DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017

Dame Alice Owen’s School newsletter Letter from the Head Hannah Nemko

Dear All

Our students have already been getting into the festive spirit with Year 7 and Year 8 linguists Issue highlights… visiting the Cologne Christmas Markets with Cologne Christmas Mrs Wheatley, Mr Stegner, Ms Lord, Mr Lawlor, markets trip page 6 Mrs Friel, Mrs McClean and Mr Titley earlier this month. This wonderful opportunity allowed students to practise their language skills, as well as having the chance to sample chocolates, gingerbread and other festive delicacies! Our Year 12 also ventured abroad, with Mrs Gillingham, on the annual French exchange trip to Vannes to visit our partner school, Lycée Saint Paul. This ever-successful trip allowed our Sixth Formers to fully immerse themselves in the language and culture of France. Although intense, I know that this experience was deeply valued by our students. I would like to thank the MFL department for their tireless efforts to enhance learning with these fantastic Owen’s concerts prove opportunities! huge success page 8

Our Year 12 politics students were offered the chance to visit Parliament by Oliver Dowden MP. On top of exploring the history of the building and the constitution, our students were also lucky enough I must thank the whole staff for the to visit the British Supreme Court commitment they show to helping and listen to MPs debate topics every student, every lesson. I would such as Brexit and the future of also like to thank you, the parent body, Priti Patel. Visits such as these for your support of the school help to consolidate the ethos of Cross country wins and engagement and awareness at sports news page 20 Owen’s, and I am glad to see so many of our students passionate about important issues. Thanks go to Ms Cornejo for organising this visit.

Mrs Joshi and the Computing department have also been busy, with 40 Year 9 students visiting the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park in November. Our students were able to see some of the earliest computers from the 1940s and design their own code. This sparked some real enthusiasm and curiosity, reflected in the overwhelming success we went on to enjoy in the formidable BEBRAS Computational Thinking Challenge. This competition involves logic, problem-solving

Page !1 DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017 and pattern recognition; a particular congratulation must go to Year 7 student, Rufus Jasko, whose score of 194 was the highest in the county! The skill and hard work of all who participated are a testament to the school.

I am also pleased to say that a group of Year 8 and Year 12 students have undergone training to be Science Ambassadors. These students will be volunteering their time in order to engage and enthuse young people in our local primary schools about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and I am proud of the leadership role they are assuming to this end. Thanks go to Mr Friedlander for his role in supporting these students.

We have had another wonderful half term of music thanks to our talented and hard-working students, Mr Werner, Mr Wilson, the fabulous music department and the incredible ensemble directors. We have been kept entertained on many an evening with a wide variety of concerts be they orchestral, chamber or choral; each one was at least as good as the previous.

We are also proud to have known success in our winter sports with a particular mention going to those involved in the District Cross Country, where nine of our 11 teams won! Thank you to Mr Gamester and the entire PE staff who have given so freely of their time to train students and support them in their wider competitions and events. Furthermore, our annual Let’s Dance! competition was a fabulous event, providing a platform for our students to showcase some wonderful routines. Thank you to Miss Martin for organising.

We were also delighted to play host to Peter Tatchell, a world- renowned Human Rights and LGBT campaigner. Peter Tatchell delivered a captivating lecture, discussing his role in the fight for LGBT equality and the challenges facing the next generation. I know that many found this talk deeply inspiring, and reinforced the commitment of the student body to keep Owen’s a progressive and inclusive community. Thanks go to Mr Davies and the LGBT History Society for organising this event.

I would also like to thank all students who participated in the Link to Thanks to Julia Dickinson, who led Hope Shoebox Appeal, led by Julia Dickinson. Together we filled over the students in donating essential 80 boxes with basic essentials, toys, food and other Christmas gifts supplies and Christmas gifts to to be donated and sent to Moldova, where they will be distributed those living in poverty in Moldova. to families and elderly people living in poverty over Christmas. The enthusiasm and generosity of the students continues to be a source of strength for the school and a demonstration of the values we foster.

The term ended on a high with the Winter Play, which this year was a musical-comedy adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night set in 1930s New York. Drawing on influences from Film Noir, this production was as gripping as it was entertaining! I would like to congratulate Ms Govier, the cast, the Tech Crew for all of their hard work in putting this together. A special thank you must extend to Mr Marshall and to Mrs Levy for her expertise and support.

As well as thanking those who have given additionally of their time to help expose our students to opportunities they may not otherwise have had, I must thank the whole staff for the commitment they show to helping every student, every lesson. I would also like to thank you, the parent body, for your support of the school and our young people. Never more is this support seen than through the work of the OSA, our parent body who support the school through their fundraising events; the quizzes they put on as well as the support that they show

Page !2 DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017 through providing refreshments at all of the school concerts, plays, parents’ evenings and alike has helped them to raise a staggering £30,000 for the school since January 2016. This has allowed us to update the facilities in the Sixth Form area as well as to provide additional resources in classrooms for your children to use. Thank you to the OSA as well as to everyone who has attended or contributed towards their events – without you the school would not be able to provide as much as it does.

The end of term brings a few goodbyes to share with you.

It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Mr Wilson who will be returning to Australia for a while before embarking on ventures new. We are delighted that Ms Meik will be joining the Music department to help coordinate much of the extra-curricular timetable and ensure the smooth running of the department.

In PE, we are sorry to lose Ms Baxter, who covered the latter part of Mrs Palfrey’s maternity leave; she will be leaving us now that Mrs Palfrey has returned. We thank her for her dedication and commitment to our sports lessons and teams, and wish her well in her new school.

Similarly, we now say goodbye to Mr Bailey who has done a wonderful job covering for Mrs Nicholades whilst she has been on, and returning from, maternity leave.

After having tried to retire several times but always allowing himself to come back for more, we are finally letting Mr Richards hang up his Google Classroom… at least for a while! We wish him all the best with his retirement plans which have been a long time coming!

