SFXtra July 2008

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TV-Land Competitions BBC North West Tonight and the Arts Council of England North West recently gave the region’s schools the chance to win a Superlambanana of their very own. The competition was open to all schools, giving them the chance to design and paint a Superlambanana to go out on the trail this summer. There were also three mini Superlambananas up for grabs for the runners up. SFX pupils won their very own half size Superlambanana for runner up in the secondary category. See inside for more details!

Dear Parents

This is our last newsletter of the year and contains accounts of the many and varied activities which have taken place over the last term. As ever, I am indebted to staff for giving so freely of their time so that pupils and students can be offered such a varied diet and therefore be given the opportunity to share in “life in all its fullness”.

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Whilst the summer holidays are a time for many to relax and enjoy the long sunny days away from the worries and concerns of work, they are also quite an anxious time for those waiting to receive GCSE or A Level examination results. We will all be thinking of them in August and wish them well.

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Kieran Roper Jack McGuinness Robert Crowney Liam Brophy James Leyshon Daniel Fagan Dominic McCaffrey Matthew McNamara Joseph Irwin Liam Markey Marc Barlow Michael Manville Jonathan Parry Kieran Griffiths Jordan Roberts

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We have two staff leaving us at the end of term, Mrs Singleton, Laboratory Technician who has worked at the College in excess of 28 years and Mr Maguire who has taught both Film Studies and English. We wish them well in their new ventures.

As we break up for the summer holidays Brother James is leading a group of our youngsters on a visit in Uganda. They will be working with children who are far less fortunate than we are. We would do well to think about these youngsters and others in our own country for whom the Summer Holidays can be a time of difficulty in all sorts of ways. Let us remember those less fortunate in our prayers.

I would also like us to remember Mr. McGarry, Caretaker who died recently. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family.

Finally, could I express my thanks to all parents for their support over the last year. Enjoy a restful summer so that we may all return suitably invigorated in September.

Yours sincerely L D Rippon

Dates for Diary

Last Day of Term - School will close at 12.20 pm on Friday July 18th 2008.

Year 12/13 AS and A Level Results Day - Thursday August 14th at 10.00 am

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Year 11 GCSE Results Day - Thursday August 21st at 10.00 am

Start of New Term and Academic Year - School will re-open after the summer holidays at 8.40 am on Tuesday September 2nd for pupils in Years 8-11 and students in Year 12. Students in Years 8-11 will be dismissed at lunch time on this day.

New Year 7 pupils should report to school at 9.45 am on Tuesday 2nd September and will be dismissed at 2.30 pm. Year 13 students should report to school on Monday September 1st at 10.00 am (Year 13 remain at home on Tuesday September 2nd).

Normal timetable will operate for all from 8.40 am on Wednesday September 3rd.

In partnership with

YOUTH PARTNER

y B ICT Core Innovators Project 2007 - 2008

The ICT department were awarded Core Innovator Status once again this academic year. This is the fourth consecutive year the department has been recognised for their delivery of ICT projects for Liverpool Authority. This year the aim of the ICT project was to encourage pupils to become more motivated to study independently and to make revision more entertaining as well as informative.

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The department has created downloadable revision podcasts for pupils, this means pupils can download the materials and revise whilst listening to the podcasts on their MP3 player or IPod whilst they are “out and about” or, they can listen to them directly from the Internet using the school network.

The podcast project was co-ordinated by Ms Cavanagh (KS3 ICT Coordinator) assisted by Mr Kelly (ICTAC Coordinator) and Mr Roberts (Community Liaison Coordinator). Special thanks must be given to Mr Kelly for his creative graphics and artwork!

Primary Links – ICT KS2/3 Transition Programme

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In total, one hundred and eight primary school pupils have benefited from primary ICT and activities this year and have received tuition on three key areas of the curriculum: Computer monitoring, control and sensors, Computer programming Email

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RE Activities

Within the last few months, Mrs Walsh and her classes have been very busy. The two main events in the RE department this year were; the Babies Production for Year 10 and the Year 13 Ethics Conference.

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Many thanks to all staff involved and we look forward to working with you all again next term.

Mr Roberts

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The main focus of our ICT transition activities this academic year has been working with our Lady’s Much Woolton, Christ the King and St Paschal Baylon primary schools. Mr. Roberts has worked with pupils from all three primary schools on a weekly basis. Thanks to the hard work of SFX PTA, pupils from the primary schools travelled to SFX in style each week in our new minibus, to be taught in the ICTAC room. We are in the process of completing our 3rd phase of the programme, working with St.Paschal Baylon.

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The Babies Production took place on the 9th April, it was a half an hour play performed to Year 10 and focused on issues like; abortion, relationships and family life. The main play was performed by a team from Tenten Productions. The team also let the students help out.

The Year 13 Ethics and Philosophy conference took place on the 7th March. Mrs Walsh and Mr Russell took the students on a coach to Manchester University. They attended a series of lectures delivered by a man named Peter Vardy. Amongst other things he talked to them about things like War and Peace. They also attended a lecture about a philosopher named Kant. Overall it was an extremely interesting and informative day.

Dominic McCaffrey 8 KE

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Summer Book Fair

As this year is the National Year of Reading, the Summer Book Fair seemed a good way of this event by celebrating encouraging and promoting reading for pleasure. This was an ideal opportunity for pupils to stock up with reading materials for the summer holidays and many pupils did just that.

As a way of thanking pupils for supporting the Winter Book Fair last November when the school benefited from more than £600.00 in free books, the Summer Fair ran as a ‘buy one get one free’ event which meant that for every book a pupil bought they could select another book free. So far, we have taken in excess of £900.00 with more money still to come in.

c gh Thank you to everyone supporting this event.

The SFX Debating and Public Speaking Society continue to meet every Wednesday after school to debate various ethical and political topics. Boys who regularly attend are making real progress and will hopefully be ready to join the Senior Team in competing with other schools.(Competitions are planned with Bluecoat and St Edward’s).

Four of our students are looking forward to The Debate Academy’s Boot Camp for the Brain taking place in Leicestershire in the summer holidays, where they will have the opportunity to debate with students from around the country and be coached by mentors of the England team.

Matthew Oldham and Matthew Handley were invited to participate in the Stranger Festival Debating Tournament in Mayfair, London on 30th June, where they were coached on the world style debating format and got the chance to form teams with other schools from around the country.

Finally, SFX is hoping to enter a team for the Great Shakespeare Debate next term taking place in Stratford, so, if you are interested, get reading some of his plays during the summer and join us for training on Wednesday evenings!

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Also, a reminder about the English Department’s Short Story Competition(word count max 2000), to be handed in to Mrs. Boughey(E1) by the end of term and anybody(aged 14-18) interested in producing a one minute speech for the BBC Young Speaker of the Year must see Mrs Boughey or Mr Cugley as soon as possible.

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Mrs Grace

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The SFX Debating and Public Speaking Society

Games Workshop @ SFX Thursday 26th June.

Carl Gavin MD of ‘Lateral Visions’ software company provided a workshop for pupils at the college.

Carl provided a number of computer games that his company had developed to allow pupils to test and evaluate.

The event was staged in conjunction with the ‘Generation Project’ which forms part of Liverpool’s 08 Capital of Culture schools initiative. The pupils are expected over the next few weeks to design their own game with Carl providing further future planning sessions in school.

The workshop proved to be a big hit with SFX pupils who really enjoyed the experience and feel suitably inspired to plan and creative their own exciting game.

Mr Kelly

Hydroscopes Digital Photography Competition

Hydroscope is a new digital photography competition being run by the University of Liverpool as part of the Capital of Culture 2008 programme.

There are 3 age categories: Up to 11 years (Primary), 11 to 18 (Secondary) and 18 and over. The competition will run from June 1st until 30th September 2008, with an exhibition of finalists taking place around November 2008.

Entry forms can be downloaded at: www.liv.ac.uk/hydroscopes.

For more information contact: 0151 795 4651 or email hydroscopes@liv.ac.uk.

Mr Kelly

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Teen Idol 2008

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The Grand Final of Teen Idol 2008 took place on Monday 16th June at the Philharmonic Hall. The atmosphere inside the Philharmonic was electric, with hundreds of friends and family cheering on the 14 finalists from 9 South Liverpool secondary schools.

