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Russian around St Paul's for European Day of Languages

A foyer filled with displays about the origins of words in different languages greeted students and staff on 25 September when St Paul's celebrated European Day of Languages. The annual day marks the linguistic diversity of Europe – and the St Paul's family – and promotes learning about different languages, cultures and literatures.

A morning assembly about Alexander Pushkin was the first proof of students' enthusiasm for Russian, a subject we've been expanding recently. "Pushkin has a special importance for me because we had many discussions about his statue and home when I went to Russia," says Hebe Foster, from year 11. "It was fascinating to learn more about his life, his works and his tragic death."

The Russian theme continued into the annual modern languages lecture, delivered by Professor Anthony Briggs from the University of Birmingham. Olivia Godwin, from year 9, was in the audience to hear him talk about his recent translation of Tolstoy's War and Peace. "He introduced the novel's two main themes – the Napoleonic wars and the characters' lives in peacetime – and dispelled the myth that the vast cast of characters is too numerous to follow. The exciting lecture encouraged me to read a novel that I had never encountered before and made me more confident about reading Russian literature in the future."

Students from El Colegio de las Teresianas, our partner school for exchange visits to Barcelona, were fittingly at St Paul's for the morning before they travelled back home. Their exchange partners and new friends from year 11 will put their Spanish into practice during a return visit in the autumn half term.

Lacrosse teams play Putney High

• Under 14 A
• 5–3
• Player of the match: Daisy Hayes
• Under 14 B
• 6–2
• Player of the match: Anya Doherty

Lacrosse teams play NLCS

• 1st
• 7–4
• Player of the match: Gaby Giessen
• Under 15
• 5–2
• Player of the match: Kate Hearsum
• Under 14
• 9–3
• Player of the match: Alexia Katzaros
• Under 13
• 7–1
• Player of the match: Alex Power

2009 senior scholarships celebrate outstanding research

A summer of investigation for the Senior School Scholarship, the annual prize we offer for an independent research project, provided an astonishing glimpse into family history for one of this year's scholarship winners, Ceci Mourkogiannis. As she began to research her chosen topic, the Communist Party in the US state of Maryland, she uncovered the story of her own great-grandfather, Judge Joseph Sherbow, who attempted to repeal a law that had forced all public officials to swear oaths of loyalty to the state.

The USA's fearful 1950s also inspired another scholarship winner, Charlotte Keith, who chose to research gender and heroism in apocalyptic literature. Charlotte compared Richard Matheson's vampire novel I Am Legend with Mary Shelley's The Last Man.

This year's other two winners, Grace Murphy and Harriet Lloyd, both prepared Senior School Scholarship entries after spending time at London universities during their Nuffield Science Bursary placements. Grace, visiting Imperial College London, chose to investigate how scientists could use thin films to improve the efficiency of organic solar cells, a much cheaper and simpler source of solar energy than the conventional silicon cell. Harriet Lloyd, who worked at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, conducted six experiments to account for gaps in humans' perception of time.

The scholarships, a popular pursuit for students entering year 13, encourage students to take initiative in their learning, develop research skills and celebrate creative achievement and originality. We'll make the winning entries available on our website soon.

Outdoor activities help build year 7 friendships

Building a raft from scratch and challenging teachers in competitions on the swings replaced the classroom and sports field on 24 September when all the members of year 7, their form tutors and the head of lower school, Kate Frank, visited the Stubbers Activity Centre in Essex. The annual activity day asked the girls to team up and work out how to pass each other through rubber tyres, climb two-metre poles and steer rafts they had built themselves.

"When we went rafting, our team all jumped in the water and it was freezing - but we loved it anyway," says Eve Goodhart. "Miss Frank went on the swings with us and it was hilarious." Christabel McLain adds, ""I never knew how many people could fit in a tube made of tyres, but with some hard work, you would be surprised how many people you could press in there."

Everyone will remember Stubbers, it seems, long after they've dried off. "Because I was in a team with half my class, we were able to learn more about each other and develop our friendships," says Katy Lane. The girls will visit Stubbers again at the end of their time in year 8 to mark their first two years at St Paul's.

Exchange partners from Barcelona say goodbye – for now

24 girls from Barcelona said goodbye to their exchange partners from year 11 on 25 September when the first leg of our annual exchange visit with El Colegio de las Teresianas came to an end. The last day of the visit coincided with St Paul's annual celebration of European Day of Languages, where students and staff shared their passion of languages with their colleagues and friends.

"The girls were perfectly matched and had a lovely time together," says Penélope García Rodríguez, a Spanish teacher. "They really enjoyed playing language games together in school and exploring the morphology of Zulu and Swahili during European Day of Languages. There were very few dry eyes when they said goodbye to each other."

