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Intercambio de Madrid 2018

From 21 to 28 February, 25 Year 10 students and seven sixth-formers took part in this year’s Spanish exchange to

Madrid, accompanied by Mrs Hale, Mr Blake and Mr Grenfell-Williams. This was the twentieth year that KLB have

been an exchange link with Colegio Altair.

Arriving in Madrid on the Wednesday evening, the week kicked-off with the long-awaited meeting with our new Spanish families. An experience that is always over-whelmed with emotions of excitement and nerves, plus trying

to settle into a new language and culture, the first meeting and evening will always be an unforgettable one for an exchange student.

Settling into the Madrileño life, the next day we explored the beautifully sunny city and particular sites such as the Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and the art museum, The Reina Sofia, particularly famous for holding Picasso’s

Guernica. It was a great opportunity to find out what the architecture and people of Madrid were like, talk to the locals and teachers of Colegio Altair and delve into the cuisine of Spain - churros became a staple part of our daily

diet!

The next day after taking part in a “Sevillanas” dance class

(ending in a particular high-light of a group Macarena) and attending classes at the school with their peers, the Year 10

students visited the Museo del Prado while the sixth-

formers attended and helped out in classes at the school with the ‘Infants’. We had the chance over the week,

instead of doing a traditional exchange, to stay with a family in Madrid that specifically had younger children. Our

role was to play with them and help out their English. We all found it an amazing way to develop our Spanish and

wouldn’t hesitate to visit them again, even if the

playground did get a bit crazy at times!

After a weekend spent out of school and with the exchanges, we had two more day trips to the city of Toledo and then Segovia. Being blown away by the huge cathedral in Tole-do and viewpoint over the old capital of Madrid,

followed by the Alcázar in Segovia, which is the castle that inspired Disney’s castle, these were a great couple of

days to end our trip and see a more slower-pace side of Spain.

The next morning, the Year 10 students had the chance to visit the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium of Real Madrid before

an emotional goodbye with the partners and children of Colegio Altair. There were certainly few dry eyes, proving

just how attached we had become to the Spanish way of life

in only a week! However, the Year 10 students now look forward to the return visit of the Madrileños in the summer

term, which I’m sure will be just as fantástico!

By Laura Edmonds, Year 12

Newsletter 29 March 2018

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Japanese Exchange 2018

Students and staff from our Japanese partner school, Hikawa High School, made their annual visit to KLB in March

this year. The 20 students stayed with host families of students in Years 9 and 10 and took part in a range of activities both inside and outside school. They were able to enjoy lessons with all those who take Japanese in Key

Stages 3 and 4, as well as trying out French and Drama. They gave presentations in English on differences

between Japanese and British culture to groups of KLB students.

Outside school, the Hikawa students improved their English skills with daily lessons in Wotton’s Civic Centre, spent a morning demonstrating traditional Japanese pastimes to students at the British School, visited Bath and went to

Bristol to see Cinderella on stage. Their host families also showed them around the local area in their free time. One of the most rewarding parts of the exchange is seeing students from both countries learning about daily life in

a different culture and about how to communicate effectively in a foreign country.

The Farewell Party on the final evening was one of the many highlights, as the students from Hikawa performed

two songs to the gathered host families, and there were emotional goodbyes the next morning as they left for London.

Those host partners from KLB, who have not already been, will be going to Japan on the return leg in October. More information about this and the school’s other exchange programmes is available on the school website.

Applications for 2019 will be open later in the year.

School Opening Over Easter

Over the Easter holiday we have a range of building related works which will mean that there will be no staff on

school reception to answer phones / deal with any queries etc. Please note however that there are some examination revision sessions taking place which have been organised by individual departments.

School Canteen Update

Whilst previously the school has had a flexible view to students going overdrawn on their school canteen account,

we have now decided to remove this option and so there now needs to be sufficient funds on an account for a

student to be able to make a purchase.

