Enrichment

The Elstree Award

The Elstree Award focusses on outdoor education, outdoor skills, teamwork and leadership. Year 6 work on their Bronze Award, Year 7 on their Silver Award (which comes with the Governor’s Award) and the Year 8 finish by achieving their Gold Award. The Year 6 children learnt how to build shelters, start fires, tie knots and, critically, elementary first aid. They were taught about what to pack and wear when you go hiking and have studied flora and fauna around the school grounds. As part of their charity work, the children helped out at the Autumn Term Gift Fair. They finished the year by completing a quiz and we are delighted to see that we definitely have some budding Bear Grylls out there. In Year 7 the Elstree Award is based on The Duke of Edinburgh Award. The children have to complete charity work, learn a new skill, keep physically fit and camp outside. This group offer their support to local charity PALS, when they visit Elstree and they also helped at the Elstree Summer Fete as part of their charity work. In the Lent Term, the children put together a presentation on any topic they wanted. These were then judged, with the best one going on to be presented to the whole year group and their parents. At their camp this year, the children had to complete a lot of challenges. We started with a first aid talk from Sister Cook. After this they had an hour to put up their tents. With teamwork and a lot of help from the Gappers it took less than hour for five 8-man tents to go up, and then the children moved in and made themselves at home. However, they didn’t have long to relax before being split into groups and taking part in more challenges, these included kayaking on the lake, water safety in the pool and planning route cards for their walk the next morning. After an hour of hard work, it was time to head back to our campsite and get ready for some well-earned sleep. Before bed, the children enjoyed /hot chocolate and marshmallows around the campfire. Eventually it was time to rest before they did it all again the next day. It was an early wake-up at 6am with a brief window to complete challenges that hadn’t been finished the night before. Once these had been ticked off, it was time for a well-earned breakfast. Once they were all well-fuelled it was time to pack-up, clear up the campsite and get ready for our hike. Split into three groups, the children had to navigate using their route cards which took them from Elstree School, around Woolhampton and then back to Elstree. Each group had a teacher with them just in case they went off course. Everyone had an opportunity to lead the walk and test their skill of taking a bearing to ensure we got back to camp safe and sound. Then it was time to take down tents and head home for some real sleep. The Year 7s did a great job and showed excellent leadership skills and teamwork.

The winner of the Elstree Award 2022 was Oscar Hargreave. In Year 8 the children helped with Bonfire Night, which is great fun but always needs their careful assistance. These older children are always practicing great teamwork and demonstrating the leadership skills they learnt in earlier years, before they became Prefects, Librarians, Heads of House, Head of a Sport, Head of Music, Head of Choir and so many more responsible roles. It has been another successful year for the Elstree Award. Well done to all the children.

AG

Following their examinations, the scholarship form enjoyed their annual ‘Enrichment Week’. This included a day in Oxford visiting the university as well as punting and playing real tennis. The boys were visited by the Head of Learning from Downe House, Andy Atherton, who presented a fascinating lecture on the history of books. The boys also enjoyed a bowling trip and some free time in Newbury. This week was fully deserved following the rigours of the scholarship process. LJO

PALS visit Elstree

After a break of nearly two years, we are thrilled to have welcomed back children and adults from PALS to Elstree again. PALS is a local charity that supports children and young adults who have physical disabilities. Several times a year they visit Elstree School and are supported by our Year 7 pupils in trying a range of different activities. This year, activities have included making art using natural materials: fir cones, twigs, leaves and the odd feather. Inspired by the Paralympics we had a game of boccia and used a parachute for other games. The children made gingerbread biscuits in all shapes and sizes - hearts, stars, butterflies and even frogs! Helped by Mrs Syckelmoore, they made clay thumb pots and leaf prints too. On their final visit to Elstree, PALS were invited to a year-end BBQ. A range of games were played on the front lawn including cricket, badminton & putting. It was a fun evening and the Year 7s are to be commended for making the children from PALS feel so welcome. We look forward to seeing them again next term. PNS

Year 8 Takeover Morning

Elstree’s new teaching staff (Year 8 pupils) performed excellently under the scrutiny of some of its older members. After some teacher training on Monday morning, they spent Monday to Wednesday preparing two lessons to deliver to the rest of the school. The boys chose their lessons out of a pot, assigning them anything from 3CMK History to 7AJP Latin. They produced starters, teaching points, activities and a plenary, and were marked on seven different criteria. Topics included satellites, the Black Death and probability using Skittles. A few interesting stories have come out of these lessons: apparently, the River Nile in fact ends in the Lake District, the sofa in Hill 9 is a good teacher’s chair, and teachers, too, apparently need loo breaks in the middle of their lessons.

The Year 8 pupils clearly enjoyed themselves.