The head of modern languages at Las Teresianas, Maria Rosa Jordà, matches her students' enthusiasm. "We had a lovely week. We loved visiting Kensington Palace and feeding the ducks in Hyde Park and we look forward to welcoming the girls in Barcelona."

Happily, the two schools' students have only a month to wait until they see each other again – the return leg of the visit will take place during the autumn half term. "My exchange is my new best friend," says Mathilda Graham. Lucy McNaught adds, "My house will seem empty without my exchange partner María."

BBC discovers recollections of Gustav Holst

75 years after the death of St Paul's first director of music, Gustav Holst, the BBC has released an unfinished documentary about the composer online. BBC Gloucestershire producers found the recorded interviews from the late 1970s at the Holst Birthplace Museum in Cheltenham: the participants include Holst's fellow director of music, Herbert Howells, and several alumnae.

Our own senior choir and orchestra commemorated the anniversary on 25 September by performing at Chichester Cathedral as part of its Gustav Holst Weekend. On 30 September, they will also take part in our own annual concert for Holst's birthday, where two of our music teachers, John and Fiona York, will perform Holst's arrangement of The Planets for two pianists. John found the four-handed arrangement of the orchestral suite while rummaging in a cupboard at St Paul's.

Lacrosse teams play St George's, Harpenden

• 1st
• 8–5
• Player of the match: Hannah Chambers
• 2nd
• 9–4
• Player of the match: Lara Prior-Palmer

Netball teams play Putney High

• 1st
• 15–24
• Player of the match: Cosi Mockett
• 2nd
• 15–17
• Player of the match: Chloe Stephenson-Wright

Lacrosse teams play Putney High

• Under 13 A
• 4–6
• Player of the match: Louisa Doyle
• Under 13 B
• 6–8
• Player of the match: Lydia Ladbrooke

Netball teams play LEH

• Under 16
• 13–17
• Player of the match: Maddy Eno
• Under 15 A
• 14–15
• Player of the match: Victoria Beyai
• Under 15 B
• 1–14
• Player of the match: Emma Tritton

Year 7's first week at St Paul's

106 girls received the warmest possible welcome during a relaxed induction day when they arrived in year 7 at the start of September. A treasure hunt helped our newest students find their way around our buildings and, a few days later, their first meeting with groups of girls from every year in the school introduced them to the supportive St Paul's community.

"The first day of a new school is quite daunting for everyone and I was no exception," says one new member of year 7, Amber O'Brien. "However, first appearances are often wrong. The teachers were really understanding, the older girls helped me find my way around and I discovered interesting subjects that I didn't know before, such as Latin and Mandarin."

The girls also began to explore our range of clubs and societies and find out about our facilities. "It was amazing to see how big and professional the theatre was," says Jessica Phillips.

Every student at St Paul's belongs to what we call a Sister Act, a vertical group of 20 to 30 girls who meet up regularly and organise fund-raising activites for charity. "So far my favourite part was meeting our big sisters," says Julia Zervos. "They are so kind and fun and they really understand our situation."

An outdoor activity day, a sponsored swim and the annual Colet Day service at St Paul's Cathedral await the year 7s this term as they join the St Paul's family. "St Paul's has really welcomed me into their school – or now I can say our school," says Orla Quilligan. "It's so comforting to know that, whenever you have any worries or problems, there are teams of people to listen to you and offer advice."

Lacrosse teams play Queen Anne's

• 1st
• 10–10
• Player of the match: Emma Pfeiffer
• 2nd
• 6–8
• Player of the match: Nat Wirszycz
• Under 15 A
• 6–2
• Player of the match: Katie Hearsum
• Under 15 B
• 6–2
• Player of the match: Mary Gibbin
• Under 14 A
• 4–6
• Player of the match: Daisy Hayes
• Under 14 B
• 7–1
• Player of the match: Kam Otzen

Netball teams play Godolphin

• 1st
• 13–9
• Player of the match: Cosi Mockett
• 2nd
• 12–15
• Player of the match: Chloe Gale

Year 8 students visit hospital that saves eyes in the sky

Students from year 8 spent an afternoon with the world's only flying eye hospital on 10 September when they went to Stansted Airport to visit the aircraft, which belongs to the medical charity Orbis.

Orbis, which was established in 1982, provides equipment and opthalmic training for local doctors and health care professionals in order to prevent and treat blindness in developing countries.

The girls won the opportunity to visit the hospital after one of them, Jongeun Shin, won an Orbis poster competition. "When we arrived, we looked around the plane's operating theatres and recovery rooms," says Jongeun. "We also took part in hands-on activities such as computer eye surgery, putting on an operating gown and using a slit lamp. We saw a video about the charity's work and we were also able to put questions to a professional eye doctor. It was an unforgettable experience and we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously."

