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The Blue Coat School Founded by the Church of England in 1722
Young Journalists Day
Charity Check
Boys and girls enjoy making short films on the iPads
Whole school fundraising hits the roof
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Head First Welcome to the first edition of our new-style Out of the Blue! The magazine will now be published at the end of every term, and so will be right up to date when you receive it. I hope you will capture within these pages a sense of the joie de vivre that characterises life at Blue Coat. Rarely does a day go by without something special for someone – matches, recitals, sculpture workshops, Bonfire Night fireworks, visits from Roman Soldiers, Shakespearean extravaganzas – and this term, of course, all the excitement of Christmas plays and carol services! We want to make the magazine as lively and interesting as possible, so do come forward with any ideas that you have for inclusion in subsequent editions. We would love to hear from you. In the meantime, my very best wishes for a peaceful and joyous Christmastide! Alan Browning, Headmaster
Term Round-up The Autumn Term at Blue Coat has been action-packed, with plenty to keep the children challenged and focused. Our new children settled into their routines quickly and began making friendships which we hope will blossom as they move up the school. It’s always lovely to hear the Year 6 children talking about friendships that were forged years ago when they were in Buttons Nursery! In the classroom and through a whole raft of extra-curricular clubs and activities the children have been busy exploring new and exciting ways to learn. The arrival of a class set of iPads at the beginning of term really enthused the pupils in Prep, and they have taken to them with great excitement and ingenuity. As a result we have seen teaching and learning moving in some very diverse and stimulating directions. Many engaging school trips and educational visits have taken place during the course of the term, including the Year 1 Toy Day, Year 3 trips to the Barber Institute, the Year 4 Pre-Prep have enjoyed preparing their Christmas productions
the school. It was unmistakably the Harvest season: Buttons Nursery, Transition, Pre-Prep and Prep all celebrated God’s goodness in creation in their own special ways, with our Chaplain, Mrs Elphinston, dashing from place to place to lead the various Services. The Association of Friends Fireworks Evening was an outstanding success, enjoyed by upwards of 800 spectators, and was undoubtedly a splendid spectacle. Fantastic food, fanatical fire-eating, appetising apple punch, glorious glowsticks and pyrotechnical virtuosity all made for a superb evening!
Year 3 clay modelling at the Barber Institute trip to Umberslade Farm, the Chapel Choir RSCM Service at St Chad’s Cathedral, the Year 3 Roman Visit and the Aston Villa Football Tournament. Other highlights have included the Year 5 Sculpture Workshop, the Puzzle Challenge Day and the Year 5 Young Shakespeare Workshop. Add to these the many sports fixtures, music recitals and concerts, and the Advent and Christmas Services, and you will soon appreciate that we thrive on being amazingly busy! Our author visits gave the children of Prep a chance to quiz two truly inspirational novelists; these, coupled with our sponsored Readathon, lead us to expect every Blue Coat child to be utterly immersed in reading and writing long into the future!
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The first half of term ended in a fine flurry of activity, with events a-plenty in all areas of
Both in Pre-Prep and Prep we held Services of Remembrance. The Prep Service was particularly poignant, as we welcomed both a current member of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces, Flt. Lt Mark Holland, and Mr Charles Wall, a veteran of World War Two, who is one of the few Old Scholars of the school who remembers life in the original Blue Coat building in Colmore Row. The Re-dedication of Chapel on its 80th birthday was an auspicious occasion indeed, especially as this special building plays such an important part in the lives of the whole school community. Our preacher on 3rd December was Bishop David Urquhart, who
In the Spotlight: Mr Harrison Mr Harrison has recently joined the teaching staff as teacher of PE, Games and Maths. Chloe Bissell, Natalie Shah and Charlotte Poole caught up with him to find out a little bit about the man in the Nike trainers. Q. How’s teaching at Blue Coat so far? Flt. Lt Mark Holland (father of Alex and Matthew) with Mr Charles Wall
A. I’ve loved every minute. I have a positive relationship with the pupils.
then joined us after the Service for the ceremonial planting of an oak sapling in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Q. Is this your first teaching job?