AWP

LAMDA Examinations

Autumn Term 2022

Katherine Oliver Solo Acting Grade 3 Distinction Kevin Hu Verse and Prose Grade 2 Merit Joshua Singleton Acting Combined Grade 2 Merit Maisie Brown Verse and Prose Grade 3 Distinction James Fane Verse and Prose Grade 2 Distinction Harry Anderson Acting Combined Grade 3 Distinction Phoebe McEwen Verse and Prose Entry 3 Distinction Toby Bi Verse and Prose Grade 2 Merit Leonardo La Corte Acting Combined Grade 2 Distinction Nicky Xu Acting Combined Grade 2 Distinction Jack George Acting Combined Grade 4 Merit Jack Duffield Acting Combined Grade 4 Merit Eva Lockhart Acting Combined Grade 1 Distinction Kweji Sameke Acting Combined Grade 1 Distinction Spring Term 2022

Sebastian Buck Verse and Prose Grade 3 Merit Ethan Lockhart Verse and Prose Grade 2 Distinction Frank Tang Verse and Prose Grade 5 Distinction Jerry Liu Solo Acting Grade 5 Merit Max Venning Acting Combined Grade 5 Distinction Arthur Ward Acting Combined Grade 5 Distinction Hamish Fawcett Acting Combined Grade 3 Merit Joshua Chan Acting Combined Grade 3 Merit Isla Sanford Acting Combined Grade 3 Distinction Matilda Lloyd Acting Combined Grade 3 Merit Sebastian Black Verse and Prose Grade 2 Merit Jonty Shaw Acting Combined Grade 2 Merit Charles Chen Acting Combined Grade 2 Merit Charles Utley Verse and Prose Grade 1 Merit Sophie Payne Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction Harry Clothier Combined Acting Grade 2 Merit Wilf Foulds Combined Acting Grade 2 Distinction George Johnstone Combined Acting Grade 3 Distinction Tom Shaw Combined Acting Grade 3 Distinction Summer Term 2022

Adam Bond Acting Combined Grade 5 Distinction William Anderson Acting Combined Grade 5 Distinction Petra Mckay Solo Acting Grade 5 Distinction James Fane Verse and Prose Grade 3 Distinction Mide Sonuga Solo Acting Grade 2 Merit Phoebe McEwen Solo Acting Grade 1 Merit Sergei Teliatnik Solo Acting Grade 5 Distinction Gabriel Islam Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction William Utley Acting Combined Grade 5 Merit Kitt Dorich Acting Combined Grade 5 Merit Leonardo La Corte Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction Wilf Ward Solo Acting Grade 1 Distinction Willem Loader Acting Combined Grade 2 Merit Bobby Blackwell Acting Combined Grade 2 Merit Calvin Wu Verse and Prose Grade 5 Distinction Raef Salvesen Acting Combined Grade 1 Pass Timi Sonuga Acting Combined Grade 1 Pass Nicky Xu Solo Acting Grade 4 Distinction Akinniran Akinola Acting Combined Grade 1 Distinction Felix Brims Acting Combined Grade 1 Distinction

Year 8 Life Skills Morning

Thank you to all the parents that were involved and helped in the running of the Life Skills Morning, it was great fun. We will carry the skills we learned for life. In particular, cooking was entertaining and the food was delicious. We all look forward to using the skills in our day-to-day lives and I’m sure our parents would find it a relief that the washing will be finally done. Another terrific activity was the breathing activity, and I’m sure that it will be used by many of the pupils. Ben Baxter, William Anderson, Alex Anderson, Adam Bond and Eddie Warman.

“I enjoyed the sewing and ironing because I fixed the button on my shirt in the sewing and I was good at ironing.”

Akintunji Akinola

“I enjoyed the dog grooming and the cooking because they were engaging and the food was scrumptious!”

Joshua Chan

“I enjoyed ironing because I found it relaxing and satisfying, I also liked cooking because the omelettes were tasty!”

Alexander Brown

“I enjoyed the breathing exercises because I fell asleep and I also like the cooking because I really liked making omelettes.”

Jack Duffield

What a fun morning everyone had at this term’s team building session, despite the unexpected downpour! The girls and boys were split into year groups led by a number of staff. Whilst the activities were aimed to challenge and excite, they were also designed to help break down barriers after a long summer holiday, encouraging new friendships to be forged at the start of the academic year. Here is a summary from our form tutors and pupils about the morning:

Year 3 It was lovely to witness the Year 3s going outdoors for some team building games, designed to help them get acquainted with each other and having great fun in the process. They were joined by Mrs Sanford who introduced a couple of new and exciting competitions. One of them involved getting their team across the shark-infested waters using hoops and plenty of teamwork, communication and cooperation! They then had to pass the hoop around their circle without breaking the link. Another challenge the children were given was to make up a simple dance routine in their Houses. The dance routine from Iris Yao, Mckenzie Cirone and Luca Rabbiosi (South) was particularly spectacular. CMS

