BULLETIN
Queen ’ s College Whole School Newsletter
03 March 2023
World Book Day and More!
Mr Julian Noad - Head of College
A busy week ends, leaving only three and a half before Easter. There is so much ongoing and so much yet to squeeze in, particularly examination preparation for those in Years 11 and 13. Since last week ’ s missive, we have enjoyed a hugely successful QCC Quiz. I have also been away for a couple of days at the annual Society of Heads conference. Its theme was sustainability and fits well with all that we hope to achieve at Queen ’ s. It was also, however, a jolly good opportunity
to catch up with fellow Heads, to share experiences and offer mutual support. In my absence, we welcomed Exeter Cathedral School Year 6 for a Performing Arts day, with much excitement from all at the prospect of attending Queen ’ s in time. I spoke before about examination preparation. Year 11 were provided motivation with a trip to the Science Live show in Bath. And Year 13 hispanist have enjoyed a Spanish Theatre trip. On Thursday, it was our
turn to host the Taunton independent schools Careers Day, with local companies and education providers supporting our own Year 11 and visitors with thinking about their futures. World Book Day in Prep will be mentioned elsewhere, no doubt, but it was fabulous to see so many wonderful costumes and then associated activities promoting reading. The parents' evening cycle ended this week with Year 8 parents. I take this opportunity to remind all parents of a planned parent forum on Wednesday 8
World Book Day and More!
Mr Julian Noad - Head of College
Kingswood in Bath. Back here at Queen ’ s, there will be much ongoing with home netball matches also against Mount Kelly and the boys ’ hockey teams training with the 1st XI. We look forward to a Rugby 7s tournament, kayak training, and climbing on Sunday. Boarders will be graffiti painting and at Splashdown. And there will be rehearsals ongoing, no doubt. Next week, we look forward to the Good Schools Guide team visiting on Thursday to experience the wonderful world of Queen ’ s. We hope that they will endorse and share all that is great at our school.
It is a free event and a really fabulous opportunity to work with professional musicians for the day. A brunch is being provided and there will be a concert in the Queen ’ s Hall for friends and family to end the day. Details including a QR code for sign up are here. Numbers are limited so we would urge sign up sooner rather than later! Tonight, I look forward to joining our boarders for the (now annual) Love Hutton event, showcasing all that is great about the sisterhood of Hutton House. Jane and I shall be heading to Mount Kelly on Saturday to support our netball teams and then joining St Peter ’ s School, Lympstone for their school play on Sunday afternoon. Our Model United Nations team are off at
March - (details were sent by email alongside our communications survey)
Now to some dates for your diary:
Q Queen's Unplugged - next Friday, 10 March - is a pupil - led charity concert Q The Crucible - 13, 14, and 16 March - is the senior school play Q Spring Concert - Friday 17 March - is a formal music concert Q Informal GCSE music concert - Wednesday 22 March Q Moana - Friday 24 March - is the Prep school musical I also alert you to an Orchestral Festival, on Sunday 26 March, which is delivered in conjunction with our own resident professional orchestra, The Southern Sinfonia. Please spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested in this.
Enjoy, please, a great weekend and week ahead.
Julian
Mr Julian Noad - Head of College
Book
Now
Prep School Mr Henry Matthews - Head of Prep
determination, skill and teamwork, and we're proud of their efforts. I will let you know the outcome of the tournament in the coming days. Staying on the theme of sport, last week our U10s attended their first ever football tournament and I am thrilled to be able to say that they came away with some silverware. Scoring plenty of goals throughout the morning and conceding only one, the team came away as overall winners. With the addition of football clubs into our co - curricular offer, we are now very much looking forward to seeing the further development and success of teams across the school. Today, musicians performed in a lunchtime concert. Parents and friends enjoyed an hour of music and entertainment, and the children put on a great show. They have all been practising hard for this event, and we're delighted to showcase their hard work and dedication. It is great to see so much progress through the year and all pupils have continued to develop both their skill and confidence. Well done to all who chose to perform. our talented Tomorrow, we are excited to welcome four teams for a friendly netball tournament. Our U11s will be out on The Lower first thing tomorrow and I know they are keen to prove themselves in what I am sure will be a
competitive morning. The girls have been working hard in fixtures and training, and this will be a great chance for them to showcase their talent. Good luck U11s! At the same time, we're also running a bush craft morning for Year 4 students. This outdoor activity is designed to teach them survival skills, teamwork, and problem - solving. The children will have the chance to explore the outdoors and learn valuable skills that will not only support them in school but also well into adulthood. I look forward to hearing all about the exciting challenges when the children return to school. We're proud of the successful events and activities we have held this week. The children of QCPS have worked incredibly hard in a busy and challenging week, but have also gained valuable learning experiences and opportunities to showcase their skills and talents. At this mid year point, it is important to reflect on how far the children have come. I feel very lucky to work in such a vibrant and exciting school and it seems like a fitting time to say well done to all of our children from Nursery through to Year 6 - you are all doing an amazing job!
