The Beaconsfield School Newsletter

October 2016

Dear Parents/Carers What a half term we have had! Not only has the sun shone for most of it but we have had hardly any rain. The new Year 7 students have settled into school life very well, they have now been through a full half term in school and have well and truly found their feet. We have asked some of them to write their feelings about coming to TBS, their short accounts are really interesting to read and have made me chuckle. Who would have thought that the food in The Hub would play such a major role in their transition into our school. Many have also highlighted the excellent team building trip where unfortunately it did rain and rather quite a lot. We have also launched The Edge project with them to help develop those really important skills that complement academic success. This term we have been talking about ‘Getting in the pit of learning’, this phrase is all about working up a sweat when you are learning, getting your brain turning over and working hard, as we all know nothing ever comes easy and being prepared to make a mistake and learning from it is really important. Mistakes and getting things wrong are all part of life; the most successful people in life are those who can keep learning and keep moving forward, gaining momentum in your learning when you receive a knock back is important. When we are talking about the ‘pit of learning’ we are trying to install this mind set into our students. The easiest thing in the world is to walk away, the hardest but most rewarding thing to do is to stick at it. I would like to thank all the parents who responded to the OFSTED questionnaire. The responses were extremely positive compared to other schools, we also had a higher percentage of returns than a lot of schools showing the positive engagement of our parents and carers. The headlines are: 94% would recommend TBS to another parent 95% said their son / daughter was happy at school 94% said their son / daughter feels safe at school 85% said that the school makes sure that students are well behaved 89% said their son / daughter is well taught at school 94% said their son / daughter is well cared for at school We are very proud of our school and the fact that our students are well looked after and cared for, this alongside the academic School activities: @BeaconsfieldSch outcomes, means that we really are a school that supports our Sporting activities: @TBS_Sport students in their own personal journey. Discovering the potential in all

We have a busy half term coming up, Year 11 have their first set of Pre Public Exams (PPEs). These will help to shape their 6th Form offers and courses they can apply for. It is so important that they are focussed and ready to do their best in these exams as they will be a good indicator for success in 2017. So in short they really need to start consolidating and revising from now. The exams are only 37 school days away when we return. Yours faithfully

Mr J Fletcher Headteacher

Safeguarding Corner Stay Safe in Half Term I am sure you will agree that safety is a priority and mentors have emphasised the importance of staying safe over the holidays. Simple things like having battery left on phones in case of emergencies, letting parents know their whereabouts and not talking to strangers. We have also focused on staying safe around water as Halloween approaches and on social media - a perennial challenge. I am confident that parents and school alike wish to send the same message to our young people and below are some links that may be of interest. Have a happy and safe holiday Best Wishes Louise Gattward, Deputy Head https://ceop.police.uk/ https://www.getsafeonline.org/social-networking/social-networking-sites/ http://www.rospa.com/leisure-safety/water/advice/children-young-people/ http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/mobile-phone/how-improve-smartphone-battery-life-facebook-myths3284240/

It is important that if your child is not in school that you inform the Attendance Officer as soon as possible. This helps us identify quickly if anyone is missing from school and helps us ascertain that students are safe. Contact details below: Telephone Number:

01494 683 992

Email:

[email protected]

Text:

01494 372 042

In September 2015 we introduced Late Gates at The Beaconsfield School. Students are expected to be in school by 08.45 am as school starts at 08:50. If students are late for school then late minutes are recorded. If they arrive during mentor time they should sign in with the member of staff on duty at either entrance. Students who arrive after 09.15 am will need to sign in with the Attendance Officer in the Year Leaders office. Students will be expected to go to ‘The Studio’ in the student support base at break time to complete a form on the reasons for their lateness. Should they fail to do this, they will be placed in an after school detention. The system does not set out to sanction but to work with students and support parents in establishing good routines. If there is a problem with traffic, or a school bus is late let the Attendance Officer know and then your child will not be expected to fill in a form at break time; they will however be expected to sign in. All parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school on a punctual basis. If you are having issues around this, please do contact us to discuss. Since introducing this new policy we have noticed a significant improvement in the number of children getting into school on time.

Wall of Excellence - Updated Forename

Surname

Year

Nominated by

Reason

Olivia

Marks

8

Miss Powell

For her beautiful interpretation of the Shakespeare theatre

Miss Madec

For a project they produced a full size flamenco dancer from Spain with their research stuck to the back of it. Fantastico!

9

Miss Madec

For a project they produced a full size flamenco dancer from Spain with their research stuck to the back of it. Fantastico! Students were asked to read a 19th Century novel and produce a reading journal. Ella's was amazing and was on 'Jane Eyre'

Lucy

Molly

Broughton

Gowers

9

Ella

Cotsford

11

Mrs PembertonBates

Millie

Burns

8

Mrs Martin

For producing a fantastic cushion, her attention to detail was very precise

Libby

De Galas

8

Mrs Martin

For producing a cushion finished to a high standard and visually impressive

Beatriz

Poyton

8

Miss Powell

Josh

Sarl

8

Miss Staunton

Kian

Evans

10

Mr Ford

Charlie

Youle

8

Miss Johnson

For Beautiful costume designs for characters from A Midsummer Night's Dream For a wonderfully written review on a play he saw For producing a great piece of black-out poetry For working extremely hard on a MicroBit project

