Dear parents,
It was very good to welcome everyone back for the second half of term, especially those who were newcomers in September as they now seem so much at home with us in the Junior School. We enjoyed hearing about what our pupils did during the half term break, not least 25 members of Year 6 who boarded an early morning flight for Madrid in order to attend Spanish lessons in Salamanca and soak up the atmosphere of this wonderful city for five days.
An opportunity such as this trip is immensely inspiring but Foundation students of all ages have access to a wide range of Inspire and Guide events throughout the year and some are much closer to home! Outdoor activities are hugely popular with Junior School pupils and, in addition to a busy schedule of sports lessons, clubs and fixtures, and regular outdoor education sessions at Latham Road, our pupils in Years 3, 5 & 6 have recently made the most of their visits to the University Botanic Garden, Epping Field Centre and the Foundation’s Nature Reserve, respectively.
Cambridge, of course, has a wealth of fascinating places to visit and earlier this week it was a group of staff members who took advantage of a most inspiring building a short distance away. At the invitation of Mark Purcell, Deputy Director Research Collections, the staff thoroughly enjoyed a guided tour of the University Library where they caught sight of several very special collections. Mark visited some of the Foundation library spaces back in June and we are now working with him to build further links between the UL and SPF, which could lead to some incredibly exciting opportunities for our students.
It was also inspiring to hear that Mrs Amanda Marty, Head of Year 5 and Junior School Subject Leader of Drama, was invited to play the part of suffragist Clara Dorothea Rackham at Anglia Ruskin University. The evening was a celebration of the life and work, in words, music and drama, of this remarkable politician who studied at Newnham in the late 1890s and went on to champion the people of Cambridge by serving as a county and city councillor, representing Romsey Town. She was also a government factory inspector, a poor-law guardian, a pioneering magistrate and penal reformer, and President of the Co-operative Women’s Guild. Well done, Mrs Marty!
We were delighted that over 20 members of the Year 2 classes in the City and at Madingley grasped the opportunity to sample Junior School life last Saturday morning. Our autumn taster morning is always popular and this year’s group of visitors kept the teachers and assistants on their toes with lots of curious questions, creative endeavours and great enthusiasm for the STEAM activities on offer. They also welcomed the children visiting from other schools and introduced them to our School Houses via the display of seven ‘potion bottles’ in the Hall.
Talking of which, we enjoyed the first of this year’s House Assemblies on Wednesday. Street members took ‘Future Pioneers’ as their theme and made sure their audience appreciated that pioneers, both male and female, of the past can inspire us to embrace challenges and seek out new ways of making a difference in our communities. We look forward to the Sutherland and Rose House Assemblies next week and to seeing how they tackle ‘Future Thinkers’ and ‘Future Leaders’ respectively. We are grateful to parents for supporting these assemblies and also for being such willing students in our early morning digital workshops.
And talking of challenges, at this time of year our pupils are encouraged to put their creative and critical thinking to good use in the nationwide Primary Maths Challenge (open to Years 5 & 6) and the Bebras Computing Challenge (open to all pupils).
The Bebras tasks are fun, engaging and based on problems that computer scientists often meet and enjoy solving. Taken online between 5th and 17th November, the tasks can be solved without any prior knowledge. Meanwhile, the Primary Maths Challenge, run by the Mathematical Association (MA), is not just another test; it is designed to encourage enthusiasm and boost confidence in Maths. The MA believe in the importance of problem solving as a means of helping pupils develop their reasoning skills. The questions do not depend on mathematical knowledge alone but on the ability to think things through, be logical and find ways to solve problems. Good luck to all members of Year 6 and those members of Year 5 who choose to tackle the Primary Maths Challenge!
Best wishes,
Katie Milne
Head of Junior School
