The Governors, Headteacher, Staff and Students wish you all

A Happy CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY!

Issue No: 71December

CONTENTS Page No:

Music ......................................... 2

Drama ...................................... 4

English ...................................... 6

PSE ............................................ 7

Design & Tech. ...................... 8

Careers ..................................... 9

Library ..................................... 9

PTA ......................................... 10

PE .............................................12

History ...................................16

GinGer Bread HouseThis term Mrs Hancock ran two

Ginger Bread House making courses with a number of Year 8 students. During the first session the students made the dough and the following week they assembled and decorated them.

With Christmas songs (a lot of dough & sweets) filling the classroom the students allowed their creative talent to run free producing stunning and unique festive ‘Ginger Bread Houses’ for all the family to enjoy and marvel at.

Christmas Concert

George Abbot News

The spectacular Christmas Concerts took place last week. Compèred as always by the brilliantly funny Mr Clark with his unique mix of performer interviews, jokes and carol singing, the nights also featured some of the best of the Music Department’s talent.

Continued on page 2

Continued on page 8

Music Department News

We are delighted to announce that a recording of our Year 13 students singing ‘Away in a Manger’ has been selected by Eagle Radio to be performed on air! We are really excited.

The concerts were the perfect opportunity

to show off the cast of our 2015 production of Grease performing so2me hit numbers from the show, ‘Hopelessly Devoted’ with Charlotte Regan as Sandy, and ‘Grease is the Word’ featuring the talents of the whole cast. Our audiences told us that they now can’t wait to see the complete production in February!

Our larger ensembles were well represented over the two nights. At the beginning of the program was the Orchestra, conducted by Mrs Evans-Dix and wearing their

trademark shades of green. Also performing were the ever-lively Swing Band, serving up a combination of majestic film music and sassy soul conducted by Ms Fuller. The re-invented rock choir, ‘Only Louder’ ended the show with two of their favourites ‘Ho Hey’ and ‘Joyful Joyful’, featuring soloists Daisy Loving, Ellie Firmo, David Miller, Shannon Jones and Max Burt.

Aside from the international ‘Only Louder’, vocal music was a real strength in the department this year. The Chamber Choir, conducted by Mrs Robins, performed an exciting rhythmical

Eagle Radio Christmas Carol Competition

arrangement of ‘Sussex Carol’ which was skilfully accompanied by Alex Johnson, the spotlight also shone on the male singers in ‘Gaudete’ which featured a breathtaking tenor solo from Dr Lee. The newly formed ‘George Abbot Male Chorus’ were set up to commemorate the centenary of World War 1 with a hauntingly beautiful arrangement of ‘Danny Boy’ written in 1913 and popular throughout the war featuring soloist David Miller. Also performing were Think Sharp, George Abbot’s enduringly popular barbershop quartet (Max Burt, Konrad

Kicking off the Christmas Season, George Abbot’s vocalists travelled to the beautiful Polesden Lacy to perform for the public. As well as ‘Only Louder’ performing some of their best pieces, the Chamber Choir performed some beautiful classical numbers, our sixth form singers performed some gorgeous carols, and we had some brilliant solo performances from Josh Roux de Buisson and Charlotte Regan. We have had some lovely feedback from the venue and from members of the public, complimenting not only our sound but also how much joy they could see on the faces of our young performers so well done all involved!

This year Ms Fuller organised our A Level students to inject some extra Christmas spirit into the fantastic George Abbot PTA Fayre with some festive performances in the canteen. Joined by Mrs Evans-Dix and with the support of sound engineer Ruaridh Wilkinson and fellow technician Katie Cogan (who just happened to be there and got roped in!), we set up a small corner of the canteen and performed an eclectic mix of Christmas carols, Take That hits, ‘Desperado’, Disney hit ‘Let it Go’ and even a miniature stand up routine with some truly groanworthy jokes from Ruaridh and Josh! Thanks to our dedicated A Level musicians, who had a wonderful time entertaining the crowds!

Hot on the heels of the Christmas Concerts (the day after in fact!), some of our musicians entertained the residents of Abbot’s Hospital as they came to enjoy a Christmas lunch served by the Food Technology Department. As well as some beautiful carols from the Chamber Choir, the residents were treated to barbershop quartet Think Sharp, Nick Pritchard and Konrad Lipinski’s ‘Me and My Shadow’, a beautiful rendition of ‘El Ultimo Tremolo’ by Matt McAlister and a spot of light jazz from Dan Looseley on the piano. The residents were hugely complimentary about our students, and we look forward to seeing them again next year!