European Day of Languages Students and staff took part in celebrating European Day of Languages (26th September every year) by promoting all things European. There were house competitions to guess the identity of a variety of languages, there was a mixed teams Euro football tournament running all week, subject lessons were linked to Europe, the school lunch menu was adapted to include a whole range of tasty European dishes, students dressed up in our photo booth and staff were very brave in coming in dressed as famous nationalities or European characters. A truly cosmopolitan day to celebrate the diversity at TBS By: Mr. Brannon, Leader for MFL

Ecuador Expedition Returns to the UK I’m sorry sir, your bags haven’t yet made it to the UK.” It wasn’t exactly what we wanted to hear. The previous day due to delayed flights from Quito and a lot of sitting on the tarmac going nowhere near a gate, the 13 students and 4 adults that comprised the Ecuador expedition hadn’t made the connecting flight at Miami and so, after a night in a very plush hotel, we were transferred to Charlotte, NC for a day sitting around in the airport (with plentiful food vouchers it should be pointed out) before catching the night flight into Heathrow. It would appear that our bags had stayed in Miami, and that flight hadn’t yet arrived. But after 28 days in South America (well 29 I suppose with our bonus day) this sort of little setback was nothing. We’d dealt with far more stressful situations. For example, in the rainforest we’d all learnt to really, really check our boots thoroughly for ‘visitors’ after the incident that culminated in a phrase that I will remember for a very long time, “Miss, you’ve got a very large spider on your trousers”. Sharing experiences with the other group when we met again at the airport, we discovered that they’d learnt that when eating grubs, it’s really important to take a strong first bite … else they start biting back. The month had flown by with construction work in the rainforest, trekking up, around, and into extinct volcanic craters, and some well-earned R&R on the Galapagos Islands, snorkelling with sea lions, turtles, rays and the occasional shark. The phrase ‘life-changing experience’ is bandied about all too frequently and is almost rendered meaningless due to misuse. However, when it comes to the experiences gained on expedition (and through the months of build-up) I believe it is absolutely applicable. The participants do come back as changed individuals, for the better, I should add.

If your son or daughter is interested in taking part in our next expeditions then we are currently recruiting Year 8&9 students for a 12 day expedition to Morocco in Easter 2018, and Years 10-12 for a 28 day expedition to Namibia, Botswana and Zambia in the Summer of 2018. The launch meetings have all taken place but if you want more information, please feel free to contact me. By: Mr. D. Tidswell

Sporting News - Twitter account - Username: @TBS_Sport Cross Country Racing The Wycombe Phoenix Schools’ Cross Country races took place on Saturday 1st October in very wet, muddy conditions. Over 600 athletes competed from over 40 local schools. TBS were represented in four races. The results are as follows:Grace Hudson – 4k (Y9, 10, 11 & 12) Distance: 4k Time: 21:28 Position: 10th (out of 16) Will Page – 3k (Y7 & Y8) Distance: 3k Time: 16:08 Position: 25th (out of 58) Jay Hodson– 4k (Y9 & Y10) Distance: 4k Time: 26:31 Position:20th (out of 24) Harry Gregg – 4k (Y9 & Y10) Distance: 4k Time: 27:15 Position: 21st out of 24 Fin Dyer – 5.5k (Y11, Y12 & Y13) Distance: 5.5k Time: 25:00 Position: 2nd (out of 8)

PE Department - Roll of Honour Criteria        

Enjoy PE and bounce back from setbacks Excellent communicator Recognise every opportunity to learn Give their best every lesson Put their peer’s first Good organiser and leader Shows a good level of sportsmanship Independent decision maker

The students currently on our Roll of Honour Board are:Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11

Ethan Clarke Tom Smith Liam McDonagh Jay Hodson JJ Burgess

Jess Vermeulen Laila Allam Lucy Broughton Milly King Leanne Adams

TBS 2016 Girls Extra-Curricular Activities:

LUNCH

AFTER SCHOOL

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Years 8-11 Shooting Practice (SH)

Year 7 Netball (SH)

Dance & Gymnastics

Table Tennis

Badminton GCSE PE Revision

Year 10 Netball

Year 8/9 Netball Club

Football

Gym Club Year 7 Netball

TBS 2016 Boys Extra-Curricular Activities:

LUNCH

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Table Tennis Year 7 (Gym)

Table Tennis Year 8 (Gym)

Table Tennis Year 9 (Gym)

Basketball Year 9, 10 & 11 (SH)

Badminton GCSE PE Revision

Year 7, 8, 9 Basketball

Gym Club

Year 7 & 8 Basketball (SH) AFTERSCHOOL

Year 7, 8, 9 Rugby

Year 7 Football

http://www.beaconsfield.bucks.sch.uk/page/?title=Fixtures&pid=967

Monday, 3rd - Sunday, 9th October 2016 Women in sport week was extremely popular within the Beaconsfield school. The week gave students an opportunity to participate in a number of activities including, benchball, seated volleyball, badminton, table tennis and dodgeball. The girls were given praise and points for participation as the idea of women in sport week is to get as many girls active as possible. The house which had the most participation and therefore won the most house points were Hockney which was supported from Year 7 right up to the sixth form. There was a huge effort from students over this week and they all had a lot of fun taking part in these activities.

