Beechwood Lion Lent 2016 by Beechwood Park School

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @BWPSchool

The

Beechwood Lion Lent 2016

Marvellous Mulan, page 3

From The Headmaster Dear Parents and Friends, Welcome to the Lent term edition of the Beechwood Lion and what a term it has been! Perseverance was the Value of the final fortnight of this term and who could have chosen a better one! Mulan, as anyone who saw the final four performances will attest, was a triumph of creativity and teamwork, with performance and production skills combining to provide a piece of epic musical theatre of considerable energy and stature. Congratulations to everyone involved for their hard work over a term and half; whatever their role on or offstage, the combined collective experience was mind-blowing. As I watched the penultimate night’s performance, I could not help but reflect on the parting words of our delightful visitors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate, who wished that they could have spent more

than their allocated two days meeting the children, hearing about their lives in School, and discovering what makes us all tick. It is ironic that while they busied themselves with their assessment of compliance, inspirational things were going on in the performance hall. The inspectors reminded us as they left that we should not be disappointed that there are no qualitative judgements contained in their report, when it is published in about five weeks, just a simple judgement as to whether or not we have achieved compliance. So, post Lent term, post inspection, we are in a rather lovely position! We can now take the time to reflect on a very busy first two terms’ planning and preparation and to plan for the longer term. The Senior Management Team as ever is full of ideas for future educational development which will both benefit our pupils in their School lives and keep Beechwood Park at the forefront of UK prep school practice. I am hugely indebted to all of our staff, teaching and non-teaching, for all of their hard work, inspiration and creativity.

World Book Day

of the characters gathered in the Sports Hall for an inter-House literary quiz – what a spectacle! More photos from the day can be found on Flickr www.flickr.com/bwpschool/albums.

There is no denying that everyone at Beechwood Park fully entered into the spirit of World Book Day. On World Book Day itself the Great Hall and Junior Hall were bedecked with balloons and bookshelves and pupils had the chance to browse for books to buy. In a new departure for the School, the following day pupils and staff were invited to dress up as their favourite character from a book. From the Gruffalo to Gangsta Granny, Tin Tin to the Tardis, the corridors of Beechwood were teeming with creativity and colour. The Cat in the Hat walked alongside The Boy in the Dress whilst Tweedle Dee discussed academic matters with Mary Poppins. In the afternoon all

I am delighted by the performance of our pupils this term in their scholarship and entrance examinations in which they have seen great success. Well done to all of those who rose to challenge of scholarship and who represented their School so emphatically. The rest the term has been a whirl of visiting poets, cross-country and orienteering triumphs, mud, biting winds, car parking plans, World Book Day celebrations, tree planting, House matches and a final moment of prePaschal reflection. We have even managed to squeeze in a few lessons along the way! Your children, as ever, have been wonderful, rising to every challenge with courage, yes, perseverance and not a little stamina! They have earned a lovely and restful Easter full of chocolate and bunnies! With best wishes, Yours,

EDWARD BALFOUR

GRÁINNE WILKINS

The newsletter of Beechwood Park School, Markyate, Hertfordshire AL3 8AW

Junior News and Music Woodlands Nursery Daddy Day Care

On Saturday 23rd January, no fewer than 25 eager dads and 2 enthusiastic grandads arrived at Woodlands Nursery along with 35 children between them to take part in the inaugural “Daddy Day Care” event. Inspired by their fabulous Nursery, Beechwood Park's youngest pupils were able to give their dads and grandads a flavour of what it is like to be a “Woodlander”. Once they’d arrived (promptly), the older “pupils” were offered tea, coffee and bacon butties, whilst their younger mentors munched on biscuits. Reporting for registration time, dads and grandads saw how their offspring answer to their names each day and joined in with fun and educational sessions, learning about the date and the weather. Woodlanders young and “old” had the chance to play together and share the beautiful, inspirational surroundings offered by Woodlands Nursery. The “Golden Daddy” of the day was Mr Ring, who was allowed to sit on the “Golden Cushion” next to teacher Shirley! Grandparents’ Day We couldn’t let the dads have all the fun! On February 11th it was the Woodlands Grandparents who had a chance to visit and have fun and discover what their grandchildren get up to when they are at Nursery. Everyone played, learnt, interacted and enjoyed a yummy lunch together too! A truly heart-warming experience for us all.

