On Monday morning, children in Reception up to Year 8 joined staff on the Terraces for our Remembrance Service. We held a two minute silence for all those who have given their lives in war, and Year 8 read the names of our Old Beaudesertians who died in WWI and WWII. It was a poignant service which gave us time to reflect and remember.

Tuesday was a brighter day than usual at Beaudesert. Down each corridor, we saw flashes of neon pink and polka dots as children and staff donned odd socks and bright tights for our Odd Sock Day. The day is organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, highlighting that each of us is bright and brilliant in our own unique way, just like an odd sock. This year, they are putting particular emphasis on showing respect for one another.

It was wonderful to see our children in House colours today as part of our Children in Need event in Pre-Prep. Children wore red, yellow, green and blue and brought in donations, before participating in a series of Pudsey Bear themed activities including ‘guess how many pompoms’, ‘hoopla’ and ‘find the bear’ games. We welcomed helpers from Year 8 to support our Pre-Prep children with these activities, who did a great job of guiding our little ones in their charitable endeavours. Our Pre-Prep children managed to raise £454.39 through their non-uniform day, and through donations from the children's piggy banks and pocket money, lots of which was supplemented by extra chores at home. Many thanks to Miss Bett for leading this special event. House totals will be announced on Monday!

We hope you also managed to pick up a cupcake or biscuit during collection this afternoon, as our Year 8s brought in some delicious homemade goodies to buy. All money raised will go to our final total for Children in Need, which we will announced next week.

We enjoyed two wonderful singing concerts this week, where Mrs Brownbill and Mrs Pearce-Coleman's pupils both performed a wide variety of vocal numbers. We heard classic songs from popular musicals and well-loved Disney films, and all of the children performed confidently in front of their audience.

Our Eco-schools team and the Art Department have joined forces to create an eco-friendly festive display, and they are inviting the whole school community to get involved.

Children, parents, grandparents, siblings, and staff are all invited to create their own crafted eco-bauble at home using sustainable or recycled materials, which will be added to one of our Christmas trees. Baubles can be knitted, crocheted, sewn, needle-felted, made of clay, natural materials or anything recycled.

If you would like to take part, please bring your finished baubles to the Art Room (named with a tag) by Monday 25th November.

Find some inspiration on Mrs Barr's Pinterest account

Our girls had a sweep of successes across the teams this week, with six teams taking second place in their Severnside tournament; our 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams, U11A and B team and our U10A team.

Our U9 Tigers had a particularly brilliant afternoon, winning all four of their back-to-back matches. This included a 5-0 win against Clifton. The girls won their tournament through impressive team work, concentration and positioning throughout the afternoon. Well done to all our girls!

On Tuesday, Years 5 to 8 were lucky enough to watch an amazing performance by the Handlebards, a troupe of cycling Shakespearean actors who carry their set and props on their bicycles. As a cast of two, they had a lot of different roles to juggle, and lots of costumes to swap! This added to the fun of the production though, and the children were enraptured throughout. We hope they enjoyed this condensed and (slightly) chaotic performance.

8A led a brilliant assembly this week, which was inspired by 'Beauty and the Beast', their upcoming production. It was great to learn more about the history which inspired the musical and learn some trivia facts about the story.

As part of their work on living in the desert, 3N created models of Bedouin tents. After experimenting with different ideas to make a stable design, the children persevered and worked together to make their tents. They then set to work on the interior design, adding rugs, beds, water pots, fires, mini scorpions and flags. Everyone had a really happy afternoon and learned lots too.

The Performing Arts Centre has been abuzz with activity this morning, as the set for our Year 8 musical 'Beauty and the Beast' has arrived! This will be of great use to our Year 8s as their begin intensive rehearsals next week. We are excited to see what is in store...

We have really enjoyed getting involved in lots of community events in the Pre-Prep this week. We started by wearing our poppies for Remembrance, then our Odd Socks for Anti-Bullying Awareness, and ended our week in House colours for Children in Need. These community events help us connect with our Prep School peers, and we have loved seeing lots of the Year 8 children. Not only did they help us during our Children in Need activities today, but they also joined us for a lovely meal together. Nursery to Year 2 children were joined for lunch by the Pastoral Ambassadors, who helped to serve food and chat to the children this Wednesday. This is intended to become a half termly event.

Children have also been busy engaging in their inquiry topics around Pre-Prep, with Reception children delving deep into celebrations and festivals through their play-based learning and role play. In Nursery, children have been sharing their previous knowledge about autumn and the seasons, and asking questions to determine what they learn next. As children engage in new learning, teachers use vocabulary traffic lights to decide if the vocabulary being introduced is familiar or brand new; children enjoy revisiting new words and concepts as we move through our learning and seeing words move from red, to amber to green.

We have also been baking, counting, writing, matching, crafting and enjoying our beautiful school grounds!

Anna Packman, Head of Pre-Prep

What a week it’s been in the Boarding House! We have had the pleasure of hosting a group of Year 8s who have been boarding with us all week, preparing for their transition to senior school. They have absolutely embraced the experience, and we have loved having them here.

Our Monday fitness sessions were as popular as ever (we suspect some of the children secretly enjoy being pushed to their limits). Thanks to their improved fitness levels, we are turning up the intensity next week... Please warn the children to brace themselves for a session that will really test what they are made of! Meanwhile, the Year 8s took full advantage of their ‘VIP’ status, and opted for a refreshing dip in the pool.

The weather has been glorious all week, making it perfect for outdoor adventures. Tuesday saw the children running wild (in the best possible way) on the astro and in the forest. After a busy afternoon of games and matches on Wednesday, the Year 8s chose a more relaxed evening. Some opted for pickleball in the Sports Hall, others found their zen back in the Boarding House, while a few simply could not resist the magnetic pull of the astro.

As the Year 8 children had been absolute stars all week, they enjoyed a special snack as a reward on Thursday. It was the perfect send-off to a brilliant week.

This evening, we have the much-anticipated Boarders' Breakout... With good weather forecast we are looking forward to an exciting evening!

Don't forget about our Year 6 Taster/Special Night next Thursday. Spaces are limited, so be sure to sign up early to avoid disappointment.

We are wishing you all a fantastic weekend.

Oli and Debbie Jones, Houseparents

It has been a good week for the 'Desert Dogs', our staff sports teams, who have been playing against parents. Our parents v Desert Dogs football tournament ended in a hard fought 5-4 victory for the staff, and the first ever 'Buffaloes' (parents) v 'Desert Dogs' touch rugby game ended in another win for the Dogs, with 7 tries to 5.