HIGHLIGHTS SPRING 2020
C RO S F I E L D S SCHOOL
FROM THE HEADMASTER As for every school in the land, this was undoubtedly the strangest end to a term. Covid-19 rendered life as we knew it as something to look back on fondly, in the hope that, one day, normality would resume and school would be as it was. Crosfields commenced, as usual, after the Christmas holiday. We had the fabulous news in February that planning permission was approved for our new Senior School building; an exciting addition to extend our provision to 16 by world class architects David Miller. The new building will have a spacious dining area which will provide food throughout the day and so after half term we commenced our partnership with new catering provider, Thomas Franks Ltd who will help us prepare for this future. Their impact, however, was immediate providing a new menu that was delicious, varied and nutritional. The term was punctuated by announcements of children achieving success in many areas and most particularly gaining the much sought-after scholarships to Public Schools. Applause was given to: Alexia Bormann The Abbey - academic, Eshaan Firake - Harrow School (swimming scholarship), Luka Pendic - Abingdon School (music scholarship), Bradfield College (Dr Gray all rounder scholarship), Sam Robinson - Bradfield College (sports scholarship), Anna Sanchez - Bradfield College (Dr Gray all rounder scholarship), Marie Weisheimer - Queen Anne’s (academic and music scholarship).
DOING AS THE ROMANS DID Then the virus became a reality. I found myself writing in not so splendid isolation from my office in the White Building. This office had once been a classroom and before that it was where Collects were held. Though the children had slowly moved from the White Building over the years, I did not think I would ever see a day when they moved out of the school and we went into lockdown. This magazine does not capture the empty corridors, the hymn-less hymn practices, the goals not scored and the numerous events cancelled. It celebrates what happened…may they happen again…soon!
In addition, the Middle and Senior School science cocurricular groups joined together for a special session, and considered how long it takes for various pieces of waste to degrade. The pupils and teachers were left
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Roman toilets! What’s more, they also designed their own mosaics and built flint stone walls strong enough to take the weight of one of the teachers. Lunch was eaten in an Iron Age round house with a burning fire in the middle, before being able to design Roman jewellery. At the end of the day the children headed back to Crosfields, tired, but excitedly talking about the fun they had on the trip.
CHICKS CHECK IN AT RECEPTION The spring term is always an exciting time in the Pre-Prep as it hails the arrival of eggs that come to stay with the Reception children for a few days. The eggs were delivered in February and soon afterwards they had hatched, giving the girls and boys six baby chicks to watch grow. Handling them very carefully in small, quiet groups, the children were fortunate to hold the birds and watched on in amazement as they explored their surroundings. “It’s tickling my hand!” said one of the children as they held out their palms for the chick to hold on to.
Mr. Craig Watson
SAVING OUR SEAS Early in January, Crosfields was joined by Alisdair Naulls from the Marine Conservation Society who came into Crosfields to deliver a pertinent message about the harm caused by plastic misuse, and what a powerful workshop it was! Using props, quotes from Shakespeare, and an amazing array of voices, Mr. Naulls’ ‘Stop the Tide of Plastics’ workshop asked children from the Nursery through to the Senior School to consider the amount of ocean on our planet and how much harm is caused by simply throwing away crisp packets and other single-use plastics.
In March, children in Year 3 made their way by coach to Butser Ancient Farm, near Petersfield. Providing children with hands-on experiences of Roman life, they were treated to a tour of a Roman Villa with a mosaic floor in one of the rooms. The children also learned about a hypocaust; an ingenious way that the Romans used to heat their houses, and they even got to sit on some communal
CROSS COUNTRY TRIUMPH
On a sunny afternoon in late February, 60 children from Years 3 to 8 attended a cross country fixture at The Oratory Prep School. It was a true cross country course, getting muddier and muddier as the races continued. The children ran with great determination and enthusiasm, cheering each other on which culminated in some great individual performances. Freya had a great race and strong finish to win the girl’s U8 race, Xavier ran consistently well to finish 3rd in the U10 boys race and Sonny-Raphael and Eva came 4th in their races. The U9 boys, pictured, were the winning team in their age group and the U11 girls secured 3rd place. A great start to cross country season!
