Friday 20 April 2018: Issue No. 105 Follow us on Twitter @OBHSchool, Facebook & Instagram That was the week that was! Brettenham, Suffolk, IP7 7PH tel: 01449 740252 email: admissions@obh.co.uk
Matters of the Moment A very warm welcome! This term we have welcomed to OBH the following children: Lucia Murillo, William Cazenove, Luca Wilson, Flo Bidwell, and Emilia Dobbie. We have also welcomed back to OBH Sebastian Anderson and Darcey Reeve! We hope they all have a very successful first term. Lent Term Team Photos Please find below the encrypted link to view and order the photographs online that Bentley Photographic took last term: https://orders.bentleypics.com/bentley/ CustomerPanoramicAndGroupOrder? function=view&lp=wqggv1gcdzq_l1wndwdooxzxxibdfngaix RSXAQBA11c!! AAEGCFZbUDQ8FAhXfQQxYk9eXn9TJycAIS8GBg4CWgQF Please note that some email programs stop the link from working, so parents can simply copy and paste the link. Bentley Photographic wolud prefer orders to be placed online, but if parents would prefer to order directly with Bentley, please contact them directly on 01206 395888, during normal office hours. All orders should be placed by 14 th May to avoid postage to parent home addresses and Bentley will deliver one bulk delivery to OBH. Once they have arrived the School Office will notify parents for collection. Next week... Thursday 26th April Two key events next week! Year 2 Parents Moving Up Information Evening 7.00 pm Middle School Double Classroom Emily Warren, Head of Middle School, and other key members of Middle School are very much looking forward to meeting current Year 2 parents for this information evening in preparation for the children s move to Year 3 in September. Chamber Concert Thursday 26 April 7.00 pm All are welcome to our formal showcase of many of OBH s best instrumentalists and singers, re-scheduled for next Thursday, 26 th April. This concert was postponed last term due to the weather, but the same children and the Chantelles will be performing in the Old Gym. Refreshments will be provided from 6.30pm in advance of one of the highlights of our musical year, and we are optimistic that the snow will stay away this time!
A hot week in the Stable Yard Under Niners We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter break with your children. A warm welcome to Flo Bidwell who joins 4SG and Darcey Reeve who returns to join her friends in 3EW. Both girls have settled in really well and are already making the most of the many opportunities that a school such as OBH brings. The summer term is always everyone s favourite term with plenty of time for outside learning and making the most of the school s beautiful grounds. We have already enjoyed Book Buddies outside reading in the shade of the Japs. With the unseasonably warm weather we have been enjoying over the last few days, we would remind you that every child needs a bottle of their own sun cream, a named water bottle and an OBH navy cap at all times. These items can stay in your child s classroom. Our day out at the School Farm and Country Fair was an enjoyable and interesting day for the children and staff. With plenty of sun cream applied and hats firmly on, we set off for Trinity Park. We were welcomed by Rupert Brown and enjoyed a drink and a snack on arrival. The children were then divided into five groups and were accompanied around the show by Mrs Riddleston, Mrs Powell, Mr Gillott, Mr Pascalides and Mrs. Warren while benefitting from the experience of our elected stewards for the day: Rupert Brown and Claire Brown. Joining many other children aged 7 to 9 from different state and prep schools around Suffolk, we learnt about many aspects of farming, electricity, Anglo-Saxons, the dangers of sugar, waste and we even learnt how cricket bats are made. There was a good range of livestock to see and the children loved holding the ducklings and chicks. Even more importantly, all the children,without exception, were perfectly behaved despite being rather hot! Many thanks to the staff for their patience and to Rupert Brown who is always happy to welcome another Middle School group from OBH to this event. The pictures demonstrate what a happy day we all shared. Fingers crossed that this warm weather continues over the weekend. Mrs Warren, Mr Pascalides, Mr Gillott and Mrs Powell. If your child wishes to continue with Dance, Extra Drama or Group Tennis on a Monday or Thursday during Under Niners, you do not need to let us know. We would be very grateful however, if you could send an email to Mrs. Warren (emily.warren@obh.co.uk) if you would like to change your child's 'Under Niner's' choice. As always, these choices are written at the back of the calendar. The Blue Crystal Rehearsals It is the turn of the Middle School to prepare a wonderful show this term which is called 'The Blue Crystal.' Auditions are already taking place and Mrs Powell is delighted to be working with such a talented group of children. With this in mind, we have asked the children to choose 'on site' activities on a Thursday afternoon. This allows a greater flexibility within our activity programme and rehearsal schedule. As the weeks progress, Mrs Powell will be carrying out rehearsals for small groups during activities and this will culminate in rehearsals for the entire cast as the date of the productions draws closer.
