Autumn Term Lower School Newsletter
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THE<br />
LOWER<br />
SCHOOL<br />
<strong>Autumn</strong> <strong>Term</strong> 2022<br />
Welcome<br />
As the <strong>Autumn</strong> <strong>Term</strong> bounces along to a seasonappropriate<br />
effervescent finish with our <strong>Lower</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong> Christmas performance on Friday 9<br />
December, I thought it timely to share the learning<br />
that the <strong>Lower</strong> <strong>School</strong> have been focusing on,<br />
realising their potential with their diligent focus<br />
and our expectations with their collaborative<br />
approach to learning and the excellent creativity<br />
and problem solving that they display, inside and<br />
outside of the classroom.<br />
The First Form have quickly become confident<br />
and integral members of our <strong>Lower</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
family and the Second Form are relishing the<br />
responsibility of being older, wiser role models.<br />
As well as the academic progress that you can read<br />
about in this edition of the <strong>Lower</strong> <strong>School</strong>, there<br />
has been a host of Co-Curricular activities and<br />
achievements, such as the First Form’s exuberant<br />
rendition of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor<br />
Dreamcoat, a wealth of Rugby matches enjoyed<br />
and won, debates held, PSHEE days enjoyed and<br />
assemblies delivered with gusto, <strong>School</strong> tours<br />
conducted, and friendships forged.<br />
Mr Baker and I have been impressed with the<br />
boys’ eagerness to demonstrate the <strong>School</strong> motto,<br />
non nobis nati, with their charitable initiatives: the<br />
First Form’s bake sale to raise money for Crisis and<br />
the Second Form’s sponsored bowl, the brainwave<br />
of Mr Ilott, and the proceeds of which will provide<br />
much needed help for Ukraine.<br />
There has been a choice of trips with Second Form<br />
boys enjoying the Roman delights of Chester at<br />
half-term and a large number of <strong>Lower</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
boys excited to experience the gastronomic spirit<br />
of Cologne with the German Christmas Markets<br />
trip.<br />
I could happily write ad infinitum about the boys’<br />
achievements and experiences thus far, but for me,<br />
the best illustration of the strong and supportive<br />
<strong>Lower</strong> <strong>School</strong> family that we are, was observing<br />
the boys at the Remembrance Day service as they<br />
listened intently to the names of Old Albanians<br />
who lost their lives and assembled at the Cenotaph<br />
as wreaths were laid and the Last Post was played,<br />
a mixture of awe and solemnity on their faces, as<br />
they start their St Albans <strong>School</strong> journey.<br />
Mrs Victoria Ginsburg<br />
Deputy Head of <strong>Lower</strong><br />
<strong>School</strong>
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
ART<br />
Art is fun but also educational, it helps teach you many skills<br />
such as creativity which can be used in other skills and subjects.<br />
In my art lessons at the moment we are learning about the work<br />
of a Japanese artist called Yayoi Kusama who uses poker dots<br />
to give her paintings and art three dimensions. This is very<br />
interesting as it helps us to make our art better and expands our<br />
skillset very easily. I find Art so fun because it allows me to use<br />
my imagination and creativity, as there are so many options in<br />
art and there are no set rules to what you have to do. But, the<br />
teachers are also always there to guide you even when doing<br />
independent work.<br />
“In Art the First Form are learning about colour<br />
and perspective, and the Second form students are<br />
creating sculptures inspired by Yayoi Kusama.”<br />
- Mrs Forbes-Whitehead, Head of Art<br />
Liam, Second Form<br />
COMPUTING<br />
In this article, I will be explaining what we have been learning during<br />
Computer Science in the first half term of my second year.<br />
So far, we have been learning about the internet of things. The internet<br />
of things is a control system with three sets of instructions; the input,<br />
algorithm and the output.<br />
We then went into more detail on how algorithms are formulated. We<br />
used Flowol 4 to make different algorithms which gives the mimic the<br />
instructions to follow. If the correct algorithm was used, the mimic would<br />
work properly. This was very rewarding!<br />
Ethan, Second Form<br />
“<br />
