Beachborough Newsletter: Friday 21st March 2025

FV go to York! 

Last week, Form V travelled up to York for a three-day residential trip. I’m happy to report that we all had a wonderful time. On the first day of the trip, after several hours in a coach (thankfully traffic was relatively light!), we arrived at Rievaulx Abbey. The pupils were impressed by the ruins of this medieval Cistercian monastery and enjoyed exploring the site and learning about how monks lived several hundred years ago. Whilst the soaring windows of the ruined church captured the imagination of most pupils, some were particularly interested by the remains of the monk’s latrine block! Day two of the tour saw pupils take a walking tour through York, visiting the medieval Shambles district (the inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley) and exploring York Minster. The Minster was a real trip highlight. Pupils braved the narrow and winding staircase to reach the very top of the Cathedrals Tower, and despite wobbly legs and a spot of vertigo, enjoyed panoramic views of the city. Later in the day, we visited the Railway Museum where pupils got to get up close to Bullet Trains, and replica’s of the Flying Scotsman and Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’. The Railway Museum is also home to the ‘Wonderlabs’, where pupils spent 90 minutes enjoying hands on scientific and engineering experiments. The final day of the tour involved trips to the Jorvik Centre where pupils were transported back to Viking York, and York Dig, where pupils got to practice their archaeological excavation skills. Both activities deepened pupils historical understanding of Viking England, and the recreated smell of Viking York in the Jorvik Centre will linger long in the memory! Overall, the comfortable accommodation, the tasty food and the (relatively good) weather contributed to a trip that both deepened pupils’ historical knowledge and most importantly, was a lot of fun.

Mr Jackson

Lacrosse with Tudor Hall

On Tuesday, Lauren Amos, Head of Lacrosse, and Neil Busby, Director of Sport from Tudor Hall, visited us to deliver a lacrosse session. It was a great opportunity for our girls who are going to Tudor Hall at the end of Form VIII to meet the staff, and for all the children attending the club to experience playing lacrosse. Miss Amos delivered a really fun session and all of the children improved so much.  Next week, they will learn some more advanced skills and play some games. Hopefully, some of Tudor Hall students will accompany the staff to help with game play too. A massive thanks to Tudor Hall for such a great experience.

Mrs Howkins

Maths with FIII

Form III have been making summer cocktails based on their learning about capacity and volume. They thought carefully about how much of each juice to add and what the capacity of the cup would be, as well as the total volume. Then they got to enjoy their drinks in some of the sunshine on the Front Terrace!

Mrs Keen

The Young Enterprise Easter Project!

Just in time for Easter, the Young Enterprise Club are selling hand-crafted knitted bunnies, which they plan to sell for £2 each.

They are being sold on Wednesday 26th and  Thursday 27th in the Quad at first break, and the children will be able to choose which knitted bunny they would like to purchase.

The YE are also doing a lucky dip, which will cost 50p per go, and there are plenty of surprise Easter gifts up for grabs!

All proceeds will go to Mary’s Meals, and we have no doubt that the Beachborough community will support the YE club with another fabulous initiative.

At the next Link meeting on Monday 24th March, we welcome Philippa from Strive OT, a specialist Occupational Therapy service dedicated to providing high-quality, evidence-based support to children, families, and schools. Philippa will be discussing how Occupational Therapy can support children both at school and at home, offering practical solutions for a range of developmental challenges.

Philippa is looking forward to meeting you all and sharing her experience on how Occupational Therapy can make a real difference!

Club Credits!

Our Colts F Hockey Team! 

Ultimate Activity Camps 2025!

We can’t wait for Ultimate Activity Camps to return this year, with camps running during the Easter and summer holidays. These camps offer an incredible opportunity for children to discover new activities, boost their confidence, and make lasting friendships. Each week is packed with over 40 thrilling sports, games, and creative activities, all delivered in a safe and fun environment inspected by Ofsted.

Easter Early Booking Offer EXTENDED  from 04/03/25 to 11/04/25

Don’t miss out! Ultimate Activity Camps are returning this Easter and summer, offering an incredible opportunity for children to explore new activities, build confidence, and make new friends. Each week is packed with over 40 exciting sports, games, and creative activities, all delivered in a safe and fun environment.

