Winter Concert 2011

This year’s Sixth Form Winter Concert will take place at the Jacqueline du Pre Music Building, St Hilda’s College, Oxford on Tuesday, 29th November at 7.00pm.  One of the highlights of the Sixth Form calendar, the concert will feature a wide range of performances, from classical music to rock & pop, drama and dance, not only from those students studying A level Music and Drama, but also those who participate in the performing arts outside their academic programme.

Please do come and support our performers at what promises to be a very enjoyable evening.

To reserve seats please telephone Hannah Johnson on 01865 888938 or email hannah.johnson@doverbroecks.com.

Please note there is limited parking at the venue and around Cowley Place, but St. Clements car park is just a short walk away (next to the Angel and Greyhound pub shown on the map - please click the link below the map to view larger version).


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Oxfordshire School Biologist of the Year Awards

Congratulations to d'Overbroeck's student Francesca Baillieu (pictured above) who was winner at the Oxfordshire School Biololgist of the Year Awards 2011.

Award winners from secondary schools throughout the county received prizes in a ceremony at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in Oxford.

26 state and independent schools were represented at the event, hosted by the Oxfordshire Independent and State School Partnership (OISPP) and the University of Oxford. Students were given a tour of the museum before joining parents and teachers for a lecture given by Timothy Walker, Director of Oxford University Botanic Gardens.

Mr Walker talked about the positive changes that Biologists can make to reduce the extinction of a wide range of plants across the world. The award winners were then presented with certificates and book tokens.

OISSP Project Director Tom Kempton said: "This event is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the outstanding effort being made by students and their teachers in all schools across Oxfordshire. We are particularly short of students opting to take sciences at A level and this award recognises the efforts being put in by high achieving students. We hope that by recognising their efforts, they will be encouraged to continue biology-related courses at university."

Congratulations Francesca from all at d'Overbroeck's!

Fright Night

Almost 90 students from the upper and lower sixth dressed up last week to celebrate Halloween. Attired in various costumes, from the usual witches and vampires to a chilli pepper and Barney the purple dinosaur they watched scary movies, ate, danced and apple-bobbed in the ghoulishly bedecked Common Room.

Best fancy dress went to Marko Stupar who spent over two hours wrapping himself in bandages!

It was a great opportunity for students to get to know each other and, more importantly, have a lot of fun.

Christmas Fair 2011

It may seem that Christmas is still some way away, but it's coming early to d'Overbroeck's College! On Saturday 26th November, between 11am and 2pm, you are warmly invited to join us at Leckford Place for our annual Christmas Fair. There will be an array of stalls and games for adults and children - the perfect place to snap up a few presents - with refreshments available, including mince pies and mulled wine. All money raised will go to local children's charities.

There is also the opportunity for you to have your own stall or to help with the running of the fair, so if you'd like to be involved or would like more information then please contact anne.brooks@doverbroecks.com.

We look forward to seeing you there!

International Trading Game

The Lower Sixth Enrichment programme recently involved an International Trading Game. Students were working in groups acting as different countries. Each country had a certain amount of resources in terms of e.g. scissors and paper and had to produce items to sell on the world market.

The game leads to alliances being formed between 'nations', groups trading resources amongst themselves, some countries exerting their power over others and major switches in production as world prices change. The game brings out many issues in world trade such as ethics, the spread of technology as one country finds a new way of producing, the volatility of commodity prices and the impact of such changes on suppliers. It also highlights the disparity between 'rich' and 'poor' nations and the potential effect of this on future growth.

Students engaged extremely well with the scenario setting up sophisticated production lines and entering into numerous deals and partnerships to maximise their profits.

Chariots of Fire

"It’s not about Olympic champions, celebrities or sports people, it's about people who have made an important contribution to the community."

These are the words of Sir Chris Hoy MBE speaking on the Olympic Flame promotional video and one of those people whom he describes is our very own Jo Kalies, who alongside the excellent teaching, support and coaching she provides to d'Overbroeck's students, works as a volunteer at Summertown Stars AFC, the largest youth football club in Oxfordshire. There, she not only manages and coaches the girls' under 12 team, but has also set up a football team for the visually impaired.

Next year, on 18th May, the Olympic Torch Relay will begin in Land’s End and over the following two months, the famous flame will be carried by a succession of 8000 runners on its way to the Olympic Park in London, where, on the 27th July, the games will be formally opened.  Jo has been nominated to carry the torch - when it reaches Oxford on 9th July - by Po Yung, a former colleague here at d'Overbroeck's, who writes:

"I used to work at [d'Overbroeck's] College with Jo Kalies where she is a Sports Co-ordinator. I don't know anyone with as much energy as Jo and also capacity for giving. Her life is sport as well as giving this gift to others. Apart from her day job, Jo gives up her Saturday every weekend to coach football to young girls who are blind or partially sighted. She also manages the girls Under 12's and Under 15's squad. She is an FA Level 2 qualified coach and recently qualified for her UEFA B Coaching license. She is also disability officer for the club she works for and this year she has won Oxfordshire Coach of the Year awarded by the FA. She has even written a book on exercises for children in her spare time. She runs her own business coaching football as she believes strongly in its importance in children's lives. She deserves to be recognised and would value the honour of being a torchbearer."

Being a torchbearer is an honour for which Jo feels privileged to have been nominated. "I feel so many people in the world do inspirational things," she told me when I asked her how it felt to be described as 'inspirational'; "I just really enjoy what I do."

Family, friends and colleagues are certainly proud of both her achievements and her nomination. If she is selected I asked her, will she be nervous when the big day arrives? "Definitely. I will be really nervous on the day. I go bright red from two minutes on a treadmill let alone carrying a torch around Oxford."

Like all the other nominees, Jo will have to wait until the end of the year to find out if she’s been selected. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope she receives the honour she so richly deserves.

Seminar at the Independent Education Exhibition

Following our recent presentation at The Good Schools Show we were pleased to be asked to present at The Independent Education Expo last weekend. This exhibition was held at Alexandra Palace and included a number of seminars on key educational issues. Andrew Gillespie,one of our Director of Studies, spoke about the strengths of the A level system and developments in sixth form education such as the AQA Baccalaureate. Other speakers included Patrick Derham, Headmaster of Rugby School and Dr Stephen Winkley, Headmaster of Rossall School.