First major House fundraiser of the year

The whole school took part in our first major fundraiser of the year. Students came into school wearing non uniform and donated £1.00. Staff and students generously donated cakes for our cake sale. Many Sixth formers and staff dressed up in Halloween costumes giving the whole event a spooky atmosphere.

Our competitions included:

• All forms taking part in a carve a pumpkin competition and the winners were 8CLE.
• Brady Payne in 11CCO won “Guess the sweets in the jar” competition.
• 12THS won the Halloween quiz and finally the Best Dressed member of staff went to Mrs Cuddington.

The staff raffle winners were:-

• Luxury Darceys Candle Winter Bundle – Mrs Byers
• Gift Voucher for Rosey Lea Cream tea for 2 people – Miss Morrison
• Voucher for Handsome and Gorgeous in Bishop’s Stortford – Mrs Cox
• Voucher for Heroes' Diner – Dr Allen
• Voucher for Coach and Horses in Thorley – Mrs Barnard
• Bath Bomb Collection from Heavenly Bubbles – Mrs Young.

We raised a massive £1503.97 for our charities Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, International Ambassador Programme, Sparkle Malawi and The Fire Fighters Charity.

Book Reviews of the Month

Aguero by Matt and Tom Oldfield
Aguero is the tale of the boy who would go on to re-write football history. His 94th minute goal for Manchester City on the final day of the 2011/2012 season was the most electric moment in Premier League history. This is the story of how a small boy from Argentina became the biggest hero of all.

Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone
This is a story about an eagle huntress, an inventor and an organ made of icicles. But it is also a story about belonging, even at the very edges of the world.

All the Things that could go Wrong by Stewart Foster
Dan is angry. Nothing has been the same since his big brother left and he’s taking it out on the nearest and weakest target: Alex. Alex is struggling. His OCD makes it hard to leave the house, especially when Dan and his gang are waiting for him at school. Forced together during the summer holidays – what could possibly go wrong?

...and one for the parents:
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old history teacher but he has been alive for centuries. As long as he keeps changing his identity he can stay one step ahead of his past… The only thing he must not do is fall in love.

Celebration Evening Year 13

At the beginning of term we welcomed back our former Year 13 students to celebrate their exam and whole school achievements before they headed off to pastures new.

Our guest speaker, Mr Fred Gray, Community Governor for the school, presented the awards and spoke about his life in the Armed Forces and his current role in the City of London as a compliance officer and the life skills they had taught him.  This year’s co-hort of students attained the best A-Level results ever achieved in the school’s history following on from our similar successes last year.

We wish them well in their future careers and studies.

Hannah Gallagher

We welcomed back Hannah Gallagher, Alumni student and England International Rugby player. Hannah has generously given up her time to help coach Girls' rugby at Birchwood with Miss LaLonge. She has shared her wealth of experience, skills and knowledge with all the girls. As an ex England international, Hannah has also attended some PE classes to help to promote Rugby as a girls' sport.  It has been an amazing start for the students of the Girls' Rugby club, which takes place every Wednesday after school.

We would like to thank Hannah on behalf of students and staff for her time.

Miss LaLonge

Biodiversity at Epping Forrest

Twenty five Year 12 students went to Epping Forest on a field studies trip to investigate how different abiotic factors affect the abundance of plant species. After an introduction to the use of quadrats and how to identify different plant species, students spent the morning randomly sampling the distribution and height of bracken in two areas of the forest.

After a quick lunch, students compared the biodiversity of two different ponds. A wide variety of invertebrates and other organisms were found, including water scorpions, aggressive dragonfly nymphs and several species of newts.

Mrs Smith

Science

KBD Dance

The Dance department invited KBD Dance, a local dance school in Bishop’s Stortford, to Birchwood to deliver a jam packed Commercial/Hip-hop workshop to our talented dance students.

The evening was a huge success and the Dance studio was bursting with energy for the whole two hours. Students from Years 7-10 danced their socks off to a fun, upbeat routine that gave students a real buzz. All students left the studio laughing and smiling having made the most of a fantastic opportunity.

The students were excellent and KBD Dance commented on the commitment and dedication of our students. Well done to all involved.

If you would like to find out more about the weekly classes that happen with KBD dance please visit www.kbddance.co.uk

KEEP DANCING!

Miss Adams