Spring Term Newsletter Friday 5th January 2024
Spring Term 2024: Welcome Back!
A Happy New Year to You All!
Well-done to Year 11, who have been in school for the last two days completing their mock GCSEs. They will finish these on Monday and then it is full steam ahead for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
The focus for all cast and crew will be an intense four weeks of in-school, after school and even weekend rehearsals if we are to get ready for ‘curtain up’. Please see the attached rehearsal schedules – which will be updated and re-issued weekly. We will try to avoid changing these but given the unpredictability of the raw material we are working with, this may happen! So please do check all communications.
Dates for your Diary
The school diary is available to you all through the ‘calendar’ or ‘events’ function so you are able to look ahead to see what is happening and when. The calendar is updated regularly to reflect changes or additions.
This is another busy term (although I’m not sure we have any quiet terms!) so hopefully the below will help you to look ahead. It is not an exhaustive list for the half term and there are many rehearsals, fixtures and other events so please keep an eye out for communication in the e-news as well as the portal.
Thursday 18th January:
S11 Parents’ Evening and Mock Feedback – 4.30-6.30pm in Schofield Building.
Friday 19th January: Open Day
Tuesday 29th January: Malta Tour Parent Information Talk – 4.15pm – School Hall
Thursday 1st February: Year 10 Parent’s Evening – 4.30pm in Schofield Building
Monday 5th February: School Production week
Friday 9th February: Finish at usual timings for Half Term
Music news
Many thanks for all your support and kind words with regards to the Carol Service. I am sure you will agree with me that the children performed so well and showed much talent. As we look to the term ahead, please be aware of a few changes to the Music Extra-Curricular timetable. In order to fully support our exciting school production, most extra-curricular clubs will pause for this half term with the exception of Jazz Group and Recorder Club. They will resume after the school production. Thank you for your understanding.
Instrumental lessons begin next week and timetables will be distributed to students on Monday. As always, please could you ensure that students do note down the dates and times of their lessons into their planner so that they are fully prepared.
Thank you
Mrs Izod
Artwork for Charlie!
Logo
Please either email or bring in your final logo designs for the production. These should incorporate themes relating to the play e.g. chocolate, sweets, lollipops, golden tickets, the letter C, the letters WW, the name ‘Charlie’, 2024 etc (these are just a few examples!). Think colourful or use a combination of colours relating to the play e.g. purple and gold. Deadline Wednesday 10th January 2024.
Posters:
Please email or bring in posters which will be used for advertising and the programme. Same information as above. Only wording needed is ‘Bowbrook House School presents’ and ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’. or you can leave the words off. We will add the dates etc.
Deadline Monday 15th January 2024
Please hand these into Mrs Heaume or email to charlotte.heaume@bowbrookhouseschool.co.uk
Thank you.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dates for your diary
The performance dates and times are as follows:
MONDAY 5TH FEBRUARY 2024 – 2PM MATINEE PERFORMANCE – RED TEAM
TUESDAY 6TH FEBRUARY 2024 – 7PM EVENING PERFORMANCE – RED TEAM
WEDNESDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2024 – 2PM MATINEE PERFORMANCE – BLUE TEAM
THURSDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2024 – 7PM EVENING PERFORMANCE – BLUE TEAM
Saturday rehearsals
Please note that pupils are required at two Saturday rehearsals on Saturday 20th and Saturday 27th January 2023 from 9am until 1pm. Further details will be sent nearer the time.
Costumes and Props
Mrs Mellor and her team are hard at work preparing costumes and props. Please can we ask for your support in in helping with the following items (some general props and specific costumes for others.
Squirrels:
Plain black leggings and a black long sleeve t shirt or base layer, black trainers.
Oompa Loompas:
White shorts (PE STYLE) and a brown long sleeved base layer or T shirt. White socks and white trainers. School will source green wigs, orange face paint, head bands, ears and fabric for furry tails!
Props:
Old cameras (don’t need to be functional)
A bunch of oversized keys
An old style broken umbrella
Old fashioned stripy pyjamas
Private investigator style raincoat (small)
Any questions, please contact Mrs Heaume or a member of the production team.
Thank you.
PE and Games:
Just one fixture next week:
U16 football Vs Tettenhall (A) on Wednesday 10th Jan.
Other items
Laptop Purchasing
Attached is the flyer for our preferred method when parents are buying laptops for school use to ensure they are the right ones and so they can be networked for ease of pupil use.
Laptop Bags in the Middle and Senior School
For clarification, carrying school bags between lessons is not required or practicable at Bowbrook. Students are encouraged and ‘trained’ to be organised and carry only the resources they need for two lessons (before short break, after short break and after lunch).
As laptops are a required resource, it is sensible to have a laptop in a protective case. The laptop case has begun to morph into a laptop bag which has inevitable become a bag with a laptop in it and we are back to reminding students not to carry bags to each of their lesson.
For clarification a slim, plain, hand held (no shoulder strap, or with strap removed) black laptop case which can fit in a laptop, pencil case and a couple of books its permitted to be carried between lessons. It could hold, if necessary, the books and resources for two lessons. Any more and the load becomes unmanageable and too heavy. Below is an example such a bag.
Large bags and those with should straps clutter space and create an environment which restricts movement and flexibility in lessons.
Thank you for your support with this and the Parents’ Handbook will be update to reflect this when it is next published.
Uniform
We would like to offer a gentle reminder that as a school who prides itself on traditional values, we ask that parents familiarise themselves with the uniform requirements readily available in the parents handbook before the start of term so that staff and tutors can begin the new year with positive interactions with students as opposed to having to ask for hair to be tied back, skirts to be rolled down, top buttons to be done up, shirts tucked in or make-up removed or extra earrings to be removed.
They are simple things and the majority of our students look exceptionally smart for the majority of the time and we would like to uphold the traditional value of taking pride in their uniform as well as adhering to school rules and expectations so value your support with this.