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THE TERMLY
SPRING TERM 2020
Teaching carries on at St John’s!Following the Government Guidance around COVID-19, the last week of term saw us transition to a new way of learning, where our technology and teaching skills were tested as never before. However, as always, our staff and students were up to the challenge!
Students from Year 3 to 13 carried on their timetabled lessons via our interactive, online classrooms (Microsoft Teams) and Reception to Year 2 were provided with schoolwork packs and staff on hand to support them. The College also remained open to students of key workers, giving them on-site timetabled lessons and support.
Our staff, students and parents have also been sharing lots of fun activities to do in between online classes. These include gardening projects, fitness videos, Mini Movers LIVE and crafts. Visit our social media profiles and online blog for ideas, tips and inspirations on how to keep your children busy over the Easter break.
St John’s College makes far-reaching changes for tomorrow’s world
Grove Road South, Southsea Hampshire PO5 3QW ★ T. 023 9281 5118
www.stjohnscollege.co.uk
In a world where children are being educated for jobs that do not currently exist, it is vital that learning establishments make significant adaptations in the way students are taught. At St John’s College we are proposing just that!From September 2020, The Lower School (Reception to Year 4) will see students start their learning journey, with a curriculum based on child-led development and discovery. In the Middle School (Year 5 to Year 8), students will study a wider curriculum offering variety, challenge and social development, whilst using technology to enhance their learning. Throughout Senior School (Year 9 to Year 13), the academic focus will be developed as students prepare for GCSE, A Level exams and life beyond St John’s College as global citizens.
The changes come to ensure that St John’s College is at the cutting edge of the independent sector, equipping students with key life skills and a life-long love of learning.
Mrs Mary Maguire, Head of College commented, “This is an exciting opportunity for St John’s College. Our young people need to have secure subject knowledge, but they also must be able to work together, be flexible and adaptable in a fast-moving world, where jobs they could be doing have not yet been created. Academic success is of course imperative, but students also need persistence, initiative and curiosity to succeed in the workplace. Our aim is to create world ready learners who can cope seamlessly with the challenges thrown at them in this ever-changing world.”
In addition to this work on their core education focus, St John’s College has announced a further development in their international links. They have joined with a partner in China to establish ten St John’s High Schools over the next ten years. As the only boarding school in Portsmouth, the College will also continue to develop a diverse and truly international Boarding Community, giving students the opportunity to learn about different cultures in their city centre campus.
Mrs Maguire added, “There is an urgent need to update education systems to equip children with the skills to navigate the future of work and the future of societies. I am proud that St John’s College is modernising how we educate our students.”
Happy Easter!We would like to wish our readers a very happy Easter – we hope you all have an egg-cellent break!
On Shrove Tuesday, Year 3 and 4 joined pupils from Cottage Grove School for a pancake themed workshop at Portsmouth Cathedral. They took part in a range of activities, enjoyed eating delicious pancakes and found out why we celebrate Pancake Day. Back at the College our Pre-Preps took part in the Pancake Day Race Challenge and Year 2 headed over to St Donat’s Boarding House to make and taste pancakes!
Congratulations to our new Senior Prefects! We would like to wish them the best of luck for the next year; we know they will be perfect role models for our younger students. Looking forward to seeing what they have planned over the coming months!
Introducing our NEW Prefect Team
The Spring Term is always full of hard work and play, with the Year 11 and Year 13 students taking their mock examinations and starting their revision programs. As always, our weekend activity programme has been jam-packed, with students taking part in bingo evenings, Burns Night revels, trips to the cinema, paintballing and a trip to Guilford. Without a doubt, the most popular event was our Lunar New Year Festival; the students really outdid themselves with a delicious feast and excellent decorations around the College. Mr Aylward-Lopez’s Friday cooking sessions have been a big hit and students have enjoyed creating dishes from all over the world – favourites included sushi and pancakes! Our boarders have also taken part in a number of charitable activities including upcycling and our annual beach clean. As we move into the Summer Term, we look forward to longer evenings, lots of BBQs and many more fun activities.
Boarding News
Pancake Day!
World Book DayWe had a brilliant day on Thursday 5 March celebrating World Book Day! Children and staff from Nursery to Year 8 dressed up as their favourite fictional characters and helped raise money for Book Aid International with a delicious cake sale. Year 7 donated cakes and hosted Year 5 and 6 in the Senior School Library as they shared stories and helped boost funds for this fantastic cause. Visit our Facebook page to see our online gallery.
