School News
Miller's Ark
On Monday 30th June, Miller’s Ark animals came to visit us on the grass by the Sainsbury’s gate. Emma brought along Jessica the donkey with her one month old baby Tilly and the boys were able to stroke and brush the donkeys. There were also sheep, goats, geese, chickens and Marmaduke the pig. Emma explained a great deal about the animals and all classes had half an hour on the field.
Science Evening
The Science evening was held on 26th June. A mixed audience of parents and children listened to Mr Page, the Head of Science, give an opening talk on the philosophy and delivery of Science at Davenies. He then showed a powerpoint display of the older boys conducting a range of chemistry experiments. This was followed by an interesting talk from John Tyler, an authority on glow-worms in the Chilterns. The evening concluded with a wide-ranging exhibition of resources and of children’s work produced during the successful Science Week earlier in the month.
Music for a Summer's Evening
We were so lucky to have the ideal warm, balmy evening for this year’s picnic and summer concert. Families arrived from 5.30pm, complete with rugs to sit on and what appeared to be banquets, inducing an atmosphere of informality and relaxation. The concert programme featured many of our ensembles, including the orchestra, jazz band, string ensemble, clarinet quartet, brass ensemble and the staff and chamber choirs, as well as a number of soloists. It is impossible to mention every item on the programme, although certain moments were notable. Year 6, a particularly musical year group, performed their version of ‘Basin Street Blues’, enthusiastically joined by the audience who also sang their hearts out for the brass ensemble’s rendering of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. Audience participation is always welcome and their percussion effects for the jazz band’s ‘Tequila’ must have been heard from some distance away! Solo performances by Tom Learmouth on the cello, Callum Stewart & Alastair Wheelhouse playing violin ‘Tangos’, Chris Windsor & Oliver Rolfe (voice) and Tom Roberts (flute) were all highly enjoyable, as was ‘Come to the Fair’, sung by the staff choir. ‘For as Long as I Have Music’, performed by the chamber choir was particularly moving. The evening attracted countless favourable comments and doubtless the occasion will be remembered for its success and variety for some time to come.
Junior School Sports Day
The sun shone down on the Junior School boys for their Sports Day on Thursday. It was a real family occasion, with many parents and grandparents enjoying the events. The boys competed in a range of track and field events and the House competition was not decided until the final event, when Cook was ultimately victorious. The atmosphere was wonderful and the boys were complimented on their excellent sportsmanship.
Science Week
What a busy week! All the boys in the school were involved in the London Science Museum outreach team’s visits. The Science of Forces and Materials was explored as boys were involved in workshops making slime, hot-air balloons and hovercrafts or were enthralled by inter-active shows. Some excellent Science was delivered in a highly entertaining fashion.
There was a hugely enthusiastic and positive response from everybody in the school.
1940s Day
On Wednesday, Year 4 experienced a ‘1940s Day’. They met at the gate at 8.30am, in costume and complete with gas masks. During the morning, they heard about the exploits of a POW, cooked 1940s food, played games and experienced a black out and air raid. After a special 1940s lunch of beef stew, they met and had tea with WW2 survivors and heard about their experiences.
IAPS Regional Athletics Championships at Eton
Many congratulations to the following boys, who did the school proud with their performances at the IAPS Regional Athletics Championships at Eton, on Monday 9th June:
| J. Davies: | 6th in the Under 12, 70 meters Hurdles, and 2nd in the Under 12, Javelin event |
| L. Kos: | 5th in the Under 12, Long Jump event |
| C. Chritchley: | 7th in the Under 12, Long Jump event |
| R. Stamp: | 3rd in the Under 11, Long Jump event |
| A. McMoneagle: | 1st in the Under 11, 100 meter final |
| L. Ives: | 2nd in the Under 13, Javelin event and has qualified for the IAPS National Athletics Finals in Birmingham |
| P. Sliwinski: | 2nd in the Under 13, 70 meters Hurdles and has qualified for the IAPS National Athletics Finals in Birmingham. 3rd in the Under 13 Long Jump event |
| R. Seekins: | 3rd in the Under 13, 1500 meters final |
The Under 12, 4 x 100 meters Relay team, A. McMoneagle, L. Kos, C. Chritchley and F. Williams came 6th in the final.
Colts 6-a-side Tournament
The Colts 6-a-side team clinched the top spot in a tight final against The Beacon at our annual cricket tournament on Friday 6th June. The team defeated Gateway and St. Piran’s along the way with some notable batting performances, improved fielding and accurate bowling. In the final, the top order batting trio of Jack Davies, AJ Woodland and Nicholas Woolf set a total of 44 off five overs for The Beacon to chase. After a confident start, the opposition looked set to reach this with balls to spare, but the bowlers seized the initiative by bowling straight and notching up several, crucial dot balls in the last two overs. Particular congratulations to Louis Kos, who held his nerve to bowl the last over for just three runs. The game ended with The Beacon two short of the Davenies’ target, and the trophy was retained by the host side for the second consecutive year. Well done to the triumphant six: Jack Davies, AJ Woodland, Nicholas Woolf, Andrew Burnett, William Taylor and Louis Kos.
