AstraZeneca: Science in Pictures Workshops
How many different proteins are there in the human body? How long does it take to develop a new drug? These were just two of the questions which were answered for our Year 6 and 7 pupils during a series of workshops led by Scientists from AstraZeneca this week.
Our pupils were taken on a virtual tour of the new AstraZeneca building to be opened at the Addenbrookes site later this year, including a walk through a working lab. Several pupils commented on some of the unexpected role of robots and Artificial Intelligence in drug development. They also gained a fascinating understanding of the many stages of trials which new drugs must go through, with only a fraction reaching full approval stage.
Invited to submit artwork for display in AstraZeneca’s new building, our Year 6 & Year 7 pupils will be preparing and submitting their designs over the next few weeks – they had some fabulous ideas, as well as asking our visitors some astute questions.
We are extremely grateful to the AstraZeneca team for giving up their valuable time to inspire our young scientists and open their eyes to careers of the future in the world of scientific discovery.
Moving on to Year 3
In preparation for moving into Year 3 in September, the current Year 2 pupils have enjoyed being mentored by their older peers. To this end, Year 7 buddies have been meeting with Year 2 pupils each week and speaking with them about expectations and opportunities that await them next year. As reported last week, a recent buddy session helped the Year 2 pupils learn to tie their ties, with our Year 7 pupils being excellent teachers!
The Year 2 pupils have also visited the Year 3 classrooms and Junior area of the school. Here, the current Year 3 pupils helped them navigate through the corridors on a treasure hunt to show them the different rooms and areas where they will spend time learning. The Year 2 pupils also had an opportunity to ask questions about Year 3. A cookie snack and additional break on the main field completed a successful induction and everyone left reassured and excited about the forthcoming move up to Year 3.
Familiarisation Visits
Staying with the theme of transition, this week saw the second group visit of new Foundation children confirmed as joining St Faith’s in September 2022. In total almost 50 children will have visited Pre Prep during May and June. I am sure they will be very excited to find out who their classmates are going to be when they ‘Meet the Class’ on 1st July.
The Pupil Voice
Shortly before half-term, members of the School Council were busy asking children across different year groups what they really enjoy about being at St Faith’s. They then recorded the great variety of answers on a new “Pupil Voice” noticeboard, which is now proudly displayed next to the dining room. Thank you very much to Mrs Parker for working with the pupils on this wonderful project.
Animal Adventures
‘Paddington’ the very fine-looking Ragdoll cat, was enthusiastically welcomed to Year 3 ‘Animal Adventures’ activity this week. Paddington padded around the classroom, explored the nooks and crannies, and finally settled down for a gentle stroke and tickle from the children. Already this term the Year 3 and 4 ‘Animal Adventurers’ have also been visited by a rabbit, a guinea pig, several dogs and a 20 year old tortoise! Mrs Walker, our Head of Years 3 and Years 4 is always on the lookout for interesting animal visitors! Please email Mrs Walker (jwalker@stfaiths.co.uk) if you have a friendly and well-behaved pet who might like to visit in the Michaelmas Term.
Year 6 Landscape Painting
In Art lessons, pupils in Year 6 have been studying the work of the British landscape artist William Heaton Cooper. The pupils have learnt about how to show perspective, depth and distance in their preparatory drawings, and they have learnt to apply a variety of watercolour skills and techniques to their paintings. They have also studied the colourful abstract landscapes of David Hockney and have created some of their own, using oil pastels.
Year 1 trip to Hedingham Castle
Year 1 had the most memorable day on Wednesday when they visited Hedingham Castle in neighbouring Essex. During their expedition, the children found out about different herbal remedies, as well as hearing about the people who work in the castle and all about bows, arrows, shields and weapons. They even took part in some jousting, dancing and singing of their own.
£5 Charity Challenge
On Thursday, the Year 8 pupils ran their final Charity Challenge stalls at morning break. Following very successful projects in 2019 and 2020, Year 8 pupils were given the opportunity to take part in an exciting entrepreneurial activity to raise money for charity – the £5 Charity Challenge.
Pupils had the opportunity to take out a £5 interest-free loan to start their own small business. They could work alone, or join with other pupils to pool their finances. If they chose to take part, they had to submit a 100-word explanation of their business idea and how they would spend their loan.
