St John’s School Weekly Newsletter
Issue 52
Year 8 excels in 13+ transfer
From the
Headmaster
On Monday I had the pleasure of giving the
Year 8 boys their examination grades from
their senior schools. Congratulations to all of
them on their achievements. They have now
started their post exam curriculum which
includes the business enterprise course.
It was a privilege to attend the ‘Tribute to
Our Fallen’ concert at the Merchant Taylors’
Hall on Tuesday. Joseph and Charlie
represented the School confidently and with
pride. I was pleased that Mr Kelly was able
to see the boys perform.
I know that the Robins and Squirrels
thoroughly enjoyed their train journey from
Moor Park to Pinner as part of their
transport topic. We were pleased to
welcome Mrs Doran, the Head of Thorpe
House Pre-Prep, who judged the very
impressive Pre-Prep Poetry Competition
finals.
Our assemblies have focussed on how to
behave in public: 6V delivered a wellrehearsed poem on the subject and Aman
Khawaja explained his role as one of the
three Watford Youth Parliament candidates
for this year. We have also heard many of
our musicians playing as part of the House
Music Festival.
Many thanks to all of you who been
supporting our charity quiz which took place
this morning.
On the sport front our Year 3 boys enjoyed
their matches against Orley Farm and our
hockey goes from strength to strength.
Finally, if you haven't had a chance to look
at Mr Brown's ski trip film, I would
recommend it.
I am very pleased to report that our Year 8 boys have performed superbly well
in their senior school transfer examinations.
They have all worked very hard and thoroughly deserve their success. A good
number of them have gained places at more than one school. Nineteen have been
offered Merchant Taylors’; eight Haberdashers’; eight Mill Hill; five John Lyon; three
Berkhamsted; two Harrow; one St. Alban’s and one Aldenham. This is a fantastic
reflection on the efforts they have put in. Very well done indeed to every one of you!
The Year 8 boys have performed exceptionally well academically, achieving a total of
twelve academic scholarships. Six pupils received academic scholarships from
Merchant Taylors’. Niam Patel, our Head Boy, was awarded the Morley Scholarship.
A very able boy, he achieved 4 A* and 3 A grades in the seven subjects. Sam
Bickerstaff achieved 5 A* and 2 As. Sam received an academic scholarship from
Merchant Taylors’. Jai Kalirai, Sarthak Panvelkar, Anand Shah and Aditya Varshney
all achieved academic scholarships at Merchant Taylors’ and Haberdashers’.
Husain Tayeb received an academic scholarship from John Lyon. Jamie Wilford
received an English Exhibition from Mill Hill. Joseph Rich won a Drama
Scholarship and Charlie Vaughan a Music Scholarship to Merchant Taylors’ and
John Lyon respectively. Joseph and Charlie both represented St John’s at the
“Tribute to our Fallen” concert at Merchant Taylors’ Hall this week.
There were a number of other boys who were interviewed and tested at scholarship
level. Congratulations on even being considered and I hope you enjoyed the
experience and challenge.
Once again well done to all Year 8 2015!
One very proud Headmaster!
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February 27 2015
A tribute to the fallen
As the night drew in, an air of expectation descended in
Merchant Taylors’ Hall, London. The atmosphere was set
with thousands of suspended dried flowers depicting the flora
of the fields upon which the battles of the First World War
were fought. This was to be an evening of music and poetry
dedicated to those who fell in the service of their country. The
scene was set with a lone drummer approaching and Joseph
Rich then started the evening with his superb recitation of
Siegfried Sassoon’s ‘Before the Battle’. Newly commissioned
pieces of music alongside more well-known items made for an
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evening of great poignancy. Charlie Vaughan performed ‘Panis
Angelicus’ by César Franck on his trombone from the gallery
with real musicality befitting the piece. A plaque in memory of
those who died was unveiled by General The Lord Dannatt
GCB CBE MC DL and there was a wonderful performance on
an instrument called the Trench Cello which was actually played
by soldiers in the Great War to ease the burden of their plight.
It was a truly remarkable evening and one that will never be
forgotten. Thank you to all the organisers of this event.
