Easter 2015 sionian v2 processed

Miss Rosalind Hudson

Well done to AYESHA POTTS in Yr. 6 who produced the front cover!

Miss Hudson joined the Senior School in 1983 and became Deputy Head in 1985, in which capacity she remained until her retirement nine years later.

Thereafter, she enjoyed a full and active retirement, in which animal welfare and her work for the RSPCA took up much of her time. Miss Hudson also ran the ‘Action for Animals Club’ in the Junior School and was most recently supported by two Sixth Form students, Hope Spalding and Anna Wheatley.

The girls said, “Miss Hudson enthused the children every week, with exciting new tasks and allowing them to learn more about different animals. She was always so grateful for all our help and never failed to express this through lovely cards and small presents at the end of each term. We all adored and respected her. She was a remarkable person who cared immensely for the welfare of animals.”

Mr Baker added, “Miss Hudson was very definitely an ‘old school’ practitioner. She also had a great sense of fun and quite a wicked sense of humour, especially when it came to April Fool jokes! Miss Hudson was a great lady and a great Sionian!”

We were all shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the sudden death on January 9th of Miss Hudson, former Deputy Head of the Senior School and lifelong active supporter of the RSPCA and animal welfare.

The Easter Sionian Front Cover Competition

At the start of the Spring Term, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were invited to take part in a competition to design the front cover of the Easter edition of ‘The Sionian’.

The task was to produce an A4 page - using any medium, style, or format. This gave pupils a full range of opportunities - for example a mosaic, or a collage, or possibly even part-hand drawn and part-I.T. The only stipulation was that the finished work had to be ‘scan-able’.

We encouraged pupils to be creative and original; to try and think of a good Easter theme and maybe also something that related it to Sion. We suggested using bold and striking colours and to remember that ‘big’ images catch the eye and that the aim of any magazine cover is to attract the reader’s attention! The prizes included an exciting range of art materials.

Year 12 student, Sarphia Stratford, one of our most talented art students and also a producer of four front covers (two of which are featured below), was invited to pick a winner and you can read about her decision on page 23.

Inside our BIGGEST EVER 40‐page Easter edi on!

The runner-up was KATIE DICKER - also Yr. 6 - see the back page!

B.O.S.S. A new singing group is to start very soon! BOSS - ‘Boys Only Sion Singers’ - is open to all boys from Years 7-13 and will be run by Mr Jeffery.

Mr Jeffery proposes that the first BOSS song will be Coldplay’s “Fix You” and he is very much looking forward to developing a vocal group that can perform here in school and also within the wider community – perhaps they will even go on tour!

Rehearsals will take place during the lunch hour, every Thursday in C11.

Junior School Sport Pages 4‐5

Senior School Sport & Sports’ Leader Award Pages 6‐7

Junior Sports Leader Award Page 7

Late Sports News (Netball & Cross Country) Page 8

A visit from Sion College, USA Page 9

Lessons from Auschwitz Pages 10‐11

The R.E. Treat Pages 12‐13

Junior School musical: ‘Hoodwinked’ Pages 14‐15

Year 5 at Preston Manor Page 16

‘Cats’ & ‘Floor Spots’ reviewed Page 17

Year 6 at Goodwood & Ceramic Workshop Pages 18‐19

Welcome Mr Jeffery! Pages 20‐21

D of E and Young Enterprise Reports Page 22

Year 9 Wimbledon Trip Page 23

Junior School front covers Pages 24‐25

Year 7 Poetry Pages 26‐28

The First World War remembered Page 28

Josh Davies and ‘Tablets’ Page 29

Year 11 Ice Ska ng Pages 30‐31

Top stories from 2005 Page 32

The Baobab School, Nairobi Page 33

Community Outreach Programme Page 34

London Marathon & Maths Challenge Page 35

The 2015 General Elec on Special Pages 38‐39

Years 6 & 7 on Law and Castles Pages 36‐37

“World Book Day winner, Max Sparks, (Year 8) pictured below with his winning design “Minas Tirith” for World Book Day.

Aliya Stratford also came first for her picture “Ballet Shoes”. Congratulations to everyone who took part.”

Junior School Sport

“If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.” (Ben Hogan)

Years 5 & 6 Tag Rugby

George Dagg: “In our match against Shoreham College, Lucas scored a great try to put us ahead. But Shoreham took a half–time lead of 4-3. A team talk raised our belief and a series of tries for both teams put us into a 7-5 lead. Although they scored on the last play it wasn’t enough and we were 7-6 winners. I would like to say a big well done to all of our players.”

Harvey Fabes: “I really enjoyed playing tag rugby for the first time. I did the tap and passed a lot because I’m not very fast at running. I’m learning the rules so I don’t go offside or pass forward. When we played against Shoreham College, we hadn’t had much practise, but we still won 7-6.”

Zach Huzinga: “We were feeling a bit nervous as we looked at the big Shoreham players. But we won and I scored two of the tries. We also had a great match tea. Amazing!”

Sam Keogh: “In our last tag rugby match against Prebendal, we won 10-2! It was a tremendous result for Sion. Every player was faultless throughout the game. I hope we can keep it up!”

Guy Mimpriss: “It was a brilliant game. There were some fantastic tries from Sion, even though Prebendal were tough. I hope we do even better in the future in tag rugby.”

Year 3 & 4 Netball

Amber Beechinor: “When we went to Lancing Prep we lost 5-2 but I think our team played really well. The position I played was GA. I enjoyed the match because I just had fun and I was with my friends. I think both teams played really well, especially Year 3 because it was their first year. I am looking forward to our next match which I am hoping we might win?”

Lucy Beechinor: “The position I play is Centre and I really enjoy it but I also like to play other positions. What I love about netball is that I attack and defend .”

Gabriella Celini: “I played WD. I liked the game because we were a team and we were a great team together. I thought the team played well and we did the best we could.”

Ella Clark: “I was goal keeper. I thought the team played very well and it was a great match.”

Isobel Cooper: “I played goal attack, which I have never played before, but I scored two goals. I think my team played really well.”

Years 3 & 4 Netball (cont’d.)

Ashlei Kerkhove: “We also played against Shoreham and I played centre. I really like playing netball and my favourite position is centre.”

Selina Kinas-Kirk: “I played goal shooter. I thought our team worked so hard and had fun at the same time. What I enjoyed most was seeing our team shooting goals.”

Alexandra Markell: “I enjoyed playing the netball match and I have loved netball this term. I have played goal defence and enjoyed it a lot.”

Hannah Ruffer: “Even though we lost 5-2 I didn’t mind. I really enjoyed the match because the children we played were nice. I thought our team tried their hardest and at the end we had some fruit.”

Iman Winterman: “The match was really fun and I enjoyed playing my part as goal shooter. I think our team is improving and we are really getting to understand how to play netball.”

Pupils have enjoyed another busy term of sports fixtures and practices, and fun opportunities!

Junior School Sport

“Nobody whoever gave his (or her) best regretted it. (George Halas)

Years 3+4 Football

Augustas Maskelis: “The Sion boys played Lancing Prep. I was the goalkeeper. Our team tried very hard but we lost. I don’t mind about losing. It’s the taking part that counts, but it would be lovely to win next time!”

Years 5+6 Football

Rohan Diwakar: “Our first match was against Shoreham College and it felt good to be part of the winning team. Our second fixture was against Windlesham Brighton. It was a great game and we faced some tough competition.”

Sam Keogh: “When we played Shoreham College we were expecting a tough game, but both teams played brilliantly. The A team won 7-5 and the B team played out a thrilling 5-5. Both teams were amazing.”

Isaac Schiavone: “We played against Windlesham and lost 9-4. I was ‘goalie’ and enjoyed making some saves and celebrating when we were able to score. I think the team played very well but not well enough to beat Windlesham. What I didn’t enjoy was the mud in the goal which my feet kept getting stuck in, making it harder to move. ”

Years 5+6 Netball

Maria Castellano: “We played against Prebendal and we won 8-7. I really enjoyed the match and the food. The girl who was marking me was the captain and was always shouting, which was a bit annoying, but the rest was alright.”

Katie Dicker: “We played in a tournament at Windlesham School. We had an amazing time even though we were freezing!”

Grace Light: “It has been a brilliant season for us and I look forward to playing more. We all love our netball!"

Sofia Manco: “I have really enjoyed netball this term. My favourite game was against Windlesham; we won 6-1.”

Ayesha Potts: “The score was 6-1 against Windlesham and my favourite part was when I was girl of the match! Netball is a fantastic sport.”

Isabella Searle: “I played Goal Keeper. The match was very good and so was the tea – we had fish fingers and chips afterwards!”

