Centre in Brighton. So a fitting end to the term ‐ bringing the true meaning of Christmas into the lives of many.

‘Aladdin’ Carols at Holmbush Carols at Valerie Manor End of term Carol Service

Transformation The Year 11 Leavers' Hoodies arrived just before the end of the term and the girls took great delight in the privilege of wearing them to school for the last week of term. They had chosen some lovely, bright colours and they looked fabulous.

Ski Trip

Forty three girls enjoyed an excellent week of skiing and fun in the French resort of Valloire. All girls showed terrific progress in their skiing lessons and kept the teachers entertained with some spectacular falls and spills! Evening activities were highly amusing, including a fancy dress quiz, bum boarding, ice skating, bowling and the inevitable last night DISCO. This included a memorable 'no plate, no date' quiz which involved the two other schools sharing the hotel (the boys had to come from somewhere!) This was truly another memorable and enjoyable week which was made easy due to the excellent behaviour and enjoyment of all the girls. Ms Hansell, Mrs Packwood, Miss O'Neill and Miss Miles also had a fantastic time but are next year requesting a week off to recover! Roll on next year's ski trip.

Juniors Enjoy A Windy Day The Towers Riding Team

The first competition of the season

Our first team (Hattie Shoosmith, Annabelle Grimes, Georgina Dunlavey & Alex Wright) jumped 70 cms and were unlucky not to be in the rosettes after a really good try by all four girls ‐ all of whom are new to team jumping. So a great experience for them to get out on the school teams’ circuit for the first time ‐ they were already looking forward to the next competition! Our second team jumped 80cms (Helena Dunlavey, Rachel Laurence, Katie Harris and Georgina Dunlavey) and came 8th! It was a really tricky course and only one school managed to get 3 riders round clear! So well done to them ‐ a very creditable result. The turnout of schools was very high, with teams from East & West Sussex, Surrey, London and Kent and over 50 riders in each class. The girls were a credit to The Towers, well turned out (that goes for riders & ponies!) and beautifully behaved. All the riders supported each other for the entire five hours at Golden Cross. So lots of thanks to the Mums and Dads who drove the girls and ponies to East Sussex and groomed, cheered and bought burgers throughout the day.

The second competition at Farlington

The Towers’ Team entered their second NSEA competition in January. It was a long day but the teams all produced excellent results. Georgina Dunlavey rode a double clear in the 70cm class, and just missed out on the placing. In the 80cm class, our team of Gabby Morris, Elspeth Williams, Rachel Laurence and Helena Dunlavey (Riding Captain) came 4th, our best result to date! Alex Wright and Georgina also competed in the 80cm class as individuals, and were unlucky to get 4 faults each, but both rode very well over quite a twisty and complicated course. The team enjoyed more success in the 90cm class, which was a very testing and difficult round, with the team of Gabby Morris, Elspeth Williams and Rachel Laurence being placed an excellent 6th.

Riding High in their third competition.

The Towers Riding Team entered their third competition and came home with some more rosettes! The 70cm team scored their best result to date, Georgina Dunlavey, Annabelle Grimes and Hattie Shoosmith, all jumping brilliantly, come in 3rd, just 2 seconds behind the team in first place. Hattie had a brilliant day, and rode an incredibly fast clear round in the 80cm individual to win a very well deserved 1st place! Sophie Page also rode an excellent clear round in the 80cm individuals, but was unfortunately not quite fast enough to be placed. However, she did very well on what was her first outing for the Towers team. The 90cm team of Elspeth Williams, Rachel Laurence and Helena Dunlavey (Riding Captain) managed 4th place over what proved to be a very testing course, with Elspeth managing an impressive clear round. Unfortunately, Alex Wright wasn't able to compete on Monday after her pony suffered an accident in the trailer on the way to the show. But I'm pleased to say the pony is on the mend and hopefully Alex will be able to get back competing once her pony is fully recovered. Year 11 Day With A Difference After the hard work of mock exams, Yr 11 had the opportunity to have a complete change of routine on their annual day of reflection and fun, their ‘Day with a Difference.’ They travelled to St John’s Seminary in Wonersh where the CAFOD team led them in activities which raised awareness of the plight of the world’s poor and exploited. The day highlighted our school theme for the term ‘Carpe Diem’, live life to the full. By the end of the day the girls were in no doubt that they had more opportunity to live life to the full than most of the world’s population. The message was delivered through activities which were both thought provoking and at times hilarious. The girls were relaxed and happy to be involved in some very silly and vaguely embarrassing games. They tied themselves in knots to illustrate the tangle and confusion that some nations are in. The funniest moment came with the most literal dramatisation of the parable of the Sheep and the Goats that anyone present had ever seen! The day ended with a moving liturgy as the girls quietly engaged with 8 prayer stations, each with a simple and reflective activity. They finished by lighting candles to signify their prayers for the world and with joyful and exuberant singing. It was a happy and appreciative end to a busy day.

Jolly Good Sports Red Money

Year 9 students study development as a part of The girls from the Brighton minibus decided that their geography curriculum. Studying poverty can their driver Jason deserved a treat for remaining be upsetting and quite moving. To help the girls so chirpy and cheerful despite all of the problems feel more empowered they were tasked to choose that his daughter, Jess, has had to endure. They a charity that works in the developing world and presented an assembly to the Seniors to explain to raise money for it. This was an ‘Apprentice’ about the work of Great Ormond Street Hospital style task and they were in friendly competition and a little bit about how brave Jess had been with each other to raise the most money! Events through her treatment for cancer and subsequent organised have included raffles, treasure hunts, heart transplant operation. They asked all of the cake sales, sponge a teacher and a film night held Seniors to pay £2 to dress in red or pink on after half term. A group of teaching staff agreed, Valentine's day and buy some cakes so that they albeit rather reluctantly, to have wet sponges could raise funds to divide between the work of thrown at them. Here we see them lining up for Great Ormond Street and a treat for Jason, Jess the ordeal! and the family. Altogether the girls raised £550. Well done!