Performing Arts ShowcaseMid-March saw students from Year 7 to 13 take part in our Performing Arts Showcase, and what a show it was! From solos and duets to dance routines and short dramas, it was a wonderful way to celebrate the fantastic talent we have here at St John’s College.
Soccer SkillsMiss Philpott’s Soccer Skills workshops have been a huge hit with our nursery children this term! The programme is designed to help children learn coordination, team work and some basic footy skills.
A Career in CriminologyIn January, Year 12 Psychology students attended a series of lectures at Portsmouth University aimed at introducing them to various degree courses based around Criminology. Students could choose a number of specialist topics that covered the main areas of justice, cybercrime, forensics and psychology.
As part of their work on World War Two, Year 3 and 4 walked over to the D-Day Museum and spent the morning learning about the war from the perspective of the children.
They started the morning by taking part in a range of activities which included tracing over light boxes and looking at artefacts from the war such as gas masks and clothing. They then re-enacted the procedures that took place when an air raid siren sounded and found out that families use to sing songs such as ‘Run Rabbit’ to distract the children from being scared by the noise. The children also enjoyed exploring the tanks and looking at the tapestry which told the story of preparation, D-Day and the Battle of Normandy and Legacy.
A Trip to the D-Day Museum
Poetry By Heart February saw students and staff take part in the Poetry By Heart competition – a brilliant opportunity to learn a poem from memory and recite it for the enjoyment of others. Winners were awarded their certificates during Senior Assembly and the overall prize winners were entered into the National Poetry By Heart Celebration.
An afternoon with the Lady Mayoress of PortsmouthOn the 7th February, the Junior School Council visited the Lady Mayoress at Portsmouth Guildhall. They enjoyed a tour of the chamber, rooms and offices, tried on the Lord Mayor’s hat and asked her lots of questions which she happily answered.
Politics SocietyBefore Half Term we welcomed the Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield to the College.
She covered a range of issues from the risks created by mobile technology to the treatment of young people in detention centres. ‘Child migrants’ were featured in the talk given by Labour peer Alf Dubs. As a six-year old ‘kindertransport’ refugee from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, he was able to speak with personal knowledge of the subject. In March we welcomed Darcy Nicolle, CEO of Political Solutions who spoke about
lobbying and how links are made between politicians and organisations beyond Westminster. Finally, we were visited by journalist and entrepreneur David Kogan, author of Protest and Power. With the Labour leadership contest ongoing, this was an appropriate time to review the party’s progress from its long years in the wilderness, to the New Labour governments and the rise of the Corbynite left.
Safer Internet DayIn February, we supported Safer Internet Day! The day saw Year 5 and 6 take part in a Twitter Takeover where they shared advice on how to stay safe online and created their own hashtags. The following day we welcomed Lee Haywood to the College where he ran a range of workshops for students and parents all about internet safety!
2019 Ski Trip The first week of the Christmas holidays saw students from Year 7 to 11 take to the slopes in Zell am See in Austria for our annual ski trip! Everyone had a wonderful time and thank you to our staff for taking them on another memorable trip.
Girls’ Netball
This term has seen a great deal of rain and therefore a lot of matches have been cancelled. However, this has meant the girls had more time to train and work on their fitness. It was clear that all the training paid off as the U11A Team were rewarded with a 13-3 win against Sherborne House and a 17-8 win against Kingscourt. It was lovely to see the Edgbaston girls again as we hosted their annual tour - our A Team were magnificent, winning Friday’s match 7-5.
Boys’ Rugby
The Junior Boys’ Rugby teams have enjoyed a competitive set of fixtures this term, as well as learning new rules such as tackling, rucking and scrummaging. The U9 Team remain unbeaten after playing matches against PGS, Sherborne and Prebendal.
Junior School Sport
ST JOHN’S COLLEGE Sport
Boys’ Hockey
SJC Hockey has gone from strength to strength, with 2020 being a great season! The Juniors have progressed tremendously, with some outstanding performances to match. The U14 Team qualified for the Regional Finals having won the Hampshire Schools’ competition. The U16s, supported by the U15s, also made an impression at the Hampshire Schools’ Tournament, only missing out on the final after a sudden death penalty shoot-out! The Senior XI Team have certainly taken full advantage of the Wednesday Games Programme, enjoying the coaching afternoons as well as the competition against the likes of Ryde, PGS and LWC.
Girls’ Netball
The girls have had a very successful season, with all age groups making excellent progress! The U12 Team have worked hard, seeing victories against KES Witley, Mayville and PHS. The U13’s highlights included a win against Embley, fantastic team work against rivals PHS and just missing out on the semi-finals at the Churcher’s Tournament. The U14 Team have continued to be a formidable team, winning all but one game this season. The U15s have had some highs and lows, but managed to come out on top with the majority of their games being won.
