St Francis of Assisi Newsletter March 2012
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Technology College Headteacher: Mrs P. Mullins, B.A. (Hons), M.A.
NEWSLETTER 30th March 2012
Dear Parents, We have just enjoyed our KS4 and post-16 Celebration Evening. It is our great pleasure to see our young people thrive and grow during their years with us. We are blessed with a school community where mutual respect and support is a reality. Earlier this week, we were served a delicious meal by our “Let‟s Get Cooking” club. Again, our students took ownership of their learning and demonstrated their organisational and planning skills. Our sporting success has continued this term. We are having an Olympic themed mufti day at the end of term and will be organising further events to celebrate the London Olympics.
Year 7 News
Our students have been busy raising money for charity as part of their Lenten efforts. They have all been offered the Sacrament of Reconciliation, thanks to our chaplain, Father Leadbeater and our Chairman of Governors, Father Mellor. We say goodbye to two members of staff this term, Mr Allen who is taking up a post in Birmingham and Mrs Dear, one of our support staff, who will be working for a neighbouring authority. The Easter holiday is the most important in our liturgical calendar. We urge all of our young people to attend the liturgies during Easter weekend and would ask that you remember our school in your prayers. Pray especially for our students who are taking examinations this summer. On behalf of the staff and Governors, I wish all of you a very restful and holy Easter. Yours sincerely, P. Mullins.
Celebration Evening
Key Stage Four and Five came together for their
Celebration Evening this week. The evening was a huge success. Thank you to all those that helped to prepare the evening and well done to those pupils who were awarded for their hard work.
Year 7 News Raising money for Africa
By Sharday, Alisha, Bronwen and Helen.
We are helping raise money for an African orphanage, by helping them we can help provide them with food, clothes and books for school. Just £60 helps educate a child for a year.
Here are some of the activities Year 7 took part in: - quite a few people decided to do this but we think they enjoyed writing answers on pieces of paper and letting the class gather suspense before showing their answer. - 7N, Megan and a few other people decided to do this and everything was so nice. ? - 7I did this and it worked really well, especially
since Abbie from 7I gave some of the sweets out! weets- this was a really good one, who can resist sweets? - quite a few people have been doing this and they all tasted really nice. - this worked quite well and we did get quite a lot from this, Miss Littler gave us an idea that we could go round to the teachers‟ rooms if they ask us and charge a bit more. St Francis Has Got talent 7N decided they would do a talent show to help raise the money. The talent show had many different acts from bobble heads, singing to playing instruments. The presenters Matthew and Kieran were great at their job. Mrs Beaumont, Mr Howes and Mrs Lennon were the three judges and they really enjoyed the show. The winner of St Francis Has Got Talent was Ryan Conway who did an excellent job of playing his tin whistle; it really did sound great. We can tell 7N really had
fun and so did everyone else that came to watch. We think it would be quite a good idea to have one maybe once a year but with the whole school, it would be fun to see everyone‟s talents.
Year 7 News By Sharday, Alisha, Bronwen and Helen.
Raising boys achievement This term year 7 boys were asked to work together in teams to make a presentation on either; English, Maths, Geography or History. The goal was for them to come up with something educational to teach the other boys in the year group. The catch? It had to be fun and interesting, something you
would want to listen to - not boring! By doing this they would each learn and still have fun. They did an excellent job of working together to produce good presentations that ticked all the boxes. During a CC lesson, Mrs Lennon had all Year 7 boys in the hall to present and participate. Several boys from each group were selected to make the presentation. The boys have now been set the task of creating a presentation by themselves on a topic that interests them. The best piece of work will be shown to the other boys. I wonder if we will ever get to see it?
Year 8 News By Sophie and Bethany.
2012 has arrived, along with many exciting trips and activities for our year 8 students to get involved in. To start with, there was the Black Country Museum Trip that every student went on. It was organised to
educate the students about the living conditions of the Industrial Revolution. It gave students the chance to find out more about the subject that they were learning about in class in a fun and interactive manner. Students broke into little groups along with a teacher, and took part in tours around the museum. They learnt about the cramped living conditions and how the bigger the family, the smaller the house they had. Did you know that around 16 children along with two parents could
live in a two roomed house (these rooms being the Kitchen and bedroom)?! They also learnt about the different shops within towns and about the different jobs at the time. Overall, “It was an interesting day, and a fab way to learn. I now know a lot more about the Industrial Revolution� said one Year 8 student.
Year 8 News
By Sophie and Bethany.
