The Beechwood Park Lion

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADMASTER

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the latest edition of the Beechwood Park Lion.

I hope you enjoy browsing through this special edition of our newsletter, as we share with you the plethora of events that have taken place at Beechwood Park this term Another wonderfully busy, exciting, and productive term draws to a close and there is a lot to celebrate, in the pages ahead.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the children, staff, and parents for a fantastic Lent Term, and I look forward to welcoming you all back in April, when we shall start the Summer Term together

In the meantime, I wish the school ski trip children and staff lots of success, as they depart for an adventure in the snow, and wish all our families a well-deserved restful and relaxing Easter holiday.

Best wishes,

Mr Pritchard

MESSAGE FROM MR BULLOCK

This term has been one of excellent achievements academically; the Top Form, in particular, have amassed seven academic scholarship awards: Well done to Wilfred O (Haileybury), Benedict B (Merchant Taylors’) Mattie J (Oundle), Isaac C and Thomas P (St Albans), Chloe I (St Columba’s) and Arisa T (St Francis). Adaptive computer based assessments have also shown how well our pupils are doing with highest scores to date in the GL’s NGRT (English comprehension) and the InCAS developed ability Combined with the joy of seeing your children learn so positively through the school, it has been a term of endeavour

From Year 1’s new ‘wheels, wings and other things,’ including the visiting ATV (enjoyed by everyone passing it on the drive), to bubbles, Pi day and assembly activities during Science Week, to all Senior Department pupils performing in French in ‘on s’amuse’, to the ‘Heroes and Villains’ of World Book Day and Sam Sedgman inspiring us, to Matilda and Roald Dahl themed lessons, to Year 6 Macbeth workshops, to visits to Kew, the STEM Discovery Centre, the British Museum, the Globe Theatre, and North Watford Mosque, and academic residentials at Ufton Court, this term has truly been brimful of academic excitements.

From Mr Bullock Deputy Head (Academic) and Chaplain

CO-CURRICULAR TRIUMPHS

Despite being an incredibly short term, there has been so much to celebrate in the co-curricular departments of the school From the everyday accomplishments in class, to colours earned and scholarships awarded It never fails to astonish me the endless bounds of creativity, enthusiasm and pure talent that our pupils possess This is evident in our very youngest children all the way to our Top Formers. In the final assembly of term, we celebrated the children at the top of the school, who were awarded co-curricular colours for making outstanding contributions to co-curricular departments; demonstrating an excellent attitude at all times, showing exemplary team spirit, being role models in all that they do and performing at the highest levels The way that we develop our pupils' interest and talent in these areas is to provide them with plenty of opportunities to discover and explore their passions throughout their time with us at Beechwood Park. Whether that be a day of Art during a curriculum collapse day in the Junior Department, competing with the LEGO team at the weekend, taking part in the school musical, Matilda Jr, whether on stage or helping with props, costume, tech and lighting or simply dancing into School on a Friday morning We provide moments throughout the school week for our budding musicians, artists, designers, actors and athletes to experience success This is all complemented by our varied and exciting trips and visits programme which has been in full swing this term Year 4 and Year 5 were immersed in History during their time at Ufton Court, Year 1 have been learning hands on about a myriad of vehicles in their transport topic ranging from unicycles, tanks, classic cars and even a double decker bus, to their own bikes and scooters Year 7 visited the Globe and learnt about the Roman Empire at the British Museum and Year 2 extended their learning on different plants and habitats when they spent the day at Kew Gardens And this is to mention but a few! Not forgetting the 50 skiers who are jetting off bright and early tomorrow morning to Austria

I am hugely proud and delighted to share that the following pupils have accepted co-curricular scholarships to their Senior School of choice:

• Charlotte D - Drama Scholarship to St Albans High School

• Eleanor P - Drama Exhibition to Berkhamsted

• Serena R - Drama Exhibition to Berkhamsted

• Hector G - Music Scholarship to Haileybury

• Albie S - Music Scholarship to Berkhamsted

• Lilly B - Sports Scholarship to St Albans High School

• Josie D - Sports Scholarship to Haileybury

• Mattie J - Sports Exhibition to Oundle

• Kai K - Sports Scholarship to Haileybury

• Rory L - Sports Scholarship to Uppingham

• Joe P - Sports Scholarship to Haileybury

• Olivia S - Principal Sports' Award to Queenswood

I hope you all have a lovely Easter holiday and return refreshed ready for a Summer term filled to the brim with more amazing opportunities

Miss Macpherson

Director of Co-Curricular

OUR WORLD BOOK DAY CELEBRATIONS

OUR CELEBRATIONS

What a fantastic week we had at Beechwood Park marking the national celebration of reading, World Book Day.

