Blackheath High School

Summer Term 2012

EMBRACING THE OLYMPIC GAMES

CELEBRATING SIXTH FORM

SUCCESS

EXCITING RESIDENTIAL

TRIPS

Another year of excellent exam results

HIGHLIGHTS

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2 Blackheath High School Summer 2012

welcome

Julian is Director of the

World City Links, a dynamic

and exciting organisation

which shares education, skills

and government expertise

between London and other

cities throughout the world.

Julian has led many UK

delegations to countries such

as China, Brazil, Thailand and

Canada where professionals

can share expertise and build

networks of good practice.

Being an expert on international professional development

for teachers, Julian has established joint curriculums and the

transnational delivery of courses.

Under Julian’s leadership, World City Links has developed

hundreds of curriculum partnerships between London and

other world cities and has supported inter-government forums,

Introducing Julian Vennis – Chairman of Blackheath High School’s Governing Board

including ministerial delegations. He has also established

leadership programmes for education leaders in London and

abroad. Julian is also involved in knowledge transfer of mega

events such as the Olympics between Beijing to London and

now between London and Rio De Janeiro, particularly around

the areas of skills and workforce preparation.

Prior to this, Julian was the ICT Manager in an inner

London Education Department for 6 years and has held

other senior positions within London Local Authorities. He

was also previously a teacher and Head of Department in a

comprehensive school and is currently also the Director of a

schools Education ICT Company.

“It is a great honour to work with the staff and students of

Blackheath : the school has a real positive dynamism. The

Governors are always impressed with the commitment and

dedication the staff show. My hope for the school is that we can

maintain high academic standards and rigour, whilst developing

new and exciting curriculum innovations and continuing to

emphasise the holistic development of our students.“

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Summer 2012 Blackheath High School 3

farewell

Fond Farewells - Sandra Clements, Deputy Head

“It was September 1993 that I joined Blackheath High School, at Wemyss Road, as a biology teacher. This followed a short break with my young family and several part time teaching posts. I arrived amidst much upheaval because the senior school was due to move to the VP site in December, and so the labs were ripped out ready for transfer to the new building and the school was preoccupied with ‘the move’. The science department had to be inventive about teaching science on dining room tables, with no equipment, as this too had been packed for transit. To our horror – the move to VP was delayed until September 1994 as a result of building problems and so my first year at the school can best be described as ‘different’.

It was not long after our move to VP that I was promoted to be Head of Sixth Form by Miss Musgrave (Head at the time); this was a post that I had held at Hayes School in Bromley before my brief career break. I still believe that being a Head of Sixth Form is one of the best posts in a school. I love working with the older students, guiding them through the transition from GCSE and preparing them for successful entrance to University. We see the girls transform from pupils to confident and outgoing young women set to face the future. It remains a joy for me to follow the careers of the girls I have come to know. The OGA Pimms Party this summer was such a great opportunity for staff past and present to catch up with Blackheath students and share their success stories.

Miss Musgrave’s parting gift to me was promotion to the post of Assistant Head (then termed Senior Mistress) and this was the start of my time working with Mrs Laws when she became Head in 2000. I know that we became a formidable team and, with our colleagues, saw a great transformation of the school to the exciting and sought after establishment that it has become. I

was delighted to be appointed Deputy Head in 2005. The tasks I have tackled, and the teams I have led, since I have been at Blackheath have encompassed just about every aspect of school life, and there have been many proud moments of achievement for the school – too many to name. The Senior Leadership Team, and the staff of both the Junior and Senior Schools, are extremely proud that Blackheath High is often held up as a beacon of excellence in the GDST. Of course this is to the benefit of the children – who are the centre of all we do.

It was with much heart searching that I came to the decision to retire this year. After 38 years in the classroom, and having been both a GCSE and A level examiner in Biology, I thought I would see what life is like outside academia – and see if I could survive in a life that is not ruled by school bells and timetables. It has of course been necessary to think about my future so that I am able to answer the perpetual question ‘What will you do?’

So here is my plan. I have already begun as a volunteer at Kids Company (google it) in London. I am about to rediscover my creative talents ( I really am a scientist by accident) – Art classes and History of Art lectures begin next week. Then there is the annual resolution to get fit, so I can be found doing laps in the swimming pool. I also have time to spend with my husband Graham, who retired last year. We like to travel and intend to do more trips to ‘far flung’ places. Finally there will be more time for our children, Stephen, Anne and Peter; to follow their very different careers as an engineer, a teacher (it is in the genes) and a Vet.

I will of course follow the fortunes of Blackheath High School and remain truly grateful for the colleagues, students and friends that have become part of my life since joining the school 19 years ago.”

