End of Term Message
Summer Term concluded with one of the busiest and hottest weeks of the year. Children started off their holidays with fond memories of an eventful term as well as a sense of satisfaction at their achievements in the examination room. Common entrance results, in particular, were some of the best we have ever had with nearly 15% of Year 8 gaining 6 or more A/A* results amongst their 8 subjects! More than 134 awards were presented on Prizegiving Day, 44 awards on Final Assembly, 16 awards on Sports Day and 11 awards at the Swimming Gala. The Autumn term, which commences on Wednesday 8th September, will see more than 100 new children joining Belmont for the first time giving the school, as usual, a full complement. Rosh Hashanah falls in the first week back on 9th and 10th September so parents are reminded to request permission for absence by letter. The photos are of Mr Elder's last sports day at Belmont after 20 years and gleeful girls enjoying the end of term Summer Fun Day.
Summer Fun Day
The marching band of the Corps of Drums from Mill Hill School CCF formally opened this year's Summer Fun Day on June 26th. The range of activities, stalls, food and refreshments was the best yet and the children loved every minute of it. There were plenty of water pistols won at the stalls and very useful they were in cooling down after a climb to the top of Spider Mountain. Well done to the Friends of Belmont.
Olympic Athletes Attend Belmont
A record audience enjoyed a very exciting sports day – rounded off by presentations from Olympic athletes.
Belmont's sports day was not only one of the best attended ever but many personal bests were broken and record numbers of breathtakingly exciting moments were enjoyed by the enthralled parents, staff and children! Loud cheers were heard around the fields all afternoon as one after another athlete astounded the crowd with their achievements. Presentations were made at the end of the afternoon by Chris Tomlinson who, in 2008 not only became the world's top long jumper of the year with a leap of 8.18 m but also completed in the Olympic Games. Co-presenter was Goldie Sayers who is a double Olympian Javelin thrower and also has been the British No 1 for six years. In 2008 she finished the year ranked 4th in the world. Competition was also high amongst the parents as to who could produce the most splendid picnic lunch and the biggest home-made meringues!
Bugsy Malone
Year 6 performed a brilliant version of Bugsy Malone in the Senior School theatre for 2 nights. The musical is a difficult one to perform with the American accent and some tricky music. After only one week of rehearsal, however, audiences were astonished with the quality of the performances. Particularly outstanding were Max S, Jack M, Olivia L and India J. Overall all performances had rhythm and drive - particularly the 'Hoods' and Fat Sam's gang who captured perfectly the humour and threat of New York gangsters and also the dancing girls in the nightclub. Well done to all the staff involved for their organisation and motivation of the pupils.
Lower School Summer Concert
This year's concert was particularly enjoyable as parents, staff and pupils heard a wide range of musical talent covering each year group. Music ranged from Lauren T's Study in F on the piano, the Bell Plates group performing Under the Sea and Waltzing Matilda to Karan P's version of Ball Room Blues on the guitar and the String Groups' performances of March in D and Summer Waltz. The evening reached a rousing crescendo as the Junior Choir concluded the evening with a compilation of music from the musical 'Oliver'.
Activity Week
In contrast to the recent exam week this year's activity week at Belmont was particularly enjoyable as the sun shone down in many parts of the country. Year 8 went on an Activities Trip to Cornwall and Year 7 went to Ashford in Kent for a Geography field trip. Year 6 spent the week rehearsing for their annual play - which this year will be Bugsy Malone. In the meantime Years 3 - 5 left their classrooms and joined their House groups for a total of 18 extra curricula activities ranging from Animal Encounters, camp fire building, yoga and willow weaving. Year 5 also took part in a Leadership Course! Once again, parents see evidence that Belmont is 'highly successful in achieving its aims' in enabling children to benefit from a fully rounded education.
Science, Culture and Radishes!
Despite the Year 8 pupils sitting common entrance exams this week the rest of the school carried on the normal curriculum with some extra enhancements! Year 6 started off their week with a Science trip to Whipsnade Zoo and then on Wednesday the entire year group went off on a cultural trip to France - more about that next week! In the meantime Year 5 went on an Art Trip where they visited both the Tate and the National Gallery and the week ended with an inter-school DT Challenge. More important than all of this, however, was the safe arrival of the first produce from the Eco Garden – Hope S, Isabella D and Nina C can be seen proudly displaying their radishes as competition heats up amongst all the keen gardeners to grow the most successful vegetation.
Junior Open Tennis
Belmont pupils took part in the annual Mill Hill Junior Open Tennis Competition against 11 of Mill Hill School's feeder schools. Children who didn't make the knock-out stages were treated to a coaching clinic run by 17-year-old professional British tennis player, Tara Moore, who also presented the trophies and prizes to the finalists.