On the 3rd of March, 14 pupils from Year 8 and 9 took part in a competition at Birmingham Magistrates court. The pupils had to present a court case, against other schools within the same heat.. Each school had the same case, and were given the details a few weeks before the competition so that they had plenty of time to practise. The case given this year was about handling stolen goods. A guy called George Low (fictional character) had been found swigging at a bottle of vodka along with some mates in Memorial Park, Newtown. One member of the group had said that he had received the vodka from George Low. The Police Man, PC Jordan Jones (another fictional character), had arrested the defendant on suspicion of handling stolen goods. Each pupil had a specific role within the court. These roles were; Prosecution Lawyers (x2), Defence Lawyers (x2), Defence Witnesses (x2), Prosecution Witnesses (x2), A Law Advisor, An Usher, Magistrates (x3) and a Court reporter. The prosecution lawyers had to try and persuade the magistrates that the defendant, George Low was guilty of handling stolen goods. Whereas it was the defences job to prove to the magistrates that the defendant wasnâ€&#x;t guilty. Our prosecution and defence lawyers had to stand against another schools. There were four witnessâ€&#x;s altogether, two on the prosecution side and two on the defence side. The characters were made up for the occasion, but each had a statement that the pupils were to follow by when answering questions within the court. The law advisor had to explain the law to the magistrates, and had to present the case with a beginning and an ending statement, wrapping everything up so that the magistrates knew what they had to consider. The Usher was in charge of walking the witnesses up to the stand where they were to be questioned. The Usher also had to make sure that the court rose when the magistrates entered and left and made the witnessesâ€&#x; say the creed that made them promise that everything they said was the truth. The magistrates had to listen to what each witness had to say, they had to make notes and decide upon the verdict. The court reporter had to make notes on what each witness had to say and had to listen very carefully. From the notes they had made, they were to write a report upon the court hearing with a maximum of 250 words. They had
to do it in the style of a newspaper, and had a two week deadline. Our school may not have won the Birmingham heat, but we came very close to winning and presented the case to the highest slandered that we could do. So we would like to congratulate all the 14 pupils that have done St Francis of Assisi so proud. Well done!
Year 8 News
A group of Year 8 pupils were lucky enough to celebrate Pancake Day this year and had lots of flipping fun!
Year 9 News By Charlotte and Sophie, Year 9 This term Year 9 have been constantly entertained by workshops, field trips and outside speakers! But also a congratulations to Liam Collins, Robyn Taylor Dalton and Mary Douglas who have all achieved 100% in their first key piece of Controlled Assessment Coursework this term.
On Saturday 3rd March, around 15 Year 8 and 9 students took part in a „Magistrates Mock Trial‟ competition at Birmingham Magistrates Court against other local schools. Here they got the chance to take on roles like lawyers, witnesses and magistrates to fight the case in question. Mr Griggs, team captain for St. Francis said......
“I was immensely proud of the team performance, everyone put a lot of effort in and every member of the team played their part brilliantly. The competition was very tough, but we managed to gain the verdict in both rounds of the competition. The magistrate who accompanied us on the day said that she wished all of the legal professionals who appear before her in court were as well organised and competent as the St Francis team!”
To follow on from their CC project of drugs and alcohol, Year 9 received drama and workshop presentation from the NHS about the dangers of these substances. It was a very interesting session which we all enjoyed thoroughly and learnt lots from. In February a group of 30 top scientists and mathematicians took part in the Big Bang event hosted by Birmingham Met College. During the day students had could see how science is relevant to the real world and possible careers in the future. Sophie from 9S said: “It was a good opportunity to learn things outside of the classroom as there were many experiments and activities we could visit.”
Year 9 News By Charlotte and Sophie, Year 9 February 5th was the day the year 9 students were able to visit, taste and explore chocolatiers, Cadbury! They were able to apply all their new business knowledge to investigate how Cadbury is run. As well as how it has become a vast success as part of their week-long investigation. Chocolate bar in hand, pupils started their trip with a company presentation, followed by a tempting, tasteful tour around the chocolate factory! Business teacher Mr Gainey believed, “they ended the day with fuller business brains and stomachs with all that chocolate!” Thank you to all those who participated!
Year 9 student: “I thought that the trip was really enjoyable as well as informative.”
On Thursday 23rd Feb, Year 9 received a drugs and alcohol workshop presentation from the NHS and Walsall education. They were educated about the dangers of drugs and alcohol via an enlightening performance. A “clear message was shown;” portrayed through the dance and drama following the life of various characters. We realised the different effects that taking drugs can have on both ourselves and the relationship between others. One student felt “The Jeremy “Vile” show was an entertaining take on expressing drugs and the influences that they can cause.” We would like to thank the team for their enjoyable and thought provoking workshop!
