FAITH IN YOU
LOVE IN LEARNING
HOPE IN BETTER
this week in our school . . .
Volume 5 Issue 5 October 4th, 2019
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ST AMBROSE BARLOW RC HIGH SCHOOL & SIXTH FORM
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Head’s start .
Mr. Davis, Headteacher, reflects on the week. Mr. Davis, Headteacher, reflects on the week. This week we celebrated our third Mass of the
school year. It was the Feast of St. Francis of It isofabout this time of year thatsoI meet Assisi, one our house patron saints 180 with each Head of Department to review pupils and Mr. Stephenson were joined by Fr.the summer’s results. Thissaid involves Mark Paver who, inexam lieu of assembly, Mass. plenty of useful and thought-provoking discussion, but was it is usually talkingWay about Even more appropriate the Ambrose numbers and letters. Behind this data theme for the week: compassionate and loving.are stories: how pupils did, how figures, they felt,who what There are few saints, or well-known they liked and what they achieved. We are so closely associated with these virtues as always focus on how things can be St. Francis. improved as well as celebrating what went well. regardless As a Catholic school, exam Most people, of faith, know his results are just one way of expressing the prayer: the one that begins, “Make me aunique, Godgiven talents and skills pupil. It is instrument of your peace...”. In of hiseach homily important to look beyond the data Father Mark made reference to ideas of so I am delighted that much more of my job compassion and love, focusing especially oninvolves the being in classes, walking around the school former and sharing its etymology with the pupils and talking to pupils, students and staff. in the congregation. If ever you are feeling at allfor despondent The word is derived from the Latin ‘to suffer or fatigued I reckon a quick tour of with’. It is sometimes defined as to ‘walkthe school would quicklywho raise your spirits. Let me alongside’ someone is in pain or burdened show you what I mean. Today (Thursday, with the woes and demands of life. September 29th) for instance, I dropped into Year 10 GCSE Music.this There, Famously, in modern culture, idea Iiswas found delighted to listen to performances in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird when the of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Hold Back character. Atticus Finch observes that, ‘You the River and When the Saints Go Marching never really understand a person until you In. I also got to sit with Daniel and Chester consider things from his point of view, until you as they demonstrated their prodigious climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.’ DJing talents. Next, during lunch, I supervised the canteenthat andidea made point of watching This reinforces thata compassion is thethe interactions that take place daily. basis of understanding other people, evenPupils those and staff holding doors open for one another, who may be very different or might occupy a little moments of personal position offering that we thanks, find challenging or a source of appreciation and gratitude. Of course, conflict. things don’t always go well in a school, but it is lovely to explores witness athe voluntary apology The Ambrose Way idea that doing from a Year 9 to one of the lunch time staff, or this is an act of love and loving those who see one pupil help another who is unsure threaten us, judge us, make our lives difficult, where go for even those whotohurt us,class. is what we are called to
I get to Maths to find all of Year 9 embroiled in a task this thatweek, is so challenging and assemblies led by Heads of exciting Houses, that I want to stay and have a go myself. have shown, compassion and love are also Outside it’s:solidarity “Sir, havewith youthe seen myand tie? about showing poor Can you open my bottle? What did you needy; suffering alongside people who have less of last game? What thanthink we do. Bynight’s doing this we give uptime the is it, Sir?” and, at least once a day, “Oh my material things we need in order to understand days!” It can be noisy at times and in a this the difficult experiences of others and from community this size we can’t expect compassion we learn much more about the everyone to get ontowith things we really need liveeach a fullother life. all the time. But it is our community, and a lively, positive one at in that. Thelovely, assemblies focused particular on the theme of homelessness, challenging the Perhapsinthe single highlight of mywhat week,they if I audiences each house to consider had to pick, would be the conversation I had could do for the poor and needy, how they could withwith’ Mrs.others. Fay who is leading the ‘suffer development of our new library. I am a library enthusiast and have been ever since I was little. The furthest reach of my memory is back to moments spent in our local library entranced by its colour and bright possibilities. On Twitter #RememberingMyLibrary reveals the hold that such an institution has: ‘A library card a free passhosted to wonderment, words and Thiswas week we also the first ever the ability to roam the world’ observes one SurveyFest, a day long event that introduced user, whilst another quotes the wrought iron Years 7 and 8 to the opportunities and gates of Stalybridge library, ‘Read, Mark, possibilities of surveying and its related Learn andGuests Inwardly Digest.’ talk of professions. from majorOthers companies the escape that a library represented provided a wide range of activities and or of the refugefor it offered an unkind world. experiences the yearfrom groups that ranged from measuring spaces with lasers to using a Mrs. Fay spent last Saturday peacefully theodolite. stacking the shelves and we are inching opening. with Whatover thrilled wasinher Thecloser eventto culminated 200me pupils the comment that several boys, some of whom assembly hall building structures from spaghetti a dislike oflistening reading,to were andaffect marshmallows, talkselectrified on the by presence of a library in their school: ‘You profession and much more. mean I can borrow this and, like, read it, Miss?’ the breathless of one As well as was introducing pupils toutterance careers options pupil. Our library is at the heart of the associated with surveying, the event also school:the a space for being open to and Way embodied application of the Ambrose sharing ideas and experiences. It istalents open- in through the idea of using our skills and plan and its shelves serve as a reminder the service of others.
