Issue 29 ∙ December 2014
Nonsuch Newsletter
Dear Parents
It has been another very successful term at Nonsuch. Perhaps the highlight has been visiting lessons and seeing
so many students actively engaged in their learning. We strongly encourage the students to take risks, to be
resilient and to be problem solvers. The Leadership Team and I can see them rising to this challenge every day.
There have been many notable events this term. Music students have performed at the Royal Albert Hall, over 20
students took part in the UK Senior Maths Challenge, 12 students took part in the Space Design Competition at
Oxford and won through to the finals at Imperial in March. The enthusiasm and commitment of the students
stretches far beyond the classroom. They have raised over £500 for Macmillan Cancer relief and this Friday most
of the sixth form and some staff were sporting Christmas jumpers to raise funds for Save the Children Fund.
In November, we held our Year 11 Prize Giving at Epsom Race Course. Our guest speaker Siobhan Reddy,
Studio Director of Media Molecule gave a fascinating talk on the gaming industry and spoke with passion on how
women can break through the glass ceiling in business. We have also held several music concerts and drama
productions. It was encouraging that more parents are now attending these events. Your support and commitment
really does make a difference. The PSFA have run another excellent Christmas fair – thank you to all the parents
who helped. The money raised will be invested in a new sound system for the school hall.
At this time of year we have some staff who are leaving us. Miss Scott (Biology) is returning to New Zealand. We
are very grateful for all the hard work she has put into the Biology department – she will be greatly missed by the
department and the students. Mr Hemraj will be replacing her in January. Mrs Morgan (Maths) will be returning
from her maternity leave in January.
The sixth form team have processed over 150 UCAS applications. We are delighted that 29 students have been
offered Oxbridge interviews. We received over 200 external applications for the sixth form and all of our Year 11
students will have a post 16 options discussion with a member of the senior team next term. To help students
make their choices we are also running a ‘Day in the life of the Sixth Form’ for Year 11 in January. Further details
will be sent to parents shortly.
Progress on the new sixth form centre and library continues. The foundations and main services are complete and
we expect the builders to start on the frame shortly. As you may be aware the school has gone for a larger project
than the one funded by the Department of Education. The school hopes that donations via the school fund will
allow us to make good any shortfall. For this reason we strongly encourage parents who have not donated to the
school fund to consider doing so. We are very grateful to those of you who do. Unfortunately we were not
successful with our planning application for the Sports Pavilion. Whilst Epsom & Ewell Borough Council were
happy to approve the facilities, they had concerns over community use in the evening. Whilst this is disappointing,
the school will analyse the judgment and consider how it could improve the plans.
We have introduced some additional pages on the school website. In particular:
http://www.nonsuchschool.org/260/student-progress-reporting-to-parents
http://www.nonsuchschool.org/83/extra-curricular-programme
http://www.nonsuchschool.org/277/enrichment
We hope parents find these pages useful and informative. The articles, pictures and reports in this Newsletter,
compiled by students and staff alike, give just a flavour of the vast array of activities which make up Nonsuch and
are testament to the vibrancy and energy of the whole school community.
It only remains for me to wish you and your families a very peaceful and enjoyable Christmas break and a
prosperous 2015. We look forward to welcoming your daughter back to school on Monday 5th January.
Best wishes
Peter Gale
Headteacher
www.nonsuchhigh.co.uk
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 1
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Carol Service
Tuesday 16th December 2014
7pm
St. Andrew’s Church, Northey Avenue,
Cheam
Enjoy the Christmas spirit with beautiful
songs and music from the school’s choirs and
musicians
Sing your favourite Christmas Carols
Everyone welcome, free admission
Mulled wine served afterwards by PSFA
Careers and Work Experience
Call for Careers Fair Volunteers As part of continuing our ‘Be Inspired’ programme of events to highlight career opportunities available to
students we are hosting our annual careers evening on Wednesday 11th March. If you would be willing to
volunteer some of your time, or you would like more information before committing then please contact
Mrs Sharon Tingley our Co-ordinator of Careers Education via the school office or by e mail
[email protected] . If you have any other friends or colleagues who may be interested in
helping then we would welcome them too.
The event runs from 7pm – 9pm and speakers are invited to attend a pre-event supper from 6pm. Speakers
are asked to give 2 or 3 repeat 30 minute presentations to students and parents giving details of the entry
routes into their career, their own career path and also a brief outline of a ‘day in
the life..’.
