Beechwood Lion Michaelmas 2016

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Beechwood Lion Friends, Romans, Countrymen! Page 4

Michaelmas 2016

From The Headmaster What a fantastic term this has been!

I cannot say how proud I am of all of your children who arrive every morning with such energy, such drive and with such stamina! After 15 weeks, they have finally exhausted us, so you can have them back for a few weeks while we and they recharge.

Your children have achieved so much individually this term, as you will read in their new child-centred reports, but it is the collaborative and team activities which are the most memorable for me this term; I have marvelled at Year 5 as they stayed up late for their Matilda West-End theatre night, loved the supportive atmosphere of lunchtime concerts, the camaraderie on the Hockey, Netball and Football pitches. I have witnessed the return of still-energetic Year 1 and 2 children (and ‘no-

longer-quite-so-energetic’ staff) from Kidzania, heard Year 3 tales of bull-drawn carts at a Hindu wedding at Bhaktivedanta Manor, watched achingly cool orienteering videos, listened to the rumble of your children’s feet as they await a weekly house points update. I have enjoyed the creative leadership of our new Top Formers and their pursuit of excellence.

We have, together, lit bonfires, watched ‘a sky full of stars’, stood in respectful silence to honour the dead, clapped along to a rousing brass and percussion concert and welcomed Advent into the Great Hall, before plunging once again into House Matches, the entrepreneurial magic of the Christmas Fayre, a poignant Christingle service and a beautiful, sung Advent Carol service. All this heralded Nativity season, the Woodlanders once again winning The Most Surreal Moment in a School Nativity Play Award with their inspiring inclusion of a Tom Jones number and a Karate Cat in their rendition of the Christmas story.

And then the final Christmas countdown …

Carol services … Christmas lunches … mince

pies and suddenly, all at once, in a flourish, it is all over and all is silent…

What a School! What a staff! What pupils! …and judging by the time that some of our parents have spent organising a BPSPA Quiz Night, Bonfire and Firework Night and the Christmas Fayre, what parents!

Thank you all for making this such an extraordinary School!

It only rests for me to wish you all a very happy and restful Christmas with your friends and families. We look forward to the start of term on the 11th January!

Beechwood Park on Top of the World!

Camp mid-afternoon, the sun caused the glacier to heat up and make some very loud cracking noises. Large chunks of ice and boulders were falling in the distance.

As if this wasn’t enough of a challenge, James took the Beechwood Park flag along with him on his expedition and the accompanying photo shows James, his fiancée and two friends standing at Everest Base

Camp proudly flying the flag for Beechwood Park School.

Congratulations James, you are an inspiration!

If you would like to donate to James’ Just Giving fund in aid of the Nepal Earthquake Recovery Fund, please check the end of term e-newsletter for details.

James Jones, our Maintenance Manager, recently travelled to Mount Everest and trekked 80 miles over 14 days at altitudes of up to 18,559 feet to reach Everest Base Camp, taking in the Kalla Patthar summit en route.

Having begun the climb at 9,380 feet and accompanied by his fiancée and a group of 8 others, James made the climb to raise money for the Nepal Earthquake Recovery Fund, an independent UK-based charity operating in the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal focused on providing medium to long-term recovery responses following the earthquake of 25 April 2015 and it's direct and indirect effects.

Now safely back at School, James explained that Everest Base Camp is on a glacier and is like the face of the moon, with very little life there – only a couple of birds.

He told us that when they arrived at Base

With best wishes, Yours,

EDWARD BALFOUR

The newsletter of Beechwood Park School, Markyate, Hertfordshire AL3 8AW

LOUISE PAGE

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Around the School Nursery News Our Woodlands Nursery is finding its ‘groove’ as we approach the end of its 4th term since opening. With ‘Christmas’ in full swing, we have learned many new songs and fun dances for this year's Christmas Show, entitled ' Who will help me get to the stable on time?'

It featured a Tom Jones' number and boxing bulls! The staff and pupils very much enjoyed welcoming the Woodlands families to the Nursery to share such a magical performance.

We are now a staff team of nine, who are forever planning and resourcing highly imaginative and creative learning opportunities for our 45 Woodlanders. More children are joining us after Christmas, having enjoyed attending their trial sessions.