Badminton Success Elysia Taylor was in year 6 when she was selected to represent the Sussex County at Badminton for the under 11's age group. In a recent county‐wide tournament she made it through to the semi‐ finals, finishing third overall in the singles tournament and was later a runner up in the doubles. Elysia played in the Gloucester Under 11's Badminton England Tournament. Players attending represented Devon, Oxford, Buckinghamshire, Gloucester, Northampton, and Sussex. In the Singles she finished in 4th place (losing to the girl in third place 12‐10, 11‐8). Then in the Doubles she finished in third place gaining a Bronze Medal ‐ her first trophy from the National Badminton England circuit. Her time spent at the Academy in Horsham has really developed her play as her overall game has really improved and her court awareness is getting better. She is becoming a more thoughtful player and implemented the strategies she has been taught. Most recently she was placed U15 singles runner‐up and U13 doubles winner.

International Women’s Day Following an assembly on International Women's Day a group of girls and staff walked through Upper Beeding and along to the Bridge which spans the river Adur and joins Bramber to Beeding in order to be part of the 'join women on the bridge’ campaign. March 8th 2011 was the 100th International Women’s Day. The campaign is an international event where women all over the world show solidarity for oppressed and unhappy women and celebrate women's achievements by gathering on bridges in various countries and continents. In London Annie Lennox was part of agroup which met on the millennium bridge, whilst on the Grand Barriere Bridge joining Rwanda and Congo, the women, whose families were torn apart by the genocide, also met together. After releasing white balloons as a symbol of peace the girls joined together to pray for better life and peace for women everywhere before walking back to school.

World Book Day Year 7s surpassed themselves on World Book Day with their effort, enthusiasm and amazing outfits! They celebrated the day by reading books and engaging in fun reading activities and by running competitions to raise money. The day was a great success in celebrating World Book Day and the library was packed! Through everyone’s support, the Year 7s managed to raise £110 for the Roald Dahl Foundation for sick children and the World Wildlife Fund (their chosen charities).

Wonderful In White The PTA winter ball for the Juniors which was postponed owing to the snowy weather before Christmas finally went ahead just before the February half‐term. The PTA transformed the hall to make it resemble a 'Winter Wonderland' and the staff joined in the fun and games. The children looked stunning and a super time was had by all. Bosnia To Beeding Daughter of Mrs Vernon and past pupil, Hannah Vernon, accompanied her father, Adam, on an adventurous journey from Sarajevo in Bosnia to Upper Beeding in Sussex. They travelled in a tiny vehicle called a Zastava. The epic journey was 2367 kilometres and they travelled for 5 days across 12 countries! They were doing the journey as the Classic Car Continental Challenge for Comic Relief! Their journey was pretty eventful with lots of border checks and even included being stopped by the police for travelling too slowly on the autobahn. Hannah left The Towers in 2001 and decided that she would like to include us as the penultimate stop on their drive for charity. Day 1 ‐ Sara‐ jevo, Bosnia to Banja Luka, Bosnia; Day 2 ‐ Bjanja Luka, Bosnia to Zargreb, Croatia to Ljubljana, Slovenia to Lienz, Austria; Day 3 ‐ Lienz, Austria to Brixon, Italy to Innsbruck, Austria to Liechtenstein to Zurich, Switzer‐ land to Basel; Day 4 ‐ Basel, Switzerland to Strasbourg, France via Frieburg Im Beisgau, Germany to Luxembourg to Belgium to France; Day 5 ‐ St Quentin, France to Calais to Upper Beeding then home!

The Power Of Speech Three Year 11 girls entered the Brighton Springboard Festival 2011 in a category of the Speech and Drama section called 'Presentation Skills.' Their entry required them to communicate orally for five to six minutes on a subject of their own choice. Public Speaking or being able to communicate effectively is one of the most essential life‐skills that pupils can learn so it was good to listen to three girls communicating brilliantly with the audience. Saoirse chose 'Reality TV' and was both amusing and convincing in her argument. She managed to persuade the judge, Jenny Thornton, to award her the festival medal for the category. She was followed very closely by Mary Haruna and Gabriella Slater who came second and third respectively.

Traditional Dance That’s The Spirit

On St Patrick’s Day Pat Carroll’s Towers Irish Dancing When a local electricity group went to Valerie Manor to entertain the sub‐station failed and all residents. The residents loved it and the girls power was lost the staff performed beautifully and looked wonderful in their were not thwarted. traditional green, gold and red outfits. Thanks to the resource‐ fulness of Miss Pope (one of the Duke of Edinburgh co‐ordinators) it was possible to make hot drinks to lubricate their throats before returning to class to teach for the afternoon! It Was All Worth It! After months of total commitment to Gymnastics before school, after school and lunch times, sixteen talented Gymnasts attended the annual County competition. Terrific performances were shown by all four routines and it would be impossible to mention one girl without mentioning them all. Competing against many other schools in which the standard seems to improve every year, The Towers achieved the following successes: Group Floor – 1st position Ella Morrice, Chiara Powell, Olivia Maxey, Anna Clark, Abbie Sayers and Tanaya Kleeman; Group Apparatus – 3rd position Hannah Watts, Georgia Saunders, Molly Hills, Aimee Thomas, Georgie Walker, Erica Nutbrown; Pair Floor – 3rd position, Mimi Ince and Isabel Ince; Pair Apparatus – 4th position Tayler Gilbert, Polly Reeves‐Perrin. When all the scores of each competition were added together we received a very creditable 2nd position. This was truly an excellent result and the girls should be extremely proud of their achievements. Both the Senior and Junior school were shown the performances and both staff and pupils were amazed at what the girls were able to achieve. Well done to all Gymnasts and hopefully we will do even better next year.