The day proved to be a huge success for Belmont, with an all-Belmont final in the girls' competition. Niamh M and Susannah R played exceptionally well and reached the quarter- and semi-finals. The final was between Kiana G and Olivia G-R. This closely fought match, with great sportsmanship by both, was marginally won by Kiana. Olivia is playing a year above her age group, so hopefully will be back next year to claim victory.
The boys' competition was tough this year with some fantastic young tennis players from all over the country. Sam H and Daniel B won their group stage which meant they qualified for the quarter-finals. Both boys were up against strong competition and lost to players that went on to the final. Jack O, Matthew B and Jack Mendoza were very unlucky not to qualify for the knock-out stages, finishing second in their group.
Guitar Concert
Once again Mr Preiss's guitar pupils provided a thoroughly enjoyable lunchtime concert for an intimate and appreciative audience. The music was varied ranging from Latin Rock to Greensleeves allowing pupils of all ability levels in years 4-8 to demonstrate their musical skills. The smiles on the pupil's faces after performing was encouraging and pleasing to see. Congratulations to all performers; Bayley G, Aryan M, Adnan R, Kayle G, Louis Z, Konstantine C, Calum C, Sam S, Natsuha M and Ben B.
23rd June Open Morning
A warm welcome awaits prospective pupils and their families at our Open Morning on Wednesday 23rd June, 9.30 -11.00am. View Belmont on a normal school day – no need to book, just come along. Children welcome.
Belmont Green Week
Belmont children took part in a variety of events during Green Week As part of the 'Walk to School Week' a huge proportion of boys and girls found alternative methods of getting to school - one even came on her pony! Lunchtime activities included Pond Dipping, a Tree Trail, 'Love Food, Hate Waste' workshops and a Bug Hotel Building Competition. Amongst other events taking place was the official opening of the Vegetable Garden, a Creative Recycling Competition and a 'Wear Something Green' day.
Old Belmontians' Day
Belmont and the grounds were looking at their best for Old Belmontians' Day, with many of its famous trees in bloom. Thanks to the efforts of Heather Baim, Secretary and Treasurer and Nick Priestnall from the Mill Hill Friends it was encouraging to see many new faces and families at this annual event.
The day began with the AGM, followed by some rousing hymn singing at the annual Chapel Service, accompanied on the organ by OB Nelson Whaley, and an equally rousing sermon from the Foundation Chaplain, the Rev Andrew Keep. Over eighty past pupils and families sat down to an excellent lunch prepared by the Belmont catering staff.
There was then the opportunity of guided tours of Belmont and to look at some of the School's archives and School photographs on display. This was thanks to OB Roger Rose, who had selected a wide range of material covering all the decades of Belmont School and its activities.
Looking Forward to the New Term
Summer Term gets off to a lovely warm start for Belmont pupils who are not stranded abroad! As part of the School's 'Eco Green Flag Project' raised fruit and vegetable beds were built during the Easter Break and are now ready for children to start 'growing their own'. As part of this project some children have already attended a 'Composing Workshop' and Foundation wide planning meetings have taken place which include children ranging from ages 3-18. Progress of this project will be tracked on the website.
Ski Trip to Tonale
Wonderful snow, perfect sunshine and super children, the Year 8 trip to Tonale was a special week. Conditions were excellentand a tremendous time was had by all. The pupils participated whole-heartedly in building towers, a talent show, bingo and boarding. Most importantly everyone enjoyed the skiing (at night time too) and each other's company.
History Club Trip to York
Seventeen Belmont pupils along with five teachers spent a long and thoroughly enjoyable Saturday visiting the historic city of York. From the moment of arrival they were immersed in the history of place, walking the crowded streets to view the Minster and the Shambles before plunging down into the Jorvik Viking Centre. The weather was sunny and warm enough for an outside picnic for lunch before a chance to shop for fudge and a walk to the national Railway Museum for an afternoon visit. The participants finally arrived back at Mill Hill in the evening tired, full of sweets and the images of York.
Oti Day and Races
This time of the year is when Belmont boys and girls remember former Belmontian Sylvester Oti who died at the age of 9 from Sickle Cell disease in 1988. Inter schools cross-country races took place for the Under 13's and the Under 11's with many personal bests being achieved.
Year 8's arranged a number of charitable events during their breaktime. There was also a fancy dress competition and a MUFTI day. The proceeds they raised together with the MUFTI money all went to the Sickle Cell Society.
May 8th Open Morning
A warm welcome awaits prospective pupils and their families at our Foundation Open Morning on Saturday May 8th. All three Foundation Schools – Grimsdell (pre-preparatory), Belmont (preparatory) and Mill Hill – will be open: Grimsdell from 10.30-12.30 and Belmont and Mill Hill between 9.30am and 12 noon. No appointments are necessary – please come and meet Senior Academic staff and tour the Schools. Parking will be signposted for each School from The Ridgeway.