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2015
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February
How to behave in public according to 6V
It's not all about exam results at St. John's! This week the lads in 6V held an assembly giving the rest of us some pointers on
good behaviour. They used a fun rhyme and a slideshow featuring a whopping 126 pictures to get their message across. Every
single boy in the class had an equal role as they sequenced through the rhyme line by line. Ramy Nawar covered for another boy
who was ill, memorising his comrade's lines with only a moment's notice. Key areas were kindness to strangers (rather than just
your friends and family), showing full respect to people of humble station, queuing (natch!) and not being a nuisance in public
areas like trains and buses. Let's hope it works!
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February 27 2015
Charity Quiz
During the course of this week and in particular this morning, every boy in the School has been beavering away trying to
answer tricky quiz questions in aid of our charity, WaterAid. Mr Taylor played a big part in devising the quizzes and there were
certainly some challenging parts. (As you can see, some teachers took the role of administering of the quiz very seriously indeed!)
An edible prize was awarded to the highest score in each class and we should know by Monday how much money we have raised
for WaterAid. Thank you in advance to all boys and parents for their wonderful generosity.
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February 27 2015
Shapes of things to come!
The boys of all years are quick-fire perfect on GTA V, Fifa, CoD and of course Minecraft but there is still an analogue
corner to their otherwise digital brains. Some year 5 boys spent a lesson investigating the way that similar shapes fit together
perfectly leaving no gaps. This skill helps build knowledge and proficiency with angles, symmetry and area. This is to say nothing
of when the penny finally drops when discovering that, say, a hexagon is made out of two identical trapezia. Touching and
handling these simple regular polygons is always welcomed by the classes and it's a pleasure to see how they get lost in the
moment. It's not all done on computers nowadays! OK, let's chant: "2-4-6-8 who do we all tessellate?" or something like that...
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February 27 2015
Niam and Avi Shah’s adventures in Kenya
During the half term I travelled to Nairobi in Kenya with
my dad and younger brother Avi. While I was there I visited
the children’s home that has been set up by my mum’s family.
We asked the children lots of questions about their lives. One
of the surprising things I learnt was when James said they wake
up each morning at around 4.30am! This is because they have
lots to do before walking the 40 minutes to their school which
The Ruiru Rehabilitation Centre is currently home to 25
starts at 7.30 in the morning. Some of the kids want to go to
children, however, the home has a capacity for 60 children but
University and become dentists or lawyers. James wants to
unfortunately due to the lack of resources it has had to limit the
become a doctor.
intake. The children have been either rescued from the streets,
orphaned or have been sent there by remaining family members My brother Avi and I gave them some gifts like clothes,
who can no longer care for them. The children are aged betoothbrushes and some biscuits. The children seemed really
tween 7 and 14 and are provided with food, shelter, clothing,
happy with the gifts.
healthcare, schooling and also help with higher
Later on we all had a game of football in their playground
education, whether it is college, university or apprenticeships.
which was a lot of fun. I was sad to say goodbye to them but I
As we were driving up to the gates of the home, I felt a little
will visit them again next time I am in Kenya.
nervous about meeting the children. However as soon as we got
Now that I am back in London it has made me realise how
there I was relieved to find that they were very friendly and they
lucky we are to live in nice houses, have plenty of food, go to
started to talk to me and my brother straight away. I could see
good schools and most importantly have a loving family around
from their clothes and shoes that they were not very well off,
us. The children at the home are not as fortunate as us but they
but all of them smiled and seemed happy to see us.
are now happy and on the right path to make a better future for
One of the boys, named James, showed us around the home.
themselves. I am so glad that I was able to meet them and see
We got to see the big bedrooms that had lots of bunk beds and how I can make a difference to their lives. I have decided to try
the open air kitchen where the cook makes the breakfasts and
and support the children at the home as much as I can by a
dinners. The weather in Kenya is always sunny so the children range of fund raising ideas which I will let you know about
can have mealtimes outdoors.
soon.
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February 27 2015
Poetry Competition final
This morning the Pre-Prep held their annual Poetry
Competition. Before half term every boy learnt a poem with
titles ranging from the ‘Veggy Lion’ to the ‘Footballer's Prayer’.
The preliminary rounds were difficult to judge but eventually
three boys from each class were put forward to recite their
poem in front of their parents, the other Pre-Prep boys, Mr
Robinson and Mrs Doran.
