Room; all students thoroughly enjoyed working and learning together. Our recent Sports Day was a wonderful occasion where July 2018 competition was at its height! Despite the intense heat new school records were made; Freya J in Year 9 smashed the record for both the High Jump and the Javelin; Katie W Dear Parents also broke a Javelin record. Vanessa A in Year 7 secured a new school record for the discus. Congratulations to Chanel As we come to the close of another academic year I cannot house as the overall winner for the day and to all help but reflect on the many positive events that have been participants - thank you for your team spirit, your part of the Highsted experience… determination to succeed and your commitment to your House. In June Mrs Tiernan-Powell and I were invited to attend the Kemsley Girl Guides Equalities Tea Party in Year 10 Enterprise was a tremendous event, with over 12 acknowledgement of those suffragists who campaigned for businesses trading during the week, students appreciated the equality of opportunity for women across the country. the challenges of planning a business idea in addition to Our attendance at such an important event was very appreciating the level of tenacity that is required to make a humbling, reminding us of our history – the centenary of business succeed; congratulations to all involved for your women getting the vote; women who were willing to make a hard work and team spirit. difference. If that was not enough, the Folk Band had a unique …and to all those Highsted girls making a difference, the opportunity to accompany earlier this week Miss Arden and summer term introduced a new Head Girl team to the school Mrs Kelly to the Big Jam recording studios in Sittingbourne community. Comprising of Head Girl, Princella B, Deputy to compile their first recorded album. The students Head Girls, Emily Y and Amber P and Senior Prefects succinctly captured the experience as ‘awesome’ and I am Victoria W, Alice D and Erica O; we look forward to how sure, like me, you are looking forward to hearing their their leadership of the student body will enhance the school work. The recorded album will be available for purchase in community. Congratulations girls for securing such important the new academic year; thank you to the Music Department positions and we look forward to working with you during for securing this exceptional experience for our students! the year ahead! As I come to the end of this section of Highsted Highflyers, This week students in the lower school celebrated their I cannot forget to acknowledge the great charity work that success in receiving their school awards. Former student, House groups have been committed to - whether it was Miranda Black, returned to her beloved Highsted to share Franklin’s recent music event for the British Heart with students across the lower school all that can be achieved Foundation or Chanel’s charity afternoon for Sateda – a if you work hard; follow your passion and be committed to charity standing up against domestic abuse, the staff body making a difference in the world you are part of. Her opening has been impressed with the level of social conscience and slide echoed the lasting words of a former Head Girl when civic duty that has been apparent within the Highsted six years ago she proclaimed, ‘you can take the girl out of community. To all students for your many and varied Highsted but you cannot take Highsted out of the girl’ contributions, thank you. arguing that she was living testament to this truth. Miranda, having secured a first class honours degree in English I sincerely wish you all an enjoyable summer with family Literature from Queen Mary, University of London is and friends and we look forward to seeing you on currently in local government working on strategic planning Wednesday 5. September, when the whole school will to support vulnerable elderly people and those with acute return for the new term. mental health problems in a London borough. Senior Prefect With thanks for your continued support of the school. for Key Stage Three, Victoria W thanked Miranda for her inspiring words of encouragement and being a true role All good wishes model to the lower school. Last week the school was engaged in its enrichment curriculum exploring the theme of Mystery. Students across the age groups selected activities from Quidditch to Lacrosse, hawking to dissection, attending Bushcraft, or the Panic Anne Kelly Headteacher UKMT Junior Mathematics Challenge at times during our short visit to the area. We also saw Highsted Konungshvur, which is the largest hot spring in the area but does not erupt. After this, we drove to Faxi waterfall All Year 8 pupils sat the UKMT Junior Mathematics located on the Tungufljót river, and then went to Kerið, a Challenge on 27 