An Intro to the World of STEM
This academic year, Saint Felix has moved to a faculty-based approach in order to best develop the opportunities that are available to students. By joining together the different departments within each faculty, it allows for greater collaboration as well as increased professional dialogue and learning. Over the next few weeks, I will be using this weekly letter as an opportunity to introduce to you the four new Heads of Faculty and some of the initial ideas and areas that they are looking to cultivate.
And thus, we will start with STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to give it the full title. In a world where digital innovation moves at such pace and scientific discovery continues to push the boundaries of our imagination, our students need to be well-equipped for the here, now and the future. Whilst not all of them will follow an academic pathway or career directly related to this area, an innate understanding of the concepts and capabilities of this discipline will serve them very well indeed. We are delighted that Mr Chapman has joined us having previously worked on a wide range of STEM projects across the Eastern region. These include supporting the Techathon held at Norwich School, hosting the Lego League for the Eastern region and competing in the IET Faraday Challenge – all events that he looks forward to introducing at Saint Felix. For Mr Chapman, the enjoyment and passion comes from playing with technology to problem solve and come up with solutions. The STEM faculty will be developing a sense of wonder and curiosity combined with creativity and technical knowledge; our values and learner profile interwoven into a discipline that also enhances and cultivates greater independence in our students.
To enhance the student learner experience, the Design and Technology department are thrilled to have recently purchased three Dremel Digilabs 3D printers. These are of the additive manufacturing type, where many layers of material are built up to produce a 3D model. This is combined with the use of some amazing software called TinkerCAD that enables students to develop and design (it is free and cloud-based so that the students can also access this at home). This can be combined with using a wonderful website called Thingiverse to help inspire them with their initial designs. The beauty of 3D printing is the ability to rapidly produce a prototype of a product or piece you wish to produce, it allows you to get a sense of scale and form before taking to the full production phase. We are really looking forward to adding further rapid prototyping techniques to the curriculum, so that our students will have the ability to use a range of materials and techniques to demonstrate their understanding of design.
Our students have been incredibly busy and productive over the last week; preparations for House Shout have ramped up and there is a palpable sense of excitement bubbling, with every house believing that they are set for victory. Many students were involved in the excellent Badminton fundraiser on Saturday and Years 11,12 and 13 were treated to an outstanding formal meal yesterday evening with an inspiring speech form former student Gracie Collis. Having graduated from Saint Felix, Gracie has gone on to become a highly successful social influencer and entrepreneur with her own sports fitness fashion brand. It was wonderful for our students to hear just what can be achieved if you put your mind to it!
In other news, the launch of our new careers platform to the students will commence over the next couple of weeks before an assembly that will be devoted to this topic after half term. Work is also progressing in preparation of the Fireworks Evening on Friday 8th November. Please see attached the poster with more details; you can book using this link. On Friday 18th October, the final day before half term commences, we will be having an own clothes day (wear pink) organised by the student Charity Committee in aid of Breast Cancer awareness, which I am sure we will all want to support.
This past Tuesday, Saint Felix Prep was delighted to welcome members of the Blythe Valley Rotary Club for the official launch of the Blythe Valley and Saint Felix RotaKids Club. In the lead-up to this exciting event, children from Year 3 to Year 6 have been dedicating weekly lessons to learning about the value of service and its impact on both the school community and the wider world. The RotaKids assembly provided an opportunity for the children to discuss their ideas on how they can help others, sharing their thoughtful suggestions with our guests. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Blythe Valley Rotary Club for presenting the RotaKids cards, and it was heartwarming to see the children pledge their commitment to this fantastic initiative. We are thrilled to announce that Hugo Spalding has been elected as the Saint Felix RotaKids President and will be leading half-termly meetings to help bring these ideas to life. The children are eager to get started, and we look forward to seeing the amazing projects they will undertake in the coming months.
Last Friday, Year 3 visited Norwich Castle for an engaging workshop titled “The Mystery of Prehistory.” The students participated in four hands-on sessions, deepening their understanding of topics, such as archaeology, the properties and uses of metals, and the lives of hunter-gatherers. It was inspiring to see the children’s enthusiasm for learning, with many eager hands raised to share ideas and ask insightful questions about the artifacts.
I am away from school from Thursday of next week until the following Tuesday in China where I will be working to recruit into our ever-growing boarding fraternity. My newsletter next week will come live from Beijing!
With Open Morning tomorrow, it is an elongated week for our students, and I hope that they can get some much-needed rest and relaxation after that has finished in preparation for the final two weeks before half term.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Oakman
Head