that there should be no barrier to anyone its volumes or seeking knowledge, Godusing Bless,
solace, entertainment or information. I can’t to see it come to life in the weeks Benwait Davis ahead thanks to Mrs. Fay and her band of Headteacher helpers. Twitter: @BenDavis1972
The Ambrose Way explores the idea that understanding another is an act of love
do. Jesus throws out the challenge to take love Sixth Form, I enjoyed a lengthy chat with deeper: In“You have heard that it was said, ‘You Aidan who explained both the theory of shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ differentiation and its potential commercial But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray In English they were studying for thoseapplication. who persecute you.’” (Matthew the play Blood Brothers and talking with 5:43-44) humour and excitement about superstitions; in Yearlove 7 RE they were dissectingTo our new This is where becomes challenging. mission statement and exploring the Front cover image: the Bushcraft trip last week Ben Davis, Headteacher love in this way is to love as God loves. As the personal meanings within it. School is a Twitter: @BenDavis1972 busy, bustling, humming place.
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The Ambrose Way This Week Each week, through form and assemblies, and using prayer and reflection, we focus on a pair of virtues from The Ambrose Way as well as a skill. The details can be found in your child’s booklet.
Over the last two weeks we have focused first on being Grateful and Generous and then, last week, on being Compassionate and Loving. The focus this week is on the virtues of being . Please take some time to read though the Ambrose Way booklet with your child and discuss these virtues.
the ambrose
I am Ambrose when I am attentive to my experience and
to my vocation; and discerning about the choices I make and the effects of those choices.
Name:
This covers the following habits for learning and life: reflecting showing determination, reliability, self-discipline, Aspiration/ Personalself-awareness, Goal or Ambition: dedication.
Pupils are reminded that: ‘using Christ as my role model, I show through kind and respectful words and co-operative actions and through understanding other people’s views that everybody matters in our Catholic community instead of answering back, acting unkindly, disrespecting or hurting others. Seeing myself as part of God’s Creation, I take pride in keeping the school clean and tidy, being ready for learning, correctly dressed and equipped instead of arriving without the correct uniform, kit or equipment.' I can expect... to be set high standards and supported to achieve these.
Sometimes, we wake up and wonder where the years have gone and whether we have made the most of our lives. We ask whether we have made the best choices and given time and energy to the people and things that matter. Being attentive takes practice. It is much easier to allow ourselves to be swept along in the tide of everyday life, from one thing to the next, taking little time to notice anything.
We should take time to notice the big and the small things of each day; we need to be aware of and understand the responses of other people; we need to be attentive to the stirrings in our hearts and to the preoccupations that thread their way through our lives. In this way, we become much more sure-footed in coping with the things that life and other people throw at us.
Once we develop the habit of being attentive, we can begin to discern what is good for us and what is not; and what God calls us to be, and to do (our vocation). Being attentive brings the possibility of taking back control of our own lives.
How do you know the right thing to do? How do you know the good thing to do? Sometimes it is obvious, but often it is not.
Discernment is a way of approaching decisions by being attentive to my lived experience, by noticing the impact my past choices have had on me and others, and then seeking the better way forward. Discernment is about choosing the better over the good. In this way we can embrace excellence by being attentive to our lives and experiences, by focusing on getting the details right and by discerning what is best for us.
