The Stormont Yearbook
2016-2017
Contents Page 5
Head’s Welcome
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Nursery Stories
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Harvest Gallery
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Technology Week
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Reception Stories
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Nursery and Reception Concert
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Jack and the Beanstalk
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Year 1 Stories
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Nursery and Reception Nativity
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Year 1 Nativity
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Christmas at Gayhurst
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Prose and Verse Competition
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Year 2 Stories
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Art Week
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Year 3 Stories
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Year 4 Stories
48
Choir and Art Tour
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Art Gallery
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Bushcraft Camp
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Year 5 Stories
60
Trip to Kingswood
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Year 6 Stories
66
Nursery & Junior Sports
68
Year 8 Stories
72
Seussical the Musical
76
Sports Gallery
80
Skern Lodge Trip
82
School Council
83
Final Assembly
84
Leavers Book Entries
95
The Best of the Rest
Head’s Welcome
Whether you are a current or former pupil, teacher or parent, I welcome you to this year’s Stormont magazine, which provides a fantastic pictorial representation and record of the many varied opportunities and experiences that our pupils have been offered during the past year (2016-17). It has been quite a busy year and a real joy to witness and observe all that occurs at Gayhurst first-hand during my first year at the school. It is incredible to reflect on how much has happened during that first year and this magazine will surely reinforce the memories for many years to come. Most, I’m sure, will recall the annual events such as charity days, Prose and Verse, Musician of the Year and school productions that are well established within the school calendar. Others may also reflect on those events in which they have participated, such as the re-opening of Chantry, different residential trips or enrichment activities. Hopefully there will be something that all who read this edition will be able to relate to; particularly those events which brought such fun and laughter or new learning experiences. It is appropriate to thank all of the staff for their worthwhile contribution during the year and even moreso for providing the detail and photos to make this magazine so bright, lively and informative. Without their commitment, none of the activities captured within this document would be possible. Michelle Upton also deserves great credit for the commitment she has given to collating and editing this edition; I am sure you will appreciate her effort and consider that this Stormont is a fine keepsake that portrays our school as a very busy and exciting place for young children. Well done and thank you, Michelle.
G.R.A. Davies Headmaster
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Nursery Stories
New beginnings‌ During the first week of the new school year, the Nursery girls and boys were lucky enough with the September weather to be able to get straight out into the Nursery playground and enjoy the activities and playground equipment. Making mud pies along with new friends seemed a popular choice as well as digging for gold in the sandpit and sharing the chores in the Nursery house and garden.
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Nursery Stories
Nursery celebrate... As the year unfolds the Nursery children learn about, and take part in, many different celebrations. They certainly learnt how to welcome in the Chinese New Year when they took turns being the head or the body of the Nursery’s fantastic Chinese Dragon. With the musical rhythm being provided by the girls and boys playing on percussion instruments, they paraded around the astro-turf in celebration of the year of the Rooster. Christmas, Shrove Tuesday, Harvest, Remembrance Day, and many other special days in the calendar, are learnt about, taken part in and illustrated with arts and crafts.
Odds Farm Every year the Nursery go on a day trip to Odds Farm. This is often the first time our youngest children have ever been on a coach or gone out for a day trip without their family. Excitement builds on the trip to the Farm and often peaks when they are enjoying their packed lunches! Of course, there are plenty of animals to feed, stroke and play with and adventure equipment to climb, ride and balance on.
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Nursery Stories
Exploring the school
Creativity
Learning
Every week the Nursery children visit the Junior School. Sometimes they have computer or music lessons in the Junior School Library. Sometimes they utilise the Junior School playground and equipment and sometimes they simply run off their energy on the adventure trail.
The girls and boys love the range of creative activities they can experience in any given Nursery week. Traditional poster paints and colouring are complimented by pasta art, play doh, natural collage, fabric puppet making and many other exciting chances to discover their creative skills.
As well as learning about letters and numbers, the children of the Nursery learn many important lessons through their structured learning time and their play sessions. Role play, fine motor skills and tasting the snow, all feature in the Nursery year.
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Harvest Gallery Our Harvest Service for Nursery and Reception children was presided over by Reverend Leach from St James’ Church. The children sang a selection of Harvest songs and presented their gifts of tinned foods and pot plants which were then distributed to members of the local community. Meanwhile the Senior School’s Harvest collection was in aid of Baby Basics, a charity which helps to support mothers in
Amersham who are unable to afford the basic essentials and equipment necessary to look after their new-born baby. Head of PSHCE, Mrs Lingley said “this project has really caught the attention of our children. Many of them have experienced younger siblings being born into their families and they were so enthusiastic about helping others who need support at such a crucial time”.
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Technology Week The children always look forward to Technology Week. Whether they are enjoying a Lego Robotics Workshop or code-breaking at Bletchley Park there is never a dull moment! The week is full of hands-on, interactive fun whilst learning lots of new skills. There are also interesting visitors who pop in and share their invaluable expertise with us and fire up the children’s imaginations.
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Reception Stories
Exploring the outdoors Making the most of the late September sunshine, Reception enjoyed exploring the outdoor aspect of their learning environment. Some of the children built a path out of milk crates and they all loved riding their bikes up and down the path leading to the Senior School and especially enjoyed carrying their friends as passengers.
Shadow play Sometimes all you need is a little imagination! As part of their learning about light and dark, some of the Reception children went outside on a sunny day to find out about shadows! They stood with the sun behind them and used their bodies to make shadows on the wall.
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Reception Stories
The ts in trees As part of the Reception classes’ phonics learning at the beginning of the year, the girls and boys took their class teddy to the trees in search of the letter ‘t’. Once they had collected all the letters hidden in the adventure playground they counted them. The children practised holding up 10 fingers. They had to do this 3 times as they had found 30 letters!
Mixed Media At the beginning of January 2017, the children started their topic ‘Winter’. The girls and boys created winter trees using a variety of different techniques, such as collage, oil pastels and watercolour paint. Venturing outside the children went on a walk “on a cold and frosty” morning to look carefully at snow and ice using magnifying glasses. They watched to see what happened when they brought the snow inside!
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Reception Stories
Building in the outdoor classroom Reception always take advantage of sunny afternoons to use the outdoor classroom. One such afternoon they became a team of builders and decided to “extend” the playhouse. The teamwork was superb!!
Tour of the school Towards the end of the year all the Reception children embark on a grand tour of the school. Carrying clipboards they make their way around the school marking on their maps where everyone is situated. All fell quiet as they tiptoed past the Headmaster’s office!
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Nursery and Reception Concert The Gingerbread Man
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Jack and the Beanstalk Once again our Senior School children put on a fantastic show which thoroughly entertained their parents and the rest of the school. The wonderfully colourful costumes and scenery, added to the children’s confident performances, made this an outstanding production. Bravo!!
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Year 1 Stories
Grizzly goings on Early in the year, the children of Year 1 had the exciting opportunity of bringing a favourite Teddy Bear from home to school to provide inspiration across different subjects. During their literacy lesson they read the classic children’s tale, Goldilocks.
The girls and boys then went for a walk in the woods and tried to imagine what being a bear felt like! Remembering all the things they heard, smelt and saw, once back in the classroom, the children wrote about their experiences.
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Year 1 Stories
Stringy self portraits As an interesting twist on creating self-portraits, the Year 1 girls and boys created their likenesses in string! As well as deciding on the right shapes for ears, noses and eyes, producing hair proved to be a lot of fun!
A royal visit During the Summer Term Year 1 visited Windsor Castle. Imagine their surprise when they actually saw the Queen driving her car as she was going to the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Watching the soldiers marching to the Guardroom was a particular highlight of the trip.
The children enjoyed a history workshop where they dressed up as royal staff and prepared the Castle for a royal banquet.