McCARTNEY KEEP THE WINNING FORMULA A very competitive term of house competitions sees McCartney carry on their success from last summer. This half term students have battled it out in football, girls into sport week, 6 th form quizzes and several competitions which incorporated language day including staff fancy dress. Next term the busy schedule of house competitions continues with Year 7 pumpkin carving, girls football, boys basketball, charity Xmas shoe box, Year 7 Christmas decorations, Xmas hamper, 6 th form Christmas fair and the usual vivo, attendance and behaviour

BUSSELL HOCKNEY MACKINTOSH McCARTNEY ROWLING

80 86 84 101 97

Summer Reading Challenge At the end of last term Miss Scheffler and the English Department challenged our current and future Year 7 students to read a variety of books over the summer holidays. Five books were chosen as our suggested reads and for each one a student read and wrote a short review on they received two entries into a draw for an Amazon voucher.

The students also had the opportunity to choose their own books and each review was rewarded with one entry into the draw. We received lots of entries. Our new Year 7 students voted for their favourite book by a show of hands in assembly and Wonder by R J Palacio won by a huge majority. Well done to everyone who read and congratulations to our winner Oliver Jukes, 7 Hockney. A special award went to Beatriz Poyton, 8 Bussell, for an amazing effort with 18 reviews written.

By: Mrs. J. Sparrowhawk

The Student Council: Working on behalf of the student body We have now formed a duly elected Student Council with representatives across each year group. Congratulations to Izzy Papworth in Year 13 and Izzy Papa in Year 8 on being elected as chair and vicechair respectfully. Further congratulations to those voted onto the council: Brandon Brown, Jasmine Brown, Leigh Christie, Summer Dyson, Jack Jones, Andre Martin, Alistair May, Georgia Morris, Chloe Prendergast, Ella Rayner, Josh Sarl, Maddie Seaton, Sam Stevely and Dylan Wimble. The team are working hard on investigating the current rewards system, asking staff and students their opinions and inviting comments. When this is done, the findings will be presented to the Senior Leadership team. Please look out for a short video on the website-coming soon- which introduces the team and what we are doing. Mr. S. E. Ford Leader for Years 8 and 9

Year 7 - My First Day Year 7 was very scary. When people started to talk about it. I wanted the words “Secondary School” and “Year 7” to be forgotten, banned from the English Dictionary but I have no power to do that but I have power to do my best and work hard. On the first day I did cry because there are SO many big, tall people. I now know I cannot cry at school; its silly! Okay, I know it is hard to get use to the routine and finding your way round but you will be able to do it in no time at all. Help is always given here and it is very useful so take the chance to ask. Mr. Fletcher is very nice and supportive like all the other staff members. On my second day I felt like “Okay, I know what and what not to do so let’s not cry and let’s have fun, and I did! So always be optimistic about going to Secondary School. By Déjànay Roper, 7B

Before I went in on the first day I felt scared, worried and tired but I still went to school. On the first day we went to the main hall to listen to the headteacher, Mr. Fletcher. We then went to our mentor rooms. All my worries about teachers being scary where gone after meeting my mentor. At breaktime, I decided to find my locker. I found it straight away and loaded my PE kit into it. It only just fitted in. I decided to bring a packed lunch on my first day because I had noticed on my induction days how long the lunch line was. Now I think my time at The Beaconsfield School is going to be great. By Freddie Wooster, 7B

My name is Louis Gill and I am a Year 7 student at The Beaconsfield School. This article is a summary of my journey on day one.

First at 7.50 I left for school having equal measures of excitement and anxiety. Unluckily for me I had to do a five minute walk in pouring rain. However, that rain was not really bothering me because I was thinking so much about how my day would be or if I was going to see my friends that I made at summer school. In a blink of an eye, I was in the hall listening to Mr. Fletcher’s assembly revolving around the three R’s: Ready, Respectful and Responsible. My mentor teacher picked me up straight away and took me to my mentor room, A4. In A4 we immediately got given our homework planner to use throughout the year. It also contains some useful information such as world maps, a school map and reminders on key subjects. I mainly spent the day getting to know my mentor and new classmates. We discuss future grades and what we want to do in the future and how to get the best out of Beaconsfield School to achieve that. After all, it is called TBS - The Best School!

We also signed a contract to say “no bullying”. Furthermore, we discussed how the grades work and when I do my GCSE’s, it will be numbers not letters used to grade us. I left feeling happy with my first day at my new school, no longer anxious, although I must admit I was very tired! By Louis Gill, 7 McCartney

My first day at TBS was AMAZING. When I woke up on the first morning and put my uniform on I felt extremely proud that I was a student at The Beaconsfield School. After a good breakfast I headed off towards my bus stop where I waited with some of my friends until the bus approached. We had fun on the bus, talking to one another while having mixed emotions inside us. Once the bus had arrived at school I felt a mixture of apprehension, excitement and nervousness. When I entered my form room (A5) I was warmly welcomed by my lovely form teacher, Miss Staunton. After the register was taken, the bell rang and I made my way to Food Technology for period 1. In Food Technology we had to write about what we know abut food and it was the first lesson where we were given homework. After period 1 we entered the sports hall where we had PE with Miss Clark. In PE we did three small sports: Benchball, Netball and Basketball in a limited amount of time. Then the bell rang for breaktime. For period 3 I had history with Miss Elrick in M5. In lesson we did a test so that Miss could know what we needed to improve on. Before lunch we had Spanish with Mr. Brannon in A5. It was a great first lesson as we were taught about Spain and that other international countries speak Spanish as well. I really enjoyed it and I cannot wait for more Spanish lessons. Then we had lunch and my friends and I ate and talked in The Hub. Once we had finished we went outside to the big log and played and walked around the field enjoying the lovely sunny weather. In period 5, 7 Rowling had ICT which was good fun. During the lesson we had to make rules for an ICT classroom and draw a poster including the rules. The best posters will go up on display in the room for everyone to see. After the bell had run and we had been dismissed from class my friend and I talked about our day while we waited for the bus to arrive. While we were on the bus we found out about which teacher and subjects we had on each day. Overall, my first proper day at TBS was brilliant and I really enjoyed it. The school is epic and the teachers are lovely. I am proud to be a student here at the school and I am looking forward to every new day with a variety of challenges and new friends. By Abby Cissell, 7 Rowling

