Dr Kirk welcomed all the students and staff to Mark Reading and took a moment to reflect on all the learning that had taken place and the opportunities we have all enjoyed this term.
On Thursday 16th March, a selection of singers and musicians performed Excerpts from Handel’s Messiah at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford for this year’s Spring Concert.
On Monday 20th March The cast and crew of this year's Four on Tour production, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, arrived at The Egg Theatre in Bath for show day, armed with costumes and props.
This years National Schools Lacrosse Championship gave the St Mary's teams an opportunity to take on the best lacrosse schools, with teams travelling to Aldershot from all regions of England, Scotland and Wales.
The Calne Girls' Association was pleased to host an informal Chapel Talk on Tuesday 21st March with Candida de Silva (Hall, 1989 Leaver), alumna and also a Trustee of The Calne Foundation Trust, who spoke about her career in Finance.
In the Spring Term Donaldson Week, MIV (Year 8) spent a fantastic day learning some basic skateboard skills. While half the year group skated, the other half had a lecture on the history and evolution of skateboard graphics as an art form.
This week, the girls learnt about German Easter traditions. One popular German Easter tradition is to decorate trees and bushes (known as the “Ostereierbaum”) with colourful, hand painted Easter eggs.
Every year on 21st March, World Down Syndrome Day is observed to create awareness about Down Syndrome. This is because March is the third month of the year and people with Down Syndrome have three of the 21st chromosome.
Earlier this month, our Artist in Residence, Chloe Barnes, showcased her monotype, Bike Ride, at the highly esteemed Royal Society of British Artists' Annual Exhibition in London.
Over the last two terms, our linguists have enjoyed using resources created by The Queen’s College, Oxford, as part of The Translation Exchange project, which was founded in 2018. The project's mission is to 'inspire lifelong engagement in languages and international culture and, in particular, to encourage young language-learners to continue with their studies through their schooling and beyond.'
When we saw that the date set for the Moberly Company Supper was Friday 17th March, it became obvious what our theme would be... St Patrick's Day! With the Dining Room awash of green, white and orange, a traditional Irish menu, and the chance to learn an authentic traditional Irish jig - Moberly certainly brough the craic to Calne!
On Tuesday 14th of March, UV (Year 11) students attended Maths Inspiration, an interactive maths lecture at the Bristol Hippodrome, which also coincided with Pi Day!
On Thursday 9th March, 39 Classicists and their teachers set off full of excitement on the first Classics trip abroad since the pandemic. Upon arrival in Athens late afternoon, we ventured into Monastiraki Square, well-known for its shops and cafes, to get a view of the ancient agora and Acropolis and to soak up the atmosphere before our three very-full days of sightseeing ahead.
Since moving to Kenya in October 2021 after a military posting, I have started supporting an orphanage called St Dorcas in east Nairobi.
Wednesday 15th March saw the intrepid LVI Politics class embark on a visit to the centre of UK political power on Budget Day. Overcoming the challenges of tube strikes, street protests and the hurly-burly of the Budget Day media circus, the group made it into a political showcase that enlightened their studies.
Last Tuesday's Sixth Form Lecture was from Elise Downing, who spoke about her 'lap of Great Britain', the 10-month long run along the entire British coastline.
To mark National Science Week, the Science Department held a range of exciting events. Dissection Club is always intriguing and the sesson that ran during Science Week was no exception.
On Monday 13th March, German language students had the pleasure of watching an Onatti Theatre Company production called Im Alten Saloon, a play performed by two professional German actors, with the whole script in German.
We were thrilled to hear that Sassie & Jess Patel (2017 Leavers) were invited to join the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and other members of the Cabinet at a special event at Downing Street on Wednesday 8th March to mark International Womens' Day.
Spring was in the air at the Spring Term performance by the Major Minors Children’s Choir, a combined primary schools’ choir, a community initiative of St Mary’s and St Margaret’s. Musical Director of the choir, Mrs Bethan Dudley Fryar, applauded the children's efforts, particularly for learning all of the lyrics and having the confidence to sing in front of an audience - with some singing solo parts for the very first time.