Schools Farm & Country Fair Happy Birthday Year 4 were delighted to not only welcome Flo Bidwell To Year 4 but also to celebrate her birthday on Wednesday!
OBH Making a Difference Update Last Call for Fun Run Sponsorship! Please can all sponsorship money for the Fun Run be handed into the School Office by Thursday 26th April. We will then be able to announce the grand total in next week s OBH mail. Thank you to everyone who has already paid in their sponsorship. Daisy Day : Friday 25th May Plans are underway for Daisy Day on the last Friday before Half term. Fundraising and events during the day will focus on supporting For Daisy and DIPG Brain Cancer Research. Plans include OBH Dressing Down for Daisy!. We will be asking all the children to donate 1 and to wear white and yellow. Further details will be given nearer the time. Boarding!Welcome back to all the boarders and what wonderful evenings they have had to use all the facilities in the great outdoors. Many a bat has been wielded when faced with the red leather spheres that have been flying down the nets from one end to the other. The tennis balls have been whizzing back and forth as well and the wheels on the bikes have been going round and round through the woods and back again. We have had a Birthday party for George Briggs which was attended by all Year 7 boarders and was a lovely evening with plenty of doughnuts and treats that they all loved. Many congratulations to George on his 12th birthday. Volunteering Charity Car Wash: date to be confirmed Teams of keen volunteers will be ready and willing to wash your car for a small donation. Year 8: Suffolk Wildlife Trust On 22 June Year 8 will be volunteering for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust at Bradfield Woods. They will be helping with path clearance and woodland management. Beach Clean Year 8 will be undertaking a beach clean on Aldeburgh Beach. They will be following the Marine Conservation Society guidelines and using equipment provided by the local council. This weekend we look forward to welcoming Lord Buckenham who will be challenging the boarders to attempt all sort of wonderful tasks on Saturday evening and then on Sunday we will be crashing and bashing into each other in inflatable balls. Yes, that s right! Krashball returns! Welcome to all the new boarders in the boys and girls houses and it has been great to see more junior boarders in Spero. An exciting term ahead! Please let us know if your son or daughter would like to do a trial night during these lovely summer evenings. emma.easdale@obh.co.uk tracey.thornton@obh.co.uk rob.miller@obh.co.uk
Congratulations! The results of the Radio 2 500 Word Story Competition are always eagerly anticipated. This year, a range of stories were submitted from children in Years 5-8. We are delighted to announce that Nicholas Warren s entry - Telling Stories, has been selected from thousands, to go through to the second round of the competition - this is a wonderful achievement. Telling stories By Nicholas Warren My children will be asking me to tell them about the war. Do I lie, or do I tell the truth? I must do what is right. I do not want to, but I must It was considered cowardly if you did not join up as some like to say. It was a risk, but a risk I had to take. I would just think of the stories I could be telling my grandchildren of how I had put my life on the line for King and country. Better than telling them stories of how I had sat at home while other, gallant men lost their lives. All of this just made me think that a coward like me did