This week in the Prep School has been packed with exciting events and activities. We are pleased to share some highlights with you in the following pages. World Book Day was a major focus midweek, and we celebrated it over two days. On Wednesday, children's author Claire Barker led two fantastic workshops and held a book signing during break time. The students thoroughly enjoyed learning about how Claire creates her books. On Thursday, everyone dressed up as their favourite book characters, and there were many book - themed activities, including a competition of ‘ The Masked Reader ’. We hope this event inspired our students to explore their creativity and passion for writing. The day was rounded off with a thought provoking assembly led by Year 5. They challenged us to think about books in education and we learnt about the UN rights which focused on education and whilst in the UK we are lucky to have access to this, not every child in the world has the same opportunity. As I write, I am pleased to report that The IAPS regional U11 Hockey Qualifier is underway here at Queen ’ s. We are proud to host this event and the hockey astros are filled with schools from across the region competing against each other. Our U11s have been working hard on the pitches and playing brilliantly. They are showing great
Have a great weekend.
Henry
Nursery Round - up Nursery News From Mrs Donna Kershaw - Highgrove Nursery Manager
A huge thank you to all of the parents who went to such effort to send in such lovely outfits for world book day! We had an Astronaut, a gruffalo, a very hungry caterpillar, ‘ Supertato ’, ‘ Zog ’, ‘ The tiger who came to tea ’, princesses and many more! The children shared lots of different stories brought from home throughout the day as well as having lots of fun role playing together in their character outfits. Puddleducks celebrated St David's Day this week, looking at and discussing different flowers. Tiggywinkles children continued to be interested in animals. This week they have enjoyed using the magnifying glasses in the natural sensory tray full of different leaves, grasses and sticks and also using the materials to make some lovely natural leaf collages. Cottontails have thoroughly enjoyed the role play area this week exploring the sensory tray full of crushed weetabix and hidden vegetables. The children have been using the mini trowels to dig up the vegetables which they have had fun with. The children have also explored paint this week using their feet, creating patterns as they walked and crawled up and down a large sheet of paper.
Nursery Round - up
Nursery School News From Miss Lizzie Hayes - Head of Nursery School
The Nursery School children showed great enthusiasm on World Book day this year, dressing up in wonderful costumes and bringing in the stories that their costumes represented for everyone to hear. Costumes and stories ranged from ’ The Singing Mermaid ’, ‘ Zog ’, ‘ Peter Rabbit ’ ‘ the Mad Hatter' and the saucepan man from Enid Blyton ’ s ‘ Faraway Tree Adventures ’. The Nursery Staff also joined in with the dressing up as they donned pig costumes and a wolf as a follow up from our focus on the Three Little Pigs this term. During the afternoon the children were treated to stories from older children and entered the ‘ Design a book token ’ drawing competition. Other activities that the Nursery School children have really enjoyed this week have included practising their ball control skills in their PE session and trying their hand at crayon rubbings in Forest School, where they explored tree trunk textures and leaf patterns.
Prep School Prep Sports Round - up
A busy but delightful week for the Prep School children on the sports field. Last Friday, the Years 5 and 6 boys hockey teams played Exeter School in some good matches, with the U10 boys showing their continued progress and putting together some great passages of play to create goal scoring opportunities. Saturday saw all of our Year 4 out at Hockey and Netball
Last Saturday's U10 football tournament at Millfield Prep School
festivals at Millfield. The boys worked so hard throughout the morning and there were some noticeable improvements in performances. The girls played around 7 matches of netball and got better and better as the morning progressed, and really loved the experience. Millfield was the venue for the football tournament for Queen ’ s. Our U10 boys made up of members of the CC club played in the B tournament and did brilliantly coming away with the trophy at the end. Mr Clark was so very pleased by the effort of this team and their ability to play together - well done! After a quick rest on Sunday, the U9 girls with the U8 ’ s were back in action against Wellington. It's always a pleasure to host Wellington, who share similar values to ourselves. The girls all did brilliantly and performed with enthusiasm and determination. Well done! On Wednesday, the U10A team travelled to Kings Bruton for their first tournament of the week. They worked tirelessly throughout the afternoon. Our tactical play was generally good. Back at home the rest of the Year 5 and 6 girls played Perrott in some really tight games of Netball and played some great defence and used some tactical knowledge effectively in their games. The boys hosted Hazelgrove and both the A teams played well with growing confidence. They made good use of the width of the pitch, passing effectively and again producing some well worked goals. The U11B match was equally as exciting, as was a very close end to end game.
