Freshwater Theatre Company Visit

This week the children in Year 3 were transported back to Ancient Egypt when the Freshwater Theatre Company came to visit. They were captivated by a series of interactive performances which illustrated how long ago the Ancient Egyptians lived, and how important the Nile was to them.

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Y4 Trip to the Museum of London

Y4 enjoyed an exciting trip to the Museum of London to reinforce their study of the Romans. The children explored the galleries where they saw reconstructions of a Roman temple, street and Roman rooms. They studied maps and models, looked at artefacts and were able to look at part of the original Roman wall at the Barbican. A workshop session where we were able to handle artefacts prompted a discussion on what they could teach us about the past. The children were a great credit to the school with their interesting questions and impeccable behaviour.

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Skiing in Vermont

35 pupils went to the East Coast of America just before Christmas to experience the ski slopes of Vermont; an excellent week was had by all. In addition to the six days skiing, pupils went to watch a local ice hockey match, visited the Ben and Jerry’s Ice cream factory and had a wonderful day of shopping in Boston. Thanks to all the staff who accompanied the trip for all of their hard work. This was one of the best school trips in my career to date – and I look forward to the next one.

Mr Pym

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2012

2012 is set to be a very exciting year in many ways. As well as Britain hosting the Olympic Games, Belmont will start the celebrations for our Centennial Year which runs from the Summer of 2012 until the summer of 2013. Term starts on Thursday 5th January at normal time and all extra-curricular activities will start on Monday 9th January. The 11+ entrance examination takes place on Wednesday 11th January and this year Belmont will welcome record numbers of children to sit for places in September 2012. Good luck to all the candidates and a Happy New Year to you all.

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Christmas Message

Good cheer and harmony abound at Belmont as the term closes with a feast of drama, parties, concerts, House matches, ‘All Stars’ hockey tournaments, Carol services and a wonderful Winter Wonderland arranged by the Friends of Belmont which raised an astounding £8000. In addition a large group of boys were given the opportunity to enjoy a trip to Wembley Stadium to watch our partner club Saracens take on the Ospreys in the European Cup. Term re-starts on Thursday 5th January 2012 and in the meantime we wish you all a very happy Christmas.

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‘An Afternoon of Drama’

Year 5 totally enthralled their audience this week with their seasonal ‘afternoon of drama’ production. Each class performed their own play ‘Romeo and Juliet Modern Day Version’ (5MS), ‘The Symbols of Christmas’ (5RB) and ‘Big Bad Wolf’s Day in Court’ (5LN). Every child was given the opportunity to participate and the afternoon consisted of excellent performances in both drama and music.

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Music and Friendship

The children had a great time last week with Buddy meetings and Buddy lunches as part of Anti-Bullying week; a serious message doesn’t always have to be dry and lacking in fun!

The Informal Concert on Wednesday was a tour de force, with many of the newest recruits to learning an instrument confidently playing to a packed chapel alongside some of our more experienced instrumentalists and singers. The wide variety of music included all genres from ‘Chopsticks’ and ‘Three Blind Mice’ to ‘The Blue Danube Waltz’ and ‘Mountain Stream’ which was played beautifully on the harp.

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‘Lest We Forget’

An atmospheric mist shrouded the school chapel as Belmont children and staff gathered in the quad to remember members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty since the First World War. After a series of readings the customary Silence was held on this very special 11th hour of the 11th day, of the 11th month of this 2011th year.

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Annual Belmont Rugby Festival

Saturday’s Rugby Tournament was a huge success. The field was very strong and as Belmont was drawn in a group which consisted of Northwood, St Edmunds and Clevedon College, a tough morning was expected! The weather was kind to us, some excellent rugby skills were on display, and the morning culminated in the A team winning the plate against some fearsome opposition. The experience for some of the younger players will stand them in good stead for next year's event.

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Half Term

Now that the half term holiday is over, the season running up to Christmas is a busy one. In amongst many sporting activities and matches Y8 have their CE Mock exams this week and class tests will commence for Y6 and Y7 on the 9th November. 14th November sees National Anti-Bullying Week begin with Buddy lunches and an Informal concert in the Chapel later in the week. Year 8 and Year 6 Parents have their parents’ evenings during the coming weeks and Year 5 will be doing their Class Presentations during morning Chapel. The term will round off in seasonal custom with the FOB Winter Wonderland on Saturday 3rd December and the Year 3 Christmas Presentation on 7th December. The Annual Belmont Christmas Concert will be on Thursday 8th December and during the final week of term there will be Upper and Lower School Carol Services. Term will end on Wednesday 14th December at 12.00.