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Year 1 Stories
Creating classic toys
Science makes sense
Smart Art
The Victorians is a major theme in Year 1 History lessons. As part of learning about the Victorian way of life, the girls and boys learn about the sorts of toys Victorian children would have played with. Fascinated by such simple games, the children had a chance to make their own cup-andball toy and then spent quite some time, trying to master the skill. They soon realised it was not as easy as it looked!
Investigating their senses is always a favourite Science lesson for Year 1. The girls and boys particularly enjoyed the ‘taste’ and ‘smell’ activities as they took a close look at some of their favourite foods.
Throughout the year, Year 1 embark on imaginative art projects that reflect their studies in other subjects. The Chinese New Year involved modelling with clay; Science studies of winter included painting with glitter and Geography produced mixed media collage making.
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Nursery and Reception Nativity For Gayhurst School’s youngest pupils, their Nativity play is often the first time they have taken part in a ‘dressed’ performance. After practising songs, actions and words, both at home with their parents and at school, the children have the excitement of dressing up as angels, shepherds, kings and animals to perform the Nativity story to their families, teachers and other special guests.
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Year 1 Nativity The 2016 Year 1 Nativity had an interesting spin on the traditional tale. The girls and boys told the story from the perspective of a soldier. Their perfectly performed play was made all the better by the beautiful costumes and props that the school and the parents had worked very hard to create. A beautiful and colourful backdrop provided the perfect Bethlehem setting.
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Christmas at Gayhurst The lead up to the festive season is always a magical time at Gayhurst. The children enjoy crafting their Christmas angels, snowmen and stained-glass effect windows. Food is always an important part of the festive season and our catering staff pull out all the stops to produce meals and treats that the Gayhurst children love. The GPA get involved too with their annual Junior School Christmas treat afternoon, an event Santa always manages to attend.
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Prose and Verse Competition Gayhurst was delighted to welcome Mr Jason Whiskerd, Headmaster of Brentwood Preparatory School, as Chief Judge at this year’s Prose and Verse Competition. This was Mr Davies’ first experience of this much-loved, traditional Gayhurst event. The finalists from Year 3 to Year 8 had spent many hours preparing both at home and at school and most felt confident that their performance would showcase their hard work. After being instructed, by the Headmaster, to channel their butterflies and adrenaline into their performances, the children took to the stage to entertain, delight and often move, all those watching. The overall winner was announced and it was a seemingly popular choice if the cheer that rose up in the hall was anything to go by – Felix Collar with his performance of Custard the Cowardly Dragon.
“Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs, Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage, But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.”
“Belinda lived in a little white house, With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.”
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F Collar
L Ross
H Dent
M Gemmell
X Blake
The overall winner ‘The tale of Custard the Cowardly Dragon.’
‘Cats’
‘Dirty Face’
About the teeth of sharks
Year 3 Winner Rainbow
B Orr-Ewing
T Stalder
A Dillon
E Graham
O Skinner
‘My naughty little sister’
‘George’s marvellous medicine’
‘Get out of bed’
‘Witches Stew’
‘Homework oh homework’
C Wright
S Rice
N Storey
A Garner
L McCormick
Year 4 Winner ‘It’s a wonderful world, but they made a few mistakes’
‘Sunday Tea’
‘What is red?’
Year 5 Winner ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
‘As darkness fell’
D Graham
E Orr-Ewing
Z Orr-Ewing
I Dusek
E Thomas
‘An extract from A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’
‘Behind the gym’
‘An extract from Charles Dickens’
Year 6 Winner ‘The Pig’
‘Homework oh homework’
J Kearns
T Eapen
A Phillips
‘An extract from Harry Potter’
Joint Year 8 Winner ‘Death Doomed’
Joint Year 8 Winner ‘An extract from True Grit’ 33
I Year 2 Stories
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The Zoo in Year 2 AmeyZoo visited Year 2 in the Autumn Term. Mark Amey brought with him a collection of lizards, spiders, snakes and frogs to help the children learn about life in the Rainforests. The girls and boys learnt the difference between venomous and poisonous creatures. They learnt about other ways that
animals protect themselves from predators. One very important lesson was just how crucial animals, insects and birds are to the environment they inhabit. Everyone in Year 2 had the opportunity to get up close with a few of the snakes, lizards and spiders. Some were happier about this than others!
Nature’s inspiration Year 2 decided to shun traditional pencils and paints, crayons and chalks and go in search of some natural art materials in the adventure playground. The girls and boys soon discovered that the changing of the seasons had provided them with leaves of many colours, from shiny green to crispy brown. Sticks, bark, stones and plants were all utilised to create various images. Some children chose to have a subject in their creations and others chose to produce patterns.
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Year 2 Stories
Polar Projects The pupils in Year 2 worked very hard on an extended task, a lot of which was completed at home. Every girl and boy chose an animal to research and create a visual project to present to their peers and the Year 2 staff. The children presented their findings and then took questions from the floor. This assignment was part of their Geography topic in Year 2 and became a perfect opportunity to practise their speaking and listening skills.
Now and then During their History lessons, the Year 2 pupils love to compare life now and then. When studying World War 2 they tried on gas masks and hid under desks and tried to think about how life would have felt for people during the war in the 1940s. During their studies of the 1920s, they looked at objects from that decade. They found out how to dry clothes with a mangle, what sort of toys children would have played with and just how people listened to music on a gramophone.
Bringing History right up to date the children considered the monarchy and how it has changed over the years. With the Queen’s upcoming birthday in mind, they learnt about British customs and produced some ceremonially dressed guards to create a celebratory display in their classrooms.
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Year 2 Stories
Remembering Roald Dahl The Roald Dahl Museum in Aylesbury hosts a huge selection of Roald Dahl memorabilia as Year 2 found out when they visited the collection. James and the Giant Peach, The Fantastic Mr Fox, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Twits were just some of the stories represented in the various rooms of the museum. The children had the opportunity to dress up as some of their favourite characters from Roald Dahl’s popular children’s books.
Hands-on Science The Year 2 Monkey became centre of attention during Science lessons when the children were set the task of designing a rain-coat for him. They had to think about the materials they would use and consider how best to keep him warm and dry. They tested different fabrics, both natural and man-made to see how suitable each would be if used to make a water-proof coat. A trip to Shortenhills, an environmental education centre, taught the children all about trees and the important role they play in our environment. Back at school they excitedly watched the ‘living eggs’ hatch and the new chicks emerge as they considered life cycles. What would a Science lesson be without experiments? The importance of accuracy was highlighted when they practised measuring colourful liquids. They soon found out that a heavy hand could spell trouble when trying to be exact!
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Art Week What a fantastically creative week Art Week was this year! Our Junior School children learnt all about Van Gogh and his eccentric style of painting from visiting artist, Paul Priestly. By the end of the week they had produced some fantastic Van Gogh Sunflower reproductions. Year 3 were treated to a workshop in toy design. They took inspiration from their idea of what a super-hero is and began sketching out all the individual parts that would make up a toy. Years 4 and 5 both took their inspiration from the Artist, Charlie Harper. Each year group used very different textile techniques to produce ‘flight’ themed works of art.
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Year 3 Stories
Year 3’s shared history Starting in Year 3 at Gayhurst always means making some new friends. Not only are the Year 2 classes mixed up but lots of new children join the school from other local schools. The girls and boys of Mr Stevenson’s class got to know each other by plotting
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a collaborative timeline that started the day the oldest child in the class was born and ended the day they joined Mr Stevenson’s class. All the children thought about significant events in their lives and added these to the timeline. What a lot of history 3S have already made!
Let there be light During their Science lessons, the Year 3 classes disappeared into a light-proof tent to see if they could see anything at all without any light. To really test the theory, the girls and boys took light reflecting materials into the darkness. Even things such as tinsel, mirrors and reflective strips could not pierce the darkness. Continuing their investigations into the reflection of light, Year 3 made their own periscopes. They used their teamworking skills to decide on the angles of their mirrors and then put their designs together. Once the periscopes were complete, the eager pupils tested them and found they could see around corners and over objects.