U9 Netball tournament at Millfield last Saturday
Prep School
World Book Day On Thursday, the Prep School celebrated World Book Day. It was a fabulous day! Thank you so much to parents for embracing World Book Day and providing your children with such super costumes! We were amazed by the range of characters the children came as, and it was great to hear about their favourite books. World Book Day is an opportunity to focus on reading and the children have worked through a number of activities to share their love of books and reading with each other. The day was packed full of different activities from ‘ The Masked Reader ’ where children had to guess the hidden member of staff reading their favourite book, to joining the national live WBD lesson. A Pre - Prep parade took place where all of the children walked around the hall and shared their costumes with one another.
In the afternoon, Year 2 and Year 6 shared books. It was lovely to see them engaging with each other. The day was rounded off by Year 5, who treated us to a super assembly all about books and education across the world.
Prep School World Book Day
Author Visit Prep School
The children became immersed into the life of an author and discovered how Claire Barker comes up with story ideas based on her own life experiences. The Pre - Prep children were fascinated to hear the story of Clementine, the goose who thought she was a chicken, based upon a goose that Claire had on her farm. The Upper Prep children worked through the creation of characters and came up with some very interesting suggestions.
Year 6 John Muir Award Conservation Project
On Saturday, students from Year 6 went to the Quantocks and took part in local conservation for their John Muir Award. Arriving at Wind Down Woods, they were joined by Owen, a local ranger who had kindly arranged the activity for the day. Their task was to comb through a field of newly planted trees and replant any trees that hadn ’ t survived the winter. The students split into pairs and quickly set about their task and, over the course of the afternoon, they managed to plant a whopping 350 trees! A big thank you to the team at Forestry England and Quantocks AONB for organising the day. Moana Years 5 and 6 members of the Moana cast worked really hard in their first Saturday morning rehearsal in Queen ’ s Hall. We had a good try at some new parts of the ending, as well as practising parts that are already well known. It ’ s looking and sounding good!
Dance Exeter Dance Festival
Last week, several students competed in Exeter Dance Festival; this was a fantastic opportunity for the girls to receive feedback from an esteemed adjudicator, whilst competing against many others in the South West region. The main benefit of participating in the festival is the chance to perform in a professional theatre and gain experience in stage presence and performance. The girls worked really hard on their dances and Miss Bryony was extremely proud of all the students - they did exceptionally well at their first dance festival.
Annabelle - Ballet solo 84 marks Mary - Tess - Lyrical Solo 83 marks Megan - Lyrical solo 82 marks
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Q Cora - Ballet solo 80 marks In the Young dancer award at the end of the festival, the students learn a routine on the spot and then per- form one by one. Two of our girls competed and were very pleased to say the least:
Millie - 1st place overall young dancer
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Megan - Star award and special commendation
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Their results are as follows:
Antonia - Ballet solo 86 marks Prakriti - Ballet solo 84 marks
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The girls will next compete in Taunton Festival of the Arts in May half term.
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Mary - Tess - Song and Dance Solo 86 marks
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Senior School Geographical Association Worldwise Quiz. This was the first time the annual event had been organised post COVID - 19 and everyone agreed it was a resounding success. The competition was incredibly close with placings only decided on the last few questions. Kings College came away as eventual winners by the smallest of margins with the Queen's team of Tom, Iven and Tristan narrowly pipped into third place by a strong Uffculme team. There was a friendly atmosphere throughout and everyone seemed to have a very enjoyable evening. Well done to all the teams involved and many thanks to all the staff and students who helped to make the evening such a success.
Music Feature - Mr Jenkins As part of our music curriculum our team of Visiting Music Teachers regularly visit different classes to demonstrate their instruments and this week our electric guitar Mr Snook visited my Year 8 class.
