SFXtra December 2007

Contents Christmas 2007 Primary Science Links Update ....................2 The Mikado ....................4 Chaplaincy News ....................5 PTA Update ....................6 SFX Band NIght ....................7 SFX Presents Oliver! ....................8 W is for Riting ....................9 School Council News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mentoring: The SFX Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Dear Parents At this time of year when we think of other people I would like to say a big thank you to all who continue to support the College in so many ways. You can see from this newsletter the huge range of activities which pupils have been involved in and I am very grateful to all those who have given support in order that the pupils have been able to benefit from the many experiences mentioned.

Particular thanks must of course go to those involved in the Oliver! production just after half term which was an outstanding success. It involved pupils, staff, parents and governors, all of whom worked together very closely to make it the success which it was.

Thanks are also due to staff and parents for their support of youngsters taking external examinations, especially those in Year 11 last year. Pupils in Year 11 last year gained the best ever results the College has had and this was due to sheer hard work and determination by all involved. This achievement was recognised by an award which the school was presented with in London in early November. I was very proud to accept it on behalf of the pupils, staff and parents.

When thinking of others, all of our thoughts are of course with Liam Costello’s family, especially his Mum and Dad and younger brother Tom. It was so sad to hear of his death over half term.

Liam had only been with us as a member of Year 7 for a few weeks but it had been a privilege for all of us to have known him.

Let us all remember him in our prayers.

Let us also remember in our prayers at Christmas all of those who may be less fortunate than ourselves.

On behalf of the staff and governors of the College, I wish you a peaceful and holy Christmas surrounded by your families.

Yours sincerely, L D Rippon

Dates for Diary: Monday 3rd December 2007

- Feast of Saint Francis Xavier - School closes at 12:20pm.

Monday 17th December 2007

- Advent Service at 7pm in the main hall, all pupils and parents are welcome. School closes at 2:30pm (to prepare for service).

Tuesday 18th December 2007

- Senior Proclamation - 7:30pm for last Year’s 11 and 13 –school closes at 2:30pm.

Thursday 20th December 2007 - School closes at 12:20pm for Christmas holidays.

The Newspaper Editing Team Andrew Dunbar David Jones John Hyland Connor McCarthy Sean Wenham James Edwards Elliot Tunstall Matthew Fitzsimmons Liam Jennions Chris Barwise

11CA 11RI 11KE 11OW 11RI 11KE 11KE 9KE 9RI 9KE

Michael Manville Lewis Mumford Marc Barlow Alex Hordern James Leyshon Tom Harris Mark Farrell Joseph Irwin Liam Markey Jordan Roberts

8OW 8CA 8MA 8RI 8BR 8OW 8WA 8LE 8LE 8WA

Jack Michaels Michael Earl James Doig Elias Dubicki-Galleway

Senior Editor - Vacancy Graphic Designer – John Hyland 11 KE Graphics Assistant – Joseph Irwin 8 LE

In partnership with YOUTH PARTNER

Parklands Excellence in Liverpool

8MA 8KE 8RI 8WA

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Award SFX collected an award from SSAT in early November. The award ceremony was held in London for an improvement at GCSE of over 15 percentage points (5A*-C) since joining the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) Raising Achievement and Transforming Learning programme. The school has moved from 48% 5A*-C in 2005 to 64% in 2007. The Award was presented to Mr Rippon by the Chief Executive of SSAT, Elizabeth Reid, at a Celebratory Dinner at the Café Royal, London.

Community Classes Every Thursday Night

Primary Science Links Project For three years Mrs Grace and Mr Daniels have visited our feeder primary schools in the summer term to carry out experiments with Year Six pupils. Staff take the equipment for experiments in their cars, a bit like a mobile lab!

Some of the most popular experiments are the forensic tests and the staff usually organise a Murder Mystery Activity for the pupils to solve, which the pupils really enjoy.

This year will be the 4th year that SFX Science staff have delivered the primary science links lessons. Mrs Grace told me: ‘It is nice to teach something both Mr. Daniels and I have a special interest in.’

Last year they both visited their old primary schools, which was very strange for them as everything was much smaller then they remembered, including the hall, the classrooms and the chairs! Mrs Grace said ‘We hope to continue the visits and keep engaging young students in science’.

James Leyshon 8BR 2

This term saw an excellent start to the second phase of the community classes, with over 200 adult learners from the local area attending various classes including; ICT, French, Spanish, Psychology, Photography and Art at various levels.

The adult learners have all commented on how much they enjoy the classes and how fantastic our staff and student helpers are. Mr Roberts would like to express his appreciation to the Year 12 Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver Award students who have volunteered to assist with the classes as part of their service award. A big thank you must also be given to the younger helpers from Years 10 and 11 who have volunteered their time freely and have provided an invaluable service on the car park and assisting with the organisation of rooms, refreshments, fundraising and the environment.

Michael Earl 8KE

Y10 Alton Towers trip

Forces and Energy Project!

In July 2007 Mr Bright and Mr Roberts took their two Year 10 forms on a pastoral trip to Alton Towers, where the pupils thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Their behaviour was excellent, pleasing the accompanying staff.

