SPRING TERM 2015 NEWSletter - beacon...

TRADITIONAL VALUES |

CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION

NEWSletter 5 February 2015 – Week 5

SPRING TERM 2015

I was struck again this week (as

I am most weeks!) by the shee

r number and scope of

activities taking place both in a

nd out of school. On the sports

side, in addition to our

usual fixtures, we have been vic

torious in the U10 Larkin Shield

football tournament at

Merchant Taylors’ against nine o

ther schools, our U9s have won

a triangular against

Chesham Prep and Davenies and

our cross country team has wo

n the Year 5 and 6

county championship with Char

lie Berens finishing in first place

.

In Performing Arts we had a rem

arkable display of talent in our

Scholars’ Showcase. The boys’ v

irtuosity was

outstanding in both musical and

dramatic pieces and showed ho

w high a standard can be attain

ed with hard

work and commitment. Truly ins

piring.

From the English department, b

oys from Years 3 and 4 went to

Cadogan House and performed

brilliantly in

their Poetry Festival to much de

served applause. In Science, Yea

r 6 boys have produced some w

onderful 3D

models of different types of cell

s, demonstrating their clear und

erstanding of the subject.

On Friday we had Open Mornin

g, with a large number of prosp

ective parents keen to understa

nd what The

Beacon is all about. I admit it is

difficult to show them just how

much goes on in the short spac

e of a

morning but I hope they got a t

aste of all the excellent work be

ing done here. Our results in all s

pheres speak

for themselves.

PAGE 1 TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION

Our Cross Country County Champions

NEWS from the Headmaster

TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION

By Pre-Prep standards it’s been arelatively quiet week and unfortunately Imissed the first few days due to a bug. Ireturned to the fray on Wednesday todiscover I needed to take cookery clubdue to other staff illness. FortunatelyMrs Morris was on hand to help outotherwise the cheese scones we bakedmay have been even less appetizingthan they eventually turned out to be.The boys’ enthusiasm certainly madeup for my very real lack of expertise;someone gleefully announced as wemade the mix that he had done thisbefore. His mother, he assured me,was an excellent cooker. Next weekpromises to be rather more excitingand hopefully less culinary as onWednesday 10 February we areholding a drama day with the themeof superheroes; your son may ofcourse come to school suitably attired!By Friday, half term will be upon us. Inthe meantime, have a great weekendeveryone.

Richard Haley, Head of Pre-Prep

This half term Year 6 boys have been studying the structure and function of living organisms specifically the similaritiesand differences between plant and animal cells and have made a fantastic array of 3D models as a result. These arecurrently on display in the Library and in the Science Department. Well done to all of Year 6 for their hard work.

Mr Collins, Miss Cuggy & Mr Tenison

NEWS from The Science Department

NEWS from Pre-Prep


NEWS from The Library

Performing Arts Scholars’ ShowcaseThursday evening saw the annual Performing Arts Scholars’Showcase in the Old Barn. Year 8 boys who have recentlyattended assessments for senior school scholarships in Musicand Drama performed dramatic monologues and instrumentaland vocal pieces to an audience of parents, friends and staff.Some Year 7 boys who are showing outstanding talent inthese areas were also invited to perform at the event,exhibiting their promise and potential to apply for scholarshipsnext year.

Our roving reporter, Rahul Bhima, not only performed on stagebut was among the audience at the interval to capture the audiencereaction: One parent commented, ‘It is fantastic! It’s lovely to knowwhat the boys are capable of’ and another, ‘I’m blown away by thetalent of the school’. The boys taking part had some comments too,‘It has been a good opportunity to practise our skills’, and, ‘It’s agreat experience for current and future scholars’.

Many congratulations to the boys who performed at this intimateand celebratory event. We are very proud of them all and wishthem every success in the outcome of their applications. Will Maynard, Head of Drama & Liz Van Tromp, Director of Music

presents

THE

Thursday4 February

at 6.00 pm in

SCHOLARS’SHOWCASE

The

Theatre


Performing Arts NEWS

National Libraries Day – Saturda

y 6 February

The boys are very lucky to have

access to libraries and librarian

s at school;

others are not so fortunate an

d rely on their local library. Sa

dly library

services are under threat locally

and nationally, please pop into

your local

library this Saturday and show

your support!

The Imagine Festival - Southbank There will be lots on at the Southbank in London this halfterm at the Imagine Children's Festival. Many eventsrelating to the Roald Dahl centenary and other highlightswhich the boys might enjoy include Michael Morpurgo AND David Walliams appearing together and also David Baddielwhose "Parent Agency" and "The Person-Controller" are very popular with the boys at the moment.