Mrs Doran, Head of Thorpe House Pre-Prep, was faced with
the difficult task of choosing the class winners and finally the
overall winner of the competition. Each boy recited his poem
clearly and in their own way. After much thought, Mrs Doran
announced that Satyen Radia in the Squirrels was the Pre-Prep
Poetry Competition winner 2015. Well done to all the boys who
learnt their poems so well and to all the finalists.
Class winners
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Badgers
Panagiotis Giannoulopoulos
Eagles
Louis Dimmock
Otters
Ansh Soni
Owls
Daniel Southon
Robins
George Radburn
Squirrels
Satyen Radia
February 27 2015
The band of the Lambs
Great fun was had by all on Tuesday as the Lambs created their own band during a music lesson. The boys had an
opportunity to play the ‘big bass drum’, tambourine, rhythm sticks and triangle and they performed superbly well.
Next stop - X factor!
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February 27 2015
All aboard!
Our topic in The Lambs this week is boats. We all made a boat out of foil and our experiment was to see whether the boats
would sink or float. If the boat floated we estimated how many men we could put in the boat before it sunk. It took 16 men to
sink Miss Whyton’s boat but Thomas Manikin's was still afloat!
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February 27 2015
Creating mosaics in Year 4
After our visit to Verulamium and having seen the amazing mosaics in the museum, the boys in Year 4 have worked hard to
make mosaics of their own. In each class the boys worked in Houses to design and create these beautiful mosaics. Co-operation
and planning were essential components of some very lovely art work on our History theme.
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February 27 2015
Sun shines on Austrian slopes
Half term had just begun and St John’s boys were setting off on an
adventure in the Austrian Alps. Sunday the 15th saw us assemble at school
for the first leg of our journey to Altenmarkt via Munich. Terminal 5 was
busy with lots of people heading off to the slopes for the half term break
and the boys were excited of the prospect of six days of skiing. We touched
down in Munich and transferred to our hotel in Altenmarkt which was a
three hour coach ride away.
Day 1 done and it was time to hit the slopes and get on the mountain for
the first time. The boys were put into 4 groups; two beginners, one
intermediate and one advanced group. We were stationed at the
Altenmarkt area of the resort and it was perfect for everybody to find their
ski legs and sample some of the more gentle runs in the Austrian Alps. It
wasn’t without its mishaps though and Aaron Patel managed to nearly
knock down one of the pylons that holds up the gondola! Lunch is always a
highlight of any skiing trip and the boys enjoyed tucking into the local
delicacy of chips smothered in ketchup. The Headmaster imposed his
‘Chip Tax’ on every plate which the boys were reluctant to pay!
After two days in Altenmarkt we moved further up the valley to the much
bigger resort of Zauchensee that covers a much larger skiing area. The sun
was still shining and there was not a cloud in sight. The boys were flying
down the mountain by now and the top groups were experiencing the
thrills of the black runs and the very icy run 5A. Each day ended in the
waffle bar where the boys replenished their fatigued muscles with the
largest waffles in Austria, smothered in chocolate and crème.
Après ski was always good fun and the ice skating showed that we have a
lot of talented boys on the ice. From complete beginners to advanced
skaters they had great fun flying around the ice (mainly on the ground!) at
high speed. This seemed like a more dangerous option than the ski slopes
but we did escape with no injuries. Swimming night was equally successful
with the local pool having the biggest slides the boys could have dreamt of!
On the final night the boys treated us all to a review of the week and took
the opportunity to poke fun at some of the staff members; Miss
Henderson’s commandeering of the mirror to check out her new jacket; Mr
Brown’s obsession with trying to capture action shots with the helmet cam
and Mr Lawrence getting left behind at the bus stop! All good fun.
A big thank you must go to Mr Lawrence who organised the trip, it all ran
smoothly and he managed to sort the weather out as well! To our two
parents who travelled, Mr Blunt and Mr Bridgewater, thank you for all you
did for the boys and all the pictures that you took. I’m sure that the boys
who were experiencing skiing for the first time will be hooked for life.
