St John’s College Middle School Newsletter Lent 2015 Dear Parents, Welcome to our Lent Middle School Newsletter. The pupils of R12, R13 and R14 have studied hard and have participated in a host of extra-curricular activities with many notable successes. We do hope you enjoy reading about our action-packed last few months. Rosemary Hart (Assistant Head) January Fitness Challenge Congratulations to all pupils who have been actively involved in the January Fitness Challenge each lunchtime this term.
R14 Football Match St John’s R14 Football Team was involved in a thrilling football match recently against St Teilo’s High School. Both teams played some fantastic attacking football with Marco A finishing off the best move of the game with a superbly executed goal. Final score: St John’s 1 – St Teilo’s 4. Public Speakers Win Rotary Youth Speaks On Tuesday 20 January, St John’s was delighted to host this year’s Rotary Youth Speaks Intermediate Competition in the new Sixth Form Library organised by Miss Staples and Mr J. Neville. The standard of speakers was remarkably high, with a broad range of speech topics represented. A total of six teams competed from Howell’s School, Llanishen High School and St John’s College. The judges praised the
young speakers for their clarity, diction and sophisticated arguments. Our St John’s Team 1 comprising Sanay (Chairman), Suyash (Speaker) and Finn (Proposer of the Vote of Thanks) came away with the overall victory and progressed to the next round. Suyash spoke eloquently on the topic ‘The overuse of technology can affect people negatively.’ Finn was awarded the additional accolade of ‘Best Proposer of the Vote of Thanks’. Congratulations also to Sid, Edward and Tharun of Team 2 on a fine performance. At the Area Final at Cardiff Golf Club on Monday 2 February, the boys deserved particular commendation for being the youngest team at the competition and for courageously speaking entirely off-by-heart. Many congratulations to Sanay, Suyash and Finn on their assured performances, and particular congratulations to Sanay who was awarded ‘Best Chairman’. Meanwhile, in the Senior competition, our Lower Sixth public speaking team went on to win the Area and Welsh national finals of the competition, before eventually representing Wales for the second year running at the Western UK Final in Wolverhampton in March. R12 English Trip to Cardiff University Sadie H (R12): ’On Friday 30th January, R12 went on an English trip to Cardiff University, where we learnt more about writing and about being an author. The best part of the trip was definitely meeting the authors Chris D’Lacey and Emma Carroll. It was inspiring to listen to them talk and learn about their writing techniques.
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Emma Carroll told us about her first novel, ‘Frost Hollow Hall’. She read a fairly creepy scene from the book, which left me on a bit of a cliff hanger, making me want to know more. Chris D’Lacey showed us his china dragon figure that he had bought from a lady in Wales. He told us it had inspired him to write the series of books called ‘The Last Dragon Chronicles’. The last person to speak to us, read from the works of Roald Dahl. He also gave us a talk on the life of the author. I was surprised to find out that Roald Dahl had written novels for adults before he started writing children’s books. I really enjoyed this trip. I would like to one day go to the Hay-On-Wye book festival to see and hear from lots of different authors and listen to them tell their tales.’ Netball Success Congratulations to R13 and R14 who won their Netball match vs King’s Monkton, especially to both Sameera and Niamh who were voted players’ players of the match. The mixed squad also had a tough match against Bro Edern, the girls playing very well in all four quarters, but especially in the 2nd quarter, leading to a 3-3 draw. This was a fantastic effort by all involved. F1 in Schools Regional Final at Swansea Waterfront Museum On Wednesday 4th February, St John’s College was represented by three excellent teams at the F1 in Schools Regional Final. The 16 pupils had worked really hard on all of the elements of the competition since September. This included learning how to use CAD software (Autodesk Inventor) to follow detailed specifications and make the model F1 car. Team Elements were in the younger Bloodhound category and all quickly mastered the complicated software. In addition, all teams were required to produce a design portfolio, seek sponsorship, make a verbal presentation and set up an exhibition of their team’s contribution. The day went really well with all pupils conducting themselves superbly. Team Vortex produced the fastest car of the day but were not allowed to progress to the National final because of a minor infringement of the specification – 3.9 grams underweight! Team Swift produced a fantastic display and obtained remarkable sponsorship due to the efforts of team captain Richard D-S.
