大象传媒

Celebrating Shakespeare: Year 8 Bring the Bard to Life

On Tuesday Ms Morris completed the celebration of last week 鈥楽hakespeare week鈥� with an assembly devoted to the great bard himself. As the pupils entered the Sports Hall, they listened to an extract from Felix Mendelssohn overture to A Midsummer Night Dream before being challenged to some quiz questions about Shakespeare and theatre in Elizabethan England. For example, did you know that Shakespeare is thought to have created 1700 new words in the English language, including words such as 鈥榤ajestic鈥�, 鈥榞loomy鈥� and 鈥榖edroom鈥�? Sharing another piece of Shakespeare trivia, it is said that during an infamous performance of Henry VIII, in order to replicate the sound of thunder, a cannon was fired, but unfortunately it set fire to the theatre!

Ms Morris also explained how in Elizabethan times women did not perform in the theatre, hence female characters were played by young men or boys. This set the scene for Year 8 pupils to perform a short extract from the end of A Midsummer Night Dream, culminating in Puck epilogue encouraging the audience to think of the play as a dream if they were 鈥渙ffended鈥�, and asking for applause to 鈥渞estore amends鈥�.

Ms Morris writes,

鈥淪hakespeare is still alive and well in Year 8 this week, as pupils have been diving into the wonderfully dramatic world of Shakespearian insults and stage combat. Building on our exploration of Baz Luhrmann bold film style, Year 8 have been crafting their own Montague鈥揅apulet (or Romeo鈥揓uliet) showdown scenes, complete with stylised movement, heightened tension, and plenty of Elizabethan flair.

Their challenge was to create a modern鈥�cinematic fight sequence while using only authentic Shakespeare鈥�crafted insults 鈥� a task they embraced with enthusiasm, creativity, and just the right amount of theatrical chaos.

It been a brilliant blend of classic literature, performance skills, and imaginative filmmaking techniques, proving once again that the Bard words still pack a punch.鈥�

The Goblins race at Scottow

Mrs Oxborough writes,

鈥淥n Tuesday 28th April the Goblins enjoyed their first race of the season at Scottow Industrial Park in Norfolk. The Goblins had an early start but all arrived on time ready to depart at 06:30. The cars, thanks to our Maintenance team, had been loaded onto the trailer and minibus the day before so we were all ready to go.

There were 22 cars competing during the day. The events included a drag race and a slalom race before lunch, with all the Goblins having the opportunity to compete in each event.

After lunch, one driver from each team tackled the Sprint race. Two of our cars made it all the way through to the semi-finals.鈥�

Prize Giving at these events is always a time of tension and excitement so the Goblins were delighted to win Best Presented Team, 2nd place in the Slalom for 鈥淪peeding Sweets鈥� and 3rd Overall for 鈥淭ropical Turtles鈥�.

The children were a credit to St Faith’s; they required very little support from the adults as they organised themselves and made sure they were all in the right place at the right time. Special thanks must go to the Team Captains for their excellent leadership.

Many thanks too to the parents who ensured their children were at school for 06:15 ready to leave on time and to our catering staff for providing breakfast, lunch and a snack. Lastly, we must thank Mr Johnson, Mr Hasell, Mrs Scott, Mrs Fraser and Mrs Switsur for their support, enthusiasm and encouragement during the day.

We are all looking forward to our next race at Ford Dunton.鈥�

Report from the Science Labs

Mrs Pritchard writes,

鈥淟ast week, Year 5 continued their work on Living Processes with great enthusiasm. They welcomed a number of snails into the classroom and were fascinated to observe the pneumostome, the hole that leads to a land snail single lung. Pupils investigated which surfaces the snails preferred to move on, observed their reactions when vinegar was brought nearby, and explored their culinary preferences. In parallel, they also began a practical investigation into the conditions needed for cress seeds to germinate, setting the stage for some exciting results in the coming weeks.

Year 6 continued their topic on Diet, Teeth and Bones. They constructed detailed diagrams of the inside of a tooth and explored the importance of the human skeleton in supporting movement and daily function. Their discussions showed a growing appreciation for how interconnected our body systems are.

Year 7 began their exam season with the inaugural Science Practical Examination. The year group were exemplary throughout, focused, prepared and demonstrating the practical skills they have worked hard to develop. It was clear that a great deal of effort had gone into their preparation, and the maturity they showed throughout was commendable.

Year 8 have been examining how environmental change affects our geological landscape, exploring sustainability issues linked to acid rain, architectural structures and the materials they are constructed from. Their thoughtful discussions highlight the real鈥�world relevance of these challenges and the importance of scientific understanding in addressing them.鈥�

Bones, Beasts and Biodiversity: Year 4 at the Museum of Zoology

Being close to the centre of Cambridge and its excellent museums provides many opportunities to enhance the curriculum by educational visits. Last Friday, to complement this term Science unit on Moving & Growing, Year 4 visited the University Museum of Zoology, where the children were given the opportunity to explore an extraordinary range of biodiversity through millions of specimens, including whale skeletons, dodo remains and items collected by Charles Darwin.

Treasure Island

Mrs McGregor writes,

鈥淓xcitement is building as our Year 8 pupils begin their voyage towards this year production of Treasure Island. Walk past the drama studios and you will hear the sound of carefully rehearsed lines echoing down the corridor; step into the Art rooms and you鈥檒l spot props taking shape and ships slowly emerging under fresh coats of paint. The story may be a classic, but this production is already bursting with new energy, imagination and determination.

Rehearsals are well under way, with cast members hard at work learning lines and developing their characters as sailors, pirates and adventurers. At the same time, backstage teams are proving just as busy. Wooden crates, barrels and treasure chests are being lovingly crafted, while the skeleton of our ship is gradually being transformed into something ready to brave the high seas. It been wonderful to see pupils collaborating across roles, sharing ideas and supporting one another as the world of the play comes to life.鈥�

SFPA International Day

Today we hosted the annual SFPA International Day. The event aims to celebrate and showcase the international diversity of the school. As always, it is an especially sensory experience with the chance to learn about and experience the cultures of a vibrant mix of countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Spain, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Zimbabwe. Funds raised from the event will be donated to our partner school in South Africa, Makukhanye School.

SFPA Coffee Mornings

It hardly seems possible that our SFPA coffee mornings have already finished for this academic year. I do hope parents enjoyed the opportunity to meet other families in their year group, or perhaps to get to know those who have joined the school more recently.

As ever, I am very grateful to the many members of the SFPA for organising the coffee mornings and, more broadly, the many social events for parents that take place throughout the year. The sense of community at 大象传媒 remains a strong one and we look forward to the SFPA Summer Event later this term.

And Finally…

It has been a busy and enjoyable week and there cannot be many schools where the same week includes Shakespearean insults, whale skeletons, snail visitors and Goblin racing! Wishing you a peaceful and relaxing weekend.

With all best wishes,

Crispin Hyde-Dunn