Lent Newsletter 2019
Message from the Principal The Lent Term has proven to be a really fabulous twelve weeks. This Newsletter provides a flavour and sample of the diverse opportunities and many achievements of our students across the College. Highlights of the term have included the stunning, flawless and hugely entertaining musical production of Hairspray, a Year 9 Australian exchange, engineering and gifted and talented events in our Prep School, the launch of So St Jo’s, much public debating, and a wonderful scholars’ exhibition and Spring Concert.
Finally, we wish our Senior School students and staff a safe and enjoyable ski trip to Jasper in Canada and – 路顺风 to our students and staff departing for the College’s inaugural exchange with The Affiliated Junior High School of South China Normal University in Guangzhou, China. I wish all St Joseph’s families a lovely Easter. We look forward to seeing all students when they return to College on Thursday 25 April.
As you are aware, the College was inspected by a team of eight Inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate team during the week commencing 18 March. Your very positive feedback was much appreciated by the Governors, staff and myself – we very much look forward to receiving the final report in the next couple of weeks and sharing this with you. The Easter break from College is, of course, a key period for our Year 11 and 13 students as they revise for their GCSE and A-levels. Their effort, personal organisation and selfmotivation, will prove the key determinants in their academic results in August. We look forward to welcoming students into College for supervised revision and subject revision sessions across the Easter holidays in line with Mr Cinnamond’s published dates.
Mrs Danielle Clarke Principal
Focus on a Teacher Mr Anthony O’Riordan Director of Sport
I grew up in Hullbridge, Essex, and went to the village primary school, which I loved. I wasn’t particularly sporty through infants and primary; I just loved school. When I went up to secondary, the Welsh PE teacher (Mr Maskell) hollered at me across the assembly hall and announced I would be playing rugby as a front row forward. I was 12. I was ready to comply: the previous summer at Scout camp, a friend had told me you got all the girls if you played rugby… and it is true! I went on to Sixth Form and always had visions of becoming a teacher, doing work experience in a school PE department. When I was at college I volunteered at a rugby club and at my old secondary school. In the first year of the newly created Premiership Academy I was signed by Saracens.
At university in Northampton, I studied Business and Sport & Exercise Science, later dropping Business as the Sport & Exercise Science component was full on, plus I was contracted to Rosslyn Park FC. Following university, I became a Portfolio Manager, enjoying the wheeling and dealing of the financial world. I spent two years in a pinstripe suit. It was varied and interesting but not where my heart was. I was on my way into the City when I heard Northern Rock had collapsed and it was that day I decided to leave Finance. A client of mine asked if I would take on the site management of a construction company, which I did, but again the recession intervened, forcing another re-evaluation - towards my original goal - and I began lecturing in Sport Science at Hartpury in Gloucester.
Five years ago, I was appointed, and I remain, Director of Rugby at Colchester RC. As such, I was well aware of St Joseph’s College and its reputation. In fact, I remember driving past the school and telling my wife I wanted to be Director of Sport there. I came to the College in 2015 as Director of Rugby and became Director of Sport in 2017. I love the school. My passion is the science behind coaching and the impact you can have on young people. Mr O’Riordan no longer plays rugby due to knee and back injuries, but keeps fit with cycling. He and his wife, Hailey, a PA for an offshore wind energy company, have two sons: five-year-old Henry, a Reception pupil in the Prep, and two-year-old George, who will be joining Little St Jo’s Nursery in due course.
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Dreams Really Do Come True It would not seem possible to leave a production of the musical Hairspray without a smile on your face and a spring in your step and that joie de vivre was exploited to the full when our students performed the show to capacity audiences at DanceEast.
Amongst the audience on opening night was Emma Dodd, exWest End Hairspray performer and owner of The Emma Dodd School of Performing Arts, who said she was ‘blown away’ by the show.
The three-night sell-out production was a huge hit with families as our teenagers recreated the brave new world of 1962, with beehives and hemlines heading upwards and racial segregation breaking down.
‘You actually forget you are watching a school production; brilliant casting led to a professional, funny performance with outstanding acting and vocals, not only from Elsa Pratt, who played an utterly stunning version of Tracy, but from all those with principle roles and the whole cast,’ Emma added.