Induction Day - July 2016

Year 7 Team Building Trip ToPaccar Scout Camp On Saturday 1st October, lots of Year 7 went to Pacaar Scout Camp in Chalfont St Peter for an adventure day. Even though it was really rainy, it didn’t dampen our spirits and the day was brilliant! We were put into eight groups, and spent all day doing different activities. Some of the activities we could do were: team building, indoor caving, crate stacking, rock climbing, air rifle shooting, archery, zip wire, high ropes and orienteering. My personal favourite (Joseph) was the crate stacking, where Eva and I got 18, which was the record for the day. My personal favourite (Thomas) was indoor caving because even though it was quite gloomy and terrifying (I spent 10 minutes at the entrance) everybody gave it their all. On the day there was also a man called ‘Pencil’ who took us around the campfire and sang some traditional songs. He was very funny! At lunch we all met at the hut (where you got food) and we had sandwiches with a Penguin biscuit and some crisps. For dinner we had a barbeque, including hot dogs and burgers. At 7.30pm we got picked up to go home after a really fun day. Thanks to Mrs Hodgson, Mr Hill, Mr Gardner, Miss Staunton, Miss Clarke, Mrs Penberthy, Mrs Thomas, Miss Munsen, Mr Cooper and finally everybody at Paccar Scout camp for making the day as brilliant as it was. By Joseph Kightley, 7R and Thomas Pickard, 7B

Eatwell Plates Year 7 students, as part of their scheme of work, have been looking at nutrients and the eat well plate. Students were asked to design a creative eatwell plate and the results were quite remarkable. Alongside their prototype students made delicious Leek and Potato Soup and Pasta Salad using seasonal British ingredients. Elodie Gomes also gave her view point on the homework .

In Food Technology, we made eatwell plates. All of the eatwell plates were amazing. Some were 3D, some were bowls, some were 2D and one was a real cake! We were given one week to do it and everyone made a lot of effort to produce great results. Every eatwell plate was made from a different material like cake, cardboard, paper, plastic, polystyrene and tissue paper. They were all different but amazing in the same way. By: Elodie Gomes, Year 7

Year 7 Drama Club Production of St George and the Dragon.

Year 7 Drama Club Production of… St George and the Dragon

A very successful production was attended by teachers and students of different years at lunch time on Wednesday 19th October to see the Year 7 Drama Club production of George and the Dragon.

We have been studying the story for four weeks and we have been exploring the story using a range of techniques. Five students used physical theatre to create the ferocious dragon, regal characters were shown using carefully planned body language, the narrators spoke clearly and planned their movement around the story. Then we have St George himself who used a range of freeze frames and dialogue to show his part of the story. A lot of the techniques used have not been done in lessons yet so it was really great for the group to use them skilfully at this early stage of learning Drama. We also had a technical team who designed the lighting for the performance to enhance the mood and tension of the scenes. I really hope that everyone involved will be coming back to Drama Club next half term (ever Wednesday lunchtime 13.45 - 14.15) and maybe some new members will come and be involved in our mini pantomime! By Miss Staunton

Shakespeare for School (a student’s perspective) Approaching my fifth and final year performing in this festival is positively heartbreaking. Emma Collins is particularly broken up about it and becomes rather theatrically emphatic when broached on the subject.

