The Fortnight That Was … 29 February - 11 March 2016 T H E

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J6 VISIT SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE TRUST J6 recently visited the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford Upon Avon on Thursday 25 February to discover what Shakespeare did and why he became so famous. They took part in energetic workshop sessions based on the themes of staging, understanding prose and how to develop characters. The highlight for many was the opportunity to meet a wig and makeup artist from the Royal Shakespeare Company. While regaling the children with stories of famous actors she also let slip many tricks of the trade - never use real blood, too smelly; the advantages of using pigs‟ eyeballs and the multiple uses of porridge oats and pairs of tights! With shows as diverse as Titus Andronicus, Matilda and Wendy and Peter Pan, the wigs and makeup team are clearly prepared for almost anything. Pupil, Brooke Walker was transformed into Captain Hook, complete with a severed hand, and Cameron Elliott into a fairy princess. The day finished with the class performing a snippet from A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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TREBUCHET BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE Year 7 pupils have been studying castles and how they were attacked and defended. Following up his studies, Sam Pickles (pictured right) has built a trebuchet which was a most effective weapon used to breach the walls of medieval castles. It is built of wood and used lead weights to give the tension for firing. He built it with his father and it is a really well-built and authentic looking model. Sam brought the trebuchet into school to demonstrate the model in a history lesson. History teachers, Mr Tickle and Mrs McNally think it is a superb visual aid which adds to pupils‟ understanding of the topic. It fires missiles up to ten feet and in real life that would be about 100 metres. Sam says that history is always fun, especially if you can make visual aids.

SING UP DAY The Junior School held its annual Sing Up Day on Friday 4 March. Parents, grandparents, pupils and staff filled the Junior School hall as all the children from the Early Years upwards took turns to sing songs and entertain the audience. Well done to everyone who took part!

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J4 VISIT SULGRAVE MANOR On Wednesday 24 February, J4 visited Sulgrave Manor to learn about Tudor exploration. We met Tudor servants called Amy and Annie. First we got dressed, we wore clothes made out of linen and wool. The clothes I wore were called a bodice, a tunic, a curtail and a coif. I felt silly in the clothes because I don‟t normally wear that type of clothing. Next we went into the Master‟s house, we went to the bed chamber. We met a toddler named Christopher and a little baby called Henry. Amy showed us all the different types of beds and told us that the Master went all the way to London to get the grand carved bed. I felt sorry for Amy because she had to sleep on a little wooden bed, which was really just a big straw pillow with a blanket. After that, well after lunch, we went into a hall and we built a boat out of benches and Matthew and Madeleine got the steering wheel. Angus got the anchor and everybody else had either drinks, food, candles or soap. Finally, we went on a treasure hunt. I was in the grey group, we were called The Elite Explorers. We found potatoes, peppers and a very prickly pineapple because those are some of the things that the Tudor explorers found when they explored the world. I really want to go back again because the bedrooms were really good and I liked building the ship. Report written by Poppy Hartshorne

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ALASTAIR GREEN MEMORIAL CONCERT On Thursday 3 March, a number of senior school musicians performed in the annual Alastair Green Memorial Concert. It was lovely to see a full and appreciative audience supporting the performers. The Girls‟ Chamber Choir started with a rendition of For Good from the musical, Wicked. This was followed by a mature and humorous performance of Cole Porter‟s Tale of the Oyster by Year 9 singer, Alexandra Smith. Alastair Green award holder, David Shortland (pictured) (Year 8), held the audience spellbound when he performed two clarinet pieces, Après un Reve and Prelude. Brothers, Robert Carter (Year 8) and William Carter (Year 9) performed on the guitar and clarinet respectively, showing sensitivity towards two technically-challenging pieces. Year 7 singer, Molly Jones, provided contrast with Arianna Grande‟s pop song Flashlight, her confident voice filling the chapel. Two previous Alastair Green award holders also performed in the concert; violinist Laura Bullen performing a duet with Director of Music, Miss Walsh, with aplomb and determination; and pianist Samuel Gibbs playing one of his Grade 7 pieces, Shui Cao Wu. Year 10 musician, Lilly Hagenberg, took to the stage, this time on the clarinet, playing Andantino with grace. Connie Westaway sang Bernstein‟s Somewhere, demonstrating great stage presence - we will surely be seeing her name in lights in the West End in the future! Charlie Barker, on trumpet, performed the fun and intense Tango Argentino by Gorb and Upper Sixth flautist, Alexandra Crook, performed the virtuosic Suite for Flute and Piano by Widor. The concert finished with an emotive rendition of Ed Sheeran‟s recent song Photograph by the Senior School Choir. Many congratulations to all the performers in this concert.

