Junior Department Maths Day

This Term, the Junior Department hosted a special Maths Day

Reception children arrived at School to find an enormous circle on Orchard Gate that they had to pass under, before following and stepping on circles to get to their classrooms which had been transformed by, guess what? Masses of circles! Activities throughout our themed Maths Day involved making HUGE circles outside with Mr Le Bas swinging around on a chair to draw a chalk circle, learning mathematical vocabulary such as circumference, diameter and radius, finding the centre of a circle and drawing hundreds of circles between us!

We also used Kandinsky’s Concentric Circles to inspire some art work, and finished off the day with some fun circle games. Maths, art, teamwork and problem solving were all part of our day and above all…we had lots of fun whilst learning!

Year 1 pupils were immersed in money during Maths Day. It began with a letter from a mysterious visitor, who was staying in the Beechwood forest. This led us on a hunt to find a treasure chest full of coins. Once we found the treasure, it was divided equally between the three classes. Each class then sorted their share into different values, from smallest to largest. The children were then able to make different amounts using a range of coins, where they put their place value and addition knowledge to good use. This was excellent preparation for the afternoon, as Year 1 classrooms were transformed into a bakery, a pet shop and a book shop. The children were able to visit each shop using their money to buy various items, they carefully chose what they wanted to buy and what coins they needed to use to pay for it and then most importantly what change they back. All of these activities provided opportunities for the children to put their maths skills to the test with some excellent calculations. Click here to see more photos from our day.

Armed with their rulers, Year 2 dived into a day of measuring on Thursday. We ordered, compared, estimated and of course measured different heights and lengths, with a smidge of problem solving thrown in for ‘good measure’.

To start the day the children were met with challenges…How long a playdough snake can you role? How tall a tower of cm cubes can you build? They perfected the skill of using a centimetre ruler creating and measuring a Numicon city and landscape of flowers. The highlight had to be taking our learning outside the classroom with a scavenger hunt. How long do you estimate the width of Orchard Green to be? Ask any Year 2 child for the answer!

As ever, it has been another busy term in the Beechwood English Department! Here are just some of our highlights of the Lent Term 2023:

National Storytelling Week

National Storytelling Week takes place every year and is a celebration of the power of sharing stories. Stories teach us about the world, they allow us to step into someone else’s shoes and feel empathy, they help us to relax and escape and they can help develop essential literacy skills.

At Beechwood, pupils in Year 6 visited Woodlands nursery to share stories with the youngest members of our school community. There was a palpable buzz in the air as the Year 6 pupils told their stories with passion, and the Woodlanders listened with awe. It was lovely to see our senior pupils ‘buddying up’ with our Woodlanders to read stories, answer their questions and together work out which superhero they would be.

When Woodlands Nursery opened its doors eight years ago, some of our now Year 6 pupils were the first children to step foot through the door and start their Beechwood journey with Shirley. The pupils love having opportunities like this to return to where it all began, and the Woodlands Team thoroughly enjoy seeing how much their former pupils have learned and grown since their Woodlands days.

Workshops

Pupils in Year 6 were treated to a drama workshop from the Young Shakespeare Company to learn all about the plot and characters in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth.

Also, in January Year 7 had the wonderful experience of having Jennifer Rigby from the English Speaking Union to host an acting workshop and help us polish our performances. “I found the workshop very interesting and helpful. It helped my confidence to get to practise with a real actress, and I thought that she somehow managed to engage and excite everyone,” says Benedict from Year 7.

Jennifer showed us how to notice the hidden stage directions. She also taught us about the life of William Shakespeare and how his plays reflect his life.

Peforming Shakespeare

Year 7 have worked exceptionally hard this term learning their Performing Shakespeare monologues, for the English-Speaking Union’s Performing Shakespeare competition. It was amazing to see so many great performances in the School final

This made it extremely difficult for us to select two performances to represent Beechwood at the regional heats. Nevertheless, we are pleased to announce that Isaac C and Jamie W-S were choen as our winners. Both boys then have since wowed the regional heats judges with their performances at Sandy Secondary School earlier this term, and will now be participating in the regional final which will be held in May. We wish the boys the very best of luck.

World Book Day 2023

The whole school took part in World Book Day 2023 and in true Beechwood fashion, there were plenty of colourful and creative costumes on display.

Pupils enjoyed a World Book Day quiz, visiting the travelling book shop in their English lessons, and speed dating with books. Eagle-eyed pupils spotted various doors dotted around the school, which had been decorated as popular book covers.

See page XX for lots more photos from World Book Day

Rotary Youth Speaks Competition

Aidan B, Joshua D and Tommy H (Top form) won the East of England regional finals of the Rotary Youth Speaks competition in Cambridge. They will now face stiff opposition from other schools in the Grand Final on April 23rd in Rugby. This is unchartered territory for Beechwood, but we expect a superb performance from the boys who have already wowed the judges with their debate about whether the monarchy should be abolished. See page XX for a full report of the boys’ journey so far.

Arts Week 2023

As part of Arts Week and in celebration of our school play, Emil and the Detectives, pupils in Year 7 had to crack the code to escape from the bunker. They put their detective skills to the test, and worked together to solve the clues. There was fierce competition in the room, but eventually one group emerged victorious and cracked the code, much to the frustration of those who were trailing just behind!

Accelerated Reader Programme

We have had great success with the Accelerated Reader programme this term. Pupils who exceeded their reading target were selected to attend the inaugural Mad Hatter's Tea party to celebrate their reading achievement. Pupils enjoyed a mouth-watering afternoon tea, fit for royalty, and took part in fun party games.

As a school community, we have read a staggering 32,717,735 words this term. We are clearly a school that loves to read, and understand that in the words of the great Dr. Seuss, 'The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

Year 2 and 3 Reading Buddies

Year 3 were visited earlier this term by Year 2 pupils for a Reading Buddies session.

It was lovely to see how seriously the Year 3s took on their role as the older children. They acted with great maturity and Year 3 Form Teachers all felt very proud of them. The Year 2 children read to the Year 3s, who asked them the meaning of words and complemented their skills; they then swapped over and got the chance to share their good understanding of intonation.