What with making real dog biscuits, investigating the properties of flour and corn flour when mixed with varying quantities of water, meeting real red hens, learning to pretend box with real boxing gloves and refining mask making skills, the Nursery pupils continue to thrive and grow more confident and resilient as the weeks whizz by. Supported by Mrs Hegarty for dance and drama, Miss Wilks for art, Mrs Jarvis for music and Mrs McNaughton for P.E, Beechwood Park’s youngest pupils are receiving a first-rate early years’ education. Woodlands Nursery is an active, happy and fun learning environment where no day passes without singing, dancing and laughing.

SHIRLEY HAYMAN

Hands-on Experience!

Year 1 was delighted to have a visit from Mrs Morris and paramedic, Joe in a real ambulance! Joe showed us some of the important equipment he uses to help people who are poorly and the children had the "real life" opportunity of seeing, looking at and hearing the ambulance. The siren was VERY loud! Thank you very much to Mrs Morris and Joe for giving the children this amazing opportunity.

YEAR 1 TEACHERS

Kidzania Imagine a 75,000 sq.ft. child-size City where kids are in charge!

Lucky children from Year 1 and 2 had a fun filled trip to KidZania - a real life roleplay experience for children which blends learning and reality with entertainment.

The children became pilots, firefighters and award-winning singers to mention only a few.

With huge excitement, they tried out different real-life role-play activities in the bank, on stage or fighting crime on the streets as a police officer.

Each role-play experience was well-crafted, informative and encouraged independence, and the children reaped the benefits of the ‘working world’ by being paid with KidZania's very own currency, KidZos. A fantastic trip!

DENISE JOHNSON

Staff Descend on the Woods!

All of Beechwood Park’s teaching staff enjoyed a slightly different start to the academic year, as one of the training sessions during Staff Inset took place in the woods. Teachers learned about the ethos of Forest School, its cross curricular links, some of the tools that we use and what we do with them and what a typical Forest School session might be like.

Whittling was one of the favourite activities and of course toasting marshmallows! Everyone was very brave as they played a game of trust; they worked in pairs with one blindfolded person being led along a rope trail (some of us were better at giving clear instructions than others!). Enjoying our wonderful woodland environment was a great way to begin the term.

BECKY LE BAS

Happy 52nd Birthday!

On Friday 7th October, the entire School community wished Beechwood Park School a very happy 52nd birthday. During the morning, pupils assembled according to their Year group at one of two separate anniversary services where the Year 3, Year 4 and Senior Choirs delighted their audiences with their celebratory singing.

No birthday is complete without party food and as is customary, everyone

Congratulations, Miss Wilks!

Miss Wilks, Head of Art at Beechwood Park School has recently been appointed as Art Adviser to IAPS. Her subject expertise will be available to the 650 IAPS member schools in the UK and overseas and she will be called upon to keep IAPS up to date with developments and issues in curriculum areas as well as to promote an informal professional network.

She will co-ordinate communications, training and advice in this subject area, liaising with Heads of Art Departments in IAPS schools. Many congratulations to her for this richly deserved accolade.

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celebrated with a party lunch. Reception children had even made colourful party hats especially for the occasion.

PAGE X

It’s Christmas!

Our Christmas Productions Our Nursery and Junior pupils have delighted their audiences at the end of term performances of their Christmas shows.

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Beechwood Park School’s Newsletter

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Around the School Roald Dahl at 100 At the start of the term, Beechwood Park enjoyed a very busy week celebrating Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday.

Some Year 5 and 6 pupils were quizzed on their Roald Dahl knowledge and started working on advertising some sweets, which would be worthy of Willy Wonka himself! Meanwhile, pupils in Year 7 were treated to the delightfully gory tale of ‘The Ratcatcher’.

Later in the week, the whole of Year 5 went to see the hugely acclaimed West End hit Matilda. As the children waited with eager anticipation, they couldn’t resist the opportunity to serenade the public with their rendition of ‘When I Grow Up’. They soon had everyone believing that they were part of the cast of the show. It really was a splendiferous event, thoroughly enjoyed by all - staff and pupils alike!

Bhaktivedanta Manor As part of their Religious Studies topic on Hinduism, Year 3 had an exciting visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor, a Hari Krishna temple in Aldenham.