Career Workshops
Throughout the autumn term year 11 students have had the opportunity to attend a number of careers
information workshops run by our independent careers advisor Mrs O’Brien. Workshops have included
careers in dentistry, medicine, law, art & design, psychology, STEM, humanities & languages. Today’s
young person often looks to the internet for knowledge and with this in mind year 11 students attended a
workshop which introduced them to a number of on-line resources available to help them research
opportunities for higher education.
To support year 9 students while choosing their options we ran a ‘choosing options’ workshop and have
offered students the opportunity to meet with Mrs O’Brien to discuss how their choices may affect their
future study or career plans. Students are also invited to attend the careers fair in March, which will give
them the opportunity to explore their career options and meet with people working in industry.
Page 2
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 2
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Music
Music and Ancient Culture
A recent event combined Music inspired by ancient Greece and Egypt with readings in Ancient
Greek. It was presented by students from years 11-13 with music specially written by Mr. Dave Johnson. The program was as follows
Reading from Idyll by Theocritus– read by Mr Dant
Pastorale for Clarinet and Piano
Reading from Mani by Patrick Leigh Fermor
The Nerieds for Oboe, Clarinet and Piano
Reading from 3rd Homeric Hymn– read in Ancient Greek and English
Delphic Procession for Alto Saxophone, Trombone and Piano
Reading of Ozymandias by P.B. Shelly
Ozymandias for Cello and Piano
Autumn Concert
Our first concert of the new school year opened with the Junior
Orchestra playing a very well-known movement from Handel’s
Music for the Royal Fireworks – Le Rejoissance. The Junior
Orchestra is open to players from across the year groups and is a
great place to gain some early experience of the orchestral repertoire and share the fun of playing with others.
They were followed by Hannah, our Head Girl playing the beautiful Adagio and Allegro by
Schumann. Hannah is studying A level Music and attends The Royal College of Music,
Junior Department on Saturdays where she is the lead cellist in the RCM Orchestra. In
addition she also leads the cello section in both the Nonsuch Symphony Orchestra and The
Stoneleigh Orchestra and also plays in the National Youth Chamber Orchestra of Great
Britain
The programme continued with the new Flute Trio which has been formed by our Flute Teacher, Mrs Thompson. She selected a
piece for three of her more experienced students.
The School choir, which has expanded rapidly this year, continued
the entertainment. The girls have enjoyed singing a variety of
songs in two or even three parts and chose to perform Rutter’s
famous song For the Beauty of the Earth.
Next was the challenging first movement from
Mozart’s String Quartet K 387 performed by our new
String Quartet, which gives students the opportunity to
explore the extensive chamber music repertoire. They
recently performed at the Year 11 Prize Giving Evening
at the Epsom Race Course and have been asked perform
at a Christmas Concert for Banstead Golf Club .
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 3
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Next on our programme was Yasmin who thrilled us with her harp playing as she has since she was a year 7 student. On this
occasion she treated us to a piece written especially for her by Mr Johnson for our recent Classics Concert . This year Yasmin
won Young Musician of the Year Competitions , both at Nonsuch and in Sutton.
Yasmin was followed by the Nonsuch Jazz band who certainly entertained us with a Duke Ellington inspired
number called Wretched Snake Blues followed by a toe tapping tune from the 1920s called Dinah
Next was the Concert Band This term Mr Reeve has enjoyed taking on the
challenge of directing one of Nonsuch’s leading ensembles, the concert band.
Over the course of the term they have successfully taken on a very wide variety
of music, from the Latin sounds of Ricky Martin to the themes of John Williams
and on this occasion performing The Best of Queen and Always Look on the
Bright Side of Life. Audience participation was encouraged in the form of
whistling along at the appropriate moments!
It was great to see that a number of students who are new to the school have
joined the concert band.
After the Concert band we were treated to a performance by Vox Celestes (literally heaven voices!) who are a small choir that
specialises in close harmony singing and blend of sound. They perform regularly both inside and outside school – most recently
at the Actor’s Church in Covent Garden. They also compete in local Music Festivals and are currently the holders of an award
from the Reigate Festival and are about to compete in the Sutton Music Festival.
A performance by the Year 13 Trio of one of the A2 set works-Beethoven’s
Septet in Eflat Op 20-followed
We always try to play through the set works ourselves and were delighted to find
this beautiful arrangement, by Beethoven, for this Trio and piano.
The penultimate performance was the by the Chamber
Choir, which continues to thrive, singing the beautiful “Panis
Angelicus" followed by a lighter number , which is a real
favourite of the Choir. Finally they were joined by ‘Friends’
to sing the famous chorus from The Messiah “And the Glory
of the Lord” in four part harmony. We were especially
grateful to students from Sutton Grammar and Wilsons who
join us for this.
