Edited by Rosie Mundy, Immie Terry and Lucy Yeeles
Mrs Frett’s corner At the start of this term I set the Southies two challenges: (1) to work on making their language age appropriate, and (2) to ensure that they focus on developing and deepening friendships, and not allowing technology to dominate their lives to the extent that work and relationships go out of the window. We even had a whole house experiment where for two weeks no music of any kind was allowed to be played during the key times such as preps. Most managed this with success and a few admitted that their work was more productive. I am not in any way against technology and can see all of its many benefits; however, I AM concerned that the art of conversation and engaging with each other is being replaced by the use of text, Twitter and Snapchat. Thank you so much for the many emails of support I have received. I do feel that the Southies are beginning to get the gist of what I am trying to do. This has been an action-packed term with the usual curve balls - to coin an American expression! There have been some unforeseen incidents, such as flooding in the middle of the night in one of the dorms which then spread, and I had long suffering workmen clambering in the loft through my house whilst we were trying to stem the tide!!! Of course work is the most important thing we do and I am so proud of the way the 4th Form and L5 have handled the progress tests. The Upper 5th have worked consistently this term and I am trying to encourage them to take breathing exercises and not panic about the forthcoming mocks!!! (I have bought lots of lavender bags in preparation.) My mantra of ‘work hard, play hard’ continues to make South the envy of all of Cranleigh. The list of socials we have had this term will make your head spin, thanks to the incredible 4th Form prefects, the tireless and unique Miss Sturdee and our fabulous matrons, Kim and Claire (who incidentally bought South a chocolate fountain, which made its debut last week. We used fruit as, after all, we are into healthy eating!) Bacon butties, speed dating, ice cream evenings, cupcakes, games, wine and cheese, Cubitt v South in netball, pedicures, hand massages… and that’s only a few! Of course, the biggest achievement of this term would have to be our success in winning both House Hockey, and also the Stonesett cup! Massive well done to all of my amazing girls who took part!!! As I contemplate this term there is only one thing left for me to do and that is to say thank you. Thank you to you parents who have been so supportive and have entrusted your daughters into my care. Thank you to the 4th Form prefects who have set a high benchmark with their tireless care of the 4th Form. They have proved to be an outstanding prefect team. Thank you to my Head of House Jess Worpole, and Deputy, Cecile. I cannot tell you how many cups of tea it takes for them to help me set the world to rights but I don’t know what I would do without them. South is blessed to have such leadership. Thank you to my wonderful tutor team who never cease to amaze me with their pastoral care. Thank you to my fabulous matrons who do a thousand jobs with love and smiles and always have tissues and biscuits to hand. Thank you to the cleaning team, who help turn this house into a home for all those who live here. Finally, thank you to Miss Greenwood and Miss Sturdee. If only you could be a fly on the wall in our daily morning meetings - actually I am very glad you can’t! They make me laugh, keep me sane and remind me why I love this job so much - it is because it gives me the opportunity to work with such dedicated colleagues. This has to be one of the most rewarding, emotional, exciting, frustrating, roller-coasting jobs ever created and I have to honestly say I LOVE it! Very finally, a huge thank you to all you amazing Southies whom I couldn’t do without. Have a wonderful Christmas. God bless. Mrs Frett x
Frodo and Bertie’s Corner
House Captain’s corner
Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas to everyone in South! Even though I have been cuddled up in the warm and having my daily walks this term it has been really busy for everyone. I have met a lot of the new girls in 4th form and L6th and they have all been really nice to me (a few cuddles here and there). We have had a new addition to the family, Bertie. He’s taken all the attention…I can’t believe it….I’m the one and only South dog! Here’s a few words from the little one himself: Hi, sorry I’m a little shy but I just wanted to say Happy Christmas and I’ve loved peeping through the gate into the chaotic house of girls and I will all hopefully get to know you in this new home of mine!