Caitlin Silk: “My favourite netball was the Windlesham House tournament. Apart from losing I enjoyed the tournament and watching the Year 8’s win!”

Victoria Sparkes: “In netball we played against Prebendal. There was an A team and a B team. The A team lost 6-3 and the B team won 8-7. I was in the B team and I played Goal Shooter. It was an amazing feeling to win a match!”

Year 2 Swimming

Esme Duncan: “I like it when we get to swim underwater.”

Rohaan Fazal: “Swimming underwater is fun!”

Emelia Hayes: “I like it when we race and collect the sinkers from the bottom of the pool.”

Aleisha Horlock: “I like doing roly polys. ”

Orla Huzinga:“I like paddling and playing with the egg flips.”

Matilda Johansen-Allison: “I like how fast I can kick my legs.”

Esther Kerkhove: “I also like swimming in the relays.”

Betsy Nevill: “My favourite thing about swimming is when we do races.”

Ralph Richardson: “I like playing shipwreck in my swimming lessons.”

Amber Sisman: “I have enjoyed going swimming, especially when we race!”

Didi Tandel: “We have fun when we go swimming. We get to play shipwreck.”

Year 6 Swimming

Sam Keogh: “Mrs Marsh is a really nice teacher and I cannot wait for the gala because I think I’ll win!”

Harry Piper: “At the end of the lessons we do diving, badge work and ship wreck .”

David Wilson: “I’m having so much fun in swimming. Thanks to Sion I have perfected the stroke called butterfly.”

Senior School Sport

“Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you.” (Arnold Palmer)

Five students gave an outstanding all-round performance when they recently competed in the ISA National Schools Swimming Finals held at the London Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park.

The competition was a huge event involving over 400 students from around the country. The occasion was very special competing in the same pool as the Olympians from 2012 in a formal event. All the students had an amazing day and performed very well.

Ollie Hodges in Year 7 received an impressive two Gold Medals after winning the freestyle relay and medley relay and a Silver medal for the 50m Backstroke.

Oscar Silk in Year 8 came a well-deserved second in his final and received a Silver medal for the 50m Breaststroke saying “It was an amazing experience to go to the Olympic pool. Having the chance to swim where the greatest swimmers of all time have competed, was brilliant. My highlight of the day was the achievement of coming 2nd in the national event.”

Petrina Marsh in Year 11, also did extremely well, winning two medals; a Silver in the 100m breaststroke and a Bronze in the 50m butterfly. Charlie Hodges in Year 9, came fourth in the Backstroke competing against Year 10 students. Talisa-Mae Marsh in Year 9 had a busy afternoon, swimming in four events also against Year 10 competitors and coming 5th in the 100m Breaststroke, 5th in the 100m Freestyle, 4th in the medley relay and 5th in the freestyle relay. She said, “It was an amazing experience and an incredible opportunity to swim at the Olympic Pool. Not only was I representing my school, but also the London South Region.”

Charlie Ollie Oscar Petrina Talisa-Mae

Sport cont’d...

“The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.” (Joe Paterno)

Sion took 10 boys to the Sussex Cross Country Championships recently. In muddy conditions and with a steep hill the boys did extremely well in the biggest fields assembled for the event in many years. In the Junior Boys Louis Bateman just missed out on Sussex selection, finishing 26th out of 193 that finished. Timmy Hartnell was 45th, Toby Nisbet 71st and Oscar Silk 96th. In the intermediate boys our Year 10s, who competed against Year 11 pupils, ran really well, with the team finishing 7th. Lewis Broughton was 36th, Elliot Parkman 62nd, Ben Nisbet 82nd and Callum Church 104th. Well done to all the boys who competed.

The cross country team also competed in the regional stage of the ISA Cross Country Championships and we had some excellent results.

Our Year 7/8 Boys came second, Year 7/8 Girls came fourth. The combined Years 9/10 team came first and the Girls’ Year 11/12/13 team also came first - BRILLIANT!

The following students competed at the National Finals: Martha Glyn-Jones (Yr 7); Toby Nisbet & Oscar Silk (Yr 8); Louis Bateman Jack Connelly & Timmy Hartnell (Yr 9); Lewis Broughton & Elliot Parkman (Yr 10); Megan Johnston, Faye Murton & Bella Yogaratnam (Yr 11). Well done, everyone!

In the Netball leagues, the girls have enjoyed continued success. the Year 10 team came runners-up in the district U15 league of 12 competitors. The Year 8 team was also placed runners up in the Westbourne House tournament and the Year 7 team came third in the regional round of the Sainsbury’s School Games.

Congratulations to Sam Illsley who represented Sussex at the South East Indoor Athletics Meeting. He competed against Surrey, Kent, Oxford, Berkshire, Bucks and Hampshire. Sam won the long jump and the Sussex team (boys) were placed third overall!

SPORTS’ LEADER AWARD

The Sports Leader Level 1 course has got off to an excellent start for 2015.

We have had a large take-up, with 27 Year 9 students enrolling onto the course. Consequently we have divided the cohort in two and the first half has just completed their first experience of leading the students from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.

The students have done brilliantly; impressing Miss Moyles (Head of PE at Sion Junior School) who said “The standard of the leaders this year is excellent – they are all enthusiastic and also very well organised.”

The leaders have also organised and run a hockey tournament for the rest of Year 9, for which they ran the warm up, skill development, umpired all games, completed the results sheet and even provided medals for the winning team! Well done, Sports Leaders!

Senior School Sport Update

“You’re never a loser until you quit trying.” (Mike Ditka)

ISA National Cross Country Championships

The Independent Schools Association Cross Country Championships was an amazing event and took place at Penthorpe College in Rugby. Several of our students qualified, being among the top ten students in the London South Area in their categories.

They competed against the top ten students from each region from around the country.

Their positions were as follows:

Martha Glyn-Jones, (Year 7) 51st

Toby Nisbet, (Year 8) 14th

Sam Illsley, (Year 8) 53rd

Louis Bateman, (Year 9) 9th

Jack Connolly, (Year 9) 55th

Timmy Hartnell, (Year 9) 56th

Lewis Broughton, (Year 10) 20th

Elliot Parkman, (Year 10) 26th

Faye Murton, (Year 11) 4th

As always, the Sion students had an excellent attitude and enjoyed a fabulous day out. Well done to everyone and also to Mr Marsden who accompanied our competitors.

Year 8 Netball

The Year 8 girls competed in the Independent Schools Association regional tournament recently.

The team played brilliantly against tough opposition and managed to either win or draw all of their games.

The team was placed second overall on goal difference and will now advance through to the ISA Nationals in High Wycombe on March 19th. The team included:

Grace Albon Izzie Gee Gemma Hudson Kierrer Jarman Molly Johnston Izzie Lay Becky Lloyd Alice McMorrow Phoebe Whitelam

Very well done to all the girls and also to Miss Haworth!

Meanwhile, the Year 10 team also qualified for the ISA national finals, which will be played at High Wycombe on March 7th.

We wish both teams the very best of luck and will provide full reports on what happens in the summer Sionian!

Notre Dame de Sion, Kansas City, Missouri

“It always seems impossible until it is done.” (Nelson Mandela)

The school in Kansas City, Missouri was founded in 1912 and is one of almost 20 Sion schools in the world today.

We are therefore delighted to report that in the on-going initiative for our schools worldwide to establish closer links with each other, a group of fellow students and teachers from the USA visited us towards the end of term.

A full report will appear in the summer Sionian, but here are two photos that capture the flavour of the occasion.

Although the visit only lasted for a very short time before our guests headed off to Cambridge, both British and American students were able to meet and interact, and everyone agreed that the occasion was a huge success.

Sion Fencing Club!

We are very pleased and excited to announce that, following discussions with a local coach, we will soon be starting a Fencing Club at school!

Robert Parsons is a qualified coach through British Fencing and also coaches at Worthing Fencing Club.

He has been coaching in schools for the past five years and fences on the competition circuit. In addition, Robert is also a fitness trainer, so be prepared for a great warm up!

There are three types of modern fencing: Sabre, Foil and Epee.

The school club will initially focus on Epee, which is a thrusting weapon, meaning points are scored with the tip of the weapon only. In Epee the whole body is the target, so a great deal of thought and timing has to go into both attack and defence, with footwork being key.

Robert explains: ‘”Fencing is a physical sport, but so much more than that, too. I find people who excel at fencing are the thinkers and, therefore, it is for this reason that many people who would not necessarily consider themselves sporty do well!”

Robert will be holding an assembly in the very near future and students at OLOS will be given the opportunity to sign up for this exciting new venture. Places will be limited, so students need to move quickly once the signing up forms are available.

Watch this Space - 1!

