Beachborough Newsletter: Friday 28th June 2024

Nursery to Pre-Prep 2 Sports Day!

On Friday 21st June, Sports Day took place for our children in Nursery to Pre-Prep 2!

The event consisted of a series of races for our youngest learners, while Reception, PP1, and PP2 participated in a carousel of field activities, before heading to the track to race.

It was a wonderful event, with family and friends gathering to cheer the children on, and an ice-cream van for a post Sports Day treat.

Thank you to everybody who joined us, we hope you had a lovely afternoon!

The link to all photos from the day can be found on our Flickr page: Beachborough School’s albums | Flickr

Staff keep parents at bay to regain the trophy:

On a glorious Sunday afternoon last week, two teams of (ahem) finely honed athletes took to the field to contest the annual Staff v Parents cricket match in front of a splendid crowd.  Having won the toss, Charlie Ashmore put the staff in, reckoning not unreasonably that it was better to field before tea rather than after it.

Unfortunately the staff openers (welcome back Jonny Wilkinson) took umbrage at this tactical masterstroke and laid waste to the bowling from the off, both racing to a quick retirement on 25 runs each.  This brought but a short lull as first Dan Gross (having been put down by the skipper) and then Herbie Greasley departed the scene in quick succession.  That brought Gary Crook to the crease and he promptly picked up where the openers left off.  At this stage it was looking ominous for the parents and a daunting target was being threatened.

However, some excellent bowling from the likes of Jamie Toller, Richard Gough, Toby Tennant and David Hayle in particular slowed things down somewhat though Messrs Usher and, in particular, Blithe kept things ticking along.  Unfortunately, the downside of David and Toby’s rattling through the tail end (helped by a truly remarkable catch by Rob Strange, keeping for the parents) was that it brought Messrs Stoop and Wilkinson back and the former wasted little time in racing to an unbeaten 50 and ensuring that a challenging but potentially gettable target of 205 was posted.

A superb tea punctuated the two innings before battle was recommenced, and it was now that the tactical ploy of making the staff field on full stomachs was supposed to deliver.

Richard and Jamie got the parents off to a fantastic start, with Richard matching the staff openers in racing to a retirement at 25.  Sam Baldock, Olly Ross (smarting from a damaged finger after a terrific effort to take a catch on the boundary) and Tim Venn all tried to push things along, but succumbed to some good bowling (special mention for young Herbie Greasley).  Jamie was out shortly before his retirement which, it was feared, might prove crucial come the end of the match.  Andy Yates fell first ball and Toby scored a nice boundary before being caught trying to keep things going.  Rob and Charlie took up the reins and pushed the run rate along, Rob reaching a retirement before Charlie toe-ended one to midwicket when he looked like joining the retirees and meaning that the parents only had two batters to come back in.  Rory Lavery (having pulled a muscle in the field) and David Hayle tried again to keep the chase going, Rory falling to a brilliant boundary catch by Jonny Wilkinson and David falling to a very smart catch from Mark Usher at short midwicket..

That left Richard and Rob, playing his last match before becoming a Bloxham parent, to try and get the parents over the line but Rob tried one big shot too many leaving the parents 29 runs short.

A really good match played in a superb spirit in front of a terrific crowd.  What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Thanks to the school for hosting the match, to Sarah Greasley for scoring, to Neil McCluskey for a superb tea and to Simone Mitchell and Graham for hosting the tea and the aftermatch refreshments.

Roll on 2025 when the parents will once again try to wrestle the trophy out of the staff’s clutches.

Showcase Videos:

This term, our FV and FVIII children have performed in their wonderful showcases. We are delighted to share the recordings of these performances with you below:

FV SHOWCASE VIDEO

FVIII SHOWCASE VIDEO

Maddox Jones: PSHE Gig

Form VII and VIII were treated to a ‘PSHE GIG’ on Thursday. The awesome up-and-coming, singer-songwriter, Maddox Jones, came to sing a few of his songs and some current favourites. It was an opportunity to listen to his amazing life story so far and some of the challenges he overcame during his teenage years. Maddox spoke to the children about the importance of reaching out for support, recognising the importance of self belief and to try and stand strong when faced with the challenges of peer pressure. He also shared his recent interview on Sky Sports News, where he was talking about his England Euros song, very cool indeed! You can check out Maddox on Instagram, we especially loved his song ‘Not Cool Enough for LA’.

