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December 2017

Item Page

Headmistress’s Message ..................... 1

Year 8 Bobble Hats .............................. 1

Mountain Climbing Achievement ....... 2

Crime Scene Investigation ................... 2

Year 5’s Colourful Weaving ................ 2

ISA Art Competition Results ................ 3

Year 6 memory Boxes ......................... 3

Social Networking ............................... 4

Year 7 Explore Colour Theory ............. 4

Chicken Wing Dissection ..................... 4

French Theatre Company .................... 5

House Netball Competition ................. 6

Reception’s Christmas Post ................. 6

Christmas Lunch .................................. 6

Christmas Carol Service ....................... 7

GCSE English Conference .................... 7

Needle Felting for Christmas............... 7

Junior Dance Assembly ....................... 8

Festive Fun at the FOBS Fayre............. 8

A Very Victorian Christmas ................. 9

Year 1 Feed the Birds .......................... 9

Annual House Drama Competition ..... 9

Young Picasso Artists in Year 2 ......... 10

Oak-Tree Netball Tournament .......... 10

Oak-Tree Fireworks Display .............. 10

Spanish Trip 2017 .............................. 11

European Day of Languages .............. 11

Follow the Star .................................. 12

Christmas Jumper Day ...................... 12

FOBS Update ..................................... 13

Headmistress’s Message

It has been a very busy half term at Braeside and in this

newsletter you can read about the rich and varied activities

that have contributed to school life. Pupils have participated in

many sports events including both the House and Oak-Tree

Netball Tournaments, they have been on local trips as well as

trips further afield, including to Spain in the half-term break.

Pupils and teachers have worked hard to prepare and present

our Christmas events, and we were rewarded with a lovely

Carol Service and Nativity performance.

As we break for Christmas I would like to thank the staff for all

they do to provide opportunities for pupils in the classroom

and beyond it.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and

peaceful Christmas.

With my best wishes for the New Year for you and your

children.

Mrs Claire Osborn

Headmistress

Year 8 Bobble Hats

This term pupils have made some amazing bobble hats using a

knitting loom. The technique requires skill and concentration and

the ability to master just the right amount of tension to create a

beautiful knitted creation. Their designs displayed both colour

contrast and balance and pupils really enjoyed the experience.

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Crime Scene Investigation!

Year 8 have been comparing the effects of healthy and unhealthy

lifestyles on your body. They have been finding out how diet and

drugs have an impact on the way the human body functions. In the

lab the class played the role of police officers investigating a crime

scene with an unknown substance. They worked in pairs to use

chemical analysis to identify the unknown substance (a suspicious

looking white powder).

Using their keen observation skills, they identified patterns in their

results and drew the correct conclusion that the unknown sample matched up with drug B (which was aspirin).

House points were given to the team that not only correctly identified the substance but also managed to tidy

up their workstation in record time.

Mountain Climbing Achievement

A huge well done to Emilie who visited the Lake

District recently and managed to climb the tallest

mountain in England, Scarfell Pike.

It took 6 hours of intense walking, and one section

was incredibly difficult and involved scrambling up

the mountain! It was a very long day, but thoroughly

enjoyable. Emilie has also climbed Snowdon when

she was 8 Years old, next year it is Ben Nevis!

Year 5’s Colourful Weaving

Year 5 have been exploring different

types of weaving. The pupils have

been working on both rectangle and

circular looms and have created these

colourful and bright weavings.

Working in fibre crafts allows pupils to

be very hands on and really helps to

improve fine motor skills and helps them to consider how and why these

techniques are used.

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Year 6 Memory Boxes

Year 6 pupils have produced these

amazing memory boxes by

combining traditional Aboriginal ideas

and techniques with a Christmas

theme. Pupils are using many new skills

like blending and colour theory to

explore this idea.

Great bold and colourful outcomes that

will make amazing gifts for loved ones. Good work.

ISA Art Competition Results There are some great results from the ISA Art Competition this year with 4 firsts, 2 seconds and 3 highly

commended pieces from Braeside pupils.

The first places were awarded to Jade, Jessica, Karishma and Anna.

Second places were awarded to Maddie and Karishma.

And last but not least Amaarah, Rebecca, Tianna, Lauren, Maia, Anna, Maddie, Lilia, Grace and Sara with highly

commended.

