This year, Prize Night took place on 27 September in the Sports Hall. An excellent programme of music by the Orchestra opened the proceedings, and then our Head Girl, Anna Corbett, welcomed everyone to the event. Anna reflected on some of the highlights of her time in Strathearn, and then Mrs Stewart, Chair of the Board of Governors, spoke of the great pleasure it was to be able to celebrate another successful year for the school. She praised the pupils for their achievements in exams, and thanked the Governors, Principal and staff for their contribution to the life of the school.

Mrs Connery then delivered her report on the school year. She praised the pupils for the results they had achieved, and thanked teachers, support staff and parents for the help they had provided for the girls. Mrs Connery also commended the various musical, sporting and dramatic achievements of the Strathearn girls.

The Chair of the Board then introduced our Guest of Honour, Mrs Katy Best, a former Strathearn pupil who is now the Commercial and Marketing Director for the George Best Belfast City Airport. After a presentation to our Guest of Honour by the Deputy Head Girls, Zoe Hepworth and Claire Whiteside, the evening was brought to a close with beautiful musical performances from Yuan Chen and then the Chamber Choir.

Oct

ober

201

8

Students and staff enjoyed a Monday morning like no other yesterday, as the Band of the Irish Guards delivered a ‘pop-up’ concert in the school Assembly Hall. Music pupils were also given a rare opportunity to perform with the band on the school stage, and one lucky U6 student, Naomi Cochrane, was invited to perform with The Guards this Saturday in front of thousands at the Belfast International Tattoo in the SSE Arena, Belfast. To the pupils’ delight, the band played a wide range of music, including pop tracks from Daft Punk, movie soundtracks from The Incredibles and James Bond, and classic Irish folk tunes like Danny Boy, alongside traditional marches. The Band of the Irish Guards is one of five bands in the Foot Guards Regiments in the Household Division whose main role is to guard the British monarch. The band is responsible for performing public duties at Buckingham Palace and at state occasions, including the Trooping of the Colour and royal weddings. They recently performed at the wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle, entertaining crowds in Windsor before the nuptials, and playing as the couple left St George’s Chapel.

Our new term got underway with our usual Parent Information Evenings for Form 4, L6 and U6 and our local university open days at Queen’s and Ulster University. All U6 attended the Open Day at Queen’s and U6 pupils had the opportunity to go to the Open Days at Ulster if they wished. Mrs Hearst ran several workshops giving advice on writing personal statements for particular subjects at university. Representatives from several universities visited Strathearn in September. These included Dundee, Harper Adams, Oxford, Lancaster and St Andrews. We also had talks about gap years, veterinary science, nursing and midwifery. We welcomed a speaker from Deloitte who talked about careers in accountancy and those in the financial sector, and a member of staff from Queen’s talked about its widening participation programme. The programme of guest speakers got underway for Form 5, and to date we have had talks on law, medicine and engineering. Career guidance interviews have started for Form 5 and these will continue until February. Form 3 have had their Subject Mapping session with Eye4Education where they are starting to think about how they will choose their GCSE subjects later in the year. Some girls attended events outside school. One U6 pupil went on a ‘Meet the Marines’ Day where she got an insight into the training and work of a marine. A representative from the navy also gave a lunchtime presentation for girls from Form 4 upwards. Two girls attended a Dentistry Open Day at Queen’s while others went to an event organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Belfast. One pupil in L6 attended a Dietetics Open Day at Knockbracken and another girl attended a careers event at Mercers, an actuary firm. Most UCAS forms have been completed and U6 are beginning to think about interview preparation for their Mock Interview Evening in November.