MUSICAL SUCCESS Congratulations to Charlie Goode (J6) who took part in the Kettering Eisteddfod on Thursday 10 March and did exceptionally well. He gained two certificates for his performances on the flute: a First Place award in Class 41 for Woodwind, Brass or Recorder Solo (11 years and under) plus a Second Place award in Class 42 for Woodwind, Brass or Recorder Solo (12 years and under). Kieron Rice-Williams (J6) gained a Pass with Merit in his Rock School Electric Guitar Grade One exam, and was only two points away from a Distinction. Well done Kieron! Congratulations also to Year 8 Pupil, Christopher Leeke, who passed his Grade 3 Drum Kit exam with 73 marks.

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● PITSFORD VILLAGE NOTICE ● PITSFORD MAYFAYRE The Mayfayre will take place on Monday 2 May at 2.00pm at the Sportsfield in Pitsford. There will be an ongoing barbecue, stalls and side shows, pony rides, classic cars and refreshments. The Crowning of a May King and Queen will be at 2.00pm with Maypole Dancing. This is an opportunity for the village community to get together as we did successfully last year. There will also be a table top sale at the Mayfayre. If you would like to reserve a space please contact Tony on 07979 802524.

MAYPOLE DANCING AND MAY KING AND QUEEN

Pitsford village invites any girls and boys aged 3-11 who attend Pitsford School to join the Maypole Dancing and enter for May King and Queen. Rehearsals are on Saturday 16 April, 23 April and 30 April at 11.45am at the Sportsfield Pavilion. All those taking part should try to come to every rehearsal, then they will be entered to be chosen to be crowned Pitsford May King and Queen 2016 on Monday 2 May at 2.00pm. Contact Georgina Miles on georginamiles110@btinternet.com or 07836 555025 or Margaret Brown on margaret431@outlook.com or 01604 881805.

PITSFORD SCHOOL FOUNDER’S DAY SERVICE Pitsford School‟s annual Founder‟s Day Service was held on Wednesday 2 March and we remember our founders with gratitude. Mr Toone, Headmaster, began the service by reminding pupils of the vision of those who, with courage and vision, founded the school in 1989. From small beginnings as a boys‟ only school, Pitsford School has grown into the thriving co-educational school it is today. The service in the school chapel was attended by governors and included prayers for the well-being of the school and prayers for departed founders. Mr Alisdair Tait, Chair of Governors, read from the memoirs of a holocaust survivor who pointed out that some of those who carried out atrocities in history were educated people. The reading implored teachers to help educated young people to be more humane. We, at Pitsford School, believe this is an important aspect of what we, as a community, are trying to do. A candle was lit by Head Boy, Isaac Hamlyn to symbolise education as enlightening the soul. Head Girl, Sudha Pathak, also said a prayer. The service ended with Jerusalem, the school hymn which was written by Sir Hubert Parry a hundred years ago. The service was followed by a bravura performance of a movement from an organ symphony by Vierne, played by Stephen Moore who also played for the hymns.

