Access Parent Bulletins from Lent Term 2022 below.
As the Lent term draws to a close and Mr Boyes prepares for his journey to the Ukrainian boarder, the school’s thoughts are with all those who are suffering due to the conflict in Ukraine. Sunflowers for hope are displayed in the Chapel, with each one representing a prayer or thought from a student or staff member.
Highlights from the week include a visit from former pupil DI Lyon, who came back to speak with the Lower 6 on her career in the Metropolitan Police Service and the Middle School Production of ‘Top Table’.
Ms Purves recalls her busy day shadowing one of our pupils who uses our London transport service, her visit to Aldershot to cheer on our teams at the National Schools Lacrosse Championship and the wonderful evening of music at the Choral and Orchestral concert.
Aspiring healthcare professionals in Sixth Form gathered in the QAS Forum for the Reframe Pain Conference along with visiting students from local schools. Hosted in partnership with The Department of Pain Medicine at the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) and public health campaign Flippin’ Pain, the programme delved into the complexities of pain medicine and the latest research. Deputy Head Mayor of Reading, Ayo Sokale attended the conference to present awards to the students for a pre-conference competition.
As Spring approaches and students prepare for the National Schools Lacrosse Championship there was a buzz around school. The whole school descended onto the field for the whole school photograph, the first to include Ms Purves. There were wins in netball, tennis and trampolining for QAS students and our staff and students could be spotted on Tom Daley’s ‘Hell of Homecoming’.
The first trip abroad since the pandemic was very exciting, with students travelling to Paris for the weekend, where they soaked up the beautiful sights and practiced their French! And the Geography Society welcomed students from Eton College for an evening of fascinating lectures and a dinner.
This week the 4s have been focused on their internal examinations, the winner of the English departments short story competition was announced on World Book Day by children’s author Tim bowler and the Upper 4s went on a trip to Bletchley Park. Mrs Odell organised lots of activities and speakers for National Careers Week, inspiring our students to think about their career aspirations and ‘The QA Trio’ won in their age category at the Woodley Festival of Music and Arts over the weekend.
After a windy start to the half term break, Ms Purves was happy to safely welcome staff and students back to school, ready for the second half of the Lent term. Ms Purves discusses the busy final week before the break including ‘Cultural Week’ led by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Society and the even busier first week back with the brilliantly high energy performances of ‘Legally Blonde’, the Lower 6 student-led production, the excitement of World Book Day and more.
A concert, some gardening and a school walk was enjoyed this week by the school community as we recognised Children’s Mental Health Week, there we’re some some well fought losses as well as some sweet victories in lacrosse matches against St. Helen & St. Katherine and our art scholars visited the Van Gogh immersive experience. There was great excitement when Olympian, Tom Daley passed by the school gates during his Comic Relief challenge, our students and staff cheered loudly as he waved in appreciation of our support. The week ended with parents attending ‘Breakfast with the Head’, giving them a chance to meet with other parents and speak with staff and Ms Purves.
Raising and Giving week saw lots of fun activities for the student community, hosted by the Sixth Form. Mr Richards presented a lecture on the music of composer CPE Bach, Upper 6 heard about the careers available in Thames Valley Police and we had busy evening which involved Mr Jackson’s book launch and the Music Scholars’ Concert. And finally, it was with great excitement that the Scarlet Ball theme was announced!
It was another busy week of sport for QAS students, with victories in netball and trampolining. Parents and guardians enjoyed an evening of drama performances, hosted by the Lower 4 and Ms Purves experienced a QAS bake sale, organised by the cast of our next drama production, Legally Blonde. The staff and students enjoyed a brilliant assembly to mark the Chinese New Year, which involved dance and music pieces, performed by the students and ended in everyone being showered in gold chocolate coins.
This week, Ms Purves continues to settle into life at QAS, discovering the co-curricular activities keeping the girls busy at lunchtime! Read about trips to London, Caversham and the upcoming St Ives trip for our L6 and U6 art students. A powerful assembly to mark Holocaust Memorial Day sparked important conversations and we had some brilliant sports results. You can also access Upper 6 student, Yudi’s academic peer reviewed paper.
Ms Purves met with our Academic, Music, Art and Sports Scholars, the Sixth Form had lectures from Reading Refugee Dupport Group and formal pupil, Hazelle. Students heard the results of last term’s inter-charter competition, along with forthcoming events during a whole school assembly. Ms Purves and QAS parents showed their support during the Inter-Schools Lacrosse Tournament at Downe House and some of our talented musicians wowed the audience at the Wallingford Winter Recital.
The Lent Term started with some great music news with students completing exams not usually taken until university! Ms Purves didn’t hesitate in getting to know staff and students and was grateful for their help in ensuring she was always heading in the right direction. Read about the exciting visit of Toby Marlow, co-writer of Six the Musical and the Upper 4’s world of work day.
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