The younger pupils were then given the chance to ask their buddy a question about Year 3 and finally they were able to show their buddies the other year 3 classrooms before heading off for lunch. Both year groups showed real Beechwood values and so we will definitely arrange another session next term.

In the Senior Department, Top Form pupils have been looking at the shift in power from the monarchy to Parliament, with the English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89. Pupils have learnt that this refers to the series of events in 1688‐89 which culminated in the exile of King James II and the accession to the throne of William and Mary. It has also been seen as a watershed in the development of the constitution and especially of the role of Parliament.

Top Form have also been studying the Battle of Blenheim, voted the second most important battle in British military history by some historians, yet far less well known than Waterloo, the Somme or D-Day. The Battle of Blenheim was fought on 13 August 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13). A decisive defeat for a Franco-Bavarian force by the allied English, Dutch and Austrian armies, it destroyed the myth of French invincibility and earned the British Army an enduring reputation for battlefield courage and discipline.

Year 7 have been continuing to learn about the Tudors and considering the ‘mid-Tudor’ crisis of Edward VI and Mary I. The Mid-Tudor Crisis denotes the period of English history between 1547 (the death of Henry VIII) and 1558 (the death of Mary Tudor), when English government and society were in imminent danger of collapse in the face of a combination of weak rulers, economic pressures, a series of rebellions, and religious upheaval in the wake of the English Reformation, among other factors.

Of course, Edward VI has a connection with Beechwood and how lucky we are to be able to view the place where this young King of England once slept!

Year 6 have been studying medieval leadership, looking at the Magna Carta, the Parliament of Simon de Montfort and more recently Edward I’s attempts to control Wales and Scotland - one might argue a blueprint for later British colonialisation.

Year 5 pupils have continued to explore Norman England, this term turning their attention to the methods used by William I to gain control of his rebellious subjects including the building of castles all across the land. The now legendary “skittles game” illustrated the way in which land was used as a method of control as part of William’s feudal system. The more lowly your position in society, the smaller the amount of land you were allocated: you may be able to spot the winners and losers in the photos here! mmThe pupils have enormously enjoyed learning about the defensive features of castle, how siege warfare developed and how castle design adapted. From the ruins of Berkhamsted castle on our doorstep to the Royal Palace at Windsor, they have been fascinated to learn that hundreds of the castles that punctuate our landscape were first built by William and his loyal Norman soldiers.

Year 4 having also been studying a new topic on the Aztecs, and hod lots of fun learning about and then creating their own sunstone calendars The Aztec Sun Stone is a large piece of solidified lava stone featuring intricate carvings of two calendar systems used by the Aztec people during the 1400s

Next term, we look forward to the visit of Paul Middleton, Head of History at St Albans School, who will be talking to Year 7 pupils and there will also be an exciting historical fiction writing competition.

Mr Cook Head of History

It has been such a pleasure getting to know pupils from Year 6 through to Top Form in Geography this term.

Year 6 have explored Plate Tectonics, and have learnt about both the theory and examples of places impacted by moving plates. As well as studying fascinating case studies such as Montserrat and Mt Etna, we have also learnt how and why people live with tectonic hazards. Year 6 designed some incredible earthquake-proof buildings and considered geology, structure, materials as well as kerb appeal, in their designs.

Year 7 have been studying Weather and Climate and we all took great delight in heading out into the grounds to investigate Beechwood’s infamous weather. It didn’t take the pupils long to establish that there were many anomalies around the school site; places that were cooler or windier or slightly warmer than the rest! Writing up a full investigation into the microclimate at Beechwood Park, including graphs, analysis and conclusion, drew on many key geographical skills.

I’ve been really lucky that Top Form had been very well-taught and well-prepared which meant we could take a few weeks off revision to tackle the controversial topic of The Fashion Industry

Pupils asked some challenging questions about whether the fashion industry can ever be environmentally or socially sustainable. They carefully examined the impacts of cotton farming in Kazakhstan seeing the damage that has been done around the Aral Sea, as well as looking at the human cost of the industry by investigating the Rana Plaza disaster. Pupils were inspired to come up with their own sustainable fashion brands and our final lessons of term consisted of a dragon’s den style ‘pitch’ of all the fashion brands.

In the Middle Department, Year 5 have looked at the different regions and landscapes of Brazil which will then lead onto climate patterns. In addition to the physical geography of the land, we have explored urbanisation, push and pull factors and the significant economic differences and challenges that affect so many Brazilians. We have journeyed to the rainforest to find out more about the indigenous people that inhabit this tropical wilderness and also how humans rely on the rainforest and the effects of deforestation in recent times.

Year 4 have been enjoying learning about the location and features of Rainforests in Geography. They have discovered that cacao comes from trees and have listened to a story about a boy who harvests the seeds from the pods in the rainforests of Ecuador. It was fun to try some of the powdered form of cacao with a little sugar and water. It was interesting to compare the taste to the chocolate that we eat. Year 4 have also been learning all about continents. They work collaboratively in pairs to research a continent and create a presentation about it. They then showed the class their ‘masterpieces’ and shared their most interesting facts. The class then gave them constructive feedback about their presentations.

Year 3 have been looking at the geography of the UK thank you so much for all of the wonderful pictures you have sent into school in the wide variety of places in the UK that the children have visited. They have been so excited to see themselves on our Geography boards and it has helped them to create an image in their heads of where these landmarks and cities are located.

Ms Harris Head of Geography

The TPR topics this term, for the Middle and Senior School have been Philosophy and Religion

Year 3 have studied the Hindu religion, looking at temples from around the world and what happens inside. They have finished the year designing diva lamps and Rangoli patterns. Having extended their knowledge in the classoom, Year 3 then visited the the Hindu Temple in Bhaktivedanta Manor. The Manor is a spiritual sanctuary spread over 78 acres of land with beautiful gardens including one dedicated to the Beatle, George Harrison, who bequeathed the Manor House to the Hari Krishna community. There is also an organic farm, a protected herd of cows, a temple and a monastery.

The children had a wonderful time, learning about Hinduism, riding on a cart drawn by oxen, visiting the cows, trying on costumes and eating delicious vegetarian curry, which for many was their favourite thing! Thank you to Mr Wood for organising the trip. The Temple staff commented on how well-behaved and interested the children were; they definitely demonstrated excellent Beechwood values!