Every single piece of work was absolutely brilliant and the standard of work was truly remarkable. Well done!

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Social Networking

Website

Go to the School Calendar page for up-

coming events and our News page for all

the latest news and lots more photos.

App

Keep up to date with the latest

news, calendar dates, and much

more by downloading the new

Braeside School App.

Instagram

Follow us on Instagram for regular photo

updates! Search for braesidesch to find

us and then click follow.

Twitter

Follow us @BraesideSch on Twitter

to get the latest updates.

Facebook is our newest form of Social Media. Like us on

Facebook to get news, photos, events and updates posted

straight to your newsfeed.

Year 7 Explore Colour Theory this Autumn

Year 7 have been exploring colour theory using

autumn leaves.

Initially they explored shape and outline. They then

went on to use oil pastels and watercolours, two

very different materials.

The results were really good, with some pupils

preferring the bold and vibrant qualities achieved

with oil pastels and some enjoying the looser,

watery effects that watercolours enabled them to

create.

Chicken Wing Dissection

Year 7 have been finding out why you have a skeleton and how it

works together with your muscles to enable you to move. As part of

this topic they have been dissecting chicken wings, peeling back the

skin to observe the muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and joints.

They observed the structure of a joint and pulled on muscles to move

the bones.

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French Theatre Company

The French theatre company Onatti Productions Ltd visited Normanhurst and Braeside pupils and performed a

play entitled ‘Mes chers voisins’. The play was performed by two native actors and it was aimed at different ages

and abilities, in KS3 and KS4. All Normanhurst and Braeside pupils in

Year 8, Year 9 and French GCSE students had the chance to watch the

performance. The play was written by the company and the story was

modern and relevant to young people. The play contained some

participation with the audience but this was carefully devised and

brought a humorous and enjoyable element to the performance.

The plot involved the lives of five teenagers who lived on the same

street – Sam, who is going out with Marion; Marion, who is very much

in love with her Prom date, Sam; Hugo, who is sporty and intelligent but can’t find a girlfriend; Candice, who has

always liked Hugo but thinks he is out of her league; and Magali, the biggest Justin Bieber fan in the world.

Onatti worked hard to make sure the language in the play was pitched

correctly to complement the learning and level of the pupils. The

actors used a lot of mime and repetition and certain tricks to enhance

pupils’ enjoyment. The aim of the show was to boost the pupils’

confidence, so they could leave, having watched a play in a foreign

language, able to follow the story, recognise many words and phrases,

and relate to the characters.

An Action Packed Trip to Epping Forest

Year 1 have recently been on a very exciting trip to Epping Forest. The

weather is getting colder but everyone made sure to wrap up warm in

their coats, gloves and hat before setting off. The children were

involved in two sessions. The first was a mapping the seasons session

where they had to find as many signs of autumn that they could. It was

great fun identifying the different coloured leaves on the colour wheel

and gain a better understanding of the tree cycle. Everyone was

shocked to see some bright green parakeets, a woodpecker’s home

and lots of creepy crawlies!

The second part of the trip was all about the Stone Age. Year 1 worked very hard to build some impressive

shelters out of sticks that they could hide in, and shaped and decorated their very own clay bowls.

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House Netball Competition

Another great afternoon of netball was had at Braeside on Friday 1

December. All pupils from Years 6 to 11 were involved.

Despite the very cold conditions there were some very close

matches, one of which was between Fry and Mason which was won

in the dying seconds by

Mason, ending 7 – 6.

At the end of each match

teams were asked to nominate a ‘Players’ Player’. Well done to

Katie of Fry who gained a total of 3 nominations for fantastic play.

Overall this year’s trophy went to Bronte House which was well

deserved as they were unbeaten in the tournament.

Christmas Lunch

The Juniors and Seniors enjoyed their Christmas lunch provided by

the school’s catering team, Chartwells.

Pupils had a choice of turkey, quorn or halal turkey with stuffing,

Yorkshire puddings,

carrots, Brussel sprouts,

pigs in blankets, parsnips,

cranberry sauce and

gravy.

They also had a tasty festive dessert. The children enjoyed

celebrating with their friends and teachers; listening to Christmas

music and pulling crackers!