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INTERVIEW WITH EMMA WALSH, DIRECTOR OF MUSIC Can you tell us a little about your professional background? I did my undergraduate degree in music at Roehampton University in South West London, studying jazz voice with Anton Browne. I went to the Institute of Education in London for my PGCE. When did you join Pitsford School? I joined Pitsford School in September 2013 as Director of Music, previously having been at Oakham School in Rutland as a teacher of music. As Director of Music, can you tell us your short and long term vision for music at Pitsford? My main aim at Pitsford is to develop the status and profile of music around the school. Since arriving at Pitsford, I have introduced more practical work into the classroom for Years 7, 8 and 9, including class ukulele lessons, Brazilian Samba drumming and Indonesian Gamelan. My aim in lessons is to inspire pupils to listen to a wide variety of music and enable them to have the confidence to form their own opinions about the music we study. Long term, as the school increases in size, I hope to continue to grow the membership of the senior choir, increase numbers of those taking instrumental and singing lessons, and develop a school orchestra. I have also started planning a senior choir tour for summer 2017. What inspired you to undertake a career in teaching and how did your love of music develop? I‟ve always loved music and according to my mum, I sang before I could talk! I began violin lessons aged three and piano lessons at the age of five. I come from a musical family - my grandmother was a professional singer, my mother was a flautist and pianist and my dad loves karaoke! My sister and I grew up making music together for fun at home and I attended the Purcell School of Music from the age of seven. It seemed completely normal to me that music was part of everyday life at school as every pupil learned at least one instrument and we all belonged to the school‟s various choirs. I first thought about teaching during my gap year when I worked at Edge Grove Preparatory School in Aldenham. One of my responsibilities was teaching music to the nursery class up to Year 1 which was quite an initiation into the world of teaching. After my undergraduate degree, I worked at The Leys, Cambridge, as their Graduate Musician for a year and was inspired to do a secondary PGCE afterwards.

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Did you play any instruments as a child and what advice would you give to a pupil considering learning an instrument? As well as the violin and piano, I learned the cello for a year when I was ten but was told by my violin teacher to give it up as it was affecting my violin playing. I can get by on the saxophone and had singing lessons through school and university as well. I have basic guitar skills and want to improve these further, when I have the time! If you have the opportunity to learn an instrument, don‟t let it pass you by. One of the most common things that adults say to me is that they wish they‟d learned an instrument at school, or wish they‟d continued with their instrumental lessons. You can obtain so much from learning an instrument, not just how to play it but skills of self-motivation, determination, working with others and independence. Do you have a favourite piece of music? It‟s impossible to choose a favourite song or piece as it completely depends on the mood I‟m in or the day I‟ve had. One of my favourite violin pieces is The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams as it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. On the opposite end of the scale I absolutely love country and western, especially anything by Dolly Parton or Garth Brooks. How would you describe Pitsford School? Pitsford School is a lovely, friendly school with a family feel and I think the atmosphere of the school is down to our pupils. It‟s very different from other schools I‟ve worked in, staff have a lot of time for the pupils and it is a similar size to the school I attended which means that pupils bond with pupils in other year groups. Do you have any words of wisdom for the pupils? If you have the chance to try something new then grab it with both hands. Only make a decision about something or someone after you have given them a fair chance. You don‟t want to look back in 10, 20 or 30 years and say “I wish I‟d tried that at school.” What are your hobbies? In the school holidays, I often get the chance to perform/sing with my sister‟s band at gigs. I love sitting down to read a good book, enjoy going to the gym, particularly Crossfit and I love skiing. All those have given way to wedding planning at the moment however!

LUNCHTIME CONCERT REVIEW Our lunchtime concert on Thursday 10 March featured six senior school musicians - all of whom are taking ABRSM or Trinity Guildhall instrumental exams next week. Each pupil played one of their exam pieces and for some it was the first public performance they had given on their instrument. We wish all of the pupils the best of luck in their exams and look forward to hearing how they got on. Performers: Charlie Barker (trumpet), Henry Bellamy (piano), Laura Bullen (piano), William Carter (clarinet), Richard Liao (piano) and Matthew Webdale (piano).

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J3 VISIT STRATFORD BUTTERFLY FARM As part of their Spring topic on „weather around the world‟, J3 visited Stratford Butterfly Farm on Thursday 3 March. It was an exciting chance to see, learn about, and even handle some creatures and insects from more exotic climates. The children had a chance to handle butterflies and spiders, as well as the opportunity to observe at close quarters iguanas, chameleons, scorpions and many other amazing animals and birds from all over the world.

