1. education
2. school

December 2013, Issue 4
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
For our latest news
click on the
academy website
St John’s Marlborough, an International Academy
www.stjohns.wilts.sch.uk
Special dates :
JANUARY:


6: First Day of
Term 3
9: Stedman
Cup
Dear Parents
FEBRUARY:


14: Last Day of
Term 3
17-21: Half
Term
Inside this issue:
Footloose Review
3
EAT Formal Consultation
4
Norovirus
5
Adult Education
6
Theatre on the Hill
7
ARTS: Exam Results
8
Animal Farm
9
Drama & Theatre Studies 10
Christmas Markets
12
Careers Update
14
EAT Meeting Dates
15
Burbage Primary News
16
Easton Royal Academy
News
17
Sports News
20-22
Rugby Sessions
23
As another year draws to a close we can reflect on
some of the exceptional achievements of St John’s
students at A2, IB GCSE; some of our individual and
collective sporting achievements, (County
Basketball Champions Boys and Girls), County
Hockey Champions and the amazing productions of
Grease and Footloose. Literally hundreds of trips
through the year, theatre visits, talks and attendance
at major events by our students bear testament to
a busy year. As the term draws to a close with the
carol service at St Mary’s, it is the end of a year
filled with music and dance, a real festival of talent.
It has been a year of sad goodbyes with the passing
of Judith Sud, Ali Saddler and Maisie Gibbins. Three
lives for which we can be truly thankful and who
gave us so much.
We look forward to 2014 and the promise that it
holds for so many. May I wish you
all a very happy Christmas and New
Year.
Dr P K Hazlewood
Page 1
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
Ali Saddler
ALI SADDLER
It was with great sadness we
learnt that Ali Saddler had passed
away on Sunday 8 December
following a long battle with
cancer. Parents and students
alike will know Ali best for her
role in Student Services. To the
end Ali showed that indomitable spirit that was so
characteristic of her. Her engaging personality and
interest in others were aspects that made her so much a
part of the teams that she worked with and endeared her
to them. She could never do enough for others.
We will miss her but Ali would be the first to say,
remember the good times and celebrate her time with us.
Ali’s funeral was held on Monday 16 December at St
Mary’s Church attended by family, friends and work
colleagues all of whom will miss her greatly and will
remember her with much love and affection.
Dr Hazlewood
Page 2
Footloose
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
Students Cut Footloose!
Audiences were wowed with an electrifying staging of the
musical Footloose.
A cast of sixty students aged 11-18 delivered an intense, vibrant
interpretation that captivated audiences over four nights. Based
on the true story of a small town in Oklahoma which banned
dancing for nearly 100 years, the plot centres on the arrival of a mother
and son Ren from Chicago who move to Bomont after her husband walks
out on her. Ren seeks to overturn the ban on dancing and falls in love with
Ariel, the daughter of the Reverend Shaw who is the power behind the
Town Council and opposed to any such change.
The superb acting direction was undertaken by Maddie Blackwell, a 6th
Form student and a team of talented student choreographers under the
guidance of dance teacher
Andrea Smith, they
prepared three teams of
dancers in their energy
filled routines. Max More,
the producer and musical
director was ably
supported by a brilliant
band and chorus.
Max More said “The feedback following the
performances has been overwhelming with particular praise going to Will Sexton
as the Rev. Shaw and Ben Cipolla as Willard but these were stand out performers
in a really high calibre field of principal actors. My congratulations to all involved
in a show where everyone really did 'Cut Footloose!”
Many tributes and comments have been sent to St John’s referring to the
show as a 'triumph' and one email included the following:
'I feel compelled to add that the 'Mama Says' scene was truly exceptional - the
single most professional and entertaining scene I've witnessed at any school,
including ones which have considerably greater financial means. I would never
normally compare any school production with a West End show - that'd just be
hyperbole - but in the case of this particular scene it came pretty damn close. And
there were many other highly accomplished scenes.'
Page 3
EAT Formal Consultation
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
EXCALIBUR ACADEMIES TRUST
2015/16 ADMISSION POLICY
FORMAL CONSULTATION
Excalibur Academies Trust is consulting on the arrangements by which
children will be admitted to the Academies - St John’s Marlborough,
Easton Royal Academy, and Burbage Primary School at the normal
point of entry in September 2015.