Mrs Hillan will also be leaving us as a member of staff whilst she too takes up a new project outside of school. Not quite ready to leave us completely however, we are delighted that she wants to still volunteer with us as a LSA one day a week and we look forward to continuing to work with her in that manner.

Both the SLT and the admin team are sad to be saying goodbye to our SLT Intern, Laura Gisseleire, whose help and support have been invaluable over this last term. We hope to see you back with us soon.

Lastly, we say goodbye to Mrs Wagstaff who is leaving Dame Alice Owen’s for a promotion to Head of Department in another school. We have been so blessed to have worked with Mrs Wagstaff for 12 years. I know that her art students and the wider sixth form with whom she has worked so closely in these last years will miss her input and her warm smile. We are excited that Mrs Wakley will be joining the art department to take over Mrs Wagstaff’s teaching and that Miss McCreight will picking up where Mrs Wagstaff left off with the Sixth Form.

And finally, I would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas, a happy New Year and a restful break. I look forwards to seeing you all again in January! Mrs Nemko

ADMISSIONS ARRANGEMENTS 2019-2020 The Governing Body of Dame Alice Owen’s School will be consulting on our Admissions Arrangements for 2019-20 between 20th November 2017 and 5th January 2018. The proposed arrangements will be available to view on the admissions overview area of the school website from 20th November - www.damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk/admissions

Should you wish to comment on any aspect of these arrangements, please write to Mrs D Coles, Admissions Ofcer by 5th January 2018. email: [email protected]

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Chess club battles Lochinver House in tense match

Chess Club continues to thrive at Owen’s in a play-for-fun, everyone-is-welcome kind of vibe! However, every now and again, we find ourselves in a situation where we play other schools and this has been the case this year.

First, we welcomed Lochinver House School to Owen’s and had a brilliant game with them. Ten Owen’s students competed in two games each and after the first half, we were losing 2½ - 7½. In the second half, we stormed back reeling off four wins in a row but alas, despite a magnificent performance from the students, we lost 9½ - 10½. Here is a slightly out of focus shot of the team (top right).

In early December, a different team entered the National Schools Chess Championships repechage event at ULU. The team featured students across the year groups and they were: Joel Buzzard, Nick Scott, Daniel Goodlad, Jineth Dissanayake, Oscar Siddle and Benjamin Fall.

Daniel was the captain against Lochinver House and in this tournament, he played magnificently winning all three of his games. Sadly we did not get enough points to get through to the next round but it was a brilliant experience for all.

In the first game we beat William Ellis School 5 - 1, then lost 5 - 1 against St. Pauls and then finally lost 4 - 2 to Mossbourne Community Academy. Overall we got 8 points but need 9 points to progress. Pictured right are the happy campers, apart from Joel who had to nip off for a mock interview.

PETER TATCHELL GIVES LUNCHTIME GUEST LECTURE

On Friday 24th November, we were extremely lucky to host a guest lecture by Peter Tatchell who has been one of the leading lights in the struggle for gay rights and human rights both here in Britain and worldwide. The talk was organised by the LGBT History Society, which is an organisation run entirely by students who meet every week to look at History from new perspectives as well as to provide a safe space for LGBT students. We are hugely grateful to them for organising the talk.

The talk itself was incredibly inspiring as Peter Tatchell regaled the audience with stories from his time on the front lines as a protestor for gay rights as well as sharing the amazing stories of when he tried, twice, to perform citizen’s arrests on Robert Mugabe! After the lecture he was kind enough to stay and talk to the members of the LGBT History society and ofer them words of advice on how to help bring about change. Countless students commented on how they found the talk both captivating and inspiring. The talk served as a powerful reminder that we all have a duty to challenge and call out homophobia or prejudice of any kind.

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Young Enterprise teams attend Ware Christmas Fair In mid-December, a handful of Year 12 and Year 10 students, involved in the Young Enterprise cooperation, were fortunate enough to attend the Dickensian Christmas Fair in Ware as stallholders.

At this fair, both Year 12 and Year 10 teams were able to experience first hand the art of successfully selling their products. The Year 12s sold their signature product of cable protectors, along with Yankee candles and offered the service of decorating your own Christmas bauble; while the Year 10s sold a range of Christmas decorations and sweets.

The night was definitely a success for the teams as not only did they make a significant profit but individuals learnt and developed their sales and communication skills, with the Year 12 team winning the Business Acumen Award. Year 12 team members Rebecca Pedrithes and Demi Sobowale also won the award for Stars of the Night. Moreover, the experience advocated the importance of teamwork and division of labour.

The fair has been an eye opener for the Year 12 team on how to develop their company and product – by improving the packaging of their product and providing the services of Secret Santa bundles which included their handy cable protectors, chocolates and candles, all for £5. This made them perfect for students to buy for their Secret Santa’s within forms at school.

BOOK CLUB HOSTS ORIGAMI CHRISTMAS CRAFT SESSION By Mrs S Compton, Librarian

The Book Club’s end of term event this December was a lunchtime craft session led by Mrs Barbor, a parent, who held a Christmas Origami workshop. Mrs Barbor demonstrated how to make origami baubles to give Christmas decorations a personal touch.

Students and parents are reminded that the Library has books on arts and crafts, including origami, which can be borrowed.

If you are clearing out good quality books after Christmas feel free to contact me if you would like to donate them to the school for use in the Library, or classroom boxes: [email protected]

Please email or phone frst as we do not have extra storage space.

I would also like to thank the valiant band of volunteers who help to keep the Library running smoothly.

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Years 7 & 8 visit Cologne and its Christmas Markets

By Mrs Wheatley

On Thursday 7th December at 10pm, 113 eager pupils and 13 accompanying adults boarded two coaches – destination Cologne!

After a fairly sleepy night on the coaches, an uneventful journey through the Tunnel and across France and Belgium, we arrived at Cologne Cathedral at 9am ready to begin our day of adventures.