Mrs Harrison

Enrichment Week! 

This week has been Enrichment Week at Beachborough, for children in FV-FVIII.

Mrs Chatfield created a wonderful theme for this year: A Trip to the Movies!. Throughout the course of Monday and Tuesday, the children, in their groups, explored the following areas of film making and animation:

Geography: looking at Disney’s global presence and cultural diversity, through researching cultural influences and analysing film settings. The children also considered the impact of Geography and culture on entertainment and tourism.

Music: creating soundtracks and sound effects, using our software, to include in their movies.

Camera: using a camera to learn how to film a variety scenes.

Storyboard: planning their movie, using visual elements such as: images, characters, and scenes.

Animation: learning how to use STOP motion – a technique used in film-making, in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments, between photographed frames, so that they appear to be moving once edited together.

Zoetrope: creating a Zoetrope in the TED Suite. A Zoetrope is a cylinder with vertical slits down the sides. The inside of the cylinder displays a band with a set of sequenced images. When the cylinder spins, the user can see the pictures inside as they look through the slits, which prevent the images from blurring together.

History: learning about the history of Hollywood actors and Oscar winners over time.

Dance: the children learnt a choreographed routine, to songs from the movies, with Ms Boardman on Wednesday. You are able to watch the end result, here: Enrichment Week 2024 Dance 

Finally, the children put all that they had learnt together, and spent Thursday filming and editing their movies! They even spent time in Food Tech, making some delicious popcorn to eat whilst watching each others films.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Mrs Chatfield, for organising such an incredible week for our Manor House children. Our thanks also go to the staff, who supported and guided the children throughout each activity, and ensured that fun was continuously had by all. Enrichment Week opens our children up to many opportunities, where they can learn various new skills and unlock interests. We are very much looking forward to seeing what next year has in store!

Uppingham Makers and Creators Day

On Sunday, four of our Form VIIs got to experience the wonders of the Leonardo Centre, courtesy of Uppingham School. This building really is the creative hub of this lovely school with Art, Photography, Design and Technology, and Textiles all rubbing shoulders with one another under one roof. Once a year, they run a Makers and Creators Day where select schools are invited to spend the day with them and experience what it is like to study these disciplines at senior school level. As Charles Welch, the Deputy Director of Admissions said in his opening speech, this ticket was hotter than Taylor Swift at Wembley last weekend, with over 50 schools applying and only 11 selected, so we were very fortunate.

Jake, Wallis, Lyla and Kit made the most of the day, tasked with designing a new school cricket pavilion and making a model of it, sewing together their own sketch book before drawing a continuous line drawing of one of the bronze statues in the courtyard, as well as looking at the fashion house of Comme des Garcons and making a garment out of paper in that style.

Our thanks go to all the staff in the Leonardo Centre who made us feel so welcome and gave our children such a wonderful day.

Mrs Hodgkinson

Tech this Term:

As our year draws to a close, we have a plethora of wonderful projects being finished off in the Ted Suite. Form III have been making the most colourful marble mazes I have ever seen, and have all become absolute masters on the electric saw. Form IV have been designing insect houses and again have also gone completely beyond the brief, adding some incredibly creative embellishments such as staircases, ledges, ladders and chimneys for some very lucky insects. We also have to say goodbye to a beautiful collection of food related clocks by Form VIII, some of the best we have ever had, from the mad Hatter’s Tea Party to Pavlovas, Ramen bowls and Sunday Roasts! We are very much going to miss those adorning our dining room. Form VI have also been very busy finishing off multicoloured candlesticks and tape holders based on the Memphis Design movement. The array of tape holders along the window sills in the Manor house have been a splendid sight with all the patterns and colours, and I hope they will be well loved and used when they go home. Well done to all the children this year who in total have made well over 900 pieces of work in the workshop this year!

Mrs Hodgkinson

Zoetropes

As part of Enrichment Week based on the movies, we made miniature zoetropes in the Ted Suite. These little spinning cups were the precursor to the first silent movies and animation as we know it today, with strips of paper with slightly altered sequential images giving the illusion of movement when spun quickly.

