Archived News | Trinity: May to August 2011
Latest News |
Michaelmas term 2011 |
Trinity term 2011 |
Lent term 2011 |
Students' GCSE delight!
Following last week's excellent A Level scores, our GCSE students did not fail to impress with a record-breaking 46.7% of grades awarded at A*.
Ten girls achieved A* grades across the board, and a further 36 scored A*/A in all of their subjects.
100% of all early entries in Mathematics and French by our Year 10 students also reaped the top A*/A grades.
Mrs Martin offered her congratulations:
"These results demonstrate hard work and commitment by pupils and staff alike, and will form an excellent basis for A Level study in a wide range of subjects."
What a result!
High School girls were jubilant this morning as they opened their A Level results. This year's group scored a record-breaking proportion of 80% at A*/A grades, with 31.6 % at A* grade (compared with 8.2% nationally). Ten girls achieved A* in three or more subjects.
96% of girls won places at their chosen universities, with six girls taking up Oxbridge places and many more heading to other prestigious universities across the country.
Among the top achievers were: Katharine, Hannah, Marianna, Janine, Paige, Eloise, Anjali, Emily, Santhya and Nisha.
Mrs Martin said:
"I am extremely proud of all the girls' results and delighted for them that they are now able to continue their education at a university of their choice."
Congratulations to all our 2011 leavers!
Race for Life
Three Year 8 girls from STAHS, Lizzie, Annabel and Evie, ran the Race for Life in St Albans recently. They ran 5km and raised over £300 for Cancer Research UK. Well done girls!
High School swimmers receive 'Team of the Year' Award
On Thursday 7 July, the Junior Nationals Swimming Team of Mia, Juliet, Fiona, Emma and Victoria attended the St Albans and District Sports Awards. The girls received a recognition award for Team of the Year, for their success at the English Schools Swimming Association Team Finals held in February. Congratulations to their girls for their success.
Aegon Tennis Team
Both the U13 and U15 Division 1 Aegon Tennis Teams progressed through to the County Semi-finals, having been successful in the group stages. The U15s played against Queenswood 1s and were unable to win against the experienced scholars. The U13s had a very exciting semi final against Haberdashers' Aske's. After the singles rubbers, the match was tied at 2-2. Lucy and Nadia played extremely well to win their doubles and now the match was tied at 3-3. This meant that we had to play a final championship tie-break to decide who should go through to the County Finals. The High School played some impressive tennis and won 10-5. We then faced Queenswood 1s in the final and whilst it was a very good match, Queenswood took the victory 4 sets to 2. The High School U13 Aegon Team placed second in the County – an excellent achievement! Congratulations to all girls who played.
Wimbledon
On Monday 27 June, 10 girls and two PE teachers went to Wimbledon, with tickets for Centre Court and Number 1 Court. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day watching some of the world's best players including Nadal, Murray, Federer, Djokovic, and the Williams' sisters. There were some really exciting matches and it was a fantastic opportunity for the girls to see top level tennis.
Year 7 swimmer in National Finals
Mia swam in the London Regional Championships as a qualifying round for the British Swimming National Age Group Championships. In the 100m Freestyle, Mia had to achieve a time of 1.03.59 to gain a place in the National final. In the heats she swam 1.03.83, she improved on this time in the final finishing 5th in a time of 1.03.49. Mia also competed in the 100m Backstroke competition. The qualification time was 1.12.26, Mia swam 1.12.35 in the regional final missing the qualifying time but only 0.09s. We are extremely proud of Mia's progress and achievements this year in swimming, and wish her the best of luck when she competes at the National Finals in the 100m Freestyle being held in Sheffield at the end of July.
U8 Gym Squad
On Sunday 19 June the Under 8 Gymnastics Squad travelled to Kent to compete in the Under 8 National Championships along with schools from around England. Our girls performed beautiful floor routines and powerful vaults, resulting in them winning first place! Particular mention should be given to Madeleine, Juliet and Abbie who were in the top 10 overall individuals.
