Junior School Chronicle Summer 2018
Everything that’s been happening in Junior School, written by our pupils.
House Music and Poetry This annual event showcases the music and drama talent we have in our Junior School. Musical performances covered a range of instruments from guitar and piano through to Indian drum. Individual poetry recitals were delivered very clearly and were full of expression and character. After the interval we moved on to the House Poem competition which is always keenly contested. The results were: Category
Winner
House
House Poetry Y3/4 (individ)
Tom
Derby
House Poetry Y5/6 (individ)
Sam
Derby
House Music Y3/4
Benny
Atkinson
House Music Y5/6
Danny
Derby
House Poem (group)
Derby
House Events
Swimming Galas
Hockey
In the Individual Swimming Gala it was almost as exhilarating cheering others as it was racing.
Position
House
1st
Bemrose
Joint 2nd
Blackton & Derby
4th
Atkinson
When you thundered up the lane your heart was in your mouth. We had a great time with Bemrose being the ultimate winners. Tom, Year 5
Cricket
For the Relay Gala there was nervous excitement in the air and everyone was ready for the Gala. The house captains helped a lot and told us who was going next. The houses were very supportive for whoever was going to swim regardless of which house or whether they were doing lengths or widths. All the houses tried their best but Bemrose were victors yet again. Ali, Year 5 Page 2
Position
House
1st
Bemrose
2nd
Derby
3rd
Blackton
4th
Atkinson
A Review of The Year, by our Head Boy and Deputy Head Boys Being Head Boy has been an absolute honour. I feel more responsible and mature now. It has been a challenge as I’ve been given huge responsibilities such as being on School Council and doing whole-school speeches. Also I’ve recognised that pupils in the younger years look up to me so I must always be sensible. I would like to thank everyone for giving me this opportunity. I hope I have served the School well. Jai Being Deputy Head Boy was a lot of fun. We did lots of duties each day. Adam I especially enjoyed making clubs, like DT, and organising healthy eating week. Will
Junior School Chronicle | Summer 2018
Year 3 Year 3 have described what they have been doing in different subjects: “I chose for my computing project to do football. We had to make a video and edit it. I showed on the film a free kick and a normal mini-match.” Ted “I was in goal and didn’t save a single shot against Ted!” Ollie “At the start of the year we learnt about rocks, soil, magnets, forces and movement. We then learnt about feeding and what plants need. We are currently working on parts of a plant. All the topics are fabulous!” George
Year 4 - Henry VIII and Salad-Making I loved learning about King Henry VIII and his family, and most of all what happened to each wife. Nicholas This term we have been investigating different salads which has been great fun and exciting. We started off tasting some pre-made salads from the supermarket and then we learnt how to peel and prepare carrots. We made Niçoise Salads which were tasty. Finally we got to design and make our own salads. Chef was so impressed that she asked for the recipes and they have been appearing on the salad bar at lunchtime! Tom
“I liked the part when we watered our tomato plant 40ml each day.” Kian “I like maths because it’s not too hard and not too easy. I also like using the whiteboard and all of the animations makes it interesting. I like doing driving tests to practise our mental maths.” Adam “In one English lesson we wrote a Quest Myth. We had to have an island, a hero and a villain. My myth was about the hero Sir Derbylot.” Musa
Year 5 Victorians
Curriculum
In class for our History lesson we have been learning about the Victorians. The lessons were really fun. My favourite one was when Mrs Hamilton pretended to be a Victorian teacher and we had to write in Victorian handwriting-style. Hamza
Junior School Chronicle | Summer 2018
Year 6 Controllable Vehicles
In Year 6 we made controllable vehicles. It was a lot of fun because we spent time in the Senior DT lab and got to use power tools. It really sparked an interest in DT for me and I’ve since joined the DT club. It was really fun, but it was also hard work. Once we saw the end result we knew it had been worth it. Roj
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Year 3 - Walk Around Our Local Area
Year 4 - Churnet Valley Railway
I enjoyed our walk around the local area. The Chemist shop had medicine which I loved seeing through the windows.
We started with a ride on a steam train. For some of us it was our first time on one. Suddenly, the air-raid siren went off and there was a blackout!
Zan Fish was a wonder to see but it had smoke inside the kitchen at the time because people were cooking.
Next we were taken by different families at the child auction. Then we had a quiz on identifying planes.
Houses were a common sight to see.
Anish
In April Year 4 went on a trip to Churnet Valley Railway.