As usual, our children were brilliant and in one hour all of them had not only made the mechanism, but designed their own little narratives from bouncing cricket balls to mushrooms growing and cars going over rocky outcrops – all in 12 frames! Great fun.

Mrs Hodgkinson

The U11A Girls’ Cricket Team: 

The U11A team played their first T20 cricket fixture at Swanbourne this week, and enjoyed a very close match. They loved the format of the game and hope to play more next year.

Mrs Little

Club Credits!

Ms Boardman’s Heathers Workshop:

Ms Boardman, from Starlight, has an exciting Heathers Workshop this July with past Starlight pupil, Olivia Barnett Legh, who recently played Heather Chandler in the West End production. Olivia has also just arrived home, after playing Meg Giry in the Chinese tour of Love Never Dies.

Olivia is going to be running this workshop for anyone aged 12+, at Starlight in Turweston. Ms Boardman would love to open up this opportunity to as many students, siblings, or friends as possible.

A link to the booking form can be found here: Heathers Workshop, Participation, Medical, Consent, Filming and Photography,Emergency Contact Details (google.com)

Please email info@starlightbrackley.co.uk for any questions or queries.

The results are in! 

Many congratulations to Ellie S in Form VIII, who scored her maiden 50 for the school in the U13A girls’ match away at Maidwell Hall.

What’s on next week?

Mon 1st
No Co-curricular activities for the whole school ALL WEEK
6.15pm – 7.15pm – Ski Club – MK snowdome
8.30am – 9.00am – Assembly – PP1 – FVIII
10.30am – 5.00pm – Summer Concert Rehearsals (The Whybrow Theatre)
1.30pm – 2.15pm – Effort Grade Lunch
6.00pm – 7.30pm – Summer Concert (The Whybrow Theatre) *
Refreshments – on the terrace from 5.15pm (pupils to music rooms 5.30pm)

Tues 2nd
Moving Up Day! – 9am assembly (Whybrow Theatre)
Current Form IV-VIII
2.30pm – Form VIII Krav Maga Self Defence Workshop (Sports Hall)
4.30pm – Form VIII Leavers v Parents’ Cricket Match*
5.00pm – Form VIII Leavers v Parents’ Rounders Match*

Weds 3rd
All kit must go home today – only outdoor trainers to remain in school
8.30am – Registration – tutor/year group time
9.00am – 10.00am – Charity Assembly – PP1 to VIII – Virtual Pet Show (Whybrow)
10.00am – 11.00am – Leavers’ service practice (Church)
IAPS National Athletics Championships at Alexander stadium Birmingham.
2.15pm – Boys’ Cricket: 1st XI and 3rd XI v Bruern Abbey (H)*
2.15pm – Boys’ Cricket: 2nd XI v Bruern Abbey (A)*
2.15pm – Boys’ Cricket: Colts B v Bruern Abbey (A)*
2.15pm – Boys’ Cricket: Colts A and C v Bruern Abbey (H)*
6.00pm – 9.00pm – Boarders’ End of Term Party

Thurs 4th
8.40am – 10.00am – Prize Giving (The Whybrow Theatre)
10.30am – 11.30am – NUR-PP2 – End of year celebrations practice
11.30am – 1.00pm – 8 Billion Ideas presentation (Parents invited in at 12.30am) (The Whybrow Theatre)* (Winning team taken off site for prize PM)
2.00pm – NUR-PP2 – End of year celebrations*
3.30pm – Term ends for pupils in Nursery to Pre-Prep 2
N-PP2 pupils will return to classrooms ready for sign-out
3.30am – 4.30pm – Speech Day practice
Form III – VIII to line up on the front lawn at 3.15pm
7.00pm – 10.00pm – Form VIII Boarders Gifford Circus

Fri 5th
9.00am – Forms III-VIII Arrival and Registration
9.30am – Leavers’ Service (children leaving in forms III-VIII)*
10.30am – Refreshments on the terrace*
10.30am Ghab – mini break and line up – 10 minutes maximum
11.00am – Speech Day & Presentations*
1.00pm – Term Ends – all pupils depart
Form III & IV pupils will return to classrooms to sign-out
Form V-VIII pupils to line up on the front lawn for sign-out.
2.00pm – Staff BBQ & leaving speeches