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oth years 12 and 13 celebrated the

end of their examinations at the

Sixth Form Ball in July. Students

and staff enjoyed a fantastic three

course meal together and then proceeded to

boogie the night away, at Devonport House

in Greenwich.

All of the students looked radiant, relaxed

and sophisticated in accordance with the

”Black Tie” dress code and enjoyed feasting

on delicious delights that included smoked

chicken kebabs and chocolate puddings.

The girls had booked a DJ;” DJRugged”,

who pitched the music brilliantly, managing to

please the sprightly youngsters and staff alike!

We were all still dancing at midnight, although

most of us had discarded the perilously high

heels!

Happily, former teacher, Mr Denton, was

able to attend as offi cial photographer and he

managed to capture many charming images

that showed the spirit of the evening.

The next Sixth Form student group is now

chomping at the bit to organise something

even more special for next year!

sixth form

Celebrating Sixth Form Success!B

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sixth form

ell done to all our girls on

their excellent achievement

at A Level, AS Level and GCSE

level this year.

The morning of A level results day tends

to involve feelings of trepidation across

the country. However, here at Blackheath

High School, we enjoyed a morning of

celebration, with the majority of students

gaining a place at their first choice university.

Our students’ results defied the decline in

top grades as we attained 100% pass rate at

A level with 67% being graded A*, A or B. At

GCSE the results were equally pleasing with

99% of grades at A* to C and 62% of grades

at A*/A. Nearly half the girls gained at least

8 GCSEs all at grade A* or A.

Once again this year, the range of

courses applied for was indeed diverse;

from English to Chemical Engineering.

This wide range of university courses is

something that we are very proud of and

reflects the breadth of our students’ ability

across a diverse range of subjects. Our

students are also very successful when

W

BHS Bucks the Downward Trend in High Grades Attained!

applying for traditionally male dominated

areas such as Economics, Chemical

Engineering and Mathematics.

Our girls are bucking the trend, fulfilling

their dreams and I am sure will go on to

enjoy successful careers.

Anna Edgar achieved 3 A* and is going

to Cambridge to read Psychology and

Behavioural Sciences. Lauren Benson

attained a very impressive 2A* and an A and

has achieved her much longed for place

at Oxford to read English. Freya Miller is

off to Manchester to study Medicine after

amazingly gaining three offers, which is

almost unheard of for Medicine, and so

was spoilt for choice!

Some examples of the diverse pathways

our girls are following include: Abby Lee

going to Bristol to study Economics;

Lourdes Anton, joining Kings to read

Neuroscience; Ifiemi Kemenanabo going to

Manchester to study Chemical Engineering;

Maria Lulu Kinunda reading Financial

Mathematics at Sheffield and Connie Wroe

gaining a place at York to read Sociology.

“Although my long standing career plan

is to become a political journalist, I see

myself embarking on a postgraduate

course, having completed my degree.

Aside from my academic studies,

involvement in clubs has meant I can

build upon certain skills, such as being

self-motivated, and can widen my

awareness of other topics. I have taken

part in a range of reading discussion

groups, and I regularly attend Senior

Debating, which is an ideal platform for

me to debate current affairs and develop

my public speaking skills. My need to

keep up to date with world affairs is

one reason for my joining the Amnesty

International Club. I play an active part

in school life through my roles as Peer

Mentor and Pastoral Prefect and through

helping to run Creativity Club; all of

which have given me a greater role in

shaping the school’s development and

improving the pastoral care available.

Above all, Blackheath High has given

me the skills and increased confidence

to pursue independent study and achieve

my aspirations.” Lauren Benson

Sally Lardner celebrating her superb set of 11 A* GCSE grades plus one A grade.Sade Kalsi who achieved 10 A* GCSEs plus a B

Grace Englefield Anna Edgar

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Y6 ‘Moving-Up’ Party – Hollywood Style


“I really enjoyed the party, it was amazing

and everything was perfect – from the food to the

decorations!” Emilia Hughes

“I really loved the Hollywood

themed party. It was really good fun dressing up as

different characters.” Nadia Cooper

“The decorations were amazing and the DJ

played just the right music. Everyone had a fantastic

time.” Ellie Hillier

year 6 leavers party

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talking heads

I have very much enjoyed my first term as Head

of EYFS, particularly because of the charm,

politeness and individuality of our lovely girls.

• Atypicaldayformeinvolves... a wide range

of activities with both children and parents of

Reception and Nursery classes.

• WhatmakesBlackheathHighSchooldifferent

is...the cosmopolitan and international feel that is

has, so many of our tiny girls are multilingual, it’s

quite amazing!