Goodbye to Kath Williams
Friday 23rd May was Kath William’s last day with us. She has worked at Davenies for thirteen years, starting when the staff numbered 25, when the roll consisted of 80 fewer boys than it does now, when Reception was in its infancy and when the Lockyer Building did not exist. Now her team produce more than 68,000 lunches and 10,000 match teas a year, as well as all that is required for Sports Day, Parents Evenings, plays and social events. We thank her for the tremendous amount that she has done and she should know that, as she sails off to Iceland, she leaves behind a school which feels very warmly about her.
The Junior School Visits the Tutankhamun Exhibition
On Wednesday 21st May, Years 3 and 4 went to the O2 Arena to see artefacts from tomb of the ‘Boy King’, Tutankhamun. They had a fascinating day and learnt a lot. Some of the pieces from that time were over three thousand years old, but the details were still very clear. Those Ancient Egyptians certainly knew how to preserve their artefacts and were amazing craftsmen.
Friends of Davenies Quiz Night
The annual Friends of Davenies Quiz took place on Saturday evening and was a resounding success as always. Many thanks to Mrs Tennant for organising the event and providing a delicious supper and to John Borns, our resident ‘Quizmaster Extraordinaire’!
Open Day
Parents, boys and staff enjoyed an informal and entertaining Open Morning on Saturday. Every boy in the school took part in one activity or another, the atmosphere was relaxed and, thankfully, the rain held off!
Congratulations
Many congratulations to the following boys, who passed their National Standards Cycling Course Level 1 recently:
Jonathan Clifford-King (4R), Hayden Davis (4R), Ben Sharp (4R), Daniel Ward (4R), Nicolaas Wright (4R), Alex Ruston (4A), Matthew Ruston (6A)and Samual Wright (1RM).
The aim of the course was for the boys to increase their knowledge of how to cycle safely and to learn greater awareness of traffic and they will be attending a follow-up course in September to learn even more!
Public Speaking Competition
The Public Speaking Competition took place last night and the quality of speeches and their confident delivery, by boys as young as seven, was most impressive.
Lunchtime Concert
Guest were treated to a most enjoyable concert at lunchtime yesterday. Many congratulations to all those boys who took part.
John Harris, Storyteller, Visits Davenies
Last Friday, storyteller John Harris enthralled boys from Years 1 to 8 with his vivid retelling of stories, ancient and modern. They listened, spellbound, as he recounted tales, both tragic and humorous, from all over the world. He explained that the boys could play their part in ensuring that these ancient tales continue through the generations and challenged each one of them to re-tell one of the stories they had heard, over the weekend.
Year 5 Team Building Day
On Friday 18th April, Year 5 boys were involved in an inaugural team building day. The purpose of the day was for the boys to learn the skills of communication, cooperation, team building and appreciation of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. A variety of activities, involving both individuals and small groups, took place throughout the day and much emphasis was placed on respect for each individual and the need to listen more than talk – not always easy when new ideas are springing to mind!
‘Roger Ravensbeard’
Years 5 and 6 entertained us all with their highly amusing production of ‘Roger Ravensbeard’ on Tuesday 22nd April. The costumes were superb and Miss Swift was full of praise for the dedication and teamwork shown by the boys involved in the performance.
Year 7 and 8 History Trip to Waterloo
On Friday 18th April, forty one boys, five staff and twelve parents spent the day in Belgium, where they visited the historic battlefields of Waterloo. The trip formed part of the boys’ study of the Napoleonic Wars, which is included in the Common Entrance syllabus. One of the highlights of the trip was to stand in the very same rooms that Napoleon had stood in and to touch the table and tablecloth on which he had eaten breakfast and discussed the impending battle with his generals.
Reception Boys Visit Odds Farm
The two Reception classes enjoyed a trip to Odds Farm last Monday. The day started with some rain but by the afternoon it was warm and dry. The boys saw a cow being milked and were given the opportunity to bottle feed some lambs. They also learnt about different breeds of rabbits and were able to stroke them. Other animals they saw were goats with their kids, which they had fed, donkeys, horses and turkeys. They went on a tractor and trailer ride around the fields and had a picnic lunch in the barn. After lunch, the boys were able to ride on go karts, play in the large sand pit and use the adventure playground. The last thing they did before coming back to school was find their way out of the maze!
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