The Beacon Bulletin - Summer Term 2022

Bulletin

Beacon Life Highlights | Summer Term

Looking back from the finish line

AN END TO THE ACADEMIC YEAR AND JUBILANT SUMMER TERM. OUR BOYS CELEBRATED THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE, COMPETED IN SPORTS DAY, SAID FAREWELL TO OUR LEAVERS AND TOOK ON EDINBURGH BY STORM WITH GUYS AND DOLLS JR!

WELCOME

Headmaster's Welcome Welcome to this latest edition of our Beacon Bulletin, which showcases major events and activities at The Beacon.

One of the things that originally attracted me to The Beacon (both as a parent and a teacher) is the breadth of opportunities on offer. Schools often talk about breadth of experience, but at The Beacon it is a reality – you can be a champion on the sports field, or on the stage, or in the Cooking and Nutrition room – in fact, I was recently presented with a wonderful piece of homemade bunting that had been knitted by our Knitting Ninjas group!

a term it was with Jubilee celebrations, Speech days, Sports days, trips and performances. I would like to personally thank our Beacon Community for all your support. A superb fun-packed term full of activities and achievements.

"The beauty of The Beacon is that whatever you are good at, you will be championed for it." Simon Detre, Interim Headmaster

I hope you enjoy reading this issue!

Simon Detre Interim Headmaster, Summer Term

The beauty of The Beacon is that whatever you are good at, you will be championed for it. If you are the captain of the 1st XV, that is obviously a position of kudos… on the other hand, if you are the Head Chorister, that attracts equal kudos!

By offering this breadth of experience, we can help the boys discover things they are really good at – things that might become a lifelong passion for them. You will see many examples of our breadth of experience in this Bulletin.

It was an honour to lead the Summer term as Interim Headmaster, and what

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Contents

Issue 3 | Summer 2022

16 Jubilee Term

Be Inspired

Be Kind

Be Creative

08 A Royally Good Time Jubilee term celebrations

14 Beacon Life: Be Inspired - Scholarship Success - Asparagus Taster Table - The Queen’s Knickers - Madame Cook’s French Café - Award-winning Poet - Science Challenge - Beaconverse - A Butterflies Journey - Reception Gardening Club - Hunting for Habitats - A ‘Wicked’ Day - Margarine Magic - The John Muir Trust - Mr Men - National Share a Story Month

20 Beacon Life: Be Kind - Story Time with Mr Detre - Reading for Charity - Teacher Appreciation Week - Switch Off the Lights!

- Be Together - All Things Kenya

24 Budding Chefs The return of The Beacon MasterCook Competition

10 Speech Day A memorable day for Lower, Middle and Upper School

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26 Beacon Life: Be Creative - Art at Radley - Art Attack

The Beacon Chesham Bois, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 5PF Registered Charity number: 309911

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08 Be Challenged Be Confident

Be Adventurous Be Prepared

Be Together

30 On Your Marks, Get Set, Go! A fantastic Sports Day for all

44 Little Explorers A host of trips; Mead Farm, Whipsnade Zoo, RAF Hendon, Longridge, Windmill Hill, Newquay and Blenheim Woods.

52 Beacon Life: Be Together - Veterans Visit - Look at a Book Events - Collaboration with Heatherton - Disco Fever - Open House Events

32 Beacon Life: Be Challenged - Merchant Taylors’ Athletics - Cromer Victory - Cricket - Tennis - Stowe Athletics - UKMT Junior Math's Challenge

36 Powerful Performing Arts - Guys and Dolls Jr - Brilliant Brainstorm - Beacon Musician of the Year - Beacon Bard - Informal Concerts - Instrumental Concert - Shakespeare Workshop - Summer Showcase - LAMDA Showcase

48 Beacon Life: Be Prepared - DELF Examination Centre - First Aid Course - Open Morning

54 Beacon Parents’ Society A brilliant final term and a wonderful year

41 Beacon Life: Be Confident - Titanic Court Case - Dragons Den

Acknowledgments The Beacon Bulletin would like to thank: Kerry Inch, Marketing Manager Laura Marshall, Senior Marketing Assistant Claire Aylard, Marketing Assistant Charlotte Buswell, Head of Development

56 Alumni News News from our Beacon Alumni Community Old Beaconians Please send all your news and Old Beaconian queries to: alumni@beaconschool.co.uk 01494 736172

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Look out for the flame icon for further information on our website, beaconschool.co.uk

The Beacon Bulletin, Summer Term 2022.

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The Jubilee

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Term 2022

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The World's Tallest Bubbleologist surprises the boys

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A Royally Good Time Our Summer ‘Jubilee’ term was a royal success with the finale being a Jubilee Picnic and gigantic bubble show in celebration of the Queen’s 70 years of reign.

Our boys gathered around the Quad eager to tuck into a picnic, complete with British scones and jam made by the older boys earlier in the week!

The BPS organized a Great British Cake Sale to support the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, and a surprise visit from the World's Tallest Bubbleologist filled the school grounds with shrieks of laughter!