The Button Box The Junior School musical ‐ 'The Button Box' had a truly global flavour with songs from all manner of cultures including Aborigine, Chinese, Jamaican, African, Indian and Irish, as well as Music Hall, pop and even a sea shanty! 'The Button Box' opens with some children staying with their grandparents who are bored on a wet day. They knock over Grandma's button box, spilling an array of buttons on the floor. They ask Grandma to tell them where all the buttons are from, and the story behind each button is revealed in a song! Interlinking dialogue revealed some interesting family history, well‐travelled ancestors and Grandad’s failed diet attempts! The children and their proud parents particularly enjoyed 'Belly Button Boogie', the rap number, 'Button Your Lip' and 'The Chocolate Button.' There was even an opportunity for children who do Irish dancing to put in an appearance. Toddling For Tanzania

The Juniors spent a sunny afternoon toddling or trotting around the sports field with an aim to complete as many laps as possible in order to raise funds for the work of the Sisters in Tanzania. Mr and Mrs Vernon (who celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary this year) decided that rather than have lots of gifts and a glorious holiday away from it all would prefer go to Tanzania and do some voluntary work alongside Sister Fatima. They took with them the proceeds of the 'toddle' to give to Sister Fatima to help to fund some of the projects undertaken to help the poor of the area. Ms Jaynie Hansell (English Dept) went to Kenya and Tanzania in the Summer holidays and also paid a visit to the Blessed Sacrament school in Morogoro. She wrote “This amazing school provides many poor, local families and children the opportunity of education. The Sisters teach children aged 5 years and prepare them in basic Swahili and English before many of them start at a primary school. The school is also home for the sisters who come from Brazil, Italy, the Congo and Tanzania. The sisters were very welcoming and made our stay for two days very enjoyable.”

Teachers? Two Junior pupils decided to fundraise for two local hospices. Phoebe Mercer, whose father died in St Barnabas Hospice and Sophie Leak, whose grandfather died in The Martlets wrote to all of the parents and asked if the Junior pupils could swap their uniforms for home clothes and even persuaded the staff to regress and wear uniform for a day. The cost for the clothing swap was £1 per person. The Year 6 pupils were also asked to bake some cup‐cakes each and they were sold for 20p each. In total they raised over £260. Sports Report Sports fixtures happen every week and at weekends and keeping on top of the reports for the website after each match is a major task or it would be were it not for the girls who pen detailed and interesting match reports. Here is an example by Ellie Woodley

On Tuesday 22nd of March, the Year 7 A team who had played extremely well throughout the league made it through to the semi‐final. They knew that it would be a tough match, but they played their best. The first school they played was against Sion. They were all very tall, but the whole team was on their feet and making a real effort and, with all the team’s help, we managed to beat them with a result of 3‐1. After that promising game the A team was in the final against Orchards. This was a tough game too. In the first half, everyone was tired out by the first game, but then they sat down and had a talk and straight after, we were playing like pro’s. The final score was 6‐3 to The Towers. Then came the final results, there was a lot of suspense filling the air. It was time to conclude the final result: Third, second and first. All we then heard was that Towers A team had won the league. The whole team deserved to win for their outstanding achievements in every game. Everyone was so pleased. Straight after we had a group photo whilst enjoying some Kit‐kats.

Another by Chloe Ellman‐Baker

Versatile netballers

The Year 7 netball team played six intense ten minute matches against the following schools: St. Catherine’s; Farlington B Team; Brighton Prep A Team; Eagle House; Worth and St Bedes in the Netball Versatility Tournament at Windlesham School. As it was a Versatility tournament each player for the first game picked a card to decide which position they played and thereafter alternated so that everyone experienced different positions. This in itself created a challenge as many of the team were playing out of position. It was great fun and may lead to a few changes in their configuration for future matches! The Towers team won easily against Farlington B with a score of 9‐0. Against Worth they exceeded this with an impressive 12‐0 score. St Bedes were tougher competition but still The Towers managed to overcome them 3‐1.

Then a final report by Megan Lodge (Games Captain) who has been sending me reports since Year 7

It’s all in the name.... Sweden v Swindon.

On the 23rd of September 2011 the Year 11 netball team were very excited to travel to Sweden. Unfortunately we got it wrong, nevertheless we were still excited to go to Swindon, albeit rather less glamorous! The first day began with 3 hours of activities such as vertical challenge, archery, aero ball and the giant swing. I’m pleased to say we all took part in these activities including Miss. O’Neill and Miss. Miles! The afternoon consisted of four games, the first against a Year 10 team from Loretto which we won, the second against Llangatwg which we also won, the third against Loretto Year 11. (our biggest competitor) Sadly we lost by two goals which was very frustrating and then we played our last match which was again against Loretto Year 10 and again we won. This was a very good way to end our first day. On the second and final day we were all determined to beat Loretto Year 11. So, after winning for the final time against Llangatwg, we then went on to win the game against Loretto Year 11 by 1 goal! To determine the winners the judges had to go on goal difference and I am pleased to say that after all the games, we WON! I think I can safely say that the whole team came home feeling quite achy but the pain was definitely worth it! Inter-house Gym The Seniors were treated to an amazing variety of routines in the inter‐house gymnastics competition. By the end of the Junior section Campion was in the lead but this all changed once the Senior display results were added to the total scores. The judges, Miss Brook and Mrs Goldsmith, were most impressed by the standard shown by the gymnasts and found many of the decisions difficult to reach. In the end the overall winner was More House and Niamh Sayers was able to accept the trophy for the House.