Year 10 News By Jess and Katie, Year 10 Business Day On Monday 27th February the Year 9 and 10 Business group
were separated into smaller groups that they were to work in for four periods. For the first two periods they had to create an app for the iPhone and it was up to their own creativity what the app was about (for example one group did an app where moms could find nurseries in the local area) then present it and be judged by three specialists. The last two periods were when the groups received a mystery envelope containing a product (such as cereal bar) and they had to design the ingredients, target market and aesthetics of it. They were then judged upon that by the judges and individuals who performed the best were picked out. Shannan in year 10 said: “It was a great day and good to get out of lessons to experience a different working environment, but the pictures of us on the VLE are awful!” From what I‟ve heard everyone enjoyed the activities and anticipate similar things in the near future. Science Live Triple Scientists from Year 10 made their way to the Symphony Hall in Birmingham City Centre for an interesting day of lectures. It gave all the triple scientists an opportunity to see and hear 5 of Britain‟s top scientists, all working with diverse yet intriguing specialisms. The lectures gave the students the exciting aspect that the different areas of science
can offer from all about black holes to why zebras have their stripes. Primarily, the main objective of the day was to enthuse the pupils for science at GCSE and beyond but also to teach them amazing new stuff all about science in the world today. Overall, a great day out for the pupils to show that science really does offer solutions for many of the world‟s great problems.
D of E
By Emily and Megan, Year 11
What is DofE? It is the Duke of Edinburgh Award where participants volunteer to take part in activities across a number of months to develop their „mind, body
and soul.‟ (www.dofe.org) There are various sections you need to complete in order to obtain your DofE award. For bronze and silver
there are 3 sections- volunteering, a physical activity and a skill but for gold there is an extra section (residential) to be completed. There is also an expedition which St. Francis undertakes in the form of walking. For people already signed up this is a reminder of the expedition dates. Unfortunately there are no more places on this DofE programme but look out for future opportunities! Dates
Practice: 11th- 13th May Real: 16th-19th July
Student Voice
„I really enjoyed DofE and I feel I have gained a lot from it and I look forward to doing my silver DofE award. I have some really great memories from the last one.‟ Hannah „A great laugh and some great stories (mostly embarrassing ones) but there‟s nothing like camping in the freezing cold to bond.‟ Emily
„A lot of fun and a great way to develop people skills – Good‟ Marie
Sixth Form News On Friday 10th February the school held their annual Blue Day to raise money for the schoolâ€&#x;s 2012 pilgrimage to Lourdes that many members of the sixth form will be going on. Here is a selection of photos from the day, where a fantastic ÂŁ1050 was raised! Well done to everyone who took part and donated.
Sixth Form News
By Natalie, Year 13
MFL News MFL Students of the Term January 2012 Emma Emma is an outstanding pupil, who is studying both French and German for GCSE. She has achieved 100% in all vocabulary tests since September in both languages and as a result scores high marks for reading and listening. Her written and spoken work is always of the highest standard and she is not afraid to try out new grammatical structures and phrases that will lead to February 2012 Joshua
the top grades.
Joshua is an enthusiastic and talented linguist, who will exceed his target levels in both French and German this year. He enjoys the challenge of language learning. He shows much promise for the future. We hope he keeps up his positive attitude for language learning.
MFL Trip Strasbourg / Black Forest June 2012 All remaining balances for the trip should now have been settled. Mr Dawson is trying to arrange for personalised hoodies to be made for each student at a low cost so please look out for messages regarding this. The detailed itinerary will be published soon. Please also look out for the parental meeting which will be scheduled near to the departure date.
In the meantime – here are some websites to get you excited:www.europapark.de – theme park www.renchtalblick.de/?menue=4&lang=en&inc=restau – hotel details http://www.hasenhorn-rodelbahn.de/index.php?sprache=eng&site – mountain coaster.
MFL News Year 12 Work Experience Exchange Our Year 12 German students have just returned from a two week work experience exchange in Germany. Here are their comments:Alex:- “I lived with the Schmidt family in a tiny village called Bottenhorn. The houses, villages and food were all stereotypical Germany. I only spoke German for two weeks with my exchange family which has really improved my speaking and listening skills. The family and friends were really friendly and helpful, constantly offering food and correcting any speaking mistakes I made. I even got the chance to see a Bundesliga football match to support Eintracht Frankfurt. The whole trip was great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.” Georgia:- “In Germany I stayed with the Kinder family in Weidenhausen. I
worked as a maid and in the kitchens of the Verdi Bildungzentrum and spent my days cleaning, tidying and folding sheets, whilst attempting to speak as little English as possible.” Kirsty: - “The German exchange is such a great experience, and a really good way to improve learning the language. I worked in a primary school which was really fun because it was easy to talk to the young children who were more near my level of German. Where we stayed was a very traditional German town and I would definitely recommend going on the trip because there are loads of
experiences which help with the language and you meet loads of really nice Germans!” Joel: - “In Germany, I stopped with the Kroh family in Gladenbach, which was situated near the school, where I worked during the exchange. The family were really nice, welcoming and constantly feeding me food! I also went to the Bundesliga match to see Eintracht Frankfurt win 6-1, which was a great day out. I‟d recommend anyone doing languages to do an exchange, it‟s a great chance to improve your German and improve your listening and speaking skills, you‟ll have the chance to experience a different culture and meet new people.”