The large cast, drawn from Year 7 up to the Sixth Form, in line with the school’s inclusive approach, gave many new performers the opportunity of rising to the challenge of appearing in front of packed houses in a professional theatre. The success of that policy was apparent in the mature and polished performances of the principle characters. Elsa Pratt (Y11) excelled in the central role of Tracy Turnblad, the lovable, chubby teenager with big ambitions. Elsa smiled, danced and sang her heart out throughout. Sixth-former Wilfred Kemsley (L6) was fearless and funny in the role of Tracy’s mother, Edna, traditionally played by a man. Fellow sixth-former Tabi Scheffler-Gonzalez (U6) miraculously transformed herself into a man-eating TV producer with a wonderfully seductive snarl and Mariam Pope (Y10) held the audience spellbound as she belted out Motormouth Maybelle’s show stopping numbers, the sassy Big, Blonde and Beautiful and the gospel power ballad, I Know Where I’ve Been. 4
Other principle parts were taken by Morgan Willetts (U6), Phoebe Lucking (Y11), Joshua Lamb (U6), Isabelle Atkinson (Y11), Vibhash Gunasene (L6), Kirsten Horton (Y8), Oliver Fraser (L6) and Katerina Everard (Y11). Mrs Clarke said, ‘The College places great stress on the importance of the Arts. In bringing together this fabulous production, students and staff worked tirelessly for months. It took great perseverance for our actors to learn their script and lyrics, whilst their physical energy was channelled into mastering the dance steps. ‘As well as our fantastic performers in the show, we had students taking the roles of sound engineer, lighting technician, sound effects coordinator and follow spot. Add to that a crew of 15 girls and boys who worked together brilliantly to cope with a huge number of set changes.’
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News from the Prep School
Elementary, My Dear Watson – Reading is Key Prep School pupils marked World Book Day by devising and wearing all manner of hats and headgear to celebrate their favourite books and characters. Assembly that day was populated by various animals, princesses, soldiers, wrestlers and detectives. Afterwards, the children were able to share a book with parents and grandparents. Senior School students demonstrated their love of the written language by Dropping Everything and Reading at noon. Staff also joined in and our Head of English, Mrs Green, composed a compelling essay on the importance of making everyday a book day. See Birkfield Blogs on the College website, where there is a picture clue about what staff were reading that day.
Yabba Dabba Do! Year 5 and 6 Pupils Explore the Stone Age This term’s Humanities topic for Years 5 and 6 is the Stone Age. The children looked at what life might have been like at this time and how life slowly changed when Stone Age people started farming. They have examined the kinds of tools used, what Stone Age houses might have been like and prehistoric art. Stonehenge and Skara Brae have also been studied. To extend their learning, pupils were asked to do a project on any area of the Stone Age that interested them. We were delighted with the response: a wonderful array of projects ranging from Stone Age diet to Stone Age fashion. The children used their replica tools, their models and information sheets to run a pop-up Museum of the Stone Age.
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Snakes Alive!
Mission Accomplished
There was a natural history theme to British Science Day at the Prep School. With a member of staff as knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the animal kingdom as Mr Weaver, there was no shortage of exotic beasts to provide some great animal handling experiences. The children also modelled animal droppings, essential to future scientists, anti-poaching forces and trackers.
We handed 60 tired 'agents' back after an action-packed Mission Impossible Day. Congratulations to Year 6 and all our visitors from other schools. Tasks included following light beams around mirror mazes, identifying a particular pen used by the chemical properties of its ink, cracking mathematical puzzles and codes, and solving a murder mystery. Of course, agents need to be fit, so they were also tested on trampolines, with geo-caching and on a climbing wall.
All Roads Lead to Colchester Year 3 and 4 thoroughly enjoyed their trip to Colchester Castle. The pupils had a fabulous time and the setting supported their work on the Romans brilliantly.
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Lesson Went with a Bang
Conservationists at Work
Year 3 and 4 engineers had great fun using their imaginations and demonstrating perseverance to create a ‘balloon kebab'! Lots of methods were tested and eventually success was achieved.
In the cold light of February our Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children had a brilliant time taking part in the Big Schools’ Birdwatch, an annual survey undertaken across the UK. The children’s vigilance in Outdoor Learning has contributed to the RSPB’s work tracking the ups and downs of bird populations around the country.
Getting Around in French With the help of Mrs West's marvellous mimes, Year 4 girls and boys now know the names of modes of transport in French. Dominic Chester listened intently before miming a bicycle, a train, a taxi, a boat or an aeroplane for his classmates to guess.
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Reach for the Stars Winners! Year 5 and 6 STEM teams went to the RAF Fly to the Line competition and of the three teams we entered into the regional finals, 'Jets in the Sky' are through to the national final in April with a flight of 20 metres. Look out RAF Hendon. Well done Baris Topal, Charlie Davey, Oliver Connelly and Corban Grinsted.