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HOUSe News St. Bernadette of Lourdes st. benedict of nursia
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st. oscar romero st. michael the archangel st. francis of assisi St. teresa of calcutta House points and house news pages
st. assisi St francis Francisofof Assisi House Mr. Clancy writes: Form 2 Francis have made an excellent start to the new school year. We welcome our new year 7 pupils Faith, Oliwia, Alex and Toby who have settled into school really well. Ewan Creeley represented the whole of St Francis house during the House Mass on Wednesday, leading the bidding prayers. Will Doyle continues to play an active role on the school council taking a lead in the Youth Parliament votes. 2 Francis is also well represented in sports both in and out of school. Szymon Talaga is part of the year 8 football team that beat Buille Hill 7-0. Abigail Tommany is part of the girls football team, their first match is next week. Abigail also plays for Blackpool girls. Charlie McLaughlin is on the year 10 football team, he will play in their first game against The Albion on the 3rd October. Finally Nathan Rose in year 8 is quite an accomplished kickboxer he will be taking part in a number of national competitions in the coming weeks. Mr Stephenson St.Bernadette Bernadette of Lourdes St. of Lourdes Form tutor Mrs. Robinson writes: I am very proud of my form 3BL. Seeing everyone first thing in the morning sets the right tone for the day. I am delighted that I always have volunteers to read the Gospel for our Wednesday Worship and hope that pupils of all year groups will offer to take part in our assembly in a few weeks time. I think a little chocolate bribery will be needed and a bit of public speaking always looks good on your CV (Year 11s).
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Year 11 pupils have started to visit colleges on Open Evenings and are hopefully narrowing down what they might want to do next year. Do not panic if you really have no idea yet but try to speak to your teachers and parents for guidance and advice – don’t just leave it! 3BL have already accumulated over 320 achievement points in just 4 weeks which makes us the second highest form group in our house. 1BL lead the way but we are hot on their heels so watch this space. Parents please remember to contact school if you need my help in any matter and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Mrs Sidebottom St Teresaofofcalcutta Calcutta St. teresa Form Tutor Mrs. Marshall writes: It has been a good week in 3T with many positive achievements being recorded for almost all students across all school years. In particular Kerrielle Bailey McNally who earned 9 achievement points last week, closely followed by Summer Bryne and Julia Zelechowska. I would also like to congratulate Philip Maloles and Adam Mann for making such a strong and positive start to year 11. We have continued to learn about the Ambrose Way and have spent some time in form discussing gratefulness and generosity and things we are grateful for. Alongside feeling gratitude for the support and love of our friends and family, 3T expressed gratitude for the opportunities afforded few examples of these are listed below: 4
“I am grateful to be able to go to school” “I am grateful for my education” “I am grateful for feeling safe when I am at school” This week the year 7 also spent some time participating in Surveyfest. The feedback has been wholly positive with year 7 declaring it to be “fun with lasers!”. St Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us. Mrs. Robb St. Benedict of Nursia st. benedict of nursia Celebrations: Isabelle Cornfield has the most achievement points with 31 so far this year. Well done Isabelle keep up the good work! 3 Benedict also have the most achievement points so far in St Benedict’s House. Unique Together: Inspired by the Ambrose way, 3 Benedict decided to show how grateful we are for the teachers and staff at our school. We each wrote out a note to say thank you for all of their hard work and to show them that we appreciate everything they do for us.
you 3M). Y7 pupils of 3M are making a great start to their Ambrose journey. Pupils of 3M have very high aspirations and expectations of themselves. In form time pupils have been working on the Ambrose Way and have been reflecting on their personal goals and considering what they are grateful for. Some of the comments I have pulled out from their booklets include; I am grateful for my teachers to help me learn I am grateful for education and learning I want to continue to have respect for everyone in school In assembly this week the house was moved by the presentation on kindness and generosity. We looked at people less fortunate than ourselves and the situation thousands of people in the UK find themselves in. Pupils were moved and determined to make positive action therefore as a house we will be looking at ways to raise money to offer support to loaves and fishes to help the homeless in our community. Mrs. McGowan
We also celebrated each other’s gifts and talents! Did you know…. Ole Kerwin is a talented football player. Lara Zino can play the violin and is a very talented musician. Rumena Govedarova and Lucy Boyle are excellent performing artists. Everybody Matters: 3 Benedict have raised £12 so far for a Period Pack; supporting women in refugee camps to have dignity during their time of the month. With the left over money we are going to sponsor the year 7 students taking part in the CAFOD Family Fast Day, who are kindly sacrificing solid food on Friday 4th October to raise money for those less fortunate.