New parents welcomed to St Paul's

At St Paul's, the beginning of a new school year means welcoming parents as well as daughters. Our parents' association, the Parents' Guild, held a supper on 16 September for 156 parents of the incoming year 7 class.

The new parents enjoyed catching up with their daughters' form tutors again and getting to know subject teachers during an informal drinks reception. Clarissa Farr, the High Mistress, gave a brief welcome speech before the guests sat down to a supper of Moroccan beef tagine or vegetable biryani followed by summer pudding and mascarpone.

Fiona Rivaz, the Parents' Guild representative from year 7, helped to organise the supper. "Parents enjoyed meeting each other and comparing their daughters' experiences so far," says Fiona. "One parent said to me that the evening felt like a celebration."

Netball teams play Emmanuel College

• Under 14 A
• 12–17
• Under 14 B
• 9–22
• Under 12 A
• 11–12
• Under 12 B
• 27–6

Local historical society visits St Paul's

The Fulham and Hammersmith Historical Society chose St Paul's for its annual tour this autumn and visited us on the evening of 8 September.

Howard Bailes, a history teacher and the St Paul's archivist, showed the society around the original school building and the music wing. "The society chose St Paul's because most of its members knew what we are but had never seen the interior," says Howard. "They greatly appreciated Gerald Horsley's Arts and Crafts architecture and the music wing and they were impressed by the range of our facilities."

Netball teams play Notting Hill and Ealing

• 1st
• 24–6
• Player of the match: Luisa Kahn
• Under 16
• 15–10
• Player of the match: Claudia Hill
• Under 14
• 16–7
• Player of the match: Claire Pajot

Long-distance runners raise £800 for St Paul's charities

Charlotte Glazebrook and Zara Beavan-Vaughan, now in year 12, were among 28,000 runners who took part in the British London 10k run in July. When they returned to St Paul's after the summer holidays, they reported that they had raised more than £800 for the bursary fund, Great Ormond Street Hospital and Afrikids.

"We'd been training three times a week for 12 weeks and hadn't quite realised how difficult it would be," say Zara and Charlotte. "We were nervous, to say the least, as we queued along Piccadilly, but much to our delight we finished almost 10 minutes faster than we expected to."

"We're very grateful to our generous sponsors," they add. "We thought of you as we hit 'the wall' at 8 km."

A year 7's guide to the orchestra

St Paul's orchestras and ensembles for students of all ages rely on instruments such as trombones, harpsichords, double basses and oboes – but few musicians take them up before they join year 12. On 10 September, the music department invited younger students, and particularly members of year 7, to an "endangered instruments fayre" where they could try out some of these instruments and consider joining a friendly music group.

We met several year 7 students as they gave new instruments a go. Dalia Lister, an experienced classical guitarist, commented "I hope to be able to branch into rock music" while she strummed the opening chords of Smoke on the Water on the electric guitar. Jessica Phillips enjoyed trying the saxophone and explained that "it's not only enjoyable but it can also help me manage my asthma."

"The violin technique takes some getting used to," said Holly Risso-Gill, before helping her classmates learn how to hold the instrument correctly under the chin.

Younger students have opportunities to perform with several of our choirs and instrumental ensembles. The largest, the Sinfonia, will make its first concert appearance of the year at the Soirée musicale in November.

Lacrosse teams play in eight-a-side tournament

Three teams from St Paul's took part in the Berkhamsted eight-a-side lacrosse tournament on 6 September. The Under 15 team came fourth in the competition after winning every match in the group stage. The 1st team also won all its group-stage matches before coming second in the next round (the equivalent of sixth overall) and the 2nd team overcame a tough draw to win three of their matches and lose three.

"The 2nd team made a positive start," says PE teacher Melanie Arr. "The players displayed great athletic potential for the upcoming season and a surprisingly sound level of fitness. We know which areas need refining and stick-work skills under pressure will be on the coaching schedule for a few weeks to come."

"The 1st team played extremely well in the group stages and the Under 15s put in an excellent effort," Melanie says. "A special mention must go to Alex Kondratiuk, who did a great job playing in goal."

Newly-landscaped entrance greets the autumn term

More than a hundred years after our first school building opened, St Paul's has finally fulfilled the original plans of the architect Gerald Horsley by creating new flowerbeds either side of the steps to the main entrance. "We have planted the beds with a box border and a range of shrubs - and the white flowers that will eventually bloom will set off the red brick building beautifully," says the assistant deputy head, Amanda Triccas. "The new sand-coloured gravel on the drive is not only calmer on the eye but also pleasingly crunchy underfoot."

The landscaping forms part of a plan to revamp our front entrance that has also seen students enter the building straight on to the lower ground floor concourse through a splendid new oak door on the front facade. "I always thought it odd that the most important people in the school had to enter the building around the back," says Clarissa Farr, the High Mistress. "We're not sure whether this staircase, which used to be blocked up, was ever used as a student entrance before, but it certainly gives a more welcoming tone to the beginning of the day."

Lacrosse teams start season at Guildford

• 1st
• 1–11
• 2nd
• 2–16
• Under 15 A
• 1–13
• Under 15 B
• 2–8
• Under 14 A
• 1–11
• Under 14 B
• 1–14
• Under 13 A
• 0–12
• Under 13 B
• 3–5

Student writers meet best-selling novelist

15 students from years 12 and 13 questioned the best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford about her expert knowledge of writing and publishing when she visited St Paul's on 9 September to promote her latest novel, Breaking the Rules, and launch the Woman of Substance Awards, which would have their ceremony the following day.

Members of the creative writing society and the head girl team asked Barbara about the writing process, from whether she wrote every chapter in order to whether she ever dreamed about her characters. Barbara described how she came to write her saga A Woman of Substance after several false starts and urged the girls to persevere with their goals no matter how bleak things may seem. "I now realise that being a writer is a proper job with long hours and hard work," says one of the students, Ina Browning.

“It was a real pleasure to meet the girls at St Paul’s this week," Barbara says. "The Q&A session afterwards was just brilliant. I’ve done hundreds of interviews over the last 30 years but I must say the girls’ questions were marvellous and included quite a lot that I’d never been asked before. There is a saying that you are only as good as the questions you’re asked and, if that’s the case, St Paul’s is the best!"

“I’d particularly like to thank the High Mistress and Assistant Deputy Head for hosting the session," adds Barbara, "and also the students for giving me such a warm welcome. I can well imagine these girls to be tomorrow’s women of substance and I wish them all the best in their future careers and lives.”

Class of 2009 celebrates A-level successes

Members of the St Paul's class of 2009 are moving on to the next stages in their education after receiving their A-level results. 47 students have obtained places at Oxford or Cambridge and another 13 will begin courses at US universities.

According to the published results on 20 August, ten subjects (art, art history, classical Greek, economics, geography, German, Italian, music and Russian) saw A grades for every student who entered the exam.

"We are delighted to celebrate the girls' excellent results in public examinations this year," says the High Mistress, Clarissa Farr. "Their achievement of over 93 per cent A grades at A level is especially pleasing."

Clarissa adds, "St Paul's remains committed to A level as the most flexible assessment system to see our students through to higher education, while leaving scope for many other intellectual and creative activities to be pursued alongside the exam specifications. We welcome the introduction of the A* grade next summer providing further discrimination for the very able candidates that we have."

You can download a breakdown of the results for each subject in PDF format.

Prize-winning year 8 animators receive award

A short film about particle physics took three students from year 8 to an awards ceremony at the University of Birmingham after their entry was one of six prize-winners in the university's animation competition.

"We decided to have a go even though the competition was aimed at GCSE and A-level students," says Lana Huang. "We spent two months gathering information and started to film the animations using Xara a month before the deadline. We'd only learnt how to use the software in year 7, so it was very exciting."

Lana, Gee Kim and Tina Xia visited Birmingham on 25 June to receive their certificates and hear a lecture by Dr David Evans from the university's School of Physics and Astronomy about scientific advances at CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory.

Year 12 student researches moons of Saturn

The two moons that share an orbit around Saturn were Elynor Kamil's inspiration for a prize-winning physics essay which saw her invited to the Royal Observatory's Saturn Day this summer.

Elynor, from year 12, chose to write a 500-word piece on why the Cassini orbiter should photograph the pair of moons, Janus and Epitmetheus. "I found out that the moons shared the same orbit, although they moved at different speeds and never collided," Elynor says. "To understand why, I had to find out more about the way gravity made the moons interact. I had only encountered gravitational problems on a much smaller scale before. At first, the physics was confusing, but after a while the information I had gathered started to come together. It also explained other interesting features of the two moons and Saturn's rings."

Elynor visited the Royal Observatory with her family and physics teacher Kate Lee. "There was a special show at the planetarium, where I received a certificate with original pictures of my chosen moons," says Elynor. "Afterwards, I met the scientists from the Cassini project. They made it easy to understand the concepts and I returned with a much better knowledge of the difficulties scientists face when they do pioneering research into previously enigmatic topics."

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