Junior School
Welcome to the Junior School.
The Junior School, with pupils aged 7 to 11, is based in bright and spacious classrooms in the outstanding new block. The distinct family atmosphere of St John’s College is embodied in the particularly close-knit community of its Junior School. Each pupil is regarded as a unique individual with his or her own individual requirements.
The pupils are fortunate to share all the facilities of the senior school. As the children progress through KS2 they are taught by specialist teachers from the senior school who adapt their teaching styles to cater for the needs of younger pupils. As a result the transition to the senior school is seamless and effortless.
The Junior School aims to maintain a programme of improvement in the learning environment and to offer a vibrant, innovative and secure atmosphere in which to grow. We wish for pupils to have fun while learning.
Junior Girls' Choir Concert at Nazareth House - Wed 7 July
On Wednesday, 7 July the Junior Girls' Choir performed at Nazareth House. The residents look forward very much to their coming and this year were delighted by the professional way the girls sang. As usual the choristers were beautifully behaved and were a credit to the school.
Junior Sports Day 2010 - Tues 6 July
Sports Day on 6th July at UWIC was a great success enjoyed by pupils, parents and teachers. Well done all who took part.
De la Salle was the Champion House this year. Kane Teear- Bourge (R11L) won the title of Champion Athlete for the boys. Rachel Evans (R10C) won the title of Girls' Champion Athlete.
- See 'Sports News' page for more details.
Botanical Gardens - Fri 18 June
On the 18th June, R8 and R9 had the opportunity of visiting the National Botanic Gardens of Wales in Carmarthenshire. When we arrived the surroundings were beautiful and the weather glorious. The trip included pond dipping as well as discovering the different varieties of plants and how they adapt to their environment. At lunch time the pupils had a picnic and some games were played on the grass. We enjoyed the amazing views of this special place in Wales. The Aqua lab was used to identify the pond creatures and help us to develop an understanding of adaptations and food chains. The pupils used microscopes and classification keys. A great time was had as we discovered more about plant and pond life.
R9 clearly have gardening skills - with the help of the Nursery and Mrs Cooper they have been commended for their beautiful wheelbarrow in the Cardiff Wheelbarrow Competition. Congratulations to everyone involved.
R11 Residential Stay in Abergavenny: Wed 19th - Fri 21st May
This year there was lovely warm weather to enjoy the many outdoor pursuits at the Residential Centre in Abergavenny. The pupils were beautifully behaved and a pleasure to be with. Pupils learnt many skills to reinforce geography and science in school. They always seem to come back more mature and confident and as if ready for the Senior School.
R10 Parents’ Assembly - Mon 7th May
It was a pleasure to see so many parents able to attend the Parents’ Assembly to celebrate the achievements of R10. R10 spoke about their fears and also performed Longfellow’s Poem ‘ Hiawatha’.
Caerleon Roman Museum
R8 have been studying the Romans this term. They enjoyed a Roman Day in School when R7 came to listen to their talks and view the work that they had done. This was followed by a day in Caerleon. Where they visited the Baths and the Amphitheatre. In the Museum they enjoyed activities led by the Museum Education Department. Their teachers were very happy with the way they conducted themselves. Well done R8!
Snow Queen - Thurs 4 - Fri 5 March
I think that all who took part in, and who came to see the Snow Queen, will have difficulty forgetting the Snow Queen. Every member of the Junior School truly put in a fantastic effort and enjoyed every moment.
Jack Mann described the event:
‘It all started on 7th September when the Junior School was informed of its newest and most glamorous project so far – the amazing drama performance of the well known story of the Snow Queen. With the big night just six months away, we had to get busy: learning the songs, auditions for parts, judged by top judges – Mrs Loveland, Mrs Thompson, Mrs Firth and Mrs Howell. The next day the results were announced, scripts given out and the learning and hard work started. Every Tuesday in the autumn term we practised. At first it took over two hours to run through the whole play and the deadline was only one hour. Would we do it in that time? Well we did. Then followed the dress rehearsal. Everyone had scoured their wardrobes or got out their needle and thread for costumes, then in the hall with the stage, the lights and backdrops. We were shaking in our boots as the Big Night loomed ominously over us ahead.’
Junior Disco - 29th April
Daniel Harding: ‘The Disco, the highlight of the Junior School social calendar, took place the first week back after Easter. From 6.00 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Girls and boys danced and chatted and ate sweets. D J Stirling – what a dancer! Michael Jackson just could not compare.’
Spring Orchestral Concert – Wednesday, 28th April at 7pm
Congratulations to the Junior School pupils in the Training Orchestra, Flute Choir, Junior Girls Choir and the Metropolitan Cathedral Choirs, as well as soloists, for outstanding performances.
Crucial Crew - Fri 12 March
On 12th March, R11 visited Crucial Crew in Treforest. This is a Police Safety Facility which is a mock-up of a town and teaches children about dangers they could meet in everyday life. Charlie Williams (R11) wrote: ‘The second activity was our favourite. It was about what to do in a fire. We had to crawl through a room full of smoke. It was very scary. It was though a great experience and we would love to go again.’
Eisteddfod - Fri 26 February
This year we celebrated St David’s Day a little earlier than usual because of our great preparations for the Snow Queen. This did not affect the quality of the entries, nor our enjoyment of the day. The artwork, recitation, written and musical entries were of the highest standard. The Bard this year Soichiro Kikuchi and he was a well deserved winner. Runner up Bards were Andrea Mizzen, Gabrielle O’Sullivan and Hope Tranter.
Operation Christmas Child - Wed 25 November
The 'Shoebox Appeal' has been a great success this year. More than one hundred boxes were donated. Thank you for your generosity.
