GUMLEY HOUSE
Summer
2013
Founded 1841
“RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IS OUTSTANDING”
The Diocesan Education Service of Westminster
Dear Parents
and Carers,
I hope that you will enjoy reading
about all the many innovative
and challenging learning
experiences that your daughters
have benefited from in this
last term.
Amongst all of this news I am delighted to highlight
two recent accomplishments for Gumley House School
and the FCJ community.
In April we received an outstanding judgement for
the quality of our classroom religious education
from the Diocesan Education Service of Westminster.
This was followed a few months later with the news
that Sr. Brenda Wallace, Headteacher of Gumley from
1988 to 2012, had been awarded an OBE for services to
education in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Please do read more about the inspection and Sr.
Brenda on the next page.
I want to thank you for your support throughout the
year and wish you all a wonderful summer.
With warmest wishes,
Mrs. Ewa Kolczynska
Headteacher
A Gumley first......Globalisation
conference October 2013 with
international speakers....
“Can we be truly ethical in a
globalised society?”
read more in our 6th form section
6th Form Student
Dominika Cichonska is elected
as a Member of Hounslow’s
Youth Parliament
Dominika explains her
political inspiration: “When I
decided to take Government
and Politics as one of my A
level subjects, I discovered
how interesting this subject
is and how much I would
love to get involved in
Politics. Political affairs
are part of our daily life
and if we don’t decide to
participate in politics in
one way or another, we will
not make a change. This
view led me to standing
as a candidate to become
the next Member of
the Youth Parliament
for Hounslow. As I live and go
to school in Hounslow, it was
a perfect chance for me to
influence the decision makers
which affect my everyday life.
Before my campaign begun,
I had to write a manifesto in
which I drew out all the different
initiatives that I would bring into
Hounslow if I were elected.
I attend many different
conventions such as: a TFL
consultation where I was able to
voice the issues and problems
that young people face in
Hounslow specifically relating
to transport. In July, an annual
sitting for the MYPs at Leeds
University took
place to debate the content
of the next Youth Parliament
manifesto and in November at
the House of Commons sitting,
we will debate the 10 priority
policies.
I would like to thank everyone for
the support and the votes that
I received during my campaign.
I am extremely lucky to be in a
school like this, which helps their
students achieve their potential.
It mustn’t be forgotten that I am
here to represent the views of
the young people therefore, I look
forward to helping and listening
to the ideas of the Gumley
students too”.
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Jack Petchey Award
Ceremony at the
Watermans Theatre
Pedal 4 a medal
review:
Students achieve
civic reward
By students: Ciara Willis, Molly Duggan, Macey
Mackenzie, Amelia Swaine, Nicole Hollis and
Kirsty Hollis.
The Jack Petchey Foundation was
established in 1999 to support
programmes and projects that
benefit young people. Jack Petchey
was born in the East End of
London in 1925 and is one of the
most successful entrepreneurs in
Britain today. Gumley House has
participated in The Jack Petchey
Achievement Award Scheme for a
number of years. The award aims to
enable schools, colleges and youth
organisations to recognise, reward
and celebrate the achievements of
their young people. Jack Petchey
wants young people to raise their
aspirations, believe in themselves
and make a contribution to their
society.
In June a number of our students
from year 7 through to 6th form were
presented with this special award
by the Deputy Mayor of Hounslow at
Watermans Theatre.
This is an annual event and
each year students who have
demonstrated consistently high
levels of effort and progress over
a period of time or demonstrated
particular achievement in a
subject or have made a significant
contribution to the school community
are nominated for this award. They
can be nominated by other students,
members of staff, governors or
parents.
Congratulations to: Seun Babalola,
Katie Boylan, Eleanor Duce, Lydia
O’Sulllivan, Aeysha Robinson, Miah
Robinson, Katie Sharp, Millie Tupper
and Phoebe Tupper.
Staff members too can be nominated
by students and this year a special
award also went to Helen Warden,
Head of P.E.
“Recently on the 26th of June we organised a
fun bike fair for Year seven students to promote
sustainable travel. This is because about eight
weeks ago The Riot Act visited Gumley and many
other schools giving 1 group from each school a
£1000 budget to make their sustainable travel
scheme happen. As the winners from Gumley we
came up with a fundraising fair for pupils and staff
to enjoy and enter races. We had many fun things to
do such as: smoothie bike, tombola, refreshments,
space hopper races and lots of circus style bikes
for races. On the 2nd of July we went to the Civic
Centre in Hounslow to present our Idea to Hounslow
Council. Fortunately we won and received a reward
of £50 plus a bike fun day for Year 7. Hopefully we
will be able to do something like this every year and
make it an annual event.”
Sr. Brenda OBE
for Services to
Education
We are delighted to share
with you the news that Sr.
Brenda Wallace who held
the post of Headteacher
of Gumley House Convent
School FCJ for 24 years
until her retirement in
2012 has been awarded
an OBE for Services to
Education in the Queen’s
Birthday Honours.
Sister Brenda is
particularly recognised by
all; in her vision to provide
an environment where
young women regardless
of their background
could excel through
academic achievement
and emotional well-being.
The school motto, ‘Vive ut
Vivas’ “Live that you may
have life” was her mantra
and as a result she has
inspired and empowered
generations of young
women to attain their
personal goals.
During her tenure as Head
Teacher, she led the school
in achieving outstanding
academic success. Sister
Brenda was often the
first to introduce new
educational initiatives
and was frequently seen
as a pioneer and someone
whose expertise was often
sought.
She championed numerous
additional initiatives
that included: being
the Founder member
of the Association of
Maintained Girl’s Schools
and introducing the
learning of Mandarin. She
was active in many local
community causes as well
as collaborating with and
helping specific schools
through initiatives such as
The Leading Edge, Going
For Great and joining
the governing board of
St. John’s International
School, Brussels.
Sr. Brenda fostered
a strong and loyal
environment with both
teaching staff and
students and one of the
greatest testaments to her
leadership is the number
of alumni who continue
to support the school’s
current students.
“RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
IS OUTSTANDING” The
Diocesan Education
Service of Westminster
Our latest Diocesan inspection which
looked at the quality of classroom religious
education and the school as a Catholic
community took place on 24th - 25th April
2013. We were delighted with the result. The
inspectors were impressed by the exceptional
number of responses from parents to their
questionnaires, as well as the feedback from
students who all spoke highly of the prayer
experiences they encounter while at Gumley
and on the impact of our school chaplain,
Celia Hannigan.
Some of the many positive statements in
the report include:
• Attainment in religious education is outstanding
• Students’ attitudes to learning are very positive
• Excellent Curriculum
• A strikingly innovative approach to structuring learning
• Students speak about the exceptional relationships that exist with the staff and each other, which creates an atmosphere that makes school different
• Parents commented on what excellent role models teachers were and the sense of community and empathy that pervaded the school
Mrs Coghlan and her staff in the RE
department are to be congratulated for
ensuring that the effectiveness of classroom
religious education is ‘outstanding’!
The full report is available for download
from our school website.