Engineering, Science and a Touch of Frost Our Gifted and Talented Day challenged Year 4 pupils and their guests from other schools to a range of exciting, creative and inspiring activities based on Engineering, Art and Science. The day’s tasks ranged from building tall structures from short lengths of wood to creating and recording chemical reactions. In art, the children decorated bowls with decoupage, in a style inspired by abstract artist Sir Terry Frost.
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Prep School Sport
It has been an exciting and diverse sporting term in the Prep School. We have played nearly 100 fixtures, experiencing the full range of emotions in thrilling performances on the netball, rugby, football and hockey fields and the squash courts. Our children have played home and away matches in all of our major sports as well as taking part in regional crosscountry and Saxon cup squash, and welcoming touring teams from Oxford, London and Southsea, Hampshire.
Our break and lunchtimes continue to see the playground flooded with balls, crazy catchers, hoops and games. It is a joy to see children being active, healthy and happy learning through play at every opportunity. Participation has continued to be exceptionally high. All children regularly play in inter-school fixtures, with performances and progress celebrated in sharing assemblies each Friday. We thank all of the teachers, parents and friends who have supported Prep Sport this term. The atmosphere and support at each event has facilitated positive learning experiences for all of our children. The Under 11 Netball team enjoyed their experience at the IAPS netball tournament and appeared to be the form team in the school heading through March. Hot on their heels were the Under 8 & 9 Rugby teams. We have reduced the fixture programme in the first half term for Year 3 and 4 to allow the children greater time with their teachers and coaches. This has enabled us to play in more tournament and triangular or quadrangular fixtures in the second term. The Rugby and Hockey teams have clearly benefitted from this adaptation. The children have been excited to unleash their skills each Monday and Friday and we are very proud of their development.
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The footballers have been equally busy. We have played matches on Wednesdays, Fridays and on a Saturday for the Finborough tournament. The Under 10 and 11 teams have made incredible progress and have loved the experience and knowledge that Darren Eadie’s years of premiership and international playing have brought to their sessions. We look forward to seeing their progress into the Senior School. The girls have made their mark too. They played their first competitive game v Ipswich School and were brilliant. As one of the fastest expanding games in the country there really never has been a better time for girls to get into the beautiful game. Our sports clubs continue to be fantastically well attended. Children have been able to be active and healthy before school, at lunch and each evening. The breadth on offer has grown again to include: KS1 multi-skills, table tennis, ballet, dance, netball, cricket, rugby, cross-country, tennis, squash, football and karate. There really is something for everybody. Now we look forward to the busy summer term. In among the outdoor and adventurous residential trips, plays and performances, speech days and arts festival we look forward to the cricket, tennis and athletics seasons, sports days and the exciting range of clubs on offer.
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News from the Senior School
Coming Face to Face with the World of Work Year 10 students had an immersive day learning life skills, when a team from Barclays Bank came into the College to help the teenagers with CV writing and interview technique. There were work experience placements in the offing to increase the realism of the training.
In the afternoon, the students attended two workshops – the first with Futures Coordinator Mr Kemsley, who took them through the value of extra-curricular activities to prospective employers and set a careers quiz. The second workshop, run by Education Consultant, Tim Foot, focussed on the study skills crucial to the youngsters as they approach their GCSEs. Head of Upper School, Mrs Hall, said the morning set an aspirational and inspirational tone and the afternoon gave Year 10 some of the tools to make those aspirations achievable.
Firms Give Students Plenty to Think About Something Wicked This Way Comes Year 10 and 11 students enjoyed watching a production of ‘Macbeth’ by the Box Clever Theatre Company. The performers delivered a dynamic, contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy about the devastating effects of ambition and there was an excellent level of audience participation.
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With so many businesses and organisations represented, it is no wonder the Sixth Form Centre was buzzing for the College’s Annual Careers Fair. Students were able to talk about careers as varied as sports medicine and architecture, military service and marketing, construction and the law. A number of universities and training establishments were also present, so higher education was as much a feature as first jobs. This was a useful and inspiring event for our future members of the work force and we are very grateful to all exhibitors.
Scholars Are an Inspiring Presence in Our Midst Our inaugural Scholars’ Evening was a huge success, giving an insight into the strength and breadth of St Joseph’s students across academia, the Arts and sport. Recipients of scholarships are recognised for their potential and abilities and there were many examples of potential being fulfilled for the capacity audience in the Sixth Form Centre to enjoy.
