As we head quickly towards the spring break, it is a real pleasure to reflect on the previous fortnight. Community spirit and team work have been in abundance, as have creativity and endeavour.

At our Junior School, we have had the pleasure of seeing our two wonderful choirs perform. Mrs Coles and the girls, ably supported by Mrs Beenders and a crack team of parent and staff supporters absolutely excelled themselves at the GDST Choir of the Year and the Barnardo's competitions. Singing in venues like Cadogan Hall and the Royal Festival Hall might intimidate most people, but our Chamber Choir sang with real enjoyment and poise. Their ability to lift the mood of the audience and convey their tangible love of music was brilliant and they fully deserve their crown as ‘GDST Choir of the Year.’ It was fabulous therefore, to see our Key Stage Two choir perform at the Bromley Festival on Friday, stealing the show to win both the ‘Junior Choirs’ class and the ‘Unison Choirs’ class. For both choirs, a combination of commitment, dedication, love of music and inspiration has underpinned their success. We are very proud of their official recognition, but it is this attitude and approach which makes us most proud.

It was also a real pleasure to attend our Senior Musical, Aladdin at the Greenwich Theatre earlier in the term. There were some really fabulous performances from the girls, and the whole evening was laughter-filled and extremely enjoyable. All credit to all the girls and staff involved for putting together a really professional evening and providing us with such a mid-term treat. The Senior School Spring Concert was also a wonderful end to a very musical term.

STEM-week also proved to be our best yet. There was a plethora of stimulating and inspiring events put together by the staff for the girls with the thread of creativity running throughout. There were many highlights, not least the unforgettable Royal Institution Lectures and a stunning ‘Women in Science’ event. It was lovely to see so many girls passionate about science, starting in Early Years, all the way through to the Alumnae who were generous enough to come back and tell us about their careers. It is no wonder that the girls studying STEM subjects in GDST schools consistently outnumber the national averages. With that in mind, it was great to be able to welcome Year 5 and their parents to the Senior School for our ‘Moving Up’  and CSI science event. We look forward to getting to know the girls even better at Senior School over the coming year as they start their specialist teaching with senior staff.

I wish you all a restful spring break and good wishes to those girls preparing for public examinations. I hope there is time to refresh and enjoy the company of family and friends and we will look forward to seeing you for the summer term.

Mrs Chandler-Thompson
Head