ASA TODAY - Issue 24, Term 3 by All Saints' Academy

St.Gregory The Great Primary

New York Trip

The second Sixth Form trip to ‘The Big Apple’ Page 3

Pupil page

ASA TODAY

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

The All Saints’ Academy Newspaper

Page 9

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‘Chefs on tour’ visit ASA By Mrs Schilder Food Technology Teacher

On January 14th we welcomed Shaun Naen into the catering department, with his Chefs on Tour roadshow. This lively and entertaining demonstration is designed to inspire catering students and give them an opportunity to taste some exciting dishes, as he prepares a range of dishes all within an hour. Gloucestershire College Chef Shaun and his colleague Mark started with a whole chicken, and after portion-

ing it in front of the students, made crispy noodles, breaded chicken wrap, marinated roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and veg, chicken curry, a chicken stock, an omelette and a crowd-pleasing pepperoni pizza. The students then had the chance to tuck in and sample all of the food. Shaun’s humorous approach to demonstrating had all of the students and staff engaged. Year 8 were selected because they are approaching the time they will choose their options, and so it was a fantastic chance for them to get a flavour of the subject, which is a great start to those interested in a career in the catering industry, or just those wishing to learn a valuable life skill.

Students get to sample all of the food that has been made during the session

Shaun making an omelette

Help us on our mission to Africa 2014

Outstanding results for Science GCSE mock exams By Mrs Cain

Assistant Principal Head of Science

Pages 6 - 7

Students sat their Science mock exams on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st of Jan. There were lots of nerves and worries about these exams as many students had found Science really hard last year. However, there was no need to worry. Most students prepared well for the exams and used their revision resources. The results of these mocks were outstanding:

2 A*s, 11As, 23 Bs, 20 Cs and 3Ds. All the GCSE students should be really proud of themselves and use these mocks as a learning experience for the real thing. All students need to begin revising for the real exams by the Easter holidays. Revision guides were given to all GCSE students and they also have other resources available such as the BBC bitesize website and their exercise books. We would advise that they begin to map out revision and create a revision timetable so that all the modules that they are doing are covered. Congratulations to all Science GCSE students and their teachers – excellent results!

EDITORIAL

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

Editor’s Key events in comments December •

Miss Skelding

PR & Communications Manager Chief Editor for ASA Today I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year. This edition of ASA TODAY features articles mainly from January so there is a recap of December’s events on the right of this column. As ever we have had another busy term. We were visited by 22 primaries in January to take part in a School Sports Network event. We also worked with some Year 5 pupils from The Catholic school of St. Gregory’s The Great. Their page features in this edition. The Africa Mission features heavily in this edition as the Academy has been doing lots of fundraising to achieve the goal of £34,000. Please let us know if you have any ideas for fundraising events or if you would like to support this mission in any way. We encourage responses to our articles so if you would like to send in a letter for our letters page please email kskelding@asachelt.org

ASA TODAY Editorial Team Chief Editor: Miss Skelding Editor: Mr Hamilton

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Keep up to date with ASA

Charity ‘Fixers’ came in to deliver a workshop on cyber bullying. Students learned the importance of speaking out if ever run into any difficulty online.

twitter bites

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Trip for students to the Skillszone in Gloucester. Students learnt more about road safety in an interactive artifical town.

ASA Sports Dept @ASASportsDept Year 10 boys test their footballing skills tonight at home against @bournsidesport #backofthenet

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Young Enterpise group put on their first stall at a Christmas Fair.

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The Sixth Form Olympics took place - Westminster winning.

All Saints’ Academy @asachelt Busy day at ASA today! @CheltenhamSSN have been running an athletics event here. 22 Primary schools, 1 winner! #busy

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39 Christmas Hampers were created and distributed for the YMCA.

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The Christmas Carol service was a hit with the local community filling out the chapel.

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Mr Griffin put on a brilliant rendition of Charles Dickins ‘A Christmas Carol’. Students performed to a very high standard and there was a significant turn out to watch.

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Christmas assemblies were very though provoking and students had the chance to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

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The second New York trip was a big success with students returning with plenty of photos of their experience.

All Saints’ Academy @asachelt Productive Y13 ball meeting with the committee today. Please remember to spread the word about handing in reply slips! #GatsbyOrganising Glos School Games @glosschoolgames The actions heating up at @asachelt with the U13s @yourschoolgames Basketball finals! More to follow Eloise Taylor @HeyEloiseTaylor @ASAAfrica2014 Just got a bag full of books and games for our raffle from @ Waterstones Thank you for your contribution to our fundraising! Perrie Edwards @dommyyy_ The @asachelt invitations to Year 13 Ball have been given out today! If you didn’t get yours, ask your form tutor on Monday!

Upcoming Events at ASA

February Address: Blaisdon Way Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL51 0WH Phone: 01242 711200 Absences: 01242 711203 Email: admin@asachelt.org www.asachelt.org www.facebook.com/asachelt www.twitter.com/asachelt www.youtube.com/asachelt

14th - Twelve24 concert in the Cotswold Hall (7.30 - 9pm - must have ticket to attend) 23rd - Three of the Africa team will be live on BBC Radio Glos (8.40am) 24th - Year 11 History Trip - Doctor’s Show 25th - Ski Trip Information Evening (6 - 7pm) 26th - Parents Forum (6 - 7pm) 28th - Ice Skating Trip (2 - 7.30pm)

March 5th - Year 7 & 8 Science Fair (in Cotswold Hall) 14th - Staff Netball/Football Tournament - Raising money for Africa (3.30 - 5pm) 27th - BBC School Report 28th - Mothering Sunday services for the community

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

ASA Sixth Form

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Christmas in the Big Apple By Demi Wheeler Student Reporter

Sixth Form visit...

