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This Week’s News from the Senior Department

Welcome back to the Senior Department – 2022 has started in earnest!

Many pupils sat or will shortly be sitting entrance exams for their Senior School, and we await their results with great impatience. Year 7 pupils also have internal assessments next week. Well done to all who showed determination and perseverance to revise over the Christmas holidays in preparation for theses assessments!

Well done too to all the pupils who are currently studying their lines for the end of year production, Private Peaceful. The costumes are starting to take shape too! This all looks very exciting – see below for rehearsal schedules. We are also very much looking forward to the LAMDA performances next week.

The pupils were all very excited on Wednesday morning when they received their Beechwood Notebook. You may have already spotted the small blue booklet with the new Beechwood Lion logo. Pupils can write in the ‘School Section’ helpful information or reminders, such as additional details about prep, the time of their music lesson, etc. And, writing from the back, in the ‘Dreams and Aspirations’ section, they can write down their ideas , plans, projects,… This should help all pupils with their organisation.

The sunny days make Beechwood grounds look amazing. With the low temperatures, it is important all pupils wear their school coat every day.

Mr Packer


 

Cross Country at York House

Well done to all of those who took part in the York House event on Monday.

The U13 boys finished 5th out of 8 teams, the U11 Boys 3rd out of 9 and the the U11 girls 2nd out of 8. The U13 girls ran well but didn’t have enough runners to count.

Special mentions, for top 10 finishes, to Eloise W, Evie R and Will H in 9th, Penny R and Zac J 8th, Ava S 6th and Tom A-D 5th. Also extremely well done to Erin H who medalled, finishing 3rd in the in the U11 girls’ race.

The next race is next week at Beechwood – we can’t wait!

Cross Country at York House 14 Jan 2022


Year 7 and Top Form Production

Rehearsal schedules (including lunchtimes & after school):

Year 7 (all pupils)

Top Form (pupils who opted for Drama)

Event Date and Time
Technical and Dress Rehearsal 1 Friday 4 March: 1400 – 1800
Technical and Dress Rehearsal 2 Saturday 19 March: 1000 -1600
Dress rehearsal performance to Year 5, Year 6 and Top Form non drama pupils Monday 21 March: 1430 - 1600
Evening performances to parents Thursday 24 and Friday 25 March: 1900-2030

The costumes for our production of Private Peaceful are starting to come together – thank you to Mrs Jacques for all her hard work on these so far, they look amazing – do scroll through the photos below.

We are incredibly privileged to have sourced some original WW1 buttons from the uniforms of very courageous men, who served their King and Country. As Mrs Jacques has been sewing them to the costumes, she has been able to wonder about the stories that each tiny piece of our history holds.  If only they could talk….


6B2 Haiku Poems on Winter

The frosty, chilly mornings have been inspiring Year 6 this week – they have been working on haiku poems with the learning objective of using personification – have a read below!


Environment Club is Go!

The start of the Lent Term saw the launch of Environment Club, with members in Years 6 and 7.  This week, Mr Darcy and his intrepid environmentalists went deep into the woods, to take photographs from the perspectives of different woodland animals.  Over the course of the coming weeks, the club will be seeking Green Tree Status from the Woodland Trust and have lots of initiatives planned; they are hoping to plant trees and wildflowers, create additional bug hotels and much more!  Keep an eye out for what they get up to.

On another environmental note, we have a new battery recycling bin in the Bus Shelter – please do bring any spent batteries and we will arrange for them to be recycled.

 


PE Lessons This Term

Please click on the links below to see timetable for PE lessons this term.  Please ensure that your child has the correct kit with them for each lesson.

Year 6

Year 7

Top Form


From the Art Room

Well done to Freddie for some exceptional Christmas Holiday artwork.


Sports News

ISFA Hertfordshire and Essex Under 13 Squad

A massive congratulations to both Elliot H and Harry G who have both been selected for the ISFA (Independent Schools Football Association) Hertfordshire and Essex Under 13 Squad. This is a great achievement and one both boys should feel very proud

They will represent Hertfordshire and Essex at the Shrewsbury Festival that takes place on Saturday 2nd April to Monday 4th April. This should be an amazing experience for both boys. Good luck – we look forward to hearing how you get on!

 


England Call Up for Josh

Congratulations to Josh D who has been selected for the England Under 14 Fencing Squad. He will  be travelling to Barcelona this year to represent England.  Josh started fencing in Year 3 at School in the after school club run by PDFA, where he still trains today, and when he started had no idea that he would one day represent his country at the sport!

Good luck Josh!


From the Library

A Thunder of Monsters, by S A Patrick


This exciting third installment from S.A. Patrick brings the adventure that began with A Darkness of Dragons to a thunderous end.

The three accidental heroes are plotted against the legendary villain, the Piper of Hamelyn. Patch Brightwater and his friend Barver, the dracogriff, are trapped on a mysterious island full of monstrous beasts. Their shapeshifting friend, Wren, is being held prisoner by the villian, but she’s working hard to escape. Clad in his suit of magical black armour and with dragons and a growing army on his side, the Piper of Hamelyn seems destined to bring chaos and destruction down on the world. 

Continuing from the cliffhanger at the end of A Vanishing of Griffins, fans of the series will find this brand new book an absolute page turner, packed full of adventure and atmosphere.