YEAR 8 SAMBA ASSEMBLY On Friday 4 March, form 8N led an assembly on Brazilian Samba. As well as talking about the origins of Samba drumming and the Rio Carnival, pupils talked about and demonstrated the different instruments of a Samba band and explained the mestre‟s (leader‟s) role when directing the group, including some rather strange hand signals! At the end of their presentation they played a well known Rio Carnival song Brazil. Pitsford School‟s Director of Music, Miss Walsh, then led the whole school in building up a vocal version of the piece. Very well done to the pupils of 8N.

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SPORTS ROUND UP… On Thursday 25 February, the Year 8 girls played an energetic game of netball against Moulton School. The game started off great and only got better! Within the first quarter we had already scored 10 goals whilst our opposition was still on nil. With great team support and positivity we came through fighting, playing all four quarters to our best ability. The end score was 35 to Pitsford and 1 to Moulton. Personally, I believe everyone in our team deserves to be mentioned. I would like to congratulate Lucy, Amelia, Cameron and Siobhan for great defensive skills shown throughout the game, and to all of our attackers and centre court players. Though, of course, we wouldn't have come out so successfully without our fantastic shooters. Well done to Natasha, our star shooter and player of the match. None of this would have been possible without everyone‟s contribution to the game. Well played girls! Report written by Sophia Russell After our great success at Moulton, we arrived at the U13 Netball Tournament on Monday 29 February with high hopes of even more success. We played in the U13 County Plate competition hosted by Kettering Business Academy and started with high energy levels and great team confidence. In the first round, we played seven games, five of which we won, one we drew and one we lost. We had beaten Wrenn, KBA, Duston, NSG and Wollaston, drew to Manor and lost to Malcolm Arnold Academy. These results showed our great defensive, attacking and shooting skills. After our first seven matches, our energy levels were running low, but we didn't let this dampen our hopes. We were soon to find out that we would be playing in the semi finals against Northampton School for Girls. 20 minutes later we had won and earned ourselves a place in the Final! Excitement flew around the team, could we really win the Final? I had never seen a team so focused and determined to do well. We were soon to find out that we would be playing against Malcolm Arnold; a team that had beaten us a few months ago in the season and a few hours ago in the tournament! With medals in our sight, we played to our very best ability. The match was intense, with players from both teams getting a bit rough at times. Pitsford had scored once, Malcolm Arnold next and Pitsford again. In the last few minutes we managed to squeeze another goal in - settling the score 3-1 to Pitsford. We had done it! I would like to thank Mrs Chacksfield for making all of this possible and the rest of the girls in Year 8. Well done! Report written by Sophia Russell

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SPORTS ROUND UP… On Monday 7 March, our Year 10 Netball team came 2nd in the County Plate Competition to Lodge Park losing 7-5 in the final. The team has now qualified for the Cup Competition at Oundle School next week. Now in its 21st season, the Prima Tiger Cup, is a free-to-enter contact based tournament open to all under 10s teams. The tournament takes part over five festivals covering the Tigers Academy region and beyond. Through a series of festivals, teams play for a place to represent their clubs in the knockout stages at Welford Road. This year more than 70 teams, 1,000 players, played in the regional festivals at Lutterworth, Mellish, Newmarket, Swaffham and Tamworth, making this the biggest-ever Prima Tiger Cup season. On Sunday 6 March, Pitsford School Year 5 pupils, Ned Bellamy and Fabian Powell, played for Market Harborough RUFC in the showpiece climax Prima Cup Final at Welford Road, beating Moseley, to secure the 2016 title. On Monday 7 March, our U12 Netball team came joint 2nd in the County Plate tournament losing out on goal difference to the cup round. Well done. On Tuesday 8 March, the J4 boys travelled to Stafford to take part in the ISA Midlands U9 tag rugby tournament. Although narrowly losing their first game by one point, the J4 boys quickly gathered their composure and went on to win their next two games, eventually making it as far as the semi-finals of the plate competition. For a first tournament, the team showed some real promise and all players gave their best and played with determination and outstanding team spirit. Well done to Alfie Chacksfield, Joshua Coleman, Thisho Manorakan, Matthew Mason, Angus McCallum-Toppin, Finn Mehta Hodges, Ben Owen, Lewis Robson and Dylan Russell.