Kite Workshop Whilst the blustery weather may not have appealed to everyone, it was ideal for our Kite Making and Flying Day! Initially we all gathered to listen to kite enthusiast Beryl Hayman who delighted in telling us all about kites including their fascinating history. Beryl loves kites and has flown them all her life as a child, a mummy and now as an energetic grandma. However, Beryl didn't just tell us all about kites, she actually made three kites for us to fly in our in very own our gusty playground. We all had a fabulous time and are looking forward to the Kite Festival taking place on Dunstable Downs on 30th July.

This hugely successful competition spread over four days and one evening. Wonderful adjudicators gave positive and encouraging individual feedback to all entries which included an impressive 34 Brass players, 44 Pianists, 22 Percussionists, 33 Singers, 59 String players, 34 Woodwind players and 63 Ensemble players from 19 Ensembles. The winners of each class (33 children) went through to the Grand Final. Alex Laing, Head of Strings at Uppingham School, gave the final (superb) adjudication and had the hard task of having to choose overall winners from each category.

Reception classes have had their first taste of Forest School this term. With some beautiful crisp and sunny days, it has been a wonderful environment to explore. We had to be detectives and find as many 'owls' and 'elves' as possible to show us the Forest School boundaries. We have been working together to build snug and safe homes for our woodland animal friends using bark, leaves, moss, sticks and rope and have been hiding in the woods and using our listening skills to find each other. We have been looking out for wildlife and have already spotted a friendly robin, heard a woodpecker and had a close inspection of snails and worms with a magnifying glass. We have tried to find the Beechwood dinosaur but he is a bit elusive!

BECKY LE BAS

Scholars’ Concert

National Fairy Tale Day

On National Fairy Tale Day a group of helpful Woodlands Nursery parents came in to the Nursery to read fairy tales to the children. Then, in small working groups we watched, listened, chatted and sang. Some parents brought in additional resources to complement their reading and the “Woodlanders” enjoyed seeing how these adults value the enjoyment of reading – this is something we particularly hoped to achieve on the day.

SHIRLEY HAYMAN

Music Competition 2016

Fun in the Forest

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening with each pupil delivering a wonderful ‘performance’ of their pieces. A huge ‘well done’ to all pupils who took part this year – there are so many extremely talented children at Beechwood Park! JANE LODGE

Seven pupils gave us just over an hour of spectacular music – 23 pieces on 9 different instruments, each pupil performing on two or three instruments in a staggering variety of musical styles. It was one of the best Scholars’ Concerts we have ever had. The quality of the performances was superb and it was easy to forget that these were 11, 12 and 13 year old children standing up in front of the audience, confidently playing and singing their pieces in such a mature and musical way. We wish them all the very best in their forthcoming scholarships.

JANE LODGE

Chiltern Musica Concert This term we were delighted to welcome ‘Chiltern Musica’ to Beechwood Park as part of our ongoing Beechwood Concert Series. Some members of the group were very recognisable (as they are members of the staff at Beechwood and visiting Music Teachers) and it was lovely to see them not wearing their ‘teaching’ hats, but in their professional performing roles. And what wonderful delights they conjured for us, from Mozart’s wind quintet to Malcolm Arnold’s Grand Fantasia, a spine tingling Poulenc trio to Arthur Benjamin’s wonderful Jamaican Rumba. Stunning playing from Rachel Broadbent (oboe), Liz Childs (flute), Rosemary Cow (bassoon), Jonathan Handley (French horn), Rob Lawrence (clarinet) and Kevin Vockerodt (piano).