Daniel
Year 5 - Black Country Museum
Trips and Visits
I loved the Black Country Museum as the houses were really unique and warm. The shops were really interesting as they work differently to the modern times, especially the cobblers and the pawn brokers shop. Tharusan The Black Country Museum was really fun and I learned a lot of new things. There was a Victorian school where they punished left-handed people. Elliott
Year 6 Tissington Trail
On May 18 the whole of Year 6 went to the Tissington Trail. It was fun but very arduous because we had to cycle 20 miles! My favourite part during the cycle was that Mr Hills (a Senior School teacher) fell in to a bush while he was cycling. Luckily, he did not get injured so he still managed to cycle the whole course. After a long journey, we finished off the day with a delicious icecream. All of Year 6 enjoyed the trip and I am definitely sure that Year 5 will enjoy it next year too. Hadi
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Junior School Chronicle | Summer 2018
Bikeability Year 6 took their Bikeability Level 2 course, and Year 5 took Level 1, earlier this term. “The tutors are really kind and encouraging. In two days we were riding our bikes. They helped us to balance and be confident on our bikes.” Atri and Shivam, Year 5
In the NSPCC assembly they told us how worries can affect children so much. They told us about Childline so if we have any worries, big or small, we can talk to them. Year 5 and Year 6 then had a separate workshop and they told us all about the different abuses and what they mean. The main thing is that children have the right to speak out and stay safe. It was great! Dhruv, Year 5
Meet The Author
Colour Blast Dash
We went to see Christopher Edge. When he told us he’d written more books I immediately wanted to read them. He told us about Schrödingers cat and how he was a science teacher. He said he was a bad science teacher, but he was clever. We got our books signed by him.
Will and I went on the Colour Blast Dash. I wore a tutu. We came 45th and 46th and were covered in powder paint by the end.
Alex, Year 5
At the end of the run my brother, sister and Mum had eaten all of the food so I got a loooong sugary cable and was instantly refreshed! Daniel and Will, Year 6
Bag2School
Rolls-Royce Design Challenge
Twice a year I organise a Bag2School collection. The money is always split between the Tanzania project and the PTA, and this year we have raised a fantastic £534!
Eleven Year 5 and 6 pupils took part in the Challenge on 16 June. We were split in to two teams and given the task to build a working crane. I already wanted to be an engineer, but this made me want to be one even more!
Thank you everyone who has donated this year. Our next collection is Wednesday 26 September 2018, so if you’re having a summer clear-out, bear Bag2School in mind. Mrs Genders
Congratulations to Daniel, Ollie, Hadi, Alex, Tharusan and Teo who won the prize for The Most Innovative Design. The R-R Design Teams
Sixth Formers loaded up the Bag2School collection
Junior School Chronicle | Summer 2018
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Howzat!
Sports Day
This term the boys have been having fun while improving their batting, bowling and fielding skills. The U10/11’s have participated in a number of semi-hard ball pairs and hard ball matches, and have put in strong individual and team performances. U9’s had their first competitive fixture this year, showing great commitment in the field and partnerships while batting.
What a glorious day we had for Sports Day! Congratulations to our winners, Bemrose. Well done to everyone who took part. Thankyou to Mr Smyth for arranging the day, to our Sixth Formers for helping out, and to all the parents who came along to support the boys. Mrs Sly
It’s been pleasing to see so many boys attend afterschool Cricket Club, and even more so seeing the impact this has made on their development. Well done to all for a fantastic sporting season and I’ll leave you with the words from our Sports Prefect and Derbyshire U11 player, Tomás, to sum up the season: “It has been a successful cricket season with lots of great shots, brilliant bowling and fantastic fielding!” Mr Smyth
Sports
Swimming Gala
We travelled to Nottingham High School for the swimming gala. When we got in to the water we did some laps to warm up. We came 4th and 3rd, but we had so much fun! Eisah, Year 5
Clubs Soccerstars Ash from Soccerstars has run football club on a Thursday after School this term. The boys always thoroughly enjoy practising skills and taking part in tournaments. Look out for details about their Autumn term club. Drama Our lovely Drama Prefect, Georgina, has been taking the helm during drama club this half term. We have had some fantastic sessions. Last week it was how facial expressions can impact upon our characters and this week we have had a crash course in improvisation! And not to mention the sweetie rewards…..
Spelling Bee We had the amazing opportunity to help out with the 2018 competition. We were excited for the finalists in each year group. Everyone had a great time as the battles went head-to-head a lot. We had one winner in each year - Daniel, Tom, Tharusan and Hadi. We helped out by writing the scores so we realised how close the battles really were. Great spelling everyone! Krishan & Danny, Year 5
National Maths Quiz Challenge In Quiz Club we practise quizzes to build up for the big quiz. We have to come up with different tactics. The quiz was held at Derby High School. We had our own buzzer, pen and paper. We did really well in mental and problem solving categories. All five of us enjoyed it. Sam, Year 5
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Junior School Chronicle | Summer 2018
Derby Arts Festival
Achievements
Another successful year with 21 boys entered in the Speech and Drama section. The standard was higher than ever and all who entered performed brilliantly!