Through the Years Not to sound dramatic (although drama is exactly what this article is about) but its kind of a big deal. Drama is and has been a large part of my school life ever since I started here. In fact, it's had a huge role (pun intended) in making me who I am today – I know, cheesy right? It is true though, and, much like Emma, I almost feel like a jilted lover who's being forced out of a five year relationship for reasons out of my control. Anyway, enough of that. Let me tell you more about the past than the present. We have done nothing but comedies every year as that is evidently our specialty although, admittedly, comedies don't exactly come in abundance where Shakespeare is concerned. I want to tell you, as an actor performing a Shakespearean comedy to a modern day audience, it's quite a responsibility you have: not only must you understand the play but you have to make sure the audience can too. Then you need to make the jokes funny (side note: Shakespeare isn’t as funny nowadays) so yeah, pretty tough job we have. However, that certainly didn’t hinder our enjoyment... Drama has always been an incredible bonding opportunity and even though SfS is only available to Key Stage 4 and 5 now, it’s helped me make friends through the school each year and become closer with those I already had. Memorable moments for me include: taking a selfie on stage – I chose not to include it because I’m barely visible; a piggyback I received from Louis Williams – I miss that kid and his talent; and of course “the boop”. For those of you who don’t know, “the boop” was something Mr Creffield created to show how my character in our production of ‘a Midsummer Night’s Dream’, Helena, was absolutely, sickeningly in love. I had to touch my love’s nose with my finger and say “boop”. Yes it was exactly as cringey as it sounds but it got us laughs and thus, “the boop” was born. We have now decided to include it in every play we do for the festival, by any means necessary. No spoilers but yes, that does mean we've included it in this year’s play (*cough* its on Tuesday 15th November at the Town Hall *cough*). This year we’ll be performing ‘a Comedy of Errors’ which is – you guessed it – a comedy… about things going wrong (that’s the errors bit). It’s honestly way too confusing for me to comprehensively write for you and I was asked to keep this short so, if you want to find out more, you’ll have to buy a ticket (ask Mr Creffield for more details). It’s well worth the money, you get to watch us and three other schools so it makes for a pretty great night out. Oh, and not to brag or anything but one of the co-founders of the festival said “I’ve seen 50 interpretations of ‘the Taming of the Shrew’ but this was the best” yeah, I know – pretty awesome, right? Anyway, as I said, I’m meant to keep this short so I’ll end it here. As I clearly have no understanding of the word “humiliation”, here's a picture of some of us backstage in our dressing room, back when we performed ‘Twelfth Night’: Yes, I drew that facial hair on with eyeliner. Oh, and there’s Emma on the left, in the glasses. “Hi Emma”. Despite my aforementioned tribulations with the situation, I have concluded, much like my fellow sixth formers, that there's nothing we can do about it and we might as well just make sure we go out with a bang. This is Abbie, signing off. By: Abbie Graham, 6th Former

PTFA Thank you to all the new Year 7 parents for showing interest in your 'new' schools PTFA. It was fabulous to see so many of you at our recent meeting and AGM. Coming to the PTFA meetings really is a great way to get to know your child's new school quickly and always be 'in the loop'. Everyone is welcome to come to the meetings, we meet the first Monday of the Month, at The White Hart, Beaconsfield, dates are on the school calendar. Your hard efforts fundraising last year have already been put to good use, the PTFA are pleased to say we/ you have helped fund the new Digital Theatre Plus for the English & Drama departments, students across the whole school will benefit and have access to this exciting new tool. More information on this exciting resource contained in the newsletter. Our Christmas Market is fast approaching on the 19th November. See poster in newsletter. We will be asking students to sell raffle tickets and to donate to a bottle tombola and Year 7 students to Christmas Hampers. Any support you can give in donations or helping on the day would be very welcomed. Our next meeting is Monday 7th November, 7.00 pm The White Hart, Beaconsfield. Please come along and see what is happening at TBS! The Beaconsfield School PTFA

Adult Learning Buckinghamshire Adult Learning is offering you to opportunity to try their courses for free this November. TRY IT, LOVE IT, LEARN IT will be running from Monday 21 to Friday 25 November 2016. You can try an existing course ranging from arts & crafts, languages, floristry, health & fitness, baking and digital photography. Enrolments open on Monday 31 October so keep an eye on their website for the list of participating courses you can try. www.adultlearningbcc.ac.uk

Here's a round up of usage this half term at The Beaconsfield School Last academic year our students and teachers watched 8,779 Pods on GCSEPod.* Together we can help you smash that total and achieve even greater impact this year! *Benchmark = The average number watched for an establishment of our size (between 236 and 320 Year 10+11 students combined) last academic year was 5,562.

Total Pods Watched This half Term: 1,153 This is the total number of Pods watched by students and teachers in and out of school since the 1st September 2016. Need a benchmark? The average number watched for an establishment of our size (between 236 and 320 Year 10+ 11 students combined) is 478.27.

Total 3 Subjects Overall Out of the 21 subjects on GCSEPod these are the three most used this half term.

1st:

Biology

2nd:

Core Science

3rd:

Maths

We are very excited to announce that as a school we have subscribed to a new service called Digital Theatre Plus which allows students and staff to access theatre online FREE!

This new service is funded by our PTFA, Drama and English Departments. This resource is available to use at both home and school and will provide not only a comprehensive revision tool but great entertainment for all the family. It should be noted that theatre shows have no censorship or watershed like TV so I would advise parents to look at the description beforehand as there may be some swearing or adult themes.

The link to use is: https://www.digitaltheatreplus.com/ Email address is [email protected] - password: “stagedoor” The main navigational bar is located at the top of the screen and includes Productions, Making Theatre, Study Guides, Teaching Support and Collections. This covers a huge range of the curriculum in both English Literature and Theatre Studies. We are very fortunate to have such a great resource and I truly hope you will enjoy using it. By: Mr. Creffield

Wycombe Homeless Connection Big Sleepout I’m not sure what was the best bit last year: being kept awake by barking dogs, or being kept awake by boy racers tearing up Castle Street, but last year’s Big Sleepout for Wycombe Homeless Connection was a gruelling (and misnamed) event. So it was with some considerable surprise that I heard myself saying yes in response to the question of whether to do it again. Wycombe Homeless Connection helped 390 people last year, a number that has doubled in the last two years. Their major fundraiser each year is the Big Sleepout where volunteers spend a night sleeping rough for sponsorship. Last year I was overwhelmed to raise £810, a figure I aim to surpass by passing the £1,000 mark. Last year we had a fluttering of snow during the night – fingers crossed Friday 18th November isn’t quite that cold. Donations can be made via http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/WHC2016DJT By: Mr Tidswell

Achievement of our Students Please let us know what you get up to outside the classroom at your extra curricular clubs. Here are some wonderful examples ...