Pupils in Year 9 (9G4) learn about ‘Forces’ and ‘Energy’ with Mr Fox’s ‘Bazooka Potato Gun’. The potato is propelled using a fuel made from hair spray. The ‘gun’ has been made from different sizes of drainpipe with an oven ignition switch.

We spoke to a few pupils who went on the trip, their favourite rides being; Air, Nemesis and Oblivion. Future trips are expected, and pupils are eager to repeat this exciting experience.

Mr Fox.

Liam Markey 8LE & Tom Harris 8OW

Year 10's who are Head Above the Rest Thursday 8th November saw the Grand Final of the new creative project called Head Above the Rest.

Eight teams of Year 10 students from various secondary schools across the south of the city have been working hard since July to design and create their own short catwalk presentation. Each team had individuals responsible for hair, make-up, costume, stage performance and modelling.

Each school were allowed up to 5 students.

SFX was the only boy’s school to participate in the competition. Representing the school were; David Jones (director), Sean Maher (hair stylist), Ben White (costume designer), Joe South (model) and Carl Ryan (makeup artist). The theme of the catwalk project was James Bond 007 and each team were given a golden letter

with a different James Bond film to represent.

The evening was a glittering affair, with Parklands CLC hosting a red-carpet champagne reception for friends, family and school representatives.

The judges had a tough job deliberating; the variety of all 8 performances was brilliant. Finally, the judges made their decision. 3rd Place went to Broadgreen with Thunderball, 2nd Place went to St Julie's with Moonraker and the team crowned Head Above the Rest Champion's for 2007 were St Francis Xavier's College for their performance based on Goldeneye. The prize was a trip to Birmingham to watch the Clothes Show on the 11th December 2007 in the NEC arena.

All participating students were congratulated by the judges for their hard work. Congratulations to the SFX Team for their exceptional performance: David Jones – Director, Sean Maher – Hair, Carl Ryan – Make-up, Joe South – Model, Ben White – Costume, and School Project Coordinator Mrs Maria Jenkins.

Many thanks to the Sunflower Centre, Michael John, Mode, Liverpool Community College and the management and staff at CLC's in the South for providing this wonderful opportunity for the pupils, for more details, check out the CLC website: http://www.southliverpoolclcs.org.uk/headabovetherest.html Liam Jennions 9RI and Parklands CLC 3

Visit by Year 6 Pupils from Much Woolton Primary School During this term, pupils from Much Woolton Primary School visited us and received ICT lessons in the ICTAC room. They covered three main topics; computer control, sensors and computer programming. The children were eager to learn, well behaved and great representatives of Much Woolton. Many thanks to Clare Wilson at Much Woolton for helping organise the visit and providing all the support during the lessons.

James Leyshon 8BR

The Mikado On the 1st of July 2007 rehearsals began for The Mikado, in Bellerive FCJ Catholic College.

The Mikado is a comic operetta is set in ancient Japan. It consists of two acts and was written by Arthur Sullivan and WS Gilbert.

The production starred and was performed by a number of students from our school including; Alex Turner, James Smith, Adam McMullen, Tom Hogan and Sean Hudson.

The play is about a Japanese prince, son of the Mikado named Nanki-Poo (played by Alex Turner) whose true love, YumYum, is betrothed to an ex-tailor who has been promoted to Lord High Executioner named Ko-Ko (played by Tom Hogan).

The opening night was the 15th of July. Alex Turner and Sean Hudson commented on the preparation of the show saying.

“It was great meeting new people from a different school and the director, Pam, who came in from Washignton D.C., was great to work with.”

SFX and Bellerive will later this year be putting on another play called HMS Pinafore.

Joseph Irwin, 8LE

Y11 Duke of Edinburgh’s Awarded The Duke of Edinburgh’s bronze award expedition took place on the 15th September and involved thirteen pupils from Year 11. The Duke of Edinburgh’s is a national award given to people who have regularly taken part in a skill, sport and a service, before taking part in an expedition. The skill can be nearly any activity or hobby of the student’s choice and can range from musical instruments to model building. The sport section offers the young people involved a wide choice of activities at any level of ability.

Finally the service section is all about helping the community to find out and help those in need by dedicating there time to give back to the community. Mr Holden and Mr Evans took the boys on their expedition to Pooley Bridge in the Lake District. All pupils had to walk 15 miles over the two days with a full rucksack whilst Mr Holden and Mr Evans heroically drove the minibus! The pupils had to cook their own food on the Saturday night and their breakfast in the morning. Everything went well and the weather was good for the most of the weekend. All pupils who completed the expedition will be collecting the award in the forthcoming weeks.

Sean Wenham 11RI

School Health Practitioner Visits Lil Jones our School Health Practitioner visits the College every two weeks on a Thursday afternoon, if parents have any concerns they are most welcome to request an appointment for their son or daughter.