not deserve a place on this Earth. The following day I went to enlist. I felt uneasy and vulnerable. As I arrived at the recruitment station, I knew for sure that I was not the only man here with the same mind set. I saw one man walk in and then walk out again. The man in front of me in the queue had a strange figure: tall, yet rather chubby, he had ginger hair that went down to his shoulders and had a charismatic look on his face. The sort of face that said it all: I don t want to be here! He was wearing a pointy hat, almost as if he was some kind of majestic wizard. Although he did not look like a soldier, he was friendly. He asked me if I was nervous and I said I was. Then he confessed that I was not the only one. This brought tears to my eyes, and I could not hide the fact that I was overwhelmed by the situation. The woman at the desk, clearly thought differently. Her view was that we were cowards for joining up so late. I could read her mean face. The train was eerie. A deathly silence filled the carriage. Nobody dared to say a word; we were all far too scared. There was a boy sitting next to me who looked about fourteen. As soon as I asked him his age, I knew I had said the wrong thing. He said he had been kicked out of his home by his stepdad and he just wanted the pain to stop. This took me to breaking point. I could not take the strain any longer. I pulled the communication cord and as the train stopped, I opened the door and jumped out. I ran and ran. I did not care where I ended up. I did not stop for about five minutes. By then, I was exhausted I was not looking forward to when my children were old enough to ask me, Daddy, what did you do in the War? Maybe it would have been better if I had simply put a knife to my throat. The humiliation would be my death penalty. My own children s disgust would be what I deserved.
Pre-Prep & Nursery A peek at our week It was lovely for Hedgehogs to welcome back Mrs Miller this week. She has really enjoyed seeing old friends and getting to know the newer children. Stars of the Week Year 2 Year 1 Congratulations to our super Stars of the Week: Reception Nursery Mariam Ghauri Charlotte Barberini & Emilia Dobbie Amelia Mason-Sinclair Harriet Ackrill This term we are wondering who you might see, if you go down to the woods - starting with Goldilocks and the Three Bears! We have all loved acting out the story, using masks and props. We have been measuring and comparing sizes, thinking about big middle and small. We have also made our own porridge! This week Grasshopper class have begun their topic on gardens and plants. We have planted beans and sunflowers and look forward to watching them grow. The children have also looked at counting in 10s this week and have enjoyed using their grown up maths books. This week Acorns have been learning about Number Talk in numeracy. We challenged ourselves to think of as many facts as possible about a particular pattern or number. Our topic this term is Dinosaurs and we have begun by thinking about the facts we already know about dinosaurs and creating a timeline to show the different time periods. We have, of course, also enjoyed the sunny weather outside in the garden. Woodpeckers have also been working with Number Talk and have blown us both away with their impressive calculations. One of the children set us the task of 26 + 4 x 15. We split it down into stages, and using numicon, worked out the answer as a team. With this new found confidence the children have loved challenging themselves this week and getting to work further with numicom.