The whole day was jolly good fun thank you to everyone for supporting the event.

Strawberry Picking

Year 8 boy picking strawberries at Copas Farm

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In preparation for the Jubilee picnic, our Year 8 boys ventured to Copas Farm to pick copious amounts of delicious strawberries! These were then used to make homemade jam for the scones that were served to visiting Veterans and our Beacon Community at the event. A fantastic and tasty team effort!

THE JUBILEE TERM

Taste Buddies Our Beacon Chefs created an array of delicious nibbles using the fresh strawberries our Year 8 boys picked for our Little Beacons and Reception boys to enjoy, from meringues and strawberry tarts to strawberry focaccia! Our Early Years boys loved tasting new treats!

Reception boys sample the tasting table

Bunting In the run up to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Year 5 were tasked with creating and decorating Queen’s Jubilee-themed bunting in their Art lessons. This was then hung beautifully around The Quad ready for our Jubilee Picnic.

Trays of scones made by Beacon boys

Scone-Making Celebrating such a British occasion, it seemed only right to make the British delight of the famous scone to be enjoyed at our Picnic in the Quad. With the support of Mrs Rowland and Mrs Smith, our Year 5 boys made over 500 scones, which were then accompanied by delicious homemade jam!

Jubilee Concert, in Aid of Ukraine

The World's Tallest Bubbleologist and the World's biggest bubble!

Jubilee Picnic celebrations around the Quad

It was an absolute honour to welcome the Chiltern Camerata and Violinists, Ruth Schulten, to The Beacon for a superb Jubilee Concert in aid of Ukraine. It was a soaring success, and we were especially pleased to welcome two Ukrainian families who have recently arrived in Buckinghamshire.

An unexpected highlight of the evening was an impromptu violin performance from Davyd (aged 14) from Odessa, who only arrived in the UK a few days prior.

Read more about our Jubilee celebrations.

Nursery boy

enjoying the SUMMER 2022 | THE BEACON BULLETIN Jubilee picnic

THE JUBILEE TERM

Speech Day An emotional and memorable Speech Day for Lower, Middle and Upper School boys, especially saying a farewell to our leavers.

At the end of the Summer term, boys in our Lower, Middle and Upper School enjoyed a memorable Speech Day event to celebrate their achievements at The Beacon. It was wonderful to bring the whole Beacon Community together to commemorate our boys, particularly to congratulate our older boys for their PSB awards, Scholarships and Senior School placements, wishing our leavers the best of luck for their next big adventure.

Our boys enjoyed reminiscing about their journey at The Beacon by watching a video montage of their adventures and school life over the past year. They cheered on their peers as they received awards and prizes on stage for a variety of different achievements.

It was a delight to bring everyone back together for such a momentous occasion, welcoming parents back on-site this year!

From watching our Year 3 boys enjoy their first speech day, to saying a final farewell to our Year 8 boys, it was an emotional and uplifting event.

Our Year 6 and Year 8 leavers have developed and grown at The Beacon to become remarkable young men, who have made many memories with their friends and Teachers.

The events were a great success, thank you to everyone who attended and contributed.

A huge well done to all our boys who received an award or prize during the ceremony, you should be proud of your achievements!

Best wishes to our 2022 leavers for your next exciting chapter!

Read more about the Speech Day events.

Lower School Beacon Voices sing during Speech Day

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Year 8 leaver accepting his award and leavers box

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Middle School Beacon Voices perform

Year 5 prize-giving

“What makes a school is not the buildings (or anything else). IT’S THE PEOPLE – YOU. Every one of you. You belong to this community and you always will. If you are leaving us, you are not leaving The Beacon community – we will always be happy to welcome you back.

It’s the people that make up a school community: The Beacon today is all of you. And every single Beacon boy contributes something unique to this community." - Simon Detre – Interim Headmaster Lower School Speech Day prize-giving

Middle School boy proudly admires his trophy

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Be Inspired

Beacon Life Scholarship Success A huge congratulations to our Year 8 leavers on being awarded an incredible range of Scholarships, awards and exhibitions to a wide variety of leading independent Senior Schools.

This year, our boys have achieved Drama Scholarships and Exhibitions, Sports, Academic and DT Scholarships to a variety of exceptional schools, including Harrow School, Abingdon School, Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, Haileybury, Merchant Taylors’ School, Shiplake College, Berkhamsted Boys’ School, and Winchester College.

Read more about Destination Schools and Scholarship success.

Boys who received scholarships for there future schools

“We are delighted with the range of scholarships awarded to a number of our Year 8 boys this year. This clearly demonstrates the breadth of skills and talents they possess. They have worked extremely hard in pursuit of these coveted awards. Well done and congratulations!”

- Simon Detre, Interim Headmaster and Nikki Olhausen, Acting Deputy Head of Academic

Year 4 tucking into the taster table

Asparagus Taster Table At the beginning of the Summer term, our Year 4 boys were overjoyed to be presented with an asparagus taster table during their morning break.

Our Beacon Chefs set up a variety of treats for our boys to taste, including Asparagus Focaccia, Asparagus Soup, Pickled Asparagus and Asparagus and Cheddar Pinwheels.