sponsorship so that they can make an improved car and hopefully make the World Finals. It is estimated that there are currently 28,000 pupils taking part around the world in this year’s competition with the final to be held in Singapore in October. The Design Technology department (Mr Moody, Miss Goulden, Mrs Crowley Davies) would like to thank all of our sponsors and the pupils who have contributed this year. Team Swift were represented by Richard D-S, Tom M, Oliver B, Olivia M, Charles B and Rowan D. Team Vortex were represented by Daniel S, Alif A, Henry J and Idris K.Team Elements were represented by Madeline C, Genevieve A, Jacob V, Dominic O, Owen S and Benjamin A. R12 History Trip to Cardiff Castle On Friday 6th February the R12 year group visited Cardiff Castle as part of their study of Medieval Wales. The visit consisted of a tour of the magnificent building in which pupils were able to develop their knowledge of the Marquis of Bute and his importance to Cardiff. This was followed by a talk about Medieval weaponry in the Steward’s Room given by one of the education staff, Elizabeth. We were lucky enough to visit the castle on the 63rd anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne and therefore were present to see the 21-gun salute at midday. Cathedral Choir Concert at St Paul’s Cathedral
We are already thinking about next year’s competition and the teams will be seeking further
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On Tuesday 10 February the boys, girls and gentlemen of the Cathedral Choir, featuring many Middle School pupils, travelled to London to perform a
lunchtime concert in the magnificent setting of St Paul’s Cathedral. The concert was very well-received and featured a programme of music from the British choral tradition, including some of Britain’s finest repertoire from the Tudor period through to the present day. It was wonderful to see so many parents, past students and friends of the choir attend the concert. Ski Trip to Silvretta Montafan, Austria From 12th to 17th February, Middle School and Senior pupils enjoyed a Ski Trip to the Alpine resort of Silvretta Montafan. Mischa B reported: ‘Our ski journey to Austria has been a trip to remember. Every day was filled with intense and enjoyable skiing at Silveretta Montafon with our excellent ski instructors, followed by action-packed evenings including bowling, go-karting, swimming and time for much needed rest and relaxation with our friends. Thanks to Mr Tertois and the other great teachers, we have all had an amazing experience both on and off the slopes. I know I can speak for everyone by saying it has been one of the best trips yet!’ Music Collaboration Project On Friday 13 February, pupils from three local primary schools joined St John’s College pupils for a musical collaboration project. Boys and girls from Christ the King, Rhydypenau and Glasllwch primary schools joined our Concert Orchestra and Cathedral Choir for an afternoon of music workshops, culminating in a joint performance of Haydn ‘Gloria’ from the Nelson Mass, Rutter’s The Lord bless you and keep you, the Finale from Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite and the first movement of Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ Symphony (No. 4). It was a wonderful opportunity for musical collaboration between pupils of all different ages, and it was a great pleasure to welcome parents and pupils of each of the schools to a memorable performance. R13 Cardiff & the Vale County Netball Tournament On Wednesday 25th February, the R13 Netball Team
took part in the prestigious Cardiff & the Vale County Netball Tournament. Captains Niamh and Sameera report on the matches: ‘Cowbridge offered very strong opposition which really challenged all of our players. Our team worked very well together too and Niamh F was voted player of the match, while Olivia M scored a goal. Meanwhile, Fitzalan were also good competitors. Our mix of attackers and defenders worked extremely well together. We found this game quite physical and lost by just one goal. Niamh F scored 2. The match against Llanishen was one of our best games. In the first half we could have had more defensive options, although in the second half we managed to make a come-back, finishing with a draw in one of the quarters, Niamh scoring for us. The Glantaf match was an outstanding display of netball - credit to the Glantaf team as they went on to win our pool.’ Cathedral Choristers Win Choir Schools Association Football Tournament at Hereford Cathedral On Wednesday 4 March, our boy and girl choristers attended the annual Choir Schools Association Sports and Evensong Day, this year generously hosted by Hereford Cathedral. In the Netball Tournament, our girl choristers battled valiantly to come third, while in the hotly contested Football Tournament, our boy choristers were crowned overall winners, seeing off competition from the Cathedrals of Bristol, Exeter, Gloucester, Hereford, Llandaff, Truro, Wells, Winchester and Tewkesbury Abbey. The glorious sunshine held out all day, and a busy afternoon of sport culminated in a joint Evensong in the magnificent setting of the cathedral, with well over 150 cathedral choristers taking part. The boys and girls deserve to be commended for their superb behaviour and team spirit throughout the day, both on the sports field and at Evensong. The service ended with a presentation of trophies to the winners of the netball and football. Needless to say, the boys
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were very proud to return the trophy to Cardiff (having last won it in 2000 and 2005). This has been a busy term for the Cathedral Choir, which, as well as its lunchtime concert in the magnificent setting of St Paul’s Cathedral in February, has performed its annual concert at St David’s Hall on Tuesday 17 March, and the choir now looks ahead to its busy period of Holy Week services and evensong at Westminster Abbey in the summer. R12 County Netball Tournament On Thursday 5 March, the R12 Netball Team took part in a County Netball Tournament at Cardiff University. This tournament was an excellent experience for the R12 girls who were drawn a very difficult pool of matches. The girls played well in the first half of all of their games against very tough opposition. Teams included Llantwit Major, Glantaf and Plasmawr. Well done to all involved. Cross Country Relay at Tockington Manor Pupils from R8 through to R14 travelled to Tockington Manor set in the Gloucestershire countryside on Friday 6 March. The boys and girls greatly enjoyed the cross country relay event and the senior boys’ team finished 4th overall which was a fantastic achievement. R13 Historians Visit Raglan Castle On Tuesday 10th March pupils from R13 visited Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire as part of their study of the Civil War. They were joined by Tom Hillard, a local historian, who demonstrated a range of Civil War weapons and taught the pupils how to march. In addition he brought along some musical instruments and taught us some dance! We had a full tour of the castle and pupils learned about the history of the building, the imprisonment of Henry Tudor (a topic studied earlier in the year) and its role in the Civil War. Charity Cake Sale & Bake Off On Friday 13th March we celebrated Comic Relief with a Cake Sale and Bake Off to raise funds for both
Comic Relief and Cafod’s ‘Send a Child to School’ appeal and were absolutely overwhelmed again by the generous donations of cakes and biscuits. The children who entered the ‘Bake Off’ should be commended on their excellent efforts. Well done to Thea R, Ollie & Lily B and Alma S on their success. The school raised almost £300 – thank you to everyone involved.
Success for Mostyn at the Middle School Eisteddfod Llwyddiant i Mostyn yn Eisteddfod yr Ysgol Ganol On Wednesday March 7th, our Middle School pupils gathered together in the school hall for our annual Middle School Eisteddfod. The pupils eagerly await this time of year when they can celebrate and embrace Welsh culture; both pupils and teachers had been working hard for months in preparation of our much loved afternoon of music, literary performances, celebration and friendly competition. Pupils participated in numerous competitions, ranging from stage competitions including Welsh and English recitation and solo instrumental competitions to homework competitions across the subject range. Homework competitions included designing a poster on a Welsh scientist and a French poster about their family, to name only a couple. It was a close competition, but this year, the winning shield moved from the house of St David’s, our winners for the past two years to our new winners, Mostyn! Winners included Emily H in R13C for her captivating recitation of a Welsh poem ‘Pitsa’ and Harry and Holly J (both in R12E) for their equally impressive Art pieces. Harry created a mesmerising two-foot dragon from paper maché, while Holly decided to bake a dragon shaped cake for the competition! The main award of the ceremony went to Morgan R in R12L as he was crowned Bard of the Eisteddfod. Llongyfarchiadau Morgan! Congratulations Morgan!
