05/12 PERFORMINTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAYHEADLINESSILVER SURFERSCARY MARSHSCIENCE FAIRTHE GUARDIAN IN FOCUSTHE INFORMATION

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www.ursulinehigh.merton.sch.uk

URSULINE INFORM 05/2012

performanceseason

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This spring half term, students from across all years have been busy practicing their talents ready to per-form at a number of school concerts and events.

The season started with the ever popular Multicultural Evening which took place on 29th February. Guests started the evening feasting on delicacies from around the world, specially prepared by students and their families. As well as stalls represent-ing Asia, Africa, USA and Europe, this year there also was a British stall - complete with cucumber sandwiches, straw berries and cream and a union jack coke! Having satisfied their taste buds, guests were treated to a varied showcase of dance and music from different cultures. New acts this year included ‘Sri Lankan medley’ a traditional folk dance, and martial arts display - in which the young black belts managed to break a piece of wood with one kick, and ‘Africa meets Latin America’ - the Year 7 and Year 8/9 choir as well as solo performances. At the end of . the evening, the entire audience joined in to

sing ‘Make you feel my love’. Another opportunity for students to display their talents was at the Key Stage 3 showcase. The evening comprised an eclectic mix of acts from gymnastics to classical ballet and African drumming to contemporary dance. A dancing duet showed off their funky street dance moves and the evening ended with a lively performance by the Friday afternoon ‘Dance Bites’ group. Sixth formers have their chance to celebrate their talents at the Variety Night, held on Wednesday 28th March. All together it has been a spectacular season of perfor-mances. Congratulations to the partici-pants and a big thank you to all staff and parents who supported the girls.

above ballet performance at the Key Stage 3 Showcase.

left violinist performsabove left year 7 flautist perfor-

mance

performanceseason

headlinesDear Parents & Friends,During assembly this week, Year 13 students asked students to:

aim high take opportunities work hard be passionate about you dobe determinedAs we approach the Easter many students have taken the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. A year 8 student gave this feed-back: “I felt released and open to the presence of God”.This sacrament frees us to start again and prevents failure from stopping us becoming our very best.

This Easter our parishes invite us to join in the Easter servic-es. May this Easter bring you the joy of the Risen Christ.

Ms Julia Waters, BSc (Hons) MA

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cary onA former Ursuline student gave an insight into the world of technology and life as an entrepreneur, when she came in to talk to Year 1 Os and 11 s as part of the ‘Women into Science, Engineering and Clinical Careers’ event.

Cary Marsh is the CEO and founder of mydeo.com - which provides high quality streaming video and content delivery services to businesses worldwide from Hugo Boss and 02 to Kelloggs. Cary studied Manufacturing Engineering of univer-sity and got the idea for her business while on maternity leave with her first son. Following a successful pitch to a room of investors, Cary was able to raise half a million pounds to de-velop her business, She has since been awarded a start-up award from HSBC, won ‘Red’

magazine’s ‘Hot Women Award’, been featured on the front cover of business magazine ‘The Sharp Edge’ - and become mother to two more sons! Cary still lives in Wimbledon, where her business is based. For those considering clinical careers, Kenton Lewis from Sf George’s University of London gave a talk about the-op opportunities available to them, It was an informative and inspiring afternoon which left everyone enthused about science and engineering. We look forward to seeing some current Ursuline girls at the forefront next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs.

guardian angelsThirteen Ursuline students studying English Language A-Level were recently given the oppor-tunity to visit The Guardian newspaper near Kings Cross, London. As we were a~l working on our second piece of coursework - writing to inform, it was a great chance for us to learn how to write a feature article from a professional journalist, Patrick Kingsley. The building itself was picturesque both inside and out. “It reminds me of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’!” said c student Rianna. On the way we passed several offices packed with journalists typing away at computers and working intensely. The modern, sophisticated environment was perfect for the fast moving journalism work. Walking past all the busy offices gave us an insight into what being a journal-ist is like. The visit to the Guardian was truly an amazing experience and taught me how to structure my current and future coursework pieces.

fair dealStudents in Years 7 and 8 showed how science can be both fun and fascinating, when they put on their very own science fair. Groups of students set up stalls and displays and performed live demonstra-tions showcasing a wide variety of scientific phenomenon. Visitors to the fair could see an exploding volcano; a ‘bouncy’ egg; ‘elephant’ toothpaste - complete with giant stripes; oven baked ice-cream and marsh-mallows which just kept getting bigger! There were eye-catching displays showing the centre of the earth - complete with bubbling magma; the solar system and con-stellations of stars. You could also partici-pate in activities such as testing your blind spot, looking through a pin-hole camera, viewing the night sky in a tent and getting your hands on some slime! Students at each stall were keen to share their knowl-edge of the science behind the weird and wonderful displays and demonstrations.

Bethany McAuliffe and Eryka Kritikos from 7

Ursula.

Students demonstrate the expanding marshmallows experiment.