India Day Year 4 had a fun and eventful India! They dressed in traditional Indian clothes, tried Bollywood dancing and created Rangoli patterns. They were also very lucky to have a visitor for the afternoon who demonstrated how to make chapattis and parathas. They girls were delighted to taste these, and a potato curry too. To finish the day our visitor also painted everyone's hands with beautiful mehndi patterns.

Bringing The Mysteries Alive Year 5 performed their annual Rosary pageant for the parishioners of The Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in West Grinstead. The girls processed in, then read, sang, played instruments and mimed their pageant to illustrate the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. Father David Goddard greeted the girls and their parents saying what a privilege it was to welcome the Year 5 pupils in the month of May to this special devotion to Mary. He also stressed the importance of praying the Rosary and hoped that the girls would remember this spiritual experience for many years to come. Auctioneer Landells To The Rescue Georgia Saunders and Charlotte Walker, both Year 8 pupils, decided to raise funds for SOS children but they were determined to do something different. They presented an assembly to the Senior School to explain about the work of the charity whose aim is to 'give every child a loving home' and who care for vast numbers of orphaned children. They then organised a cake sale to sell cakes baked by lots of other Year 8 pupils and even persuaded Dr Landells to act as auctioneer for their auction. Many girls in the school provided items to auction and Dr Landells managed to sell them all. Mrs Bowerman did her best to bid for items but was out‐bid every time. Together the girls raised £90 and deserve to be very pleased with their efforts.

GCSE Geography Trip

In May fifteen intrepid GCSE geographers jumped aboard a catamaran in Portsmouth for a three day expedition to the Isle of White. Their mission, once they chose to accept it, was to investigate beach formation at a spit. Their decision to accept may have been influenced by ‘Fierce’ Finn and ‘Brutal’ Bowerman who were waving large, threatening implements at the time. They endured heat wave conditions, comfy beds, access to first rate technology and teaching plus fantastic food at the Medina Valley Education Centre. All of this was to collect data for their GCSE controlled assessment. This was an intensive course and the girls worked very hard. (From 9 am to 9pm). ‘Fierce’ Finn and ‘Brutal’ Bowerman did let their guards down a little, allowing japes and merriment to commence one evening around a camp fire. “The marshmallows were yummy”!

The Junior School French Trip To Stella-Plage All of us arrived at school all bubbly and excited, some a little worried. We all put our suitcases in the hall and then it was out to play. When we all came back in we were sorted into groups. We got given our booklet that we were to work on during the trip. Afterwards we grabbed our suitcases and gave them to our great coach‐driver Tony. When we arrived at the Eurotunnel everyone was so excited. Once in France, halfway to the hotel, we stopped off at the war museum it was really interesting. They even had a little reconstructed street which imitates a road in France at the time of WW2. We had a work sheet to quickly fill in. We got back on the coach and went to the hotel. It was amazing. The staff there were so lovely and so helpful. We had beautiful rooms to stay in. There were lots of activities to do when we were there which included going to the beach, the market, Nausicaa sea life centre and a boulangerie. The beach went on for miles! We had so much fun climbing up the sand dunes and quite a lot of us started to dig holes in the sand to make hot tubs! At the market we had to speak lots of French because no one spoke English. At Nausicaa we saw lots of interesting creatures including sharks! At the boulangerie we saw a man make bread it was a lot different to English bread and tasted a lot better! We had so much fun in France and I would definitely go again! (Account written by Isabella Slater) Intrepid Year 7 Scientists Helping Hands Visit Pulborough Brooks Braving the rain, Year 7 scientists visited the RSPB reserve Pulborough Brooks to investigate biodiversity and conservation. Pupils surveyed the range of species present in freshwater and either

Year 9 girls entertained the Henfield and District Self Help Group when they visited the school for a prayer service followed by afternoon tea. The members of the self‐help group commented on the freshness of the girls' voices and how clearly they sang. woodland or hedgerow habitats. They also questioned the expert field PJ Day teachers on the work of the RSPB and how the reserve is The Girls were upset to learn that the mother of a managed to enhance the past pupil needed some cancer treatment which is biodiversity. The pupils were only available in America so they decided to join in engaged and inquisitive, with a general fund raise for Terri Burelli by wearing asking some insightful and challenging questions. their pyjamas to school. Mrs Baker, Head, and Mrs In fact, they were so fantastic one of the field Bowerman, Deputy Head, joined in with the fun as it teachers invited us to visit every day! was all in a good cause. The girls also held a cake sale and a musical soiree one evening before the end of term. They raised a total of £500 to send to Penshurst Was Not The Place the fund. For Parasols Year 8 visited the beautiful Elizabethan house of Penshurst Place. The Great Hall was highly impressive with a high chestnut beamed roof (to keep the spiders at bay!) and a minstrels’ gallery. The girls took particular interest in A Very Special Day the Elizabethan portraits Five Year 3 girls from The Towers were able to and some got excited about share their experiences of their First Holy two costumes on show from the film ‘The Other Communion Day at a special assembly. The girls Boleyn Girl’. All round the house they spotted the dressed in their First Communion dresses and ‘badge’ of the Sidney family: a fetching porcupine showed the rest of the Junior School their and bear. Unfortunately, as soon as they left the certificates and other gifts. Matilda, Grace, Olivia, house the rain poured down, which rather put paid Jude and Alicia, who are from three parishes in to their planned Arundel and Brighton, were given a cake by the sketching session Sisters to share with the rest of their class. of the exterior. However, clumps of intrepid girls still cheerily toured the gardens armed with umbrellas! Totally Talented For those who were able to come along to Performing Arts in the Summer term it was an amazing evening with talent in abundance. Drama club and the Year 8 drama winners entertained the audience with a variety of sketches. The shock appearance of the evening came from a goth, Mrs Sparkes, dressed and behaving as never seen before. Girls from Years 10 and 11 performed their GCSE music compositions whilst Angela Nabuufu enthralled everyone with her break dancing. Florence Chapman played one of her grade 8 violin pieces as well as joining Tali Humphrey in a flute duet. It was fitting that three Year 11 musicians (Catherine Crick, Angela Nabuufu and Poppy Collins) composed and performed an amusing and touching song for Mrs Gray just before she left to begin her maternity leave. All in all a most entertaining time was had by all.