My first term as House Captain has certainly been a busy one, but I feel proud to be part of such a high achieving group of girls, and what has made me happy is to see everyone come together as a family. The 4th form got off to a good start when SouthEast won their dance and all took part in the cross country - so proud of them, and they are now all well settled into the South family. Lower 5th are enjoying the privacy of their corridor and I'm sure they’re relieved to no longer be the youngest of the school. Upper fifth are leading the juniors by example, but don’t think we haven't seen that eyeliner you're wearing! Lower 6th are enjoying their new independence and responsibilities, though the work has been tough on them, and of course the Upper Sixth have all settled into their roles perfectly and are setting great examples to everyone and are keeping Mrs Frett sane. I hope you all have a festive break, see you in the new year.
Music This term has been as busy as usual for the Music Department. Emily Hill and Hattie Allison managed to get through to the next round of the Helen Wareham competition which will take place next term. Other musical highlights have included a choir trip to sing evensong at Guildford Cathedral, a music scholars’ trip to see Matilda in the West End, as well as all of the Christmas events which include the annual carol services and concert, as well as 'A Night at the Opera'. Well done to everyone who participated and also those who played in the numerous lunchtime concerts throughout the term.
East-South play This year’s East House play was ‘Twelfth Man’; it was a comedy in which a women’s cricket team played a men’s cricket team. The people from South that took part were Hattie Allison, Maddie Lock, Ellie Williamson, Jemima Stephenson and Iola Andrew. It was so much fun to be a part of, a really good experience and I’m sure everyone would love to do it again. Mr Forsdike and Mr Griffiths (Jnr.) were so much fun to have as the directors, and I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.
Matron’s corner This has been a busy term, sent headlong into a term of ‘1st’s’ for matrons: 1) our new 4th formers scoring a 1st - the most debilitating injuries, in the shortest time, (a torn knee ligament, a fractured clavicle and a fractured shoulder!) 2) The 1st time a Matron has set off the school fire alarm (Claire! Whatever were you thinking?) 3) The 1st successful term of recycling South’s rubbish in the Main CR! 4) The 1st time the school central/ hot water heating system has let us down. We all cuddled together thankful of the ‘inner warmth’ in South, 5) only to be rudely spoiled one late night by - 1st flood of water dripping down through the 4th form dorm ceiling just after lights out! Now things are back to normal it only leaves us to say from matrons and our lovely team of cleaners – have a wonderful Christmas Southies!
The new addition to South: Tamsyn Lily Thompson
L6th Masterchef In the first half of the winter term, we were treated to a night where our cooking skills were tested by Mrs Frett, Miss Sturdee and Mrs Brown. Every group was given one savoury dish and a dessert where we had to follow the individual recipes which included canapés and chocolate brownies. It was a bonus as we got to taste each other’s dishes and it was a perfect opportunity for us to bond with the new L6th as it was our first year group event. 4th form Halloween This year, the South IVth Form went to West (bearing cupcakes) for a Halloween party. There were many different and creative costumes, from witches to zombies to devils. Many activities were put together, including apple bobbing, eating doughnuts from a string, mummifying and (my favourite) sticking your face in cold baked beans and muesli! Overall, it was a really enjoyable evening for everyone and we had lots of fun!
4th Form Team Building After a night of bowling and a giant sleepover, we had a fun-filled team-building day on the Sunday. We had only been at school for a couple of days so it was a great way to get to know each other. We took part in various activities in our groups. These activities included lacrosse, swimming, minefield, drama, mind games and uni-hock. To end the day, all of the groups competed in a giant tug of war. We finished the day exhausted but exhilarated.
Zambia/Live Below the Line During October half term a group of 18 of us from the Upper and Lower 6th went on the Zambia trip in partnership with Beyond Ourselves. From South, there was myself, Maisie La Costa, Cecile Zoet, Louisa Richards, Charlie Phillips and Miss Sturdee. Despite the fairly long journey (reaching the 24hr travelling point was not a highlight), I think I can speak on behalf of everyone in saying that it was undoubtedly worth the effort to get there. While we were there, we helped with the teaching of the children at Kawama School as well as doing interviews with the entire school community, which was both an eyeopening and shocking experience for all of us. I think we all came back from the trip not really knowing what to do with ourselves, but have since been proactive in organising the ‘Live Below The Line Day’ at school and continuing the social enterprise idea (- selling handmade local products from Kawama back in England, such as African harem trousers, bracelets, duvet covers and make up bags) in order to carry on raising money and providing opportunity for Kawama School to become financially more selfsufficient. If you get the chance, I would 100% volunteer to go on the trip, you won’t regret it!
