Welcome to the Second Edition of the Junior Crown,
We are so excited to share the second edition of our school newspaper with you. Inside, you’ll find loads of amazing things, including an exclusive interview with Mr Miller, some brilliant winter book recommendations, fun facts, a comic strip, and so much more!
Students from across the Junior School have worked really hard to write these fantastic articles just for you. If you enjoy watching Newsround, then you’re going to love what we’ve put together in this edition.
Our Journalism club has been busy thinking of interesting topics, writing stories, and adding creative touches to make this edition even better than the first. We wanted to make sure there’s something for everyone—whether you love reading, learning new facts, or just having a laugh at a funny comic.
So grab a comfy seat, take your time, and enjoy reading all the exciting news and stories we’ve prepared. We hope you have as much fun reading it as we’ve had making it!
(Myra–y6)
An interview with Mr Miller
On Friday 6th December, I got to interview Mr Miller, our Academic Deputy Head. It was so exciting to ask him questions and learn more about him.
1 How long have you been working in St Margeret’s for? 3-4 years.
2 Why did you choose to be a teacher? My mum worked in a school and used to volunteer, then I started to like teaching.
3 What was your favourite subject when you were at school? Maths.
4 If you were head teacher for a day, what would you do first? Create a non-uniform day.
5 What is your favourite colour? Sky blue.
6 What was your dream job as a child? Psychologist.
7 What is your favourite animal? Penguin.
8 Do you like pineapple on pizza? Yes.
9 What is your favourite sport? Football.
10 Do you prefer teaching English or math? And why? English because you can read and use drama skills.
11 Would you rather travel to the past or future? And why? Future because think what amazing technology there will be.
12 Have you done any other jobs? Waiter.
13 I heard You like snowboarding? When did you start? 2023.
14 Why do you like this job? I love children.
(AidaY6)
The Ministry of Chocolate
Joining Year 6
Music at St Margaret’s
Year 4 Harvest Festival
Christmas Jokes
U10 & U11 Netball Tournament Super 7s
Fixtures & Galas
Our Winter Reads Page 10-11
Crazy Crown Page 12
The Christmas Cracker Page 13
Winter Recipes Page 14-15
Puzzle Page Page 16-18
Happy Holidays Page 19
Musicat StMargaret’s
U10 & U11 Netball Tournament Super 7s
Chocolate &Henry Aria Year4
The Ministry of
On Wednesday 19th November, the Ministry of Chocolate came to St Margaret’s School to work with Year 4. We took part in an amazing workshop where we discovered lots of extraordinary chocolate facts, had loads of fun, and even made our own tasty chocolate. By the end of the day, we had become Level 10 Chocologists!
During the workshop, we learned all about the history of chocolate. Did you know that chocolate started as a drink made by the Mayans? It was made from water, spices, and cocoa. They gave it to warriors to help them heal and give them energy. It was a bit like Lucozade, but with cocoa and spices! We even tried some cocoa nibs. They are very healthy, but they taste really bitter—just like dark chocolate.
We also learned where cocoa comes from. It grows near the equator, and big cargo ships bring it to us. Most cocoa comes from Ghana, but Switzerland is famous for making lots of chocolate too. In Ghana, farmers pick the cocoa pods, take out the beans, and let them ferment to make them taste better.
Then they dry them and sell them all over the world. We even learned about Fairtrade and how it helps farmers get paid fairly. There were two characters in the story, Fred, who wasn’t fair at all, and Carl, who was much fairer.
Later, the Minister shared his TOP SECRET chocolate recipes. We found out the good ingredients for chocolate, like milk powder and cocoa nibs, and the bad ones, like too much sugar and cocoa butter.
The best part of the day was making our own chocolate! It was so much fun and very creative.
We all loved it.
Joining Year 6
Asher Year6
As some of you may know, I recently joined this wonderful school, and so far, it has been an amazing experience. Here’s what my time at St Margaret’s has been like since I arrived.
Teachers
Even though I haven’t met every teacher yet, the ones I have met have been so kind and supportive. They helped me settle in quickly and made me feel welcome from the very first day.
Academic
I really enjoy all the subjects here at St Margaret’s. My favourites so far are PSHE and English because I love sharing ideas, debating topics, and improving my writing skills. Every lesson feels interesting and fun.
Sport
I’ve already had the chance to join in with some fixtures and tournaments. Even when the results weren’t perfect, teamwork and encouragement from everyone made it such a positive experience. I can’t wait to play more matches and try new sports next term.
Joining Year 6 has been such a great adventure, and I’m excited for everything that’s still to come.