Take a splash of swimming, add some music, mix it with a large drop of fun and frivolity (and a bit of fancy dress!), and you've got the perfect mix for fun-filled Fourth and Sixth Form Intercompany Swimming Galas.
Last Thursday, the MIV (Year 8) went to see the National Theatre's production of Neil Gaiman's novel, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, at the Bath Theatre Royal.
Last week, Mr Michael Smyth, Deputy Head Academic, led and delivered part of a professional development programme at Westminster for Heads of Department from HMC* schools across the country.
We were delighted to host our first ‘Anniversary Drinks’ at alumnae Jenna Burlingham’s beautiful gallery in Kingsclere, Berkshire on Thursday 2nd March. In celebration of our 150th year, we will be holding many gatherings around the country for alumnae, parents (past & present), former staff and friends of the school to attend.
On Sunday 5th March, St Mary's held the PGSM Family Charity Tennis Competition with pupils having the opportunity to partner with their parents, godparents or siblings for the day.
On Tuesday 7th March, Georgia, LIV (Year 7) and Coco, UIV (Year 9), our two school winners of the ESU Shakespeare Recital Competition, went forward to compete for a place at the regional finals.
There was much excitement as the school community woke up on Wednesday 9th March to a snowy winter wonderland - with at least three snowpeople built before Chapel!
On a crisp winter morning, four of our Sixth Form artists - Elyse, Juliet H, Maya and Rose B - joined three students from Hardenhuish School on a visit to the New Art Centre at Roche Court in Salisbury to take part in a podcast interview with the sculptor, Alison Wilding, RA.
After meeting fortnightly since September, the MUN Committee were offered the amazing opportunity to attend a Model United Nations Conference in Bath from Friday 3rd to Saturday 5th March.
Each Friday during the Spring Term, the students have been enjoying Company Quizzes. Last week, it was LIV (Year 7) and MIV (Year 8) who represented their companies and took part in a Modern Foreign Languages Quiz.
To help with the question, 'Should I take a Gap Year?', St Mary's welcomed Milly Whitehead, from The Leap Gap Year Experience, on Thursday 2nd March to answer questions and give lots of information to Sixth Form students interested in taking a gap year.
As part of our British Science Week celebrations, we had the pleasure of having Ian Yorston visit us to present a lecture entitled, 'Be Nice to Your Robot'.
Last week, Grosstete came together for the annual Company Supper. The theme this year was ‘British Icons’ and we had a wonderful array of different outfits on show, from the Teletubbies to Harry Potter, to members of the Royal Family.
Last Friday, the highly anticipated, student organised Staff v UVI (Year 13) hockey match was held, after being postponed from the Autumn Term due to poor weather. The event drew lots of excited students and staff, who gathered to cheer everyone on.
Our Lacrosse U13s had high hopes for the South West Regionals with the first game against Queen Anne's (whom they had recently played and won against) which resulted in a good win for the team to start the day!
On Saturday 4th March, members of the UVI (Year 13) travelled to the Cervantes Theatre in London to see a production of their A Level text, 'La Casa de Bernarda Alba' by Federico García Lorca.
On Saturday 4th March, 11 pianists competed at the Pangbourne Piano Festival, accompanied by Ms Palfreyman and Mr Joyce.
Earlier this week, our new Head Girl and Deputy Head Girls were announced. Congratulations and welcome to our new Head Girl, Katya, and our Deputy Head Girls, Aurora and Poppy.
On Thursday 23rd February, LVI (Year 12) attended the 2023 Inspiring Futures Conference held in the Library. The girls welcomed speakers from a range of disciplines and life paths, who talked about their careers and their lives after leaving school.
A special highlight of Charity Week 2023 was Friday evening’s concert, 'All Voices Heard', held in the Southwell Hall at St Margaret’s Prep. Izzy, LVI (Year 12), spent the past few months planning the concert, from inviting students to volunteer or perform, to teaching the LIV (Year 7) a song to sing.
This year's annual Charity Week saw a great team of enthusiastic LVI (Year 12) students create a fantastic range of fun activities to raise money for this year’s chosen charity: Swindon Women’s Aid, a charity centred around helping victims of domestic abuse.