And last but by no means least was the Nonsuch Symphony
orchestra ,who played the first movement of Schubert’s Unfinished
Symphony. We were particularly happy to include students from other
schools who filled in for some of the rarer instruments. The school
should be proud that this orchestra continues to maintain its tradition of
playing complete classical works in their original versions.
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 4
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
This report, by Lorna in Y10, recently featured on the local Guardian website
1000 children on Sunday 30th November, from primary to university age, raised their voices as one at the Royal Albert
Hall to sing one of Handel's most famous masterpieces - the traditional pre-Christmas 'Messiah,' in order to raise money
for Water Aid. Accompanied by the Royal Festival Orchestra, under the baton of Susan Digby OBE, the Scratch Youth
Messiah was a massive success.
Sutton's own Nonsuch High School for Girls was one such contributor to the performance, and upon arriving, the group
of 16 girls were all happy to explore the legendary, intricate Hall, which was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871.
They had only rehearsed a couple of times in after school sessions, performing one movement in the Autumn Concert
on 27th November, but during the run through rehearsal, many said it was a brilliant result, as obviously one could hear
the added strength of more than 1000 voices, as well as the strong support of the tenors and basses (which, of course,
are nonexistent in a girl's school.)
The concert itself consisted of a shortened version of the Messiah (the full length piece would be over three hours!),
which included recitatives and airs from older soloists, and of course, the choruses, in which the 1000 strong choir served
their purpose beautifully.
I asked Lauren, one such participating soprano from Nonsuch, about her general opinion of the event, and she said it
was an "amazing, once in a lifetime experience," especially as there was "no pressure" on any one person - "it was just
really fun."
The piece also neatly ties into Nonsuch's GCSE Music, as one of the set works is "And the Glory of the Lord," one of the
opening pieces of the Messiah. It is an understatement to say that having the opportunity to actually sing this piece, as
well as the rest of the Messiah in front of thousands at the Royal Albert Hall, was taking learning enrichment to another
level.
By Lorna , Nonsuch High School for Girls.
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 5
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Music– individual Achievement
Sutton Music Festival
The Sutton music festival has been taking place throughout the month of November. Nonsuch girls regularly take part in this
competition and our congratulations go to the following students who performed extremely well in the vocal classes:
Savannah Year 11- Class winner
Natasha Year 13 – Class winner
Harris Year 12 – Class winner
Daria Year 9- Class runner up
Rebekah Year 11 – Class runner up
Sophie Year 13- Class runner up
We are also extremely pleased to hear that Lindsay Harrod an ex-student, has just competed with the Northern Spirit Singers in
the final of the BBC Choir of the year.
Year 8 exam success
Sofia - grade 5 drums, 97% distinction
Roshini-grade 6 violin distinction
Tharanjaa - grade 5 violin merit/distinction
Anna - grade 5 theory 96%
Chloe- grade 6 flute and piano
Amy- grade 6 piano, grade 5 theory both distinction
Mithila 1st place at the Kingston Music Festival Carnatic vocal solo
Classics Trip to Naples
In November the classics department organised a trip to Naples, Italy. 30 girls from the year 8 and 9 forms that
learn Latin went and I can say that for all of us it was an entertaining and enlightening experience.
The first day, after we landed, we went straight to the hotel and witnessed an incredible sunset which I will never
forget. The sight was only one of many that we would never have been able to see in England.
The day after we arrived we went to Vesuvius, the most well known volcano in Italy. Having been studying
volcanoes in geography, we year 9s were really eager to see one in reality. The meters that we walked were steep
and, at the summit, incredibly windy. However, it was worth it. The gases
seeping through the cracks in the crater and the view of the city were
another great memory.
Afterwards we went to Pompeii, where we learnt about the different
areas in which the Romans lived and worked, and also much about their
life and religion. This was also a great insight into archaeology and how
archaeologists piece together information about the people thousands
of years ago.
After an evening of delicious Italian ice cream, the next day we went to
my favourite place, Amalfi. The journey there was one of the most
amazing scenes that I have ever seen, the blue sea and the cliffs were
wonderful to see. Even though Amalfi did not yet exist during the Roman
times, it was a pleasure to visit.
Naples
We then went to Paestum, which contains what are said to be some of
the best preserved Greek temples in the world. It was fascinating to see
these huge buildings and the many ruins around them. One could
glimpse the lives of people thousands of years ago.