• Prices start from just £48 per day!
• Save up to £60 per week
• Offer ends 11th April 2025!
• EASTER camp dates: Monday 7th to Friday 11th April 2025

This offer is available online so please visit: https://www.ultimateactivity.co.uk/locations/beachborough-school to save on your holiday childcare.

Club Geography Results

Last month, we asked children in Reception – FVIII to take part in the Club Geography competition!

The task was to prove the children’s global location knowledge by completing online quizzes. When the children were satisfied with their result and time, they were asked to share this with Mrs Exarheas – extra points were awarded to those who obtained high scores and completed the quiz in a fast time.

We were thrilled with the knowledge that the children demonstrated, and thank you to all who entered. The results were as follows…

Spring Prize Giving

On Thursday, we held our highly anticipated Prize Giving assembly for children in FIII-FVIII.

Together, we recognised achievements in sport, academics, boarding, and the Beachborough intellectual characteristics, for those who have consistently demonstrated the school motto through their actions.

We also celebrated aspects such as effort grades, the most improved child in certain subject areas, and Club competition results! Mrs Mitchell awarded the children with certificates, trophies, cups, shields, and gifts to commemorate all of the children’s successes.

Huge congratulations to all!

Mr Blee’s Half Marathon for Mary’s Meals…

On Sunday 27th April, Mr Blee will be running the Shakespeare Half Marathon, all in aid of raising money for Mary’s Meals!

Mr Blee has set a generous target of £1,000, which will feed 52 pupils at our sponsored primary school for a whole year. We have no doubt that you will join us in supporting him along the way, and we are wishing him the best of luck for April.

We have created a JustGiving page, if you wish to kindly donate: JUSTGIVING PAGE

Thank you so much for your generosity!

A Talk with Tracey O’Donnell

On Thursday morning, the Geography Department treated Form VIII to a fascinating insight into the working life of Tracey O’Donnell, the Deputy Chief Executive of Milton Keynes City Council and the Managing Director of Milton Keynes Development Partnership​.

Tracey’s passion for geography in her school days provided a strong foundation for understanding urban planning and development, which naturally led her to a fulfilling career with Milton Keynes City Council.

During her talk, Tracey delved into the New Towns initiative of the 1960s, a significant period in British urban planning. She explained how Milton Keynes was meticulously planned with a focus on car usage, reflecting the transportation priorities of that era. The city’s layout, with its grid road system and extensive green spaces, was designed to accommodate and encourage car travel.

Tracey went on to highlight the ongoing efforts by Milton Keynes Council to make the city more sustainable. She discussed various initiatives aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint and promoting eco-friendly transportation options. These efforts include the introduction of autonomous buses, the development of a tram system, and delivery robots, which captured the imagination of the Form VIIIs.

It was fascinating to learn about the innovative steps Milton Keynes is taking towards a sustainable future. It’s a testament to how a background in geography can lead to impactful work.

Mrs Exarheas

Club General Knowledge

On Wednesday morning, our Beachburians gathered in the Whybrow Theatre to watch the Club General Knowledge 2025 competition!

A small group of children represented each of their clubs and collaborated effectively to answer questions across various categories, including Literature, History, Sport, Geography, and Science, culminating in a wildcard round. The children received support from their fellow club members in the audience, who created an atmosphere of anticipation and excitement.

The results were as follows:

• 1^st place – Sprawson
• 2^nd place – Chappell
• 3^rd place – Boardman
• 4^th place – Carder

Congratulations to all involved!

FVI Production of Madagascar! 

This week, our FVI children have wowed audiences with their production of Madagascar Jr.

In recent months, they have been working incredibly hard to perfect their singing, choreography and acting, and they certainly put on a show to remember!

Special thanks must go to Mrs Andrew, Mrs Chatfield and Mrs Cox for all of their hard work in directing, music, and set design. Additionally, Mrs Boardman for choreographing the performance, and Mrs Oram for costume and props. Huge thanks to our FVIIIs, James K and Jake K, for their continuous assistance throughout rehearsals.

We are so proud of FVI and hope that our audiences thoroughly enjoyed the performances.

Supporting our Beachborough Community! 

New research from Shelter shows at least 345,000 people in England, including 161,500 children, spend Christmas without a home – a shocking increase of 14% in one year.