with a lot to think about including the sustainability of our oceans, through to which fish should be eaten. Some children were keen to get to the seaside as soon as possible to pick up as much litter as they could find, and it was astounding to see every child joining in with the workshops, all wanting to hear more from the larger than life Mr. Naulls. www.crosfields.com
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JUNIORS TRIUMPH IN LANGUAGE COMPETITION Last term, 38 pupils from Years 3 to 6 took part in the Junior Language Challenge, a national competition that encourages independent learning and a love of languages from a young age. For the first round, children had to learn German and obtain a minimum of 500 points to qualify for the second round. The Languages department was delighted to report that many children qualified for the second round and went on to learn French. At the end of March, Crosfields heard that two pupils in Years 3 and 4 made it through to the regional final of the
SINGING STARS AT THE 02
challenge! Shaunak and Sammy were overjoyed when they heard the news, however at the time of writing it hadn’t been confirmed when the final will take place. Well done boys, and to all the children that took part.
CREATING COLOURS IN THE NURSERY In February, children in the Nursery enjoyed watching a colourful science experiment that used just paper towel, food colouring and water. They were captivated as the paper towel was dipped in a series of beakers containing different coloured water which then travelled along the length of the paper towel. The children then had to predict what would happen next. “Let’s think of yellow and blue—it will turn it green!” one child excitedly said. “The yellow is travelling up to the blue one!” said another.
YEAR 6 PICK UP STICKS
CROSFIELDS SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS | SPRING 2020
sing along with Tony Hadley and The Shires. They shared some thoughts about their experience at the O2:
I can achieve a lot more things in life and get out of my comfort zone.” Daniel Kellier
“The trip was a once in a lifetime experience! It was amazing to sing in a choir of more than 8,000 children.” Davide Bonavita
“I think everyone in Year 6 and all the teachers who went will never forget this exciting trip.” Katharine Collie
“My favourite song was Larger than Life because it made me believe that
Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of these popular concerts. Roll on 2021!
KICK STARTING THE FOOTBALL SEASON In early March, girls in Years 5 and 6 were treated to a football masterclass with professional footballer, Sarah Lipscombe who works with players at Fulham Football Club. Sarah focused on ball control in two 45-minute sessions with each year group, but she also taught the girls some neat tricks which they were able to use in match situations. The masterclass was extremely well received by the girls and Crosfields was very grateful to Sarah for giving up her time to come and work with us.
The art room was whirring with energy in February as children in Year 6 split into teams and tackled chair making using just newspaper for their art day. Visiting artist Darcy Turner brought his amazing newspaper-rolling machines into school which turned the newspaper into strong sticks. Producing chairs that were strong enough to sit on, the children developed their construction, problem solving and team working skills, and all triumphed with innovative and surprisingly very stable chairs!
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The Young Voices concert at the O2 Arena in February was a true showstopper, with as many as 8,000 children from schools around the UK taking part. As part of their music curriculum, children in Year 6 had been learning all the songs and choreography needed for the concert and headed up to London to
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YEAR 3 BRING COLOUR TO THE THEATRE There wasn’t a single frown in the theatre during one afternoon in mid-March when Year 3 performed their play ‘Dragon Days’. Not only did they thoroughly enjoy the performance, it was a chance to forget what was going on in the outside world and appreciate a ‘good old school play’ that was full of colour, excellent singing and fantastic acting. The costumes and staging helped bring the alpine mountains of Stumbledorf alive and the children’s yodelling could be heard echoing through the corridors of Crosfields.
RECEPTION GO BIRDWATCHING
The RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch took place in January and so the generous, leafy school grounds served as the perfect location for girls and boys in Reception to grab their binoculars and get bird spotting. Wearing their welly boots and waterproof gear, the children were excited to see what birds they could spot flying above and around the school. As usual, the Crosfields red kites could be seen in abundance, as could pigeons, magpies and starlings. The children then used their bird spotting tick sheet to mark which ones they’d seen. It was an exciting session where the highlight was using their binoculars!
