Newsletter Volume 5 ¤ Issue 2 ¤ December 2011

The bells truly rang out over Croydon for this year’s Coloma Christmas Concert. The theme was Christmas Bells and there were many related items from the beautiful arrangement of Ring Christmas Bells

and the more traditional Ding Dong Merrily On High to the ‘really cool’ arrangement of the Jingle Bells Rap. Particular congratulations were given to the newly-formed Year 7 Songs of Praise Choir, and the Drumma Queens for their fabulous performance with dustpans and brushes! But, as ever the range of instrumental and choral items were outstanding. The opening item of Zadok the Priest with over 500 girls supported by staff and members of the Community Choir was very impressive. Everyone was bowled over by the sheer enthusiasm of the girls to perform, to enjoy and to celebrate Christmas. Heartfelt thanks go to the Music Department and all involved in such a fantastic show. Well done everybody!

CPA Christmas Fayre 2011

Ring out the Christmas Bells!

The Annual Christmas Fayre took place on Saturday, 26th November.

The hall was bustling with many visitors who took part in the various activities, bought gifts from the stalls and enjoyed all the delicious food and drink on offer.

The PE Department put on a fantastic Gym and Dance display for everyone on the day with over 200 girls taking part in a performance they worked very hard to perfect.

Mrs Wood, Team leader of PE, paid tribute to the Year 13 students pictured left, are provided such fantastic role models for the younger pupils.

Medical Skills Day A group of Year 10 students visited King’s College Medical School recently to find out about a career in medicine and practise some key skills. They took part in interactive workshops as well as talking to current medical students about studying medicine. We look forward to hearing about how their ambition progresses.

‘Follow the Star’ is one of the many

messages of the nativity story. It provides both a guide and a vision. It helps us trust and look ahead. As we think about New Year’s resolutions and goals for 2012 we should do so with great optimism. Through our faith we know that our role is to follow God’s will and make the most of our talents and gifts and the opportunities presented to us. In this newsletter we share some of the numerous events that have taken place and the successes that have been achieved this term. We congratulate every student who has participated and done their best. Although we are experiencing many difficulties in this country when we see the extent of poverty in so many parts of the world perhaps, being part of the Coloma family, we should take time during this season in particular, to count our blessings and consider further how we could share what we have with others. I wish you all a very Happy and Holy Christmas. May the gift of Christ be at the heart of all our celebrations. Mrs. M Martin. †

Coloma Convent Girls’ School Upper Shirley Road, Croydon CR9 5AS

www.coloma.croydon.sch.uk

020 8654 6228

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STOP PRESS : Congratulations to the Year 7 Special Choir for getting through to the Semi -Finals

of the BBC Songs of Praise Competition. It will be televised next April. Further details of dates and times will be published in the next Newsletter.

The Magical World of Narnia!

Four young adventurers Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy travel through an enchanted wardrobe to meet Aslan and The White Witch as The Winton House Performing Arts Centre was transformed into the magical land of Narnia.

The show ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’, the first of The Cronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, ran for three nights,

12th -14th October, to a very appreciative audience.

Mrs Rebecca Ballinger, Team leader of Drama who directed the show, was delighted with the girls’ performances. Particular congratulations go to Year 13 pupils Victoria Dwebeng as Aslan, and Helena Nattrass in her role as The White Witch.

It was a magnificent effort by the whole cast of nearly 100 girls. Costumes, scenery and make-up were all superb and, with the addition of sound effects, videos and a band provided by the Music Department, the whole effect was quite magical.

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

Charities Week took place 3rd -7th October with this year’s charity being the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) based at Southampton General Hospital. The Charities Committee consisted of about one hundred Year 13 students. They were led by Hannah Oliver and Ria Laskaris and all did a fantastic job organising the events.

The hall was host to a number of amazing performances by students and teachers! Singing, rapping, drumming, guitar playing and a variety of different styles of dancing were all competing for the talent show title. Congratulations to Priyanka Prakash-Pillai (Year 13) who clinched it with a fabulous Bollywood-style dance routine.

Between performances, the Charities Committee were busy collecting donations and organising other events including daily cake sales and tuck shops.

The most recent figures suggest that Charities Week 2011 has already raised over £13,000. If you would like to donate, please visit the Charities section on the School Website.