JANE LODGE

PAGE X Mulan Jnr

Drama

The Performance Hall was positively buzzing with this heart-warming celebration of culture, honour and the fighting spirit. With hit songs, a story packed with action and humour and fabulous costumes and scenery, ancient China was brought to life. Invasion by the Huns meant that it was up to the misfit Mulan and her mischievous dragon sidekick, Mushu, to save the Emperor! Defying the village matchmaker, Mulan took up arms and disguised herself as a boy in order to spare her father from having to serve in the army. As the great battle with the Huns approached, Mulan had to choose between revealing her true identity as a girl or saving all of China with her clever plan... A wonderful production and a celebration of the enormous musical and acting talent within our School. Many thanks to all the many staff and parents for their help with the fabulous costumes and scenery and to old Beechwoodian Edward Horn for returning to design and organise the lighting for us.

LAURA HEGARTY

LAMDA Examinations This term almost 60 pupils took a range of LAMDA Acting and Duo Miming examinations. The examiner thoroughly enjoyed the range of scenes that she was presented with, including highlights from ‘The BFG’, ‘The ‘Wizard of Oz’, and ‘Superfudge’. She was also treated to an array of mime scenes depicting a variety of robberies, ranging from an art heist, to a pair of bungling, cat stealing thieves performed by the 7th and Top Form drama option pupils. Everyone performed brilliantly and what amazing results, 14 Merits and 33 Distinctions - bravo! LAURA HEGARTY

Beechwood Park School’s Newsletter

Maths, Science and Design Mathematical Fun The 4th Form Maths Workshop was lots of fun. We tried out many different activities which involved using many of our mathematical skills. There were 17 different stations and we went round and had a go at all of them. Our favourite activity was guiding a ball around a maze following the different paths and instructions.

LILY AND FREYA 4L

UKMT Maths Challenge Early in February, eleven Top Form pupils entered the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge and we are delighted to have recorded some very impressive results - even more notable considering this challenge is designed to be taken by pupils in Year 11! We managed to gain 10 medals, including 1 Gold, 6 Silver and 3 Bronzes. Charlie H (Top JRB) even qualified for the "Kangaroo", placing him in the top 6,000 Mathematicians in the country under the age of 16 quite an achievement for a 13 year old! Congratulations everyone.

TOM MCKENZIE

CS News Maths Challenge A team of Year 5 pupils visited Haileybury this term to compete in a Maths Prep Schools' Challenge. This competition offers the opportunity to participate in different mathematical tasks and battle it out for the top schools' trophy … and enjoy lunch in Haileybury's impressive Dining Hall! Out of the 32 schools that took part, our teams were delighted to come 8th overall. Team 1 "The Hexagons" consisted of Christopher W and Olivia P – who came 14th in their challenge. Team 2 "The Nonagons" consisted of Charlotte B and Charlie L who also came in 14th. Charlotte B said "I love the way they organised the day and I found it great fun". Whilst Olivia P "liked the domino game and the calculator challenge".

IAN SHERIDAN

Science Dome On 4th February the Science Dome came to Beechwood! A fully digital mobile planetarium, it is one of the most advanced digital domes in the country capable of showing 360 degree pictures and feature films. The Dome was set up in the Performance Hall and all the children from 4th to Top Form enjoyed sessions which were mainly based on their “Earth and Beyond” topics but the Top formers also experienced a Nano Cam video which showed biodiversity at micro-level. All of the pupils thoroughly enjoyed learning about Science from a different perspective.

JOANNE BEGLEY

Winklepickers and Platforms! When visiting the Shoe Museum in Northampton, our 4th Form was impressed with the number of styles and the sheer history of the footwear on display. Here are a few reports from the day: ‘It was amazing! I tried on a King’s shoe and some clogs! King Louis’ shoe had a high heel because he wanted to be taller…’ Clarissa ‘It was interesting to find out that the Northampton football team was nicknamed ‘the Cobblers’.’ Eddie

EDWINA WILKS

Our new set of 26 iPads has been a real hit with the children! Sufficient to allow any class to go 1-2-1, and have some left over, they are a bookable resource, so available to all, and have been experienced by the very young children through to the Top Form. One of the key advantages is that the technology ‘goes to the classroom’, not the other way around. This facility mimics the real life situations that many of us experience, and further expands the variety of hardware and software experiences that the pupils can and do enjoy.