Grace Coburn, 1R, who won the St Mark’s Flower Festival Aslan Art Competition. Eden Byrne, 2A, who took part in the Scottish Taekwondo Championships and won Gold and Bronze. Lois Gillan, 2A, who came second in a Lisburn Golf Competition. Rebecca Moore, 2A, who passed her Grade 6 Clarinet and Piano Exams. Alexandra Coetzee, 2A, who passed Grade 4 Piano Exam with Distinction. Erin McConnell, 2A, who passed her Grade 4 Violin Exam. Natalya Ricketts, 2A, who achieved a Distinction in her Acting Exam. Sydney Heatley, 3H, who became Double County Down Champion at the County Down Fleadh, Portaferry in June. She received this for playing viola with Ards CCE 12-15 Group and the fiddle with Ards CCE 15-18 Group. Sydney also passed her ABRSM Grade 5 Violin Exam and 2 Dance exams in June. She was awarded a Distinction in ISTD Grade 4 Tap and a Merit in ISTD Grade 5 Modern. Stella Moore, 3H, who also became a Double County Down Champion at the County Down Fleadh, Portaferry in June. She received this for playing the fiddle in the 12-15 Group and the viola in the 15-18 Group. Emma Lowey and Kathryn Finlay, 3H, who took part in a 5km Bog Run at Castlewellan Forest Park to raise money for the Cancer Fund For Children. Together they raised £700. Ellen Douglas, 3A, who became the HIS Young Pony National Champion. Zara Conroy, 3A, who achieved her Brown Belt in Ju-Jitsu. Liana Hawthorne, 3A, who was selected by the Sea Cadets to participate in a kayaking competition in London. Alia Cairns, 3A, who achieved a Distinction in her Grade 4 and 5 Acting Exams. Ciara Moore, 3A, who achieved a Distinction in her Grade 5 Acting Exams. Safiyyah Nabi, 3A, who achieved a Merit in her Grade 4 Piano Exam. Kristanna Clegg, 4S, who achieved a Merit in her Grade 6 Clarinet Exam and her Grade 5 Theory Exam. Arabella Brown, 4S, who achieved a Distinction in her Grade 6 Pop Singing Exam. Catherine Welsh, 4T, who was placed 6th in her age group for Highland Dancing at the Ulster Championships. Andrea Weinert, L6T, who represented Ireland at the UK Ladies’ National Underwater Hockey Championships in Leeds on 20 October. Andrea is the youngest ever player to represent Ireland.

The Class of 2018 returned to Strathearn on 29 August to receive certificates, prizes and awards at an informal ceremony in Manning Hall. It was a pleasure to congratulate the girls in person and to wish them well as they move on to the next stages of their lives. We hope to keep in touch with the Class of 2018 at other school events.

Brigadier Swift from the 38th Irish Brigade visited Strathearn on Friday 21 September. He addressed Penrhyn pupils and then gave a very informative and interesting talk to the senior pupils at a special assembly. Brigadier Swift was entertained at the assembly by the award winning Chamber Choir, and by a violin solo from Yuan Chen. Brigadier Swift and his party then completed a tour of the school. The Brigadier and his party were deeply impressed by the school and described it as a ‘a truly inspiring place’.

5 November: School resumes at 8.40 6 November: Form 1 Safety Bus 15-16 November: L6 Geography Field Trip 19 November: Form 2 Young Enterprise Event 19 November: House Quiz for Forms 1-3 20 November: U6 Interview Evening 20 November: House Quiz for Forms 4-U6 & Staff 3-14 December: Form 5 Mock Exams 14 December: Community Service Party 18 December: Carol Service 21 December: Term ends at 12 noon

In the final two weeks of August, Joanne Allen, Robyn Dunwoody and Tavisha Sood travelled to Nashville to take part in a life-changing exchange. While living with host families, the girls were able to experience everyday life with an American family. During the day they went to classes at Harpeth Hall School, a private girls’ school in the Belle Meade area of Nashville and saw everything Nashville has to offer. Some of the highlights included a tour of Nashville’s top donut spots, visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame, shopping in Nashville’s 12th South District and seeing a stunning art exhibit in the Frist Art Museum. The evenings and weekends were full of fun as the students went to American Football games, concerts and a wide array of social events where they met loads of new friends. Plans are in place now for their host students to come and visit Belfast this January.

During period 1 on 27 September, 109 Form 1 pupils enjoyed their French Breakfast in Miskelly Deli. They eagerly munched their croissants and pains au chocolat and drank their hot chocolate from their ‘bols’. Everyone agreed that the food was “miam, miam” – yummy! This event is part of European Languages Week which was celebrated this year around Europe during the last week in September. Form 1 were also involved in designing posters for European dishes which were sold each day during the week in Miskelly Deli. Two special assemblies were also held to celebrate languages.

On Monday, Anna Corbett and Sarah McMahon talked about their summers in which Anna taught Spanish to children at a Spanish club in Belfast, and Sarah taught Spanish in San Francisco. On Tuesday, Mrs Agnew spoke to the senior girls about her time in Peru. Both assemblies will hopefully inspire girls at Strathearn to enjoy studying their languages and show them how they could use their language skills in the future. Un grand merci à tous!