Erin Bailey, Year 10 - Golfing Erin has recently won the Daily Telegraph net prize. She beat approximately 18,000 other golfers to win this event. This is not the elite competition but for the slightly higher handicaps. Erin will travel to Quinta da Lago Portugal to receive her trophy and the prize also involves lessons, some media training and lots of golf equipment. The finals event will be filmed by Sky Sports

Mia Haywood, Year 7 - Cycling I am a new student at The Beaconsfield School and our Head of Year 7 has asked me to write about by County Cycling Achievements in primary school. During my final two years at primary school I joined the cycling club and was picked to represent the county team in the championships. The first year I won two individual golds and one team gold. The second year I won one individual silver and one individual gold and one team gold. Both times it was a lot of hard work, but fun and exciting although I felt nervous too.

Past Students - What are they up to now? Rea Duxbury Rea Duxbury, who left us to go to Wycombe High School for her A Levels, has gained a place at Cambridge studying Human Social and Political Science . So there we have it, our first Oxbridge student, although we didn’t finish the job in terms of A levels we set her on the path to Cambridge – well done to all who worked with her and inspired her.

Music Extravaganza 2016 This year's Autumn Concert took place on Thursday, 13th October. The programme featured soul and pop bands, as well as solos and duets from a range of brass and wind instruments, together with some terrific vocal performances. The breadth of musical talent and the sheer variety of styles on offer made for a fantastic evening. A big well done to all the students involved! A programme list is given below:-

Star of the County Down (Trad. Irish Folk Song) Jonathan Douglas - Baritone Poco Adagio from Concerto in Eb by Leopold Kozeluch Erin Maxwell - Clarinet Thinking About You by Nathan Goshen Neive Prendergast - Vocal Dance of the Shepherd Girls by Pauline Hall Gracie Haywood and Jasmine Brown – Piano duet All Of Me by John Legends Monty Keates - Vocal Rigaudon by Boismortier Amber Hall - Trombone Warwick Avenue by Duffy Skye Elston - Vocal Lonely and Blue by Paul Hart Chloe Lucas - Flute Somebody Else by The 1975 Andrea Billie-Gammelgard – Vocals and Piano Braziliera by Scaramouche Jasmine Brown – Alto Saxophone Primavera by Einaudi Lorissa Lunn – Piano solo Echo Flute by Alan Buillard Lizzie Cottrell - Flute

Musical Directors: Mr Jeremy Dawson and Miss Gemma Stanesby

Sound and Lighting Team: Kieran Gough, Rupert Cooklin, Bo Nerurkar

Stem Technology Tournament - Wednesday, 19th October 2016 Five teams from our school took part in the technology tournament that was arranged by the Rotary Club and it took place at Chalfont Community College. We used skills we had learnt which are useful for engineering and design to build a model for a bridge. Depending on whether your group was doing the foundation intermediate or advanced project, you had to do a bit extra to make it harder. For example, the foundation group had to make one tilting platform on their bridge and a mechanism to make it move so a tall boat could fit underneath it. But in the intermediate group you would have to make two tilting platforms of equal length and width but to make them both move up simultaneously with one mechanism. To make the bridge you were given a wooden plank with four taller rectangles of wood for the bridge to sit on. But if you were in the advanced group you would have just three blocks of wood for the bridge to sit on which would mean a longer gap between the support system and less strength in the structure. The materials and equipment that were given to us to use were 50 sheets of card and paper, 50 jumbo straws, 2 metres of very fine string, 50 cm of thicker string, push pins, wooden cogs, a thin wooden stick, plasticine a glue stick, glue gun, a stapler, scissors, sandpaper, a hand drill, a hammer, screwdriver, 4 pencils, 2 rulers and a hole punch. We could only use this equipment but we could chose whether to use it all or not. In the first half hour of the challenge, in my group, we assigned roles. One person was going to be the leader to tell everyone what they were meant to be doing and to make sure everything was going to be completed in time. The second person was in charge of designing the internal structure and support systems of our bridge. Another person was the designer of the logo and the aesthetics of our bridge and the final person was in charge of the portfolio and testing the structure to make sure it worked properly. Next we came to a conclusion of how to get our structure to hold the 1kg weight with our materials. We use two techniques of strengthening materials and these were making a fan like corrugation out of card and putting the round paper straws in between like a slot for them to sit in. Then we glued one piece of card to either side of the structure and made another one. To stick together to make it long enough. However, there were some challenges that we faced. The first thing we found difficult was being able to design a mechanism that would lift the tilting part of the bridge up and down simultaneously. We overcame this challenge by sketching out multiple designs that would work. We decided to use the cogs and string so it would rotate and pull the bridge upwards like in the picture displayed. The next challenge that we faced was trying to make sure everything was completed in time and to a good standard. To make sure this happened, we used our assigned roles to make sure we were organised and all doing something useful. It was also hard to use materials sparingly so we would have enough but still make it sturdy. We made sure no material was wasted and we reconsidered the design to suit the purpose. Once our bridges were completed. The judges came round to decide on the winners. In their test they looked at our portfolio and assessed that, they made sure the weight (which represented a car driving on it) could be dragged back and forth along it to make sure it didn’t break or move and the final part of the testing was to lift the bridge up to make sure the boat would fit underneath it. The final part of the day was the announcing and awarding of the winners with their prizes. The Beaconsfield School won both the foundation and intermediate competitions and we were awarded with a medal each and two trophies. By: Molly Stevenson, Year 10