Technology Challenge We entered two teams, one from 7th Form and one from Top Form, into the Bedfordshire and Luton Rotary Technology Challenge – a competition which is actually aimed at pupils from Year 9 to Upper 6th. On arrival the teams were given a task to build a bridge with a 500mm

Burns Assembly Monday 25th January was, of course, Burns Night and Beechwood Park marked this occasion with our very own Burns Night celebration assembly. In preparation for this, many of the children had brought in something tartan to wear, which really helped set the scene. Pupils from 6th to Top Form recited poems after which the haggis was ceremoniously piped in to assembly, accompanied by enthusiastic hand clapping. After a performance of "The Dashing White Sergeant", came the grand finale

The children have applied coding skills, problem solving and mathematics as well as the more traditional note taking, annotation and resource creation. The possibilities are as wide as their imaginations. I am confident that these new resources will provide years of additional and new learning opportunities!

PIERS CASIMIR-MROWCZYNSKI

fixed span to allow a 25mm barge under and a tilting span of 160mm to allow a 225mm tall ship through. It was to be made of art straws and had to support a 1 kilo weight being dragged across it. The boys all completed the task, had a very enjoyable, challenging day and learned a lot about engineering as a career.

JILL DAVIDSON

when 3rd to Top Form joined hands to sing "Auld Lang Syne". Children and teachers alike enjoyed this slightly different assembly and discovered more about Scottish tradition and the true meaning of Burns Night....some of the children were relieved to learn that Burns Night referred to a poet and did not actually involve fire and flames!

JOANNE BEGLEY

PAGE X Soirée Amicale

Luke (Gringoire) était très rigolo quand il a eu un T-shirt de Esmeralda. Freya (Phoebus) avec “vous êtes la femme de mes rêves.” Et aussi Charlie (Quasimodo) était très rigolo avec son costume. Il a très bien joué. Callum Le bossu de Notre-Dame était absolument incroyable. George

Poetry and French Poetry Presentation Parents of pupils from 3rd to 6th Form were treated, this term, to a Poetry Presentation by the children. It was a veritable smorgasbord of Poetry. We discovered how magical a snowy day can be; what life would be like as a pirate; how to treat the house plants and so much more! Well done again to all the children involved!

GRÁINNE WILKINS

La première pièce c’était «La personalité du sport» par 7A. La meilleure chose de cette pièce c’était le selfie avec Olly et les vêtements de Sam (Zlatan Ibrahimovic). Ça m’a fait rire quand George est arrivé comme Zinedine Zidane. Dylan Nous avons eu l’occasion de voir une pièce qui s’appelle «Dick Whittington va à Paris». J’étais très impressioné par leur chanson. Ils ont chanté courrament. Ce que j’ai surtout aimé c’était quand Harrison était une fée et ça m’a fait rire! Les vêtements dans les piecès étaient fantastiques. Sam J’ai beaucoup aimé «Messieurs les Bonhommes» parce que c’était très rigolo. Ça m’a fait rire quand Monsieur Paresseux a oublié le cadeau. Je pense que Darcy est un bon acteur. Charlie a fait un saut. J’ai beaucoup apprécié les vêtements de tout le monde particulièrement les vêtements dans «Cinq minutes aux urgences». George Je me suis trés bien amusé pendant la pièce en espagnol à cause du professeur, Noah. J’ai bien compris tout le temps car il parlait très couramment. Je pense qu'il a bien présenté sa pièce au début. Jack La pièce «On va partir en vacances» était très rigolo et ça m’a fait rire quand ils ont perdu la portefeuille. Joshua J’ai aimé «Je suis une célébrité - sortezmoi de là» de 6B1 parce que c’était très amusant et vraiment dégoûtant. Oliver Ma pièce préférée était celle de la classe 7B1 - «Invite-moi» parce que les vêtements et les personnages étaient très marrants, par exemple quand Amir était Voldemort de Harry Potter et toutes les femmes voulaient sortir avec lui. Daniel Mon autre pièce préférée était «Une visite bizarre à Bizarreville». L’histoire était très bizarre, mais ce que j’ai surtout aimé c’était quand Noah a chanté Adèle parce que ça m’a fait rire. Aussi ma soeur a joué “Tom Cat”. Lucy a bien joué et elle a un bon accent. Tom «Le bossu de Notre-Dame» était notre pièce (Top X) et je me suis bien amusé. Dylan (Esmeralda) était très ‘jolie’ dans son personnage. Les Gargouilles étaient ‘super cool’ aussi avec la chanson “Trois petites gargouilles cachent le bossu…” C’était génial.