In addition, we ask that parents / carers leave sufficient time when adding funds to a canteen account on SCOPAY to enable this system to transfer the details across to the canteen system – ideally the night before rather than

first thing in the morning if students will be after buying food at the breakfast or mid-morning service. Of late, we have had a number of students who have indicated that funds have been put on but not appearing early enough

on the canteen system. Hopefully this will benefit all.

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Safety at the Start and End of the School Day

Last week there was an incident in the school reception carpark where a parent, rushing to get out, was ignoring

the guidance of a member of staff and was reversing through lines of students making their way home across the front carpark. The safety of our students and staff is paramount to the school, which is why we close the front

carpark at the start and end of the school day, and staff manage the Sports Hall carpark at the end of the school

day. Please can I ask that you observe any restrictions that we have as they are there for good reason. We do realise that parking is very limited at the school but there are extremely limited solutions available to address this.

As a reminder, the front reception carpark will be closed to any vehicle movements between 8:05 and 8:30 in the

morning and from 2:35 to around 2:50 in the afternoon.

English Department Key Stage Three

On 8 March, all Year 9 students had the opportunity to watch

a live screening of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night from the Royal

Shakespeare Company. Here are two reviews of the production:

Yesterday, I watched the RSC production of Twelfth Night and have

been handed the task of writing a review. I have mixed feelings

about the play from start to finish, but the first thing you need to

know is that it is a lengthy production of roughly 2 hours and 40

minutes so be prepared before committing to watching the

production.

The shipwreck scene was first and was good at explaining the basis

of the very complicated but enjoyable plot. Many twists and turns

occur during the performance so it is never just one character’s story,

which is pleasant, but can become a bit confusing. To add to the confusion the play was set during the late Victorian period,

which was very effective as a lot of musical genre from that era was extracted and put into the play. The songs added to the

play were well written and a good way of breaking up the lines to make the scenes more intriguing. There weren’t too many

songs so as to make it into a musical.

Overall, the play was very enjoyable but was spoiled by a very anti-climactic ending of the production. The last few scenes are

very important because they are supposed to expose the play and bring everything together. So, in my opinion, the last scenes

could have been tied off better.

Amy Gribben 9A1

I saw a production of Twelfth Night on 8 March and in this particular production they took several opportunities to make the

original an almost different play. The play is set in Britain in Victorian times and the two twins, who are somewhat the main

characters, are Indians who are travelling to a different country. It is a lengthy performance at 2 hours and 40 minutes,

however, they do a great job of keeping the audience interested.

One main thing they changed which was extremely effective was the swapping around of the first two scenes. This did a great

job of introducing the enjoyable plot and the main characters for people who weren’t familiar with the plot line. In despite of

this it did slightly take away from the brilliance of the first scene with Orsino as that was designed to be an opener. The actor

who was playing Orsino, however, did an incredible job of this scene and the fact that he is an experiences and skilled actor is

reflected in his performance throughout the production.

Overall, the production is a great attempt at the play and is very enjoyable to watch. The ending did feel rushed and felt as if it

was slightly anti-climactic. The only other critique was that the portrayal of Olivia and sometimes Cesario weren’t as good as

they could have been and came off a little stale.

Jamie Stacey 9A1

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The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster: A blood-bath

On Monday 5 March, just a few days into its run, a group of Year 13 students studying John Webster’s classic

revenge tragedy for A level English Literature went to see the play at the Swann Theatre in Stratford upon Avon.

This play had all that you would want from a decent revenge tragedy – the Senecan delight in violence and cruelty

in the thirst for vengeance, but whether it did justice to Webster’s text has been hotly debated. Luke Palmer argued that ‘the desire to stand apart from other productions came at the expense of much of the text which was

cut from the play’. Having travelled up the motorway in near silence with the students plugged in to their music, the journey back was a different matter as students debated the characterisation, the props and staging and the

various directorial decisions that had been made for this production.

Jacob Housley characterised this production as ‘sinister and sexually violent’. A play preoccupied by the control of

women, by greed, by politics and by male power, this production was quite literally a ‘bloody mess’ with the stage swimming in blood by the end and the actors rolling, falling, slipping, dying in the gore.