For Pre-Prep the Christmas season always means productions – and the first time on-stage for some of our youngest children. The excitement started early for the Transition and Reception children, with their enchanting performance of ‘A Wriggly Nativity.’ The Year 2 production, ‘Christmas Praise’, followed a traditional theme but with one or two twists! Beautiful solos and lively choral songs, dances, narration and acting all helped to bring the Christmas story to life. The Year 1 children performed ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker’, telling this traditional tale with a Christmas slant. Lively traditional Christmas songs and colourful costumes all helped to remind the children of the importance of sharing at this special time of year. Other festive performances took place across the school, as well as House Parties, Christmas Dinner and fun for everyone! The Buttons Nursery children also received an unexpected visit from Father Christmas himself, back on campus after his earlier stopover at the Christmas Fayre – another superb event organized by The Friends. Finally, the Christmas Carol Services in both Prep and Pre-Prep were most evocative acts of worship, colourful and dramatic, rounding off the term in a truly uplifting way. We wish all of our families a happy and peaceful Christmas, and look forward to seeing you all bright and early on Monday 7 January 2013. Joyeux Noel!
A. Yes, it’s my first job as a qualified teacher, but I have experience of working with different age groups. Q. What was your favourite subject at school? A. Geography, because it was so interesting learning about natural disasters. Q. What would you have liked to be if you weren’t a teacher? A. A hockey professional. Player or coach. Q. Do you have any hobbies outside school? A. Walking Hudson, swimming, hiking, skiing. Q. When did you get your dog? A. Christmas 2011. So 1 year ago. Q. Why did you call him Hudson? A. My wife and I met in New York so we named him after the Hudson River. Q. If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be? A. Keifer Sutherland because I love the TV show ‘24’. Q. If you could have a perfect day what would it be? A. Walk Hudson, swimming, 18 hole golf, pub lunch, cinema movie (Skyfall) and a Broadway show. Q. Did you have a hero growing up? A. Ryan Giggs because he’s a left-footed player like me. I see him as a professional athlete. We were lucky that Mr Harrison’s dog Hudson joined us for a few minutes at the end of the interview so we asked him a question, too:
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Contributors: Our thanks to Chloe Bissell, Charlotte Poole and Natalie Shah who have worked with Mr Hill, Mrs Andrews and Mrs Redfern on this edition of Out of the Blue.
A. Well, girls I think that… ohhhh! I’m sorry but I must leave now, I have just seen a cat. Toodoloo!
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Our Buttons Nursery children have really enjoyed singing and playing around the Christmas tree.
Q. Spill the beans Hudson, what’s Mr Harrison really like?
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Classroom Connection Year 6 – Religious Art The children of Year 6 have been busy on the new iPads in their RS lessons, researching art from the six main religions and making notes in their sketchbooks. They then developed these ideas in Art and chose to work on wood, acetate, silk, canvas, card or paper. Oscar Laight (6I) gives us an insight into what inspired him:
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In religious artwork I chose to draw two dragons. I chose this because I had never really tried to draw them before. I coloured the dragons green and red because they are traditional dragon colours. I also drew the picture in a circle because the Buddhist symbol is an eightspoked wheel, and it represents the circle of life, death and rebirth.
Celine Dass (6I)
Oscar Laight (6I)
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Francesca Fernando (6LG)
Year 1 – Study of Light Year 1 have been studying Light in Art and Science this term. They have been investigating what happens when an object blocks the light, and reflecting this in their artwork.
May Hadley (1T)
Gracie Wynne (1T)
Mustafa Dar (1T)
Buttons Nursery and Pre-Prep Two highlights of a busy Autumn Term in Pre-Prep have been the Year 1 Toy Day and the Year 2 Freshwater Theatre Company Science Workshop.