Music News By Bethany, Year 8 This term has been extremely busy in the music department, for staff and pupils many events and activities have been held. Many pupils and staff give up their lunch times and after school to organise events and rehearsals this term many pupils have devoted their lunch and after school time to music. Firstly I‟d like to say big congratulations to all the musicians who played in aid of Lourdes, you managed to raise £350! Miss. Clensy and other staff members have worked extremely hard to prepare this event, many pupils have also given up their lunchtimes to rehearse. Events as big as these do take a lot of organising and patience and Miss. Clensy spent lots of hard work and time on preparing this event. Choir is on every Thursday in MU2 at lunch, new members are always welcome and appreciated and this term Miss. Clensy is covering a variety of different styles of music so there is surely going to be a genre of music to your liking. One lunchtime out of a possible 5 isn‟t much to ask for, all are welcome so come and join the choir you don‟t even have to be particularly good at singing its merely something you will enjoy. A reminder that payments for instrumental lessons need to be paid at the beginning of each term, £40 is the total amount. There are also places left in some instrumental lessons such as flute, clarinet, piano, saxophone and guitar if any of these sound interesting to you or something you would like to try out go to MU2 at break or lunch and Miss. Clensy will help you with the details and for only £40 a term now that isn‟t much to ask. Finally I‟d like to say good luck to all the GCSE performers who have recently been giving up their lunchtimes to achieve a good grade, currently the performances have been at a very high standard. Good luck!
ICT News The ICT Department would like to congratulate the Y11 ECDL Extra cohort all of whom have successfully completed the ECDL Extra (equivalent to a B Grade GCSE) and many have already completed the full ECDL qualification as well!
Geography News On 6th February the Walsall education business partnership came into school for Year 11 and Year 13 Geography students to take part in several varied activities along the theme of regeneration. Students looked at many different examples of iconic pieces of regeneration in our world as well as looking at how regeneration has changed over the years. The main focus of the day was the London riots and in particular how the students had been affected and how felt about them. With this in mind students had to plan and present a project that would bring the community together in their local area in a dragons den
style setting. The ideas were very varied from McDonalds Bowling to a Swap Shop. The visiting partners then took on the roles of the dragons and debated the winning project. One student said “It was very informative & great fun”
While another said: “I liked how I was able to apply what we’d done in class into practice in the real world.”
Business Studies News Budding Year 8 Entrepreneurs of the future!
The Business Studies Department (Mr Gainey and Mrs Arnold) gave all Year 8 students the opportunity to become business entrepreneurs for the day in February. Each student had a company role and worked in a small group to solve marketing, production and finance problems and then presented their findings to the rest of the year group. The task was the students had to produce a prototype and a marketing campaign for a new Fairtrade chocolate bar and then present their findings to the Hall.
The Business Studies Department was so impressed with the quality of their ideas, teamwork and presentation skills. They would certainly not look out of place on „The Young Apprenticeâ€&#x;! The students will never look at chocolate the same way again!
Business Studies News Year 11 Business finance acorns to oak trees
On January 31st Year 11 Business Studies students were given an „eye-opener‟ by Natwest Bank on the kinds of things we all wish someone had told us years
ago! They were given an intensive session by Mrs Shocker from Natwest Bank on Personal Finance. They were given advice on such everyday essential finance issues as: checking bank statements, identity fraud, budgeting and debt management. Today they are managing pocket money - but perhaps someday they will be managing their money wisely when they are millionaires!
Flourishing Business activities at St. Francis of Assisi that can make you look and feel good! A group of Year 10 students have been given the opportunity to set up a „Young Enterprise‟ Company to learn how to run a business. „Team
enlightenment‟ carried out market research and investigated costs and decided on making and selling jewellery and personalised t-shirts in school. Move over Lord Alan Sugar! The company are selling: •
Monopoly piece, keyboard key and scrabble piece, phone charms, keying
and rings for low prices •
Personalised T-shirts with a choice of designs, and you can add your
own letters for bargain prices
So come along to the Bridge Hall on Tuesday break times and pick up something for yourself or for a present – what about for your mum? 20% of all profits which the company earns is given to Breast Cancer Research.