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SCIENCE CHALLENGE Nicholas Allan reads his book, The Queen's Knickers to the boys

The Queen’s Knickers Our Early Years boys were thrilled to meet Nicholas Allan, British children's writer and illustrator. After intently listening to 'The Queen's Knickers', our boys were wowed by fun magic tricks. They were astonished when the author magically produced a frilly paper pair of knickers! Following this, our boys enjoyed creating their own pants (for the Queen!), illustrating them with their likes to tell the Queen a little bit about themselves.

Our Year 5 boys were kindly invited to visit Merchant Taylors' School to participate in a Science Challenge.

Being the first event for two years, it was very exciting for all involved.

Our boys took part in Chemistry, Physics and Biology challenges that tested their Scientific knowledge, ingenuity and teamwork.

BEACONVERSE

Madame Cook’s French Café Our Year 7 boys visited Madame Cook’s French Café for a spot of food shopping. They were tasked with greeting and ordering their food in French, as well as figuring out the cost and paying in euros.

Award-winning Poet We were excited to welcome award-winning children's poet, Joshua Siegal, to The Beacon to host different sessions for our Pre-Prep boys.

Our Early Years boys thoroughly enjoyed watching him perform his poems and being invited to contribute during the poem.

Reception boys particularly enjoyed Joshua's story about the mango and the lemur.

Year 1 and 2 boys were entertained by Joshua’s deliberately incorrect versions of ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’, his stories about his family and his poems about his pets.

Our boys created their own poetry in the sessions, with Year 1 and Year 2 writing poems using similes and metaphors.

The atmosphere was lovely, and it was fantastic to see the boys so engaged with poetry.

Joshua Siegal reads to the boys during his visit

Throughout the Summer term, we were thrilled to invite various guests to take part in our monthly Podcast.

Our Head of Early Years, Claire Sharp, and Head of Pre-Prep, Ryan Steward, met with us to discuss Little Beacons Nursery.

Our Head of Upper School, Edward Tenison, and Acting Deputy Head of Academic, Nikki Olhausen, came together with two of our Year 8 boys to discuss Upper School at The Beacon, and our newly appointed Head of Music, Gavin Lockley, gave us some insight into his career highlights and the exciting new initiatives he has for the Music Department here at The Beacon.

As a roundup of the term, we also spoke to our Interim Headmaster, Simon Detre, about his Summer ‘Jubilee’ term leading the school, outlining his highlights. Our Beacon boys submitted lots of great questions of which a selection were put forward to Simon to answer.

COMING SOON – Meet our new Headmaster, Nick Baker.

Listen to Beaconverse.

Read about our Share a Story Month activities.

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Be Inspired

Beacon Life A Butterflies Journey In Science, Year 5 learned about the life cycle of a Butterfly. How their journey starts off as a caterpillar and transforms into a beautiful butterfly.

Once the butterflies were ready to be released, our boys headed over to Willsfield to take great joy in setting them free into the world.

Year 5 boys set their butterflies free

Reception Gardening Club The Gardening Club was a hit with our Reception Boys over the Summer term.

They loved getting their green fingers stuck into planting some seedlings as well as tending to plants that are growing too big for their pots. Our boys have been learning how to care for and nurture different plants and vegetables.

Hunting for Habitats Year 4 were set the challenge to find different habitats to continue their Science topic of ‘Living Things’. They ventured off in pairs around the school grounds to see if they could identify any habitats. Excellent hunting boys!

Year 4 boys hunt for habitats

Green fingers in Reception Gardening Club

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MR MEN Lauren Stroud and Hollie Taylor visit from the West End

A ‘Wicked’ Day Year 3 had the pleasure of welcoming two West End stars into school for an all-day workshop on Matilda and Wicked. A big thank you to Lauren Stroud and Hollie Taylor for joining us. The boys had an excellent time putting their acting skills to the test. Their co-ordination and voices were also challenged with some complicated routines and exciting songs. It was an insightful day!

Margarine Magic Our Year 4 boys had an excellent time during their Science lessons, getting stuck into various experiments.

During one experiment, they covered one hand in margarine to monitor the amount of time they could keep each hand in iced water. The boys were fascinated by the effect the margarine had.

Year 4 boys enjoying a science experiment

Read about Year 4 Science experiments

Highlights included Reception boys making Mr Small and Mr Tall models to show the difference in height. During Mr Jelly and Mr Brave week, all our boys connected with their emotions and talked about what makes them feel scared. They thought about some ideas that might help them to feel less scared, as well as sharing stories about some of the brave things they have done.

Each week, creativity flowed as the boys made some superb artistic creations of the Mr Men, including getting sticky making Mr Jelly with strawberry jelly!

In Music, our Little Beacons thought about quiet and loud sounds, just like Mr Quiet and Mr Noisy.

The John Muir Trust Our Year 4 boys enthusiastically participated in the John Muir Trust Award over the Summer term. The John Muir Trust “Connect, Protect and Restore” woodland space and enhance the land for common good, ensuring our wonderful woodland is protected for future generations.

