EASTER 2019
Standing ovation for Beauty and the Beast performers
Contents 03 04 05 06 07 08
Chinese New Year 2019: Year of the Pig
RE Trip to Rome
Switzerland Ski Trip
Year 11 Riverside College Taster Day
Physics: Particle Colliders, Accellerating Innovation Convention MFL & Science Day for Primary Schools with LJMU
Careers through the years
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History trip to Norton Priory
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Science taster sessions for Primary Schools
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Beauty and the Beast Performance
St Chad’s recently celebrated the Lunar New Year, with our teachers of Mandarin Chinese leading the festivities.
showed the best skills were awarded with fortune cookies and Chinese sweets. During all of the activities we played traditional Chinese music for Students were invited to the students to appreciate. translate their names into Chinese calligraphy; a souvenir Thanks go to Mrs Hou-Gregson of the day. There were creative and the Chinese student workshops on offer, in which teachers for offering the our students tried their hand at students a wide variety of Chinese paper-cutting. One activities, and for inviting the of the most popular activities school community to celebrate was a Chopsticks competition, their cultural festivities with after which the students who them.
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THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE It was an early start of 4am for staff and students from St. Chad’s Catholic and Church of England High School during half term as they set off for a visit to the capital city of Italy, Rome. Organised by the RE team, the staff took the students to some of the most visited sights in the Eternal City including:
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The Trevi Fountain The Pantheon The Spanish Steps The Colosseum
ROME
There was a great deal of walking involved so that everyone could get a feel for the city. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Vatican City with a viewing of the Sistine Chapel and experiencing the aura of St. Peter’s Square. The pupils have been amazed by how beautiful Rome is. It was an amazing experience for everyone who went on the trip.
SKI TRIP: SWITZERLAND
the students enjoyed a fire walk through the forest and excelled at tennis in the evenings. Miss Pemberton said:
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The staff would like to thank all of the students who attended this year’s visit to Switzerland; they were an absolute credit to everyone and their skills improved immeasurably, regardless if they were skiing for the first time or whether they were quite experienced skiers. Any challenge they had was met, supporting each other and encouraging every step, or slide, of the way. The whole trip was a huge success and our thanks go to the staff who went with the students.
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Staff and students from key stages 4 & 5 have travelled to Crans Montana in Switzerland this year for a February half term skiing trip; earlier in the year than last year’s ski trip to Saltzberg. The weather and skiing were perfect and after only two days all students, even those who had never skied before, had completed red runs or higher. The more experienced skiers went off piste and attempted many jumps on the snow park. The ski runs and surrounding areas offered amazing views of the countryside of this most beautiful part of Switzerland. There were plenty of apres ski activities to participate in too:
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Year 11 Taster Day Year 11 students attended a taster day at Riverside College in February looking at trades in both engineering (motor vehicle) and construction. Students weretaken on a tour of the campus and had a welcoming introduction about the college, available courses and they were also given refreshments. Students attended an engineering activity in the motor vehicle classroom. The tutor set a task to construct a rocket out of card, paper and sellotape that would then be launched from a motor-powered pump. Students excelled in this field of modelling and construction which is closely linked to the current GCSE course and produced some fantastic and very sturdy rockets.
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We had some outstanding feedback from the tutors that our students had great construction and mathematical skills, allowing them to produce the rockets independently. The second session was held in the construction trades building. Students were given the task to solve puzzles so that each individual student had to produce their own wooden puzzle. The tutor then demonstrated how to plane down rough sawn timber and cut into puzzle sections using a tenon saw. Again, some brilliant feedback from the tutor about the students’ exemplary behaviour and skills during the workshop. Both staff and students also attended the on-site restaurant and received a complimentary three-course meal that was cooked and served by current level 3 catering students from the college. Students were given the opportunity to complete application forms for the college and two students were interviewed on the day and were successfully accepted for courses starting in September.