Football’s coming home
The second half of the term saw the launch of two NEW football clubs in the Senior School, run by former English footballer, David Leworthy - “I am extremely grateful to St John’s College for the opportunity to give back to the community. Being a local lad myself, it’s great to be able to share my knowledge and experience with students from my home town…” visit http://bit.ly/sjcsport to read the full article.
Senior School Sport
Cross Country
It was great to include Cross Country in the sporting programme for Spring 2020! Battling it out in cold conditions, Year 7 to 10 athletes completed the gruelling course at Hilsea, and with the top 12 going through to represent Portsmouth Schools, we certainly put SJC back on the Cross Country map!
House Events
One of the first sunny Saturdays of the year saw our four houses come together for our annual House Hockey and House Netball competitions. Year 5 & 6 played mixed hockey first – the standard of play was outstanding; showing great promise for the major sport from Year 7. The girls then moved across to the netball courts to support the seniors. It was lovely to see the girls fit seamlessly into play and the older players support (and coach) the younger ones. Our Sixth Form Sports Leaders ran the Year 7+ Hockey Tournament, where the level of commitment and performance was exemplary. Woodleigh won the Y5&6 Hockey, Edwin the Year 7-10 Hockey, and Leo the Netball.
SJC Ski Team
Congratulations to the Ski Team who took part in the fourth and final round of the SASA Winter Series! H Stanley took the Gold medal for the series and the ‘Fastest on the Hill’ award, A Jackson (Snr) took home Silver and L Harrison-Smith came 4th in her category by just five hundredths of a second! Read the full Sports Report here: http://bit.ly/SJCSkiTeam
Grove Road South, Southsea Hampshire PO5 3QW ★ T. 023 9281 5118
www.stjohnscollege.co.uk
ST JOHN’S COLLEGE OJ News
A Career in Law by Mehar Patel
Many thanks to OJ Mehar Patel, Partner in Shoosmiths’ Real Estate team, who kindly came in to give careers advice to our students who are interested in Law. Mehar highlighted the various routes in Law, emphasised the competiveness of the application process and gave an insight into what his job involved on a day to day basis.
Politics Society
It was lovely to see OJs Susie Chippendale and Johnny Gordon back on campus in March as they joined us for our Politics Society with Darcy Nicolle. Darcy spoke about the practice of political lobbying – the process whereby businesses, charities and other organisations seek to influence politicians.
A Careers Talk with Andy Scott
In December, we welcomed OJ Andy Scott back to the College to talk with our Year 11 Business Group and Sixth Formers about his career. Our students asked some fantastic questions and it was great to hear how SJC supported him through his education and beyond.
Upcoming EventsOJA Golf Day Thursday 1 October 2020
Please save the date! This year’s OJ Golf Day will be taking place on Thursday 1 October. Join parents, students and alumni for a fun day at the Club House and a delicious evening meal. Further information and an application form will be available on the College website closer to the date.
Annual OJ Dinner Saturday 17 October 2020
Taking place at the Royal Naval Club, it’s an evening not to be missed and an excellent networking opportunity! Why not organise a table? Tickets are £45 per person and include a welcome drink. Further ticket information will be available on the College website closer to the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Have you sent us your up to date contact details? Complete our online form and by joining our database of alumni we will keep you informed of College news and invite you to forthcoming events.
www.stjohnscollege.co.uk/our-alumni we are on Facebook and LinkedIn too! Search for St John’s College, Southsea. We are so grateful to the many Old Johannians who share their news with us. If you want to tell your story here, please contact [email protected].
Careers Networking Event
The second week in March saw over thirty professionals take part in our annual Careers Networking Event. This saw students from Year 6 to 9 visit each career station – which included engineering, medicine, architecture and IT – to gain an insight into different career paths. Many thanks to all the parents, OJs and businesses who supported this year’s event.
Where are they now?Alex Bruce (2010) OJ Alex Bruce set up his eco-friendly business, Turtle Straws back in 2018 after watching David Attenborough’s documentary, Blue Planet II. After a year of business, the company has sold over two million biodegradable wheat straws and is now operating in 35 countries! Congratulations Alex!
George Gissing (2014) It is lovely to see OJ and Head Boy, George Gissing, feature in The Bands of HM Royal Marines video - where love, family and rugby came together for the Guinness Six Nations England Rugby classic - I Vow to Thee My Country. Visit http://bit.ly/2TZOnMR to view the video.
WHERE ARE NOW?