Speakers Take on One of the Most Distressing Issues Facing Society
As well as speeches and musical performances, some of the beautiful art and project work being created was on show. The evening also featured a talk by guest speaker, David Jones, Chairman of the Sherlock Holmes Society.
Members of our Senior Debate Team and Model United Nations Club, Isaac Codjoe, Patrick MacDonnell-Hannah and Euan Chalmers, recently won the Rotary Club ‘Youth Speaks’ Senior Public-Speaking contest. Facing tough competition from our neighbouring schools, RHS, Ipswich High School and Claydon High School, the boys spoke passionately about a very pertinent topic – ‘Combatting Knife Crime in the UK.’
Staff work to empower the next generation of leaders by providing interdisciplinary programmes that foster intellectual curiosity, deepen understanding and inspire creative action across a broad spectrum. Our intellectually curious, artistic and physically adept scholars improve not only their own lives at the College but also inspire others to succeed.
This was a wonderful achievement in this our first year participating in the competition. We were extremely pleased to welcome Isa Graham and Prema Dorai, President of the local Rotary Club, to our school to present the boys with their trophy.
Congratulations to all scholars across the school for a highly successful and enjoyable evening. Mr Jones summed it up: ‘It was lovely to witness the achievements. Their success is impressive.’
They went through to the district final at Cambridge University on February 9, where they were narrowly defeated by The Perse School.
Students Present on Extended Project Work Upper Sixth students may have been in relaxed dress code for Red Nose Day, but they were in serious mood as they presented findings from their EPQ research at a trade fair in Sixth Form. Projects crossed a wide range of subjects including the value of 'super foods', artificial intelligence, the proposal for a minimum income guarantee, changing consumer behaviour in an online world, the success of the Rugby World Cup and much more. Congratulations to all participating students and thank you to visitors who completed useful feedback forms.
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Pick and Mix of Winning Designs Year 10 students completed their sweet dispenser project. This allowed them to learn about some important fundamental knowledge and skills in isometric drawing, computer aided design and plastics manufacture. After modelling and constructing the sweet dispensing mechanism, students were then set the challenge of producing an eye-catching point-of-sale display using techniques such as vacuum forming and line bending. The finished products were taken home, ready for their designers to eat sweets whilst revising for the end of unit test! Among the ingenious gadgets were George Norval’s ‘poisonous frog’ design, developing the theme of danger, Alfie Eldridge’s sports themed design, whereby sweets had to score a goal across a football field and Eloise Ward’s desk storage unit sweet dispenser.
Beeswax Polish Creates a Buzz The Young Enterprise Trade Fair at the Castle Mall, Norwich, was a great success with St Joseph’s College winning the Best Trade Stand on the day. The overall total taken at the fair was over £1,500, a tremendous achievement for all schools and students taking part. Pat Trimmer, Young Enterprise Area Manager Norfolk and Suffolk, wrote, ‘I was delighted with the St Joseph’s team. They really worked well and I was amazed to see how successful they were at selling all their products. By the way, I used the wax yesterday on my dining room table and was delighted with the result!’ Pictured ready for business at their winning stand are Matthew Kent, Patrick MacDonnell-Hannah, Christine Liao and Isaac Codjoe.
Lively Debate at Model United Nations There was lively discussion amongst delegations representing the UK, USA, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Iran, Yemen, Russia, France and Syria during a debate on the critical levels of violence in Syria, when the Model United Nations convened a meeting.
Sugary Confections Development hour Cookery Club continued with its popular Bake Off theme. Students learned about wet and dry caramel, spun sugar, sugar baskets and caramel twirls. They also made chocolate soil.
Horror of Auschwitz Still Felt 75 Years On Lower Sixth students Wilfred Kemsley and Luke Barrett visited Auschwitz as guests of @ HolocaustUK, and it proved an incredibly moving and powerful experience. Luke said, ‘Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau was horrific, awful and truly amazing. It is an experience I never want to repeat, but one that I will remember for the rest of my life.’ He and Wilf will be sharing their experience with Year 9 students.