Rising Stars We were thrilled by the successes of two rising stars. The first of these successes belonged to Sophie Sparkes in Year 10 who auditioned for a place at three of the Music Conservatoires in London. Sophie is a talented composer and musician but was delighted when all three accepted her. The first Junior Conservatoire to offer her a place was Guildhall where she was accepted to study composition and piano. Junior Guildhall is a specialist Saturday School offering advanced training to young people between the ages of 4 and 18. They come together to experience and learn about music and drama under the guidance of staff drawn from London’s orchestras and freelance professionals. Most of the students go on to study their chosen discipline full‐time at undergraduate level, eventually making careers in the profession, though others can, and do, move into totally different fields. During the Easter holidays Sophie was also offered places at The Royal Academy of Music and Trinity School of Music. It was a very difficult decision but Sophie finally accepted the Royal Academy. The second piece of exciting news was for Nina Dallyn in Year 5 who entered a writing competition organised by the West Sussex County Times and sponsored by Arthur Lodge Vets. The competition was for anybody aged 16 or under and a story had to be written about pets. Nina wrote her story about chickens and ducks and won the competition. Nina won £100 for herself and £200 for the school. Nina would like to become a journalist.

Field Work

Year 5 enjoyed a blustery but dry day at Cuckmere Haven, where they observed the effects of wind, rain, sea and rivers on our changing landscape.

Staff Vs Year 11

With simply brilliant skills and amazing enthusiasm the staff managed to beat Year 11 without any cheating at all! The final score was 9:8. Mrs Goldsmith umpired fairly and the proceeds from the spectators was given to Cancer research. The only casualty was Mrs Packwood and her broken wrist was healed completely by the end of July!

Inter-House Swimming

On Wednesday 25th June, the Juniors took part in an inter‐house swimming gala. It was the last time that the girls competed as three houses. The swimming was of a very high standard and the results were close although Howard was the winning house.

The End Of A Tradition

Every year since the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 pupils have been raising funds for St Joseph's orphanage in Sri Lanka by dressing up as characters beginning with one letter of the word Towers and this year it was the turn of the letter 'S'. Juniors and Seniors all participated with even the staff joining in the fun. The girls dressed as smurfs, superstar secretaries, spiders and sailors. There was even a Statue of Liberty and a shower. Dr Landells as a spaceman and the PE department as skeletons provided even more entertainment. In total around £350 was raised and the Charities Prefects are trying to decide what to do next, now that we have used up all of the letters of TOWERS.

Circus Stars Frances Maloney from West Sussex County Council visited The Towers Juniors to tell them about this year’s Summer Reading Challenge entitled ‘Circus Stars’. Every West Sussex library, including mobiles, ran the game throughout the summer holidays. All that the children needed to do was to visit their local library and register. Circus Stars was built on the fun of the circus. Children who took part received a Circus Stars poster and membership card as well as stickers to add to their poster. Those who read six books received a certificate and gold medal. There was also a dedicated website with activities and author information for children to access from home. Frances encouraged the Juniors to take up the Circus Stars Reading Challenge and visit their local library at least four times over the summer. Many rose to the challenge and responded. Again like the previous year, many of the Senior girls went along to their local’s libraries to volunteer to help the younger children.

Alice Lends A Helping Hand On June 30th the new extension at Valerie Manor nursing home was opened by Dame Vera Lynn OBE. Year 10 pupil, Alice Standen, who is a volunteer worker there, was able to attend the opening along with some of the Sisters from The Towers. It was a super occasion and allowed the Sisters to renew their acquaintance with Dame Vera who presented the Prizes at The Towers on Open Day 1998.

Confirmation Celebration Six girls from Year 10 celebrated their recent confirmation by Bishop Kieran at Arundel Cathedral with a break‐time party at school with the rest of their year. The cake was cooked and decorated by Rosemary Yorke‐Johnson the catering manager at school and ably cut up by Zofia Reeves to be shared amongst staff and pupils. Of the six girls four were from Our Lady Queen of Peace, Adur Valley ‐ Mairead Garland, Zofia Reeves, Natalie Cheng and Zoe Batchelor whilst the other two, Daisy and Elizabeth Parker, were part of a set of triplets from St Michael’s, High Salvington. The third Parker, George, is a boy and cannot join them at The Towers! Later in the month Jennie Crick was confirmed at Worth

Unwelcome Visitors Speed Walking

One warm summer day one corner of the fence beside the tennis courts started to turn black when a swarm of bees descended to look for a new home. Swarming is the term used to describe the normal method by which honey bee colonies reproduce. Through swarming a group of bees separate from their single, large honey bee colony and settle elsewhere to form a second colony. Sadly we didn’t really want a bee colony living on the The Juniors who participated in the 2011 Steyning tennis court so a bee keeper walking races were given training on the hip action was called to vacuum them necessary for speed walking. They listened carefully, up into a vax so they could be practised and had great fun on the day but sadly they transported to a more were not speedy enough to win any categories. Better suitable location luck next year!

One More Step Along The Road We Go! Thirty‐one intrepid explorers from years 10 and 11 completed their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Qualifying Expedition during the weekend of 2nd‐3rd July. They braved the wilds of Ashdown Forest, complete with bogs and bears (Winnie the Pooh, to be precise) to walk from Forest Row to Ardingly over two days. In the evening they demonstrated their fantastic camping talents by pitching tents, cooking filling meals and even building a campfire!