Music Round up

The Music Department has had another busy term.

Thirty five talented pianists performed to a packed Music

Studio at the annual Piano Evening on 9th November. All the girls produced polished, confident performances and the audience really enjoyed hearing a variety of pieces from beginners to those studying Grade 8.

On 17th November, a wonderful evening of music was provided by

the girls who are learning the violin, viola and cello. Twenty one girls performed solo pieces with great skill and confidence and the audience particularly enjoyed the performance by the Junior Strings Ensemble directed by Mrs Anne Winter.

The Sixth Form Soiree was held in November. Seventeen AS and A

Level Music students had prepared a varied programme providing valuable experience for their AS and A2 Music Recitals later this year. The audience were treated to some polished performances on a wide variety of instruments including Voice, Flute, French Horn, Oboe, Violin, Piano, Clarinet and Marimba.

Geography Field Trip

Thirty Year 12 A Level Geography students stayed at the Medina Valley Centre in Newport from 7th-11th November. They were gathering data to prepare them for their examination in January 2012. They did fieldwork on the rivers Caul Bourne and East Yar, and coastal wo r k in V e n t n o r . They also visited the Needles and overall learnt a tremendous amount from their visit to the Isle of Wight

STOP PRESS :

We are very pleased to announce that nine Year 12 girls have been selected to be Young Games Makers for The British 2012 Olympic Swim Team. Their role as ‘Kit Carriers’ makes them the only members of the squad to work hand in hand with the athletes looking after their kit for them whilst they compete. More details and pictures of the girls in their uniforms will be printed in future newsletters.

Billingsgate Seafood School.

The GCSE Food & Nutrition students and the A Level Food Technology students have recently been treated to a demonstration of fishmongering skills by the Billingsgate Seafood School. Several of the girls had a chance to try their hand at skinning and filleting fish. Prompted by an enquiry from Nicola Devaney in Year 11, they were shown how to prepare a fresh crab. Twenty four Year 13 students then participated in a practical workshop over the lunch break during which they prepared, cooked and tasted a range of fish dishes.

Chemistry Challenge. Congratulations to Bevin Anandarajah, and Sarah Limb (Year 9) and Gabriella Parr and Isabel Vickers (Year 10) who represented Coloma in a chemistry competition. They came second in the practical challenges. The event was organised as part of the celebrations for the International Year of Chemistry. The students had to plan an investigation to compare the amount of vitamin C in different fruits and fruit juices. The students also took part in a quiz and were given a demonstration lecture called ‘Fizz, Pop, Think’.

School Catering

Coloma recently hosted four catering companies in a bid for the local schools consortium catering contract. Girls from Coloma and students from The Quest Academy were joined by pupils from a number of different primary schools including Courtwood, Gresham and Forestdale to taste and s c o r e t h e different food provided.

All those who participated were pleased to be involved in the selection of the new supplier.

Sports Highlights In Brief.

CROSS COUNTRY Congratulations to the Year 7 Cross Country Team who are Croydon Champions! And to Sophea Joyce (Yr 9) and Abbie Burrett (Yr 7) who represented Croydon at the London Youth Games Cross Country Championships on the 19th November. FOOTBALL Five girls have been selected for the Surrey U14 Football Team. Lucia Plado (Yr 8), Daisy Clements (Yr 9), Zgora Boret (Yr 8), Omorinsola Sowunmi (Yr 9) and Hannah Rutherwood (Yr 8). JUDO Congratulations to Mairead Jackson (Yr 11) and Sophie Roots (Yr 8) who have both been selected to join the England Judo Development Squad. LACROSSE Well done to Loren Hiller (Yr 13) who has been selected for the Surrey U18A Lacrosse Team for the third successive year, a fantastic achievement for our school lacrosse captain. Congratulations also go to Orla Ingram (Yr 8) for her selection for the Kent U15 Lacrosse Team. NETBALL Year 12 pupil Alima Priest has been selected as a member of the National Netball Talent League this season. This is the very highest standard of club netball. The Senior Netball Team is again enjoying a successful season. In January, the U18 netball squad will represent Surrey in the regional finals and compete to retain their London and South East Regional Championship title. Robyn Lafferty and Imani Lansiquot (Yr 9) along with Orla Ingram (Yr 8) have been selected to train with the Under 14 Surrey Satellite Academy in preparation for Surrey Trials. RUGBY Hannah Phillip (Yr 12) has been selected for the U19 Kent County Rugby Team.