On Tuesday 28th February, selected GCSE and A Level students performed to fellow pupils, teachers and parents in an evening recital.
We were delighted that literary members of the Sixth Form entered the 23rd Christopher Tower Poetry Competition, the most prestigious award for young poets in the UK, with students between 16-18 years of age challenged to write a poem on the theme 'The Planets'.
On Tuesday 28th February, we had the fantastic opportunity of having Kadeen Corbin, 2018 English Commonwealth Games gold medallist, coming into coach the 1st and 2nd Netball Teams.
The Nottingham Lacrosse Weekend Tour was an opportunity for our senior lacrosse players to experience different types of lacrosse, such as playing against universities and different teams we do not normally play against, in the build up to Nationals.
Congratulations to our talented artists who have had work selected for the annual Young Art competition exhibition taking place at the Royal College of Art from Tuesday 25th- Friday 28th April. Entries from St Mary's were selected from pieces that were submitted to the Literalily Art Competition.
On Sunday 26th February, Chamber Choir had the pleasure of visiting Eton College for an Evensong service.
Alumnae from St Mary's Calne have been representing on the international lacrosse stage recently with Ella Malik (2022 Leaver) and Lizzie Rutherford (2021 Leaver) playing for England, while Iona Westwood (2017 Leaver) and Caroline Brenchley (2019 Leaver) playing for Scotland and Wales respectively in the Euro Lax Sixes Cup.
We celebrated the Fourth Form Music Festival with a stunning concert on the Friday just before Half Term. Seventeen of our talented junior musicians performed for the chance to win The Festival Cup.
As part of our World Book Day 2023 celebrations, we held a Book Fair in the Library, offering a great range of titles from classics through to the latest fiction.
Michelangelo’s David and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus both symbolise the Renaissance city of Florence, highlighting the ways in which iconography is subject to historical change. Indeed, the purpose of the A Level History of Art trip to Florence over the February Half Term was to unpack the stylistic characteristics of these works and numerous others.
On Tuesday 21st February, our Sixth Form Lecture was presented by Amy Peake who spoke to us about her inspiring and impactful journey in founding and developing her charity, Loving Humanity.
Three girls from LVI (Year 12) - Katie S, Elowen and Izzy A - attended the annual Merton College Choral Scholarship Workshop Day in Oxford. This was a fantastic experience that allowed the girls to have a look around Merton College, meet current Choral Scholars and members of the choir, and get to know some of the music staff.
On Tuesday 7th February, five of our Springboard students were invited to Westminster School in London to have a reception in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Anne, courtesy of the Royal National Children's Springboard Foundation (RNCSF).
On Wednesday 22nd February, members of the Sixth Form, who are preparing for their LAMDA Gold Medal examinations, were given the very exciting opportunity to watch Prima Facie, starring the brilliant Jodie Comer, streamed live from the National Theatre
On the Tuesday of Spring Term Donaldson Week, the LIV (Year 7) explored Roman Calne. They were introduced to the unique Roman find, now recognised as ‘The Calne Fates’, that was excavated during renovations to St Prisca’s House a few years ago.
Just before Half Term, we took a trip down memory lane with this year's Dance Show, Nostalgia, where we enjoyed a series of performances from Fourth Form, LVI (Year 12) and special guests from Heddington Primary School.
To coincide with the 150th Anniversary of St Mary’s, the Science Department and MIV (Year 8) explored how the innovations in science and technology over the past 150 years have changed the world.
Over the last couple of weeks, St Mary's students have attended two superb sellout London productions, which were very different in style and impact, but both stunning in their own way.
The Downe House Inter-School Gala took place on Wednesday 8th February - and it was an evening that had us on the edge of our seats! St Mary's were competing against The Downs, St Swithun's, and the hosts, Downe House.
Just before the February Half Term, the UV and UVI Drama students brought months of preparation and exemplary performance skills to two nights of examinations, performed in front a wonderfully receptive audience.
As part of Spring Term Donaldson Week, and with the support of the Calne Girls Association and the Art Society Wessex, we hosted a two-day sculpture workshop for our Art Scholars and visiting local primary school pupils. The workshops, led by visiting sculptor Judy Boyt, guided students in creating their own small clay maquette inspired by the Cherhill White Horse.