Reception’s Christmas Post

With Christmas just around the corner, it was time for Reception to

write their letters to Santa. Everyone was very excited on their walk

to Buckhurst Hill post office to post their letters off to the North

Pole! Following this, with everyone in the Christmas spirit, the class

visited Waitrose to shop for all the ingredients needed to make

gingerbread men!

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Christmas Carol Service

Years 1 to 11 and parents came together to celebrate the festive

period on Wednesday 6 December at St John’s Church in Buckhurst

Hill for the Christmas Carol Service.

Pupils celebrated with Bible readings and festive poems read by both

Juniors and Seniors; listening to the Senior choir and band singing

and playing together.

There was a reading and

blessing given by a member of St John’s Church that required

audience participation from the Juniors and a multi faith prayer led

by Year 7.

It was a truly festive and heart-warming service.

Y10 and 11 Attend GCSE English Conference

Year 10 and 11 pupils recently attended the Emmanuel Centre in London. The event was organised to give

pupils access to information, geared to enhancing their understanding of how to achieve the highest grades in

their GCSE English exams.

There were four sessions, which included ‘Narrating and Describing’,

‘Reading Across the Centuries’, The Art of Persuasion’, and ‘Poetry by

the Poet – Lemn Sissay’.

All that attended had a very full day which they evaluated as being

interesting, informative and helpful. Many felt that they now knew

how to produce a higher standard of answer as a result of what they

had been shown.

Needle Felt for Christmas

Year 7 have loved working with Needle Felt this Christmas. They

have selected favourite Christmas symbols, like gingerbread men

and Father Christmas, to create these woolly creations.

The process used felt and carded wool. They had to shape the wool

and use a felting needle with tiny barbs to make the fibres of the

wool and felt knit together. They have really enjoyed using this new

technique and are very happy with their outcomes. Well done to all.

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Junior Dance Assembly

Junior pupils have been working hard over the past few weeks to

perfect some wonderful dance routines which they then showcased

in their assembly. All

pupils performed with

confidence, especially

since there were a lot of

tricky moves for them to

master. All the colourful

costumes looked fantastic. It was a lovely way for the school to

come together and everyone had a lot of fun!

Festive Fun at the FOBS Fayre

FOBS held their annual Christmas Fayre on Saturday 2 December. The hall at the Junior site was packed with

family and friends all trying their luck on the many games stalls run by staff, pupils and members of the Parents’

Association. The cake stall and bottle tombola were firm favourites, while the children couldn’t wait for their

turn to meet Santa in the secret grotto!

The Braeside Ukulele Band and Choir entertained the crowd with number of songs and instrumental pieces

before Mrs Osborn took to the stage to announce the many raffle winners of the day. Congratulations to all

who won a prize!

A huge thank you to the Parents’ Association for arranging and running what always proves to be a brilliant

event, and thank you to all the parents for your donations.

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A Very Victorian Christmas for Year 5 and 6

This term Year 5 and 6 went on a very special trip to the

Royal Gunpowder Mills to experience Christmas like a

Victorian! They had the chance to meet a selection of

festive Victorian characters as they celebrated their

Christmas. The children got the chance to learn about

Victorian Christmas decorations, the sort of toys that

they would receive and a traditional Victorian

Christmas meal. Throughout the day everyone had a

chance to take part in a range of activities and had a

great time!

Year 1 Feed the Birds

Year 1 have been very busy in class making bird food. They mixed lard

and seeds together then placed them in a mould so that the mixture

could set. They have now been hung around the school grounds to

feed the birds through the cold winter. It was a messy job but will

definitely we worth it as the birds will not only have enough food, but

it is nice for pupils to see all of the wildlife in the school grounds.

Thank you Year 1!

Annual House Drama Competition

Everyone had a fantastic night on Friday 24 November at the annual House Drama competition at Lopping Hall

in Loughton. Families gathered into a packed hall to see the fruits of the Senior pupils’ labour for the past few

weeks. Bronte performed an abridged version of ‘Mary Poppins’, Fry performed ‘The Sword in the Stone’,

Mason performed ‘Sorry Wrong Number’ and to end the evening Nightingale performed ‘Hound of the

Baskervilles’. The pupils were confident and professional and the staff were very proud of them all!