Check out the action here Austria Ski Trip
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February 27 2015
Ski trip in pictures
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February 27 2015
Ski trip in pictures
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February 27 2015
Hockey
V Davenies away 13th February
U11 A Won 7-0
Goals: Matthew Crow x 1, Harjeevan Sandhu x 3, Daniel Odejinmi x 1,
Michael Ohio-Ezomo x 2
MOM: Whole team
On a smaller pitch the side played some very good hockey and up front
Harjeevan Sandhu and Michael Ohio-Ezomo had a number of scoring
opportunities and scored 5 goals which was an excellent
achievement. On the flanks, Matthew Crow, Max Davies, Joshua
Adonis and Harry Bridgewater all played their part and provided many
telling passes for the front two players. At the back Daniel Odejinmi
was outstanding in defence and in goal Sebastian Wynn made some
good saves.
V Davenies away 13th February
U10 A Won 1-0
Goals: Alex Bickerstaff
MOM: Whole team
This was a challenging game because the narrow pitch. In training we
have focussed on passing wide which meant that we were at a slight
disadvantage.
There was good interplay between Alex Bickerstaff and Jake Prior. The
former setting up Jake for a one on one opportunity on goal which we
didn’t manage to convert. However, with minutes to play we scored
through nice play in the small D, with Alex Bickerstaff scoring.
Arin Gorslar in goal was rarely tested whilst Adam Knowles, Ben
Kleiner and Ben Hellewell were strong at the back. Their concentration
was key in keeping a clean sheet.
U10 B Won 6-0
Goals: Louis Rich x 3, Niyam Shah x 1, Dominic Joslin x 1, Arav Oodit
x1
MOM: Louis Rich
The U10 B team had a successful afternoon being the dominant side
throughout the match. They had good passing skills and were
constantly determined to get possession with captain Dominic Joslin
controlling much of the match from mid-field. Well done boys!
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February 27 2015
U11A Hockey Tournament at Haileybury
U11 IAPS London and S.E. Tournament on 24th February
Place in Tournament: Runners up in the Plate Final
MOM: Daniel Odejinmi
Game 1 v St Faith’s Lost 0-2
We started slowly with Josh Adonis playing his first ever game in goal
making some good saves. This was a game which focussed our minds and
which put us into the right gear for the rest of the tournament.
Game 2 v St George’s, Weybridge Drew 1-1
Goals: Alex Bickerstaff
The opposition were very strong and against the run of play Alex
Bickerstaff went around the goal keeper to score a superb goal. Sebastian
Wynn made some great saves and in the end the opposition scored a goal
to even the match.
Game 3 v Chigwell Drew 1-1
Goals: Alex Bickerstaff
We were certainly the better team and again Alex Bickerstaff scored an
excellent goal to lead the match. Out wide, Matthew Crow and Max Davies
played very well on the flanks. In defence, Daniel Odejinmi and Daniel
Sayani were superb in defence. With only 20 seconds remaining on the
clock the opposition scored to even the match.
Game 4 v Berkhamsted Drew 0-0
Two good sides battling it out and throughout the season both teams had
won and lost against each other. Both teams had scoring chances but in the
end a draw was a fair result.
Game 5 v South Lee Won 1-0
Goals: Michael Ohio-Ezomo
With each game only lasting 10 minutes it was important that we scored
first and we did with Michael Ohio-Ezomo scoring the goal to win the
match. Again we dominated the play and deserved the win.
Game 6 v Bancrofts (Plate Competition) Won 1-0
Goals: Matthew Crow
The opposition were a good side but an excellent pass from Harry Bridgewater released Matthew Crow to score an early goal and give the St. John’s
team a real lift. After good lead up play, Max Davies scored a very good
goal by placing it in the right corner to seal the win. A great team effort.
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February 27 2015
Hockey Tournament at Haileybury School
Game 7 v Swanbourne House Won 2-0
Goals: Matthew Crow and Max Davies
Another good win from the side with Matthew Crow
scoring an early goal and then Max Davies scored a
very good goal by placing it in the right corner to seal
the win. A great team effort.
Game 8 v Aldwickbury Won 2-0
Goals: Harjeevan Sandhu and Max Davies
The side played well as a team and moved the ball
around intelligently. A great cross from the right and
Harjeevan Sandhu was in the right position to drill the
ball into the goal. Another good attack created the
scoring chance for Max Davies to score the second
goal.