The guitar is an instrument I would dearly like to play but having played keyboard instruments for over 40 years, I think my brain is too hardwired to that technique. However the developing brain of children is easily capable of learning multiple techniques so students at Queen ’ s would have no problem learning two (or even more!) different instruments. And now, here is our electric guitar teacher, Mr Snook, to demo show us what this instrument is capable of.
Watch the video here.
Winter Bouldering Series
Last Friday 20 climbers took part in the second round of the Winter Bouldering Series at the Hangar in Exeter. This involved 30 set boulders of increasing difficulty. From Years 4 to Year 13, our climbers did fantastically well! It was great to see the tenacity with which they attacked each boulder problem. I was particularly pleased to see so many pupils attempting boulders many times and then observing other climbers and working out exact sequences of feet and hand placements in order to complete each problem. We had some thoroughly tired climbers by the end of the evening but everybody had a great time. Well done!
Senior School Sports Round - Up
Netball The netball teams played a triangular tournament against Wellington and Downside. The 1st VII went out 'all guns blazing' in the first quarter and showed excellent teamwork and set a very high standard of play. Millie and Edie barely missed a shot as they put away 18 goals in 24 minutes. Jen and Osa are a formidable pair in the D and work seamlessly together to close down the space and make turnovers for the team. Pippa, as always steadied the ship in the centre court - well done team! Hockey The 13As played against Hazlegrove the team came to life with minutes left to go. Final score 3 - 1, after 1 - 1 in the first half. Tristan scored a great goal, and it was good to have Oliver back in CB after his absence the day before. Cross Country Queen's took a squad of 20 runners to King's for the Junior Cross Country Championships. There were some fantastic results, several top 20 finishes. In Year 7, Teniore (17th), Ella (19th) and Eliza (20th) ran fantastically. The Year 7 boys also ran well, with Jayden (12th) and Connah (20th) finishing strongly. In Year 8, Megan (6th), Harriet (13th) and Maryam (16th) all worked hard to place highly. These scores contributed to the overall standings, with the Year 7 Girls and Year 8 Girls both claiming 3rd place overall - well done to everyone who took part and represented Queen's so brilliantly.
Read the full sports report here.
Pupils Flex Their Mussel Power
Food and Nutrition pupils received an extra special delivery of hundreds of pounds of fresh local rope - grown mussels to prepare and cook as part of a ‘ Fish in School Hero ’ programme. The aim of the programme is to ensure that every child gets a chance to prepare, cook and eat fresh fish and sustainable seafood supported by local fish suppliers. Pupils from various year groups took part in mussel's masterclass where they prepared and cooked up
safely a selection of beautifully presented dishes based around mussels.
Pupils made many dishes including called ‘ Angry Mussels ’ a Jamie Oliver recipe including chilli, garlic, tomatoes and fresh rosemary grown at Queen's and Thai Style Mussels with fresh coriander grown at Queen's and even Moules Marinière with fresh parsley also grown onsite. Read the full story here.
Senior School Science Live
On Monday 27 February, 40 Year 11 students attended Science Live at Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol. This large event included around 1,000 students from across the South of England. It featured leading scientists from the fields of neuroscience, physics, materials, computing, and biology. Our students also got advice from a science Chief Examiner, providing some guidance on how to achieve top grades in their summer exams. Year 11 found the talks inspiring and informative in equal measure. Hannah Critchlow (University of Cambridge) began with a tour of the human brain. A willing student volunteered to have a live EEG scan. Students could see how brain activity varied as the body performs different tasks. Jim Al - Khalili's (University of Surrey) presentation explored time and space. He explained how wormholes could provide an opportunity to travel back in time. Anna Ploszajski (a freelance materials scientist) showed how science helps us perform tasks at the very highest level. In particular, she discussed the science of her swim across the English Channel. David Cliff (University of Bristol) gave a bracing presentation about the future of computer science. He explained how the emerging field of quantum computing could change technology forever. The presentation was a rallying cry to young scientists of any background: we need scientists to shape our future! Professor Lord Robert Winston concluded the event. He showed us, in a series of beautiful videos, how complex organisms arise from simple beginnings, from embryo to human being.
Sixth Form
Weightlifting
Will in Year 12 participated in the Wild Boar competition in Gloucestershire last month. He came third, gaining a bronze medal, in his weight category. Will is currently ranked number 1 in the UK for Under 17s. Well done Will!