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All of the young finalists were sensational, delivering powerful and professional performances, setting the judges a really hard task to decide who should be crowned “Teen Idol 2008”. SFX were represented brilliantly by the talented pair; Michael McNamee Y12 who sang “When You Say Nothing At All” by Ronan Keating and Thomas Hogan Y9 who sang a fabulous rendition of “Big Girls” by MIKA. The Teen Idol 2008 winner was finally announced as Danielle Mutch from St Julie’s Catholic High School.

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The finalists were whittled down from 150 students from 13 south Liverpool secondary schools. After singing a cappella during auditions, the top 48 students performed at one of four semi-final evenings in front of a live audience at Parklands learning centre.

Now in its fifth year, the Teen Idol project was launched by City Learning Centres. The inter-school competition is aimed at motivating and inspiring young people through culture and activity. Actor and presenter Simon O’Brien and St Julie’s sixth former Kaitlin Moran hosted the show, supported by dancers from the Hammond school in Chester.

Performance technology co-ordinator at Parklands city learning centre Kenneth Fulleove said: “Singing in front of a live audience and having the final at the Philharmonic is a spectacular event. It’s a wonderful opportunity for these youngsters to sing in such a prestigious venue and a number of high profile guests attended.”

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Both Thomas and Michael were also invited to sing at the National Beatles Day on 10th July at the Liverpool Echo Arena with other finalists. Well done to both Students!

Wear Your Mop Top With Pride!

10th July 1964 The Beatles are greeted by thousands of screaming fans as they land back at Speke Airport after conquering the USA for the first time. Later that evening, over 100,000 fans line the streets of Liverpool as John, Paul, George and Ringo attend a civic reception for the premiere of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.

10th July 2008 The inaugural BEATLES DAY is celebrated in the city of Liverpool, birthplace of the world’s greatest ever pop band.10th July 2008 was officially re-christened as the first ever BEATLES DAY, 24 hours when the people of Liverpool showed their love for the Fab Four and raised money for the ALDER HEY IMAGINE APPEAL and LIVERPOOL UNITES.

Over 20,000 specially-made Beatles-style mop-top wigs will be sold around Merseyside in the days leading up to 10th July, and following a day of celebrations all over the region. The spectacular climax will happen in the shape of IMAGINE – THE CONCERT at the Summer Pops, hosted by RICKY TOMLINSON. He will be joined by a host of artists young and old from around the country all performing their Beatles favourites at a packed Liverpool Arena, including our very own talented performers from SFX – Michael McNamee Y12 and Thomas Hogan Y9!

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VW c f X A Level Biology Fieldwork at Ainsdale

Coastal sand dunes provide an excellent environment for the study of plant succession.

Sixth Form Advanced Level Biology students at SFX study the way plant diversity changes across the dunes.

Students also look at plant adaptations to survival in this harsh environment. The Sefton Coast is of international importance for birds and for its rare dune habitats and species.

The extensive foreshore zone along the Sefton Coast is part of the Liverpool Bay complex of estuarine habitats.

The sand dunes of the Sefton Coast form the largest dune system in England. Habitats include embryo dunes, mobile dunes, fixed dunes, dune slacks, dune scrub and dune heath. Rare species include Sand Lizard, Natterjack Toad, Great-crested Newt and Petalwort (a bryophyte).

The extensive coastal pinewoods support a thriving population of the Red Squirrel.

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See photos of Bee Orchid on the mobile dunes at Ainsdale and Sea holly – a plant found on dune systems - is superbly adapted to the dry, desert-like conditions. It is no relation to the holly tree and is actually in the carrot family!

Mr Fox

Sixth Form Leaver’s Party

Good luck and best wishes to all our Year 13 Sixth Formers who left school this year to pursue careers or courses in Higher Education. The atmosphere was brilliant and Staff and Students enjoyed an evening of fine food, wine, entertainment from the ‘Manic Street Teachers’ band and a ‘disco’.

Many thanks to Miss Durnin who organised the event.

Once again the annual Sixth Form Leavers’ Party has been and gone. It took place this year on 10th May and was a great evening. The Manic Street Teachers got everyone in the mood for a party with some great tracks, especially Mr. Jones (Thank you Bro James) and by the time they played the Happy Song, the party was in full swing. The students had brought their usual good nature and keen sense of humour along with them on the evening which made for an enjoyable night. The Common Room on Monday was awash with the buzz of post leavers’ party gossip and the general verdict was a great time was had by all.

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The teacher’s band played to an audience that seemed to quickly disappear as soon as they started playing. It was soon realised that the students were having their photographs taken by ‘Sherbet photography’ as souvenirs of their time at SFX.

Yr 13 Leavers’ Party

The scene livened up considerably when a request for ‘Happy Song’ had the whole place ‘rocking’!

Mr Fox

Miss Durnin

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y SFX Goes Superlambananas

St. Francis Xavier’s College is now the proud owner of a mini Superlambanana after winning the Secondary category in a competition organised by BBC North West Tonight for a design reflecting the culture of the North West. Michael Casey and David Jones incorporated various landmarks and icons of the area in their design.

The sculpture will be painted and installed in the school as a contemporary art work and a celebration of the Capital of Culture 2008.

Ms Douglass

Outside Drama Group – Performers

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An outside drama group, Performers, are running a number of drama sessions over the summer holiday for pupils to attend. These are aimed at developing performance skills, confidence and having fun with new friends. Many of the participants have gone on to appear in professional productions in Liverpool at the Empire.

The aim of Performers is to help children develop skills in acting by teaching voice & speech, character, improvisation and stage craft. Musical theatre will work on Musical numbers covering; Free Jazz, Modern, Ballet & Tap, and Singing workshop.

Courses include; acting, musical theatre, cheerleading and young performers all run by experienced tutors who have experience in theatrical environments and working with children. Courses run from 28th July until 18th August, 7 out of the 8 session are held in SFX main hall.

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For more information, contact Performers on 0151 708 4000, email infor@performerstheatre.co.uk or visit the web site www.performerstheatre.co.uk.

Art Lunchtime Clubs

Royal Society of British Artists National Students’ Exhibition 2008

The Art Department annually submit selected students’ work to this prestigious event. This year Thomas Martin was awarded ‘highly commended’ for his painting ‘The Albert Dock’.

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Ms. Calveley and Year 7 pupils who attend the Lunchtime club are constructing large dragons inspired by the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Art Department: Forthcoming Events: Full Coverage in the Next Copy of the Newsletter Activities Week: Monday 7th July: Year 12 Art group Study day at Yorkshire Sculpture Park Tuesday/Wednesday/ Thursday: Artist in Residence to work with Examination groups (GCSE & A Level) Michael Casey & David Jones (Competition winners: Superlambanana) will paint their design on the Sculpture with Mr. Kelly.

Two entries will be made to the ‘Woolton in Bloom’ Competition: Declan Hudson & David Jones.

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SFX Lambanana Design - How our design was inspired by the culture of the North West

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Go Superlambananas.

What’s it all about?

‘We have included many different aspects of cities in the North West in our superlambanana design including Liverpool and Manchester. On the feet are the badges of 4 major North West football teams (Liverpool FC, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City). The stave is used as a river in which the Yellow Submarine, Mersey Ferry and an old boat used during the transfer of slaves in which Liverpool docks used to play an important role. The Runcorn Bridge and Manchester eye are also included. A Chinese dragon is prominent as Liverpool has a lot of Chinese culture. The Blackpool Tower is on the tail and the head is decorated with that of the Liver bird.’

c Michael Casey & David Jones Y10

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The Lambanana became one of the most instantly recognisable and popular symbols of the City of Liverpool. The original design celebrates the importance of Liverpool as a port, by referencing two of its biggest historic imports and exports – bananas and wool.

There are 118 replicas, each with their own design, scattered across Liverpool forming a trail that tourists and residents can follow using specially created maps.

For more information on other Lambananas and details of the trail, have a look at the maps included in this issue or please visit the Go Superlambana website. http://www.gosuperlambananas. co.uk/

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Go Superlambananas is organised

by Wild in Art and is inspired by the original Superlambanana situated outside John Moores University’s Avril Roberts building on Tithebarn Street in Liverpool. It was the original work of Japanese artist Taro Chiezo commissioned as part of ArtTranspennine 98.

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Liverpool City Centre

xy MAKE FRIENDS WITH OUR CITY’S SUPERLAMBANANAS

Remember the sculptures will only be on display until 25 August so - GET OUT THERE AND MAKE FRIENDS WITH OUR CITY’S SUPERLAMBANANAS!

South Liverpool

Follow the top tips and see them all: Don’t attempt to see them all in one day, take your time and why not see some of the other 08 activities at the same time.