During the first half of the Summer term, our Little Beacons and Reception boys thoroughly enjoyed their all-encompassing topic, Mr Men. Each week they were introduced to two new characters and enjoyed activities that were underpinned by the topic.

Well done to all the boys who took part, together we can make the world a greener place.

A special mention to our boys who received a commendation for their great work.

After discussing the traits of all the Mr Men, our boys excitedly talked about who they were most like and identified with. I am proud of what I do, like Mr Cheerful; I keep trying, like Mr Strong; I will have a go, like Mr Brave; I have my own ideas, like Mr Happy.

NATIONAL SHARE A STORY MONTH In May, we celebrated National Share a Story Month. All our boys enjoyed various book-related activities, from reading outside in the Quad to enjoying children's author visits.

There really was something for everyone to get involved in.

Our Year 4 boys with their certificates

Read more about National Share a Story Month.

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Be Kind

Beacon Life Story Time with Mr Detre Our Interim Headmaster, Mr Simon Detre, popped to Oakway to say hello to our Little Beacon Nursery boys.

Our boys were thrilled to find out they had a special visitor and were even more excited to discover that Simon was going to read them a story.

Our Interim Headmaster reading to our Little Beacons

Reading for Charity Our Lower and Middle School boys raised a staggering £1,600 for the ‘Read for Good’ Charity by taking part in a readathon. Their parents, friends and peers kindly sponsored them for reading over a two-week period. It was wonderful to see so many boys motivated by a chance to support a good cause – and doing lots of reading.

Read for good is a great charity that provides books and storytellers to children in hospitals.

Thank you to all The Beacon Community who supported our boys. readforgood.org

Our boys proudly hold their sponsor cards

“Beacon boys raised a staggering £1,600 for the ‘Read for Good’ Charity by taking part in a readathon."

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Teacher Appreciation Week In May, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. Our boys took a moment to write down their favourite thing about their Teacher and what they are most grateful for, accompanied with a drawing. Some of our boys drew some impressive portraits of their Teachers!

Thank you to all the Teachers at The Beacon for continuing to inspire and nurture our boys.

Wonderful words and pictures in celebration of Teacher Appreciation week

Poster making in progress

Switch Off the Lights!

The Beacon Eco-Council explored ways to reduce the schools use of lighting due to the hot weather and lighter days in the summer months. Our boys designed colourful posters and notices which were placed around the school corridors, with the aim to encourage Teachers and boys to switch off the lights.

Be Together As part of the Year 8 community project, a selection of Year 8 boys spent some quality time with our Year 1 and 2 boys. They played some games and listened to the younger boys read, guiding them through the story and helping them to understand the plot. They also gave the boys some support in making Father’s Day Cards.

Our Year 2 boys very much enjoyed interacting with the older boys and our Year 8 boys were delighted to spend some time in their old Pre-Prep classroom, catching up with their former Teachers.

All Things Kenya Our Year 5 boys learned about the country of Kenya over the Summer term, they explored the effects of tourism on the local communities and wildlife, along with the physical geography of the country.

The boys were very fortunate to connect with a local school in Kenya called Pala Primary.

Read the full story.

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Middle School finalists with Laurie Gear

Budding Chefs MasterCook returned with budding chefs in Years 4-8 participating.

A tough competition with expert local chefs judging the final heats.

This year saw the return of the muchanticipated MasterCook Competition, hosted by the wonderful Mrs Rowland, Head of Cooking and Nutrition.

Our budding chefs from Years 4 to 8 signed up with great eagerness and were raring to get started. Having prepared and practiced their Commonwealthinspired recipes, in celebration of the Jubilee, they were ready to put their aprons on and get cooking.

A big thank you to Laurie Gear, Patron Chef at the Artichoke and Charlie Baxter, Co-Founder of Pluma, for giving up their time to support the competition and judge the finals.

The Beacon MasterCook Competition was a wonder to watch. Our boys created some impressive, tasty cuisine and took great pride in presenting their dishes.

Final Great Britain inspired dishes made by a Year 6 boy

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Well done to all the boys who took part and congratulations to our winners from Lower, Middle and Upper School.

Read the full story.

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Clockwise from top left: Year 5 dish - Keema pav with salted lassi, Upper School finalists with Charlie Baxter and Marta Grunte, Charlie Baxter with Year 4 contestants, Charlie Baxter tasting the dishes in Year 4's final, Year 4 boy taste testing his dish.

JUBILEE TERM 2022

MasterCook Commonwealth Competition 2022

COOKBOOK

MASTERCOOK 2022 COOKBOOK We have launched a brand-new cookbook showcasing all the wonderful recipes that the boys created during the competition.

All profits will go to the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

Grab yourself a copy of our MasterCook Cookbook 2022 now!

Pre-order a MasterCook Cookbook.

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Be Creative

Beacon Life Art at Radley Radley College kindly invited The Beacon, among other schools, to take part in an Art workshop with Kieran Stiles. The theme of the event was ‘Seeing the Light’.