Everyone persevered and worked well in their teams to complete their chosen routes – they can be very proud of their huge achievement! Thanks must also be given to the D of E assessors, Towers staff and volunteers who gave up their weekend to help the girls achieve the expedition section of the Award. Activities Day 2011 Anyone visiting The Towers Senior School on Friday June 24th could have been forgiven for thinking that they were aboard the ‘Marie Celeste’ as the only girls in school were Year 10 enjoying a careers day. Year 7 went to Bodiam Castle where they were to be seen peering at carp in the moat, scrambling up spiral staircases, peeking over battlements between the machiolations (alarming Ms Garlick), looking down through murder holes, tiptoeing past snoozing bats in the belfry and trying on extensive amounts of armour (heavy!) Whilst it was an exciting day, they all decided that medieval times were definitely tough times! Year 8 pupils visited Thorpe Park. It was an action‐packed fun day out, commencing with a lesson given by the Thorpe Park Mathematician who explained how mathematics was used to create exciting rides. The girls and teachers were then able to sample these rides and everyone agreed that it was an enjoyable way of bringing maths alive. Year 9 discovered why plants, probably the most important but least appreciated part of Biology, are so vital when they visited Wakehurst Place. The girls studied the effect of woodland management on biodiversity and explored the role of the Millennium Seed Bank in conservation. They developed a greater appreciation of sustainability and plant conservation and produced some fascinating articles based on their visit. Year 10 who stayed behind for their Careers Day took part in a variety of activities which included a role play game called the ‘Be Real Game’, in which they took on the role of a person who has to apply for an appropriate job and then live on the income from that job. They also enjoyed a quiz game based on ‘What’s My Line?’ – which meant that they had to ask questions of our visiting speakers to work out what job they did and this was followed by a relaxation session facilitated by an ex pupil – Vicky Noble who now manages a Lush shop in Maidstone. This session was particularly well received as it not only involved finding out about the ethics of Lush but also meant that they got to try out several products and went home with a bag of goodies!

Available Now From The Website And Main Reception

The Towers...the first 100 Christmas Cards years or so... (Pack of 10) £5 by Sister Mary Andrew

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Any profits from the sale of these books will go to the Blessed Sacrament Sisters' Missions.

Anyone For Tennis? Last year’s Yr 7’s were offered a fantastic opportunity to experience watching and playing tennis at the Eastbourne international Tennis Championships. They received some expert coaching from some Sussex county Coaches and then watched Venus Williams playing on Centre court! The highlight of the day, however, was chasing all of the players for their autographs which could be signed on their newly purchased over sized, large yellow tennis balls!

A New Arrival

Alicia Evelyn Gray arrived in the world on Friday July 8th just as the staff were having lunch before wishing each other a happy and safe summer break. Since then she has grown a little, has been baptised and her mummy has put her name down for the Nursery. How time flies!

Little Canada PGL 2011

At the start of the Summer holidays 40 girls from Year 7 to 11 eagerly travelled to the PGL site on the Isle of Wight for a week of fun, adventure and excitement. Staying in log cabins on the side of a beautiful inlet of The Solent, the girls experienced some fantastic experiences. These included sailing, kayaking, dragon boating, climbing, abseiling, high zip wiring, fencing and a variety of problem solving activities. All of the girls had a tremendous time with each of them conquering new skills and some even overcoming their fears. A great time was had by all and a big thank you to Miss O'Neill for organising the trip and for Mr. Thomas, Mrs Green and Miss Miles for accompanying the intrepid explorers! CYM Candle—July 2011 The Towers Convent School was delighted to be the first school in the diocese from Arundel and Brighton to be able to host the CYM candle stand which was blessed by Pope Benedict on his recent visit to the UK. The symbol‐rich artwork of the Candle Stand tells the story of God’s infinite love and has been adopted as the National Symbol for Catholic Youth Ministry in England and Wales. Each panel of the candle stand inspires reflection and prayer based on incarnation, salvation, Holy Spirit and Youth Ministry. The Senior girls were the first to see the candle stand and listen to an assembly based on each of the panels and then the Junior pupils were able to view and touch the stand. The school was delighted to be able to welcome Ray Mooney, A&B youth advisor, who contributed to the assembly by telling the girls a little detail about the journey of the candle stand as it is taken around to visit every Catholic diocese in the country.

Prize Giving Saturday 23rd June saw girls in Year 11 at The Towers receiving certificates and trophies from Kathryn Rayward, author of the book ‘Cracking Antiques’ and a TV interior designer. Kathryn is an ex‐pupil of The Towers who left in 1989 but who remembered that she was quite naughty and was even chased by Sister Mary Andrew who was wielding a pair of scissors to cut off her ‘rats tails’! However, her message to the girls was to go for your dream and you will get there in the end. The Year 11 pupils looked amazing and enjoyed a lovely day before going off to celebrate at a restaurant in Brighton in an open‐topped bus. Pilgrims Jess Page (class of 2010), Catherine Crick, our outgoing Head Girl, and two current pupils Zoe Batchelor and Jennie Crick spent a week of the summer holiday in Lourdes where they spent their time welcoming the Pilgrims and making their stay more comfortable. All four girls had to fund their stay themselves and give up more than a week of their holiday in order to be helpers, but they all confirmed that the experience was worthwhile and spiritually uplifting. Indeed Zoe and Jennie presented an assembly to the Senior School to try to help them to share the experience. Whilst they were there they met Rev. Cormac Murphy‐O'Connor who was the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton before his appointment as Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster (now retired).