First stop, an exhausting climb to the top of the Cathedral tower – some 500 winding steps – to experience the amazing view across Germany. The weather was clear and skies were blue, so it was well worth the climb and the aching calf muscles. Inside the Cathedral, pupils admired the traditional crib scene, the amazing Advent Crown and the beautiful stained glass windows.

Some free time for shopping and snacking in the pedestrianised area was followed by a walk along the river to the Chocolate Museum to see how Lindt make their traditional Christmas chocolate Santas and other goodies.

Back along the river to board our luxury cruise ship with a sit down meal of traditional schnitzel and cheesy Christmas entertainment, topped off with our pupils on stage singing

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Jingle Bells and each being rewarded with a chocolate Santa of their own. As night fell, the city lights came on to give us an enchanting view of the monuments of Cologne.

Next it was time for the Christmas Markets. Crowded but great fun to browse and buy, pupils had the chance to fill their bags with traditional German goodies to bring home. We were more than ready by the time the coaches collected us at 9pm.

Narrowly avoiding the travel chaos of the next day, when traffic ground to a halt and ferries ran onto sandbanks, our own journey was relatively calm (barring some very seasick pupils – hats off to our brilliant Sixth Formers who were amazing in dealing with a horrible mess…!) We arrived back at 8am, ready for a couple of days’ sleep in our own beds. Never have we been so grateful for a snow day!

Many thanks to you for letting your children travel with us for this fantastic opportunity, and even more thanks are due to the amazing staff and Sixth Form team who came with me.

YOUNG POETS TACKLE ‘FREEDOM’ FOR COMPETITION The Library held a National Poetry Day competition where students were asked to write a poem based on the theme Freedom. There were many excellent entries of a very high standard which made the judging very difcult, but we are delighted to announce that the winners were:

Year 7: 1st: Athina Michael, 2nd: Yuana Hiroigrant, 3rd: Zoe Dewberry

Year 8: 1st: Mollie Mardel

Year 9: 1st: Ranjana Ram

The following students were highly commended: Hope Baker, Arthur Bloyce, Eloise Eisenberg, Akshata Jain, Shivani Mahan and Jaiden Patel. The following students were commended: Tej Balachandran, Hannah Crabbe, Alice Hardy, Max Hirschkorn, Grace Huckstep, Tifany Jones, Ben Mansfeld, Izzy Milton, Kamran Mosahebi and Emilia Pantelides.

Congratulations to all, very well done. Certifcates and prizes can be collected from the Library.

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NEWS FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT Over 200 students take part in two Chamber Concerts

The Autumn Term season of concerts at Owen’s got off to a wonderful start with two highly enjoyable Chamber Concerts, featuring over 200 pupils from across all year groups in the school. The programmes for these concerts presented a wonderful mix of small and large school ensembles, alongside solo, duet and trio performances.

The Senior Chamber Concert on Wednesday 8th November featured the Trumpet Ensemble, Advanced Flute Ensemble, String Quartets from Year 12 and Year 13, Year 11 String Trio, Year 11 Vocal Quartet, Trombone Ensemble, Senior Clarinet Ensemble and even a ‘Matilda’ Ensemble, formed by four vocalists in Year 10.

The Junior Chamber Concert (pictured here) on Wednesday 15th November featured the Drumming Group, Cello Ensemble, Junior Clarinet Ensemble, Junior Brass Ensemble, Year 9 Piano Ensemble, Flute Choir, a vocal trio, Acoustic Guitar Ensemble, Junior Percussion Ensemble and Junior Saxes. Many of the performers were taking part in their first-ever Owen’s concert, and everyone played superbly well.

The level of accomplishment, self-discipline, and commitment that our young musicians display continues to be an inspiration to us all – not to mention the enjoyment of and passion that they share!

CHANGE OF DATE: CONCERTO CONCERT IN MARCH 2018 Please note, the previously advertised date for the Concerto Concert in March 2018 has changed. The Concerto Concert will now take place on Tuesday 27th March at 7.30pm in the Edward Guinness Hall. Please adjust your diaries accordingly. Thank you.

Page !8 DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017 Stunning performances enjoyed at Orchestral Concert

With standing room only in a sold-out Edward Guinness Hall, the Orchestral Concert was an outstanding success.

The concert programme featured Second Orchestra, Senior Strings, Junior Strings and Symphony Orchestra (pictured right), totalling over 200 of Owen’s youngest, oldest and finest musicians.

In an evening full of highlights, special mention goes to the superb jazz flair of Second Orchestra’s ‘The Children of Sanchez’, featuring Claudio Gaete, the high level of technical accomplishment displayed by Senior Strings in their performance of Bartok’s ‘Divertimento for Strings’, Junior Strings’ beautiful world premiere of a piece composed by Year 8 pupil, Alice Profitt, and Symphony Orchestra’s absolutely incredible performance of Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein.

There was also a special thank you given at the end of the concert to Scott Wilson, who sadly leaves us as Director of Instrumental and Vocal Studies at the end of this term.

A huge congratulations to all pupils who performed, to all the conductors and ensemble tutors, to all of the Music department staff who helped in the organisation of the concert and to all the school staff who supported on front of house and backstage.

Owen’s choirs hit the high notes at Choral Concert

Dame Alice Owen’s was in excellent voice in the school’s ever popular Choral Concert, which this year featured a staggering 250 pupils from Years 7 to 13.

The programme included performances from all four of the school’s fantastic choirs: Junior Choir, Junior Chamber Choir, Senior Mixed Choir and Senior Chamber Choir, along with the superb Close Harmony Group.

The quality of singing was breathtaking, with many parents and staff commenting on how uplifting and heartwarming they felt the evening had been. Many of the songs chosen featured soloists and small groups of singers, with a mix of both intimate and upbeat items, in pop, folk, classical and modern styles. It was great to see the much loved Music department handbells making an appearance too!

Congratulations to all the pupils who took part, to the choral directors, Mr Werner, Ms Jenkins, Ms Makepeace- Lott, and to Mr Thompson, for his wonderful accompanying.

