News list
As part of their Humanities remote learning project, Form 1 identified different types of trees, discovered what trees do for us and how we can all become 'tree heroes' to help protect trees and increase the tree canopy in Cambridge and beyond. They also learned about the different types of forest in the UK, what grows and lives there, and made their own woodland models reflecting the different forest layers. As a culmination of their project, the children wrote thank you cards which they hung from their chosen tree.
Forms 3 and 4's recent Philosophy sessions have centred around the concept of 'hope', what this word may mean, what it is to have hope and why this is important for each of us as an individual but also for our school community and, at a wider level, for society as a whole. The children discussed the notion that to have hope is to want an outcome that makes life better in some way and that this mindset can not only help make a tough present situation more bearable but also can eventually improve lives because envisioning a better future motivates people to take the steps to make it
The Young Shakespeare Company have been delighting St John's pupils for many years with their interactive and energetic workshops at school and the current lockdown did not deter any enthusiasm for the virtual workshops Forms 4 and 5 took part in. One company actor brought 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', one of Shakespeare's most enchanting comic tales, to life via Zoom with a fast-moving workshop which included active involvement for all the children.
Form 4 spent their French lessons during Book Week creating their own Monsieur Madame (Mr Men & Little Miss) books. The project enabled the children to explore lots of new language, to practise their artistic skills and to tap into their creativity as they chose where their character lived, what their hobbies were, what they ate and drank and what they were like.
Five authors and poets gave talks to inspire our children during this year's virtual Book Week, including Chris Bradford, Matt Dickinson, Onjali Q. Rauf, Joseph Coehlo and Gillian McClure. Senior House Librarian, Mrs Kelly Johnson, explained, "What an incredible and memorable Book Week this year! Despite the challenges of an online Book Week, the children and staff enjoyed it immensely. The visiting authors were entertaining and inspiring and managed to interact with the pupils in a way that made them feel they were actually with us in school." The children also loved, new to this year
Form 3 have continued their hearing and sound Science project during remote learning and have used objects from home to create a 2D or 3D anatomical model, painting or drawing of the ear. The children could decide whether this represented the whole ear or focused on a certain part, such as the eardrum or ossicles.
The annual RSPB's 'Big Garden Birdwatch' returned on 29 to 31 January 2021. Children across the school were encouraged to take part and they found out how to spot the best birds in their garden with a handy RSPB birdwatch guide and recording sheet. 2021 marks the 42nd RSPB 'Big Garden Birdwatch', which saw keen birdwatchers across the UK join the largest garden wildlife citizen science project by spending one hour tracking the birds they saw in their gardens. During that time, across the UK hundreds of thousands of people
Pupils across the school have been marking Children’s Mental Health Week with the theme ‘Express Yourself’. Children’s Mental Health Week was created to highlight how important children and young people’s mental health is. Throughout the week, teachers have discussed with the children healthy ways of expressing themselves and reinforcing how self-expression can help boost feelings of well-being. On 3 February the school ran a ‘Dress to Express Yourself' day where children could dress in a colourful way to express how they are feeling or wear their clothes inside out to show
Twenty four hundred years ago, Plato, one of history’s most famous thinkers, said life is like being chained up in a cave forced to watch shadows flitting across a stonewall. In Form 6’s Thursday Afternoon Philosophy sessions, they unscrambled the symbolism behind the philosopher’s words in his ‘Allegory of the Cave’, and created their own cave models.
Mindfulness continues to be used across the school as a way of slowing thinking down, bringing attention to the present moment and reducing stress. As part of the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), ‘.breathe’ sessions began for Form 4 at the start of the Michaelmas term. This is a continuation of the ‘Paws b’ programme which Form 2 participate in and pre-empts the ‘.b’ sessions in Form 6.’