Lipinski, Josh Lee and Tim Ozanne), singing ‘Hello Mary Lou’. Also this year our A Level musicians in Years 12 and 13 banded together to perform the stunning ‘Cantique de Jean Racine’

Instrumentally, the Flute Choir (led by Year 13 student Charlotte Perkins) performed a lively ‘Allegro’ from Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”, the wind quintet ‘Quintessential’ got to grips with the Impressionist masterpiece Sarabande by Debussy, and newly formed jazz-funk outfit ‘Fuller Funk’ showed off their improvisatory

prowess with their upbeat renditions of ‘Watermelon Man and ‘Chameleon’ featuring solos from Finn Baxter-Kennedy, Max Harrison, Jamie Womersley-Stroud and Ruaridh Wilkinson.

As always, the department prides itself on the exceptional quality of its solo performers. Audiences were treated to three gorgeous classical guitar performances from Maya Alazzawi, Song Higginson and Matthew McAlister, two top-quality piano solos from Dan Looseley and Alex Johnson, a beautiful violin solo from Anna Merlini and stunning vocal solos from Matt Parkes,

Catherine Boyle, Ellie Firmo, Kalyane Warren and Ella Sullivan. Also featured this year were two wonderful duets; Konrad Lipinski and Nick Pritchard belting out a swinging ‘Me and My Shadow’ and Josh Roux de Buisson and Daisy Loving performing a powerful rendition of ‘Need You Now’.

We are grateful to staff who supported and helped organise such successful evenings and who took the time to perform in our ensembles, to the ever-professional technical team, to our supportive parents and friends, and to our wonderful students, who make us so proud with every performance.

Abbots Hospital Performances 11 December

Polesden Lacy 29 November

Christmas PTA Fayre 30 November

Music Department News

Les Misérables Drama Trip 

On Tuesday 18th November Upper School Drama students and staff attended a phenominal performance of the hit musical Les Misérables in London’s West End. 

  Miss Green organised this trip to celebrate the success of Ex‐George Abbot Student Micheal Colbourne, who following his A‐levels at George Abbot, went on to study at the prestigious Guildford School of Acting, and was cast in the principle role of Enjolaras in Les Misérables before he had even completed his final year at GSA. Since taking on this role Micheal has continued to offer support and inspiration to A‐Level Theatre Arts Students at George Abbot, by offering Workshops in which he has explained to students the benefits and relalities of being a professional actor.  

Micheal is not the only ex‐ George Abbot student in a principle role in Les Misérables, Tom Edden who plays Thénardier was also treading the boards, and also did an incredible job. Following his A‐Levels and Drama training Tom has carved a path for himself self as an incredibly successful actor, he was nominated for a a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in the performance of One Man 2 Guvnors and is featuring in the new Mike Leigh film ‘Mr Turner’. 

It was a pleasure for both staff and students to chat with the actors following the performance, and everyone throughly enjoyed this fantastic trip. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quotes from Students: 

On Tuesday 18 November, Upper School Drama students and staff attended

a phenomenal performance of the hit musical Les Misérables in London’s West End.

Miss Green organised the trip to celebrate the success of ex-George Abbot Student Micheal Colbourne, who, following his A-levels at George Abbot, went on to study at the prestigious Guildford School of Acting. He was cast in the principle role of Enjolaras in Les Misérables before he had even completed his final year at GSA. Since taking on this role Micheal has continued to offer support and inspiration to A Level Theatre Arts Students at George Abbot, by offering workshops in which he has explained to students the benefits and realities of being a professional actor.

Micheal is not the only ex George Abbot student in a principle role in Les Misérables, Tom Edden, who plays Thénardier, was also treading the boards, and also did an incredible job. Following his A Levels and Drama training Tom has carved a path for himself as an incredibly successful actor, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in the performance of One Man 2 Guvnors and is featuring in the new Mike Leigh film ‘Mr Turner’.

It was a pleasure for both staff and students to chat with the actors following the performance, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic trip.

Quotes from Students:‘I had never seen Les Mis

before but it was the most entertaining and moving musical I’ had ever seen, I now have all the songs on my phone.’ – George White 11P

‘After being in Oliver with Michael at school, to see him on stage in the West End was fantastic, he was such an inspiration.’ – Sean Sewell 11P

“It was a phenomenal experience, seeing Tom and Michael was especially inspirational.” –Ellie Firmo 11G

Les Misérables

Drama Department News

Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 November saw four thrilling nights of original Year 13 devised drama performances taking place in Elmslie Studio and Elmslie Hall.