Plan your route, why not try and see them all by public transport.

Call Merseytravel on 0871 200 2233 for help.

The Superlambananas are very fussy eaters and don’t like to watched eating so please don’t try and feed them. They are actually quite shy; it took an age to persuade them to go on show!

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Please introduce yourself to them and give them a hug and pat. They really don’t like being sat or climbed on but they LOVE having their picture taken!

If you see any damage to a Superlambanana, please call the Superlambanana Vets on 0151 233 2008, so that first aid can be administered.

As part of this process two staff, Mr Rippon and Miss Lindop were given the opportunity to take part in international visits to look at how others have transformed learning using up to date ICT facilities and new approaches to learning. Mr Rippon visited schools in Philadelphia, USA in May whilst Miss Lindop flew eastwards to Dubai.

We interviewed Mr Rippon and Miss Lindop to find out what they had learnt.

Liam Brophy and Robert Crowney Y7

Miss Lindop Visits Dubai In May 2008 Miss Lindop visited the United Arab Emirates with senior colleagues from other schools in Liverpool. All schools who went on the trip are currently involved in planning for the “Building Schools for the Future” (BSF) Programme and visited the UAE to investigate how they are managing enormous changes to their own education system.

The group visited several different high schools over the course of a week including one called the Microsoft High School of the Future. In this school all pupils were provided with Apple laptops. Mr Rippon said he hoped our school will eventually be this well equipped.

We asked Mr Rippon what were the best ideas he had seen whilst over in the USA. He told us he was most impressed by the amount of portable ICT equipment used by teachers and pupils. Mr Rippon was also enthusiastic about the different teaching and learning methods used with much more emphasis on pupils researching things and working in groups on projects.

We think our school could really benefit from Mr Rippon’s trip to the Philadelphia schools; it is really exciting to think about what new developments may happen at SFX in the future when we become part of the national Building Schools for the Future programme in a couple of years.

As well as visiting the schools, Mr Rippon also went to see the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the Statue of Liberty in New York.

By Robert Crowney and Liam Brophy Y7

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During our visit we saw varying use of resources, space and ICT. Nothing we saw would be described as unknown to the UK profession, however the use of space was amazing. The whole team commented at how spotlessly clean everywhere was, and how much space schools occupied, with landscaped grounds and flexible spaces. It was very interesting to explore the schools and to see how they use their outdoor spaces for teaching by the installation of shelters and movable furniture. We visited a number of different schools in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and in all schools it was obvious for all to see how much pupils respected the school environments and took collective responsibility for the facilities at their disposal.

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The developments in the UAE education system are incredibly interesting for teachers across the world. The dynamic nature of change can hardly be contemplated, as can be the extent of these developments. The cultural divide did not pose a barrier for all on the team to understand that essentially, good teachers worldwide focus on developing strategies to raise standards for their students in very similar ways. The specific issues around how best to use ICT as a vehicle for this are essentially the same, although at a different stage of development in both UAE and UK schools.

Mr Rippon recently visited Philadelphia to look at American schools and their education system. The purpose of the visit was to see what we could learn from their schools. Mr Rippon went to Philadelphia in May with other Catholic Head-teachers from Liverpool.

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In preparation for this government initiative which should see some major new building work at the College pupils, staff and governors have been looking at what learning should look like in a school of the 21st Century.

Mr Rippon Visits Philadelphia

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Building Schools for the Future

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History Trip to the World War One Battlefields

This year the History Department, ably assisted as always

by Mr. Burke, and 39 students from years 7-9, embarked upon their annual educational visit, this time to the battlefields of the Somme and Ypres.

Following a long first day’s travel we arrived at our accommodation for the week, the impressive Chateau D’Ebblinghem in Saint Omer, France. Once it had been established that there were 3 football pitches available for our use, the boys, especially Mr. Burke and Mr. Harrison began to relax.

Our second day was spent in Ypres in Belgium investigating Vimy Ridge with its restored underground trenches; Sanctuary Wood with its somewhat muddy trenches that made for an excellent recreation of what conditions must have been like for the soldiers, before heading onto pay our respects at the grave of a relative of Sean Kane (Y8) and finishing the day by participating in the Last Post Ceremony.

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History Battlefields Trip

In early June, 40 Key Stage three pupils paid homage to the soldiers of World War One, visiting commemorative sites along the Somme. They gained valuable experience and learned how to empathise with the soldiers of the time by visiting underground trenches, battlefield sites and taking part in the famous Last Post ceremony which takes place each evening at the Menin Gate in Ypres. Next year the History department will return to the Normandy battlefields and once again the emphasis will be on helping the pupils learn of the sacrifices made by British people, many from their own city, in past wars.

Matthew McNamara Y8

Our third day was spent in the Somme where the British army had suffered its heaviest losses. We visited Newfoundland Park, one of the few areas where the visible scars of the war are still evident in the landscape and Thiepval, the memorial to the missing 72,000 men who lost their lives on the Somme battlefield and also went to Arras to pay our respects to a relative of Sean Hennessey (Y9).

Our last day was spent at Bellewarde Theme Park, Belgium, as a reward to the students for their excellent behavior and attitude to the learning that took place during the trip.

It makes a huge impression on the students to be able to walk in the trenches, putting themselves in the soldiers’ place and an even more lasting mark is left when we visit the British cemeteries and the students find a soldier with the same name or even the same age as them. It brings home to them just what a huge sacrifice those men made and how grateful we should be to them for that.

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Aimhigher Achievers Award 2008

On Friday 13th June 2008, Jordan Rimmer (Y9), Jamie Rimmer (Y10) and Kelvin Tsang (Y13), were selected for an Aimhigher Achievers Award by their Co-ordinator of Learning for all their hard work and effort through the whole school year. The award ceremony was held at the prestigious Echo Arena. The awards were presented by all the Vice-chancellors of all the universities which are in partnership with Aimhigher Greater Merseyside. The night was an amazing spectacle with over 300 award winners and entertainment by schools and colleges through Greater Merseyside. “It’s great to see so many students from Greater Merseyside recognised for all their hard work”, said Emy Onuora, director of Aimhigher Greater Merseyside. “The hard work of all learners truly showed”.

Jordan Rimmer Y9

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Year 11 IFP Annual Awards Ceremony 2008

On May 2nd Year 11 IFP pupils attended the Annual Awards Ceremony held at Liverpool Football Club. This is the fifth year the ceremony has been held and has proved to be a popular and successful programme for our pupils and others from local schools. Year 11 IFP have worked very hard over the last two years and have learnt relevant occupational skills and have developed important personal and social skills. They have almost completed their learning programmes and are ready to move onto further training in college or as an apprentice with an employer.

Mr Pedder (Year11 Co-ordinator of Learning) who also attended the ceremony and myself were pleased to see Alan Tsang (ICT), James Menton (Sport and Recreation) and Liam O’Connell (Construction) being nominated Learner of the Year in their chosen subjects. This is an outstanding achievement. Well done to all of you!

This year, the Liverpool Archdiocese Nugent Care Society asked our school to provide the music for their annual Good Shepherd Mass which takes place every year during Eastertide. Miss Anderson directed the College Choir and Bro. James led a Worship Band made up Yr. 10 pupils from the band Off Target, Miss Manning and Mr Flowers.

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The Archbishop led this year’s celebration.

SFX Makes Music and Rocks the ‘Picket’!

A few weeks ago in May, SFX and friends had the new ‘Picket’ club in town rocking! Bands from SFX played an evening of fantastic music to raise money for Brother James’ school trip to Uganda in July. The evening raised £940.00 towards the trip which will be involved in running a summer camp for children at Secondary school and a local orphanage.

Many thanks to Patrick Brown who helped to organise the event and included the bands ‘Off Target’ (Year 10); ‘Manic Street Teachers’ (Staff); ‘Random Feedback’ (Dominic Barron Y11 and Bluecoat friends); Michael McNamee (and guitarist friend).

Thanks to all those pupils, family and friends who supported the event. It will definitely be happening again as it was such a successful evening. Mr Fox is still missing two hats – anyone seen an Elvis wig and a hat with a fish on top?