The School’s Chosen Charity for 2016/17 - Multiple Sclerosis Staff and students alike were asked to nominate a charity close to their hearts and presentations were made to the school community at an assembly. Millie Furmston, Year 13, told us the story of her mum who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2009. The first symptom she felt was a numbness and pins & needles along one side of her body. The family were in Florida at the time and thought it was just tiredness. MS is a disease that affects the nervous system which consists of the brain and spinal cord. The disease has a huge range of both physical and mental symptoms that are different to each sufferer. The most common symptoms include: numbness, blurred vision, memory and thinking problems, loss of balance, weakness and sometimes paralysis. As a family, the Furmstons have raised £50,000 this year for the MS Society - a charity that aims to cure and prevent the disease in the future. The lifetime risk of developing MS is 1 in 330, but for Millie it is 1 in 67 because the disease can be hereditary. But that’s not why the charity is so important to Milly; its because the scientists are so close to curing MS. This year there was an incredible Stem Cell breakthrough; which means that with continued financial support, they may be able to stop or even reverse the affects of MS in ten years time.

Membership Club The membership club is open to staff and parents of students at this school. Membership costs £5 per month in return for which a unique number is issued and entered into a monthly draw. The current monthly prize is £100. Congratulations to our recent winners July 2016 Mr P Williams August 2016 Mrs N Button September 2016 Mr Graeme Robinson If you would like more details, please contact Mrs Brown on 01494 683993

Year 11 - Rotary Club Coaching Interviews Once again the Rotary Club have been in school for the annual coaching interviews with Year 11 students. All students had to prepare a cover letter and CV for a job that interests them and then attend a 30 minute interview. Students were told to treat this opportunity as a real interview and they came smartly dressed. Each student then received feedback on both their written application and their interview technique. The overwhelming majority of students found the exercise useful and stated that they received valuable tips on how to improve future applications and how to impress at interview. We are immensely grateful to members of the Rotary who give up their time and expertise, in particular Dennis Elsey, who organises the professional members to come in to school. This is an essential life skill learning experience for our students. By Mrs. C. Collingridge

OCTOBER - AUTUMN TERM 2016 - EXTRA CURRICULAR CLUBS Day &Time

Name

For Whom

Room

MONDAYS Lunchtime

Year 7 Table tennis

Year 7

Gym

Lunchtime

Years 8 – 11 Netball – Shooting Club

8 - 11

Sports Hall

Lunchtime

Comic Book Club

All welcome

C3

Lunchtime

Yu-gi-oh

All welcome

C3

3.20 – 4.30 pm

Rugby Club

Years 7, 8 & 9

Playing Field

3.30 – 4.30 pm

Netball Club

Year 10

Courts

3.20 – 4.20 pm

Design & Technology Catch up Session

Years 11, 12 & 13

D6

3.20 – 4.20 pm

GCSE Art Catch-up Session

Year 11

D4

3.20 – 4.15 pm

Homework Club

All welcome

The Learning Pod

3.20 – 4.00 pm

Technology Coursework Catch-up

Years 10 & 11

D5

3.20 – 4.20 pm

Library open for reading/research & general use Maths Clinic

All welcome

The Library

All welcome

B12

Lunchtime

Kaleidoscope Orchestra

String, Wind & Brass Players

C5

Lunchtime

Table tennis

Year 8

Gym

Lunchtime

Basketball

Years 7 & 8

Sports Hall

Lunchtime

Year 7 Netball

Year 7

Sports Hall

Lunchtime

Yu-gi-oh

All welcome

C3

Lunchtime

Film Club

All welcome

B4

Lunchtime

Choir

All welcome

B5

3.20 – 4.20 pm

Netball Club

Years 8 & 9

Courts

3.20 - 4.20 pm

GCSE Art Catch up session

Year 11

D4

3.20 – 4.20 pm

Year 7 Football Club

Year 7

Playing Field

3.20 – 4.20 pm

Year 11 Intervention

Year 11

Various

3.20 – 4.20 pm

All welcome

The Library

3.20 – 4.15 pm

Library open for reading/research & general use Homework Club

All welcome

The Learning Pod

3.20 – 4.20 pm

Philosophy and Ethics Revision session

Years 12 & 13

A7

3.20 – 4.00 pm

GCSE ICT Drop in / Computing

Year 11

B12

3.30 – 4.20 pm

Media Revision

Years 10 - 13

B4

3.30 – 4.30 pm

Photography

Year 11

D2

3.30 – 4.30 pm

Spanish Club KS4`

Years 10 & 11

A5

3.30 – 4.15 pm

TUESDAYS

Day & Time

Name

For Whom

Room

WEDNESDAYS Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime

Year 9 Table tennis Girls Dance & Gymnastics Yu-gi-oh Philosophy Café STEM Club Guitar Club Year 7 Drama Club Aces High Club