Science News By Shrule and Ryan, Year 10 From going to the science live talk I learnt a lot but my favourite speech was from Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. I leant that being persistent in your dream will eventually help you achieve it. Although in our mixed society will are still very stereotypical and seeing a woman scientist made me feel more capable in achieving my dream. I always thought science talks were boring and she showed me that things are not always what you expect. Although I didn‟t learn much science (apart from how to use a toilet in space) I thought I learnt most from her.
She has not yet achieved her dream of going to SPACE but she has made the most of all her opportunities which has led to her seeing most of the world and being on television. I realised that being a scientist is not always about being in a lab and the importance of science. Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock has inspired me and I am going to reconsider my future within science. I thought that she was more entertaining than the rest of the scientists as she is more enthusiastic. I thought that she was going to turn the world into mmm custard for a minute there. Luckily she decided not to and that is why I like her. I enjoyed seeing Lauren (her daughter) and seeing where she has visited while her mother was working with the BBC. Mike said: “My favourite part of Science live was when Jim Al-khalili spoke to us about the possibility of time travel. He told us about how theoretically time travel into the future is possible. However they don‟t know what would happen when we travel into the past. It brought up other thoughts like parallel universes and paradoxes. I also like the fact that he said it is possible to travel forward in time; however we would have to be travelling at near to the speed of light. He also taught us about how Einstein‟s theory of relativity proves that the universe can be curved and warped with black holes or worm holes.
Science News What’s Science Live?
By Will, Year 10
Year 10 had the opportunity to go to science live 2012 where we heard a range of scientists talk about interesting Science. It was a great experience! The Past
Time travelling to the past sounds impossible but is it? A theory was made over time asking about time travel to the past, The Theory of Black Holes. Now these large invisible holes are a gigantic vacuum that is full of gravity sucking anything in around it even light! These are made when a large red giant star explodes; it releases its outer layer of dust leaving a very dense neutron star which soon collapses in on itself to make a black hole. Now scientists do not know what is within the invisible realm of the black hole but one of the theories is that it is a worm hole now. Rather than just been a random hole in space it could be a hole within a fold in space and time... in other words the passage to another universe, possibly a parallel universe. This could be forward or back in time but it means you could travel back in time!
The future One of the most argued scientific theories is “can we travel in time?” Well, Einstein was the first person to back up this theory which I and, I am sure, a lot of other students at Science Live didn‟t understand. This was until Proffesor Jim Al-Khalili entered the gigantic Symphony Hall. What he told those of us from St Francis and the other 1800 students and teachers amazed me. He soon explained how to go into the future. This is what he said in brief: Imagine you are in a rocket traveling around the speed of light (it cannot be faster than the speed of light as Einstein‟s theory proves that nothing can go faster!) Now as you are travelling at the speed of light, time slows down for you even though you don‟t realise it. So let‟s say you left Earth in the year 2012 for 4 years in a rocket traveling at the around the speed of
light. You would feel that you have arrived back at earth in 2016 but you haven‟t because time is going slower for you and everything on Earth has been going on at normal speed. So from this information scientists worked out if you left in 2012 for 4 years you would arrive around 40 years later in the year 1052! How scary would it be to come back and possibly find your child was older than you?
Sport By Hannah, Year 10
St. Francis has had many successes earlier in the year: Walsall Schools cross country champions, B league football winners at year‟s 7, 8 and 9 and table tennis champions. More recent successes are: Yr7 boys basketball league runners up (joint level on points with the winners). Yr8 and Yr9 boys basketball league runners up Yr7/8 girls tag rugby semi-finalists (denied a place in the final in extra time Golden try) Yr11 boys 5 aside futsal semi-finalists (beaten on penalties having not conceded a goal all tournament). 6th form futsal semi-finalists (beaten in extra time)
U16 boys and girls volleyball winners. Congratulations to our table tennis teams who, on 24th February at the Black Country School Olympics, had many a success. Playing against teams from Wolverhampton, Dudley and Sandwell, our U19 boys won a bronze medal, our U16 and U13 boys
both won silver, whilst our U16 girls‟ team of Lauren, Alice, Madeline and Charlie came back victorious as Gold medal winners. This in addition to already being crowned West Midlands team champions earlier in the year! There will be opportunities in U13 Volleyball and we would like to encourage Yr7 and 8 students to join our rapidly expanding Thursday lunchtime club. This half term will see our boys and girls being involved in a number of Walsall and Staffordshire County rugby competitions. Our Yr8 boys are still going strong in the county plate competition – hopefully they will continue to do so. Thanks to all the students and staff that have made these successes possible.
Extra-Curricular News Let’s Get Cooking! The Let‟s get cooking clubs baked up a treat at Christmas. The Christmas cakes they made were fantastic and it was a very tough
Runner-
decision for the judges.
