Junior Girls' Review 2016-17

BOLTON SCHOOL JUNIOR GIRLS’ 2016/2017 REVIEW

From the Head...

The pages of this Review give a real flavour for the wide variety of experiences and opportunities available to our Junior Girls. Life in Hesketh House is busy, exciting and fun and the girls thrive on all of the challenges we put in front of them. We see excellence in many areas but also, more importantly, we see our pupils developing a love of learning and a thirst for adventure. They are confident individuals, interested and enthusiastic students and responsible and reliable members of our community. There is so much more we could have included, but hopefully you will enjoy this snapshot of our year!

Ambassadors

All pupils in Year 6 have the opportunity serve the School as Ambassadors for one term each. The Ambassadors are involved in all areas of School life and are a wonderful reflection of the School’s values: respect, honesty, kindness, resilience and responsibility.

The role brings with it additional duties, which the Year 6 girls take on with great enthusiasm and dedication. They welcome guests to Hesketh House on Open Morning and offer guided tours that allow visitors to see the School from the girls’ perspective. As young leaders, they also act as role models for younger pupils, lend a hand to teachers and take on a variety of additional responsibilities throughout the year.

Spring Term Ambassadors

Autumn Term Ambassadors

Summer Term Ambassadors

Music and Drama

Twelfth Night

Girls enjoyed The Young Shakespeare Company’s performance of this romantic comedy.

Street Dance

Girls had fun at the Street Dance class.

Winter Warmer

The Christmas Concert was a festive treat.

Music Festivals

The

AJIS Sings

Eight Year 5 pupils enjoyed AJIS Sings.

Songs of the Earth

Pupils in Years 3 to 5 performed the ‘Songs of the Earth’ at their spectacular Summer Concert.

Junior Girls’ Choir sang at the AJIS Music Festival and girls also took part in the Ramsbottom Music Festival.

Hesketh House Music Festival

The Music Festival was a celebration of music at Hesketh House. The standard of musicmaking was extremely high and both adjudicators found it a challenge to choose the winners in each class.

The Keymaster

Year 6 took audiences on a journey through history with ‘The Keymaster’. By exploring varied moments in the past, from the Battle of Hastings to the Suffrage movement, the characters discover how their actions today influence the future. The girls thoroughly enjoyed singing, dancing and acting to bring each age to life.

AJIS Proms

Seven Junior Girls performed in the ‘AJIS Proms’. They came together with eighty fellow pupils to rehearse for just one day before the performance!

Assemblies

Throughout the year, assemblies have featured a wide variety of performances. These have included Indian dances for Divali, music from numerous ensembles, and Irish dancing accompanied by the Flute Choir.

‘Mass for Peace’ Concert

The Junior Girls’ Choir performed two songs at Bolton Parish Church to support the Friends of Bolton School Choir at this moving concert themed around ‘The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace’ by Karl Jenkins.

School Events and Visitors

Chris Eatough

Old Boy and six times World 24 hour Solo Mountain Bike Racing Champion Chris Eatough talked to pupils about his career.

Farewells

School said farewell to Mrs Critchley and Mrs Drinkwater who retired in February after almost 60 years at Bolton School between them!

Group Captain Jason Appleon

Pupils were excited to meet Old Boy Jason Appleton when he landed his Squirrel helicopter in School grounds.

Eilish McColgan

Olympic runner Eilish McColgan inspired pupils with tales from her career and tips on recovering from setbacks.

Poppies for Remembrance

The Junior Girls remembered the fallen on Armistice Day.

High Sheriff of Greater Manchester

Girls met The High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, The Lady Smith DL, who is also an Old Girl.

National Poetry Day

Girls received the gift of a poem on National Poetry Day and enjoyed reciting the verses to their friends. They were inspired to compose and share their own rhymes.

Ski Trip

Girls went on a skiing adventure to Claviere.

World Book Day

Pupils dressed up as their favourite characters from fiction and history

Sophia Bennett

Girls learned more about writing with author Sophia Bennett.

Virtual Reality

Girls visited outer space, took a trip to the centre of a volcano, saw the Seven Wonders of the World and travelled back in time to Anglo Saxon Britain as part of a Virtual Reality experience with Google Expeditions.

The Twits

Sponsored Police Horse

The Junior Girls have sponsored Bumble the police horse. Pupils were really excited to meet him and learn more about the important work police horses do around Greater Manchester to keep people safe.

Storyteller John Kirk brought Roald Dahl’s classic tale to life.

for World Book Day.