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Year 3 Stories
Ancient studies As part of their studies of the Stone, Iron and Bronze Age, Year 3 went on a trip to the Henley River and Rowing Museum. Part of the visit involved taking part in interactive activities to give the children a handson experience to help them better understand the ancient history they were studying. As part of the same topic the lessons took a fun turn when they constructed a Stonehenge model out of Bourbon biscuits and crafted paper mammoths for a classroom display.
Maths on the menu Mr Stevenson came up with a creative mathematical lesson to help his class with their skills in addition. A fictitious menu was created for the imagined ‘3N Café’ and the girls and boys had fun placing orders for a fantasy meal, leaving their peers to work out the cost. Different menus had different prices making the job of the ‘cashier’ harder and harder.
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Year 3 Stories
Carry on camping Year 3 took part in the very first campout in the grounds of the school during the Summer Term. Fortunately, the British weather came up trumps and the evening stayed dry. Apart from a great deal of fun to be had, the children learnt; how to pitch a tent; to make art from nature; archery skills and what constitutes ‘bush tucker’. After learning about what some survivalists eat, they were all relieved when pizza arrived for the evening meal.
Surreal art and crafts During their Art lessons, Miss Crosbie introduced the girls and boys to the famous artists, Salvador Dali and Mark Chagall. The class looked at images by both artists in order to get inspiration to create their own surreal story. After much discussion, the girls and boys went on to produce mind-maps of their own ideas before creating their final piece. It certainly got them thinking and appreciating art in very different forms. Away from the Art Room the children enjoyed getting creative in other ways. They all created a sewing sampler and used paperwork skills to make cards for special occasions during the year.
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Year 4 Stories
Sukkot design
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These fantastic creations were made by some of the children in 4L who designed their own Sukkahs – a special hut used for celebrating the Jewish festival of Sukkot. This was part of a topic about religious festivals in RS.
Old fashioned gaming Every so often, during a Maths lesson, long division and fractions take a back seat to some good old fashioned gaming! Evie in Year 4 found that some of her friends needed to brush up on their dominoes skills and she was only too happy to show them the strategic thinking behind the number matching game.
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Year 4 Stories
Novel lesson on Indian culture The children in Mrs Waters’ English class read a novel about an Indian Grandfather who visited his grandchildren in England. The girls and boys spoke a lot about the cultures in India and the surrounding area, and two of them, Sana and Yash kindly brought in some traditional clothing which they all thought was beautiful.
Championing chairs Wycombe Museum is full of... ‌. chairs! Year 4 went to visit Wycombe museum as part of their Art project in chair design. As the girls and boys went around the exhibits they drew sketches of different chair designs to inspire their own work once back in the classroom.
Year 4 also had an opportunity to get a taste of the life of the families who, in Victorian times, provided the manpower and support for the Wycombe chair making industry.
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Year 4 Stories
It’s a dogs life Mrs Waters’ English class loved working through their unit on Dogs. Inspired by Crufts they designed their own doggy obstacle courses and then created models of them to share with the class. The children then wrote interview questions which they put to their very special four-legged guest Penny who popped in with her owner, Mrs Nagpal, for a cuddle and a chat!
Mexican flavour Year 4 were studying Mexico in their Geography lessons, looking at the history, culture and lifestyle, and how it is similar and different to the UK and Gerrards Cross. All 4 classes tried some Mexican food such as tacos,
tortillas, nachos, Mexican beans, salsa and guacamole which they all really enjoyed. Some pupils had never tasted some of the foods before and have found their new favourite! They also all made Mexican masks and enjoyed modelling them for the camera.
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Choir and Art Tour Florence The children had a fun cultural trip to Florence on the Choir and Art Tour at the beginning of the Summer Term. The gifted of voice sang in beautiful churches and squares whilst the artists got the opportunity to draw/ sketch some iconic historical
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sights. They were all equally talented at pizza-making and enjoyed tasting their own creations. A few of our parents didn’t want to miss out and they met up with the group in Florence too and witnessed at first hand the talents of our children.
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Art Gallery During the course of an entire year at Gayhurst the Art produced both in lessons and in clubs covers a huge array of techniques, materials, methods and motivational sources. Junior School, whose work is often inspired by what they are learning in other subjects, also get creative in their Art Club producing pieces that take their inspiration from famous works of art. The Senior school, during the year have worked on projects such as; wirework, chair design, still life, landscapes and lino printing, to name just a few. Each term, Miss Crosbie put the girls’ and boys’ work on her art blog for the wider Gayhurst community to appreciate, as well as decorating the school gallery with vibrant displays.
Art Awards
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Reception Art
Year 1 Art
Year 2 Art
Year 3 Art
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Year 4 Art
Year 5 Art
Year 6 Art 52
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Bushcraft Camp Our Year 4 children had a thrilling, exciting time on their visit to Bushcraft camp. They stayed overnight in the deepest, darkest woods in Oxfordshire and made their own shelters. The children fended for themselves by setting traps, lighting a fire and cooking their own tea on that open fire. The children learnt wilderness survival and were also taught to ‘leave no footprint’ environmentally-wise.
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Year 5 Stories
ASC Fast Food Gayhurst introduced a new after-school activity in 2015, which is designed to prepare children for the Duke of Edinburgh Award which is very popular in senior schools. The activity called ASC (Adventure Service Challenge) has been a big hit with pupils and in its second year at Gayhurst, the members of the ASC club were delighted to be given the opportunity of a cooking lesson with Mr Hardy, Gayhurst’s Catering Manager.
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In preparation for the lesson, the children researched pizza making methods and costed ingredients. Mr Hardy then took them through the preparation, cooking and, of course, eating their very own pizzas.
Kew the inspiration During their Art lessons, Year 5 enjoyed learning about the technique of Batik which is using wax and dye to create textile designs. In order to collect imagery to inspire their silk Batik designs the year group went on a trip to Kew Gardens. The girls and boys sketched plants and flowers both outside in the sunny extensive gardens and inside the greenhouses. They returned to school with sketch books brimming with ideas.
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Year 5 Stories
Moses inspires leadership studies An important module of Year 5’s Religious Studies education, is the study of the Christian prophet Moses. They began the module by looking at his early life and of course the well-known bible story of Moses being set adrift down the River Nile in a basket. As a fun homework the girls and boys were challenged with making a model Moses in his bassinette that would float in a classroom experiment. As part of the design process, the class learnt about the traditional basket weaving techniques that would have been used at the time of Moses’ life. Towards the end of the module, the Old Testament story is linked to contemporary issues of modern day leadership and equality. The girls and boys chose and researched a respected figure of their choice and then created presentations to deliver to their classmates.
I am important! The Year 5 girls and boys were invited to focus on their feelings, emotions, selfesteem and confidence when they took part in an ‘I Am Important’ workshop lead by Mrs Kortman-Bedi of Believe Energy. The workshop was designed to equip youngsters with the tools they need to deal with everyday stresses and maintain their levels of happiness. From the ‘I Am Important’ walk to a short guided meditation, the pupils were encouraged to place more importance on looking after their happiness as part of becoming rounded individuals.
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Year 5 Stories
Maths in all its shapes and sizes Gayhurst staff are always looking for new and exciting ways to teach maths. Regular workshops and challenges are mixed with online competitions and good old fashioned classroom teaching. Year 5 enjoyed a visit from Mathematician Paul Goddard and then used a book he had written called, Mathelona Puzzle Book to put a fun spin on mental mathematical skills. Maths got tasty when the children were looking at weights and measures and used their newly acquired expertise to break down the different ingredients in a
sweet baked product. They tested their practical weighing and measuring skills by then actually making the product they had been describing. In order to bring a little balance back, the Year 5s, after learning about area and perimeter, designed and created a ‘healthy park’. The girls and boys worked collaboratively, calculating the size and design of different areas of their parks. Percentages and fractions are other tricky subjects in the Year 5 Maths curriculum. The classes produce games, to play with their classmates, designed to help establish the relationships between fractions, percentages and decimals. Who said Maths isn’t fun?
