March 2021

Children painting spring or Easter cards to raise money for the charity The Red Hen Project
Mar 2021
Every year children throughout the school are given a chance to design and create a Christmas themed card in their art lessons. These are then printed and sold to St John's families with money going towards the Parents' Association's chosen charity at that time. It is a fun way to raise funds for good causes whilst also being able to purchase high quality personalised cards made by the children. Due to the pandemic this was not able to happen this year so Head of Art, Mrs Sam Downer, offered the children at Senior House the chance to create Spring or Easter cards to take home at the end of
Mar 2021
Our Form 2 classes benefit from a Wednesday afternoon of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) every week throughout each of the three terms. During non-Covid circumstances, the children are able to use the extensive facilities on offer at Senior House in our two Science labs and computing suite. Since returning to school they have continued with the STEM project they began during remote learning on plants and plant growth. This has been combined with two other projects, one centred around coding with micro:bit mini computers and the other on investigative teamwork structural
Year 8 pupils in their Zoom film of the Passion Play, retelling the Easter story
Mar 2021
Every year the ‘Passion Play’ is performed by the whole Sixth Form year group at the end of the Lent Term. This important milestone for children who are midway through their final year before leaving for their senior schools, is not only a retelling of the Easter story itself, but also a significant step in their development as communicators, learning to engage with serious subject matter in a thoughtful and sensitive way. Undaunted by the restrictions of the pandemic and the national lockdown which closed schools across the country for over two months, the children and staff instead
'Hot Hair' Day to raise money on Red Nose Day for Comic Relief 2021
Mar 2021
Red Nose Day organisers stated, ‘This year it never felt more important to have some fun and raise money to support people living incredibly tough lives. We need the power of funny to turn laughs into lasting change’ and children and staff at St John’s certainly rose to the challenge of hanging their best jokes on our 'laughing trees' in the Piazza and Forest Garden for all to enjoy. Coming to school with ‘hot hair’ also created a real buzz of excitement. The money raised currently stands at £578 for Comic Relief.  Comic Relief's fundraising campaign is held annually to raise money
Local area heat for the national Inter-Schools General Knowledge Quiz
Mar 2021
On 18 March, St John’s entered two teams of four Year 5 and four Year 6 pupils into the National Inter-Schools General Knowledge Championship area heat. With more than 400,000 children taking part each year, it is the largest Inter-School Quiz competition in the country. The Inter-Schools organisers explained, 'In light of the unusual situation schools find themselves in this year, we have decided to run all our Championship events live online with year groups each having their own competitions to ensure children in the same bubble play together as a team.' The area heat is hosted
Area heat of the national Inter-Schools Science Quiz
Mar 2021
In the first week back at school three teams of superb scientists made up of pupils from Year 5 and 6 took part in the online Inter-School National Science Quiz Championship heats. The competition was fierce with a number of schools from all over the country competing to show off their knowledge. Both Year 5 teams made it to the Finals after battling for 1st and 3rd places respectively. The top 10 teams from each Area Heat are invited to take part in the National Finals which will take place next term online. A range of topics was tested from the largest moon in space to the tiniest
Year Two pupils exploring the first signs of spring
Mar 2021
After returning to school on 8 March, many signs of spring were emerging around St John's and on the College Playing Fields opposite school. It was the perfect opportunity for children in Year Two (T2) to get out into the fresh air to discover the opening buds, blossom and new life for themselves and to investigate their thoughts further back in the classroom with the help of microscopes, light boxes and different ways to find answers to their many questions. With the flurry of recent daffodils emerging, T2s dissected these flowers and were able to study first hand the different parts
House debating semi-finals
Mar 2021
After two months of remote learning, the Sixth Form debating teams were ready and eager to begin the highly anticipated House Debating Semi-Finals during their first week back in school. The motion, 'This House would abolish examinations', was proposed by the team from Sandys with Beaufort as the Opposition. The Gunning team proposed the second motion, 'This House would choose when it goes to bed', and this motion was opposed by Fisher. Debating is very much part of the St John's English curriculum and the waiting list to join the termly Senior House Debating Clubs is invariably long
Watercolour paintings in a mindfulness practice to help destress and refocus
Mar 2021
Many lessons throughout the school begin with a moment of mindfulness to recentre, calm and focus the mind with discrete lessons structured around activities based on the Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP).  During the first week back in school many children were able to take this a step further when they embarked on an experimental watercolour lesson which was designed to also be a lesson in calm reflection with mindfulness at the heart of it. The aim was to relax, unwind and de-stress with a meditative watercolour tutorial where the children's intention was on the process, not about
Form 1 Team-building games after lockdown
Mar 2021
Children in all primary and secondary schools in England returned to the classroom on Monday 8 March, after over two months of remote learning at home. St John's was no exception and the children were welcomed back with much excitement and anticipation across all ages. The Form 1 teachers created an opportunity in the first week for the whole year group bubble to be out in the fresh air and to collaborate together with energetic team games as a way of bonding the children once again and reinforcing friendships across the three classes.   The children made use of the expansive St John'

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