Madame Thompson

The House Plays were presented to the Junior School on 23 October and to the Senior School on 24 October. Barbour House produced What Lies Beneath, Boucher produced Wedding Wars, McCaughey produced Strathearn Through The Ages, and Watts produced Watt the Future Holds. We welcomed Anna Lecky, Artistic Director of Threes Theatre Company Belfast, as our adjudicator this year. The results of the competition were as follows: the Frances Mulley Rose Bowl for Best Actress was awarded to Megan Adair from Boucher House; the Ievers Shield for Best Cameo Performance went to Rachel Carson of McCaughey House; the McNeill Cup for Directing went to Molly Longstaff, Robyn Dunwoody and Rebecca Black from McCaughey House; the McMinn Cup for Best Supporting Actress went to Rosie Park and Zoe Hepworth from Watts House, and the Gillian Douglas Drama Award for the Best Technical Performance went to Watts House. The Inter-House Drama Award for Best Play went to Barbour.

110 Excited girls, 22 teachers, 3 buses, iPads galore, lunches packed...and we were off! Ulster Folk and Transport Museum didn’t know what was about to hit them! After scrambling excitedly off the bus we formed groups and, iPads in hand, set off to explore life in a small country town over 100 years ago. We visited an old National school which was one room in which 100 pupils would have been taught. They used chalk boards and ink wells and would have been caned for bad behaviour or as punishment. In the printers we saw printing presses which were used in the early 1900’s. The Post Office was also a stationer’s shop which sold items such as ink, pens, books, educational material and newspapers. One of our favourites was the Old Rectory where we met a cook, dressed in costume from long ago. She was baking potato bread over the fire which we all got to sample. It was really delicious. In the weaver’s house we watched a lady weave linen on a loom. It looked very complicated. Most of the houses were small and made from clay and mud with thatched roofs. Heating would have been a fire.

At lunch time we had time to chat to other girls in our group. The groups were mixed so that we weren’t with our class friends. This was a really good idea and it gave us a chance to get to know each other.

My favourite part was a visit to the sweet shop which sold sweets from that period in time. It had bon bons, pips, brandy balls, butter balls, toffees, mint imperials, giant strawberries, sherbets, fudge and loads more! We all had a fantastic day. Our iPad cameras were worn out but full of happy memories. Most importantly, we got to know other girls in the year group who weren’t in our class. It was a great and memorable start to Form 1 in Strathearn!

Eva Wilson, 1T

At the end of June, members of Book Club went to the Final of the Northern Ireland Book Award, hosted by Campbell College. We heard the author, Kelly McCaughrain, talk about getting her debut novel published and what could we do to become an author. She then read an excerpt from her novel — Flying Tips for Flightless Birds.

Pupils were invited to participate in a summer reading challenge, and congratulations go to the four pupils and one member of staff who returned at the end of the summer holidays with full reading Love Your Shelf bookmarks.

Since August, the Library Committee and Library Team have been working hard to keep the library a vibrant place. Form One pupils were invited to enjoy Book Craft, where they turned old books into beautiful book marks.

The Accelerated Reader Programme is underway already, and pupils are enjoying reading lots of books and doing the quizzes afterwards, then displaying their stars on the Wall of Fame.

This Halloween, the Library Committee has devised a Halloween Hunt in the Library – pupils needed only to follow the clues to discover the book in which the final clue was hiding!

After half term, we will be welcoming a number of authors to school and enjoying the Scholastic Book Fair. This is a wonderful opportunity to support the Library.

There will also be Christmas Craft at the Library and a special meeting of Book Club to celebrate with books that sparkle with the spirit of the season.

Thank you to those who work so hard at the Library - it makes it a great place to be!

Photos: Top: Book Awards; Below Left: Halloween Library Team; Below Right: Book Craft

On 20 September, L6 attended a talk on becoming a new driver which was held in the Sixth Form Study. Stephen Savage from New Driver NI took the presentation which was engaging and insightful. We learnt how to be safe and sensible on the road. A combination of shocking statistics and road safety rules left us feeling a little overwhelmed, however this allowed us to understand how easily problems can occur on the road. This made me more aware of the hazards around me. We also were informed about potential driving fines and insurance. At the end of our talk he awarded a prize at random which I was lucky enough to win! Inside my bag I received many items such as a first aid kit and window cleaners which I have already found useful whilst learning to drive. We all really enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot of very useful information.