Katie Turrell, Librarian

Music at The BeaconNext week there is a Tea and Music Concert on Thursday at 4.30pm. Any boy in Years 5, 6, 7 & 8 is welcome to comealong and pay a solo, regardless of ability.

If your son would like to take part then please do let me know – it would be super to hear him play!

On Saturday 27 February, the BPS are joining forces with the Performing Arts Department to put on an evening ofsongs from the shows to entertain you while enjoying a two course meal! Do come along if you can as this looks set tobe a really enjoyable evening. Look out for the booking information later in this newsletter.


NEWS from The English Department

Years 5 and 6 get creative at Bradfield CollegeOn Monday this week, a group of ten Year 5s and 6s left schoolto go to a creative writing workshop at Bradfield College. Oncewe arrived we proceeded to their library where we divided intotwo groups of five. Two more schools soon joined us and thenauthor, Cesca Major (who also writes under the name of RosieBlake), arrived to explain our task. We were to individually createtwo characters, different from each other, and then put them intoa story. We discussed some good spooky settings and had onlytime to create one of our characters before having a short breakwith juice and cookies.

After the break and snack we went back to our tables and carriedon writing. We were told to plan a second character, preferablydifferent from the first and then put both into the same story,making some interesting combinations. We had twenty minutesto complete the task. Afterwards some of the boys read out theirstories. There were some settings as scary as McDonalds! Thenwe headed back to school. All in all it was a fantastic trip andgave all the boys a great opportunity to improve on their storyplanning and writing skills.

Mark Krutikov-Korsmik and Shaan Grewal

Poetry Festival at Cadogan House, RMSOn Wednesday, a group of boys from the Lower and Middle School performed at a Poetry Festival in Cadogan House atRoyal Masonic School. Earning many plaudits from the appraisers, the boys were awarded individual certificates andreturned with a beautiful gift for Mrs Turrell from the staff of RMS: a hardback, illustrated copy of Lewis Carroll’s timeless‘Alice in Wonderland’, with which she was delighted.

Congratulations to all the boys who performed and special thanks to Miss Galley who helped prepare the boys for theirperformances. Will Maynard, Head of Drama


School’s Out Holiday Activities for February Half Term The following Holiday Courses are running during February Half Term.

Supercamps: 15-19 February, 8.00 am – 6.00 pmwww.supercamps.co.uk/camps/the-beacon-1

Alan Scott Judo: 15-17 February, 9.00 am – 3.00 pm, The Spinney Theatre

https://www.participant.co.uk/beaconschool/schools_out_judo_february_half_term_years_1-8

Football: 17-19 February, 10.00 am – 4.00 pm, Willsfield (Mr Robinson)www.participant.co.uk/beaconschool/schools_out_february_football_at_the_beacon_years_1-_8

Old Beaconian James Harding, is part of a team who are in line foran honour at the National Adventure Awards for having set a newGuinness World Record for the northernmost rugby match inhistory. The team, led byformer Rugby UnionInternationals OlliePhillips and TimStimpson, trekked over60 miles in 2015 acrossarctic ice to the 1996Magnetic North Pole,

surviving harrowing winds, avoiding polar bears and facingtemperatures of -30 degrees. Once at the Magnetic NorthPole, the team created a pitch and played a full 7-a-side rugby match!

The challenge raised over £200,000 for WoodenSpoon, a charity which supports life-changingprojects across the UK and Ireland to helpdisadvantaged and disabled children. You can helpJames and the rest of the Arctic Rugby team to winby voting for them via the following link:http://bit.ly/VoteWSforNAA

James can be seen in this photo of the 1st XV,taken in the 1985-86 academic year (front row,first on the left).

VOTE for James and his Team

SCHOOL’S OUT

presentBEACON BROADWAY!Saturday 27 February at 7.00 pm in The Spinney TheatreA GLORIOUS SHOW WITH SONGS FROM MANY OF THE MOST FAMOUS BROADWAY MUSICALS

Parents’ Society

The

Theatre

&

Featuring performances by Year 7 boys, invited guests andVintage Voices – a true musical extravaganza.

Coming soon…Details of how to book tickets have nowbeen emailed to all parents, so do lookout for the email.