Pre-Prep & Nursery William s Got Talent Our very own William featured on Britain s Got Talent last Saturday. He went to open auditions with his mum a few months ago, but sadly did not proceed to the next round. However he clearly impressed with his amazing Elvis costume and moves, as BGT used a clip of him in their audition montage. Year 2 were screaming with excitement when they watched the clip they could not believe their friend was actually on TV! You can see William on ITV Hub, the first BGT episode, about 29 minutes in- just after an ad break. He is dressed as Elvis and features for a couple of seconds looking around the room keep your eyes peeled! Thank you to Thurlow Nunn The wonderful Mrs. Thurlow arranged for two huge tractor tires to be delivered to the Pre-Prep this week. The children (and staff) were so excited when they saw them. One boy actually stood at the gate, pointing and shaking with excitement. Thank you so much to Alex and to Thurlow Nunn for their kind donation. I am sure the tyres will be a much loved part of our playtimes for many years! Coming up... As always, we have some lovely events this term in the PrePrep: from tea parties and an informal concert to the Summer show and Sports day! I have attached a copy of all Pre-Prep Key dates, which includes information about the events. A paper copy will also be sent home today in book bags. Have a lovely weekend long may the sun last. Camilla Webster
From the Director of Sport.. A very warm welcome back to the summer term. The Sports department are very much looking forward to a fun packed term of competitive sports, and the children seem to be back in good spirits! The calendar is jam packed with exciting events; the girls are starting their first season of hard ball cricket, although there will be some soft ball training and matches as well, and the boys are working hard in the nets and on the cricket fields to get themselves up to speed for their first matches. It will take a little time for the teams to settle down, and with the nature of the game, we aim to rotate the boys and girls, so that they get as much time batting and bowling as possible. Please be patient with the coaches, if you have any questions, do get in touch with the relevant coach. Tennis is under way next week with four matches and we will be running the usual inter school tournaments throughout this term. Tennis Well done to Oscar Wright on a very successful month of tennis since the end of the Lent term. Oscar played number 1 for Suffolk in the annual Inter County Red ball event, finishing as Suffolk's most successful player on the day, on their way to finishing fourth overall. In addition to this, he lifted his third Orange ball trophy at a grade 4 event in Norwich and has now been selected to play for Suffolk in Orange ball next month. All the children will be working hard in PE towards Sports day later this term, and the Year 6, 7 and 8 athletics squad will be attending the East Area Athletics at Bedford stadium,. The Year 4 and 5 athletics squad will also be competing at the Bury St Edmunds athletics track.. Athletics training for the squad will be taking part every week during games, on a Monday for track events, and a Tuesday for field events, and we will be running extra sessions in the evenings as well. Swimming continues to run on a Friday, and as soon as we are able, we will be moving it back to the school pool. We will also be running record breaker sessions for any pupil who would like to swim against the clock, to try and beat any of the school records that we have. More details on that at a later stage. Sports day, House swimming, Parents and pupils golf and Mothers and pupils tennis, Parents and Pupils cricket, are just some of the highlights for this term. A very busy, but what we hope a fun packed and rewarding term for all the children. I look forward to more sunshine and the chance to see all the children in action this term.
And finally Dear Parents, A very warm welcome back. The school is currently bathed in sunshine and the Summer term has got off to a tremendous start. The children are now back into their routines and working hard, whilst also enjoying the long evenings and break times in the grounds. Cricket is up and running and the girls and boys are all eagerly awaiting their first matches. I am delighted to announce that we have appointed Mr. Jay Baptist as Head of Science from September. He joins us from Finborough School where he has also been running the Science Department. He has over 20 years' experience teaching science from KS2 right through to KS5 (A-Level). This knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and passion came across to all of us during the recruitment process and he is the ideal person to drive the Science department forward over the coming years. He will be well supported by both Mrs. Blackhurst and Mr. Bunting who will continue their roles in the department. Mr. Baptist has also set up and run the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme at Finborough and is looking forward to becoming involved in the extra-curricular activities and particularly the outdoor side of OBH life. Mr. Andrew Murray has been appointed as the new Head of French, succeeding Madame Cubitt. Mr. Murray joins us from Elstree, where he has run the French department, having also held the same post at both Aldro School and Horris Hill over the last 20 years. He brings with him great experience at both CE and Scholarship level and enormous enthusiasm for his subject. His rapport with the children was both instant and obvious and was very clear to see how children under his tutelage have performed to such a high standard over the years. His passions include holidaying in Normandy where he has a house, and clay pigeon shooting which he will look to run here at OBH. It is a very positive sign of the strength of OBH that we attracted such an impressive field of candidates for both of these posts and I have no doubt that both Mr. Baptist and Mr. Murray will play significant roles in further improving the school. I look forward to seeing many of you over the coming days; at the Year 2 to Year 3 Information evening, at the re-scheduled Chamber Concert - or perhaps on the boundary enjoying the sound of ball on willow? Have a wonderful weekend in the sun. With best wishes, Tom O Sullivan Headmaster