Music at St Margaret’s
At St Margaret’s there are lots of ways to perform or learn an instrument. If you like performing, you can join the Choir, Orchestra, LAMDA, or even an ensemble for your instrument.
If you want to learn how to play an instrument, our school offers lessons for loads of different instruments. These lessons are one-onone, so you get plenty of time to practice and improve. Some of the instruments you can learn include the flute, guitar, clarinet, piano, violin, viola, and many more.
Last year, I joined the Choir and really enjoyed it because we learnt lots of fun songs and even performed more than once during the year. I also took part in Orchestra, which was amazing. In Orchestra, you learn a piece of music and then perform it for a teacher or sometimes even for your parents or to Seniors at a school concert.
Ye ª r 4 H ª rvest
Festiv ª l
This year, Year 4 did a Harvest Festival all about how farmers grow the food we eat. My favourite part was when I went on stage as a worker. I pretended to dig lots, and I really wanted to be a worker. The audience looked so happy – they were clapping and cheering.
It was so much fun, and all of Year 4 worked together to learn our lines and put on a brilliant show. Thank you to the teachers for helping us and making us feel confident.
Thanks for reading. See you next time for more news.
Leela Year6
U10 & U11 Netball Tournament Super 7s
What an amazing start to the netball season.
On 28th November, the Monday training netball squad played in their very first tournament. We were all so excited because we got to wear our brand-new junior netball dresses for the first time!
There were two teams – Team A and Team B. First, Team A played against St Albans B team, and Team B played against the Team A. It was tough competition, and unfortunately, we lost both matches.
In fact… we lost all our matches at first.
BUT…
Team A didn’t give up! They fought hard in their final game and WON! Their amazing effort earned them the shield for 3rd place, which was the trophy for the tournament. It was such an exciting moment, and everyone was so proud!
What a fantastic day for our netball squad – we can’t wait for the next tournament!
Fixtures & Galas
This term has been super busy with loads of sports fixtures in all kinds of games!
Recently, some amazing swimmers from Years 3 to 6 took part in a swimming gala against Berkhamsted School—and guess what? We won by two races.
In the third week of school, Year 6 (and one Year 5 player) played in an IAPS tournament. The score was 3–1, and we won our first game in years. Everyone was so proud.
Before half term, Years 5 and 6 played football against St John’s. Here are the results:
• A team: drew 4–4
• B team: won 2–1
• C team: won 4–0
• D team: won 5–0
After half term, Year 5 hosted a tournament at our school against some of the best teams in the county. We came 4th out of 8, which was a great achievement.
On 14th November, Year 5 and Year 6 boys played Radlett Prep School. It was the last football fixture for the Year 6 boys, which made it really special. Sadly, all the teams lost, but everyone tried their hardest and showed amazing effort.
What a fantastic term of sport - it’s been full of excitement, teamwork, and brilliant memories.
Jamie Year6
Our Winter Reads
We’ve picked some amazing books for you to enjoy this winter. Each one was chosen because it’s perfect for curling up with on a cold day. There’s something for everyone - whether you love exciting adventures, magical stories, or books that make you think. We wanted to include stories that are fun, full of imagination, and will keep you hooked from the first page to the last.
These books aren’t just great reads, they’re the kind that make you want to grab a blanket, a hot chocolate, and get lost in another world. So, if you’re looking for something to read over the holidays, check out our winter picks. We hope you love them as much as we do.
Year 1 & 2
Year 3 & 4
Year 5 & 6
CRAZY ?CROWN?
Guess what is wider?
The single country of Australia or THE MOON.
Answer:
Australia! I know it sounds unlikely, but the moons diameter is approximately 3,400 km wide, but Australia’s diameter is about 4,000km
Do you love fun facts? Well, wait no more because here is... Crazy Crown Fun Facts.
Aselection of fun facts, I found.
Cats sleep not 1, not 2, but a whopping 15 hours of the day. That means for over sixty percent, they are asleep.
I wish I was a cat.
When you think of a cloud, you think of a soft, fluffy, light thing, right? Well forget all you know about clouds because they are made of water (which isn’t soft or fluffy) and weigh the small amount of 1,000,000 tonnes (or about 1,000,000 walruses, or 40,000,000 large polar bears).
You probably think that you’re the same height in the morning and the night. Well, if you believe that, then may you be wrong. In the morning, you are taller than you are at night, for a very simple reason. In the morning, you are at your normal height, while at night, your bones compress and scrunch up together.
The Christmas Cracker
I had so much fun drawing my comic strip. I loved creating my own characters and thinking about what would happen in each scene. It was exciting to add speech bubbles and make the story come to life with pictures. I can’t wait to share it with my friends – I hope you enjoy it.