A copy of the proposed 2015/16 Admission Policy is available on the
Academies’ websites www.stjohns.wilts.sch.uk ,
www.eroyal.wilts.sch.uk , www.burbageprimary.org.uk or can be
obtained direct from me at [email protected]
Please submit any comments on the proposed arrangements to me at
one of the Academies’ addresses or at the above e-mail address. The
closing date for responses is 31 January 2014.
Julie Farrell
Clerk to the Admissions Panel
Excalibur Academies Trust
Page 4
Norovirus
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
We have been notified by Wiltshire Council and Public Health England that a
number of children have recently been absent from Wiltshire schools with
suspected norovirus, a common infection which causes symptoms of
diarrhea and vomiting.
Please be reassured that norovirus is generally a mild infection and people
usually recover fully within 2-3 days, no specific treatment is needed, but it is
important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
As you may already know, norovirus is highly infectious and spreads easily
from person to person, especially in close knit communities such as schools,
therefore, we are asking for your help to prevent further illness within the
school by following the advice in the checklist below:

If your child develops symptoms of diarrhea and/or vomiting you should
keep them off school and away from other childcare settings such as
child-minders until they have been symptom free for at least 48 hours.

Good hygiene is important to stop the spread of infection, especially
hand washing, frequently and thoroughly with soap and water,
particularly after using the toilet and before eating.

Good hygiene in the home will also help prevent spread to other family
members. If possible separate toilets and towels should be used and
door handles, wash basins and toilet handles should be frequently
cleaned.

If symptoms do not resolve after 48 hours or if you are concerned
please contact your GP by phone or ring the NHS non-emergency
number 111 for further advice.
Further information is available on the Public Health England
website http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/
Norovirus/
Page 5
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
Adult Education
Page 6
Theatre on the Hill
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
Page 7
ARTS
Exam Results
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
MUSIC EXAMS
The following students have been successful in
their Music Exams
Congratulations to all for their success
Student
Instrument
Grade
Rosie Amos
Piano
4
Georgia Taylor
Clarinet
Sophie Feakes
Result
Board
Teacher
Merit
ABRSM
Joanna Taylor
5
Merit
Trinity
Sian Haynes
Jazz Piano
4
Merit
ABRSM
Michael Lucas
Theo Heber-Percy
Piano
2
Pass
ABRSM
Michael Lucas
James Salkeld
Piano
2
Pass
ABRSM
Michael Lucas
Anna Shellswell
Piano
3
Distinction
ABRSM
Michael Lucas
Mollie Vines
Piano
1
Pass
ABRSM
Michael Lucas
Doug Tannesee
Trumpet
4
Pass
Associated
Michele Lomas
Board
Harrison France
Clarinet
2
Distinction
ABRSM
Anya Bellamy
Jonathan Rogers
Clarinet
3
High Pass
ABRSM
Anya Bellamy
Jessica Haylor-
Clarinet
1
High Pass
ABRSM
Anya Bellamy
Piano
1
Pass
Associated
Margot Bullock
Clements
Bradley Whatley
Board
Max Brown
Piano
4
Pass
Associated
Margot Bullock
Board
Ellie Davis
Piano
5
Merit
Associated
Margot Bullock
Board
Jacob Smith
Piano
5
Distinction
Associated
Margot Bullock
Board
JACOB SMITH WON FIRST PRIZE IN HIS SOLO PIANO
CLASS AT THE DEVIZES JUNIOR EISTEDDFOD
Page 8
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
ARTS
Animal Farm
Page 9
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
ARTS
Drama & Theatre Studies
Page 10
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
ARTS
Drama Club
Page 11
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
MFL
Home Start
Cologne Christmas
Markets Trip
43 Year 8 students are currently in
Germany’s 4th largest city, Cologne from 17—20 December. This
four-day trip includes a 444 mile drive through the Channel Tunnel,
across France and Belgium, a visit to the impressive Cologne
Cathedral, a drive along the Rhine river, tasting chocolate at the
Cologne Chocolate museum and a tour of a Medieval German castle
in Cochem, not to mention all the Christmas markets in between! I’m
sure the students will have had a unique and
wonderful experience and will report on their trip
in next month’s newsletter.