Thanks also to Mrs Acosta, Mr Grimstead, Mr Wilson, Mrs Hughes and Mr Fry for supporting front of house and backstage.

Page !9 DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017 Wind, Brass & Percussion Concert brings festive cheer

Our last concert of the term brought with it masses of festive spirit and excitement, featuring performances from Concert Band (pictured bottom left), Second Band (pictured right), Senior Sax Ensemble, Senior Brass Ensemble (pictured bottom right), Double Reed Ensemble and Senior Percussion Ensemble.

As well as Concert Band’s stunning array of Christmas hats, the percussion players of Second Band brought a carnival atmosphere to the evening, making their entrance by playing and walking down the aisles of the Edward Guinness Hall. Other highlights included arrangements of Over the Rainbow, The Simpsons Theme and Scarborough Fair.

The playing was of an impressive standard, reflecting the many hours of dedicated practice and commitment put in by all the performers and ensemble directors. Our thanks to everyone involved for such a celebration of wind, brass and percussion!

Farewell to two members of the Music department

We say a sad but very fond goodbye to two members of the Music department this term. Ms Murphy, who has been teaching bassoon, clarinet and saxophone, is leaving us to have her first child – due just in time for Christmas. We wish her and her family all the very best and thank her for all her work in nurturing, encouraging and supporting our young woodwind players.

We also sadly say goodbye to Scott Wilson, Director of Instrumental and Vocal Studies. Mr Wilson joined DAOS eight years ago in the newly-created post of Head of Percussion. Through his dedication, drive and determination, he transformed the school’s percussion department and has been an inspirational teacher to many pupils at the school. As Director of Instrumental and Vocal Studies, he has worked tirelessly to lead and support the development of the Music department and to maintain the excellence of the extra-curricular programme. Inclusivity and achievement have always been at the centre of all that Mr Wilson has contributed to pupils, colleagues and the school, and we thank him for all of his hard work and commitment. We will miss his signature “Good on ya”! Page 10! DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017

NEWS FROM THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Year 9 pupils enjoy The Woman in Black theatre trip

On Tuesday 17th October, a group of 50 Year 9 students and five staff members attended The Fortune Theatre to see the play The Woman in Black.

Our study of the Gothic Horror genre is supplemented with reading a range of stories from Gothic writers and the theatre visit is an additional extra. This is a very popular annual event on the school calendar and is always oversubscribed. The atmosphere was chilling and shouts of fear could be heard across the theatre, both in the stalls and in the dress circle, which housed our students. Once again, a fantastic experience for all who attended and an added bonus was when the lead actor, James Byng, appeared from the stage door and posed for a picture with our students.

Thanks to Mrs Davighi, Ms Chan, Mrs Lange and Ms Choudhuri who accompanied Mrs Friel on the trip. Dickens’ A Christmas Carol captivates students

As further enrichment to the Year 9 curriculum, we welcomed Ginificent Theatre Company to DAOS in December with their wonderfully accurate performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It has become an annual treat for Year 9 students, whilst studying this Dickens masterpiece, to experience a performance which is so close to the original text that their understanding and appreciation of literature is enabled.

Even with the obstacle of a mishap in their morning performance at a neighbouring school, where their speaker refused to work, our wonderful Tech Crew were on hand to ensure we would not be disappointed. With a stunning cinematic soundscape and imaginative set, students were transported, chapter by chapter, through Dickens’ literary genius. The actors captivated the audience with their swift change of costumes and faithful presentation of the characters, even adding some humour, just as Dickens wished!

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NEWS FROM THE MFL DEPARTMENT Year 12 pupils make annual exchange trip to Vannes By Mrs Gillingham, Head of French

In November I accompanied the Year 12 students on our annual exchange to our partner school, Lycée Saint Paul in Vannes. It was our turn to visit France on the first leg, with our French partners returning in February next year. On both the outward and return legs, we somehow had managed to reserve a carriage to ourselves! On arrival in Paris, despite the crowds on a very busy Saturday, we managed to negotiate the metro with relative ease.

Somewhat apprehensive upon arrival in Vannes, the students were delighted to finally meet their exchange partners. The weekend was spent ‘en famille' and then on Monday came the shock of starting school at 8am! I must admit, our students managed to cope magnificently well with the early school starts! Two days were spent in the school following a typical curriculum. The school day is much longer than ours, starting at 8 in the morning, and for some students, not finishing until 5.40 in the evening.

When not at school, we visited the lovely town of Nantes, discovering the historic sites, and visited Vannes and its busy, bustling market. By the end of the stay, the students had gained so much more confidence in both their speaking and listening skills. May I thank both Aminata the French assistant for her invaluable help and our students for their exemplary behaviour during our week away.

Here are the thoughts of Aoife Hayes 12RT, Maya Szaniecki 12OCG, Genevieve Kenney-Dwyer 12LW/LJG and Eve Rhodes 12OCG on their week in Vannes.

Year 12 trip to Vannes

From the 11th to the 17th November we took part in a French exchange with Lycée St Paul, in a small town called Vannes, in Brittany. It was an amazing opportunity to experience another culture and practise our language skills, which we can honestly say really improved throughout the week.

Twice during the week we had the chance to go into a French school and sit in lessons. We attended various classes from philosophy and economics to French and English. Despite being slightly daunting at first, it was great to get an insight into what school is like in France, and how different it is to our system. We also had day trips to Nantes and Vannes. In the local town of Vannes, we experienced an authentic French market and some of us were even brave enough to practise our French bartering.

We had a chance to explore Nantes, visiting an impressive castle that had a slide attached to one side, running straight into the moat. (Though unfortunately it was too cold to slide down!) During our explorations, we managed to find a lovely little creperie and indulged in this gorgeous French delicacy. At the end of each day we spent time with our exchange families, which was great for us to immerse ourselves in French culture.