Year 3’s Class Assembly
Of particular note were the performances of Dhruv (Y5) and Benedict (Y4) who were placed joint 3rd in the 9 Years class, performing the poem, ‘Where Do All The Teachers Go?’, and a special mention must be given to Omer (Y5) who was placed 1st out of 32 competitors in the 10 Years class, with ‘The Snitterjipe’.
We had great fun taking part in our class assembly on the Ancient Egyptians and acting what we had learnt. For a treat afterwards we got biscuits! James
The choir was up against tough competition but, as always, performed beautifully.
Omer and his winners trophy.
Mrs Simpson & Mr Wilford
Golden Table April
Music and Drama Showcase On 24 May, Juniors took to the stage to show off the skills they have been learning in peripatetic speech and drama and music lessons. The evening is always of an incredible standard. We had a wide variety of fantastic performances including poems, speeches, prose extracts, acting, piano, guitar, drums, clarinet, trombone and of course not forgetting performances from the Year 3 recorders and the Junior Band. I love hosting this evening each year - it is wonderful to see so much talent on our stage. I hope that all involved enjoyed this chance to perform, and I have no doubt that this will give you the confidence to keep learning and improving in your peripatetic lessons. Mrs Simpson
Honour Points Honour Point race for this term: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Bemrose Derby Blackton Atkinson
Congratulations to our class high scorers:
3663 3417 3043 2877
Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6
George 367 Harjan & Nicholas 251 Dhruv 221 Hadi 202
(Results as at 28.06.18) Junior School Chronicle | Summer 2018
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A Final Word From Mrs Sly I always come to the end of the academic year thinking, ‘Where on earth did that time go?’ I wonder if you feel the same when you look at your son and can’t believe that he is moving on to the next school year? It is usual at this time of year to be saying goodbye, or hello, to staff. But this year has been a steady one: tutors stay in the same year groups next year; Mr Smyth and Mr Wilford are settled now; Miss Devine and Mrs Murphy have adapted superbly to their roles. We have a vast amount of experience in our Junior School and I know that, collectively, we give our boys the very best that we can, academically and pastorally. It is an exciting time, with a new Head of School beginning next term and some other initiatives where we are linking even more with the Senior School. Miss Ciaravino (new languages teacher) will teach our French and Latin next year, and Mr Lakritz and Ms Sweet (new DT teacher) will add some pizzazz to our DT topics and computing lessons. One of the many benefits of being within a through-school is using their subject expertise to give our pupils a better learning experience, and to make the transition to Senior School easier when it comes. Ms Sellors continues to teach Art to the Juniors and, of course, we also benefit from specialist music and sports teachers. At the beginning of this academic year, we decided to change the prefect roles and I have to say I am pleased with how well it has turned out. Tomás, particularly, in his role of Sports Prefect has thrown himself into his responsibilities, undertaking his duties diligently and even taking an assembly where he had us on our feet doing exercises! Thank you to all Year 6 prefects – you will be a hard act to follow! I must also thank the Junior School Council: Jeona, Sam, Tom, Benny and George, as well as Jai, Adam and Will in their Head and Deputy roles. They have worked hard this year and are always willing to help make life for a DGJS boy more enjoyable. One of the clubs suggested at School Council was Warhammer which has been very popular. Chester offered to run it and has been outstanding since its introduction – I do hope he will return again next year. I could go on and mention everybody by name but must draw to a close. It has been a super year and the greatest asset in our School is the boys. We are very lucky as teachers to have pupils who are not only keen to learn but are so excited and enthusiastic. I would like to thank them for the year, and also to you, our wonderful parents, for your support and commitment. The staff and I wish you all a lovely summer break. Mrs Sly, Head of Junior School
Leavers It is time to say GOODBYE to our Year 6 leavers. You’ve been great, boys, and all the staff wish you the best of luck for the future as you step into your Senior School roles for the next era of your young lives. Special goodbyes to Hadi and Daniel who are moving on to pastures new. The rest of you, see you around the corridors and don’t forget to say, ‘Hello!’ From all of the Junior School staff
Reminders about Autumn term
Whole School House Cross Country and Tug of War: All pupils are expected to attend - Saturday 1 September at Rykneld Sports Centre.
Games for Autumn term is rugby. All boys need rugby shirt, navy shorts, navy rugby socks, school track suit, rugby boots, towel and gum shield.