Year 4 have entered the world of Philosophy. They have grappled with some curious stories that are thought provoking and have caused great debate. The tale of Zarboog’s ‘chair’ caused much amusement as he thought it was a chair, as it fitted his alien head, whereas it definitely didn’t fit Mr Wood’s head!

Year 5 have studied an introduction to Judaism and have looked at food, festivals, the synagogue and rites of passage. They explored the importance of the Torah scroll and the Shema prayer in the Jewish faith. They were fascinated to learn more about the role of the trained scribe, or sofer, who writes each of the 304,805 letters by hand, an undertaking which may take almost two years to complete. Even one error in transcribing may make the Torah invalid and mean that the scribe must start again. The pupils started to write some of the Shema prayer out themselves, some of them even attempted to trace the characters from right to left, as they would be read. The have designed their own Kippah caps and made a Mezuzah. The Passover Seder plate caused great interest as the children happily munched through a box of Matzos – available at Waitrose and ideal with cheese...

Year 6 have studied an introduction to Islam. They have examined the life of the Prophet Muhammad, the Five Pillars of Islam along with the Six Articles of Faith. Several pieces of excellent work were awarded by the Head in a visit to the class, where the talents of some pupils were showcased, including more stop motion Lego videos of wudu and salah (ritual washing and prayer) videos of pupils performing these acts, various PowerPoint predestinations and even a book!

Year 7 have begun their preparations for Common Entrance studying Philosophy, specifically one of the works of Plato – ‘The Cave’ and the famous Scottish philosopher David Hume. Their analysis of these philosophers has further developed their essay writing skills, ready for the national essay writing competition next term. They have explored the nature of reality and if we can prove God exists making some startling observations for pupils twelve-years old.

Top Form have been worked through he remainders of their Common Entrance topics, which have included both ethics and Christianity. The have further applied what they have learnt in response to some very challenging Common Entrance essays. They ended the term preparing for their final Beechwood school exams in June. In the words of Alexander Graham Bell – “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” We wish them every success.

TPR in the Junior Department

Children in the Junior Department show endless enthusiasm for finding out what different faiths believe. The classrooms are filled with curiosity and respect when we investigate some of the core beliefs of different religions as well as finding out about those that are atheist or agnostic.

As in all subjects that the children learn at school, our job is to educate and help children see things from different perspectives and viewpoints from a position of neutrality and balance. Children learn to understand and value the beliefs and choices of other members of the class, department and community so that they can demonstrate the British Values of tolerance and mutual respect.

An especially popular part of our TPR studies involves investigating and experiencing a range of physical artefacts. The Tibetan singing bowl was a particular favourite (and harder to use than it looks, as Mrs McIntosh will testify!)

In Reception, one of our areas of learning is Understanding the World. This encompasses People, Culture and Communities which leads onto TPR lessons in Key Stage 1. We have recently been learning how people celebrate new life. We were very excited to spot the arrival of some eggs in the Science Department last week, especially when they began to hatch! The very cute fluffy chicks came to visit us in our classrooms. We are thinking about all sorts of new life occurring at this time of the year including tadpoles, lambs and lots of new plant life!

Year 1 have demonstrated impressive thoughtfulness as we considered the different groups that we all belong to and why these groups are special to us. This led into thinking about how babies are welcomed when they arrive in families and that some babies are also welcomed into a religion. We did some more detailed learning about how Muslims and Christians welcome new babies into their faiths. This culminated in the great excitement of a trip to the School Chapel in order to act out a christening. Every child played a part in the ceremony (wearing a variety of fabulous costumes) and many members of the school community enjoyed observing parts of our learning through drama. Mrs Allen (at Front Desk) had the enviable experience of hearing three christenings in a row!

Year 1 then carefully explored a variety of interesting artefacts from the Christian and Muslim religions and showed their drawing skills in recording pictures of these.

We finished the term by learning about Spring and Easter. This has involved the delicious treat of a seasonal Hot Cross Bun while learning some key facts about the events in the Easter story. The perfect combination of educational and delicious!

Year 2 started the term by thinking of what they were thankful for in their lives. We then considered ways in which different religions say “Thank you” and studied a wide range of physical artefacts related to prayer. We reviewed the detailed work that we had done on Muslim prayer in the Autumn Term and moved on to consider the Lord’s Prayer in Christianity and the Shema prayer in Judaism. There was much hilarity at our attempts to write in Hebrew as we made a scroll to go inside our own Mezzuzah.

This term in Modern Foreign Languages, Beechwood pupils have been continuing to improve their French and Spanish, while showcasing their skills in a number of ways.

Led by Mrs Fairburn, Year 3 enjoyed a Beechwood safari, trekking round the school site in search of rare breeds. One animal, l’oiseau, proved especially hard to find as it had decided to move from its apparently secure location!

Year 4 have covered a range of topics and enjoyed using props to help to describe someone’s personality - using words such as bavarde, timide, intelligent, sportif. severe and drole - ask your Year 4 child if you are not sure about any of these!

With the help of Miss Burton. Year 5 had a guest teacher, Clara S, who showed wonderful creativity in giving a fun lesson to her classmates. Clara’s lesson started with a wonderful game of animal charades. The children took it in turns to think of an animal and act it out. The other children had to guess the animal and say the word correctly in French. Clara was a stickler for pronunciation! Then they went out on to play a ‘find the animal’ game in two teams. Clara was so encouraging, and they all loved the competitive nature of this game. Next up was animal bingo, and by the end of this game, it was clear that Clara had worked her magic in getting them to remember lots of animal words, including ‘un kangourou’ and ‘un koala’.

The second half of Clara’s lesson focused on revising the rooms of the house; Clara gave the children a match-up writing task and explained very clearly exactly what to do. She also gave them some little clues as to how to work out which room was which. They then had to categorise the words into masculin, féminin and pluriel. Whilst the children were finishing off their sheets, two children from each table came up to the front to play ‘un jeu de mémoire’, which once again gave them a chance to practise their pronunciation.

A quote from la professeur herself:

«C’était super de faire une leçon pour 5CB et 5B le lundi et le jeudi dernier! Les jeux étaient très compétitifs et tout le monde a écouté et a participé. Moi et Mademoiselle Burton ne les avons guère aidé parce que tout le monde connait les mots pour les animaux et les pièces de la maison. C’était super d’être la maîtresse pour la leçon.»

