Break the code at Bletchley

On 6 July, almost fifty Year 9 students went to visit the wartime code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park. They took part in a guided tour of the site, hearing about the history of “Station X” as it was referred to, and finding out about some of the people who worked there, both the well-known such as Alan Turing, and the not so famous. They saw some wartime vehicles and the memorial to the Polish code-breakers who laid the foundations of the work done at Bletchley during the Second World War. The students also heard about some of the jobs that young people their own age would have had at the site in the 1940’s.

The group got the chance to explore some of the wartime huts and exhibitions, which house a fascinating array of memorabilia from the site, including Enigma machines, a model of the “Bombe” which was used to crack the Enigma codes, and a wide collection of letters and documents, including one from Winston Churchill himself.

Students were then given the chance to see a real wartime Enigma machine up close and even got to have a go at pressing the keys. This was followed by a challenging code-breaking puzzle which involved using different sorts of codes to establish the identity of a spy. Miss White, Maths.

Finally, we all got a chance to make the most of the sunshine as we enjoyed a picnic in the pleasant grounds of the Victorian manor house which sits at the centre of Bletchley Park. Thank you to everyone at Bletchley Park for making our day such a pleasure.

Daniel Summers

Maths Teacher

Cook-Off in Construction

In the last week of the summer term, Year 9 Construction students celebrated the completion of a bricklaying module, by enjoying a cooked breakfast on the brick BBQs they had built as their final project.

They had started this module, by doing a fantastic job of cleaning and tidying the entire Brick Yard, filling a skip the size of a minibus! Then they worked in pairs for two months to acquire the essential brick laying skills. The final outcomes, as shown in this picture, were structures to be very proud of.

Mr Newman

Construction

Willkommen an die Deutschen!

On 14 September, our German exchange partners arrived for the second part of the exchange. The partners spent the weekend with host families and went to places like London, Ely, Cambridge and more, seeing local tourist spots and learning about British culture and lifestyle.

Day activities included a day in school, a day trip to Cambridge and a town trail around Bishop's Stortford and Saffron Walden. They also went to London, seeing landmarks such as St. Paul’s and the London Eye.

They learnt so much about our culture while they were over here and we got to compare German and British
customs, looking at the differences in our attitudes and habits. It was fun to learn about the difference in language, especially when one of us played Dobble, a picture-based card game with our partner.

At the airport at the end of the week, hugs and farewells were exchanged and many tears were shed, but everyone had a fantastic time and we hope that lifelong friendships were made!

The students would love to thank Mr Bowman, Miss Roderick and Mrs Dixon for organising the exchange, as well as to those who participated from the Peter-Joerres Gymnasium and would fully recommend it to the next set of GCSE German students!

You can see more images of the trip on the Birchwood MFL Twitter page, @MFLbwood.

Mr Bowman

Modern Foreign Languages

Annual Birchwood Primary Games

On a very hot July day, Birchwood High School hosted the annual Birchwood Games.
600 Year 3 and 4 students from local Primary Schools attend throughout the day, experiencing a carousel of activities. This year pupils had the opportunity to try a variety of activities including; Archery, Cheerleading, Curling, Dodgeball, Futsal and Hip Hop dance, alongside more
traditional activities such as Netball, Cricket, Hockey and Basketball.
Sessions were run by local coaches and a number of Birchwood High School students gave up their day off to assist in the running of the event. A fabulous day was had by all and we look forward to doing it all again next year.
Miss Peet would like to say a big thank you to the following students who helped the event run smoothly: Madeleine Gilbank, William Gilbank, Henry East, Hannah Ingram, Ruby Willow Sudbury, Rubie Goodvin, Ellie Gibson, Alfie Snook, Ella Parkes, Aime Smith and Dennis Earle.
Also a huge thank you to Miss Perrett for running the netball sessions on the day and Alumni student Joe Moore who also returned to help run cricket on the day! We couldn’t run these festivals without your support!
Miss Peet, BSP co-ordinator

Well Done to all LAMDA Students

Last summer our Year 9, 10 and 12 Drama GCSE and A Level students completed their Grade 4, 5 and 8 LAMDA exams in acting and musical theatre. The students put so much time and effort into their performances and it certainly paid off! All of our students achieved a Merit or Distinction grade as their end result. As a school we are very proud of these students and look forward to more LAMDA fun in the future!
Miss Adams, Drama and Dance

Stonewall Young Campaigner

Out of over a hundred applicants Jonathan Cowen (12ZBL) has been offered a place as a Stonewall Young Campaigner by Stonewall. This platform will enable Jonathan to change perceptions and encourage diversity as well as increasing his knowledge and confidence on all LGBT+ matters. Jonathan will be required to attend a residential programme which will include workshops on how to be an effective campaigner. Jonathan is excited about this opportunity to work with Stonewall and represent Birchwood High School.
We are all extremely proud of Jonathan!
Mrs Manners & FUSION