Shelter’s detailed analysis of official homelessness figures reveal that 1 in 160 people are now homeless:

• 360,000 people are in in temporary accommodation (a 17% increase in one year) – most of whom are in families with children
• 3,900 people are sleeping rough on any given night (a 27% increase)

So, tonight, Josh S (FVIII) and his mum will spend the night sleeping in the stands at The Hawthorns stadium to raise awareness for homelessness, as part of a project run by The Albion Foundation.

This is an incredible cause and we are supporting them every step of the way. If you would like to support them too, you can do so by visiting their JustGiving page here.

St Hugh’s Football Festival

A great showing from our Form III and IV girls at the St Hugh’s football festival on Tuesday with our U8 team of Ida B, Jessie H, Harriet L, Clementine P, Cecily T and Martha V winning their respective competition, playing up a year – congratulations to these girls and to our other two teams who also performed very well on the day!

Mr Usher

Important Information:

In case of any misunderstanding, children are allowed to stay in their sports kit for the Spring Concert, following the team photographs on Monday.

FIII Roman Day!

On Friday, Form III travelled back in time to the Romans and arrived at school as gladiators, emperors and centurions. A special highlight was a handmade wooden spear! We spent the day creating mosaic coasters, learning how to be gladiators and most importantly building the Colosseum out of custard creams! The children showcased their knowledge of the topic and were particularly inventive with their delicious structures, even adding ‘rubble’ to their architectural designs for the full historical effect. They thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the different types of gladiators and working with Mr. Jackson, our Head of History, to design their own new type of gladiator.

Mrs Keen and Mrs Preece

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What’s on next week?

Mon 24th
8.15am – 9.15am – The Link* (Manor House Library)
9.00am – 12.00pm – ABRSM exams – Stowe
9.00am – 1.30pm – Bentley Photographic Spring Term Team Photos
11.00am – Spring Concert Rehearsals (The Whybrow Theatre)
1.30pm – Effort Grade Lunch
6.00pm – Spring Concert (The Whybrow Theatre)* (Drinks Old Library from 5.30pm)

Tues 25th
9.00am – 9.30am – PP2 Year Group Assembly (The Whybrow Theatre)*
11.30am – 2.00pm – Trinity Drum Exams – Stowe
2.30pm – Girls’ Netball: U8 (All Girls)Triangular v Akeley Wood & Kitebrook (H)*
2.30pm – Girls’ Netball: U9 (3 Teams) v Milton Keynes Prep (A)*
2.30pm – Boys’ Hockey: U9 (All Boys) v Winchester House (A)*
2.30pm – Boys’ Football: U8 (All Boys) v Akeley Wood (H)*
5.00pm – 6.00pm – Boardman Meeting
6.00pm – 8.00pm – Form VIII Parents’ Evening (online via SchoolCloud)*

Weds 26th
Form V, VI, & VIII Tutor Team Meeting
Year Group Assembly
2.00pm – Middle Boys’ (Forms V and VI) Club Hockey at Stowe School
2.30pm – Girls’ Netball: U13A, B and Cavaliers v Headington (H)*
2.30pm – Boys’ Football: 1st XI v The Dragon (A)*
2.30pm – Boys’ Football: 2nd XI and 3rd IX v The Dragon (H)*
5.30pm – 8.00pm – Form VIII Parents’ Evening (online via SchoolCloud)*

Thurs 27th
Last Co-Curricular Activities for the Whole School
10.30am – 11.00am – NUR – PP2 Easter Service (St Augustine’s Church)
3.00pm – U13 Girls’ Rugby v Campion School (H)*
5.15pm – Boys’ Football: 1st XI v The Staff
5.15pm – Girls’ Netball: FVIII v Parents

Fri 28th
Boardman – Easter Egg Hunts
All Day – Wear a Hat Day (Whole School Hat Parade & Cake Sale, in aid of Brain Tumour Research)
• New CEO of charity (BTR) arrives at 8.45am.
• 9.05am Beachborough pupils assemble on Front Lawn for assembly / hat parade. Nearest to the path = Nursery.
• 9.10am to 9.45am Hat Parade and a few words from visitor.
• 9.45am – small group / year group photos.
3.30pm – 5.00pm – Manor House (V-VIII) Open Afternoon*
3.30pm – Term Ends for pupils in Nursery – Pre-prep 2
4.30pm – Term Ends for pupils in Forms III-IV
5.05pm – Term Ends for pupils in Forms V-VIII
Aftercare Until 6.00pm, tea served