“It was really fun doing a lesson for 5CB and 5B on Monday and last Thursday! The games were very competitive and everyone listened and joined in. Miss Burton and I barely needed to helped because everyone really knew their animals and the rooms of the house. I really enjoyed teaching them!”

Year 6 have been busy learning about the topic of school and produced some great posters about life at Beechwood.

Year 7 and Top Form put on a range of dazzling fashion shows, which included some interesting outfits and necessitated the use of some new vocabulary.

Year 7 French pupils have been learning about the topic of clothes.

To conclude this half-term’s studies, they treated their classmates and teachers to a series of Beechwood-style fashion shows - The pupils provided immaculate commentary in French about their chosen attire and staff certainly gained a greater understanding of current fashion trends....

Top B2’s French lessons were a riot of colour and fun, as pupils dressed to impress – and to bring to life key areas of their Modern Foreign Languages curriculum. This half term has been all about different items of clothing, professions and descriptions, and pupils have become adept at using more complicated sentence constructions and more confident using advanced vocabulary. We are slightly less sure about their dress sense though…

Top Form scholars performed very well in their exams and preparations for summer finals are in full swing. All in all, a fun and productive term.

Middle School Spanish clubs have been popular, with pupils enjoying the opportunity to experience another language and, in some cases, to practise their singing and dancing moves!

Joyeuses Pâques!

Mr King Head of Modern Foreign Languages

The children and teachers in the Middle and Senior Departments have enjoyed some really interesting discussions around a number of very important PSHE topics this term.

It is wonderful to see the pupils approaching their PSHE lessons with such maturity, listening to one another and responding appropriately and considerately. Have a look at the photos below to see what our pupils have been doing.

This is a just a snapshot of the conversations they have been having and the range of activities they have been doing.

Year 3 - Staying Safe and Economic Wellbeing

Year 4 - Staying Healthy and Families

Year 5 - Mental Health and Careers

Year 6 - Health & Hygiene and Friendships

Year 7 - Substances and Careers

Top Form - Mental Health & Wellbeing and Economic Wellbeing

The week of 6th –12th February was Children’s Mental Health Week. This year’s theme was ‘Let’s Connect’. To raise awareness of the importance of looking after our mental health, every pupil in the Junior, Middle and Senior Departments started every day of that week with some form of mindfulness activity. The children did some quiet reading, were read to by their teacher, and did some mindfulness colouring. Teachers played an array of calming musical tracks to encourage the children to take some time for themselves before the real rush of the school day began. It was such a success that lots of classes have tried to start every school day in a similar way.

Miss Burton Head of PSHE

Studying Latin provides pupils with an excellent grounding in the way that language and grammar work, and forms a good platform for both the challenges of learning modern languages and continuing their Latin studies at Senior School. From the earliest foray into learning Latin via the Minimus programme in Year 5, through to Top Form studies for Common Entrance, the emphasis is on engaging and fun teaching and learning, with ideas frequently coming from the pupils themselves.

Here is just a glimpse at what has been happening in Latin lessons this term:

Along with grappling with the six cases of the 1st Declension (critical thinking skills are working over-time!) Year 6 have produced their own Perseus and Medusa comics strips:

7B2 have done some marvellous pictures illustrating use of Prepositions plus Accusative and Ablative Case;

7B1 are designing their Perfect Mottoes using the tricky perfect stems of verbs;

7A are discovering just how many English words spring from the stems of third Declension Nouns. A treasure trove!

Top Formers have all been learning about activities that used to take place in amphitheatres. They linked this to translating Latin accounts about Spartacus, the gladiator slave who led a revolt against Roman masters. They’ve also translated stories and learned about Alexander the Great and Hannibal. The Latin is differentiated according to how much grammar and vocabulary each pupil has met.

Of course, the Summer Term is an important one for the Classics Department with our Latin Plays and Roman Banquet - we can’t wait!

Mrs Anderson Head of Classics

It was a busy time in the Science Department for British Science Week between 10 and 19 March.

This year, it is safe to say that the Department has really nurtured, engaged and inspired. The baby chicks, as ever, have been the biggest attraction and pupils and staff alike nurtured them from arrival of the eggs at the start of Science Week through to saying goodbye to the chicks as they headed off to their “forever homes” at the end of term- chicks.

Pupils have been inspired learning about a variety of scienfitic careers, and as ever, fun, practical handson lessons and experiments have engaged each and every curious mind in the Science Labs.

The theme we used this year was forensic science to link with the play Emil and the Detectives. Pupils from Year 5 to Top Form had a special one-off lesson where they had the opportunity to decode secret messages, write their own secret messages, view evidence samples using the microscopes, take their finger prints, use a UV torch to identify’ blood splatters’ and to make up photofits.

They also all had a live interactive lesson exploring aspects of medical sciences with resources to identify the myriad of scientific careers it is possible to pursue.

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Aside from Science Week, there has been plenty of scientific invesitgation going on throughout the School.

Here are just a few highlights:

Year 4 have been studying TEETH and loved their egg-periment on eggs! As both the outside of an egg and teeth are both made of the same material - enamel! pupils used eggs to investigate the effect different liquids would have on our teeth by leaving eggs to soak in a variety of different liquids.. The conclusion? Sugar and acid attack enamel in our teeth and it is very important to brush our teeth twice a day! Fluoride which is in our water and toothpaste can help prevent tooth decay. Year 4 had more exciting lessons in Science where we took ‘disclosing’ tablets’. We had to crunch the tablets in our mouths and they turned the plaque on our teeth blue so we could see where we needed to better brush our teeth. We then brushed our teeth making sure we got rid of all the blue stains.

Year 5 have been studying both Sound and Light this term. They have enjoyed some furious debate on whether glow in the dark stars count as light sources or not and why it is that some creatures have even adapted to produce their own light. Armed with torches, mirrors, translucent materials and ‘shadow sticks’, the pupils have enjoyed plenty of independent investigation already and are now looking forward to studying the biology of the eye and how light rays reflect and refract.

