Pipers Post Summer 2021

PIPERSPOST SPRING/SUMMER 2021

HIGHLIGHTS FOLLOW US

§ SOUND OF MUSIC § SPORTS DAY § SURVIVING POST-PIPERS § PREP ART DAY

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SURVIVING AND THRIVING POST-PIPERS

Clockwise: Interview workshop, Research skills, Practicing CPR, Firelighting in Forest School, Sports Day, Using a defribulator on dummies, Inner Drive workshop

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his summer, we bid farewell to our Year 13 students as they move onto the next stage of their lives, many of whom will be going on to study at university. The Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Kay, devised a two-week programme full of workshops designed to equip them with useful skills that they can take with them, wherever their next step may be.

Critical thinking, financial skills, political engagement, networking and interview techniques were also covered throughout the programme. Alongside the practical skills, Mrs Kay weaved in some fun for the students’ final fortnight at school, including a mini Sports Day where they played capture the flag and rounders.

A range of external speakers were brought in to deliver sessions, including First Aid Training where our students got to practice using defribulators on dummies. They also had a session called Inner Drive which covered communicating with others, developing independence and how to best utilise your brain. Another session looked at travelling safely overseas, particularly for students considering a gap year.

The students also got to spend a whole day in Forest School, carving, fire-lighting and enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate and smores. Our Food Tech studio has never smelt so delicious as they prepared fajita boxes, baked cookies, apple tart and banoffee pie. And finally, the students led an Inter-house debating competition, with Years 10-12 as the live audience, Zooming in from their classrooms.

Hot Chocolate and S’mores around the firepit in Forest School

TERRIFIC TIE-DYE

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re-Prep had a special Art Day during the Summer Term. Over two sunny afternoons they practiced the necessary skills: folding, pleating and twisting the fabric to achieve the desired result. Each girl designed their own t-shirt, creating a kaleidoscope of colour in the Pre-Prep playground.

@PipersPrePrep

@PipersSenior Left: Persuading staff to invest ‘Pipers Pounds’ during the enterprise event. Right: Filming an advert in the pool for rubber bands and rings designed for teens.

ENTERPRISE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

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his year, instead of following the traditional study skills route, our Year 11s developed exciting skills such as networking, presenting, media and marketing through practice. At the start of their two-week event, they took personality tests to think about the strengths they could bring to a team and where they could improve. Once completed, the year was divided into groups and were given the brief: create a proposal and business plan for an accessories company with three unique products.

The students had to create the business name, logo and brand identity whilst also considering what philanthropic approach their company would have and figuring out ways to make their business as eco-friendly as possible.

Moving into the second week the teams devised a marketing and social media strategy and filmed an advert for their products. Throughout the event they could earn ‘Pipers Pounds’ for winning challenges, which they could spend on additional marketing opportunities for their business. The culmination of all of their hard work was a Dragon’s Den style pitch in front of a panel of experienced business personnel. Each judge had the ability to invest ‘Pipers Pounds’ in the businesses.

Top: Rehearsing the Dragon’s Den pitch; Below: A final leaving present for Year 11

YOUNG ENTERPRISE SUCCESS

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s ever, our enthusiastic businesswomen in the Sixth Form showed off their ingenuity as they reached the Area Finals in this year’s Young Enterprise competition.

This is the third consecutive year that a Young Enterprise team has represented the school in the final stages of the competition.

As an extraordinarily environmentally conscious company, Corkify took home the Sustainability Award during the Area Finals. Corks take over 200 years to bio-degrade, so our Year 12 students took it upon themselves to prevent them going to landfill by upcycling corks into unique decorations and bespoke gifts.

Top: Team Corkify after competing in the Area Finals.

Below: A Corkify decorative heart and Easter wreath.

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SPORTS DAY

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ports day is always an exhilarating event, with plenty of House pride and friendly competition. This year, we brought this special day to parents via the Pipers Radio station, with a show featuring Virgin Radio DJ Sam Pinkham, former Deputy Head Girl, Minky Byrne, and former Sports Captain, Hannah Bates.

Penn secured the overall victory for both Junior and Senior Sports Days. New school records were set in the Year 7 relay for Hampden and the Year 8 discus for Ellie B. Right Top: 100m Sprint, Middle: Year 8 Parade Bottom: Hannah, Minky and Sam. Left: Senior Obstacle race, Pre-Prep Sack Race.

Below: Maddie R during the 800m.

GIVING ART A SECOND CHANCE

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s part of the Gold Arts Award, Katy P one of our Year 12 students, Katy P, hosted an art show on the theme of ‘Second Chances’. It was an excellent opportunity to showcase any form of artwork: sculptures, paintings, ceramics and textiles. The exhibition supported Trail Blazers, a charity with offers mentoring to young offenders to provide them a second chance in life.