YEAR 1 MEDIEVAL DAY Hear thee! Hear thee! Year 1 had the most wonderful Medieval Day in early March. The children came dressed in Medieval costumes ranging from kings, queens, knights, lords and ladies, and peasants. In their Art lesson they created their own coat of arms and later in the morning they each took part in a jousting competition on a wooden horse. A magnificent lunchtime banquet was enjoyed in Acorns Hall where the girls and boys tasted a delicious assortment of ‘medieval food’, and further highlights of the day included medieval dancing, knocking down a wooden castle with a trebuchet and learning some nifty sword fighting skills.
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SCHOOL FUN RUN
At 8am on a rather grey Tuesday morning in early February, pupils and parents braved the cold and took part in a fun run in aid of School House’s chosen charity, the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Trust. With the emphasis very much on ‘fun’, the runners were dressed in a colourful array of gear, from onesies to superhero masks. They ran one mile around the new artificial turf pitch and in doing so raised £360 for the charity on World Cancer Day. Well done, everyone!
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MATHS CHALLENGE SUCCESS
This year’s Primary Maths Challenge was another success story for Crosfields. Organised by the Mathematical Association, the challenge began in November and 65,000 children around the world entered. The results were gathered at the end of the year and some 2,000 children with a score of 21 and above were invited to take part in Bonus Round. This included twelve Year 6 pupils from Crosfields who all successfully answered a variety of multiple choice questions. Twelve then became six at the
Bonus Round in February where Daniel, Shenul, Joshua, Avika, Nandan, Mehul and Ge Wei (pictured) were awarded bronze, silver and gold certificates for their successes. The children were congratulated by Head of Mathematics, Mrs. Jokic, who commented that, “It is such an achievement to receive recognition for mathematical ability on a national scale. All of the children at the school enjoyed taking part in the Challenge and most importantly, it shows them that maths can be fun.”
SENSATIONAL SWIMMING QUALIFIER
THE WONDER OF WORLD BOOK DAY World Book Day on 5th March was celebrated throughout the week at Crosfields with a host of exciting and interactive sessions for the children to enjoy. Senior children in Years 7 and 8 attended a captivating workshop with comedian and writer, Dave Smith. A former stand-up comedian and professional writer, Dave inspired the children to write humorous and entertaining stories, with some children bravely standing up to read their creations aloud to their peers.
In the first week of March, 32 pupils from Crosfields competed against seven other schools in the qualifying round of the national IAPS swimming competition. Held in the state-of-the-art Crosfields swimming pool, the children, who are all in the U10 to U13 age category, took part in a series of stroke and relay
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events. Crosfields displayed some incredibly strong performances and were surely encouraged by the large number of parents that came to watch and cheer their children on. At the time of writing the results had not yet come through.
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On World Book Day itself, there was an array of fantastic costumes across the whole school as children from Nursery through to Year 8 dressed up as their favourite book characters and authors. In Reception, www.crosfields.com
the children made marmalade sandwiches for Paddington Bear, and in Year 1, the teachers arrived in pirate costumes and the children were able to make pirate hats and enjoy other exciting pirate activities in their classrooms. Even the Bursary staff got into the spirit of World Book Day with a number of Peter Pan outfits and Mr. Watson dressed up as Captain Hook! In addition to the colourful costumes, performer Marcus Dilly put on two fantastically funny shows in the Theatre for children in Years 2 and 3, and Years 5 and 6. His production of The Wizard of Oz for the younger children and Treasure Island for the older girls and boys gave everyone an opportunity to take part; even the
teachers were pulled in with Miss Westley giving a particularly good performance as the Wizard from Oz, and Mr. Keepax made an outstanding Toto the dog! Mr. Adams showed off his dancing skills to Years 5 and 6 by swinging along to ‘Staying Alive’ along with his cast of pirate mates, and it all made for an entertaining World Book week. Finally, Head of English Mrs. Stewart organised a whole school book swap, a fabulous initiative to recycle books and encourage children of all ages to read something new. Book swap stations were placed around the school for the children to deposit their books into, with the swap day taking place on World Book Day itself.
