Haberdashers' Adams

Year 8 travelled back in time, during Activities Week, at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.

Building on their studies of the Industrial Revolution, they explored over 250 years of history, from the Industrial Revolution to post-war prosperity. Reconstructed shops, houses and industrial workshops, historic characters and demonstrations brought history to life.

Of course, the old-fashioned sweet shop and fairground rides proved very popular!

We’re delighted to welcome back the CSSM Chamber Choir for their Summer Camp at Haberdashers’ Adams.

Come and listen to all the wonderful choral music they will be working on this week.

The concert will be a highly imaginative and varied programme of choral music from six centuries, both religious and secular. Featured composers include Bach, Bennett Guerrero, Matyas Seiber and Sarah Quartel.

Year 8 concluded their discovery into the Dharmic faiths, during Activities Week, with a trip to the local Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship), Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Gurdwara.

Pupils were given the opportunity to experience the daily life of a Sikh consists of when attending the gurdwara; they learnt how Sikhs approach their holy scriptures (Guru Granth Sahib Ji), they engaged in meditation and saw the Sach Khand, the place of rest for the Guru once prayers have ended.

An informative talk explained what it means to be a Sikh and pupils had the chance to see the 5 articles of faith - the Sikh uniform of initiated Sikhs. Some volunteers had a turban tied so they could understand and appreciate the importance of the Sikh uniform.

The pupils particularly enjoyed the langar (free food) a key part of the gurdwara as which emphasises the core Sikh belief of equality. The vegetarian food was cooked by volunteers and some pupils were given the opportunity to clean up afterwards, both acts that embody the concept of seva (selfless service to others).

A special thanks to Mrs Kaur and the volunteers of the gurdwara for making this such an enjoyable trip. Year 8 were superb ambassadors of the school and it was a pleasure to see them get involved and push themselves out of their comfort zone.

In what has become an annual tradition during Enrichment Activities Week, the Music Department took to the road for a tour of local primary schools.

The soul band and chamber group visited Captain Webb Primary School and Lawley Primary School, performing a varied programme of calypso, classical, jazz and pop music for pupils and staff. On Wednesday, we welcomed pupils from Newport Infant School & Nursery to Adams for a special concert in Hamilton Hall, with pieces by the soul band, orchestra, choir and the Taiko drummers, who had luckily been asked to play just a little more quietly than usual for the young audience!

The latest edition of Reflections, the half termly newsletter, is now available:

https://mailchi.mp/3e78fb548750/headteacher-july-newsletter-5866050

We wish all of the Adams community a wonderful summer holiday.

During Activities Week, Years 7 and 8 rotated through a series of creative workshops based on the musical Wicked. They gained an understanding of the many creative roles involved in bringing a production to life - from the page to the stage or screen.

From musical dance choreography to prop creation, script writing and acting to storyboarding for film, pupils took a deep dive into the world of the Wizard of Oz.
A big thank you to ON Michael Lloyd who ran the puppetry workshop.

Together, the workshops provided pupils with an inspiring introduction to the creative industries, encouraging imagination, collaboration and the development of practical skills across theatre, film and performance.

Three high octane performances of 13: The Musical wowed audiences last week and demonstrated once again the remarkable talent and dedication amongst our young pupils. 🎭🎼

https://www.adamsgs.uk/news/13-the-musical/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/habsadamsgs/albums/72177720334663080/

*Time Change* 🕕

We have brought forward the time of the Hamilton Concert on Wednesday to 6pm (aiming for a 7:30pm finish) to allow people the chance to get home to watch England play in the semi-finals! ⚽🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Come and support our talented musicians in this end of year musical showcase. 🎷🎻🎸

In June 50 pupils from Year 8 ventured to the historic city of Trier, Germany.

Alongside amazing activities such as Freibad swimming, visiting a castle, summer tobogganing, riding an open air chairlift, eating Spaghettieis, and visiting Germany’s best theme park, students had the chance to experience life in Germany and practice their German skills in a real-life setting. These language skills were crucial as students shopped in the town, made friends on the basketball pitch, and even watched the World Cup from beside the beautiful river.

As always, our students threw themselves into every activity with gusto and their confidence grew throughout the week.