The judges were Mr Reich-Storer and Mrs Kazim, and after a short interval they announced that the winners

were as follows:

Most Promising Actress: Zoe (Mason)

Runner-Up (Best Actress): Isobel (Bronte) and Mahnoor (Nightingale)

Best Actress: Amaarah (Bronte)

House Winners: Bronte House

Well done to Bronte House, all of our winners and everyone else who

took part- you were fantastic!

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Young Picasso Artists in Year 2

Year 2 have been producing some fantastic 3D images in their class.

After looking at the work of Picasso the children were inspired to

make their own works of art. Using a range of different materials

including card, corrugated, bottle tops and pastels, the children were

able to create some Picasso style faces, each one completely unique.

Oak-Tree Netball Tournament

On Thursday 23 November children from all four Oak-Tree schools gathered together at Braeside Senior site to play some competitive netball matches!

All schools worked extremely hard and the team work was fantastic! It was a close competition but a huge CONGRATULATIONS goes to Coopersale Hall for being the overall winner! The results are as follows:

1st-Coopersale Hall

2nd-Oaklands

3rd-Normanhurst

4th- Braeside

Oak-Tree Firework Display

The Oak-Tree Parents’ Association Fireworks Display went off with a

bang on Sunday 12 November, with around 1000 people in attendance.

There were numerous stalls and activities to keep the children

entertained such as face and nail painting, glitter tattoos, biscuit

decorating, lucky dip and hundreds of glowing toys. There was also a

fantastic hat competition that was judged on the night which had some

amazing entries. The hot mulled wine went down a treat with all the

adults and the hot dogs and hot chocolate were loved by the children! Everyone also got to enjoy listening to

some live music from the Normanhurst Band. The fireworks themselves were spectacular as always, and overall

it was such a successful evening.

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Spanish Trip 2017

Pupils from Normanhurst and Braeside have enjoyed some Autumn sunshine on the KS3 joint trip to Seville and

Cadiz during the half term. Pupils got up to so much in just a few days, with highlights being learning to cook

paella, Flamenco dancing, exploring Saville and enjoying churros and chocolate for breakfast!

European Day of Languages Competition

Back in September, we celebrated our school’s diversity and many

Braeside pupils took part in a national competition organised by the

Network for Languages. Pupils had to write, in a language other than

English, on the topic of ‘I have a dream’, in homage to Martin Luther

King’s receiving an honorary degree from Newcastle University.

Everyone was very impressed by the quality of the entries and

according to the competition judges, the entries from all over the

country were of a vey high quality. It is therefore no small achievement that this month the winners of the

competition were announced as Anna in Year 6, and Sara in Year 9! They were awarded winning certificates for

their entries in German and Russian respectively.

The fact that Anna and Sara won the competition in their mother tongue is of special significance in the context

of our celebration of diversity. Well done Anna and Sara!

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Follow the Star On Friday 8 December Kindergarten, Reception, Year 1 and 2 put on a fantastic performance of the Nativity

story, ‘Follow the Star’, accompanied by traditional carols and fun festive songs to a huge audience of friends

and family. There were shepherds and angels, kings and queens, Wise Men, animals and many other characters

on stage dancing, singing and acting. All of the children should be very proud of how well they performed and

the confidence they showed standing up in front of such a big crowd. Well done and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Jumper Day!

Juniors and Seniors took part in Christmas Jumper Day today to raise

money for The Brain Tumour Charity (our nominated school charity).

Pupils had a festive

themed assembly to

celebrate all the hard

work of the pupils over

the term, all wearing their

Christmas Jumpers. Some

were even aglow with twinkly lights!

We are hoping to raise around £300.

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FOBS Update Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Adrian, Karen, James and myself would like to take this opportunity

to thank the parents, girls, family members, siblings and of course all

the staff of Braeside School and The Oak-Tree Group who have

supported us through our FOBS events during 2017. From

volunteering to donating we could not have produced such lovely

Fete and Fayre, Easter Egg Hunt, Cake and Uniform sales and Social

Evening without you!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

(Please see our January newsletter for further details of the Christmas Fayre etc - we’re just having a well

deserved rest from all things FOBS until the new year when we get cracking with the Summer Ball!)

Seasonal Greetings

Friends of Braeside School - FOBS

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year!