Mrs Fay

4

Archbishop Kelly’s Second Visit to SFX On 15th May 2007 Archbishop Kelly came and gave a very interesting talk to the 6th Form A-Level R.E. groups about his experiences visiting the Holy Land and Iran on missions given to him by the Vatican. Whilst visiting us in May, the Archbishop expressed the desire to During Mass with our Yr. 11s. come back for a longer visit at the start of the new school year. We looked in our diaries and booked 3rd October 2007. After further discussion with Archbishop Patrick, a day of talks and other activities were planned for him, including meetings with different groups of staff, an R.E. lesson with a Yr. 11 GCSE group, a Yr. 11 Mass, a chat with members of the group I took to Africa and lunchtime registration with my Year. 7 form class (7 Bryant who, true to form, weren’t slow in coming forward with direct questions and comments for the Archbishop).

The Archbishop seemed to really enjoy the day and was very impressed by the pupils that he talked with.

The Archbishop with 5 of those who came with me to Africa.

Capital of Culture 2008 - The Big Sing A party of eighteen boys went to the Anglican Cathedral on September 27th 2007 to take part in the ‘Big Sing.’

After an hour’s rehearsal, Radio Merseyside supervised the recording of ‘Warchild’, a song especially written to raise money for African relief projects.

This activity was part of the lead up to the Capital of Culture in 2008 and the boys from SFX have been invited to be Ambassadors of Culture in the January launch.

Congratulations!

By Alex Hordern 8RI

Bro James

Chaplaincy News Since April, I have been pretty busy in the blogosphere, posting articles onto my own blog and reading those by other people. See http://brojames.blogspot.com for my own blog.

Recent blog articles (to be found in the Archive section on the right) have included: • Diary entries about our Africa trip describing our experiences (with lots of photos); a diary which I started whilst we were in Africa and finished when we got back.

• A short reflection on the idea that all of us are invited to a particular calling from God (or vocation).

I have also managed to update my web site: (http://www.brojames.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk) with some new jokes on the jokes page and a new links page of favourite/useful web sites, as well as Chaplaincy news.

Blog: http://brojames.blogspot.com Web site: http://www.brojames.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk Bro James

• Articles by Mark Kermode and myself about the recent Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) sci-fi thriller “Sunshine” and more of my own film reviews.

• A review of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” with Sir Ian McKellen (aka “Gandalf”) in the title role, a production I saw with Bro. Peter and Mr. Skillander in Stratford-UponAvon last June.

• An article about someone I very much looked up to as a young man and later as a young Brother, Bro. Gregory Casey.

• Information about my trip to Castelgondolfo near Rome in August for a week of meetings with other Brothers on the topic of Vocations.

The SFX group with friends in Togo

5

Welcome Meal for Year 7 Parents Saturday 23rd October saw a wonderful night, full of good food, good company and live entertainment with Year 7 Parents celebrating the beginning of their sons’ secondary education at St Francis Xavier’s College. It was an excellent night enabling our new parents to socialise together and also meet the teachers.

PTA Update The PTA would like to pass on their thanks to all the parents who have kindly responded to their recent request for donations and completion of Gift Aid forms. We have had a positive response and are still able to deal with any further donations which may be sent in via the school office. Please remember Gift Aid forms can be returned at any time and only need to be completed once whilst your child is a pupil at the school.

We would also like to thank all the parents and staff who supported us at the Christmas Dinner Dance either by attending or in the way of donations for the raffle and tombola.

A great night was had by all!

Our future functions include: • Murder Mystery Night on 2nd February 2008 • Family Race Night on 7th March 2008.

Both functions are aimed at the whole family. Tickets will be available in advance only and via the school office.

All monies raised by the PTA go directly towards the support of the College.

Best Wishes Chairperson, SFX PTA

The night consisted of; a 3 course meal, live entertainment by the Manic Street Teachers, disco and raffles. Everyone had a lovely night. The top prize of a meal for two at the POD restaurant went to Mrs Backhouse.

A big thank you to all our 6th Form Pupils for giving up their Saturday night and providing an outstanding level of service.

James Leyshon 8BR

Local Companies Supporting Your Son’s Education Many thanks to three local companies; Pod, Laser Schoolwear and Crew Men’s Hair, who have given donations to school funds and who have actively supported recent school fund raising events.

Pod Restaurant 137-139 Allerton Road, 0151 724 2255 Laserwear 92/100 London Road, 0151 709 0701 Crew’s Men’s Hair Childwall Abbey Road, 0151 722 5262

By Michael Earl 8KE

6

6th Form Students Supporting SFX Mr Roberts would like to express his appreciation to a number of 6th Form students who have repeatedly supported SFX activities and shown commitment and dedication to community and school based activities over the past few months. Two of the main activities which the students have significantly contributed towards include; helping out at Community Classes every Thursday night and also serving at the Year 7 Parents meal.

SFX Band Night SFX band night was a charity event that took place on the 6th July 2007. It took place in the school dining room and included music from the Manic Street Teachers, Off Target and Michael Campbell. They all sang different songs including some from the Arctic Monkeys, Elvis Costello and the Rolling Stones. At the end all the bands came on together to sing Hey Jude by the Beatles.