Year 1 - Toy Day Year 1 children enjoyed being archaeologists, finding a range of interesting clues about toys from the past and trying to work out what these were. Playing with toys from the past gave them the opportunity to experience life before technology and then they were able to make some simple toys to take home. Year 2 - Science Workshop
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Meanwhile Year 2 had an amazing time learning about electricity with the ‘mad scientist’ and her rather impressive computer. The children made a living circuit together with bulbs and switches and discovered what
would happen if a break occurred in the circuit. This lively, interactive presentation brought the subject to life and helped the children develop their understanding.
Prep
Year 4 - Umberslade Farm
Year 5 - Sculpture Workshop
In Prep the children have been remarkably busy, engaging themselves in a plethora of activities all term. A selection of these are described here:
Our Year 4 children enjoyed an exciting Geography field-trip to Umberslade Farm. The children were able to experience a mixed, working farm and learn about a wide variety of animals and cereal crops.
A little closer to home our Year 5 children sprang into action with a Sculpture Workshop, led by Mrs Lambert-Green, Mrs Lynn and our “Artist in Residence”, Rachel Huggett. The carvings produced were most effective, and real skills were learned that could open up whole careers for some!
TISCA Leadership Day Very early in the term we sent our newlyappointed School Officers and House Captains to Kingham Hill School for the first Prep School Leadership Training course organised by The Independent Schools Christian Alliance. They enjoyed discussing how to ‘Lead like Jesus’, what made a good leader and the diverse leadership styles of William Wallace and Homer Simpson! A team-building session followed which involved elements of co-operation, listening and communication.
“My favourite part of Umberslade Farm was when we saw two ponies, Molly and Marley! Molly was a brown, brunet Shetland pony and Marley was as white as the moon shining in the night sky! Molly lived in the stables and Marley lived in the fields. The school trip to Umberslade was probably my best school trip so far!” Erin Quinn (4H)
Year 3 – Romans Day Just before half term, children in Year 3 were visited by two Roman soldiers. They learned about life in Roman times and became soldiers for the day, using battle formations: Prep Author Visits We welcomed two authors to Prep, Marcus Alexander and Linda Newbery, who spoke about their books and hosted writing workshops with the children. The children sat in awe as Marcus Alexander, an extreme sportsman and gymnast, talked about the range of martial art sports that inspired him to write his first novel. Linda Newbery, an award-winning writer, also delighted the children with a dramatic reading of Blitzboy, inspired by her parents’ wartime experiences.
“On Wednesday XVII October the girls and boys of Year 3 fought each other in a battle. Their weapons of war consisted of balls and shields. The centurion who oversaw the battle was clothed in a red tunic, a leather protective garment, and shining armour with a helmet beautifully designed.” Chloe Graham-Major (3S)
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I think the workshop was brilliant. My favourite part was the soap carving because it was fun and easy too. I had a great time and I would love to do it again.
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Shivanii Arun (5R)
Puzzle Day At the end of October The Blue Coat School welcomed Sophia from The Happy Puzzle Company and so began two full days of maths puzzles and challenges for all pupils from Reception to Year 6. The children worked in small groups on puzzles designed to develop thinking and reasoning skills, whilst highlighting the need for teamwork.
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The puzzles included balancing penguins on a wobbly iceberg, solving a complicated jigsaw puzzle without a picture, and laying out road maps. The children enjoyed the experience hugely.
