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Schools<br />
all students will exPerience the success that is essential in buildinG self esteeM, GaininG a<br />
Positive attitude to learninG, and develoPinG indePendent learners.<br />
At Kitebrook we aim to give our children a solid foundation in art<br />
which will allow them to appreciate and enjoy this activity<br />
throughout their school career and beyond. Confidence is key to<br />
success in the early years and we develop<br />
a hands on approach using a wide range<br />
of materials and by developing individual<br />
techniques in drawing, painting, ceramics,<br />
print making, sculpture, mosaics and textiles.<br />
Our Year 4 children recently studied desert<br />
landscapes in their Geography lessons. We<br />
linked this to a project painting desert<br />
scenes influenced by the work of the American artist Georgia<br />
O’Keefe, subsequently making sculptures of her famous bleached<br />
cattle skulls, decorating these with individual interpretations of her<br />
huge abstract flower paintings. Year 6 are currently constructing<br />
low relief sculptures inspired through the study of 12 th century<br />
architectural detail. Examples of other current projects are glazing<br />
fired ceramic pieces, screen printing fabric for a Design<br />
Technology project and multimedia canvases of seascapes using<br />
painted acrylics, collage, photography and construction<br />
techniques.<br />
The school also provides the option of afternoon art clubs where<br />
the children can explore more adventurous options for example;<br />
creating glass mosaics, print making with exciting colour mixing of<br />
metallic inks, computerised cartoon making and creative cookery.<br />
Specialist support is tailored to help pupils prepare for scholarships<br />
to senior schools and the department maintains an excellent<br />
record in this area with the most recent successes including an Art<br />
Scholarship to The Cheltenham Ladies’ College in 2015.<br />
at Condicote Village Hall<br />
On polling day we couldn’t use our usual base at<br />
Condicote Village hall so we went on an exciting<br />
bus trip to Sandfield farm near Evesham where we<br />
saw all sorts of exciting animals; bulls, chickens<br />
and even a newt. We followed a tyre track though<br />
the woods and played in a mud kitchen and we were all really tired when<br />
we got back, Thank you Emma! We have bought 4 new balance bikes<br />
with recent fundraising and are all learning how to use them, they go<br />
quite fast, even on the grass. Next term we will be doing lots of<br />
preparation for going to school with school sessions and visits from<br />
teachers, time is going to fly. Our Playgroup session is 9.15am – 1pm<br />
Monday to Thursday with extended sessions available on a Monday and<br />
Thursday until 2.45pm. Contact Jo Abrahams, our Early Years<br />
Professional / qualified teacher on 07796 987173, website<br />
www.condicoteplaygroup.weebly.com<br />
Toddler Group on Fridays from 10am – 12am, all ages welcome<br />
By Helen Monteith<br />
Our GCSE and A level scholars are now in the midst of a heavy<br />
timetable of exams. We wish them all every success and look forward<br />
to celebrating with them in August!<br />
Amongst all the revision and the hush of exams – for all year groups -<br />
we have been enjoying a wide variety of successes and activities too.<br />
Our students have excelled in the UK Maths Challenge again this year,<br />
while others have been selected for County Cricket. Aidan Hughes (Year<br />
8) has been selected to represent Great Britain in the U-12 British Inline<br />
Puck Hockey Team and is off to California next month to compete in the<br />
USA Amateur Athletic Union’s (AAU) Junior Olympics. No sooner back,<br />
Aidan will then be off to the European Championships in Switzerland!<br />
In performing arts our students have also been showing off their<br />
talents. Our wonderful Jazz Band – Back in Black – gave a tremendous<br />
performance at The Cheltenham Jazz Festival last month to a very<br />
appreciative audience. At the end of this month, Emma’s Trust, a<br />
charity that has supported our students – not to mention hundreds of<br />
young people in the region – through sponsorship of sports and the<br />
performing arts will be winding up after 10 years. The Trust is going out<br />
in style with an exciting performing arts festival under the direction of<br />
West End professionals. Our students are invited to attend the open<br />
auditions which are to be held on 30 June 2015 from 3.30pm – 6.00pm<br />
at The Cotswold School, and are asked to bring along the sheet music<br />
for a song they would like to perform. We are looking forward to many<br />
of our young singers taking part and hope you will join us in attending<br />
what will be a memorable event when it takes place in September.<br />
We are delighted with the take up in all the clubs and activities that are<br />
on offer at the school. The variety is terrific and includes: karate, air<br />
rifle shooting, floorball, gymnastics, volleyball and more. More<br />
students will be involved in Duke of Edinburgh practice expeditions this<br />
month while our Scientists will be off to the Cheltenham Science<br />
Festival. It is wonderful to see our students enthusiastically taking part.<br />
As June draws to a close, we will be welcoming pupils and two teachers<br />
from Dulwich College in Suzhou, China. This is a cultural exchange<br />
opportunity for all concerned with the Chinese pupils attending lessons<br />
and experiencing life as Sixth Formers in the Cotswolds.<br />
Swell School<br />
From Judy Morgan School Administrator<br />
This term we have seen the start of whole group music lessons for the<br />
Junior class. The sound of recorders filling the building is becoming more<br />
musical by the week. Gardening Club along with regular visits to the<br />
school allotment has seen the start of a very productive season, the year 2<br />
potatoes are growing very well. The school greenhouse is full of both<br />
flower and vegetable seedlings and cuttings.<br />
The Infant class have continued their studies with a visit to Pebbley plant<br />
nursery in Bledington. Here they learnt about the growth cycle from seeds<br />
to plants each child planting their very own marigold.<br />
A visit to the woodland in Longborough for the morning was great fun.<br />
Activities included den building, making magic sticks and a woodland<br />
observation. I think they would have stayed all day had they not needed<br />
to return to school for their cooked lunch!<br />
A visit to Rectory Farm has completed the visits for the<br />
Infant class. The Junior class have taken part in a<br />
Rounders Tournament and an Athletics event and<br />
thoroughly enjoyed both. With warmer weather on its<br />
way many more activities are planned and the children<br />
are all looking forward to taking part in sports Day.<br />
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