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Good Shepherd Mass, April 2008

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Mr S Russell Learning Mentor

See photo of The new ‘Picket’, Jordan Street, Liverpool. The place was ‘rocking’ on 2nd May thanks to the support of pupils, families and friends of SFX. Mr Fox

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Sponsored cycle for Uganda 08

To raise funds for the 2 schools and orphanage where our Uganda 08 group will be working (in Kasasa and Ibanda - sports equipment and audio-visual equipment) we have been having fund-raising events in school and a charity concert at the famous New Picket venue in Liverpool. To raise further funds, I, Brother James, cycled solo from Liverpool to the shrine of Notre Dame de la Salette at 6,300 ft altitude in the southern French Alps (921 miles, 8 days) from May 24th to 31st.

I have also at last managed to get a JustGiving charity page up and running for those who would like to make a donation. Go to http://www.justgiving.com/brojameshayes and follow the instructions.

Pictured is the shrine of Notre Dame de la Salette at 6,500 ft altitude in the French Alps.

On my Chaplaincy web site you will find news about various activities that have taken place during the last few months, including two events at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral that pupils from the school have been involved in and news of preparations for our Uganda 08 trip (www.brojames.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk).

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On my blog (www.brojames.blogspot.com) you will find a more detailed account of my sponsored cycle, but also articles on a variety of other topics, including: A reflection on the idea of trusting in God and his will for me. The possibility to stream tracks from Christian band Delirious’ fantastic new album, “Kingdom Of Comfort” as well as an article from the Daily Telegraph about Neil Oliver’s (BBC 2’s “Coast” series) enthralling new book, “Amazing Tales For Making Men Out Of Boys” which is an unashamedly nostalgic and very moving exploration of stories highlighting the quiet heroism of ordinary people from the distant past to the present day, are also available on the blog.

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You can find more photos from the trip at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bro_james/sets/721576054 40411895/

THE FAB FOUR SEASONS (in the Life of John Lennon)

This family show was specially written in response to an exam brief given by the AQA exam board to the Year 11 Performing Arts group. A variety Showcase of the pupils’ talents, this was in fact, their final examination.

So not only did the pupils have an audience to please, but an examiner too!

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Having been asked to produce a show of any length which revealed how the four seasons are celebrated in our local community, we decided as a class to interpret the brief metaphorically and tell the story of the four key seasons in John Lennon’s life. After all, our local community celebrates the legacy of the Beatles for most of the calendar year! We also had faith in such a theme gathering audience interest across the generations. Who, after all, does not like The Beatles?

In the main, our cast was comprised of the Performing Arts group, but “with a little help from their friends”, namely certain key players from the recent “Oliver!” production: Tom Hogan, Jordan Rimmer, James Smith, Wesley Healy and Kiaran Mc Carthy. What an asset to the school these boys are! Their help and support was much appreciated.

The lead role of John Lennon was performed brilliantly by Michael Campbell (who ‘d already received acclaim in his unforgettable role as Bill Sykes in “Oliver!”) and his fellow Beatles who put in memorable performances too,

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performing a song each. Andrew Dunbar, Thomas Harrington and Dominic Barron managed to deliver very worthy renditions of “When I’m Sixty Four”, “Roll Over Beethoven” and “With a little help from my Friends”.

Dare we say that all delivered their songs better than the Fab Four themselves!

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The examiner was also most impressed with the acting talents displayed by the pupils who had to portray a convincing woman. Adam Mc Mullen as Aunt Mimi, Peter Gill as Cynthia Lennon, and Sean Mc Donough as Julia Lennon (and later Yoko Ono) were notable not just for their splendid acting but also for their tremendous efforts in putting their amazing costumes together. This took a lot of dedication and research. Their efforts were worth it, and much appreciated, since they certainly brought the show to life.

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A more broadly farcical element was brought to the show with the skills of Joe Laverty (Alan Williams), Josh Parmar (Fred, Willliam Mann) Tom Hogan (Betty, Cilla Black) along with Jordan Rimmer, Jack Gartland Mullen and Adam Goodall.

Jack Gartland Mullen, Adam Goodall, Sean Hudson and Thomas Sewell all excelled in various lead roles showing their talents to the full, and their hard work and commitment in taking on so much was rewarded with top marks from the examiner. Their professionalism throughout the arduous rehearsal process was also outstanding!

A shared passion for Beatles music and a genuine interest in the modern fairy tale of four lads who “shook the world” kept the group as a whole motivated throughout. And even after the performance was over, many class members were constantly asking me if they could do it all again!

Now, how many teachers get to hear their pupils say that they truly loved doing their GCSE exam?

Miss Shinks

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OLA Maths Transition Project

On the 15th and 21st of May during 4th and 5th period, students from Our Lady of the Assumption primary school came to SFX to share our resources, learn new things and try out our maths programs with Miss Cullen.

First they started out by plotting co-ordinates on the maths computer program Autograph. The sheet provided 7 questions which they each had to complete on Autograph. After completing the work on the computer they had to fill in gaps of paragraphs describing features of the shape.

In a survey undertaken with the primary pupils, they said that they found the activities on the computer were not too difficult, more said that the activities were tricky and the majority said the work on the computer was easy and fun to do.

On hand were the primary school teachers and two classroom helpers, a student teacher and Miss Cullen. A lot of the curious pupils were very excited to learn how to plot co-ordinates on the computer. After working for an hour Miss Cullen treated everyone with biscuits and drinks giving time for everyone to take a break and compare their answers.

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After the break the pupils got chance to use one of the other programs installed in the Maths IT room, Bounceback, an interactive program which guides students through a variety of topics. They did exercises on Co-ordinates first and then did some revision of the number work which Miss Cullen had spent the previous four Wednesday afternoons teaching them in Our Lady of the Assumption primary school.

Then next week on the 21st of May the pupils visited again but were on a different maths format ‘MyMaths’, an internet site, subscribed to by SFX. The children started to learn how to find the area and perimeter of shapes on the computer. My Maths is also interactive, guiding pupils through exercises and marking the questions that they answer. There are full lessons, homework’s and games for classes to complete and any SFX pupil with the internet can access it with a password from their Maths teacher.

Marc Barlow 8MA, Kieran Griffith 8RI, Dominic McCaffrey 8KE

Science Revision Guides

Y10 – Please return the AQA Core Science Revision Guide to your science teacher before the end of term if you haven’t done so already.

Y11 – Please return the AQA Additional Science Revision Guide so that they can be re-issued to Year 10 pupils. If you are a Separate Science candidate, you will have 3 Revision Guides to return, one for each of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Please return all books to Mr Fox.

Return of KS3 Science books

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The pupils enjoyed their time in SFX and many of the boys who attended the sessions will come to our school. We look forward to seeing them all again soon.

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The paragraph quoted: The shape that I made is a ………., it is a type of q.………, it has ……….. right angles, …………equal length lines and pairs of parallel lines. This meant that the pupils were improving their knowledge of ICT, coordinates and the properties of shapes all in one lesson.

Please would all students in Years 7, 8 and 9 return any Science text books to Mr Fox before the end of term.

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Lab in a Lorry It was a hot Monday morning in June at SFX. Half of my class had been summoned to the Year 7 yard where we encountered a huge white articulated lorry. It was here that we were going to experience the scientific adventure known as Lab in a Lorry.

On climbing up into the trailer of the lorry we were presented with three different experiments. We had to choose two to do in the lesson out of Light, Sound and Oil Extraction.

In the first experiment we were joined by a trainee teacher Mr. Feeney. He showed us that the way things look depended on the light that was reflecting from them or passing through them. We used Polaroid sheets to produce a rainbow effect and also to learn about why the sky looked blue. We saw an interesting model of a sunset simply made by putting a drop of dettol in a tank of water and how the colour of light passing through it changes.

Our second experiment was using sound. We first made a large brandy glass sing. Then we put the glass into a box with a speaker. The speaker played a note which made the glass vibrate strongly; it was clear to see with a strobe light. The scientist doing the experiment tried to make the glass smash in the way you know an opera singer can.

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Did it work? I’m not telling! But you can test it for yourself next time you feel like hitting the high notes!

Joshua Moorcroft 8 Bryant

UK Maths Challenge

On Thursday 1st May pupils from Years 7 and 8 took part in the UK Junior Maths Challenge. Sean Gill (Y7) won a Gold award with Thomas Gorton (Y7) winning a Silver award. Twelve other pupils from Year 7 also won Bronze awards, which is a great achievement.

