Year 5 Pupil Amazes Audience for Performance at Epstein Theatre

Year 5 pupil, Isaac Lancel Watkinson, has recently been performing in Daniel Taylor’s acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet, which finishes its 10 day run at the Epstein Theatre on Saturday. Isaac was cast as The Choir Boy in his first professional Shakespearean part and has received some great reviews in the press, with personal mentions in both the Liverpool Echo and ArtsCityLiverpool reviews of the show:

“…and the moving and beautifully sung requiem from Lancel-Watkinson. (Liverpool Echo)”

“Meanwhile the youngest member of the cast (younger even than the lovers themselves) Isaac Lancel-Watkinson, playing an angelic choirboy, impresses with his clear and confident prologue and epilogue and a lovely bell-like treble voice (ArtsCityLiverpool).”

The director, Daniel Taylor, also tweeted his praise for Isaac saying, “Apart from being sensational in the role he really is a smashing kid who treats his work with a great level of professionalism & fun. Much credit to him & his family.”

Isaac works hard in school on his singing, a factor which his father believes has no doubt helped with his professional work and in gaining representation with a professional agent.

Well done to Isaac for all his hard work and for his fantastic performances!

 

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Magical Maths is Back!

Professor Poopenshtinken wanted to come again in person when he heard that there was another club running at your school! This time the Professor left in plenty of time in order to get a parking space outside the school (apologies if he is in your spot). He was really excited to be heading back! 

He was wondering if he was going to see some of the pupils from last time or some bright new faces… it was clear that we were all ready for Magical Maths…

The Professor burst in the classroom to see all the pupils that had turned up for Magical Maths. Some were even more energetic than him! Week one of Magical Maths had begun, and here is the story of how it panned out…

After a few ground rules (like no pulling the Professor’s hair) we split the children into groups, keeping them roughly within their year groups and with children of similar ability. These groups then rotated through our three cracking activities.

Genius Training Booklet

Learning objectives: Develop recognition of patterns in the number system. Develop pupil’s confidence in their mathematical ability.Our Key Stage 2 children worked with the Professor and went through the genius training booklet. Students learned some of the Professor’s techniques for multiplying any three digit number by 7, 11 and 13 really fast. This trick is not the easiest, but is super effective when pulled off well. With a bit of practise your child will be the local genius in no time!

All students were given a booklet to take home.

Mental Logs

Learning objectives: Recognise the place value of each digit in a five-digit number (10,000s, 1,000s, 100s, 10s and 1s).This is a trick that allows the children to add up four 4-digit numbers on the ‘Mental Logs’ SUPER fast without even using a calculator, other than to check if it is correct…which it will be if done correctly!

Fizz Buzz!

Learning Objective: Recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12. Use the vocabulary of prime numbers, and be able to establish whether a number up to 100 is prime and recall prime numbers up to 19.

The final activity this week was ‘Fizz Buzz’. This is where we got all the children standing in a circle, going around the circle we counted as high as we could. When a multiple of a chosen number came up the student had to say ‘Fizz!’ instead of the actual number. This was REALLY good fun and we continued until we had a WINNER! We also introduced a ‘Buzz’ word too, to make it harder!

A MAGICALLY good first week had by all. We’re all math’d out now, and the Professor’s taking a rest at the Holiday Inn before his flight home tomorrow morning.

See you next week (rumour has it our world class detective is coming to visit),

Brian Banks
Head of sorting travel arrangements for Professor Poopenshtinken
01744776110

P.S. – Our detective is called Stately Holmes – Stately’s a relative of the famous Sherlock, and he has a reputation that’s really building(!!)

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Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School Welcomes New Headmistress

The start of the Summer Term has seen the exciting arrival of Claire Tao, the new Headmistress at Merchant Taylors’ Senior Girls’ School.

Prior to her new role, Claire worked as a deputy head at the City of London School for Girls, one of the top ten performing schools in the country for both A-levels and GCSE’s.

She started her career in investment banking in 1993 and holds an MSc in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from the London School of Economics. She worked as an assistant director of HR for NatWest Markets up until 1997 and then Citibank. In 2003, after having her children, she retrained as a Biology teacher completing her PGCE qualification at Roehampton University.

Claire has 13 years extensive experience across a wide range of roles within independent schools, beginning at Old Palace of John Whitgift School in Croydon and then Dulwich College Preparatory School before joining the City of London School for Girls in 2007.

Talking about her appointment, Claire said: “It is a real honour to be joining the Merchant Taylors’ family of schools and to be taking the reins at such an exciting time.

It is a hugely successful school with a rich cultural heritage and I’m looking forward to working with the pupils, staff and parents to further build on its outstanding academic and pastoral achievements.”