First Form have been practising Touch Typing, and learning useful<br />
functionality in presentation and word processing software.<br />
Second Form have been learning about Flowcharts and Control<br />
Systems, and are about to start Cybersecurity.”<br />
- Mrs D’Cruz, Head of Computer Science
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY<br />
Design and Technology is one of my favorite subjects. The fact that every topic<br />
that we work on is interesting and fun is amazing. All the teachers are more than<br />
happy to help and provide suggestions for you and are enlightening when you ask<br />
questions. The resources and equipment are extremely helpful, and we use them<br />
regularly. Now I am making a Dark Activated Night Light. We get to use our own<br />
design and colour; I enjoy how much freedom we have towards our light and the<br />
best part is that we get to take it home.<br />
“<br />
DRAMA<br />
Ishaan, Second Form<br />
First Form have been learning about the Empire Windrush of 1948<br />
and creating characters and scenes based on these events.<br />
Second Form have been studying Stage Combat and writing scenes<br />
to go with their choreographed fight sequences.”<br />
- Mrs Macmull Teacher of Drama<br />
Currently, I’m really enjoying Drama at St Albans <strong>School</strong>. I’m<br />
particularly enjoying Drama because the teachers are so encouraging;<br />
there is never a topic that you cannot enjoy. As well, the amount<br />
of knowledge that the teachers have is incredible, they always have<br />
helpful advice to help you improve. Recently I’ve been learning<br />
about silent movies and what they contain. For an end-of-topic<br />
test, the silent movies that we created in groups were filmed<br />
and edited to such an extent I couldn’t tell the difference<br />
between ours and an actual silent movie.<br />
Tristan, Second<br />
Form<br />
ENGLISH<br />
In English, we have been studying Greek mythology. We have analysed and<br />
attempted to recreate the typical structure of a Greek myth i.e. the hero<br />
being set a quest, succeeding and possibly making a fatal mistake. This was<br />
interesting because despite some exceptions, there were plenty of elements<br />
that were very similar in the different stories and tales.<br />
“<br />
We have also had the exciting opportunity to write our own Greek myth and<br />
place it into a modern world context. Personally, I love creative writing, so<br />
these have been perfect English lessons for me.<br />
The First Form are looking at poetry, with a particular focus on<br />
characters from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The Second Form are<br />
studying a selection of war poetry, including Wilfred Owen and<br />
Jessie Pope.”<br />
- Mr Hughes, Head of English<br />
Theo, First Form
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
FRENCH<br />
French is one of the wondrous languages we learn here in St Albans<br />
<strong>School</strong>. My French teacher is Mr Russ. This term we had been<br />
focusing on numbers up to 31, how to start a conversation, the<br />
French alphabet, how to say your age, your birthday and finally<br />
how to say what is in your bag. At the end of term, we had a test<br />
on these subjects. The topic I enjoyed most was how to say when<br />
your birthday is because we listened to songs and went around the<br />
classroom asking each other’s birthday in French.<br />
Srivats, First Form<br />
GEOGRAPHY<br />
The focus of the first half term in Geography has been<br />
settlements. We’ve learnt how cities are laid out and about<br />
the Burgess and Hoyt models. The Hoyt model has wedges of<br />
industrial and residential areas, whereas the Burgess model<br />
is based on concentric circles. We also discovered how places<br />
were named historically. Some were named after people of<br />
importance and others after their surroundings. Oxford, for<br />
example, meant a ford, a shallow river crossing, where Oxen<br />
could cross safely. I’ve particularly enjoyed the flag quizzes<br />
and the letter we wrote to Bob, the Viking King, about where<br />
to build his new settlement.<br />
George, First Form
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
GERMAN<br />
Hallo! Wie geht’s? (How’s it going?) At the moment in German, I<br />
am studying school subjects and the school day. This includes: when<br />
school begins and ends, the weekdays, what you eat or drink during<br />
break times and the different clothes that you wear. Along with this<br />
we are studying how to formulate longer sentences with connectives,<br />
adjectives and how to express opinions.<br />