Poetry in Motion James Carter, the renowned children’s poet, dazzled and captivated Third and Fourth Form with entertaining performances of some of his many poems such as ‘Lullaby for a Woolly Mammoth” and “The Dark”. With the help of ‘Keith’ (his guitar) and ‘Little Steve’ (his mini electric piano), James spent time with each class inspiring them to create their own poems ranging from Kennings through to Haiku. He even introduced them to the world of ‘Name Pictures’, with many children now having created pictures using just the letters in their own names! The day was topped off with all the children in Third and Fourth Form coming together with James to share their own poems inspired by their time with him in the classroom.

CHRIS KNELLER

Beechwood Park School’s Newsletter

Sport Lacrosse Club Lacrosse was first played by the North American Indians in around 1710. It is the fastest game played on foot when you add the pace of the players to the speed of the ball hurling through the air! When I moved down from Scotland I found myself freezing on a lacrosse pitch with no idea what on earth was about to happen. Shivering in defence, the ball (harder than a cricket ball) was flying down towards the goal. From catching the ball for the first time to captaining my University lacrosse side I knew that this was the sport for me! I introduced ‘proper’ lacrosse to Beechwood in 2014 and after an initial sales pitch, I have seen the after-school club become a more and more popular option. We’ve had a super couple of terms of afterschool lacrosse club this year with consistent players who have shown determination and resilience. Their progress and fierceness have gone from strength to strength and they’re not afraid of the ball anymore!

KIRSTY BLAZQUEZ

Swimming Success IAPS Swimming We entered a team of 24 pupils for the IAPS Regional Swimming Qualifying Round and what a brilliant event this turned out to be. Children from 5th to Top Form, all swam their very hardest and put in as much effort as they possibly could. The U11 boys shone through in both their individual events and relays, while Freya narrowly missed out on winning her individual backstroke race. Well done to all of our swimmers.

Netball News

Prep. All the girls played superbly, with some great performances from the 3rd Form. The 4th Form girls showed off their skills and demonstrated what they had learnt since the beginning of term. After a presentation, the girls left the netball courts with smiles that reached from ear to ear.

U9 Netball Festival

CLARE LECKIE-HARBORD

Two teams of our 4th Form girls took part in a Netball Festival at Edge Grove School this term. In a field of eight other schools we were determined to do our best in playing against them. We gained new skills by watching the other teams play and felt that we improved enough during the afternoon to impress our coaches. It was a brilliant experience.

OLIVIA, ADEOLA AND FIFI 4B

Netball & Hockey Festival As the sun shone down on Beechwood Park, the whole of the 3rd and 4th Form girls played both hockey and netball against Chesham

IAPS Regional Netball There was a fantastic atmosphere - a mass of 50 schools, their teachers, parents and of course children, everyone was eager and ready to compete for a coveted place at the National Finals. Our team was focused and ready for the challenges that lay ahead. The girls played some amazing netball notably against Maltman’s Prep, a school which, on numerous occasions, have achieved National status. The result of this match was a staggering 7 goals to 1 victory! The standard of play was extremely high and Beechwood Park were a match for the best they were unlucky not to make the play-offs.