Year 4 Year 4 went Orienteering around the school with Mr Attwood, Miss Boyd and Mrs Lavoipierre. Their main checkpoint was down on Bates and the students had to run to checkpoints all around the school such as Hewitt Pavilion, the Sports Hall and the Gruffalo Bridge. They learnt about compass points, directions and how to use a map to identify various landmarks around the school. They all had a good run around with plenty of laughter and smiles from everyone despite the weather. ELB

Year 5 battled the rain to work together on three different challenges. The aim of the first challenge was to run a ball along two pieces of guttering for 400 yards without letting it drop. The two classes worked well together and discovered that golf balls were far trickier to use than tennis balls! For their second challenge, the children had to create a newspaper cradle for an egg, which they then transported safely around the low ropes course. Each team member was only allowed to take two steps before passing the egg on. A few brave souls attempted to crawl along the dark, wet and muddy tunnel with their precious egg. Overall, their favourite challenge was the last one which involved the children attempting to tap a balloon around the obstacle course without popping it. The whole year group were super sports and they all thoroughly enjoyed their morning. CLP

Year 6 enjoyed a wide range of challenges. Gapper, Mr McKendrick opened proceedings with a “feet off the ground” challenge, this required the group to do press ups. Mr Morris led the “form order” challenge which included putting dates of birth, peg numbers and surnames in order - all in total silence. The groups surprised themselves by making this work! For Mr Williams’ “shrinking ship” challenge, the pupils worked together very well, sharing ideas to find the right strategies. Remaining calm was key and most importantly, they had to listen to each other! Pupils were then ready for the next “minefield challenge”, which was full of obstacles. The children were blindfolded and guided through the course by a peer, they had to follow instructions to avoid touching obstacles. It required a lot of patience and careful listening. Once they had their first run through, Mr Morris and Mr Williams did the challenge too guided by one of the pupils. Later on, the pupils moved on to Madame Simonin’s challenge. They were allocated to mixed groups and given different French sentences of between 6 to 8 words. The children had to agree on how to say it, practise, perform and translate it. This then led to the “wool shape challenge” which ranged from making shapes to writing words; it required some thinking and agreement on how best to create them. Finally, they did a relay carrying an envelope which contained a quiz question. The Year 6 group did very well, everyone was in great despite the rainy start. PAS

Year 7 gathered in the Sports Hall for the “River of Death challenge”. With a floor of lava, the teams, made up of Form Groups, had to cross it with the help of two crash mats. The challenge was to work at speed chaperoning blindfolded pupils or losing the right to speak! The forms had to collaborate with a variety of communication styles. The pupils then moved to Lower for a carousel of activities in mixed groups: the Three-Legged Water Race, Exotic Crisp Tasting, Human Connect Four and a Blindfolded Rope Assault Course. Common themes around the challenges involved stepping up to lead, devising strategies quickly, and listening to everyone in the group. The year group showed great togetherness and desire to listen to each other. AJP

The Year 8 team building was a great spectacle to behold! The challenge was to work together to create a way of safely transporting their precious cargo (three raw eggs) from point A to B. Based in Park, the materials available included sticks, leaves and foliage as well as a limited supply of string and tape. There were certain rules in place, such as keeping the eggs 2ft from the carriers and not being allowed to touch the eggs or use clothing – all of which curtailed their designs. The contraptions ranged from simple to complex and inspired. After the construction phase, the timed race was on. Teams set off at intervals and had to complete the course without incurring penalties. The pupils did themselves proud and it was enormous fun to do and watch – well done Year 8!

Year 5

Year 6 Year 7

Year 8

“My favourite task was the minefield one as it was all about trusting your team mate and following their instructions.”

Mila Tryon, Year 6

“The shrinking ship challenge with the rope tested our communication and we helped each other a lot, which was very nice.”

Kate Oliver, Year 6

“I really liked the wool activity as it was very challenging - we had to work together and speak to one another.”

Isla Sanford, Year 6

Eco Day at Wychwood School

Our Year 4 and 5 pupils from the Eco Committee were excited to take part in the Eco Day at Wychwood School, Oxford this week. Paul from the Ministry of Eco Education gave a series of talks, asked us many questions and got us thinking about global environmental issues.

At the end of the session each pupil made a pledge on some aspect of the environment and pinned them on a large notice board. We left feeling more positive about how to help look after our planet. Many thanks to Wychwood School, Oxford, for hosting such an amazing event and well done to Jack Sanford, Harry Lockwood, Ralph Weatherill and Izzy Clark from Year 4 and Dang Dang Liu, Bella Tryon and Dariya Maximova from Year 5.