The children learnt about the traditions of the Hindu faith in an interesting and immersive way. They fed cows, had a ride in a cart pulled by oxen, they sat on the floor and ate delicious vegetarian food, they dressed up, they re-enacted stories from the Hindu faith and if all of this wasn’t enough, they also had their faces painted in traditional designs.

YEAR 3 TEACHERS

Cornwall 2016 In September our Year 7 pupils travelled to Cornwall for a geography and team-building field trip. Activities over the weekend included canoeing, body-boarding, team-building games, a coastal walk and a trip to Boscastle where the children were able to look into the causes and effects of the flooding which took place there in 2004.

As well as being fun, the trip provided an opportunity for the pupils to take more responsibility for themselves and to work together as a team. Both staff and pupils had a fantastic weekend and brought back some wonderful memories of the trip. Year 7 certainly demonstrated how they can be great leaders and supportive of each other.

ADRIENNE HORN

GRÁINNE WILKINS

Roman Day For Roman Day we were lucky enough to have a visit from Dan from "Portals to the Past" who gave the children an amazing insight into life in Roman times. The children learnt the Latin commands that soldiers would have had to remember when they were training.

They then marched up and down the Great Hall, getting into formation, when directed.

They learnt how Romans lived, about Roman baths (and rather grimly about toilets!) and about Roman pastimes, including learning how to play some Roman board games.

We also found out more about significant people in the history of Rome, including: Boudicca, Caligula, Livia, Claudius, Julius Caesar, and Mark Anthony and Cleopatra.

Finally, we learnt about the importance of the Roman armour and weaponry and even had a chance to handle a number of artefacts and try on some armour. We also recognised that the basic Roman designs for some shields and armour are still used today by the Armed Forces.

YEAR 3 TEACHERS

Curriculum Evening Have you heard of the PEE Chain?

Can you carry out compensation with confidence? Do you know where all of your organs are located? Middle Department parents traded places with their offspring one evening shortly after half term and had the opportunity to find out from the teaching staff what is taught in Maths, English, French and Science and to pick up ideas on ways to support their children’s learning.

Thank you to all those that attended, it was a very successful, fun and informative evening!

Maths Challenge Another busy and exciting time in the Michaelmas term for Mathematics.

Although MangaHigh has receded slightly in the last 12 months, other events have very much taken its place; including a new Maths Puzzle of the Fortnight and the Times Tables challenge has been redesigned. We also came 4th out of 30 schools in the recent Year 6 Maths Challenge at Aldwickbury (many congratulations to Charlotte, Charlie, Poppy and Tessa) as well as many children in Years 4, 5 & 6 who achieved the required score to be awarded a certificate in the Primary Maths Challenge. I look forward to another successful term after the Christmas break; I know the children will not disappoint!

TOM MCKENZIE

Tate Modern Year 4 visited the Tate Modern to see the Georgia O'Keeffe Exhibition as part of their Art studies.

The children were encouraged to think about the motivation behind each piece of work as well as how the artist made them feel through design and use of colour.

Georgia O'Keeffe is one of the most significant and intriguing artists of the 20th century, known internationally for her boldly innovative art. She is best known for her paintings of magnified flowers, animal skulls, and New Mexico desert landscapes. The exhibition at the Tate Modern brings together some of her most important works.

EDWINA WILKS

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Music London Theatre Voices

The Great Hall was filled with the wonderful sounds of singing on the afternoon of Sunday, 25th September. In a relaxed setting, the audience listened to well-known songs from many operas and musicals, all performed with great style and fun by The London Theatre Voices. For those who have singing lessons with Mr Ben Kerslake, it was a lovely opportunity to see him in his ‘performing’ role with his colleagues. During the interval, the audience were treated to the delights of a full ‘Beechwood’ tea with sandwiches, cakes, pastries and scones! A big thank you to Taylor Walton solicitors for sponsoring our concert once again.

JANE LODGE

Brass and Percussion Concert Every child who learns a brass or percussion instrument (Year 3 upwards) was invited to take part in this relaxed concert. It was a fabulous evening, enjoyed enormously by pupils, parents and staff and it was also really wonderful (and so inspiring for the children) to hear the brass and percussion teachers performing too.