Frohe Weinachten!
Ms Kennedy
HOMESTART COURSE
Home Start Kennet is running a course on January 24 for
new volunteers to visit and support families with young
children who, for whatever reason, are struggling. If
interested, please contact www.homestartkennet.co.uk or
01672 569457
Page 12
Family & Friends
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
‘LET THEM EAT CAKE!’
St John’s Family and Friends is the Parent Teacher Association (or PTA) for the
school. All parents are automatically members, you don’t need to ‘join’, though we do
have a committee of roughly 12 parents who meet on a Monday, every two months, to
plan the events in our calendar, brainstorm ideas and discuss where to spend
accumulated funds.
Our remit is to promote social interaction between parents, make school events more
enjoyable with the provision of refreshments and fundraise to offer additional funding to
the school for specific projects. You don’t have to be on the committee to come up with
a good fundraising idea. You just need to let someone on the committee know what that
is, and how you think it will work, or what it will benefit. For instance, the biggest single
fundraiser for 2012/13 was the June Online Auction, suggested by a new parent, Jackie
Ferguson, which raised over £7000, and she wanted that money to go to the all-weather
pitches.
Every year we produce a calendar of events, showing the dates on which we will be
running our regular events. This is a fluid document, but by this stage in the school year it
provides a fairly reliable framework for the coming year. Listed are all the events at
which we will be involving parents - see attached. If you can bake a cake, help out
serving at Parents’ Evenings or behind a bar for the Music Department, we would love
to hear from you. Rather than send a note to the whole school database each time there
is an event, we would like you to send us your e-mail contact details, along with your
name, the name of your child or children (and which year they are in) to
[email protected] Susanna Lamb, who co-ordinates out database,
will add your details to our list so that you are always in touch with what is going on
with the PTA.
By providing a café service at Parents’ Evenings and bars for the Music events we raise
over £2000 a year for PTA funds, which are passed on to the school for specific projects,
such as lockers, or grants to school departments. Your help can directly benefit the
experience of the pupils at the school. Our Catering Supremo, Jo Payne, will be
graduating from the PTA at the end of the year, so we will be
looking for someone, or a group of people to organise the
catering side of the committee.
If you can bake a cake, help at an event, serve tea or coffee, or
have a good idea – let us
know. [email protected]
We look forward to hearing from you,
Ben Tarring
Chair
Page 13
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
Careers Update
Careers Update December 2013
The careers adviser, Alison Baigrie, attends St John’s once a fortnight and next
term will be here on 9 and 22 January, 13 and 27 February, 13 and 27 March
2014. Individual meetings with Alison can be organised through Mrs Smith in
F223. Alison is also running a drop-in centre during lunchtimes for students
on the same days. No appointment is necessary and students can pop in to
G175 if they have any queries about career ideas, courses or option choices.
Refreshments are available during the drop-in sessions.
Alison will also be available at the Y11 parents evening on Wednesday 12
February 2014.
Students in Y12 and Y13 are welcome to organise a guidance interview with
Mr Bowkett, 6th Form Careers Adviser. These can also be organised through
Mrs Smith in F223.
Year 11
Open day events are advertised via tutor groups and on the careers board in
student services – prospectus for post 16 colleges are available in the school
library or careers office in F223.
Apprenticeship vacancies are updated for the local area – please check the
Apprenticeships and Y11 tabs on Resource Companion, the careers online
library accessed via sabre > careers & WRL.
All passwords for the careers resources on sabre are available in student
planners.
Future dates for this year:
Y9 Take Your Child To Work Day – Monday 27 January 2014.

Y10 Mock Interview Week – 17 to 20 March, 2014.

Higher Education Fair for Y10,Y11 & Y12 – Wednesday 23 April 2014.

Work Experience Y10 – Y7 to 11 July 2014
Information from the work experience briefing evening held on Thursday
November can be accessed via sabre > careers WRL > work experience.

Work Experience Y12 – 14 to 18 July 2013

Careers workshops are being held during the Y12 parents evening on
Thursday 16 January 2014.