CMS

“Take little steps to solve our climate crisis as these steps will, in turn, become big steps.”

Izzy Clark, Year 4

“If individuals and governments work together, and remember goodwill, we can solve all of Earth’s problems.”

Bella Tryon, Year 5 “Rather than scaring people we were advised to say, with positive images of a hopeful future planet, this is what planet earth could look like if we all look after it.”

Dariya Maximova, Year 5

A timeline of Elstree’s Eco Initiatives

September 2021: Toilet Twinning with a toilet in Afghanistan. Details of this are recorded in a framed certificate in the Gents’ Loos. This was financed by the Elstree Community. October 2021: Waste Week. Food waste is measured for the period of one week and winning tables (with the least waste) are usually rewarded. Waste week occurs twice a year and raises awareness of food waste and encourages greener eating habits. November 2021: Two of our pupils represented the school and their constituencies in the first ever Children’s Parliament. This initiative was started by the late Sir David Amess. It was a great success, despite being online, and it looks set to become an annual event. Our reps were Harry Anderson and Sophie Payne. November 2021: Switch-Off Fortnight. Over the course of a fortnight, electricity consumption is recorded. In previous years, consumption has dropped by 15%. The secret is to sustain this! Switch-Off fortnight occurs twice a year and is designed to raise awareness of energy consumption. Eco Committee members are also sent around the classes to see who has remembered to switch off all lights (and unnecessary electricity consumption overnight). December 2021: Planting of Saplings by the eco committee and grounds staff up in Park. April 2022: Hydration Stations set up in the Dining Hall. April 2022: New Yew Trees planted all along the Pineapple Walk. These were donated by Peter Fane and family. April 2022: New drinking fountains set up on Bates.

Monday 9th May: Reps from Year 4 and Year 5 participated in a Sustainability Day at Wychwood School in Oxford. The main focus was climate change and the children went away with some positive eco ideas to influence other members of the community. Paul from the Ministry of Eco Education delivered an inspiring talk and we also heard ideas from pupils from the other participating schools. Tuesday 10th May: Eco Committee Meeting, which meets formally twice a term and has two reps from each Year group. Dang Dang Liu fed back from the previous day’s Sustainability Day. We also discussed the forthcoming termly Eco Assembly which, on this occasion, was to be led by all the girls on the eco committee. Friday 20th May: Green Flag Review - undertaken by William Anderson and Jack George plus all the pupils in 3CMS. Our eco topics for this particularly academic year were School Grounds, Water and Healthy Living. We were able to go through all the paperwork necessary for the now annual green flag award. Wednesday 25th May: Eco Assembly delivered by the girls on the eco committee and headed by Sophie Payne. The topic was on environmental issues at Elstree School and covered what we do well and what issues are yet to be tackled. The Garden Plots have been cultivated in art classes/gardening club with the valuable assistance of Mrs Joan Syckelmoore. These were on display for Elstree’s celebrations of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. They included vegetables as well as a fine array of flowering plants. CMS

Headmaster’s Project

Since January, Year 6 had dedicated time each week to create an artefact for the Headmaster’s Project. Creativity, organisation and design development is something we feel is important as part of our academic aspirations for pupils - as is dedicating time during a busy week to see an idea become a reality. The Headmaster’s Project is an opportunity for Year 6 Pupils to create a piece of work on anything which is of interest to them. The aim of the project is for pupils to develop new skills which will be invaluable throughout their education, including: • Self-regulation • Organisation • Research • Development • Presentation • Self-reflection

Each pupil was tasked to: 1. Create a project in the form of an artefact or an essay 2. Have their work evaluated by a member of Senior Management 3. Complete a logbook reflecting upon their learning journey 4. Present their learning journey and artefact/essay at the Headmaster’s

Project Review.

Results

The Chair of Governors, Mr James Sunley, kindly agreed to judge the Project. It was such an incredible crop of projects and choosing the top three was a hard choice. The prizes were presented on Sports Day.

Winner

Sebastian Buck – ‘D-Day Landings Omaha Beach’ model

2nd Place

Tilly Lloyd – ‘A New Relationship with the Sea’ banner

3rd Place

Ethan Lockhart – ‘Dinosaur Timescale’ model

Well done everyone for your hard work and creativity, we hope you enjoyed the challenge. AWP

The Conscientious Biologist

We had an excellent lecture from Mr Ben Gallagher, ‘The Conscientious Biologist’. He examined the fundamental concepts of life itself. Specifically, he talked about cells and how DNA is used to create proteins which govern almost all of the metabolic processes that allow life to exist. He went on to discuss how an understanding of DNA can allow scientists to modify cells through genetic engineering… and how science fiction is rapidly becoming science fact. The children listened really well and came up with some thoughtful questions too. AWP