Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

DearParentsandGuardians,WelcometooursecondE-Newsletter,andthankyouforthemanykindcommentsaboutourfirstedition.Octoberhasbeenevenmoreeventful,asyouwillread.Numeroussportingevents,asuccessfulGeographyfieldtrip,aChesstournament,severalSciencetripsandguestspeakersarebutasmallselectionofcurricularandco-curricularactivitiesthathaveoccurred.CongratulationstoourChoristers,whoinadditiontoattractingjustifiedpraisefortheirbeautifulweeklysingingattheCathedral,representedtheSchoolwithconsummateprofessionalismattheAnnualWelshIndependentSchools’Conference.Iwouldparticularlyliketothankallmycolleagues,SixthFormstudentsandparentswhoeitherassistedatorattendedour‘MeettheTeacher’evenings,andespeciallyourhugelysuccessfulSixthFormOpenEvening.Onapersonalnote,IfeltimmeasurablyproudtobeyourHeadmasterwhenIrecentlyshowedtwoveryelderlycitizens(myparents!)aroundStJohn’s,onlytobegreetedbytwowonderfulR15studentswhowelcomedsaidstrangerswithsuchwarmthandintegrity.Theirkindnessexemplifiedallthatisgoodaboutthisdelightfulandspecialschoolcommunity.Withyoursupport,ourstudents’charitablealtruismwasverymuchinevidenceatHarvestFestivalandourfirsteverCasualsDay,raisingmoneyanddonationsforthoselessfortunatethanourselves.MayIwishyouaveryhappy,healthyandblessedHalf-Termandmonthahead.Warmestwishes,GarethP.Lloyd,Headmaster.VIFormNewsTwenty-fiveofourLVIhavenowenrolledtohelppupilsintheJuniorDepartmentwithhomeworkandMathematicssupport,includingmanyofouroverseasstudents.Fourmore(Rima,Marco,IdrisandAmy)arenowworkingwithR14pupilsintheMFLDepartment.TheUVIearlyUCASdeadlinehaspassedsoallofoureighteenfuturemedics,vetsandOxbridgeundergraduatesnowhavetowaitfortheiroffersand/orinterviewstocomethroughafterfranticallypolishinguptheirpersonalstatementsandonlineapplicationsinrecentweeks.

Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

TheSixthFormOpenEveningon11thOctoberwasagreatsuccesswithvisitorsfromacrossSouthWalescomingtoseeourseparatesubjectstallsandchatwithbothstaffandcurrentpupilswhohelpedexplainthedifferentALevelsonoffer,includingthenewonesforSeptember2018.WenowhavealmosthalfofourLVIstudentsenrolledontheDukeofEdinburgh'sAwardScheme.TheywillbestartingSilverAwardthisyearandprogressingtoGold,oncesuccessful.

BreakingNews:OurVIFormteamwontheMathematicsPopQuizon17thOctoberatGlamorganUniversity,beating20otherschoolincludingbothCardiffVIFormCollegeandAtlanticCollege:congratulationstoDrNadesandherteam.HeadGirl’snewsIt’sbeenabusyhalftermforSixthForm,withsomefinalisingoftheiruniversityapplicationswhilstthosewhohavebeenpartoftheearly

admissionsprocessprepareforinterviewsandentranceexams.Alongsidethis,theSixthFormhavebeenenjoyingregulartalksfrompastpupils,DebatingClubandsportsfixtures.TheSixthFormMathematicsTeamalsoenjoyedsuccessonWednesdaywhentheyachievedfirstplaceintheUSWMathematicsPopQuiz.Additionally,asaschoolwecelebratedDiwali,wherestudentsandteachersdressedupandembracedthefestivaloflight.OnThursday,12thOctober,wewelcomedmanyprospectivesixthformerstoouropeneveningwhichtrulyreflectedlifeasasixthformerhereatStJohn’s.I’dliketowishalloftheSixthFormgoodluckwiththeirmocksafterhalftermandanyentranceexamsstudentsmightbesitting.Maythenexthalf-termbejustasproductiveandenjoyable!LilyMorrisHeadBoy’snewsInthis2017/18academicyearwehavewelcomedanumberofnewstudentsofallagegroupsfromthenurserytotheSixthform.Wehopeyouhavesettledinwellandarestartingtomakegoodprogresswithyourstudies.Thistermhasseenasuccesswithnewco-curricularactivities,rangingfromthemelodiousvoicesoftheCloseHarmonyGrouptotheadventuroustypeswhohaveembarkedontheirDukeofEdinburghAward.Asaclose-knitcommunity,wehavealsocelebratedthefestivalofDiwaliandraisedanimpressiveamountofmoneyforacharitablecauseonour‘CasualsforCAFOD’day.ThehighlightformewasplayingintheSixthFormversusTeachersfootballmatchatBeganRoad,whichendedwithanarrowwinforthestudents.IhopethatpupilsandteachersalikewillhavearestfulhalftermaswebegintopreparefortheAdventseason.BenDimondEnglishNews SeniorDebating R15andR16pupilshavechosensomeveryinterestingandthoughtfultopicstodebate,showingmaturityandcapabilityinpersuadingotherswiththeirskillfulargumentsandviewpoints.MrsJameswillsoonbeselectingteammembersforboththeESUaswellastheRotaryClub'sYouthSpeakscompetition.

Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

BookClub Agreatstarttotheyear,withR12-14choosingtheacclaimedPhilipPullman'sadventurousnovel'RubyintheSmoke'.Itisanexcitingstory,setinVictorianEngland,ofuncoveringthetruthandtryingtoescapedanger:arealtreatforbookworms.PupilsneedtoseetheirEnglishteacherforacopyofthetexttoreadoverthehalftermbreak.WewouldalsoliketorecommendPhilipPullman’seagerlyawaitedprequeltoHisDarkMaterialstrilogy,‘LaBelleSauvage:TheBookofDustVolumeOne’.Here’sataster... ‘Tobeginwith,LaBelleSauvagefeelsold-fashionedandcomfy,setinapicture-bookOxfordredolentofstewedcabbage,meatpiesandgeneroushelpingsofpudding,litbynaphthalampsandwarmedbybrandwijn.Theactiontakesplace10yearsbeforeNorthernLights,andunfoldshowLyra,theonceandfutureheroineofHisDarkMaterials,willcometogrowupintheOxfordcollege’.TheGuardian R16GeographyFieldTrip Septemberhasbeenabusymonthforgeographyfieldtrips.R16wenttotheGowertoundertakeaninvestigationintohowtheRiverIlston'sdischargevariesfromsourcetomouth.Thegloriousweatherallowedthestudentstocollectthenecessarydatarequiredfortheiranalysisbackinclass,whichwillhopefullyproveordisprovetheirhypothesis.OurUpperSixthstudentshavemadetwotripsdowntoOxwichBaytocollectdatafortheirA2investigation.Followinganinitialvisittofindoutabouttheareaandconsiderthepossibleresearchthatcouldbedone,studentsdevisedtheirowninvestigationtitleandmethods,lookingatbothhumanandphysicalprocessesoperatingonthedunes.Onoursecondvisitstudentsworkedreallyhardtocollectallthedatatheyneeded. U6Chemistry(2) OnWednesday11thOctoberourU6Chemistrystudents,(accompaniedbyMrsBoylanandDrHowells),spentthedayatBristoluniversity.HeretheycarriedoutanessentialAlevelpracticaltofulfiltheexaminationspecification. Inthemorning,studentsworkedinthelabs,carryingoutthenitrationofmethylbenzoate.Thiswasbroughtaboutbyreactingthemixturewithconcentratednitricandsulphuricacidinafume-cupboard.Theuniversitystaffwereextremelycomplimentaryaboutourstudents'abilitytoworksafely,independentlyandwithconfidence. AquicklunchwasfollowedbyaninterestingtalkfromoneofthePHDstudentswhoexplainedwhyacareerinChemistrydoesnotmeanthatyouwillspendallyourtimeinalab. Thestudentswerethentreatedtoanexcellentdemonstrationofexplosions,colourchanges,andfreezingliquidnitrogenexperiments. Generalfeedbackwasverygood,sowearebookingnowtogetourplacereservedfornextyear! LouiseBoylan,HeadofChemistry

Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

Biology R15FieldTriptoNationalBotanicalGardensofWales,Llanarthne.Friday6thOctober. PupilsattendedafieldtriptolookatairandwaterhabitatsandNaturalPollutionIndicators. AccountwrittenbyBenAndrewsandKimayaMohite. WewenttotheNationalBotanicalGardensofWalesandinvestigatedvariationofspeciesinapondanddifferentformsoflichenontrees.Netswereusedtocollectspecimensfromthewaterwhichpupilsstudiedtheseorganismsunderamicroscopeandusedakeytoidentifytheinvertebrates.CertainspeciessuchasDragonflyLarvaeandwaterfleaswereindicatorspeciesforwaterpollution.Inlookingatthevarietyofspecieswecouldestimatethelevelofpollutioninthewater.Afterwardswestudiedthedistributionoflichenondifferenttreesandthisgaveusanindicationoftheairpollutioninthisarea. Thefieldtripwasveryinformativeandwediscoveredtherewasminimalpollutionpresentatthesegardens. R13News IwanCraddock:Skiing-8thOctober BrilliantdayforIwan,whowasawardedsecondplaceintheU14unregisteredcategory,representingStJohn'sCollege!Overalltimeof26.32secondsovertworuns(13.28firstrun,13.04secondrun).HisSilvermedalwassenttotheschoolforhimtoshowhispeersandteachers.Welldone,Iwan! MathematicsNewsR16ThefirsthalfoftheAdventtermhaspassedbyveryquicklyforusintheMathematicsDepartmentandwenowfindourselvesinthemidstofexaminationseasonforourcurrentR16pupils.IhopethatallourpupilsarepreparingwellfortheirGCSEMathematicsandGCSENumeracyexaminations,whicharetimetabledfortheweekafterhalfterm.Iknowthattheywillreceivelotsofsupportfromtheirparentsduringthisimportanttime.PhotographyCompetitionCongratulationstothewinnerandrunnersupoftheMathematicsinArchitecturePhotographyCompetition.LewisWwinner,HarshitaS2ndplaceandVarunG3rdplace.WewereluckyenoughtoenlisttheexpertiseofMr.HughMasters-Williams,JacobsDivisionalDirector(CivilandConstructionEngineer),whokindlyagreedtojudgethecompetition.Mr.Masters-Williamswasveryimpressedwiththestandardofentries.NationalCipherChallengeR13andR14havebeenenjoyingtheNationalCipherChallengeCompetitionandwatchingthefocusontheirfacesforthefirstlivechallenge,itappearswemighthavefuturecodebreakersinthemaking.GuestSpeakerAbigthankyougoesouttoourfirstguestspeakeroftheterm,MrMarkAnderson,SeniorMarketingAutomationSpecialistatGoCompare.MrAndersonspoketoourR15aboutMathematics,Musicandbigdata.Asalways,thepupilsmadehimfeelverywelcomeandaskedlotsofpertinentquestions.

Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

GhanaandMathematicsFinally,wewouldliketowishLilyMorrisinUpperSixthgoodluckwhenshevisitsGhanaduringthehalftermbreak,armedwithlotsofmathematicsgamesandactivitiestousewiththepupilsattheschoolsheisvisiting;makesureyoutakelotsofphotographsLilyandcomebackwithtalesofinspiration!FitnessClub-MrTurner

FitnessclubwasestablishedtwoyearsagoinordertoeducateandpromotesafephysicalexerciseforR15andR16pupils.Withtheacquisitionofnewequipment,Iamabletochallengethepupilstopushthroughphysicalbarriersandimprovetheirathleticperformance.Fourpupilsinparticularhaveattendedeverysessionforthepasttwoyears,butinrecentweekstherehasbeenanincreaseinpupilswantingtotakepart.IhopethistrendcontinuesasitissomethingIamincrediblypassionateaboutandwishtoinspireinthenextgeneration.

CharityNewsCasualsDayPupilsweredelightedwiththeirfirstcasualsdayatSJC.Nurseryto6thformpupilspaida£1donationandcametoschoolwithouttheirblazersanduniform.Pupilsenjoyedthiseventanditwaslovelytoseesomeoftheteachersintheirjeanstoo.Total:£500Diwali-SeniorsWhatafabulouscelebrationwehadfortheHindufestivalofDiwali.PupilsworetraditionalIndiancostumesandraised£50forthecharitySHIVIA.ThediningroomwasdecoratedwithlightsandHindublessingswhilstKarenandtheteamcreatedafabulousIndianbanquet-delicious!ThanksalsotoDrNadesforhelpingustieoursaris!HarvestOurHarvestfestivalwasheldonthe23rdOctoberandwhatajoyousoccasion,itturnedouttobe!OurreadersfromR7toR13wereveryconfident,ourmusiciansraisedtheroof,thegirlschoirsangwithrealfeelingandtheInfantsrenditionof"TheFarmerComes..."wasatriumph!MrThomasloadedhiscartwicewithallourgenerousdonationsheadedforthelocalcommunity.Thankyouagainforyourgenerositythisterm.Comingup...DeadlineforSHOEBOXAPPEAL-firstweekbackRemembranceservice-Poppiesareavailabletopurchaseateachfoyerentrance.

Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

ChildreninNeed-17thNovemberChessNewsStJohn’sandHowell’sshare2017WelshSecondarySchoolChampionships

Atthe2017WelshSecondarySchoolChampionships,hostedatBishopHedleyHighSchoolinMerthyronSaturday21stOctober,thejointwinnersweretwoschoolsfromCardiff:StJohn’sCollege,andthepreviousholders,Howell’s.ThirdwereChepstowSchool.