A variety of noises have been heard coming out of the science labs as Year 5 pupils have explored how sound is made. Alongside more familiar musical instruments, they have been using balloons, straws, bottles and elastic bands this week to explore what pitch is and what affects the pitch of a note. Next up, boom whackers, straw pipes and lollypop harmonicas before moving onto measuring volume using sound meters and investigating if sound travels quickest through a solid, liquid or gas.

Year 3 have been studying rocks and soils. They became Rock Detectives and walked around the School and grounds trying to spot where different types of rocks were used in the building. We were amazed to see just how many different types of rocks were used and had some great discussions about why these particular rocks had been chosen for each job. The children have all really enjoyed carrying out experiments testing the durability, buoyancy and permeability of different rocks, as well as studying fossils.

Another busy term in the Beechwood DT Workshop both in lessons and across a range of co-curricular activities.

A highlight of the term has to be our Lego Lions’ trip to Legoland as part of the First Lego League Engineering competition run by the Institute of Engineering. The pupils have been working since September on this competition, to which there were four parts:

First, pupils had to design, build and code a robot that would complete a series of challenges. The robot had to run by itself and used sensors and motors to be able to lift, pull, push, follow a line etc. This was the Robot games and we had to 2.30 minutes to complete as many tasks as possible against another team.

They then needed to design, build and code a robot that would complete a series of challenges. The robot had to run by itself and used sensors and motors to be able to lift, pull, push, follow a line etc. This was the Robot games and we had to 2.30 minutes to complete as many tasks as possible against another team. There were 12 teams in total and the standard of the entries were extremely high, with a lot of older secondary school pupils taking part. The current UK champions happened to be one of the other teams in our heat! The team nevertheless managed to win two out of their three robot games.

They also had to design a project that was based around the idea of energy production, storage or efficiency. The pupils came up with the brilliant idea of a mobile phone case that produced energy just through the normal movement of a person throughout their day. So the case would have a solar panel, a dynamo and a piezo transducer, which created energy through vibrations. They 3D modelled and printed a prototype and presented their idea to a panel of judges who asked them questions about their project.

The third aspect of the competition was a discussion on their robot design, how they coded the robot, what issues they faced and how they overcame those problems.

The fourth part of the competition was about the ‘core values’ of the competition, which included teamwork, inclusion, innovation, discovery and impact.

The team did amazingly and we are really proud of how they presented themselves and their ideas to the judges.

Meanwhile, in lessons....

Year 3 have been focusing on paper engineering and different types of pop-up folds, working on accuracy, neatness and creativity to make their own short story pop up book.

Year 4 used saws for the first time and constructed 3D wooden frames which were then covered with some of their jelly-print work from Art. The importance of measuring accurately and using tools safely was a big focus this term.

Year 5 have built musical instruments! Either stringed things or kalimbas. They learnt how to use the scroll saws in order to cut complex shapes from sheets of wood and what parts of their design would help the vibrations of their musical constructions become amplified. A nice cross curricular project with Science who were studying sound this term too.

Year 6 have been working on CAD, or Computer Aided Design

The first half of term as focused on 3D design, where they designed some keychains for the 3D printer but also got involved with designing moonbases for an ESA competition. The second half of term was focused on Vector illustration and design for the lasercutter.

Year 7 topic this term was electronics and soldering, where we made some Atari Punk Dual Oscillator Synthesisers! These intruments will be controlled by light sensors and variable resistors in order to change the noises and tones they create. Lots of very precise instruction following and awareness of using very very hot tools this term.

Top Form have been combining lots of different skills in order to create mini companion bots that act as a timer to remind them to do specific tasks. They had to mould forms, vaccum form, solder electronics, code in circuitpython and line-bend plastic in order to make their little robotic creations. This was a complex build that they managed incredibly well with, and the creative outputs both from the physical making side and the coding side to code animations was really impressive.

What a wonderfully fun - and sometimes messy - term we have had in the Art Room! Pupils of all ages have thrown themselves into their artistic endeavours, and, as always, we are blown away by their creativity, skill and imagination. Here is just a snapshot of what they have been up to this term....

Year 3

This term in year 3 we have been learning all about texture, using our knowledge and skills to create collograph plates and print them using the press. T he pupils have successfully created the illusion of texture by applying ink carefully. It was messy!

Year 4

Year 4 have completed their Hundertwasser inspired clay tiles this term, through which they have learned to join and blend clay using scoring and slip (or as we call it “grip, grip, slip!”) and the resulting work is really detailed and bright!

Year 5

The Journalling project has been a roaring success for Year 5 this term! The quality of work produced is absolutely incredible, and the pupils have worked for 3 hours+ on their reflective doodle pages.

Year 6

Year 6 have used viewfinders to isolate an area of Gaudi’s architecture and they have recreated it using the wax resist technique - a combination of oil pastels and watercolours.

Year 7

Year 7 have worked brilliantly on a hybrid painting/digital project this term, making the most of the ipads to create. The inspiration for this work was the artist John Piper, and we used Beechwood’s beautiful architecture as the subject. Here the pupils had the opportunity to analyse the work of John Piper by trying to recreate parts of it in their sketchbooks using, pencil, pen, colour pencil, coloured pens and collage. This term we are focusing on the artist’s architectural studies and using his influence to inform the way we present the architecture of our beautiful school.

Top Form

The Graffiti walls created by Top Form are spectacular! They have experimented with new fonts, equipment and techniques and the art room wall looks amazing!

Collaborative Easter Egg Project

Easter has come to Beechwood in the shape of some giant eggs now proudly sitting in our ornamental urns on the Front Lawns. The inspiration for our giant eggs was the approach of Easter, combined with the colourful textile works of Phyllida Barlow. Pupils in Years 3-7 worked together in both lessons and lunch time clubs, first weaving lengths of willow to create the frame and then using ribbons and recycled fabric to create the colour and patterns. They collaborated brilliantly on this project, demonstrating some of the Beechwood Values throughout the proces!

Choirs’ Concert

On Tuesday 14th March, the five Beechwood Choirs and the Musical Theatre group, a total of 133 pupils, performed to a packed audience for our Choirs’ Concert.

The concert started with our 60-strong ‘Beechwood Choir’, for Year 5 to Top Form pupils, with confident 2-part singing in ‘Sing With Me’.