Fun with French The teaching of French to Year 5 always involves a lot of talking and presenting in order to master the language. Year 5 started their foreign tongue travels by writing simple traditional fairy tales. They made a wonderful wall display. They also practised their French pronunciation by verbally offering simple presentations to their fellow budding linguists about where, how and who they live with.
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Trip to Kingswood Our Year 5 children certainly gained some confidence and independence not to mention resilience during their trip to Kingswood. They were there for 3 nights and enjoyed a huge spectrum of activities during that time. Abseiling, zip wire and rock climbing were all on offer for the thrill-seekers along with teambuilding exercises which encouraged the children to trust each other. An adrenaline filled few days, the children had a great time!
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Year 6 Stories
London Museums
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Year 6 visited the world famous Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A) in order to investigate the use of pattern in the vast collections housed at the V&A. They saw pattern examples on floors, walls and ceilings as well as clothing, ornaments and a huge array of artefacts collected from countries all around the world. The Year 6 pupils sketched and photographed their own selection of inspiration before heading back to the classroom to explore the relationships
between positive and negative shapes; repetition, rotation and symmetry. They looked at the effect of colour on pattern and the different ways of producing pleasing designs.
On another exciting visit to London, as part of their Science curriculum, Year 6 visited The Natural History Museum. They took part in workshops, giving them a taste of the workings of an archaeologist as they adopted their skills when excavating fossils.
French fancies By the end of Year 6 the pupils are really getting to grips with French vocabulary. In order to see if they could make themselves understood the girls and boys took part in a restaurant role-play. The ‘diners’ had to order dishes from a menu and, without pointing, ensure their ‘waiting staff’ wrote their requests down accurately. This proved an ideal way to practise their speaking, listening and writing skills.
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Year 6 Stories
Science collaborations Experiments are so much more fun when working in pairs or small groups or even as a whole class presenting in assembly. During Science Week, 6K led a Science based assembly. At the end of the fascinating presentation, a huge chain was created of parents, staff and children in order to pass all the energy through each other to fuel an energy stick. Even more energy was expended by Year 6, when they looked at how the body deals with the demands for energy. The girls and boys used various means of raising their heart-beat and then helped each other measure their pulse in order to work out just how much energy was being used for each activity.
Here and there Over the course of, what is for many, their last year at Gayhurst, the pupils of Year 6 enjoy many trips and visits. Davenies hosted a Primary School History Competition which four of our talented Year 6 Historians took part in. Three talkative types travelled to The Oratory School to get involved in their annual ‘Let’s Debate’ competition and the whole year group visited The French Institute, the Maidenhead Synagogue and Pineapple Studios where they took part in A Lion King dance workshop before seeing the production. These are just a few of the highlights of what was a very special year.
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Year 6 Stories
Codebreakers Technology week, each year, gives every year group new opportunities to think about and experience the use of technology. Year 6 were surprised to learn that not all technology is new! On a trip to Bedfordshire to visit Bletchley Park (the home of the codebreakers) the girls and boys were fascinated to find out just how the workers at Bletchley eventually managed to break the code that the Germans were using to communicate secret messages during World War 2. They learnt about Alan Turing and his fellow cryptologists and their use of the Enigma machine. They saw a replica of the ‘Bombe’ running, which gave a real sense of the achievement of the codebreakers during World War 2.
All in the best possible taste The Year 6s watched a live lesson on BBC television and took part in a nationwide investigation to discover if the number of taste buds on our tongue affects which foods we like or don’t like. They had to paint their tongues with blue food colouring and then using a piece of card with a hole punched out, they counted the number of pink taste buds sticking up in that area. They found that if they had 0-5 taste buds, they were non-tasters, and didn’t taste very strong flavours. 6-10 taste buds meant they are normal tasters and 11+ taste buds meant they were super tasters and can taste very strong flavours. That could mean they like strong flavours, or it could mean they don’t like them because they can taste them so strongly. A fascinating and great fun lesson!
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Nursery Sports Day and The Big Toddle There are two exciting physically challenging events for our Nursery and Reception children at the end of the Summer Term; Sports Day, and The Big Toddle, which raises money for Barnardo’s. Nursery Sports Day is an exciting event for all the family as there are ‘sibling’ races and ‘parent’ races both of which are surprisingly competitive! The Big Toddle is an annual charity event which involves three laps of the school playing fields at any speed appropriate for the participant; most of whom, toddle!
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Junior School Sports Pease field is the destination for both Junior and Senior school on their respective sports days. Having worked hard in their sports and games lessons being introduced to field and track events, the girls and boys of the Junior School enjoy an element of competition whilst travelling around a circuit of sporting activities. This year, the rain held off and their efforts were rewarded at the medal giving ceremony, presented for the first time by the Headmaster, Mr Davies.
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V Year 8 Stories
VIII Year 8 Stories
The beginning of the end
The boys of Year 8 2016/2017 began their year knowing that they were making history. This was to be the last year that Gayhurst School had a Year 8 class. To get the small but very important year group off smooth sailing, the 8 boys went on a team building activity at Longridge in Marlow where they were to take part in a kayaking session.
The boys, once kayak confident, enjoyed several games in the water including ‘World Domination’ and ‘The Kayak Slide’. The trip out really got the boys working together and helped forge even closer friendships.
The young and old Throughout the year the children in Nursery had the pleasure of the Year 8s visiting them and taking part in activities. Reading, Ipad skills, art, water play, the boys were able to join in with everything. Squeezing themselves into tiny corners was a challenge but the elder boys seemed to enjoy the fun games as much as the 3 year olds!
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Year 8 Stories
Musical moods During their music lessons the Year 8 boys worked on hooks and riffs. They enjoyed identifying the features, of popular songs that had worked, to make the tracks the big hits that they became. The year group also learnt some basic chords to play on the ukulele and were able to put them into practice by accompanying themselves singing ‘Stand by Me’. Film soundtracks was the theme when looking at mood and delivery of music. The boys considered how these had an effect on the scenes the music accompanied. Using various instruments, they learned to play the James Bond theme music and incorporate suitable percussion to set the scene and feel of the film.
Lawn bowls The Year 8 boys paid a visit to Gerrards Cross Lawn Bowls Club in the Summer. They had the opportunity to learn the art of lawn bowls with John McGuiness, Captain of the English Team. The sport was a new experience to all the boys and they were surprised at just how technical and skilful it was. Accuracy was the key along with body stance and a keen eye.
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Year 8 Stories
Leavers programme At the end of the year, when all exams had been sat and all places at senior schools secured, the Year 8 boys embarked on a Leavers’ Programme of activities, events, trips and visits. Just some of the things they took part in in the Summer Term of 2017 were: Indoor skydiving; Jump-in Trampolining; A tour of London’s street art; A day of cricket; Leavers’ Dinner; House Logo design project and Enterprise Day. The result of the House Logo Design project was that the school now has 5 brand new logos to represent the 5 academic houses in the school. What a fantastic legacy the final Year 8 has left Gayhurst.
One last time It was with great pride that our Headmaster, Mr Gareth Davies, gave out his first, and last set of Common Entrance Exam results at Gayhurst. This year our Year 8 boys secured places at Berkhamsted Boys, Merchant Taylors, Rugby, Thorpe House and Westminster schools. A special mention goes to Reuben Dhugga who was awarded both an Art and Academic Scholarship at Berkhamsted. 71
Seussical the Musical Gallery
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Sports’ Gallery
Atheletics
Cross Country 76
Netball
Reception Swimming
Golf
Rugby 77
Basketball workshop with Joe Hart, GB & Glasgow Rocks player.