How did St Mary’s School come into being? Who are our boarding houses named after? Why is our school connected to so many saints? These were just some of the questions posed to our Fourth Form as part of their Spring Term Donaldson Week.
Our Sixth Form Lecture this week was presented by Dr Kate Vigurs, a historian and author who spoke about the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the role of women who served in WWII.
Linguists make good programmers and good programmers make good linguists. And so, the adventure began on Tuesday afternoon...
On Sunday 5th February, LIV Choir and Junior Consort took part in the Communion Service at St Mary’s Parish Church.
On Sunday 5th February, two LVI Gold DofE teams went on a Micro-Navigation Training Day.
On Saturday 28th January, the U16A Netball Team took part in the South West Regional Schools Finals which they qualified to compete after being crowned Wiltshire County Champions in November.
The Somerset County Swimming Championship, held at Millfield Pool, saw Florence P (UIV) enjoy a weekend of Personal Best times in her three events.
Last Monday, we had a brilliant Art Careers Talk from our Artist In Residence, Miss Chloe Barnes. She started by describing the interesting and varied projects she had completed over the past year, which included her MA show, exhibiting in London and entering art competitions.
For Spring Term Donaldson Week, our Artist in Residence, Chloe Barnes, ran two printmaking workshops for MIV (Year 8) and UIV (Year 9). In both sessions, the girls worked in small groups to carve and print intricate linocuts based on Chloe's drawings of the grounds and gardens around St Mary's.
On Monday afternoon, we had a fun time painting pottery with designs inspired by the things we love about St Mary's. We could choose a platter or mug to decorate and were asked to leave an area with just glaze in order to fit a special enamel transfer on for the second firing.
After months of hard work and preparation, our First Lego League team, the Lego Lilies, travelled to Bristol at the end of January to represent the school in the 2023 UK First Lego League regional competition.
On Wednesday 8th February, LIV (Year 7) were transported back to the founding of the School in 1873. We were delighted to welcome 'Miss Richardson', the first Headmistress of St Mary’s (played by historical reenactor Ruth Hill), who taught them lessons that school children in the Victorian era would have been very familiar with: scripture, copywriting and writing a letter of gratitude to the founders of St Mary’s: Miss Gabriel and Mrs Murray.
The talented team from Street Style Surgery took the UIV (Year 9) girls through the process of creating a striking ‘Street-Style' graffiti mural and introduced them to a new set of skills on skateboards.
In the elegant surroundings of The Landmark Hotel, The Anniversary Ball on Friday 27th January was the inaugural event of a fantastic year of 150th celebrations.
The Ski Racing Team flew out to Flaine on Friday 27th January to take part in the British Schoolgirls' Races with 25 schools competing and more than 150 girls racing.
Our UVI successfully submitted their UCAS forms well before last week's final deadline and the offers have been flooding in. In fact, we have almost achieved a full set of A-Z in both courses and universities offered!
It’s time to get ‘quizzing’! On Monday 31st January in Chapel, Mr Stoten launched the St Mary’s Anniversary Quiz, in celebration of the school’s 150th year, to encourage the whole school community to enhance their knowledge of the history of St Mary’s and the people who have shaped it.
On Thursday 26th January, we held the annual Sir Bryn Terfel and the Sir Tim Rice Vocal Prize Night. The 'Battle of the Sirs' allowed singers in the Fifth Form and above to compete in the Sir Bryn Classical Song Prize and the Sir Tim Musical Theatre Award and share glorious music with a captivated audience from the school and the wider community.
On Sunday 29th January, the LIV (Year 7) took part in the Chinese New Year celebrations at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.
It's our birthday - and we have cake! Our 150th Anniversary celebrations have started in a most delicious way with pupils at both St Mary's and St Margaret's enjoying 150th birthday cupcakes on the school's actual birth date, Friday 20th January!
For the second year running, St Mary’s Calne is participating in the English Speaking Union’s ‘Performing Shakespeare’ Competition, in which students perform a Shakespeare monologue of their choice from memory.