It was the very first time that our new Year 2 Choir had performed, and after only 8 rehearsals this term, they were one of the highlights of the concert, confidently performing two amusing ‘nonsense’ songs (Clickety Fingers and Dang-ARang-A-Dang Do!) to delighted parents.

The Year 3 Choir added some great props to their ‘Yellow Submarine’ bringing a smile to all, and Year 4 had a super ‘Blast Off’ linking to the Planets work they have been doing in their class music lessons this term. It was also wonderful to see our Year 3 and 4 Musical Theatre group add such confident and expressive actions and movement to their two songs: We’re All Made of Stars from Finding Neverland and If Only you would Listen from The School of Rock. The Chamber Choir (our only auditioned choir) sang songs in a variety of styles, including their favourites It Don’t Mean a Thing if it ain’t got that Sing, Sing, Sing, and Puttin’ on the Ritz, which they sang with huge enthusiasm and great actions!

The concert finished with all singers on stage together, singing their hearts out with two songs from Mambo Italiano.It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm from all pupils in their performances, such lovely smiling faces and producing such a fantastic atmosphere for all in the Performance Hall.

Well done to everyone who performed and had worked so hard this term preparing and practising so well! A very big thank you also to my colleagues - Mrs Jarvis and Miss Bailey for leading their different groups, and for Mr Harrington’s superb accompanying throughout the evening.

Scholars’ Concert

Our very first lunchtime concert this term was given by pupils working towards senior school music and drama scholarships. They all treated their audience of parents, staff and friends to very memorable and truly wonderful performances.

Click here to watch this term’s Scholars’ Concert

Jane C, Henry G and Reuben W played us their whole audition performances, moving seamlessly from one instrument to the next and demonstrating a very wide range of talent on their different instruments. It was also lovely to see Will F and Felix M perform their songs with such great confidence and style and which would be part of their Drama sScholarship.

Lunchtime Cncerts

In addition to our ‘Scholars’ concert’, we have also had a further 89 performances from 108 pupils in eight Friday Lunchtime Concerts this term.

Lunchtime Concerts

Music Technology

The concerts have featured a very wide range of some pupils performing for the first time, to those who so just confidently take it in their stride to perform on our Song Room ‘stage’, from soloists to duets, trios and small groups. It has been lovely to see such a wide variety of instruments too, including our ‘Doods’ group performing for the first time; we have seen a total of 18 different instruments. It is such a valuable experience for all pupils to gain that confidence standing up in front of an audience and our friendly and relaxed lunchtime concerts provide just the right setting for this. You can watch the most recent Lunch Time Concerts here: 17 March and 24 March

We are very excited that Mr Gambrell will be working more at Beechwood from next term. This means that we will be able to provide even more opportunities, especially for our Senior Department, for pupils to learn about the amazing world of Music Technology; recording in our Studio and composing and editing in our Mac Suite.

One of Mr Gambrell’s aims is also to provide top quality recordings of all pupils - from class lessons, to individual lessons and of all our choirs and ensembles.

House Music Composition Competition

This term we have held our annual House Competition, and it was the return of the Composition Competition. Every pupil from Year 3 upwards has been very excitedly composing in their class music lessons and some have composed additional individual pieces at home, all earning points for their Houses:

Year 3 20 group compositions about travel

Year 4 23 group compositions about planets

Year 5 64 ‘Battle’ compositions using GarageBand software

Year 6 25 group compositions using various ‘World Music’ techniques

Year 7 17 pairs composing a ‘Beechwood’ Advert

Top Form 18 group compositions devising a soundtrack to an animated film

We also had 14 individual compositions from the Middle Department and 19 extra group and individual compositions from the Senior Department. This gave a grand total of 200 compositions which were all amazing.

Mrs Jarvis and I then had the extremely challenging (but very enjoyable) task of choosing winners from each year group - it took a while and lots of listening. We would like to congratulate everyone on the very high standard of work produced throughout and the time and care taken by all pupils on their work. Congratulations to the final winners in each category:

Year 3 class work

Year 4 class work

Year 4 individual

Year 5 class work and individual

Year 5 individual

Year 6 class work

Year 6 individual

Year 7 class work

Year 7 individual

Top Form class work

Top Form individual

George G and Alessia G

Clara L and Abbey W

Isabelle P

Malin S-L

Malin S-L

Ella Rose A-K, Kaede L and Easher S

Jane C

Marcus H, Wilfred O

Wilfred O

Henry G and Reuben W

James H

Huge congratulations to Malin S-L and Wilfred O who were named overall Middle and Senior Department Composer respectively.

Music Competition/Rock Band Compositions

In Rock Band, we’ve been collaboratively working on the Beechwood Rock Bands’ first songs. Check out their masterpieces here:

Hear Our Song (Top Form Rock Band) with their new self-penned song for Beechwood Park’s House Music Competition.

Band members: Aidan B (Guitar), Will F (Vocals), Jacob H (Keyboard), Finlay W (Drums).

Kaleidoscope (Year 6 Rock Band) with their debut self-penned song for Beechwood Park’s House Music Competition.

Band members: Alexander H (Bass Guitar and Vocals), Will H (Drums and Vocals), Lochan K (Vocals), Alex R (Guitar and Vocals), Finley S (Guitar and Vocals).

Find My Way Home (Hot Flames) - Year 5 Rock Band with their debut self-penned song for Beechwood Park’s House Music Competition.

Band members: William A (Rhythm Guitar and Vocals), Angus C (Lead Guitar and Vocals), Sam C (Bass Guitar and Vocals), Louis C (Piano and Vocals), Alfred M (Bass Guitar and Vocals), Joe P (Drums and Vocals), Jovan S (Vocals).

‘Top Banana’: The Cone Phish (Year 7 Rock Band) with their original composition

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Summer Term Lessons / Choirs and Ensembles

Individual lessons, choirs and ensembles will be starting from 0930 on Wednesday 26 April. 0800 ensembles that usually happen on this day will NOT be taking place as it is the first day back. As it is a short week, we are unfortunately not able to timetable every pupil for a lesson. Please check the teacher’s Google Classroom carefully to see when your child’s lesson will be; these will be available to view from Monday 24 April.