Up
Winning Cake
The winner of the I pod donated by Aspens catering company (school canteen company) was Sophie Y8, and the runner up and winner of the Fairtrade cooking equipment and ingredients donated by Mrs Brook was Niamh in Y8.
50/50 Club Winners WANTED!
December 2011 P & C Weston
£25.00
M Powell
£15.00
L Caswell
£10.00
January 2012
Do you have any old or unwanted trainers? The P.E department are looking to build up their stock of trainers and sports shoes. Please send them to the P.E office where they will be gratefully received.
Sara King
£25.00
A Beaumont
£15.00
Claire O Brien
£10.00
February 2012 A D Cadwaller
£25.00
P D Mountford
£15.00
Mrs V Naughton
£10.00
Extra-Curricular News By Laura, Year 9
On Saturday 11th February 2012, I went to Nottingham University to attend the Medlink X course. I have aspirations in the future to become a doctor. I was given this opportunity after a leaflet was sent through to my school. I did this on my I own as I was the only person that took up this opportunity. It was an experience that has definitely defined my career direction and has given me the chance to see what I need to do and the time to do it in order to reach my goal. The first three lectures were focused on career path choices and how to succeed and make choices at GCSE, A-Level and university. We were given practical advice on how to be successful in applications and universities – this was really helpful. The fourth lecture was given by a junior doctor. He showed us the responsibilities junior doctors are given and the jobs/ roles they have in the hospital. We were showed working hours and what they need. He told us what it was like on his first day and what it is like for many and the benefits of the job. He advised us that it is vital that there is time spared for relaxation to cope with the stresses that each day may bring. We also had to take part in a practical activity. This was used to test our skills. We were divided into groups of 9 or 10 between around 300 people and we were each given an envelope with either a diagnosis or symptoms. We had to come up with what condition matched the data we had been given and find our match from another group by going round and comparing data. If we found a group that we thought we matched then we would give the coordinator the number of our group and he would tell us if we were right or wrong. This activity allowed us to use our knowledge, thinking skills and our communication skills, skills that are vital for a good doctor or vet. Overall this experience has helped me to plan out what I must do to achieve my goals and to push myself to reach them. I now know what I must do and also what I can do to help me through to reaching my goal.
I really enjoyed and benefited from this experience as it has helped me to plan out my future so I can aim to succeed. I learnt that I must not only succeed academically but I must develop to be the right character to become a doctor (e.g. caring and supportive.) I have gained a lot from this and this will definitely have a great impact on my future and will show a great contribution.
School notice board SITE MATTERS by Mr Probert. During the February half term break the following improvement works took place to improve our school building:1. New Ceiling and Lighting including Ventilation and Extraction DT5. 2.
New Lighting DT3.
3.
New Lighting ART2.
4.
ART2 / ART3 store rooms knocked through to create one space for
learning or office, new ceiling and lighting, new window formed, new carpet and heating installed (extension to school heating circuit). 5.
Units between DT5 and ART2 demolished. New wall constructed.
6.
New ceiling and lighting to the community stairs.
7.
New ceiling and lighting to the Science / Dyslexia link corridor.
8.
Replacement / upgrade of local fuse board to the science office /
Science and dyslexia Depts. 9.
Removal of the Kiln in RE5 store.
10.
Replacement of window in Mrs Mullins‟ office,
12.
Slabbing adjacent to the Gazebo, to make safe the embankment.
13.
New carpet to the Library.
We hope you enjoy the improvements we have made to make our school environment!
Attendance Matters At present pupils‟ attendance is above our target at 95.51%. Well done to pupils for achieving their target this term. Please can parents ensure that they notify the school office on 01922 740 300/306 as soon as possible to inform us of a pupil‟s absence. Absence during school term should be avoided, all holiday requests should be made in writing to Mrs Mullins. Parents should also avoid booking medical appointments during school hours to ensure their child‟s attendance target is met.