Year 13 students had been devising the original pieces since September for the Unit 3 component of their level in Theatre Arts, based on the stimulus of theatre practitioner Artaud. The commitment Year 13 A Level students showed to the rehearsal process was outstanding and showcased a range of complex acting techniques culminating in gripping, terrifying and brilliant performances.

There were two different performances each night. Support was fantastic with huge audiences of between 20 and 30 students attending each of the 8 performances. Year 13 were delighted that their performances were so well attended and thankful at the amount of positive feedback that they received.

Drama Department News

On Wednesday 3 December, 49 Upper School drama Students went to the Gielgud Theatre in

London’s West End to see ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’. This play has won seven Olivier Awards including ‘Best New Play’, and brings Mark Haddon’s best selling novel to life on stage. It was adapted by two time Olivier Award winning playwright Simon Stephens and directed by Olivier and Tony Award winning director Marianne Elliott.

The play was absolutely fantastic, and Year 12 ,who are writing about this play for part of Unit 1 of their A Level in Theatre Arts, were especially enthused at the amount of innovative sound, lighting and staging techniques for them to critique, not to mention the excellent acting.

A brilliant time was had by all who attended.

Miss Green

‘I really enjoyed Curious; the staging was incredible and the acting was phenomenal while the story was both emotional and interesting.’- Ashston Clarke 13JZH

Year 13 Final Performances

‘Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time’ Drama Trip

‘I felt fully immersed from start to finish. It gave an amazing insight into the difficulties people with autism face on a daily basis, the acting was outstanding.’- Steph Patterson 13JZH

English News

On Friday 5 December, 90 Year 11 students and

six teachers travelled to London on a very festive coach to the Dominion Theatre to watch Poetry Live!, An event that features several fantastic poets such as John Agard and Simon Armitage reading their own poems from the GCSE course. When we arrived, there was a mix of anticipation and excitement in the air… and that was just from the teachers! We all rapidly took our seats, ready for a day of poetry.

First up was Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate, alongside Gillian Clarke, a poet not featured in our GCSE cluster. Duffy’s reading of Medusa was exactly as everyone expected, and really helped us all understand the thoughts and feelings behind the poem- even though Duffy’s public speaking wasn’t as inspiring as some of us hoped! Gillian Clarke read some beautiful poems, and it was great to be able to just enjoy poetry as it’s intended, without needing to analyse every word.

One of the most enjoyable poets to watch was Simon Armitage, who at times seemed unsure whether he was at a poetry reading or

a comedy roadshow. His session was a welcome mood change from the serious tones of the previous two poets, and ensured that we were all enjoying ourselves. Armitage gave us some really insightful context information on his poem The Clown Punk, where we learned that he himself was associated with the punk movement- you’d never guess if you saw him now! The tone changed for his reading of Out of the Blue, a poem about the 9/11 terrorist attacks which seemed to strike a chord with many of the audience, proving that poetry can provoke all sorts of emotions when performed well.

Perhaps the most helpful part of Poetry Live! was the examiner’s session, where one of the principle AQA examiners, Tony Childs, talked us through the unseen poem, and how to approach it. We were reminded of a variety of techniques, and told of the importance of planning our essays before beginning. The chance to hear from an official examiner on how to approach an exam is rare, and so everyone was pleased to pick up these tips.

After a much-needed lunch break, in which we all consumed our own body

Poetry Live!

weight in sweets, many other poets came and went. For example, Grace Nichols inspired us all with a bit of audience participation to her rap-like poem, where we all livened up whilst singing “pu, pi-do!” at the top of our voices! Imtiaz Dharker was also memorable, due to her thought-provoking poem The Right Word, which showed how people are defined by how we see them.

The final poet of the day was the one we had all been waiting for- John Agard. He had the audience in stitches from the start with his suggestive poem Elixir and Shelixir, and this continued in what I thought was the best poem of the day- a reading of his Alternative Anthem, which took a comic approach to the Brits love for the kettle! John Agard by far outshone every other poet when it came to performance, and engaged every single person in the theatre, both young and not-quite-so-young.

All in all, Poetry Live! was a really enjoyable day out, and a great opportunity to hear poetry as it should be- performed with excitement and flair (in most cases, anyway!)