AAAAAmazing! August saw girls, parents and staff celebrating another successful year of GCSE results with every Year 11 pupil gaining five or more passes at grades A* to C including maths, English and science. Most of the girls had taken ten or eleven subjects at GCSE and this year four girls gained all of their subjects at A* or A. As usual these girls had also been heavily involved in many other extra‐curricular activities. Helena Dunlavey not only gained ten A* grades and an A but also had both an Academic and Art scholarship to Lancing College. Helena was also Captain of the Show Jumping Team. Catherine Crick found the time to be Head Girl, Head of Choir and go to Lourdes to help in the Arundel and Brighton annual pilgrimage both this year and last as well as study for her GCSEs. Charlotte Lee has been very involved in local scouts and was selected to attend the Scout Jamboree in Sweden this summer. Lily Tuhey was delighted to discover that her ten GCSEs all at A* and A meant that she had just managed to beat her older sister Sarah (class of 2009). Three other girls gained ten A* and A grades with an eleventh subject at B these were Bethany Kenny, Sophie Standen and Lucy Barnett. All of the girls had cause to celebrate as the results overall were stunning and well‐deserved. What A Team! Year 7 visited the Hindleap Warren centre on Friday 16th September for an action‐packed day of team building activities. The girls began with the ‘Towers Challenge’, using newspaper to build the tallest tower possible in only 30 minutes. One 7 alpha group were the clear winners, constructing an impressively stable structure. We then moved outside to participate in a variety of activities, where the girls worked under the supportive guidance of the centre’s instructors to develop their skills in working as a team. The day ended with the ‘Team challenge’ – a race to collect points through a combination of orienteering and team activities – which was won by 7A. All the staff were impressed by the attitude demonstrated by all the girls; they developed both their leadership and team working skills and participated fully in all the activities.

Another PTA Triumph—September 2011 Despite a very wet start to Saturday the power of prayer was evident when the PTA barn dance and BBQ was able to take place outside on the Sisters' lawn. At least 120 parents and pupils came along to enjoy a fun afternoon in the wind and the sun! Particularly impressive were Mrs Finn, Mrs Hodgkinson, Mrs Vernon and Miss Pope who had spent the morning walking with the Duke of Edinburgh participants on a practice walk and then had the energy to stay on and dance. The furniture, barbeques and marquees all provided by ARM Marquees Ltd (Mr and Mrs Costelloe) added to the success of the event. Thanks to all of the PTA for their hard work. It certainly paid off. This year the PTA events have contributed £9000 to use throughout the school for additional equipment.

European Day

On Tuesday 27th September the Juniors all dressed up in a costume from another country to celebrate the European Day of Languages. They each coloured in a flag and found out how to say hello in other languages. During their French lessons, they shared the languages they knew with their class and learnt a song in Italian, German or Spanish to perform at the end of the day in front of the whole school. The school was lovely and colourful, with children full of the excitement of learning about other countries. Food, Glorious Food Perhaps it was the theme of this year's summer art competition which attracted a record number of entries. Ms Saul and Mrs Hoare were most impressed by the standard and variety of both Junior and Sen‐ ior entries‐ Food was obviously a popular choice! It was very difficult to select winners from all the entries but in the end the four Seniors who received winning certificates were Charlotte and Georgia Walker for their huge cupcake, Ellie Woodley for her sweet shop with its realistic sweets, Abi Sayers for the remark‐ able hands and Lucy Emmanuel for her very clever 3 dimensional reflection. In the Juniors the four se‐ lected were Leanne Shapland for her pasta head, Ellie Holt for her amazing plate of food all made from icing, Ella Sharpe for her study of apples and Tori Fitzpatrick for her stunning collage made up from fruit pictures.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

On Friday 30th September, Year 6 took part in The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, raising an amazing £469 for the MacMillan charity. There was an enormous amount of cakes which were enjoyed by all pupils, from nursery to Year 11, staff and parents. Youthgather 2011

Sunday 2nd October saw not only glorious weather but a very large gathering of people of all ages ready to walk to raise funds for two Charities ‐ Chestnut Tree Hospice and CAFOD. Approximately three hundred people, from parishes and schools throughout the diocese of Arundel and Brighton, gathered at The Towers to join in a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kieran Conry and Father Terry Martin and then join in a sponsored walk along the banks of the river Adur. Prior to the Mass everyone assembled together in a heart shape for a photograph. The walk was led by Ray Mooney, the A&B Youth Advisor, along with Michelle Pope who is one of the Duke of Edinburgh leaders, and who had planned the route, whilst at the rear of the walk were two of the Sisters from the Towers Community – Sister Mary Andrew and Sister Patrick. The walk was approximately 10 miles long and gave the youth of the diocese an opportunity to meet each other and have a ‘heart to heart’ as they walked along. Bishop Kieran and Father Terry both braved the heat and were very happy to see the ice‐cream van at school on their return although the Bishop confessed that he preferred the home‐made soup. Sister Patricia (from the Henfield Blessed Sacrament Community) alone raised £860 and together with all of the other sponsor money we hope that the two charities will benefit enormously from the efforts of these young people.

It’s Planting Time Again!

Friday afternoon was out and about for all of the junior school with weeding, planting all manner of spring bulbs, autumn bedding plants and shrubs in and around the junior grounds or on a scavenger nature hunt for signs, sounds and colours of autumn. Each class had their designated area, plants and tasks to do. All the children had such an enjoyable afternoon outdoors, in the fresh air, learning and having fun!