Game 9 v Loyola Prep Won 1-0
Goals: Own goal
This was a messy game and we never really got into
our free flowing game. However, we batted and in the
end the opposition conceded an own goal.
Game 10 v St Martin’s (Semi Final) Won 1-0
Goals: Alex Bickerstaff
A tight game with both sides playing good hockey.
The St. John’s side were able to cover the ground
more quickly and in the end it was another excellent
goal from Alex Bickerstaff that won the match.
However, this was a great team effort.
Game 11 v St Faiths’s (Final) Lost 0-1 with
sudden death goal!
The St. John’s side battled hard and it was evenly
matched but St. Faith’s just had a little more
composure on the ball. The first 10 minutes flew by
and into extra time the opposition scored the goal to
win the match. All the boys who took part in this
tournament should be very proud of what they have
achieved.
A great effort.
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February 27 2015
Hockey
V UCS home 25th February
U13 A Won 13-0
Goals: Jamie Graham x 4, Sam Bickerstaff x 3, Haydon Carr x 2,
Adam Chatoo x 4
MOM: A real team effort
A great team effort with the ball being passed quickly with
excellent movement around the pitch where the play simply flowed
effortlessly. We started very well with the front players shooting on
regular occasions at the UCS keeper. However, he made some
incredible saves but we still attacked relentlessly. In the end the
goals started coming when players passed out to wide channels for
Adam Chatoo, Haydon Carr, Sam Bickerstaff and Jamie Graham
to score a number of goals.
In defence, Niam Patel was outstanding and he was ably supported
by Jamie Wilford and Jolan Baxter. To be fair Kieran Chauhan had
a very quiet afternoon but he did make the occasional save in the
match. This was an excellent performance against a UCS side who
were skilful but on the day the St. John’s side were simply better.
U12 A Won 13-2
Goals: Harry Whistler x 5, Shiv Parmar x 3, William Crane x1,
Andrew Holt x 1, Luke Kenny x 1, Rohan Patel x 1,
Krish Patwal x 1
MOM: Harry Whistler for his outstanding striking
This was another commanding performance from the Under 12
squad and although we started slowly the end result was
convincing. From the off we struggled to get any rhythm in our
game and sloppy passing meant that we were unable to retain the
ball for any length of time. This made it difficult for us to break the
UCS defence down. However, with good work from the midfield
we were finally able to make chances for striker Harry Whistler,
who eventually found the back of the net on five occasions. Once
we had made the initial breakthrough we settled down to passing
the ball around with ease and the drills we had worked on in
training started to show their worth as we played the ball around
the UCS team; being patient on the ball and not hitting aimless
passes. Shiv Parmar was once again influential in midfield, this
allowed Krish Patwal opportunities to get the ball forward. Our
defence was strong and UCS never really caused us any problems.
This was another good team performance.
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February 27 2015
Rugby
V Orley Farm 26th February
U8 A Lost 75-70
Tries: Too many to mention!
MOM: Nathan Hedges
This was a game that was flowing from end to end with both teams
showing some great flair to score so many tries. It was Orley Farm who got under way
quicker than us with a couple of big strong runners who were able to keep the ball and
dodge our tacklers. They went into the lead with a couple of well taken tries but Nathan
Hedges was able to keep us in touch with some excellent running. It was a man of the
match performance that kept us in touch with the opposition and at half time we were
only two tries down at 45-35. The second half was another exciting affair with plenty of
good running from both side and it was St John’s who tried to move the ball through
the hands to create opportunities to score. At the end of the match it was always going
to be very close and we just didn’t have enough to draw the scores level. However this
was another fine performance and the boys have done extremely well throughout the
season and should be proud of the way they have played.
U8 B Won 55-30
Tries: Sebastian Ashman-Rodgers x 2, Zac Addison x 1,
Henry Carpmael x 1, Krish Dixit x 1, Jadon Lee x 1,
Bradley Nwabudike x 1, Aaron Patel x 1, Arjun Shah x 2, Max Wheeler x 1
The boys played very well at times. I was most pleased with the
determination to make tags. Many of the boys moved up quickly and forced Orley Farm
backwards. When Orley made a break, they chased back in numbers, determined not to
let them score. There were some fantastic moments in attack. The most pleasing were
the moments of quick movement and quick passing just before or after a tag was made.