During the week the English department ran book speed dating activities with their pupils recommending their favourite books to each other Our Podcast team took the opportunity to chat with some of our teachers who shared insights into their favourite superheroes, villains and cherished childhood books

We welcomed the acclaimed author Sam Sedgman, who spent the day delivering superbly exciting workshops with years 4-7, as well as talking about the inspiration behind his new book ‘The Clockwork Conspiracy’ during assembly and signing over 100 books for those who had purchased one His visit was a great success and hugely motivating

On World Book Day itself, staff and pupils dressed up as their favourite Hero or Villain, and both the Main Library and the Junior Library were transformed into expansive bookshops. Excited pupils had the chance to purchase from the sale and they bought an amazing £5222 33 of books earning the school £3133 40 of Rewards with Scholastic which is fantastic Thank you to everyone who took part

MATILDA

We are incredibly proud of our Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical Jr. cast of pupils from Years 5 to 8 for all their hard work and commitment to the production. They worked tirelessly for six months on some really challenging musical theatre songs and dances, performing the final shows with passion, flair, unwavering energy and phenomenal characterisation. Thank you to Mr Gambrell and his tech team of Year 7 and Top Form pupils for their technical wizardry in creating the backdrops and for designing and running the sound and lighting so professionally. To Mrs Jacques for creating and coordinating an array of stunning costumes, with incredible attention to detail – particularly the hand-sewn Crunchem Hall badges, for making the beautiful Acrobat and Escapologist dolls and that incredibly tempting (but sadly inedible) chocolate cake! Thank you to Mr Fox, Mr Wood, Miss Ling, Mrs Murphy and Mrs Kelway-Bamber for all your hard work on creating the eye-catching set and props too. What a team!

School productions always bring out the best in Beechwood Park pupils and we loved every minute of every rehearsal. It has been wonderful to see our pupils enjoying exploring new ideas, making new friends across year groups, growing in confidence and building their resilience. What an experience!

From Laura Hegarty and Jane Lodge

Your feedback

“Huge Congratulations”

“Just a note to say a HUGE congratulations on the show tonight. It was utterly fantastic and we were totally blown away by how talented the cast were. I can only imagine all the hours you must have put in!”

“It was amazing”

“Thank you very much for the show. It was amazing. I really did feel like I was in the West End watching Matilda!! Congratulations to you and your team for such a wonderful production.”

“Every single child was amazing”

“We absolutely loved the performance this evening!! It was very clear how much work had gone into the production and every single child was amazing. Huge congratulations to you and Mrs Lodge and all of the staff who were involved.”

“We felt like we were in the West End”

“Your show was second to none, such a huge amount of work, so beautifully sung and acted. We loved every moment. The children are all such a credit to you and your hard work/passion. They are so blessed to have you, we all are. ”

SCIENCE WEEK AT BEECHWOOD PARK

BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK

British Science Week, run by the British Science Association, is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, featuring entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK to help raise awareness and spark enthusiasm in people of all ages

At Beechwood Park we kicked off the week with an interactive, engaging assembly from Mr Pritchard all about science.

Pupils across the whole school then enjoyed a bubble experience in their science lessons during the week. Bubbles provide the opportunity to study science concepts such as elasticity, surface tension, chemistry, light, and even geometry Pupils engaged in processes such as observations, investigations, challenges and discovery, when blowing and studying bubbles.

There was also a science poster competition where pupils were asked to produce a poster on an area of science that they felt passionate about There were many entries and these have been displayed in the STEM corridor The standard was extremely high and the topics chosen by the pupils were incredibly varied The top ten posters were chosen, and from these ten, a first, second and third were picked by the Science Department teachers. All pupils that produced a poster were awarded a credit for their House and the top ten commended posters received a certificate. The top three were also awarded a rosette.