You are warmly invited to
St John’s College Music Department
SPRING CONCERT Tuesday 28 April 2015 St John’s College Hall, 7pm
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Triumph at Wales & West of England Chess Championship Many congratulations to the following Middle School pupils who helped the Glamorgan team win all three of the age categories at the Wales & West of England Championships held in Tiverton, Devon, on Saturday 28 February: Aaron C, Amin G, Daniel J, Edward X, Callum M-J. Maths Congratulations to the following Middle School pupils on gaining a certificate in the recent Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, 2015: Silver Certificate - Daniel S, Richard D-S, Marco A, Saif A. Bronze Certificate - Harini, Charles B, Aron C, Alif A. UKMT Team Challenge Four pupils - Richard D-S, Marco A, Suyash A and Nicky N – accompanied by Mrs Tomlinson - will be attending the Team Challenge at Whitchurch High School during the holidays. Good luck! Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclasses at the University of South Wales Since January, several pupils from R14 - Richard D-S, Harini S, Charles B, Saif A, Daniel S, Joseph S, Marco A, Jennifer H, Olivia M and Mehak S - have been attending Maths Masterclasses at the University of South Wales on Saturday mornings. These Masterclasses were established some 30 years ago to stimulate and encourage young people in Mathematics. The aim is to introduce young people to topics they do not normally encounter in the classroom. In the final lecture the pupils were all given certificates of attendance. Well done to all! Individual Achievements Music There have been impressive numbers of Associated Board of Music Examination successes since the Advent Newsletter: Maddy C of R12E passed her Grade 3 flute exam as did Eleanor S on the trombone, achieving a merit. In R12L, Sophie H gained a merit for her grade two flute exam, while in R12N, Dylan was awarded a distinction at Grade 5 piano and Ben performed in the High School Brass Band Concert’ at St David’s Hall. Menglin, also of R12N, was co-leader of ‘High Schools Orchestra Concert’ at St David’s Hall and has gained a place in the British National Children’s Orchestra. Morgan (R13D) passed Grade 2 piano and was also crowned as Bard in the Eisteddfod, while his classmate Sanay passed Grade 1 guitar with merit. Stephanie M passed Grade 5 in piano, Pooja K passed Grade 6 in violin and Finn M passed Grade 1 in violin also, all pupils of 13G. Finally, Sophie H (R14E) attained Grade 5 piano with merit: congratulations to all!
Drama In R13D, Luke played The Artful Dodger in Oliver performed by the CAST theatre group, winning the best actor award and being ably supported by Jack A (R12E) at the Riverfront Theatre. Dylan of R12N performed in the opera The Little Sweep at RWCMD.
Sports In football, Will of R13D played for the Cardiff Academy (U13) 2nd team away to Norwich and had trials for the Cardiff Schools U13 team alongside his classmate Alex who also had trials for Cardiff Athletics. Ted, another footballing R13D member, has joined Pontprennau Pumas U13 team while Daniel P from R12L played in a football match against Leicester with the U12 Cardiff City Football Team, winning 7-0! R12N are equally sporting, with Dylan having played basketball for 24 hours for Comic Relief along with Luca, as part of UWIC Basketball Club’s charity fund-raising. Owen from their class has been picked for the Welsh fencing squad for the British Youth Championships after gaining 1st place in the Wales rankings. Remarkably, Gokul has achieved his black belt in karate, with Jacob coming 2nd in the British Championships in Tae Kwon Do, both R12N members too, as is Sadie-Jane who gained 2nd place in the climbing competition at Boulders recently. Not to be outdone, Llewellin of R12E won a bronze medal at the Welsh Fencing Open in Cardiff and has also qualified to represent Wales at the National Fencing Competition while Joseph M (R12L) has moved up to Stage 10 in his swimming club. Holly J of R13C is now training with the UWIC squad at swimming, Sam S of R14E is playing for Cardiff and Vale District Rugby, Edward W gained a place in the Cardiff and the Vale County Cricket Squad and Alif A (also of R14E) progressed to his blue/red Tae Kwon Do belt. Collectively, the R13 Rugby team came 2nd in the Cardiff Schools Sevens Plate Competition.
Other Achievements Amin G and Daniel J of R12L both played for the South Glamorgan Chess Team and came first in the County Championship. Callum M-J of R13C competed for Wales in the U14 Chess Cup held in Liverpool this January. On 22nd March, Sid of R13D was interviewed by ITV on his views on 'Anti-feminism and Gender Equality' while his fellow form member Calvin passed Level FII Maths and EI English in Kumon. The entire class of R12N won ‘Learner of the Week’ award in Welsh on two recent occasions and finally, Dominic O (R12E) recorded a new personal best at the Rubik’s cube, of 1 minute 2 seconds!
Key Dates Mon 20 April
Start of Easter Term
Tues 28 April Mon 4 May Wed 6 May Sun 17 May
Spring Concert, School Hall, 7pm May Bank Holiday R13 Options / Curriculum Evening Confirmation (Metropolitan Cathedral)
Mon 25 - Fri 29 May
Half-term
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