15 students, 2 teachers and a city that never sleeps. 9 months ago we could only dream of going to New York and today we have the memories that will last us a lifetime. From the moment we touched down in JFK airport the excitement hit us, despite being deprived of sleep we couldn’t wait to experience Manhattan! After a quick shower and drop-

ping off our suitcases we could finally witness what we had being waiting so tediously to see. The buildings higher than any we had seen before, advertisements plastered across the skyline, Christmas lights and decorations in shop windows and people everywhere we looked! We made visits to famous buildings including the Empire State Building, Federal Bank and the top of the Rock, watched the basketball at Madison Square Gardens, made a visit to a local church that took in all those effected by 9/11, iceskated in Central Park and we shopped till

we dropped in Macy’s department store, 5th avenue and Times Square! In the evenings we dined together in typical American restaurants including The Hard rock Café and Planet Hollywood before heading back out to see more of the city. 5 days of laughs, experiencing new things, smiles and at times feeling exhausted, but they are 5 days we will never forget!

In the heart of Manhattan: The lights Times Square are a well known destination for visitors

Just a flavour...

New York

New York City is now the most populous city in the USA with more than 8.2 million people.

The Statue of Liberty designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi in 1886 and was a gift to the United States from the people of France.

New York City contains roughly 660 miles of subway track connecting 468 subway stations—the lowest of which is located 180 miles below street level. In 2011, more than 1.6 billion people rode the subway.

Since 2005, New York City has the lowest crime rate of the 25 largest US cities, and is one of the safest cities in the US overall.

Above: The view from Rockefeller Centre, looking over Mid town towards Central Park. Below: Mary and Emma ice-skating in Central Park.

SPIRITUALITY

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

@asacheltRE

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Megan’s Memorial By Mrs Scarfe

Assistant Principal Head of RE

The feast of Epiphany By Mrs Spence

Roman Catholic Lay Chaplain The term began with Chaplaincy led assemblies celebrating the feast of the Epiphany, when the Wise Men came to worship the child Jesus in Bethlehem. Students brought the figures and added them to the crib scene while listening to the account of the visit from Matthew 2:1-12 While we in the West celebrate Christmas on December 25th, the eastern Churches treat January 6th as the day marking Jesus’ birth. The assembly explored various Epiphany traditions in Christian countries throughout the world, where the day is marked by carnivals, processions and fiestas. In many countries where the day is also known as ‘Three Kings Day’, the processions are led by people dressed as the Kings often riding on camels. Many traditions and legends mark the feast of the Epiphany, although countries and cultures may differ in the way they celebrate, each is remembering that day long ago when Wise Men from the East, after a very long and arduous journey found the child Jesus whom they had been searching for, recognised him as the promised Messiah, worshipped him and gave him their gifts.

Born for this On Saturday 1st of March students from All Saints’ will be taking part in a production of ‘Born for this’ which is a powerful Lenten Musical telling the Easter Story. The production is organized and arranged through the Youth Ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Clifton and it is learned and performed all on the one day. On Tuesday 14th January students showing an interest in taking part were treated to a sneak preview, when Dave Wheat the Youth Officer came to the Academy. The performance takes place in St Gregory’s Church, Cheltenham, on Saturday 1st March at 7.30pm and admission is free.

Our Father Who is looking after Megan, Isn’t it a beautiful name, Thy time has come, For thy loving to be done, Look after her in heaven, As you did on earth, Give us this day to Remember Megan, And remember those times, Forgive all of those who Have done wrong And help us to be positive At all times Forever And Ever Amen

On returning to school after Christmas I was reminded by some Year 8 girls of the anniversary of Megan White. It has now been 2 years since Megan’s passing. We decided that we would remember her as we did last year. Her closest friends were asked to write a prayer or thought that they on a paper star. These were laminated and silver elastic cord put though them. We agreed to meet at 8.30am on the morning of the 14th January by Megan’s tree and bench in the prayer garden. Despite having had atrocious wet weather the previous few days, the sun shone and blue sky glistened as we held hands outside and had a private quiet moment as a special version of the Our Father which had been written by two of Megan’s friends was read. The stars were then hung on her tree, to join those from last year. As we walked back into school, we glanced back to see the sun reflecting on the stars giving them a silver hue as they blew in the wind. Thoughts for Megan were clearly blowing up to heaven.

