During Break time on Thursday 7th April 2022 our Sixth Formers will be selling Samosa for charity. They will be available for 50p each, please bring cash on the day if you would like to buy one.
Dance visit to De Montfort University
14 of our pupils from Year 9 and Year 10 were selected to visit De Montfort University to have an insight into the Dance BA (Hons) course. The pupils participated in a three hour practical session, where they explored a variety of contemporary dance techniques with university lecturers and students. They were challenged with a choreography task to allow them to understand new ways of devising content.
The pupils were also given a tour around campus by third year students who were able to answer questions that our pupils had about the course and university life.
All pupils enjoyed their visit with many commenting on how much they had gained from the experience.
‘Try a new Language’ Masterclass
Year 10 have made such a fantastic start to their languages GCSE courses, with over 80% of the year studying a language. 44 of our pupils who have really impressed this year were nominated by their teachers to take part in a masterclass organised by the University of Birmingham to take part in a taster session.
Our pupils were able to listen to a talk about languages courses and combinations at the University followed by a taster session. The languages on offer included Russian, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, as well as the two workshops our pupils took part in – Italian and Portuguese.
Pupils enjoyed the speaking practice in the new languages, with Italian being the most popular by far! They also had a brief walk through the main campus in the sunshine.
A ‘bom día’ (good day) for Barr Beacon’s linguists!
Big Quizzes at Birmingham University
Selected Year 10 pupils have so far attended three Big Quiz events at Birmingham University for Mathematics, Physics and Biology. Our Year 10 pupils have scooped numerous awards and plaudits during these events and have received lectures from leading experts in these academic fields.
Year 10 Cambridge Visit
A group of Year 10 pupils visited Newnham College Cambridge, where the spring weather brightened their tour of the beautiful college grounds. Pupils enjoyed a critical reading workshop that prepared them for university level study and listened to an engaging taster lecture on realism in gaming.
A tour of the college library was followed by a delicious lunch in the grand dining space. In the afternoon, pupils explored Cambridge town and saw many of the other university colleges, people punting down the river Cam and Cambridge University Library, one of the world’s oldest university libraries home to
nearly ten million books, maps, manuscripts, photographs and priceless objects, spanning thousands of years. An inspiring experience.
Valentine’s Day Sweet Sale: Charity Event
Head Girl Abbey B and Charity and Events Manager Olivia M led on this term’s Sixth Form Charity Event. Thank you to everyone who supported the event by ordering sweets for Valentine’s Day. The profits will be shared equally between our 3 chosen charities: Young Minds, Barnados and the RSPCA.
Thank you to Senior Six and Charity and Events Managers for their delivery services.
Why we remember
On Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember all those who were murdered or affected under Nazi occupation, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
Holocaust Memorial Day is celebrated on 27th January each year as this was the day Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated in 1945. This year the theme is ‘One Day’. One day in history, one day when life changed, one day at a time, one day in the future, one day is just a snapshot as we look at it now.
“You didn’t think about yesterday, and tomorrow may not happen, it was only today that you had to cope with and you got through it as best you could.” – Iby Knill, survivor of the Holocaust
What was the Holocaust? It illustrates the dangers of prejudice, discrimination, antisemitism and dehumanisation. Holocaust did not just happen in one day; it was carefully planned. Between 1933 to 1945, the Nazis persecuted all those who did not fit their idea of pure Aryan race: Jews, Roma, black people, homosexuals, mentally and physically disabled people, Jehovah’s Witnesses and many others. By the end of the war, it was estimated that 11 million people had been killed. 6 million of those were Jews.
Often, we think of the Holocaust as numbers, and events of the past, but each one of them had individual stories and experiences to tell. It is crucial for us to learn from the past and educate others as we are the last generation to witness the survivors’ testimonies.
Even in recent years, genocides are still taking place across the world, it is unimaginable what the victims are going through and why in this day and age us Humans have not learnt to respect each other’s race, beliefs and differences.
The most important thing we can do is to share our knowledge to those around us, as the more we know, the more we become aware.
Take ‘One Day’ at a time and live it to the best you can make it, because everyday is a new day and every 24 hours is a new chapter.
Useful Link.
B.Fang
Deputy Head Girl
Holocaust Memorial Painting
G. Kaur in Year 9 produced this stunning work to memorialise the Holocaust.
The bottom half of the painting is Hitler and the Nazis segregating and isolating Jews, like how they were held in ghettos, concentration camps, and sent to death camps. That half shows a background that is dark as it conveys the negativity and chaos that the Nazis were bringing upon those they considered 'undesirable'. The top half represents these groups being liberated by the allied troops, and the background is lighter to represent the good and positivity that liberation bought, it shows that these groups had been freed. These groups are represented by the birds, who are imprisoned and confined by the barbed wire. But then, birds can symbolise hope and freedom as they are liberated.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Barr Beacon School pupils have marked Holocaust Memorial Day this week.
Students who have studied under the guidance of the Holocaust Memorial Trust have led assemblies for all year groups each morning this week sharing information about this significant event so that we can honour the day.
In addition, students of A-Level History and Philosophy & Ethics attended a lecture; a testimony from Eva Clarke BEM hosted by the Holocaust Memorial Trust.
Our pupils have found the opportunity to engage with the lecture both informative and moving as they reflected on Eva’s journey and experience.
Great Big Dance Off
The Dance department entered five students in a competition to represent Barr Beacon School at The Great Big Dance Off. The students competed against a variety of schools across the West Midlands and achieved amazing results.
In the KS3 competition, E. Smith 8M1 and O. Clarke 9C3 both achieved joint 6th position against 44 other entries.
In the KS4 competition, M. Wood 11C1 reached 28th position out of 70 entries and D. McGuirk was placed 9th.
A. Mahon 9W3 (pictured) achieved 3rd place in the KS4 competition, beating 67 schools across the West Midlands. She will now go forwards to represent Barr Beacon School against the winners of each region in the UK finals in London during the summer.
The Dance department is incredibly proud of all five students.
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Barr Beacon School
Old Hall Lane
Aldridge, Walsall
West Midlands
WS9 0RF
T: 0121 366 6600
postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