Once their proposal is approved, the children’s businesses trade for a period of four weeks before having to repay the loan and return all profits to school, to be donated to charity. In addition to the two allocated trading dates at school, pupils are also able to do some trading away from school. Next Monday will be the final day of the £5 Challenge.
All profits will be donated to our chosen charity, Meseret for Women, supporting vulnerable women in Ethopia, and the results will be announced in next week’s newsletter. Thank you to all those parents who have supported the pupils in their transformative fundraising efforts.
Speech and Drama Tea-time Recital
Yesterday afternoon children from Years 3 to 8 honed their speech and drama skills with a series of superb recitals, including extracts from Charles Dickens, Roald Dahl, William Shakespeare, The Hundred Mile an Hour Dog, and L. Frank Baum’s fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, to name but a few. An appreciative audience was captivated by these spellbinding performances and all the children can draw great confidence from their assured deliveries.
Sports Day
Today the children in Years 3 to 8 have enjoyed their Sports Day event at the University Sports Ground on Wilberforce Road. A re-designed programme enabled track and field events to take place in the morning during the cooler part of the day. With pupils and their supporters donning sunhats and shades, plus liberal applications of sunscreen, and plenty of hydration, there was a tremendous atmosphere on this special occasion. Full reports will be included with next week’s newsletter.
Year 5 and 6 Singles Tennis Tournaments
Following on from Years 7 and 8 the week before, it was the turn of Years 5 and 6 to play in their singles tennis tournament. On a warm and still Monday evening at Latham Road the girls and boys played some impressive tennis and overall it was a great evening of sport.
U12 – U14 East Area Athletics
On Friday last week, the U12 – U14 Girls and Boys took part in their East Region Athletics trials at Bedford International Athletics Stadium. It was a most memorable day with 15 of our pupils qualifying for the National finals and two relay teams. The children’s performances were consistently impressive across a wide variety of disciplines and by the end of the trials, several school and area records were broken.
East area athletics trials results
East Anglian Prep Schools’ Athletics (Southern Area Championships)
On Tuesday of this week, St Faith’s hosted 26 schools from around the Eastern region at Wilberforce Road for the annual Athletics Championships for U10 and U11 Boys and Girls.
The children performed admirably, achieving some excellent results and we look forward to another impressively talented groups of athletes progressing through the school.
EAST AREA ATHLETICS RESULTS
IAPS Swimming National Finals
Four pupils attended the IAPS Swimming National Finals last Saturday at the Aquatics Centre in London, enjoying the wonderful opportunity to swim in an Olympic pool! It proved to be a hugely successful day for all four of our competitors. Three of our pupils qualified for the finals back in March in 12th position, with one further pupil in 20th, but on the day, they all rose to the occasion and exceeded expectations. The day finished with a highly commendable 12th overall in the 25m backstroke, and three final placings, nationally amongst Prep School children, 8th in the U12 50m breaststroke, 7th in the U12 50m freestyle, a new school record, and a personal best time and new school record in the 50m freestyle, earning a silver medal.
Rowing with King’s Ely
Our Year 7 and 8 rowers enjoyed a special training session this week. Due to the University bumps happening on the Cam, instead our rowers were invited to join King’s Ely in octuples (8 scullers in the same boat) for some friendly sprint races. We also visited the Cambridge University Boat House. Pupils also saw 2 Olympic champion women’s rowers from New Zealand out on a training session. A glorious afternoon!
Old Fidelian Tennis Match
In the lead up to Wimbledon, and enjoying some of the warmest temperatures of this year so far, Old Fidelians and current parents battled it out on the tennis courts at Latham Road on Tuesday evening. As always, it was a very relaxed and enjoyable event, rounded off by some welcome refreshments.
Thank you so much to everyone for coming along and we are looking forward to seeing you for the football match on the 24th June and the OF BBQ on the 16th September. Save the date now! Newcomers are always very welcome at any of our OF events. If you wish to join the mailing list, please email marketing@stfaiths.co.uk
And Finally …..
With mid-summer and the longest day of the year now approaching, it will be a great pleasure to join parents at the sell-out SFPA Summer Party this evening. I look forward to enjoying a beautiful warm Cambridge summer evening in great company and am grateful to the SFPA for all their hard work in organising this summer celebration.
With all best wishes,
Dr Crispin Hyde-Dunn