Last but not least we went to Herculaneum, which was one of my
favourite sites. The unique way in which it was destroyed means that
there was still wood preserved in its original places. This meant that we
could see the stairs which were the same as the ones we have now and
other fascinating details.
Thank you to Mrs Kyrke-Smith, Mr Dant and Mrs Shirley for taking us.
Page 6
Nonsuch High School For Girls
The mosaics of Amphitrite at the House of the Netune
Page 6
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Learning Resource Centre
COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON FROM THE LIBRARY
It certainly feels a lot like Christmas in the library at the moment, particularly so after our enthusiastic and indispensable
army of library volunteers demonstrated magnificent artistic flair when creating paper snowflakes for decoration. It is
great to see the students enjoying the library space, and they have been assisting with the regeneration and reorganisation of the stock ahead of next year’s move to a new facility as part of the school’s expansion plan.
The PFSA have been helping to encourage donations which will allow us to replace some of the well-loved paperbacks
that are beginning to fall apart. If you are ever clearing out your bookshelves and you have good quality books that
might be suitable for the students, do please keep the school library in mind.
We recently started a Scholastic Book Club and every purchase made through our dedicated website will earn credits for
the school to buy new books. The school also subscribed to this year’s Booktrust Bookbuzz scheme which allowed us to
give a book to each student in year 7 (Geek Girl by Holly Smale was a particularly popular choice). You can find more
information about Bookbuzz here http://www.bookbuzz.org.uk/
Our staff have been enjoying the library as well, and we would like to share with parents a few of our recommendations
in case you require some inspiration for reading during the holiday season.
Miss Thompson has been enjoying The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt, and says ‘it is a grisly, often bloody ride
through the American frontier. The Sisters Brothers are paid killers stalking an elusive prospector, Hermann Kermit
Warn. There is a cast of unforgettable characters, razor sharp writing, while Eli searches for meaning in his haunted life.
Don’t expect a sweet Christmas treat. Brace yourself for the raw and sharp bones of a great story. You can judge this
book by its cover- both are witty and sharp’
Last year’s Booker Prize winner The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, in which gold prospectors in New Zealand share
stories of unsolved crimes, has also been popular amongst staff despite its intimidating length. The Goldfinch by Donna
Tartt remains a great favourite, with a particular recommendation from Ms Hanlon. Every member of staff who has read
this book says they found it incredibly gripping, and many have been inspired to revisit her back catalogue.
Mrs Harvey has been reading Stoner by John Williams, and she describes it as ‘beautiful.’ It is an American novel from
1965 which has been reissued and gained a new audience after Waterstones made it their Book of the Year in 2013. She
is also looking forward to reading Ian McEwan’s most recent novel The Children Act.
Mr Tavares is working his way through Karl Ove Knausgård’s autobiographical novels and is currently on A Man In
Love: My Struggle Book 2. These novels merge the boundaries between fiction and memoir, and this second book was
inspired by the author’s relationship with his second wife.
Mr Carabine has been reading Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, winner of the 2014 Man Booker
Prize. He describes it as ‘very powerful, about an often forgotten period of history: the building of the Death Railway in
Burma.’ Miss Hartley has also been reading this book and says: ‘His descriptions of the conditions that the Australian
POWs suffered whilst building the Burma railway are deeply harrowing, at times so vivid it’s hard to finish the
paragraph but you will continue to turn the pages to see how the story unfolds. Flanagan also gives you an insight into
the mindset of the Japanese who ran these camps which helps you to understand just why conditions were so harsh. It’s
also a book about love, devotion, long lasting friendships and forgiveness summed up in beautifully crafted sentences
that stop you in your tracks whilst reading. It’s a book that will stay with you for a long time.’
If you enjoy Narrow Road to the Deep North and you are interested in the lives of PoWs, I recommend Midge Gillies’s
The Barbed-Wire University, which is a wonderful work of social history that reveals some extraordinary accounts. I
enjoy short stories over Christmas, and this year I intend to look up Graham Greene’s Twenty-One
Stories after hearing Charlie Higson read ‘A Little Place Off the Edgware Road’ at the British
Library as part of their Gothic season. Helen Macdonald's H is for Hawk, winner of this year’s
Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction is also on my To Read list. The time is also ripe for an
annual re-reading of the festive Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle’, in
which a goose becomes collateral damage after an unusual confluence of events.
Merry Reading!
Ms. Chandler
Learning Resources Centre Coordinator
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 7
Page 7
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Jack Petchey Achievement Awards
Aditi in Year 10 is an active member of an Asian Charity Association based in Tooting. The Charity
celebrate Durga Pjua (Dusherra) and Kali Puja (Diwali) each year.
