Girls' Rowing continues to grow and it’s fantastic to see so many of them down at the boat club.  If their new found interest is maintained then I’m sure there will be a healthy competition for seats in the near future.  The newcomers are typically spending time learning technique and boatmanship and I hope their enthusiasm remains as the darker and colder afternoons settle in.

ICT at the College

 

LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER

Dear Parents,
Over the past few years, our ICT network has undergone rapid change in almost every area as we move towards implementing our strategy of fully integrating ICT into the classroom. We have invested heavily in ensuring that our network, especially the wireless network, is as fast as it can be and capable of supporting the many hundreds of devices that are brought into the College every day.
Many of our pupils already bring laptops or tablets in to school and we now feel that the infrastructure is in place to recommend that every pupil at Shiplake has some form of mobile device to bring to lessons.
Having a laptop or tablet is not an absolute requirement in order to attend the College, but we feel that the benefits are very clear. More and more prep. is being set online, many of our teachers are using ICT interactively in the classroom or distributing resources electronically. Pupils are using their devices to work collaboratively, to produce work using video and audio or to access our online library. ICT no longer takes place once a week in a room full of desktop computers, but should be fully integrated into teaching and learning at Shiplake. We feel that goal can be achieved most effectively by recommending that all pupils have a mobile device from September 2013.
In order to give parents the widest possible choice, we have deliberately designed our network so that virtually any type of device can be used. Mobile phones, Windows laptops, Apple Macbooks, iPads and Android tablets are all currently being used on site.  Mr Balderson has put together a guide for parents considering buying a device. He can be contacted on sbalderson@shiplake.org.uk if you have any further questions.
Gregg Davies
Headmaster

With further guidance from the Head of ICT:

As far as the College is concerned, our only requirement is that it can connect to our wireless network (which all modern devices can) and that it has a web browser, in order to give parents and pupils the widest choice possible. A basic laptop would be entirely sufficient, but our current pupils have a wide variety of devices, including iPads, MacBooks, Windows laptops, Android tablets and many others. The only real constraints are personal preference and budget!
If you are considering buying an iPad, we would strongly recommend using an external keyboard as well, in order to be able to complete longer, written preps more easily.
Simon Balderson
Head of ICT

Congratulations!

I'm delighted that Katy Ward and Maddie Newman won Silver medals in the Women’s J18 doubles in the Ball Cup at Dorney Lake last weekend.   Maddie and Katy had been keen rowers before they joined Shiplake and proximity to the river has given them the opportunity to train on four or five occasions each week, coached by Rebecca McKellar.  It is particularly pleasing to see their hard work and commitment being rewarded.

With the races taking place over a 750 metre course the competitors had windy conditions to contend with in the heats. Drawn against Ardingly RC and Kings College School the Shiplake girls made a slow start and were trailing after ten lengths. Finding their rhythm they pushed through the other crews and held the lead at the 500 metres mark. They continued to increase their lead and finished with a winning margin of around one and a half lengths.

The weather had calmed slightly for the final and the girls were able to have a much smoother race but in the final it was Cambridge City RC who made the better start. The Shiplake girls pushed them all the way to the line but still trailed by a length and a half at the finish to take the silver medals. Well done girls!

Another amazing cake!

Happy belated birthday Rose!  

Rose was thoroughly spoiled  on Saturday and quite rightly so as it was her 18th birthday.  It has become a Gilson House tradition to have the cakes baked by our in house baker, Katy Ward.  However, this time she was also helped by Jo Unsworth and between them they baked this marvelous cake, which was even more impressive when you cut into it.  I can confirm that it tasted as good as it looked and did its job in lining some stomachs before the celebrations took place on Saturday night.  I hope you all enjoyed your last splurge before the exam season begins.

Another homemade cake!

Multi-layered Rainbow cake!

The birthday girl!

Feast of the Ascension

 There are a number of customs associated with Ascension day but the traditional Shiplake one is to have a game of rounders for the year 13 leavers' followed by some healthy, and some sweet treats!  The head chapel wardens each have a team and due to the early start the dress code tends to be PJ's and hoodies.  They all start the day by blowing bubbles to represent the fact that they too are about to have the opportunity to fly the nest.

I'm forever blowing bubbles!

The healthy option.

A good game of rounders was had although Emily Holland had to intervene on a number of occasions when it was quite apparent that the Headmaster and Mr Brown had very little clue about the rules of the game.  The other tradition that appears to be occurring is for one of the girls to get injured.  Fortunately it was not as bad as last year when Zoe was hit in the face with a propelled bat but Annabelle did receive a blow to her stomach with the ball.  However, there were smiles all round and a good morning had by all who attended.

GIRLS' SPORTS DINNER

A beautiful evening was had by all to celebrate the girls' sporting achievements.  All of the guests made a real effort and a great deal of time and effort was spent by all to ensure that they were preened from head to toe!  Their time spent doing so can clearly be seen as everyone looked beautiful and very elegant.  Even the boys scrubbed up well and were the perfect dates!

YEAR 12 GLAMOROUS LADIES

Everyone who achieved colours, trophies or commendations should be extremely proud of their achievements and it is delightful to hear about the progress the girls have made this year.  They have all worked well as a team and this has been evident on the netball court, hockey pitch and on the river. Good teamwork is based on trust and the girls have grown to know that they can depend on each other.  Their enthusiasm has also held the teams together this year and a great deal of fun and enjoyment has been had. 

Well done girls and keep up the good work next year! 

YEAR 13 GLAMOUROUS LADIES

Tropics V's Gilson Netball

On Friday 26^th April, the Girls netball team headed down for their final match of the season, against none other than the boys Basketball team the Shiplake ‘Tropics’. As the game began, the girls made sure they did not become overconfident; having heard the boys had been training for the match. The ball began to move up and down the court very fast due to quick and slightly panic-driven play. However, the girls soon gained control of the court and despite loosing possession to the ‘Tropics’ ended the first quarter 5-1.



A good telling off requires a straight face!



As the second quarter started the Tropics began to pick up on the rules and the play became a little more equally based, with the Tropics taking advantage of the fast play and scored another goal thanks to Will Lewis and George Davis in attack. However, the girls were able to keep up with the boys and a further two goals were scored by Anna Proctor and Sophie Arnold, leaving the half time score at 7-2.

This fast pace and high competitive level continued on for the third quarter and the boys despite being constantly called up for footwork and contact managed to work their way around Molly Thorp and Alice’s White tight defence to score three more goals. However, Molly and Alice soon too back control and through good centre play from Rose Parker, Sammy Hildred and myself, the ball was passed back to the attack at the quarter ended 9-5 to the girls.

As the fourth and final quarter began, the play became messy and panicked as both teams strove to score. However, only one goal was scored by the girls and none from the boys, leaving the score at 10-5.

However, after high demand from the Tropics for one last quarter to redeem themselves, play stated again and the Tropics with a match-worth of experience took the girls, who had become over-confident, by surprise and scored a quick four goals. However, this was not quite enough to beat the netball team who stole back the boys victory and ended the match, finally at 13-9.

Well done to all the players, especially the boys who took their loss well. Thanks to Lou Porter for refereeing and to Sammy and Anna for organising the match.



Smiles all round - sign of a good game!

 Written by Trudi Lister