6th For m
First Aid Training
In June a group of Year 12 students
completed the St John Ambulance
Essential First Aid Award. The course
covered basic life support across all ages
and the students learnt how to handle a
range of symptoms. This was an excellent
opportunity to become more confident
with potentially life saving skills.
Student, Joanna Paish remarked that:
“it was a very interesting session and
I learnt a lot - from bandaging a cut to
completing CPR. I now feel much more
confident in my first aid skills”. Student
Phoebe Tupper added that “the session
really opened my eyes to the tremendous
variety and importance of the work that
St John Ambulance does”.
Commissioning Mass especially for 6th
form students taking part in 2 major
International Community Projects
On 8th July 6th form students
and their families and our
wider school community came
together with a special Sixth
Form Commissioning Mass
concelebrated by Fr. David Reily
the diocesan youth chaplain.
be helpers on the Westminster
diocesan Lourdes pilgrimage.
Our students are known as ‘red
cap’ helpers and they spend the
week caring for sick and elderly
people who are making the
pilgrimage to Lourdes.
In July 41 students will be
involved in two major overseas
projects during the summer
holiday.
Lourdes: 21 will be heading
to Lourdes on the Westminster
diocesan pilgrimage. Members
of the community that will be
cared for by Gumley students
include those from the Parishes
of Osterley & Hanwell, as well as
from the rest of London. For the
past six summers our sixth form
students have volunteered to
Project Kenya: Will include
20 students. The aim of this
project is to support young
students in a primary school in
Kenya. Gumley’s students will
be involved in helping to build
a classroom to facilitate an
improved learning environment;
they will also be involved
in some of the classroom
activities and in creating some
after school fun events for the
children.
Year 12 University Talk @
Murray Edwards College,
Cambridge
Students were invited to a talk
about University Life with the
School Liaison Officer from Murray
Edwards College, Cambridge.
She then met with a smaller
group of candidates hoping to
apply to competitive universities
to think through options, choices
and preparing a strong application. Students were able to ask
questions and have an open discussion.
Breaking News!!!!!
Launch of Singapore
Exchange in
February 2014
Our global citizenship agenda will for
the first time include the opportunity
for 6th form students to visit their
peers at Saint Andrew’s College
Singapore. This exchange will also
include plenty of time for the students
to explore the country’s highlights. We
look forward to welcoming the Saint
Andrew’s students in November 2013
when they will again be collaborating
on joint curriculum projects with our
6th form.
Coming Up in
2013-2014
Globalisation Conference:
We are delighted to announce that Gumley House Convent
School will be hosting a Globalisation Conference on October
22nd 2013. This will be an exciting event with the aim
of raising awareness of the impact of globalisation. The
conference has been organised specifically for 6th Form pupils
in Gumley and other local schools.
The day will include organisations and speakers with diverse
points of view on this issue to stimulate debate, as well as
to ensure that students can achieve a greater understanding
of the pros and cons of globalisation. There will be a number
of high profile speakers addressing a range of issues; from
examining some of the commercial benefits of globalisation to
workers’ rights.
Do look at our website next autumn for more news.
“Year 13
You’re Hired”
The combination of evolving
interview techniques and
an ever changing market
place can make the job
hunting process difficult
to navigate; so who better to
hear advice and guidance from
than someone at the sharp end
of the candidate recruitment
process………………
Recruitment Consultant Charlie
Ryan delivered a workshop to our
year 13 students called “Taking
Yourself to Market You’re Hired”.
they’re seeking work shadowing or
internship placements through to
part or full time roles.
Student Comments included: “I
learned a lot, and I am very glad
that I was able to be present in this
session!” & “I feel more confident
now in writing my C.V”.
The aim was to better prepare
our students to improve their job
planning skills in order to achieve a
greater degree of success whether
Our Year 12 students also
benefited from this workshop in
January as part of their Step Up To
Careers Day.
Italian
students join
Gumley’s 6th
Form for the
2nd Year.
We are delighted to announce
that for the 2nd year students
from Sacro Cuore School in
Milan will be joining our 6th
Form.
They will be part of our Year 12
team and fully integrated within
Gumley’s school life.
6th For m
Meet the new
6th Form
leadership
team
Eileen
Leah
Phoebe
Head Girl:
Deputy Head Girl:
Deputy Head Girl:
Represents the Head
teacher at meetings and
leads the team of officials.
To encourage a positive
experience for all students.
To encourage the school
values within the lower years.
Ensure good communication
between staff and students
and to help organise
interschool cooperation.
Jessica and Paloma
Hannah
Stephanie
Madeleine
Danielle
Head of Sixth Form:
Head of School Council:
Secretary of School
Council:
Head of Learning:
Liaison officer between
various committees and
affiliated roles. Stephanie
handles the budget and
other related financial
responsibilities.
Madeleine’s aim is to ensure
fluid communication of
learning issues between staff
and students.To encourage
effective use of iPads within
the Sixth Form and to work with
the leadership team to ensure
academic and pastoral issues
are addressed.
Head of CFJ: (pictured left)
Her aim as Head of Houses
is to encourage a sense of
belonging in every student
through the house system.
As Heads of Sixth Form
Jessica (pictured left) and
Paloma’s (pictured right)
priorities are to promote the
redevelopment of the Sixth
Form Common room and to
take a key role in organising
different events including the
sixth form prom.
Hannah is excited to work
with the younger years during
her time on the leadership
team and represents the
school council at formal
occasions and ensures that
the meetings run effectively.
Ailish
Eleanor
Hannah
Joanna
Rebecca
Head of MRT: (pictured right)
Head of Liturgy:
Deputy Head of Liturgy:
Head of Sports: (pictured left)
Head of Sports: (pictured right)
To organise sporting events,
to liaise with the sports
staff, to encourage girls to
participate in clubs and to
be involved in coaching and
leading
Having just returned from
Project Kenya, Ailish wishes
to increase the charity
involvement within the
school. Additionally her
role will include regularly
visiting house forms to relay
information and encourage
house spirit.
Eleanor is passionate about
her faith and wishes to
enhance the faith of others
through a weekly newsletter
and organising liturgies.
To work with the chaplain
and a variety of teachers
to help organise religious
events throughout the
school and to bring in new
initiatives
Her aim is to raise the
profile of sport within the
school through introducing
a Sporting Personality of the
Year award.
Geography Maths
Curriculum
Extension days
Geog ra phy
Year 8 Geographers investigated the
characteristics of the River Misbourne
in Denham Country Park. Great fun was
had in the river measuring the width,
depth and velocity of the stream. A
further highlight was watching the
barges negotiating the lock gates on
the Grand Union Canal. We’re sure the
owners appreciated having a team of
Gumley girls to work the gates!
Year 10 Geographers discover the
‘Distinctiveness’ of the Sussex Coast
In May, the Year 10 GCSE Geographers
set out to investigate the Sussex Coast.
Their aim was to discover what makes this
coastline especially distinctive. Once there,
it was easy to see the unique features
of this area. The Seven Sisters cliffs are
a dramatic backdrop to one location we
visited: Cuckmere Haven, a peaceful
river estuary. We also visited Seaford, a
thriving seaside town. The students spent
the day completing fieldwork tasks to
understand the coastal processes, coastal
management and gathering local opinions
on the area. This data is now being used to
write up their Controlled Assessment task.
