BAROMETER THE
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WEEKLY FEBRUARY 4th 2018 | WEEK 5 CHALLENGES, COMPETITIONS AND RELAYS IN THE MATHS DEPARTMENT!
FROM THE HEADMASTER
Dear Parents, In recent weeks, the debate has grown over whether universities should be making unconditional offers to Year 13 pupils. According to UCAS, since 2014 the number of 18-year-olds receiving at least one unconditional offer has risen almost fivefold. Now, almost a quarter of future students can take up a place at university without the pressure of worrying about the grades they are going to get. Whilst I would agree with any change to the system of university applications in the UK that removes the pressure of results day and brings an end to the system of clearing, recent evidence from the Office for Students shows that applicants who accept an unconditional offer, are more likely to underperform by two or more grades compared with those who have a target to hit. There are clearly positives for those students who go into their examinations with external pressure lightened, but concerns are being raised about the extent to which it is beneficial for the pupils to
have the hurdle removed as they prepare to transition to Higher Education. I have been reflecting on this issue throughout the week in part because it is pertinent to our Year 12 students who have started doing their research, supported by their tutors who are all experienced in advising boys on applications to university, but also because I found myself debating the pros and cons of unconditional offers with a number of parents who had brought their sons to interview for a 13+ place in 2021 as a number of schools, including Wetherby, have decided to make offers unconditional, rather than asking for a certain score at Common Entrance. That this issue is affecting boys at both ends of the Wetherby Senior School age range is an interesting one and, of course, what is right for an 18 year old almost certainly will not be right for a ten year old. I hope that retaining the challenge of the Common Entrance examinations, but removing some of the pressure will be of benefit to the boys as they move from Prep to
Senior and I also hope that universities think about the impact of the decision to remove all the pressure from the older pupils as they prepare to become more independent in their education. This issue focuses on the work of the maths department, with particular reference to their approach to problemsolving, teaching boys to use the knowledge they acquire in maths and apply it to new or unfamiliar circumstances. The popularity of the activities run by the maths department, particularly the UKMT Maths Challenge, and the successes the boys have more broadly are developing their skills of investigating, analysing and interpreting that will be invaluable in whatever field they pursue. Have a great weekend,
WEEK A MONDAY
WEEKLY DIARY 11.02.18
Talk for Sixth Form boys - The Gap Year, Robyn White - Francis Holland, Regents Park 15:00 St John’s Ambulance Bronze DofE training - Hannah House Hall and old Year 10/11 Common Room 16:00-18:00
TUESDAY
12.02.18
WEDNESDAY
13.02.18
Rugby WSS U12/13 vs UCS (H) 14:30 Rugby WSS Years 7/8 vs Fulham Prep (H) 14:30 Football WSS U17 A vs DLD (H) The Marylebone Cup 14:30 Live Lounge - Drama Studio - 18:00-18:30
THURSDAY
14.02.18
WSS U14/AB vs Kingston Grammar (A) 14:30pm
FRIDAY
15.02.18
SATURDAY
16.02.17
SUNDAY
17.02.17
Friday Lunchtime Clubs and Societies 13:40-14:25 HM Whole School Assembly at Hinde Street Methodist Church 15:15-15:45 Boys break up for Half Term
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WATER BOTTLE MORE UPCOMING MUSIC EVENTS
Help reduce our school’s plastic consumption by using this personalised Active Bottle, emblazoned with the Wetherby Senior School logo and your own name. Made from highly durable materials, your Active Bottle is easy to open and close, won’t leak and will keep your drinks hot or cold throughout the school day.
Solo/recital evening 26th March 6-6:30pm
Active Bottle supports our planet by donating 10% of all their proceeds to aClean Ocean and what’s more, all remaining profits from selling the bottle will go straight to support your school’s PTA and their selective charities.