By Daniel Looseley

Operation Christmas ChildGeorge Abbot School invited

Gordon Foat, Engineer from Green Motor Sports Ltd. Woking, and Wave Competition winner 2014 to the school to demonstrate his innovative electric car that may be the future of motor transport in addition to helping to safeguard the environment.

Powered by renewable energy, both solar and wind, Gordon’s electric car can do 2,000km on one four hour charge. The car has a top speed of 50mph.

Engineering is a natural platform for the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). For students to see such an inspirational figure in Gordon this may inspire creativity and mobilisation of these students into a passionate career in Engineering.

“Research shows that students learn through experiences; Gordon giving up his time to inspire our students about developments in renewable and electrical engineering is of great benefit to the students. Also, to our future by promoting a more sustainable way of transportation that is steering us away from fossil fuelled based vehicles. Gordon demonstrates that an engineering approach

to identifying and solving problems is a valuable life skill, showing that it is hugely important to be creative, show initiative and be flexible with their ideas.” Mrs J Sellers. Head of PSE.

“The talk today helps meet the curriculum in various ways; we look a lot at renewable energy sources and the environmental impact on the production of products today. Students study the social and moral implications associated with the design and manufacture of products.”

Total boxes 137 Year 8 winners were 1st Falcon 42 2nd Gryphon 21 3rd Wyvern 20 4th Martlet 18 5th Phoenix 16 Another wonderful year

for the students to help raise awareness for children that are less fortunate than themselves and to focus on the act of giving.

Thank you to all the staff that also donated this year and the sixth form team.

PSE NewsCareers

Engineering Day 2014

Mr A Colebrook - Head of Resistant Materials.

Gordon Foat combined his two passions in life: motor cars and safe-guarding the environment. Some of you may be thinking that these two passions are contradictory?

“Not at all! A love of motor cars runs in my veins. My father was a car restoration expert but I wanted a cleaner, greener way ahead for automobiles.” Gordon Director of Green Motor Sports Ltd.

Operation Christmas Child Year 8 Enterprise initiative ran during PSE lessons in the Autumn term. The students were able to generate the gifts and the funding to produce 137 boxes.

Design & Technology Department

This term I took eleven students to the 2014 First Lego League competition at Gatwick Airport.

During the day the students were tested and assessed in four different areas:

* Robot Competition * Robot Design * Core Values * Project PresentationFor the Robot Competition section

the students had to create and program a robot that would be able to complete a series of challenges, for points, within a set time limit. (There were many weeks of preparation time prior to the event.) They were given three attempts at the challenges, with their highest score from the three runs being taken as their overall score. Their highest score on the day was 30 points, but this was not down to a lack of preparation or effort, as they had worked so hard prior to the event - it just didn't happen on the day.

The Robot Design section saw the boys being quizzed on the design of their robot, the process they took to reach the design and how they programmed the robot. The boys all were able to confidently talk about the different aspects and gave a good account of themselves.

The Core Values section saw the boys tested on their team work and communication skills. They were set a challenge of designing a bridge structure that would cover a 30cm gap, within 15 minutes using only A4 paper and sticky tape. This proved to be their weakness on the day, as they struggled to organise themselves to come to a suitable solution as there were lots of ideas and little control taken, but it is an area for improvement for next year.

In the final section the boys gave a presentation on a topic about something they would like to learn, have learnt or a life skill that they could make easier to learn using technology.

The boys chose to look at Near-Field Communication, found in contactless payments methods, and how it could be used to support and help new students to find their way around school in the early weeks, as this was something that they had found difficult. They presented very well and gave a good account of themselves and were able to answer questions posed to them very clearly.

Overall the boys enjoyed taking part in the activities and gained a lot from the day, gaining a medal each for taking part. They were a credit to the school and represented us and themselves very well. Mr J Hunter

The student involved were: Perry Lewis Year 7 James Pierpoint Year 7 Tate Hawkins Year 7 Ben Radford Year 7 Thomas Cann Year 7 Thomas Simmonds Year 7 Alfie Gilbert Year 9 Matthew Lake Year 8 David Rooke Year 7 Daniel Queiros Year 12

These sessions not only allowed the students to be creative but also to develop their culinary techniques and begin to use skills required for the next academic year.

Donnas White said "Its great fun. You learn new skills and make friends. It gives you the opportunity to use your cooking skills."

Tilly Mason said " I enjoyed making the Ginger Bread House it was great fun, I am proud of my end design. Mrs Hancock was friendly and made it enjoyable."