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Gumley Artists invited to
exhibit with Redlees Artists
The Year 10 Art Department were invited to exhibit students’ work
alongside pieces by the Redlees Artists based on our reputation as a
thriving art department.
Their work was inspired by Van Gogh’s paintings of chairs which
explore the theme of identity and perception.
Having researched this work the girls developed their own chair
pieces but also explored a wide variety of other artists’ techniques
and ideas producing a broad range of exciting and thoughtful
responses.
Students’
talent wow
visitors
at our art
exhibit
This annual Celebration of
Students’ Art was open to
members of the public as
well as parents.
Street Art supported by
award winning artist
Year 11 art students were invited to attend a Saturday
workshop on Street Art Techniques run by award winning
artist Carleen De Sözer. The work produced was included in
the girls’ Examination Preparatory folder of work. Students
benefited from a broader range of options in regard to
techniques and process for their final GCSE Examination.
Funds for the workshop were kindly provided by the Parents’
Association. Working with Carleen proved to be highly
inspirational.
Making big waves with her latest collection Carleen De
Sozer is widely regarded as one of London’s most skilled
and diverse airbrush artists.
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Drama Sum
A World
Premiere
for Gumley The Practical
Princess
Every term is busy and full of Drama at
Gumley, but the summer term has to be the
most exciting. Having recruited sixty-five cast
members from hugely competitive auditions
before Easter, that always have inclusivity at
their heart, the students have started the twelve
week rehearsal process to bring the school’s new
production from page to stage.
This is our tenth consecutive major annual
production. The show is a world premiere, this
is the school’s adaptation of a collection of
‘liberating’/feminist fairy tales from the stories
of American writer, Jay Williams, written in 1978
and entitled: The Practical Princess. The stories
tell of adventurous young women who face
the challenges of the world full on, defeating
Theatre Trips
dragons, rescuing princes from towers and
helping lost princes find their way - often to
their hearts. The stories are exciting, funny and
romantic and always have a twist.
The show is full of theatrical magic including
puppetry, masks and fabulous costumes. Some
GCSE and A Level Drama students have been
involved in designing costumes, make-up,
masks, props and sound.
The primary school preview included pupils
from: St Mary’s, Isleworth Town, Worple Road
and Ivy Bridge primary schools as well as
the ladies and gentlemen of St John’s Centre
Tuesday Club.
The Creative Industries
In GCSE and A-Level Drama, girls can be assessed for
theatrical design and technology work. To this end,
students spend six weeks in the Summer term running a
• Year 12s to the award winning A Doll’s House at the Young Vic to see Technical Theatre unit and Year 10 girls learn all about
one of their set texts in action.
the many exciting areas this incorporates that can lead
• Students from the cast of The Practical Princess attended a preview to professions in the industry. This term, Year 10 design
of Sam Mendes sure-fire-hit Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the portfolios have included costume, make-up, mask,
magnificent Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
lighting, sound, set and stage-management. During our
• Year 9 and 10 students came to the National Theatre and sat through summer curriculum extension days, we had invited in:
three and a half hours of Othello.
• The world renowned Little Angel Theatre Company to
• Other students saw Les Miserables in a joint Drama/Music run puppetry workshops with Year 8. Puppetry department trip.
features large in our production and is a very popular Here is what student Sophia Merola of 9J, had to say about one of these element in many professional theatre productions, as excursions:
any of you who have seen War Horse will know.
Over the course of the year, hundreds of students have experienced the
theatre including:
Charlie and the Chocolate factory was an amazing
trip! It really grabbed me by the heart. I found it very
useful for the school production and for my role. The
show was very engaging, clever and unique.
Drama has plans to host a Creative Industries day in
the future, updates will follow!
Next year there are all sorts of creative treats in
story – ‘the hills are alive’ at Gumley with future
plans – that’s a clue!
14-19
Brilliant Club
Some of our highly able Year 9 & 10 students
embarked on an exciting program offered
by the Brilliant Club as ‘expert learners’.
This was a wonderful opportunity for them
to develop the skills that will help them
to achieve top grades in their GCSEs and
onwards and to engage with outstanding
academics from top universities.
The programme involved six tutorials where
students worked with top PhD Tutors from
leading universities in the field of Biology, History, Philosophy & Ethics, or Economics.
This gave them exposure to a genuine academic environment and helped them to
learn in the style of a university student, in addition to themes outside of the normal
curriculum. Each student produced a dissertation.
The courses commenced with a trip to Sussex University where they met their tutors,
attended workshops on academic writing skills and had a campus tour. Each student
graduated from the program with a trip to Oxford University & a tour of Keble College.
It was thrilling to be in a world class university and to meet with admissions tutors,
campus tours and receiving recognition for their hard work.
Student Alex Fraser said: “The Brilliant Club programme was a
great opportunity which helped me develop critical thinking skills
and showed me that my ambitions are attainable through
hard work”.
Well done
girls!
Year 10
“Dare
to be
Different”
at IBM
“Informative and fun at the same time” was how Aoife Tobin summed up
the visit to IBM Southbank to look at the careers available to women in
global corporate business. This opportunity came from a former Gumley
Student, Michelle Albuquerque, who is completing an internship at IBM
before starting at university.
The Year 10s were challenged to think about what they would like
computers in the future to be able to do based around the 5 senses and
they came up with some imaginative and interesting ideas – daring to be
different. They also learnt about the programming and research behind
one of IBM’s latest developments –a computer called Watson.
Matilda Travers commented “It was a great day that opened us up to new
opportunities and gave us a better understanding of life in the corporate
world” and for Alex Brandon “I thought it was very interesting and
informative and it has made me consider a future career in business.”
O2 & Young Enterprise
Thinking Big for Year
10 Business Studies
The Year 10 Business Studies group were one of
only a handful of London schools to participate
in the O2 and Young Enterprise – Thinking Big
program, which is part of the Think Big Youth
Programme and is being launched across the
U.K in partnership with Young Enterprise.
The event consisted of a session completed
in school and then a follow up day completed
in a local venue with other local schools.
The workshop was designed to help unlock
student potential and produce great business
propositions around a product, service
or campaign. Well done to students for
demonstrating their creativity, team work, and
communication skills!
Year 10 Talk at the
University of Bristol
Some of our Year 10 students were invited to a
workshop with the University of Bristol to discuss
the question – “Why go to University”? They were
given a comprehensive overview of university life,
benefits of going to University, Q&A session and
participated in a range of activities. Well done.
Music
Music students are
performing in school,
at local community
venues & on the
international stage too at Disneyland in Paris!
KS3 Cake Con
cert
MAY
Members of the Chamber Choir performed at the Richmond May Fair on a cool Saturday morning and were great ambassadors for Gumley!
l Just before half term students from KS3 performed in the Cake Concert and enjoyed plenty of cakes and
biscuits afterwards.