• Wetrytoinstill... in even our very young pupils

a sense of resilience and we use a mantra, -“be

brave and strong when little things go wrong.”

• IwasattractedtoBHJSbecause...of the school

ethos of a high achieving all girls’ school which

is stated so clearly by the Leadership team and

followed through by a committed staff.

• IwouldlikeBHJStobeknownfor... innovations

in education combined with traditional values.

• Imostenjoyaboutmynewrole...being a part

of each girl’s development, right from being tiny

Nursery girls, right through to the confident and so

capable young women we have in our Sixth Form.

TALKING HEADS: Sandra Eastaugh, Head of Early Years Foundation Stage

“I have been very happy at Blackheath

High School ever since my very first day, having been made to feel welcome

by the whole school community: children, parents and colleagues. Ours is a lovely

school to be involved with and the Foundation Stage classes are filled with

delightful, thriving, busy girls who are getting a really

good start to their school life.”

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junior music

lthough every term

at BHJS is full of

music making, the

summer term was

brimming with

spectacular musical events! The

music department waltzed from

one concert straight into the next

and the girls were astonished us

time and again with their ability to

learn repertoire at top speed and

give of their all in rehearsals and

concerts alike.

Years 1 and 2 proved to be a very

talented group of musicians in their

Tea Time Concert. The girls performed

maturely and seemingly without

nerves - quite a feat at such a young

age! We were also delighted to hear

from every girl in Year 2 who had all

taken part in the string instrument

Junior Music taster scheme. This runs as part of

Year 2’s curriculum, so that each girl

has the opportunity to learn the violin,

viola or cello. All the girls showed how

much they had learned and played

their group pieces beautifully.

We were grateful to the BHJS

Quintet who performed at both the

opening of our Art Exhibition and the

Year 6 Leavers’ Reception. We have to

remind ourselves that these girls were

only in Year 5, as they play with the

confidence of professionals!

Following the sparkling performance

of Year 5/6’s play, “Alice in

Wonderland,” the very next morning

Mrs Dudley, Miss Syrad and I began

rehearsing for the annual concert at

the Old Royal Naval College Chapel.

We were amazed by how quickly the

girls in Years 4, 5 and 6 learned the

repertoire for Carnival!: a fun and

engaging arrangement of Saint-Saens

“Carnival of the Animals” for voice.

Originally written for KS3, we were

very proud of how the girls rose to

the challenge of learning difficult

harmonies and rhythms and

quickly mastered the pieces in

order to sing them brilliantly

in concert. The evening, at

the Old Royal Naval College,

was certainly one to

remember. Not many girls of

8-11 years old can say they

have performed choral

pieces by Handel at such a

prestigious venue.

The music department remains

as busy as ever as we enter into

the academic year 2012-2013, with

fourteen peripatetic staff working

tremendously hard to fit in as many

individual lessons as possible into the

school week. I am delighted that Ms.

Lisete da Silva, who has been part of

our music staff for some time, has

now taken over tuition in flute as well

as recorder. We have also recently

welcomed Mr David Grubb, a familiar

face from the Senior School, to our

team as he takes on teaching in cello

and piano, and Mr Todor Nikolaev who

is also teaching violin from September.

“I am very thankful to have a

career that allows me to play and sing every day. Music is a gift that is

given to you, to be cared for, nurtured and shared. It is not simply about learning an

instrument. All my memories, happy and sad, are accompanied by music and it continues to enrich

my life every day. If I can pass on the smallest degree of this understanding of what music is

about to children, I will feel I have done my

job well.” Mrs Coles

A

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junior drama

Junior Drama rama is an integral part

of learning at Blackheath

High School, bringing

to life many areas of the

curriculum. This term, Y4

took part in an exciting Humanities-based

drama workshop at the Senior School in

which they used sound, movement and

freeze frames to act out the rainforest at

different stages. An imaginative Roman

workshop for Y3 culminated in a lively

and interactive pantomime version of

‘Pyramus and Thisbee’ which involved lots

of audience participation. Earlier this term

the whole of Reception and Key Stage 1

were treated to a ‘Pirates and Mermaids’

workshop in which they were taken on a

journey through a story of a sea-sick

lady Pirate!