American teacher, Liz Bono, makes a presenta on to Mr Scullion

Group photo of staff and students from both our schools

Year 13 girls visit Auschwitz

“We expected the worst, not the unthinkable.” Charlotte Delbo

Our Lady of Sion School remains a firm supporter of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s ‘Lessons From Auschwitz Project’.

Participation in this nationwide project provides the opportunity for two students to attend seminars in London, either side of a gruelling day trip to visit the notorious death camp in Poland.

Anna Wheatley and Alexandra Woodward visited Auschwitz last autumn and here is their special report, which also featured as a Senior School Assembly to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day in January.

“What did you have for breakfast today…? This is a familiar question which all of us have heard before and answering vaguely you may say a bowl of cereal, maybe some toast too or possibly even a ‘full English’! But imagine if you hadn’t eaten a proper meal for weeks and the little food you were given was a sludge like soup with a mouldy slice of bread, how would you answer?

For those in Auschwitz food was a luxury and therefore the same way we may fantasise about designer clothes or cars, we learned that the prisoners would dream of jam on toast.

One survivor described how each morning when she woke up she would turn to those in her barracks and ask this question, allowing each of them a few seconds of escapism before they were dragged back to the cruel reality that we now call The Holocaust.

During the first seminar in London we discussed the causes of the Holocaust and what we expected to see in Auschwitz. We also met survivor, Suzan Povic who had spent 12 months at Auschwitz before its liberation in April 1945.

What is anti-Semitism? It is defined as: hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group. Jews are clearly not a race. Race is a genetic distinction, and refers to people with shared ancestry and shared genetic traits.

You can't change your race; it's in your DNA, as Suzan stated: “You cannot blame the Germans for what their grandparents did, any more than you can blame me for being Jewish.”

Since we first heard about the project, about five years ago, we both wanted to get involved. We were always horrified by the Holocaust; you learn about the Nazi regime and how many people died as statistics, but you forget about the suffering and misery of the people who were subjected to this hatred and persecution.

We felt like we had to witness Auschwitz in order for it to feel real, in order to try and even vaguely imagine how anyone could do this to another person. We both felt that if we could visit a place of such cruelty then we would gain far more than from just studying a text book.

“Night, night without end. No dawn comes.” Tadeusz Borowski (survivor)

Pictures do not do Auschwitz justice. I found it uncomfortable to drive down the main road and glance to my right to see miles of barbed wire fencing, in plain sight. I had always imagined it to be hidden and secretive, yet there it stood with row upon row of barracks, similar to those you’d see battery hens living in. We felt numb, and that was the goal, to make it as inhumane as possible. This didn’t sink in until we saw the ‘Exploiting the Corpses’ exhibit, where two tonnes out of the eleven tonnes of human hair recovered, lay in a glass case. In another room we saw the belongings of children and this was probably the most difficult part, as it showed how ruthless the Nazis were. The face of a doll lay smashed which to me symbolised the loss of life and innocence. We were able to see the efficiency of the murders committed when we entered one of the gas chambers.

We are told of the horrors of the gassing, but it was the experiences of those who survived immediate death in these chambers and the fear, dehumanization and torment they would encounter on a daily basis, which affected us most.

Although these atrocities seem like a distant memory it’s important to recognise that this still has the potential to happen again. A recent spike in anti-Semitism caused by the Israel-Gaza conflict threatens the Jewish culture in Britain. In a recent survey 58% of British Jews say they have no future in Britain, whilst in a separate survey 45% say they have been attacked or the victim of anti-Semitic slurs.

We must teach tolerance of other religions, nationalities and races if we ever hope to reduce extremism. We are extremely lucky to have freedom of speech, however just because we do, doesn’t mean we have the right to spread hatred. Words or even cartoons are powerful and have the ability to change the lives of many, as we have seen recently with the events in France.

By taking part in this programme we have now become ambassadors for the HET, where it is our responsibility to educate others about the Holocaust. Being part of this project was rewarding and educational, we focused on the victims of Auschwitz rather than the Nazis, and we were reminded why this is an important part of History that everyone should know about. “

After Anna and Alex delivered their assembly, students in all year groups were invited to write responses. Here is a selection of their thoughts…

“I did not write this on coloured paper, as other people in my class did because it’s just not colourful.”

“I was deeply moved and unsettled by this subject.”

“It is like a horror movie”.

“Within our school and town, we can make a difference by respecting everyone and accepting anyone of any faith.”

“As long as we keep these memories alive, we can stand united as one.”

“When the assembly went on yesterday, a sense of awkwardness stayed in my body as it was wrong – it IS wrong!”

“I think the powerpoint was inspiring and emotional and incredibly moving as it just goes to show how horrific it must have been for all of those Jewish families.”

“The past always comes back to haunt us, but as long as we keep these memories alive, we can stand united as one.”

“I was moved by the poem, ‘Fear’. The fact that a 12-year old girl was compelled to write something so morbid is the worst part about it. I think the fact she contemplated death as a valid option shows the severity of this awful event.”

“I am truly shocked at how humans treated other humans. The survivors will never escape because it is scarred into their minds and tattooed on their bodies. How can you destroy a child’s life, or kill a family in cold blood?”

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” (Walter Winchell)

Year 9 & The R.E.Treat

“I learnt how your actions can affect how other people feel.”

“The meditation was a really interesting experience.”

“I think the Retreat helped to build new relationships and also helped to strengthen existing ones.”

“We learned how to avoid becoming jealous of other people and what they have that you don’t.”

“I think everyone got a lot out of it, because there were so many different types of activity.”

“The Retreat was an amazing experience and I found so much about friendship and rights and wrongs.”

“It was about finding out who my true friends really are.”

“Everyone got involved and we all had a part to play in it.”

“I hadn’t really thought about friendship as an idea before.”

“All in all, it was a good two days out and very worthwhile!”

“The meditation helped me to connect with myself and all the people in my life.”

“It was a great opportunity for the whole year group to bond.”

“Everyone was given the chance to really talk with each other.”

The annual two days at the Dalesdown Centre gives Year 9 an opportunity to reflect on their lives and all the people in them.

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” (Ralph Emerson)

“The circle of life was interesting, but weird!”

“The meditation was relaxing and made me think.”

“The meditation was very spiritual.”

“The wedding was hilarious, but I wish it had lasted longer!”

“I learnt more about who my friends are and who I can trust in my life.”

“The Sixth Form told us about their memories of doing the Retreat and the affect it had on them.”

“I found some of it very difficult, but I thought the whole experience was brilliant. THANK YOU!”

“I found out how to be a better friend.”

“I realised some very important things and learnt about the meaning of truth and friends.”

“The meditation was a really excellent idea, as I literally reflected on my whole past life and everything.”

“The Sixth Form activities in the evening were really good and made it all more useful and enjoyable.”

“I came away with a different perspective, which was really interesting.”

“It was a really good experience and all the activities were fun.”

“It made me reflect on the difference between bullying and banter.”

“The talent show was really funny and the games were good.”

“It made me think about my year group more.”

Junior School Musical

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players…”

Maria Castellano-Rodriguez: “I’m Lady Sarah in the musical and I’m one of Maid Marian’s Ladies. The only difficulty I had was that I wasn’t sure when to be on stage, but I am really enjoying the rehearsals and I’m looking forward to performing on the night.”

Harvey Fabes: “I am the narrator in Hoodwinked and my favourite scene is Maid Marian’s room. My two favourite songs are ‘Maid Marian’s Ladies’ and ‘Stop the Fighting’.”

Ben Haste: “My part in the musical is Will Scarlet, one of Robin’s men. My favourite song is ‘What a Man’ and my favourite scene is the fighting scene. I am really excited for the performance in two weeks’ time.”

Lucas Jackson: “I am the Lord, leader and animal 1 in the musical. The Lord is one of the Sherriff’s friends and is therefore very rich. The leader is not rich and he helps Robin Hood. Animal 1 is one of the many animals that live in Sherwood Forest and when the Sherriff orders his men to cut down all the trees in the forest, him and all the other animals are desperate to find a new home. The hardest thing at first was learning my lines.”

Oscar Johansen-Allison: “My favourite scene is the tournament part of the musical. I play Little John, one of Robin Hood’s men and the Town Crier. I’m excited to perform the musical on the nights and my favourite song is ‘What a Man.’”

Emily Johnston: “I play the part of a Friar, guard and villager in the musical. The difficult thing for me was to know when to come on and off stage. I like the musical Hoodwinked because it is fun to act and entertaining. The friars (Me, Ayesha and Isabella) sing a trio called ‘Amen, Amen’. This is my favourite song.”