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Chamber Choir performing at
Charity Concert
JUNE
A reduced Chamber Choir entertained a delighted audience at St. Andrew’s United Reformed Church in Ealing in a Charity Concert. The concert also featured the String Ensemble and solo performances from Ms Barker (violin) and Miss Robertshaw (voice).
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The Summer Concert presented all Gumley’s ensembles and its theme was the FCJ gospel values of Hope, Justice, Dignity, Gentleness, Companionship and Excellence. Year 8 girls from the six houses gave presentations on these values and composed short ‘jingles’ with appropriate lyrics. The concert finished with a rousing finale of ‘Love is Easy’ by Mcfly in which the Year 8s, Gumley Glee, Chamber Choir and Gospel Choir took part. A fantastic end to a wonderful concert!
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JULY
Summer Con
cert
Summer Concert
The Chamber Choir travelled up to Birmingham to perform in the final of the Music for Youth competition. The choir were treated to a workshop in the morning and then made us proud with their performance in the afternoon.
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PARIS - 44 girls enjoyed 5 exciting days of travel, excursions, not to mention three concerts including a memorable performance in Disneyland Paris! It was an amazing way to finish the summer term and the academic year.
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Visit to Disneyland Paris
Languages
The British Museum
supports Years 8 & 9
Students
In March, James Trapp from the Oriental Department of the
British Museum visited Gumley’s girls who study Chinese.
The topic was ‘The Empress dowager CiXi and China’s
relations with the West in the 19th century’. The story
around this well-known Chinese female political figure at
the time when China was invaded by the West; has always
been a topic of controversy but an inspiring one and is still
highly relevant to the present time.
The talk was well received and students found the overall
presentation very informative and inspiring.
COOKING
PAELLA
In May, a group of Year 10 students were challenged to develop
their Spanish language skills through a culinary experience…..
they were tasked with preparing a traditional paella.
In addition to developing their knowledge and creating some wonderful
food here’s what the girls had to say about their lesson……
“We learnt a lot because the recipe was in Spanish so we really had to think
about what we were doing”. (Eleanor Duce)
“I really enjoyed the lesson it helped me to learn new words in Spanish and
it was fun working with others and it was very practical. ¡Fue fenomenal!”
(Ellie Swords)
“It was great fun! We learnt new vocabulary and we also learnt a lot about
Spanish culture”. (Precious Colquhoun-Mills & Kiera Madden)
“We really enjoyed the lesson making paella. We learnt lots of new
Spanish vocabulary which is useful for our exams. It also helped
us during the lesson as the recipe was all in Spanish. We
learnt a lot more than we expected and would love to do
something like this again”
(Eimear Burke and Hollie Corley)
FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
(LONDON) 10TH
ANNIVERSARY
A group of Year 12 and Year 13 Spanish
Language students had the opportunity to
watch the Gala Flamenca which was the
closing of the 10th Anniversay of the Flamenco
Festival in London.
Students had an insight of Spanish culture
which is relevant for their Spanish studies
at 6th form. They had the chance to listen
and watch
some of the
flamenco
greatest stars
on stage.
The Gala
showcased
the best
of modern
flamenco.
Y12 trip to
Ciné Lumière
A group of Y-12 French Language students had the
opportunity to watch ‘Populaire’ a film directed by
Régis Roinsard at Ciné Lumière, Institut Français.
Supporting 6th form French studies, students were
able to gain an insight into French culture. Set in
the 1950s and displaying an eye-popping visual style
and dazzling costumes, Populaire is a chic romance.
The students enjoyed it!
80 Year 7 pupils on an exciting
trip to Boulogne Sur Mer
for a day of French history,
culture and shopping
of the students’ write ups…
Read the extracts from some
On Saturday the 27th of April I was at school at
6.10am up and ready to go. I was tired but really
excited for the day ahead. I was looking forward
to my first trip at Gumley House. Before we knew it we were
already there in France. We went to a cathedral in Boulogne
sur mer, it was fun as we saw lots of interesting things. After
that we finally got to our coach and drove to the shopping
centre. After an hour and a half of everyone’s favourite hobby
we headed home. I really enjoyed the day and I can’t wait for
my next trip at Gumley”.
Alice Silva
“On Saturday, I went to France on the Year 7 day trip.
We arrived at Dover at around 8:30 and as we were early
we had a look around the shops and then queued for the
Eurotunnel. When we arrived in Boulogne Sur Mer we split into
our groups and had free time to explore the market.
We went sightseeing then we got back on the coach and drove
to the main shopping centre and were free to look around with
our friends.
The day went really quickly, the weather was lovely. I learnt a
lot about the French culture and some more French words. I
had a great time and it was a really great experience.
Niamh Foord
Ma ths
Launch of the
1st Mathematics
Collaborative Network
Innovative Schools Develop & Share Expertise to Further
Improve Teaching Practises & Student Learning.
In May teaching professionals from 28 schools in the South East met
for the first ‘Mathematics Collaborative Network’.
The network provides access to schools and colleges that have been
innovative in their teaching of mathematics and that have delivered
benefits to their students.
Hosted at Gumley School, and initiated by Pearson the purpose of this
collaboration is to:
•
•
•
•
Develop Subject intelligence – key speakers provide further insight into government led changes
Share expertise – Schools spread best practice of their methodologies & experiences.
On-going Innovation – Teaching professionals debate these initiatives to create improved learning strategies & evaluate existing ones.
Student Progression – Increased knowledge and ability leading to better confidence in the exam room.
Pietro Tozzi, Gumley House School’s Second in Maths & Edexcel
Maths Trainer explains “It is essential that teaching professionals
can find a forum and the time to discuss, share and seek
improvements and equally importantly through this hub spread
this learning and expertise to more schools”.
‘I found it very valuable and a fantastic opportunity to be kept well
informed and share good practice.’
(Tanya Rose, Ursuline High School, Wimbledon)
‘I just wanted to thank you for hosting the Maths network meeting - I
really found it so helpful. I’ve taken away so many fabulous ideas“
(L. Kennedy, Cardinal Wiseman High School, Greenford)
Maths Challenge
The Maths Challenge is run by the UK Mathematics Trust. It gives
able pupils an opportunity to use mathematical skills and concepts
in a creative manner to analyse and solve problems under timed
conditions. The questions focus on challenging application of
standard curriculum maths rather than advanced mathematical
concepts. We are pleased that so many girls undertook the challenge
with obvious enthusiasm and commitment. Those who received
particular awards are listed below.