The highlight of drama activities this term

was the Y5 and Y6 Production, a magical

retelling of the ‘Alice In Wonderland’

story. The stage at the Junior School was

transformed into a beautiful garden and

great talent was displayed as ‘Alice’ sang

and danced her way through the garden,

encountering many strange creatures:

animals popping unexpectedly out of her

pool of tears; a blue caterpillar with a quiff

appearing suddenly on a toadstool; lobsters

who could dance and many other colourful

characters; before she finally realising that

they were “nothing but a pack of

cards”. The audience was amazed

by the quality of the dance numbers,

including a line dance and a tap

dance, performed by everyone in

Y5 and 6. The girls had been busy in

their DT lessons as well, producing

two stunning animations which

blended seamlessly into the live

story to give the show a truly dream-

like feel.

D

“When the girl said ‘seashells’ we had to

stand straight, with no noise coming out of our mouths, and put our hands above our heads - it was

great fun.” (Martina, 1NG)

“When the girl sang a song we copied her actions.” (Annabel, 1NG)

“She was always feeling seasick, which is funny because

she is a pirate!” (Alice, 1NG)

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Residential trips allow more time for in depth

learning and bring many other benefits including

the development of independence and confidence.

During the Summer term our girls visited many places,

practiced foreign languages, learned new skills and

conquered some fears!

Notre Voyage à Rambouillet by Yasmeen Cooper (Y10)Le dimanche 1 juillet, nous nous sommes rencontrés

à Ebbsfleet International Station. Nous avons pris

l’Eurostar, le métro et le train pour aller à L’Institut

International de Rambouillet. Quand nous y sommes

arrivés, un prof de l’Institut, Mathilde, nous a montré

le site. Nous avons vu la cafeteria, nos chambres,

la salle d’Internet et la salle de recréation, avec un

babyfoot. Après le diner, nous sommes restés dans

nos chambres.

Le lundi, nous avons fait beaucoup de cours de

français – pendant la matinée et l’après-midi. Le

soir, un groupe des étudiants d’années 9,10 et 11 ont

regardé un film, L’Italien, avec des étudiants chypriotes.

Chaque jour pendant le reste de la semaine, nous

Exciting Residentials!residential trips

faisions les cours de français, et nous faisions les

activités à Paris ou Rambouillet chaque après-midi.

Le mardi, nous sommes allés au Musée d’Orsay. Ma

peinture préférée était ‘Un Bouée rouge’ par Paul

Signac. La vue depuis le dernier étage, derrière la

pendule, était très belle.

Seulement une vue pendant toute la semaine était

meilleure que la vue du Musée d’Orsay, et c’était la vue

panoramique – 360 degrés, au sommet de la Tour

Montparnasse. Nous avons visité la Tour Montparnasse

le mercredi. Aussi, nous avons fait un tour de Paris en

bateau. Nous sommes passés sous un petit pont, avec

une histoire très romantique. Apparemment, si vous dites

un désir sous le pont, puis vous fermez les yeux et vous

embrassez la personne assise à côté de vous, le désir

va se réaliser! Aussi, je pensais que c’était très mignon

quand j’ai vu beaucoup de cadenas, avec le prénom des

amoureux, qui ont jeté les clefs dans la Seine!

Le jeudi, tout le monde sauf moi a fait du vélo à

Rambouillet, mais je ne sais pas comment faire du

vélo, donc au lieu de partir avec les autres, j’ai assisté

à un cours avec les étudiants âgés de 19-30 ans. J’ai

retrouvé mes amies plus tard, et nous avons fait du

shopping!

Le vendredi, après le dernier cours de français, nous

sommes rentrés, et quand nous avons dû dire ‘au

revoir’ c’était un moment triste!

Je voudrais dire merci beaucoup à Jessie et

Madame Newman, mais surtout à Monsieur Baker, car

c’était un voyage super!

Terrific TrierBack in 2010 we were delighted to set up

a school exchange with the ‘Bischöfliches-

Angela-Merici Gymnasium’, a grammar

school for girls in Trier in the beautiful

Moselle region of Germany. This Summer

we enjoyed a return visit which was a great

success, with several girls visiting their

exchange partners for the second time.

Our girls were very warmly welcomed

by the German families they were staying

with and the Headteacher, Herr Dr. Zeck,

greeted us in a full school assembly to

introduce us to their staff and students.

Our girls were able to experience German

family life and to visit Trier, with its Roman

heritage, and Cochem, with its fairytale

castle overlooking the Moselle. We had

an interesting visit to a vineyard and wine

cellar (owned by a member of staff at the

school) to understand the process of wine-

making from the vine to the bottle, which

ended with a barbeque for the whole group.

There were a lot of tears when we left, but

we knew it would not be long before they

would be coming to England.

