Category: Woodbridge News
We were so lucky to have Mr Bates, a forensic scientist, at The Abbey for two days this week. He was entertaining and very informative about his career working at crime scenes. He was very impressed with how the children worked together solving the crime and I have enclosed a paragraph of the email he sent to me. The detailed report about the day was been written by James Hattan.
What a marvellous school! I thought all the classes I worked with showed excellent manners and great enthusiasm and creativity – bombarding me with ideas about what had happened in the crime. I was struck by the very effective way they worked in teams, sharing tasks very well and talking to each other about their findings – crime investigation really does require cohesive teamwork! I must say that the fact that the children were such good team workers reflects very positively on the ethos of the school and is a great credit to the staff.
On the evening of Sunday 12th November some robbers broke into the Abbey School and stole some very expensive computers. The police have three suspects and Year Six was called in to find out who it was. As we entered the hall, we saw a dummy with bruises on his head lying unconscious on the floor in the corner. We all sat down and were told what we were going to do, by a real forensic scientist! Next we were put into our groups. We learnt how to do all the things that the police do to find out who did the crime including; checking for blood on clothes, checking their handwriting and the ink of their pens and putting together a smashed brake light of a car. By lunchtime we knew that Davie Davies and Jackie Jackson were behind the crime but we still had two mysteries to try and solve, how did they get in through the window without smashing it? and who was the 10 year old boy, Jake, who lied to the police?
After lunch, we did an awesomely fun fingerprint competition and then learnt about evidence from mobile phones. We checked Jackie Jackson’s deleted emails and found some very interesting information. It turned out that the cleaner had let them into the building! Although we had all this evidence of who did the crime, we still had to be one hundred percent certain, so we went to Court. Milly played the judge and had to put on a really funny wig!
I was a member of the jury and we had to vote who was guilty and who was innocent. We decided that Jackie Jackson and Davie Davies were guilty and would go to prison for 10 years. After much questioning, we finally found out who Jake was as well
, it turned out he was Jackie Jackson`s brother!
We had such a fun experience and I loved being a forensic scientist for the day!
Many congratulations to our certificate winners in this year’s UK Senior Mathematics Challenge. Five gained gold: Jason Li (best in school with 103), Emily Barker (just behind with 102), John Xu of Year 12 (best in year), William Emery, and Brendan Bennett of Year 11 (best in year). They all earn qualification for the Senior international Kangaroo competition later in the academic year.
Silvers were awarded to Year 13s: Samuel Newman, Suki Chen, Alp Arioglu, Michael Dixon, Matthew Gerry, Cathy Dong, Christy Lee and Abigail Crane; and Year 12s Tara Harley, Sophie Little, Phoebe Ye, Daniel Hempstead and Mary Godfrey.
Bronzes were awarded to Year 13s: William Clarke, Alex Dye, Fynn Kiley and Thomas Emmerson; Year 12s Chisom Oguamanam, Callum Sycamore, William Smith, Jonathan Ferguson, Danny Cai, Cindy Lu, Ruslan Fokichev, Harry Hobday, Jessica Bowers, Jude Asken, Pamika Jianpinitnan, Andy Xiao and Daniella Elman; and Year 11s Amy Knight and Oliver Phelan.
I had the pleasure of taking some of our Year 6 students to the Almshouse’s Remembrance Service. The students from our Abbey Chamber sang with commitment and were respectful members of the congregation. After the service many students in our group had the opportunity to interact with the residents of the Almshouse’s, listening attentively to their stories of remembrance.
This week in Year 5 we have been studying another famous conspiracy theory- the moon landing ‘hoax’. During today’s lesson we acted out the entire debate while practising our ‘Learning@Woodbridge’ skill of thinking in a collaborative way. We used high level vocabulary, connectives, quotes and evidence (including statistics) to talk through the debate in precisely the manner that it was going to be written in our books. Later in the day the children produced some very convincing written debates that both supported and refuted the conspiracy theory.
This week in Science Club, we tried an amazing experiment called ‘FIRE, FIRE, FIRE!’ We were given some measuring tubes, a tray, three powders, and three liquids. All we had to do was record on paper which reactions of the powders and liquids created the most foam in the shortest time. This was very exciting as not all of the combinations created foam, but when they did, it spilled out of the measuring tubes (that was what the tray was for)! Some of the powders and liquids were quite safe to use, while others you needed to be more careful with. To find out how to do it yourself, or to find out which reactions work, come to Science Club in C3 from 1:15-45 on a Thursday.
I’ll see you there!
Oliver Laxton
The School House boarders had fun at the weekend at Bounce. Gladiators are you ready! The Pugel stick was put to good use as were the somersault and flipping areas.
‘Peace is not simply the absence of war’
It is fragile. It needs work and constant tending. And the agony of our School’s contribution, and of the contribution made by so many was poignantly and thoughtfully brought home to us by Padre Cook’s reflections. It had never occurred to me before that the soldiers of the Second World War would have struggled past the huge French graveyards of those from the First, and that some of those soldiers may even have been walking the same ground they trod as youngsters. The war to end all wars was nothing like, and the naivety of the generation that hoped as much should not be repeated, though the hope for peace is still our best hope.
