Winter 2016

Sharing the

Winter 2016

VISION IN THIS ISSUE: Head’s Welcome Celebrating Success School News Activities and Events within the School Educational Trips Our Charity Work Plus much more!

Read all about our record-breaking exam results on pages 3 and 4.

Our Lady’s R.C. High School Alworth Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester, M9 0RP T: 0161 795 9004 F: 0161 702 3923 E: admin@olsc.manchester.sch.uk

@Olhs

@OlhsTweets

www.olhs.manchester.sch.uk

On behalf of the staff and students of Our Lady’s R.C. High School it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the latest edition of our school magazine.

The new term has flown by with so much to celebrate and give thanks for.

After a summer that brought another set of record exam results and a very positive and affirming inspection, we embarked on what has been a very busy 15 weeks.

Our continuing focus on ensuring all students succeed academically has been supported by the positive attitude to learning shown by our students, in particular Year 11 in their preparation for GCSE exams. This focus on academia has been complimented by many successes and events outside the classroom.

On the sports field we continue to perform well in numerous disciplines.

Our Year 9 boys are the Manchester cross country champions with Ibere Barumire winning an individual gold medal. Our Year 9 girls are the KS3 and KS4 Manchester badminton doubles champions, thanks to impressive play from Sinead Brown and Nicola Zniszczol for KS3 and Mercedes Holmes and Mia Powell for KS4. We also continue to maintain our successful football profile and are hoping for a repeat of the significant trophy haul we enjoyed last year. The Creative Arts faculty have once

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The Catholicity of the school is central to everything that we do and it is our belief that actions speak louder than words.

again delivered a feast of culture across the term; my highlight has to be the performance of Romeo and Juliet which was Our Lady’s input to the fantastic Manchester Shakespeare festival. The title roles were executed beautifully by Sean and Maria and an honourable mention must also go to the Year 7 girls whose supporting contribution added much to this wonderful performance. As I write this we are preparing for the Christmas Concert on 15 December, which I hope many of you will be able to attend. There will be traditional carols performed and our talented students will also present some wonderful festive solos, both vocal and instrumental. I hope to see as many of you there as possible.

The Catholicity of the school is central to everything that we do and it is our belief

that actions speak louder than words.

Throughout this term there have been a number of events and on-going fundraising aimed at supporting those people less fortunate than ourselves.

Through strong student leadership and supportive staff, we have raised money for a whole host of charities including Macmillan Cancer Support and Mind, the mental health charity. Our traditional Christmas fundraising has focussed on food donations to the Lalley Centre in Collyhurst, a local charity we feel an important connection to. Our youngest students in Year 7 have also kindly put together shoe boxes of essentials that Operation Christmas Child will collect and distribute to those in need across the world.

I would like to finish by thanking all the staff and students for their hard work and dedication over this term, and parents for their unwavering support. I hope you all have a peaceful Christmas and return well rested after the break.

God Bless.

L. Ormsby, Headteacher

Editor’s Welcome Message Welcome to our brand new look Vision Magazine. We hope you like the improvements we have made and enjoy reading all about what’s been happening at Our Lady’s. With the academic year now well underway we’ve got news from the summer holidays right through the first school term. Enjoy.

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Contents Welcome

2

Exam Results

3

New School Website

3

Certificate Evening

4

Year 8 News

5

Year 11 Interviews

5

European Day of Languages

6

Summer School

6

Dance Teams

7

Modern Black History Month

7

Year 7 Langdale Trip

Record-Breaking Exam Results

8-9

Religious Life of the School

10

Lest We Forget

10

Operation Christmas Child

10

Macmillan Coffee Morning

11

Charity Work

11

Savio House

12

South Lakes Safari Zoo

12

Staff Profile – Miss Tzaczuk

13

Primary Transition – Whitworth Art Gallery, Dinosaur Day

13

SPI Club

14

Primary School Parent’s Evenings

15

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

16

School Tours

16

Reggie Dabbs Visit

16

Our Lady’s were front page news in the summer when our Year 11 students achieved record-breaking GCSE results. 57% of students attained 5 A*- C GCSE grades – a 7% increase on 2015’s results with 99% of our students gaining a qualification in Maths and English.

Commenting on the success Lee Ormsby said: “Our results highlight an exceptional performance from our students and compare favourably to national averages which have dropped by 2.1%. Despite challenges presented by various changes to exams over the last couple of years, we’re celebrating another improved year.”