Year 7 - Junior Maths
Challenge, April 2013
Intermediate Maths Challenge –
February 2013
Best in School,
Best in Year and Gold Award
Kisholi Perera Merry
Best in School
Joanna Lada – Year 11
Silver Award
Gold Award
Bereket Shaymelo
Bronze award
Olivia Sejourne
Melanija Nomgaude
Alexis Bouquet
Year 8 - Junior Maths Challenge,
April 2013
Best in Year and Gold Award
Emily Binns
Silver Award
Katie Costa Welch
Erin Shevlin
Bianca Gazzingan
Frances Eccleston
Alicia Hiney
Anna Gelderblom
Anna Keefe
Isabel Madden
Bronze award
Katharine Jones
Alis Sejourne
Erin Coleman
Isabelle Dewey
Maud Ahmed
Sabina Marvulli
Catriona Cheek
Sarah Scott
Sophia Abreu
Isabella Farrington
Gemma Hill
Alexandra Lapkowska
Eleanor Adler
Daisy Antonioni
Scarlett Reiners
Millie Tupper
Laurice Ngang
(Years 9, 10 and 11)
Joanna Lada – Year 11
Helena Smyth – Year 11
Silver Award
Anna Szumielewicz - Year 11
Mary Gregory – Year 11
Rhiannon Folan – Year 11
Rebecca Killip – Year 11
Oral Batchelor – Year 10
Shalini Rupasinghe – Year 9
Jade Hopkins – Year 9
Abbey Odwyer – Year 9
Emma Foster – Year 9
Bronze award
Molly Bowes – Year 11
Ciara Kavanagh – Year 11
Claudia Rodriguez Campo - Year 10
Lara Goodhand – Year 10
Josie Chadband – Year 10
Alexandra Fraser – Year 10
Eleanor Duce – Year 10
Magdalena Grabowska – Year 9
Sarah Bainbridge – Year 9
Maria Gabriel – Year 9
Jessica Garcia – Year 9
Katie Malone – Year 9
Senior Maths Challenge 2013
Best in School
Eileen Igboanugo
Bronze award
Eileen Igboanugo
Kirsty Ward
Hannah Hargreaves
Olivia Hicks
Catherine Rocha
Science
The Physics Department is very proud to announce its contribution toward
the 2013 AMGS Student Conference, ‘A Future for Girls from Physics’, which
will be taking place on Monday 14th October at the Institute of Physics,
London. This is an established conference that has been running for many
years. But this year, we have had the honour of being part of the networking
team. Ex-Gumley Girl Alicia Recuerda, who will be studying Physics at
Cambridge next year, will be representing Gumley at the conference. Current
A level Physics students will also be part of the networking team. We look
forward to the conference and will update you in the next newsletter about
the success.
The world’s largest memory game Year 9 Students
On Friday 19th October 2012, students from Year 9 attempted to set a Guinness
record for the world’s largest memory game to celebrate Biology Week.
By sitting a ten-minute memory test prepared by renowned experimental
psychologist Professor Bruce Hood, the pupils contributed to a nationwide
scientific study. Alongside the attempt, pupils learned about how our brains
store memories.
Guinness has confirmed that we have helped set the record! There were 2,109
participants in 40 venues in the UK and one in Bahrain. This is fantastic news,
and thank you to the science teachers and students who put time and effort
into it.
Oxford University - Medicine
and Materials Study Day
In July a group of Year 10 students taking double science participated
in an exciting and challenging study day experiencing the teaching
environment of one of the country’s top universities.
Students took part in 3 diverse workshops in 3 different locations:
• Penicillin the Wonder Drug at the Museum of the History of Science
• Synthesis and Separation at Oxford University Chemistry Department
• Plants and Medicines at Oxford University Botanic Garden
Big Bang
Fair & STEM
Ambassadors!
To celebrate Science & Engineering week some
year 9 students attended the largest celebration
of science and technology at the Big Bang Fair in
ExCeL, London
Through practical and fun activities that included
using crystallography to analyze different
substances, creating a unique flavour of lip balm,
testing constructions skills by building with
chocolate and taking an active part in the accident
and emergency clinical skills workshop, they could
see where their classroom subjects could lead.
P.E.
Gym and Dance
March saw our annual gym and dance display. 150 girls from
years 7 to 12 performed across the dance and gymnastics
spectrum. Some of the pieces were choreographed by the girls
and some were put together through attendance at clubs. There
were some really lovely costumes also created by the girls
themselves. It is good to see so many students collaborating
across the different year groups to bring together a very
enjoyable display of talents.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
This year 49 year 10’s have put up the annual battle with the lack
of home comforts, to complete the expedition section of their Bronze
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The practice weekend was spent in Boxhill and the assessed
weekend in Henley on Thames. The Weather was very kind to us on
both weekends despite the forecast. The girls have developed not
only their ability to read a map and navigate in their teams and cook
for 7 on a small stove, but to survive on the bare minimum for 2
days….and without any electronic gadgetry!!
The girls were excellent on both weekends and a credit to
themselves and Gumley. Well done one and all.
Rounders Champs!
l
l
l
l
nslow at the M
m
id
d
le
The Year 7 Rounder’s team played in the
tournament against 8 other schools in
the local area they performed very well
winning 5 of their games. Star player of
the tournament was Grace Fisher with
some fabulous catches and rounder’s
scored.
H ou
x
e
s
l
l
nt
ls athleti cs
o
o
h
co
sc
Rebecca Killip- 1500m Automatic selection
Aeysha Robinson- Shot Putt-4th Alex Fraser- 1500m-8th
Miah Robinson- Shot Putt-5th Anne Omotola-shot Putt- 6th
Crystal Mitchell- long Jump-10th Lara Farrell-Hurdles-10th
Erin Shevlin-1500m-10th Emily Magill-200m-10th
Lucy Elliman-High Jump Anna Keefe-Long jump
Gaby Foley- hurdles Maddie Gorrie-100m
Laurice Ngang-Discus postponed
selected to r
Well done to the following girls
e pr
e
s
e
Year 7
Rounder’s
Team
1
This year we have
exceeded ourselves with 14 girls
being selected to represent Hounslow at the
Middlesex schools athletics competition. There
were 11 in the under15 age group of which 8 are only
yearr 8 and 3 girls in the under 17 age group. The girls did
exceptionally well with 9 of them finishing in the top 10 in their
event, with Rebecca Killip being selected to represent Middlesex
at the English Schools completion in July.
ir ls
• Grace Ellis
• Lara Farrell
• Gaby Foley
• Anna Gelderblom
• Gemma Hill
• Eleanor Igboanugo
• Anna Keefe
• Laurice Ngang
• Alis Sejourne
ti
e
p
4g
The Year 8 Rounders team came out
champions of the borough rally after a
very close fought final with Chiswick.
After winning all their pool games
convincingly they then went on to play
Lampton in the semi-final and with
another confident performance the
girls took the game. In the final both
sides put in some excellent fielding and
batting, but Gumley’s team work and
communication gave them the extra
edge. The Year 8 team:
ew Recor
N
n
d!
t io
English
Debating Skills!
AS Bath Trip
‘I have not yet asked you how long you have
been in Bath; whether you were ever here before;
whether you have been at the Upper Rooms, the
theatre, and the concert; and how you like the
place altogether.’
‘— I like it very well.’
Year 7 & 8 Students Enter A New Debating Competition
- London Junior Debating League
This competition consisted of both independent and state schools
in West London additionally, sixth form students were asked to be
involved in order to develop their leadership skills.
The 16 schools involved were divided into 4 pools; we were against
Ibstock, Harrodians and Brentford School for Girls.
Motions included: “This house would make all schools coeducational”, “This house would build a third runway at
Heathrow”, and “This house would lower the voting age to eleven”.