The educational value of such a trip is

evident in many areas. The girls’ language

learning has greatly benefited from the

experience, as they had the opportunity to

be immersed in the language, to practise

and improve their German vocabulary,

especially in areas of mutual interest, such

as music and fashion. It has enabled them to

broaden their understanding of a different

culture, and perhaps most importantly,

it has rekindled their desire to study the

language further.

The German exchange partners were

equally enthusiastic about their very recent

visit to Blackheath High School. They loved

Blackheath and the trips we organised for

them to see the sights of London. Just as

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Exciting Residentials!residential trips

we had done, they enjoyed experiencing a

different school environment and routine.

We are confident that this second

exchange trip has firmly cemented a

long and successful partnership between

our two schools and that the friendships

we have formed will continue to grow.

Mrs Bond

“When I first went to Germany, the first thing

that struck me was the many differences

between my exchange partner’s life and my

own. There was a real sense of ‘family’ that I

found very comforting. All meals were eaten

together and in the evenings we played a

board game or watched a movie together

(with subtitles for me!).

Meal times were very different – dinner

consisted of one course, usually something

plain, followed by a selection of meat

(sausages and ham), cheese and bread.

There were also many snacks and cakes;

throughout the whole day I was offered

almond cake from the delicious Konditorei

(bakery) and biscuits, along with apple juice.

It was lovely, although I was mystified about

how everyone seemed to stay so slim!

The school day was also significantly

different to ours. Lessons began earlier and,

as school finished at one o’clock, I didn’t

need lunch. Instead, I was given a bread

roll and a bottle of water for my break time

snack. Lessons were shorter, 45 minutes,

and consisted mostly of dictation and

worksheets. I much prefer our school, in

many ways but not least because here I can

understand everything!

I really enjoyed the German exchange

and would encourage anyone learning

German to go. My German speaking greatly

improved and my confidence increased, I

made lots of new friends and learnt a lot

about Germany in the process. Overall the

trip was fantastic!”

Jessica Cox Y10

Lovely Liddington by Matilda Marcus 5SD

This Summer Year 5 went to our long

awaited trip to Liddington! It took

about 2 hours to arrive but the wait

was worth it!

When we arrived, we played some

very peculiar games including a red

oval-shaped squishy thing being

thrown backwards!

Next we had our safety talk and

found our dorms. With a range of

people in dorms from 3 to 5 the

pressure was on to win point to go

towards a prize for our dorm.

Then we had our evening activity-

wacky races! Team 1, 2, 3, and 4

battled it out to see which team was

the loudest and, most importantly, the

wackiest! Soon enough it was time

for bed.

The next morning we enjoyed lots

of activities then in the afternoon we

went to visit HMS Great Britain, the

ship that brought Brunel to fame and

followed our first term’s humanities

topic of ‘The Victorians.’

On Wednesday we went to Sailsbury

Cathedral. We had a tour of the famous

cathedral and then had a treasure hunt

getting jigsaw pieces and the overall

picture was the Queen!

After Thursday morning’s outdoor

activities, we went off to the place

we’d all been waiting to visit...Birdland!

The aquarium was great - the fish and

amphibians ranged from a beautiful,

calm clown fish to a funny, cheeky

turtle that had, we were told, escaped

and ran away previously!

This experience was very exciting and

I don’t think we’ll forget it in a hurry!

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ince Easter, students worked

towards a World Record

Attempt as part of this year’s

‘Big Dance 2012.’ This year’s

dance was themed on the

summer Olympics. Key olympic sports

were incorporated in small phrases into the

dance, along with the vibrant colours of the

Olympic Rings which fitted beautifully with

our girls’ dance kit. During Dance lessons,

with extra practice time, our Key Stage 3

pupils learnt and perfected the dance for

the big challenge that ran on Friday 18th

May. It all went smoothly with over 150

students taking part on the day.

We have really progressed in Athletics

this year, which was evident in our packed

Senior Sports Day during National Sports

Week. We set BHS records in Long Jump,

High Jump and Shot Put and smashed

12 existing records. With Paragon and

Vanbrugh vying for the lead throughout the

day, Paragon were the eventual winners, for

the first time in 12 years, by three points!

We joined in the 140th GDST Athletics and

Dance rally held at Bath University Centre of

Excellence where many of our GB Athletics

team were training. With a squad of some

of the successful winners from our Sports

Day we were very lucky to be able to meet

one of our most successful swimmer ever,

senior sport

“Lets Play Netball launched the Blackheath Academy in May with sessions taking place on a Sunday

between 10-11.30am. The girls are split into three groupings (Years 3-4; Years 5-6 & Year 7-8).

The Netball Academy proved very popular during the summer term and was well supported by

Blackheath High and students and we would like to take this opportunity to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has been part of this

project. LPN will continue to deliver sessions in the Autumn term.