Skipping
Fun Run 78
Paris Sports Tour
Girls football
Hockey
Skiing
Triathlon 79
Skern Lodge The Year 6 children had an actionpacked week at Skern. This residential centre is a favourite with us at Gayhurst and we return every year. The children loved all of the water sports which included surfing, body-boarding and kayaking. Encouraging negotiation and communication skills, the girls and boys did raft-building together and built their own bivouaks. An activity-filled few days which culminated in the children abseiling down the cliff-face! Lots of stories to bring home along with some fantastic memories!
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School
Council 2016/2017
B Orr-Ewing Year 3
G Tamberlin Year 3
R Campbell Year 3
T Tinkler Year 3
D Munn Year 4
L Marchant Year 4
R Vora Year 4
A Garner Year 5
F Webster Year 5
O Fleming Year 5
I Dusek Year 6
J Lindsey Year 6
J Kearns Year 6
R Sidhu Year 6
J Steuer Year 8
S Mehta Year 8
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T Eapen Year 8
Final Assembly Final Assembly at the end of each year is always a special occasion and leaves every member of the school with mixed emotions. This year, it was the last time we would ever say goodbye to a Year 8 class. It is with excitement we move to an ‘age 3 to eleven school’ but the excitement is tinged with melancholy at saying goodbye to our eldest pupils. The nine boys of Year 8 2016/2017 are moving on to their chosen secondary schools, to continue their education. With their move we draw a line in the sands of history at Gayhurst School. After the singing of Gayhurst’s traditional Final Assembly hymn, ‘One More Step Along The Road I Go’, the Final Assembly of this
academic year began with the showing of a video, that had been produced by Lego’s Headquarters in Denmark, where our very own Year 4 pupil, Sienna Rice, visited recently after winning an international Lego design competition. Staff who were retiring, getting married or moving on to take up new posts at other schools, were said goodbye to with gifts and all of the school’s best wishes. Mrs Anne Sims, who leaves to join former Headmaster, Mr Andrew Sims, in retirement, made a donation to the school of a new English Prize. During the following Awards Ceremony, this was presented, for the very first time, to Luca McCormick.
After the numerous end of term awards had been presented, all of our Year 6 and Year 8 leavers took part in the custom ‘saying goodbye’ where they move around the Gibbs Hall and say farewell to each member of staff personally. Tears inevitably flowed, but in a school that holds such fond memories for so many, it wouldn’t be a final assembly without them!
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Leavers’ Book Entries
6H
Anshiv Rudki 6H My name is Anshiv Rudki and my favourite teacher is Señor Soto and my favourite subject is Games. My friends are Zak, Harry and Ryan. My best moment was going to Skern Lodge and going on all of the activities like zip-wire, surfing and rafting. I am going to Thorpe House School.
Robbie Davies 6H I joined Gayhurst in Year 3, it was really fun but I can’t remember much. Joining Year 4 was very exciting because of starting Middle School and Mrs Keeney has been my favourite form teacher. Also in Year 4 we did a production called “Robin Hood” and I played a Cub Scout. Starting Year 5 was hard because of 11 Plus tuition but it was worth it. My favourite teacher was Miss Legg even though I got told off for not tucking my shirt in. In Year 5 we had PGL, it was awesome and very funny because Miss Carr broke our key so we couldn’t get into our cabin.
William Perrin-Cocon 6H My favourite teacher was Mr Bushnell because of how he welcomed me into Year 5 really nicely. My favourite memory was when I first played rugby and I got hit in the face by the ball. I am going to Dr Challoners. My favourite trip was PGL. My favourite subject was Science (I especially liked it when we did experiments). My friends were Oliver H, Robbie S and Ryan O’C.
Ryan O’Connor 6H When I was in Nursery I remember watching movies, playing outside and eating fruit. By Year 1 I had met my 3 best friends, Evan T (Evnan), Robbie S (Spitmandu) and Anshiv R (Chief). In Year 4 we went on a trip called Bushcraft, it was my first time camping. In Year 5, PGL was a trip to the Isle of Wight with various activities. In Year 3, I started violin and won Best Violinist 2 years in a row. In Year 6 we went to Skern Lodge and did mostly water activities. I am looking forward to going to The Beacon in Year 7.
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6H Leavers
Robbie Spittal 6H I started Gayhurst in Nursery with my best friends that I still have today. I really enjoyed Bushcraft in Year 4 because of the activities such as Manhunt also the tent we were in was really fun. My favourite teacher is Senor Soto because he has good banter and is funny in lessons. I also loved PGL. In my cabin was Zac, Elijah, Noah, William, Zak and George. Every night was awesome and just as much fun as the activities. My favourite activity was the Giant Swing. My favourite subject is Art because we do fun things in lessons and a lot of talking. But nothing was as fun as Skern Lodge where all week was just amazing. The best ever experience was abseiling down a cliff. I will be going to Dr Challoners..
Oliver Henry 6H I joined at the start of Year 1 and in 1C. My favourite subjects are Maths, English, Art, P.E. and Science. My favourite teacher was Mr Kearns because he was always very funny in lessons and he was a very good Games teacher. My highlight of Gayhurst was Skern Lodge because we did so many activities that I had never done before e.g. surfing, which was my favourite one and also abseiling down a real cliff! My favourite sport at Gayhurst was cricket because that was my best sport, also I would get a wicket or hit a good shot whilst batting. I also enjoyed the other major school trips including Bushcraft which was 1 night and the Isle of Wight which was 3 nights. I really enjoyed the clubs at Gayhurst a lot. I had four clubs a week in Year 6 and my favourite was Squash. I think Gayhurst was definitely my favourite school so far.
Braedon Mooney 6H At Gayhurst my favourite trip was Skern Lodge because we got to abseil down a cliff and jump off a raft into a river. In Year 4, I got to collect the Inter House Football Shield. I will miss the school even though next year I’m going to Dr Challoners. My favourite subject was computing because we got to code, do powerpoints, design a website and more.
Toby Hewson 6H I love sport. All of them. I have been in 3 plays, Robin Hood, Beauty and the Beast and Seussical. I have enjoyed the school dinners. My best friends have been Robbie Davies and Robbie Spittal. My favourite teacher is Senor Soto because he is a banter machine. I will soon be going to John Hampden Grammar School and I’m looking forward to the cheap brownies they sell in the cafeteria.
Zac Orr-Ewing 6H My best memories of Gayhurst were when we flew over to Florence for our Choir tour, it was amazing. I was put into Campbell house in Reception when I started and we won all of the sport in Year 5. My favourite teachers were Senor Soto, Mrs Keeney and Ms Williams. They have really improved my academics and I hope that I can have such good teachers at my next school. My best friends are Anshiv, Robbie S, Robbie D, Harry, Brandon, Ryan, Braedan and William. I love having banter with my friends. I am leaving for The Beacon.
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6H Leavers
Evan Thomas 6H When I started Nursery I cried a lot. I made my best friend Skittles (Robbie Spittal). We got in a little fight together but that was it. I like the sports. My 3 best friends are Robbie Spittal, Ryan O’Connor and Toby Hewson. My happiest memory was winning the Endeavour Cup. I am going to Davenies.
Brandon Murphy 6H I joined in Reception. My favourite subject was Art. My favourite teacher was Mr Pendered. My most memorable moment at Gayhurst was when we flew to Florence. I am going to Dr Challoners and my friends are Oliver Preston, Zach Orr-Ewing, Robbie Spittal, Elijah OrrEwing and Robbie Davies.