Gumley’s students were runners-up in the pool, which was a huge
achievement! Year 7 & Year 8 debaters were: Kisholi Perera-Merry,
Eleanor Igboanugo, Gabby Foley, Sarah Scott, Millie Tupper and
Frankie Eccleston.
Leadership of our sixth form debaters Phoebe Tupper, Paloma Ley,
Eileen Igboanugo, Hannah Thomas and Leah Fitzpatrick were also
highly commended by the other schools, as they played key roles in
judging the debates and coaching the students too.
Gumley Girls overall winners in Debating Matters:
Debating for students aged 16-19
Gumley has always had a reputation as a strong debating school
and this year, we hosted the Regional Round of the Debating
Matters Competition, organised by the Institute of Ideas for sixth
form debaters with a team of our Year 12 girls. The unusual format
consisted of two speakers on each team, who had to give 5 minute
speeches, followed by questions from a panel of judges made up
of experts in the topic related to the motion. As you can imagine,
this required considerable critical thinking skills as well as the
ability to form and deliver a strong
argument.
The Gumley Team was made up of
the following students: Paloma Ley,
Phoebe Tupper, Eileen Igboanugo
and Leah Fitzpatrick. Phoebe and
Paloma were the overall winners
and Gumley progressed to the
London Regional Finals.
The A2 English classes ended the spring term in
style with a daytrip to Bath to explore the home of
Jane Austen and to take the waters. ‘Northanger
Abbey’, their exam text, is set in the beautiful town
and students were able to follow in the footsteps
of Catherine Morland, the novel’s heroine.
After dancing the Macarena with Mr Bennet
and exploring the Jane Austen centre, everyone
embarked on a walking tour of Bath. We took in the
circus, the Upper Assembly Rooms, the Abbey, the
Pump Room and the magnificent ancient Roman
Baths.
Delving into the world of
A level poetry, studying
Goblin Market
Poetry Festival
Every year, we are proud to discover the poetic
talents of our girls, but this year we witnessed
a truly extraordinary demonstration of their
creativity and insight. Paloma Ley and Jessica
Radomska, Gumley’s Poets Laureate, hosted the
evening brilliantly. Thirty girls performed their
work for each other, their parents, and guest
poet, Robert Seatter. The poets showed amazing sensitivity and
humour and real human insight with their choices of topics and language. The girls have written, among
other subjects, on life as we know it, dentists, lava lamps, truth and lies, the landscape, humanity’s place
in the world, the chaos and confusion of modern life and dads. Robert Seatter was genuinely impressed. His
comments praised the girls’ achievements and he provided tips for their future work.
Students were challenged to display
their thoughts through analytical
essays and various presentations,
from films, cartoons and games to
karaoke!
Congratulations to all our finalists and in particular to:
• Weronika Juszczak, Shauna Kavanagh and Millie Tupper
(who received the Poet’s choice awards)
• Louise Stevenson (winner of the Poet Laureates’ choice award)
• Catherine O’Rourke and Sarah Scott (whose poems were highly commended).
A biscuit.
Millie Tupper 8F
What is poetry?
Today I learnt all about poverty.
Then I went home.
Today I learnt all about starvation.
Then I had a biscuit.
Today I learnt all about being kind.
The teacher was so boring.
Today I learnt all about friendship
Then I talked behind someone’s back.
Today I learnt about love.
Then I shouted at my sister.
Today I learnt about generosity.
Then I wouldn’t share my sweets.
Today I learnt about human truth.
Then I thought “Who cares?”
Oh and today I learnt about modesty.
I bet this poem will be the best.
Weronika Juszczak 7J
What is poetry?
s through your pen
poetry is when your mind flow tivity lies
crea
r
you
on to the page on which
what happens.
ides
dec
d
min
r
you
n
Poetry is whe
kes music
Poetry is when your hand ma
er and pens
pap
r
in an orchestra with you
hm
rhyt
a
is
re
the
n
poetry is whe
page.
coming from the words on the
up in your brain
Poetry is the emotions piling
the page
on
ll
erfa
wat
a
like
pouring out
r anger out
you
e
tak
poetry is where you can
ef.
reli
r
you
poetry is
its break
ing back your lim
Poetry is when the chains hold
and crumble to ash
hero
poetry is your own personal
despair.
who rescues you from total
Poetry is poetry
yet it makes you cry
mysterious yet obvious, funny
EVER wrote
g that no one on the planet
thin
que
poetry is your own uni
try is?
poe
t
wha
w
kno
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do
Now
on.
poetry doesn’t need a definiti
Life as we know it
Louise Stevenson 10R
What happened to reality, before it scattered
and fell?
Now we’re left with the pieces and we’re going
through hell.
See, we’re the young generation, we are youn
g, and you are old.
You burden us with issues that should long
have been resolved.
And we try, but life just gets harder.
See we need to know the difference between
fun and disaster.
Some drink and some swear, bunk school
’cause they don’t care.
And you wonder why they do it: they think
life just isn’t fair.
It’s hard to be different, in this world in whic
h we live.
We just want to be unique, and get back what
we give.
And the bullies and the haters, the ones who
think they’re tough.
The world don’t care that much about how
you think you’re rough.
They want real people, with real lives, peop
le who will give back;
Back to this democracy, the one we so badly
lack.
With its destructions and wars, prime minis
ters and laws.
It makes you wonder how we cope and mana
ge to handle it all.
But life as we know it isn’t all that bad; if
we work hard at being us
we’ll learn to be just glad.
We’ll fight our hurt emotions, bury them deep
inside
And bring out all our happy memories, the
ones which we take pride.
As life is a happy thing; we should love and
cherish it,
Enjoy the good times when they come as in
a second they could split.
Histor y
Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum
Year 12 Classical Civilisation students went on a trip to the British Museum
to see the Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum, exhibition in June.
Students were able to take in exhibits from the two cities preserved under ash,
which lay buried for just over 1,600 years!
e
s
i
r
p
r
e
t
n
E
&
s
s
e
n
Busi
Imperial college
ENACTUS
(Entrepreneurial
Action Us) :
Over the past three years our Year 9 students have
benefited from some outstanding projects from
Imperial College, which aim to develop the students
financial and business skills and in addition to these
being implemented next year our Year 10 students
will benefit from an entirely new project too. Imperial
ENACTUS is supported by faculty advisors and a local
business advisory board.
Next year:
Year 9 students
•“Techno-Entrepreneurship” - developing science, technology and business skills
• “Insight Into Business” developing core business skills
Year 10 Students
•SEED launch - project for Year 10 Students.
Will guide the students into the next stages of an enterprise start-up through a series of practical applications, coaching students on Leadership, Teamwork & Communication, Financial Management, Marketing & Advertising and Core Business Principles. It was tested earlier this year in May for one day with KS4 students that had previously participated in Imperial College’s “Insight Into Business” Course. You can see some of the different activities here……..
Preparing Students For
Their Life Beyond School
Students Learn to Earn
During the June curriculum extension
days, Year 9 students participated in
the Young Enterprise Learn to Earn
course.