It was a proud day here at Our Lady’s as teachers joined students in a special celebration breakfast organised by Year 11 Head, Hannah Woosey and Senior Assistant Headteacher Lee Haughton.

They were many success stories with Olivia Owen being just one example. With six A*s, four As and a Merit in Sport, Olivia’s outstanding results have enabled her to go on to Loretto College to study A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English Literature.

Delighted by her success, Olivia (pictured centre) said: “My grades are really important as I want to go on to do medicine. All my hard work wouldn’t have paid off without the huge support of my amazing teachers at Our Lady’s.”

New School Website Offers an Enhanced Online Experience At the beginning of this school year Our Lady’s was delighted to launch our new improved school website. The site has been designed to offer an easier online experience with user-friendly navigation and a new blog page. The website provides direct access to all the information both parents/carers and students need to know. You can read our policies, explore the areas our curriculum covers, find out more about our extra-curricular activities and keep up-to-date with all the latest news. Visit us at www.olhs.manchester.sch.uk We welcome any user feedback as we are looking to continually improve the Our Lady’s online experience.

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Celebrating Success

at Certificate Evening

This wonderful annual event takes place to recognise to achievements of the previous year’s leavers in their exams and to formally present them with their GCSE certificates. The students – dressed to impress – and their relatives arrived to a ‘Champagne Reception’ in the foyer, giving them a chance catch up with old friends and familiar faces.

Mr Ormsby welcomed everyone to the event before introducing the special guest speakers. Mr Bruce, Assistant Principal at Loreto College and School Vice-Chair of Governors gave an entertaining and motivational speech reminding the former Year 11s they are in the prime of their lives and anything is possible. He was followed

by Mr David Byrne from Price Waterhouse Coopers (a working partner of Our Lady’s) whose advice to the students included using Linkedin as a networking tool to access key players in the careers and industries they are interested in.

Musical interludes were provided by Maria Collins from Year 11 and Abraham Oladapo from Year 8. Miss Woosey – last year’s Head of Year – then welcomed each 2016 leaver onto the stage in turn where their certificates were presented by headteacher Mr Ormsby and Mr Michael Campbell, the Chair of Governors.

After the presentations guests enjoyed a hot and cold buffet in the dining room and the chance to find out what everyone has been up to since leaving us in the summer. Everyone here at Our Lady’s is so proud of our former students and we wish them luck for a bright future.

The next presentation was for Miss Woosey’s ‘special awards’ – Best Effort Award went to Yong Le Xu and Contribution to School Life Awards went to Patrick Cerra and Francesca Forbes.

Abigail Marshall was presented with the Bethany Riley Award for five years 100% attendance and Denzel Maumbe was also recognised for only having one session of absence in Year 7 in his five years at Our Lady’s.

It was lovely to welcome back Miss Lauren Osborne-Abbott, a former Our Lady’s student who is now studying for an MA in Microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University. She addressed the students with an inspirational message about not giving up or getting downhearted as often a disappointment in life can lead on to a new fulfilling path.

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Finally Mr Ormsby presented his Headteacher’s Award to Olivia Owen for her outstanding GCSE results with an incredible six A* and four A grades.

A big thank you must go to all the staff involved in organising a memorable celebration of our students’ achievements, particularly Anna Morgan and Hannah Woosey. We’re hoping this year’s Year 11s continue the success story…

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What’s been happening in year 8?

Year 11, You’re Hired!

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Aminat Hassan (W3), Temitayo Lawal (L3), Temitope Lawal (L4) on winning the Talent Show in July. It was a fantastic show and a huge thank you has to go to everyone who took part.

We have made a smooth and positive transition into Year 8 and I predict a very successful and fun year. I am extremely proud of our Student Chaplains who have been delivering assemblies to all year groups, as well as planning and delivering mass to form groups. The following students have been up holding and demonstrating the very values on which our school is based - Jessica Taylor, Kellece Olisa, Sadie Higson, Andreja Bielskyte, Andrew Bell, Mia Artingstall, Elidana Tesfaldet, Abraham Oladapo, Charlie O’Brien, Latipha Anusiem, Livrinda Dias and Imani Andongo.

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...we have a very important year ahead of us and we need to focus and consistently work hard!

If you’ve ever felt under-interrogation in a job interview then you’ll appreciate the importance of preparation. Our Year 11s were lucky enough to experience a trial run when Rebecca and Dan from Quality Teachers – one of our Business Partners – visited Our Lady’s. The interview seminar gave the students an insight about the interview process and the skills needed to make a good first impression.