This year, Aditi had to take over the responsibility of organising this event at the last minute, due to a
family bereavement.
She was the anchor of the cultural programmes, which she hosted every evening over the 6 days of
celebrations. She entertained the crowd with her elegant dance routines and diverse collection of Indian
songs every day. In addition she served food to the entire congregation, supervised the donation desk
and helped the committee to collect money for charity.
Aditi organised drawing competitions for children and distributed prizes. Straight after school, she went
to the hall and didn’t return home until 12.30 am but she maintained her work and attendance at school
during this time.
The Nonsuch committee gave Aditi the October Award for her dedication to this charity at a difficult time
for her family. She is going to spend her Award in the Drama and Dance departments at school and in
addition, organise some chocolate treats for Year 11 who supported her.
The November Award has been won by Victoria in Year 7 for her outstanding achievements in Tennis.
She picked up a racquet when she was 3 but has gone on to win the 14 and under Wimbledon
tournament and has recently acquired sponsorship from Babolat. She won 7 regional tournaments at
under 12 and under 14 level over the summer and the quarter-finals of the 12 and under National
Tournament in November.
Victoria trains intensively every day for approximately 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours in the afternoon and also trains
before school up to 3 times a week. She also does some fitness training 1-4 times a week depending on
tournaments and injuries.
The committee wanted to recognise the commitment Victoria has shown to her sport. She is going to
spend her Award by providing the funding for a coaching opportunity for other students in the summer
term.
The Nonsuch JP committee welcomes nominations from students, staff and parents. The nomination
form can be downloaded from the school website and placed in the box in the main reception area for
consideration.
Nicola Holmes
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 8
Page 8
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
History & Politics
Remembrance – Centenary of the beginning of the First World War
Anna’s trip to Belgium
Last November, in preparation for the centenary of the First World
War, sixty British schoolchildren, including myself, went to Belgium
in order to take part in a Remembrance ceremony at the Menin Gate.
We stayed in Belgium for the weekend in the homes of host families
and were joined by eighty Belgian students in the ceremony. The
purpose of the ceremony was to begin the journey of soil, taken from
seventy cemeteries in Flanders, to London. This marked the first time
the soil has left Flanders and thus I felt privileged to be part of the
occasion. The ceremony was also attended by Prince Phillip and
Prince Laurent of Belgium. The soil, on its arrival to London, was then
used to create a memorial garden in Wellington Barracks to
commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
This year, with the construction of the memorial garden now completed, all the
schoolchildren, both British and Belgian, were invited to another ceremony to
commemorate the opening of the garden. Therefore it was the turn of the Belgian
students to travel to London and stay with British host families. I myself played
host to Eline Libbrecht and her brother Tim Libbrecht who stayed with me for
the weekend of Remembrance Sunday. Over the weekend we got to do many
activities organised by the Flanders government such as attend the Lord Mayor’s
Parade and visit the Tower of London to see the commemorative poppies. On
Remembrance Sunday we attended a service at the Wellington Barracks chapel
and then a ceremony at the memorial garden itself. The garden, made from the
soil from the battlefields, serves to act as a reminder of the loss and suffering
which occurred during the First World War. At the ceremony the significance of
the soil was noted as being the long awaited homecoming for those soldiers who never got a homecoming, but lie in Flanders
Fields still. The garden hopes to aid the continuation of remembrance of the First World War and to ensure that the
importance of remembrance is not lost on the succeeding generations.
Overall the entire experience was both a very exciting opportunity as well as an extremely moving experience to be part of. I
am also very grateful to St Joris school who acted as my very hospitable host during the experience and hope that this can be
the start of a long term link between their school and ours.
Anna, Year 12
Nonsuch Remembers
On 11 November 2014 students stopped for two minutes to remember those who had given their lives in conflict. As this year
marked the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, an effort was made to remember in particular those who
had lived near the school in Cheam, Sutton and Worcester Park and had gone to serve their country and not returned. Using
the excellent Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, http://www.cwgc.org, we were able carry out some research
and print out certificates of local soldiers, sailors, aircrew and medical staff which were given to each form group to display in
their classroom and provide a focus of remembrance. Two notable examples were Sidney Charles Odd, from Norman Road in
Sutton, who died aged 16 in 1918 whilst serving in the merchant navy, and Dorothy Maud Chandler, from Malden Road in
Cheam, who died of illness in 1917 while serving as a nurse. Further information about them and the 52 other local casualties
can be found on the Nonsuch HP blog: http://nonsuchhp.blogspot.com.