Mr. Merriman St oscar st. Oscarromero Romero
St Michaels news st. michael theHouse archangel Form Tutor Mrs. Taylor writes: This year has been a new start for all pupils in 3M as they have a new form teacher alongside Mr Senior and a new form room. Our y7 new starters have been welcomed into the form by older pupils who have been there to help them over the first few weeks which has been a pleasure to witness (thank
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Around the school This week
Top: Fr. Paver from St. Luke’s said Mass for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He is pictured with pupils from the House who read at Mass. Below: the Year 8 football team, victorious over Buile Hill this week.
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Around the school This week
Pupils getting to grips with challenges, facing fears and dealing with lots of rain on the Bushcraft trip last weekend.
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Around the school This week
Saying goodbye to Bushcraft on Sunday. Well done to everyone who went.
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Around the school This week
 
Left top: Miss Jackson getting practice first aid on the Bushcraft trip; Right, top: this shows just how wet it was pupils nearly floating away
At Bushcraft every pupil and member of staff was part of a tribe. This really brought people together and helped them to work on their team work skills. In many ways it was a chance for pupils to put into action the Ambrose Way in a new and unfamiliar context.
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Around the school This week
The first ever SurveyFest took place at our school this week. What a brilliant and challenging experience for all the pupils.
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calendar what’s on
Advance Notice Year 11 & 13 Mocks begin October 28th
Y7 Parents’ & Carers’ Evening, 5:00pm
Zoolab (all day)
Embrace Week begins
TUE 08
WED 09
THU 10
FRI 11 SAT 12
MON 07
COMING UP THIS WEEK week beginning 07.10.19 week b
attendance We aim for 100% attendance for all of our students and have set 96% as satisfactory attendance for this year. Attendance is monitored period-by-period and statistics are published each week. Excellent attendance guarantees excellent learning. Attendance by year (w/b September 30th). Attendance last week was 95.5% with two forms (3Bn and 1T) achieving 100% attendance. Attendance and its impact on learning
Year 7 Year 8 year 9 year 10 year 11 School
98.5% 95.1% 94.9% 94.1% 94.8% 95.5%
10 days absence means 95% attendance 19 days absence means 90% attendance 29 days absence means 85% attendance 38 days absence means 80% attendance 47 days absence means 75% attendance Please note: If your child is off school you need to contact student services the same day on 0161 921 1589/1551. If the school has not been contacted within five days, the absences will automatically be unauthorised. Ten unauthorised marks may lead to a fixed penalty notice being served. Top: at the Siemens Rollercoaster Challenge;
Below: 6th formers at the Teenage Cancer11 Trust fundraiser
TWEET OF THE WEek More
Alison Watson MBE @ClassofYourOwn Oct 2
Loved playing #Agrimensore with @SABSalford
Year 7 and 8 at #SurveyFest - we discovered that the maths hadn’t changed in 2000 years (even if #surveying has moved on a little!) #minorpalmus #pes #digitus #cubit (and incidentally, pupils’ #Roman #Maths skills were 12 magnificus!
Parishes in our Catchment Area Holy Trinity, Worsley (formerly Christ the King; St. Edmund’s) Sunday Mass Times • 9:00am at Christ the King • 11:00am at St. Edmund’s Our Lady of Hope, Salford (formerly St. Luke’s; SS. Peter & Paul, Pendleton) Sunday Mass Times • 6:30pm (Sat vigil) at St. Luke’s • 9:30am at St. Luke’s • 8:00am at SS. Peter & Paul • 11:00am at SS. Peter & Paul St. Ambrose Barlow, Swinton & Pendlebury (formerly St. Mark’s, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. Charles Borromeo) Sunday Mass Times • 9:30am at St. Mark’s • 11:15am at St. Charles • 4:00pm at St. Mark’s
FAITH IN YOU
LOVE IN LEARNING
HOPE IN BETTER
ST AMBROSE BARLOW RC HIGH SCHOOL & SIXTH FORM www.stambrosebarlowswinton.org 37 Ash Drive Swinton Salford M27 9QP 0161 921 1570 @SABSalford Headteacher: Ben Davis 13
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