Grace Light: “I play villager 8 and the Vendor in Hoodwinked. My favourite song is ‘What a Man.’ My favourite scene is where the Sherriff gets a pie in his face. I am nervous that I will make a mistake on the night. I found learning lines tricky, but I’ve learnt them now!”

Sofia Manco: “I have really enjoyed participating in the musical this year. I play villager 1 and 9. I like being a villager as you are on the stage most of the time. I really like all the songs.”

It’s showtime again in the Junior School and, although the all-star production of ‘Hoodwinked’ takes place too late to report in the Easter Sionian, we caught up with the cast and crew. Led as usual by Mrs Carmody, we were keen to find out how they were getting on with this modern and witty musical adaptation of the story of Robin Hood, great fun to perform at any time of the school year.

(William Shakespeare) “As you Like It” Act II, Scene VII

Scarlet Margaroli: “In the Musical I play the part of Maid Marian. I like my part because I get lots of lines to say, but the tricky part is learning them!

I really like the musical because everyone has a part and it’s great fun rehearsing.”

Laura McGuinness: “In the musical Hoodwinked I am playing three different characters; a villager, an animal and Geoff the Archer. I have enjoyed being in the musical even though I am not one of the lead parts. I like singing all the songs and my favourite is ‘Out in the forest.’ I have only found it hard trying to remember when to come on and off stage. Overall I think the musical is going well!”

Lucy Message: “I play four characters in the play; a taxi driver, a lady, a villager and a lumberjack. I like all my characters. I also have a solo in the song ‘What a Man.’ Learning my lines was easy and I’m looking forward to performing the musical, I hope it goes well!”

William Migeod: “I play the part of one of the merry men and I love the bit where I say ‘I saw the Sherriff pick his nose!’ I’m very nervous about performing the musical. My favourite song is ‘Robin of Locksley’.”

‘Hoodwinked’: Rehearsal Reports! Henry Nevill: “I can’t wait to perform the musical!! It’s so exciting! I love the song ‘What a Man’ and I also love the parts I am playing; Villager 4 and King Richard! I know that it will be amazing!”

Phoebe Palmer: “In the musical I play one of Maid Marian’s Ladies. Her name is Helen. I also play a villager. What I find hard is remembering when to come on and off. My favourite part in the musical is when I sing my trio with the other ladies. I am excited about performing Hoodwinked.”

Ayesha Potts: “I have really enjoyed rehearsing the musical, it is great fun to do! I play Friar Nosh and the Jester. My favourite song is the one I sing with Emily and Izzy and it is called ‘Amen, Amen’. Everything is going really well so far!”

Tina Rassam: “In the play Hoodwinked I play the Sherriff’s deputy. The deputy is very stupid and funny. I really enjoy the songs, especially Stop this Fighting and Marian’s Lament even though I don’t sing Marian's Lament.”

Caitlin Silk: “In the musical I play Lady Lucy and a villager. When I am a Lady I sing a trio called ‘Maid Marian’s Ladies’ and that is my favourite song.”

Max Weber: “I play servant, taxi driver and Friar Tuck in the musical. The hardest part was to learn the lines for Friar Tuck and the easiest was the servant. I can’t wait until the performances!”

Good luck everyone! We’ll publish some dress rehearsal pictures in the summer Sionian!

“The past is a foreign county: they do things differently there.” (L.P. Hartley)

Year 5 visit Preston Manor

In her debut report, Mrs Rowlands took Year 5 to Preston Manor to find out how the Victorians lived?

What jobs did their servants do in the house? In support of their study of the Victorians, Year 5 applied for positions at Preston Manor in Brighton to find out!

Year 5 dressed as poor Victorians and took on servants’ duties, both upstairs and downstairs in a grand manor house. The ‘Living History’ staff then judged who was most suitable for the jobs of: footman, odd-job man, kitchen maid and fourth maid based on application letters written in an English lesson, as well as activities completed on the day.

Children spent the whole session in character as Victorians and used real Victorian artefacts in the historic setting of Preston Manor. An enjoyable day was had by all!

Sahil Ahmad: “I had a fantastic time learning about Victorians!”

Oscar Allison: “I had such an amazing time that I thought I was a real Victorian servant!”

Harvey Fabes: “I loved the experience and really liked becoming the footman!”

Romaan Fazal: “The trip was brilliant and I loved learning about what the odd man had to do.”

Ben Haste: “The day was amazing and I would love to visit with my family and friends. ”

Grace Light: “I had a brilliant school trip learning what life was like for Victorian servants and was extremely happy to be chosen as the fourth maid!”

William Migeod: “My favourite room was the boot room, which is 300 years old, because I liked beating the rug clean with friends!”

Henry Nevill: “I had a brilliant day and a great Victorian experience! I was really happy to get the job of the oddman!”

Isaac Schiavone: “I thought it was an amazing trip and I loved making the homemade lemonade explode with too much bicarbonate of soda!”

Theo Sparsis: “My favourite room was the kitchen because I liked making the ginger biscuits!”

Lauren Stevens: “I thought it was a brilliant trip and a great way to learn about the Victorians. It very clearly explained what life was like back then.”

Max Weber: “It was a great experience learning how very different life was back then.”

“The magic of live performance!” (Mrs Daniels)

On a cold January evening, 45 members of the Senior School, (from Years 7 through to the Sixth form) led by Mrs Daniels and her team, boarded a luxury coach and travelled to the London Palladium Theatre, to see the new and freshly revised production of ‘Cats’. The dance element makes ‘Cats’ a most unusual musical show, there is no spoken dialogue (like opera) and the whole cast is made up of superbly skilled dancers. The various songs of the show reflect the individual character of these different cats, as they all live and dance together in a larger than life junkyard!

Arriving in good time, everyone was able to enjoy the pre-show exhibition of ‘Cats’ memorabilia, including displays of show costumes, photographic memorabilia, and an opportunity to have artistic face painting, enjoyed by many of the Sion group. Seeing and meeting Amanda Holden in the theatre foyer was an additional exciting bonus, too!

An outstanding set, stunning costumes, lighting and of course singing and dancing. However, the main highlight was without doubt, Nicole Scherzinger in a faultless portrayal of the old tatty glamour cat, ’Grizabella’. The audience was mesmerised by her stage presence, amazing voice, and performance of ‘Memory’.

Georgina Clutterbuck: “The production was exhilarating, both because of the quality of the music and the ability of the cast to perform such demanding dance routines whilst singing. I think it was the best show I have seen .”

Dylan Cooper: “Cats was brilliant because the songs were non-stop and there was great dancing.”

Holly Gumbleton: “It was a really unforgettable show! I loved every minute!”

Hadley Laudrum: “It was amazing; all the different, unique costumes and personalities.”

Laura Reed: “I thought that the costumes were fantastic and this made the actors look very much like cats. I really enjoyed the musical numbers and the staging was creative.”

Laura Stephens: “I loved how they made Macavity move around the stage, it was so clever and so cool!”

The Spring Concert, put on by the Creative and Performing Arts Faculty, provided opportunities for students from all years to entertain their families and friends.

James Draper got the evening off to a good start with a rousing trumpet solo and this was followed by some beautiful singing from Holly O’Callaghan’s choir. Memorable solo performances across the evening were given by Fari Chiketa, Laura Reed, Anna Sayegh, Louis Mort-Hill, Julian Alshahid, Oliver Wakeling, Anna-Marie Wheatley and Anna Tuck.

Starting the second half in fine style were the “Boys with the Beat”, Tom Shorten, Freddie Martin, Max Sparks, Mark Rassam, Tom Lang and Finley Searle, who made their debut as African drummers with great aplomb, led by Mr Jeffrey. Tom had earlier been one of three fine flautists, with Felicia Zappulo and Matilda Fuller, who performed very accomplished duets with teacher Mr Dominic Smith, much to the delight of the audience.

Mrs Freeman provided two moving duologues given by Laura Reed and Anna Thompson, Blaise Cloran and Anna Tuck. Dance was particularly well represented; Mrs Swift used the opportunity to show off the remarkable dance and choreographic talents of GCSE candidates Charlotte Lay and Heather McClumpha, supported by Abby McClumpha, Ziona Juer and Tegan O’Brien. Esme Allen, Harleigh Broughton and Hattie Percival-Watkins also contributed fine dance numbers and the evening was brought to a melodic end by Ben Tong, Anna-Marie Wheatley and Vicky Tong playing a medley of Straus Waltzes, directed by Mrs Whitchurch.

‘Cats’ by Mrs Daniels Floor Spots

“Earth provides enough to satisfy everyman’s needs.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Year 6 spent a day on a shelter building activity in the grounds of Goodwood Park Farm. The weather was kind and pupils all enjoyed the challenge of constructing a shelter.