Enzo Bavetta noted the cutting and selection of text to ‘put gender and male oppression at the forefront’. The

‘politics and corruption’ was ignored in this production and Bethanie Johnson noted that ‘the presence of the

Duchess on stage even after her death emphasised her importance and centrality in the narrative’. Serena Kang described the performance as ‘fierce and masculine in a world that oppressed women’.

Leyonie Fry voiced the view of many that this production was ‘confusing at points’ and the symbolic use of the set

and music at times detracted from the play itself. Camille Hault’s assessment characterised the views of all of us, perhaps, that we ‘liked the production but not as an adaptation of The Duchess of Malfi’.

Year 13 Biology Trip to the Bristol Neuroscience Conference

On the last Friday of term Miss Allin, Dr Vorley and 18 Year 13 Biology students went to Bristol University for a

Neuroscience Conference. The highlights included:

- Being able to visualise the brainwaves produced whilst carrying out different tasks via a slimmed-down

ECG headset.

- Studying the structural differences in the brains of organisms ranging from cuttlefish to jackdaws and

horses.

- Reaction-time testing – one of our students made the leader board!

- Testing Jedi-master skills in the battle of the levitating ball (a game involving another ECG headset)

Alongside the hands-on activities students also listened to two lectures; ‘The genetics of addiction’ and ‘Using social media as an indicator of mood’. These lectures featured university-level material and as well as enhancing

their understanding of the different methods of biological research and gave students a taste of studying biological sciences at degree level and beyond.

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Visit to the Big Bang Science Fair at the NEC

Around 100 Year 8 students visited the Big Bang science fair at the NEC in Birmingham on Friday 16 March. Here are two reports about the visit:

In my opinion, I thought the trip was a great experience and I would recommend it to other Year 8 students! One of the best shows we saw

was called Gastronaut and the Chocolate Factory which included lots of fun and educational demonstrations. In the main hall there are lots of mini

stalls explaining about science, technology, engineering and maths. Another great experience was the planetarium with lots of facts about the

international space station and our galaxy. I had a great time and would

love to visit again! Ellie Davis

This trip was amazing! Were a bit disappointed that we could not do everything in the time we were there but

what we did was educational and fun. There was loads to do and we were always busy with some exciting experiment. The best part was when we watched the Gastronaut as it had loads of facts and people where picked

to go help them. There were also loads of stands and one of them had fireworks going off. Overall this trip was great and we all had loads of fun.

Isabelle Cottrell

Fund Raising for Cancer Research UK

Five Year 10 students (Annice Anderson, Finn Welsh, Nelly Porter, Ellie Keane

and Lexi Burdis) are doing a charity event for Cancer Research UK, where they walk 10,000 steps a day, every single day during March. To raise more

awareness and money for the cause, they also hosted a bakesale, featuring a rainbow cake made by Lillie Barnett. The bakesale raised just over £160 which

has gone towards the groups’ charity page.

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Inter-House Music Competition

On Tuesday 20 March, the Music department hosted our third Inter-House Music Competition, with students from all years taking part. Students entered a wide variety of musical performances to compete in five categories: KS3

solos; KS3 groups; KS4 and 5 solo;, KS4 and 5 groups; House choirs. They performed to a selection of ‘guest’

judges (and a 150 strong audience) in the Drama Hall throughout the day, and we were delighted to welcome ex-student Katie Jenner who fulfilled the role of head judge. Katie is currently studying music at Birmingham

Conservatoire, and it was wonderful to have her back.

All performers earned house points for Berkeley, Logan, Wellicome, and Durand, which counted towards the final points total revealed in the afternoon once the judges had made their selections for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each

category (a difficult task!). It was a fantastic occasion for students to showcase their hard work, and we were

thrilled with the enthusiasm, talent, and support shown from everyone who took part. A big congratulations to all who performed, an extra thank you to Harry Green and Beth Butcher who managed the sound desk, and to all

members of staff who gave up their time to sit on the judging panel: Miss Rendell; Mrs Sparrow; Mr Le Goascoz; Dr Pinney; Miss Dobler.