Megan Ashcroft, L6R

Congratulations to Amelia Kane and Anna McKinty who were selected for the Ulster U17 Athletics Team to compete at the Tailteann Games in June. Amelia brought home the bronze medal in the 3000m and Anna finished just out of the medals in 4th place in Triple Jump. Anna was also selected on the UK School Games Team and travelled to Loughborough at the start of September and finished a very commendable 4th place. At the Ulster Schools’ Multi-Event Championships, 4 Strathearn athletes worked very hard in 5 different events. Sophie Hoey was 4th in the minor section and Anna McKinty 4th in the junior section. Well done girls!

Well done to everyone who auditioned for the dance teams this year, the standard was extremely high making decisions for the teams very hard! The Junior and Senior Teams have now been selected and the girls are starting rehearsals for upcoming competitions. We wish them all the best!

Congratulations to Ellie Gordon and Mia Davison who both competed in Indoor Rowing at the UK School Games. Mia came 2nd in the U15 section, and Ellie was 7th in the U14 section, well done girls!

The hockey season is well underway, with all teams showing promising starts. The following girls have been elected as Captain and Vice-Captain of their respective teams: 1st XI Captain - Chloe Sweet; Vice-Captain – Claire Whiteside 2A XI Captain - Zoe Hepworth; Vice-Captain – Sophie Williams 2B XI Captain - Daisy Moore; Vice-Captain – Megan Adair 3A XI Captain - Rosie Park; Vice-Captain – Olivia Knox 3B XI Captain - Jessica Baker; Vice-Captain – Saya Caddy U14A Captain - TBC; Vice-Captain – TBC U14B Captain - TBC; Vice-Captain – TBC U13A Captain - Sophie Livingstone; Vice-Captain – Sarah Mavitty U13B Captain - Laura Irwin; Vice-Captain – Eilidh Blair. Good luck to all the Captains and Vice-Captains for the rest of the season! The Super League matches have started and the 1st XI have made it through to the knock-out stages of the competition, beating Coleraine GS, Belfast HS and Friends School Lisburn. The Royal School Armagh however proved too strong and so we finished 2nd in the group just behind Armagh. We now face tough opposition in Rainey Endowed School in the quarter-final after half term. Before then however, the Senior Hockey Tour, involving 32 players takes place in Barcelona from 28 October to 3 November. 4 matches per squad is included along with a Coaching Master Class and trips to PortAventura Theme Park and the Olympic Museum. This will be a brilliant experience for all involved and highlights will be posted on Twitter @sports_str! Action for the 2B and 3A Teams in the Gibson Cup and the 4th XI Cup respectively is now up-and-running, with the 3A XI winning their first round match 7 nil against Lagan College. Let’s hope the winning streak continues. A number of Strathearn girls were nominated via school and clubs to attend the Ulster Hockey Talent Development Programme Trials at the start of October. Tilly Nield, Ruby Rebbeck, Lucie Maskery, Emma Wilson, Sarah Mavitty, Hannah Dadley-Young, Rachel McDonald and Eva Ralston all attended trials so well done on your nomination. Special congratulations to the following girls who were nominated and now have been selected for the Ulster Hockey Talent Development Programme 2018-2019 - Lucie McNaught, Mabelle Wilcox, Jess Ryan, Sophie Hoey, Niamh Hatfield, Karis Hamilton, Emmy Thornton.

The Gymnastics Club is up and running again this year on Friday afternoons. It is run by the Gymnastics Academy and if anyone is interested in joining please speak to a member of the PE Department.

Netball is off to a great start for the 2018/19 season. There are lots of girls participating and we would also like to welcome our new coach Victoria Vine. Matches have been scheduled to start over the next few weeks.

Congratulations to Evie Hempstead who has been selected for the Ulster U17 Waterpolo Team and will be competing at the upcoming Interprovincial Championships. Good Luck Evie!!

Congratulations to Connie and Zara Hanna who have been selected on the Irish Squad for Cheerleading. The girls will be travelling to compete in Florida in the spring, good luck practising.