Each group had to find a space and, using logs, twigs and anything else that came to hand, they had to build a strong structure. Everyone enjoyed the chance to be outside in the fresh air for the day and to get dirty; many ended up covered in mud…some more than others!

The results were amazing, with lots of interesting and original features. One of the boys’ groups really took on board the aesthetic side of things and were clearly disappointed when they were unable to finish their shelter with tasteful fabrics and soft furnishings. Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen would have been very proud of them!

Laura McGuiness said, “The trip was very enjoyable. I really liked the shelter building, because we worked as a team.”

Year 6’s Shelter Building!

Lucy Message agreed, “It was a cool experience running around the forest looking for the right sort of twigs, sticks and moss.”

Molly Campion summed it up for the whole year group, “Overall, we had a fantastic day!”

Emily Johnston added, “We had to rummage around the woods and find different materials to build our shelter.”

Freddie Browne explained how his group approached the task, “We based our shelter around a tall tree and this provided a very good way of creating a solid structure.”

In the afternoon pupils were given a guided tour of the Home Farm and saw newly-born lambs with some very noisy mothers in the lambing shed, piglets and their mothers who were snouting around for food in a muddy field and cows waiting to be milked in the milking parlour.

It was all (literally) food for thought and reminded us just where our lamb cutlets and bacon slices come from.

Ceramic Workshop

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” (Leonardo da Vinci)

Mrs Helen Simpson, a teacher, artist and ceramist came into school to give a master class workshop on the art of using clay.

Each member of the class made a nesting bird. The process had begun weeks before in art lessons with research, preliminary drawings and a pastel, which were then used as the source for making the bird in clay. During the workshop everyone worked extremely hard and learnt a lot from Helen.

The birds look amazing and everyone has a different character. The end results will form part of an exhibition of art work completed by Year 6 in the summer term.

George Dagg was suitably impressed, “We looked at all the different breeds of sheep, pigs and cows. We even got to feed the sheep. I really enjoyed this trip and all my classmates did too!”

Welcome, Mr Jeffery!

“Love is the flower you’ve got to let grow.” (John Lennon)

The American actor, Sean Maher, said, “starting a new job is always scary… It’s like the first day of school.” OK, so just imagine if your new job IS the first day of school…! After a busy first term, we caught up with Mr Jeffery, the new Deputy Head in the Senior School, to find out more about him and also to see how he has been getting on...

Would you like to tell us a bit about yourself? “I was born in Shoreham-by-Sea on 22nd July 1974. I grew up in Worthing, attending local schools and Sixth Form College. Music is my first love and I enjoy playing the piano and singing. When I have time (usually during the summer), I enjoy composing music and songs. I have released two solo recordings, “Another Sky” (2002) and “You Found Me” (2012). I enjoy good food and wine and like to cook for family and friends.

I love to read and listen to music as often as I can. I enjoy walks with my labradoodle, ‘Martha’. I have been teaching since 1995 and have enjoyed an interesting and varied career. I have two claims to fame – John Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono has sent me a personal letter (it’s a long story) and I taught one half of the duo The Rizzlekicks.!”

What were you doing before you joined Our Lady of Sion School? “I moved to Nottingham in 1992 to read Music at the beautiful University of Nottingham, where I studied classical piano and voice as part of my degree. After graduating in 1995, I moved back to Sussex and embarked on a PGCE course at the University of Sussex.

I spent 10 years at Blatchington Mill School (Hove), working as an R.E. and Music teacher, then a Year Co-ordinator and then as Head of Music. During this time, I also worked as Lead Practitioner for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust working as an advisor for the South East area.

In 2005, I moved to Worthing High School as I wanted to teach in my own community. I took up the post of Leader of Performing Arts, subsequently working as Director of Learning and Assistant Headteacher, focusing on Teaching and Learning, Pastoral Care, Community Outreach and Charities Coordinator. I was also leader of the Heene Community – one of four Community Houses in the school.”

What made you apply to become Deputy Head at Sion? “As a local resident, I have been aware of the school for some time. More recently, my friends have placed two of their children into the Junior School. They speak so highly of the school. Because of their high praise, I took a closer look at Our Lady of Sion and was particularly struck by the ethos “Consideration Always” and the stories of our Founders and the Sisters of Sion.

At a time when “community” and consideration for others seems more important now than ever before, I wanted to serve in a place that held these ideals close to its heart – its ethos. I was particularly struck by the sense of family at the school and the ways in which staff and students care for one another. In Sion, I recognised that I could exercise my passion for education along with my strong belief in community and pastoral care. Together, we can learn what it means to serve others right where we are, as well as working to make this world a better place. Sion’s ethos resonates with my own and this is what literally called me to apply for the post.”

“Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” (John Lennon)

How does working at Sion differ from your last job? “In many ways, it is very similar. The main differences are that there are fewer students. Worthing High has 1,000 and Blatchington Mill has 2,000 students. The community feels closer and that ethos of care and consideration is evident as you walk around the school. I taught five different subjects in my previous job and now only teach two, so that’s a big difference!”

What’s been the best aspect of your new job so far? “Meeting a new bunch of wonderful young people and really lovely, encouraging and supportive parents. My new colleagues have been so welcoming and I feel very blessed by their kindness and care. Teaching PSHEE to Year 7 has been great and hearing their views on what it means to be a good citizen has been heart-warming and encouraging. I am thoroughly enjoying teaching Music to Year 8, too and their singing in the classroom has been electric!”

Has anything really surprised you at all about Sion? “I have been surprised by how many students, colleagues and parents have gone out of their way to talk to me and welcome me to Sion. That welcome has been greater than I would ever have imagined. I am also particularly struck by how the older students care for the younger ones. Seeing the Sixth Formers playing football with younger students is absolutely delightful and something I am keen to explore further in other arenas.

Seeing students packing away the hall after lunch – clearing chairs and sweeping up – still takes me by surprise. No one has to ask them…it just happens. It really is quite remarkable and shows such a wonderful respect for the school environment and for each other.”

Do you have any plans or ideas that you are particularly keen to implement? “Yes I do – and these will unfold in good time. Ideas I can talk about at the moment are the development of the Community Outreach Programme and further development of extra-curricular activities for our students. There are numerous other ideas….watch this space!”

How would you sum up the school in your first term? “Unique – like no other school I have ever known. Committed and engaged students, working hard to achieve success and encouraging each other along the way. Dedicated teachers are focused on providing the best education possible, sharing a love for their subject and taking every opportunity to enable each and every child to be inspired by the world around them, recognising that we are all unique and all have a part to play in our community and even our world.

I feel very fortunate to find myself in a school where each child is known individually and their uniqueness is celebrated. Children here not only learn academically, they also learn about themselves, their peers and the life-journey on which they are traveling. After just six weeks, I know Our Lady of Sion School is very special indeed.”

What do you like to do in your spare time? “Read, walk ‘Martha’, listen to music, play the piano, compose music, visit restaurants with friends.”

Is a jaffa cake a cake or a biscuit? (We ALWAYS ask this question!) It’s a biscuit.”

PLUS: The Quick-fire round:

Favourite film? “The Way”

‘Strictly’ or ‘X Factor’? “X Factor”

Favourite band? “The Beatles”

Curry or pizza? “Curry”

Can we see a photo of Martha? “Sure!”

Duke of Edinburgh’s Young Enterprise Award Team

Mr Marsden reports: “It has been another hectic time for the D of E. 50 Year 10s enrolled on the Bronze Award, out of a total of 60. 14 pupils from Year 11 signed up for Silver and three sixth formers for Gold. The latter will complete their Expeditions with the Chichester Open Centre and Worthing College. Jessica Pyne has now completed her Gold Award and will receive special recognition at St James’ Palace. Congratulations!

Training for the Bronze expeditions is well underway with the practice walks in May half term and the expeditions in June. There was also an expedition meeting which allowed pupils and parents the opportunity to find out more about how the expedition works and to check on kit requirements.

The Silver expeditions take place during the Easter break and immediately after, with 14 pupils trekking through the Ashdown Forest on the Practice expedition for three days and two nights, before embarking on their assessment in The New Forest.

In January, eight intrepid Year 11s took on the Charlton Chase Night Hike, competing in a field of 86. They performed really well against tough competition, including Army Cadets, and in testing conditions, including snow. Andrew Barnett, Chris Collett, Patrick Speer and Lewis Moores scored well and finished a creditable 41st - pictured below.

Megan Johnston, Mai-Li Knowles-Lee, Faye Murton and Bella Yogaratnam were close behind, a very respectable 44th. Well done!

The Area Presentation this year will take place on the 6th May at Chatsmore. At this time 12 pupils are eligible to receive their awards. I anticipate this figure will at least double by the date of the presentation evening.”