KEVIN VOCKERODT

Armistice Day At a very moving service for Armistice Day on Friday 11th November, Harry played the Last Post and Reveille with aplomb and our Chamber Choir sang a poignant and reflective anthem composed by Mr Vockerodt and accompanied by Ms Robertson on the violin.

KEVIN VOCKERODT

Choral Day at Ely Nineteen pupils from Years 6, 7 and Top, Mr Winn and Mrs Lodge travelled to Ely on Tuesday 20th September for a Choral Workshop.

We started the day in the ‘Hayward Theatre’ of Kings’ Ely School, along with approximately 150 other pupils from other schools, and the fun began immediately.

Dominic Peckham, the workshop leader was inspirational and had the children focused

JANE LODGE

Middle Department Entertains Around 100 children from the Middle Department performed a wide variety of entertaining and festive numbers to their grandparents and local senior citizens. The Year 3 and Year 4 choirs sang of sheep, wise men, presents and the true meaning of Christmas. There were excellent performances from the recorder groups, guitar ensembles, the ukulele club, harp trio and mini bass group.

The audience was also treated to superb poetry renditions by Milo, Arthur and Roan, and a highly entertaining performance by 3W of the poem Mrs Lather’s Laundry.

KEVIN VOCKERODT

Advent and Christingle Year 3 took part once again the Christingle Service held at St John’s Church, Markyate.

The congregation was treated to an excellent rendition of Twas The Night before Christmas and they also told the story of the first Christingle. The Year 3 choir sang wonderfully and were joined by the rest of the year group in a rousing performance of Show us the Way to Shine for Jesus. Later that evening, the Senior Choirs sang beautifully in a reflective Advent Service at St Leonard’s Church, Flamstead.

Christmas Concert One of the musical highlights of our year is the Christmas Concert and the children certainly did not disappoint us this year. There was a wide variety of Christmas pieces (along with tinsel and Santa hats) from a range of ensembles – strings, brass, woodwind and percussion, along with some ukuleles, who entertained us and put us firmly into the festive spirit.

The audience certainly enjoyed singing ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ at the end!

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from the start. After a warm-up, the children began to learn three songs (from memory) for the afternoon concert. After lunch, we walked across to Ely Cathedral and began by singing some Plainsong in different parts of this stunning Cathedral – listening carefully to the acoustic of each area (especially amazing in the Lady Chapel). The children then put on a short concert for parents, including performances by the Cathedral Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs.

Come and Sing!

We held our long awaited ‘Come and Sing’ evening for parents and friends on Wednesday 16th November. Some 40 adults turned up to sing a selection of songs from Les Misérables along with a glass of wine! It was a wonderful evening, and as so many really enjoyed the evening we hope it will become a termly event. The next one will be held on Wednesday, 15th March at 7.30pm – please do come along and join us!

KEVIN VOCKERODT

Tring ‘Good Companions’ Club’ Our Chamber Choir entertained beautifully, singing songs from musicals and some Christmas numbers, as well as some solo items from Lizzie, Annabelle, Herbie and Henry.

The audience loved it, especially when the pupils stayed to help with the raffle and chat with the Club members.

KEVIN VOCKERODT

Beechwood Park School’s Newsletter

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Boarding and Sport Boarding News This has been a fantastic term for the entire boarding house. One of the highlights was the Murder Mystery night where the children

ISGA Junior Schools’ Cup On 22nd September, Mr Ridley, Sam (Year 7) and I, travelled down to Sunningdale Ladies Golf course to play in the ISGA Junior Schools’ Cup competition.

We were very lucky with the weather as it was a stunning sunny day.

The format of play was 'modified stableford' with boys' individual scores counting towards the team result. Sam and I both played really well and our combined score was good enough to earn us tied 7th overall out of 18 schools from across the country. The best result for Beechwood yet!

became detectives and investigated which of the suspected staff members might be the murderer… (it was Miss Devine!). Special thanks must go to Madame Bliss, Mrs Anderson and Mr Balfour for taking part and embracing their roles so enthusiastically – they really were fantastic!