This is specifically designed to develop
skills in raising awareness of the
link between education and future
career fulfilment as well as increasing
personal development and job related
skills.
Throughout this course students work
on the importance of goal setting to
establish the lifestyle that they would
like to achieve, moving
on to learning about
budgeting relating
to the costs of living
and evaluate different
careers, in order to
achieve fulfilment and
success.
Students are provided
with job booklets,
which include
information on
jobs, skills and the
qualifications required as well as the
average salary earned. Pupils were
also given a ‘budget planner’ which
displayed expenditures that are part of
living costs and completed activities
in which they had to think about their
priorities and what they most want out
of their future careers.
Speed career networking sessions
helped students to learn to
communicate their skills and abilities
to reflect the requirements of a job
description.
Students create & present the
ir infomercial
Summer Barbeque is a Great Success!
On the day that history was made
and a British man finally broke the
Wimbledon Tennis curse, the annual
Gumley House barbecue bonanza was
an equally hot success.
Parents, girls and staff came to enjoy
the sunshine, help with the stalls,
meet up with friends old and new
and enjoy a packed afternoon of live
entertainment.
In addition to a wonderful array of
stalls and entertainment, younger
customers had great delight in
clambering in and out of a fire engine
plus two police cars.
Our thanks to all the parents, pupils
and staff who worked so hard to put
on a truly fabulous Gumley treat and
to all those parents and girls who
came and spent their money.
Final figures have yet to be counted,
but we know the overall profit, which
will be used by the Parents Association
for the benefit of all our girls, is
somewhere in the region of £5,000.
The PA will be back in September,
getting ready to plan the Christmas
Fest.
Please keep an eye on the school
website for PA meeting dates –
Everyone is welcome.
Thank you and have a lovely summer
break.
Librar y
uring March girls from YR 9 took part in the Hounslow Teen Read. They all read a
Duringshortlist
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part
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Teenthree.
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shortlist
was made up of recent best
sellers. You might like to try some of these titles yourself:
A
group of Year 9 girls recently took part in the CILIP Carnegie Medal ‘shadowing’ group. The Carnegie Med
an annual award that is presented to an outstanding children’s book. The Kate Greenaway Medal goes to the best
illustrator of a children’s book. The girls all read the Carnegie shortlist of eight books, and then voted for their favourit
which was ‘Wonder’, by R.J. Palacio. This year’s Carnegie Medal winner was ‘Maggot Moon’, by Sally Gardner. The be
illustrated book of 2013 was ‘Black Dog’ by Levi Pinfold. A big thank you to Emily Farrow 9R, Lucy Evans
Niamh Stanislaus 9R, Morgaine Webb 9T, Isabel Tollan 9T.
nslow Teen Read
Sita Brahnachari for the Hou
Congratulations to the girls involved: Isabel Tollan 9T, Caitlin Hogan 9T, Julia Molga
9T, Bobby-Jo O’Reilly 9R, Isabella Kitto 9T, Emma Foster 9M, Beatrice Del Rosario 9M,
Gabrielle Brockis 9M, Jenifer Samia 9C, Naila Schweizer 9T.
Congratulations to the girls involved: Isabel Tollan 9T, Caitlin Hogan 9T, Julia
Molga 9T, Bobby-Jo O’Reilly 9R, Isabella Kitto 9T, Emma Foster 9M, Beatrice
Del
1st
Rosario 9M, Gabrielle Brockis 9M, Jenifer Samia 9C, Naila Schweizer 9T.
group of Year 9 girls recently took part in the CILIP
Carnegie Medal ‘shadowing’
group.
The Carnegie
Blood.
The Runners
up were, Fault in Our Stars and An Abundance of Katherines. Well done to all the
Medal is an annual awardgirls
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outstanding children’s book. The KateBlood.
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Del Rosario
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of a children’s
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girls all read the Carnegie shortlist
of eight
books,
then 9M
Beatriceand
Del Rosario
Emma Foster 9M
voted for their favourite, which was ‘Wonder’,Morgaine
by R.J. Webb
Palacio.
9T
Niamh Stanislaus 9R
This year’s Carnegie Medal winnerEmily
wasFarrow
‘Maggot
Moon’,
by
Sally
Emma
Foster
9M
9R
Niamh
Stanislaus
Gardner. The best illustrated bookLucy
of 2013
was ‘Black Dog’ by9R
Evans 9R
Emily
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Levi Pinfold. A big thank you to Emily
Farrow
9R,
Gabrielle
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9MLucy Evans
Lucy
Evans
9R
9R, Niamh Stanislaus 9R, Morgaine
WebbSamia
9T, 9C
Isabel Tollan
9T.
Jennifer
1st
The Gumley
Teen Read
Gumley has now started its own
book award ‘The Gumley Teen
Read’. We chose our shortlist
from suggestions made by
a group of Year 7, 8 and 9
students who met each week to
discuss the books. We will let
you know the winner next term!
Gabrielle
Brockis 9M
Bobbi-Jo O’Reilly
9R
Jennifer
Samia
9C
Isabel Tollan 9T
uring May a group of Yr 9 students visited The Paul Robeson Theatre, Hounslow, for a
Bobbi-Jo
O’Reilly
9R
Caitlin Hogan 9T
Speed
Date/ Read Date event.
Isabel
Tollan
9T
umley has now started its own book award ‘The Gumley Teen Read’. We chose our shortlist from suggesti
Isabella Kitto 9T
This
by several schools in themadeborough
and the girls had to speak to their partner
Caitlinwas
Hoganattended
9T
by a group of Year 7, 8 and 9 students who met each week to discuss the books. We will let you know the
winner
next term!
for
a minute
They
came away with lots of ideas of new books
Isabella
Kitto 9T promoting their favourite book.
G
to read during the summer. The two favourite books voted by all the students attending the
The Runners
up were,upFault
Our Stars
An and
Abundance
of K
event were World War Z and Worm inBlood.
the Blood.
The Runners
were,inFault
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girls
that
took
part.
Abundance of Katherines. Well done to all the girls that took part.
Beatrice Del Rosario 9M
Beatrice Del Rosario 9M
Morgaine Webb 9T
Morgaine
Emma
FosterWebb
9M 9T
EmmaStanislaus
Foster 9M9R
Niamh
Emily
Farrow
9R 9R
Niamh
Stanislaus
Lucy
Evans
9R
Emily Farrow 9R
Gabrielle Brockis 9M
Lucy Evans 9R
Jennifer Samia 9C
Gabrielle
Brockis
Bobbi-Jo
O’Reilly
9R 9M
Jennifer
Isabel
TollanSamia
9T 9C
Caitlin
Hogan
9T
Bobbi-Jo O’Reilly
9R
Isabella Kitto 9T
Isabel Tollan 9T
Caitlin Hogan 9T
Isabella Kitto 9T
Thank you
Congratulations to Nishali
to all our pupil librarians
Samaranayake in 7J for winning the
and volunteers for your help
throughout
the year! We
individual
Reading
Award
at
the
end
of
Congratulations to Nishali Samaranayake in 7j for winning the individual Reading Award
at
have
the end of last term. Well done also
toterm.
the Js for
winning
the House
Reading
Award for
twoenjoyed working with
last
Well
done
also
to
the
Js
for
Congratulations
you all. Award
Your assistance
Congratulations
to Nishali
Samaranayake
7j for winning
at
consecutive
terms!
winning
the HouseinReading
Awardthe
forindividual Reading
has Award
made an
the end of last term. Well done also to the Js for winning the House Reading
forinvaluable
two
two consecutive terms!
contribution to the Library.
consecutive terms!