"Everyone who got where he is...

Ms Shea reports: “The Young Enterprise team has had a very busy time. Their stall at the Christmas Fair was very popular and they had a very busy afternoon, it also gave them some new ideas of how to extend their product range further. Unfortunately the trade fair in Worthing town centre was less successful. There were a few organisational issues and the cold weather meant that few customers were available that day.

After Christmas, the team organised several in-house events and began promoting ‘Personalized’ products with a Valentine’s theme. They had a very successful day at the Holmbush Centre and, again, they built on this experience to develop products for their next trade fair in Worthing, conveniently the day before Mother’s Day!

The team has worked cohesively as a group and met all of their deadlines so far. They have each had to take on a range of different jobs and have developed the ‘soft skills’ of communication, decision-making and meeting deadlines that universities and employers value. I hope their efforts will be rewarded at the YE awards evening in April.”

Above, Frances chatting with the Mayor of Brighton at the Holmbush Centre in February.

Year 9 Sarphia & the Front Wimbledon Trip Cover Competition

...has had to begin where he was." (Robert Louis Stevenson)

Mr Salmon reports: “Year 9 went to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for their Geography Field Trip on Thursday 26th March. They have been studying the links between Geography, sport, stadium design and globalisation. The itinerary included a tour of the grounds, with exclusive access to Centre and Number 1 Courts. Students were also able to visit the players’ press room and private area, along with a trip to 'Murray Mound', or ‘Henman Hill’, depending on your preference.

Our tour provided a valuable insight into the design and location of the stadium, and also the huge amount of planning that goes into the championships. Afterwards, we visited the updated museum and completed several tasks, looking back through the history of Wimbledon Tennis Club. The Year 9 students were a real pleasure to spend the day with, and were also a credit to themselves and the school.”

Matthew Barnett: “The Wimbledon trip was very interesting and our guide was very good at holding our attention whilst we listened to all the fascinating things he had to say about Wimbledon. Overall, I really enjoyed this trip and would go on it again.”

Isla Baynes: “I enjoyed being able to go into places I would probably never be allowed to go in again, like the Press Room.”

Sarphia Stratford, in Year 12, was the Chief Judge in the Junior School Sionian front cover competition. She explains how she chose the winners! “Wow! It was certainly very hard to pick a winner out of all of the wonderful entries for the competition! But the 1st place winner of this competition instantly stood out as being the most technically competent of all the entries. It was very well designed and all of the elements of the picture came together exceptionally well to produce a piece of work which is brilliant as a cover for a magazine. It seemed that the criteria for the competition and the requirements for a successful cover had both been considered here. I was also particularly impressed with the use of perspective, and the attention to detail which was given to the background, yet the drawing was simple and clear enough that it works brilliantly to get across a message – which is what needs to be achieved with a front cover.

What this cover also possessed was a strong, clear title. This was also a feature of the 2nd place winner, who also used bright, strong colours and a good title, meaning their work was one of the most noticeable out of all the entries, and noticeable is definitely what a magazine cover needs to be! I also particularly liked the yellow used on a lot of the 3rd place entry cover, which instantly gave it a very cheerful, spring-like feel. The 3rd place entry was also one of the few entries to use the school ethos “Consideration Always”, which definitely gave it the edge!

Overall, all of the entries were brilliant, and I was very impressed with how creative everyone was! There was a good use of colour and almost all of the entries featured something which made them unique. Clearly a lot of effort was put into the entries, and it definitely shows!

Well done to the winners and to everybody who took the time to take part in the competition!”

Congratulations to all pupils in Years 5 & 6 who entered the competition!

Front Cover ‘runners-up’:

The very ‘best of the rest’!

Please turn to the back page to see the 2nd prize cover, by KATIE DICKER!

“Poetry is a painting, which is heard but not seen.” (Leonardo da Vinci)

Mrs Stedman explains:

“Students were asked to brainstorm metaphors for their chosen topic, select the most effective ones and then order and structure them into a poem.”

Abigail Hughes, 7 Gamma The Ocean Is…

Horses running on the sand An earth to fish A clap of thunder hitting the beach An extremely large bath A headmaster controlling the weather A place where plants grow Blue ink spilled on the sand Temperature changing A home to creatures A million tears A billion raindrops An overflowing lake Denim over a white shirt Blue fuzzy carpet Treasures beneath the sea God’s swimming pool Colourful Peaceful Moody Happiness

Ella Markwell, 7 Gamma The Moon Is… Light to the dark A claw to a wolf A circle of silver A light bulb in a dark room An ancient eye The night sky’s sun A curved seat for a fairy A beady eye of an owl A silver feather An elegant gem in a black sea A mirror to the sun A pearl ring An icy figure Something beautiful

Emily Keogh, 7 Gamma The Sun Is … An army of fragments of crystals grouped together projecting rays of light The wake up sign for the creatures of the world The eternal optimist who brightens people’s hope A scorching ball of light and fire, impossible to put out So hot it can cause famine and depression The boiler of sand from the desert making it a red hot poker A beam of light protecting the world from darkness The golden jewel lighting up the sky The one who banished darkness from the daylight world A secret cavern filled with pure gold.

Year 7 Metaphor Poems

Holly Gumbleton, 7 Gamma The Room Is... A deserted place where nightmares lie always locked a blank space beetles scattering around where light is executed powerful and uncontrollable a murder lurking between the shadows a sense of fear where the Woman in Black waits nothing through the keyhole you can never break free you will never break free cold dark Silent

James Wheeler, 7 Gamma The Sea Is… A sharp crystal, clear as an emerald A shimmer of glitter gently sprinkled on the sea bed Dolphins diving in and out of a silky lining The sun gently refreshing the ice, a mint sea breeze A tall mountain, so tall, The penguins sledging. Snow white, a newly washed shirt, A soft pillow.

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” (Carl Sandburg)

Laura Stephens, 7 Gamma A Stone Is… A smooth surface A jagged cliff Always in company A twin never in sight A dry desert A near look alike A mixture of colours A treasure chest A sparkle in the sun A creature’s home A pathway through a maze An underwater dweller A creature on land A dirt digger A rope cutter Can draw blood Hard Cold Never alone.

Max Warner, 7 Gamma The Sea is… A mother of the beach a carer for its children the creator of homes a playground for many a lovely place to be a good place a killer of the beach a slaughterer of its children the destroyer of homes a prison for many an awful place to be a bad place

COMMENT ON THE SIONIAN: e-mail [email protected]

Ruby Nevill, 7 Gamma The Sea Is … A blanket covering up a mystery The death of many people Crinkled blue paper A home to amazing creatures An environment for evil souls A hole full of secrets An underwater village Portal to another world A beautiful shining emerald Full of dangerous objects An underwater bliss A bottomless hole full of adventure A piece of turquoise wrapping paper coating the world Cool Gentle Water

William Standen, 7 Gamma The Moon Is… A beacon of light The disco ball of the world The sun’s shadow The light that illuminates the future The wolf provoker The king of the waves An unknown place The star’s role model

Metaphors cont’d. Remembering The Great War…

Back in November, Mr Baker’s paternal grandfather featured in a BBC South East Today series entitled ‘My Great War Photo’.

Viewers were invited to send in a photograph relating to the First World War, as part of the nation’s centenary commemorations.

Mr Baker explained all about it. “In January 1913, my paternal grandfather (pictured above with his mother) joined 47th Battery Royal Field Artillery, which was based at Preston Barracks in Brighton.

When Britain declared war on Germany on August 4th 1914, my grandfather was among the regular serving soldiers who were mobilised to form the nucleus of the British Expeditionary Force - the ‘Old Contemptibles’. Grandfather Baker arrived in France just 12 days after the start of hostilities and saw action in the battle of Mons on August 23rd - the British army’s very first engagement.

I never knew my grandfather, but I am extremely proud of his service and therefore the photograph is very precious to me.”

DO YOU HAVE A SIMILAR GREAT WAR STORY AND/OR A PHOTO??? We would like to publish more of these accounts in future editions. If so, please get in touch with Mr Baker at [email protected]

Well done, Josh and many thanks - another excellent article!

Laura Reed in Year 11 explained her views on the subject. “I think that the use of modern technology such as tablets in schools today, is really beneficial. Students are able to access information for their studies very quickly. Also with so many different educational apps available, this can really enhance students’ learning inside and outside of the classroom”.

However, there are always issues when it comes to technology. It would take a lot of training for all teachers to become used to delivering lessons if all students had tablets, but maybe the students can train the staff! [Even the older ones?! Ed.]

The amount of information available online can be daunting and finding reliable resources could be an issue for both teachers and students. As well as this, it might also mean that the school would have to upgrade the wifi, creating extra cost. There is also the problem of viruses and data loss, as well as damage to tablets if they are not looked after properly.