Harry Sanderson 6H I joined in Year 2 and I was in Mrs Marshall’s class. Year 4 was one of my best years and I especially enjoyed Bushcraft. In Year 5 I was in 5B and the best part of the year was PGL. I was in a room with Toby and Robbie D and we broke the key and the ladder to the top bunk. In Year 6 I went on lots of trips including the Paris Sports Tour, the Choir trip to Florence and Skern Lodge. In Year 6 my favourite subject was English. In Year 7 I am going to Merchant Taylors and I will miss Gayhurst.
Jake Kearns 6H My favourite teacher was Mrs Keeney because she’s always been there for me. I really enjoyed when we went to PGL and Skern Lodge, it was great fun. I joined Gayhurst in Nursery and have been here for 8 years. It feels like yesterday that I joined Year 6. Now in September I’ll be going to Dr Challoners and I’m really going to miss being at Gayhurst.
Stanley Davis 6H My favourite thing since I’ve been at Gayhurst has been making new friends and making best friends such as Ishwar Sandhu, Henry Garner and Braedan Mooney. My favourite teacher was Mrs Inshaw because she is so kind and has a different way of teaching instead of mainly writing. My favourite subject has been Science also taught by Mrs Inshaw because I find it so interesting and my favourite part of Science is biology. My next school will be Newlands College in Chalfont St Giles. I am going there with Alex Walton and Mac Lothian. My happiest memory is playing with my friends.
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6K
Ishwar Sandhu 6K Year 4 was very fun. At the beginning I was really nervous but I soon made lots of friends. I joined with another boy named Oliver Preston. Oliver and me soon became good friends. My favourite part of Year 4 was Bushcraft and my favourite teacher was Mrs Waters. In Year 5 I had so many friends such as Oliver P, Mikhail, Paul K, Alex W, Duncan M, Jack L, Henry G, Samuel A and Eshan R. Year 5 was really fun and my favourite part of it was the Isle of Wight trip to PGL. Year 6 was the best year. We did so many things including going to Spain! Other things including Skern Lodge and the Lion King. Year 6 was packed with excitement. During Year 6 I managed to get into the finals of Musician of the Year. The scariest part of Year 6 was the 11+! I am looking forward to starting at my new school RGS!
Oliver Preston 6K Some of my favourite memories are when in Year 4 we went on a 24 hour Bushcraft camp. It was my first overnight trip with school and we learned how to make a fire, a shelter and how to cook our own food on an open fire. It was also fun playing the games in the woods like Predator. I also loved all the trips in Year 4 and liked having Mrs Waters as my form teacher. In Year 5, I really enjoyed going to the Isle of Wight and trying things I hadn’t done before like abseiling and rowing. Also in Year 5 I liked meeting new people like Paul and Alex who had joined the school then.
Duncan Meazzo 6K I’ve had a lot of fun at Gayhurst. It’s been a very long journey from Nursery to Year 6. At the beginning it was the first year of Nursery at Gayhurst and it was a lot of fun especially if you were the leader or it was your birthday. The next year was a big step up and I met a new boy called Elijah who became my best friend. I went through the years meeting and saying goodbye to friends. Then I came up to the Senior School in Year 4 and met new teachers such as Mrs Waters and she was really fun. Maths was my favourite subject and still is. The sport at Gayhurst is phenomenal and we’ve been to Paris and London on sports tours in Year 6. Some of our class had nicknames such as Fishwar (Ishwar), Dooncanion (me) and Ehsnan (Eshan R) and many more. My best trips have been Skern Lodge and Isle of Wight. Some of my best friends were Jack L, Max M, Chris C, Eshan R and Elijah O-E. Overall my stay at Gayhurst has been great fun, it’s a really great school.
Paul Kormany 6K I joined Gayhurst in Year 5 and was in Mr Brown’s class. I remember joining with Alex W. My earliest memory is when I played contact rugby for the first time. My best friends are Oliver P, Ishwar S, Mikhail T, Ehsan R, Sam A and Alex W. My favourite teacher is Mr Pendered because he is funny. My favourite subject is Maths because we do loads of fun things in it. My happiest memory is when we went to Bilbao and tried lots of different foods which were really nice and we went to loads of new places which were pretty cool. Also I really like playing in the woods games like Manhunt. I am looking forward to the Leavers events. My next school will be RGS.
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6K Leavers
Ehsan Rehman 6K Hello, I am Ehsan and I would like to share some of my memories of Gayhurst. One of my earliest memories was my first P.E. lesson with Mr Kearns and I remember we played Dodgeball and it was so fun. That’s when I got to know people and make friends. My friends are Duncan, Max, Christopher, Jack, Miktazzy, Samda, Barney, Paul and Soggy Pretzel. One of the funniest memories was when Christopher slept in the cupboard in Skern Lodge. He hardly got any sleep as he ate so many sweets. Also in Year 5 Jack fell in the pond when we were exploring the back of the field. My first overnight trip was to Bushcraft. That was quite fun especially in the night. In Skern Lodge we had different rooms and in our free time we played knock door run.
Max Mowle 6K I joined this school in Year 3 and I still remember walking in and sitting on the floor of Mrs Robins-Begg’s classroom. I also remember winning the Viking boat race and getting a Horrible History book as a prize. In Year 4 I made some great friends and they were Jack, Christopher, Duncan, Ehsan, Elijah, Louis, Matthew, Oscar, Henry, Mikhail and many, many more. All of these friends are just from my class but I also have friends in other classes. Also, in Year 4 we went on the Bushcraft trip which was loads of fun. Our Year 4 teacher was Mrs Waters. Onto Year 5 with Mr Brown who was a really fun teacher and was always making us laugh. We also had to revise for the 11+ lots.
Samuel Abbot 6K My favourite subject was sport if that counts, my favourite teacher though was not a Games teacher, it was Mrs Waters and at the start of each day there was a competition. I had a few changes of best friends in early years here it was Oscar (1-2). In Year 3 I found a game called Monster and I made some new friends but I will get to that in a bit. In Year 5 and 6 my best friends was Eshan or Snan, in Year 3 and 4 I didn’t really have a best friend just friends. I started playing Monster in the middle of Year 4 and in Year 5 I was in a ‘friend group’ and they were Alex, Miky, Ollie, Ish, Stan, Henry, Braedon, Mac, Yacoub and James. I stuck with them until now and hopefully longer. My happiest memory will be contact rugby. I am going to Thorpe and I know people there.
Henry Garner 6K My favourite teacher was Mr Pendered because he is kind and funny. My favourite subject was ICT. I will be going to the Beacon. My friends are Stanley, Ishwar, James, Alex, Olivia, Paul, Samuel, Duncan, Max, Mikhail,Louie, Eshran, Braedon, Matthew, Ryan and Christopher.
Mikhail Tariq 6K I am Mikhail I joined Gayhurst School in Year 3. I liked Mr Pendered he was my favourite teacher as he is funny and nice. My favourite memory was Bushcraft in Year 4. My friends we Ehsan, Alex, Oliver and Paul and a few other people. My favourite subject is English. I was in Gibbs House. I am going to Dr Challoners Grammar School. I also was friends with Elijah, Oscar, Jack, Max, Samuel, Ryan, Henry, Matthew and Duncan. I loved my time in Year 3 it was so fun. I also really enjoyed the trips in Year 6 as well. I also remember Mrs Robins-Begg’s class, it was amazing. I did not like the food very much but I loved the potato wedges and the fish. I also loved it when we had three breaktimes a day until Mr Sims retired. I liked that we did Prep in school so when I got home every day I could just play. I also loved it when I got my 11+ result, I was over the moon!
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6K Leavers
Christopher Carradine 6K My favourite teacher was Mrs Waters because she let us do lots of fun things. In English when we were reading ‘Flow’ our homework was to get in to groups and make a dog show. One of my favourite subjects was French because my class would be really funny and silly especially the front row. Next year I am going to Davenies with Louis Burwash, Evan Thomas and Rohan Chawla. My friends were Duncan Meazzo, Max Mowle, Ehsan Rehman and Jack Lindsay. Jack was funny time to time like the time he tried to step on a twig to get across a pond, it snapped and he fell in and got soaked!