The session was designed to prepare our Year 11s for practice interviews that they have now undertaken.

Drama was used to highlight what makes a ‘good’ and a ‘bad’ interview. The follow-up practice interviews acclimatised them to getting a grilling in the interview room, ensuring they know how to sell themselves as the ideal candidate for the job!

Greater Manchester Police kindly came and held safety assemblies regarding bonfire night, fireworks and darker nights. Please ensure that you are safe at all times including on your way, to and from school at this time of year.

Lastly, we have a very important year ahead of us and we need to focus and consistently work hard! I have mentioned in assembly that towards the end of Year 8 you will be selecting some of your subjects for further study. Some are compulsory but you need start thinking about which subjects you want to choose.

Mr Edwards.

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European Day of Languages Our Lady’s recently celebrated the European Day of Languages in the Modern Foreign Languages department and throughout the school. This day is celebrated annually on the 26 September and is an occasion where we highlight the importance of languages and celebrate cultural diversity! Our Lady’s is lucky enough to have an extensive range of languages spoken throughout the school amongst both students and staff.

The Modern Foreign Languages department celebrated by hosting a variety of games, quizzes and food tasting with students enjoying olives, cheeses, Spanish omelettes and much more.

There was also a delicious selection of European foods on offer at lunch time and students enjoyed trying something new whilst identifying the different flags on display around the canteen. Overall, it was a great day enjoyed by all!

Reaching out at Summer School Our Lady’s Summer School took place in August and provided over 85 students with a week of numeracy, literacy, drama, dance and sport. For pupils about to join Our Lady’s in year 7 this was an important part of their transition into high school; offering the chance for some funbased learning to help them settle into their new school before all other students arrived back in.

The school’s partnership with ‘Reach Out’ gave University student mentors and Our Lady’s Year 10 mentors a chance to provide an exciting and educational week for all. Chloe from ReachOut praised the excellent maturity and responsibility shown by the Year 10 mentors. Their valued contribution ensured the week was a

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I met ‘It was brilliant. d an ds lots of new frien ba foot ll enjoyed playing and basketball’ said Elliott, Year

7.

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real success. “This was our biggest summer school this year” she said.

Maths teacher Mr Bell commented; “Some children hadn’t done any Maths or English for many weeks so summer school has given them confidence and a real head start before term begins. It was a good chance to meet the new Year 7s who are a lovely group!”

Thanks to all for a very productive and enjoyable week.

e good fun, ‘The lessons wer e really the teachers wer ing ok lo friendly. I was ng in forward to starti September’ said Rebecca, Ye

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Dance Team Auditions Go Down a Storm!

In September Miss Aldcroft held auditions to find this year’s dance teams – Dynamite Street Cheer Crew, Lil Bombs Street Cheer Crew and Stars Pom Dance Team. The turnout exceeded the number of places available making it a difficult job for Miss Aldcroft to narrow down the talent and pick the teams.

Miss Aldcroft said: “Everyone did an amazing audition and those that were picked did exceptionally well. It’s so rewarding to see the massive popularity of dance here at Our Lady’s. I am really looking forward to the dances taking shape and seeing these new teams in action at competitions.”

From the 30 students who auditioned for the Dynamite team, 16 made the team and three were chosen as subs: Dynamite Team: Keeley Lane, Ellie Warrinder, Maria Collins, Devon Gordon, Niamh Banks, Agnes Tambal, Melissa Moyo, Sara Aghayere, Grace

Mapengu, Ariam Fesseheye, Sifora Gebreselasie, Leigh Morgan Kenndey, Ella Cooney, Kaysha Bailey, Lauren Robinson, Sara Bitsindou Subs: Devine Rinne, Elizabeth Fashina and Mary Hassan.

From the 45 students who auditioned for Stars, 15 made the team and five were chosen as subs.

Lil Bombs Team: Breanna Campbell, Milly Healey, Molly Healey, Jess Holland, Sadie Higson, Kellece Olisa, Julia Dabal, Chelsea Frimpong, Shauntay Clarke, Temitope Lawal, Breanna Johnjules, Emily Ladega, Tayo Bakare, Niamh Burke, Lyra Nguimby, Victoria Adeleke, Giovanni Louh, Pharell Johnson-Simmons Subs: Molly Stanley, Jessica Pollard, Chloe Wilson, Talia Hoskins, Trisha Matari.