The week ended with a whole school bubble blowing session just before morning break where all the children (and adults) had lots of fun with bubbles!

DUCKLINGS

Woodlands have been lucky enough to watch the hatching and development of 5 gorgeous ducklings over the past two weeks. The children have learnt to care for, handle, clean(!) and observe all that is involved in this process They have asked curious questions and learnt new vocabulary, such as 'drake', 'eggtooth' and 'incubator'. For many, the favourite part of the experience was teaching the ducklings to swim, and for others it was learning that ducklings go to the toilet everywhere!

With thanks to the knowledge and resources provided by Incredible Eggs, the ethical provider of highwelfare hatching kits, our Woodlanders have experienced the wonder of new life first hand

BABY DUCKLINGS

JUNIOR AND WOODLANDS EASTER COMPETITION

JUNIOR DEPARTMENT EGG COMPETITION

All children from Woodlands and the Junior Department were invited to decorate an egg, of any shape or size, or create a scene using a number of eggs as part of our Easter competition The idea behind the competition was to inspire creativity and we hoped that it would provide a focus for some quality family time at weekends whilst the weather was inclement! After some feedback about the amount of single use plastic that last year's Easter Hat competition generated, we hoped that this would be an opportunity for more recycled and natural materials to be used, thereby being kinder to the planet. The standard and amount of entries (124 in total) was staggering, bolstered, I am sure, by the promise of 2 House Points for every entry and 10 House points for the winner from each class

The judges found it an incredibly difficult task to choose our winner and runners up but in the end they awarded the prizes to the following children:

Woodlands Green Class Winner: Maisie M

Woodlands Green Class Runner up: Isabel B

Woodlands Orange Class Winner: Ivy D

Woodlands Orange Class Runner up: Jayla O

Reception Blue Winner: Eleri C

Reception Blue Runner up: Ethan M (joint effort with his brother Rory from 2CW)

Reception Red Winner: George M

Reception Red Runner up: Jemima B

Reception Yellow Winner: Harry C

Reception Yellow Runner up: Emilia G and Margot P

1JD Winner: Max C

1JD Runner up: Alexander G

1O Winner: Teddy E

1O Runner up: Oscar P

1W Winner: Evelyn A-C

1W Runner up: Millie T

2B Winner: Sophie R

2B Runner up: Zoe P

2CW Winner: Eloise F-C

2CW Runner up: Jacob G & Mabel W

2LW Winner: Felicity F

2LW Runner up: Joshua M

Highly Commended: Bradley B & Jago S

EGG-CELLENTDESIGNS

YEAR 2 VISIT KEW GARDENS

YEAR 2 VISIT KEW

Year 2’s Kew Gardens amazing adventure was a day of new experiences…giant cacti in an even larger glasshouse, humid rainforest in the Palm House, a bird’s eye view of 3000 plants reaching for the glass in the Temperate House, the Treetop walkway (don’t look down!) and the awesome Children’s Garden (playground!) The visit was full of wow moments that broadened our experiences, and when we got up close and personal with our senses, we smelt, felt and inspected different species (although not the cacti!) in each distinct environment, enforcing our learning about how plants adapt to their habitats.

Whilst the teachers clocked up 8 kilometres we suspect that the children walked, or should we say ran further; watching them explore the different areas of the Children’s Garden pushing their bodies as they climbed and jumped whilst managing their own risk showed how much their confidence has grown in Year 2

YEAR 7 VISIT TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM AND THE GLOBE THEATRE

This week Year 7 spent the day in London, for a combined visit with the English, and Languages Department They visited the current major exhibition at the British Museum: Legion Life in the Roman army. It helped them to appreciate how integral a part of Roman society the army was. They also became aware of how multicultural and ethnically diverse the army was. They had a fantastic opportunity to see first hand many original artefacts such as the legionary shield, the crocodile armour and some of the famous Vindolanda tablets. Pupils had fun engaging in some immersive activities! Next stop, we travelled to the Globe Theatre, to understand more about life in Elizabethan London and the pupils took part in a Romeo and Juliet drama activity to enhance their understanding of one of Shakespeare's most famous works.

