21 December 2017

The last week of term began with the traditional Ceremony of Carols in the Girls' Division, which was themed around the Lamb of God. The readings throughout the evening reminded the audience of the true meaning of Christmas, while a series of uplifting choral performances and carols made this a special occasion as always.

Listen to some of the Ceremony of Carols songs on Soundcloud, or watch videos of the performance via the following links: Hodie & Once in Royal David’s City, Little Clouds (Middle School Choir), Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (The Accidentals), Seal Lullaby (Senior Choir), No Room, No Room (Chamber Choir), Away in a Manger (Senior Choir), Prayers set to music, The Little Road to Bethlehem (Combined Choirs).

The Boys' Division Christmas Festival was once again a joyful occasion filled with rousing carols, interspersed with poignant readings. The Bishop of Bolton gave a meaningful festive address which reminded the audience of what Christmas is truly about, and the School's choirs were in fine voice throughout the evening.

Watch some of the Christmas Festival performances via the following links: Angels Tell the Christmas Story (Boys’ Division Choir), James R Murray's Away in a Manger (Boys’ Division Choir), William Blake's The Lamb (Chamber Choir), What a Glorious Night (Lower School Choir).

The Junior Boys also put on their annual Carol Service as the term drew to a close. The evening showcased the vocal talents of the boys with a series of moving musical pieces, including a multi-lingual rendition of 'Silent Night'.

The Junior Girls' Christmas Concert 'Hosanna Rock!' is now available to view online. Click the following links to watch the whole performance: Part 1, Part 2.

Children from the Nursery and the Nursery Class for Three and Four Year Olds visited Parkview Residential Home for a Christmas performance. They sang songs from their nativity 'Away in a Manger' for the elderly residents. Their festive performance was a special treat for the residents and was a great prelude to Christmas.

Pupils in Year 1 ended the nativity season at Bolton School with their performance of 'Shine Star, Shine'. Their parents and family members were delighted as the children took to the stage to tell the story of Christmas. The tale focused on the star that lit the way for shepherds and wise men alike, showing them the way to the newborn baby Jesus.

In the Girls' Division, the annual Christmas Cake Club has been under way this term and the results are stunning! All of the girls' efforts were impressive this year, which made judging them particularly difficult. However, the winning entry was deemed to be "out of this world" and the prize went to Yer 10 pupil Annabelle.

Pupils at Beech House provided some festive entertainment at the Tea at the Riley. This monthly tea party is run by Sixth Form girls for elderly people in the local community, and the Infants' singing provided something extra-special for the Christmas event.

Children at Bolton School's Nursery enjoyed a Christmas Singalong with Rhythm Time. Parents and grandparents were invited to join the children for this fun event, and they loved singing, dancing and playing along to a host of different seasonal songs.

Year 7 pupils have been thinking of others this Christmas time. Usually, each Form collects an 'Advent Calendar' of small treats, one of which is given to a different girl each day in December. However, this year, the girls in 7C decided to forego their treats and instead bring in a new item each day which could be passed on to local homeless people.

Elsewhere in the Girls' Division, pupils have been hard at work doing some festive fundraising for a variety of charities. And whole school Christmas Jumper Day, the Year 10 Christmas Post and the Prefects' Panto all raised money for worthy causes in the final days of term.

In less Christmassy news, Millie Hurt in Year 11 has been selected to play for the U19 Wales Lacrosse squad! She already plays for Bolton School, Brooklands and Lancashire U18s.

Pupils in Year 8 were visited in the last week of term by Toni Forrest and her guide dog Quilla, so that they could learn more about how important guide dogs are to blind and partially sighted people. Toni's talk gave them a better idea of what it is like to be be blind, and just how big a difference a guide dog can make to someone's life.

A group of twenty-five pupils in Year 10 took on the Knead for Speed Aero Challenge. Working with researchers from Manchester University, they were tasked with making model cars more aerodynamic by modelling with Plasticine! The girls listened to the researchers' presentation on forces and aerodynamics and were able to implement their advice in their models. The best of the model cars was 3D scanned and placed into a virtual wind tunnel so that everyone could see how the air would move around the model the girls had created.