Art Scholarship Exhibition
An exhibition of Art Scholarship work by current Year 8 Students was held in the Jubilee Hall in March. The Art Scholarship club is run twice a week after school and allows children to explore their own individual work. As you can see from the photographs the Year 8s have explored a wide range of themes and materials.
The students are all very talented and have created some fantastic work. Mr McNulty would like to thank all the students for their hard work this year.
Evening of Dance Success
On Thursday 11th March the Friends of Belmont arranged an ‘Evening of Dance’. The event was a sell out with 70 performers demonstrating a range of dances from modern to cultural. It was a great evening and the dancers and their costumes definitely put ‘Strictly’ into the shade!
Belmont Reading Week
Last week Belmont opened its doors to a number of visiting authors in a new initiative to promote reading and story-telling. The week started with famous author of crime fiction Mark Billingham spending time exploring the art of introducing character through dialogue. This was followed by Sarah Matthias, local author of children's stories, who told children about how she first got into writing her mysteries based around a historical period. The children were particularly fascinated by the gruesome facts and relics. During the rest of the week the children enjoyed performance poetry workshops by Wes Magee, listening to Julie Parrish speaking about her novel which is based on the local area, Savita Kalhan who led a creative writing workshop and Laura Sutherland who used interactive games and props to explore different ways of thinking about character. The week ended with a dressing-up competition where children dressed as their favourite book character. A book fair was set up in the library throughout the week.
The Sound of Music
Last week's Year 8 production 'The Sound of Music' was exceptional for the quality of the singing, dancing and acting. All three performances played to appreciative packed houses and the children received a standing ovation on the final night. The singing by the Nuns and the von Trapp children was particularly well done. There were plenty of delightful cameo performances: the waltzing couples, the soldiers, performances from Aimee D, Holly N, Aston L and Amy W as Rolf and Liesl, Isobel W as Elsa Schraeder, Jake B as Herr Zeller, Alex F as Capt von Trapp, Alex Matraxia as Max Detweiler and Emily G and Jessie B who shared the parts of Mother Superior and Maria between them – to name but a few! Special thanks must go to all the backstage helpers and also to Martha A and Martina C from Year 4 who took it in turns to play Gretel, the youngest member of the von Trapp family.
Green Travel Show
The Lower School were treated to a fun-filled performance by the Quantum Theatre Group this week. In expectation of Belmont Green Week coming up in the Summer Term and in order to raise awareness of Eco issues the talented team of two actors performed to a captive audience. They successfully combined humour with a serious message to the children about the implications of global warming and the factors that are contributing to the problem. Children were able to use knowledge they had learnt in science and geography lessons to contribute to the performance, assisting the characters as they progressed on a mission to save planet Earth from an alien invasion intent on speeding up global warming. Children learnt about the importance of trying to reduce the carbon emissions produced by the daily school run in the car by choosing to walk to school, and they also learnt how this would help to keep them healthy. National Walk to School Week, coinciding with Belmont’s Green Week, begins on the 2nd May this year. Hopefully the Lower School children will try their hardest to walk all or part of the way to school, now that they understand what an impact their act could have on the environment.
Satips General Knowledge Challenge 2010
"Who was the last Emperor of China? Dulse is an edible type of what? How many sides does a hendecagon have?" These are some of the questions from the Satips Senior Challenge this year for which hundreds of Prep Schools pupils sat. We wish our twenty candidates the best of luck on a very challenging paper and look forward to hearing the results in March!
Year 8 enjoy a Maths Business Enterprise Day
On February 5th, Belmont played host to the BP Trading Game. Forty Year 8 pupils were split into groups to compete against each other buying and selling oil. Various factors influenced their decisions such as natural disasters and wars around the world, which resulted in tension and panic in the room. Some teams erred on the side of caution and others took bold risks, all in the pursuit of making the largest profit. The winning team of Casey G, Xerxes P, Param G, Jacob L and Lindsey F (aptly named 'Petrol R US') received rapturous applause.
Music At Belmont
Guitar students of all grades had an opportunity to perform in front of a live audience during one of the first of a series of informal concerts to be held at lunchtime. Parents and fellow pupils enjoyed listening to a wide range of performances from complete beginners to pupils preparing for high grades. The experience helps all pupils become accustomed to performing in front of an audience right from a very early stage in their musical careers.
In similar 'informal' vein, this year's Lower School Concert went with its usual sizzle of exciting music and accomplished players, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 pupils enthralled their audience with renditions as diverse as Hannah B playing a Rondo on the harp, Evie M singing 'My Favourite Things', Miranda S and Dora G singing 'Eternal Flame' and 'The Thriller Boys' version of 'Mika We Are Golden'. The evening ended with the Junior Wind Band’s rousing performance of 'In the Jungle'.