Year 9 Years 8 – 11 All welcome All welcome G & T students All welcome Year 7 All welcome

Gym Sports Hall C3 A7 B8 C5 Drama Studio B3

Library open for reading/research & general use GCSE Art Catch up session Girls Football Basketball Homework Club GCSE Drama Revision Session A Level ICT Study Session

All welcome

The Library

Year 11 All welcome Years 7, 8 & 9 All welcome Year 11 Years 12 & 13

D4 Playing Field Sports Hall The Learning Pod Drama Studio B12

Basketball Club Girls Table tennis Yu-gi-oh Amnesty Human Rights Group Spanish Club

Years 9, 10 & 11 All welcome All welcome All welcome Years 7 & 8

Sports Hall Gym C3 B3 A5

Gym Club Cookery Club (from 10th November) Netball Club Library open for reading/research & general use Year 11 Intervention Homework Club TBS Soul & Jazz Band Art/Photography Support GCSE and A Level

All welcome Year 7 All welcome

Sports Hall D9 Courts The Library

Year 11 All welcome Grade 3 minimum Years 11, 12 and 13

Various The Learning Pod C5 D3

Lunchtime

Squad Badminton Club

Years 7 - 10

Sports Hall

Lunchtime

GCSE PE Revision Club

KS4

TBC

Lunchtime

Debate Club

All welcome

C2

Lunchtime

KS3 Creative Writing Club

Years 7, 8 & 9

C1

Lunchtime

Yu-gi-oh

All welcome

C3

Lunchtime

TBS Orchestra

String, Wind & Brass Players

C5

Lunchtime

Globetrotters Club

All Years

A6

Lunchtime

Geography Club

All welcome

E1

3.20 – 4.20 pm 3.30 – 4.30 pm

Hockey Club Dance (pre-paid) Club – All levels-

All welcome Years 7 -11

BHS

3.20 – 4.00 pm

ICT Homework Club

Years 7 & 9

M3

3.20 – 4.20 pm

Library open for reading/research & general use

All welcome

The Library

3.20 – 4.20 pm 3.20 – 4.20 pm 3.20 – 4.30 pm 3.20 – 4.30 pm 3.20 – 4.15 pm 3.30 – 4.30 pm 3.20 – 4.20 pm

THURSDAYS Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime Lunchtime 3.20 – 4.30 pm 3.20 - 4.50 pm 3.20 – 4.30 pm 3.20 – 4.20 pm 3.20 – 4.20 pm 3.20 – 4.15 pm 3.30 - 4.30 pm 3.20 -4.20 pm

Years 7, 8 & 9 (by application)

FRIDAYS

Gym

6th Form Business Studies Our Business students are organising a quiz night as part of their A Level Business Course. This is an excellent way to practice the skills they are learning in class; team work, designing, art work, organising an event from start to finish. The quiz will be held on Friday, 2nd December at 7.00 pm. £12 per ticket and all monies raised will be given to the Guide Dog charity. Please see poster for further details.

Parent Calendar Day

Date

Monday

31/10/2016

Time

Event

Wednesday

02/11/2016

16:30-19:00

Parents' Evening with Mentors

Monday

07/11/2016

19:00

Ski Trip Parents information evening

19.00

PTFA Meeting. The White Hart, Beaconsfield Music Concert

Year

School re-opens 7

Thursday

10/11/2016

Tuesday

15/11/2016

19:30

Shakespeare for School Festival

Wednesday

16/11/2016

10.00-12.00

Safe Drive Stay Alive

7-11 10,11,12,1 3 12

17.30-19.30

6th Form Open Evening

11

Thursday

17/11/2016

Year 11 Science ISA

11

Friday

18/11/2016

Internal Year 12 applications due

11

Saturday

19/11/2016

PTFA Christmas Fair

Monday

21/11/2016

Year 11 Guidance Interviews

11

Tuesday

22/11/2016

Year 11 Guidance Interviews

11

Wednesday

23/11/2016

Year 11 Guidance Interviews

11

Thursday

24/11/2016

Year 11 Guidance Interviews

11

Friday

25/11/2016

Monday

28/11/2016

Tuesday

29/11/2016

Friday

02/12/2016

All day

Staff inset - school closed to students Assessment Week 2

7,8,9,10,12

Biology Trip

12 &13

15:00

Business Event

13

19.00

PTFA Meeting. The White Hart, Beaconsfield

Monday

05/12/2016

Tuesday

06/12/2016

Biology A level trip / Talks

12*13

Thursday

08/12/2016

Advent Service / Early Close for Years 9 to 13

7/8

Friday

09/12/2016

Pre-Public Exams (mocks)

11

Monday

12/12/2016

Pre-Public Exams (mocks)

11

Tuesday

13/12/2016

Pre-Public Exams (mocks)

11

Wednesday

14/12/2016

Pre-Public Exams (mocks)

11

Thursday

15/12/2016

Pre-Public Exams (mocks)

11

Friday

16/12/2016

Pre-Public Exams (mocks)

11

Monday

19/12/2016

Pre-Public Exams (mocks)

11

15:30pm

Year 11 Reward Trip

11

12.30

School closes for Christmas

Tuesday

20/12/2016

26th and 27th Dec and 2nd Jan 2017 are B/H Wednesday

04/01/2017

Staff inset - school closed to students

Thursday

05/01/2017

School Re-opens to Students