Mrs Hancock said "I thoroughly enjoyed working with the students to make their Ginger Bread House a success. I was wowed by their imagination and creative skills. We had fun and it was lovely to spend time with the students in a relaxed and fun environment".

GinGer Bread House Con’t from paGe one

…and so it was that the penultimate week of term saw The Gallery close its doors to the regular crowd of readers and homeworkers and become a haven for all things “crafty”.For two lunchtimes, KS3 students were invited to get in the

festive mood and create cards; reindeer; gift tags and place settings. Glitter was glittering; scissors were snipping; googly eyes were… googling(!) There was some serious talent in the room as they all created their own unique crafts.Whether it was the lure of the lollipops or the fact that it was

“cold outside” it was so nice to see three year groups coming together and chatting socially while getting creative.

Library News & Careers

Here at George Abbot, we are proud of the quality of the careers provision that our students receive and I am happy to announce that at the recent Governor’s meeting on 10 December they renewed their commitment to the Investors in Careers Award which we have held for the last six years. This means that the school will be working towards being re-accredited next summer.

The Investors in Careers Award (IiC) is a quality award

B r e a k i n g N e w sInvestors in Careers Award

of excellence, meaning that the careers provision the school is providing for the students is outstanding. In a time where the media is portraying Careers Education and Guidance in

schools as ‘not fit for purpose’ we can hold our hands up and say, “Not so at George Abbot”.

By gaining re-accreditation George Abbot School is declaring its commitment to the importance of careers guidance. It reassures all that the School is truly equipping our young people with the skills and knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their future.

Mrs H Rose - Information Centres Manager

PTA News

The term began with two events for new Year 7 parents – a coffee morning on the first day of term to try to calm the nerves while the youngsters braved ‘big school’ for the first time and a Year 7 social evening for parents a week or two later to meet the Year 7 team and be reassured that most of the students have settled in with no issues at all.

Our big event of the term is our annual Christmas and Craft Fair which was held on the last Sunday of November. We had a stunning array of stalls, a new focus on activities for and run by children, our friendly café and our fantastic raffle which raised thousands of pounds for the school. The fair was very well supported by parents and the local community and raised in the region of £6000 for our children. Thank you if you supported the fair in any way including wonderful donations that contributed to two fabulous tombolas this year.

It’s been another great term for the PTA at George Abbot School.

We’ve had a lot of laughs whilst fundraising and during our meetings but we would always welcome new people on board. It’s been exciting seeing the astropitch come to fruition and after Christmas we’ll be announcing our next big project. We are so lucky that our children have such a fantastic school as George Abbot to attend and we can all do our bit to support the teachers and make the education of our children even better. If everyone who could joined Easyfundraising and the Sainsbury scheme it would make our fundraising so much easier and quicker. Best wishes for the festive season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all on the PTA.’

David Clarke (Chair) and Julie Dickson (Vice Chair) PTA

Christmas and Craft Fair

Autumn Term PTA Round-Up

Message from the Chair and Vice Chair of the PTA

We made the final payment to the school of £100 000 for the astropitch at the Christmas and Craft Fair. Mrs Cooper was delighted and commented what an impact it has made on the students. ‘We are very grateful for the hard work of the PTA in raising such a phenomenal sum and the students are already benefiting from a great new sports facility.’ It has been our major fundraising effort over the last few years and been our pleasure to contribute something really tangible and positive to all students in the school. Also it is something that sets George Abbot apart from other schools in the area. We’ve given ourselves a term off before we announce the launch of our next big project. Watch this space – again it will be something that should improve the education of all students during their time in George Abbot School.

Quiz NightA quiz night was held in

October with the PTA back running the show after letting the senior leadership team have a go last term. Funds raised from this event went to buy ipads for the PE department to record and improve sports coaching. It was the usual popular, well attended evening which is one of our reliable fundraisers. It’s rumoured that a small quantity of alcohol may have been consumed at this event! There was also a suggestion that a new microphone be purchased for the PTA but that issue has now been resolved – many thanks to those who stepped in to save the quiz master’s voice!

Easyfundraising.co.uk - for those who can’t get into school to help raise funds.

You can raise money for George Abbot School from the comfort of your own sofa and on your laptop by shopping online – and it won’t cost you a penny. Register with easyfundraising and a pop-up will appear when you are browsing. Please visit our page to find out more: http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/georgeabbotschool

Here’s how easy it is to do:Just visit a retailer (like John Lewis or Amazon) via

the easyfundraising website and any purchases you make will raise a free donation for us. It’s that simple! Even if you just register and never use it the school will still get £1. This could be a massive fundraiser for the school if every family registered who could. Why not make it one of your New Year’s Resolutions?