And save the date now…

Friday 13 May 7.30 pm

– The Beacon May BallFiona Mayhew and Nonny Steel – Co-Chairs, Beacon Parents’ [email protected]

Calling NewCommitteeMembers…With several BeaconParents’ Society membersleaving at the end of theyear, there currently aren'tenough members to keepthe Society running. If youhave been thinking ofjoining, now is yourmoment! We are currentlylooking for Co-Chairs, aSecretary and other newCommittee members tojoin the team. Activitiesrange from helping withthe Christmas Fair andQuiz Night, to Camp Nightand Cake Sales...Pleaserally your friends andcontact either Nonny orFiona if you are interested.


Parents’ Society NEWS

Sports NEWS

Player of the week : Charlie BCharlie, Year 5, has had a tremendous week. He scored the golden goal to enablethe U10A team to win the Larkin Shield tournament at Merchant Taylors’ onSaturday, then won the gold medal in the Year 5 individual event in the CrossCountry on Wednesday, helping the Year 5 and 6 team to be crowned countychampions. He was also part of the Year 5 and 6 team which won their event at theSwanbourne Chase Cross Country event the following day. His commitment anddetermination are exceptional!

Team of the weekTeam of the week is divided between the U10A football team and the CountyChampionship winning Year 5 and 6 cross country team. Our footballers meldedtogether strongly to win the Larkin Shield Tournament (see below) with a smoothdisplay throughout their games in both attack and defence, winning the trophy by

a thrilling golden goal in extra time. Our Year 5 and 6 Cross Country runners also put in a huge amount of effort anddetermination to emerge as County Champions (see page 9). Well done all.


Congratulations to…… Nicholas Blagg who has been selected for the Bucks U14 Boys Tennis squad to compete in both the 12 Counties andthe County Cup. David Robinson, Director of Sport

FOOTBALL MATCH REPORT : U10A Larkin Shield TournamentLast Saturday, the Under 10A football squad converged on Merchant Taylors' Prep for their 5-a-side footballtournament. With the team in good spirits, following a comfortable 6-3 win over Claires Court the previous day, theteam started with an opening win 2-0 over Davenies, and followed it up with a comfortable 3-0 win over Belmont. Themovement and passing of the young team were a joy to behold and The Beacon lads quickly established themselves asfront runners for the main prize.

A complicated pool system with (3 pools of 10 teams) meant that our semi-final was against the winners of pool 3,UCS. This was a tense and nail-biting affair which saw the score after 10 minutes at 0-0. It went into extra time. Thedeadlock was broken by a neat Charlie Berens winner. The final was against Berkhamsted Prep, winners of their pool.The boys were, by now, so comfortable on the ball that their play took on an almost hypnotic quality and they canteredto a 2-0 lead through goals for Harvey Shurrock and George Darbyshire. But the result is always in doubt until that finalwhistle, and the second half saw a tenacious Berkhamsted side fight back to make it 2-2.

This now meant a period of 3 extra minutes, witha golden goal. Berkhamsted had their chance andwould have taken it but for a brave JamesStewart save in goal. With time ticking away andpenalties looming, The Beacon threw one lastthrow of the dice. Touch passing that would havemade Pep Guardiola purr, saw a cross shootacross the box for Berens to pounce on. The onlything stopping his vicious shot was the back ofthe net – the lads had done it. Well done to all.

Squad – James Stewart, Marco Filippetto, BarnabyDunster, Thomas Redmond, Harvey Shurrock,George Darbyshire, Charlie Berens. Mike Williams

Sports NEWS

FOOTBALL MATCH REPORT : The Beacon U9A v Davenies and Chesham Prep SchoolThe U9A team had an enjoyable afternoon of football at Davenies School on Tuesday this week. Playing two games,they managed to win the first match 2-0 against Davenies, producing a very organised, workman-like performance.There was some excellent football played and I was incredibly impressed with their effort and determination.Unfortunately, the boys lost the second game 1-0 against Chesham Prep. The boys looked a little tired in the secondgame but still created enough chances to get a positive result out of the match. Congratulations to all boys that played:Lawson, Bhargava, Grant, Patel, Letts, Overy, Higgins, Manu. Steve Miles

FOOTBALL MATCH REPORT : The Beacon Colts A v Caldicott – Match won 6-3The Colts A produced a stunning performance to beat a very strong Caldicott side 6-3. After a hideous first fiveminutes The Beacon hit their stride and started to play some excellent football. They attacked with pace, moved theball quickly and were ruthless in the final third of the pitch. The shape and organisation of the team was great and theyall worked incredibly hard for one another. Congratulations to all boys that played: Rynn, Weatherall, Keith, Chhabra,Grant, Hancock, Lloyd, Vidal, Wells, Stubbs. Steve Miles