From Mrs Anderson and Mr Cook

B r i t i s h M u s e u m , L o n d o n

UPDATE FROM THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT

RUGBY FESTIVAL

Beechwood Park held their annual Rugby Sevens Festival on Friday 8th March where 8 other teams were welcomed for an afternoon of exciting, attacking rugby

The standard of rugby was very high throughout and it was fantastic to see the Beechwood boys leading the way and showing just how rugby should be played. The group games were action packed and full of drama and despite each half only being 6 minutes long, there were lots of twists and turns.

After a tight first half, the boys came away with a 7-4 victory against Heath Mount and in the following game against Berkhamsted found themselves 4-1 down at half time A superb second half display led to a 6-4 victory. A slow start against Aldwickbury B team followed but once the boys got going they managed to come out 7-1 winners This meant that a victory against York House would ensure that Beechwood Park won the group. Things were going to plan at 2-0 up but two quick tries from the opposition ensured a dramatic finish. With the last play of the game, York House had the ball close to their own try line and managed to get it wide to their winger All he had to do was beat our last defender to have a free run to the try line. Captain, Joe P, flew up out of the line and deciding not to make the tackle, targeted the ball instead, ripping it out their possession and in the process diving over the try line to score the winning try.

The group success lead to a match up against Westbrook Hay who had won their group After a disappointing performance to Westbrook Hay earlier in the season, the boys were determined to right the wrongs Beechwood Park played the better rugby in the first half but two breakaway tries from Westbrook Hay meant that the score was 2-2 going into the second half. A big defensive performance was needed... and that is exactly what the boys delivered. It was by far the best team display that they had put together, barely letting our opposition out of their own half, forcing them back towards the try line and into many mistakes. One of those mistakes gave Angus C the chance to score the winning try, meaning the game finished 3-2 The levels of effort, physicality and skill produced in that game were exceptional and the boys showed real desire and determination throughout.

It was an excellent day’s rugby capped off by the season’s best performance. It is always our attacking rugby that shines through but the defensive side of the game was what saw us through in the end. The good attacking rugby that the team plays is best demonstrated by the fact that in the 5 games, they scored 26 tries with 9 different try scorers.

A special mention must go to Charlie W who was awarded our player of the festival, not only for his excellent performances but for also demonstrating the RFU’s TREDS values.

Squad: Joe P, Angus C, Charlie W, Kai K, Niky S, Kasper Le Bas, Ronan G, George M, Jamie M and Josh R

NETBALL TOURNAMENT

it’s been a jam-packed second half of term for our Beechwood Park Netball teams and one full of memories! We have had ASA’s bursting at the seams, weekly fixtures, lots of Year 3 & 4 tri/quadrangulars and House Matches. With over 100 fixtures played this term there is lots to talk about. Our House Matches were a buzz, with Stewart taking the win in both the Year 3 & 4 and Year 5 & 6 competitions. We also had two boys Netball matches against Heath Mount and are looking forward to playing Edge Grove next term.

The U10A team secured bronze medals in the plate at the U10 Haileybury tournament. They improved greatly over the day, and it was brilliant to see them bring their skills together when they took 3rd place Our U11A team went to IAPS regionals. In a very competitive group, the team placed 2nd. They won their quarter finals to make it to the semi-finals. In a close match, they unfortunately lost out to the eventual winners However, the standard of Netball they played was wonderful

We finished off the season with our U11 Netball Tournament and what a way to end the season 16 teams from across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Middlesex came together and it was an event not to miss. Music creating an enjoyable atmosphere, cakes fit for a wedding and Netball competitive enough for a regional event We had two mixed teams play, showing Beechwood Park Netball at its finest!

Our U11B team had some close group games, full of flying interceptions and some remarkable long-bomb shots. They very narrowly placed 3rd in Group B and then went into the knockout stages with a point to prove! Winning their first knockout game and then narrowly losing their second, they played off for 11th and 12th place A superb final win meant they placed 11th overall, shining against some opposition A teams