Mrs F Havill, Careers and Work Related Learning Manager
Page 14
EAT Meeting Dates
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
Excalibur Academies Trust
Meeting Dates
2013 - 14
Staffing
Term 3
Term 4
Term 5
Term 6
2014
2014
2014
2014
23 January
24 April
26 June
2 May
4 July
27 February
24 April
18 June
17 March
20 May
3 July
committee
Audit
committee
FP&I committee 31 January
St John’s LGB
27 January
ERA LGB
21 January
25 March
29 April
1 July
Burbage LGB
22 January
12 March
7 May
25 June
Board of
7 February
16 May
18 July
Directors
AGM
Page 15
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
Burbage News
BURBAGE PRIMARY
Another busy half term at Burbage… written by
children in Year Six
Anti-bullying Puppet Show
On Monday 9 December, we had a visitor at Burbage Primary School. His name was
Mark and he is a ventriloquist. He treated us to a special puppet show all about
bullying. The show was called ‘Kevin’s Anti-bullying Show’. We were introduced to
three different puppets – Kevin, Spielberg and Bad Banana. Everyone really enjoyed
the puppet show and I hope we can have something like that again.
By Emily
Christmas Fayre
Recently we had a Christmas Fayre at school. Some of the stalls were run by
members of Class 6 to raise money for our school. I ran a ‘Hold a Snake’ stall. The
snake belongs to me, he is an albino corn snake from Mexico and his name is Gizmo.
He is a kind and loving snake and has never shown any signs of aggression. In total,
my stall raised £54. I gave 50% of the money to the school and the rest is being put
towards Gizmo’s new vivarium.
My teacher, Mrs Lewis, is frightened of snakes but at the end of the fayre she held
Gizmo. Mrs Lewis is very brave to face her fears. I have had Gizmo for a year now
and my Nan is still too frightened to hold him – so well done Mrs Lewis!
By Ebony
Burbage Buzz and Singing Sensation
This term saw the arrival of our new school newspaper. The first issue was a great
success and many families enjoyed reading it. The production team were: - Shahla,
Emily, Daisy and me!
Classes 5 and 6 performed a joint assembly to the whole school and parents, where
they sang some songs with the assistance of Mr More. We all really enjoyed it and so
did the audience.
By Jake
Signing Choir
Last week the signing choir from school went to the village hall and signed some
songs at the Good Companions lunch. They had learned these songs with a lady
called Jean. We had been practising signing for three weeks and were ready to
perform to an audience. It was great and everybody had a smile on their faces.
Afterwards we all got a sweet each. It was an exciting afternoon and a good
experience for us all.
By Rosie
Page 16
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
Easton Royal Academy
News
Easton Royal Academy
Our ‘Where are we now?’ topic has been great fun and the children
have enjoyed finding out about Wiltshire landmarks such as
Stonehenge and Avebury and are putting together an ‘Expo’ to
present their work to the rest of the school in our final week.
In Science we have been looking at animal adaptations and we had a lot of fun using
‘lard-filled gloves’ in icy water to find out how good fat/blubber is at insulating
animals from the cold,
Christmas is just around the corner
and the children have had a wonderful
time putting on the usual festive events.
The Infants entertained us all with ‘The
Innkeeper’s Breakfast’ and there was
hardly a dry eye in the house when
they sang. The Juniors put on an
adaptation of ‘Scrooge’ which was set
in a school – with a Headmaster who
was determined to cancel Christmas.
Fortunately some spooktacular
spectres showed him the error of his ways and a good time was had by all.
We have fundraised for a number of different charities this term and enjoyed getting
into ‘something spotty’ for Children in Need. Most recently, the Year Five and Six
pupils ran an excellent Christmas Fayre, with help from the children in Year Three
and Four. They set up stalls where people could have a go at various games or buy
home-made products and have raised money to support the rebuilding of schools in
the Philippines
Next term the question we are investigating is ‘Do you have to be a Hero to make a
difference?’ We will be taking School Council to visit our link primary school in
Harrow to share our work on being an Epic Learner and will also be taking part in
the MAEP French evening in January.
Happy Christmas from everyone at Easton Royal Academy!
Contact details: 01672 810 477 or [email protected]
Page 17
Notices
D e c e mb e r 2 0 1 3 , Is su e 4
ST JOHN’S NEWSLETTER
The ‘St John’s News’ is a publication which is issued
from September to July every year. It is now distributed
to parents via SIMS In Touch (email).