The head of the Netball Academy is ex-England International and current Surrey Storm player Natalie Seaton. The academy is open to

girls of all abilities with our primary focus being individual development and, of course, having fun! Lets Play Netball is looking forward

to building a long lasting relationship with Blackheath High and our coaches are excited about the future prospects at this academy.

For more information please go to www.letsplaynetball.co.uk Natalie Seaton, Head Coach

S

Karen Pickering, who gave the girls some

words of wisdom on how to

approach their events. Quite

a few of our girls went on to

further extend their skills and

gain PBs, notable successes

were in Year 9 200m, Year 9

Relay team, Year 9 Shot Put,

Year 8 High Jump and Year 7

Shot Putt.

It was also a busy term for

Rounders fixtures with our

Year 7, 8 and 9 teams hosting

teams at our sports field and

attending tournaments; the

U12 and U13 teams have been particularly

successful throughout the term and very

competitive. We extended our Summer

Watersports Programme and had students

working towards their RYA Level 1 Sailing

and both BCU Level 1&2 Canoeing Awards.

Our Sixth Formers visited the Wimbledon

Tennis Tournament and we were fortunate

to be able to get Centre Court tickets,

watching some of the quarter finals in

between showers of rain.

Finally, as you would expect, many of our

girls went to watch many of the Olympic

sporting events which you can read all

about on pages 16 and 17!

Senior Sport

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he Summer Term saw Junior PE fixtures and lessons

hampered by the weather. But the girls still worked

hard to maintain their skills and fitness in both

Rounders and Athletics.

On May the 2nd there was the very successful Mini Marathon

with girls from year 3 to 7 competing on the heath.

IndividualResults

Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7

1st

Freya Burton Franklin

Megan Aljian(4.56min)

Quinn Ready

(4.45min)

Julie Makki(4.42min)

Georgina Elliot

(4.30min)

2nd Elizabeth Reczek

Tilly EvansValeriya Orlova

Lara Atkinson

Ellie Brannigan

3rdAnna

HadinghamEmmanuelle

DumontMatilda Jarvis

Emelia Hughes Tegan Paku

We also hosted the first of a local Mini Olympic Event for Year 4

with teams from schools including Colfe’s, Farringtons, Babington

House, West Lodge and Merton Court attending. The beautiful

weather, and competitive Olympic activities, resulted in a very

exciting and enjoyable afternoon. Year 3 and Year 4 also visited

other schools for further Mini Olympic competitions.

junior sport

TJunior Sport

BHS_5_rev2.indd 13 16/10/2012 11:41

This year’s GCSE and

A Level Art exhibition

was a huge success

and saw the girls

achieving superb results. The

GCSE girls produced fantastic

garments based on fairy tales and

folklore using processes such as

screen-printing, hand and machine

embroidery and applique. These

were accompanied by lino prints

that explored their own identities

and heritage. Their exam pieces

demonstrated a wide range of

processes and illustrated how

well the girls are able to work

independently, exploring their own

ideas and concepts.

The A Level students this year

produced some really exciting and

ambitious work with outcomes

ranging from short films and

digital work to textile collections

and installations. They received

wonderful feedback from both the

visitors to the exhibition as well

as from the moderator from the

exam board.

Many congratulations to all the

girls on their excellent examination

results!

14 Blackheath High School Spring 2012

senior art

TSenior Art

BHS_5_rev2.indd 14 16/10/2012 11:41


junior art

TJunior Art

he ‘Olympic Games’ was the theme

of the Junior School Art Exhibition

this year, which took place in

June 2012. Every year group

chose different techniques to represent the

Olympics, and the Olympic values.

Nursery chose the theme of bicycles, and

used line painting and drawing, as well as

creating tyre pattern on polystyrene tiles in

order to make block prints of bicycle wheels.

Reception created work in the style of David

Hockney, using the paint programme on the

iPad. They began by making sketches using

pencils and experimented with charcoal.

Year 1 worked with digital photography,

and took photos of their friends doing

various sporting activities. Their two favourite

photos were cut into strips and positioned

alternatively to create a sense of movement.

Year 2 created a wonderful Olympic Collage

on a piece of hessian. They each chose and

researched a specific country, designed a

team kit, and made its flag out of felt.

Year 3 used the Olympic Rings as inspiration

for their artwork. Each Olympic Ring

contained a small piece of artwork, which was

relevant to the games being hosted in our

capital city.

Year 4 chose their favourite sport and used

a printing technique called mono printing to

create bespoke sporty bunting.