Our Year 7 boys, along with Miss Jackson (Head of Art), made their way to Radley College for the workshop. They were located in a beautiful setting next to Radley Lake, where they were tasked with using charcoal to create their version of the lake.

On completion, the boys used watercolors to show the light and dark colours in the lake. They were also taught some great techniques to create finer details.

Final masterpieces

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Year 7 interpret the scenery at Radley College lake

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Year 7 experiment with printing techniques

Art Attack Year 7 explored woodblock prints from the German Expressionist period. They were inspired by the different designs and used this inspiration to create their own patterns. They carved their print out of lino and experimented with different printing techniques.

Final prints created by Year 7 boy

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Our boys showed excellent sportsmanship throughout all the events. Well done, boys!

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On Your Marks, Get Set, Go! All our Beacon boys thoroughly enjoyed this year's Sports Day. A high level of ability and great sportsmanship.

(Left to Right) Top row: Upper School high jump, Pre-Prep sack race, Upper School runners Middle row: Lower school tug of war, Pre-Prep race, Pre-Prep obstacle course, Bottom row: Middle School competitors, Upper School javelin, Reception running race

Our Sports day events were actionpacked with some great, friendly, competitiveness. Parents attended to support their sons and the weather was glorious. Our Pre-Prep boys headed to Willsfield for their heats of activity. The Lower, Middle and Upper School events for Years 3 to 8 were hosted in Watford at Woodside Leisure Centre.

Our Pre-Prep boys were faced with hurdles, obstacle courses and a beanbag toss, along with many other challenges.

Our older boys had a variety of track and field events, including hurdles, tug of war, long jump, high jump and javelin throwing.

Our boys showed excellent sportsmanship throughout all the events. Well done, boys!

Read our Pre-Prep Sports Day story and view images.

Read our Sports Day story and view images for Years 3 to 8.

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Beacon Life Merchant Taylors’ Athletics Our boys in Years 4 to 8 visited Merchant Taylors’ School to participate in their Athletics Competition.

Cromer Victory Congratulations to Cromer for winning the House Competition this year!

All Beacon boys excelled in different subject areas to be awarded house points throughout the year, so it was a tough competition.

Our Cromer boys celebrated with a special lunch and non-uniform day at the end of term.

Bring on next year's competition with Eddystone right on your tail!

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U8A Cricket team debut on Willsfield

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Cricket The Summer term saw bounds of Cricket on Willsfield and at many away games. Our boys loved getting stuck into the Summer sport and brushing up on their Cricket skills.

Reception boys had their first introduction to Cricket and finished the term enjoying a competitive game.

The U8A Cricket team had their debut match on Willsfield.

Throughout the term, all our teams had the opportunity to play with their school friends and against other schools, which brought the boys lots of success!

Tennis

UKMT JUNIOR MATH’S CHALLENGE

We were delighted to see some excellent tennis playing over the Summer.

The Year 6 Colts Tennis Team performed admirably during their match against Caldicott and we also witnessed some great tennis at the Radley Prep School Tournament.

Year 6 Colts Tennis Team

Stowe Athletics We were overwhelmed by the achievements that took place at the Stowe Athletics competition in the Summer term.

Well done to all the boys who took part in the Tennis matches this term. You played brilliantly.

Our top Mathematicians from Years 4 to 8 took part in the UKMT Math's Challenge in the Summer term.

The top 40% of pupils in the UK receive certificates of different levels based on how well they performed.

Our Beacon boys received many awards in recognition of their talent.

Congratulations to Shay N, Alex T, Milan A and Joaquin S and Sean T who won Best in School.

Year 8 boys at Stowe Athletics

Our Year 8 boys broke The Beacon School 4 x 100m record by over a second and Hugh M smashed the 200m record that has stood since 1989, with an incredible time of 24.54.

Well done to all the boys involved in the competition!

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Powerful Performing Arts Outstanding performances and concerts took place over the Summer term, with a highlight being our boys taking the stage at Edinburgh Festival Fringe to perform Guys and Dolls Jr

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Guys and Dolls Jr The Beacon Boys Return to Fringe!

Our Guys and Dolls Jr cast were excited to rehearse and perfect their rendition of the well renowned Guys and Dolls production over the Summer term. Having performed the show twice at The Beacon, impressing a live audience of our Beacon Community, it was thrilling to take the show to Scotland to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Beacon Boys cast comprised of Year 7 and 8 boys and their former Beacon boy siblings.

Read the full story.

Brilliant Brainstorm Our Year 8 boys wowed us during their performance of Brainstorm - a play that is a thrilling exploration of the most frustrating, chaotic, and exhilarating changes that will ever happen to children during their teenage lives.

A huge well done to all the boys who were involved, it was a great way to finish your final term at The Beacon.

You were fantastic!

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Beacon Musician of the Year winner

Beacon Musician of the Year The Beacon Musician of the Year was another superb competition hosted at school over the Summer term. Our boys in Years 6 to 8, who are grade 4 and above in their instrument, were invited to audition for the chance to take part in the final of the competition. Our boys shone in their auditions, which truly showcased the breadth of outstanding talent we have at The Beacon. After some extremely hard decision-making by the judges, the boys were whittled down to 9 finalists.