In almost every topic that I have covered in German so far, I have<br />
found it fun, interesting but always a bit challenging. For me, German<br />
is sometimes challenging but with the help of my teacher, Frau Renz, I<br />
always find a solution and when I do, I feel a sense of pride.<br />
The German Department has organized a trip to Cologne in<br />
December which quite a few of the boys are going to. This is a good<br />
opportunity to practise their German and see the famous Christmas<br />
markets. I recommend they try Kaiserschmarrn, which is my favourite<br />
German pudding and is like soft fluffy pancakes cut up into chunky<br />
pieces. Usually, you eat it with a berry sauce. Lecher! (tasty)<br />
Finn, Second Form<br />
“<br />
In German, First Form are learning how to introduce themselves to a friend<br />
while Second Form have completed a unit talking about their life at school and<br />
we are just starting to talk about family and friendship.”<br />
- Mr Squibb, Head of German<br />
HISTORY<br />
At the moment, the First Form are learning about the incredible history of bloodthirsty battles that happened<br />
in 1066. We have been looking at different people’s claims for the throne after King Edward the Confessor<br />
died and how William became victorious after the Battle of Hastings. This is particularly enjoyable since all<br />
different areas of the topic are covered and we look deeper into why things played out how they did. We have<br />
also been using our evidence to compare what was right and what was wrong.<br />
Joe, First Form<br />
“<br />
In History, the First Form have explored how William consolidated his rule over Norman<br />
England, while the Second Form examined the successes and failures of Tudor<br />
and Stuart monarchs.”<br />
- Mr Middleton, Head of History
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
“<br />
LATIN<br />
Latin is one of my favourite subjects and here is why.<br />
In Latin we are looking at a man named Caecillius<br />
who has many jobs e.g. (a banker) we have learnt<br />
many words and every week we have a test.<br />
Did you know that the first vaccine was made for a<br />
dangerous disease named cowpox and in Latin Vacca<br />
is a cow so if you can find the derivative in the word<br />
vaccine you can see that most Latin words are found<br />
in English words we use today.<br />
Ewan, First Form<br />
First Formers are learning about Caecilius, a resident of Pompeii in the First Century and<br />
how he spent his time, the foods he ate, the type of house he lived in and the type of Drama he<br />
enjoyed.<br />
The Second Form are enjoying a new Latin course, de Romanis, and have explored the history of<br />
the Roman Empire, its political and social structure and have considered the Olympian gods and<br />
their power and mythological and historical heroes as role models.”<br />
- Mrs Ginsburg, Head of Classics<br />
MANDARIN<br />
Mandarin is an interesting subject; it is very hard if you have not<br />
previously learnt it, but it is worth it. We are currently learning how<br />
to answer and ask questions and form basic conversations. There are<br />
many different things to learn as the basics can take quite a few lessons<br />
due to the differences from English. It is very useful should one wish to<br />
visit China, as it is the most widely spoken language in the country and<br />
can be spoken in most places. If anyone wishes to go to China, they<br />
should learn Mandarin.<br />
Kevin, Second Form<br />
“<br />
My Second Form students have been<br />
busy exploring the hidden stories behind<br />
the Chinese characters which contains<br />
the wisdom to the language.”<br />
- Ms Shen, Teacher of Mandarin
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
MATHEMATICS<br />
Since starting the First Form we have covered many different<br />
topics in Maths. These include negative numbers, order of<br />
operations, some algebra, sequences and the Nth term, prime<br />
factorisation, highest common factors, lowest common<br />
multiples, divisibility rules and we have just started learning<br />
about indices. Our first lesson relating to this was on index<br />
laws. As you can tell it has been fast paced. My favourite topic<br />
so far has been learning about the Nth term as this was not<br />
something that I had previously learnt at my primary school.<br />
Saul, First Form<br />
MUSIC<br />
Music in our first half term has been very exciting. In addition to learning<br />
about the elements of music, we prepared for our choral performance of<br />
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The songs are based on a<br />
variety of music genres.<br />