There was also some excellent evasive running and we made many breaks. However, we
do need to be careful not to run out and not to throw a bad pass which stops the whole
flow, once we have made a break. An excellent effort and a good win – well done boys!
Aaron Patel (3C) stands amongst the stars
Aaron had an amazing experience on Wednesday night as a players mascot at the Arsenal v Monaco Champion’s League
game at the Emirates. We will gloss over the score and actually Aaron tells me that deep down he is a true blue Chelsea fan!
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February 27 2015
There were many excited boys in the art room eager to show Mrs
Green their designs for the House Art Competition. The theme –
‘inside, outside’ has been approached in a variety of different ways and
they will be completing this in class over the next couple of weeks. As
well as the House Art, boys in Years 3 and 4 have also been asked to
participate in the ‘ Design Your Own Wow Badge` part of
Hillingdon’s` Walk to School ’ campaign. This year’s theme is ‘Our
Healthy Planet`. We have discussed ways in which we can help
preserve our planet – for example, walking or cycling to school which
helps cut pollution, saving water and looking after our rainforests. The
boys have come up with some lovely designs and ideas.
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February 27 2015
Calendar and important dates
Contact details
Monday 2nd March: Joint MTS & St. John's
Concert at Merchant Taylors' Hall (6.45pm)
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 3rd March: Year 2 Victorian Workshop
(all day)
Rugby v Orley Farm U9 A, B (a) (2.15pm)
Wednesday 4th March: Hockey v Aldenham
U12, U13 (a) (2.30pm)
Belmont Oti Relay Race: Year 6 (4.00pm)
Thursday 5th March: Rugby v Caldicott &
St. Columba's U8A, B, C (at Caldicott) (2.15pm)
Friday 6th March: UKMT Maths Challenge at
Haberdashers’ (9.00-3.00pm)
U11A Hockey Tournament at UCS (1.00-4.30pm)
Saturday 7th March: Watford Festival (Strings)
Sunday 8th March: Watford Festival (Wind and
Brass)
Junior Drama Rehearsals (10.00am-1.00pm)
Prashant Pandha is the first
boy to be awarded his
Platinum certificate for 160
House points congratulations!
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
St John’s films. Make sure that you watch Mr Brown’s latest
video which captures the enjoyment of boys on their recent ski
trip to Austria. Click on the first link below. To view our other
short films you can click on the following links:
Austria Ski Trip
Au revoir, Miss Gillen
Wind Band goes West
Chicks are for kids!
Year 6 trip to Northumberland St John’s YouTube channel
Guitar group video
Yr 5 Chinese New Year video
Yr 8 Bikeability video
St John’s Sevens video
Sam Katz interview
Year of 2008 at Knapp House
Year of 2014 at Knapp House
House Music Festival. Rounds continue next week as follows:
Grade 5 Lawrence and Churchill Thursday 5th March
Grade 5 Lincoln and Oates Friday 6th March
Boys involved in the Brass Band, Chamberlain Ensemble and
Cello Group must remember to bring their instruments and
music to school on Monday for our concert at Merchant
Taylors’ Hall that evening. Wind Band and String Group are on
Tuesday.
Watford Festival. A reminder to boys involved next weekend
that they need a spare copy of their music for the adjudicator. A
St Helen’s and MTS Phab Disco. There are still a few tickets
photocopy is acceptable.
left (priced £7) for this event on 25th March. Tickets (Year 8
only) are on sale in the School Office. Once they’ve gone,
Casino Night at MTS.
they’ve gone!
Merchant Taylors’ would
like to extend a warm
World Book Day. Next Thursday is World Book Day and to
invitation to our parents to
celebrate this event we are delighted to welcome the author, Jeff
join them at this fund raising
Norton to come and speak to Years 3-8 on Friday 6th March.
event on 20th March.
Your son is most welcome to come to school that day dressed
as a character from a book of his choice rather than uniform.
Have a good weekend and let’s hope for a big win on Sunday!
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February 27 2015