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THE MAGIC OF SCIENCE During British Science Week in early March, the Science Department showcased science in action to younger year groups, giving those children a flavour of the exciting subjects to come as they progress through the school. Girls and boys in Year 4 were treated to an exciting demonstration of Senior science equipment and watched in awe as the Hofmann Voltameter and Rubens tube showed how water can be separated, along with the effect of sound on fire. In a thrilling display by Mrs. Reid, they were also shown how some metals react with water. Year 2 enjoyed a ‘wow’ session, learning how different chemicals react to make fireworks (one of the diverse jobs associated with being a scientist). Pops, bangs and bright colours all served to show some of the school’s younger
pupils just how important chemistry is in everyday matters. The children even had a go at changing the colour of a flame using chemicals in the practical area of the Crosfields science labs. In addition, and following this year’s theme of diversity, children in the Middle and Senior Schools considered the impacts of diversity in science work, particularly as some of the major issues of today have global implications. Pupils were asked to recreate an image without speaking, a task trickier than it sounds as four children had to be in control of one pen all at the same time! Year 7 carried out a more ‘hands-on’ study of chemicals and the diverse nature of jobs within the field of chemistry by holding fire.
PUPILS WOW WOODLEY JUDGES Despite being closed a week early, the first two weekends of this year’s Woodley Festival were a huge success for Crosfields pupils as they joined hundreds of other children on the stage for choir singing and speech and drama classes. Over 100 children from the Pre-Prep through to the Senior School took part in the Festival, with many receiving medals and certificates for their efforts. The first weekend got off to a flying start as all choirs won their respective classes and brought back to school an array of medals, trophies and wonderful comments from Simon Hayward, the adjudicator. He commented that the Chamber Choir was “a lovely wellrehearsed choir with a committed, energetic performance.” and that the Middle School Girls’ Choir was “an impressive choir with a really strong sense of commitment and focus – convincing and unified.” Finally, Mr. Hayward went on to report that the Middle School Boys’ Choir performance was a “well controlled and a highly committed performance with lovely, harmonised and confident voices.” During the speech and drama classes, all children presented their pieces exceptionally well and it was clear to see the amount of time and effort they had put into their preparations. With a record number of entrants from the Pre-Prep department this year, in just two weekends of the festival, Crosfields children were awarded a staggering 60 medals. A terrific performance and certainly something of which we can be very proud!
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CHAMBER CHOIR PERFORM AT NORDEN FARM During March, Senior School pupils in the Crosfields Chamber Choir performed at a special anniversary concert at Norden Farm in Maidenhead. Local girls’ choir, the Jewel Tones along with their Musical Director Suzanne Newman were celebrating thirty years of singing in Berkshire. The Chamber Choir sang five songs and combined with Jewel Tones for the finale. The girls and boys represented Crosfields well by showing great spirit in their performances which were lively yet professional.
TACKLING RUGBY WITH LONDON SCOTTISH
MAKING TIME TO TALK Children’s Mental Health Week in February gave teachers and pupils the opportunity to discuss the importance of mental health. A subject that is never far from the curriculum in our busy and growing school, Deputy Head (Pastoral), Mr. Mallins held two assemblies at the start of the week to introduce the concepts of Time to Talk day and Inside Out day to
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the children. Both of these took place on the Thursday, with both children and staff taking time out of their busy days to simply talk, walk or run together. Meanwhile, the classes and playground were awash with colour as blazers, jackets, skirts and trousers were turned inside out, raising awareness for a worthwhile topic.
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Mid-January, boys in Years 7 and 8 were fortunate to have a great Rugby coaching session delivered by four coaches and players from London Scottish RFC. Around the Crosfields rugby pitches the coaches could be seen sharing their vast knowledge and demonstrating skills. First team players Elliot Creed and Miles Wakeling, former Scottish www.crosfields.com
Sevens Coach and Club Commercial Manager, Carson Russell, as well as Community Development Officer Ross Peacock focused on aspects of defence in games-based practices in an afternoon which all children really enjoyed and benefited from.
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BUZZING WITH CREATIVITY
DELIGHTFUL DECLAMATIONS EVENING Those that were placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Autumn ‘Winter Writing Competition’ were invited to read their stories to their family and friends in a Declamations Evening in February. Selected children in Years 7 and 8 joined the readers with their winter poetry compositions. Families heard some imaginative stories, including how Father Christmas had a stowaway in his sack and the unwitting
child turned into an elf, stories which involved arctic foxes or squirrels trying to survive winter, as well as pixies who lived in a Christmas pudding and needed to find a new home after theirs had burned down! There were also moving World War One themed poems from Year 8. Well done to all of those who took part – it was a wonderful evening which celebrated writing, story-telling, imagination and inspiration!
