Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for our Autumn Fair on Saturday! The Performing Arts Centre was filled with exquisite gifts, yummy treats, and the hum of happy chatter from our stallholders and visitors. We are so grateful to everyone who joined us for the event, and to our event sponsors, Beaufort Polo Club and Linbury Doctors. We hope those of you who joined us also spoke to Toni, our special guest from Gloucestershire Young Carers.

We were chuffed to hear our Senior Girls' Hockey team have has qualified for the IAPS Nationals later this term!

They finished second in their group, with two wins and two draws. In the quarter-finals, they faced a tough challenge against Cheltenham, the top team from Group 2, in what turned out to be an exciting local derby. The teams had recently drawn against each other, and this match was no different, finishing 1-1 at full time. It all came down to golden goal, where a superb through ball from Isla set Poppy up for a composed finish into the bottom corner, securing both the win and their spot at nationals!

Despite the quarter-final high, the girls narrowly lost out in the semi-finals, finishing fourth overall. A massive congratulations to the whole team. Well done!

We were treated to two lunchtime concerts this week. On Tuesday, we enjoyed repertoire from our young pianists. For some, it was their first time performing in a lunchtime concert, while others were well-versed in their performance technique. All did a brilliant job.

On Thursday, our woodwind instrumentalists took to the fore. We heard wonderful music from our saxophonists, flutists, oboists, clarinetists and 'tootists', and our audience particularly enjoyed joining in with a rendition of the 'YMCA'. Well done to all involved.

This week's Study Skills session for Year 8 focussed on memory and how to remember large amounts of information before examinations. Charles spoke to the children about how paying full attention in lessons is crucial, along with regularly revisiting what has been learned. Revision is not just for the few weeks before an exam, it is a habitual routine!

Children in our Art Club on Thursday had a great time making some adorable autumnal crafts with Ms Barr. We hope it has inspired them to make some more crafts over the Half Term break.

We kick started our week with a focus on the beautiful book ‘We Sang Across the Sea: The Empire Windrush and Me’ by Benjamin Zephaniah, linking this to Black History Month through a focus on stories and poems.

The weather has not deterred us from enjoying time outside this week. In Forest School, we have been enjoying willow craft and listening to alliteration and personification in the Willow poem from The Lost Words, by Robert Macfarlane, as well as creating hedgehog homes.

We have been out and about in the Autumn sunshine during lesson time as well, hunting for and identifying leaves and using these to inspire our own poetry. Here is one by Annabelle:

Leaf

Leaf frilly

Leaf yellow

Leaf medium

Leaf wavy

Leaf smooth

Leaf shiny

Leaf twirling

Leaf whirling

Leaf spinning

The children also imagined the journey the leaf took as it fell to the ground and used this to inspire artwork as part of The Big Draw competition.

In Year 1, children engaged with this competition by using salad spinners to get their paint moving. The results were fantastic!

Reception children were invited to visit Year 2 this week, so they could share their learning as they drew conclusions from their inquiry-based topic on Canals. Year 2s proudly explained that they had designed their own Beaudesert Canal using vocabulary such as locks, puddling, Navvies and tow paths, and explained why canals were built. Well done, Year 2, and thank you for listening, Reception!

Anna Packman, Head of Pre-Prep

Seven weeks have flown by, and we have had such a wonderful time in the Boarding House.

We finished the first half of term on a high note, with a week full of activities and friendly House competitions to wrap things up. Monday night brought more fitness fun, and the children have enjoyed the evening sessions. Keep an eye out after Half Term, as we have guest coaches lined up to introduce new sports and fresh ways to stay fit and healthy.

At the end of a busy seven weeks, you would think the children would want to relax, so we opened up The Snug early, along with the Boarders' Common Room. However, Beaudesertians are made of tough stuff! Instead of winding down, they were running around School playing hide and seek, hiding in the woods playing games, or challenging the GAP students to any sport they could think of on the Astro.

On Wednesday, the Year 8s were tasked with creating 'Guys' for the upcoming Bonfire Night. They rose to the challenge, with every House producing an impressive creation. Dave, our evening chef, had the tough job of choosing a winner. Maple was crowned the victor after much deliberation, however, all of the Guys will meet their fiery fate on the 2nd November, atop the bonfire.

There are several exciting boarding events planned after Half Term, which were outlined in the weekly email. Be sure to sign up early to avoid disappointment.

Have a lovely Half Term break!

Oli and Debbie Jones, Houseparents

As mentioned in yesterday's weekly letter, we are supporting the Christmas charity shoebox appeal, organised by Samaritan's Purse.

One of our piano teachers, Mrs Shaw, has been busily knitting away over the past few months to create hats for families to include in their boxes. Her hats will be available near her teaching pod in the PAC after Half Term, if you would like to include one in your shoebox.

Shoeboxes will be available after Half Term if you cannot find one at home. Please see the weekly email for more details.