A huge well done to all the boys who reached the final, your talent impressed the audience!

Congratulations to Milan A who came first, Romir who placed second, and Viktor and Byron who both received commendations for their performances.

Read the story and watch the outstanding performances.

Year 6 Musician of the Year finalist

Beacon Bard It was a pleasure to, once again, host our Beacon Bard competition.

Boys from Years 6, 7 and 8 had practiced their performance and were enthusiastic to demonstrate their amazing acting skills in front of a live audience! The quality of the performances was outstanding.

A huge congratulations to all our boys who reached the final, and to Arjan, Milan and Maxi who came first in their respective year groups!

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Beacon Bard finalists

Lower School piano performance

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Informal Concerts We were overjoyed to watch not one, but two Informal Concerts over the Summer term. Our Pre-Prep boys played a variety of instruments to demonstrate the brilliant progression they have made with their instruments throughout the year.

Our Lower School boys also had the chance to showcase their musical talents during their concert. Our boys excelled and have been making great progress with their instrumentplaying skills.

Instrumental Concert We were dazzled by the musical talent showcased by our boys in Years 3 to 8 during their Instrumental Concert. We saw a variety of musical instruments played with great confidence and expertise. We heard from the Brass Band and Rock Band, the Senior and Junior Guitar Ensembles, as well as the Main and Training Orchestras.

It was a delight to welcome a special guest, Mike Moran (English musician, songwriter and record producer), who kindly played a beautiful piece on the piano before giving some words of wisdom to our budding musicians.

Year 8 boys with Music Teacher

Year 7 boys enjoying their workshop

Shakespeare Workshop Our Year 7 boys enjoyed ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Drama workshop to coincide with their learning and exploration of the topic during their English lessons.

Charlie Day from West End Shows was welcomed to The Beacon to support our boys in bringing the play to life by delving into each of the characters and the plot of the story. This enabled our boys to have a greater understanding of the meaning behind certain themes.

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Year 2 boys performing World War II play

Year 2 recorder performance

Summer Showcase Our Year 2 boys were excellent during their Summer Showcase event. They proudly demonstrated their fantastic skills playing the recorder, singing whilst simultaneously using sign language, as well as performing their WW2 Drama pieces.

It was a joy to watch our Pre-Prep boys perform with such confidence.

A big thank you to Mrs Voneshen and Miss Livermore for putting on such a great show.

LAMDA Showcase We saw the return of the LAMDA Showcase this Summer! A handful of Year 7 boys took to the stage in front of their families and friends to perform a 5-minute monologue, some of our boys braved the solo performance and others partnered up to create a dynamic duet.

The boys’ performances were outstanding, they stepped into character and performed with excellent elegance.

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Year 7 boy during LAMDA showcase

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Be Confident

Beacon Life Titanic Court Case Year 6 took to the court room with the challenge of concluding the longstanding case of ‘Who was responsible for the sinking of the Titanic’.

Our boys were split into five groups and were set the task of building their cases with thorough research and fact-finding. The boys stepped into The Beacon Crown Court in front of Honorable Judge Livermore, where they delivered robust cases.

Year 6 boy on the stand

Year 8 boys pictured in their Dragons Den meeting

Dragons Den As part of our Year 8 Leavers’ Programme this year, our Year 8 boys developed their own business plans of which they presented to our 4 guest Dragons.

Mr Privett organised four entrepreneurial parents to attend school to play the part of the Dragons, making a decision on

whether to invest in any of the business proposals presented.

Read the full story.

The Dragons were delighted to listen to the boys’ business ideas and were impressed by the array of initiatives the boys delivered.

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Be Adventurous SUMMER 2022 | THE BEACON BULLETIN

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Year 4 tackling raft building

Year 8 in Newquay

Little Explorers From thrilling rides at Thorpe Park to building water rafts at Windmill Hill, our boys from Nursery all the way up to Year 8 had a wonderful time on their day trips, PGL and Residential trips during the Summer term.

Year 6 Newquay trip

Nursery and Reception were excited to explore Mead Farm, where they got to see lots of different animals and discover the farmyard surroundings, prior to letting loose in the playground.

Year 1 were thrilled to visit Whipsnade Zoo to meet an array of real-life animals on their first ever school trip. Our boys enthusiastically tried to figure out which animals belonged to which animal group and really enjoyed learning about the different animals.

Year 2 had the pleasure of visiting RAF Hendon to aid their learning of WW2. They learnt all about the different aircrafts used during the war and were transported back in time to a WW2 shop.

Years 4 and 5 set off on their residential trips, with Year 4 heading off to Longridge for a fun-filled activity-based

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Year 5 having fun on their action packed trip

Year 2 visit to RAF Hendon

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SPLASH PARTY

Year 7 Buscraft trip

Our Little Beacons and Reception boys had a splash-tastic time in our Splash and Play Party at the end of term. Boys and Teachers had a great time playing in the water, it was a great way to keep cool in the Summer sunshine. What a splashing way to end the term!