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Clockwise from top left: The U8 Girls Gymnastics team The U8 Boys Football team The U11 Girls Gymnastics team The U10 Girls Hockey team The U9 Girls Hockey team
Sports Highlights – Autumn 2012 As we come to the end of a busy term we look back on some of the sporting successes achieved to date. Gymnastics has proved to be highly successful at all ages this term. In the first half of term, competing against Edgbaston High School, the Under 10 and Under 9/8 girls emerged clear winners; and in the more recent Trinity Championships at Wycombe Abbey School our Under 8 team (see above) won team gold medals for the 4th year in succession, and took individual 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th= place medals. Congratulations go to Ruby Couzens (U8) and Francesca Ward (U11) who took the individual Trinity titles, and to their teams, who won silver medals (U11 and U10); and, to the U9s who won bronze medals. The Under 9A and the Under 10A Hockey teams have also enjoyed an excellent season, remaining unbeaten in inter-school
matches throughout the term. In October, the Under 10s entered a tournament at RGS The Grange, reaching the semi-final after four games. They were eventually beaten on penalty shuffles, when the score was still equal after a period of extra time. The highlight for the Under 9s came when they finished 2nd in a tournament at Bishop Perowne School. Having won 5 matches, drawn 1 and lost 1, they achieved 28 points, (only one point behind The Elms, who were the team we drew against). Swimming, too, has been highly successful this term, with the U8, U9 and U10 boys and girls achieving a victory over Bromsgrove School for the first time ever with a number of personal best times. Long-standing school records were also broken this year by Alex Hindle and Lily Bradshaw in the Senior Inter-House Gala.
BCS Learning Zones The BCS Learning Zones have been up and running for several weeks now. Packed with information and learning materials, they are well worth a visit. Maths, English, Music and Sport are live, with Science and others coming shortly.
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It has been a tough rugby season for the boys, who have come up against some strong opposition from traditional rugby schools. All the teams in Years 4, 5, and 6 have made great improvements and are appreciating the game more fully. Naturally, we would love to have won more rugby matches. However, as the season draws to a close we begin to focus our attention on football for next term and look forward to reversing a number of defeats we received earlier this term. The Year 3 boys have fared much better this term on the football pitch. In inter-school matches the Under 8s were undefeated going into their final game of the season against Warwick. Thanks should be given to the members of the PE department and the team managers for all the hard work and effort they put into achieving such commendable performances.
Association of Friends In October we sadly said a fond farewell to Claire Hales, who worked extremely hard for the Friends, first getting involved in 2004 and becoming Chairperson in 2008. We thank her for her considerable commitment to all the many events she organised.
Christmas Quiz Why not have a go at this Christmas Quiz? What better way to spend the first few days of your Christmas holiday? Try not to resort to using the internet for your answers: it’s much more fun to ask members of your family if you are unsure. Farewell to Claire Hales
We have a new Chairperson, though! Sandeep Kapil has taken over from Claire to steer the Friends Committee in fundraising for the School and organising important events in the calendar such as the Christmas Fayre and the Summer Fete! Sandeep knows that Claire is a hard act to follow but is looking forward to the challenge.
1. How many days are there between Bonfire Night and Christmas Day, including Bonfire Night and Christmas Day? 2. What were the three gifts that the three kings brought for Jesus? 3. How does Santa enter your house? 4. What was the traditional meat Victorians ate at Christmas?
Greetings from the Palace! As part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations the children who are now in 1B and 1T wrote letters to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. They were very excited to receive a reply to these letters in an envelope with a Buckingham Palace postmark! The Queen apologised for taking a long time to reply, but she was ‘most grateful for the trouble… taken to send her your kind messages in this Her Majesty’s special year.’ She kindly enclosed some information about her palace, pets and jewels as well as a special card.
5. Which Christmas story contains Ebenezer Scrooge, and who wrote it? 6. What does Santa give you if you’ve been bad? 7. Which country has piñatas for children at Christmas? 8. Where was Jesus born? 9. What is Santa’s real name? 10. Name all nine of Santa’s reindeer! 11. Which saint’s day is the day after Christmas? 12. Who brought the Christmas Tree tradition to Britain? 1. 51 days. 2. Gold, frankincense and myrrh. 3. Down the chimney. 4. Goose. 5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. 6. Coal. 7. Mexico. 8. A stable in Bethlehem. 9. Saint Nicholas. 10. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Donna, Blixen, Comet, Cupid, Vixen and Rudolph! 11. Saint Stephen. 12. Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria. Answers
Young Journalists triumph on the iPads the 21st century. The event was led by Liz Rumbold, a BCS parent and BBC producer. She was assisted by her pro-musician colleague, Ben Niblett, who amazed everyone with his knowledge of iPads and general technical wizardry. huge comic effect – although morphing Mr Morris himself was perhaps a little below the belt!