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We all did lots of different activities such as eating out at traditional French restaurants, visiting nearby beaches, going out with our exchanges and their friends and going along to their extracurricular clubs.

The whole experience gave us more confidence in our French and allowed us to learn a lot, whilst also having an extremely fun week. We want to thank Mrs. Gillingham for organising such a fantastic trip and Aminata for all her help during the visit, as well as the French school and families for being so welcoming during our stay. Year 11 students attend language masterclasses

In December, ten of our Year 11 linguists attended an afternoon of masterclasses in French, German and Spanish at St Albans High School for Girls. The masterclasses allowed students to gain insight into a range of topics such as Violence and Beauty in French Cinema, German Identity and Cultural Difference in the Past and Today, and Poema Conjectural by Jorge Luis Borges. These sessions not only appealed to the students’ linguistic abilities but also to their cultural understanding.

Later on, our students enjoyed taster sessions in Arabic, Linguistics, Mandarin and Russian and had the opportunity to sample international food such Russian blinis, Chinese fortune cookies and German pretzels with non-alcoholic beer.

Students who are studying or have studied languages at university held a Q&A session highlighting the incredible opportunities languages offer, such as exploring how other people think and live, as well as the chance to acquire invaluable skills in all fields of employment. Many thanks to Ms Möller for organising our attendance at this event and special thanks to Mr Simpson who volunteered to drive the minibus.

NEWS FROM THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT KS3 History Club enjoy a historical Christmas banquet

KS3 History Club hosted a historical Christmas banquet on Wednesday 13th December. Students across Years 7, 8 and 9 attended as famous individuals from the past and bought in a dish associated with the time and country of their individual. It was a festive lunchtime and the students put in tremendous time and effort into making it a success.

Various teachers across the school were invited by the students, including their History teachers and Mrs Nemko. They met the Wright Brothers (Mairead and Shreya) who brought in American hotdogs and homemade cookies. Max came dressed in an excellent pharaoh hat, and he and Jacob brought sweet treats from Ancient Egypt, made with an authentic ancient recipe. Daniella and Athina impressed in their brilliant costumes, whilst Mia’s grandmother’s Indian snacks were the star of the meal and incredibly delicious! David made a very effective homemade Greek crown, while Thomas, Nayan and Rakesh brought in yummy sweet treats.

There was fun, laughter, and of course Christmas music, with Ms McClean saying it was the highlight of her school year! A massive well done to all those students involved and we look forward to hosting another excellent banquet next year.

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NEWS FROM THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Year 9 pupils visit Bletchley Park’s computing museum

In November, a group of 40 Year 9 students visited The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.

It was enlightening to see exactly how computers have evolved, from the very first hand-wound calculator to the present day. The main attraction was the Colossus – one of the first computers ever made that was used in World War 2. We got to see famous computers such as W.I.T.C.H, the oldest original digital computer, along with explanations on how they worked, why they were built and got a demonstration of them. We also had a go at doing some coding of our own, creating a Snake game using BBC computers.

This is a great trip to go on if you’re thinking of doing Computer Science for GCSE, or if you just want to learn things about computers and have a good time!

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The students of DAOS undertook an exciting competition in November in the form of the BEBRAS Computational Thinking Challenge. It involved a series of questions which made them think out of the box and use logical thinking processes. As a school we did fantastically well and I’m hoping that a number of our students will rank in the top 10 per cent of the country and will represent the school in the next round in March.

Year 7: Congratulations to Rufus Jasko who scored 194 – the highest in Hertfordshire, and Luca Adams, Sonia Speight & Rio Starling who scored 160 and above.

Year 8: Congratulations to: Pieter Biela Silva, Natalie Kuper, Maria He, Aaron Patel & Andrew Lockett who scored over 150.

Year 9: Congratulations to Guilietta Alvis, Simone Balakrishna and Oliver Crofts for the highest scores in Year 9.

Year 10: Congratulations to Luca Choteborsky, Grainne Scully & Safia Safdar who scored over 150.

Year 11: Congratulations to Sebastian Kreutz- Wellsted who scored a maximum of 200 and Sam Harrison with 178.

NEWS FROM THE MATHS DEPARTMENT Sixth Formers take on the Senior Maths Challenge By Nick Scott, Year 12

On 7th November, 125 Sixth Formers, and one person from Year 11, had the exciting opportunity to take part on the Senior Maths Challenge (the SMC). This national competition consists of 25 challenging multiple-choice questions, and we had 90 minutes to answer as many as possible. I found the time pressure quite tough but definitely enjoyed myself because most of the problems were very interesting and often required unconventional approaches.

Several weeks later, on 1st December, the two second rounds took place: the Senior Kangaroo and the first round of the British Mathematical Olympiad (the BMO1). My score in the SMC enabled me, along with five other students, to progress to the BMO, which lasts three and a half hours and has just six questions. Full written solutions are required and emphasis is placed on proof. I managed to answer five questions. There is also an even more difficult round, known as the BMO2, in January.

I really enjoyed my experience with this competition because it features very different styles of questions to those covered in school, for example geometry and number theory. Also, the focus on proof and mathematical rigour really appealed to me; I think that the fact that incorrect deductions and inferences are heavily penalised has helped me to improve my logical and communication skills. I would definitely recommend it to any aspiring young mathematicians, and I hope to take part again next year.

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NEWS FROM THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT Year 13 students find inspiration at Biology in Action

On Thursday 16th November, 55 Year 13 students travelled into central London to attend this year’s Biology in Action at the Emmanuel Centre. The day involved a series of talks from scientists on cutting-edge research as well as hints and tips about exams. Some of our students reviewed the talks.