Stars Pom Dance

Team

Stars Pom Dance Team: Sara Aghayere, Kaysha Bailey, Lauren Robinson, Devon Gordon, Maria Collins, Keeley Lane, Kellece Olisa, Julia Dabal, Milly Healey, Molly Healey, Jess Weaver-Barker, Niamh Burke, Chloe Wilson, Breanna Johnjules, Shauntay Clarke.

Subs: Victoria Adeleke, Mary Evbakhavbokun, Jess Holland, Victoria Akerele, Estelle Banda.

m Dynamite Tea

Lil Bombs Team

From the 45 students who auditioned for Lil Bombs, 18 made the team and five were chosen as subs.

The chosen dance teams will represent Our Lady’s in the UKCA Cheerleading and Street Cheer Spring Nationals and Schools Nationals to be held in May and June 2017. They will also be taking part in two Our Lady’s school dance festivals taking place this month (December) and in May 2017.

Under Miss Aldcroft’s dedicated leadership, last year’s dance teams proudly scooped several competition trophies. She remains fully committed to the development of all the dance teams at Our Lady’s and was featured on the People Pages of the Middleton Guardian over the summer holidays talking about her dance inspirations and instilling that passion in her students. Everyone at Our Lady’s is excited about what this year’s dance talent will go on to achieve.

Black History Month Quiz In October we celebrated black history month at Our Lady’s.

Held every October in Britain, the month opens up important conversations about historical events that have helped shape black culture and heritage.

Our students had some interesting discussions on positive black contributions to British society and we held a competition with questions about key individuals. The lucky winners were Jessica Taylor, Dean Thomas, Annelisa Egwele and Vanely Barumire who all received some sweets and a fancy handwriting pen.

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Year 7 Loving Life at Langdale creepy history of the building (still not sure if she was joking!). Wednesday was the final day for group one who created rocket ships to protect their ‘eggstronauts’ – some with more success than others! It was then time to meet up and swap over with group two ready to start the activities all over again with fresh faces.

Our Lady’s annual Year 7 residential trip to Langdale in the Lake District gets high school life off to a wonderful start.

This year was no exception as 142 of our new students (a record-breaking figure) took advantage of the opportunity to get away from the classroom to bond over a variety of challenging situations and embrace life in the great outdoors.

Organised in conjunction with the Youth Hostel Association, the Langdale hostel is a rambling Victorian mansion owned by the National Trust located in its own grounds between Elterwater and Grasmere, overlooking Lake Windermere – the perfect setting for our year 7s to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and learn new skills.

The trip ran week commencing Monday 10 October 2016 and Year 7 were split into two groups, with the first coachload of excitable students from W1, C1 and L1 travelling up on Monday armed with lots

of sweets! Activities got off to an energetic start when a walk up a really big hill to the hostel upon arrival provided the perfect opportunity to appreciate the fantastic surroundings. After this warm-up walk, the group set off on a hike to a cave past Lake Buttermere stopping for a great group photo on Pride Rock!

That night an obstacle race in the dark with headtorches provided plenty of entertainment! The next day – after lots of talking the night before (to Miss Allee’s delight), students enjoyed a rotation of activities such as fire making, archery and team-building activities including den building. That night after dinner a ghostly walk through the grounds got the group thoroughly spooked by Miss O’Boyle’s

Team building in the Great Outdoors The Langdale experience takes students out of their normal school environment to engage in a range of team-building challenges that encourage new friendship circles and team cohesion within the year group. As ever, the challenges were designed to get the students to work together and encourage each other to overcome adversity. Getting across a minefield and stepping stones provided the perfect chance for them to demonstrate this teamwork. During the week, Mrs Butler, Miss O’Boyle, Miss Nicholson, Mr. Schofield, Mr Bell, Mr Derrig , Mr Sierra and Miss Allee played

Student Report “Just before half- term Year 7 went to Langdale, in the Lake District, for two nights and three days to work on our teambuilding skills. It gave us the opportunity to make lots of new friends. During our time at Langdale we did activities such as fire-making, archery, shelter building and loads more. At night we went on a walk to discover the spooky grounds of the hostel. By the end of the trip most of us fell asleep on the bus home because we were so tired!”

Chloe Wilson W1 Form Captain

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Until Next Time…

Langdale is an inspirational experience for our year 7s. Mr Schofield attended the trip from Monday to Wednesday and said;

a fully-interactive role in the adventurous activities. Hiking definitely held more appeal in the beautiful Lake District setting and the weather didn’t disappoint, making the walk to Grasmere Lake a pleasure. Both groups enjoyed skimming stones on Lake Buttermere and getting six jumps on a stone.