The A team were a force to contend with Playing in the strongest group in their group games, they secured three wins to top their group and progress into the top half of the knockout. They won their quarterfinals 100, with some lovely flow to their gameplay They then went on to play a very strong High March team in the semi-finals, who had qualified for IAPS Nationals and placed 11th in the UK the day before. With some nailbiting Netball they won the semi-final 7-6. Into the final…and what a game of Netball! Facing MK Prep who they had lost to earlier in the season, 30-14, they knew MK Prep were going to be a challenge However, MK Prep did not know how much our U11A team had improved! The ball went back and forth, goal to goal for the full 14 minutes, resulting in a 6-6 draw This then meant the game went to two minutes of extra time The Beechwood Park crowd was growing with the oh’s and ah’s of sport resonating. At the end of extra time, the score remained a draw at 7-7. This meant golden goal was instated…the next team to score were to be crowned Beechwood Park Netball Tournament 2024 Champions Interception after interception, some great feeds into the circle, two shots on goal which just bounced off the rim, it was tense! With the tension building, there were calls for calmness and composure from the subs, Beechwood Park were playing without fear and then came the third shot in Golden Goal time. The ball hadn’t left our attacking end, and this was the moment…up the ball went and swoosh through the net! The crowd went wild, the team were ecstatic and what a sporting moment for Beechwood Park School Netball Beating National finalists, earlier season losses, and remaining steady with a sizeable crowd. This team had an incredible journey over the season, and it has been wonderful to see their growth, they got the fruits of their hard work being crowned champions at this tournament. The way both teams handled themselves, their teamwork and how they showed such grit and determination was outstanding. A truly memorable event.

FORMER PUPIL SUCCESS

Recently, we've been hearing of the continued sporting success of some of our former Beechwood Park pupils

At STAHS - Holly Gamble, Kate Plunkett and Ella NewtonSmith were part of the Netball STAHS U16A team who made it through to the National School Finals at Loughborough and went on to win Bronze in the Sisters n Sport National Finals! Also, captain Kate has made it into the Saracens Mavericks pathway and Ella has made it onto the Surrey Storm pathway. Fantastic!

Also from STAHS Isla McLean and Evie Simpson helped STAHS win the Division 1 title at the National Schools' Lacrosse Tournament.

For Haileybury - Cameron Black has been part of U16 rugby team who won the Herts County 7s tournament In the pool Adeola Akande has continued to star She is the Herts League Final Champion in butterfly and the medley relay squad. She also helped the Haileybury medley relay squad become National Champions - and in a record time!

From Repton - Last year's Y8 Sports Stars Eloise and Anna Webster have had great success in their first year at Repton school. They made it to the U14 Tier 1 National Final at the Olympic Park Eloise even got to lead out the team as captain In a tight game they just missed out on gold with Epsom winning 1-0 but an amazing start to their secondary school!

We are always delighted to hear of past pupil sporting success and love to share and celebrate it We are sure there is more out there that we haven't yet heard about! Well done everyone!

UPDATE FROM THE ART DEPARTMENT

ART DEPARTMENT

Year 3 have been learning about blending, using oil pastels. Instead of 'colouring in' areas up to the line, we have talked about moving the pastels across the join so that you cannot see where one colour ends and the other begins. This is a challenging concept at first but the Year 3 pupils have attacked the task with enthusiasm and determination! It will stand them in good stead for many future projects

In Year 4, Jackson Pollock sand painting has been well underway We have scaled down Jackson Pollock's work a bit (!), and used PVA glue with coloured sand to create some spectacular and dynamic pieces. Some Year 4 classes have yet to do this - this will happen next term, no-one will miss out!

For Year 5 the journalling project has now come to an end - so many brilliant sketchbook pages have been filled. Highlights from this half term have been creating our own fonts and learning to do graffiti. Hopefully pupils have learnt how drawing can be a good way to unwind and support their mental health

Year 6 have worked tirelessly to finish their crystal drawings, which are truly awe-inspiring The range of media used, the attention to detail and the determination in completing them have really impressed Mrs K-B. In addition, many of the pupils have finished their perspective fruit bowls which were started in Year 5 It has been satisfying ensuring that the hard work did not go to waste, and the results are also brilliant.

In Year 7, most pupils have now finished their cubist self-portraits, which are very good likenesses. The colour combinations are effective and the pupils have used shading to give the work a multifaceted appearance. Year 7 are now working on some studies of the school's architecture in the style of John Piper, which will be continued next term.

