Junior Reflections Week 20 February 2025

Dear parents,

The end of the first half of the Spring term has arrived and, if my house is anything to go by, your children will be ready for a rest. It has been another busy half term with lots going on in and out of the classroom and with the days beginning to get a bit lighter it certainly feels like we are heading into spring.

Lower Two

I happened to be walking past Mrs Wopshott’s classroom on Wednesday and I am so glad that I did. L2P were having a wonderful time selling their homemade wares linked to the country of St Lucia. I had a fruit punch (umbrella included), upside down pineapple cake and lots more. I think the pupils were having a huge amount of fun and of course sampling everything that was on sale! Lower Two Engineering Club members were delighted to receive their Dyson Engineers pack from The James Dyson Foundation, which included lots of support materials and a large working Dyson Air Multiplier Fan to dissemble and reassemble. They had a lot of fun comparing the Dyson fan with a more traditional electric fan and discussed safety, high flow rate, velocity and rotation. A great way to be introduced to product design.

Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day 2025 took place on the 11 February, with celebrations and learning based around the theme “Too good to be true? Protecting yourself and others from scams online”. Mr Evans led the whole school assembly sharing with the pupils the idea that if something sounds too good to be true, then always ask a parent as it is probably not what you think it is. Safer Internet Day is the UK’s biggest celebration of online safety and every year a new theme is discussed looking at how we can keep ourselves safe. As parents, ourselves, we are aware of the huge positives of the online world but, as with everything, there are sadly many negatives as well and protecting our pupils online is not just a one-day event but woven into all that we do at school.

Swimming galas

The swimming galas were a fantastic way to end the half term, showcasing some incredible performances from both lower school and upper school. The enthusiasm and support from the pupils was louder than ever—and thank you to all the parents for coming along and supporting your child. A huge well done to everyone who participated, as well as our dedicated helpers. A special thank you to Mr. Dutch for organising such a well-run and enjoyable event.

School strategy

Many thanks to the parents who completed the online survey giving their views on what parents value about the school, and to those who joined us for a parent forum to workshop the ideas and delve a little deeper. It is always fascinating to reflect on the views of the school community and the governing board will be taking these into account when we meet together on a strategy day in March.

A reminder that school starts on Wednesday 26 February after two staff inset days on the Monday and Tuesday, and we are looking forward to welcoming all the pupils back for the second half of the Spring term. Let’s hope the sun will also decide to join us.

Happy half term.

Mrs Saskia van Schalkwyk

Reminder

If you need to make any changes to end-of-day pick-up arrangements or club attendance, please email jsreception@exeterschool.org.uk as the first point of contact. Form tutors may not see these updates promptly due to teaching commitments.

Playground people of the week

Arthur C (F1H)

Ellie S (L2P)

L S (U2C)

Junior School News

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Alumnus Steve Dukes (1992-1997), CEO of @confused_com, returned to school this week to give an assembly. He advised pupils about aspiring to reach their goals, using negatives to fuel your journey. He said, 'when you’re at school, being called names like ‘odd, weird and awkward’ can often mean something completely different in adult life - these words become ‘creative, unusual and innovative’.  His top advice was to become like a sponge, find what learning method works best for you, learn fast and act on it. Great advice Steve - thanks so much for visiting us!  @exeterschool_alumni #visitingspeakers

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While it was hard to get a good photo of our sixth form linguists attending an online conference on Wednesday, pupil Sophia's feedback was that "it was really good to see how linguistics goes into so many areas and how some things seemingly unrelated (so far away from linguistics) can have a big/strong connection with linguistics."   They were treated to four diverse talks, ranging from how AI can help us learn foreign languages, how forensic linguistics can help compare different texts and ascertain if the same person wrote both texts (helpful in identifying and profiling criminals), how idioms are processed in our brains and used in social discourse, and how dormant languages can be reclaimed. The talks were 25 minutes each with a Q&A afterwards. As well as being informative, these talks allowed pupils to see what a course of study or a career in linguistics might look like. Many thanks to @oxfordhighschoolgdst for running the event.   #onlineconference #linguisticsevent #forensiclinguistics  #exeterschools #independentschoolsuk #sixthformlife

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We love this quote emailed from one of our visitors to our most recent open day. If you didn't get the chance to visit, please get in touch with our admissions team to arrange a personal tour that suits you.  Scholarships are also available with more information available in the link in our bio - applications close 14 November.   #scholarshipsavailable #indpendentschoolsuk #talkeducation #goodschoolsguide #openday #exeterschoolopenday #parentreview #opportunitiesabound #exeterschools #exeterjuniorschool #exeterseniorschool #independentdayschool

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Junior school swimming gala - 14 February 2025

Junior school vs Queen's College, Taunton - 7 February 2025

Exonian Lecture with Elizabeth Godwin - February 2025

4F Digestion Dome - February 2025

Jazz, Pop & Rock Concert - 12 February 2025

U8 & U9 Netball vs West Buckland & Plymouth College - 30 January 2025