Year 5 created work related to the 7

Olympic and Paralympic values; Friendship,

Respect, Excellence, Determination, Courage,

Equality and Inspiration.

Year 6 took the chance to celebrate the

wonderful city of London, the host of the

Olympics 2012. They developed a brand and

marketing products for Lewisham market

and, using a combination of art making skills,

such as mark making, concept drawing,

typography, mono printing, relief printing

and embroidery, they created fantastic

canvas bags.

BHS_5_rev2.indd 15 16/10/2012 11:41


london 2012

W

Our Olympic Experience

e really were struck by ‘Olympic Fever,’ having

been looking forward to the games as part of the

‘Get Set Network’ which linked Blackheath High

School to the London Organising Committee of

the Olympic Games. In the Summer term, each department across

the whole school, added aspects of the Olympics to schemes of

work and, at Seniors, each form adopted a country participating

in the 2012 games to support. This came to a head at Sports Day

when girls painted their faces in their team colours and waived their

team flags (as well as cheering on their own House of course).

We strive to live by the Olympic values of Friendship, Respect

and Trust; and the Paralympic values of Courage, Determination,

Inspiration and Equality and these values have been discussed

regularly both in assemblies and within Form times.

We were very lucky to receive a number of tickets through

the Get Set Network and many of our staff gave up their time to

escort the girls to many, different events across the Olympics and

Paralympic Games;; sports included basketball, football, shooting,

wrestling, boxing and Paralympic athletics.

PARALYmPIC ATHLETICSWe took our seats as the stadium was nearly full and you could

feel the ‘buzz’ of the crowd. We watched many events on the

track – for visually impaired, amputees, wheelchairs – and in the

field – discus, javelin, shot and, to my amazaement, long jump for

blind competitors; these athletes were inspiring, using their coach’s

clapping as a guide to keep them on the track to the take off board

and relying on technique to land safely in the pit.

The crowd showed support for all athletes but the noise was

deafening when a British competitor was introduced; we saw some

incredible sporting, competitive performances.

Afterwards, another highlight: three pupils, Yasmeen Cooper,

Ella Jollands and Lera Wood, were interviewed on Radio 5 Live by

Paralympic gold medallist swimmer Marc Woods, talking about

their experience at the Paralympics. Following the interview we

were shown up to the studio -Tanni Grey-Thompson had just

finished her interview – what a wonderful experince to end an

incredible day.

WOmEN’S BASKETBALLOn the 30th July 6 students ventured into the Olympic Park

accompanied by Miss Johnson, Mrs Stevens and Mrs Hrebien. We

headed to the Basketball Arena to watch two exciting matches

as part of the Women’s Basketball Heats. Team GB stepped up

against Canada and the crowd burst into a frenzy of cheers and

Union Jacks. After a very close match, Canada won 73-65. We then

watched the USA, who went on to win Gold, beat Angola 90-38. By

BHS_5_rev2.indd 16 16/10/2012 11:42


london 2012

“During the school’s Olympic ticket ballot there were 3 tickets for the women’s shooting and I was one of the lucky winners. We were accompanied by Mrs Hibberd and Mrs Elliot. On arrival at the Woolwich artillery barracks we were given schedules for the day’s events so we decided to start off with women’s target shooting but then we wanted to see something a bit more engaging and exciting so opted for ‘skeet shooting.’ Skeet shooting is an incredibly hard sport, one ball roughly the size of a golf ball is fired at top speed into the air and the person on the ground is meant to shoot it. Then two balls are fired opposite sides of the pitch within a few seconds of each other, the aim is obviously to shoot as many skeets as possible. We saw Kimberly Rode win a Gold medal and set a new Olympic record. “ Ella Jollands

Our Olympic Experience

the time we left the arena, the sun had set and we had a magical

walk back through the glowing Olympic Park.

WOmEN’S FOOTBALLThe following day, 18 girls went to see the women of Team GB

against Brazil at Wembley Stadium. At over 70,000, the crowd was

by far the largest that the British women’s team had ever played in

front of. It was a thrilling evening with some excellent football….

and it was fantastic to watch GB score an early goal and go on to

win the match!

BHS_5_rev2.indd 17 16/10/2012 11:42


juBilee celeBrations

FJoyful Jubilee Celebrations!

riday 1st June saw the

senior school decked in

bunting as we prepared

for our very own ‘street

party’ to kick off the

jubilee weekend. Everyone came to

school in outfi ts from the 1950’s – and

the girls looked absolutely stunning in

their tea dresses and cropped jeans! At

Seniors we launched the celebrations

with an assembly that looked back

at the life of Queen Elizabeth II and

life for ordinary people in the 1950s…

In the days where few people had

televisions and the country was just

emerging from the austerity measures

of the Second World

War, this was a decade of

enormous optimism.