In the competition each lifter has three attempts on snatch and then three attempts on clean and jerk in their respective weight categories.
Year 13 Spanish Theatre Trip - Munopa
Year 12 Planning For The Future
This week our year 13 Spanish class enjoyed a trip to London where we spent the day eating tapas and watching our A - level play “ La casa de Bernarda Alba ” by Frederico Gracia Lorca. The day started with a train to London followed by a scenic walk along the Southbank of the Thames river. We were greeted by iconic structures like the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament before settling for some tapas at an authentic Spanish restaurant where we ordered all our food in the language. The play was thrilling and had an almost entirely Spanish cast which was completely female - led. The experience was amazing and a great way to expand our knowledge of the language and apply it to everyday situations.
Year 12 students walked in the footprints of the galacticos of Manchester City and visited Ashton Gate on Wednesday morning for the annual university and careers fair. They got a chance to speak to lots of different universities, apprenticeship and career providers from the construction industry to the NHS and armed forces. Lots of plans were confirmed and ideas sparked. A great day all round!
Sixth Form Offer To Study At Jesus College
We are thrilled to announce that Smiley in Year 13 has received a highly sought after offer from Jesus College, Cambridge to study Natural Sciences. She really impressed with how well she prepared for the entry tests and practice interviews with science staff, OQs and members of the wider Queen's family. The admissions tutors at Jesus shared our positive views and have rewarded her with a much sought after conditional offer. Saying that, the admissions tutors at Imperial College, Edinburgh and Warwick are also keen for Smiley to join them on their Biological Sciences undergraduate programmes. Well done Smiley!
Barnicott: Charity Own Clothes Day - Munopa and Nicole Year 13
Today, Barnicott will be hosted the final house charity day of the year in support of Medicins Sans Frontier (MSF).
MSF is an international charity that works to bring medical care to people all around the world for no charge at all, they are stationed in over 70 countries around the globe with 45,000 members of staff working to ensure a smooth operation. The house will be hosting an own clothes day as well as a bake sale and activities in tutor groups the following week.
Although this is the last house charity day the school will still be running whole - school charity initiatives going into the summer term.
Cotlake House had an amazing time at Tropiquaria this Sunday. They attended some animal feeding talks and enjoyed playing on the giant adventure play equipment. A great day out! Boarding Round - Up Boarders ’ Corner
Last Sunday, 40 of our senior boarders visited Zaza Bazaar, one of the largest all you can eat buffets in England.
News and Announcements
The Queen ’ s College community touch rugby group welcomed King ’ s College, for their first friendly fixture. The evening was a great success and the rugby was played in a wonderful spirit.
News and Announcements
Upcoming Parent Social Events
Parents' Coffee Mornings This Term
Thursday 23 March 8:15 - 9:00am (Easter Theme)
These are very much relaxed events and a chance to catch up or make new friends. Please come to the main reception office in the Senior School and we will show you through to the Dining Hall where this is hosted
Other Social Events
QCC Meeting Thursday 16 March 3:30pm
Summer Family Event - Saturday 13 May
Quiz Night
The Quiz Night last Friday night, which was organised by the QCC (Queen's College Community), was a huge success and thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. As a sell - out event, teams battled for the winning place with some tricky questions from quiz master extraordinaire, Mr Green; the winning team, in the end, were Simple Minds. The final total raised at the event is just being finalised but looks to be in the region of a fabulous £1000. The proceeds are being used to purchase a story - telling chair for the willow classroom in the Prep School and a French play performed by Onatti Productions for Years 5 - 8.
A huge thank you to all who supported the event and to the QCC for all their hard work in making the evening such a success.
News and Announcements
Upcoming Dates
Kingswood MUN
4 - 5 March
Year 4 Bushcraft morning
4 March
Discover Queen's: Prep Schools' Performing Arts Day
7 March 09:00 - 13:00
Year 3 Egyptian Day
7 March
Year 11 Food and Nutrition Practical Exams
7 - 9 March
Year 12 Psychology Debate
7 March
Parent Forum
8 March
VMT Parents Evening
8 March
Year 12 Supper
8 March
Scholars Event: Years 7 - 8 in Business
9 March
Reception 2023 Step Up: Music Activity
10 March
Queens Unplugged 2.0
10 March 18:30
Our online whole school calendar can be found here. Our sports portal can be accessed here.
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