Reviews 1. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison- the award winning author of the Georgia Nicolson Series-This is an amazingly funny book. Tallulah, the very funny, lanky girl just can‟t help running into trouble and getting embarrassed. It‟s all about her misadventures at her Arts and Performance school. You will laugh your tights off at this Great read ! 2. Wings by Aprilynne Pike- This is the first book in this fantastic series. This book is about a girl called Laurel who thinks she is just a normal girl but something happens to her that makes her re –think that. When all this happens to her she gets help from her new „friend‟ David and maybe the stranger living in the woods in the back of her house might be of use too. This is a great read which will keep you on the edge of your seat. 3. Star Crossed by Jo Cotterill- Fliss think she is nothing special. Until she gets the role of Juliet at her local theatre group while her crush plays the role of Romeo. Fliss is ecstatic until she finds out that her worst enemy Samantha steals her crush. Samantha has lots of tricks up her sleeve to make sure that Fliss doesn‟t get to play the role of Juliet and steal her‟ boyfriend‟ but will Fliss win the heart of her
real-life Romeo with her fantastic acting? 4. A Year without Autumn by Liz Kessler- Jenni Green is just an ordinary girl. But when she was on holiday to the place that she goes every with her family and her Best Friends family something happens. She goes forward a year in time and she doesn‟t like what she sees. Her best friend is no longer her friend anymore. Although she helps a few people on the way she still has to fix her past and has only
1. Alex Rider Point Blanc by Anthony Horowitz one of the books in this amazing series- Alex rider works with the MI6 as an underage spy. In this book MI6 send him on a mission to a hotel to get close to the bad guy. While he is there someone breaks into his room and starts searching for something important. What will happen 2. Diary of a Wimpy kid by Jeff Kinney- These series are a must read and will surely brighten you up. You will laugh your socks off and will want to read the next and next. The main character Greg is very funny and will most definitely make you feel sorry for him as he has so many embarrassing moments. 3. Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan –This is the first book in the series. This is the ale about how he son of Poseidon finds out how he is a
Demi-God but when everyone accuses him of stealing the lightning bolt he and his friends have to go on many adventures to persuade them he didn‟t. A good read. 4. Mortlock by Jon Mayhew- A brother and sister are separated at birth. Neither of the orphans know of each other‟s existence. The sister is a knife thrower in a magicians act but when her guardian passes away his dying wish is to give her a note... but what will this note lead to.
Reviews 1. Kiss the Stars- Pixie Lott from the Album Young Foolish Happy 2. Domino- Jessie J from the Album Who You are (platinum) 3. One Thing- One Direction from the Album Up All Night 4. Lego House- Ed Sheeran from the album Ed Sheeran + 5. Dance with me tonight-Olly Murs from the album in case you didn‟t know
August Rush- a young boy is orphaned as soon as he is born and left in a care home. As he grows up he becomes a music prodigy and finds comfort in music. He soon runs away from the care home to follow the music in order to find his parents. He faces a lot of trouble on the way and meets some „interesting‟ people. The Last Song- This is a touching film about a girl called Ronnie and her brother who go to live with their dad for the holiday. Ronnie is upset as her mom and dad had split up .While she is there she finds out her dad has an
illness and also she finds the love of her life. She then realises a lot of things and becomes closer to her dad along the way. A great story with a sad ending.
Charmed= sky living- This is a great series and has been running for quite a while now. It is about 3 sisters that possess magical powers and use them for the good of others but have to battle against others that try and use their gift for evil.
Friday Download= CBBC- This is a great show that is already in its second series. It stars young celebrities who give you and instant download for the week ahead. They do things like TV Download where they update you of different Tv that are on in the week and also things like hot or not where they choose different subjects and decide whether they are Hot or Not. This is a really good programme that is fun and everyone can watch.
School notice board TRANSPORT NEWS by Mr Tafono UPDATE ON THE 756 SCHOOL BUS SERVICE KINGSTANDING TO SCHOOL: The school is happy to report that the Bus Company that operates this service has now provided a double decked vehicle that has solved the problem of overloading on this service. CENTRAL CONNECT 738,739,740: Following several requests the company have
promised to improve the reliability and punctuality of the 3 school services they provide. BUS PASSES Some WALSALL parents who have received subsidised bus passes in recent years still have not applied to the EDC for passes this year. Information and application forms on School Transport can be found on the school website under General Information. Walsall LEA no longer support the purchase of Central
Connect passes for services 738,739 and 740. Parents are again reminded that you will need to re-apply in July for passes for next year (Application forms will be available on the next school newsletter and on the school website or directly from Mr Tafano). PHOTO ID CARDS: Travel West Midlands have made it known to the school that some students are traveling without Photo Identity cards. Students who have Travel West Midland or Scholars or Centro bus passes need to have a Photo identity card. These can be purchased (and a plastic wallet) from any Travel West Midlands shop such as the one located in the main bus station in Walsall. Without them the drivers can refuse to let students travel. STAFFORDSHIRE BUS PASS INFORMATION: The parents of year 7 students and those parents in other years that pay for bus passes as well as the 6th form and potential 6th form students on the Staffordshire buses are reminded that they should notify Staffordshire County Council of their intention to re-
apply for vacant seats for the school year 2012-2013. The cost is expected to be ÂŁ500. The council are not as yet receiving applications but as soon as the school are notified that they are, then we will let you know. The present year 8, 9 and 10 will continue to receive free passes until 2015 when free travel ends except in exceptional circumstances.