Learning Challenges

Roman Visitor

Year 4 pupils dressed as centurions and handled artefacts as part of this interactive workshop on the Romans. They were fascinated by their Roman visitor and full of questions about life in Roman times.

The H Factor

Year 3 girls learned all about Healthy Eating with the catering staff.

Imperial War Museum

Year 6 visited the Imperial War Museum in Manchester to find out more about the Second World War. They also met George, a WWII veteran from Bomber Command.

Geology Adventure

Pupils in Year 3 discovered the world of geology. They learned about different types of rocks from around the world, what they can be used for and how they are formed, and also found out more about fossils. At the end of the trip, the geologists created an exploding volcano with flying ash using magnesium!

House Day

This was a great opportunity for girls to make friends in other year groups and develop their teamwork skills through a wide variety of fun workshops, from circus skills to poetry writing!

Modern Foreign Languages Day

This year’s MFL Day was based on the Russian language and the traditional folk tale ‘The Firebird’.

Chess

Inspiring Alumni

Four Bolton School alumni gave pupils in Year 6 a fascinating insight into medicine, film production, politics and town planning at the annual Careers Carousel.

Hinduism

As part of studying Hinduism, the Year 5 girls learned some relaxation and meditation techniques.

Girls have taken part in a wide range of chess competitions this year, including some English Chess Federation tournaments. The Junior Girls performed well at the AJIS Chess Competition in November, where they were the only girls present: the Year 6 team finished in second place and pupils in all year groups achieved individual medals! In the Bolton League, pupils received medals throughout the year and School finished second in the League overall. The U11 and U9 teams both earned places at the EPSCA National Semi-Finals in Prestatyn, a tough competition against 400 fellow chess players across six rounds, which takes a whole weekend. The U11s finished in the Bronze group with 10 points, while the U9s gained 15 points and finished in the Silver group.

UK Bebras Challenge

The fun and engaging Bebras Challenge gets students excited about computing. It was great to see so many Merits and Distinctions awarded!

Chess Grandmaster and Old Boy Nigel Short returned to Bolton School for a simultaneous match against twenty-three Junior and Senior School pupils. Though Nigel unsurprisingly dominated the competition, this was still a very exciting and worthwhile experience for the six Junior Girls who took part.

Sports

Swimming

The swimmers have performed strongly in each competition this year. A group of Year 6 girls made it all the way to the ESSA National Championships in June! Earlier in the year, teams from Years 5 and 6 competed at the AJIS Swimming Gala and reached the finals in all events, with three girls also achieving individual podium positions in their races. Teams from Years 4, 5 and 6 also enjoyed success in competitive fixtures against other schools.

Football

Pupils took part in the first AJIS Girls’ Football Festival and earned a place in the play-off for third and fourth place. The match was a draw and came down to penalties, but the girls’ nerve paid off and they won third place. The girls also took part in the ISFA Girls’ Independent Schools Tournament. The A Team and B Team both had a great time and showed excellent team spirit!

Athletics

A team of Year 5 and 6 pupils faced opponents from twenty-six rival schools at the AJIS Indoor Sportshall Athletics. Twelve medals were received on the day, with seven of those awarded for first place! A group of four Year 4 pupils joined forces with the Junior Boys for an Athletics Competition, coming fourth overall. The AJIS Athletics competition in the summer term saw several girls in Years 5 and 6 reach the finals in their events. Three individuals came away with medals and the Year 5 Relay team won first after an incredible race!

AJIS Biathlon

Six Year 5 pupils had an excellent afternoon at Rossall for the AJIS Biathlon. Points from the 50m swim and 800m run were totalled to give a final score. The girls won individual gold and silver medals and the team came first overall!

AJIS Sportshall Athletics medallists

Year 4 Standing Long Jump

Year 6 Team at AJIS Athletics

Year 4 Athletics Team

Year 5 Team at AJIS Athletics

Cross Country

The Junior Girls won the Bolton Schools’ Cross Country Championship again this year! They also won the Bolton Schools’ Cross Country League combined trophy, sharing the triumph with the Junior Boys. The Year 5 and Year 6 teams took part in the AJIS Cross Country competition, both finishing eighth overall. Two members of the team were invited to represent Bolton in the Greater Manchester Cross Country competition as part of the School Games.

Tennis

Two pupils did amazingly well in the hotly contested AJIS Tennis competition: both easily reached the semi-finals and one of them went on to win the AJIS Tennis Shield!

Rounders

The Junior Girls enjoyed playing competitive Rounders fixtures against other schools in the summer term. The AJIS Rounders Tournament was particularly tricky for all players but the Junior Girls performed well in the Plate competition, drawing in the final. As the opposition had got more players out they were declared the winners, but nonetheless the girls were delighted with their silver medals.