Valentine’s Celebrations with a difference By Mrs Allen

Assistant Head of RE

On Friday the 14th February, Christian band, Twelve24 will be coming down from Manchester to spend Valentine’s Day at ASA! They describe themselves as, “radio-ready hip-hop, dubstep, R&B and feel-good dance-pop.” Each year group in the Academy will have a one-hour assembly in the Cotswold Hall where you will hear some of their tracks and listen to their thoughts on the real meaning of love. In the evening, you are invited to come back to the Academy from 7pm to attend a gig hosted by Twelve24 and some special guest acts from ASA. This was an extremely popular event last year so please remember to collect your wristband to gain entry! They will ONLY be available from Cotswold Hall at lunch time on 14/2/14. They are limited to 1 per student on a first come, first served basis. •200 released from 1.10- 1.25pm for pupils in Durham/ Canterbury •200 released from 1.40- 1.55pm for pupils in Westminster/ York If you can’t wait to hear them, you can access their music here… http://www.twelve24.co.uk/music

Mass at All Saints’

On Thursday 23rd January, Father Paul Brandon, Parish Priest of Sacred Hearts celebrated Mass in St Benedict’s Chapel at 12.10pm. Students assisted in the Mass, with the readings, bidding prayers, offertory procession and serving. As the Mass took place during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, prayers were included in the bidding prayers and Fr Paul spoke on the theme during his homily. Mr T Carroll provided the music and the students joined in with singing the hymns.

DEPARTMENT NEWS

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

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Rainforest creepy crawlies visit ASA By Miss Hannam Head of Geography Year 8 get up close and personal with some rainforest creepy crawlies. The 23rd January saw ASA become a temporary home to some very interesting visitors. A deadly venomous scorpion and an equally dangerous tarantula occupied the Cotswold Hall for the day when Zoolab visited ASA. The event organised by the Geography Department enabled Year 8s to see, touch and hold some very unusual rainforest animals. Some students revelled in the opportunity to touch the world’s fastest insect-the Madagascan hissing cockroach, some were not so keen.

For updates on what is being studied in the History Department follow History on Twitter. @ASAHistoryDept

Doctors Show Revision Trip By Mrs Gooch Head of History As part of their GCSE History course, students study the History of Medicine. On Monday 24th February 2014 the History Department has arranged a theatre trip to Birmingham to watch “The Doctors Show”. This 2½ hour show begins with a workshop led by a Senior Examiner who will look at exam questions and show students how to improve their performance in the final examination. This is followed by a play which looks at the famous doctors and the various developments during the history of medicine. This is a valuable revision opportunity for Y11 students and we would strongly urge all year 11 history students to attend. Parents can pay online via ParentMail for the trip. For further information please contact Mrs S Gooch sgooch@asachelt.org Revision guides are also available to purchase at a discounted rate and can also be paid for online via ParentMail.

We found out that snakes are not in fact slimy, but feel more like a raw sausage! Many students enjoyed the sensation of a stick insect crawling up their arms. As well as learning about the importance or conserving the rainforest we learnt some very strange facts about the animals. Including the fact that stick insects can both sway to appear like a twig and curl their tail to look like a scorpion, a frog swallows by rolling its eyeballs back into its head to force food down it’s throat, and a cockroach is the fastest insect in the world. This was particularly worrying when the cockroach was temporarily lost! Thankfully he had not gone far, only further to the bottom of the box. Looking forward, next half term the Geography Department welcomes again Dominic Faulkner from Cheltenham college to regale year 8 with his tales of climbing Mount Everest and playing cricket with border officials to get in to Pakistan. Watch this space!

Cruising around the world

Psychologists visit Pr og r ess All Saints’ Academy in English By Mr Nicklin Assistant Principal Head of English

By Miss Brannan Head of Psychology

By Miss Cox Teacher in charge of Beauty This week year 9 welcomed Donna Allen (recruitment manager) from Steiner. Steiner recruits for several different cruise ships, employing thousands of Beauty Therapist, Hairdressers and Personal Trainers. Some Year 12 and 13 student were also invited to come along in their study periods. About 15 Sixth Form students attended as they were interested in personal training. Donna gave us an insight into life travelling the world, working on the ships. The contracts last for 9 months but you get to speak to friends and family though the internet. You get to share your cabin with a workmate and make friends really fast. You get to see the world on your days off, including places like Miami, New York and the Caribbean. Steiner pay for your accommodation and food so you can save a lot of money and you don’t pay tax. After your first contract you can choose which ship to work on. The most popular with the year 9 beauty class was the Disney ships. Lots of us now want to do this when we are 18. This is the second visit we have had from Donna and we will be looking forward to her coming back again next year- so don’t worry if you missed out this time.

On Friday 24th January, our students were lucky enough to have a visit from a practicing psychologist – a cognitive behavioural therapist. Natalie Broad, from Manchester, shared her own experiences and how she got to where she is now. The main focus of the talk was on CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and what it involves. Natalie spoke to students about how CBT is used to treat disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. This was invaluable for students as they all must study CBT at both AS and A2 level and it gave them a real insight to how it is carried out in the profession.

We also currently have year 8 and 9 students involved in some actual psychological research being conducted by another visiting Psychologist here at All Saints’ Academy! Tim Shore is completing this research as part of his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford and he is investigating how teenagers respond to cognitive behavioural therapy and how it is helpful in treating anxiety in teenagers. Thank you to all those students taking part! We look forward to Tim giving a talk on his research and his experiences too.