England Player Coaches Belmont Girls and Easter Tennis Course Details
Top England Netball player Tamsin Greenway has been showing our sharp-shooting students how they can excel in sport. Tamsin, who plays wing attack for the England Senior Squad, is one of several top coaches helping coaching body net-it promote the sport, through a series of school visits and two-day summer courses.
Tamsin, 27, from Trowbridge, Wilts, plays for Surrey Storm – the Superleague franchise for London and the South East. Amongst her main successes were being part of the World Championship Netball Squad in 2007 and later she was part of the winning team in the British University Games.
Junior Netball Camp at Mill Hill School
Net-it.org are also running a Junior Netball Camp for girls aged between 8-14 years which will be held at Mill Hill School on the 12th - 13th April and 30th - 31st August. The Netball courses are two full days and will be led by England International and Super League Players. For more information please contact net-it by email: info@net-it.org or www.net-it.org or phone 01273 771877.
Junior Easter Camps at Belmont
Totteridge Tennis Club will be running their annual tennis camps at Mill Hill School and Belmont School this year. Details available from Clinton Coleman on 07956 258588 or 01442 826820 or email Clinton153040@hotmail.com. These camps are for 5 years and upwards.
Year 5 Poetry
Year 5 have been studying poetry this half term. The children have studied various texts relating to the genre, before having a go at writing their own poems. These poems are written by Miss Wilkinson's Set 2. Some are based on a theme, such as 'Night', some are adaptations of a poem studied in class and others are the children’s free choice.
Belmont Parents' Talks
The first two talk for parents have been very well received. The first, on coping with Friendship Issues, continued after the talk with a discussion revolving around how to respond to your child when they complain: when is it a 'falling out' and when is it something more serious that needs intervention either from school or parent? The second talk in the series of three covered The Transition to Adolescence. The third one, due to take place in March is on How Study Skills can Help Your Child. If you are a current parent and would like to attend, please contact the office.
More than £1000 Raised by Mufti Day
After all the excitement of Christmas and the snowy weather Belmont children turned their thoughts to those far less fortunate to themselves. After viewing horrific scenes from Haiti following the recent earthquake it was agreed to hold a Mufti day. We raised the fantastic total of £1,148 which will be sent to the 'Emergency Relief Fund'. Belmont boys and girls are also collecting second-hand toys which will be sent to children living in a poor rural village called Oyugis in Kenya.
January Snow
Despite treacherous conditions Belmont only closed for one day during the recent bad weather. The school day was shortened in order to give parents more time to drive safely and the school buses all left early. Regular updates on the website and the text messaging service minimised disruption to families and games lessons were replaced by such pursuits as snowball fights and snowman building. On Wednesday 13th January (one of the worst days so far) record numbers of children sat the 11+ examination. Start and end times were altered to accommodate all those candidates who were able to get to Belmont. The atmosphere all round was (as usual at Belmont) extremely positive and upbeat.
A New Term at Belmont
2010 promises to be a very constructive and happy time for all Belmont children. The term starts on Wednesday 6th January and all Clubs will re-commence on Monday 11th January. Academically the spring term is always very busy for the children and this year we have a record number of applicants sitting for 11+ places and attending Scholarship interviews. In addition to the usual round of sports fixtures and musical events the term will include the annual Oti Day and will see the inauguration of the newly formed Chapel Choir. Other activities will include Parents' talks on 'Friendship Issues', 'Transition to Adolescence' and 'How Study Skills can help your Child'. Trips taking place this term will be a Sports tour to Holland, a French Exchange visit and a Ski Trip to Italy. Excitement is high as Year 8 commence rehearsals for their annual play which this year will be 'The Sound of Music' and the Friends of Belmont will be organising an Evening of Dance on Thursday 11th March. Plenty to participate in and look forward to!
- End of Term Message
- Summer Fun Day
- Olympic Athletes Attend Belmont
- Bugsy Malone
- Lower School Summer Concert
- Activity Week
- Science, Culture and Radishes!
- Junior Open Tennis
- Guitar Concert
- June 23rd Open Morning
- Belmont Green Week
- Old Belmontians' Day
- Looking Forward to the New Term
- Ski Trip to Tonale
- History Club Trip to York
- Oti Day and Races
- May 8th Open Morning
- Art Scholarship Exhibition
- Evening of Dance Success
- Belmont Reading Week
- The Sound of Music
- Green Travel Show
- Satips General Knowledge Challenge 2010
- Year 8 enjoy a Maths Business Enterprise Day
- Music At Belmont
- England Player Coaches Belmont Girls and Easter Tennis Course Details
- Year 5 Poetry
- Belmont Parents' Talks
- More than £1000 Raised by Mufti Day
- January Snow
- First Day Back
- A New Term at Belmont