Children In Need Cake Sale - Fri 20 November
Our annual cake sale and raffle took place on Friday 20 November. Thank you to all parents for your generous gifts of home-made cakes, sweets and raffle prizes. This year we raised more than £1000 for Children In Need.
R11 Enterprise Week & Trade Fair - Mon 12 Oct to Fri 16 Oct
Congratulations to R11 who worked very hard during Enterprise Week. The goods for sale this year were very attractive and looked professional. Everybody produced a puppet sewn by hand as well as beautiful jewellery, handmade cards and other goods.
Thanks to everyone who supported the Trade Fair on Friday afternoon. R11L have raised about £600 for the Children's Hospital in Wales.
Book Week - Mon 28 Sep to Fri 3 Oct
Book Week was a great success. From the proceeds we shall be able to buy £300 worth of books for the library.
Mrs Middleton worked her magic on Friday afternoon and all were held spellbound with her story telling.
R8 Trip To National Museum of Wales - 16th September
R8 enjoyed an informative trip to the National Museum of Wales to look at rocks, volcanoes and how our earth has evolved. Pupils had the opportunity to touch a meteor, look at moon rock and watch fascinating screens showing volcanoes erupting. This provided a valuable extension to work they are looking at in their science lessons. The dinosaurs section proved to be very popular and gave the children a real insight into the Jurassic age. Finding a mammoth and estimating its height were also great fun.
We all enjoyed our lunch outside in the sunshine and the children were a credit to themselves and the school in their excellent behaviour throughout the trip.
After lunch there was also a chance to look at portraits of Welsh people and draw their favourite person. Some beautiful work was produced as the children took time to study the art up close and make their observations.
The last part of our trip was spent looking at artefacts from the Celtic and Roman era. The pupils again did themselves proud as they remembered lots of facts they had learnt in History about the Celts. They were very attentive to the museum’s staff. They also showed real enthusiasm for History and the Roman artefacts.
Well Done R8 for a great first trip in the Junior School and for the fantastic work sheets you have produced!
R7 Transition Week & Africa Assembly, 29 June - 3 July
Week beginning 29 June, R7 have joined R8 all week in lessons and activities to ease the transition into the Junior School. In particular, the infants and R8 have worked on the theme of Africa. This will culminate in an assembly in the hall together on Thursday, 2 July with the juniors and infants celebrating Africa in prayer, art, music, dance, and stories together.
Junior School Lego City, 3 July
Friday, 3 July - Mr Pilling, travelling all the way from Lancashire will help the juniors and R7 to build a whole city from Lego. The buildings will have electricity. The children will have to think of all the services and buildings that a city will need before embarking on their project. The children will work in teams. It is a very enjoyable day.
R11 Trip to Ty’r Morwydd
R11 pupils have recently returned from a three day visit to Abergavenny. The children’s enthusiasm was not dampened by the weather and, throughout the trip, they were a credit to the school.
Day one saw the pupils fully kitted out in wet weather gear as they climbed the Deri ‘mountain’. Various weather instruments were used to record changes in the micro climate as they made their ascent. Pupils proudly assembled at the top for a group photograph and they even managed a smile!
Team building activities followed a wholesome meal and much laughter was heard as the children tried to untangle themselves and solve the problem of how to get across the ‘acid lake’.
After a good night’s sleep the children’s map reading skills were tested at Bryn Bach orienteering course. Later the pupils studied river processes in the Ebbw Fawr, managing to record data onto rather soggy sheets. Their enjoyment of splashing around in the water was obvious for all to see.
The trip ended with a walk up to St Mary’s Vale where they studied mini beasts – pupils delighting in finding and identifying creepy-crawlies in the woods. After lunch there was the chance to use the fishing nets and pupils were amazed at the abundance of creatures they found in the river bed.
Finally it was time to go home. Although tired, all pupils said they had had a great time. The best thing about the trip? ‘Being with our friends’. It was an excellent learning experience too.
Readathon
Reading well, hopefully with enjoyment, is the most important skill that children can acquire in their Junior School years. The Readathon, started on the 4th March, has been an outstanding success. Fired by the enthusiasm of Mrs Howell and Mrs Cooney, children have been reading with even greater gusto. In addition, a large amount of money has been raised for sick children and other worthy causes - CLIC Sargent and the Roald Dahl Foundation.
The children rose to the occasion and were quick to find books they wanted to try and read within the timescale, poems and jokes to share along with non-fiction books. We had the opportunity to create a joke book containing the children’s favourite jokes and this then supported Comic Relief, which also fell within our Readathon time.
With the books chosen, the next task for the children was to find sponsors, and their enthusiasm was infectious. Family and friends were very generous and gave the children a real sense of purpose and determination.
The weeks went by and the children’s reading continued. The money was collected and I am pleased to say that an incredible £1322.62 has been sent to the Readathon charities.
Thank you to all who took part and for the support from family, friends and teachers. I will be in touch with the official response from the charities. Keep reading as it’s great fun, as I am sure you will agree. THANK YOU
Mrs E.C. Loveland (Head of Junior School)
Prospectus
f/Prospectus_2010.pdf
Junior School Handbook
f/JS_Handbook.pdf
Newsletters
• July 2010
f/JS_Newsletter_July_2010.pdf
• January 2010
f/JS_Newsletter_Jan_2010.pdf
• September 2009
f/JS_Newsletter_Sep_09.pdf
• March 2009
/f/JS_Newsletter_March_09.pdf
• September 2008
/f/JS_Newsletter_September_08.pdf
• April 2008
/f/JS_Newsletter_-_April_08.pdf
• January 2008
/f/JS_Newsletter_Jan_08.pdf
Reading
/f/JS_Reading_Notice.pdf