Encouraging news from the English Department. Continuing our success from last year, the results from the November exam series means that 61.5% of Y11 have already secured a C at GCSE. Those students can now push on for the higher grades, and we can offer targeted intervention for those who are still working towards their C. More encouraging still is the percentage of students making national standards in terms of progress. As you might know, schools are no longer being measured solely by the number of C-grades they secure. Instead, the focus is now on student progress. 70% of Y11 have made or exceeded national expectations of progress. This is a real achievement, and testament to the hard work put in by the students, and the support offered to them at home as well as in school. All students in Y10 and Y11 have been given revision booklets. I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that students complete additional work outside the classroom. Encourage your son or daughter to answer at least one question in the booklets each week and bring in their work for their teacher to mark. If the booklet has been lost, replacements can be bought for 50p. My sincere congratulations to all those students who sat exams in November, and I look forward to another success story in the summer.

ASA Africa 2014 Tanzania calling ASA Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

From Cheltenham to Kasulu, what is this opportunity all about? The trip will work in partnership with The Diocese of Gloucester who has long established links with the Tanzanian church who are currently completing the building of Bishop Makaya High School in the village of Kasulu near the Kigoma in Western Tanzania. The 16 students will be helping to complete the renovation of the

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Flights a re booke d and pa at the r ssports a eady! re We’re no w workin g hard t all of th o en e f success If unds we need to sure that we ha ve m y get in to ou can support u ake this trip a uch. s in any way, ple ase Best reg ards,

high school, teach English, provide medical supplies, farming tools, sports and classroom resources. This trip will be a chance to forge and embed a link that will bring our two schools together in partnership. The location is in rural Tanzania, where there are limited, if any, basic amenities.

The Afric a Team

nt in Kasu ude lu: St A

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school, teach English, provide medical supplies, farming tools, and sports and classroom resources. The location is in rural Tanzania, where there are limited, if any, basic amenities such as no flushing toilets, running water and electricity for only two hours of the day via a generator. This trip will be a chance to forge and embed a link that will bring our two schools together in partnership. This once in a lifetime opportunity will not be possible without generous donations from the local community and the enthusiastic team fundraising around the clock.

li a s

This July, 16 students and 5 member of staff from All Saints’ Academy will be undertaking a two week missionary trip to a local village called Kasulu near Kigoma in Western Tanzania. The main aim is to give the students a once in a lifetime opportunity to help to inspire a generation in making a difference through experiencing and witnessing ‘rural African poverty’ first hand. The students and staff will be fundraising all the costs, plus funding for the school, the children and the local village in Tanzania. The trip will work in partnership with The Diocese of Gloucester who has long established links with the Tanzanian church with the main focus being to help complete the building of a new high

Dean Wil

The Challege before us

Above: Located on the coast of East Africa,Tanzania shares its borders with Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi

Fundraising Update

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

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ASA Africa’s Interview with the BBC

Mr Kelly, Jon Hopson, Nicole Morrissey and Jack Payton all had the opportunity to be interviewed for the BBC radio program

On Friday 31st January BBC West reporter Anisa Indawala came into All Saints’ Academy and interviewed a few of the Africa team. Students Nicole Morrissey, Jon Hopson and Jack Payton were all interviewed on their thoughts leading up to the big adventure. Trip leader Mr. Kelly also had his 5 minutes of fame as he was quizzed on how he was going to support the students in Africa. Students had an interesting chat with Anisa, as she has spent time travelling and living in climates similar to Africa. She gave them a few handy tips on what to take to avoid being bitten by mosquitos and what colours not to wear! The feature was aired to around 8 million people listening to BBC West on Sunday 2nd February between 8 – 10pm. BBC West covers Gloucesershire, Wiltshire, Cotswolds and Bristol. We hope to have further involvement with BBC West as we continue to fundraise and hope to become guests on the show when our students and staff return from their mission.

£20,586

interesting facts about

Tanzania 1

Tanzania’s current president is Jakaya Kikwete (below) and has been in office since 2005.

raised so far!

Tanzania’s population is 47.6 million people according to the UN’s 2012 figures

Over 100 tribal groups exist in Tanzania and most live in very remote areas of the country.

Tanzania has the largest concentration of wildlife animals per square kilometer, with more than 4 million wild animals and representatives of 430 species and subspecies.

Above and below:Team ASA and Team Kasulu

The League of Nations gave Britain mandate over Tanzania in 1919 and in 1961, Tanzania gained its independence.

The country’s main exports include gold, sisal, cloves, coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, minerals and tobacco.

We are here!

Tanzania is the home of the coconut crab, which is the largest crab in the world can be found on Chumbe Island of Zanzibar.

How can YOU help? 1. Sponsorship: You can make a financial donation via PayPal at the following address: www.asachelt.org/africa/donate 2. Raffle Prize: If you would like to donate a raffle prize, then we would be extremely grateful. So far we have a Nintendo Wii, desktop computer, signed Gloucester rugby ball & golf vouchers

For more info please contact Leo Kelly on:

01242 711299 For more information email: lkelly@asachelt.org

Donate via PayPal http://www.asachelt.org/africa/donate

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania. At 19,341 feet above sea level, it is the largest mountain in Africa.

The world’s largest complete crater, the now-extinct Ngorongoro Crater is in Tanzania

Three of the world’s most magnificent lakes surround Tanzania: Lake Nyasa, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria.

Over 120 languages are spoken in Tanzania. Most of these are Bantu languages, a category of over 535 languages and dialects that are spoken throughout Africa.