SCIENCE

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haking the morning away, Year 5 put their resilience and arm muscles to the test as they turned cream into butter. Shaking the cream in jam jars, the girls noted the different stages as the liquid turned into a solid. A delicious experiment to reinforce their scientific understanding of reversible and irreversible changes.

COMING SOON...

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The 2020-21 edition of Aquila, the school magazine, will be available from Speech Day in September. On the theme of evolution, this year the students delve into environmental, personal and societal growth in a series of engaging articles.

SOUND OF MUSIC

ALADDIN

JUNIOR AND SENIOR DANCE SHOW

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PREP ART DAY

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very year, our students in Years 3 to 6 participate in Prep Art Day. With a set-theme the girls worked through different activities and projects, practicing favourite skills and learning some new techniques along the way.

The theme this year was ‘Our Endangered World/Caring for Our Planet’, with a focus on the impact of climate change and pollution on the global environment and wildlife.

Endangered and vulnerable wildlife were used as inspiration for the artwork, such as sea turtles, penguins and polar bears.

EARTH WEEK

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ixth Form prefects in conjunction with our environment group, HOPE, organised the first Pipers Earth Week during the Summer Term. Setting a theme for each day of the week, the students had the whole school plunged into darkness for No Lights Wednesday, and then had everyone in the comunity making a realistically achievable eco-pledge for Pledge Tuesday.

Top to bottom: Year 6 canvases, Year 5 paintings, Year 4 ink work, painted turtles and Year 3 crayon work

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FORENSIC CHEMISTRY

orensic skills were drawn upon during Mrs Hanley’s Chemistry lesson with Year 8, as the students were tasked with solving the mysterious demise of Mr Cohen.

Having practiced throughout the term, they put their skills to the test as they conducted soil and fibre analysis to investigate clues from the crime scene.

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@PipersPrep

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PREP RESIDENTIAL TRIP

ear 4 and 5 collaborated on a joint-residential visit to The South Cerney Outdoor Centre in the Cotswolds.

Over the two days, they received instruction in stand-uppaddleboarding and sailing, with great success.

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The centre provided accommodation in eight person tents and the group enjoyed fire-pit cooking and camp-fire songs.

With amazing weather and scenery, it made for a wonderful experience for all.

FARM FIELD TRIP

eography students in Year 9 took a field trip to Road Farm to get footage for their video entry to the LEAF Food National Competition. LEAF stands for Linking Environment and Farming and their aim is to inspire and motivate young people about agriculture, particularly food production and environmentally-friendly farming. It was an excellent educational opportunity, learning about local sustainable farming.

ENVIRONMENTAL ART

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ower Sixth students learnt about eco-printing from our in-house expert and textiles technician, Mrs Ramsay.

They spent three weeks printing and dying using foilage and flowers from the school ground, with impressively detailed results!

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ardening Club were fortunate enough to have new raised beds installed over winter. Throughout the Spring and Summer Terms the Prep students nurtured plenty of plants, such as radishes, strawberries and rhubarb, which will be used by Food Technology for cooking and Textiles for making natural homemade dyes.

TIME CAPSULE

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embers from the Year 7 History Club completed their 2020-21 time capsule, encapsulating life in lockdown.

Their hard work will be stored in the department’s archive, to be opened in the years to come!

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SPORT SPORT

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ipers students embraced the return to in-person sport with exemplary enthusiasm in the Spring and Summer Terms. Cricket was reintroduced with the return of warmer weather with the Prep department showing particular Our U13 football squad had a brilliant afternoon at the promise on the pitch. Practicing bowling, batting and ISFA tournament in May, with three wins and two losses fielding at home certainly paid off as they played home including an impressive 3-0 game against Queenswood. and away fixtures against York House, Westbrook Hay and Gateway School.

Year 9 had a busy programme of Inter-House fixtures: Hampden took the win for climbing and cheerleading while Penn was victorious in the Inter-House swimming gala.

As the weather turned warmer, there was an abundance of enthusiasm for athletics. District athletics was a regular fixture for Years 7 to 8, with very impressive performances across the track and field events. The Bucks County Athletics Championships saw our girls qualify for the finals, Aoife and Maeve qualified for 200m junior final, and Liv and Amy qualified for the 800m Inter-Final, with Liv also being crowned County Champion.

Year 13 Big Bang experiment

Year 10 using Djembe Drums in Music

Sixth Form induction baking and marketing competition

Year 7 bee cushion covers Dressing as Mrs Bevan for Prep Inspiration Day

Years 7-8 Talent Show

Year 8 Geography in the Wildflower Meadow

Year 3 Forest Sleepover Year 3 trip to RHS Wisley

Year 10 Forest Bathing

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Lockdown creativity

Pipers Corner School, Great Kingshill, Buckinghamshire HP15 6LP

01494 718255

www.piperscorner.co.uk

theschool@piperscorner.co.uk

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Pre-Prep Teddy Bears Picnic

SCHOOL

Easter treats