hall meadia winter 2012

HallmeadiaWINTER 2012

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A56147 Hall Mead Mag winter 2012_P5.indd 1 14/12/2012 11:29

GCSE RESULTS SUMMER 2012This summer was a difficult season for students receiving their GCSE results as there was a national outcry in response to changes in the marking of GCSE English mid-way through the academic year. At the time of going to press, the matter is about to be discussed at judicial review but despite this turmoil, Hall Mead students once again did themselves and the Academy proud with their examination performance. The Academy has pushed hard over recent years to increase the proportion of top grades that our students achieve and this has now risen from 17% in 2010 to 27% in 2012! This means that over a quarter of all results were at the top grades which was a new record for Hall Mead School and a testament to the focus and determination of the students and staff as well as the support of our parents. For only the second year running, we made the Times list of highest performing state schools at A*/A at GCSE. Some of this year’s highest achievers are pictured.

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Welcome to the Winter Edition of Hallmeadia. We take the opportunity this time to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Year 10 pupil Amy Marren in this summer’s Paralympic Games and to reflect on the vast range of spiritual, moral, social and

cultural opportunities we provide for our pupils here at Hall Mead.

I would also like to record our thanks and best wishes to Mrs Mansfield in the Planning Office who is retiring from Hall Mead after over 10 years of service and whose role has includedthe compiling and editing of Hallmeadia. She has been creative, meticulous and relentless in her pursuit of perfection and we will miss her greatly. We wish her well for her retirement. Simon London

Headteacher

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2011/2012 Head Boy Cameron Gilmore and Head Girl Esther Coppeard bade farewell to Hall Mead School after a year’s outstanding service to the Academy. Both acquitted themselves magnificently in the role, acting as true ambassadors, constantly coming up with ideas for improvement and never failing to step in when help was needed. They are pictured here with Mr John McKernan, Chair of Governors after they attended the summer Governing Body meeting to receive a vote of thanks and give their feedback on their year in the roles. We wish them every success for the future.


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Modelled on the highly successful Surrey presentation each ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ live show is based around a video reconstruction of a road traffic collision. This video is interspersed with on stage, real life stories by serving members of the emergency services. Also, and perhaps most poignantly, stories are told by the parent of a young person who lost their life in a road traffic collision and also from a person disabled by his own recklessness. Another man came onto the stage told us a story about a girl who was tragically involved in a road accident. She was on her way to her dance class when a car collided with her and she was killed almost instantly.

When he showed us this girl he shocked everyone by stating that he was her father. Gasps could be heard all over the room, and even I went wide eyed by this news. I spoke to my friends after the programme and many people told me that “it was truly inspirational. It opened my eyes to the dangers of the roads and why we shouldn’t be so reckless.” Now when we do know how to drive we love the freedom, we feel like we must show off to our friends and so on. But ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ made young people realise the true horrors that we must avoid when we drive. This programme was truly excellent and I hope that it continues on for many years to come.