GILL RUSSELL

Primary Schools’ Swimming Beechwood Park took two teams to the Primary School’s Team Relays Qualifying Round, on Friday 26th February, which this year was held at Watford. Both the girls’ team (Izzy C, Luci S, Vivie F and Charlotte G) and the boys’ team (Max C, Alasdair W, Edward R and Kieran B) did extremely well – reaching the final of both the freestyle and medley relays. The girls finished a very respectable 7th and 8th in the finals, while the boys were placed 4th in the freestyle relay, and took home a bronze medal for the medley. CLARE LECKIE-HARBORD

Rugby Roundup Rugby Festival Westbrook Hay, Kingshott and Heath Mount Schools were invited to Beechwood Park to participate in our inaugural U11 quadrangular rugby festival. The A, B and C teams from Beechwood Park's 6th Form all participated in the festival which involved almost 100 pupils. The new RFU rules have resulted in a much faster paced game. The variety and quantity of the games against their opponents allowed the opportunity for players to reflect on each game and to play subsequent games with greater understanding.

KYLIE–PAUL LE BAS

U13 Regional Schools Rugby When “David and Goliath” met for the first time, I wonder how their support felt on the day. For the Beechwood Park boys on Sunday 7th February, the positivity effusing quietly from the side-lines throughout the

day was overwhelming and a big “thank you” should be extended to all those parents who were present. Any child only needs to hear “I enjoyed watching you play” from a parent to feel good about themselves, and that is what they heard.

changing) the 4th Form boys had a full-hour of activities with lots of fun had by all. The boys are really developing their attacking skills and over the course of this term will surely have moved their games forward leaps and bounds. Saracens use big words such as honesty, discipline, work rate and humility, both in writing on the stadium walls and in action; there is no wonder they are a leading team in Europe. The boys are working well and with role-models such as these, they can’t go too far wrong in following in their footsteps.

BOBBY GRAHAM

Organised Chaos with Saracens The reigning Premiership champions Saracens brought with them some rays of sunshine on a mid-January afternoon. With them, organised chaos was the ‘order’ of the afternoon. With their renowned enthusiasm (and break-time

Sport

PAGE X Table Tennis Triumphs National Table Tennis Finals Six Beechwood Park pupils participated in the U11 and U13 age groups at the IAPS Table Tennis Tournament, playing against the best young table tennis players in the country. The BPS players were a real credit to the School. The standard was very high yet they remained positive and gave it their best shot. Charlie did exceptionally well making it to the Quarter Finals. It is exciting that our Beechwood table tennis club has created a pathway for our athletes to compete in this sport – why not join up next term if you’d like to get involved!

Celebrating Cross Country York House

Table Tennis Exhibition We were joined by Chris Doran (ex England Table Tennis player) and Eli Baraty (former England coach) who demonstrated their moves on one of the BPS table tennis tables - it was hard to keep up with the electrifying pace. The spectacle gave us the chance to see these talented payers at first hand. Pupils, parents and even the Headmaster were given the opportunity to try to return one of Eli Baraty’s serves, very few had any success! Chris Doran talked to us about what it takes to be the best. He mentioned key phrases such as "dedication" and "a willingness to make mistakes and learn from

them" but he also described how having fun was the ultimate ingredient. The evening was led by Nicolas Li who is the Head Coach at Hillingdon Table Tennis Club and the current ‘Young Coach of the Year’. Nicholas will be running a table tennis club at Beechwood for the next generation of young stars.

82 for Cameron in the Year 8 and 9 group; 27th place out of 67 runners for Robert; 20th place out of 190 for Euan and an amazing 3rd place for Isabella in a field of 178 runners! We are delighted both Isabella and Euan have been selected to compete for Hertfordshire in the National Year 6 and Year 5 Cross Country Championships, at Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire. A brilliant outcome!

crossed the line first was the winner! Our U11 Girls finished 4th out of 9 teams, our U11 Boys were 2nd out of 10 teams and our U13 boys were crowned winners amongst the 8 teams that took part, with Cameron overtaking two opponents in the last 800m of the lap to bring the cup home. A really exciting event and well done to all the teams.

