CHRISTMAS 2019
Contents 03 04 06 07 08 09
Sports and Dance News
Tongling No.3 School visit St Chad’s
Charity Fundraising
Guest Speakers visit the RE Department
Remembrance Day Assemblies Urban Farm Aquaponics Assemblies
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
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St Chad’s English Department News
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St Chad’s Sixth Form News
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Health and Social Care visit to local NHS Treatment Centre
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Latest News from the Languages Department
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Computing, Art and Technology Success
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Geography News: Annual GA Worldwise Quiz
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Local Christmas Parish Timetables
SPORTS N E W S This has been a busy term at St Chad’s for both boys and girls. Pupils have taken part in Halton’s football and netball leagues. Year 7 have also taken part in the Sports Hall Athletics’ Competition. Preparations have begun for the annual St Chad’s dance shows with performances from all year groups. These shows will take place in April 2020 and more information about tickets will be released in the New Year. Pupils have also been attending badminton club after school. These leagues will continue in the New Year with new sports competitions beginning in February.
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VISIT FROM TONGLING NO.3 SCHOOL
In November 2019 we welcomed our Chinese Partner School’s delegation from Tongling No. 3 High School, together we celebrated 18 years of our successful partnership. We are very proud of the link we have with Tongling No. 3 High School. Students at St. Chad’s can take GCSE and A Level exams in Mandarin Chinese and over the years have been very successful. The school was awarded Confucius Classroom status in 2010, in recognition of the work done here, promoting the teaching and learning of Mandarin, and due to the strength of the link with Tongling. In the last 17 years, St. Chad’s and Tongling have been participating in school exchanges, which have deepened their relationship further. During these visits, despite the obvious cultural differences, pupils and staff from both schools have learnt how to co-operate and make each other welcome 04
in their own institutions. Firm friendships have been established and there is an atmosphere of mutual trust, understanding and respect. The link has the full support of both Headteachers and the senior members of staff, which results in a very successful and continuing partnership. Upon Tongling’s arrival, the delegation were welcomed by Mr Paziuk, St. Chad’s staff and students studying Chinese. The delegation was greeted with a warming speech spoken in Chinese by year 11 students at the welcome event. The delegation were given a tour of the school and were fascinated by the lessons that they observed. The delegation visited the Town Hall and were treated to a tour of the mayoral chambers and a reception with the Mayor of Halton, who gifted them a copy of Halton Borough’s Coat of Arms. After the reception and the signing of
the visitors book the delegation visited the city of Chester where they enjoyed a scenic walk along the river and a visit to the cathedral. The China programme at St. Chad’s is extremely successful and continues to grow from strength to strength. It provides a unique experience for students and staff, as learning is not confined to the classroom; it instils an interest in the culture and literature associated with Chinese, and re-iterates the strong belief in
the opportunities that studying a language present for each and every person’s future. St. Chad’s are honoured to celebrate such a long-standing partnership with Tongling No. 3 High School and are looking forward to future visits and exchanges. St. Chad’s staff and pupils have already planned their visit to Tongling in October 2020 and will be delighted to take a gift from the Mayor’s office to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the partnership between Halton Borough and Tongling.
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Charity Fundraising
Every year we raise money for CAFOD, a charity that is very close to our hearts. CAFOD is a central theme within the RE curriculum, pupils are then provided with the opportunity to put their faith into action. Students have been very creative with their fundraising we have had cake sales, guess the sweets in the jar, name the teddy bear to name a few. 06
Every year in preparation for Christmas we remind students that even though the majority of people love Christmas there are many that are very unfortunate, ones that don’t have much and will get nothing at Christmas time. Another one of our school values is LOVE. We teach the students to show love and compassion to all and this value was evident in the creating shoeboxes for the less fortunate. Through the very kind and generous donations, we managed to send 97 shoeboxes. We created shoeboxes for all different people from babies, young children, teenagers and even household boxes for the elderly! We thank you for your continued support and generosity!
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Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
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During the first half term, we have had a number of different charitable courses that has been at the centre of our work. Here at St Chad’s ‘charity’ is one of our core values that helps us to fulfil our Christian mission. As it says in scripture “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share”, this summarises beautifully the work the staff and students here at St chads have put in this half term.
Guest Speakers in the
RE DEPARTMENT This half term we have opened our doors to guest speakers. We have had Toni from CAFOD. Toni came into school and spoke to our year 10 students about the life and works of CAFOD. All students in year 10 have learnt about the work of CAFOD in lessons, we were then lucky enough to have Toni come into school and share her expertise with the students to enhance their learning further. Toni shared a number of personal case studies that show why the work of CAFOD is so fundamental!