The ‘St John’s News’ is accessible by visiting the
academy website, and clicking on ‘News’ followed by
‘Academy Newsletters’.
Printed copies of the ‘St John’s News’ are also available
in Reception. Please ask!
Editor
TRAFFIC GUIDANCE
The speed limit on site is 10mph
1. Avoid driving your children to St John’s
2. All bus routes drop off and pick up from St John’s Coach
park.
3. If you live out of catchment and there are no bus routes
available and you therefore have to drive, please try to
drop off outside of the academy grounds - George Lane
car park is the safest suggestion.
4. If it is absolutely necessary to drive into St John’s from
Granham Hill please follow the road all the way to the
upper car park, staying left and dropping students off in
the drop off zone only.
Do not drop off students in any other area. There is NO
vehicle access beyond the car park. The only exception is by
arrangement and is for the drop off/collection of those with
disabilities or injuries. Musical instruments, art folders, PE kit
or ingredients for cooking do not count as disabilities or
injuries. Rain does not count as an extenuating circumstance!
The safety of everyone at St John’s is absolutely paramount
for students, staff and visitors. Failing to follow our guidelines
compromises safety, causes congestion and leads to
frustration for all concerned.
Mr M J Cook, Director of Logistics
VISITORS TO ST JOHN’S
NUT FREE ACADEMY
Please remember that St John’s aims to be a
NUT FREE ENVIRONMENT. Please take
special care when making packed lunches
and ensure that they do not include any nut
products – peanut butter spread, choc bars
with nuts – Snickers etc, as these are
hazards for students with severe allergies.
Please be aware that ‘Kinder Bueno’
contain a nut paste and should not be
sent into school as snacks or in packed
lunches
ADVERTISING IN THE
ST JOHN’S NEWSLETTER
The ‘St John’s News’ has a distribution
of 1,600 copies to families in and
around Marlborough.
The Newsletter is an excellent medium
for advertising events that are being
held within the St John’s facilities or
elsewhere. We are pleased to be able
to include advertising within our
Newsletter.
Should you be interested in advertising
please contact the academy for
information and advertising rates.
SICKNESS AND ABSENCE LINE
St John’s has a 24 hour ‘Sickness and
Absence’ line answering service. This
service should be used to notify the
academy of all student absences.
Parents should call 01672 515081
and leave a message.
St John’s Marlborough ensures that all visitors can access its
services and facilities.
If you are likely to require any specific assistance whilst
visiting, please advise us by email or by telephoning
01672 516156 in advance of your visit.
On arrival visitors will be requested to provide identification
(photo identification in academy hours).
A copy of the academy’s information leaflet ‘Safeguarding
Children Procedures’ is distributed to all visitors.
Please do not send messages via the
main Academy reception. The following
details for any absences will be required:
1) Child’s Name
2) Year and Tutor Group
3) Reason for Absence (without a
valid reason it is not possible to
authorise absence)
Please note that St John’s aims to be a
smoke free, nut free and
non chewing gum environment.
Please keep us updated regularly on all
absences that are longer than one day.