Physics CONVENTION
Pupils from Year 10 GCSE Physics and A Level Physics attended a trip to the “Particle Colliders,Accelerating Innovation”outreach symposium recently, organised by the University of Liverpool and the Cockcroft Institute, and held at the Convention Centre at Liverpool Waterfront. This event showcased the cutting edge of physics research into the smallest particles making up our Universe and the mysteries of the Big Bang, and how scientists are using particle colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland to unlock these mysteries. Pupils experienced
a series of engaging talks and hands-on demos, and were able to take part in the Interactive LHC Tunnel which has toured the world and has come to Liverpool for the first time. The University of Liverpool and the Cockcroft Institute form part of a burgeoning community of physicists in the North West, working in academia and research on some of the biggest experiments and projects the world over, from Europe to the USA to Japan. It’s hoped that this trip will inspire pupils from St Chad’s to study physics to a higher level and be part of the next generation of people unlocking the secrets of the Universe. 07
MFL &
Science Day It was a day full of scientific experiments and modern languages recently at St. Chad’s when the MFL and Science departments collaborated with Liverpool John Moores University trainee teachers to host eight local primary schools for an exciting, innovative, entertaining day of teaching two very diverse areas of the curriculum. St. Chad’s has a long history of support and collaboration with a number of higher education establishments in the northwest and is widely known as a supportive, inviting placement for trainee teachers. LJMU and St. Chad’s staff held a joint planning day prior to the sessions to enable the primary pupils to savour an appealing variety of activities 08
throughout the link day. Pupils were able to immerse themselves in a French Café, greet each other in Chinese, play sports in Spanish, discover all about their lungs in biology, design and build bridges in physics and then test the construction of the bridges. They also used their forensic science abilities in chemistry to uncover a dastardly criminal. St. Chad’s language leaders and science ambassadors supported the primary students during the day. Mrs Farrar, curriculum team leader for MFL reported, “We have been absolutely delighted with the enthusiasm from the the LJMU trainees towards the whole day. From the initial planning stage, to working with the trainees at LJMU,
to the professional manner with which they conducted themselves throughout the day towards everyone they came into contact with. We as a school and the pupils and staff from the primary schools who enjoyed the activities have had nothing but positive feedback for the day and that was down to the engaging lessons that the LJMU students planned and delivered. We are busy planning our next day and will be contacting LJMU to ensure our partnership grows from strength to strength. As a school it is important that we forge and develop links with the key stages that come before us and also strengthen the links with university so that our pupils will aspire to attain the grades required to attend a higher education establishment. We
look forward to welcoming LJMU students in the future to further enhance our provision.” A spokesperson for the school commented, “It was a privilege to hold the link day at St. Chad’s and see so many of our local primary schools participating in the facilities and activities we have on offer. The pupils were brimming with positive energy and had grown in confidence by the end of the day with their use of new languages. They were excited to be engaged in scientific activities at our school and look forward to returning in the future.” A teacher from one primary school commented: “It was a brilliant, well-organised day of exciting, fun, creative activities for our students to enjoy and get a taste of life at high school.”
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CAREERS ACROSS THE YEARS As part of the Government’s Careers Strategy across England, secondary schools are expected to provide students with at least one meaningful encounter with employers each year from Years 7-13. This term our Year 9’s,10’s, 11’s and 12’s have all benefited from visits to various events. In February, all of our year 11 students attended the UK University & Apprenticeship Search Fair, at Old Trafford Football Stadium, which enabled them with the opportunity to choose which university or apprenticeship is right for them. This trip gave the pupils the chance to speak to a multitude of exhibiting universities and apprenticeship providers including red brick and modern institutions as well as many of the UK’s best apprenticeship providers and local colleges. Other features included interactive STEM and creative zones, where students 10
received hands on experience, seminars took place throughout the day and free student brochures with detailed UCAS application guides were given to each student.
During National Apprenticeship Week (4th – 8th March 2019), all of year 11 and 12 took part in the Big Assembly. The Big Assembly is a live video stream to thousands of students across the UK wanting to find out what an apprenticeship could mean for them. The apprentices hosting the Big Assembly told our students about: • How to apply to an apprenticeship • What it’s like to be an apprentice • What their career holds at the end of the apprenticeship In the same week our Year 12
students were invited to attend the UCAS Higher Education Exhibition, Manchester Central. This experience was an important opportunity which was specifically designed to give students maximum information regarding their future career and education options as over 180 Higher Education institutions and professional organisations took part. The exhibition provided the opportunity for students to talk to professionals who can provide information and advice on their future choice of course, institution of study and career options. There was also a handful of commercial companies, student money advisors and gap year organisations, all providing the relevant expertise to help students make informed decisions about their futures.
statement. The students also get a taste of university life and have the opportunity to explore the city and experience life in the student’s union. Fifty of our year 10 students attended the Liverpool City Region Skills Show at the Heath Business Park where they engaged with employers, further education providers, Apprenticeship organisations and the Armed Forces. They all gained a broader understanding of the career opportunities available to them. With over 40 organisations to speak to, the students were able to get involved in a whole range of interactive activities to help them decide what jobs and careers they may want to pursue in the future. Our students tried their hand at a huge variety of career specific skills including virtual welding, driving a forklift simulator, caring for animals, making cells from biscuits, performing operations, hairdressing and even how to apply festival makeup!
