St John’s School Weekly Newsletter
Issue 46
Christmas Carol Service
From the
Headmaster
This has certainly been an action packed
finish to the term. I felt so proud last
night during our Carol Service at
Emmanuel Church. It was a memorable
occasion as a full congregation joined
with the orchestra and organ to sing
traditional carols and hear the story of
the birth of Jesus. Our musicians and
choirs have also been busy entertaining
in the community: the residents of
Erskine Hall and the children at
Sunshine House gave the boys and staff
a warm welcome. I would like to thank
the music team for their incredible efforts.
I know all the boys enjoyed their class
parties and the Christmas Jumper Day.
The Christmas Lunch and the tuck shop
were particularly popular. We also raised
over £600 for Save The Children. Thank
you very much for your support.
In final assemblies it was my pleasure to
award the first Gold certificates of this
academic year to Prashant Pandya and
Iowan Dale and the "I did my best!" cup
to Alex Wasserstein.
I would like to say a huge thank you to
the Parents Association for organising
and running the wonderful St John's
Christmas Bazaar. Everyone enjoyed a
festive family morning.
In sport, congratulations to all of the
boys who ran well in the House Cross
Country events, in particular the
medallists.
There is a more detailed report
describing some highlights of this term
on the website. After such an exciting
term I wish you all a restful Christmas
and look forward to welcoming you
back in 2015.
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Last night Emmanuel Church in Northwood was full to the rafters as we held
our annual Carol Service. Our musicians were again in action with the Guitar Group,
Senior Recorders and the Chamberlain ensemble playing in the foyer as the
congregation arrived. The service itself took us through the Christmas story with
boys from Year 3 to 8 reading Bible passages and poems. The Orchestra and Brass
Band led our singing whilst the Senior Choir and Year 3 and 4 boys performed
beautifully. Our distinguished guests including Mr Armstrong (Chair of Governors)
and Mr Everson (Headmaster of Merchant Taylors’) were very complimentary about
the whole evening. Well done to all involved - a fitting start to the Christmas
holidays.
December 16 2014
Christmas Friday
St John’s certainly knows how to celebrate and it was all
happening last Friday. Our Brass Band opened proceedings
playing Deck the Halls as boys filed into assembly wearing their
Christmas jumpers. Then it was the turn of our male members
of staff to lead the singing of Good King Wenceslas from the
stage and they really put their hearts into it. After morning
break Years 5-8 changed for the House cross country race, a
challenging event for many but everyone rose to the occasion to
gain those valuable points for their House. (More details on
pages 12 -13.) Mrs Foley and her team surpassed all
expectations with a delicious Christmas lunch, complete with
crackers and party hats and the boys expressed their thanks
with the traditional
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three cheers. Waiting in the Norman Hall for boys needing a
sugar boost were the St John’s Association volunteers and the
tuck shop. It was surprising how much was consumed after
such a massive lunch! At 2pm the serious and highly
competitive Christmas House Quiz began for Years 3-8. Mr
Brown compered each round which was made up of questions
devised by members of staff. Boys from different year groups
worked together really well and it was a close result but the
eventual winners were Oates. A great end to a super day which
demonstrated the true community spirit found in our school.
Incidentally, we raised £642 for Save the Children through the
Christmas jumper collections.
December 16 2014
Buzzing Christmas Bazaar
You know it's nearly Christmas when you walk into the
St John's Christmas Bazaar. Last Saturday the whole school
was in a festive mood, from the outside lights and flags through
to a rare sight of Father Christmas in the grotto. There was
something for all ages with the children working through their
Christmas shopping list in the secrets room with Miss Morgan
and her band of merry helpers, followed by very competitive
games of Scalextrics organised by Mr Lawrence. The gym
housed a giant game of inflatable football which proved popular
with the young and young at heart! The legendary human fruit
machine (with guest appearance from William Blunt) caused
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much hilarity and the many stalls were really well supported.
