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| 28th March 2022 |
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Dear <<First Name>>,
View from the Study
‘Anything can happen if you let it’, sings Mary Poppins as the Banks children protest at the impossibility of her latest plan to help their father.
Committing to challenges with an optimistic, rather than fearful outlook is a key focus for Belhaven's children and staff - many examples of which follow below. Well done to everyone for having a go!
We continue to back OB David Fox-Pitt as he shows us the way with his support for Ukrainian refugees.
A very happy Easter to you all.
Olly Langton |
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| Mary Poppins is Spell-Binding |
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The production of a full-scale musical at Prep school is always a significant challenge and the decision to put on ‘Mary Poppins’ was a brave one.
41 musical numbers of significant complexity and, of course, the necessity to recreate the magic of the eponymous nanny meant that Forms 1 and 2, led by Mrs. McGrath, Alice Palmer and Mr. Ellison, were going to have their work cut out.
What a spectacular success they made of it. A matinée on Tuesday, followed by two evening performances on the last two nights of term saw audiences treated to a spell-binding show.
Individual performances of real maturity, backed by the extraordinary strength and depth of the singing in the top two years combined to great effect. |
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| Form 1 Achievements |
Huge congratulations to Grace C-B (Sport and Music) and Hester B (Sport and Art), both awarded All Rounder scholarships to Fettes; to Bee S, awarded an Art Scholarship to St. Mary’s Ascot; and to Emilia H-N, awarded a Drama Scholarship to Ampleforth.
All four have worked extraordinarily hard in preparation and it is a great testament to the strength of Form 1 that they have achieved Academic, Sport, Music, Art and Drama scholarships. Thank you to all those that prepared them so effectively for their scholarship attempts.
We are also delighted to announce that Grace has been shortlisted to go through to the Online Voting Round of the Poppy Scotland Creative Writing Competition. The children had to write a letter from the perspective of a WWI soldier to their teacher, describing the horrors of war.
Out of 234 entries, Grace has reached the last 6. The winner will be decided by means of an online vote – please follow this link, and scroll down to the secondary school category to cast your vote: please encourage friends and family to vote too! Very well done to Grace, and good luck in the vote! |
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| 'School Children Provide Passionate Perspective on Combating Climate Change' - don't miss the press release. |
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| Inaugural COPPS1 Sustainability Summit |
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On Thursday 17th March, we welcomed five other Prep schools to Belhaven for the inaugural Prep school sustainability summit. Concluding with the Scottish Prep Schools Debating Championship, a thought-provoking day of activities, presentations and keynote speeches aimed to give the Eco groups selected by each school a platform to launch their ideas, to widen their horizons in terms of the impact that their generation can have on the future of the planet.
More immediately, the COPPS1 sustainability summit got everyone back in touch with one another again after two years of isolation.
The following day, Forms 3 and 4 took part in a beach clean down at Belhaven Bay as the first of the ForthSHORE beach cleans took place. |
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| Dynamic Earth |
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As the Eco Group, Form 1 and Project Polar Bear Team hosted our guests, Forms 6-2 travelled to Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh for a day of climate change related workshops and experiences. This included the premiere of the latest Planetarium show ‘Under Pressure’. Here is what the children thought of it all!
"My favourite bit was the Under Pressure show. It was very realistic and I liked it when everything spun around. When we went to the rainforest section, the lady told us lots of things about animals and plants." (Wendy C)
"My favourite part of the day was the plane trip around the world. This was in 3D so it felt so real. I also liked the mini beach clean we did – we found so much plastic in the sand." (Lily D)
"I loved the ice room which showed us what it is like to be at the north and south poles. There was a real iceberg to touch and it was freezing." (Hamish L)
"The Under Pressure show in the Planetarium was so realistic and fun. I like how it showed how deep you can go in the ocean and what you can find down there." (Charlie T) |
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| Project Polar Bear |
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The team of Harry B, Charlie C, Fin L, Laurie L and Tom W submitted their extraordinary project to the Raspberry Pi competition on Sunday 20th March. We wish them the best of luck with the next stage of the process – click below to watch the video that accompanied their entry.
All five were awarded the Headmaster’s Commendation as well as a Distinction during Prize-Giving on the final morning of term – their commitment to this challenging project has been quite extraordinary.
Thank you, Mr. Pook, for making it all happen! |
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| Sporting Raids on England! |
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‘Ah, pity the man who hears the pipes and was nae born in Scotland.’
The Belhaven 7s team travelled by bus to Sherborne on the final weekend of term – rugby boots, pillows, drums and pipes were crammed into ‘the really uncomfortable bus’ (Hugo) and off they went on their 8 hour journey to the Small Prep School Festival. The team piped and drummed themselves onto the pitch and made a name for themselves with this bold statement of national identity as well as an exciting brand of rugby that saw them win four out of their five matches.
Despite a knee injury for Luis, the team had a fantastic time down at the beautiful Dorset school and returned, straight into a Mary Poppins rehearsal, reputations much enhanced. See the Sherborne 7s Festival report.
Our Under 10 and Under 11 (boys and girls) Cross Country teams also travelled south and crossed the border to take part in the Longridge Towers Cross-Country. The Belhaven teams acquitted themselves well with Daisy first home for the girls as the team finished mid-table and both boys’ teams winning their respective events.
The Under 11 Boys were particularly dominant with all four of the A team finishing in the top 6 to establish an unassailable lead and the B team taking 3rd place overall. Well done to you all - read Mr. Curry’s report here. |
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| Testing how waterproof Mrs Gully's kit was! Click on the photo to visit Just Giving page for 'Alice and Kate's Doddie5 Dazzlers Mongol Derby'. |
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| Belhaven Parent Attempts ‘Toughest Horse Race in the World’ |
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On Saturday 19th March, Alice Gully came to Belhaven to talk to the children about the Mongol Derby. Alice and her friend Kate are taking part in the world’s toughest horse race in aid of the ‘My Name’5 Doddie’ foundation as they aim to raise £30,000 for research into a cure for Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
The children were treated to a fascinating talk on the race itself and also learnt what Mrs. Gully could and could not take with her and what would fit into her rucksack – good tips as they all prepare for their own outdoor adventures next term!
Four children were then selected to test how waterproof Mrs. Gully’s riding kit was by throwing four buckets of water over her from different angles! You can read more about the adventure and donate to a fantastic cause by visiting this link. |
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| Pre-Prep ‘Spring in Their Steps’ |
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The last 3 weeks of the Spring Term have been action-packed and full of fun!
The children have been working hard in the classroom while also taking part in sports matches, going on trips, rehearsing and performing in Mary Poppins, and helping to host an Open Morning, and our first Pre-Prep Taster Morning. |
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| Diary Dates |
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Start of the Summer term:
- Boarders return at 3pm, Wednesday 20th April.
- Term starts at 8.30am, Thursday 21st April.
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