Mr Coy
Theatre production
On Thursday 13 November, Years 8 and 9 had the privilege of watching Quantum Theatre perform “Your Country Needs You”.
The play was based on World War I, the “War to End All Wars”. They explained how and why the war started from different
points of view (in a very clear and visual way) and the events that took place after Britain decided to intervene. What I liked
about the production was the fact that the actors took a very difficult topic and made it fun and humorous to understand. I can
guarantee you that every single person watching the production learned something new!
I would like to thank the team from Quantum Theatre, who did an excellent job of teaching and entertaining us about World
War 1, and Phoebe and Emma , the two winners of the Jack Petchey Award who gave their prize money to the History
Department to allow the production to take place.
Amirah, Year 8
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 9
Page 9
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
History and Politics Events
It has been a busy time in the History and Politics Department this half term. Remembrance events have been central but
there have been other visits and competitions going on.
Baroness Morris of Yardley
On 19th November, we were lucky enough to be visited by Estelle Morris, Baroness
Morris of Yardley, who as a previous Secretary of State for Education and currently
Chair of the Institute for Effective Education, was a fascinating speaker. She gave a
talk to a wide range of pupils and staff at lunchtime and then stayed for a more
specific question and answer session with our Year 12 and 13 Government and
Politics students. She gave the students a detailed history of her background as well
as her experience in politics. She also answered a considerable number of questions
about the current political landscape in both the Labour Party and in education.
HP Society
Emily Rose, Kirsten and Jenna (Year 13) organised this year’s HP Society Assembly. On the theme of important women in
History, it covered a number of significant female leaders from Indira Gandhi, India’s Prime Minister for 15 years, to Michelle
Bachelet, the current President of Chile.
Year 7 Castle Competition
Emily Rose and Gemma from HP Society (Year 13)
judged this year’s Year 7 Castle Competition. Thirty
students entered. The overall winner was a fantastic
concentric castle forged out of polystyrene by Subasri,
Prathikah won the motte and bailey category; Sophie C
the stone/square keep; Sophie L the super/concentric
castle and Molly the siege weapon (a working model of
a mangonel). The models were all of a very high standard. Congratulations to all those who entered and to
the winners. The castles will be displayed near reception.
Miss Saigon
On 3 December, Ms D’Souza, Mr Coy and Ms Stottor very kindly took 40 Year 11 and 13 students to see
Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Boublil and Schönberg’s musical based on events during and
after the Vietnam War, Miss Saigon. Year 11 study the Vietnam War as part of the History GCSE qualification and Year 13 are studying the Vietnam War as part of their coursework on American Foreign Policy
1890-1990 at A-level. The new production was spectacular with fantastic acting, music and staging.
Mrs Budden
Feminist Society
Dr Rosie Campbell
With the General Election coming up in May 2015, Dr Rosie Campbell came in on 27 th
November to speak to the students about gender in politics. She is Reader in Politics at
Birkbeck, University of London and has written books and articles on the subject. She gave
the students a picture of how men and women differ in the way they vote and are involved
in politics and she answered a range of questions about the current political scene.
Staff talks
Kate in Year 13, Chair of the Feminist Society, has also organised for a number of staff to talk about feminism over a series of
lunchtimes. Ms Hanlon gave a fascinating talk about women in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics), and highlighted the opportunities and drawbacks for women in the industry. Mr Vernon gave a very thought
-provoking talk about gender in theology and the issues that it raises for the Christian church in particular. More talks are
planned for the end of term and next term.
Mrs Budden
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 10
Page 10
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
P.E
U15 Surrey Gymnastics
The Under 15 gymnastics team competed at the Surrey Schools
Floor and Vault competition on Friday 21 November at
Guildford High School. The under 15 squad have great strength
and depth, which enabled us to select different squad members
for this competition. The girls performed all their sequences
really well and vaulted with confidence. The team finished the
day by winning the Bronze medals. This is an outstanding result
against top Surrey gymnasts.
Team: Tabby, Camille, Anya, Secoura and Chloe.
U18 Football victory against Reigate
On 19th November, an U18 team formed of Year 13s and Year 12s took on the current cup holders, Reigate
College, in the first round of the Surrey Cup.
Despite a few members of the team never having played football before, we were comfortable on the ball and had a
lot of possession. The defence started out well and Reigate barely had a shot on goal. Our first goal came in the
first half from a Jenna, who sent the ball past the oncoming keeper. However, the lead was short lived. Soon after
we went 1-0 up, Reigate equalised with a shot right into the corner.