Astropitch – and our next big project

PTA News

Year 7 Girls BasketballFrom only a couple weeks of starting

basketball ... SOME for the first time… these girls have had an AMAZING start!!

First basketball tournament: 2nd place- lost by 4 points.

Second basketball tournament: 2nd place – in the final against the same team – lost by 2 points.

Year 10 Girls BasketballWe still have a squad of 14 girls who

practice on a Wednesday. This team has been entered in the Surrey elite league but as yet haven’t played a game as they are all set for after Xmas.

Meanwhile they have beaten Woking High convincingly 43-13 and came 2nd in the Woking District Year 11 Tournament.

Lauren France and Grace Howells attend Guildford Goldhawks outside school and continue to lead the team in scoring. Lauren has been a fantastic captain throughout the year so far. Thank you. JLL

Year 8 Basketball MatchOn Wednesday 29 November a

tense basketball match took place between George Abbot and Howard of Effingham. The Year 8 girls fought hard until the end with many ups and downs throughout the game.

The match began and the first basket was gained for George Abbot by Holly. Howard soon caught up and scored another two baskets. The game went on with many baskets from each of the two teams.

It was 14-14 with very few minutes left. The pressure was building. Just in time, Lucie scored a basket for George Abbot making it 16-14. The final whistle blew and George Abbot had won!

Many thanks to Lucie, Holly, Rachel, Cassie, Jas, Katy, Millie, Georgina, Julia and Maisie. You did GREAT!! Hopefully the rest of the season will be as triumphant as this match!

Match Report by Holly Looseley 8F

Year 8 Girls BasketballGuildford FinalsOn Tuesday 9 December, the Year

8 girls basketball team played in the Guildford finals tournament, against three other schools. In our first match we won 12-0 to St Peters, the second match we beat County 10-4. The last match against Howard of Effingham was very tough and close but we managed to win 4-2, with excellent effort from the whole team. Well done to Jas Kazem, Rachel, Aoife, Julia, Holly, Lucy, Katie, Naomi, Lizzie, Cassie, Ella and Talia who made up the squad. The main scorers were: Holly, Cassie, Rachel, Julia and Aoife. Well done everybody!

Because we won all our matches, we won overall and received gold medals!

Woking FinalsOn Thursday 11 December we

were back for another tournament against four different schools. We beat Ashcombe High, Bishop David Brown and Woking High, but unfortunately St John the Baptist beat us in our last match and so we came 2nd this time. We have another two tournaments to play before the end of the season so we are hoping to continue to play well and qualify for the Surrey finals!!

By Aoife Russell Moore

Year 8 Girls BasketballThe Year 8 girls have been working

very hard in practice at the start of this basketball season. Practice has been very well attended and all have an excellent team spirit.

George Abbot have beaten Howard of Effingham in a very close game and I will let you enjoy the match report by Holly Loosely Year 8.

Well done to all!!!F Jordan

Basketball

PE Department News

Year 7 Basketball Team

Year 8 Basketball Team

In the picture: Ruvindi, Laura, Ava, Mila, Emma and Charlotte, Jemma, Bethany and Maise Abel.

(Some of the stars are not in this picture but still should be proud of their contribution)

Basketball match 9 December against Year 8 Broadwater School:

A + B team. At the beginning of the match the girls

were petrified that they were playing against Year 8s. Stating that they were ‘bigger’ and ‘older’ and ‘better’ BUT despite them all having doubts and trembling when watching them warm up they all played fantastically. Balls flying here there and everywhere, but they played well as teams, kept in high spirits, encouraged each other and WON!!

As result WON – 26- 6. Bs results WON – 16-14 After the last quarter the girls were

thrilled! Jumping with joy.

Year 7The first year of 9v9 football has

been a great success. Massive thanks to the FA and PTA for funding brand new football goals and the fantastic groundsmen for marking out a brilliant pitch on the school site.

With great facilities comes great performances and the Year 7’s didn’t let us down, winning 4-3 against Howard in the first league fixture. However, we suffered a slight blip in the last two matches losing 4-1 (league) and 7-1 (county cup). We will be looking to find that early form again when we return from Christmas. Mr Clayman predicts a second place finish in the league.

Stand out performances from: Jamie Higgins, Zac Chislet and Harvey Kirk

Football

U19 Girls BasketballDespite a very sporadic attendance at practice we have managed to field a strong

team, even without the return of England international Millie Stevens who has not been able to play in all of the matches.