LookoutforthenewChesspagecomingsoontotheschoolwebsite.ItwillincludeanewChessLeagueLadderwhichwillbeupdatedaftereachround.

(lefttoright)AronC,ShayannaS,AnlanQandDanielJRugbyNews

TheR12RugbyteamwerevictoriousintheirmatchonThursday11thOctoberagainstStTeilo’s.Allinvolvedwereabsolutelyfantasticandproducedanoutstandingteamperformance.ThemanofthematchwasawardedtoEvanJ.FinalscoreStJohn’sCollege26-14StTeilo’s.Congratulationstoallinvolved.MrTertois

NetballNews

CongratulationstotheR13pupilswhoplayedintheNetballfixtureagainstCorpusChristi.Thepupilswontheirfirstgamefourteengoalstosix.Theydrewthesecondandlostthirdgame.WelldonetoElizabeth,KatieandLivia.ThereweresomeexcellentgoalsscoredbyHarshita,Elizabeth,DanielaandCarys.Congratulationstoallpupilswhomadeanexcellentcontributiontotheteam’sfantasticwin.MissThomas

Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

R16NetballMatch

WelldonetotheR16netballsquadwhodisplayedfantasticeffortversusBishopofLlandaff.Therewasoutstandingdefensiveandattackingplaybybothteams.Thescoreremained5-5untilthelastfewminutesofthematch,untiltwolategoalsfromtheopposition.Welldonetoallinvolved.Finalresult5-7.OurplayersofthematchwereHollyandOlivia.MrsWood.

NOVEMBERINTHECHURCHIntheCatholicliturgicalcalendar,Novemberisthemonthinwhichweareaskedtomakeaspecialefforttorememberthedead.Weareasked,specifically,toprayfortheHolySoulsinPurgatory-thosewhohavediedingracebuthavenotyetattainedthefulljoysoflifewithGodinHeaven.Properlyunderstood,likeallChristiandoctrines,thecorrectfocusisnotus,buttheinfiniteloveandmercyofGod,forifweweretobebroughtintoHisPresencenotfullypreparedwewouldbeutterlyoverwhelmed.ThepilgrimjourneythatallChristiansundertakeisoneofmutualloveandsupport;itisacompanionedjourneytotallyatoddswiththeindividualismthattypifiesourownage.TheChristianChurchisaninclusivecommunionoffellowpilgrimswhodependoneachotherwhetherlivingordead.So,whenthepeoplewehavelovedandbeenlovedbydie,webelievethattheycontinuetoprayforusandwebelieveitisoursolemndutytoprayforthem.Sofarfrombeingmorbidordepressing,thisseasonremindsusofthebondsthatuniteusallandtranscendevendeathitself.ToAutumn

Seasonofmistsandmellowfruitfulness,Closebosom-friendofthematuringsun;ConspiringwithhimhowtoloadandblessWithfruitthevinesthatroundthethatch-evesrun;Tobendwithapplesthemoss'dcottage-trees,Andfillallfruitwithripenesstothecore;Toswellthegourd,andplumpthehazelshellsWithasweetkernel;tosetbuddingmore,Andstillmore,laterflowersforthebees,Untiltheythinkwarmdayswillnevercease,ForSummerhaso'er-brimmedtheirclammycells.

Newsletter

Senior School

Issue 2 October 2017

029 2077 8936 www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com @SJCCardiff

Whohathnotseentheeoftamidthystore?SometimeswhoeverseeksabroadmayfindTheesittingcarelessonagranaryfloor,Thyhairsoft-liftedbythewinnowingwind;Oronahalf-reapedfurrowsoundasleep,Drows'dwiththefumeofpoppies,whilethyhookSparesthenextswathandallitstwinedflowers;AndsometimeslikeagleanerthoudostkeepSteadythyladenheadacrossabrook;Orbyacider-press,withpatientlook,Thouwatchestthelastoozings,hoursbyhours.WherearethesongsofSpring?Ay,wherearethey?Thinknotofthem,thouhastthymusictoo,---Whilebarredcloudsbloomthesoft-dyingday,Andtouchthestubble-plainswithrosyhue;Theninawailfulchoir,thesmallgnatsmournAmongtheriversallows,bornealoftOrsinkingasthelightwindlivesordies;Andfull-grownlambsloudbleatfromhillybourn;Hedge-cricketssing;andnowwithtreblesoftTheredbreastwhistlesfromagarden-croft,Andgatheringswallowstwitterintheskies.

JohnKeats