Top Form's recent work has been based on the sculptures of Barbara Hepworth, which has led to some amazing drawings both in and out of the sketchbooks Prior to these they worked on Beechwood Park's first drypoint printing project (thanks to the awesome new press). This is a technical and complicated process, and we were so lucky to have the help of Miss Ling, our artist-inresidence, throughout these lessons

Art Clubs have taken place across the year groups, with Years 5 and 6 working on some new mixed media House banners (still in progress), keep an eye out for these in the Great Hall next term! Miss Ling's artists have continued to thrive, and the exposure to different and exciting techniques each week has been highly beneficial, as well as great fun Mrs Murphy continues to provide the Year 3 and 4 Artists with fantastic creative opportunities each week - all in all our pupils are so lucky with all the expertise they have access to!

Year 4

Year 5

Y e a r 7

Y e a r 8

CHARITY UPDATE

CHARITY

BEECHWOOD PARK smashes £2,500 target for KEECH HOSPICE

After the amazing effort of the pupils doing their walks in and around Beechwood Park, parents and the wider school community have been extremely generous and enabled us to surpass our £2,500 target This meant that both a tortoise and a hare sculpture could be delivered to the school into Mrs KB’s creative hands, ready to be turned into an amazing piece of art. As we wait for the sculptures to be finished, we look forward to seeing them installed as part of the Luton sculpture trail and the Top Form is looking forward to seeing them in place when they ‘walk a bit more’ on the trail in the Summer Term.

Stop Press

During the Matilda performance we raised a staggering £455.69 in donations which means we have now raised a grand total of £3,507 for Keech Hospice. Thank you for your generosity.

World Book Day bonanza

Pupils and staff alike always look forward to World Book Day and this year was no exception The costumes across the school were sensational and the many photos on the day show the depth many had taken in researching their characters. The donations by parents and staff for dressing up were all in aid of the World Book Day Charity and together we have raised a magnificent £974, almost twice our target!

RED NOSE DAY

Because this event always falls in either the weeks before, during or after World Book Day, we just support Red Nose Day by selling their famous red noses. This year we sold 100 noses, adding £200 to the Comic Relief total of £38.6 m!

Next term we will be working on our rewilding project for Re:wild More details to follow about this green fingered endeavour, but expect the air to be buzzing after we plant super-pollinators in and around the school site and further afield!

Thank you so much for your continued generous support of charities close to Beechwood Park’s heart.

Mr. Wood

UPDATE FROM THE BPSPA

BPSPA

Following on from our successful quiz night and discos before half term, this short second half of term has been slightly quieter from a BPSPA perspective. We’ve been mostly liaising with organising teams to get things set up for a busy time next term

Children in the Junior Department are in the process of producing some brilliant portraits which will be used to create a Junior Department tea towel - online pre orders for these will open after the Easter holidays. Woodlanders will also be producing their own portrait tea towel and will begin work on theirs next term. Please look out for details on how to order. Big thanks to Mrs McIntosh, Mrs Pritchard and all the teachers involved for helping facilitate this

We have lots of fun to look forward to next term: Picnic on the Lawn (for children, parents/ guardians and staff), the Summer Ball (for parents and staff), Fun Night (for the Beechwood Park community) - and the ever popular BPSPA ice lolly stall on Fridays after half term. In the process, we’re hoping to continue to raise money for important causes next term We’ve totted up what you helped raise through BPSPA activities this term and amazingly it comes to over £6,500 Thank you!

Traditionally the big fundraiser next term is the Summer Ball, where we hope your generosity will raise lots more. Proceeds from the Ball will be split 40% school projects, 20% Keech Hospice Care, 20% DENS and 20% WheelPower DENS and WheelPower are charities chosen by pupils, staff and parents this term Both charities will be doing school assemblies in May, so the children can learn about their vital work WheelPower is running a charity bike ride on 9th June, starting and finishing at Stoke Mandeville Stadium If you’d like to join fellow Beechwood Park adults and children who can safely ride 25km (or more) and raise further funds for WheelPower, please contact BPSPA@beechwoodpark.com

So, lots to look forward to AND lots of opportunities for you to volunteer – whether on the next Committee, organising events or helping on the night Please do get involved As we’ve said before, the fun and the fundraising can’t happen without you! Click on the link here for more details

Wishing you a great break over the Easter holidays. From the BPSPA team