Early years boys saying hello to the animals at Mead Farm

trip. They took part in Lazer-tag, Leap of Faith and much more. Year 5 enjoyed their time at Windmill Hill, taking part in Raft Building, the Giant Swing and Wacky Races.

Year 6 and 8 both enjoyed a splendid week at the sunny seaside town of Newquay.

They enjoyed a wealth of activities, including Surfing, Paddle-boarding and games on the beach. For some of Year 6 and all Year 8, this was their final hurrah at The Beacon and was a lovely way to end their journey at the school.

Lastly, Year 7 packed their bags to enjoy a few days camping on a

Bushcraft Trip at Blenheim Woods.

They participated in Archery, Cooking, Tomahawks and much more.

As well as heading off to an actionpacked residential trip in Newquay, Year 8 enjoyed various day trips to Wendover Woods, Thorpe Park and IWM Duxford as part of their Leavers’ Programme.

A huge thank you to all the Teachers involved in organising the trips and giving our boys a memorable experience combining fun and education.

Read the Year 4 Longridge trip story.

Read the Year 5 Windmill Hill trip story.

Read the Year 7 Bushcraft trip story.

Read the Year 8 Newquay trip story.

Read the Year 6 Newquay trip story.

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Be Prepared

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Be Prepared

Beacon Life DELF Examination Centre We were proud to announce that The Beacon became an official DELF examination centre, with pupils having sat their first DELF exams during the Summer term.

DELF (Diplôme d'Études en Langue Française) is a system of French language exams for non-native speakers of French.

Proficiency in several languages at a young age not only offers countless academic advantages and personal benefits, but also expands a child’s opportunities for success.

Read the full story.

“Having a DELF qualification is something that sets pupils apart from their peers in terms of application to senior schools and university – and even future employers” - Fiona Jones, Head of Modern Foreign Languages at The Beacon and one of the prep school’s DELF examiners.

Fiona Jones with her pupils

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First Aid Course As part of the Year 8 Leavers’ Programme, our boys took part in a First Aid training course. They were shown basic life support, including CPR and how to use a defibrillator. This is a valuable skill for our Year 8 boys to learn as they move on into their Senior Schools.

Year 8 boys learning first aid

Open Morning In May, we welcomed prospective families to The Beacon for our Open Morning. Our incoming Headmaster, Nick Baker, kicked off the event with a talk followed by visitors enjoying a tour of the school by our Year 8 boys. The boys were at hand to answer any questions and were keen to highlight their personal journey at The Beacon.

Our next Open Morning will be taking place on Saturday 1 October.

We will also be hosting a Messy Play and Stay session for prospective Nursery and Reception boys.

Register for our Open Morning.

Register for a Messy Stay and Play session.

Top: Year 8 boys taking parents on a tour of the school Left: Nick Baker, Incoming Headmaster chatting to parents

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Be Together SUMMER 2022 | THE BEACON BULLETIN

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Be Together

Beacon Life

Veterans Visit

Look at a Book Events

Collaboration with Heatherton

It was a delight to welcome local Veterans from the Royal British Legion for Afternoon Tea at The Beacon. The event was well attended, offering a selection of teas and cakes, including homemade scones and jam made by our boys in Cooking and Nutrition lessons.

It was great to, once again, open the school to parents and welcome them to take part in our Pre-Prep ‘Look at a Book’ events. Our boys enjoyed showing their families the work they have been completing at school and the families loved getting a closer insight to their son's school life.

Our Lower School Beacon Voices were overjoyed to welcome guests from Heatherton school into their Beacon Voices practice and the Training Orchestra. It was wonderful to watch our boys and the Heatherton girls work together to create beautiful Music.

Our Year 7 boys perfected their teamaking skills to serve our guests and were truly inspired to learn about the amazing real-life stories the Veterans had to share.

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Read our ‘A Warm Welcome’ story and view a gallery of images.

The Beacon Voices rehearsal started with a few tongue twisters, singing a few well-known songs. The boys and girls quickly got into the swing of it and finished by singing in harmony.

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Disco Fever

Open House Events

Dancing the night away!

As it has been a while since our Beacon Community have been on-site at The Beacon, we were delighted to host ‘Open House Events’ for our Lower, Middle and Upper School parents to explore the school and find out more about the projects and topics our boys have been working on.

It was a great opportunity for them to chat with Beacon staff, and to have a personal tour of the school by their sons! It was fantastic to see so many parents attend.

Our Year 6 and Year 8 boys both had a great time at their end of term Discos, with guests from other schools attending the events.

The enjoyed a live DJ, lots of sweet treats and a photobooth to jump into.

It's safe to say that everyone had an excellent time.

"“I am delighted that we can host these events as part of ‘opening up’ The Beacon again, in a careful way. It has been great to see parents back on site and boys taking great pride in their school!” - Mr Detre, Interim Headmaster

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Boys enjoying activities on camp night

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Beacon Parents’ Society A Night Under the Stars The annual Beacon Parents’ Society Camp Night was a huge success this year. Setting up camp to sleep under the stars for a night when the weather was so lovely made it even more enjoyable.