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The afternoon was spent learning how to edit both picture and sound. The results were an amazing triumph and surpassed all expectations. We are indebted to Liz and Ben for a truly remarkable day.
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Liz spent some of the morning talking about script writing and writing for television, before sending our budding reporters out to film their own pieces. Suddenly the talk was all about rushes and edits, along with wide shots, mid shots, low shots – not forgetting BCUs (that’s Big Close Up to the uninitiated!). Ben then introduced the enthralled crowd to various iPad apps to
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On the first Thursday of half term an excited bunch of Year 6 children volunteered for an additional day of school! Members of the Young Journalists Club gained places on the one-day course; where they learnt what it takes to be a TV producer at the BBC in
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Charity Check We are, once again, delighted to report that it’s been difficult to keep up with the generous giving of our school family! Over the first half of term our Wednesday Chapel collections were safely put aside for The Leprosy Mission, in anticipation of Mr Allister du Plessis’ visit in January 2013. The girls of St Monica’s and St Margaret’s swelled our total by an amazing £433.23, having organised an after-school fundraising bonanza of cake sales, nail painting, jewellery and much more. We know that this money will be wisely spent and will bring relief to the many who suffer from this disease. A bumper crop of around 350 Christmas shoeboxes was presented by the children of Prep at their Harvest Festival Service in Chapel. The brightly-coloured boxes, all stuffed with exciting gifts, were generously given as part of Operation Christmas Child, and we already know that some of our shoeboxes will, this year, find their way to Kyrgyzstan. Mrs Elphinston is to make the journey with those shoeboxes so that
she can experience for herself the work of this amazing charity. She busily wrapped shoeboxes for others in an attempt to raise extra money for the trip – and just twenty shoeboxes into her wrapping marathon she had already received £235. Thanks also go to Kaela Ferguson for her amazing Sponsored Splits, which helped to raise a further £200 towards the trip. Meanwhile, the Pre-Prep children raised £144, busily colouring beautiful pictures in the hope of being a winner in the Colour for Kyrgyzstan Competition. Mr Chris Roberts (regional coordinator for Operation Christmas Child) awarded the prizes.
will be sent to Help the Heroes, a charity we all love to support. The Home Clothes Day in Prep and the Spotty Clothes Day in Buttons Nursery and Pre-Prep on Friday 16 November was used to raise funds for Children In Need. Our thanks to members of Year 5 for their sponsored sport activities, which helped to increase our total donation. Mrs Lynn, Mrs Ebrahim and our Helping Hands Club have continued to support St. Agnes Children’s Home, Gokwe, raising funds through the sale of used uniform and a stall at the Christmas Fayre.
Children and their parents generously donated tins, boxes and bags of food for the Pre-Prep Harvest Thanksgiving Service. These were gratefully received by the Karis Neighbourhood Scheme. The collection after the Service raised £117.55, which enabled us to buy three large sacks of grain for those in need in Niger.
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their enthusiastic giving, sharing something of what we have with others across the world. This term alone we have raised in excess of £1000!
Later in the term our thoughts turned to Remembrance, and we were able to support the work of the Royal British Legion through our poppy selling. Our Remembrance service collection of £76.91
Key Dates for Spring Term 2013 Term begins at 8.30am Monday 7 January
Prep Entrance Tests Wednesday 30 January
Second half of term begins Monday 25 February
Open Morning Saturday 19 January 10-12.30pm Please arrive by 11.45am
Music Scholarship Tests Monday 11 February
Term ends Wednesday 27 March
Half-Term holiday begins Monday 18 February
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The Blue Coat School, Somerset Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B17 0HR S
The Blue Coat School Founded by the Church of England in 1722
Telephone 0121 410 6800
Fax 0121 454 7757
Email info@thebluecoatschool.com Website www.thebluecoatschool.com The Blue Coat School is a registered charity No. 528805