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“SAFE DRIVE STAY ALIVE”Safe Drive, Stay Alive is an annual presentation performed all over the country to try to Inform teenagers about the consequences of driving carelessly on the roads. It is run by Havering Council in partnership with the Police, London Ambulance Service, Fire Brigade and local health trust as they can explain first-hand the effect of reckless driving and is held at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch. Our Yr 11 attended on the 16th November. Time FM’s Mark Dover introduced each session very energetically and positively, until a montage of recorded teenager crashes appear on the screen. The atmosphere in the theatre turned sombre as he then went on to talk about his little brother who was in a car crash and was put into a coma. Luckily, he survived. Next, people from the Police, Fire Brigade and the Health Trust come onto the stage one by one. In between speeches there was a short film which was projected onto the screen about a group of teenagers who are celebrating a friend’s success as she has been picked to star in a film as a dancer. However, as they get into the car to drive to a night club it highlights all the wrong things about the situation. All of them are intoxicated, the driver is using his mobile and turning around as the boy in the back hasn’t got his seatbelt on. They crash and they all survive except the boy not wearing his seat belt and his neck breaks almost instantly on impact. The girl who was meant to be in the film never danced again. The main part of the afternoon was when a man called Nick Bennett who is 28 years old wheeled on very slowly to the stage. The room fell silent as we all watched. When he started to speak, it was very clear that he had suffered from heavy brain damage as he struggled to say his name. He went on to tell us about the crash he had been in when he was only 18 years old. He had a serious collision one day when he was on his way to work one morning. Nick has been in a wheelchair since 2002. Recently he had to have his leg amputated which was the only thing they could do. One thing that sat in my mind was when he said “it is better to be 10 minutes late than not being there at all.” He used to be an active sportsman who used to enjoy snowboarding with lots of friends but after his crash “you think your friends will come to see you, well mine didn’t”. This hit hard on the young audience. Safe Drive, Stay Alive targets teenagers in Havering before they get behind the wheel. It warns them of the consequences of speeding, drink or drug driving, using a mobile phone while driving and not wearing a seatbelt. Here are some opinions of some of the staff and pupils of Hallmead: Jamie said, “I thought it was good. The thing that alarmed me was Nick. It taught me a lot about the dangers of not wearing a seat belt.” Another Year 11 student said, “I thought it was moving. It gave a positive message about being safe on the roads. I thought the climax of the presentation was Nick Bennett and his shocking story.” Daniel said, “I thought the stories were hard hitting.” Mr Burke said, “It was very hard hitting and it made me think back to when I was driving and that I used to take stupid risks in unsafe conditions. I wish I had that presentation when I was their age.”

Jack Knights


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“I didn’t know what to expect for this lesson, but the lesson was great! There was so much to learn about, especially how to be a great poet. I learnt everyone can write a poem when they put their mind to it.”

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“I thought the workshop was very good,

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“I thought it was a good experience because we got to listen to other poems from around the world. I give the workshop 5 out of 5”

Joe Pittaway

We move like waterWe go with the flowDown the river ThamesWe started to rowThe wind hits usWe go on a lowSend for a tugboatWe started to rowWe saw a little fishWe gave him a towThe fish bit our baitAnd started to rowWe move like waterWe go with the flow

Tom Mills, Harry Miller, Sonny Smith


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Black History Month is held every October in Britain and in February in the USA and Canada. It dates back to 1926 and aims to: promote knowledge of Black History, culture and heritage; disseminate information on positive Black contributions to British Society; and heighten the confidence and awareness of Black people to their cultural heritage. Hall Mead has taken part in this in recent years. This year a range of activities took place. Assemblies were held for all year groups looking at the story of Elizabeth Eckford, one of the first Black Americans to challenge the segregation laws in 1950s America. The Assembly focused on the ideas of strength and how we can interpret this in many ways. The Assembly also introduced a quiz that was run that challenged pupils to identify a number of famous people who have stood out in history. Congratulations go to Thomas Lammin 7WB who won the £30 gift voucher prize after a draw of the correct answers. The Drama department also ran a workshop at lunch times to share the Anansi tales of West Africa and the Caribbean. Open to all, pupils were encouraged to improvise as narrators read out the stories to a willing audience. Finally, we were lucky enough to be able to invite Jeffrey Porter into the school. Jeffrey is a Jamaican born visual artist, poet and dub poet who is a member of the Essex Cultural Diversity Project. Jeffrey came into school and shared some of his poetry in assembly before holding workshops throughout the day that explored poetry in more detail and encouraged pupils to write their own either in traditional form or through the beats and rhythm of the drum.