The boarders are able to take part in a huge range of fun activities once the School day has ended; from “Great Balls of Fire” to biscuit decorating with Mr Kennedy. One of our most popular activities is “Colditz”, a game which requires wit and stealth to successfully run from one side of the school grounds to the other without being caught by one of our guards. This term we held the “Colditz Championships” which were incredibly

Bronze for Beechwood!

On 11th October the Orienteering team travelled to Birmingham to compete in the British Schools’ Orienteering Championships.

It was a great day out and there were many new competitors representing the School.

The entire team performed well with some excellent runs. We finished in a very creditable 3rd in the Middle and Prep School Boys’ category and in the overall Year 6 and 7 categories respectively. Notable runs came from Gregor W who for a long time, was leading the whole competition, also from Zack B, Nathan N, and Toby T.

ROB HUMPHREYS

Despite the poor weather, there was an impressive turnout from a range of Hertfordshire schools at Stanborough Park, all competing in the Hertfordshire Schools' Orienteering Competition. Pupils from Years 4 to Top Form represented Beechwood Park and the wet and rather muddy conditions didn't appear to deter anyone's enthusiasm.

All of our runners did brilliantly and there were notable performances (including a clean sweep on the white course) from Milo H (1st), Daniel H (2nd), Holly G (3rd), Sophie B (4th), Michael S (5th), Jessica M & Abigail B (joint 6th); Gregor W (1st), James B (2nd) on the yellow course; Nathan N (5th), Zach G (6th) on a very competitive orange course. Very well done to all those who competed.

ROB HUMPHREYS

U13s at County Finals!

ESSA U13 Relays

CLARE LECKIE-HARBORD

KATE DALLAS

A Clean Sweep!

EDDIE (5M)

The U13 swim squad performed brilliantly at the ESSA Relay qualifying rounds on 1st October at Watford Leisure Centre. It was an outstanding effort from a young team, as they competed against a majority of Year 8 pupils. The team finished in the top 10 for both the freestyle and medley relays in the East/South East of England region.

This is an incredible achievement and I can't wait to see what the boys can produce next year when they are at the top of their age range. Well done boys!

exciting and action-packed. We also held our first roller disco where boarders skated and danced to songs including the Macarena! This was a huge success and enjoyed by both staff and boarders.

At the end of the Christmas term, the Boarders’ Feast took place. This is one of the biggest events in the boarding year and this year, as per tradition, we all dressed up in our finery and celebrated together in the festive surroundings of the School. The evening culminated in singing carols around the Christmas tree having enjoyed a scrumptious Christmas dinner.

It has been a fantastic term and we hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and New Year!

Fencing Academy Adding to our extensive number of extracurricular activities, we are fortunate to have Paul Davis Fencing Academy working with us.

Paul coaches pupils in three clubs every Friday afternoon: Junior, Middle and Senior. In addition to an award scheme and a leadership scheme, pupils will also have the chance to compete at intra and inter school levels. We now have three Beechwood Fencing teams – our first fixture was against Ss Alban and Stephen Catholic School and later in the year we will play Aldwickbury and St Columba’s College.

KYLIE-PAUL LE BAS

Our U11 and U13 boys’ Table Tennis teams competed in the St Albans and Harpenden district tournament. The U11 team (Christopher 6IS, Herbie 6CD, Jasper 6AB and Daniel 6CD) came top of their pool, winning all of their matches, securing a place in the semi-finals where they lost three games and won one.

The boys finished joint 3rd overall. The boys played with great sportsmanship and represented the School brilliantly.

The U13 team (Tom 7CLH, Archie 7AE, Max 7JRB and Darcy Top GW) won 14 out of 16 of their matches in the pool stage. They were up against St Albans School and played brilliantly, winning all 4 matches to achieve a place in the finals. After tense and closely matched games against Kings School, BPS finished as Runners Up and go through to the County Finals at the end of the term.

Stop Press: U13 Team take 3rd place at the County Finals!

IAN SHERIDAN

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Sport

PAGE X Luton Town Football Academy We are delighted to be hosting Luton Town Football Club’s U9-U14 teams at Beechwood Park this term. It has been an exciting start to the season; fixtures have included opposition such as Portsmouth and Queen’s Park Rangers. There is a hive of activity on the football pitches every Sunday morning which you are very welcome to come along to and witness.