Jack Lindsay 6K My favourite teachers are Miss Legg because she is always making jokes or having a laugh. Also Mr Brown because he always has fun lessons and he was a great form teacher. My favourite subject is Music because we have done fun lessons, different countries’ music and this year we performed Seussical. I am going to Berkhamsted in Year 7. One of my funniest moments was when Mr Brown kept calling Oscar ‘boring’, also when Oscar and I were walking home from school, Isabelle on her bike, tried to run us over. My best friends are Max, Christopher, Ollie H, Oscar, Duncan and Ehsan.
Oscar Tranter 6K I joined Gayhurst in Nursery and I have been at the School for 8 years. Over that time I have made lots of good friends such as Ryan, Brandon, Robbie S, Jack and Max. My favourite teacher over the years has been Mr Brown because this year he started calling me ‘boring’. One of my favourite subjects is Maths as Mr Long teaches in a fun way. The best school trip was Florence and Skern Lodge. I am really looking forward to Seussical the Musical.
Ryan Purcell 6K My favourite teacher was Miss Legg because she is always making jokes. I also enjoyed having lessons with Mr Pendered, Ms Williams and Miss Crosbie. My favourite lesson was Art as we have done many fun projects like plaques, chairs and wire figures. My next school is John Hampden Grammar School. My best friends were Barney, Oscar, Alex, William T, Noah, Toby and Zak. My funniest memory was on Bushcraft when Zak sprayed bug repellent in his eye.
Alex Walton 6K My favourite teacher is Mr Pendered because he is always kind and helps me with my work. My favourite subject in Year 5 was History because we were mostly learning about Vikings and the Middle Ages. In Year 6 my favourite was ICT because we learned how to code. My friends are Mikhail (best friend), Oliver, Paul, Ryan, Ishwar and Samuel.
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Yacoub Dobbind 6G My favourite teacher is Mr Pendered and my favourite subject is Art. I am going to Thorpe House school. My friends are Mac, Sol, Barney, Reuben, Alex, Mikhail, Ollie and James. My happiest memory is meeting all of my new teachers and friends when I started Gayhurst.
6G
Rohan Chawla 6G I have lots of memories from Nursery – Year 6. I loved Nursery and making my first friends. I also loved Bushcraft and PGL. I really enjoyed the Choir tour and seeing all the famous galleries and buildings. My favourite trips were Bilbao, Skern and Florence. My favourite teachers are Mr Long, Mr Pendered, Mrs Keeney and Mrs Waters. My favourite subjects are Maths, ICT, Art, Music and Games. I am going to Davenies with some of my friends and my best friends are Ryan O’C, the 2 Robbies, Reuben, Solomon, William PC and lots more. I don’t have a happiest memory as I have loved all of my school life.
Barney Sticklen 6G Some of my favourite memories of Gayhurst have been the trips. Skern Lodge was my best trip I had ever been on with the highlight being surfing. I loved it. My favourite subjects have been Spanish and Games. Games has been fun because it has introduced me to new sports. Spanish has been awesome because I have always wanted to learn the language and Mr Soto makes learning Spanish really enjoyable. I have made some good friends I will miss and some will be coming with me to my new school. Seussical the Musical was the best play ever and great fun. I am going to miss Gayhurst a lot but I am excited about going to Dr Challoners. Before I leave the school I would like to say thank you to all of my friends, teachers and all of the staff for always being there for me.
Freya Errington 6G Hi my name is Freya Errington and I am moving to Godstowe for Year 7. My favourite teachers are Mr Long, Miss Robertson, Mr Harris and Mr Pendered. My favourite subject is Games because I love sports. My friends are Izzy and Verity and most of the boys in Year 6. My favourite memories are the trips and teachers.
James Line 6G I’m James Line in 6G. I joined Gayhurst in Reception and my favourite teacher was Miss Legg. My favourite subject was RS. My favourite memory was going to Skern Lodge.I’m going to Thorpe House next but I will miss this place.
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6H Leavers
Isabelle Dusek 6G Hi, my name is Isabelle Dusek and I am moving from Gayhurst to Becky High this year. My favourite teacher is probably Miss Robertson followed closely by Mr Long and Mrs Hall and Miss Carr and Mr Harris. My favourite subject is Music because throughout the years at Gayhurst I have been taught music-related things that I didn’t know about eg. Gamelan music from Indonesia. My friends at Gayhurst have been all of Year 6 and the Year 5 girls and even a Year 1 girl called Liberty. Verity and Freya have been my friends for my whole life and we always stick together. My happiest memory is probably Bilbao in Year 6 because we went around asking random people about the city. That was fun. Gayhurst has been a pleasure and I will miss all my friends when I go to Becky High.
Reuben Sidhu 6G My favourite teacher is Miss Legg because she is always making jokes or having a laugh. Also Mr Brown because he always has fun lessons and he was a great form teacher. My favourite subject is Music because we have done fun lessons, different countries’ music and this year we performed Seussical. I am going to Berkhamsted in Year 7. One of my funniest moments was when Mr Brown kept calling Oscar ‘boring’, also when Oscar and I were walking home from school, Isabelle on her bike, tried to run us over. My best friends are Max, Christopher, Ollie H, Oscar, Duncan and Ehsan.
Solomon Edwards 6G I joined Gayhurst in Nursery and I have been at the School for 8 years. Over that time I have made lots of good friends such as Ryan, Brandon, Robbie S, Jack and Max. My favourite teacher over the years has been Mr Brown because this year he started calling me ‘boring’. One of my favourite subjects is Maths as Mr Long teaches in a fun way. The best school trip was Florence and Skern Lodge.
Verity Misselbrook 6G I can’t choose a favourite teacher as I have a long list. Mr Harris, Mr Pendered, Mrs Hall, Miss Robertson, Miss Legg and Mr Long are all fun, funny and happy. My favourite subject is Games because I love sport. Next year I am going to Dr. Challoners and I am really looking forward to it. My 2 best friends are Freya and Isabelle but I have many more. My happiest memory was Year 5 Isle of Wight and Year 6 Skern Lodge and joining the school.
Noah McCann 6G My favourite teachers are Miss Legg, Mr Long, Mr Pendered and Mr Harris. My favourite subject was Maths and Games. Next year I am going to Thorpe House. My friends were Robbie S, Robbie D, Toby, Will T, Louis and Reuben. My happy memory was when we went to Chessington!
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Year 8
Reuben Dhugga | Joined Gayhurst in Year 3 I joined in Year 3 and was in the class 3R. I quickly made friends with my class especially with Freddie Russell, Alex Lee, Ovo Atori, Sam Shepherd and Daniel James. My favourite Year 3 memory was when I got to hold and walk around with the Olympic Torch because Denise Lewis came to our school before the 2012 Olympics. Year 4 was Mrs Keeney’s first year at the school and we were her first class. We didn’t know what she was going to be like but she turned out to be a really good and nice teacher. Bushcraft was our first camping trip. We cooked fish for dinner with rice and some of us ate the fish eyes. My tent didn’t get much sleep as Jacob and James were wrestling all night and arguing so loudly. Year 5 was the Isle of Wight. I was in a room with Milo Connolly, Alex Lee and Sam Shepherd. One time when Alex and I came back to our cabin, we didn’t have the keys and someone had left them inside. Alex climbed through our tiny bathroom window before any teachers could see to retrieve the keys. In Year 6 the Choir and Advanced Art groups went to Rome. I stayed with Ovo, Milan and Jacob in a hotel room. Every day we would walk around Rome for hours and would also perform in churches (but I sat and drew as I came from the Advanced Art group). One night I managed to sleepwalk out of my room into the hallway and lock myself out of my room. I spent 30 minutes wondering where I was before I was banging on the door of my room begging for someone to open it. Eventually Milan did. In Year 7, our year went down from 40 to 12 students. I didn’t know anyone very well but got on with everyone really well and created the B.B.G with Aaron and Sam. It’s a company and we draw comics and want to make them into world famous animations. Year 8 was a big year. I got into the Hillingdon Borough U14 Cricket team. I got into Berkhamsted with an art scholarship and an academic scholarship.