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Wednesday 23rd November Open Morning

A warm welcome awaits prospective pupils and their families at our Open Morning on Wednesday 23rd November 2011. No appointments are necessary – please come and meet staff and tour the School between 9.30-11.00, with a talk from the Head at 10.15.

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Jeans for Genes Day

Friday was a great day at Belmont when everyone got involved with raising money for Jeans for Genes Day. By wearing their jeans the children raised £559.62. The Year 5 bakers produced some delicious cakes which were sold at breaktime and they raised £238.00. The bakers were Amirah F, Lia H, Dulcie B, Ethan J, Shanze N, Karin P, Emike A and Jacqueline W.

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Year 7 Rosh Hashanah Presentation

A lively and informative presentation for Upper School was organised by members of 7RP. Sophie F and Emma N produced a powerpoint presentation about customs at Rosh Hashanah. Jonathan B demonstrated how the Shofar is blown. We were then all treated to apple and honey and honey cake by Oliver A, Jacy J, Miranda S and Isabella W. We do hope that this will bring us a Sweet New Year.

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Grandparents’ Day

This year’s grandparents day saw record numbers of grandparents enjoying the sunshine and seeing the grounds at their best. The children eagerly took their grandparents on a tour, many had their photo taken and a fond farewell was said in the quad as lunch and a concert beckoned. This annual event is a good opportunity for grandparents to get together and see the work that their grandchildren are involved with. Many are Old Belmontians, and old friendships were re-kindled while taking a trip down memory lane.

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World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

The FOB worked very hard again this year as they organised the Macmillan Coffee morning. They were inundated with donations of cakes, biscuits and pastries. The huge parental turn out meant that Belmont were able to donate £1,442.47 to this worthwhile event. The morning was enhanced by the beauty of the dew glistening on the Master’s Lawn. During break time the children were also able to take part in the event by making a donation and enjoying the cakes as well.

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Sport Online

The Belmont website has now been updated to include all of the schools sporting fixtures, results and match reports. This additional feature allows parents and pupils to follow their team’s performance from home. In addition it provides parents with maps and information on away venues. This updated area of the website can be found under the Sport drop down menu as Fixtures & Results. The quad notice boards will continue to provide information to pupils and the school bulletin will still inform parents of weekly fixtures and amendments.

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Year 7 Team Bonding

On Friday our Year 7 pupils all took part in our annual team bonding exercise. Pupils were entertained by some excellent instructors from Class Adventure who helped them to work together as a group focusing on co-operation and leadership. During the day pupils learnt many different skills including how to survive in the wild, how to navigate using a map and compass and how to create a catapult out of fence posts. In the evening, everyone put up their tents and cooked a pasta meal on Trangia stoves which was supplemented by a BBQ cooked beautifully by Mr Pym and Mr Ince. After a very brief rest pupils were back into action playing a game of Pirates and smugglers in the dark on the playing field. After a hot chocolate pupils went to bed at about 10:30pm for most of which it was the first time in a tent. After an all too brief sleep, all pupils were packed up and ready for breakfast at 8am.

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Saracens Partnership Launch

In this week's assembly we welcomed Saracens RFC along with the AVIVA Premiership Trophy. Alex Austerberry from the Saracens community development team spoke to the students about the ethics and values required to be part of a successful team. Alex spoke of his excitement about the future Belmont/Saracens partnership which will see Stuart Smart from Saracens supporting rugby teams with specialist coaching during games afternoons. After the assembly all pupils were given the opportunity to have their picture taken with the Premiership trophy.

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Autumn Term at Belmont

This term begins with record numbers of new children being welcomed on Tuesday 6th September for induction. Lessons begin for all on Wednesday 7th September at 8.20 and during the first few days there will be buddy meetings, a Parents' Evening for those entering Upper School, a Year 7 overnight Leadership Camp and Grandparents' Day which this year takes place on Thursday 22nd September. During the run up to half term the Junior Choir will be going on a trip to the Wizard of Oz, the Belmont Putter will take place at Arkley Golf Course and there will be the regular FOB Macmillan Coffee morning. A full and busy half term awaits all involved with Belmont School this autumn.

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