Page 18
Notices
Letters Home
Key Dates
S t J o h n ’s N e w s
LETTERS RECENTLY SENT HOME
Mr Whittaker
November 2013
Student Records, Data Checking
Sheet
Miss Peskett
21/11/13
Y10-13 Leighton Park World
Philosophy Day
Miss Power
25/11/13
Y10&11 Reward Trip, Bowling
Miss Power
25/11/13
Y7-9 Reward Trip, Bowling
Mrs E Hawes
27/11/13
Digigirlz Trip to Microsoft
Mr Bowkett
28/11/13
Careers Planning & Work
Experience
Mr Streeton
28/11/13
Y9 Battlefields Trip—2014
Mrs Green
2/12/13
Squash—Years 7-11
Mrs Green & Mrs
Davis
2/12/13
Programme of Extended School
Clubs and Activities
Mrs Green
2/12/13
Swindon Town Football Skills
Coaching Y7-9
Mrs Davis
2/12/13
Dance Clubs Terms 3 & 4
Marlborough Dance Festival
Mrs Havill
3/12/13
Y9 Take Your Child to Work Day
Ms Kennedy
6/12/13
Y8&9 Andalusia Trip May 2014
Mr Turnball
6/12/13
Y7 PGL Activities Trip July 2013
Mr Nicholls
12/12/13
Y8-10 Mandarin Chinese Lessons
St John’s Marlborough
Granham Hill
Marlborough
SN8 4AX
www.stjohns.wilts.sch.uk
Wiltshire SN8 4AX
KEY DATES
2013 / 2014
—————————————————
Term 3 2013
Monday 6 January - Friday 14 February
—————————————————
TERM DATES: 2013/14
Term 1: 2 September—25 October 2013
Term 2: 5 November– 20 December 2013
Term 3: 6 January—14 February 2014
Term 4: 24 February—4 April 2014
Term 5: 22 April—23 May 2014
Term 6: 2 June—22 July 2014
SD Days 2013/2014 (students not
attending the academy)
Monday 21 July 2014
Tuesday 22 July 2014
Independent Study Day
Friday 28 March 2014
—————————————————
Copy deadline for January Newsletter
Advertisements & Articles: Tuesday 21
January
Publication: Friday 31 January
Phone: 01672 516156
Fax: 01672 516664
Page 19
S t J o h n ’s S p o r t s N e w s
FOOTBALL
U18 Boys Football v St Laurence (A),
27 Nov Won 3 – 1
Alex Tellwright 12 AMC, who was playing as a
single striker, gave us an early lead in the first 10
minutes through chipping the keeper off his line.
Thanks to St. Laurence’s high line, Alex had an
abundance of space between them and their
keeper for him to run in. St. Laurence didn’t learn
from their mistakes and after a cute header from
Tom Farman 13 EBW, Alex again was through on
goal and with another perfect chip St. Johns were
leading 2-0 with the majority of the half over.
The opposition were limited to only a few clearcut chances thanks to Callum Damon 12MLV and
Joey Smith 12 EBW both defending immaculately.
St. John’s was close to a third after Byron
Wigglesworth 13 PNB was at the end of a
rebounded shot, but mishit the ball wide of the
mark. Byron got the chance to redeem himself
almost immediately when he found space with the
ball in penalty box and stuck it deep into the
bottom left corner of St. Laurence’s goal. The
home side managed to get a potential comeback
after a rebounded shot hit Joey Smith and then
past Pip Simper 12 RGL in goal. The half time
whistle blew leaving the game wide open at 3-1 to
the visitors.
The second half was a cagey affair where the
majority of play was in the middle third of the
pitch. During the entire game a battle in the midfield was ongoing between Harrison Lowe 12 MLV
and the home side’s captain, both putting the rules
of the game to the test by trying to retain the ball
of each other. Jake Kinderman 12 EBW and Adyn
Pollock (Flash) 12 PNB came on for defense and
midfield respectively. The two subs were thrown
straight into the frying pan with a wave of St.
Laurence attacks. Jake kept a cool head by
intercepting a dangerous corner in the St. Johns
goal line and then clearing it for another corner.
Tom Farman and Alex Painting 12 RGL came close
to scoring with two long shots; the latter came
closest by hitting the bar, which then bounced off
the line into the hands of a nervous keeper. With
St. John’s switching to a more defensive approach
the game slowly died down after tired legs started
to kick in. The game ended as it did in the first half
with 3-1.
SPORTS NEWS
St. John’s now advances to the next round of the
Wiltshire Cup full of optimism.
Joey Smith received man of the match for his
work ethic tracking back and attacking the flanks
and also for his sound defending.
Report By Tom Farman (Captain)
Y7 Girls Football v Lavington (A), 5
Dec Won 4 - 0
Ciara got into her head into the game straight
away and Josie was really good at tackling. We
kept the pressure on and Lavington didn’t get a
chance to score. Zoe and Tabby worked
amazingly well at defence throughout the game
and Izzy was equally good at defending. Our
goalie, Abby, didn’t let the ball in and Llewella
almost scored, but got her feet muddled up at
the last minute.
Goals were scored by Rebecca, once from a free
kick and once in play, Libby and India.
Lavington nominated Rebecca as player of the
match, and we all had a great time. Thanks to
Miss Popham for taking us and taking the photos.