From Genome to Clinic – tales from the oesophagus was a really interesting talk, especially as an aspiring physician. Surgeon Tim Underwood began with a patient story, which really put his explanations of the science behind what he does into a more human context, showing how impactful medical research is. He then talked about the high mortality rates of oesophageal cancer, and even showed us some footage of surgery. Something I found really interesting was that his research focused on linking ecology and human biology together; usually ecology and cancer cells aren’t usually associated together, but the fact that we could use ideas from ecology to target certain cells and components in a malignant tumour was really quite astounding! By Daniel Ly

Do you smell what I smell? – the genetics of our chemical senses was a talk about our sense of smell and why it is so important. Geneticist Darren Logan began by talking about how a genetic test is able to predict if you would like or dislike certain flavours like parma violets (although predicting our perception of complex

flavours like Marmite isn’t possible yet). He also talked about how your sense of smell is useful predictor of your overall health – loss of sense of smell is one of the first symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in some patients and is correlated with many other diseases. I thought the medical implications of this were really interesting – one of the biggest problems with treating many diseases is at the time of diagnosis a lot of damage has already been done, so a patient’s loss of smell could be a very useful diagnostic tool especially as more early stage treatments are found. By Alice Chernaik

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With ‘fake news’ being named word of the year by Collins Dictionary, the talk Why anti-GMO activists are the climate change deniers of the left could not be more topical. Mark Lynas, a former anti-GMO activist spoke initially of how he was against the use of GMOs, however upon being challenged on his views, he looked into the research and realised he was wrong. He then went onto explain how genetically modified crops such as drought resistant maize could be used in Tanzania to provide food for those affected by droughts. He later went on to explain that the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) consensus on GMOs is that they’re harmless. He compared this to the fact that the same institution believes that humans have caused climate change and that there is no reason why one can agree with them on one point but not on the other as both statements were conclusive of numerous scientific investigations. As a result he concluded that in the current age people have rejected the views of experts, shown through presidential election in the US and the Brexit referendum, without any reason other than that they don’t like the outcome. By Cian Bell

As an aspiring researcher in this field of knowledge, I was utterly intrigued by the lecture presented by Professor Nessa Carey. Her presentation entitled Why DNA is not your destiny was extraordinarily fascinating and seemed to capture the attention of everybody in the room; she spoke of concepts surrounding the pioneering field of epigenetics and why we are not necessarily predetermined by our genome. The theme of 'nature vs nurture' was a prominent topic throughout her talk, which linked to and was supported by various scientific studies, such as inheritance of behaviour in mice from previous conditioning of the mother, and examples of epigenetic related diseases such as Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman's syndrome. As well as providing examples, Carey informed us of the science behind these phenomena, speaking of processes of DNA methylation, various histone modifications, and 'parent of origin' markers. Of course, the short time of 40 minutes did not allow for the detail of such mechanisms, but it was entirely sufficient to grasp the attention of myself and others around me, and served as a great encouragement to learn further about the incredible field of epigenetics. By Abi Clark

YEAR 7 GET CREATIVE WITH CELLS AND ORGANS CAKES, MODELS AND DANCE

Miss Kent’s Year 7 science group have been very busy with their second topic, Cells and Organs. They have applied their knowledge of organelles to specialised cells and made models of lots of types of cells that exist in animals and plants. I was so impressed with their creativity – we had a red blood cell rap performed with a dance, a plant cell cake, a root hair cell cookie, two hand- sewn stufed toys of a neuron and root hair cell and plant leaves masquerading as chloroplasts! They then practised their critiquing and peer assessed each other’s models for levels of detail and accuracy. Well done class 7T!

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NEWS FROM THE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT Year 9 students complete engineering masterclasses

Congratulations to Year 9 pupils Oliver Crofts, Nabilah Ahmed, Huan Xi, David Sleeman, Ashta Barbor, Sean Huang, Aidan Lee and Samuel Meakes for completing the prestigious Royal Institution Masterclasses in Engineering this term at Leonardo in Luton. The classes took place on Saturday mornings over a period of six weeks during October and November with the aim of bringing engineering to life through a range of interesting topics.

In summing up their time in the classes, Ashta said: “This course was about a future in engineering, whether it be mechanical, electrical or aeronautical engineering. There were many opportunities to review different sectors of engineering and to have a taster of what kind of thinking is needed to become part of this growing job sector.

There were a huge variety of activities that encompassed many aspects of the career; for example, one session had us design a cone for an electrical speaker to create the best balance of volume and projection, whilst another had us make our own purely mechanical Enigma machine. Fun, inspiring and educational, the course encouraged us to question the world around us and to think differently.”

NEWS FROM THE ART DEPARTMENT

STUDENTS TO COMMEMORATE HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY Plans are well underway to commemorate the SACRE Trust Holocaust Memorial Day in 2018. Year 9 pupils have been creatively designing and making shoes from clay, wire and mod-roc inspired by artists such as Jenny Stolzenberg. We look forward to hosting the event with students and teachers across Hertfordshire on the 24th January 2018 where a display of the artwork will held in the Art block. In addition, there will be poetry readings, and performances from music and drama. We look forward to celebrating the work of all involved.

Artist from left to right: Nabilah Ahmed, Mei Laleye, Oliver Hurrey, Eleanor Rayner, Eliza Hogermeer. Mod-roc shoes by: Trevor Zhao and Zane Nyenke (top left) Emma Hibbert (top right) Wire Sculptures (left) by: Selin Ibrahim and Ranjana Ram

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NEWS FROM THE FOOD & TEXTILES DEPARTMENT Sixth Formers attend a fashion workshop at the V&A

By Mrs Cerny, Head of Food and Textiles

On Monday 4th December Year 12 & 13 textiles students had the opportunity to take part in a bespoke Fashion and Textiles workshop at the V&A Museum in London. The workshop challenged students to answer a contemporary design brief delivered by practising knitwear designer, Juliana Sissons.

The day began in the design studio preparing fashion mannequins with pattern paper and masking tape to produce a base to use for their 3D fashion modelling. Students then had the chance to explore the Medieval & Renaissance galleries for inspiration and had time to explore the shapes, forms and textures found in the medieval objects on display.