Mr J Hales Director of Every Child Matters

PRAYER SPACE By Alex McCree & Lydia Bibby 9CDKOn the 20th of September 2012, Year 9 got to enjoy a prayer space, which is an area of reflection and contemplation. We looked at prayers and what they mean, looking for the deeper meaning of our spiritual sides. The sessions were led by youth leaders from St Luke’s Church. They were really friendly and, although they shared their Christian beliefs about prayer with us, they explained that the activities would help us to reflect on our own beliefs and spirituality. There were a variety of intriguing stations that we moved between. For example, one of the activities asked us to think about God sitting on a chair and asked us to consider what would be the one question you would ask him. The questions varied between “Why did my Grandad die?” to questions like “Why haven’t I met Justin Beiber yet!” There was also a station that encouraged us to think about the nature of forgiveness and the power of saying sorry, by dropping pebbles into water and allowing the forgiveness to ripple out. One station that really stood out was the one looking at self esteem and how we see ourselves. It was thought provoking. In our opinion the prayer lesson was really fun but also helped us to think about what we think is important: this is a very good skill to learn. I think it was also fun for non- believers too because it had spiritual activities too which anybody can like. Overall the prayer lesson was fun and spiritual for us and I am sure it was fun for loads of other people too. We would like to thank the volunteers at St Luke’s Church and hope that they will come back to visit soon.

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Mine?The first time I looked into his eyes

I knew he was the one for meHis light blue eyes staring at me as he looked my way

His light blonde hair swishing side to sideEvery time he looked at me, my heart skipped a beat

He turned and said hello to me, I just smiledI wonder if he likes me too

The first time I looked into his eyes I knew he was the one for me

His light blue eyes staring at her His light blonde hair swaying side to side

Every time I saw him stare at her my heart skipped a beat

I thought to myself ‘will he be mine?’

Two girls are after me What one shall I choose?

They’ve both got nice characteristicsThey’ve both not nice hair

I’ll have to think before I stareWill she be mine ...?

We would like to congratulate Jessica Price in 10DM, whose poem “Mine?” created during creative writing club, was entered into the Young Writers’ Competition. Jessica’s poem has been selected to be published in the Anthology ‘The Poetry Games; Across the Globe’ which will be out in January 2012. Jessica tried to manipulate her poem simplistically to look at the two different perspectives of teenage emotion through the use of repetition and separate points of view. We are looking forward to receiving our free copy, which will be kept in the library, and hope all the students will enjoy reading the collection of poetry written by young talented writers like Jessica. We would also like to wish Jessica ‘good luck’ as her poem continues into the national Young Writers’ competition.

Mrs Sharma

Year 8 Visit to the University of East LondonOn Tuesday 23rd October 22 Year 8s from Hall Mead School visited the University of East London (Docklands Campus) to find out more about university life. We went to ask questions and get information that could help us decide if we wanted to go. We found this trip very interesting as it was enjoyable and made us want to go to university. Most people think it is just like school but it is not. Throughout the day we did a lot of interesting activities including a group quiz, a team building activity involving paper engineering, a tour of the university and an activity around the finances of going to university. We learnt a lot of interesting facts but the most helpful was about how much it costs and the ways that you can pay it back. We found out that you only need to pay it back if you earn over £23,000 and that the monthly payments can be as low as £15. The campus tour was amazing! The University is right by the River Thames and City Airport – we even got to see a plane land! It was a great day overall and we can’t wait to go back again in March. Some of us are already thinking about where we want to go and what we will study!

Bobby Williams, James Willcocks, Caitlin Rosendale and Mason Taylor

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Movember at Hall MeadIt is a great way for staff and students to raise the awareness of Prostate Cancer and Testicular Cancer. We all have brothers, uncles, dads, grandads, and one day will have sons, nephews and grandsons ourselves, and this cancer is the number one that affects men. My thanks to all members of staff who sported a moustache for such a worthy cause. The response from staff and pupils has been beyond all expectations. Year 10 parents already got a glimpse of the hard work and efforts put in by staff at the Year 10 Parents evening. Staff who participated were: Mr Maher, Mr Hughes, Mr Morritt, Mr Dennis,Mr Burke, Mr Lewis, Mr Swan, Mr Lovelock, Mr Allen. A Year 11 student took part this year – and received the most votes (by a mile!!!) from the students and teachers. I would like to thank Louis Aquilina for being such a good sport and getting involved. The Mo, slang for moustache, and November come together each year for Movember. It challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days. The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. The plan was simple – to bring the moustache back as a bit of a joke and do something for men’s health. Inspired by the women around them and all they had done for breast cancer, the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement. In 2004 the campaign evolved and focused on raising awareness and funds for the number one cancer affecting men – prostate cancer. Supporting Testicular Cancer initiatives has been a recent addition to the charity.The funds raised through Movember’s UK campaign benefit the The Prostate Cancer Charity (TPCC) and The Institute of Cancer Research.