Tanzania shares its national anthem with South Africa and Zimbabwe. It’s titled “Mungu Ibariki Afrika” (God Bless Africa).

Tanzania’s capital city is called Dodoma; other significant cities include: Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza.

Tanzania lies just south of the equator and on the whole enjoys a tropical climate. There are two rainy seasons, generally the heaviest rains fall from mid-March to May and a shorter period of rain, from November to mid-January.

HOUSE ACHIEVEMENT

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

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Canterbury

Durham House Star student of the Term

House Star student of the Term Joe O’Shea 2CH

Jack Harman 4DH

Tutor comment

Tutor Comment

I would like to nominate Joe for a variety of reasons. He is polite, always willing to help out, is a god role model to other students and also has a very good sense of humour. Joe has done a fantastic job supporting student interview panels on several occasions and is 2CH’s representative on the student council. He has also just been involved in a workshop that is due to appear on TV, being filmed for the production company ‘Fixers’ who help young people have their voice heard on TV. HAL Comment I am delighted that Joe is Canterbury’s Star Student for term 2. He is a mature, helpful and caring member of the Academy who is determined to aim high and achieve excellence but he always has the time to help others around him. He deserves to be awarded Star Student, I am proud to have him in Canterbury House.

I am delighted to be able to nominate Jack as student of the term; he is always punctual and polite, as well as ready to have a go at any work put in front of him. He is also mature enough to accept when he is in the wrong, changing his behaviour accordingly without complaint or argument. A deserving nominee all round. HAL Comment

Outstanding Christian

Student Comment

Student Comment My opinion on the school is that it is a welcoming place. It has outstanding facilities and caring considerate staff. I enjoy lessons because they are all different and interesting. In every lesson I learn something new and enjoy exploring new things. I am very honoured to be nominated for this award, thank you.

Jack has made a really good start to Year 10 and his attendance is outstanding. Jack is developing into a great role model for other students within his house tutor group as well as the rest of the house. I’ve been particularly impressed with mature approach to learning that Jack demonstrates on a daily basis. Keep up the great work, Jack!

I was a bit surprised to be picked as student of the term because I just turn up and do my work, but it is really nice to be noticed.

Inclusive

Term 2

2014

Westminster

Christian

Community

Term 2

Outstanding

2014

York

House Star student of the Term

House Star student of the Term Charlie Pockett 5YH

John Gie Farnacio 4WH

Tutor Comment

Charlie is an absolute asset to her tutor group, working well with others, and always happy to help. She volunteered to help at parents evening and always completes everything asked of her to the best of her ability, gaining excellent feedback for student review day. She is polite, and when asked how she is, will always ask you in return how you are. She is a real pleasure to have in 6YH.

John has an outstanding attitude to learning and is always focused and resilient. John’s attendance is 100% and he is consistently punctual and polite. He is a valued member of W4 and a role model to other students. HAL Comment I am delighted to have John as Westminster’s Student of the Term. John is always polite, respectful and a positive role model to others. I hope John continues to take such an active role in Westminster House and maintains his outstanding punctuality and attendance. I’m sure John will now go from strength to strength and build on all of his successes next term and beyond. Student Comment Wow, I have never been ‘Student of the Term’ before so this is very much new to me! Westminster is such a great house and Mr Pierce and Miss Jones are nice, helpful and always there when you need them. Thank you for making me the ‘Westminster Student of the Term’ and I promise to keep making you proud, both in and out of school.

HAL Comment

Outstanding Christian Inclusive Community

Term 2

2014

It is a pleasure to have Charlie in York House. Her attitude to learning is excellent and she is a role model to others in the House. I am really pleased that she is such a valued member of 6YH and delighted that she fully involves herself in House and Academy activities. Student Comment “I am honoured to be nominated as student of the term as it is great achievement and i’m happy to be acknowledged. I’ve really enjoyed being part of 6YH and working as a team. I loved helping out in Design and Technology during the schools open evening as I was able to speak to potential new students and tell them about the amazing opportunities available here at ASA.”

Outstanding Christian Inclusive Community

Term 2

2014

The STG Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

Bulletin

The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great

Sixth Former Interview By Emily and Eloise We interviewed a Sixth Form student called Dominika Zyra. She was a previous student at St Gregory’s and she is studying to go to university. We asked her some questions. Here are the questions and answers: How did you feel when you first started here? Scared

What do you find best about this school? We have lots of personal space What subjects do you study? Psychology, Sociology and Business Who is your favourite teacher? Mr Kelly What is your favourite subject? Business What extra curricular things do you do? I am part of the Social Committee and Year 13 Ball Committee.

Job done:The STG Editorial Team, shortly after completing their first newspaper page

Tag Rugby Coaching at STG

By Toby, Blazej and Marley

By Nathan and Samuel Year 5 had tag rugby sessions with the Gloucester rugby coaches. They taught us how to play tag rugby and how to pass the ball. We also played games, to help us with our skills. One game we played was called ‘King and Queen of the Hill’ where we had to collect as many tags as possible from other players. Whoever were the first two people finished within the amount of time with the most tags were king and queen of the hill. After the games we played a few matches to test how well we had improved. Over the two months with the Gloucester rugby coaches, we enjoyed learning how to play rugby and receiving certificates at the end. We are also looking forward to taking part in a tag rugby festival in February.