The entrance fee was fifty pence and the school also sold food and drinks to raise money on the night. Everything went fine apart from when the electricity went off in the middle of a song by the Manic Street Teachers. Mr Fox, a guitarist and stand in singer for Brother James on the night still believes it to have been sabotage by a rival band. However rumour has it that Mr. Fox was just jealous of the fact that Off Target got the biggest cheer when they came on! Over £300 pounds was raised on the night and a big thank you to everyone who turned up, took part and to the staff who helped organise it.

Many thanks to; C. Mitchell, H. Caldwell, D. Cotton, K. Crowney, R. Buckley, D. Noon, P. Daly, C. Wainwright, M. Hodnett, J. Kelly, A. Rowan, M. McNamee, T. Bennett, M. Bloor, K. Tsang, S. Townley, S. Gosney, G. Wilson, F. Hui, S. Peers, D. Fullan, A. Dooley.

James Leyshon 8BR

Tesco Vouchers We interviewed Mr Evans about the collection of vouchers from Tesco in order to purchase computer accessories for the school and for the use of the pupils.

The school encouraged pupils to collect as many Tesco vouchers as they could. In Tesco for every £5.00 spent on items, one Tesco voucher was given out as a reward. Collecting Tesco vouchers meant access to free computers and computer accessories. The type of things available ranged from floppy disks and memory sticks to complete computers and hard drives.

Admittedly, at first the collection was happening at a slow pace but eventually pupils started to bring in a lot of vouchers and in the end it went extremely well.

The target was for everybody in school to collect as many vouchers as they could. We hoped that everybody would bring in at least 5 vouchers so that we would have a good collection by the deadline date. Astonishingly the pupils and staff managed to collect 14,000 vouchers, most of which were collected by the pupils, although the staff who shop at Tesco collected as many vouchers as they could and made a generous contribution to the final amount of vouchers.

With the vouchers the school were able to purchase 3 robust video cameras which can be used by students for filming homework or coursework. The cameras are called Steady Cams. Mr Evans would like to especially thank Thomas Gibbs of Year 10 & Niamh Roberts (Mr Roberts’ Daughter) for counting the final amount of vouchers.

Andrew Dunbar 11CA & Elliott Tunstall 11KE

Sean Wenham 11RI 7

Saint Francis Xavier’s College Presents.. Oliver!

‘Oliver, Oliver never before could the audience have watched so much, more, more, more!’

As a fan of the movie Oliver I was left at the end of the production having thoroughly enjoyed it, and I was not disappointed with it in comparison with the film.

I saw the production on both Thursday and Friday evening and so, saw all the cast members each playing their single or even double roles.

Having seeing the full extent of the play I can say that not one single member of the cast disappointed me, they did however shock me with their professionalism, confidence and talent.

I am sure that to go out in front of your friends, family and peers can not be an easy thing to do, yet this cast of pupils, teachers, helpers and anyone else who gave positive input towards this play pulled off an astonishingly entertaining feat.

When watching the film I often fast forward it to the songs which I enjoy listening to but when watching the performance found myself cocooned in the enjoyment of the whole experience. In the film I have often skipped Nancy’s solo because it bored me yet watching the play; Stephanie Scrutton and Hannah Delaney sang the song so well (both of the times I saw the play) that I was truly captivated. Both girls brought the song to life and finished well by running quickly off the stage at the end of the song to emphasise the characters agony whilst singing the song.

Although, admittedly I liked some more than others, all of the performances in the play were fantastic.

I also really enjoyed Mr Bumble and Widow Crowney’s comical version of ‘I shall scream’. Playing the parts of Widow Crowney and the Artful Dodger, Tom Hogan shone throughout the performance as a really talented actor.

As well as the great singing and acting going on through out the play, the overall choreography was outstanding, especially when there were lots of people on stage at the same time; it all came together wonderfully.

Please Sir…can I have some more!

Dominic Clarke 11 KE

Miss Shinks interview regarding “Oliver” Very recently the school staged a production of the well known musical “Oliver”.

Feedback from the people who came to see the production has been very positive and the staff involved in the production have been very pleased with the outcome.

Letter to the Echo 27th November 2007

When interviewed Miss Shinks said, “It is a very popular musical which stretches the abilities of the actors involved. It needs a large cast; so many pupils were able to participate. Pupils were very professional and learned their lines and songs extremely quickly and their commitment to the show was impressive throughout.”

The following extract was taken from a letter published in the Liverpool Echo on the 27th November 2007. All too often we hear negative comments about the teenagers in our City, however after witnessing the commitment, effort and teamwork displayed by the girls and boys who took part in, and supported our Oliver production I am sure you will agree with this Echo reader, these young people truly were great ambassadors for their schools.

Overall it was an extremely successful performance.

“Last week we went to see the musical ‘Oliver’ at SFX Boys College and it was absolutely wonderful.We were there as my granddaughter, Stephanie was in the cast, but the whole show was fantastic. They were all a credit to their parents, their teachers, the school and themselves”.