For those of you new to Movember, we challenge you to join us in 2013 changing the face of men’s health.

You can donate on the Movember website - http://uk.movember.com/

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Jack Petchey Award WinnersSeptember ~ Joe Cattle ~ Through determination, co-operation and a positive attitude, Joe has overcome real barriers to his learning which he experienced in Years 8 and 9. He has not only fully embraced his GCSE courses but has integrated seamlessly into Hall Mead life. He has done all this with modesty and maturity; achieving full attendance. Well done Joe!

October ~ Danielle Huth ~ Danielle supports the Lennox Children’s Cancer Charity and recently lost a little cousin to a very rare form of the disease. She has been actively trying to raise the awareness of this type of cancer and has been involved in fund raising with her family including a quiz night and family fun day. Despite the difficulties she has faced recently she remains positive, puts on a bright face and is always kind and friendly.

November ~ Eleni Tsappis ~ Eleni was selected to play for Essex Ladies Cricket (both their Under 15 and Under 16 teams) and went on tour with them. She coaches Under 15’s and Under 13’s on Friday evenings after school.

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HALL MEAD PARALYMPIC STARAmy MarrenOn 7th November Miss Tucker, Amy Marren and her proud Mum attended an Award Ceremony presented and funded by a new Sports Initiative Award by The Liberty Centre in Romford.

Each school was given the opportunity to send in a worthy nominee. It was an impressive line up of 14 candidates, 6 of whom were current Great Britain representatives in their various sports. It was with great pride that Amy was voted Havering Sports Representative of the Year and she was presented with a cheque for £500 which she has given to the PE Department. The next day Amy was invited into staff briefing to show her award and gave a short speech thanking the staff, PE Department and Mr London who had all been so supportive and expressing how delighted she was to have the opportunity to give something back to the Academy.

Our very own Paralympian Amy Marren gives us an insight in her own words of her wonderful experience and fantastic achievements at the London 2012 Games last Summer.

I had ....... the time of my life !!!!

The London 2012 Paralympic Games experience was probably the best of my life. I went to a holiday camp in Manchester for 10 days prior to the Games for my last preparation with 40 other members of the team. On 25th August the swimming team ‘moved in’ to the Olympic/Paralympic Village ready for the Opening Ceremony on the 29th, which unfortunately I could not attend because I was racing on the second day. I trained in the competition pool prior to the event so I could get used to the surroundings.

My first race was 100m backstroke on the 31st August, the roar from the home crowd was something I will never forget ! I was lucky enough to make the final in this event and the roar was even bigger !! I came 5th in the final with a new personal best time, my next race was 400m freestyle on the 4th September. I was really nervous because it was such a long race and so much could go wrong if you do not race properly. But, I made it to the final in this event too !! I came 4th and beat my previous personal best by 6 seconds. I was so pleased when it was over and that I had achieved my target by beating my personal best.

My last race was the next day and I was not expecting very much, I didn’t make the final but came away with another personal best and a huge smile on my face hungry for more success in Rio 2016. Once the race was finished I went to McDonalds with my roommate Hannah Russell.

Without Hall Mead I probably wouldn’t have ever raced at the Paralympic Games. Hall Mead is a great school that has always been 100% behind me in everything that I do.

Thank you to all the staff and pupils at Hall Mead who have helped me to achieve my dream !!!

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Non Uniform Day On Wednesday 28th November Hall Mead had one of our three yearly non uniform days. For one day, pupils were able to cast off their uniforms and wear their own clothes to school. Each non uniform day raises money for different causes. Last year, one day was given to raise money for Sports Relief and one was dedicated to supporting Cancer Research UK. This allows pupils to contribute to the help and support of others in need. However, one day, including the 28th, is allocated to the charities that have been adopted by forms. Some of these charities have been adopted because pupils in the form have experience related to the work of the charity. Forms may have a range of fundraising activities that take place throughout the year, including cake sales, book sales, car washing, bag packing and fancy dress but this non uniform day helps build up their funds. Charities that are being supported this year include Children in Need, Cancer Research UK, First Steps, the Royal Marsden, Great Ormond Street and

the Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund. Any money raised by forms that have not yet adopted a charity will be going towards two charities: one that helps people with multiple sclerosis and another that works with people with rare cancers. Each year we get many letters from charities thanking pupils for all the work they are doing: their money is helping a range of very good causes.