Following on from the Convention, 9 of our year 12 students are attending a 3 day residential at Chester University, focussing on the UCAS Timeline. The program involves workshops around choosing the right institution and course and how to write a personal In
collaboration
with
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Cheshire Careers Hub and the NHS, Shaping Futures is running a Mental Wellbeing and NHS Careers event in school. During the event students will get the chance to speak to a number of NHS professionals to discuss various health related careers and take part in activities exploring the importance of mental welling. It is being delivered to Year 9, 10 and 11 students who take Health and Social Care and the CACHE course.
make suggestions for how the outcome of the performance could be changed.
Students then took part in a world café discussion event. A world café is a form of research that gets people’s views on a particular topic. This world café allows people to give their opinions about how effective they think our methods (e.g. performance and workshop) will be for helping young people to learn about domestic abuse and how these methods might Our A Level Sociology Students help young people avoid these were invited to take part in a live relationship behaviours in the research project at Staffordshire future. University. Students were given a short introduction about the Sociology and Criminology undergraduate programmes on offer at Staffordshire University and heard from students about their experiences of working on professional research projects. Students watched a performance that depicted unhealthy relationship behaviours, then took part in a workshop activity with Performing Arts students and participate in a forum theatre workshop where the audience can act out and/or 12
a gruesome turn when the students took part in an an osteo-archaeology session and explored how accidents and illnesses can leave a long term impression on the bones.
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My day at Norton Priory was a memorable experience. It has definitely helped me with some parts of History and I really enjoyed it
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On Tuesday 5th February, 57 year seven students visited Norton Priory Museum and Gardens in Runcorn. This trip was an opportunity to explore Runcorn’s local history and provide an understanding of life in Medieval England. Here students were given a tour of the site and collections and reassembled and aged skeletons from X-Rays of teeth. Students then became medieval doctors, diagnosing and treating medieval illnesses using the same ingredients found in a medieval herb garden. The day ended with
HANGA, YEAR 7
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SCIENCE
PRIMARY TASTER SESSIONS
For the past few months teachers at St. Chad’s Catholic & Church of England High School have been delivering taster sessions of all of the subjects and courses that are delivered at the school. Recently year 4 & 5 pupils from local primary schools attended a session with Mr Joel Clark from the science team who helped the students to create a form of transport from a trolley that they could use to measure acceleration. They were also asked to design a sail and other features to turn it into a land yacht, that would be blown along by a vacuum down the course in the shortest time. A wide variety of materials were provided such as art straws and spools to make masts, different types of paper to make sails and then either blue tack or sellotape to keep it all together. The students’ great engineering skills lead to some great designs with ‘The Mistress 14
of the Sea’ taking first place with a time of 3.91 seconds, ‘Jawsome’ coming in second with 6.99 seconds, ‘The Super Sonic’ taking 3rd with 7.41 seconds and in last place being ‘Satan’ with 9.8 seconds. Mr Clark commented, “All students did fantastic and worked really hard together in their groups to produce some great land yachts whilst applying their knowledge of forces to the task at hand.” Some other sessions have included Spanish and French cookery lessons, game making in Design Technology, a musical score creating lesson and a Horrible History session. All of the participating students have had a great introduction to the types of lessons they are likely to experience at St. Chad’s in the future.
March 2019 saw the culmination of months of hard work from a talented group of St. Chad’s actors, singers and dancers who have spent weeks rehearsing for an MTI production of Disney’s ‘Beauty & the Beast’, under the direction of a production team of three exceptional sixth form students: Neve Carroll, Sarah Fowler and Ruby Thornton. The students chose to produce the show for their EPQ instead of writing an investigative project. Their resulting production was enchanting! Performing to a packed house the singing, acting, costumes, props , technical wizardry and unplanned humour resulted in a standing ovation at the end of the show. It certainly left everyone with massive smiles and feeling proud of every students’ achievements. Well done and congratulations to all involved.
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