Results

KS3 solos 1st place Arthur Garrett (Year 7) 2nd place Summer Iles (Year 9) 3rd place Luke Garlicki (Year 9)

3rd place Julia Mayer (Year 9)

KS3 groups 1st place Luke Garlicki and Christopher Bull (Year 9) 2nd place George Knowles, Kirstie Rennie, Cassidy Jeffery,

Julia Lloyd (Year 7)

3rd place Cordelia Morland and Holly Howells (Year 8)

KS4 and 5 solos 1st place Charlie Reynolds (Year 10)

2nd place Archie John (Year 13)

3rd place Rowan Green (Year 10)

KS4 and 5 groups 1st place Eloise Whitbread and Mary Tobias (Year 10)

2nd place Archie John, Edward Whyton, Robin Pillinger, Matthew James, Will Bailey (Year 13)

3rd place Claire Humphries, Ellen Brooks, Hazel Garrett (Year 10)

House choirs Logan - WINNERS Berkeley

Wellicome

Durand

Overall points from the day Logan = 275

Durand = 250 Wellicome = 226 Berkeley = 148

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Duke of Edinburgh Award Training Days

Earlier this month staff from Ocean Rock Adventure came to KLB to run the training days for the Bronze and Silver

expeditions. This summer, nearly 50 Year 10 students plan to complete the expedition at Silver level and over 100 Year 9 students at Bronze level.

To qualify for the expedition section of the award, the students need to plot routes to travel across open countryside independently and self-sufficiently. During the

training day the students planned courses for both their practice and qualifying expeditions based on the average distance they can expect to travel across

different gradients in a given time. The students had to factor in rest breaks and identify landmarks that will help them to stay on track. They also learned how to

pack a rucksack, carrying only essential clothing, equipment and food to keep

weight to a minimum and to make sure items such as sleeping bags and clothes stay dry. The participants also practised putting up their tents and lighting paraffin

stoves.

A few of the students were alarmed that they would need to sleep in the same

clothes they had worn during the day and (in the true spirit of teamwork) share a deodorant but were reassured that they would be glad of the reduced weight by

the time they got to the end of the first day.

The DofE expeditions are designed to be accessible to all students but also to be genuinely challenging, taking them out of their

comfort zone. The students will need to work as teams to support

each other in overcoming any difficulties they may face along the way and to maintain good morale throughout. In April all Bronze

and Silver participants will complete training expeditions to give them a taste of the trials they may face in preparation for the

assessed final expeditions which take place in July.

Gold Award Practice Expedition

Twelve Year 12 students will carry out their Gold award practice expedition on Dartmoor towards the end of the

Easter holiday. This is a three-day, two-night trek across wild country (including wild camping) in preparation for the five-day, four-night final expedition in July. We wish them good weather and good luck.

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Girls Football Success

It has been an extremely busy and successful term for girls football at KLB with excellent results and performances

across all age groups. It began early in March with the U14 team convincingly winning the district finals at Rednock School and therefore qualifying for the county finals. The following week the U12 team participated in the district

finals and despite tough opposition they showed great determination to finish runners up and also qualify for the

county finals. Lastly, it was the turn of the U16 team and they similarly finished runners up in a very closely contested tournament. Hence, this meant that all three age group teams qualified for the county finals! These

were held on 22nd March at Rednock School and the teams were accompanied by Mrs Bates, Mrs Wills and Dr Thomas.

All three teams were supremely competitive in the group stages of the tournament with each finishing in the top

two in their respective leagues to progress through to the semi-finals. The U12 team were the first to play and won

a closely fought game 1-0 against local rivals Rednock. The U14’s semi-final against Beaufort Academy finished 1-1 meaning that penalties would decide the outcome. Calmly taken penalties and excellent goal-keeping ensured that

KLB girls booked their place in their final. Lastly, it was the turn of the U16 team and they replicated the success of the U12 team by winning their semi-final against Cleeve School and ensuring that all three KLB teams would

compete in their respective finals to be crowned county champions!