Back in the design studio, students were encouraged to experiment freely with a selection of materials to create a loose paper toile that was based on the inspiration from the galleries. Students had a fantastic time creatively experimenting with a range of paper materials.

At the end of the session the mannequins were positioned to create a fantastic fashion line up. The creations were then cut off the mannequins so that the students could wear the individual pieces! As always, it was a pleasure to take the students out of school. They were all totally engaged in all of the activities and the staff at the V&A commented on the wonderful behaviour and level of creativity and enthusiasm of the students.

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NEWS FROM THE PE DEPARTMENT

Owen’s teams enjoy District Cross Country success

There have been multiple successes for Dame Alice Owen’s School in terms of Cross Country. In the district champs the Year 7, 8, Senior girls and Year 8, 9, 10 and Senior boys all finished first as a team, with the Year 7 boys finishing third and Year 9 girls finishing second meaning that Dame Alice Owen’s was the overall winner of the District Championships. Individual wins for Freya Stapleton (Senior girl, Year 10), Niamh Keohane (Year 7) and Harry Roberts (Year 7). Well done to all.

In addition, three teams consisting of Year 7 and 8 girls and Year 9 and 10 boys and girls made it through to the regional English Schools Cross Country Cup at Verulamium Park, St Albans. The event is a team event with the aim to score the lowest amount of points with your first four runners. The junior girls were first up with Aimi Weightman leading in the rest of team made up of Roisin Keohane, Maisie O’Shea, Evie Wootton, Niamh Keohane and Alice Banks.The juniors ran exceptionally well and have made it through to the National finals.

Following the Juniors success, it was the turn of the inter girls, with an individual win by Freya Stapleton and Hannah Wootton and Honey Millard-Clothier finishing in the top ten it was hard to see the inter girls not qualifying. With Katie Lloyd, India Jordan Jones and Sophie Mulcahy all having fantastic runs, they joined the junior girls on Saturday 25th November for the English Schools National Final, at Sevenoaks School in Kent.

The last race of the day was the inter boys, which had very strong opposition. The team Will Gallo, Finn Maccarthy, James Allison, George Bayley, Liam Finnegan, Ash Fowkes-Gajan all had exceptional runs but unfortunately finished in 4th place narrowly missing out on qualifying with the top three schools going through to the final.

The National Final was a fantastic day and saw great runs by all the girls! We are extremely proud of you and your performance on the day. You did yourself and the school proud!

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TERM HIGHLIGHTS FOR DAOS SPORTS TEAMS…

GIRLS TEAMS Year 7 Hockey – The Year 7 girls have shown real enthusiasm for hockey as they embark upon this secondary school sport, despite many of them not having played before. They have trained with commitment and made great progress as a result, particularly several girls who have made their debut in goal. The A & B teams played six matches between them against experienced teams, with one win, one draw and four losses. However, they have only narrowly lost these matches with a very low goal diference. I am certain that as they gain more experience of the game, positional play and get used to playing with one another, these results will begin to go in our favour.

Thank you girls for attending training with such a keen and positive attitude. Good luck in the second half of the season with the return of Mrs Palfrey. Mrs Baxter

Year 7 Netball – The Year 7s have made a fantastic start with winning nearly 80 per cent of their games, only losing narrowly on the Saturday morning fxtures. The attendance to training was fantastic at the start of term but has started to drift as the Christmas holidays have arrived. After a well-deserved rest training will recommence and I hope to see all girls back at training.

Year 8 Hockey – The Year 8 girls had a great start to the season travelling away to a friendly tournament at St Edmunds, which they went on to win. Unfortunately, since then, the girls have struggled to score and inevitably the defence has eventually buckled under the sustained pressure. This has resulted in three losses in subsequent matches. However, the girls continue to train with fantastic commitment and are slowly beginning to adjust to the full pitch and 11 aside game. This is always a challenging transition and can take a long time to adapt.

Well done to all the girls. Thank you for being such a keen and dedicated bunch of hockey players. It has been a pleasure to work with you this term and I wish you all the best of luck for the second half of the season with the return of Mrs Palfrey. Mrs Baxter

Year 9 Netball – The Year 9 Netball teams have been fantastic this half term, playing both after school and Saturday morning fxtures. The teams have had some fantastic scores with the best being nearly a 20-point goal diference.

However, the girls have struggled with lots of other commitments and injuries to always play to the level they are capable of. We will continue to develop in the second half of the season and look to continue with lots of wins.

Year 11 Netball – The Year 11 girls have had a fantastic frst half of the season. They kicked it of with a brilliant County Tournament on Saturday 23rd September. They enjoyed a strong start to the day, winning two and drawing one of their six matches. However, they then lost to some very experienced and well drilled Netball teams comprising of many Club and County players. Since then, they have gone on to win all of their District matches convincingly with some outstanding results and goal diference.

It has been a pleasure to work with you girls and I am sure that you will continue to enjoy a successful season with the return of Mrs Palfrey, particularly with an increased commitment to training. Good Luck!

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BOYS TEAMS Year 7 Football – The year 7 football team have gained some incredible form in recent weeks with the Year 7 B Team reaching the Semi Final and the A Team reaching County Cup Quarter Finals.

Year 7 Rugby – The boys have made massive improvement throughout the Saturday fxtures this half term and we have been incredible impressed with the amount of boys attending training each week with new players coming each week.

Year 8 Football – The boys have done superbly to reach the district cup semi-fnal after winning our District Group and playing some incredible football along the way. We are looking forward to getting going with Saturday fxtures after Christmas.

Year 9 Football – The boys have worked hard and had a lot of success so far this season. They have made it through to the quarter fnal of the County Cup after two convincing wins. They convincingly beat Bushey Meads 7-0 and then Rickmansworth 8-2. In the National Cup, the team managed to reach the last 64 in the competition which was further than they have achieved in their previous two years. Unfortunately we were drawn against the prestigious Whitgift school and battled hard but lost. The boys can be proud of their season so far, attention will now turn to the County and District Cups.