Highlights of this year’s eventful trip included the ghost walk, playing tag in the dark with glow sticks and a teachers

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vs year 7s tug-of-war – the year 7s won! It wasn’t all hard work – on their final night students were rewarded with a movie night where they all got into their pyjamas and watched ‘The Jungle Book’ together with quilts and snacks – some well-deserved time out after an energetic day overcoming both physical and mental challenges!

“Langdale is a key trip for our new students at the start of the school year. Outdoor learning and adventurous activities boost personal development, utilising both social and team-working skills. This residential experience has a positive effect on our Year 7’s confidence, educational attainment and health and fitness.

There were lots of smiles and new friendships formed and the group returned with experiences and stories that will bind them together for their next five years at Our Lady’s.”

After a fun-packed and energetic few days in the fresh air, our students returned to school tired, happy and with plenty of positive memories.

Thank you to all the staff and students who made this year’s trip so special and bought team Year 7 together!

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Religious Life of the School

The school community has a number of new student leaders from Liturgy Leaders to Caritas Leaders, the School Council and the Chaplaincy Team. The Liturgy Leaders have been leading morning reflections to form groups and supporting chaplains from St Clare’s and St Chad’s Primary Schools. The Caritas team are further identifying ways to develop support to social justice and the School Council have joined up for the Voicebox initiative again this

year. This highlights the many fantastic opportunities that are being led and developed by our students.

CAFOD Fast Day was a big success with Mrs Burke and the team making soup to be sold at lunchtime. It was a really great day and thanks to all those involved.

Year 7 took part in a Remembrance Mass in November and had the opportunity to attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation towards Christmas. During

Advent, lots of activities took place in school including Operation Christmas Child, Lalley Centre Hampers and of course advent prayers and liturgies.

Mrs Buckley would like to thank all for their support this year with the religious life of the school and looks forward to letting everyone know of more fundraising events and opportunities for our students.

Follow us on Twitter: ourladysChaplains@OLChaplains

Spreading Festive Cheer with Operation Christmas Child Christmas can be magical, but it can also be a time of great despair. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to celebrate Christmas with gifts and lovely festive food.

This year Our Lady’s joined local primary schools St Chad’s R.C. and St Clare's R.C. to support Operation Christmas Child. Our Year 7s were asked to fill a shoe box with age-appropriate gifts for a boy or girl less fortunate than themselves. Alongside toiletries, pens, pencils and sweets, each box had to contain a ‘wow’ item such as a toy or game. A huge thanks to all the students who donated – imaging the looks on the faces of the recipients on Christmas Day and knowing you’ve shared the joy of the season should give you a warm glow.

To find out more and to get involved next year visit: www.samaritanspurse.org.uk/what-we-do/operationchristmas-child/

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Lest We Forget On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month we observe a two-minute silence to remember and honour all those who fought or sacrificed their lives to protect our nation’s freedom. It marks the anniversary of the First World War armistice, but is also an opportunity to respect all our war heroes.

To mark the occasion in school, our liturgy leaders sold poppies and wristbands. Year 7 had a special celebration mass and year 8 art groups created some beautiful art work and a wreath of poppies under the guidance of Miss Palmer. It was a lovely way to observe this momentous day in history.

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School Ethos Charities

The Great Our Lady’s Cake Off Raises Life-Saving Funds with Every Slice On October 13 Our Lady’s showed our support for Macmillan by hosting a coffee morning and ‘Cake Off’ in the school hall. Year 8 and 10 students served tea, coffee and cakes to guests throughout the morning and were supported by the GIFT (Growing in Faith Together) chaplaincy team from St Chad’s RC Primary School who sold confectionary under the supervision of their teaching assistant Miss Reynolds.

delighted her efforts paid off. I hope she invites me to join her for afternoon tea!”

Students also ran a game to guess the number of 100s and 1000s on a cake.

The prize for the closest guess was a box of cupcakes donated by Hey Little Cupcake, Spinningfields Manchester.

The actual number was 4856 and Ross Ennis, Our Lady’s Student Support Assistant, won with her guess of 4755.

Ross was delighted with her mouthwatering box of treats!

This initiative engages students in raising money for local charities and any charities close to their heart. As a school Our Lady’s support Caritas – the official charity of the Diocese of Salford, whose vision is that ‘the lives of all people should be free from poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.’