We reacted well to the equaliser, when Rachel D scored a beautiful goal from a free kick, taken from just inside the
opposition half. Now in the lead again, our focus slipped and we allowed one of the Reigate players to break past
the defence and shot the ball into the right corner. Half time came after 40 minutes of football, and we felt confident
that we could win the game if we kept up the strong performance we had shown.
In the second half, Reigate saw more of the ball, but we
closed them down quickly, with Evie dropping into defence
and acting as sweeper. We had a lot of good play, using
Emma and Jess on the wing well. Finally Rachel D got a
well-deserved second goal, putting us back into the lead.
Reigate now attacked well, and we had a lot of defending to
do. Everyone in defence did their job of marking and closing
down the ball quickly, with Evie and Lizzie deflecting shots
wide of goal. In the last 10 minutes, it seemed as though Reigate could come close to scoring, but the team held onto the
lead well and secured the win.
We now go through to the next round of the Cup. Well done to
the team: Jess, Jenna, Rachel M, Lily, Rachel D, Evie, Lizzie,
Emma, Georgia, Christine, Hannah and Lydia.
U15 Netball – Greenacre Shield
The U15 netball team competed at the very competitive U15
Greenacre shield in November. They played outstanding netball and
were crowned joint champions. This tournament win reflects what
has been a very successful season so far. The girls are looking
forward to challenging for the title of Sutton Schools U15 champions
in March.
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 11
Page 11
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
P.E
Team Sixteen Football Campaign & Football Interhouse
This term, a team of 8 students in Y10-12 have been running a
football Interhouse competition for Y10 on Monday lunchtimes.
The girls are working under the FA’s Team Sixteen campaign
which aims to increase the number of participants in football at
an age group where there is often a marked decrease. The student
management team have been working hard to promote their
scheme as well as refereeing matches and handing out prizes to
‘players of the match’. It’s been incredible to see so many
students turn up during their lunch hour and they have commented on how much fun it has been. Jupiter are currently top of the
league with an unbeaten run. Matches will continue in 2015.
Year 12 Enrichment Programme
Year 12's at Nonsuch have been given the opportunity to take part in a fortnightly enrichment session
and partake in many different activities; ranging from arts and crafts to working in a care home. I am
currently helping out at a local primary school and work with year one students in various different
lessons. In doing so I am able to build on my interpersonal communication skills and am able to work
with a range of ages. I have also been able to work alongside teachers, establish an excellent rapport
with staff and work well in a team to help the students. The experience has not only aided me in
expanding my skills set but is also very rewarding in knowing I am able to help children in the
foundation stages of their education.
Alisha Year 12
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award
We would like to send our congratulations to six of our recent leavers, Alice, Hannah, Melissa,
Jennifer, Hannah and Janet, who have been awarded the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 12
Page 12
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Year 9 Options Process
In the new year, students in Year 9 will begin the process of deciding which subjects to take at
GCSE level in Years 10 and 11. To help them decide, there will be presentations about the
options process, an Options Fair during which current year 10 students will talk about the
options they chose and information from Heads of Department during assemblies. In preparation for the Year 9 Parents’ Evening, all students will receive an Options Booklet which outlines
the process and the course content of each subject at GCSE level. Parents will also be able to
ask specific questions about the Options Process during a presentation at Parents’ Evening.
The Careers Fair will be an opportunity for Year 9 students to do some final research on which
subjects to choose before submitting their form online in mid-March.
P. Sides
Economics
Target 2.0
On Monday 26 November four year 13 Economics students Amy, Luca, Suzanne and Laxsica took
part in the regional heats of the Bank of England Target 2.0 Interest Rate Competition at the
Prudential Regulation Building in Moorgate, London. It was the fifteenth annual Target Two Point
Zero – Bank of England and The Times Interest Rate Challenge with 295 teams across the United
Kingdom competing for the Challenge Trophy and a cash prize for their school or college.
During the 43 regional heats, teams of four students analyse
UK and global economic data and their possible impact on
inflation and the economic outlook for the UK - just as the
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee does each
month. The team must then decide if current monetary policy
is appropriate or needs to be adjusted, to meet the 2.0 per cent
inflation target set by the Government. In a presentation to a
panel of Bank of England judges the team explains their
decision then justifies it through their answers to questions
from the panel.
The girls recommended an interest rate of 0.5% and maintaining asset purchases at £375 bn. Their presentation was t
horough, well researched and delivered with confidence and
the girls received praise from the judging panel for their handling of difficult questions.