If you have any general queries about music, please do use our music email address: musicadmin@beechwoodpark.com

Forest School has, as ever, gone ahead whatever the weather this term, and we have seen pretty much every kind of condition, from spring sunshine to snow. Every year groupb from Woodlands through to Year 5 has had Forest School sessions, and we have plans for pupils in the Senior Department to also get out and enjoy this wonderful resource next term. We also enjoyed welcoming a class from Markyate Village School for an afternoon of Forest School activities, as well as a large group of local pre school children, who enjoyed getting muddy with us towards the end of term.

Here are just a few photos to illustrate all the activities pupils have got up to in Forest School this term:

Lots more photos on our Flickr channel, or follow Forest School on Twitter @BWPForest_Sch

Another term has flown by on the pitches of Beechwood Park. I think we’ve seen every type of weather this term, which unfortunately forced us to cancel some fixtures and tournaments. When the weather was kind to us, we had a number of fantastic matches, giving the Beechwood pupils the opportunity to shine and demonstrate the skills they’ve been working hard on in games lessons. Below, members of the Sports department mention some of their highlights from this term.

Rugby

As Head of Rugby, it has been fantastic to see this great sport thrive at Beechwood this term. In a time when there is a lot of negativity regarding the game, this season could not have been more important, and what a season it has been!

In total we played 51 rugby matches, winning 37, drawing 3, losing 11 and scoring a whopping 741 tries! We had the U10A, U10B, U11B and U12A teams all winning every single one of their matches.

We have also had some memorable experiences such as playing rugby on the Saracens pitch at half time of their European match, being guard of honour for Saracens, having a coaching session with ex-British Lions player Michael Owen and most recently taking over the Tottenham Hotspur stadium with over 100 Beechwood family and friends attending the Saracens vs Harlequins match! Did anyone notice our school logo on the back of the number 21 shirt? We will be getting presented with this shirt during Saracens last home game of the year. Thank you to everyone who has supported our pupils and Beechwood rugby. It has really been an unforgettable season.

House Rugby Results

1stStewart145

2ndTudor120

3rdSebright105

4thSaunders90

Mr Griffiths Head of Rugby

Year 5/ 6 House Rugby Photos

Hockey

The mixed hockey term is one of my favourite times of year at Beechwood Park. A new cohort of boys, who are not necessarily familiar with the sport, are able to throw themselves into something different and build their confidence whilst developing their skills. Throughout the term there is a continuous blending of those players with more experience and those new to the game. The beauty of the term is an opportunity to stretch all abilities through mixed ability collaboration. Our aim, exciting the group with new skills, different concepts and learning how to champion everyone no matter where they are in their hockey journey.

A highlight for me was being able to facilitate those more experienced players to develop their leadership through peer-on-peer coaching. After a skill station session and mixed matches, Lockers Park school pupils had beaming faces, and could not thank the Beechwood pupils enough for the positive experience and gave them a group “3 cheers” to show their appreciation.

Penalty corners can be an alien concept if you have not witnessed them before, and it adds another strategic and technical side that the group can experiment with. An example of this, is Jamie W-S, who is new to the sport, and following some good practice has taken to injecting brilliantly, and his eyes light up when he has the opportunity to shine. Seeing the development of Top Formers from the previous year has been awesome, all personally showing development in the application of their skills, confidence to run harder and lead.

In all matches and Games lessons we have seen fantastic engagement and improvement from all, and myself, Mr Darcy and Mr Robinson are proud of all those that took part this term. Top Formers, we wish you all the best in your next schools and hope you enjoy your hockey in the future, and Year 7s we cannot wait to work with you again next Lent Term!

Mrs Briscoe Head of Hockey

Netball

Wow what a jam-packed netball term for all year groups! From fixtures to House matches, regionals to nationals, ASAs to games lessons, and from girls to boys to mixed netball – we have not stopped! With over 130 fixtures across the term, it has been wonderful to see so many pupils at Beechwood shine.

Years 3 and 4

With numbers flourishing in the ASA as the year has progressed, it has been brilliant to see some of our younger members of the Beechwood community move forwards in leaps and bounds. Settling easily into the Fliers’ format of 4 vs.4, they have played with confidence and high skill level. A highlight being when the boys got to participate in a fixture this season with the girls’ teams.

The culmination for me was seeing players with such positive responses and efforts in House matches towards the end of term. The integration of both year groups was a great learning opportunity for all.

See photos of the Year 3 / 4 House Netball Matches here

Years 5 and 6

Our Year 5’s transitioned seamlessly into Stingers netball, applying the fundamental skills they built up in Year 4. A highlight was the Haileybury end of season tournament, in which the U10A team got to the semi-finals, a day full of adaptability and resilience. The U10’s have also been particularly good at supporting one another and showing the true spirit of netball across each of their games.

Our Year 6 had a fantastic season and it was superb to see how much further ahead they started this term compared to previous years. Their proficiency in the rules and tactics to Stinger 5-a-side netball allowed them to start the ground running. The U11A team had a good campaign at the Berkhamsted pre-season tournament and it was wonderful to see our U10C and U10D teams finish with resounding wins. The U11A team had a great run at the IAPS Regionals, finishing in the top half.

See photos of the Year 5 / 6 House Netball Matches here

Year 7 and Top Form

Our U13 mixed teams have worked hard throughout the term. It has been super to see the teams be challenged in their game awareness, allowing them to make decisions and apply tactics both to their skills and game play. It has been brilliant to have so many Year 7’s and 8’s commit to the netball ASA. We are looking forward to the rearranged IAPS netball on Friday 28th April.

Boys’ Netball

In our inaugural year, we have had many boys from Year 3 to Year 8 keen to play. We have had mixed ASA’s and also two lunchtime boys’ netball clubs.

Four netball teams competed in the England Men’s and Mixed Netball National Youth Cup; U13A, U12A, U11A and U11B, and we are the first school in Herts and the South who have entered this National competition. The U13 team qualified for the Cup final. The U11B qualified for the U12 Plate Final. We await to see these in action in the coming months.

Both our U12A and U11A teams qualified for their Cup final match and had an incredibly special weekend at the end of March. They were lucky to have coaching from Nottingham Trent University Performance Players to prepare them for their game. Even more excitingly, they got to meet England Men’s Vice-Captain James McClelland, who gave them some brilliant tips. He was extremely impressed with both Beechwood teams and thought they had enormous potential.