James Steuer | Joined Gayhurst in Year 6 I joined Gayhurst in Year 6. I was in Mr Kearn’s class along with a few of my classmates in Year 8. The highlight of Year 6 for me was Skern Lodge. Skern Lodge was an outdoor activity centre which was great fun. When I joined Year 6 I was nervous because I didn’t know if I would enjoy Gayhurst but after my first week I was no longer nervous because Gayhurst was very welcoming. Last year I was in Year 7 with 11 other people. The highlight of Year 7 was when we got to plan a trip to London. Everyone voted for Tarun’s group because they were going to go to a sweet shop. When we got there the shop had changed to a take-away. My final year at Gayhurst was Year 8. Year 8 was great except for the exams. The highlight has been the Leavers Program.
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Year 8 Leavers
Tarun Eapen | Joined Gayhurst in Reception Since I joined Gayhurst in Reception I was overwhelmed by the love, care and affection the teachers showed towards their pupils. I will cherish all the friendships I made and the information the teachers have provided me with. I hope to use all the knowledge I acquired in Gayhurst next year at Westminster. There have been so many great moments I have shared with my friends at Gayhurst. For example, Skern Lodge and the Choir trip to Rome. My greatest achievements have been; winning the Tennis Cup, winning the Prose and Verse competition and being a finalist in the Musician of the Year competition. I have also thoroughly enjoyed every cricket match I have played captaining the school team. Gayhurst has provided me with are the friendships I have made. My best friends have been Hugo Lindsey and Matthew Jackson. I am still in contact with Hugo and I hope to continue my friendship with Matthew when we part to different schools. I would like to say thank you to all the staff at Gayhurst for being so helpful to me.
Max Hetherington | Joined Gayhurst in Reception When I joined in Reception I quickly made friends and in Year 3 I won the Kindness Cup in Final Assembly. I have many funny memories like when Jaiden Johal was rocking in his chair and fell back pulling the table with him. Also there was a picture hanging on a wall in the dining room and it always fell down whether it was on purpose or not. One day Josh Bond bet me £5 that I wouldn’t knock it down. I accidentally did knock it down and he gave me the money. In Year 4 I went on a school trip to the woods, Bushcraft. We ate fish eyes, started fires, played games and drunk hot chocolate. At night there were three massive tents we stayed in. There was a pole going up the middle of the tent to stabilize it and Seth Looney climbed half way up and jumped on me. Our tent was so loud we had to wake up early as punishment and collect sticks in silence. In Year 5 we went to the Isle of Wight and Dominic Ritchie had a little accident. We were playing cards and William Wright made him laugh so hard and wet himself. We went to bed shortly after and covered the wet patch with his shoes. Years 6, 7 and 8 were very important and a lot more academic than others. I got into Berkhamsted in Year 8 and was working towards it for all of Year 6 and 7. All the hard work paid off. Gayhurst has been a wonderful experience.
Samuel Morgan Freeman | Joined Gayhurst in Year 3 I guess that one of the things that I will always remember was a small group thing that Aaron, Rueben and I created. It was called the BBC at first, standing for Beau Brummels Club, but then we decided to change it to BBG – Beau Brummels Group/Gang for fear of copyright. This was in Year 7, it was very different from every other year as it started with 12 of us and after 4 people left (Pierce, Amber, Khadeeja and Alisa) we were in a class of 8. Now bearing in mind that every other year we had had 13-16 in a class, 8 was very different. I wish I had more time to write about my time at Gayhurst, all the times we laughed, got hurt, cried, had fun, all of it but I would never be able to summarise it really. So much has happened in the five years I’ve been here, so much has changed me and made me who I am. You might think that that is obvious but it more than changed me, it gave me the confidence that I will forever use. Certain people reading this will know what I mean when I say “I have now found my differences and stand strong with them”. I have much more to write but I am afraid I don’t have the time or the words.
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Year 8 Leavers
Aaron Phillips | Joined Gayhurst in Reception Hi, my name is Aaron and I have been at Gayhurst for 9 years. I very quickly made friends with Max and Josh. We especially had fun when the picture fell off the wall twice in one lunch time and hit Josh! Coincidentally, it fell off that break-time so Max won £5 that day. His mum wouldn’t have it so poor Max had to return the precious note. There were also many other ‘accidents’ in that year. Jaiden (who mysteriously disappeared) almost injured Josh badly. He was rocking on his chair and fell backwards but grabbed the table for support. The table then fell down and landed on his belly. Josh had luckily gone to the toilet and wondered what just happened when he came back. My other best memory will always take place at Bushcraft. I was in a tent alongside Max and Josh with lots of many crazy people. At Bushcraft we were separated into huge tents supported by a HUGE metal pole. Two people (not mentioning any names) climbed more than halfway up the pole, slipped and fell on poor Max. We had to pick up sticks as a punishment at 11pm, 1am, 3am and 6am. I will be looking forward to going to Berkhamsted as I am going with all my friends including Max and Josh. I have been known for my running at Gayhurst and my biggest achievement is coming 4th in the UK for 800m and 7th in 200m.
Dominic Ritchie | Joined Gayhurst in Year 2 I joined Gayhurst in Year 2 and then left in the first term in Year 5. I then rejoined in Year 8. For those three years I was away. I was in America adapting to new things. The last thing I remember from Year 5 was the Isle of Wight trip. That was a very fun experience for me as I got to learn more things about my friends. My favourite lesson was always Games because the sports that we played were really fun. I am now the House Captain of Taylor and have got full colours for football. I am going to Rugby School in September and I hope I enjoy it.
Matthew Jackson | Joined Gayhurst in Year 2 I remember joining Gayhurst in Year 2, I had just come back from South Africa and I was very nervous walking into Mrs Goldson’s class. In Year 3 our classes were changed, I did not really know many people. I was very scared of Mrs Robins-Begg hearing that she was very strict. However, I quickly made friends, I particularly enjoyed being with Mrs Robins-Begg as we talked for hours. Year 4 was a big step. Mrs Keeney was new but we all became a great group. I remember going to Year 4 camp, I did not get a minute of sleep! Isle of Wight and Skern Lodge were on the horizon! In Year 6 Miss Carr decided to do a choir trip, we went to Rome. One of my fondest memories of that was that within 5 minutes of being in the hotel, Spencer had lost his wallet. I enjoyed Rome! When the opportunity came I decided to go to Venice which was just as good. Year 7 and 8 went the quickest for me, new group, top of the school, it was great. I will not forget my time at Gayhurst, I will miss everyone. Next year I will be heading off to Thorpe House. As I live nearby I will always see Gayhurst and will never forget all of the amazing teachers.
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The Best of the Rest
Science Commendations
Silence for Manchester
Ties and Tiarras
The Re-opening of Chantry
Make and Do Club 95
Children in Need Day
Creative Thinking Workshop
Junior School Handwriting Competition
Junior Road Safety Officers 96
GPA Dontate a New Minibus
Junior School Board Games Club
Pancake Day
Walk to School Week
Remembrance Assembly 97
Young Musician of the Year
Red Nose Day
Lamda Awards
98
Swim Squad
Gayhurst School Bull Lane Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire SL9 8RJ Telephone: 01753 882690 Email: enquiries@gayhurstschool.co.uk