Game Review: Minecraft Minecraft has been around for about 10 years and the creator is Notch who is also called Markus Person. Its aimed at a wide range of ages and the activities include building, mining, forging weapons, multiplayer and much more….The game also includes enemies such as creepers, zombies, zombie-pigmen and silver fish. The overall aim of the game is to kill the Ender Dragon. This is achieved by finding and killing enough Endermen and getting blaze powder from the Nether.

Above and Below:The tag rugby game in full flow at STG

You can play either survival mode or creative mode depending on whether you want to create greater buildings with everything with you. The game is good because it’s never ending.

St Gregory’s wins the E-safety Award By Sarah and Shannon Recently, our school (The Catholic School Of Saint Gregory The Great) has received a 360 degrees E-safety award. Our school was the FIRST primary school in Gloucestershire to achieve this. Inspectors visited our school and they met our e-safety committee. The e-safety committee are students and teachers in our school, who can provide help and advice on such topics as cyberbullying, internet safety and knowledge on hacking. At school we use a lot of ICT in school for different subjects like

Maths, English and PHSCE. Talking to the inspectors and e-safety committee, we have realised that it is very important to be careful when using computers and the internet at home and in school.

Editorial Team Edited by: Eu4 Designed by: Maria and Nicole

ASA SIXTH FORM

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

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Sixth Formers Claim the Football or Soccer? Embracing Technology Award

By Chelsea Craven Student Reporter

Above: Rebekah, Nick, Jake, Amy and some of their computer course attendees Several Sixth Form students have been recognized for their contribution to the community and receiving a local award. The Embracing Technology Award has been presented to Robert Gavin, Aimee Bolton, Amy Turner, Jake Earley, Kimberley Rayner, Lilly Green, Nick

Davis and Rebekah Boyer for their efforts in teaching basic computer and ICT skills to people over the age of 60. Every Wednesday evening, the sixth formers run sessions in the All Saints’ Academy library, where CBH residents were welcome to attend. These sessions

focused on developing essential computer skills. As a self-organised project, the students had to plan the course, book appropriate facilities in ASA and communicating directly with Kelly Patterson Community Development Officer for CBH.

Go Karting Social By Christian Bessell Student Reporter

On the 10th of December Christian Bessell, Oliver Millard, Sam Carpenter, Robin Gavin, Joe Taylor, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Burger and Jake Sheppard headed towards JDR Karting. Before reaching the track, Mr. Burger almost got T-Boned by another car which seemed to be the topic of conversation for the rest of the journey. So upon arrival we were greeted by a Darleck at the front desk where Sam had the urge to have a selfie with it. Once we had signed in we were shown the safety DVD which looked to be at least 15 years old. When the DVD was finally finished we proceeded to get changed into our race suits. Once we were suited and booted we were assigned a kart to use. One by one we rolled out of the pits and the session began. It lasted for 25 minutes and there was so much action from the start. First of all was that Jake somehow ended up in the pits on the first lap, his excuse was that he did not know the track. But after that strange and confusing first lap, everyone seemed to get

the hang of it. Noticeably from the start Mr. Kelly and Christian Bessell seemed like the ones to be setting the pace whilst on the other hand Jake was bringing up the rear. During the time, Christian had gained a healthy lead over the others and by the end he was two laps ahead of second place Mr. Kelly. In this session Christian put in a lap of 22.720 which put him 2nd on the overall leader board whilst on the other hand Jake put in a time of 24.637. However in the second session the tables turned. Jake who was slowest in the first session had now set a fantastic time of 22.785 which everyone was so surprised about which meant that he was now the second fastest in the group.. During the second session there was still plenty of action. First of all there was a 3 kart pile up on a corner which Mr. Kelly took full advantage off and stormed into the lead only to smash into the barriers whereby he was flung out of his seat and was slowed to a cruel a lap later, thankfully he recovered but he was still no match for Christian as he set a blistering time of 22.421 which was the new fastest lap. Overall it was a fantastic day and we are all looking forward to the next karting event.

Coming from America, one of the most common questions I get asked is about American Football. Yes, I like American Football. No, I don’t prefer it over British Football (soccer); they are both great sports to watch and play. But there is no doubt that in the States, it is American Football which is the more dominant. Recently, America tuned into the Superbowl. This is a play-off match between the winners of the two main leagues. This year, the Broncos played the Seahawks and were huge favourites for the win. Their star quarterback is a player called Peyton Manning, and everyone expected him to dominate the play. What actually happened is that the Seattle Seahawks completely outplayed the Broncos, with a massive victory margin. As seems to happen every year, a record audience tuned in worldwide to

watch the show. Were you one of them? If you were, you would have seen a spectacular half time show, with Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers providing the entertainment. There were some questions about whether they were live or lip-syncing, but in either case, it was great to watch. Not only is American Football huge on the TV, but also in High School. American Football has always been a big deal. It’s what unites us as a school and gives us our identity. The year before I left for England I went with my school to the University of Utah Stadium to the State Championships to watch our School’s team face a local rival, which was ranked first in the State and we were victorious. I will never forget how all the students of the school seemed to come together to celebrate. I was sad not to be in America for the Superbowl, but I know that there will be many more to come in the future for me – if you are watching, maybe you’ll spot me in the crowd!