LUNCH TIME AFTER SCHOOL

Venue Time

Sports Hall Session 1

3:30-4:30pm Session 2

4:30-5:30pm

Gym

Fitness

Suite 3:30–4:30pm

Astroturf 3:30-5:00pm

CIYMS 3:30–5:00pm

Gravel/Tennis

Courts 3:30–5:00pm

M

O

N

D

A

Y

*TBC (FROM

DEC) SPH

ATHLETICS (BB)

Changing

Room 1 & 2

Junior/Form

3 Netball (VV & SY)

Changing

Room 1 & 2

Senior

Dance

Team (RMa)

Changing

Room 3

‘Fitness

Fanatics’ 5th Form

(SA)

Changing

Room 5

2B 3A & 3B

Hockey (BB & ER)

Changing

Room 7 3B Room 4

(Alternate

weekly)

U13 Hockey (KH & RMi)

Changing

Room 6

T

U

E

S

D

A

Y

*TBC Dance

Club Forms 1–U6

(ER)

Changing

Room 1 & 2

Minor/Form

2 Netball (VV & ER)

Changing

Room 1 & 2

Junior

Dance

Team (SL)

Changing

Room 3 & 4

1st & 2A XI

Hockey (SY & BB)

Changing

Room 7

U14 Hockey (NG & SA)

Changing

Room 6

Tennis

(Run by

CIYMS

Tennis Club)

W

E

D

N

E

S

D

A

Y

*TBC

Badminton

Team

Practice (BB)

Changing

Room 1 & 2

Inter &

Senior/ Form 4-U6

Netball (VV & BB)

Changing

Room 1 & 2

U12 Hockey (NG, SA &

ER)

Changing

Room 6 & 7

Penrhyn

Hockey (BB)

(After

Christmas)

Changing

Room 4

T

H

U

R

S

D

A

Y

*TBC

Basketball/

Volleyball Forms 4–U6

(GC) Changing

Room 1 & 2

Form 1

Netball (VV & NG)

Changing

Room 1 & 2

Cross-

Country Gravel/school

grounds

(SA) Changing

Room 3 & 4

1st & 2A

Hockey (SY)

Changing

Room 7

2B 3A & 3B

Hockey (BB & ER)

Changing

Room 6

F

R

I

D

A

Y

Football Club (ER)

Changing

Room 6

Badminton

Club (BB)

Changing

Room 3 & 4

Gym Club (RUN BY THE

GYMNASTICS

ACADEMY) 3:45-4:45 Changing

Room 1 & 2

Kayaking (RUN BY

BELFAST

KAYAK

ACADEMY)

U14 Hockey (NG & SA)

Changing

Room 6

U13A

Hockey (KH)

Changing

Room 7

ALtera

*TBC – These activities still To Be Confirmed

**This programme is subject to change and there may be a need for 2 sessions to run in some activities due to numbers so

pupils should see individual sports notice boards for further details or speak to a member of the PE Department.

Swim Ulster Schools’ Cup and Championships Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 October 2018

RESULTS

GROUP 4

Zophia Quigley 2nd Freestyle 2nd Butterfly

Aoife Stafford 9th Freestyle 9th Backcrawl

Harriet Walker 25th Breaststroke 30th Freestyle

Freestyle Relay: 1st Zophia Quigley, Aoife Stafford, Grace Davison (Prep), Darcy Shields (Prep)

Medley Relay: 1st Zophia Quigley, Aoife Stafford, Grace Davison (Prep), Darcy Shields (Prep)

GROUP 5

Alice Browne 10th I.M. 12th Backcrawl

Lucy Wills 29th Backcrawl 38th Freestyle

Eva Lappin 46th Breaststroke 56th Freestyle

Ella Hampton 71st Backcrawl 98th Freestyle

Freestyle Relay: 9th Alice Browne, Lucy Wills, Ella Hampton, Eva Lappin

Medley Relay: 11th Alice Browne, Lucy Wills, Ella Hampton, Eva Lappin

GROUP 6 Overall Intermediate Winners of the McMahon Cup

Amelia Kane 1st Backcrawl 1st 400m Freestyle 2nd IM

Mia Davison 1st Butterfly 2nd Breaststroke

Lara Whitten 3rd Backcrawl 13th Butterfly

Rachel Childs 12th Backcrawl

Evie Gallen 24th Breaststroke 43rd Freestyle

Chloe Browne 54th Freestyle 43rd Backcrawl

Medley Relay: 1st Amelia Kane, Mia Davison, Lara Whitten, Rachel Childs

Freestyle Relay: 1st Amelia Kane, Mia Davison, Lara Whitten, Rachel Childs

Group 7

Sophie Williams 3rd Backcrawl

Florence Tinsley 2nd Backcrawl 2nd Freestyle

Freestyle Relay: 4th Sophie Williams, Florence Tinsley, Chloe Browne, Evie Gallen

Medley Relay: 3rd Sophie Williams, Florence Tinsley, Chloe Browne, Evie Gallen

Congratulations to all the girls who participated!!