I asked Miss Goldfinch her thoughts on the idea of tablets in school and she said “I feel that students could link ideas from across the curriculum more easily with access to a tablet.”

However, can tablets be addictive? One (nameless) Year 10 student said, “It’s the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing at night…” whilst another student admitted that she became “nervous” when she was not on the internet for a long time… “I feel like I’m missing something.”

But, having researched this subject and from personal experience it is my opinion that tablets benefit learning and help us to acquire 21st century skills that are invaluable.”

iPads in School, by Joshua Davies “When I started in Year 7, all my work was written by hand, but over the last two years, things have changed dramatically!

I now use a laptop but the tool which I find most useful is my iPad. I use it for everything including recording class work, homework and even as a homework diary. Tablets are perceived as a ‘tool box’ that can enhance learning and make it more fun and enjoyable, as well as offering variety and challenge.

But don’t just take my word for it! Chris Thomsett in Year 9 says, “Tablets have been increasing rapidly throughout the school and with good reason. People who have been diagnosed with dyspraxia or dyslexia are finding it far easier to manage at school, even with laptops, but a tablet is even better.”

There are many benefits for students having tablets. They can be used by pupils across all subjects and in a variety of creative ways: To make presentations or films, To take notes To do mind-maps To play maths games To use a calculator To record things for Music, To read e-books or PDFs To do research on a topic or look

something up immediately.

I used my iPad to film a concert of a steel band that I was playing in to use in my class concert. Also, using tablets enhances the learning experience for different types of learners and for different levels of understanding. Plus, a major benefit would also be having everything in one place and not having to carry around heavy school bags!

Students who do not use tablets in school use the internet widely for researching and for homework but this is mostly at home or at school in the library where computers and the internet are freely available. (And they keep boys quiet!)

“Society is like a large piece of frozen water, and skating is...

Year 11: ‘on thin ice…’

You’ll be OK as long as you don’t look at your feet!

The annual visit to the ice rink is always great fun!

…the great art of social life.” (Letitia Elizabeth Landon)

And if you get tired, you can always sit down...

It’s a chance to make new friends….

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters….

Back in 2005, it wasn’t just ‘Cinderella Jones’ that was making news in the Junior School.

10 years ago we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War with a celebration of peace. There was a wide range of activities that included a major charity initiative in support of UNICEF — The United Nations Children’s Fund.

UNICEF originated as a result of an attempt by the international community to assist the millions of children throughout the world whose lives had been shattered by six years of global conflict.

Pupils in the Junior and Senior Schools took part in a series of fund-raising activities over a period of several months. With massive support from parents, we were absolutely delighted with the result, raising, in the end, a staggering sum, which we think is the largest amount of money our school has ever raised for a single cause!

Pictured on the left, Rimon Islam and Aisha Stiitt, both in Year 9 today, hold up a copy of the cheque that was presented to UNICEF representatives back in 2005.

In fact, the money kept pouring in and, by the time fund raising ended officially, almost £7,000 had been sent to UNICEF.

This was our contribution back then to making the world a better place for all the world’s children, recognising the dignity of children everywhere and doing our best to promote better health care, education and protection of their rights.

Our motto is more than just words. ‘Consideration Always’ is a living mission. Over the next few pages you can read a summary of other examples of how Our Lady of Sion School is still working to promote the welfare of others and helping students to gain a better awareness of the wider community.

Reflections on our Ethos...

The Baobab School in Nairobi

…to create many ripples.” (Mother Teresa)

The fund-raising for Red Nose Day (£1) per pupil and ticket sales for ’Hoodwinked’ (£3) replaced the Lentern Charity in the Junior School this term.

However, thanks to the generosity of our parents and pupils, a massive cheque for £1,149.84 was presented to Jane Wyatt, the founder of the charity supporting the Baobab School in Nairobi. The money was raised from last term’s carol services and nativity collections.

Our Lady of Sion Early Years has formed a close relationship with ‘The Baobab School in Nairobi’. Jane Wyatt came to talk about her work in Africa during a morning assembly and to receive the cheque from Junior School fundraising efforts. We have also given support, providing school shoes and equipment that have made a significant difference to the lives of these children.

Before Christmas Rose Ndehwa, Baobab’s Head teacher visited the Junior School, sharing in our teaching knowledge and helping to enhance her professional development. Her visit gave our children first-hand experience and a valuable insight into other cultures and those who are less fortunate then ourselves.

Rose the head teacher said, “I learnt a lot from my time at Sion Early Years. It was a great joy seeing the children learn through activities that provide them with a chance to explore and have fun while they learn. We can never thank you enough for all the love and support; we can’t do half of what we do if it were not for your generosity. I thank God for getting a chance to meet you. Your donations have enabled us to buy resources that help us to implement the awesome ideas and teach children as they do at Sion Early Years.”

The school cares for over 90 young children, age 3-6, who come from some of the poorest backgrounds. The aim is to give children the chance to have a life of hope and the opportunity to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the future prosperity of their families and country.

It costs £18.00 a month to feed and educate each child and every penny raised goes directly to the care of the children.

If you would like more information or wish to support this worthy cause please visit:

www.stnicholasnairobifund.co.uk

“Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.” (Victor Hugo)

In addition to all the other charity activities that have been going on in the Senior School so far this year, especially Mr Tilley’s ‘Bacon Breaks’, in aid of Worthing Churches Homeless Project, Chanctonbury Playscheme and St Barnabas Hospice, Mr Jeffery has also launched a Community Outreach Programme.

Mr Jeffery said, “Utilising our time and talents to serve others is a powerful and rewarding means of serving others within our community and we have decided to focus on our immediate neighbourhood at this time.”

The first activity involved a visit to Melrose Nursing Home (7-11 Wykeham Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 4JG) on Friday 27th February (4.00pm-5.00pm). Mr Jeffery and Mrs Coe went along with the following students: Esme Allan, Blaise Cloran, Leo Day, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Holly Gumbleton, Sophie Mason-Griffiths, Ella Markell, Frances Mendes, Ruby Nevill, Neve Reekie-Macleod, Heather Saner, Anna Sayegh, Tom Shorten, Lucy Standen, and Sara Winterman.

Mr Jeffery explained all about it. “I am so proud of them all. I was a bit nervous about how our students would engage with the senior citizens – but I actually had to stop conversations at 5.00pm because we had to get back to school!

We led a sing-along with the ukulele and it was great to sing songs together and enjoy a solo from resident, Ted. Tom Shorten performed two flute solos that were out of this world. One of the residents is an ex-Head Teacher and musician. She congratulated Tom and told him that he was a great musician. I have to agree!

Observing our young people chatting away to the residents was simply wonderful. One of them grabbed my hand and with tears in her eyes she said, “This is wonderful! Please come back!” Many thanks, too, to Mrs Coe for supporting the occasion.”

The next Community Outreach opportunity was scheduled for 12th March at Berkeley Lodge, unfortunately too late to be reported in this edition of ‘The Sionian’.

However, the Community Outreach Programme will be on-going and we hope to make a visit at least once every half-term. If your son/daughter is interested in being part of the programme, please ask them to contact Mr Jeffery in order to be added to the group.

Community Outreach Programme

LEFT: The group back at school.

RIGHT: A ‘selfie’ on the day!

The London Marathon

“Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit.” (Anon)

Mrs Illsley reports on her impending second consecutive appearance in the London Marathon, this time accompanied by her husband!

“London Calling - once again on April 26th I will be putting on my running shoes and challenging myself.

I was lucky enough to secure a place for this oversubscribed event, the greatest city marathon in the world, back in 2012. Running it then was a fantastic experience. My husband also ran it in 2013.

However, we then decided that we would like to run a marathon together and started training last summer. My husband managed to get in via the ballot process and I was accepted through a charity place. All through the winter we have kept the miles up and now we are only weeks away from the 2015 start line.

The London Marathon is a fabulous event for supporting a huge range of different charities and being part of this event is both inspiring and humbling. This year we have decided to run the marathon for the charity MS-UK. This charity supports the lives of those affected by this progressive disease and, sadly, last summer my brother-in-law was diagnosed with it. His mobility has already been affected by Multiple Sclerosis. Working has become difficult and his lifestyle turned upside down. Consequently, the charity has become very important to us for obvious reasons.

We have a target of raising £2000. At the time of writing we have raised in the region of £600 and I would like to thank Mr. Tilley and the Sixth Form charity team for the ‘Bacon Breaks’ and the cake sale that they organised to support us.

If anyone would like to sponsor us, our online giving page can be found at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/sueandcolin If you see us running around Worthing give us a cheer – it’s only going to get harder!” Good luck, guys!