Jordan Roberts 8WA, Marc Barlow 8MA Alex Hordern 8RI

Mrs C Ellis, West Derby 8

W is for Riting On the 5th of November, 8 SFX pupils, and 8 Archbishop Blanch pupils, spent a week in Totleigh Barton, an old cottage in the middle of the Devon countryside (completely devoid of people, yet full of sheep), with two famous writers, namely, Willy Russell (Educating Rita), and Nick Stimson (NHS, The Musical!), to take part in a writing a workshop.

ing. n, it was amaz po ip R r M to s ‘A great thank es’ ks to Miss Hay Also a big than The house was amazing, and over 1000 years old. You can see the wooden beams criss-crossing the ceiling all through the house; there was a traditional wood burning stove in the dining room. Everyone had a brilliant time, despite the zero-mobile phone reception, no TV, and no internet.

‘It was amazing , we al l learn’t lots, and to be honest, we wou ld love to go ag ain, Mr Rippon cou ld make that possible…’

We didn’t just learn how to write though; we also got a crash course in cooking! Each night, a different team of four cooked an evening meal, except for the last night, when Willy Russell [Did Nick pay as well?] bought everyone fish, chips and slimy green stuff, known as mushy peas!

The atmosphere was relaxed, and after breakfast, we would meet in the barn at around ten o’clock each day and after a small warm up (thanks Karen!), we were given a task to complete. Then, we could do whatever we wanted, and finish the task in our own time, ready for the afternoon session. In fact, four of us wandered round, and found a barn full of hay, where we completed that days task, and returned to many times.

Twice we went on walks through the beautiful, rural, Devonshire countryside. The first, to a village called Sheepwash, which was four miles away, after which we promptly got lost, and walked a mile in the wrong direction.

The second,

s to A specia l thank n. ai ag go to ‘I would love ahead.’’ g the trip go in tt le r fo n po Mr Rip to see a large group of wild deer, during which someone fell in a pool of mud up to their waist, and it was stinking fast!

She suffered dirty jeans, and wellies jam-packed with mud.

This week was amazing and beneficial to all of us. Not only did all our writing skills improve dramatically, but we also made lots of new friends. We would like to thank Nick and Willy especially, for their

‘I would like to thank Mr Rippo n for a great tr ip!’ brilliant advice, constructive criticism, constant encouragement, and hilarious jokes! We worked all styles of writing: monologues, dialogues, plays, poems, songs, the list was endless, and on the last night we picked the creme-de-la-creme of our work, and read it out to an audience of fifteen other pupils, and six adults!

‘It was a great way to improve your w riting an d to make new friends, Tha nk s a lot!’

We would also like to thank Huib and Jo, for their infallible hospitality, and also Miss Hayes and Mrs Robson, for making it all possible!

We all gained something from the trip, and we are all suffering from PDD (Post-Devon-Depression). We all hope to go again, and woe betide anyone who tries to stop us!

Written by Matthew Oldham & Daniel Ansboro

int, hint* to go again *h ve lo ld ou w e ‘W es ks to Miss Hay Also a big than

9

The Adventures of Miss Bousquet on her Round the World Trip Last year a member of staff, Miss Bousquet left us to travel the world. On her travels she went to Kenya and climbed Kilimanjaro which was 5900 metres high. This was her biggest achievement ever.

It would be anyone’s dream. She then went on a fantastic Tanzanian safari and saw many animals including; lions, elephants, giraffes and even zebras.

Moving on to Nepal she went trekking in the Himalayas and trekked up to 5000 metres high.

Then she went on a camel safari and even slept in the desert with no tents just sleeping bags! The sky was so amazing she said she kept waking up just to see the amazing view.

Lewis Mumford 8CA

RE Year 12 Visit to Hope University Recently Mrs Walsh and a Year 12 group visited Hope University, the aim of the trip was to enable the pupils to enjoy some taster sessions at Hope and to allow them to experience a domestic University day.

Mrs Walsh believes the pupils really enjoyed the experience and even took part in a group discussion. During the day the Year 12 students participated in a seminar on the suffering of evil, followed by a debate.

ICT Academy Celebration The ICT Academy is usually marketed at 6th form open evenings and is, “a really good course for students who aren’t sure whether they want to come into sixth form.” (Miss Lindop). It is used by students who didn’t get the qualifications or results they wanted for GCSE as a path into sixth form.

They follow a vocational work related BTEC Level 2 qualification in ICT which is delivered in school for three days a week as well as a work related NVQ Level 2 qualification in ICT outside school which is taught collaboratively with Speke Training and Education Centre and local employers. One student was able to secure employment as a result of him completing his extended work placement.

Throughout the course the students completed a range of qualifications such as; BTEC Level 2 Diploma in ICT, NVQ Level 2 ICT, Health and Safety Certificates, First Aid Certificates and Maths and English re-sit examinations.

All of last year’s students passed NVQ Level 2 and, in addition to this, the BTEC Qualification. The results were outstanding, including; • Two DISTINCTION * BTEC passes worth four Grade A* GCSE Passes.

• Four DISTINCTION BTEC passes worth four Grade A GCSE Passes.

• One BTEC PASS worth four GCSE Grade Passes.