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

ASA SPORTS

www.asachelt.org

The Big Report: B Team Football By Matt Makowiecki, Ergys Berisha and Joe O’Shea

All Saints Academy entered the tournament with high expectations. Lead by Manger Ergys Berisha, Assistant Manager Joe O’Shea, Head Coach, Fitness and Dietician Matt Makowiecki and team driver Mr. Fergusson. Sadly we were without chief scout Lewis Hitchman. Players: (Capt.) Chase Danby, Taylor Latham, Ricky Jones, Abdul Basit, Connall Jaynes, Liam Parkin, Luke Driscoll, Jay Boulden, Jayme Clarke, Connor Rollasson and Jordan Grainger. In the first game they were to face Pates. The game started at a fast pace with All Saints’ the stronger of the two. Eventually the pressure paid off with Ricky Jones making a darting run down the left wing causing havoc to the Pates’ defence, he then cut inside slotting away with ease to give All Saints’ the lead. All Saints’ were playing fluent, confident football and added to their lead with a cool calm finish from Abdul Basit. All Saints’ early lead led to the chance to bring changes in Connor Rollason and Jordan Grainger coming on to preserve the lead. Shortly after his arrival the dangerous presence of Jordan Grainger stood over a free-kick won on the edge of the box. Grainger originally drafted as a sub keeper really seemed to have a striker’s edge. Pates then countered in numbers, the break resulted in a poor mishap in defence finishing in a horrific own goal from Connor Rollason, a real head in hands moment. Still the Coaching staff remained positive, thoroughly enjoying the moment. Sadly

Pates equalised late on to steal a draw, All Saints’ throwing away a valuable win, could this prove costly? In the second game, All Saints’ Academy went on to face Chosen Hill. Straight from the whistle All Saints’ attacked with Ricky Jones once again at the end of the move putting them 1 up. Chosen failed to reply and All Saints’ continued to attack leading to a free-kick won just outside the box. Jayme Clarke stepped up to deliver a powerful strike straight into the bottom corner putting All Saints’ two to the good. All Saints’ were playing with confidence and Jay Boulden attempted a highly ambitious long range effort to lob the keeper, an acrobatic save of high quality was made to deny the No.10. The ball played into Abdul Basit, a faultless touch before some neat footwork to calmly dink the ball into the roof of the Chosen goal just like Nicolas Anelka in his prime. Abdul’s iconic flamboyant celebration said it all even forcing a congratulant smirk on Mr. Fergusson’s face. A good 3-0 win. After a confidence boosting win, the ASA lads were looking for another big win but standing in their way was a handy Prince Henry’s team. They were without Grainger Danger who was loaned out to Tewkesbury Y who were short on players, he later struggled with his bib, a Balotelli moment, but could this prove to be a big loss? Henry’s outclassed All Saints in the opening taking the lead. Despite Connall Jaynes best efforts a low drilled cross proved too much clipping his boot and gliding past the frustrated keeper Taylor Latham. Nevertheless Connall’s head remained high making some hard big tackles with fellow defender Liam Parkin. If All Saints’ weren’t struggling enough an injury to Captain fantastic Chase Danby

was a further blow. Henry’s continued to knock on the ASA door resulting in another goal, 3-0 Henry’s. A few changes were made an with the absence of Grainger flair was lacking. All Saints’ continued to fight leading to another goal from the inform right boot of Ricky Jones. The game ended 3-1 to Prince Henry’s. In the fourth game ASA were to play Tewkesbury X. Once again All Saints were without Grainger and this time Rollason as well playing for opponents Tewkesbury X. The loss proved no bother as All Saints’ seemed to capture some of their earlier form. ASA’s constant attack led to a chance for Jayme Clarke, a poor touch led seemingly to the chance being lost but during the tackle the ball was turned into the Tewkesbury net, a goal claimed by Clarke just with a little help from the defender. Ricky Jones continued to lead a lethal Academy attack continuing his goal-spree by adding another. Further chances came with Luke Driscoll setting up Jay Boulden who wasted the chance losing possession. A strong show from the defence headed by Parkin and Jaynes was keeping Tewkesbury at bay. Parkin continued a good performance with a tidy attack down the left flank. The ball eventually cleared to the guardian in midfield Chase Danby. A speculative effort followed hit first time rocketing to the top corner. A mesmerizing finish to the grafter in midfield. Danby’s goal resulted to a comical celebration. The game ended 3-0 ASA with the Head Coach Makowiecki taking over the photography duties. The All Saints’ team’s final game was against Tewkesbury Y. An important game if the boys were to have any hope of winning the tournament. The game proved to

Coaching Staff: Matt Makowiecki, Ergys Berisha and Joe O’Shea be a real battle in midfield but the experience of Luke Driscoll proved too much as his controlling display opened gaps in the Tewkesbury defence. All Saints’ made the breakthrough with Ricky Jones once again scoring making it five for the tournament. The following proved tense with some poor tackles leading to well taken Tewkesbury goal. The game remained a real end to end clash but All Saints’ started to grab control. Driscoll was heaping the pressure on, playing some dangerous balls in. Eventually the breakthrough was made when who else but Abdul Basit put ASA in front after a fluent attack from Jayme Clarke. The game continued to

boil with some errors made in defence but still Tewkesbury failed to add. The game ended 2-1 to ASA a well-deserved win. Overall ASA finished runners up. A good effort by the lads. On the way back in the minibus a few awards were announced: Top scorer Ricky Jones (5), Best attitude Jordan ‘Danger’ Grainger, Best goal to Abdul Basit’s classy finish against Chosen Hill, Most assists Luke Driscoll (4) Toughest tackler Connall Jaynes, Best own-goal Connor Rollasson and finally player of the tournament resulted in a tie with Ricky Jones and Abdul Basit.