Aman Arya, Sebastian Wynn, James Coop, Ramy Nawar,
Joshua Shackleford, Edward Blunt and James Watson were the
only St John’s boys to organise and run a stall called Sweet
Memory which raised £132. The boys have very generously
donated their profits to WaterAid. Well done! And….let's not
forget our compere for the day, Mr Robinson, who seemed to
really enjoy being on the mic! Massive thanks must go to the
Association headed up by Mrs Whistler and Mrs Budhdeo who
have worked tirelessly for weeks organising what was a fantastic
day. Thank you from everyone who enjoyed a wonderful event.
December 16 2014
Christmas jumper day in the Pre-Prep
The Pre-Prep also got into party mood with snowman decorating, Christmas lunch and a special assembly with Mr
Robinson in his Christmas jumper. Congratulations to Alexander Wasserstein who won the ‘I did my best!’ cup for his
determination and enthusiasm both in and out of the classroom this term.
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December 16 2014
The ‘Corn Potatoes’ inspire our violinists
Yesterday morning the School was treated to a visit from 'The Corn Potatoes'. This is a trio of American musicians who
play traditional American Country music dating from the 1920s to the 1950s. They have just finished a European and British
Tour and fitted us in for a quick show before flying back to America. Their music on violins, voices and guitar was great fun to
listen to and the boys especially liked the really fast fiddle playing from Liam. After assembly twenty six violinists had a chance to
learn more from him in a Master class, and, as well as learning a traditional American tune they learnt how to make bird noises on
their instruments!
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December 16 2014
What a musical week!
Every day last week was filled with Christmas music. At
the assemblies the Orchestra and Brass Band accompanied the
School as we prepared our carols for the St John’s annual Carol
Service. On Tuesday, seventy boys visited Erskine Hall BUPA
Care Home. Here we entertained the elderly residents with
songs and music provided by our Senior Choir, Senior
Recorders, The Chamberlain Ensemble and the Brass Band.
Afterwards we had a drink and a chat with the residents. This is
always a highlight for us, and we are very grateful that they can
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accommodate so many of us! On Wednesday, the Brass Band,
Guitar Group and Chamberlain Ensemble visited the RNIB
Sunshine House School. Here, the boys played to the children
and shared their musical instruments with them afterwards. Our
visits there are a real privilege, and we thank the staff and pupils
for their warm reception. Thursday after school saw the Brass
Band playing Christmas Music for charity in the playground as
the light was dimming. We raised £153. Thank you to all the
boys and staff.
December 16 2014
He’s behind you!
Last Tuesday the whole of the Pre-Prep and Junior departments went to the pantomime in Radlett. The boys enjoyed a
super production of Cinderella. It was full of colourful costumes, songs that everyone could sing along to and of course Prince
Charming and a fairy godmother. The outrageous ugly sisters made everybody laugh and the Pre-Prep boys particularly liked
Buttons because of his funny dancing and jokes. All the boys had an ice cream in the interval. In the second half the children and
staff all joined in with a singing and dancing competition. Fortunately, Buttons declared a draw!
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December 16 2014
Christmas party in the Pre-Prep
There was an air of excitement in
the Pre-Prep on Thursday. It was
time for the Christmas Party and there
were rumours that a certain gentleman
with a white beard and a bright red suit
was going to make an appearance. The
boys played a variety of party games,
including Pin the Nose on the
Snowman, Musical Statues and finished
off with a Christmas disco with Miss
Morgan’s glitter ball! They ended the
afternoon with crisps and chocolate in
the Norman Hall. It was an afternoon
of fun, noise, excitement and Christmas
cheer!
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December 16 2014
Hannukah celebrations in the Lambs
Mrs Wasserstein came into The Lambs to talk to us about Hanukkah; she told us that Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday which comes in
early winter and is to remember the miracles that happened a long, long time ago. She read us some stories, sang some songs and explained
the meaning of the menorah. We tasted latkes and doughnuts and she also showed us how to play the dreidel game. All great fun!