Sports Day Fun
Senior School Sports Day took place on Wednesday 29 June in idyllic weather and the girls were in great House spirit. There was a busy schedule of events with the programme being expanded this year to encourage even more girls to participate in the track and field events.
Verulam continued their sporting success with a clean sweep of all the team trophies for both junior and senior competitions as well as the jumping cup. Well done to everyone!
The High School celebrate Tennis Tournament Success
The High School have been placed 2nd in two tennis tournaments recently. The two tournaments were for quite different abilities and the High School performed very well in both, which shows the depth of our tennis talent! On Tuesday 14 June, Esme and Isabel played in the Year 7 County Starter Tournament. They played a round robin against girls from five other schools and finished runners-up, only having lost one close game. In the Queenswood Eastern Region Invitational, which was held on Thursday 16 June, despite heavy rain during the morning's play, Lucy and Nadia (U13s) won their group to
face Queenswood's U13 1st team. With Lucy winning her singles and Nadia losing, they joined together to play a deciding Championship doubles tie-break. In a very exciting game, the High School pair came out on top, beating Queenswood 11-9. They then faced Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls in the final and despite excellent play, took the runners-up spot. Congratulations to all!
Along with this, intermediate and beginner pairs from Years 7, 8 and 9 played friendly doubles matches against Haberdashers on Wednesday 15 June. The Year 7s and 9s both won overall. An excellent week for High School tennis!
Relationships Day
On Thursday 23 June, Year 9 had the opportunity to participate in a 'Relationships Day' that tackled many issues in contemporary society. Issues covered included; peer pressure, relationships, drugs and alcohol. During the day, a company called 'Tip of the Iceberg' ran workshops to help advise the girls on how to react and deal with situations regarding these problems if they were ever to encounter them. The girls really enjoyed the opportunity and felt that it was an educational experience that they all would take with them in future years.
Year 7 Tennis
Over the summer term, girls in Year 7 have enjoyed learning and developing tennis skills in squad and club sessions. We have had over sixty girls participating, including everyone who trialled. Some of the girls have represented school teams in the National Schools Aberdare Cup competition, Aegon League matches and in tournaments and friendly matches for both intermediates and beginners. The girls have all really enjoyed playing and look forward to more opportunities in tennis as they move up the school.
High School High Achievers
Rising musical stars, Emma and Louise, have truly excelled themselves this year by gaining Distinctions in Saxophone in the Association of Trinity College London examinations. Emma and Louise now have professional qualifications (ATCL) after their name which is a real credit to the girls' talent and dedication and a remarkable result to have achieved whilst still at school. Well done to both girls!
Promising young (U17) lacrosse players, Sophie and Lizzie, have been selected to represent Centex and Wales respectively at the Lacrosse Festival in Hanover, Germany in August this year. This will give the girls a fantastic opportunity to experience competing against teams from other countries. Congratulations to Sophie and Lizzie.
Former pupil is English champion
Last month former pupil, Lucy, won the 2011 English Women's Amateur Golf Championship at West Sussex. In an outstanding final, Lucy came back from one down after 16 to snatch the title on the 19th with a finish of birdie, eagle, birdie. Lucy has been studying for a degree at Birmingham University and was taking part in the championship for the first time.
Since winning the title, Lucy has been selected to represent England in the European ladies' team championship in Austria from July 5-9. We wish her the very best for this latest challenge!
Wheathampstead House Gymnasts
On the weekend of 11 and 12 June, the U9 and U10 Gymnastic teams attended a gymnastic course, run by a specialist coach. The girls worked very hard and many learnt new advanced moves such as back flips and aerial cartwheels whilst others perfected their intermediate moves and vaulting skills.
On Thursday 9 June the U7, U8 and U9 Gymnastic teams competed against Stormont School. This was the U7 and U8s first competition. All girls performed a beautiful set floor routine and powerful set vaults. Many girls were very successful and received certificates.