To congratulate and reward the students for all the effort they put into the course, as well as their 100% pass rate, the ICT Department took them out for a meal at the Eastern Diner Chinese Restaurant which is situated on the corner of Green Lane and Allerton Road. The celebration took place on Thursday 12th July from 8:00pm to 10:00pm. Miss Lindop commented on the evening saying. “We had a really good time and it was really nice for the students to see the teachers outside school.”

For anymore information on the ICT Academy see Miss Lindop.

Joseph Irwin 8LE

Primary Links – Building Bridges

The trip resulted in one student applying for a theology course, and Mrs Walsh is expecting to take part with future visits with year 12 and 13 students.

Mr Langhorne recently participated in a project linking the local primary schools with SFX. The schools involved with the ‘Building Bridges’ project were; Christ the King, St Andrews and Holy Family. The project involved Mr Langhorne and 2 SFX. students travelling to each school, setting its pupils a challenge of constructing a bridge across a span of 600mm, using only cardboard, art straws and PVA glue. The activities were a great success, and helped to build on the strong links between SFX and its feeder schools.

Liam Markey 8LE & Tom Harris 8OW

John Hyland 11KE & David Jones 11RI

The students were great ambassadors of the college and their excellent behaviour was even commented on

by Mr David Torreville of Hope University.

10

Enterprise Team The year 11 Enterprise team (Daniel Manning, Sean Burke, Sean Peppercorn, Shaun O’Donnell, Sean Dawson and Dominic Clarke) have taken part in two events recently. On the 16th September 2007. they took part in an Enterprise Challenge Event at the Radisson Hotel. They were competing with a number of schools, mostly girl’s schools, from across the city. The boys did very well coming up with a business plan and ideas for the event; yet again their presentation was faultless. However they felt slightly disadvantaged on the final task which was to design a table display for a wedding breakfast. However, they thoroughly enjoyed the day which included a speech from Claire Molyneux, Cosmopolitan Business Woman of the year 2007.

On the 12th November the boys took part in “Make Your Mark Challenge 2007”. This is a national on-line event which forms part of Enterprise Week. Their brief was to come up with a “Globalocal” idea. The boys came up with the concept of an on-line facility which would allow Liverpool primary schools to support development

Science Olympics: The Final In early July, Ms Thiery took four students from year eleven – Josh Evans, Tim Gregory, James Manion and Chris Rigby, to Liverpool University for the final round of the Science Olympics. Almost exactly a year ago these four boys came joint first place when competing against twelve different teams from schools from across Merseyside.

There were four activities. In the first experiment they had to build a hovercraft out of a blown up balloon and an old CD, each team had to race their hovercraft with each other. For the second activity they had to pump up a bottle, with a parachute attached, with water until it exploded.

The team whose parachute hit the ground last would win. In the third challenge they had to solve various puzzles and riddles and for the fourth activity the boys had to write a song about science.

Unfortunately the team representing our school did not win, however Ms Thiery informed me that it was an enjoyable experience for all concerned as the team just tried to have fun during course of the competition.

Joseph Irwin 8LE

projects in Africa. During the day the boys produced a detailed finance and marketing plan for their concept.

Their ideas have been uploaded and hopefully will allow progression to the next stage. The boys must be congratulated for all their hard work, determination, innovation and team working skills.

Mr Conroy

Science Revision Update Year 10 GCSE Science (KS4 Biology, Chemistry and Physics) – Mr Fox is selling Lett’s Revision Guides and Workbooks for £2 and £1 respectively which cover topics for Core Science.

Year 9 KS3 Science – Mr Fox is selling Lett’s Revision Guides and Workbooks for £2 and £1 respectively which cover all topics for the Science SATs in May 2008.

Booster Lessons in Science Booster Lessons in Science for Years 8 and 9 take place every two weeks. There will be one more week of Science Booster lessons this term (week beginning December 12th) before they resume next term.

Mr Fox

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Y12 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Expedition A group of Year 12 students (now Year 13) took part in the Silver Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. One part of the award is to complete an expedition, which involves two trips away, a practice expedition to the Peak District and the final to the Yorkshire Dales.

Students gain a great deal by completing the award and learn many life skills from the experience. They gain skills such as camp craft, map and compass skills and even how to cook (using the term very very loosely).

School Council News Welcome to all new members on both the Year and School councils. There will be a packed agenda for the next meeting and representatives will feedback to Year Groups in forthcoming PSHCE Lesson. Make sure your views are heard by talking to your Year or Form representative.

Michael Earl 8KE

The students have to complete a 30 mile walk over 3 days for their final assessed weekend and this can prove to be very physically and mentally demanding.

Year 7 Adjodha Fights Back at New Record

The students left school early on a Friday morning for their assessment and travelled in the school minibus to the destination in the Dales. The students then had to walk 10 miles carrying all of their equipment and upon their return they had to put up the tents and cook their dinner. The Students woke early on Saturday morning and endured another 12 mile walk, before returning to cook their evening meal once again and put up the tent before facing another 12 mile walk on Sunday!

