Mathematical Artistry in Origami Club

Our Origami (mathematical artistry) club meets on Mondays. We have been making some modular origami where multiple pieces of paper are folded and linked together (without glue!) to form shapes. So far this term we have made Sonobe jewels, cubes and octahedrons and yesterday we learnt produced a new shape called the stacking Columbus cube, which we then balanced on top of each other to produce a tower!

To explore more of our Enrichment Clubs, please see our website: https://bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk/explore-our-clubs/. Attendance to clubs will earn pupils valuable House points and they might even pick up a skill that they never knew you could master. So, why not try something new?

Year 7 Maths Team finally get to the final

Back in March, three Year 7 teams took part in a countywide Maths Team Challenge. One of the teams made it through to the final but it was sadly cancelled due to the National Lockdown. However the organisers (HfL) decided to reorganise it virtually! So we gathered the team together – Hansini B, Simran G, Sophie G and Penelope D and we joined the final virtually from a classroom. We had snacks and drinks to keep us going through the 4 rounds – two general Maths rounds, one memory round and one problems and estimation round. The team had great fun and really enjoyed the competition but sadly we were not triumphant. Their best round was the memory round where they worked really well as a team.

 

A worthwhile challenge of teamwork, leadership, commitment and perseverance

From our experience, the Duke of Edinburgh scheme is a great way to enhance many valuable skills such as teamwork, leadership, commitment and perseverance. For us, it was a real adventure from beginning to end as we pushed ourselves through the many times we got lost.

Despite being unable to have the ‘full experience’ due to the current pandemic, we were certainly challenged and pushed ourselves out of our comfort zone, while receiving the support of our friends to make the experience both fun and memorable! We’ve learnt a new sense of confidence and have become a lot more independent and are now definitely considering doing the Silver DofE.

We began our walk very excited but quickly also very wet! The rain was torrential, and our waterproofs had proved pointless – for the first 2 or 3 hours they had worked, but by the 4th hour, when the rain was finally clearing up, we realised how soaked through our clothes really were! However, our moods stayed high and we were all joyous.

We managed to find a large log in the woods to sit down on and have some lunch – one of the moments everyone looks forward to the most on DofE! We ate an excessive amount of sausage rolls, chicken bites, cheese strings and apples. We even shared some with a mouse and a lone horse near a field full of angry cows along the way.

By our 7/8th mile, we had gotten sick of our wet waterproofs, so we took off our waterproof trousers and jackets. (Yes, we were obviously wearing clothes underneath!). We walked until we were almost finished… or so we thought. We had checked our map and had come to the conclusion that we only had about an hour left of our walk. Skip to 3 hours later, and we were all in an unknown field, waiting for our teacher, Mr Lowrie, to come and find us. When he eventually got to us, he helped us get back on track, and we were finally coming to an end; it was for REAL this time!

The end of our walk was our favourite part. We were all so excited, cheerful and insanely tired – as dramatic as it may sound. We had managed to walk the entire 7 hours without getting moody or annoyed at each other, and we felt like a team more than ever! When we finished, Mrs Langston congratulated us (the last group to finish) and we went straight home to shower, stretch and eat.

The Duke of Edinburugh expedition was one of the best experiences of our secondary school time. We made new friends, became closer and had a lot of fun. We would definitely suggest that you consider doing the Duke of Edinburgh challenge.

Annabel Isbecque and Millie Richardson