junior journal...

Trips And Visits

Withington Juniors enjoyed many trips out this term, the first being a visit to the Whitefield Hebrew Congregation, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue. Here, Upper II found out a lot about the Jewish day of religious observance, the different parts of the synagogue and their significance and the ways in which they worship. The following week, Lower II had an informative visit to Khizra Mosque where they learned about prayer rituals, why there are patterns on the wall rather than pictures, as well as how sound travels inside the mosque’s dome. Transition learnt more about Hinduism when Mrs Malhotra, a WGS parent, visited them. Mrs Malhotra spoke to them about what it is like to be a Hindu, and showed several important artefacts associated with Hinduism and photos of her family celebrating various festivals. The term ended with a fascinating talk delivered by Dr Anna Maino about Buddhism.

The spring term has seen the girls enjoying a focus on Science and this has been reflected in visits out of school as well as activities in school. The Upper II classes visited the Museum of Science and Industry where they deepened their understanding of Manchester’s role within the Industrial Revolution. The highlight of the trip came in the afternoon when they were able to try out various practical experiments on their own, focusing on magnetism, gravity and friction. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day and it proved to be an excellent link to their Science and History topics this term.

Form I also enjoyed a Science trip to Catalyst Science Discovery Centre. Taking part in hands-on workshop about gases, the girls also conducted experiments including making a liquid rainbow, a fire extinguisher and a mini vacuum using a marshmallow. The group explored the various exhibitions and enjoyed getting involved in the interactive ones, acting as a TV meteorologist and playing the ‘Guess Who’ game with elements.

Transition and Form I were visited by some rather unusual guests as we welcomed Rebecca’s Beasts to school to introduce tropical insects and crustaceans to the girls in a hands-on workshop. The girls were all very excited to meet the creatures which included giant African snails, hermit and fiddler crabs, a Giant Floridian Katydid; scorpions that when a UV light was shone made their bodies glow a luminous blue; and a Curly Haired Tarantula named Einstein. The workshop brought to life the girls’ art topic of creepy-crawlies in a memorable and informative way, whilst educating them more about the beauty and intricacies of these, at times, less appreciated members of the animal world. In March, Lower II visited Chester Zoo where they learnt about rainforests. They took part in a workshop exploring the importance of the rainforest to both people and wildlife, the classification of animals in the rainforest, and threats to this habitat. The girls discovered the many animals of Chester Zoo, from high flying birds to the biggest snake in Europe, butterflies and primates such as Orangutans and Gibbons, linking Geography and Science as they learned about this beautiful habitat.

This term also heralds the start of the year’s residential trips, with our youngest pupils being the first to spend a couple of nights away from home. From canoeing, climbing and caving, to the trapeze, high ropes challenge course and zip wire, it is safe to say Transition and Form I had a fantastic time at Robinwood this year. Over the course of the three days, they each took part in 13 different activities, creating memories, forging friendships and taking on challenges together.

Music Festival Science Week

The Junior School finished the half term with what can only be described as a musical and dramatic extravaganza. In the morning, the Junior School Music Festival took place, with over 100 entries of varying instruments and specialities being showcased. Students were split into instrument classes and performed for our guest adjudicators, Miss Sophie Smith, Peripatetic Teacher of Percussion at WGS, and Dr Valerie Langfield, renowned pianist and founder of Retrospect Opera. The morning was a wonderful showcase of musical talent within the Junior School, whilst also acting as a fantastic opportunity for students to receive tailored feedback on their progress from professional musicians. Both Miss Smith and Dr Langfield highlighted the high level of talent within the performances, as well as the welcoming and positive environment created by competitors in support of their fellow students.

The day rounded off with the awarding of certificates to the winning competitors, as well as the awarding of the Junior Music Festival trophy, which went to Williams. House points were awarded for both entries and placements, and there was great excitement when the winner was announced.

MR SAM EASTON Music Administrator

The Bexwyke Lecture

On Thursday 23rd March, Manchester Grammar School hosted the Bexwyke Lecture, this year with the theme‘determination’. A small group of Lower II pupils attended the morning workshops during which they created parachutes utilising materials such as bin liners and string. They later tested the efficacy of the creations, experimenting using the parachute to give eggs a safe landing.

The guest speaker was Holly Budge, adventurer and conservationist who has, amongst many other things, skydived from the top of Everest and raced across Mongolia on wild horses. She addressed the pupils in the afternoon session and proved to be an inspirational speaker.

All attendees had been asked to prepare a poster presentation about the day’s theme and Mili Patel was awarded overall first prize. Mili writes:

“After the lecture, Holly announced the winner of a competition which all schools there had taken part in. I was shocked to hear my name being called as the winner. I was given a book voucher and my poster had been framed. Holly shook my hand and I could see all my teachers and classmates cheering for me. When I sat down they all congratulated me.

Finally, my whole year were photographed together with Holly Budge and my poster. It was a brilliant day and I will never forget this experience, and will remember Holly’s words in the future.

It really inspired me to follow my dreams no matter how big they may be. I hope that I am able to go on some amazing adventures in the future. One thing I would love to do but terrifies me, is travelling into space. With Holly’s advice I hope this will be possible one day, if I maintain a positive mindset and attitude.”

The Junior School enjoyed a wonderful spectrum of scientific activities during Junior Science Week. The girls thoroughly enjoyed all the activities and involved themselves fully in all of the different experiments.

On Monday 20th March, each of the Junior classes took part in a workshop on ‘connections’ by BubbleWorks. In this lively and exciting session, they learned about circuits, different forces, and electricity through an assortment of experiments. They particularly enjoyed generating static electricity using balloons and the effect the Van de Graaff generator had on their friends’ hair, caused great hilarity!

Transition and Form I also took part in a workshop where they built a giant tetrahedron. As part of the activity, they also learned all about civil engineering and what a career in a STEM industry might look like.

In class, each form has also carried out a special ‘connections’ class activity, these ranges from ‘Plant Your Pants’ in Transition to lunar dials in Lower II.