The U12 team competed extremely well in their final against a very talented St. Peters School team, although

eventually they lost 3-0. This meant that they were crowned county runners up and took away silver medals. Although the KLB U14 team dominated their final against Cleeve School they couldn’t find a break through and the

game went to penalties. The most nerve-wracking and lengthy of penalty shoot outs ensued and unfortunately on this occasion Cleeve School were victorious meaning KLB again finished as runners up and silver medallists. Finally,

in a very competitive and closely fought final the U16 team went one better and beat Churchdown School 1-0 to be

crowned county champions and take away the gold medals! This capped a superb day and demonstrates the strength in depth and quality across the age groups of girls football at KLB.

U12 squad: Lena Brewer, Ella Williams, Bella Orchard, Willow Mills,

Natasha Kerr, Keira Woodman, Lily Bishop, Isla Budd, Ella Wools-Lewis, Georgie Steele-Davis, Jodi Read, Robyn Bailey, Lucy Taylor

U14 squad: Zoe Boyd, Oivia Belston, Grace Smith, Maia Parmar,

Connie Watt, Bailey Jones, Amber Weston, Ria Hodson, Imogen Sparrow, Bella Davis, Freya Marshall, Rosie Clarkson, Rosie Kenny

U16 squad: Amy McCorkell, Emma Foxwell, Lucy Jones, Erin Hodson, Sarah Challis, Frances Page, Ella Aston, Lucy Lloyd, Kirstie Weston,

Hannah Dix, Paige Todd, Anna Symanowski

Dr C Thomas

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U13 IN2Hockey County Champions 2018

On Friday 9 March, two teams of U13 girls represented KLB in the National Schools IN2Hockey County Championships, at Dean Close School. The U13B team mainly consisted of students who specialised in other

sports, but still managed to finish inside the top 10 in the County. A superb result, which really highlights the depth

of talent within the year group. The U13A team took the tournament by storm, demonstrating their sheer determination, strength and outstanding teamwork.

The U13A results were as follows:

KLB 3-0 St. Edwards KLB 2-0 The King’s School

KLB 2-0 St. Peters KLB 3-2 Dean Close

Semi Final: KLB 3-1 Cheltenham Ladies College Final: KLB 5-0 Dean Close

After each game, each player grew from strength to strength. They listened and learnt from any areas of

development that were highlighted from the previous matches. The deciding game, prior to the semi-final was a

fiercely competitive match. Both teams were competing

for the top spot in the group. At one point Dean close gained the lead but KLB rose to the occasion and were

able to find a winning strike. This highlighted the mental strength and belief within the team, as regardless of the

pressure of the match, they worked exceptionally hard in

gaining a one point lead to qualify as Winners of group one.

The girls’ final result is testimony to their ability to apply feedback and highlights how hard they worked in their

lead to victory against a very talented Dean Close team.

Huge congratulations to the girls who have not only shown superb talent but also excellent commitment in

representing KLB in Hockey over the last two years. They truly deserved their title as ‘Girls’ IN2Hockey County Champions 2018’. The girls will now represent Gloucestershire, as the number one ranked side, in the South West

Regional Finals at Millfield School. S Dobler

District Archery Competition

On Monday 19 March, the KLB archery team, seen to the right, entered the District Archery competition at Archway School.

The team comprised students from Years 7 to 12, who regularly

attend our lunchtime club. The high scores posted from all the

teams at the competition reflected the excellent shooting on display and KLB came second place in the District. The

competition was extremely close and the final placings were decided right at the end, where only one point separated KLB and

Stroud High School.

We now have to wait to see if our team have done enough to take the Wild Card Spot at the County Finals at

Hartpury in June. The Wild Card spot is awarded to the school who has the highest runner up shooting average.

From top left: Freya Wallace, Niamh Keane, Lena Brewer, Ella King, Imogen Sparrow (Captain), Lily Clarke, Rosie Brown,

Eliza Reynolds, Francesca Bartlett and Millie Toal.