Mandarin pupils created Chinese ‘God of Wealth’ (cai-shen-ye, 财神爷) fruit platters and learnt the interesting traditional practice called ‘Greeting the God of Wealth’, which takes place on the fifth day of Chinese New Year.
On Monday 31st January, we were pleased to welcome once again the wonderful Onatti Theatre Company who performed the entertaining, humorous, and relatable play, Mi Personalidad (My Personality), in Spanish.
To celebrate Cultural Week, we invited Antonio Bukhar Ssebuuma as our guest speaker. Currently, Antonio is a lecturer and curriculum lead at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. During his speech, he discussed some cultural differences between Uganda and the UK.
The History Department's very own Mr Morris, an avid writer and accomplished artist, came to speak to the Writer's Guild about the process of writing believable characters.
On Monday 23rd January, we celebrated Chinese New Year with a festive supper with traditional treats. Everyone dressed in red to symbolise good luck for the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit.
This week, students from UV (Year 11) gave a presentation about Chinese New Year traditions to the students of St Margaret's Prep. The presentation included teaching the students how to greet each other and say “新年快樂/新年快乐” Happy New Year, alongside a brilliant performance of a special song by LIV students.
It has proved to be a very successful time in various swimming pools around Wiltshire and Somerset for some of St Mary’s keen swimmers. There have been medals and personal best times in abundance.
On Tuesday 24th January, the St Mary’s Debate Team travelled to Bishop Wordsworth School in Salisbury to take part in the second round of the English Speaking Union debate tournament. The competition was comprised of two debates, involving four teams. Only one team from the four would be advanced to the next round.
On Thursday 19th January, we welcomed a wonderful group of Year 4, 5 and 6 girls from a range of Prep and Primary Schools for our first Orchestral Day, Sounds of the Cinema. This was the first time many of the girls had played in an orchestra, and the day presented everyone with a range of new experiences from working alongside other musicians to following a conductor, and even learning a few new notes and instrumental techniques!
On 20th January 1873, St Mary’s Calne opened its doors to its first set of students, with just six Day Girls and three Boarders on the register. The school's origins lie firmly in the local community of Calne. Its foundation in 1873 was the inspiration of the incumbent Vicar of Calne, The Reverend John Duncan, who had a keen interest in education.
This week in Chapel, the new Student Subject Heads of English, Tilly and Tashy (both LVI), launched a new creative writing club, the SMC Writer’s Guild, which will meet every Tuesday in the Lumi Library from 5.15pm to 5:45pm. Open to all years, with everyone welcome, the Writer’s Guild hopes to expand knowledge and skills in creative writing. At the meetings, the Fourth Form will be represented by Theodora (UIV).
The Confirmation Service took place last Saturday in the Parish Church. It was a wonderful occasion full of joy and warmth - despite the weather outside!
On Monday 16th January, the Annual Supper for Academic Scholars and Award Holders was held in Top Hall featuring guest speaker Alex Tsylnitska, a Calne Girl who left in 2018. After leaving Calne, where she studied Economics, Maths, Further Maths and Politics at A Level, Alex read Economics and Management at the University of Cambridge.
The Art Department welcomed a record number of entries for the Literalily Art Competition this year with drawing, painting and printmaking entries submitted from across the school. Our winning and highly commended entries were recognised this week in Chapel by receiving certificates and having their entries shared with the school community.
On Sunday 15th January, pupils from LVI and UVI (Year 12 and 13) attended Day Two of the Level 1 Tennis Coaching course. The forecast for the day was sun, sun and more sun. In reality, we had rain, rain and more rain! This didn’t dampen the mood, however, so we got to work and started ticking off the remaining modules.
Due to the heavy rain in the run up the tournament the grass pitches were, unfortunately, unplayable. Luckily, there were two all-weather pitches available which meant, instead playing regular lacrosse matches, students could get a taste of different form of lacrosse - Lacrosse Sixes.
We are delighted to have launched St Mary’s 150th Anniversary year to the whole school this week. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring together all the communities past and present associated with St Mary's, and to celebrate 150 years of friendship, experiences, ambition, and positive social change for all those connected with us.
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