In Year 8, twelve pupils also won a Bronze award. There were also 8 Silver awards won by Year 8 pupils, they were won by:

Andrew Brown Izaak Bickerstaff Izaki Wose Thomas Croucher Matthew McNamara Nicholas Murphy Joseph Davis Adam Sefton James Leyshon 8 BR

Science Core Innovators Project

8Y3 have been busy developing their science reporting and discussion skills as part of the Science Core Innovators Project, organised by Mrs Grace this term. The project culminated in a discussion about the anti-hoodie device, the Mosquito. The group were filmed last month

by Liverpool Authority and the film was shown on June 18th to teachers and consultants from across the city at Parklands CLC. The boys were applauded for their fabulous presentations. Special mention should be given to Matthew Lee, Adam Stevens, Phillip Reeds, Lewis Boardman and Sean Kane who all took part in an interview about the project. They spoke clearly about their views on Science and were an excellent representation for the school.

Mrs Grace

y Schools’ Parliament.

xy The following boys have been excellent representatives for the College this year in the Liverpool Schools’ Parliament. The format has been slightly different in that MSPs have been assigned to Focus Groups rather than being Ministers to a department. Ryan Woods, Jonathan Rigby Y9 and Joseph Irwin Y8 have taken part on several occasions giving valued criticism and opinion on such issues as the NHS, Eco Friendly Schools and City travel for Students. Joe Wall Y10 has also attended meetings and fed back to his Year group on forthcoming events. I would like to thank all the boys for their hard work and enthusiasm.

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Ms Smith

School Council and Schools’ Parliament

Over the past few months the school council have been very busy. They have called five meetings and held three focus group workshops. The workshops were about the NHS, Eco Cities and Schools of the Future.

At the moment Joe Irwin (Y8), Jonathan Rigby (Y9), Ryan Woods (Y9) and Joe Wall (Y10) are all in the school‘s parliament. Unfortunately you can only be a part of the school’s parliament until you are in Year 10, which means that Joe Wall has to sadly leave by the end of the school year.

There will now be just one more meeting left before the end of this school year.

A new travel plan has now been completed, this means that the school council is now waiting for new bike sheds which could arrive this year!

One World Week

One World Week is a charitable event run by students in the University of Warwick every year to promote global awareness and togetherness. For a few weeks in April students studied the events and each had to do a presentation to present to the rest of their classes. Luis Murry of 8 Rigby compiled a poem which is currently on display in the school library, the poem reads:

During this week you can change the world, It?s your chance to speak and you chance to be heard.

There are people in the world less fortunate than you Who are suffering right now but there?s something you can do There are people in Iraq getting shot in their homes While you sit in your house playing on your mobile phone Over in Zimbabwe Mugabi tyrannises In our country it?s nice as you get pleasant surprises.

But it?s not just overseas ,it happens everywhere In England teens get pregnant and her parents just don?t car So next time you are out and things may be bad Think about these people You think your life is sad?

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Kieran Griffith 8RI

Mrs Walsh is hoping to organise her own version of the week to raise money for charity sometime next year.

James Leyshon 8BR

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y School Council

The School Council has met each half term to discuss issues of particular relevance to the students. Most notable has been the work on the AntiBullying policy which is now in use and the preparation of ‘Buddies’ for the Lower School Students. The Council also met with the Catering Manager to discuss price issues and aired various complaints from fellow students about food portions and choices. The eating environment was also discussed as it was felt this could be improved. More recently the local Community Officer was invited in to address the Council and talk about issues of road safety, personal safety and traffic congestion. He is due to revisit in the autumn term.

On the whole this has been a very busy year for the Council who hope, now the travel plan has been approved, to see progress on travelling healthily and safely to school. Cycling is a preferred choice for several and so September could, if all goes well, see progress in this area. May I thank all the students who have contributed in any way for their efforts.

Bullying has been happening for a long time now and it happens all over the world. There are many forms of bullying which include: physical, cyber and verbal bullying.

Physical is a more severe kind of bullying because people physically get hurt. Cyber bullying is the newest form of bullying and uses new technology like phones and computers to bully someone.

Verbal bullying is the most common form, it includes skitting.

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Anti-Bullying Campaign

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Ms Smith

Bullying Why We Refuse To Tolerate It

During the last year we have been reviewing our Anti-Bullying Policy. This has meant that every tutor group had the opportunity to discuss issues that concerned them and to suggest ways in which we could reinforce our antibullying message. The School Council represented the views of their classmates and came to a shared agreement about the nature and types of bullying. Ideas about how we should aim to prevent and deal with bullying behaviour were put forward. Our new policy will be considered by the Governors before the end of term.

The message was clear, SFX will not tolerate bullying. We agreed that adults and students needed to work together because we all deserve to work in a safe and caring environment. A number of suggestions were put forward to highlight our commitment to the Anti–Bullying Campaign. One of the most popular ideas was a poster competition. Over one hundred students put forward entries. The winners of the competition will have their posters displayed around school over the next year.

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The next challenge for the School Council will be to design and order our very own Anti- Bullying wrist bands. They will be sold in September and the proceeds used to finance future anti-bullying initiatives.

Bullying is frequently discussed during lesson time in such lessons as English, R.E. and P.S.H.C.E. Most students have very strong views about the harm bullying causes. We decided therefore that every classroom should have a Student Voice Statement. The selected piece, written by Matthew North from Year 8, was chosen for its direct, powerful message.

In our school we will not tolerate bullying, we believe that we should respect everyone in our community. Bullying is one of the worst things that happens in schools all around the world and it really needs to be stopped. So let’s try and stop it in our school. Let’s do something about it. If you see it, don’t stand by, let’s work together and take action.

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This term sixteen year eight and sixteen year seven boys were trained by The Pupil Advocacy Service to be “Buddies”. They will help the new year seven boys to settle into SFX. We appreciate that the transition to secondary school is quite daunting for most children; our “Buddies” will be at the front line helping the newcomers to form friendships.

In our school we will not tolerate bullying no matter what form or strength it takes. This is because it hurts people, maybe not physically but mentally. It makes a person feel really low and destroys all selfesteem and confidence. Everyone should be treated as equals and bullying make someone feel less than everyone else. Another reason is that people can get seriously injured by either the bully or by themselves. Furthermore, each time it happens the person gets weaker and the bully gets stronger, sometimes the bully’s victim bullies someone else and this creates a cycle which is hard to break. Too much bullying happens around the world and it needs to stop.

Next term the focus will be on highlighting the problem of using new technology to deliberately hurt others. We shall also set up an email Anti Bullying reporting system. Anyone interested in working on this new aspect of our campaign should speak with Mrs Fay.

Matthew North Y8

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Community Programme

We are starting up the Community Programme again in October 2008, providing more FREE lessons in a range of subjects and interest areas. The enrolment evening will take place on the 2nd October 2008. The first class will be on the 30th October 2008 and classes will run for 12 weeks, courses will not run in the School holidays.

Existing courses

ICT introduction and intermediate

Spanish beginners and intermediate French beginners and intermediate Psychology Art

Digital Photography

New courses Sub-Aqua

Table Tennis

Craft and Design

Literacy and Numeracy Dancing

Golf Lessons

We are currently confirming all the above courses with tutors, some courses may not be operating if a tutor is unavailable.

If you wish to be sent information on the courses and how to enrol, please ring St. Francis Xavier’s College 0151 288 1000, and leave your name and postal details for the attention of Mr. Roberts (Community Classes). We will send all details of courses and enrolment information by post to interested parties.

Mr Roberts

PTA Update

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by in the busy world of fundraising. The PTA have continued working behind the scenes trying to raise much needed funds for the College. We would like to thank all those who have supported us over the last 12 months either by donating money or gifts or by personally attending functions. If you were able to make a monetary donation then we were able to Gift Aid it and receive an extra 28p for every £ donated. Please remember this is an ongoing process and all future donations can be Gift Aided also. If you have not yet completed a Gift Aid form, please consider it.

Our next fundraising project was originally to have been helping to replace sound equipment in the main school hall. This project has now been replaced with a request from school for a second minibus. The minibus we provided last year is used regularly and the College would benefit from an additional vehicle. We will keep you informed of the process for raising funds. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support.

Best Wishes Chairperson PTA

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In this busy world in which we all live, many of us now choose to shop on line. Did you know that by registering your details with THE GIVING MACHINE a percentage of what you spend could be redirected to a worthwhile cause namely our school at no cost to yourself whatsoever.

All you have to do is visit the website www.TheGivingMachine.co.uk and join as a giver. Then everytime you buy something on line, first visit the site and choose the link to the shopping destination that you want. (This makes sure that your donation comes back to us) Our school has been registered as ST FRANCIS XAVIER’S COLLEGE thus meaning that all monies received will be ploughed back into school funds. It’s that easy!