At present this team remains unbeaten with huge wins against Fullbrook, County andSt John the Baptist.

Tamsin Barnes and Becky Doran have led the team in scoring and have captained the team with aplomb.

I would like to take this opportunity to also thank these two for devoting a lot of their time to coaching the Year 9 team both in practices every week and in their games. Mrs Lawrence

Under 19 Basketball Team

PE Department News

The George Abbot Ladies Team continue to train every Thursday with the Sixth Formers. This training is obviously paying off, as they recently played a six match round-robin against Cranleigh Crackers and won every game convincingly. The ladies played in their new Gabbot Girls netball kit.

Well done to: Jo MCauliffe, Siobhan Mitchell, Kat

Kearey, Amanda Rozelle, Alex Roberts, Sarah Cole, Rebecca Ellis, Karen Masson, Mandy Ashby, Belinda Barrett, and Angela Barker Lewis.

Please ignore the rogue Cranleigh player (in pink) in the background!

Well done ladies. Coach Miller

George Abbot Ladies Netball Team

Netball

Year 8Last years District Winners

started their season with a shock 7-1 defeat to Howard in the league and were also knocked out early from the County Cup competition by Coombe Boys School. However, they showed great spirit and bounced back with a 6-1 win over Christs. Mr Slinn predicts a second place finish in the league.

Stand out performances from: Jordan Cavender, Dan Edwards and Kieran Harding

Year 9The Year 9 boys have had a

fantastic season so far. 4 points in the league followed by knocking out last years county cup winners (Hampton private school) in the first round and Rutlish in the second. The boys are sitting pretty at the top of the league and are through to the quarter finals of the county cup. Mr Clayman predicts the double if the boys continue to play with the same attitude and grit.

Stand out performances from: Oli Swift, George Rosson and Tom Griffin

Year 10Year 10 boys started the

year losing 2-0 to Howard but bounced back with a thrilling 5-1 win over Christs. The boys also had a buy into the next round of the county cup and faced tough opponents in Tomlinscote. A game that could of gone either way finished 2-0 and the year 10’s out of the cup. Mr Barry predicts a second place finish in the league.

Stand out performances from: Archie Mansfield, Jake Homersham and Henry Reeves Turner

Football Football Football

Year 8 Rugby The Year 8 team have got off to a flying

start this year winning all three of their fixtures this term. All their victories have been emphatic and they have shown high levels of skill and teamwork in all of their games.

They started the season with a 48-10 victory over St. Peters School with Harry Williams scoring a hat-trick and captain George Stuttard adding two tries of his own.

The team continued its success with another victory over Guildford County winning a hard fought match by 29-0. Tries were scored by Dan LeCoutre, Theo Elliot, Adam Cuin, Harry Williams and George Stuttard with scrum half Ben Tinker picking up the man of the match award for his outstanding display.

The teams third success in a row came against St. John The Baptist School with a 38-10 victory. Both Harry Williams and Dan LeCoutre scored hat-tricks and captain George Stuttard led by example with a superb man of the match performance. We look forward to the team’s success continuing into 2015!

Year 9 RugbyThe Year 9 team have enjoyed similar

success with two hard fought victories and unfortunately one match that had to be cancelled due to bad weather.

They began their season with a stylish 44-5 victory over Rodborough school. Wing Henry Miguda scored a hat-trick with captain Jack Hatton, Callum Barratt, Michael Schuster and Jake Vaughan also crossing for tries.

The teams second victory was a superb win against a strong St Peters team. The game was in the balance right up to the last minute with the team showing superb defence to win 17-16. Tom Griffin and Henry Miguda both crossed for tries but it was Chris Sears who received the man of the match award for his outstanding display. Following the recent tragic death of Chris this is something that the whole team will look back on with fond memories. Chris will be very much missed by the team.

Netball RugbyU19 Girls NetballThis team practice on a Tuesday after

school with the staff under the auspices of Mrs Miller.

They came 5th in the Woking and District Tournament, lost to Woking College and won against St Peters in a friendly. Unfortunately we have had three matches postponed but hope to catch up after Xmas.

Thanks go to Adar for being an excellent captain.