Asked if she had any changes planned at Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School, Claire said: “I think most people will expect my focus to be on results, but it goes beyond this. I will be looking to strengthen the school’s curricula and create a collaborative and equitable learning culture that will enable our girls and staff to perform to the best of their ability.

I will also ensure that we continue to raise confident, independent women who have a passion for life-long learning, recognise the importance of being part of a team and play a valuable role in community life.”

Claire Tao
Headmistress

 

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Head Girl Team Handover

Last term, the Head Girl Team, as well as the Sports and Music Captains’ of 2017, handed over their badges and responsibilities to the Head Girl Team of 2018 and wished them the best of luck for the coming year.

 

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Message from Merchant Taylors’ Primary Headmistress Julie Yardley

Yesterday was National Primary Allocation Day, where parents across the UK will found out whether their children had been offered a place at their preferred primary school.

For some, this can be an incredibly uncertain time, especially for those parents whose children have not been offered a place at a school of their choosing and may be looking to secure an alternative placement.

I’d therefore like to take this opportunity to share details of our forthcoming Visiting Mornings in April and June, which will give parents and children the chance to experience our school in session, meet with myself and the team and find out what makes a Merchant Taylors’ education so special.

But don’t just take our word for it… We’ve asked some of our pupils to share what they love most about Merchant Taylors’ Primary School and have included more our favourite clips here.

The first Visiting Morning take place this Friday 20th April between 9.15 to 12 noon.  The second will be hosted on Friday 15th June.

For further details or to book a personal tour, please visit our admissions page
or call our Admissions Team on 0151 949 9366

 

Best,
Julie Yardley

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MTGS DofE Gold Practice Expedition

Seven MTGS Lower Sixth pupils spent the first four days of their Easter break in Snowdonia on their D of E Gold practice expedition. There was to be no gentle breaking-in; Act One, Scene One was a punishing scramble up from the floor of the Ogwen Valley, to the wildest of wild camps perched above idyllic Llyn Idwal, nestling in its mighty bowl of rock under the snow-capped crests of the Glyder mountains. Facilities comprised just meltwater from a mountain stream, with only feral goats and wild Welsh ponies for neighbours. Stunning, and all the more so under starry skies at four below zero.

Three days of strenuous trekking then ensued, beginning with the breathtaking Aberglaslyn gorge and the chocolate-box Nant Gwynant valley, where the serenity of the night’s lakeside campsite wasn’t appreciated quite as much as its provision of hot water. There followed a squelchy moorland traverse to admire moody Dolwyddelan Castle, then onward to end Day Three beside Telford’s London-to-Dublin highway at Dol-gam. Moel Siabod is accustomed to dominating the view hereabouts, but even this noble and lofty peak was upstaged temporarily by the sight of another D of E group sharing the campsite… BOYS! A 6.30 am start and some real grit and determination through more-typically wet Welsh weather saw the girls safely to an early finish, artfully framed by the rainbow over Trefriw.

Well done, girls! You conquered the Cambrians; now bring on the Cumbrians for the Qualifier in May!

For a full photo album please click here

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Year Four Pupil Scoops Gold in Regional Fencing Competition

Congratulations to Michael Neophytou, from Year Four, who scooped first place at a regional fencing championship last weekend (Saturday 14th April) and is now ranked fourth in the country for boys under the age of nine.

Michael won gold in the first event of the 2018 North West Junior Series, which was held at Manchester Fencing Centre, the largest purpose built fencing centre in the UK.

He competed in the Under 11s Boys’ Epee category and started well, fighting against a mix of ages where he secured two victories. Michael then excelled in the direct eliminations, winning his final 10-5 to take the gold medal.

He is now ranked number four in the country for fencing in the under nines category and 10th in the country for under 11s.

Michael’s sister, Sophia, who is in year 7, is ranked number two in the country for fencing in the under 13s category. She will be competing in her first international fencing competition later this month and has recently qualified for the national finals in Sheffield in May. 

Well done Michael and good luck Sophia!

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MTPS Celebrate British Science Week 2018 – Exploration and Discovery

To celebrate British Science Week 2018, Merchant Taylors’ Primary have been busy exploring the world around us and making scientific discoveries of our own.

Year 1 made cornflour slime and had lots of fun noticing how the liquid got thicker when it was pushed or pressed down. They also investigated rainbow colour mixing using milk, washing up liquid and food colourings. They looked at paper towel colour mixing and looked at how the water moves up the paper towel because the paper is absorbent.
(put in some Y1 pictures from staff shared)

 

Year 2 also made colourful slime and enjoyed feeling the sticky mixture they had created. As scientists they followed instructions very carefully, measuring and combining the materials together. They looked at the life and achievements of the brilliant physicist Stephen Hawking and reflected on which topics in science they enjoyed the most.