High School Swimmers nominated for Sports Award
The Swimming Team, consisting of Mia, Victoria, Juliet, Emma and Fiona, have been nominated in the category of 'Team of the Year (School) – Secondary' at the St Albans City and District Sports Awards 2011. The awards evening will take place on Thursday 7 July in St Albans. This follows the team's success in the English Schools Swimming Association Team Finals, where they were placed 3rd in the Freestyle competition and 12th in the Medley competition. We wish the girls every success and look forward to hearing the results.
Grandparents' Afternoon
Wheathampstead House played host to the grandparents of children in Years 1, 3 and 5 on Thursday 9 June. The girls were encouraged to invite their grandparents to visit Wheathampstead House for the afternoon, to look around the classrooms and to participate in lessons that were taking place. Science lessons were outside in our beautiful school grounds, where trees were identified, measured and recorded, minibeasts were counted and recorded in different quadrats that the children discovered. The children took great pleasure in showing their visitors the displays and work within the classrooms and demonstrating Smart Boards which are used. Welcome refreshments rounded off the afternoon for our guests.
Magistrates Visit Year 6
A team of magistrates visited Wheathampstead House and worked with Year 6 before the half term holiday. They discussed the criminal system in England, the judicial processes, different types of criminal courts and the consequences and results of crimes. The classes were set up as courtrooms and the children were given the chance to re-enact a court case, with three girls taking the role of magistrates and deciding whether or not there was evidence to find the defendant in the case innocent or guilty.
An informative and enjoyable morning for us all!
Young Enterprise spend the day with Year 6
Year 6 had a very exciting day with a team from the Young Enterprise charity. They spent the day 'Learning by Doing', exploring role play situations where groups represented different countries of the world and embarked upon 'The Trading Game'. This involved intense negotiations for goods, banking profits and selling shapes to the 'UK' (represented by teachers)! In the afternoon activity the girls had to invent and market a new product suitable for an imaginative country. They took into account the requirements of the country, the distribution network and currency that was used. The products were presented to the year group at the end of the day.
Success at AAA County Championships
Alice in Year 7 won the Long Jump event in the AAA County Championships with a jump of 4.14 metres. Alice was also 2nd in the 70 metre hurdles event. Melanie in Year 10 won the 300 metres hurdles event.
Year 6 Bikeability Week
During the week of 9 May, Year 6 had their Bikeability course. On the first day we completed complex manoeuvres in the coach park and achieved our Level 1. We learned how to signal, start cycling on the road and how to look over your right shoulder. From Tuesday to Thursday we put these skills into action on the roads around Wheathampstead village. We were taught about the Highway Code and how to turn into junctions and perform U turns. We all were successful in our Level 2 award and were presented with badges and certificates on Friday.
By Keya Patani, Year 6
Year 8 Gymnast represents East of England in National Club Finals
Lucy in Year 8 recently put in an excellent performance at the National Club Grades Final in Birmingham to help the Eastern Region Team to win a Bronze Medal. Lucy had qualified in the regional final to be one of four gymnasts to represent the East of England in the National Finals. She produced a fine performance to finish eleventh out of forty six gymnasts and was the second highest scorer for the Eastern Team.
Sports Pavilion Completed
The new pavilion is complete and girls are already expressing delight with the bright and spacious changing facilities, the ample washrooms and the impressively large meeting room. Even the hand-driers (Dyson Air Blades, no less!) were cause for delight among some excited pupils who used the building for the first time at the end of the Lent term.
The newly-levelled sports pitches add to the feel of this being the sports field as we have never seen it before. This year's Sports Day will be held at the field and will provide an opportunity to see and enjoy the transformation which has been achieved.
Former High School pupil stars in 'The Apprentice'
Felicity, who left in 2005, is currently starring in Series 7 of The Apprentice on BBC1 and came into School on Wednesday 18 May to give a talk to Senior School girls in morning Assembly.
