News list
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.’
Children at Byron House have learned about Swiss sculptor, Alberto Giacometti, in their remote learning Art lessons and have studied the artist's bronze figures. After sketching stick men, the children considered how we position our bodies for different movements and how body language can convey varying emotions. The children used kitchen foil to create elongated figure sculptures with the help of a pre-recorded introduction and explanation from their Art teacher.
Forms 3 and 4 have been studying the work of Cornish artist and fisherman, Alfred Wallis. Having watched a clip from local gallery, Kettle’s Yard's ‘Alfred Wallis Rediscovered’, the children were encouraged to paint using memories of their own seaside holidays and how they too could use recycled materials as Wallis had, such as leftover wood and paint from boat building.
As part of their online English sessions, Form 3 have been studying free verse poetry and have extended this to writing their own. Free verse is an open form of poetry than tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Free verse does not typically use consistent metre patterns, rhyme schemes, or any musical pattern and because it has no set meter, poems written in free verse can have lines of any length, from a single word to much longer. Form 3 looked at clips of the poets Joseph Coelho reading his poem, ‘Cards Dealt’ and Michael Rose reading
T1s have been investigating both 2D and 3D shapes in Maths during their remote learning sessions. They have learnt how to recognise, name and describe the properties of shapes and have played matching games and enjoyed practical shape investigations to help consolidate their understanding.
A whole afternoon is dedicated each week to the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) topics for Form 2 and further cross-curricular opportunities at Senior House. The bridge design and build project in the Michaelmas term demonstrated the success of this focused approach with Bridge Designer computer-based engineering, testing the strength of materials investigation and research, construction and testing of the children's individual bridges.
As part of T2’s remote learning they were set a challenge to research a famous building or landmark around the world and create a model of it from materials they had at home, recycled objects, construction toys, Lego or anything they felt was suitable. The children created, amongst others, the Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and the Great Wall of China.
Our annual Service in Preparation for Christmas, scheduled to take place shortly after the second national lockdown ended, was sadly but inevitably not able to take place as usual in the St John’s College Chapel this year. Our response once again demonstrated the school’s extraordinary ability to combine creative, resourceful and collaborative forces to put together an online Virtual Service in Presentation for Christmas, whose preparations and process afforded the meaningful learning experiences our pupils are accustomed to and whose result could be enjoyed by family and friends not
Kindergarten’s rendition of their nativity production, Whoops-a-Daisy Angel, was broadcast live to the school community this year so everyone could share the children’s production and all their hard work leading up to the performance. This delightful nativity play tells the story of a disorganised but loveable angel who is chosen to show the way to Bethlehem.
Members of the Sixth Form took part in this year's Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) with their performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and produced a droll and exuberant play featuring ample wordplay which underscored the nonsensical mischief of the plot. Whilst the world was in the grip of Covid-19 an extremely talented group of Sixth Formers, under the guidance of Mr Clarke, Ms Harris, Mr Hawkins and Mr Evans, defied the odds and put on a St John’s first; a live-streamed performance which was enjoyed by audience literally around the world.