At Juniors, the

playground was set out

in a street party style

with long tables adorned

with red, white and blue

balloons, napkins and

fl ags.

Lunch was a traditional

fi sh and chips lunch

before ‘The Queen’

arrived at Juniors (Olivia Marsh, along

with her attentive Ladies in Waiting,

Eleanor Waring and Caitlin Cole).

Olivia made a wonderful speech

before receiving fl owers from girls in

Reception.

Seniors spent the afternoon,within

their house groups, enjoying many

diff erent traditional activities including

crown-making, learning to sing ‘Rock

Around the Clock’, learning to jive

dance, planting red, white and blue

fl owers into old plastic drink bottles

to decorate the area around the pond

– and they look stunning. We even

played traditional 1950’s games such

as marbles, throw and catch, hop

scotch, skipping and chess.

The Junior School Jubilee

Art Competition winners were

announced, with the overall prize

going to Sunanda Saxena

for her excellent portrait

of the Queen. Then

each year group made a

presentation relating to

a decade of the Queen’s

reign; starting at the

present day with Nursery

and ending with the

1950s from Year 6. The

fi nale was members of

staff dancing to Abba’s

Dancing Queen!

Everyone fi nished the celebration

with afternoon tea of cucumber

sandwiches and cupcakes (served in a

Union Jack lunchbox). It really was a

wonderful, memorable day.

BHS_5_rev2.indd 18 16/10/2012 11:42

Note from Blackheath High School Old Girls’ Association BHSOGA (www.bhsoga.org.uk)


forthcoming events

Joyful Jubilee Celebrations!

NOVEmBER

BHSA DIWALI CELEBRATION EVENING

16th November, Junior School

JUNIOR CHAmBER CHOIR TO

BECKENHAm FESTIVAL

24th November

DECEmBER

CHAmBER CHOIR AND OUT OF THE

BLUE CHOIR SINGING AT LEWISHAm

SHOPPING CENTRE

5th December

NURSERY CHRISTmAS PERFORmANCE

13th December, 9:15am

Forthcoming Events

RECEPTION AND KEY STAGE 1 NATIVITY

14th December, 1:45pm

KS2 CAROL CONCERT


SENIOR PRIZE GIVING


mARCH 2013

THE TEmPEST

Greenwich Theatre

monday 25th march 2013

Tickets £10.00 for adults, £5.00 for

students and concessions

Tickets on sale from January 2013 from

Greenwich Theatre: in person, by phone

on 020 8858 7755 and online

www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk

“The inaugural Blackheath High School

Old Girls’ Association Pimms Party was

held in the Theatre of the Senior School

on Tuesday 3rd July. Nearly 100 girls and

staff , who had left the school within the

last ten years, attended the event. Mrs

Laws welcomed everyone to the evening

and Sarah Soulsby (nee Payne) (1980-

1993), Vice Chairman of the BHSOGA,

said a few words about the Old Girls

and showcased the new website (www.

bhsoga.org.uk). Harriet Jackson (2001),

talked about the new careers networking

scheme that is being set up between

the current sixth form and recent school

leavers. There are many events planned

for this and it is hoped that alumnae of

the school will attend career events,

off er email advice and help with work

experience. A group of sixth formers

at the school kindly volunteered to

take tours of the senior school, which

were thoroughly enjoyed by all. For the

remainder of the evening, the Theatre

was fi lled with chatter and laughter

between all those who attended, catching

up on news and old times, while enjoying

canapés and of course Pimms! There

was some wonderful feedback from the

evening including:

“Excellent evening, thoroughly enjoyed, would love more of the same in the future”

“Great night – lovely to see our teachers and catch up. Th ank you for putting it on”

“Great! Lovely to see so many old faces and have a chance to look around the school”

“Really well organised. Great tour. Nice canapés. Great atmosphere”

It is very much hoped that this will be one of many future events for the recent alumnae of the school. All school leavers are automatically members of the BHSOGA for 5 years and then aft er that, membership costs £10 for 4 years. For more information please email: [email protected]. For more information about the careers networking project, please email: [email protected].”Sarah Soulsby OGA

BHS_5_rev2.indd 19 16/10/2012 11:42

20 Blackheath High School Spring 2012

BHS_5_rev2.indd 20 16/10/2012 11:42

Blackheath High School - Summer Term 2012

Documents

senior school

hayes school

comprehensive school

head of department

students of blackheath

world cities

london local authorities