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Year 7 and Year 8 Summer Hockey League

Terms 5 and 6 will see the return of our mixed Year 7 and Year 8 Summer Hockey League. Originally, this

tournament began in the 2016/17 academic year; it proved to be a very popular event. There were more than 60 students competing in fixtures, every Friday after school. This year numbers have hugely exceeded expectations

with 141 students taking part, in either a playing or an officiating role. This number is a great testament to the

sporting credentials of the Year 7 and Year 8 students. This year will see The Norm, Team Winners, Beats Will Carry Us, Slippery Squidwords, Fortnite Gods, Pineapple Rainbows, The Minions, Squad Goals, The Fluffy Unicorns,

Battle Hounds, The Team and Rainbow Pandas all competing in league fixtures over eleven weeks. There will be three matches every evening; round one matches will commence from 3:00pm, round two 3:20pm and round

three 3:40pm. We would like to extend a warm welcome to any parents and carers who wish to come down and show their support. This tournament’s fundamental aim is for students to enjoy being physically active, whilst

playing with, and against friends as well as broadening their social connections.

This tournament has increased the depth of our hockey talent that we have available in our school teams. Within

Year 7 and Year 8 alone, we have been able to field 10-12 teams in fixtures against some of the finest hockey schools in the Gloucestershire and Avon regions. Further to this, our U13 boys finished 2nd in the County and

qualified for the South West Regional Finals. The biggest success for our Year 7 and Year 8 hockey goes to our

U13 girls. They have been undefeated in the last two seasons and are district champions. The pinnacle of their achievements was their County Championship title. The girls will go to the South West Regional finals as the

number one team in Gloucestershire.

To help us manage the ever-increasing popularity of hockey, we will also be running a tuck shop during the Summer League fixtures. All proceeds will go directly towards the purchase of hockey equipment such as

facemasks and shin pads. Matches for our Summer League will begin on Friday 20 April. We are really looking

forward to what promises to be an amazing tournament and we hope that you can share the enjoyment with us. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all parents and guardians for their help and support towards

our hockey programme. Students have had some amazing experiences and without your help and support, this would not be possible.

Mr R Meredith Miss S Dobler

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Parent Seminar – ‘Anxiety and Stress’

The fourth parent seminar, looking at Anxiety and Stress, will take place on Tuesday 24 April from 7pm to 8pm led

by Suzie Smyth-Roberts.

Please contact Reception if you would like to attend.

Dates for your diary

Monday 16 April First day of Term 5

Tuesday 24 April Parent seminar – ‘Anxiety and Stress’

Thursday 26 April Year 7 Parents’ Evening Monday 7 May May day Bank Holiday

Thursday 10 May Music Department Prom Concert Friday 25 May Last day of Term 5

Monday 4 June First day of Term 6 Wednesday 13 June Year 6 information evening (1), 7:00pm

Thursday 14 June Year 6 information evening (2), 7:00pm Tuesday 19 June Year 6 information evening (3), 7:00pm

Wednesday 20 June Year 5 Open Morning, 10:30am Thursday 21 June Year 5 Open Morning, 10:30am

Monday 9 to Friday 13 July Year 10 Work Experience week

Wednesday 25 July Last day of Term 6

Thursday 16 August GCE A Level results published Thursday 23 August GCSE results published

Monday 3 September Staff Training Day (1) Tuesday 4 September Staff Training Day (2)

Wednesday 5 September First day of term 1 for students

The full school calendar is available on the school website. The direct link is:

https://www.klbschool.org.uk/news-events/school-calendar/

Do you use Wotton pool?

We are always looking for volunteers to help out in a

variety of ways:-

1. Gate keeping (your own children can have a free swim while you GK)

2. Go on our cake rota (we sell fairy cakes and cookies at the weekends)

3. General maintenance

It’s a great way to help your community by joining a fun team of volunteers.

Please contact Karen Butter (k.butter@btinternet.com) for more information or to offer to help.

Thank you