This year’s service was also marked by the display of a remarkable Standard laid between those of our School’s at the altar: OWs Chris, Lucy and Anna Silovsky’s great grandfather, their mother Lucy’s grandfather, Lt Col LS Henshall DSO and Bar was one of the tank pioneers in WW1 and specifically at the first battle ever fought with tanks, at Cambrai, which started on 20 November 1917 (almost 100 years to the day). He it was who a few days prior bought up some of the last silk in the area to stitch together standards to be borne by his ‘B’ Battalion of the Regiment (it was so new it had no history and no traditions): brown (for the mud), red (for the blood) and green (for the future fields). And here was one of those standards, wearied by conflict and a century, fragile like the peace we must fight to maintain, but still with us and recognisable in its faded delicacy.
We honoured the memories of so many fallen (every family will have its own history), and we thought of the lives affected. With this tangible reminder of the First War to focus our reflections, and with Ianthe Hill’s trumpet call and the laying of wreaths (the salute given by Gabby Zins, representing this generation’s CCF, to those honoured at the Memorial quite the most potent symbol of our shared responsibility), we remembered.
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.
Harriet Petley (Year 11) is playing for Ipswich Town Football Club Ladies on Sunday in the FA Cup. ITFC are facing Leyton Orient. The match is taking place at Felixstowe and Walton football ground. Kick-off is at 2pm. Tickets are £2 and entry for children is free.
Also in goal for ITFC is OW Sian Fagg.
We wish Harriet all the best for this match. Harriet has worked her way into the ITFC first team by continued good performances. She made her debut in the big derby win over Norwich City. Harriet also plays for England U16.
When Harriet is not making her mark in the football world she is being very impressive for the Woodbridge School Girls First Hockey team. Harriet was influential in Thursday’s comeback win over Culford, seeing the team win 4-2. Harriet scored the second goal for Woodbridge making things level at half time, and turning the tide on Culford. Wishing you another good performance this weekend.
Sasha was asked to perform at the Suffolk Festival of Performing Arts Gala concert last Sunday, held at Ipswich School. She was asked to perform her poem (The Magic Box by Kit Wright) and her prose reading (extract from Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl) in front of a huge audience and was the only Abbey pupil there so it really was quite daunting and she did a fabulous job! She followed the Woodbridge Senior School choir who were Suffolk under 20s Choir Champions.
Sasha was presented with her cup for the Suffolk Festival Junior Speech Champion and prize of £60!, a cup for the highest mark in Junior Verse Speaking and also a prize for the Duologue Verse speaking, which she won with Lily. Sasha won five classes with distinction (Verse speaking, Prose speaking, Prose reading, Solo acting and Duologue Verse) which we think was quite amazing. She worked very hard and really enjoyed it!
Well done to the 55 runners who competed in the South Suffolk Cross Country championships at RHS on Thursday 12 October. With unsurprisingly warm temperatures and a slight breeze, these were some of the best conditions this race has ever seen, and ideal for those running this course for the first time.
Our team performed magnificently across all categories and against hundreds of other runners: the minors in particular had around 200 competitors (if not more) in their race. It was great to see so many participate and a special mention to the 39 athletes who made it through to the County round on Saturday 2nd December at Culford. A superb effort – well done!
Congratulations to Ruby Vinton, Charlie Turner and Nathan Goddard who gained 1st place and April Hill 2nd and Kit Evans Lombe 3rd. An astonishing nine runners gained a top 10 place, and well done to the Inter girls’ team who all came in the top 30. Overall results meant that amongst Mid-Suffolk schools we came first in Inter Boys, Junior Girls and Junior Boys, and second in Inter Girls and Minor Boys: amazing!
Thank you to all the parents for their continued support and Mark Goddard for his excellent leadership and coaching of the runners both in their preparation and on the day.
Results:
- Minor girls: Ruby Vinton 1st, Esme Ball 29th, Ada Marson 59th, Libbie Brightey 113th & Kitty Frith 114th.
- Minor boys: Edward Buckingham 10th, Moses McBride 20th, George Na Nakhorn 25th, Tommy Burrow 35th, Jonny Evans Lombe 47th, Erwan Gouedo 66th, Albie Smith 105th & Thomas Blackmore 168th.
- Junior girls: April Hill 2nd, Amy Goddard 4th, Isabelle Eaton 16th, Emily Whyte 18th, Jess Elmer 22nd, Cecily Royal-Dawson 23rd, Anna Jackson 28th, Ashleigh Wildbore 34th, Willa Cole 55th, Ella Pitt 65th, Ella Reynard 66th, Iris Morton 69th , Isabella Hyde 88th, & Charlotte Gibbon 116th.
- Junior boys: Charlie Turner 1st, Kit Evans Lombe 3rd, George Wharam 10th, Edward Rufford 20th, Mauricio Corfe 26th, Ruben Kill 38th, Tom Turner 39th, Tom Harper 49th, Archie Sjoberg 54th & Tom Martin 83rd.
- Inter girls: Sarah Barker 4th, Sophie Graham 16th, Milly Buckingham 17th, Victoria Burrows 23rd, Poppy Fletcher 27th & Grace Childs 29th.
- Inter boys: Nathan Goddard 1st, Alex Evans Lombe 4th, Daniel Davies 11th, George Rufford 17th, Nathaniel Gunn 19th, Hal Ottley 50th, Hugo Thomas 51st & Miles Fry 55th.
- Seniors: Olly Wroe 21st, Georgina Fulcher 23rd & Rachel Prowse 35th.