Year Four learned about the discovery of electricity and the work of Benjamin Franklin. They created, made and investigated a variety of switches within simple electrical circuits. They discovered that when the electrical conducting material completed their circuits, the light bulb or buzzer worked! For their homework, each pupil then researched an inventor of their choice, which resulted in a variety of inventors, from the modern, such as James Dyson, to the historical inventors including Thomas Edison!

Year 5 tested the absorbency of different materials in order to design an ‘Astro-Nappy’. They used pipettes filled with water to see how much liquid it took to seep through the materials, which included plastic, bubble-wrap, fabric, cotton wool and tissue paper. Finally, they recorded their results and discussed which materials would be best for a real life ‘Astro-Nappy’.

Year 6 had great fun making chocolate fossils. They layered grated dark, milk and white chocolate to represent layers of sedimentary rock and buried a shrimp sweet deep inside. They then pressed down on the layers to form a mould around the shrimp and then put their ‘rock’ into the fridge to harden. Instead of waiting millions of years for fossilisation to occur they waited a week and then carefully excavated their fossil like real palaeontologists! For homework they each chose an area of scientific discovery or a scientist of personal interest to explore further.

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James Harper Selected for Rugby U17 England Development Squad

James has recently been named as part of the U17 England development squad. James, who plays for the Merchant Taylors’ 1st XV and Sale Sharks, has provided us with a short interview about his career in rugby so far:

Tell us a bit about yourself:
I was born and have lived all my life in Aintree. I attended the local primary school, Aintree Davenhill, and came to the conclusion fairly early in my school life that sport really wasn’t for me as football, being the main sport on offer, had very little appeal for me. It was only upon joining Merchant Taylors’ Senior Boys’ School that my love for rugby was born. Starting in the very lowest level team in the school, I began to learn the fundamentals of what can be a very complex game.

Having developed a passion for the game, I climbed up through the school teams, soon finding myself in the starting XV of the U12’s. I then decided to join my local club Waterloo RUFC before developing over the years into Merseyside, Lancashire and Sale Sharks sides. I now play for the Sale Sharks U18 squad and am part of the England U17/U18 development squad alongside the 1st XV Merchant Taylors Boys School.

What is it that inspires you?
Things that inspire me to play rugby include my teammates and the spirit in which the game is played.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Whether a career in rugby is on the cards or not, I have an ambition to enrol in the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

How do you like to relax in your spare time?
I enjoy meeting up with friends plus both playing and listening to music.

What would be your top tip for other pupils hoping to follow in your path?
Don’t set your mind on playing for a particular squad or team, whilst its great to have ambition, play for the enjoyment of the sport and opportunities will come your way.

What a fantastic achievement James, well done!

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Here’s to You Mrs Robinson!

It has been a celebratory week for school as we have said goodbye to Mrs Louise Robinson after her twelve years in post as Headmistress. On Monday, Louise said her goodbyes in her last assembly to the school and the staff held their end of term tea party where it is customary to give leaving staff a sendoff, with gifts and speeches. Miss Yardley and Miss Tyndall spoke warmly of Mrs Robinson and she shared some poignant thoughts and funny anecdotes in response.

On Wednesday, the girls spoke in assembly of the many things they have valued during their time as “Robinson” girls’. Thursday evening saw the Spring Concert given to honour the Head, including as it did, readings and pieces of music special to Mrs Robinson.

Louise herself said: “I have some wonderful memories of the School: the many concerts and music competitions; joint productions and the Drama Festival; visits to Sierra Leone, events like the 100 years CCF celebrations and the Merchant Taylors’ Company dinners; Old Girls’ Association lunches as well as Old Boys’ dinners; Christmas shows and Nativity Plays; Duke of Edinburgh walks; sports’ days and swimming galas; as well as the weekly assemblies, School lunches and regular staff meetings. All of these form the backbone of the structure of the school, but it is the girls and their achievements I will remember with pleasure and pride. I will never forget the group of Upper Sixth students who sang their version of ‘Reach for the Stars’ to celebrate our ‘Reaching for Success’ statue in their tribute to their time in the School.

As you are aware it is my final day in school today before moving onto pastures new. I do hope that you will enjoy reading my final letter. May I wish you and your families the very best for the future.”

Today, as her last formal duty in post, Mrs Robinson oversaw the handover from the current Head Girl Team to the new and received a gift from the girls during the Easter Assembly.

 

This afternoon was the final goodbye at the end of the day, as Mrs Robinson stood for one last time at the main door, wishing everyone a Happy Easter Holiday. We hope you will join us in wishing Mrs Robinson all the best in her new ventures. There have been some tears of happiness through these events; but now is the time to say, one last time: Good bye and good luck Louise!

 

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