Congratulations to the Maths Department and students, who took part in the Intermediate UK Maths Challenge.

YEAR 9: BRONZE Evan Ash Sylvain Clayton Nia Harries, Laila Needham Matthew Nicholls Charlie Phillips

YEAR 9: SILVER Gabe Craven Tim Hartnell Tom Hopper

YEAR 10 BRONZE Lewis Broughton, Ben Nisbet

YEAR 10: SILVER Chris Price

YEAR 10: GOLD Ed Gilbert

Well done to Ed (pictured below), who has also qualified for the next round, the International 'Kangaroo' papers — so named because they were initiated in Australia!

Intermediate UK Maths Challenge

The Long Arm of the Law!

B# Guitar and Ukulele School

The Guitar School has been established in West Sussex since 2006. It began with 20 guitar students and the school has rapidly grown to 150+ students per week.

It offers affordable group lessons for the Electric Guitar, Ukulele and Bass Guitar to school students and adults in Sussex.

Aimed at the beginner and intermediate player, the lessons are based at four schools in West Sussex, which are currently run as after school and evening classes. Instruments and tuition materials are provided at every lesson.

The school is managed by Steve Gladman, who is an accomplished guitarist, with many years of teaching and performance experience.

Steve will be bringing his celebrated and highly successful ukulele school to Our Lady of Sion and will be offering group lessons to our students in the very near future.

“If you must break the law, do it to seize power.” (Julius Caesar)

Watch this Space - 2!

MAGISTRATES VISIT YEAR 6 IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOL!

Year 6 had the chance to find out more about the workings of the law when local magistrates visited the Junior School to explain about their work.

Pupils were actively involved and gained a better understanding of the modern justice system.

A small sample of some of the excellent work produced!

Mr Fish: King of the Castle with Year 7!

“Building a castle made me think more about what life was like then. “You had to plan the

project carefully.” “The peer appraisal was really good and helped us to understand other people’s ideas.”

“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” (Alexander Hamilton)

155 boys and 129 girls (284 in total) took part in the survey across all year groups from Years 7-13, which was carried out in form periods. The questionnaires were completed anonymously, with pupils only being asked for their year group and gender. The results were VERY interesting!

To begin, students were asked who they would prefer to see as Prime Minister after the election. The aim of the question was to shift the debate beyond party politics, and to see if personality mattered more, in what many pundits see as the most crucial election for many years.

89 students declared a preference for David Cameron. This total might have pleased the present Prime Minister had it not equated to a mere 31.3% endorsement which, if translated into voting percentages nationally, would see him a long way short of a majority in the House of Commons. Mr Cameron’s support was strongest among Years 7 and 9 pupils and weakest in Year 8. It was also interesting to note that he was more popular among boys than girls, with an endorsement of 36.7%. Girls were significantly harder to please, with only 24.8% believing that the current PM would make the best next premier.

But, if this was bad news for the current PM, the interest level in other would be leaders was almost non-existent. Nick Clegg gained only eight votes in total and Ed Miliband a mere 19! Moreover, there was no ‘Farage Factor’ at Sion. The UKIP leader had 13 supporters, only two of which came from the female cohort, confirming again that our girls are certainly not easy to impress!

There was a whiff of support for David Miliband among older students and a small lobby (but large enough to be indicative of a conspiracy) among the Year 8 Girls, for Natalie Bennett - the Green Party leader. However, with Boris Johnson also failing to emerge as a player, the reader might be left wondering, quite reasonably, who on earth did Sion students want as their next Prime minister?

Well, the answer is… like the majority of us, they can’t decide! 152 students indicated ‘don’t know’, or ‘unsure’ as their response, which included 43.8% of all boys and 65.1% of girls who took part in the survey. Does this prove that the boys know more than the girls, or that girls are just more discerning…? (Well, we all know the answer to that question, don’t we?!)

Sion General Election Special! With a General Election but weeks away, Senior School students were given the opportunity to take part in a questionnaire, the aim of which was to find out more about their views, opinions and responses in a number of key areas...

Next, we wanted to find out about voting intentions. Students were asked to assume that they were old enough to vote and, therefore, would they or wouldn’t they?

197 students responded positively, which was over two thirds of them. Support was evenly distributed across all year groups. 26 said ‘no’ and ‘61’ were undecided, just over a fifth. However, it was noticeable that girls were more likely to vote than boys. 94 girls voted yes, which represented 72.8%, compared with 103 boys, or 64.5%.

Does this prove that Sion girls are more dutiful, or civic-minded? Who knows? Meanwhile, it is perhaps heartening to know that our students significantly buck the national trend, where youngsters are apparently far less likely to vote than older people.

Question three asked students to tell us what they felt was the most important issue in the forthcoming election. They were given a list of examples, from which they could choose any number and also add their own ideas, if they wished.

Two responses dominated replies. 106 students cited the ‘NHS’ or health care as being the most important, with boys and girls in almost equal agreement, and across all year groups.

The second most important issue was ‘Terrorism’, with 81 votes. It was significant that this was a concern more noticeable among younger year groups than older ones and also more important generally for boys (32.2%) than girls (24.0%).

Only 47 students thought the ‘economy’ was the most important factor, whilst 46 felt it was ‘immigration’. Girls dominated the former, whist over twice as many boys than girls expressed concern over the latter.

May 7th: The Nation Decides! Education polled only 33 votes, but was much more of a concern to girls, which may or may not come as a surprise! Girls made up 24 of this group, with most of them drawn from Year 11 upwards.

The fourth question was designed to pre-empt any forthcoming EU referendum. Students were given a straight choice: should we stay in, or leave the European Union?

The response was 247 students voted to remain as members, a massive 86.8%. Perhaps this helps to explain why Nigel Farage polled so badly in the leadership question? The pro-Europe camp comprised 91.4% of all girls and 83.2% of all boys.

A mere 32 students voted to leave, whilst five students said they didn’t know, or were unsure. In the leave camp, boys outnumbered girls 3:1, with the Year 10 boys making up one third of all those who want us quit the EU. Overall, Year 7 proved to be the most committed Europeans.

And then we turned our attention northwards, to find out what Sion students thought about the referendum in Scotland last September.

Question 5 asked whether students were ‘pleased’, ‘sorry’ or ‘not bothered’ that Scotland had voted to remain part of the UK. 156 said they were pleased, which at 54.6% was remarkably similar to the percentage of Scots who voted ‘no thanks’ to independence.

Readers may be relieved that only 17 students said they were sorry that Scotland had not become independent, but may be less relieved to know that the vast majority were boys - with Sixth Form boys making up the largest single year group!

111 students (or 39%) were ‘not bothered’ - boys and girls in fairly equal measure, 57 boys and 54 girls. However, given that there were fewer girls who took part in the survey (129 compared to 155 boys) it did mean that, in percentage terms, more girls were generally less bothered (41.86% of them) than boys (36.77%).

The final question - question 6 - involved providing a series of statements. Students were asked to consider them carefully and circle those which they felt applied to them personally. (See next column for the statements.)

“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.” (Napoleon Bonaparte)

I am / am not interested in politics I mainly trust / don’t trust politicians I wish we studied politics at school 16 & 17 year olds should be able to vote

In response to the first question, 86 students, or just over 30%, expressed an interest in politics. Of these, almost 60% were boys, leaving the girls trailing with only 35 individuals - i.e. fewer than 20%! Mrs Pankhurst surely would not have been impressed!

124 people said they were not interested in politics, which equates to 43.67%. Overall, girls (43.41%) and boys (43.87%) were almost equal in the ‘not interested’ in politics’ category.

It is therefore perhaps not surprising that only 70 students indicated a desire for politics to be studied at school, although most interest was noticeably recorded among the Year 7 girls, who bucked the trend of female indifference and provided 20% of the positive response. Overall, 30% of girls would like to see politics on the curriculum in some shape or form, but only 19% of boys - so maybe our girls are interested in politics after all!

It was interesting (perhaps reassuring?) to see that only 21 students indicated that they ‘mainly trusted politicians’, whereas 117 said they most certainly did not! This equated to almost half the boys and just over 30% of girls, suggesting that girls are perhaps more trusting than boys?

Finally, and possibly most surprisingly, only 76 students believed that 16/17 year olds should be given the vote, which is only just over a quarter. Of those who voted in favour, 57.89% were girls, with strong support from all year groups, apart from the Year 11 girls.

So there you have it; the people have spoken... and we have heard what they said, but how will this compare to the political reality? In the meantime, many thanks to all our students.

YOUR VIEWS REALLY DO MATTER!

Easter 2015 sionian v2 processed

Documents

Transcript of Easter 2015 sionian v2 processed