by Mr Hales, Director of Every Child Matters

LONDON 2012After a busy summer term of London 2012 celebrations at school, we were given the opportunity to extend our programme into the summer holidays. Hall Mead, as part of the “Get Set” programme were given 150 Olympic tickets which included free travel and entry. Fifteen school trips were arranged, including three visits to the Paralympics which was held in the Olympic Stadium. Everyone enjoyed and relished the chance to be a part of the London 2012 experience.

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THAT’S MAGICOn Wednesday 14th November, Hall Mead School played host to a magic show! 2 Minds are optical illusionists and readers of minds, with some nifty escapology thrown in! Two hundred pupils packed into the Alan Wunderly Centre at lunchtime for the performance: it really was a case of standing room only! The first trick involved the auras of colour. A pupil was asked to put three colours into envelopes. These envelopes were checked to make sure they were not marked. Through the powers of the mind, each colour inside the envelope was identified by turning the water is a glass bowl to match that colour. Not only that, but after it had turned a different colour several times, the magician turned it back to its normal state by simply swirling the water. Next, pupils were treated to shadow puppetry. Just using hands, a strong light and music, various characters and creatures appeared in shadow, including Bart Simpson, E.T., camels, horses and parrots. One of the most spectacular performances involved our Headteacher, Mr London. One of the magicians was handcuffed and tied securely so that movement was difficult. The challenge was to lift some coloured handkerchiefs from Mr London’s suit jacket. Within seconds, not only had the handkerchiefs been lifted but the magician was wearing Mr London’s jacket! All in all it was an impressive performance with pupils speculating on how it had all been done. Ashley Hollis in Year 11 said, ‘It was really good. I kept trying to see how it was done: I’m not sure how they did it but I have some ideas.’ Caitlin Rosendale in Year 8 enjoyed the show too. She commented ‘It was a fun way to spend the lunchtime. It was really busy and everyone was talking about it afterwards.’ 2 Minds Combined later went on to perform at the Grays Theatre. One of them, Ian Hamilton, is an ex Hall Mead pupil and may be back later in the year to do more shows for students and parents.

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StubbersIn Year 8, GREAT Learning gave us the opportunity to develop our learning skills; it also gave us rewards if we were successful. One of the silver rewards was to participate in a summer fun afternoon at Stubbers Activities Centre.During our time there we did activities such as raft building and abseiling. Taking part in this gave us knowledge as to how we could improve at school; working in a team and being resilient to overcome our fears. You can also achieve rewards of having lunch with Mr London and a special prize for all gold winners.

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SPORTS NEWSJudo ExcellenceJames O’Shea in Year 10 has been very successful in his sport of Judo and has just been selected for the 2012/2013 England Talent Development Squad. Here is his story so far.

‘I joined Ford Judo Club when I was eight years old and trained once a week; I now train three times a week and most weekends. I am a member of the England Judo Squad and have just been selected to be a member of the England Talent Development Squad. In October of this year I went to Sheffield to the English Institute of Sport to participate in the fitness bleep tests and to take part in the British Nationals where I won a gold medal in the U66kg category. Whilst there, I trained with team GB and met Ashley McKenzie and Jessica Ennis. I have also travelled abroad to compete in France and Holland.

I love how far it has taken me, the friends I have made, the people who have helped me with my training and the level of fitness and confidence it has given me.’

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Paralympic sport comes to Hall MeadThe qualifying round of the London Youth Games Badminton was at the new Badminton facility at Redbridge Sports Centre.

Havering were drawn in a group with Kingston, Southwark and City Of London. Havering managed to beat all these teams 5-0 to secure top spot and a place in the finals at Crystal Palace being held on 30th June. Out of the 15 games played in only 3 of them did the opposition manage to get into double figures. In fact Havering lost only 102 points whilst winning 315!! A really good solid team performance of which they should all be proud.

