to Theo Maculan for gaining a Sports Award to Marlborough College.

We have been astounded by the musical and dramatic talents of our Year 8 children this week in their production of the Jungle Book. We were transported out of the Performing Arts Centre and into a concrete jungle, with vines and tropical plants climbing the walls of the towers which framed our multidimensional set. The modern twist on this classic tale, written by Jessica Swale, featured funky gypsy jazz rhythms and witty lyrics by Joe Stilgoe, performed in-house by our brilliant band, and contemporary costumes and make up that made our Year 8 cohort unrecognisable – in all the right ways.

The opening night was a roaring success, and we cannot wait to relive the action again tonight in their final performance.

On Wednesday afternoon some of our youngest children wowed us in their performance of  ‘A King is Born’. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 sang their hearts out as they retold the Nativity story for parents and families, dressed in fabulous costumes. We hope you enjoyed the show!

In a week choc-a-bloc with performances, our youngest children did not miss out. The Nursery did their own show in the Pre-prep Hall for their families, singing classic songs including ‘Away in a Manger’, ‘Jingle Bells’, and ‘When Santa Got Stuck Up the Chimney’. There was even audience participation during the encore of ‘Did You Ever See a Penguin Come to Tea?’ We hope you had as much fun as the children did.

Well done to everybody who entered our first House Art competition this year, the Big Draw! The Art Department were really impressed with the standard of work and how much effort was put in.

1 point was awarded to every entry, 3 points were awarded to entries considered to have put in ‘excellent effort’, 5 points for those ‘highly commended’ and a whopping 10 house points was given to our winning entries.

Our overall winners are…

Anna Gillespie (Hazel) in the Pre-prep,

Willough Kojima (Rowan),  James Thompson (Rowan), and Wylder Guise (Hazel) in the Prep School.

The competition has generated over 300 points for the children’s houses – wowzers!

This week we were treated to two fabulous class assemblies in the Prep School. On Wednesday, 7C spoke to the children about the importance of sanitation as part of ‘World Toilet Day’, highlighting how lucky we are to have access to clean and private loos. 5S took to the floor on Thursday morning to talk about Thanksgiving traditions, and what they were thankful for this year.

Christmas has officially arrived at Beaudesert! As well as our various Christmas celebrations taking place this week, the grounds have been transformed into a winter wonderland. From lights around the grounds to festive minibuses, we are definitely getting into the spirit of things as the countdown to Christmas begins…

Well done to Lola, Betsan, Ottilia, Amelie, Eleanor, Chloe and Immy who performed wonderfully in their Primary Ballet exams last weekend, all gaining Merits or Distinctions.

What a festive week we have had in the Boarding House. We are already excited for the fun that is to follow next week as the Christmas spirit accelerates in the final week of term.

On Monday, the Year 5s and the Year 8s had the important job of getting the School ready for Christmas by decorating the Christmas trees in the Boarding House and in the Dining Room. It was a lot of fun, with the expected amount of mess!

On Tuesday, the Year 4s had a great night playing Subbuteo and Bingo. Whilst they were were busy calling Bingo, the Year 7s and Year 8s were able to get into the pool for more fun.

On Wednesday evening, the boarders gathered down by the Astro to watch the staff versus dads football match in the inaugural ‘Nicholas Trophy’, affably won by our parental team. The Year 8s had a great time supporting both sides before heading upstairs.

Thursday night was a busy night at Beaudesert, with the play in full swing over in the PAC. The Year 6 and 7 children spent the first half of their evening split between the ICT Suite and the Sports Hall, before coming together for a great big game of Spotlight.

We are really looking forward to continuing the Christmas festivities next week! If you keen to start boarding in January, we would love to hear from you at houseparents@bps.school

Tom and Joey Layton, Houseparents

On Monday and Thursday this week, PC Mark Weedon, from Gloucestershire School Beat, came in to talk to the children in Years 6 and 7. On Monday, he spoke to the Year 7 children about the importance of e-Safety as their digital footprint grows, and on Thursday he spoke to Year 6s about gaming and social media. He explained the importance of game ratings, the pros and cons of different social media platforms, and showed them a social experiment video by Barnado’s to ignite discussion.

It is so useful to have PC Mark with us to highlight these important topics. As ever, Mr Layton will continue to communicate this message to children, staff and parents. Keep your eyes open for more things happening next term.

The boys had their final rugby matches of the season on Wednesday against Dean Close. The boys achieved some excellent results; a fitting finish to the season. Special mentions must go to the U12B and C teams who remain unbeaten, along with the U11As who played brilliantly under the wing of Mr Bird this season.

After a very snowy Saturday, House Rugby will be concluded on Monday, with the ever popular Christmas Cracker Football taking place on Wednesday.

The Prep School Eco-Committee have been busy undertaking an Environmental Review of the School across ten Eco-School topics including waste, water and biodiversity. The review provides us with an overview of what we are doing well, and those areas where we could improve. In the results of our Environmental Review, we had some high scores for ‘global citizenship’, ‘healthy living’ and ‘school grounds’, but could improve our scores for ‘transport’ and ‘energy’. The review is just a starting point, and the Committee are feeling very positive about a project on biodiversity to start in the New Year. You can read about all ten topics surveyed here.

This week the Pre-prep children have enjoyed more delectable delights for lunch, including cheesy pizza, chicken and leek pie, beef bolognaise with wholemeal pasta, glazed gammon with mini Yorkshire puddings, and sausages and chips today.

We hope to see you on Thursday evening next week for our Christmas Celebration. We are so looking forward to singing a few carols together around the Christmas tree, accompanied by mince pies, hot chocolate and mulled wine. Festivities start at 5:45pm. To get an indication of numbers, please do fill in this form to let us know you will be attending, before Monday, 6th December.

SAVE THE DATE for @beaudesertpark Christmas Celebration on Thursday 9th December at 5.45pm. Come and join the music team for a festive sing-along! #BPSfestivefun pic.twitter.com/QojVTc2Ll6

— Music at Beaudesert (@BeaudesertMusic) November 28, 2021

Santa Fun Run

Don’t forget about our Santa Fun Run this Sunday. Join the Friends of Beaudesert from 9:15am in the Front Courtyard if you would like to take part some more festive fun.

Christmas Jumper Swap

If you have not managed to donate your Christmas jumpers yet, there is still time! We will be collecting any last minute jumpers on Monday morning. Please join us on the Croquet Lawn on Tuesday morning to buy your new jumper. All donations will be going to the Final Straw Foundation.