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December 16 2014
Party time in the Juniors
Last Wednesday the Junior department held its annual Christmas Party! Mrs Hallett organised a variety of games including pass
the parcel, buzzwords and snowballs. To start the party off, the children paraded their Christmas hats which they had spent the
morning making. (Results below) Mrs Emery then had the difficult job of judging first, second and third places for the most inventive
and stylish hats in each class. The children had lots of fun and there were many prizes, of the chocolate variety, to be won!
3C
1st place – Vishal Thakar
2nd place – Gabriel Bickle
3rd place – Rohan Pankhania
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3H
1st place - Ben Cook
2nd place - Oliver Southon
3rd place - Samvir Shergill
4W
1st place – Krish Patel
2nd place – Slava Bulin
3rd place – Adam Ansari
4M
1st Place – Ollie Pratt
2nd Place – Daniel Shannon
3rd Place – Yuri Zykov
December 16 2014
Fascinating Year 3 Christmas projects
Year 3 has completed excellent projects about the festival of Christmas. There were brilliant designs, colourful pictures and
detailed writing about all aspects of Christmas celebrations. The aliens these booklets were designed for would have learnt a lot
about Christmas dinner, presents, Santa and the Christmas Story. There were also Christmas jokes, poems and puzzles. The Year
3 teachers had a wonderful time reading the projects and were able to award lots of smiley faces and chocolates as prizes. Well
done, Year 3!
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December 16 2014
Cross Country success for Churchill
The first event was the Junior Cross-Country which had all the year 3 and 4 pupils running for their respective houses. All the
boys ran well but the first three places went to the following boys:
Year 3 Race
1st Place: Nathan Hedges (Lawrence) Time: 14.07.61
2nd Place: Oliver Southon (Churchill) Time: 15.53.00
3rd Place: Rohan Pankhania (Lawrence) Time: 16.03.01
Year 4 Race
1st Place: Rohan Mangat (Lawrence) Time: 12.58.11
2nd Place: James Curtler (Churchill) Time: 13.53.52
3rd Place: Reece Jones (Oates) Time: 14.35.40
In the Senior house Cross-Country we had some excellent results even though the course this year was slightly longer and all the
boys managed to run around the 1.5 mile course.
Year 5 Race
1st Place: Alex Bickerstaff (Lawrence) 12.01.78
2nd Place: Daniel Barnett (Lincoln) 12.35.14
3rd Place: Louis Rich (Lincoln) 14.57.64
Year 6 Race
1st Place: Matthew Crow (Oates) 11.20.87
(NEW SCHOOL RECORD)
2nd Place: Daniel Sayani (Lawrence) 13.16.65
3rd Place: Max Davies (Churchill) 13.33.57
Year 7 Race
1st Place: Luke Kenny (Lawrence) 14.24.31
2nd Place: William Crane (Churchill)
3rd Place: Rizwan Hameed (Lincoln)
Year 8 Race
1st Place: Sam Bickerstaff (Lawrence) 11.25.13
2nd Place: Kieran Spellward (Lincoln) 13.17.71
3rd Place: Joseph Rich (Lincoln) 13.55.68
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June 6 2014
House Cross Country in pictures
OVERALL HOUSE CROSS-COUNTRY RESULT 2014
1st Churchill - 2nd Lawrence - 3rd Lincoln - 4th Oates
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June 6 2014
Au revoir, Miss Gillen
It is with mixed feelings that we say farewell to Miss Gillen for a while. We send her our very best wishes as she awaits the
imminent arrival of her baby but we will miss her smiling face and enthusiasm, not only in the Art studio, but all around the
School. Mr Vince enlisted the help of some of her young protégées to produce a lovely film celebrating all things artistic. Please
follow this link: Au revoir, Miss Gillen Come back and visit us soon, Miss Gillen, with your new addition.
1.
2.