Year 9 Rugby – The Year 9 rugby team had a mixed season. They won four out of their fve Saturday matches with wins over Enfeld Grammar, Beaumont, Sir John Lawes and Sandringham. Unfortunately the boys lost against a strong Hemel Hempstead in the County Cup. Thanks must go to Phil Aspinall who worked alongside Mr Nolan with the team. He gave up a lot of his time and coached the boys extremely well. Next year the target will be to compete for the County Cup.

Year 10 Football – After battling through four rounds of the ESFA National cup, which were all away including the last round in Chippenham. The boys have qualifed for the last 32 in the competition. In the County cup, the boys are into the last 16 and are due to play Kings Langley school in the next round after Christmas.

Year 10 Rugby – The boys have made an improvement this year in their game play and it’s nice to see some new faces playing this year. In the County cup the boys narrowly lost to a good Hockerill Anglo-European College side. Good efort this year by the boys and especially with a small squad of players.

LET’S DANCE! COMPETITION SHOWCASES PUPILS’ ROUTINES

Our annual Let’s Dance! competition took place in December.

Congratulations to Lucy McClean and Amber Kotey (Year 9 and Year 7) who won with a street dance. Year 8 student Isla Baillie came 2nd with a contemporary dance and Marlene Bucher and Isabelle Young in Year 7 who came 3rd with their contemporary dance. Very well done to all competitors involved.

Miss Martin, Mr Dugan and Miss Choudhuri had the difcult task of judging the talented entries from Years 7 to 9.

Many thanks to Miss Martin who arranged the event for students and special thanks to Mr Dugan for not only judging but compering the event as well.

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NEWS FROM THE OSA

The OSA have enjoyed a very successful 2017, raising over £30,000 for the School. Contributions were made to the new Sixth Form Common Room and also to a large number of departmental resources that the School would not have been able to afford otherwise. The Quiz Nights were again very well attended and enjoyed by all. The Summer Fete was also a huge success with many people attending for the first time. We would like to thank the Committee and all of you who have helped out at School productions and concerts or who have attended or otherwise supported OSA events in 2017. We look forward to your continued support in 2018. Glenn Taylor & Kate Macintosh, Co-chairs

Autumn Quiz Night – We are delighted to report that there was an excellent attendance at Autumn Quiz Night on Saturday 11th November. There was a great turn out and it was a fun evening with parents, teachers and Sixth Formers showing what they were made of. Yet again this event raised much needed funds for the School which will be used to purchase books and equipment to enhance the children’s education.

A huge thank you to all members of the OSA who work tirelessly to bring our whole School community together and fundraise for the School. Special thanks to Simi Shah for coordinating this event so seamlessly, Mike Thorpe for the quiz questions, Tony Vourou for being the evening’s quizmaster and to our Sixth Formers and Tech Crew for all their help.

Fund Raising – Remember shopping online via the Easy Fund Raising website is a great way to make money for the school without any extra cost to yourself. Just go to www.easyfundraising.org.uk/ and select Owens School Association as your charity. For those thinking about holidays, lots of travel companies take part in the scheme.

Refreshments – The OSA serve drinks and snacks at about 40 events a year, mostly concerts

Page 23! DAME ALICE OWEN’S SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2017 and Parents’ Evenings. If you are able to help with drinks at any of these this and next term please email Sally-Ann at [email protected].

Book Covers – Book covers are available for sale during the year and an order form can be found on the OSA website, www.theosa.org.uk. Alternatively, a paper copy of the order form can be found in a yellow folder in the OSA box. Please mark any envelopes ‘book cover order’.

Match Funding – If you are employed by a company that is able to offer matched funding and would like to make a donation to Owen’s School Association, please contact [email protected].

200 Club – The OSA operate a Lottery Style 200 club with two £50 prizes are drawn per month, often with an extra draw taking place in December. Annual membership is £12 per number. For further details please contact Bev King via [email protected].

School Uniform – Should your son/daughter have outgrown any of their old school uniform please donate it. Good quality previously owned school uniform is available throughout the year by contacting Julia Clews. School uniform will be available to purchase at Parents’ Evenings. All items are carefully displayed and priced reasonably. Payment can be made by cash or cheque (payable to Owen’s School Association). Of course, all funds raised go back to the school. Stock is made up of donations and uncollected items of lost property stored in the school office at the end of each academic year.

Donations of good quality items can be handed into the school office, in a suitable bag, labelled for the attention of Julia Clews "OSA Nearly New", throughout the year or look out for the red wheelie bin, in the entrance hall.

OSA website – The OSA have launched their new website at www.theosa.org.uk. Please do take a look!

A big thank you to Jay Ahmed, a parent who volunteered to put the new website together and to everyone who helped with the development. The OSA continues to add content and make improvements and would very much welcome your feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions or can help in any way please get in touch at [email protected].

OSA Committee – If anyone who would like to attend an OSA committee meeting and help raise funds for the school, then meetings are usually held on the first Monday of each month at 8pm in The Old Library. You can attend as a one off or join the committee, it’s up to you… We would love to see some more new faces and look forward to welcoming you.

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Music and Drama 2018 Spring Term

Wednesday 31st January at 7.30pm Senior Chamber Concert Edward Guinness Hall Tickets available online through WisePay

Wednesday 7th February at 7.30pm Junior Chamber Concert Edward Guinness Hall Tickets available online through WisePay

Wednesday 21st February at 7.30pm Soul Band Evening Main Hall Tickets available on the door

Thursday 1st March at 7.30pm Piano Concert Edward Guinness Hall Tickets available online through WisePay

Wednesday 7th March at 7.30pm Senior Ensembles Concert Edward Guinness Hall Tickets available online through WisePay

Wednesday 21st March at 7.30pm Choral Concert Edward Guinness Hall Tickets available online through WisePay

Tuesday 27th March at 7.30pm Concerto Concert Edward Guinness Hall Tickets available online through WisePay

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