Team members either have to live or go to school in Havering and pupils from Hall Mead were Coco Zhang, Paige Beaumont, and Katie Nicholls.


14

SPORTS NEWSBadmintonThe first round of the English Schools Badminton took place in Hornchurch Sports Centre on 22nd November. Our two teams were looking for their best performances so far this season. We weren’t disappointed!

The Year 9 girls played extremely well to beat St Edward’s 4-1, but unfortunately lost to a very strong Sacred Heart 4-1. However they made it to the semi finals therefore and took the match against Abbs Cross 2-2. All depended on the last doubles... Unfortunately again we lost that in a closely fought 19-21 match. However, the girls can be delighted with their efforts and results. We can build on this success!!

Our Year 8 girls played in a B League against St Edward’s, they played well, winning some and losing some, again, we shall build on this success as well.

Year 11 girls did our school and themselves proud this year. They played magnificently against Gaynes, crushing them 4-1, then against St Edward’s, they used guile, strong tactics and excellent and varied techniques to beat a strong St Edward’s 3-2. The semi-finals against Abbs Cross was a similar match but at an even higher level. A victory in the final doubles clinched the match for Hall Mead 3-2 (100 points – 79). Then came the finals against Frances Bardsley. This proved to be a classic match, one team having the advantage and then the other. Again it went to the final doubles with score at 2-2 and lo and behold a close score with neither team dominating the other until the final point was played and Hall Mead lost 15-21 and so ended the competition as runners-up , 2nd place. A magnificent effort by all the squad, who played with skill, thought, cunning and great perseverance. A special mention is necessary for Eleni Tsappis, who played and won some fantastic singles matches and Emily Sexton who played the best she has ever done.

Well done to all. Ms Gidley

Year 8 girls: Charlotte Reide, Grace Caton, Georgia Whittaker

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Year 9 girls: Leonie Armand, Neida Zelvyte, Lauren Payne, Faith Cole

A thank you to all of the girls who participated: Charlotte Reide, Gemma Stubbles, Grace Caton, Georgia Whittaker, Leonie Armand, Neida Zelvyte, Lauren Payne,

Faith Cole, Bethan Pugh, Charlotte Wallis, Eleni Tsappis, Samantha Wallis , Emily Sexton


15

SPORTS NEWSHistory in the making...

For the first time in the history of the school, Hall Mead has entered the Girls Essex Cup Football U16 Competition. We played our first match versus St. Ursula’s from Forest Gate and won 8-1.

We are now through to the next round and have plenty of matches this season as both our U14 and U16 girls’ football teams are in the Havering League and Havering Cup.

ROUNDERS - Hall Mead are Havering ChampionsCongratulations to our present Year 9 girls who played in the Year 8 team last summer!! Due to the cancellation of two Year 8 Havering Borough Rounders Championships, owing to the bad weather and water logged pitches, it was decided to offer the competition out to any school teams who wished to play this September. Of course, Hall Mead were willing to play and won. Well done girls!

Summer Cricket SuccessThe U13 girls’ cricket team won the Essex Cup last term. To reach the final they had to play several rounds which ended in a semi-final at home to Shenfield in which the most incredible over was bowled by Lucy Critchell. Taking the new ball she bowled from the school end to take 5 wickets in the first over, all bowled with good line and length.

The opposition’s teacher is quoted as saying, “I have never seen an over like it in my life!” In the final, the girls batted first giving the opposition, Saffron Walden, a total of 79 runs to chase. Lauren Earle batted well, scoring 23 runs and the other girls supported her well to the last ball. Saffron Walden started well and with Lucy and Lauren taking wickets they only needed 5 runs off the last over. Gemma Stubbles bowled a find over with the players taking a very mature lead from their captain, Lauren and managing to stop them scoring the required runs Hall Mead came off victors! A very well deserved end to the season.

The following girls played in the match: Leoni Armand, Jenny Churchill, Lucy Critchell, Isabel Davey, Lauren Earle, Alice Martin (Wkt), Amy Martin, Eleanor Moore,

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