The adaptation and resilience that our College students are showing during Learning from Home has been impressive across all departments. Students are managing their time, embracing new styles of learning and continuing to provide an exceptional level of enthusiastic learning. Just as if they were with us at Fettes, we want to praise their efforts and give them the recognition they deserve. Here are some particular highlights from week two of Learning from Home:  

Modern Foreign Languages

Spanish 

Ms Gausinet’s 3rd Form Spanish class have been busy making videos about how the past tense works in Spanish. They definitely deserve a mention for their creativity, group collaborations (despite being in different parts of the world) and independent research.  Particular praise goes to Harry A and Rosie S for their individual projects and Sophie H, Annabelle P and Mehar K for their group effort. Mehar also impressed us with her Spallenge (Spanish Challenge) entry, making paella from scratch. 

Mandarin

Everyone in the L6 IB Mandarin class has made excellent effort since the beginning of this term and they should be very proud of what they have achieved so far. 4th Form student Noah W has made exceptional effort in his Mandarin oral lesson.  

German 

Well done to L6 IB German class, and notably Felice L, Anna R, Daniel B and Marie-Charlotte B who translated and performed a Roald Dahl poem into German. 

Drama

Well done to 4th Form Kai L on his detailed research and dedicated preparation for his upcoming monologue assessment. A special mention also goes to Chloe F for being the first to perform a super dress rehearsal of her monologue and to Natalie A for her consistently high standard of work this term.

History

It has been another busy week in History. We have been so impressed by the work the 5th & U6th Form have been producing. Lily C deserves a shout-out after achieving full marks in her Civil Rights essay – no mean feat! Both exam years have remained focused and resilient throughout this difficult period.  

Biology 

Amazing creativity to show with cartoon strips outlining the nervous system and great videos by 4th Form Caty S, Marissa M, Jamelia S on synapses - proving once again that Art and Science are a special combination. 

Physics 

Well done for 3rd Form student Alice CB for a superb summary of how convection currents affect life on Earth and Iona C for some very clear and detailed answers in the assignment on conduction.

4th Form students Zavier RM, Dilara M and Ella S produced some fantastic summary poster on Magnetism, making excellent use of his digital stylus. L6th Form students Ella A, Beth N and Eric T have particularly impressed with the quality of their answers in the challenging Quantum Physics problems over the last two weeks.

English

In English, we are trialling a range of approaches to get the very best out of the pupils. Different classes might find themselves engaged in activities including: reading and annotating texts; responding to targeted questions; watching recorded performances on Digital Theatre; listening to recorded commentaries on PowerPoint; participating in discussion forums; collaborating in small groups; creating mind maps; submitting written responses to short assessment tasks. We continue to be hugely impressed by all the hard work and enthusiasm that Fettesians muster.

Our U6th A Level pupils have shown real tenacity in these difficult circumstances and we are so grateful for everything they have brought to the subject throughout the course of the last two years.

Our L6th A Level cohort are making good headway with their comparative coursework and our L6th IB pupils are engaged in studying a range of authors from Donne to Solzhenitsyn and JM Coetzee. Miss Chandler's L6th IB have been on stellar form in their weekly Teams discussions on Agamemnon - not easy for an ancient text! They have brought it life through their vibrant chat and incisive analysis and Miss Chandler is excited about their presentations on the ending of the text, which they'll be delivering next week.  

Our Fifth Form pupils have all done themselves proud in the last two weeks and Lulu M, Megan S, Lucas M, Simi O, Sam A and Zoe M all deserve special mention for their efforts on their set novels.

Our 4th Formers have done really well to polish their Modern Drama coursework and our 3rd Form have continued to impress with their speech writing; Nevada M and Ana P deserve special mention for their spirited and personal speeches on 'Making the World a Better Place'. 

L6th Laima G and Felice L both found time to enter the prestigious Thomas Campion English prize administered by Peterhouse College, Cambridge, and a number of our Sixth Form students are preparing to enter the national EMC Close Reading competition.

Classics

U6th Form Eliza D and Monty H have both been impressing their teachers with their maturity and diligence during this Learning from Home period with the quality of work they are producing. 

L6th pupils have also been working hard this week. A special mention goes to Alex C who wrote an excellent answer on a scene from the Bacchae and Doga A for producing some very good Latin language work. 

Our 5th Form Gratin Class made up of Jess A, Abbie A, Marcus K an Anna F have done a superb job over the past two years squeezing studying two subjects (Greek and Latin) into the space of one – it’s not been easy, but they have persevered and should be really proud of all the progress they have made.