A talented SFX swimmer Joshua Adjodha made the headlines recently when he attended the City of Liverpool SC Tadpole League Gala Three. On the 12th October 2007 he broke the record for the 200m Butterfly, finishing first in 2.58.52 beating the previous record of 3.00.19 set back in 2004. In the most keenly contested race of the afternoon, Joshua Adjodha (Liverpool Penguin SC) and Joseph Whiteside (Southport SC) went head to head in the boys 11 years 200m butterfly

The trip was a huge success and as per usual the students were all true ambassadors for the college. Everyone came home safely, the only one problem was that the weather was extremely bad and the students did face some conditions that brought the most out of their leadership and team working skills – It certainly was, in the words of Mr Rippon, “character building”.

Although he was he was trailing behind the front man by 50m he managed to draw level and matching his rival stroke for stroke for the next stamina sapping 125m. Eventually Joshua's rigorous training paid off and his strength took him into the lead, pulling it back in the last 50m.

As well as winning the 200m Butterfly, Joshua also came 6th in the overall standings of the Tadpole League Gala. Joshua was delighted to win and when speaking to him it is obvious he has a really good attitude. When Joshua was 3 years old he swam once a week, now he trains every day for 2 hours at his local Swimming Club.

Thanks must go to the staff who accompanied the group on both weekends: Mr Rippon, Mr Platt, Mr Holden, Miss Cullen and Mr Evans.

Thanks also to Mr Johnston, the external Assessor.

A recent report in the Liverpool Echo suggested thet Joshua may have drawn inspiration from Olympic bronze medallist Stephen Parry, who also represented Liverpool Penguin SC.

Marc Barlow 8MA and Jordan Roberts 8WA.

By Michael Manville 8OW

12

The Legend and History of Dragon Boating One of our Sixth form students, Oliver Bradshaw is a member of the British Dragon Boat Racing Youth Team squad. This year, the team represented the UK in the World Championships against 9 other countries in the Regatta Centre in Australia finishing 4th overall. The team have also won Under 18 European Championships in Prague 2006.

Unfortunately it is Oliver’s last year in the Youth Team and we wish him luck in his efforts to make the Under 21 England squad in the future.

Dragon Boat racing has ancient Chinese origins and its history has been traced back more than 2000 years. The first participants were superstitious Chinese villagers who celebrated the 5th day of the 5th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. Racing was held to avert misfortune and encourage the rains needed for prosperity - and the object of their worship was the dragon. The dragon of Asia has traditionally been a symbol of water. It is said to rule the rivers and seas and dominate the clouds and rains.

Over the years a second story was integrated to give the festival a dual meaning - the touching saga of Qu Yuan.

Legend has it that poet Qu Yuan was banished from the kingdom of Chu after the King fell under the influence of corrupt ministers. Qu Yuan spent many years wandering the countryside and composing great poetry until, on learning of his kingdom's defeat, he leapt into the Mi Lo River holding a great rock in a display of his heartfelt sorrow. The people loved Qu Yuan very much and raced out in their fishing boats to the middle of the river in a vain attempt to save him. They beat on drums and splashed their oars in the water, trying to keep the fish away from his body.

Today Dragon Boat racing involves teams of up to twenty paddlers in a 40 foot boat with a drummer and helm, paddling frantically to beat the other teams down the course.

The drums, shouting and colourful boats make it an impressive and exciting sport both to watch and to compete in.

Chris Barwise 9 KE

Trip to Warwick Castle Last term Mr. Harrison took students from SFX to Warwick Castle he said “it was a massive medieval castle with big grounds to explore”. The pupils there were able to see a demonstration of a long bow and Luke Swanson was chosen to dress as a long bow man! They also got to see knights fighting each plus the birds of prey. Every one had an excellent day.

Mark Farrell 8WA

Y6 Induction Day On the 4th of July 2007 Mrs Fay and other SFX staff organised an Induction Day for the Year 7’s to be. This was a chance for the Year 6’s to come to the school and have a glimpse of life at SFX, and meet new students and teachers.

Most of the boys came from small schools with probably only one class and one teacher, it was difficult for them to get used to hundreds of pupils and teachers. They were encouraged by older pupils to get stuck into the activities.

Throughout the day the boys had a chance to take part in 3 of the following 10 lessons: History, French, Spanish, Maths, IT, English, DT, Art, Science and Geography. Their behaviour during each was outstanding; their manners impeccable and according to Mrs Fay, their singing voices were excellent!

This year’s Induction Day was a big success, and hopefully next year’s Year 7’s will have another brilliant time.

Liam Markey 8LE & Tom Harris 8OW. 13

Trip to France Mr. Harrison has organised a trip to the battle fields in France.

Mr Harrison said “the aim of the visit to the battle fields is for the pupils at SFX to get a better understanding of the sacrifices made by people who are now elderly, on behalf of their country and how a lot of young men have sacrificed their own lives or future health in fighting for peace”.

Mark Farrell 8WA

Future Focus Day Future Focus is an annual event on the Sixth Form calendar. This year it took place on Wednesday 18th July and Thursday 19th July.