FOOTBALL MATCH REPORT : The Beacon U9B2 v Davenies and Chesham PrepThe U9B2s played at Davenies on Tuesday and producedsome great football where the boys were passing andmoving superbly and on this day they came out winnersagainst Chesham 1-0 and Davenies 2-0. There weresome standout performances within the team – BenSlatford showed some great pieces of individual skillwhilst Manhar Saggu proved how deadly he was withsome great finishes. The most pleasing is seeing boyswho were playing for each other and making the rightchoices on whether to pass or dribble with the ball,Charlie McLaughlin, Fabian Belgrave, Conrad Sammars,Rufus Vidal, Charlie Arnison and Dominic Thompson allcontributed to a great win. David Robinson

FOOTBALL MATCH REPORT : Triangular Tournament with Chesham Prep and Davenies In our first match the mixed C/D team facedDavenies. Our superb goal Keeper Jashan J,blocked goal after goal, delighting the crowd.Arran Dhanda and Sam Winkworth’s goals,brought us back from 1-0 down at half time, tofinish with an impressive 2-2 draw. The U9Ds thenplayed Chesham Prep, dominating the game, withfar more confidence than in previous matches andusing space and good communication. This was acracking match, with a whopping 4 goals from‘sharp shooter Oli Hales’ and a final goal from hiswing man Josh Hiscocks, we finished with a well-deserved victory of 5-0. Dominic Thomas (Captain U9Ds)


Sports NEWS

CROSS COUNTRY REPORT : County Championships at Hughenden ParkA lovely sunny afternoon saw the some fantasticperformances from the Beacon boys. In thecombined Year 5 and 6 race we were crownedCounty Champions with a terrific team effort. Inthe individual Year 5 event, Charlie B won the goldmedal with a fine run, followed closely behind withanother great performance from Thomas R whowon bronze. Fraser C also had a strong run andcame in 6th. In the individual Year 6 competition,Bailey C finished 4th with Woody J 6th, William M8th and Nathan S 11th. A superb all round teamachievement to become County Champions!

In the Year 7 event, Thomas Creighton ran anexcellent race to finish in second place. In Year 8,Joe Day also ran with guts and determination in avery competitive race which also included Year 9s.Well done all. Steve Winter

FOOTBALL MATCH REPORT : The Beacon Colts B XI v Caldicott – Match won 4-3The start of February unleashed the Colts B onto an unsuspecting team from Caldicott. Little did they realise that theywere about to face a team honed on sixteen cross countries so far this term, without a single ball in sight. MrRobinson had the foresight to put us on the muddiest pitch available, knowing full well that our superior fitness wouldpay off. It was a game of two halves, both of which were freezing cold, windy and muddy. The Beacon started offstrongly by scoring after ten minutes; Jacob Avis steering in a beauty of a goal precisely into the top left corner. Fiveminutes later the game was still 1-0, but out of nowhere Matthew Warren scored, also in the top left, just before half-time.

After the break and a very motivating pep talk by Mr King, we started dribbling, which got us nowhere in the heavyconditions. Soon after Jacob Avis curled a deep cross to the far post, where Tom Hyde side-footed into the bottom leftcorner, in off the post. Just two minutes later we gave away a penalty; however, Moffat leapt like a salmon to turn itaround his right post. Joe Hart must be quaking in his boots! After that amazing save, Warren charged from right full-back, cut in onto his left foot and shot from nearly the half-way line over the advancing keeper into the back of thenet. It was the wonder goal of the afternoon. Caldicott did manage to score three unremarkable goals in return. Infact so unremarkable that they are difficult to describe. Charlie ‘The Salmon’ Moffat was the man of the match for thatamazing save, as well as some other excellent work which normally goes unrecognised. Oliver McGuire 6M


Action from Willsfield

6 of the 7members of thewinning CrossCountry team withthe SwanbourneChase trophy:Charlie, Thomas,Bailey, Woody,William andNathan (with the7th member,Fraser in inset)

This week I thought that I would share with you myexperience of my scholarship and exams to help those whoare going to face the same things in the next couple ofyears and for parents that are thinking about entering theirchildren so that they can learn a little bit more about it. Thefirst thing that I’ve got to say is that the whole experience,although rewarding, was tough and challenging.

I play the piano and French Horn to a reasonable standardand wanted to try for a music scholarship. I first had to gofor a pre-audition where I had to perform different pieceson both my instruments. I did this in Year 6 and again inYear 7 and had to practise quite a lot to get ready. You areasked lots of questions including what would I choose if Ihad a clash between playing in a concert or playing in arugby match. It was a really difficult question because bothare important to me! The whole experience was quite

nerve racking and it was just stage 1. In November last year, I was invited back for the scholarship audition, where I spentthe afternoon performing with 14 other boys as well as singing, sight reading and being tested on my aural skills. AlthoughI enjoyed the day, it was tiring but at least that was the end of the music scholarship assessment.