Squad: Ciara Beale7W, Josie Hitchcock 7U,
Llewela Turner 7E, Libby Turnell 7E, Izzy Bate
7L, Abby Reid 7L, Zoe Gould 7L, Tabby
Whitlow 7H, Holly McKay 7R, Rebecca Chitolie
7L, Lily Tregale 7L, Holly Clarke 7L
Page 20
SPORTS NEWS
S t J o h n ’s S p o r t s N e w s
Kennet Cross Country Trials at Marlborough College, 14 Nov
16 students qualify for County Trials
NETBALL
The Cross Country Trials were held at
Marlborough College this year. St John’s
were competing against pupils from the
College, Dauntsey’s, Lavington, Devizes and
Wellington Academy.
The U19 St John’s netball squad travelled to
Dauntsey’s on Tuesday 15 October.
The tournament was well attended with teams
from across the county taking part and the squad
were looking forward to an exciting afternoon of
matches.
St John’s took a mixture of boys and girls
from Y7 -9 and one Y10 split into Minor,
Junior and Intermediate groups according to
age.
The Minor Girls and Boys were the first to
run, and St John’s dominated in the Boys
Minor Competition with Henry Adamson 7R,
Joe McQue 7T and Dylan Jimenez 7E
achieving first, second and third place
respectively out of a field of 24 runners.
The girls were consistently strong throughout and
worked hard to ‘up their game’ adapting to the
oppositions strengths at times. Notable wins
against South Wilts Grammar School, Warminster
and Malmesbury, were unfortunately followed by
losses against Marlborough College and St Mary’s,
placing the team 4th in Round 1.
The winner of the Junior Girls race was Katie
McQue 8B1, with an impressive fourth
position by Annabel Hitchmough 8B6. The
Junior Boys race was won by Jacob Smith
9B2 and five of the St John’s athletes were in
the top ten, out of a field of 48 runners in
total.
Callum Short 10G5 came fourth in the
Intermediate Boys and overall 16 St John’s
students have qualified for the County Trials
at Grittleton House to be held in the new
year.
Report by Mrs Montague
U19 County Netball Tournament,
15 Oct
The play offs saw another hard game against a
challenging Dauntsey’s side, which resulted in a
score of 10 – 2 to the opposition.
With only a few weeks preparation time for the
girls to play and train together at St John’s, it was
a well-deserved and accomplished afternoon for
the whole squad.
Mrs Sanders
Y7 Netball v Abbeyfield (A), 21 Nov
Won 15-11
There was really good play by all the girls on the
team, and as the game went on, the play became
better and better. Competition was fierce. Toss
ups became vicious and marking was tight. With
some excellent shooting from Florence Tomlinson
7L and Tess Christmas 7U, some great passing
from Ruby Schreiber 7W, Annie Wiley 7W,
Georgia King 7W and Lucy Powers 7E and some
great defending from Kate Davies 7P and Cora
Bird 7T, we were on a winning streak. We were
all really pleased with our performance, and proud
to represent the school.
Report by Tess Christmas, Captain
Page 21
S t J o h n ’s S p o r t s N e w s
SPORTS NEWS
Y8 Netball v Abbeyfield (A), 21 Nov
Won 4-2
St John’s Christmas Netball
Tournament, 2 Dec
In the first half we played quite well, we passed the
ball smoothly down the court. Tea Clarke 8R7 did
some very good defending, but couldn’t stop the
other team from scoring. Natasha Ashbridge 8R7
brought us back with a great goal. Purple Winslet
8Y8 swapped on with Natasha and also scored
some fantastic goals. Tea and Tilly Lewis-Lawson
8Y10 did some brilliant defending and helped
prevent some of their shooters from having a shot
at goal. Nyah Brooks 8R3 marked very well and
was great at dodging and getting in front of her
player. Lucy Montefiore 8Y5 also played very well
and helped get the ball down the court. In the last
quarter, no matter how hard the other team tried,
they couldn’t score so the final score was 4-2 to
us. Player of the match was Tea Clarke 8R7.
Report by Tilly Lewis-Lawson, Vice Captain
It was the final week of the Year 7, 8 and 9
Netball Club at St John’s and we decided to
run a fun Christmas tournament in memory of
Maisie.