SPRING CONCERT 3rd April 6:30-7:30pm
Can’t get better! You can order online at:
BRASS BASH 2nd April 6:307:30pm
BRASS BAND TOUR 17-19th May
https://activebottle.co.uk/collections/wetherby
Mr Sullivan writes... Being a volunteer for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and helping young adults is a massive passion of mine. I am raising awareness and money throughout this year by competing in many half marathons and memorial rugby matches. My next race is the Spartan South East Super Race in Kent for on 4th May 2019. It would be great if you could donate and share my page so I can raise as much as possible to support them. If you would like to find out more about CALM please visit www. thecalmzone.net https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-sullivan21
IMPORTANT NOTICES
Please ensure all uniform, games kit and equipment is clearly named.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Main: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Main: Steak and Mushroom Pie
Main: Chicken curry
Meat Free: Tortellini fromaggio with tomatoes, mushroom and spinach
Meat Free: Leek and Gruyere tart
Meat Free: Lentil Dhal
To Go With: Mashed swede, steamed florettes, parsley potatoes
To Go With: Chana masala, fennel seed rice, Kachumba salad, mini naan bread, rhaita yoghurt
To Go With: Tomato, red onion and boconcini salad, peas and beans, herbed diced potatoes
Dessert: Chocolate Brownie
Dessert: Orange Tart
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Main: Beef Stroganoff
Main: Beef or chicken burgers
Meat Free: Vegetarian pizzas
Meat Free: Falafel and spinach veggie burgers
To Go With: Pilau rice, French beans, Provencale tomatoes, garlic and parsley pasta Dessert: Orange jelly bowls
To Go With: Chips, oven roasted Mediterranean vegetables, calabrese with garlic and chili
Dessert: Chilled Spanish style rice pudding
EVERY DAY
Homemade Bread Freshly made yogurt pots Fresh Fruit
Dessert: Baked jam roll and custard sauce
MENU
INTERTRIB MATHS RELAY At the end of last term the maths department hosted a challenge to all those budding young mathematicians at Wetherby who wanted to pip their problem solving abilities against one another. In an activity that spanned across all year groups, the aspiring students were representing their tribs and battling the clock. The challenge came in the format of a relay where each contestant had their own code to break in order to pass the baton to
the next member of their trib. The winners being the first to crack all their codes and pass the baton across the finish line. The format led to suspense and tension that you could cut with a knife and Mr Bolderow commented on how impressed he was with the effort and desire of the boys to do their best for their tribs. The final leg of the relay involved the toughest codes and so were left to the sixth formers to wrestle with. Walbrook had the lead going into
the final leg and the pressure was on Rahul T to close the deal. The sweat began to drip from his forehead as he battled with the final puzzle and the crowd wasn’t shy in letting him know that Tyburn and Effra were hot on his heels. With a fist in the air and the cheer of his trib, the ever cool Rahul had finished and crowned Walbrook the Wetherby Maths Relay Champions of 2018. Looking forward to next year already!
NETWORKS INVESTIGATION Maths at Wetherby is not about preparing for an exam (although the results show that we’re good at that too), but it’s about improving our problem solving skills and spotting patterns. A good example of this is the Network Investigations that Year 9 worked on at the end of last term. The boys were introduced to the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem that led to Euler’s work on graph theory and asked to investigate the problem for themselves. Some boys were able to use the knowledge of graph theory to answer the Super Challenge.
In subsequent lessons, we challenged boys to the problem featured in the film Good Will Hunting, which you can find at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=iW_LkYiuTKE
Impressively, many of our boys arrived at the solution and wondered why the film portrayed the problem as being so difficult!
BRIDGES OF KONIGSBERG: SUPER CHALLENGE! The northern bank of the river is occupied by the castle of the Blue Prince; the southern by that of the Red Prince. The east bank is home to the Bishop’s church; and on the small island in the centre is an inn. It is customary among the townsmen, after some hours in the inn, to attempt to walk the bridges, crossing each once and only once. Many have returned for more refreshment claiming success; however none have been able to repeat the feat by the light of day. Bridge 8:
Bridge 9:
Bridge 10:
The Blue Prince, having analysed the town’s bridge system by means of graph theory, concludes that the bridges cannot be walked. He hatches a plan to build an eighth bridge so that he can begin in the evening at his castle, walk the bridges, and end at the inn to brag of his victory. Of course, he wants the Red Prince to be unable to duplicate the feat from the Red Castle.