Caritas’ purpose is to help the most vulnerable children, young people and adults in our communities to transform their lives and fulfil their potential.

This term…

As part of the Walsingham House Feast Day Celebration in September, £63.47 was raised for the Charity MIND by students selling green ribbons and green biscuits. Green represents the designated colour ribbon for the MIND Charity and also the Walsingham house colour here at Our Lady’s.

Headteacher Lee Ormsby said; “Our Lady’s are pleased to support this national coffee morning initiative to help those families living with the effects of cancer. It was lovely to see so many staff and students attend and to welcome parents and local primary school children to our event.”

Tesco Blackley kindly donated cakes and biscuits which were available alongside some scrumptious bakes made or donated by members of staff.

They also contributed prizes for the Cake Off which were presented to both staff and students who demonstrated their baking talents with entries ranging from an impressive towering Malteser cake to a delicious lemon drizzle.

Former Our Lady’s student Daisy Courtney took the Cake Off crown, impressing Judges Lynn Sharkey and Lynn Eavers with her rainbow-layered sponge creation. Daisy’s prize was an afternoon tea voucher donated by local patissier and chocolatier Slattery.

Accepting her daughter’s prize, Jo Courtney said; “Daisy worked on the cake until late yesterday so will be

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Every year across Greater Manchester an estimated 13,645 people are given the news that they have cancer. Every pound raised by Macmillan helps fund practical, medical and emotional support, ensuring no one has to face cancer alone. Our coffee morning was a great success raising £229.30 for Macmillan helping them to continue their fantastic work. We would like to thank Tesco Blackley, Hey Little Cupcake and Slattery for supporting us in our fundraising efforts.

The annual Family Fast Day took place in October to raise money for CAFOD. Students raised money by selling cakes and drinks at break time and at lunch, students swapped their usual lunch for a soup and a roll. A grand total of £90.00 was raised.

The last charity event of 2016 is our Christmas appeal - ‘Hampers for the Lalley Centre’.

This has been very successful in the last three years, with students contributing over 30 hampers each Christmas to the centre, which supports our local community.

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Savio House Retreat Before the October half-term break, a group of Year 10 students visited Savio House retreat centre. Set in the beautiful Cheshire countryside near Macclesfield, Savio House is run by the Salesian community and young volunteers, providing a fully-catered residential experience where young people can enjoy both quiet reflection and thought-provoking group discussion.

The theme of this year’s retreat was ‘Water’ and plenty of fun activities engaged the students, helping them get to know and understand each other better. One activity required the students to work in pairs using a towel to throw a water balloon to another pair to catch on their towel. This caused both great hilarity and frustration, but there was a real sense of achievement upon completion.

The group also had the chance to explore the significance of faith in their lives, working on personal diary entries and discussing ways to enrich their spiritual fulfilment. With plenty of fresh air and a social event to enjoy on their last evening, the students were tired on their return, but feeling inspired and more self-confident.

Thank you to all the Year 10s who attended – you were a credit to Our Lady’s.

Exploring the Animal Kingdom at South Lakes Safari Zoo In September, a group of our new Year 7 boys took a trip to South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria. The zoo is dedicated to the conservation of animals and the protection of their environment. This natural park with free-roaming animals is home to over 1,000 of the rarest, most endangered animals in unique natural environments enabling visitors to get as close as physically possible to experience the sights, sounds (and a few smells!) of these amazing creatures we share our planet with.

The trip was organised by the Science Department to engage and enthuse the new students.

The group hunted like a pack for the wolves but they were nowhere to be found. They did however stumble across the area to hand feed the kangaroos, ostriches and groundhogs. Despite their intimidating size, the group found that the kangaroos were surprisingly gentle yet the ostriches were aggressive and greedy!

Everyone had a fabulous time on the adventure playground after lunch and they even managed to get a few souvenirs to take home. The day was really successful and we’re pleased to report they tracked down the wolves right at the end of the day! All the boys did the school proud.

It was a long drive but the boys were extremely well behaved and patient and arrived in time for a talk by a keeper who manages the vulture enclosure. They learned lots of amazing facts about the vulture and witnessed the carnage during feeding time! It was a fascinating talk, but the students were glad to escape as the vultures smelt terrible!

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Staff Profile

Miss Tkaczuk What is your role at Our Lady’s?

Transition/Admissions Manager. In my Transition Role, I work with primary schools and I bring them here, to Our Lady’s to spend either half a day with us or a full day. During this time, they will experience what life is like at high school. Throughout the year we organise events and competitions such as the Design a Christmas Card Competition, The Health and Well-Being Day in February and all the sports competitions and activities that take place are organised by Mr Schofield.