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 13
Page 13
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
Design Technology
Design Museum & Science Museum Trip
The Year 10 Product Design students visited the Design
Museum and Science Museum.
At the Design Museum we took part in a workshop based on chairs
Each group was given a different flat pack chair and we had to work out what it
would look like when it was assembled. We then attempted to assemble the
chairs, which was really tricky as we didn’t have any instructions or a picture to
look at for help.
It will certainly make us think about seating more creatively in the future!
Design & Technology
Product Design
Help Required
The AS Product Design course has been running for a term now.
As part of the course students need to be familiar with how different products
are manufactured. The best way to learn about these techniques is to either
make something using them or see them in action.
We are specifically interested in manufacturing techniques using plastics and
metals e.g. rotational moulding, injection moulding, compression moulding,
blanking, piercing, welding etc. but would be keen to see techniques using
other materials.
If you work for a company which manufactures products who would be willing to
allow the students to visit and observe these processes please contact
Miss Hobart.
Coming Soon:
Coca Cola Factory Tour
Surrey Satro Problem Solving Challenge
Page 14
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 14
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
House News
Halloween week started as soon as we returned from the half term break and an array of ghastly cakes and
scary pumpkins were on display in the main entrance giving everyone a shocking greeting! The designs were
exceptionally varied this year from coffins to ghosts, a spider’s web and a mummified arm! We awarded 10
credits to all entries and 20 to the winning designs.
House officials selected a winner in each year groups.
Y7
Sanjulu
The Y10 winner was the beautiful
but sinister Wedding cake made by
Shanice, Lauren and Tabitha.
In Y9 Ava’s spider was chosen for creativity and precision
on her piping skills
Y8 Ella and Tilly
with their impression of a
Haunted Nonsuch.
In Y11 there were 2 outstanding entries so we had to award joint first place
Ruba, Juliet and Olivia (Y9) for their
gruesome heart – the sheen on the
icing made it appear so lifelike!
We also had another Haunted Nonsuch design
by Sinthu and Archana which was impressive
in its sheer scale and had many creative details.
The winners of the pumpkin carving were Molly Y7 as we
really liked how she’d fitted a smaller pumpkin in the
mouth of a larger pumpkin. Amy Y8 created a pumpkin
behind bars and Alice Y9 has a well-carved witch.
Sophie Y11 did a beautiful Remembrance tribute
showing immense skill.
As the week drew to a close, the House Officials had selected their favourite three entries for our scary story writing competition. A special reading was held in the library where friends of the finalists came along to listen and be
terrified! Our finalists were Caitlyn Y7 and Munyah Y8 with the winner being Amy Y8 (who also won the pumpkin
carving in her year group)!
The October Instagram photography competition was won by Maya Y8, with Elizabeth Y7 and Piper Y7 as runners-up.
Page 15
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 15
Newsletter
Issue 29∙ December 2014
House News
The Term was rounded off with our fabulous Talent Show. Auditions
were held in November and one act from each House was selected to
take part in the final show on Tuesday 9 December. We had Maja, Tele,
Salwah, Aisha and Alexis in Mars singing ‘Read all about It’. Hanna,
Sophie and Esha in Mercury sung ‘Let it Go’ and did a great job despite
the misbehaviour of our CD player! Claire in Neptune (who was last
year’s winner) upped her game this year by writing and performing her
very own song. The judges decided Jupiter’s choir should be 3rd place
with Srinithi in Saturn dancing her way into second position. Our
overall winner was Charlotte in Pluto who recited a poem with great
conviction and she truly engaged the whole audience in the story of
her sandcastle! Additional credits and prizes were awarded to all the
winners.
At the time of going to press, form rooms are being adorned with tinsel, paper chains, trees, snowflakes, all in aid of
the House Christmas form decorating competition. All forms will receive 10 credits for entering but the winning
forms in each year group will receive 20 credits.
Nonsuch Christmas Fair
Once again the annual Nonsuch Christmas Fair was a great success. There was a wide
variety of stalls run by both the PSFA and students. You could buy gifts for family and
friends or have a go at one of the many games stalls . The hall was decorated to resemble
Santa's grotto and the students all got to spend some time enjoying the event. We would
like to thank the PSFA for all their hard work not only at this event but throughout the year
and of course thank you to everyone who kindly donated to the tombola, raffle etc.
HOUSE CREDITS September –December 2014
Winning Year Group
Year 7
6312 Credits
Winning House
Jupiter
4435 Credits
Winning Form
7 Mars
1432 Credits
Winning Student
Ava Year 9
91 Credits
Nonsuch High School For Girls
Page 16
Page 16