Cha plaincy
Year 11 Leavers Mass of
Thanksgiving
Following the completion of their GCSE examinations, our
delightful Year 11’s ended their year with a prayerful Mass of
Thanksgiving. Celebrated by local Parish priest, Fr. Stewart,
the theme of the mass focused on love. Doing to others as
you would like them to do to you, was what the girls referred
to as ‘The Golden Rule’ and their expression of it throughout
the mass was beautiful and moving. On a wonderful evening
of thanksgiving the Year 11’s were joined by their families
and staff to celebrate their experiences and memories of
Gumley. Afterwards everyone gathered for refreshments and
the whole evening was a memorable and happy occasion.
We wish Year 11 every success with their results in August
and look forward to seeing many of them back in Sixth Form
in September. Vive Ut Vivas!
Good Shepherd Mass
On one of our rare sunny days in June,
the Key Stage 3 Liturgy Reps travelled
to Westminster Cathedral to attend the
annual Good Shepherd Mass organised
by the Catholic Children’s Society. The
mass was attended by hundreds of
school children from all across the
diocese and celebrated by Archbishop
Nichols. Catarina Barrosa & Megan Forde
presented our cheque for £900 to the
Charity at the offertory procession. We
were very proud to have raised such a
sum of money and look forward to a visit
from Julie Willoughby from the Catholic
Children’s Society to Gumley in the
autumn term. Julie will speak to us about
the work of the society.
Year 13 Leavers Mass
On May 23rd Year 13, staff and the FCJ Sisters celebrated the Year 13 Leavers mass. As ever, the mass was a marvellous celebration of the
girls’ time at Gumley House. Peppered with anecdotes and humorous recollections of adventures and misadventures, the girls gave thanks
for all they gave to and received from the school community. They were congratulated on all their achievements, hope and enthusiasm for
the future. We wish all the girls the best of luck with their exam results and their paths onwards. Vive Ut Vivas!
Community
Good Luck to all of our
students taking part in
The Challenge this summer
designs and delivers ‘The Challenge’, inspiring
young people from diverse backgrounds to come
together post their exams and to make their
mark in the community.
For the 3rd year many Year 11 and 12 Gumley
girls will again be participating in this
community programme.
Students develop a range of physical, social
and civic skills through a combination of
residential weeks on outbound courses & skills
training at a local university plus daily &
weekend commitments working on a focussed
local community project.
The Challenge organisers have commented on
the amazing attitude of our girls and the fact
that each year more and more of them commit
to volunteering in their local community.
The Challenge Network is the charity that
On completion of this project and in recognition
of their work the students gain a certificate from
The Challenge and a National Citizen Service
certificate signed by the Prime Minister at a
special graduation ceremony in October 2013.
RE - retreats
Year 9
Year 9 had their class retreats
this term. The retreat focussed
on who they are and challenged
them to think about the value
of life and where they are at the
moment. The climax of the day
was the opportunity to receive
the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Priests from different parishes
heard confession. The girls
responded well and found this a
really positive experience.
Year 10
During the Curriculum Extension
days Year 10 had a one day
retreat based on the idea that
they are gifts to themselves
and other people. This retreat is
beautiful and the girls are able
to share a lot about themselves.
It was very enriching for the girls
and for the staff guiding them
through the retreat.
Youth Philanthropy Institute Year End Event
This End of Year Event brings together the
winning team from each London school as well
as a representative from each of the winning
charities. The event’s purpose is to officially
award the cheque to each charity, to raise
awareness of the YPI and to also celebrate all of
the students’ achievements.
We would like to again congratulate this year’s
winning Gumley team who raised £3000 for The
Horse Rangers’ charity they are: Louise Bate,
Isabel Clark, Daisy Goswell, Molly Gurney, Maeve
Johnson and Katie Malone.
It was also wonderful to have Jo O’Sullivan who
launched the RDA for The Horse Rangers also
join the team at this event.
Additionally, 3 of our Year 10 students were also
invited to this big event at The Troxy as they
were specially nominated for their continued
work with Richmond Aid
Alexandra Jones, Josie Chadband, and Amalia
Martinez-Botas, have already completed their
training and are now all hoping to volunteer for
the Richmond Aid travel buddy scheme.
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Be the Best
Our year 8 Be the Best you
can Be! Programme has
come to an end. The aim of
the programme was to help
young people to discover their
unique potential and empower
them to pursue and fulfil their
dreams.
“The talk from Tim
Prendergast really helped
me think of things that I could
do and achieve. I really enjoyed
looking at success differently looking at how successful people
experienced failure and had to keep
trying in order to achieve their
success”
Bronte Currie 8F
In a final project some year 8s
have been asked about what
they have learnt:
Year 7 CE days
- sixth form
students step
into the role of
teachers
“Tim gave an
inspirational speech on
how to achieve your personal
goals which really made me think.
The lessons were really different
to ordinary lessons and the GROW
method helped me think of my own
goals in life”
Katarzyna Kozlowska 8J
“The coaching
skills we have learnt
have helped me to
understand how to help
others, not to give up
and to grow”
Sophia Abreu 8F
The best presentations
were showcased in the
end of year assembly!
Sixth formers ran the year 7 English and History
curriculum extension day. These Year 12
historians addressed The Changing Position of
Women and significant women in Victorian and
Edwardian eras. They taught lessons on the
ideal nineteenth century woman- Angel in the
House, created timelines on WSPU militancy and
there was even a talk from the deceased Emily
Wilding Davidson!
A fantastic day was had by all, well done girls
Year 8 Hampton Court
The annual year 8 History and Languages trip
to the historic Hampton Court Palace was
again one of the key highlights in the school’s
curriculum extension programme. Pupils had
a wonderful day exploring the palace and
learning about all aspects of Tudor life!
Students in
Year 9 spent the CE day
learning about the treatment of
broken bones, burns, asthma and
cardiac arrests. They were able to
put their knowledge into practice
by applying bandages on each
other and resuscitating
plastic dummies.
The aim of the CE days is to provide our students with a different
and extended subject learning experience. Through combining
subjects such as English and History, Maths and Business
Studies etc teaching staff plan creative and challenging lessons
and programmes that take place both within and outside of the
school. These CE days occur each term and are a key part of the
school’s learning strategy. Above are some more of this summer’s
initiatives..
Gumley House Convent School FCJ
Founded 1841
Headteacher: Mrs Ewa Kolczynska
St. John’s Road, Isleworth, Middlesex TW7 6XF Tel : 020 8568 8692 Fax : 020 8758 2674
general@gumley.hounslow.sch.uk - www.gumley.hounslow.sch.uk