Felicity explained that as part of her education at the High School, learning how to apply herself and how to work as part of a team proved advantageous in participating in the tasks on the hugely popular TV programme.
In answering a vast array of questions from a very interested audience, Felicity described the audition process and the truths and myths surrounding a typical day's filming and gave her opinion on some of her fellow participants!
We would like to congratulate Felicity on her success in beating 72,000 applicants to become an Apprentice candidate and to thank her for sharing her experiences with the School.
Wheathampstead House girl wins U9 Hertfordshire tennis tour
Rebecca in Year 4 was recently crowned the winner of the Hertfordshire Winter County Tour. The tour ran from 1 September last year to 31 March and Rebecca came out on top of the competition leader board from a field of 24 players on the circuit.
Year 6 girl achieves Distinction and silver medal in Gymnastics
Many congratulations to Emma in Year 6! Emma won the Hertfordshire County Grade 12 competition in her age group with Distinction, in April. She then went on to the Eastern Regional finals in Ipswich where she took the silver medal.
Update on netball at Wheathampstead House
33 girls regularly attend
U11 Netball Club which is fantastic. We have had a number of friendly fixtures this term in which all the members of the club have had the opportunity to represent the school. For the second year we entered the National IAPS tournament held in High Wycombe. The competition was again very strong but we rose to the challenge. We won five matches and narrowly lost three and were only one point away from a place in the quarter finals.
The girls in Year 5 Netball Squad have worked hard this year to improve their netball skills. They have developed their positional awareness and understanding of tactics and rules. Their competitive play is very exciting and they have won a number of friendly matches, home and away. With four teams playing matches on occasion, there is no doubt that with continued interest and practice this group of girls will be exhilarating to watch in competition next year. Very well done girls!
This was in most respects a season of skill development and team building for U9 Netball Squad. Sessions were regularly attended by 30 keen and eager to learn girls. Numbers are rising year on year. They all worked hard whatever the weather and it was particularly encouraging to see so many players develop so well. All the girls represented the school when we played Stormont School.
Summer Orchestral Concert
St Albans High School for Girls presented its final concert of the year on Sunday 8 May in the Senior School Hall.
This special concert showcasing the Junior, Intermediate, Senior and Chamber Orchestras, the Senior Choir and Senior Chamber Choir and the Lower Strings Ensemble featured a selection of very special works, including some by Vaughan Williams, Dvorak, Vivaldi and a new orchestral piece by Emma.
St Albans District Swimming Association Trials Gala
Girls from Years 5 and 6 were invited to swim at this event. The aim of the gala is to select a district swimming team. Nine girls were put forward for the gala: Holly, Zoe, Alice, Ruth, Anna, Freya, Amelia and Ellie. The following were selected to represent St Albans District at the Hertfordshire Primary Schools Swimming Championships: Alice, Nicole, Zoe and Freya. Nicole was 2nd in Freestyle, Breaststroke and Butterfly! We also hosted Heath Mount School and U8, U9, U10 and U11 were all victorious. We entered 48 girls ranging from Years 2 to 7 in the CoStA Aquathlon which took place on 3 April where we won two trophies, including the overall Prep School's Trophy. Well done to everyone involved.
Two High School girls represent Hertfordshire and win the U14 County Tennis Cup
Hertfordshire's U14 Girls' Tennis team have won the County Cup for the first time ever.
Eight counties out of 44 qualified two weeks ago for the finals which took place in Nottingham recently. Georgie (Year 7) was one of four in the team and Lucy (Year 8) was the travelling reserve. At the finals, the Hertfordshire girls first beat Surrey, where Lucy joined up with Georgie to play the doubles, then Warwickshire (the number 1 seeds), and finally Kent. Georgie played in both the singles and doubles matches. The team received a large trophy and medals. Congratulations to the team, in particular Georgie and Lucy, on such a fantastic achievement!
Latest News |
Michaelmas term 2011 |
Trinity term 2011 |
Lent term 2011 |
.jpg)