Well done to the U12A Boys Netball team who finished 2nd in the U12 National England Men’s and Mixed Netball Youth Cup. They played superbly, leading the game in the first quarter. They were incredible ambassadors for Beechwood and we have been impressed with their improvement over the competition. Particular congratulations to Hector G (7GW) who was selected as Player of the Match.

It is with absolute delight that we announce… Beechwood have become National Netball Champions!

The U12 Red team claimed the first ever National U12 title, after a nail-biting final. After going 4-1 down in the first quarter, they worked incredibly hard to implement their targets and finished with a 14-7 win! What a way to make Beechwood and National history!

The team have been a pleasure to coach and their adaptability and willingness to learn has been outstanding. It has been great to see how much netball, as well as this competition, has meant to them. It should be noted that this team were playing up an age group, with all members being U11, making this achievement an even more outstanding feat.

Beechwood Park U11 Netball Tournament

Last, but by no means least, this term Beechwood hosted their first ever U11 Netball Tournament

Welcoming 16 teams on a slightly grey day, we were enormously proud to see so much netball taking place. In an enjoyable yet competitive atmosphere, it provided an outstanding end to the season. Celebrating both the winners and our Fair Play Award, it was definitely a moment to remember in the year and we look forward to warmly welcoming all the teams to this big event again next year. As this season draws to end, we are already reviewing and planning for next year and cannot wait to match, or even beat, the successes of netball at Beechwood in 2023.

House

1stSaunders55

3rdSebright45

3rdStewart45

4thTudor15

The One Awards

Beechwood Park Netball have closely followed guidance from England Netball (National Governing Body), continuing to align our school programme with the England Roses development plan. Every year, England Netball recognise different coaches, teachers, supporters, clubs and schools who have had a positive impact on Netball and ‘make it work’. Nominations can be received by anyone. Please use this link to see The ONE Awards nomination categories and how you may be able to nominate Beechwood or a special teacher/coach for these.

Cross Country

We kicked the season off with a return to our “full format” Beechwood Park Cross Country Event. It was wonderful to be able welcome everyone back on-site for the return of the usual mass start event in January.

Approximately 380 runners in 71 teams representing 17 local schools, took part across the three age groups. The Beechwood U11A girls, U13A girls and U13A boys teams all finished in 3rd place and our U11A boys team won their race, winning the cup! Special mention to Will H (Year 6) who won silver in the U11 boys’ race.

photos

The following weekend some of the team were back in action at Verulamium Park in St Albans for the Hertfordshire Schools’ County Championships. Every race was really competitive with up to 131 finishers. Special mentions to Lilly B (Year 5) and George M (Year 5) who both finished 8th and were therefore invited to run for Hertfordshire in the Primary National Championships. In the Secondary races a shout out must go to the Top Formers who had to race against both Year 8 and Year 9s and we had several top 40 finishes.

Up next was the much loved, and much anticipated, St Martin’s Road Relay event, where teams of four take it in turns to run around the pavements and paths. The U11A girls and U11B boys finished 3rd, U13 girls 2nd and both the U11A boys and U13A boys led from start to finish, winning their races. There was lots of individual success with the top 6 in each recognised with medals or trophies. Max D (Top Form) 6th, Anna W (Top Form) 4th, Ava S (Top Form) & Will H (Year 6) 3rd, Eloise W (Top Form), Chloe L (Year 6) & Alex A-D (Year 6) 2nd and George M (Year 5) 1st!

See photos from the St Martin’s Road

The following week some of our competitive and committed runners travelled all the way to Malvern College in Worcestershire to take part in the prestigious National Prep Schools’ Cross-Country Championships. It was an incredibly tough course with an uphill sprint from the tight starting gates. Everyone represented Beechwood really well with lots of top half finishes in races with over 200 runners from all across the country. Special mentions to the runners who stepped up at the last minute to compete, our Year 5s running up an age group and Chloe L for the top Beechwood finish, with an impressive 30th place.

The very next day was last race of the season hosted by Westbrook Hay This was a great event, giving some of our Year 3 and Year 4 pupils another chance to compete.

Special mention to Sam S, Charlie M, Amelia K, Olivia S, Will H, Finley S & Will P for their top 10 finishes and huge congratulations to the U13 Mixed team for winning the U13 team race. A wonderful conclusion to their Beechwood cross country career!

Well done to all the runners who took part this season. We wish all the leavers good luck and hope to see them running in events in the future and look forward to seeing everyone else back next year! Just keep running!

Congratulations to our Lent Term Sports Awards Winners:

• Colts Boys - Most Improved Rugby Player – Matthew D(Year 6)

• Colts Boys - Outstanding Contribution for Rugby – Sai S (Year 6)

• Senior Girls - Most Improved Netball Player – Jane C (Year 6)

• Senior Girls - Outstanding Contribution for Netball – Chloe L (Year 6)

• Senior Boys - Most Improved Rugby Player – Max D (Top Form)

• Senior Boys - Outstanding Contribution for Rugby – Maximus M (Year 7)

• U13 - Most Improved Hockey Player - Sid S (Top Form)

• U13 - Outstanding Contribution for Hockey – Anna W (Top Form)

Barbados Cricket Tour Charity

The charity that we have chosen to support through the tour is: The Cricket Kindness Project (https://www. cricketcharity.org/ For the past seven years, the Cricket Kindness Project (formerly the Children’s Cricket Charity) has given thousands of children, teenagers & adults throughout the world the simple joy of access to equipment to play the great game of cricket. The Cricket Kindness Project was inspired by a heartfelt determination to make the world a happier place for cricket loving communities unable to access proper equipment and uniforms.

If you have any cricket equipment lying around the house you no longer use, please feel free to bring it into school and hand it into reception. I will collect up all the kit and ensure it gets to the charity. I will also take a selection of kit out with us to donate to the local clubs and schools that we will playing against whilst in Barbados. On the last tour to Barbados, I was taken aback by the lack of proper playing kit the children we played against had. It would be great to be able to support those children by providing them with some appropriate playing kit.

On behalf of us all in the Beechwood Sports Department, we wish you a very Happy Easter. Look after yourselves, stay fit and healthy and we look forward to seeing you for a spot of cricket next term.

Natasha Carley Director of Sport