All the boys relished the chance to play the activities of Mini Golf and Wall Climbing, Football, Cricket and other games, as well as exploring the woods.

There were fabulous food vendors, hot drinks and an ice cream van for everyone to enjoy! Roll on next year!

Platinum Jubilee Ball As part of the Jubilee Celebrations, our Beacon Community had a fantastic time at the Beacon Parents’ Society Platinum Jubilee Ball. With great food and lots of dancing - everyone had a ball! Thank you to our wonderful Co-chairs, Octavia and Emma, for organising such a special event.

“The Beacon Parents’ Society had a wonderful year, with a huge sense of community over the Summer term. There was plenty of energy at the Platinum Jubilee Ball and we were overwhelmed by the cake donations to our Great British Cake Sale. The Camp Night saw families enjoy a beautiful evening under canvas with toasted marshmallows.

The continued support of such events has brought a fantastic amount of new equipment into school for the boys to enjoy and has also allowed us to support relief efforts for Ukrainians.” - Octavia Orchard and Emma Ife, Co-Chairs, BPS

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The Great British Cake Sale The Beacon Parents’ Society organised a delectable British Cake Sale which took place during our Platinum Jubilee Picnic in the Quad this term. All our lovely Beacon parents kindly donated various sweets and treats, ranging from French Fancies to your classic cupcake. Our boys enjoyed choosing their favourite cake from such a delicious selection.

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Top: Boys using our 3D printers, Far right: The Great British Cake Sale, Right: Camp night, Bottom: BPS Platinum Jubilee Ball

BPS Fundraising The Beacon Parents’ Society have once again outdone themselves by organising an array of events to fundraise for The Beacon and charity partners.

Throughout the year, our BPS events and initiatives have raised a staggering £5,303 for our charity partners, split as follows: £1,800 to Roald Dahl Marvellous Children’s Charity, £1,800 to Young Minds Trust, and £1,703 to the DEC Ukrainian Appeal.

“The contributions made by the BPS to the life of the school are significant and hugely appreciated. The BPS team work hard throughout the year to deliver several large events which bring the community together and raise funds, both for The Beacon and our chosen charities. I am very grateful to the BPS team and all Beacon families who have supported these initiatives in 2021-22.”

- Simon Detre, Interim Headmaster, Summer Term

Additional funds have also been put to good use to support our Beacon boys’ learning and to enhance their experience at The Beacon.

We are overwhelmed by the generosity and outstanding support of our Beacon Parents’ Society, and of course, our whole Beacon Community. A huge thank you!

Read the full story.

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Alumni News Henry Jeffreys

Congratulations Congratulations to Henry Jeffreys (OB 1984-90) who was recently awarded best Drinks Writer of the Year in the Fortnum & Mason awards. We are looking forward to the release of Henry's new book about English wine, Vines in a Cold Climate, due to be published by Atlantic books next year.

Beacon Reunion & Retirement Party for Mr Frazer Thomas It was tremendous to welcome back almost 400 former pupils, parents and staff to The Beacon, including three former Headmasters, at our Beacon Reunion and Retirement Party for Mr Frazer Thomas in July. Huge thanks to everyone who came and joined us on the day. We know that some of our alumni travelled significant distances to be there and that, for others, it was their first time back to The Beacon in many decades!

The day was a fitting tribute to Mr Frazer Thomas, who retired from The Beacon in the summer of 2021, after 38 years of devoted service. We’re pleased to have finally been able to give Frazer the send-off he deserves.

We know that he was deeply moved to see so many of his former pupils and colleagues, and we hope that all our guests enjoyed the day too, catching up with contemporaries and taking in some of the changes that have taken place at the school.

We are planning to hold more reunions and alumni events going forward, including for our recent leavers (20172021) and their families, who we were unfortunately unable to include in this event due to limitations on numbers.

To make sure that you’re on our mailing list to receive invitations to future events, please do take a moment to complete our online update form. beaconschool.co.uk/alumni

Congratulations also to Mr Mike Crossley who recently retired as Headmaster of Langley Prep School.

It was wonderful to see Mike at our recent reunion at The Beacon, where between 1997-2004 he was Senior Master, Head of English and Coach of the 1st XV Rugby team.

Congratulations to Harry Speirs (OB 2006-14) who received rave reviews for his show Wistful at the Edinburgh Festival this year, in a production that took poetry off the page and unto the stage through an expressive cocktail of dance, music, theatre and stunt work.

Mike Crossley with 1st rugby team 2000

Read our 'Beaconian Inspires Reception Boys' story.

Follow our alumni social channels:

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OPEN MORNING SY

S E M D N A !

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SATURDAY 1 OCTOBER 09:00 - 12:00

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The Beacon | Chesham Bois | Amersham | Buckinghamshire | HP6 5PF

01494 432764 | admissions@beaconschool.co.uk | beaconschool.co.uk