In my Admissions role, I am responsible for In-Year Admissions so for any child wanting to move schools, I am the person they would contact and set up an initial meeting with. Then, either I or the team of people I work alongside arrange a day of tests and from all the information we collate, produce a timetable and within a week, the child will start with us.

I am also the person responsible for the admissions of Year 7s who decide what High School they want to go to. I organise a Summer Transition programme where they come and spend a few days with us and Summer School.

My role is so varied that these are just some of my areas of responsibility as I oversee the smooth transition of children moving from primary school to high school life.

Whitworth Visit Puts Nature Under the Microscope On October 17, Miss Tkaczuk accompanied some Year 5 St Chad’s Primary School pupils, their teacher Mr Ratchford and Teaching Assistant Miss Reynolds on an educational day out to the Whitworth Art Gallery. The morning was spent exploring the gallery and putting nature under the microscope.

The variety and the fact that each day is different

After lunch the group had the opportunity to get creative turning their hand to pipette painting, mini printing and screen painting with some wonderfully colourful results.

What does a typical day in Miss Tkaczuk’s look like?

What a fantastic interactive day!

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Organised chaos! There isn’t one. No two days are the same!

Funniest moment in school?

There have been many… In my first few years here at Our Lady’s, I shared an office with Mr Cope. That was an experience within itself. We were always laughing!

Mr Mottershead and I took part in Strictly Come Dancing and I will never forget the looks on everyone’s faces as we came out dressed in tutus and started our performance with a ballet sequence!

Favourite Hobby?

Dancing, particularly Ukrainian dancing. I dance for a group called Orlyk which was formed in 1949 and we are the representative dance group of Ukrainians in Great Britain. I first started dancing at the age of three, attending the Petro Dnistrovyk Dance School on Friday nights and then was invited to join Orlyk at the age of 13 and I’m still dancing! I have the honour of being one of the lead dancers.

I have toured Europe and this year, we were invited to take part in the Bloor Street Festival in Canada. It was an amazing experience.

Dancing is my life. It is my chance to not only entertain the audience but it represents who I am and where my family come from. Since the age of 18, I have taught at the Petro Dnistrovyk Dance School.

Everyone needs to dance and when you do, dance as though no one is watching!

Favourite film or show?

True Grit (the original with John Wayne) Favourite song?

Last Night of the World – Miss Saigon. I love the theatre Greatest moment or ambition?

Dancing in Rome in 1988, celebrating the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine. We met Saint John Paul the Great and were given a private tour of The Vatican.

Person you would most like to meet and why?

Either Rudolph Nureyev or Patrick Swayze. I would have loved to have had the opportunity to dance with them!

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When Dinosaurs Ruled St Chad’s!

On Monday 14 November Miss Tkaczuk and the Our Lady’s GIFT Chaplaincy Team were invited along to St Chad’s Primary School for Dinosaur Day! The morning was spent discovering what life on earth was like millions of years ago.

The children also got the chance to play at being palaeontologists excavating fossils. The highlight of the day was after lunch when the school welcomed a very special guest – Tina the T-Rex. They were very brave as they greeted the 10ft dinosaur and were keen to find out more fascinating facts as St Chad’s was momentarily transformed into a real-life Jurassic Park!

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CRIME SCENE • DO NOT ENTER

CRIME SCENE • DO NOT ENTER

CRIME SCENE • DO NOT ENTER

Forensic Science in Action as Year 7 Become

Crime Scene Investigators Our school hall was transformed into a forensic science lab on 29 November when Mr Bell’s Year 7 form became Crime Scene Investigators. As a reward for their charitable contributions to Operation Christmas Child, the students enjoyed a morning session with SPI Club.

Created by experienced forensic scientists Adam and Emma McCarthy, SPI Club (Science, Participation, Inspiration) provides a quality science learning opportunity in an extremely engaging way. By exploring some of the fundamental aspects of crime scene investigation and forensic science, children get the chance to examine fingerprints, footwear mark impressions and learn about document analysis, forensic anthropology, DNA profiling and much more. Hands-on sessions are investigation-led providing a fascinating insight into the real work of crime scene investigators (CSIs) and forensic scientists.