We have also been lucky enough to have Peter from the Humanist society come into school and deliver a lesson on humanist beliefs. We liaised with Peter, as humanism is now an integral part of the curriculum and pupils thoroughly enjoyed learning about a new perspective of life that is different from their own.
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Every year at St Chad’s, we hold assemblies dedicated to Remembrance Day. Our deputy head teacher Mrs Burke delivered assemblies to all year groups, reflecting on remembrance, why we remember and the importance of our history. Together, the history department and the RE department decorated the chapel with fantastic artefacts to use during reflection and chapel time with classes.
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We decorate our chapel as a dedicated space for meditation, prayer and reflection! Mrs Ryder-Smith attended the cenotaph and laid a wreath on behalf of St Chad’s during the memorial. During the lead up the Remembrance Day, a number of our pupils dedicated their time to sell poppies and raise funds for the British Legion. Once again thank you for your support and contributions.
Moving forward there is an exciting opportunity for Year 9 pupils to work with the company and design their own Aquaponics system. They will be competing against other local schools in the area Farm Urban came into school to come up with the most and delivered assemblies to all innovative system as well as a pupils across year 9, 10 & 11. business and marketing plan The assemblies where aimed for their product. at engaging pupils with ways of integrating farming within big cities. Farm Urban introduced their Aquaponics systems and gave pupils an insightful talk about where there food comes from. Pupils across each year group engaged with the assemblies and asked some excellent questions.
www.thebookpeople.co.uk
If you buy anything from ‘The Book People’ you can now link a school to receive a donation from The Book People to buy books. St Chad’s have signed up to this promotion and we would be really grateful if, when
buying from this company and when prompted, would allocate your ‘book boost’ points to St. Chad’s - it only takes a click! Thanks in advance. 09
In early September the year 11 Duke of Edinburgh group set off to Llangollen on Friday to participate in their 3 day silver practice expedition. The weather was pleasantly warm and the scenery impressive as the group started off their trek from Chirk Castle heading towards Wern Isaf Farm just outside Llangollen. An evening’s c a m p i n g followed with the group demonstrating their culinary expertise and other aspects of campcraft. Saturday saw a 9 mile hike across varying terrain including a steep ascent upto the Iron Age fort at Castell Dinas Bran and the challenge 10
of negotiating fields of livestock in order to complete their trek! Groupwork and accurate use map skills were key aspects of the day. Pupils and staff alike enjoyed the weekend and the pupils are now well prepared for their assessed expedition in June 2020. Many thanks to the staff who volunteered their services for the weekend. Back at school pupils have recently signed up in Year 9 & 10 to participate in the bronze award this year which is really encouraging. They have been recently practicing camp craft skills and map reading after school with Mrs. White, Mr. Duckers & Mr. Burke.
St Chad’s
English Department It has been a busy term in the English department with a trip for year 10 & 11 students to see “Blood Brothers” in Liverpool in September, lots of year 5 students in for a `Storytelling` taster session in October and the Readathon at the start of December, run by Mrs Cogan and the Literacy Leaders. The team are also making sure the `Book Fairy` has plenty of books to share around school for students to take away, read and then return to re-hide around the school. There is a new set of books available to borrow - Lonely Book Seeks Reader. All you need to do is select a postcard from the display outside the English department and follow the directions to collect it. Everyone should read more! It is a great way to relax and helps your wellbeing and mental health, as well as improving reading stamina and richness of vocabulary.
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In November all Year 13 students attended a work experience placement. Each student worked with staff from CareerConnect during careers week in July to research and select an industry or sector they would like to work within. Students were also able to contact individual providers to request the opportunity to complete a work placement and negotiate their job role. The students entered a wide range of industries and work sectors in the local area such as: • X Digital Media • Happy Dogs and Cats Grooming • Play Away Day Nursery • The Park Day Nursery • Halton Lodge Primary School • Our Lady Mother of the Saviour Primary School • Spraycraft • Vinci Construction
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As part of Mental Health Awareness week in October, the Student Services team from Hugh Baird Further Education College delivered a workshop on mental health and wellbeing to sixth form students. The workshop introduced the students to a range of techniques used in mindfulness and Cognitive Brain Therapy which can be used to help deal with the stress and demands of exams and revision. Since the workshop, the students have been testing out meditation as a form of relaxation and mindfulness.
HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE The Year 11 Health and Social Care students recently had the opportunity to visit The Cheshire and Merseyside NHS Treatment Centre in Runcorn. The day gave the students the chance to further their understanding in preparation for their exams, and to gain a better insight into the career opportunities right here on their doorstep. The students attended the official opening of the facility by the Mayor. They got a full tour of the state-of-the-art operating theatres, including surgery. They were able to talk to some of the patients and were taught about the pricing of NHS equipment and the importance of hygiene and high standards. As if all that wasn’t enough they were lucky enough to receive a resuscitation class led by the trainee doctors, and meet physiotherapists and specialists to find out what they do.
At the end of the visit the students were able to talk to the apprenticeship team to find out more about joining the NHS as a career. It was an amazing experience for all students involved, and one which we hope that more Health and Social Care students will benefit from in the future.
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The latest from our
LANGUAGES The 5th November saw pupils from years 4 and 5 attend a Spanish cookery workshop where they produced “Churros” and “Chocolate”. Pupils were aided by the MFL department Language Leaders and made Spanish style doughnuts and hot chocolate which they tasted and all agreed they would take home the recipe to make again. Look out for more MFL activities to get involved in such as the MFL Treasure Hunt and also a French cookery session which will involve “Crêpes”.
Year 11 Language Leaders have hung up their badges and handed over the reins to Year 10. Pupils studying MFL were asked, at the end of Year 9, to submit an application to become
department...
Recently, Murdishaw West Primary School staff attended a Spanish CPD session at St. Chad’s. Staff had lots of fun learning new skills which they will employ to promote a love of languages in their primary school. Staff were treated to 3 sessions of Spanish learning and teaching. CPD is available after school Monday evening for primary partner schools, and interested parties should contact Mrs Farrar at St. Chad’s for more details.
a Language Leader and after a short interview 10 candidates have been chosen to participate in the MFL Language Leader Programme. The first task for the new Language Leaders was
to support the MFL department at the very successful Open Evening in September. The Language Leaders have now been given the task of preparing Year 7 form groups for the MFL Carol Competition which takes place annually on the last day of the Christmas term. After Christmas the Language Leaders will be involved in the preparation and delivery of a lesson for partner
primary schools when the MFL and Science cross-curricular day will take place in February. Being a Language Leader involves the pupils in promoting MFL for all, enables them to work on their communication and team work skills and also promotes confidence in using their MFL for a real purpose. We look forward to seeing the Language Leaders blossom.
COMPUTING, ART AND TECHNOLOGY Well done to Year 11 students who have been working on their GCSE projects and mock examinations this term. Well done to those still attending intervention through the mock examinations. Year 11 Creative iMedia students have entered their first assessment (Graphics) and results will be in
school at the end of January. Keep revising over the Christmas break! Creative iMedia students have their real GCSE examination on Thursday 8th January. BTEC DIT students have their real examination on Tuesday 4th February. Good luck everyone!
Geography News Year 9 Geographers attended the annual GA Worldwise quiz at Chester University on the 27th November. Mrs. Holebrook and Mr Duckers’ teams pitted their wits against a wide range of secondary schools from the North West over 8 rounds of gruelling questioning. Topics included map skills, famous places and geography in the news. Both teams acquitted themselves well and finished in credible positions. The pupils had a great time and finished the visit by receiving some chocolate based prizes in
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recognition of their efforts! Well done to all who attended. This was the second link this term to the Geographical Association as the department acted as a host for local schools attending a “Critical Thinking in Geography” course on several dates in the autumn term. The skills learnt on these will be implemented in lessons in the near future. One of our partner primary schools, St. Augustines, played a particularly key role in this with many of their staff attending and sharing some great teaching ideas.
s a m t s i r Ch PARISH TIMETABLE ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH (CofE)
Sunday 15th December Traditional Parish Carol Service 6.30pm Sunday 22nd December Nativity Service 10.30am
ST. EDWARD’S CHURCH (Catholic)
Tuesday 24th December (Christmas Eve) Holy Spirit Vigil Mass of Christmas 4.30pm Holy Spirit Vigil Mass of Christmas 6.30pm
Tuesday 24th December (Christmas Eve)
Wednesday 25th (Christmas Day)
Christingle Service A family friendly service; candles, oranges, sweeties & the real meaning of Christmas. 4pm
Mass of Christmas Day 10.00am
Midnight ‘Mass’ / Holy Communion First Eucharist of Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. 11.30pm Wednesday 25th (Christmas Day)
December
All Age Christmas Celebration 10.30am
December
Sunday 5th January Christmas & Epiphany Carols 3.00pm
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