The Red Prince, infuriated by his brother’s solution to the problem, wants to build a ninth bridge, enabling him to begin at his castle, walk the bridges, and end at the inn to rub dirt in his brother’s face. As an extra bit of revenge, his brother should then no longer be able to walk the bridges starting at his castle and end at the inn as before.
The Bishop has watched this furious bridge-building with dismay. It upsets the town’s equilibrium and, worse, contributes to excessive drunkenness. He wants to build a tenth bridge that allows all the inhabitants to walk the bridges and return to their own beds.
Task 2: ascertain where the Blue Prince builds the eighth bridge.
Task 3: ascertain where the Red Prince builds the ninth bridge.
Task 4: ascertain where the Bishop builds the tenth bridge.
BRIDGES OF KONIGSBERG: SOLUTION
UKMT MATHS CHALLENGE CLUB The UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) organises national mathematics competitions and other mathematical enrichment activities for 11-18 year old UK school pupils. Wetherby boys have had success in individual and team challenges, with many winning certificates and some boys progressing to second level international competitions. We use some of UKMT’s questions in class in ‘Cup Questions’ and ‘Challenge Questions’ in weekly prep as they are ‘designed to stimulate interest in maths’ and help foster problem solving skills. Boys can opt for extra exposure to these questions in UKMT Maths Club on Friday lunchtimes. The pictures show the boys getting stuck in.
ACTIVITIES BULLETIN: CLASSICS CLUB Miss Woods writes... Classics Club started this term for Years 7-8 and it has been a hive of activity! The boys have been discovering the illustrious societies of the Greeks and Romans, their beliefs and cultures. In their first week, the boys learned about the different Greek Gods and their roles and responsibilities. They then produced some designs of what a Greek God might look like in the 21st Century. Last week, they looked at the Hero’s Journey, and the kind of trials a Greek hero would have to go through. The boys then created their own terrifying monsters for the heroes to fight; some were inspired by Classical monsters such as the Hydra!
Nico F, Year 8 writes... In Classics Club we have mainly been looking at the Greeks and Romans, and for the past few sessions we have been researching the gods they believed in, such as Zeus or Jupiter, and heroes such as Perseus or Hercules. We learnt all the gods, their roles and some other features about them. Also, we have done many tasks like selecting one god and forming a modern version of the god by thinking about what they would carry and what they would be the god of. We learnt about the hero storyline and compared it to some heroes in a movie or a book and we designed our own hero or monster that the hero will fight. I enjoy this club as it is interesting to learn what the Greek and Roman cultures were like in contrast to ours.
MODEL UN Last weekend, six Sixth Form boys accompanied by Miss Smith and Mrs Deedat made the trip to Manchester to be delegates in ‘MUNHIGH 2019’, the Model United Nations Conference hosted by Manchester High School for Girls. Model United Nations is an extra-curricular activity in which students from across the country role play delegates to the United Nations and stimulate UN committees. The
conference was attended by 28 schools, representing over 50 countries. The most impressive thing was that the entire conference had been organised by the Upper Sixth girls themselves. On the first day, there was an opening ceremony and several welcome addresses. Following this, the boys divided into their various councils where they were representing Israel. These
included the Security Council, Human Rights, Economy and Finance, Disarmament, Health and Political. The second day started with a brunch, followed by more committee meetings and then the General Assemblies. Despite it being their first MUN Conference, the boys represented the School very professionally and we look forward to the next conference at Westminster School next week.