Netball

The Netball teams have shown great team spirit and enjoyed themselves even when faced with very tough opposition all year. Some Year 6 players took part in the Bolton Schools’ High-5 Netball Tournament, where they won their group convincingly and second overall. The Year 6s also competed in the AJIS Tournament, working hard to achieve silver medals in the Plate competition.

Sports Day

The sun came out at the end of term for Sports Day! Girls enjoyed a wide range of sporty activities, including traditional egg and spoon races, sack races, relays and long jump.

Charity

Raising Money For Retrak

This year, the Junior Girls discovered how the charity Retrak transforms the lives of street children in Africa and South America by providing healthcare, education and an alternative to life on the streets. It all began with a non-uniform day, which produced a donation of £661.53. Pupils were delighted to hear how this donation was used in Ethiopia and receive video messages from the children they helped. The girls were so inspired that they chose to support the charity again with their Christmas Concert retiring collection and additional summer term fundraising, making further donations of £624.70 and £1106.21! Mrs Marsden also organised a sponsored trampolining event at Jump Extreme.

Operation Christmas Child

In

Comic Relief

BOLTON SCHOOL JUNIOR GIRLS

the run-up to the festive period, pupils and their families donated a host of gift-filled shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child.

Pupils donned red noses and other fun accessories for Comic Relief!

Rainbow of Coins

Hesketh House was filled with all the colours of the rainbow to raise over £800 for Rainbows4Children. As well as brightening the school with colourful attire, pupils donated their spare change, allowing the creation of a spectacular ‘rainbow’ of coins on the playground! Rainbows4Children provides education for children in Ethiopia, primarily assisting those with disabled parents.

Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

Bolton School has received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service: the highest accolade given to local volunteer groups in the community! This national honour is equivalent to an MBE and acknowledges voluntary work across the whole school.

The Big Spotacular

Girls added spotty accessories to their normal uniform for Children in Need and raised £364.13.

Harvest

The Harvest celebration once again supported local charity Urban Outreach with a huge food donation.

Charity Afternoon

The annual Charity Afternoon raised over £1,200 through stalls, fun activities, and a special ‘Jump Rope for Heart’ skipping event. The stalls alone raised over £600, and the money was shared between ten varied charities chosen by the Year 6 girls. Pupils raised £602.05 for the British Heart Foundation through their sponsored skipping.

Outdoor Learning

Climbing Club

Girls in Year 3 took advantage of the School’s climbing wall during lunchtimes.

Bikeability

Year 6 girls took part in the Bikeability cycle training programme to learn practical skills and understand how to safely cycle on the road.

Outdoor Art

Pupils created artwork using new outdoor equipment.

Outdoor Learning Day

Year 3 girls were introduced to Outdoor Learning through a carousel of activities and enjoyed trying Bushcraft, Orienteering, Team Building and Archery.

Patterdale Hall

Pupils in Years 4 to 6 visited Patterdale Hall on the shores of Lake Ullswater and took part in a wide range of exciting outdoor pursuits and teambuilding activities.

John Muir Award

Girls in Year 6 worked on their John Muir Award while visiting Patterdale Hall. They achieved the Discovery Level of this conservational award by discovering, exploring and conserving wild places and sharing their experiences. The girls made a new planting area for the Hall from scratch, visited Aira Force and created canvases featuring poems based on their experiences.

Parents’ Association

Photography Competition Winners

Year 3 Winner Overall Winner (Year 3)

Spring Fair

Christmas Hamper Raffle

The PA organised the annual Christmas Hamper Raffle, putting together a sumptuous array of seasonal treats, each with a different theme. During the festive period, the PA also arranged a Christmas Disco for the girls.

The sun shone down on a huge variety of stalls at the Spring Fair! Activities ranged from a surfboard simulator to bulb planting to a nail bar and ‘hairtique’, and included of course many fair games and lots of tasty treats to eat.

Year 5 Winner

Year 6 Winner

The theme for this year’s Photography Competition was ‘My Favourite View’. Girls submitted over fifty creative and beautiful responses! Old Boy and professional photographer Mark Power judged the competition and the five winners were presented with canvases featuring their photographs.

Year 6 Leavers

The Year 6 Leavers’ Event organised by the PA was a truly special occasion.

World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

The PA’s Macmillan Coffee Morning raised £345 for charity.

Breakfast Club

An army of parent volunteers helped to brighten dark mornings with sweet treats, hot drinks, and healthier fruit and yoghurt options for a week in November.

Bingo!

Easter Bingo is always a popular event.