Harvest Festival The theme of the Junior School Harvest festival this year was colours. The Nursery children made a beautiful rainbow altar frontal and also presented a very different rendition of ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ whilst modelling club produced some wonderful sunflowers for the chapel windowsills. Harvest colours were celebrated through songs including a few old favourites ‘Cauliflowers fluffy and cabbages green’ and ‘Colours of Day’. The choir and its various sub‐sections sang a beautiful and most appropriate harvest hymn entitled ‘Give Thanks’. The remainder of the service contained some lovely elements; poems written by Year 6: an amusing enactment of ‘The Enormous Turnip’ by Reception and Year 1; a percussion piece called ‘Chinese Lanterns’ built on a pentatonic scale composed and performed by Year 4; Joseph and his multicoloured dream‐coat by Year 3; Year 5’s ‘Food Colours’ song which fitted in wonderfully with the theme and a beautifully choreographed angel fish dance presented by Year 2. As usual parents and grandparents were very generous in their contributions and after the service the children collected the produce so that Year 6 were able to run the annual Harvest sale which raised a total of £471.47 to be divided between CAFOD and Chestnut Tree House. (Our local hospice for very sick children)

Master Chef 2011

The Senior girls were able to take part in an inter‐house ‘Master Chef’ competition where the brief was to produce creative and colourful dishes which demonstrated a wide range of skills. They certainly rose to the challenge and the resulting dishes were appetizing and delicious.They worked in pairs and in less than a couple of hours cooked plates of food to delight the palate. All of the girls who took part showed an amazing degree of versatility and creativity. The judges declared the food to be of an exceptionally high standard. Mrs Bowerman claimed that the decisions were so difficult that she simply had to keep tasting over and over again! Once all the scores were tallied there was only one mark between first and second place and one mark between third and fourth, it was a very close competition. The winner was Howard house with chefs Holly Seacombe, Isabella Slater, Ioana Nagy and Yve Slater. Yve and Ioana’s delicious melting chocolate pudding was also placed joint first with Isabella Curd and Kinal Patels’ (More) fantastic chocolate cheesecake. The overall winner for the main course went to sisters Sophie and Lucy Wales (Clitherow) with a very impressive combination of skill, taste and culinary delights in their stilton and spinach stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon served with stuffed mushrooms, potato gratin and spaghetti vegetables. As soon as the Juniors heard about this event they started to plan their very own bake‐off. An inter‐house event that is certain to be repeated as the judges really enjoyed the tastings!

Reunion

Past pupils are warmly invited along to a reunion on the last Sunday of June each year and this year they were delighted to be able to have a super Mass celebrated by our resident priest, Father Tony Lovegrove, followed by a delicious lunch sheltered from the hot sun in a marquee provided by the ARM Marquees. (This company is owned by Mr and Mrs Costelloe who have two daughters who attend the Towers and whose mother, Carole Sturgess, is an ex‐pupil of Walpole Lodge and a school friend of Sister Mary Andrew)

News Of Past Pupils

Mary Whittle, in charge of our Junior School for several years, meets up with Robyn Smith, Head Girl from 1986 – 1987. They are enjoying Towers News in Mary’s house, Garstang, Lancashire, where they both now live. A small world! Sister Mary Andrew Writes...

It was with great sadness that we heard of the untimely death of Charlotte Brenchley who attended The Towers until 1993 and who died on the 12th January most unexpectedly. The months of July and August seem to have touched our past‐pupils in so many ways, with both sadness and joy, in the circle of life. On 21st July, we attended a Memorial Mass for Ada Valmori, in the Italian Church of St. Peter’s in London. A brilliant future seemed to open out before Ada. After having obtained a degree in Economics, she headed her father’s London financial firm. But it was not to be. In June, aged 27 years, after a short illness, Ada died suddenly and unexpectedly. Sisters M.Patrick, Breda, Catherine and Andrew travelled to London to be met by Tamara (Keith) who took them to the church. It was wonderful to see Ada’s classmates who had come to support Dr. and Mrs. Valmori in their sorrow: Rosemary Madubunyi, Rose‐Anne de Leuw, Rachael McGuiness and Caitlin Jones. We had not seen them for eleven years, and were touched by the loyalty of their friendship.

This loyalty was also witnessed at the wedding of Rebecca Greenwood which Sisters Breda, Catherine, and Andrew attended on 30th July in Uckfield church. Present were Lara (Trew), Victoria Walshe, Vanessa (Maddox), Victoria (Caine), Shona (Sibary), Lucy (Darbyshire) and Kirsty (Stennet). Rebecca was radiant. It was a lovely occasion, and one could say a fittingly sonorous one when the bride and groom’s vintage car was followed by fifty Harley Davison motor‐bikes, after the ceremony. Rebecca certainly turned heads in Uckfield!

On 7th August, events came full circle, though in reverse, when Sisters Breda and Andrew attended the Baptism of Michelle (de la Motte’s) little girl, Lila Bleu Rice. This was particularly moving as Michelle and John had lost their first little daughter when she was only three.

It is really touching to know that in joy and sorrow our past‐pupils are supportive of each other – their Towers motto “Semper Fidelis” bearing fruit. Travelling Back In Time Year 6 visited Newhaven fort as part of their history topic. They were able to experience the sights and sounds of World War II on the home front.

In The Pink Senior girls at The Towers Convent School supported cancer research by dressing in pink. This is an annual event at The Towers where Year 11 dress head‐to‐toe in pink and the younger girls simply wear one item of pink ‐ they all bring in a pound. This year we hope to have raised £200. Cancer is a disease which touches the lives of everyone so it is great that the girls can do a little something to show that they care.

Salvete!

Mrs Brenda Webber Mrs Sarah Doyle St.Margeret Clitherow Year 4 Teacher After School Care Assistant Our New House

ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS February 4th 2012 PAST PUPILS AND STAFF REUNION 24th June 2012 OPEN MORNING FOR PROSPECTIVE PARENTS – 13th November 2012

Thank you to many contributions from various staff and pupils. Thank you to all of you who have contributed photos in particular Anna Skepper, Guy Standen and Vivienne Wales.

Registered Charity No.229394