April during a warm Period 4 lesson. The 6,500-year-old volcanic crater lake which was frozen when event took place in the hall and involved pupils answering 25 we visited. The final destination of the day was the Blue multiple choice questions. The catch? It’s in the name. The Lagoon, a geothermal spa located in a lava field questions required some creative thinking from the pupils and in Grindavík. We spent a couple of hours in the lagoon, in most cases some extensive problem solving. Couple this which was very warm at 38˚C, and also got free smoothies with the risk of penalty deductions for incorrect answers or and silica mud masks. guessing and pupils had to be very accurate and thoughtful about their work. Shortly after, Highsted received the results: 17 students received a Bronze Award (requiring 49-60 points), 12 students received a Silver Award (requiring 61-74 points) and 1 outstanding student received a Gold Award (requiring over 75 points) – Elena I. Elena I also qualified for the Pink Kangaroo. This is an additional, harder challenge that pupils sit should they exceed On our third day, while en route to our first destination, we a certain threshold in the main challenge. This means that drove alongside Eyjafjallajökull (E15), the volcano Elena scored over 82 points in the initial challenge. responsible for the April 2010 eruption that caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe. While in Iceland, we also saw a Iceland Trip number of other volcanoes including the ‘Angry Sisters’: Hekla and Katla. Hekla, nicknamed the ‘Gateway to Hell’, During the is one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes and has produced Easter holidays, one of the largest volumes of lava (around 8km3) of any a group of Year volcano in the world in the last millennium. Katla is one of 13 students and the largest and most famous volcanoes in Iceland, and can 3 teachers went be regarded as one of the most powerful volcanoes in the on a geography world. Our first stop trip to Iceland. of the day was at After arriving in Skógafoss waterfall, snowy Keflavik one of the largest on 3 April, we met our coach driver and tour guide who took waterfalls in Iceland, us to Sandvík, where we walked over the Leif Eriksson and then we visited bridge between the Eurasian and North American tectonic Sólheimajökull, a plates. We also went to Stampar Crater and then to the glacier between the geothermal area of Krýsuvík with boiling mud pools at volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajökull. We walked on the Gunnuhver. Here, we had the opportunity to experience glacier, which was still covered in ash from the 2010 E15 geothermal power in a natural setting with boiling mud eruption, and discovered a number of small ice caves. Next, springs surrounding the world’s largest blowing steam vent. we went to the southernmost village in Iceland, Vík í We then returned to our hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital Mýrdal, where we shopped for souvenirs before walking and largest city, for the night. along the black sand beach, formed from the remnants of basalt lava from previous volcanic eruptions. We then The next day, our first drove to Reynisfjara beach, another black sand beach, stop was at Þingvellir, where we saw the Reynisdrangar (towering, spiky basalt which is home to sea stacks jutting out from the ocean) and went inside the Iceland’s ancient Halsanefshellir cave which was surrounded by geometrical Viking parliament and basalt columns. After this, we went to the Seljalandsfoss is a UNESCO world waterfall that stands at the roots of the Eyjafjallajökull heritage site. Here, we walked between the Eurasian and volcano, and then visited the nearby Gljúfrabúi waterfall North American plates at the only place on the planet where which is the mid-Atlantic ridge (formed by the two continental plates partially hidden moving apart at this constructive plate boundary) surfaces inside a narrow above sea level. Next, we went to the famous Gullfoss gorge. We then waterfall, and then we visited the Geysir Hot Springs area, returned to the where the Great Geysir is located; this was the first geyser hotel where we described in a printed had dinner and source and has lent its prepared for our Northern Lights tour at 10pm. name to hot sprin gs all Unfortunately, we did not get to see the Northern Lights, over the world. Geysir is but still had a memo rable evening thanks to the beautifully now mostly dormant, but clear, starry skies, and the tales of Icelandic folklore our nearby Strokkur (one of tour guide told us on the coach journey. We returned to the Iceland’s most famous hotel just before 2am, and the following morning we got up geysers) erupted several early to go to Keflavik airport from where we flew back to teachers were involved.