Two weeks ago were the entrance exams. Getting ready for these exams has been hanging over me for a few months. Toget ready for them, I had extra lessons at break and often at lunch time and after school. I also had to revise and do pastexam papers during the school holidays and after school. I had 13 exams in total for pretty much all the subjects I study. 11of the exams took place over three days including a Saturday! The exams were tough but I was as prepared as I could be.My hand hurt from writing so much and I really hope they have been able to read what I wrote!

From this you are probably thinking that the exams were too mucheffort, but this was probably one of the most rewarding experiencesthat I have ever had. Not only did I gain lots of knowledge from theexams, it also taught me a lot about how to revise, the best ways torevise and also exam techniques. My French and Latin especiallyhave improved much to Madame Jones and Ms Rice-Oxley’s delight.All in all, if you are thinking about going for a scholarship beprepared for a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment. Theyare challenging but when you come out, you will have gained alot, and the relief after they are over is almost overwhelmed by thepride that you feel.

Just to all the teachers, I want to say a huge thank you for all youhave done not only for me but all the boys that had examsthroughout the whole year. Even though it is still not over forsome of our year, the stress levels have certainly reduced over thelast few weeks, and school is getting much more into the funplace we all know it to be!

Rishi, Head Boy

P.S. Tip 1: Be Kind, Be Polite, Be Useful (and Be Prepared, BeOrganised and Have Fun!)

NEWS from the Head Boys


Mastercook 2016

The deadline for entries to this year’s Master Cook Competitionhas been extended until Monday 21 March. Boys in Years 4 -8now have until the end of term to submit their ideas for theultimate original Beacon Breakfast! We will be looking forgreat cooking skills, nutritional balance, and of course, a greattaste. The ‘Cook Offs’ and finals will take place next term inour fabulous new Cooking and Nutrition facilities.

Full details can be found on the Parent Portal. Happy Cooking!

Kate Morris

Also in the NEWS

Cricket Kit

Cricket whites are required to be worn during the Summer term by all boys in Years4 - 8 for games lessons and cricket matches. They are optional for boys in Year 3.Items are available to purchase from Martin Berrill Sports online athttp://www.martinberrillsports.com/schoolshopsthebeaconschool-c-314_312_366.html or bytelephone on 01452 523888.

Cricket kit sample sizes will be available to view and try on in the BPS second handuniform shop from next Monday 8 February to enable you to decide which size isbest for your son prior to ordering online. The normal shopopening times are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8.05 am -8.45 am. We shall also be open next Monday 8 Februaryfrom 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm. Just a reminder – our new locationis situated next to the main car park in the white building.

The BPS shop also stocks new cricket hats and a smallselection of other new cricket kit. In addition, the shopcurrently has a good selection of second hand cricket kit.If you would like us to sell your old cricket kit, please

bring it along to the shop as soon as possible. We currently have a shortage of games kitand fixture tracksuits, so any unwanted kit would be greatly appreciated. Sellinginstructions are on the school website under Information/Uniform or come along to theshop and speak to one of the parent volunteers.

My mini film review

In film club we watched an animated movie calledWallace and Gromit: A matter of loaf and death. Irated this film as 4 and a half stars.

The movie was set in England and was about a mancalled Wallace and a dog called Gromit. They owneda bakery. In the movie an evil lady tried to killWallace, but Gromit tried to save him. My favouritecharacter was Gromit because I really like dogs andhe is very funny.

I liked this movie because it was a mystery and Iwould recommend this movie to other children because it is funny. Barney K, 3S



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Important DATES for your diaryDATE TIME EVENT

Tuesday 9 February 6.00 pm Year 6 Parents’ Evening

Wednesday 10 February Perform Drama Day7.00 pm Welcome to Oakway evening for Reception Parents for 2016 and 20176.30 pm Safer Internet Information Evening

Thursday 11 February 4.30 pm Tea and Music featuring soloists from Year 5 - 86.00 pm Year 6 Parents’ Evening

Friday 12 February Year 7 Urban Geography TripYear 3 Ancient Egyptian activity afternoon

2.00 pm Pre-Prep Poetry

Monday 15 – Friday 19 February HALF TERM

design & production : www.Gma.eu.com

I am sure it was a brilliant shot boys, but who isgoing to explain the damage to Mr Robinson?!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK…

www.gma.eu.com

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