ALPHA ZERO OR ALPHA HERO? Tommaso S, Year 10 writes... Everything started with 3 university students meeting here, in London, in their university class and starting to work together… A little bit clichéd? Uhm… perhaps… many start-up projects nowadays have this folkfriendly origin but in this case, it seems truly how it started. Optimistically you can at least be motivated by how much new ‘stuff ’ you can embrace during your time at university. Anyway, if the beginning seems too common, then the development of this enterprise (DeepMind) is just astounding. The trio started by literally “teaching” a device called Alpha Zero how to play old video games from the ‘70s and ’80s, (like Breakout, Pong and Space Invaders), as they have quite basic functions compared to the ones available today. Alpha Zero was introduced to one game at a time, without any prior knowledge of its rules. After spending some time learning the game, Alpha Zero would eventually develop skills by having played previous matches, becoming an expert. The device was so effective that global companies started to attract the attention of the big players and started a race to take over the new company. Without any surprise, Google paid a cataclysmic $500 million and won the race. And the “game” continued…
In October 2015, a computer Go program called AlphaGo, developed by DeepMind, beat the European Go champion Fan Hui, a 2 Dan professional five to zero ( “Dan” is the ranking system in the French board-game “Go” where 9
become better. It played against itself and learned not only from its own defeats but wins as well: it learned to improve itself over time and increased its winning rate as a result. All this sounds almost unbelievable!!!
Dan is the highest). This was the first time artificial intelligence (AI) defeated a professional Go player. Previously, computers were only known to have played Go at an “amateur” level. A huge win for AI! Go is considered much more difficult for computers to win compared to other games, like chess, due to the larger number of possibilities making it extremely difficult for traditional AI methods to devise a plan.
(https://www.alphagomovie. com/)
You may say that the challenger was not first ranked so read on! In 2017, AlphaGo won a three-game match with Ke Jie, who at the time continuously held the world No. 1 ranking for two years. The AlphaGo technology was developed based on the deep reinforcement learning approach. This makes AlphaGo different from the rest of AI technologies on the market. AlphaGo’s ‘brain’ was introduced to various techniques based on the historical tournament data. The number of moves was increased gradually until it eventually processed over 30 million. The aim was to have the system mimic the human player’s abilities and eventually
In March 2016, the Artificial Intelligence beat Lee Sedol—a 9th dan Go player and one of the highest ranked players in the world—with a score of 4-1 in a five-game match. In 2017, an improved version, AlphaGo Zero, defeated AlphaGo 100 games to 0. AlphaGo Zero’s strategies were self-taught. AlphaGo Zero was able to beat its predecessor after just three days with less processing power than AlphaGo; in comparison, the original AlphaGo needed months to learn how to play. Later that year, AlphaZero, a modified version of AlphaGo Zero, gained superhuman abilities at chess and shogi. Like AlphaGo Zero, AlphaZero learned solely through selfplay. The process seems unstoppable: a new version called AlphaStar was presented a few days ago (January 24, 2019) and specialized in playing the real-time strategy game StarCraft II. AlphaStar uses a reinforced learning to learn the basics based on replays from human players,
and later played against itself to enhance its skills. At the time of the presentation, AlphaStar had knowledge equivalent to 200 years of playing time; it won 10 consecutive matches against professional players, and lost just one. This is one of the comments released at the end of the match: “The cognitive processes which the Artificial Intelligence goes through are said to be very like those a human who had never seen the game would use to understand and attempt to master it.” This and other comments that accompany the ongoing development of the projects
make you think that a new era with machines able to challenge (or maybe even mock) humans has literally started and is moving forward very fast. The ambitious objective of the new company is to extend Artificial Intelligence to any other feasible sectors. Several collaborations have already been started with healthcare institutions (Moorfields Eye Hospital on searching for early signs of diseases leading to blindness, UCL Hospital on developing an algorithm that will automatically differentiate between healthy and cancerous tissues in head and neck areas.
The fast pace of the AI development will no doubt shortly offer vital contributions, especially in healthcare. The news two days ago that a team at Columbia University (New York) is close to programming and designing a ‘self-aware’ machine, suggest that sooner or later a superadvanced computer will be able to bully and laugh at a poor player who miserably loses another video game match against AI. It’s not a coincidence that DeepMind is now busy in setting up the company’s Ethical Committee…!
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL SPRING CONCERT Wednesday 3rd April 2019 6:30pm-7:30pm
http://www.wetherbysenior.co.uk