The performance to our parents and staff was amazing. Mr Craig wore his<br />
own coat of many colours which added to the performance. Mr Young and<br />
Mr Cwizewicz played the accompaniments fantastically which added to the<br />
excellent atmosphere. Our parents seemed to enjoy our performance with<br />
some joining in with the encore! The whole year worked hard in practises<br />
which brought us altogether.<br />
Outside formal lessons there is so much available to do in the Music<br />
Department with Orchestra, Ensembles, Choir and a variety of workshops.<br />
Thomas, First Form
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
RELIGION PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS<br />
We have been exploring the philosophy of Religion and discussing ideas<br />
such as the existence of a higher power. One of the main arguments we<br />
have been studying is the ‘Design Argument’, which proposes that God<br />
necessarily exists. This takes many forms, such as the ‘Paley’s Watch’<br />
analogy. William Paley argues that if you found a watch, you would assume<br />
it was designed by someone since it is so complex, and we may conclude<br />
the universe was also consciously created. I have enjoyed considering both<br />
sides of the debate, which has expanded upon our First Form learning about<br />
Religion.<br />
Thomas, Second Form<br />
“<br />
In First Form, pupils have been learning about Jewish beliefs and practices; in Second<br />
Form, they have been exploring Philosophy of Religion, in the hope of being<br />
able to understand and answer the question ‘does God exist?”<br />
- Ms Walker, Head of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics<br />
Zac, First Form<br />
“<br />
In Science this term we have modelled particle theory to help<br />
us think about how matter behaves and explain why matter<br />
has different properties and built circuits to understand how<br />
electrical energy in the current can be transferred to various<br />
devices.”<br />
- Ms Griffiths, Teacher of Science<br />
Science<br />
In Science we have been learning about different types of cells, such<br />
as animal and plant cells, and their parts. We have studied the parts<br />
of cells and their functions. For example: animal cells have a nucleus,<br />
mitochondria, a cytoplasm and a cell membrane. Plants cells also<br />
have a nucleus, cytoplasm and cell membrane but also have parts<br />
such as chloroplasts and a cell wall.<br />
Leading on from cells, we have also been learning about systems in<br />
the body and how they help us in everyday life! Systems such as the<br />
digestive system, help us digest and take in nutrients from our food.<br />
While the circulatory system transfers oxygenated and deoxygenated<br />
blood around the body.
AUTUMN TERM 2022<br />
THE LOWER SCHOOL<br />
Jacob, First Form<br />
FIRST FORM<br />
PSHEE DAY<br />
In September, all First Form pupils took a<br />
day away from our normal timetable to focus<br />
on the important topic of PSHEE, otherwise<br />
known as Personal, Social, Health and<br />
Economic education. The point of learning<br />
PSHEE is to learn how to stay healthy, safe<br />
and prepared for life. In the morning, police<br />
officers talked to us about street awareness<br />
and how to be safe on your own. After that, we<br />
learnt how to perform CPR on dummies which<br />
I really enjoyed and found very helpful. Later<br />
in the afternoon we were part of a cooking<br />
competition and had to follow a recipe and<br />
create a meal. As this was going on, we learnt<br />
about the five main food groups and which<br />
ones were healthy and which weren’t. At the<br />
end, some of us were chosen to taste the meals<br />
and vote for their favourite. This was my<br />
favourite part of the day as I love food!<br />
SECOND FORM<br />
PSHEE DAY<br />
During the Second Form PSHEE Day we<br />
learned about managing our time efficiently<br />
so that we could study, play and still have time<br />
to do other things we enjoy. At the start of the<br />
day, we learned how to study more effectively.<br />
We saw how mind maps are useful. We saw a<br />
mind map of Leonardo Da Vinci’s life and the<br />
fact that we could remember it an hour later<br />
surprised me how easy it is to remember things<br />
even after a long period of time. In a booklet<br />
we drew a picture of ourselves and wrote our<br />
goals for the year like acing your maths exam,<br />
doing well in a certain sport etc.<br />
Sidhanth, Second Form
St Albans <strong>School</strong><br />
Abbey Gateway, St Albans, AL3 4HB<br />
www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk