On 12th March forty-five Year 7 pupils set off bright and early, for the much awaited day trip to Calais, to try out their French.
 
The visit of the town started at the majestic town hall, where pupils admired the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin, of the six burghers who offered to give up their lives to save the besieged Calaisiens in 1347. Later in the day the girls had the opportunity to sketch further works by Rodin as well as a selection of other artists, at the excellent Musee Des Beaux Arts.
 
Pupils explored the town, studying signs, menus and learning about local produce, with many trying out their French in shops and at the tourist office. Some were braver than others at speaking, but everyone had a go and were pleasantly surprised that they had successfully managed to make themselves understood.

Towards the end of term all of the first year in the senior school at Alton Convent went on a residential trip to Beam House in Torrington, Devon for an action packed weekend away.  This included a morning of surfing on the stunning beach of Westwood Ho, where we put on our wetsuits and had a lovely time in the waves in the sunshine.

 

We also loved climbing 30 foot up to the High Ropes where we completed a climbing wall, balance beam, wobbly bridge and a small jump whilst being suspended in the air.

 One of the highlights of our weekend was definitely the zip wire, which was a joy for all of us once we set off but climbing up to it was a bit of a difficulty for some. The challenge course was a trek through thick, gloopy mud which some of us enjoyed immensely while others found this incredibly challenging and revolting.

U12A - Every time this team play a new school it is exciting to see how good they really are. This match proved no exception. Admittedly Alton started poorly. Their passing was slow and tentative and St Nics punished them and went 2 goals up. Alton then gradually started playing as we know they can and by half time the score was even. After a good team chat at half time they were filled with more focus and this started to show in the second half. Final score was a win to Alton 6 - 5. They will need to improve on that in time for the District Tournament in two weeks time. Players of the Match - Emily and Jessica.

Year Seven celebrated the end of their first term in Senior School with an evening of ice skating and pizza.

The girls travelled by coach to Winchester Cathedral and walked through the historic courtyard to get to the open air ice rink. Set around with the twinkling lights of the Christmas market, the girls took to the ice. At the end of an hour everyone was getting around, but it was easy to spot those who had had practise. We were relieved that as boots were handed back, that there were no injuries apart from bumps and bruises.

This time this team started well and this continued through the game. All players were working more consistently and therefore creating more passing options. Once again the shooters were fantastic, rarely missing an opportunity. A win of 17 - 9. Player of the Match - Tabetha.

U12A - The second match for these two teams. Once again this team started slowly with the lack of practice due to the half term break showing initially. but,once again they then got their acts together and started working as a team with improved passing and shooting. Indeed the shooters did a fantastic job with a guaranteed goal once in our attacking circle. Final result a win of 14 - 7. Player of the match - Harriet
U12B - Again a solid game for this promising B side. The whole team showed fantastic teamwork and court spacing to ensure good possession and passing. Result a win of 7 - 2. Pla

U12A - This was both teams first match since their new teams were formed. The A team started with a great deal of nervousness. They initially went 4 - 0 down! At last they started to show the talent they had in team practices and managed to get it back to finish a 6 - 6 draw. Player of the match - Tabetha and Harriet
U12B - This team started with more confidence which lasted throughout the game. Dunhurst piled on the pressure but Alton were not to be outplayed. Final result a 6 - 5 win for Alton. Player of the match Aislinn and Georgia