Year 6
Olivia
Hot chocolate brownie cup
Ingredients
A little oil (for greasing the tin)
1 box brownie mix (approx. 520 g)
Follow the instructions on the packet for eggs/oil/water.
3 tbsp double cream
115 g dark chocolate, chopped, divided
50 g mini marshmallows
2 tbsp sprinkles (hundreds and thousands or mixed sprinkles)
15 chocolate-covered mini pretzels, broken into half-circles (for the “handles”)
“Do you feel like having a warm sweet treat in the middle of winter? Well, if you do, you should try these delicious delights. We hope you enjoy making and tasting them.”
Method
Step 1 Preheat oven to 350°/180°C / 160°C fan. Coat 2 (24-cup) silicone or nonstick metal mini muffin pans with oil.
Step 2 In a large bowl, prepare brownies according to package directions. Scoop batter into prepared cups, filling about threequarters full (you should get 28 to 30 mini brownies).
Step 3 Bake brownies until edges are set and centres remain fudgy, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
Step 4 Using the back of a small melon baller or a rounded 1/4tsp. measuring spoon, press a small indentation into top of each brownie. Let cool until they can be handled, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Step 5 In a small heatproof bowl, microwave cream and 2 oz. chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes total. Transfer ganache to a small zip-top bag. Snip off a small corner of bag.
Step 6 Pipe ganache into the indentations on the brownie tops. Top each with 3 to 4 marshmallows. Refrigerate until ganache sets, about 30 minutes.
Step 7 In another small heatproof bowl, microwave remaining 2 oz. chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes total. Transfer melted chocolate to another zip-top bag. Snip off a small corner of bag.
Step 8 Drizzle some chocolate over top of brownie cups. Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands and candies (if using). Using remaining melted chocolate, “glue” pretzel halves onto sides of cups. Refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Snowman Biscuits
Ingredients
125g butter softened
125g golden caster sugar
1 egg beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour plus extra for dusting
For the decoration
400g white fondant icing icing sugar or dusting
100g pack mixed red, yellow, black and blue ready-to-roll icing tube white icing for sticking tube black icing
Method
Step 1 Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour and mix to a fairly soft dough. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Put the dough on a plate, cover and chill for at least 2 hrs.
Step 2 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of around 0.5cm. Use a cookie cutter or water glass to stamp out 7cm rounds. Re-roll the trimmings and repeat.
Step 3 Transfer the biscuits to two lined baking trays and bake for 8-14 mins until the edges turn lightly golden in colour. Leave to cool.
Step 4 To decorate, roll out the white fondant icing on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. Stamp out 7cm circles using the same cookie cutter or glass as before, then use a dab of the white tube of icing to stick a fondant round on each biscuit.
AydaY6& AriaY4
Winter Recipes
Step 5 Knead together some of the yellow and blue icing to make green icing, then do the same with the red and yellow icing to make orange (alternatively, buy separate packs of each colour). Roll out one icing colour at a time. Stamp out a 7cm circle of icing, cut in half and stick on for a hat. Cut a strip of another colour and make some markings to make it look like the elasticated band of a hat, then trim to fit and stick on. Repeat with all the biscuits, mixing and matching colours.
Step 6 Decorate the hats with icing spots and stripes, if you like. Roll out balls of coloured icing, poke holes all over with a cocktail stick and stick on as pom poms. Mould lumpy balls of the orange icing for noses and roll out balls of the black icing for eyes. Press down to flatten, then stick on with white icing. Use the tube of black icing to pipe rows of dots for the smiles. Leave to set. Will keep for up to five days in an airtight container.
PUZZLE PAGE
Ready to give your brain a workout?
Our puzzles page is packed with challenges to test your skills! From tricky riddles to word searches and crosswords, there’s something for everyone. Can you solve them all? Grab a pencil and see if you’re up for the challenge.
WINTER CROSSWORD
They are bright
You decorate it at christmas
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
There are five differences in the pictures. Can you find them?
WINTER CRYPTOGRAM
Hint: Winter Song
Across:
3. They are bright
6. A fun holiday
7. A cold season
8. What you use to make a snowman
Down:
1. He comes to your house
2. You might get these under your tree
4. Some have it at Christmas lunch
5. You decorate it at christmas
Happy Holidays
Thank you so much for supporting The Junior Crown.
We’ve loved creating this second edition, and it’s been amazing to see all the ideas from different year groups.
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year, filled with joy, laughter, and plenty of festive fun.
See you in the new term – The Junior Crown Team/ Journalism Club.