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Visit the site today and remember the more you spend, the more our school will benefit.

THE GIVING MACHINE • Managed as a not for profit company and is free to join • Members of the Institute of Fundraising • Only supports charities and schools • Turns supporters who shop on line into givers by diverting sales commission to you-at no cost to the giver • Have the best selection of top shopping destinations(100+ top sites including Amazon, eBay, play.com, John Lewis, Tesco, Asda, M+S, B+Q, and Woolworths) • You can nominate more than one cause and can state how you wish the % split to be donated. www.TheGivingMachine.co.uk

Leisure and Tourism Trip

On a sunny Wednesday 14th May, the Leisure and Tourism GCSE group visited Mersey ferries to investigate the marketing activities of the organisation for their first piece of coursework. Fourteen pupils were accompanied on the day by Mr Bright and Mr Farrington. The fieldtrip involved travelling on the world famous ferries, stopping at the Seacombe and Woodside terminals where they investigated the facilities offered and visited the Spaceport attraction in the Seacombe terminal. The boys carried out their investigation in a very professional manner and the behaviour of the boys was excellent. They represented the college superbly well.

James Leyshon 8BR

PGL: France

Boys taking GCSE in Spanish this year were presented with the opportunity to revise on-line. Mr. Lloyd has set up a web based resource for the exclusive use of SFX pupils. They can access a series of exercises which helps them to improve their knowledge of certain key aspects of grammar and especially vocabulary. The Staff monitor which pupils use the facilities and the particular areas visited.

It seems as though it has been a success with a number of boys using it regularly and achieving results which should help them to reach, or exceed, their target grades. In fact it has been such a success that this feature of language learning will be extended to those studying French at GCSE next year.

From the 17th to the 25th of May 2008, Miss Thiery, Miss Donlon, Mr Glover and Mr Hayhurst took a group of 33 SFX pupils to a PGL site in France for linguistic purposes.

Over the week the group took part in water sports, climbing, kayaking, high ropes, caving and mountain biking. They slept in chalets and under the stars for two of the seven nights in a forest. (One night a wild boar actually came and ate the pupil’s food!)

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Online Spanish Revision

It was a very enjoyable experience for all and a similar trip for next year is already being planned.

Liam Markey 8LE and Tom Harris 8OW

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Chester Zoo Trip

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Over the past year pupils have been attending kayaking sessions in the school pool with Mr Daniels and Mr Jenkins.

The sessions involve some fun and games and some learning. It is an ideal environment to learn ‘wet stuff’ like capsize and rescue or balance skills as the pool is always warm. These skills can then be transferred when they get the opportunity to kayak in other places. Although it is a little crowded the pupils are very patient with each other as a few bumps into each other are inevitable and all are aware how important safety is. All who have taken part so far have thoroughly enjoyed it and most are close to achieving their 1 star certificate. Well done!

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Kayaking takes place every Wednesday from 3.45pm – 5.45pm (available for all pupils). See Mr Daniels or Mr Brophy for more details.

On Wednesday 21st May Mrs Grace, Mr Daniels, Miss Tyrer (Science), Miss Clint and Miss Tyrer (Psychology) took Year 7 on a day trip to Chester Zoo.

It was a lovely sunny day. The group left early and everyone was excited. 7G4 and 7Y2 were put into mixed groups and went around the Zoo with a teacher each. The aim was to bring the boys face to face with the animals they had been studying.

The day was beautiful and the Year 7 pupils were able to visit the majority of attractions without queuing. Some favourite parts included the Twilight Zone (avoiding bumping into flying bats), the Chimps, the Jaguars and the Reptile House. Mrs Grace and her group managed to survive the perilous boat ride around the Zoo. The journey home was quieter than the one going as everyone relaxed and looked at their purchases. It was a great day and the boys were a credit to themselves, the school and their families.

Roll on Chester Zoo 2009!

Aim Higher Residential Trip to Edge Hill University: The overnight stay at Edge Hill University provided fifteen Year 9 pupils with an insight into what university life is actually like. The trip was very informative, offering taster sessions to university courses, such as Marketing, Drama, Media and Advertising. The student helpers and teachers were extremely helpful and all the lessons were really enjoyable.

If I had the chance to return to this university, I definitely would and would also recommend it to all students.

George Rooney Y9.

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Year 8 Fundraising

Year 8 SFX pupils are renowned for their support of the RNLI and over the years have raised thousands of pounds for the charity. The current Year 8 cohort has continued this tradition and has been busy all year raising a lot of money for the lifeboats. Their total raised to date is £1400.00.

Year 8 would also like to thank Mr Golden, Mrs Smith for all their help and support this year. A special thanks you must also go to Mrs Jenkins for all her support with our fundraising and for helping us with things like the 5 aside football tournament, baking cakes and all the paintings that she donated which were raffled.

The paintings that Mrs Jenkins painted herself (like the Scar Face picture) were raffled raising £35.00 The Scarface painting was won by Paul Murphy from 8 Ward. Well done Paul. Mrs Jenkins has also painted things which were raffled within her form (8 Ward) raising a further £25.00.

Dominic McCaffrey 8KE

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PGL trip to the Ardèche

In May 2008, a group of 33 Year 9 pupils, accompanied by four of their teachers (Mrs Thiery, Miss Donlon, Mr Glover and Mr Hayhurst), went on a PGL trip to the Ardèche in France where they took part in various sports such as canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking, caving and climbing. They also all managed to show off their linguistic skills in shops and cafés and really impressed the locals! The camp had a swimming pool, a snooker table and of course, a disco area where the boys showed some impressive moves! Both the teachers and the pupils had a great time and the return journey to England was quite sad!

With the success of this year’s trip, plans are already in motion for next year’s PGL trip.

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Gaelic Football

Ms. Thiery

Gaelic football is a mixture of soccer and rugby, players can pick the ball up and carry it for a distance of four steps and can be kicked or hand passed.

The ball used in Gaelic football is slightly smaller than a normal soccer ball.

Each team has 15 players and the game lasts 35 minutes a half, 70 minutes total. The G.A.A (Gaelic Athletic Association) has over 2,500 clubs in Ireland and was formed in 1884.Gaelic football is popular in America, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and Canada.

Miss Donlon and Miss Conlon have recently started up a Y7 Gaelic football team and so far everything is going really well! Miss Donlon and Miss Conlon are Gaelic football enthusiasts.

By Michael Manville 8OW

y On the weekend of the 21st - 22nd June twenty Year 12 students took part in a practice expedition to Castleton in the Peak District. The weekend, as always, acted as a period of preparation for the final assessment weekend which takes place in July – if this is successfully completed 1 of the 4 sections of the award can be ticked off.

The weekend gave the students an opportunity to bond as a group and to practice their navigation, walking and cooking skills. The students take the ‘lead’ in navigating their way around Mam Tor whilst the staff follow from behind just to make sure none of the students take a wrong turn (and because we could not keep up with them even if we wanted to).

Those who think that these weekends are just about walking a few miles would be hugely mistaken. The day started off with a talk about the Geography of the landscape from Mr Rippon and after we had woken the students up Mr Platt showed them the best way in which to use the map and compass making sure they knew all the local landmarks and how to navigate using them as reference points. It was important that the students were aware of this as one of the landmarks was a coffee shop and the groups must have a clear understanding of where this was as they needed to collect Mr Holden from within it at the end of the walk.

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The first days’ walking is usually the hardest and this year was no exception! The rain was unforgiving and I think it is fair to say that all who took part got soaked to the ‘bone’ whilst on their ‘walkies’. The students did very well to keep their spirits up as they became increasingly wet and their bags became heavier with the rain. The group spirit was lifted somewhat when we adopted a lost dog at the top of the mountain who joined us in the decent. All went well with the dog as it seemed to be frightened of the sheep so caused us no trouble at all, that was of course until it’s

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confidence levels increased when we bumped into a couple of horses. It took all of Miss Cullen’s equestrian skills to sort the situation out. All of her years of working with horses were needed to reach into her bag and distract the horses from the dog by giving them each a slice of apple.

Some of the students (and staff) wanted to keep the dog and take him home with us. Mr Rippon decided however that this would not be the best idea so the dog was taken to the local tourist board office and left in the safe hands of the poor lady behind the desk.

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When the walk was over it was time to head for the campsite and pitch the tents, the weather broke and allowed us to do this without getting too wet. The groups then cooked their 3 course meal on a camp stove and got themselves settled for the night. It would be fair to say that most of the 3 courses consisted of super noodles or beans but if it was warm and was edible it was counted as a course!