Day one involved students attending a series of talks and workshops on a carousel basis throughout the day. These talks were delivered by a variety of speakers. Some like Aim Higher, Motivated and Loving It, and Liverpool University are regular visitors. Others like Lloyds TSB and Liverpool Hope University were newcomers to this event.

Students were advised on Interview Techniques (Aim Higher), and saw how not to do it (thanks to a clip from Phoenix Nights) before practising a variety of techniques with their peers. They were guided through the minefield of finance (Lloyds TSB), with a particular view towards budgeting as a student, but also on choosing the correct bank account, managing their account and all of the practical realities associated with finance. Liverpool University and Liverpool Hope University talked to students about the application process and University life in general. Liverpool Hope University sent two of their recent graduates to provide the students with a realistic picture of life as a student, with lots of advice on what to do, as well as what not to do! One of the graduates was an Old Xaverian- Del Ronan.

Day two focused specifically on the application process and getting students registered with UCAS so that they could work on their applications over the summer. JMU kindly offered their services to help students through the process. Aim Higher returned to offer advice on writing Personal Statements, and also to say good bye to our graduate mentor, Mark Shotter, who left us to go travelling for a year!

The two days were hugely successful and the students both enjoyed it immensely and gained a lot from it. It would not have been possible without the help of our speakers who gave so willingly of their time, and for this we are grateful.

Miss Durnin and Ms Finlay

14

Caernarfon Castle Trip Last year Mr Harrison took a group of Y7 and Y8 SFX students to Caernarfon castle. He went as part of a project with St Gregory’s primary school and St Paschal Baylon Primary School.

Everyone had an excellent day and liked it a lot. Everyone learned together which was the highlight of the day and made the day and enjoyable for all the students and even the teachers believe it or not!

Michael Manville 8OW

History Visit to the Maritime Museum The History Department organised for the Year 13 Modern History Groups to attend a lecture delivered in the Maritime Museum on 14th November about the American Civil Rights movement. The day was organised by JMU in conjunction with the British Association for American Studies. It was a very interesting day that provided students with revision material and also with more in-depth information about topics already covered. The talks covered topics such as; overall civil rights movement, the role of individuals including Martin Luther King and Malcolm X as well as the role played by the press and the president in both advancing and hindering the civil rights movement.

Miss Durnin

Year 7 Trip to Wolverhampton SFX Year 7 ‘A’ and ‘B’ football teams took part in a trip to the Midlands on 3rd November 2007, SFX played 2 games against Sutton Sports College.

The first match played was SFX ‘B’ team against Sutton Sports College ‘A’ team. The match started as a fairly steady game until Sutton Sports College got a goal just before the half ended. At half time the SFX boys went into the dressing room losing1-0. The second half was also very tight, with both sides working very hard to pull a goal out of the bag. With 10 minutes to go SFX was still behind by one goal, but still not giving up or putting their heads down.

Andrew Lamb burst out with a wonderful kick over the keeper and into the net. The score remained 1-1. until the last 2 minutes of injury time when Thomas Mooney struck one past the keeper to win the game for SFX. The next match played was SFX ‘A’ team playing Sutton Sports College Yr 8 ‘A’ team. SFX broke the deadlock into the match scoring 2 against the Sutton Sports Colleges’ keeper within 20 minuets of the game. The scorer was Jack Kemp with 2 wonderfully struck goals (now on 13 goals for the season). For the rest of the half Sutton Sports College’s defence was outstanding, not letting SFX forwards get anything past them. The second half started fairly equally, with SFX and Sutton Sports College both getting good chances, until Sutton Sports College pulled another goal back to make the game harder for SFX. During the last 5 minutes SFX were penned in their half until Alex Graham broke away from the team to slot one goal past the keeper to secure the game for SFX After the game, SFX went on to watch Wolves v Bristol City. The boys were cheering along Wolves but unfortunately the game ended 1-1, however, it did not ruin the boys brilliant day. Mr Bright also commented that the behaviour and the football of the SFX team were outstanding and he is looking forward for their next day out.

James Doig 8RI

Mentoring: The SFX Experience In November Ms Finlay and a group of Year 12 students; John Hyland, Lewis Jones and Welwyn Lobo were invited to give a lecture to Second Year Undergraduates at Liverpool Hope University. The purpose of the lecture was to describe our experiences of mentoring at SFX. Peer mentoring was first introduced at SFX in 2001.

Sixth formers are invited to apply to become a mentor in the summer term; they are then selected and given training. In September they are given a Year 7 form to work with to help the new Year 7 pupils settle into school life at SFX. Sixth form mentors do a great job. We are proud of their level of commitment to the new intake. Indeed

this Years’ 12 students are the first students in the Sixth form to have experienced being mentored and who expressed a wish to give something back and become mentors themselves.

During the lecture the Year 12 students told of their own experiences with a great deal of insight. They spoke of the scheme with passion and are now becoming great ambassadors for the scheme and school as a whole. Liverpool Hope University was very impressed with the lecture and level of maturity displayed by Year 12 students.

Ms Finlay