Emma McCarthy and Nicola Sharples who run SPI Club, dressed in white bodysuits (to protect the crime scene) to inform students a bike had been stolen from the school grounds at 7.30am. An eye witness reported a figure dressed in black running from the scene. Evidence gathered put three suspects in the frame – Headteacher Mr Ormsby, Miss Allee and their own form tutor, Mr Bell.

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how everyone’s fingerprints have their own unique pattern but fall into certain categories. The students then put the suspects' fingerprints under the microscope. They also discovered how to examine footprints found at the crime scene and how to analyse soil samples.

A note found at the crime scene with the code to unlock the shed was also vital evidence so they used a special water solvent to examine the ink sample.

Putting forensic science into practise, the students put on white lab coats and protective eye goggles to examine the evidence. They were encouraged to work in teams of four to solve the crime using a high-quality scientific approach with access to scientific equipment. Emma explained

CRIME SCENE • DO NOT ENTER

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Despite protesting her innocence and claiming she'd never been to the storage shed (her fingerprints at the scene proved otherwise), Miss Allee turned out to be the thief. A third of the students solved the crime and all were enthused by the morning’s activities.

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With his name cleared, Mr Bell said: “My students loved the SPI activities. It was lovely to see them developing observational and investigative skills.

They are now very curious about forensic science!”

Emma McCarthy said: “SPI Club at Our Lady’s could easily stand for ‘Special Pupils Involved!’ We were delighted with the attitude and manners of the children we were blessed to work with and very impressed by the facilities on offer.

Definitely up there in our top ten SPI events! Well done Our Lady’s.”

Find SPI Club on Facebook: www.facebook.com/spiclub/ or visit the website: www.spiclub.org

CRIME SCENE • DO NOT ENTER Sharing the Vision

A Very Warm Welcome from our Local Primary Schools

The autumn term is a busy time for parent/teacher meetings. Some of our staff have been lucky enough to be invited along to meet prospective new students at our local primary school parent’s evenings. It's always good to get the opportunity to chat to families about the offering at Our Lady’s. We have been made to feel most welcome at each school and have chatted to lots of families and many polite young pupils who wish to join Our Lady’s next September.

The Factory Youth Zone Our Lady’s work in partnership with the Factory Youth Zone who provide access to a range of sport, recreational and creative activities to 8-18 year olds across Manchester.

This valuable social provision enables young people to make constructive use of their leisure time. This term some of our students have enjoyed abseiling, mountain biking and the chance to scale the biggest climbing wall at Awesome Walls!

Find out more about the opportunities and facilities on offer at: www.thefactoryyz.org Twitter: @thefactoryyz Facebook: www.facebook.com/thefactoryyz

Our Lady’s MFL Club The Our Lady’s MFL Club runs every other Friday lunch time in S14. Alongside the usual fun activities, the students enjoyed decorating biscuits in preparation for European Day of Languages!

Sharing the Vision

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Yorkshire Sculpture Park

This was the third annual Art Department trip to the famous Yorkshire Sculpture Park and this year, almost 50 students attended from Art, Photography and Art Textiles classes.

The trip allows students the opportunity to see many exceptionally famous works in a traditional landscape and gallery setting and gives students a solid step up in their appreciation and critical understanding. Aside from this, the trip serves to bond students across the departments and support cross-curricular links.

The group were again blessed with a clear dry day, excellent for their 4.5 mile walk around the park. A good day was had by all and no doubt a good night’s sleep after! Students took a wide range of photographs towards their coursework research and made a collection of drawn images of the works on display.

Reggie Dabbs Tour 2016

Take a Tour of Our Lady’s We are always delighted to welcome visitors to Our Lady’s and hold an array of social events throughout the academic year offering prospective parents/carers and students the opportunity to see the wonderful learning environment on offer.

If work or family commitments prevent you from joining us for our organised events, Mr Ormsby will be more than happy to give you a tour of the school at your convenience. Simply email Sally Royle (PA to Headteacher): s.royle@olsc.manchester.sch.uk or call her on 0161 234 3502 to book an appointment.

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Editor: Anna Barker Sub Editor: Adam Jones Designed and printed by Boss Direct Ltd. www.bossdirect.co.uk

In October, motivational speaker Reggie Dabbs was invited into Our Lady’s to deliver positive messages to all Year 9 and 10 students in the Main Hall.

Dabbs has been public speaking for 22 years and his personal story speaks strongly to students facing difficulties in life. He used the personal struggles he has faced in life to connect with our students and taught them to find hope in even the most negative circumstances.

“You can’t change your past, but you can change your future. With all that students are facing, we must give them hope.”

Sharing the Vision