On the 7th of July 2008 the IV year Law group were taken to the Winchester Crown Court to witness some court cases. The four girls, Harriet, Caitlin, Alice and I, Jessica, were accompanied by Mr. Carpenter and Mrs. Charles. We left Alton Convent school promptly at 9 'o'clock and after stopping for a quick drink and a briefing about the background of the cases, we hurried into the public viewing area and took our seats. Not long after sitting down, we had to rise again for the judge who now entered the court.

From 'Orpheus and Eurydice' to 'Jinxed' and 'The power of Three'

The last Drama performances of this academic year took place on Wednesday 25 June when IV GCSE Drama presented their original work. The two groups were given the Myth of 'Orpheus and Eurydice' as a stimulus for their creativity and the two productions which were created were both rather dark and foreboding. The moods created by the groups and the skills demonstrated were a great tribute to their imaginations and focused work.

At the end of the academic year the number of different Drama performances farm September 2007 to June 2008 has been a staggering 20!

The IV Form biologists we took to the Surrey field studies centre at Juniper Hall near Dorking were a credit to the school. The three day residential course included a vegetation survey on Box Hill and sampling of invertebrates in the River Mole.

The enthusiasm and focus of the girls coupled with the good weather, impressive facilities and a good supply of chocolate all contributed to a thoroughly enjoyable trip for both staff and girls.

Dr Imogen Gate

Day One

After solving the problem of fitting 11 bags into the minibus, we traveled for 3½ hours to Wales. Our first stop was Rhondda Valley Heritage Park. The old colliery, which first opened in 1870, has now been converted into an industrial museum. We started, after meeting our very Welsh guide, Howard, by tracking two families lives and how the coalmine had effected them. This gave an insight to life in the coalmines and a glimpse at their history. We were then taken down, or so we thought, into the coal mining tunnels. We learnt how the coal seams were blown apart, in order to be mined out, with a life like re-enactment, and the system they used to extract coal from each seam. We then simulated a ride back up to the surface, only to find ourselves at the surface the whole time; we hadn't been below ground at all!

The IV Form visited St Lucy's Convent for a retreat. The theme of the day was working conditions; we re-enacted a day's work in a Mexican computer factory. We learnt a lot about how workers are treated and how unfair the hierarchy of status is in the factories. We were also very lucky with the weather and thoroughly enjoyed our day out. The day ended with mass, allowing us to reflect on what we had learnt during the day. Many thanks to all teachers, especially Miss Hobday, who made it a memorable experience.

On 4 March the IV and V year GCSE Drama students visited The New Victoria Theatre, Woking to see Peter Shaffer’s ‘Sleuth’. The play is wonderfully crafted and we appreciated the twists and turns of the plot. The set was a really detailed depiction of the Drawing room of a Manor House, with staircases and landings it was in fact typical of the settings of a traditional murder mystery play. Sadly for us the lead actor was unwell and his substitute, while trying hard to step into the shoes, was non-the-less disappointing. Never mind; there will be more theatre visits to come!

Fourth and Fifth Form girls studying French were able to benefit from a day of French when they attended a conference in London recently. The lively French presenters kept the girls on their toes with a wide range of activities ranging from television adverts and sketches to finding out about "Notre ami, l'infinitif" - most of which required their participation in some way. All the girls agreed they had enjoyed the day and learnt something new

On 7th February, the Fourth Form set off for a four day residential to Bristol. We visited several major tourist attractions in Bath as well, such as the ancient Roman bath house, where we discovered about the social pass time that was bathing. We later went to another meeting place, where th wealthiest socialites would have gone in the 18th Century, the Bath Assembly Room. We also visited the fashion museum, where we could compare authentic, designer constumes of different eras, even trying some on for ourselves.

Away, vs Robert Mays

U15s - Another friendly against this team's arch rivals - we lost to them in the semi finals of the District tournament! Unfortunately we could not field our full team due to illness but even so we put out a strong side. It was neck and neck through every quarter with alton determined to get revenge! Unfortunately we then lost a couple of centre passes and subsequently a couple of goals and then could not get this back. Result a loss of 16 - 23. Player of the match - Rochelle (GD).

U16s - The year 11s have never beaten this team so it was tough from the start. Although our centre court play was excellent we could not get the ball into the circle to give our shooters a chance to shoot! Everyone worked hard but it was not to be, a loss of 11- 21.

A very good match from Alton with some lovely passing and teamwork agaisnt a strong Perins side. A deserved win of 3 - 1