Art: Good enough to eat Rock watercolour painting by Macy Paterson.

By Mrs Bayliss Head of Art & Design

Currently Year 9 Art GCSE students are exploring the theme ‘Food’. They are experimenting with a variety of techniques and materials in response to observing the work of past and contemporary Artists such as photo realist painter Sarah Graham and Pop Art icon Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol inspired paint study by Reziquel Dalagdog

Sweet watercolour painting by Pimmada Apiraktham.

Issue 24, Term 3, 2014

ASA SPORTS

www.asachelt.org

U16 Boys Table Tennis success By Mr Rollason PE Teacher

Terrell Mitchell, Ellis Duffus, Joe Richards and Dan Kanigowski all represented the Academy at Table Tennis during January at Gloucester Academy. Terrell had the added pressure of being seeded number one for the tournament but did not let the team down with 3 wins out of 3 games. Joe Richards also had added pressure after choosing to adopt Mr Rollason’s paddle - ‘The Destroyer’ which was carved in China over the summer and had not yet lost a game. The pressure quickly got to Joe and in his second match lost 14-12, ‘The Destroyer’ was defeated. Joe did make amends however and won his final match to put us in good stead for the victory, which now rested on Dan’s shoulders. Dan did not disappoint and narrowly won his last game to give an overall score of 9-7. Ellis also played his part despite not winning a single game, his presence did not go un noticed though and was very much part of the winning team. Well done boys!

Persevering 10s battle to the end Year

Girls’

By Bethany Wiltshire

Student Reporter On Thursday 16th January, the Year 10 girls basketball team went to Pates to take part in the Under 16’s District Basketball Tournament. The schools that took part were All Saints’, Pates and Balcarras. The tournament started with ASA playing against Pates, we got off to an excellent start with all of us determined to get the first basket. The girls made some phenomenal passes between themselves, trying to avoid Pates getting possession. Although Pates scored a few points, ASA didn’t let that bother them. Alex Borowicz made an accurate pass to Hannah Whelan who managed to score the first basket for All Saints’. Our defense held strong as we tried to defend

Fantastic By Miss Daley PE Technician

At the start of this term the U14 girls football team took part in a football tournament at Tewkesbury School. The All Saints’ team were in a tough group, which meant facing Cotswold School and Pittville; both teams that finished in the top half of the district league along with ASA. In the group stage the girls

Basketball

as many balls from Pates’ as we could but they managed to break through and sneak a few more points. An excellent shot was made by Lontum Mangong but it wasn’t enough. The end result was 51-4 to Pates. Our second game was against Balcarras. ASA didn’t let the previous game get in the way. Jess Harper managed to get the ball and get it away from Balcarras’ hoop. She then passed the ball to Hannah Whelan who managed to get the first basket again for All Saints’. Bethany Halford tried to stay and kept our defence strong as we were all trying to get a second basket. Balcarras felt the pressure as Rhiannon Watts managed to get points on the scoreboard and kept the possession on our side of the court. Even though Balcarras managed to get a few more baskets, we continued to try as a team. Having a better game than the previous, we managed to close the gap in the score, Balcarras won 40-4.

The

were required to play each team twice. All Saints’ first game against Cotswold finished 0-0 after some fantastic defensive play by the solid duo Chloe Betteridge and Natea Harper. The second game against Cotswold saw ASA’s talented striker Shana Kelly take on numerous defenders to score the only goal of the match, resulting in a 1-0 win. On the back of the win the girls then faced Pittville in what was a well contested match. Pittville moved the ball nicely around the pitch, which was well anticipated from the ASA midfielders, including Cameron

Morrissey who intercepted the ball and made a great run down the right wing. Some brilliant passing from All Saints’ saw the ball worked well into the box with an ASA shot striking the arm of the Pittville defender. The referee was in no doubt to award the penalty which saw year 7 Shana Kelly coolly step up to take the penalty. Shana struck the ball well, sending a powerful shot straight down the middle of the goal, giving ASA the goal advantage and the win. The repeat fixture then ended 0-0. ASA’s final group stage match was against Balcarras, which saw

Team

spirit

Year

from

Girls’

Basketball

ASA

Team

U14’s

All Saints’ cruise to a 3-0 win, with goals from Macy Paterson and Shana Kelly (2). All Saints’ had already won the group without playing Balcarras for the repeat fixture, however an administration error from the tournament hosts saw Pittville already playing the final against winners of Pool 2, Barnwood Park. The girls were greatly disappointed but showed fantastic team spirit throughout the tournament and were a real credit to All Saints’. The team must now prepare for the School Games District Tournament later this month.

@ASASportsDept Sporting Achievements outside of ASA? Then let us know, we always like to keep tab on talented individuals

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