Cubitt Jazz Evening
Samaritan Boxes In the second half of this term a group of South and West girls went to the warehouse to deliver our Samaritan Christmas boxes: an incredible 162 boxes were made by South girls with 217 in total! The boxes were full of small gifts with separate ones for boys and girls and all different ages groups. It was an amazing experience going to the warehouse and seeing how many boxes there were, all ready to be delivered to children in Kyrgyzstan and hearing about all the hard work the people at Samaritan’s Purse do. It was a great experience and an amazing achievement to make so many boxes, and hopefully next year we’ll be able to make even more!
This term, South Sixth Form were invited to take part in a fun-filled jazz evening by Cubitt in order to raise money for Tildy’s Trust, a very special charity. We were fortunate enough to be given a talk by Rory Curran about the charity, and the impact Cranleigh has had. The evening consisted of a wine and cheese tasting, some wonderful jazz performed by various talented musicians of the school and some interesting dance moves by Mrs Frett. Overall it was an extremely entertaining evening and was much enjoyed by everyone.
East House Dance Public Speaking Public speaking was a huge success this year. The Junior team consisted of Abi Lord, Ellie Williamson and Amelie Bickenson, and the topic we chose was 'Why is our generation so fixated with all things celebrity?' Abi went first, as the chairman, with an entertaining opening speech to set the mood. Next, our main speaker Amelie gave an outstanding speech which caused the audience to really think about the issue, and finally Ellie rounded it off with a witty vote of thanks. Overall Amelie won best main speaker and Ellie won best vote of thanks, meaning that South won overall for the first time ever! The Senior team (Maisie La Costa, Libby Richards and Livi Hartley) also came very close to victory with their theme of ‘Is greed good?’ but were pipped to the post by West. Well done to Libby Richards for winning the best chairperson.
Schools’ Challenge Representing South in our first and only round of Schools’ Challenge this term was the team of Louisa Richards, Hattie Allison, Ellie Williamson and Abi Lord. Unfortunately it was not our day, and with North being quicker off the buzzer from the start, we were knocked out of the competition. Helen Wareham musicHad the questions asked been more in our area of expertise - for example "name the five members of One Direction” - we would have dominated. We look forward to next year’s challenge.
In this annual competition, the new Fourth Form has to perform a dance choreographed and taught by a few of the UVIth with their affiliated house in front of the whole school. As you can imagine, this is no small feat and after one all day rehearsal, the South-East collaboration managed to win the dance thanks to the stellar guidance of Cecile Zoet, Tish Montgomerie and Sophie Lewis. The girls all worked extremely hard and were able to channel their hard work and determination into a solid victory over the other houses. It was really great fun, and I hope the legacy of the South-East win will be carried into next year… no pressure LVI!
4th Form Cross Country It was a day of victory for South getting the first 8 places. The top 5 places were: Poppy Wilks in 5th, Caroline Zoet in 4th, Amy Thompson in 3rd, Izzy Petter in 2nd, and Jess Robinson in first (1st and 2nd were very close). Apart from the first 8 places it was all very close between the two houses but South came out on top along with East in the boy’s race. Overall it was a good day and being able to compete for the house in this way, I’m sure others would agree, made us Fourth Form really feel part of the house. WELL DONE SOUTH!!!!
Fives Squash House squash this year was a closely contested event, with South winning comfortably with 3 games to 2. South played really well with a team of Poppy Bathurst, Maisie La Costa, Olivia Chesser, Amy Mitchell and Amy Thompson. Olivia played really well as our 1st against a tough opposition, and Maisie did very well in her match considering it was her first time playing the sport! Poppy, Amy and Amy all had tough matches but managed to get some very good scores, which helped South on its way to victory!
Having won House Fives last year, we all went into the competition excited, hoping to be triumphant again this time around, with teams of Phoebe, Sophie, Rosie, Immie, Olivia, Poppy, Sasha, Amy, Amelie and Katherine. Thankfully Immie stepped in at the last minute as we were a player down, and played extremely well considering she hadn’t played before. Sadly we weren’t able to regain the title and only won one game between us, but had a lot of fun playing quite an uncommon but exciting sport!