In October, Ejogheneta Ughwujabo (Year 10) wrote a letter to Samsung UK with details about a new product idea that she had thought of. Her idea was for wireless headphones with an in-built MP3 player so you can download songs straight onto your headphones.

Although Samsung is unable to develop Ejogheneta’s idea, they sent her a thank you letter and a MP3 player. In the letter they said “We are very impressed with this idea and that you have shown the initiative and confidence to approach big companies direct. This positive and proactive approach is good to see and I am sure if you continue to work hard you will have a very successful career ahead in whatever field you choose”.

Target 2.0 Competition This year's Year 13 team of economists did themselves proud at the Bank of England Target 2.0 Competition. The four selected members were Alice Crilly (Captain), Sumaiyah Batha, Yavanasri R a m a m u r t h y a n d C a t h e r i n e Onoselase. Natalie Smith and Rachel Gbogbo were also very supportive.

The team only had their entry confirmed less than three weeks before the heat. They faced some very strong opposition. They mastered their brief and delivered the presentation with clarity and purpose. Mr Wood, Team leader of Economics, said “They should be very proud of their efforts. They were fantastic given the time they had to prepare.”

Coloma Girls Lift The Cup Once Again! Congratulations to the U13 6-aside team who have just won the Croydon Borough U13 Girls’ Football League Cup organised by Crystal Palace FC Foundation. Coloma hosted the event on the new 3G pitch as teams from The Quest Academy - Coloma Trust, Edenham

High School, Shirley High School, Harris Academy-Purley, Woodcote, Virgo Fidelis, Harris Academy-Crystal Palace and Riddlesdown fought for a chance to represent Crystal Palace in the national U13 competition. In a hard-fought tournament, the Coloma ‘A’ team was triumphant, beating Harris Academy Crystal Palace 3-1 in a well-contested final. Well done to all!

Important dates :

Spring Term 2012

First day of Spring Term: Monday, 9th January

Half-Term:

13th February - 17th February (inclusive)

Easter Holidays: Monday 2nd April - Friday 13th April (inclusive)

The Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize

Christine Ibe, Rosie Muller and Fallon Tambini (Year 8)have helped choose the winner of The Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize. The girls had to read the six books on the shortlist and review each of them. They then decided which book they thought was best, based on criteria such as layout, interest and vocabulary. The Story of Astronomy and Space by Louie Stowell and Peter Allen was their winner. Schools and Youth organisations across the UK took part and the 2011 Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize was awarded to How the World Works by Christiane Dorion and Beverley Young. All the books are now in the school library.

BBC Shakespeare Off By Heart competition

Year 10 students Lavinia Treneman, Esther Ivens and Eleanor Hewish, took part in BBC ‘Shakespeare Off By Heart’ competition. Coloma was chosen out of 350 or more schools to compete in this prestigious event. The students were invited to the BBC Media Centre and performed one of Shakespeare’s monologues. Although they did not win, they performed extremely well and the experience was invaluable.

The Rotary Public Speaking Competition

Forty five girls in Year 9 auditioned to join this year’s Coloma Public Speaking team. Sarah Limb, Orla McCann and Ibi Obinyan were successful and worked hard to create a six-minute speech using the stimuli given, ‘The Olympic Spirit’. They chose the topic “Why is our game not present?”. They created a delightful reflection on why rugby is not included in the Olympics. The team was narrowly

beaten by St Thomas More Catholic School but it has not affected their ‘spirit’. They are already working on a topic for next year’s competition.

Sophie Ryan Celtic National Champion

Congratulations to Sophie Ryan, Year 8, who won The Celtic National and European Irish Dancing

Championship last month at Parkdean Holiday Park in Poole, Dorset. The event is very popular with dance schools from all over the UK and Ire l and . Sophie dances for The Siobhan Ryan School of Irish Dancing. Her teachers are her sisters, who are past Coloma pupils, keeping up the family tradition of Irish dancing. Sophie won the Set Dance Championship for her age

group and was crowned Celtic National Champion. Coming first place in a field of over 66 competitors is a fantastic achievement and all her family are very proud of her. Well done Sophie; next The World Championships!