CHAMPIONING ROWING Year 7 enjoyed a ‘buzzy day’ in the Art Department in February (excuse the pun!) with visiting artist Darcy Turner. The girls and boys created awesome insect sculptures using aluminium modelling wire and metal tape, all under the tremendous supervision of Mr.
Turner. The children started by developing their ideas through sketching insects using a variety of visual sources and their imaginations, and then started bending, looping and manipulating wire to realise their intentions and create superb bug sculptures.
SENIOR GIRLS ACHIEVE NETBALL SUCCESS At the end of February, the Crosfields 1st Netball Team travelled to Cranleigh School to compete in a regional round of the U13 Netball IAPS Competition against 15 other teams. During the morning the girls played matches within their pool. They played great netball, dominated games and progressed into the Plate competition for the afternoon. This is where the girls pulled together as a team and played some really exciting netball, winning their quarter final game and progressing to the semi-final where they met a strong side who pulled ahead in the second half. The girls never let their heads drop and were focused and ready for their 3rd/4th playoff against a team who had previously beaten them 6-4 in the morning. Crosfields proved they were the stronger team, dominating the match and coming away with an 11-4 win, claiming bronze medals! It was a true team performance with each girl playing her part in every game.
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In early February, 20 children and their teachers braved storm Ciara and travelled to the South of England Indoor Rowing Championships. Children in Year 7 raced over 2 minutes, and Year 8 raced over 3 minutes; both year groups then raced in a team relay of 2000m. Having only been training for just a term and a half almost all the rowers smashed through their Personal Bests. What’s more, despite only rowing for just three sessions, the girls
made great progress with one of the girls missing out on a medal by just 4 meters! However, there was some medal success as Year 8 pupil Eshaan won Bronze in the boys timed event, the Year 7 boys A-team won Bronze in their team relay, and the Year 8 children won Silver in their relay. A huge achievement for all and Crosfields gained its first medals for rowing after just half an academic year!
SENIORS ROCK OUT
In January, girls and boys in Year 8 travelled up to the West End in London to watch the musical, School of Rock at the Gillian Lynn Theatre. They had an absolutely incredible time and were truly inspired as they watched children their age and younger on the stage rocking out. There was much laughter, lots of clapping, foot-tapping and singing along. www.crosfields.com
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UNCOVERING A CAREER In the week after half term Senior children took their places in Acorns Hall one afternoon to sit and listen to guest speaker and archaeologist, Donna DeGroene. Year 8 pupil Marie introduced Ms DeGroene to the group who talked to the pupils about her career, outlining the educational requirements of her profession, and some of the more interesting things she has uncovered as an archaeologist. “She was clearly very passionate about her choice of career,” one pupil commented. At the end of the talk, the children had the opportunity to ask questions, then Year 8 pupil Eshaan closed
the session, with Year 7 pupil Lottie presenting Ms DeGroene with a gift. Ms DeGroene was keen to point out that any Senior School pupils wishing to learn more about archaeology could attend a club run by Reading University, which takes place once a month on a Saturday.
RUGBY SEVENS VICTORY
During the first week of March Crosfields welcomed U12 and U13 teams from Brockhurst, Eagle House, Leighton Park and Shiplake College to take part in its annual Rugby 7’s Tournament. Both competitions were played in great spirit despite the horrendous weather conditions with some outstanding rugby on show. Team Crosfields fought hard, showed skill, guile and determination and should be very proud of how they performed. The U12’s developed as the tournament progressed and will have gained a lot of experience to help them next year. The U13’s were exceptional, and ended the tournament as deserving winners of their competition. Outstanding performances from all, well done boys!
CROSFIELDS PERFORMING ARTS EVENING On a Tuesday evening in February, the Middle and Senior children entertained a crowded theatre with an exciting variety of acts that ranged from some serious, thoughtprovoking performances to humorous, laugh out loud pieces! The children’s confidence and ability on stage was
an absolute pleasure to watch. The evening ended with a wonderful medley of songs from Mary Poppins which got the audience tapping their feet and reliving the magic of musicals. A huge well done to all children and teachers involved in helping us celebrate drama and music.