We are proud that one of our very own Beechwood pupils plays for Luton Town Football Academy; Euan R is in the U12 team.

We are delighted that our Year 3 & 4 pupils have benefitted from some initial training sessions led by Jordan McCann (Head of Academy Coaching) & Ross O'Kane (Lead Foundation Phase Coach). Who knows – they might even spot a future academy player!

Top 4 Finish

Netball v Heath Mount

Our 1st team was delighted with their Top 4 finish at the IAPS Regional Football 6s Tournament. Going through the pool stages unbeaten without conceding a goal was a triumph. It was a huge stride forward in their development as a team, and a semi-final (having finished second in the pool) justified their efforts.

There is a reason behind Michael Jordan’s mantra of playing to have fun and enjoy the game. The freedom of playing without pressure and the smiles on faces was a pleasure for all to watch. Our players deserve credit for their endless hard work and I hope they continue in the same vein.

Year 3 & 4 girls enjoyed playing their first netball fixture of the school year against teams from Heath Mount. Beechwood Park put forward four mixed teams in each age group to compete against three Heath Mount teams (and each other) in an exciting afternoon of sport.

It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm and effort displayed by the girls as they learnt the rules of the game and developed their teamwork. Notable mentions go to the Year 3 Yellow team and Year 4 Blue team who were undefeated. Well done to everyone who took part!

ALEXIS HAMILTON

BOBBY GRAHAM

Hockey at Piper’s Corner The U10 A and B teams travelled to Piper’s Corner, near High Wycombe, for a triangular tournament with Piper’s Corner and Highfield schools. Both of these schools are new opposition for us.

It was a fantastic morning. The girls have really improved recently and it showed! The A team won 3 – 0 and lost 1 – 2 and finished second, putting on a great performance in two very competitive games. The B team won both of their matches, 1-0 and 2-0 and finished first, with Eleanor K scoring several goals.

While they were there, the girls also had a chance to experience some indoor hockey in-between matches, and learnt some new rules and tactics. Great progress; well done!

Year 3 v Aldwickbury Our Year 3 boys had their opportunity to represent their School in football matches this term and they couldn’t have been more excited!

“We worked hard as a team and persevered. We got better and better the longer we played. We were all excited to represent Beechwood Park in our first match.

It made us feel proud. Some of our parents and teachers came to support us and made us feel more confident. “

SAMUEL, LOUIS, ADAM AND MATTHEW, ALL IN 3O

ALEXIS HAMILTON

KYLIE-PAUL LE BAS

Kingshott Football Our 1st team played some excellent football in the Kingshott Football Tournament and were unlucky not to get more out of the close-fought matches they played. Harrison P was outstanding in goal making some outrageous saves & George C a really positive force as captain.

Colts drew three matches and lost one in their group just missing out on the finals.

To quote Mr Cooper “it was the best I have seen them play all season". Well done

House Matches Welcome Year 3 and 4 The Sports Department invited Year 3 and 4 pupils to join in the Michaelmas House matches for the first time this year with the boys playing football and the girls playing hockey. Children and parents alike were enthusiastic about this change to the event. It was wonderful to give a greater number of children a chance to join in with this well-loved competition.

Michaelmas House Match Winners: Year 3 and 4 boys: Tudor Year 3 and 4 girls: Stewart Year 5 and 6 boys: Stewart Year 5 and 6 girls: Saunders Year 7 and Top Form: Sebright Overall: Saunders

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Beechwood Park School’s Newsletter

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BPSPA

BPSPA, Alumni and House News

BPSPA News

Last year was a record year for fundraising, and we’ve done even better this year! The elves are still counting the money but we expect to raise around £7,000 which will be shared between Keech Hospice and our ‘Down in the Woods’ project. Thank you to Sarah Ashley for counting up all of those coins! Finally, thank you to Jena Hockley for all her hard work organising the Christmas Card Project (not an easy task this year) there were some wonderful designs. Mr Balfour found it difficult to choose just 7 pieces of artwork to be made into luxury cards. Congratulations to all who were chosen.