1.Ollie Pratt (4M), Rahul Pau (4W),
Joseph Dias (4W), and Matthew
Hodes (4M) have been
transforming into little elves
during Art Club this week.
2.Yr 5 has been practising their
tinting and shading. These winter
snowmen pictures have been
drawn by Ben Hellewell (5G),
Niyam Shah (5G) and Noah
4. Collings (5S)
3.Kyri Matsangos (6L) is taking his
bronze owl sculpture home for
Christmas.
4.These beautiful snowflake
pictures are finally finished. Well
done Sebastian Ashman-Rodgers
(3H)and Rohan Pankhania (3C)
3.
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5.James Edwards (5G) is very
pleased with his glittery Christmas
5. card.
December 16 2014
Calendar and important dates
Contact details
Monday 5th January: Staff Inset
4+ Assessments
Updates: please continue to visit
www.st-johns.org.uk for all the latest
information on sports fixtures and results.
The website will have
announcements in case of
emergency. You can also
follow us on twitter
@stjsnorthwood.
Tuesday 6th January: Staff Inset
4+ Assessments
Wednesday 7th January: Beginning of Spring Term (8.25am)
Aldenham School Entrance Exams
Thursday 8th: Haberdashers’ Entrance Exams
John Lyon Entrance Exams
Saturday 10th: Mill Hill Entrance Exams
Monday 12th: Swimming begins at MTS
U11 & U13 York House Cross Country (2.00pm)
Tuesday 13th: 4+ Assessments (2.30-3.30pm)
Wednesday 14th: Hockey v Aldenham U12, U13 (h) (2.30pm)
Thursday 15th January: U9 Cross Country at York House (2.30pm)
Second Hand Uniform Sale (Library) (2.45pm)
Friday 16th January: School Council Meeting
Mailings: if you have received The Lamb
from someone else and would like to be
sent your own copy direct each week,
please email: Lamb Editor. Let us know
your contact details and you will be added
to the list.
Photographs: Do please continue to send
in any photographs which could be
included in The Lamb.
Notices and Reminders
Charity round up. Thank you to everyone for their generous
giving to our charities this term. So far we have raised over
£1080 for WaterAid, £332 for the Royal British Legion, £666
for MacMillan Cancer Research and £642 for Save the Children.
House Music Festival. A reminder to all boys who learn an
instrument that this festival is held in the Spring term. The
preliminary rounds begin early in the New Year and all boys
who learn an instrument in School are automatically entered. If
Mr Vince’s videos. Make sure that you watch Mr Vince’s latest you have lessons out of School you are still most welcome to
enter. Please let Mrs Selwood know if you are interested. Every
video celebrating all the artwork which is created at St John’s.
Click on the first link below. To view his other videos you can entrant will receive a house point which counts when adding up
points in the Final on 26th March. Keep practising over the
click on the following links:
Christmas holidays!
Au revoir, Miss Gillen
Wind Band goes West
Those lovely exams! You are all looking forward to the end of
Year 6 trip to Northumberland St John’s YouTube channel
Guitar group video
Yr 5 Chinese New Year video term but you have that nagging feeling because over the holiday
you will need to persuade, coerce, bribe or threaten your son
Yr 8 Bikeability video
St John’s Sevens video
Sam Katz interview
Year of 2008 at Knapp House into doing some revision if they are in Years 6-8! Please read the
revision guides which can be found via a link from the front
Year of 2014 at Knapp House Chicks are for kids!
page of the website. Remember that little and often with lots of
IMPORTANT contact details update. Enclosed in the
repetition is best and start early.
envelope which your son has brought home is a form
regarding your contact details. Please complete accordingly and After School Activities. All after-school activities will
return to your Form Teacher/School Office at the beginning of commence week beginning Monday 12th January. You will be
sent an email over the holidays containing the activities list.
next term.
First issue of The Lamb next term. This will be published on Very best wishes for a Happy Christmas and a peaceful 2015.
Friday 16th January, at the end of the first full week of term.
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December 16 2014