Y9 Netball v Abbeyfield (A), 21 Nov
Lost 12-15
The match was played in quarters. We started off
really well, with short, flat, direct passes to our
team mates. The speed was fast, so our
opponents struggled to intercept our passes. In
the second quarter, our defending was really good,
with Charlotte Klaiber 9R9 stopping Abbeyfield
from scoring when they were in the D. We also
had some very good shooting from Mollie Fisher
9B10 and Natalia Schreiber 9R9, where they really
worked as a team. Third quarter we sped up too
much and we were giving the ball away, which
allowed the other team to score. However, in the
final quarter everyone stepped up their game to
get those extra points. We all worked well
together and had a positive attitude throughout.
The votes for player of the match went to Fi
Bowering 9B10 and Abbeyfield’s GS, because she
shot well. We should all be pleased with our
performance.
Y9 Squad: Mollie Fisher 9B10, Natalia Schreiber
9R9, Phoebe Jones 9G9, Fi Bowering 9B10, Libby
Howard 9Y1, Jocelyn Drew 9R4, Emily Montefiore
9Y8, Florence Mason 9G9, Charlotte Klaiber 9R9.
Report by Fi Bowering , Captain
The girls were very excited and keen to take
part, with nine teams entering. The players
could make up a team from any year group at
the club.
The matches were 5 minutes one way, as with
guest umpires helping making the tournament
possible, it meant the players only had a short
time to make an impact. They had to score as
many goals as possible in the 5 minutes
available to them. Mrs Young from Student
Services, Miss Popham and Mrs Montague (PE
staff) did the umpiring.
Trudie Proctor, our outside coach, had
promised to pay 10p per goal and the girls had
all donated £1 per player to enter. We also
had spectators and family members who all
donated. Luckily, we had some devoted
helpers in attendance - Amber Bayley 12 JDB
and Abbie Coleman 12 EBW (two of our 6th
form netball players) as well as Amy Bush 12
RAB and Emily Wren 12 GXE, who took on
the scoring.
Jess Lamb 8G1, Freya Mundy 8Y10 and Maya
Stock 10B8 also proved invaluable running
score cards back and forwards and ensuring
the players were at the correct match at the
right time. All teams managed to play six
matches (we then had to stop due to lack of
light!) and scores were totalled up.
In 3rd position came Team Harbour, joint
second place were Team Henry (Captain
Joanne Henry 8Y10) and Little Warriors
(captained by Natasha Ashbridge 8R7) but the
overall winners were Team 91 which was our
Year 9 team (captained by Fi Bowering 9B10).
In total a huge £105 was raised, which will be
donated to the Bristol Royal Hospital for
Children – ICU, which is the unit that looked
after Maisie during her illness.
Well done girls and thank you to all who
helped and gave up their time for such a worthy and enjoyable finale to the end of the Year
7, 8 and 9 Netball Season.
Page 22
Report by Mrs Sanders
SPORTS NEWS
S t J o h n ’s S p o r t s N e w s
RUGBY
Marlborough Rugby Club are starting a great new project in the New
Year, focusing on touch rugby to try and encourage new participants
into the sport. Please could you put the following text into your next
newsletter for parents:
‘Looking to get fit after Christmas, want to try something new, keen to
learn new skills? Used to play rugby but concerned about the physical contact now or coming back from injury and looking for something slightly
easier on the body? Or maybe you’ve never played before but fancy having
a go! Come along and try touch rugby! Absolutely no prior experience or
knowledge is necessary. Marlborough Rugby Club are running touch rugby
sessions from January 14th at the Marlborough College Astroturf for anyone
aged 16 years and above, men and women. The session runs from 7pm –
8pm and costs just £15 for 8 weeks (or £2 per session). For more
information please contact Mike Banfield on 07786 916318 or email:
[email protected]. Alternatively just come along on the first
session!’
Thank you for your time and support and have a very merry
Christmas!
Alex Muse
Sports Development Officer - East
Leisure Services
Wiltshire Council
Page 23
Page 24

St John’s meeting night – Wednesday
Terms 2 & 3
D e c emb er 2013 , Is su e 4
* Thursday Night – Fixture night where possible £ = External providers used, therefore charge involved -but there is no charge for Free
School Meals students.
St John’s Sports & Dance Clubs