Year 9 Girls Netball So far this Year the Year 9A Girls

Netball team have had a successful season and have remained unbeaten! The team consists of: Amy (Captain), Hannah, Jess, Mia, Tandia, Kaitlin, Alice and Orsalene. We have played a number of matches against schools such as St Peters playing a few of their year groups including the sixth form who we beat and their Year 9 team who we beat 37-2. As well as these matches we also competed in the schools District Tournament. We achieved a fantastic result as we won all our matches and then went on to win the final against Howard. This means we have qualified for the Surrey Schools Tournament which we will be playing in later on in the year and are hoping for another great result. We would like to say a big thank you to Miss Jordan for coaching us this year and putting on these events. Tandia Pritchard 9G

Year 9 NetballBoth the Year 9 A and B team have had

an excellent start to the year consistently winning their matches and coming along to netball training.

The Year 9 A team have finished this term being district champions after a hard tournament at Broadwater school.

All the girls played exceptionally well and supported each other, despite injury and illness, to go on to win all their games in the evening and the overall title.

This means that they have now qualified for the County finals for the third year in a row at Salesians in March!

Well done to all!

Miss F Jordan

LacrosseCoaches were invited into school

to teach lessons of lacrosse and now this has developed to sessions after school with students being extremely enthusiastic over this new sport. A new club has now opened up after school for all KS3 Students.

Boys HockeyU14 – Running since October half

term this club has had a very high turnout across KS3 culminating in two victories against local school rivals. One of the victories included playing against some U16 players.

Players involved were: Jordan Cavender Ben TinkerAdam CuinTheo ElliotEllis CallaghanLouie WattsDrew BatemanFergus O’ Keefe Alex Hicks

Mr S Slinn/Mr S Barry

The Junior hockey team progressed well in the autumn term. They played two games against St Peters, narrowly lost the first game, but beat them in the return fixture at George Abbot. Well done to Jess, Emily, Holly, Gill, Millie, Lucie, Rachel, Anna, Hannah, Sasha, Isabella and Masie.

Miss Coles and Mrs Peddar

HockeyPE Department News

Years 7 to 9 students all took part in the House Cross Country event with fantastic levels of participation and good times across all years from both boys and girls. The Year 7 boys and girls races were won by Wyvern, the Year 8 boys by Phoenix and the girls by Falcon, the Year 9 boys by Martlet and the girls by Phoenix.

Some students then went on to represent the School in the District Championships at Charterhouse with the following students running so well that they were selected to run in the County Championships.

Congratulations to the following:Aoife Russell MooreLucie BishopAmy MorphyAlicia Breen Aimee EarlhornRebecca StevensLeanne LafreniereAnna KlaptoczRichard Stenning SDS/SGB

Mrs J Lawrence

X Country

BadmintonTwo teams from George Abbot

took part in the KS4 Badminton Championships at Broadwater. After a tight first couple of games our A team went from strength to strength to compete in the final. The boys brushed aside our opponents and will now represent Guildford at the spectrum centre in the County competition.

Congratulations to the following:

1. Sam Williams 2. James Foulsham 3. Jamie Cuin 4. Henry Jones

Mr S Barry

House Sports News

A fantastic effort to all the girls who participated in the house basketball competition. All students enjoyed the event, each showing excellent sportsmanship and loud voices to cheer on their team! Results:

HOUSE: HOUSE: HOUSE:PHOENIX 1st FALCON 1st GRYPHONWYVERN 2nd WYVERN 2nd PHOENIXMARTLET 3rd PHOENIX 3rd MARTLETFALCON 4th MARTLET 4th FALCONGRYPHON 5th GRYPHON 5th WYVERN

Girls House Sports at George Abbot ~ December 2014

Martlet do the treble...Martlet Year 7, 8 and 9 students were all victorious in the recent boys House Football Competition. All students enjoyed the event that witnessed shock penalty decisions and last gasp winners. Great attitude and behaviour shown by all the students. Results:

HOUSE: HOUSE: HOUSE:MARTLET 1st MARTLET 1st MARTLETGRYPHON 2nd WYVERN 2nd PHOENIXPHOENIX 3rd PHOENIX 3rd WYVERNFALCON 4th FALCON 4th FALCONWYVERN 5th GRYPHON 5th GRYPHON

Boys House Sports at George Abbot ~ December 2014

As part of the events being held at George Abbot School to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, staff (of all abilities and none!) are due to play a football match on the penultimate day of term (Thursday 18 December) to mark the 1914 Christmas truce.The event will be held in the

Sports Hall at lunchtime. The event is free for students to come along and cheer and there will be an opportunity to make a donation in aid of the Royal British Legion. Watch out for a report of the match in the next edition of this

newsletter! Mr Pearce ~ Head of History