The next day after a good nights sleep the students woke to cook breakfast, pack up and get ready for another days walking. The rain had stopped but was replaced by a strong wind, again the students did well and walked at a fast pace to complete the walk in record time and returned to the final checkpoint with no extra animals and dry! They loaded all of their belongings into the van as quickly and as quietly as possible to avoid waking Miss Cullen and visited the local Tourist Office to see if our friend from the previous day had been collected. The office was shut (we hope there was no link between the dog and the closure) so we all got into the minibuses and started the journey back home.

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Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver Award

To date all the students have not been put off by their experience so, if they pass the assessment weekend, will be presented with their Silver Award early next year.

A big THANK YOU must go to the SFX PTA and Mr Brophy’s School Sports Scheme for their generous donations allowing us to purchase tents, camp stoves and backpacks for the students to use. Also thanks to the staff who give up their weekends freely twice a year to allow the award to take place here namely; Mr Rippon, Mr Holden, Mr Platt and Miss Cullen.

Mr Evans

The Duke of Edinburgh is the Queen’s husband and he is the patron of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which is an activity programme that lets young people get involved in something that is really worthwhile and enjoyable.

The Bronze Award takes place in Years 10 and 11, and is organised by Mr Holden. The Silver Award takes place in 6th Form and is organised by Mr Evans.

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There are 4 sections to the Awards and these are; • PE • Skill

• Service

• Walking

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In all of these different activities you can do many different things such as; helping others, visiting elderly people, First Aid training, cooking skills and learning how to read a map.

By Jack McGuinness 7LE

Year 10 News

Year 10 have been raising money for Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice. A cheque was sent for £891.00 in June. It has been agreed that any further money collected by Year 10 this year will go to Brother James for his visit to Uganda.

Award

In the second week of September, 2008, fifteen Year 10 pupils will participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award Scheme. Over the course of the scheme the pupils will obtain a skill, sport and will take part in community activities. They will also participate in a two day expedition in the Lake District. After speaking to past participants I have been told that the Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a highly enjoyable experience that they would recommend it to all.

Liam Markey 8LE

South District Athletics Summary

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Well Done to all who took part

Year 10 Trip to Hope University

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It is important that as we approach the end of Year 10 that the boys understand the hard work and commitment to study that will be required in Year 11. Opportunities for extra study will be available via Night Owl sessions next year. In Year 11 the boys will also take part in employability interviews to help them in their preparation for the future and also participate in work experience.

Ms Cain

A group of Year 10 pupils were chosen to go on a trip to Hope University on the 20th May. We were chosen By Miss Thiery. Miss Cain and Mrs Barker were the supervisors on the trip. When we got to Hope we were all given a folder of the day’s activities to read whilst we sat in the main hall waiting for the day to start.

Whilst we were waiting for our fist session we were able to watch videos made by other schools like Calderstones and Alsop which were extremely interesting.

During the day we took part in four different activity sessions and were provided with a very nice light lunch before returning to the Hall again for a meeting. At the end of the day we got back on the coach and came back to School. It was a really interesting day and we would like to thank Miss Thiery, Miss Cain and Mrs Barker for organising it.

Jamie Rimmer 10 Owen

Gifted and Talented Day 17th June at IM Marsh

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Year 10 pupils have also been busy preparing for their work experience visits in October 2008. Selfplacement forms need to be with Mr Burke by 18th July 2008.

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Y10 Duke of Edinburgh’s

x The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

The Gifted and Talented Day provided activities for the talented sportsmen in Years 7 to 9. They took part in a variety of Cricket, Athletics, and Rugby activities.

Twenty pupils attended the event and were well supported by the Community Sports Leaders and Young Ambassadors.

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Compact Engineering Challenge

On Friday the 6th June, six Y9 pupils took part in an Enterprise Engineering challenge at Jaguar, Halewood. Year 10 pupils were unable to take part due to a GCSE RE exam.

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The boys who participated were; Stephen O’Hare, Daniel Smith, Sean Patten, Sam Pooke, David Lynch and Matthew Thomson. SFX were competing against Fazakerley High School, Childwall Sports College, St Margaret’s High School, Alsop High School and St Benedict’s College.

The day consisted of a range of team building activities. The boys had to build a shelter 1 metre high, using newspaper. It had to be able to shelter two people. Following this they then had to build a structure that was very strong and made from Connect parts. The next task was set by the Army, the boys had to build a model water tower able to hold a 1kg weight. I am very proud to say that SFX were awarded joint 1st place with Fazakerley High School for these activities, well done boys!

The main task required the boys to design a lamp and identify the target market, how much it would cost to make, what the retail value would be and how much profit would be made. After they had completed the marketing activities then they had to make the lamp (again the frame had to be made from newspaper). Each team member was given a role to perform and the group were allocated one hour to complete the task. Following this they had to present their solutions.

I must say how proud I was of our boys, they were true ambassadors for SFX. Every teacher and organiser praised our pupils on their innovation, teamwork, attitude and work ethic. They really worked together as a team and came up with excellent ideas.

Everybody was especially impressed as the boys were younger than the rest of the other pupils who they were competing against and also for how professionally they worked throughout the whole day.

At the end of the day all the scores were compiled and an overall winner was announced. SFX came 2nd, closely missing 1st place by 1.5 points (Fazakerley High School scored 31.5 points to our 30 points). The boys have won a trip back to Jaguar to go take part the Land Rover Experience. Overall it was a fantastic day and once again, well done boys!

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Miss Johnston

Congratulations to City Individual Champions

Congratulations to; Craig Jones (Y10) Long Jump, Alex Almond (Y8) Triple Jump, Adam Morgan (Y9) Triple Jump, Thomas Williams (Y8) 100m and Long Jump, James Cairns (Y8) Hurdles, Declan Jones (Y8) Shot Putt, Anthony Morgan (Y7) Long Jump and the winning 4x100m Y8 Relay Team which consisted of Sean Kinsella, Patrick Stanton, Jack Comer and Thomas Williams.

Squash

Arrangements have been made with the England Squash Development Team following a successful Bid made by Mr Brophy.

This initiative provides the school with Squash coaches for 2 days per week starting in October 2008. They will deliver professional coaching to our pupils.

Could this mean a County Champion in the making for SFX?

Matthew Owens OX 2006 Congratulations to Matthew Owens, Great Britain’s Number 1 Junior (Under 20) High Jumper. To become a No1 in Great Britain Matthew’s record height at the High Jump was set at 2.15 Metres.

With this great achievement Matthew has now entered into the Top 10 High Jumpers in the world, along with this he is now in the top 6 in Great Britain (Open).

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VW X gh f Legends Pay for Youngsters’ Park trip

MARTINA HINGIS and Jana Novotna paid for St Francis Xavier’s College students to watch the opening action at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament free of charge.

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The former Wimbledon ladies champions were the star attractions of this year’s seventh Calderstones Park classic and made the gesture following discussions with tournament organiser Anders Borg.

“Tennis played at school is something I would like to see more of,” said Hingis.

“For the future of the sport to be bright, we need young kids of all levels getting out on court and the more schools that offer good facilities, the more likely it is for school children to pick tennis.”

Hingis continued, “By donating these tickets I hope to play a part in encouraging the schoolchildren not just in the classroom but also on the tennis court.”

Novotna added: “I am happy to donate tickets alongside Martina. We both realise that giving back to the sport is important because it has given us so much. Supporting grass root efforts is vital for the future of the sport and I look forward to seeing the kids at the matches.”

Tournament organisers hope that Hingis and Novotna’s gesture will be repeated in future years. “We have arguably the biggest draw in tennis in the north and to act as a spur to Britain’s young tennis players, to encourage children and young people to participate in the sport, and to promote tennis in general is a comprehensive part of what we are trying to achieve with our tournament,” said Borg.

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This gesture from Martina and Jana was touching and showed their dedication to encouraging children.

June 10 2008 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo

Liverpool International Tennis June 2008

In June one hundred SFX pupils were taken to the Liverpool International Tennis Event at Calderstones. I was lucky enough to be chosen to attend the event and thought it was a great day for a number of reasons, the first reason was that we got to go and watch the tennis which is a great game and the second reason was that it was fantastic weather and we had the day off!

It was an excellent day, the weather was hot and the whole event was well organised with a great turnout and some magnificent games played.

