Category: Woodbridge News
Many congratulations to Arthur Bartlett who has qualified for the British Alpine Championships in Tignes (during the Easter Holidays) thanks to his excellent performance at the Anglo Scottish Championships.
We are delighted that the new School Shop Assistant volunteers are now opening the Shop during term time from 3.15-4.45pm each Friday. They offer a fantastic service to parents and the School is truly grateful for all their efforts.
Clothing may be dropped off during opening times, please ensure that clothes are clean, any name tags removed and that the bag is clearly labelled with your name, address and contact telephone number (nb. there are some items which are not accepted e.g. boys trousers).
When items are sold, 40% of the proceeds go to School projects which are for the specific benefit of pupils. The remaining 60% will be paid back to parents at the end of each academic year. If items are not sold within a year, parents may decide to donate them to the School or have them returned.
From the sublime to the…. encore! What an evening of entertainment, and of absolutely beautiful singing. The glorious soaring acoustic perfection of Byrd’s Haec Dies set the standard for a fabulous evening hosted by Voces8, singing with a purity and clarity that resonated so perfectly with, and in, St Mary’s. But what followed matched and raised it time and again. Better still was that our Chamber Choir contributed in no way as junior partners, but very much as singers of stature in their own right. Maria Durch ein Dornwald ging and Sleep before the interval, Gjeilo, Folds and … how about this?… The Beatles later on. This was a wonderful concert. Our thanks and congratulations, of course, to our internationally renowned guests who brought their familiar mix of ancient and modern to a hugely appreciative audience – delivered with charm, poise, humour and energy; but also our thanks to them for the talent and insight they have brought to this year’s partnership with our choir. The combination worked brilliantly; our singers will have gained immensely; and the result was that the audience applauded loud and long for performers young and old(er). Well done Ms Weston and the Chamber Choir, and well done Voces8.
This week the Reception children took The Magic Carpet back in time. The have been learning all about what it was like to live in a castle long ago. They have particularly enjoyed dressing up as knights and princesses!
Tuesday saw the second meeting of the Academic Society in which Mr Cottrell spoke on the subject of ‘Science is the answer?’. In his inimitable way (references to a significant OW, deep fried canary, eel reproduction, Norwich Football Club and lots of ‘jokes’) Mr Cottrell spoke about the advances that science has enabled in terms of medicine, understanding the world around us and advancing the comfort with which humans live their lives. He also spoke about the potential science has to solve current and future problems. He explained how if the history of the universe was seen as the width of the Science Lecture Theatre (about five metres) then human existence would cover the width of a piece of paper. Within that the scientific approach is so recent that one can argue if science has achieved so much in such a short space of time, what can be achieved in the future?
However, Mr Cottrell presented a far more sceptical view of science than many of us had expected. He argued we tend to trust scientists and that there have been frequent examples of scientists falsifying data (for a variety of reasons). Scientific understanding is still exceptionally crude and future generations will look back and laugh at many of our explanations. It would take 13.7 billion light years to travel from one edge of the known universe to the other but so far the one of the greatest achievement of humans is imaging the Earth from five and a half light-hours ‘away’. Equally much of science is controlled by big business. Should it be? If not should it be scientists, governments, the voters, or the big corporations who decide what science should and shouldn’t do? Thought provoking stuff.
In questions Mr Cottrell was asked ‘If he could be a particle, which would he be?’. His answer, ‘a preon’. Of course!
Please join us at what looks set to be a wonderful concert on Saturday April 2, 7.30pm in the School Hall. Sea Fever features a swashbuckling array of nautically inspired British songs from Vaughan Williams to Benjamin Britten. Chris Dollins (baritone) and Frances Ringer OW, and graduate of the London School of Music (piano). Tickets (£8) available on the door or via 01394 387041.
Host families are required for seven French students (all between 13 and 14 years old) for eight days from 4-12 February 2016, as part of the French exchange. A small remuneration package is available. Please contact Mrs Chandler if you are able to accommodate one or more students.