KYLIE-PAUL LE BAS

Keble

KYLIE-PAUL LE BAS

MARK RIDLEY/ ADRIENNE HORN

Wet and muddy conditions met our 24 pupils from 5th to Top Form who took part in the York House Cross Country Championships. There were exceptional performances all round, from both the boys' and girls' teams. The U11 and U13 boys won their team race and the U11 girls finished second in their race. Thanks to these brilliant results, we were delighted to be able to retain the overall trophy. Special mentions to: Isabella (6AL) who came first in her race and Euan (6LS) who finished third in his race. All the runners should be very proud of themselves – well done everyone! Herts Schools' Cross Country We entered 13 pupils for this county-wide competition at Verulamium Park, St Albans. All our runners ran with determination and grit, finishing the course in very muddy conditions. We saw some notable performances: 62nd place out of

Badminton Brilliance IAPS Badminton Our U11 and U13 doubles teams took part in the 2016 IAPS Badminton Tournament this term. The tournament, held in East Sussex, was a great experience for our players. The competition was tough and tactical awareness was key to understanding how the opposition doubles pair would play. Our players even set their own targets for improvement, and it was excellent to see them improving throughout the day.

Forty competitors from Beechwood Park set out to compete in this annual race which attracts 16 schools from around the area. We entered two teams in each of the age groups (U9, U11 & U13). The course is always challenging as there are three hills and it is always incredibly muddy. A typical cross country adventure! All the teams performed brilliantly with some outstanding individual performances. Each race had a field of about 70 runners and the following individual results should be celebrated: Lily G (3rd place), Milo H (4th place), Alex K (5th place). The team results were just as impressive: U9 Girls (4th place), U9 Boys (4th place), U11 Girls (2nd place), U13 Boys (9th place). Well done to all of you.

National Prep Schools at Malvern Thirteen BPS pupils attended the National Prep Schools’ Cross Country at Malvern College. Our teams of U11 girls, U11 boys and U13 boys were able to enjoy the stunning surrounds of Malvern College and there were exceptional individual performances. A special mention to Isabella who came 17th in her race out of 258 runners!

ADRIENNE HORN

MARK RIDLEY

St Martin’s Beechwood Park took three teams of four runners to this annual Cross Country Road Relay event held at St Martin's School. Each runner had to lap the course and hand over to their team members. The time for each runner was recorded but obviously the team that The U11 pair (Sam and Harrison) progressed to the quarter finals, where they were eventually beaten by the overall winners. The boys should be pleased with their performance - great teamwork. Our U13 pair (Dylan and George) had a mixture of wins and losses but most importantly, they improved consistently throughout the tournament. They showed great resilience and performed well in the plate competition.

IAN SHERIDAN

Beechwood Park School’s Newsletter

BPSPA and Other Good News! BPSPA, Alumni and House News BPSPA News Your New Committee At February’s AGM we said farewell to three wonderful committee members; Alison Swift (Secretary), Sarah Ashley (Treasurer) and Rebecca Bellis (Communications). On behalf of the Beechwood Park community I would like to thank them for their commitment, hard work and tireless efforts in providing the wonderful events of 2015. Michelle Morris (Secretary), Louise Lynes (Treasurer), Louise Plunkett (Communications) and I were elected to form a new committee and we are delighted that Alex Morris has agreed to stay on in her new role as Committee Liaison. Our year has already got off to a great start with the children’s Discos. Thank you to our wonderful organisers Juliette Hewitson, Debbie Pearson (Junior Disco), Ali Gilham and Sally MacArthur (Middle Disco). We are also incredibly grateful to all of the parents and members of staff who helped out. Support for Keech Hospice Care in their 25th year

The BPSPA has supported Keech Hospice Care for many years. This is a very special celebratory year for the hospice which has provided care for children with life limiting conditions for 25 years. We are thrilled to donate £5,000, raised from our School events, to help them continue with this incredible service. This significant contribution brings our cumulative donations to an impressive £191,401.

Easy2name You can now support the BPSPA and prevent your children’s valuable possessions going astray! We have teamed up with the label company Easy2name. When you take out an order with them the BPSPA will receive 20% of the sales. Simply select the School from the drop down list (Beechwood Park AL3) when completing your order at www. easy2name.com. As well as purchasing sticky labels for stationery, you can also buy woven name labels (including the large 1” woven label required for the Middle/Senior school sports kit). There is further information about this new fundraising idea on the BPSPA web page. BPSPA Ice-lolly Stall We will be setting up our first after school ice-lolly stall during the second half of the summer term, on Friday 10th, 17th, 24th June (from 3:15pm) and 1st July (from 12 noon) on the grass outside the Junior Department’s side gate. Ice-lollies will be sold for £1 and parents are of course welcome to come and buy a lolly too! Let’s hope it’s a scorching hot summer! Beechwood Breeze Plans for this year’s Breeze “Best of British”, Saturday 25th June, 7:30pm-1am continue to advance at great speed. Tickets went on sale on Monday 21st March and the deadline for booking a ticket is 27th May (please note that tickets cannot be confirmed until payment has been received). It promises to be a relaxed evening with a festival vibe. Enjoy fabulous live music, a delicious hog roast and dancing

Pears for Heirs

Engagement We are delighted to hear that two of Beechwood Park’s favourite figures have announced their engagement. Miss Crane and Mr Russell are planning to be married in October. Seen here planting a tree in the Boarding Orchard, we wish them every happiness.

Old Beechwoodians, don’t forget to join the closed Facebook group ‘Beechwood Park School Alumni’.

As a golden anniversary project, the Boarding Schools’ Association plan to create a ‘boarding orchard’. They are encouraging as many boarding schools as possible to plant a fruit tree of their choice to form a collective orchard, worldwide in as far flung locations as Austin, Texas and John O’Groats. We chose a conference pear Pyrus communis, propagated Thomas Francis Rivers at his family nursery at Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire in 1885. As well as this local connection we were delighted that another local celebrity, garden designer and Gardeners’ Question Time panelist, Matthew Biggs agreed to join us for the official tree planting

‘til late! An email for preordering food and drink will go out on 3rd May. The deadline for orders will be 27th May. Thank you to Alex Morris and her team for all their hard work. Fun Night The plans for our Wild West themed Fun Night, Tuesday 5th July, 6pm-10pm, with bucking broncos and lots of cowboy fun are looking fantastic! Tickets will be on sale soon and we are excited about seeing the children’s wonderful pieces of artwork for the design a ticket competition. Moving forward, the organisation of Fun Night has been allocated to Year 3 parents. Get ready Year 2…it will be your turn next year! Thank you to Year 3 mum Michelle Morris and her team of fellow Year 3 parents for starting the ball rolling this year. Disco Fever At the start of this term we welcomed our junior and middle department children to the dance floor. The music was loud and the glitter balls were bright as they danced the hours away! At the middle dept disco the children had the chance to make a purchase at the glow toy stall or tuck shop, while at the junior disco children enjoyed dancing and taking part in party games. Thank you to our disco organisers Sally MacArthur, Ali Gilliam (Middle dept), Juliette Hewitson and Debbie Pearson (Junior dept) and a huge thank you to all of the parents and members of staff who gave up their time to help.

CARLY JACQUES - BPSPA CHAIR

alongside Robin Fletcher, National Director of the BSA. Fittingly the boarding team was on hand to help with the planting of what became the 76th tree to join the ‘Orchard’. The tree should be fruitful for many years to come and for future Beechwood Park generations to enjoy as this variety of tree is renowned for its longevity.

JULIA ROUSE

Challenge Wratislavia 7th Form fencing ace Noah, will compete in Challenge Wratislavia, an international fencing tournament for children under 15 held in Wroclaw, Poland in March. The Tournament has been a focus for young fencers from all over the world for many years. Noah has excelled in fencing with very impressive results from his last three tournaments including a 1st place in his Club Championship and a 3rd place in the Hertfordshire Team Foil event where he was captain. Good luck Noah!

We welcome suggestions, contributions and news of Beechwoodians, past and present, which can be sent to Julia Rouse at J.Rouse@beechwoodpark.herts.sch.uk Please check the School’s website for more information: www.beechwoodpark.com