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I can proudly say that I have had a rally with Cap de Ville! He was very friendly and a great tennis player, it was fantastic to hear the crowd getting into the game and cheering along.

The whole day was amazing and I would like to say thank you to Mr Brophy and all staff who accompanied us. It was a fantastic experience Adam Morgan Y9

A new Tennis Leadership course has proved popular with pupils from Years 8 to12. To become a qualified Tennis Leader pupils need to undertake 10 hours of coaching.

There are currently ten pupils taking part in this course.

Tennis Club

Tennis Club takes place each Monday from 3.30pm – 5pm.

During these sessions there is a qualified coach available to give professional coaching and training to pupils who are interested in learning and improving their tennis skills.

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After each game the winner hit their ball into the crowd and the person who caught it was invited to play the professional in a rally on centre court.

Unbelievably I caught one of the balls Capt de Ville had hit into the crowd! I was very excited and could hardly believe it when I was standing on centre court.

Tennis Leadership Course

The Tennis Club is open to all year groups and currently there is a small number of enthusiastic participants.

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It has been a very busy term for sport in SFX, with multiple sporting events having taken place.

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SFX pupils have taken part in many sporting events which include cricket festivals, badminton and golf tournaments, City Championship athletics plus “Gifted and Talented” days, in which 18 of the schools best sport stars represented SFX at IM Marsh.

Table Tennis, which takes place every lunch, continues to be a big hit along with Cricket, which is represented greatly by various years during numerous games. Regular Tennis is also practised at SFX, with sessions starting at 3pm and ending at 5pm free of charge, this is open to all year groups.

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The newest sport to hit SFX is Gaelic Football, open only to Y7 every Tuesday evening. It will hopefully become successful and popular with the SFX pupils.

One of the biggest sporting events this term was a trip to Allerton Towers; activities such as abseiling, orienteering and team building took place.

Several Y10 boys visited the climbing centre Awesome Walls. All activities were thoroughly enjoyed by those who participated.

Gym sessions continue with great success along with Kayak sessions, which take place every Wednesday after school with Mr Daniels. Another water activity is Y9 Rowing sessions which have been taking place for 6 weeks indoor, followed by 5 sessions in the Albert Dock, in preparation for the Liverpool rowing competition.

Final congratulations to all the pupils that have participated in the events mentioned. Well Done!

Liam Markey 8LE, Jordan Roberts 8WA, Daniel Fagan 8CA

Sports Mark – Allerton Towers trips

Monday 16th June (Wavertree Track) Year 7 Athletics Results Maricourt placed 1st (135 Pts), SFX placed 2nd (115 Pts).

Year 8 Athletics Results SFX placed 1st (167 Pts), St. Edward's placed 2nd (123 Pts).

Year 9 Athletics Results Maricourt placed 1st (140 Pts), SFX placed 2nd (139 Pts).

Year 10 Athletics Results Maricourt placed 1st (158 Pts), SFX placed 4th (83 Pts).

1st Maricourt (550 Pts) 2nd SFX (504 Pts) 3rd St. Edward's (438 Pts) 4th Sacred Heart (412 Pts) 5th Holy Family (285 Pts) 6th Archbishop Beck (249 Pts)

Badminton Festival Broadgreen High 3rd July

Earlier this year, Year 11 pupils went on a number of trips to Allerton Towers as part of an annual 8 week outdoor activity course. While there the students took part in activities such as rock climbing and other adventurous activities.

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SFX Athletics Merseyside Catholic Schools Meeting (Div 1)

The Badminton Festival was held at Broadgreen High on the 3rd July 2008 for Years 7 to 12. This was held in association with the Liverpool South Schools Partnership.

James Leyshon Y8

Rowing Regatta – 14TH July 2008 Year 9 pupils will participate in a Rowing Regatta in July 2008.

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VW c f X Golfing at SFX

We are now in the process of establishing two Golf Teams; Senior and Juniors at SFX and are hoping to take part in a number of events over the forthcoming year.

The senior squad is very strong with 11 players, all of whom are working hard to maintain their place in the senior squad. It is good to see so many boys being members of local golf clubs and regularly entering competitions to develop their skills and performance.

We are currently working on developing a Junior Team of pupils who are in Year 7, 8 or 9. During the Summer term we ran a number of introductory and training sessions for pupils to try out for the squad. Woolton and Childwall Golf Clubs have given lessons to our pupils who will be working on their skills over the summer holidays, trying to get their handicap lower.

Golf Sessions

Mr Roberts and Mr McGill provided a golf session on Tuesday 24th June after school for one hour. The seven keen lads who took part were; Liam Floyd, Jake Scullion, Dylan Coltman, Shaun Lamb, Robert Crowney, Jamie Sculler and Dominic Sweeny. As Mr Roberts set out the cones Mr McGill showed us all how to hold the clubs properly. When the cones were set out we got out our 6 irons and practised chipping the ball in the square (well we tried!). We then moved on to putting. We each had five balls and we practised putting them in the square.

Jamie Sculler won the game. Overall it was really good fun and it was a great lesson. We would like to say thank you to Mr Roberts and Mr McGill for giving up their time after school to teach us.

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The final activity for 2008 will be an end of year competition for all the golfers, this will take place in the last week of term.

Robert Crowney 7BR

Our Senior Squad include Daniel Cawley (Golf Captain), Matthew Thompson, Jordan Evans, Kieran Kenny*, Jonathon Malone, Tom Williams, Shaun Mangan, Daniel Tiernan, Max Ventre, Tom Woodward, Nick Blackburn, Joseph Mosses*. (* new team members)

New golf activities are planned for 2008-09, so if you play golf regularly and would like to take part please contact Mr. Roberts.

Cricket Trip to Old Trafford

SFX hosted the Asda Kwick Cricket Event as part of the Liverpool South Partnership Festival on June 12th 2008.

The Event was well attended by the following Primary schools: St. Gregory’s Dovedale St. Austin’s St. Christopher’s Booker Avenue Gilmour

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On Friday 6th June the Year 8 cricket team went to Old Trafford Cricket Ground to see Lancashire vs.

Nottinghamshire. The team were in an executive box which overlooked the pitch.

The team even got to see Andrew Flintoff in the nets!

Asda Cricket (Kwick Cricket)

Year 8 would like to thank Mr Skillander and Mr Long for organising the trip. The game went on to end in a draw between the two sides.

James Leyshon 8BR

The pupils were all very well behaved and really enjoyed the day!

Mr Brophy

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Professional Cricketers Visit SFX Cricket Team

On the 22nd January 2008 I was taken to Saint Magaret’s High School where a session of the ten week cricket course, organised by Mr Reynolds and partly sponsored by the Lords Taverners (a cricket charity that provide anything to do with youth cricket), was taking place. This particular session was special as not one, but two professional cricketers from the team Lancashire Lightning were scheduled to visit them.

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The session started as per usual with the four cricket coaches who normally teach the children teaching them the basics.

It was fifteen minutes into the session when Luke Sutton and Simon Marshall arrived. They taught the over-excited and highly eager children how to bowl, catch, hit the ball etc. and shared a few tricks with them. They also had time to play a game.

Although Simon and Luke were being bombarded with camera flashes, journalists (including the sports editor of The Echo), a crowd of people watching and a million and one questions, they were still able to keep the children interested and succeeded in passing on to them some high-quality skills.

At the end of the session Simon and Luke where good enough to sign posters and have pictures taken. I was able to get a comment from both of them.

Simon said: “I really enjoyed coming here; I hope all of the children have learnt something and that I may see them in the near future at Old Trafford because the more fans we get the better.”

Luke said: “I really look forward to coming to places like this, it’s been great to meet all the younger cricketers here and I really enjoyed playing cricket with them”.

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Joseph Irwin 8LE

Name the Superlambanana Competition

The SFX Superlambana will be painted during activities week with David Jones and Michael Casey’s winning design. Unfortunately the poor little chap needs a name. If you can think of a name for our superlambanana which reflects both SFX and links to our City of Culture, why not enter our competition.

Superlambanana Name

…………………………………………………………………...……………………

Reason for the name

……………………………………………………………………………………….……… ………………………………………………………………………………….…………… …………………………………………………………………………….………………… …………………………………………………………………….……

Your Name………………………………. Your Form………………………………...

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Entries to Miss Lindop Care of the School Office

Beaconsfield Road, Liverpool L25 6EG Tel: 0151 288 1000 Fax: 0151 288 1001 Email: admin@sfx.liverpool.sch.uk www.sfx.liverpool.sch.uk

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