Cary Marsh, former student and CEC of mydeo.com

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Ursuline hosts International Women’s Day conference

On the 8th of March, Ursuline High School joined in worldwide celebrations to mark International Women’s Day, and hosted a conference on the theme ‘Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures’.

Left to Right: Naomi Williams: Plan UK. Char-lotte Moore: Deputy Editor Marie Claire and Krsna Harilela: Senior Editorial Producer CNN

The event was attended by Ursuline student leaders from across all years, as well as girls from seven local schools. Its aim was for students to reflect on how they can support women, both globally and in their own schools. Four speakers, all of them successful women in their fields addressed the conference. The first, Krsna Harilela, Senior Editorial Producer at CNN Interna-tional talked about how she participated in a project to build a school in Mali. For Krsna, this was a life changing experience, which inspired her to devote herself to raise awareness of the rights of children, especially girls. Krsna urged the students to ‘Have no fear in going after what you want - both in your own life and to help others.’ The next speaker, Naomi Williams, Plan UK’s Campaigns Manager talked about the issue of early mar-riage in countries such as Bangladesh, and how if usually leads to an end to a girl’s education and leaves them more vulnerable to violence and abuse. Her message was that fundamentally all

girls share the same aspirations, but for some, their choices are limited. Charlotte Moore, Deputy Editor of Marie Claire maga-zine talked about her passion for her job, and how she loved to have the opportunity to feature stories of women around the world. Her advice was to ‘find your passion’ and then ‘focus on success.’ The lost speaker, Becky Anderson, is a British journalist and one of CNN’s highest profile news presenters and correspon-dents. She talked about her experiences covering news stories in volatile and often dangerous situations and how she felt very privileged to do her job. Inspired by the passion and commit-ment of the speakers, students then got together to discuss and come up with their own action plans. All the proposals put forward will be considered by the Ursuline student council in forthcoming meetings, and circulated to participating schools. It was a thought provoking morning, which left everyone ready to take action for change!

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It is not just the younger generations who enjoy getting to grips

with new technology. It would appear that of those who use

the internet regularly in Britain, more than one in four is in the

older age bracket, according to the Mail Online. In 2005, a study

carried out by the BBC found that more than half of over-55s are

online. However, due to the speed with which new gadgets and

technology are launched and the multitude of tasks being more

easily achieved online, it can be hard for anyone to keep up,

particularly those least us and other local people to solve their IT

problems. These sessions allow students to help with everything

from texting and emails to buying theatre tickets online Faith

Warde, a sixth former has been volunteering at the Silver Surfers

sessions since 2011. Faith said, “I love sharing my knowledge

and meeting older people. It really is s o heart-warming to be

able to help.”

Jane West, Year 12

rambling onEight sixth formers were the first to take part in a new and innovative heri-tage and visitor resource for Wimbledon. They helped to create ‘The Wimbledon Way’ which will bring the story of Wimbledon clive through a website, leaflets and a marked walking route taking visitors through the town centre, Wimble-don Village and to the All England Lawn Tennis Club. The students researched Wimbledon’s heritage with the help of local historians and using resources at the Museum of Wimbledon. They learnt about how the introduction of Wimbledon Station transformed the area, Wimbledon’s long connection with sport, present and post, wildlife on Wimbledon Common and how a World War II bomb fell in the playing fields of Ursuline High School. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected walk The Wimbledon Way this summer and have the chance to learn more about Wimbledon. If you would like to get involved or have a story to tell about Wimbledon email Angela Browne at angela@merfonchamber.co.uk

silver surfers

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in focus

photographs Charlotte Moore Cary Marsh MBE Ursuline Athletic Team Violinist Ursuline Netball Team Siobhan Benita Boris Johnson Sixth Form A Level Results Day

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diaryAPRIL 2012Mon 16 Start of termWeds 18 GCSE Music Performance eveningMon 23 Year 8 Parents EveTue 24 Year 7 visit to St Angela’s, Forest Gate MAY 2012Mon 7 School Closed May DayTue 8 Inset DayMon 14 External exams startFri 18 Year 12 Study Leave startsTue 22 UPA Meeting JUNE 2012Mon 4 - 8 Half TermMon 11 School returns

thinka thought for the day

Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime

Lao Tzu founder of Taoism

house points

• MARGARET 5200 1st

• ANGELA 5050 2nd

• BERNADETTE 4845 3rd

• TERESA 4490 4th

• FRANCIS 4325 5th

• URSULA 4200 6th

• CATHERINE 4140 7th

contactUrsuline High SchoolCrescent RoadWimbledonLondonSW20 8HA

Main Switchboard 020 8255 2688Main Fax 020 8255 2687

www.ursulinehigh.merton.sch.uk

olympics‘More than Gold’ is an organisation helping churches engage with the Olympics. It is looking for people to provide to family members of Olympi-ans who might otherwise not be able to afford to come and watch. Catholic homes near Wimbledon are in particu-lar demand.For more details please look at the ‘More than Gold’ website or leave your name at the Sacred Heart Presbytery (020 8946 0305) and someone will contact you.

the information

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