Photos and Quizzes

Christmas Wreath Making Workshop We kicked started the new academic year with a fantastic quiz night. Thank you to last year’s winners “Paperback Raita” for some challenging questions and congratulations to “Quizzy Rascal” who were this year’s champions. As if the quiz weren’t entertaining enough, the ever popular game of “Heads and Tails” raised a further £295 for Keech Hospice on the night.

The Family Photo Day which is lovely to organise took was the next event in the BPSPA calendar and the BPSPA received 10% of all photo sales, making it a very worthwhile activity.

Penny for the Guy We were treated to a beautiful, clear evening for a spectacular firework display. Thank you to Jeroen Hasenbos for chairing the event and for offering to organise next year’s display too (4th November 2017). Alex Morris and Louise Plunkett offered a great deal of support to ensure that the evening went smoothly, and of course, with a bang! Thank you to our great bar boys, Andy Bellis and Eason Krishnanandan, to Angie Travis and her team for the delicious chilli supper, the maintenance department for all of their help with the marquee and bonfire and all of the staff and parents who gave their time to set up, run a stall, help out on the gate, and clear up on Monday morning.

A Magical Christmas Fayre The range of stalls (cakes, fairy cake decorating, reindeer food, pre-loved books and toys, chocolate tombola, sweet jars and all of the high quality retail stalls) make this such a popular event.

Thank you to the BPSPA committee (Alex Morris and Louise Plunkett) for coordinating the commercial stalls and Michelle Morris for an incredible Match Tea. We are very grateful to every parent who helped organise and create their class/year stalls, and those who helped to tidy up afterwards.

The Grotto and Secret Santa teams saw record numbers of children and created some fantastic memories. Meanwhile, I had tremendous fun organising the junior stalls and supporting our Young Entrepreneurs and this year we were overwhelmed by their enthusiasm - we had 11 stalls with over 43 children running them. Stalls included fun games, reindeer candy, presents for pets and beautifully homemade items. Well done to all those who took part, and the parents who supported them.

In recognition of their hard work each child has been presented with a special pin badge.

When I booked florist Sarah Stuart (Simply Sorted Flowers) back in January 2016 for our first Christmas Wreath Workshop, I had no idea how popular it would be. Sarah showed us how to wire roses, berried tree ivy, seed heads, pine cones, dried citrus fruits and other decorations into a professional looking wreath, just in time for the festive season. We caught up over coffee and mince pies and had a really wonderful morning. It was so much fun that I’ve already booked Sarah to run another workshop next year!

Next Year The Middle Department Disco will be held on Friday 3rd February 2017, and the Junior Disco on Saturday 4th February 2017. Thank you to Ali Gillham, Sally MacArthur and Juliette Hewitson for organising these events - tickets are already on sale via the BPSPA intranet page!

After a wonderful Beechwood Breeze last year we will be organising a Summer Ball in 2017 (Chair Debbie Priestnall). I am also delighted to have a Fun Night team in place (Year 3 parents). We will continue to fundraise for the 'Down in the Woods' project and we

have already raised a significant amount of money towards the outdoor classroom.

Thank you to all our families for supporting the BPSPA this year, especially those who have been involved in our events.

This is my last Beechwood Lion as I will be stepping down from the committee in January. I have really enjoyed my two years as Chair and I am so grateful to all those who have offered help, support, guidance and kindness when I have really needed it.

You know who you are! Each January the executive committee roles are up for renewal and elections for new members will take place at the AGM on the 30th of January 2017 (8pm). All parents are warmly invited to attend. I am thrilled to have four fantastic nominations for the new committee who will continue to provide wonderful events for our school community. I am sure you will all wish to join me in thanking Michelle Morris, Louise Plunkett and Alex Morris who will also be stepping down. These ladies have worked tirelessly for the School organising The Breeze, Fun Night and supporting every event for the past year. We are thrilled that our wonderful Treasurer Louise Lynes will be staying in post.

On behalf of the committee I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and in the words of the late, great Douglas Adams..."So long and thanks for all the Fish”!

CARLY JACQUES - BPSPA CHAIR

We welcome suggestions, contributions and news of Beechwoodians, past and present, which can be sent to Julia Rouse at J.Rouse@beechwoodpark.herts.sch.uk

Please check the School’s website for more information: www.beechwoodpark.com