School notice board TRANSPORT NEWS by Mr Tafono Behaviour on the school buses continues to be a problem despite continued warnings. Problems continue to exist with the younger children particularly yearâ€&#x;s 7 and 8 on the Staffordshire services. I am afraid that it is necessary to ask again for all parentsâ€&#x; cooperation in reminding their children that the right to travel on school buses is conditional upon their good behaviour and particularly so in reminding them to wear seat belts when provided. Despite constant reminders from school staff students of all ages remove them once the coach has left the school. The school has also had reports of students throwing food; water etc over other students, throwing items off the buses, smoking on the buses, rubbish being left on the buses and general unruly behaviour that is distracting the drivers.
This behaviour is unacceptable. When identified students whose behaviour falls below that what is expected will be disciplined and may lose the right to travel on school transport with the resultant problems that will cause for parents. Parents of these students will be invited into school to discuss the issues. The school and our students have had an excellent record of behaviour and respect for other people. However we cannot rest on our laurels or allow our standards to slip so we would ask for parents help in talking to your children
and reminding them of their responsibilities as members of our school when travelling to and from school. We want your children to travel in safety. It is in their interest to behave. We would like to emphasise the need for good behaviour on the buses every day. The school expects it. Mr Tafano the School Transport Manager is available via the school office on 01922 740300 or on mobile 07990 894802 (E mail www.mtafano@stfrancis.cc) from 8.30am until 4.30pm Monday to Friday in school term to answer any transport queries. Please note that The School Transport Information can now be found on the school website under General Information.
Grapevine PILGRIMAGE TO ROME
By Fr Leadbeater, School Chaplain
In AD65 the Vatican Hill was outside the walls of Rome. Here, because it was forbidden to bury the dead within the walls, there was a necropolis (literally „city of the dead‟ – a cemetery). Next to it, the Emperor Nero had had built a „circus‟ for his brutal games in which gladiators would fight to the death, chariot races were staged and also, Christians put to death. Here, during Nero‟s persecution of the Church, St.
Peter was crucified up-side-down. When his body was removed from its cross, the small Christian community secretly buried it in the pagan necropolis next to the circus. The Roman Church always treasured and cared for Peter‟s burial place thereafter. With the conversion of Constantine and the freedom of the Church in AD313, the Emperor built a great basilica over the site of Peter‟s grave, encasing the necropolis in the foundation stones of the church. The basilica which now stands on the site is the second church and was built in the 16th-17th centuries. During the 1940‟s, in great secrecy, because of the war, Pope Pius XII authorised excavations under St. Peter‟s Basilica, to verify what the Church has always believed – that St. Peter‟s remains were indeed where tradition held them to be – under the papal altar. On the Tuesday of half term a group of 11 pilgrims, including present and former staff of this school, visited the „scavi‟, the excavations under St. Peter‟s. It was the highpoint of our visit to Rome and a great privilege. Only a small number, after
application to the authorities in the Vatican, are allowed to descend beneath the basilica. The necropolis is still there, below the crypt where the popes are buried. One walks down little streets with small houses on either side. These are the tombs (some Christian) of these who lived and died in First Century Rome. Some are simple, but others are elaborately decorated with frescos and marble. At the end of the visit, pilgrims are taken to the very spot where St. Peter lies. Here the relics are visible. There are 19 clear perspex boxes containing his bones. The Church has verified their authenticity.
At this most sacred of spots we prayed with the bones of St. Peter in view. Here is what remains of the fisherman of Galilee, who followed Jesus, heard his teaching, saw his glory on the holy mountain and greeted his risen Lord. Here is Peter, who became the first Bishop of Rome (Pope), who, ultimately obedient to his Lord, met his death by crucifixion. The moment was our connection with the Church of the early martyrs and a moment when our faith in Jesus Christ was truly strengthened.
School Noticeboard The next date for the newsletter is July 2012. Can‟t wait until then for the next issue? Then, log onto the VLE and School website for up-to-date news before
the next school newsletter. Thank you to all students who contributed to the newsletter. Special thanks to the St Francis newsletter team: Year 7 - Helen, Sharday, Bronwen, Alisha; Year 8 – Sophie, Bethany; Year 9 – Charlotte, Sophie; Year 10 – Jess, Katie; Year 11 – Emily, Rebekah,
Megan, Marie-Claire, Hannah; Year 12 - Bethany; Year 13 –Natalie. Contact Miss Nolan at hnolan@stfrancis.cc
DATES FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 16
th
st
1
11 20
April:
June:
th th
School INSET Day School closes for half-term
June:
School opens
July:
School closes for summer holiday