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Menus As all our produce is sourced locally, menus are subject to change and older pupils will be offered additional options which are not shown here.

Monday 14 March Chicken, tomato and basil penne pasta with herby diced potatoes and green beans (V) Tomato, mushroom and basil penne pasta Chocolate krispies Selection of fresh fruit pots or yogurts Tuesday 15 March Minced beef and onion pie served with new potatoes and sweetcorn (V) Vegetarian fajitas with feta cheese Lemon drizzle cake with custard Selection of fresh fruit pots or yogurts Wednesday 16 March Roast chicken breast with Yorkshire pudding, oven roast potatoes, roast gravy, carrots and peas (V) Baked salmon fillet Selection of fresh fruit pots or yogurts Thursday 17 March Thai coconut chilli chicken served with boiled rice and broccoli spears (V) Macaroni cheese bake Red cherry crumble with custard Selection of fresh fruit pots or yogurts Friday 18 March Breaded cod loin served with chips and baked beans (V) Vegetable sausages Homemade cheesecake and muffins Selection of fresh fruit pots or yogurts

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What’s On Looking Ahead?

Monday 14 March J1-J6 Football Club (Lunchtime) U12/U13/U15 County Netball (a) Oundle

4.20pm Senior Choir

Tuesday 15 March 9.30am Kits-J1 West Lodge Farm J3-J6 Art J3-J6 Multisports 9.00am Year 9 Contraception Talk 10.15am Year 10 STI Talk 1.50pm-4.00pm Music Exams 2.30pm U14/U15 Netball (a) NHS 3.30pm U15 Rugby (h) Bishop Stopford

Wednesday 16 March Junior School Council (Lunchtime) Squirrels-J2 Tiny Tag Rugby 8.30am Parents‟ Pilates class - JS Hall 10.10am Senior String Ensemble 2.30pm U11 Netball (h) NHS 3.30pm U18 Rugby (a) Bishop Stopford

Thursday 17 March 8.40am-9.00am J6 Class Assembly Recorders (Intermediate - Lunchtime) 3.30pm-4.10pm J1-J2 Tennis 4.10pm –5.00pm J3-J6 Tennis J5-J6 Drama (for Easter production) Junior Swimming (J6, J5 and J4) 1.20pm Senior Guitar Ensemble 3.30pm U12/U13 Netball (a) NSG 3.30pm U12 Rugby (a) Bishop Stopford

Friday 18 March J3-J4 Music (Lunchtime) J3-J6 Dance (Lunchtime) 2.00pm J5-J6 Easter Drama Production 3.00pm Junior Easter Egg Hunt 10.10am Senior Woodwind Ensemble U11 Rugby (a) Princethorpe 2.00pm-4.00pm Second Hand Uniform Sale

3.00pm Senior Lent Service Blue text denotes Junior School events

Saturday 26 - Monday 28 March 10.00am-4.00pm Rotary Art Exhibition in the Library

Monday 4 - Fri 8 April Lower Sixth Snowdonia Trip (departs at 8.00am and returns at 2.00pm)

Monday 11 April Summer Term begins J1-J6 Football (Lunchtime) J3-J6 Rounders

Tuesday 12 April Recorders (Beginners) Lunchtime 4.00pm-4.45pm Gardening Kits-J2 J2-J3 Kwik Cricket J3-J6 Athletics J6 Sailing (offered to J5 if space)

Wednesday 13 April School Council (Lunchtime) Tiny Tag Rugby Squirrels-J2 J3-J4 Drama J5-J6 Running 8.30am Parents‟ Pilates class - JS Hall 4.00pm-5.20pm Fishing Activity 4.00pm-6.50pm Pinnacle Climbing Centre

Thursday 14 April Recorders (Intermediate) Lunchtime 3.30pm-4.10pm J1-J2 Tennis 4.10pm-5.10pm J3-J6 Tennis J4-J6 Cricket

Friday 15 April J3-J6 Dance (Lunchtime) J3-J6 Knitting (Lunchtime) 3.00pm-3.30pm J1-J2 Choir J4-J6 American Football

For the complete list of Senior Activities, see the Activity Booklet

on www.pitsfordschool.com