News list
At the end of the Lent term, the whole of Kindergarten visited Hamerton Zoo near Sawtry. The zoo stretches over 20 acres so there were lots of different wild and domestic animals for our youngest children to explore, from looking into the eye of a tiger to venturing into cheetah country, as well as giant anteaters, wallabies, Corsac foxes and the more familiar donkeys, rabbits, sheep and alpacas. The children's zoo experience was made more memorable with a hands-on workshop where they got close to and handled different small animals.
305 teams took part in this year's 11th National Inter-Schools Science Quiz Championships and one of our two St John's teams reached the Finals at Oxford University Museum of Natural History. As always, the questions were above and beyond the knowledge of the National Curriculum but the children took the challenge in their stride and battled it out for second place. Amanda Blair, Science Quiz representative, praised Miss Brunning and the successful team, "We are so pleased you enjoyed the quizzes throughout the year and especially the Finals and congratulations to your team for their
The St John’s passion for books and reading was confirmed once again across a wide range of book-related activities, all designed to increase the children’s enthusiasm for all things literary. The Byron House Book Week and the Senior House Literary Festival is a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and, most importantly, of reading.
Form 3 visited Shimpling Park Farm in Suffolk, which has been shortlisted for Bayer award for exceptional farm visits and accredited by the Countryside Educational Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS), to get an invaluable insight into the countryside, the business of organic farming and the fun of learning outside the classroom. Time on the farm reinforced aspects of the children’s curriculum from maths to science to PHSEE. Head of Geography Miss Grant, described the trip as, “An excellent way of linking food to farming and for the children to learn specifically about
The performance of the Passion of Christ that closed the Lent term was accomplished by a mature and talented Sixth Form year group. The play recalls the final days of Jesus’ life – from his entry into Jerusalem, to his crucifixion five days later – and all of the complex plotting, political side-stepping and betrayal that facilitated Jesus’ downfall. The Passion Play is a moving story that required a deep intensity and thoughtfulness, which the Sixth Form delivered.
Form 4 visited the Cambridge Synagogue as part of their Judaism studies and had the opportunity to explore the beliefs and practices of the Jewish faith with a Cambridge University undergraduate. The children were given the opportunity to see and touch many different artefacts that are involved in Jewish worship and scholarship.
Members of our Charities and Community Links Committee pulled out all the stops to organise an Easter Fair ‘Egg-stravaganza’ at Byron House. An impressive £207.70 was raised for our chosen termly charities, Bridges to Belarus (http://www.bridgestobelarus.org.uk/) and Humanitas (www.humanitascharity.org). Homemade, nut-free cakes were bought in abundance and every stall generated a buzz of activity with the Forest Garden providing an outdoor space for the children to go to after visiting the Fair.
Form 5 presented their ‘Pirates of Penzance’ production with all the fun and laughter of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic. The entire cast captivated the meaning of a ‘comic opera’ by delivering the songs, dances and spoken words with ease and hilarity. The original play may have premiered over 140 years ago, but Form 5 were able to transcend time and deliver the sophisticated comedy in a conscientious, committed manner.
Senior House recently welcomed Mr Hugh Anderson, managing director of Godolphin, who came to speak to the children as part of their Thursday Enrichment Programme. This series of talks and activities is aimed to provide the children with access to speakers from a diverse range of careers. Godolphin is a global thoroughbred breeding operation and horseracing team, which spans across four continents from its home in Dubai to Europe, Japan, Australia and America.
The children in Form 4 visited Stibbington Village near Peterborough and travelled back in time to the year 1896.