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LAMDA Students Speak Up for Themselves Congratulations to all students who performed in our LAMDA Preview evening, which took place in The ARC. This was a special evening from start to finish, showcasing the work students have been practicing in preparation for their examinations. Grade 8 Public Speaking student Alex Mikhaylov (U6) did an excellent job of introducing and concluding the evening, as well as delivering his political speech. Students from Years 5 to 13 performed one of their acting scenes, poems or speeches to an audience of peers, parents and teachers - and they all shone! Good luck to all when you receive your results: Esther Sheldon (Y5), Catie Lloyd (Y5), Sofie Simpson – Jacobs (Y5), Hazel Hwang (Y8), George Moss (Y8), Anna Simpson-Jacobs (Y8), Katie Rolph (Y9), Oli Max (Y9), Wilfred Kemsley (L6), Oliver Fraser (L6), Elinor Otaki (L6) and Alex.
Lewis Proves to Be a Wizard at Mastermind Our St Joseph’s College Book Mastermind winner, Lewis Hall (Y7) took part in the second round of the competition at Ipswich Academy, where he came up against the winners of five other schools. Lewis answered 20 questions on his chosen book, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, and achieved an impressive 19/20 to go into the lead. After the general knowledge round, Lewis was placed in third position with a total of 23 points, just one point behind the joint winners. Lewis’s performance was all the more impressive as the other contestants were from Years 8 & 9. Lewis’s performance earned him a place in the final as highest scoring runner up. A massive well done to Lewis for knowing his books so well and being such a fantastic representative of St Joseph's College.
Footballers Pass It Forward Our students enjoyed an inspirational talk by Simon Milton, Director of the Futurestars charity and former Ipswich Town FC player. Futurestars is an education-through-sports programme for underprivileged children in Africa. Mr Milton said, ‘Futurestars started in 2015 and we currently work with 2,500 children in Ghana and 1,600 in Togo; our coaches use the discipline and dedication needed to succeed in sport as motivation to succeed in education.’ Titus Bramble, who made ten appearances for the England U21s and played for Newcastle, Wigan and Sunderland, also joined us. Titus, who now plays for Stowmarket Town and is an academy coach at Ipswich, acts as an ambassador for Futurestars. He talked with our students about the charity and how careers can flourish after being a professional footballer.
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Senior School Sport Rugby As ever, rugby continues to be the focus for boys’ Sport in the Lent Term at St Joseph’s College, being the only two-term rugby playing school in the area. Our teams closed out the season in the period after Christmas playing some of the best maintained and independent school sides from across London, such as Whitgift School. At the same time, the teams were starting to prepare for the rugby sevens season and the busy schedule of sevens tournaments taking place throughout March and culminating for many of our squads in a visit to Rosslyn Park HSBC National School Sevens. This season, all of the sevens teams have produced some wonderful performances. The U13 team qualified for the finals of the Redrow Sevens, taking place at Franklin’s Garden in April, whilst the U18 team beat the Royal Hospital School to win their first silverware of the season at the event hosted by Uppingham School. Both the U14 and U16 teams have qualified into strong Cup competitions and competed with some of the best rugby playing schools from across the country. In addition to some of the fantastic performances, off the pitch March has again been a time of celebration for the school community. We are very proud of two players who have signed professional contracts with top flight rugby clubs. On completion of Sixth Form at the College, Emmanuel Iyogun will be joining Northampton Saints. Harry Williams, a Year 11 student, has signed a five-year contract with Welsh side Scarlets that will allow him to continue his studies here until the end of Sixth Form before joining the team full-time.
Football
Other Successes
The College is delighted with the development of the football across all age groups this term, only its second term as a Performance Sport here. Players are beginning to appreciate the standards and attitude required to continue to develop as well as forming a better understanding of the College’s philosophy of play. This has been supported by a number of players receiving one-to-one coaching from the Head of Football, Mr Eadie.
Away from the pitches and the College’s Performance Sports, there has been a huge amount of success for some of our students. Earlier this term, having won the County Finals, our U13 Table Tennis team played exceptionally well to come fourth at the Regional Finals. Many of the same students, joined by some of their peers, also represented the school in Indoor Athletics, where our U13 team came second in a qualifying competition, and progressing to the finals.
The U14 team has just reached the County Cup SemiFinal, winning 5-0 away at Ipswich Academy School. This is particularly pleasing as our U14 team is made up of six U13 and eight U14 players. To do this after only six months of training as a squad is impressive and promises great things for the future.
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There has also been some individual success with Year 7 Triathlete Ben Howlett collecting an impressive haul of nine medals at the Suffolk County Swimming Championships. Luke Davies-Stokes won the regional table tennis final and will go through to represent the East at the inter-regionals in June. As sport continues to move from strength to strength at St Joseph’s College, we look forward to the completion of the new Cricket and Sports Pavilion and a successful Summer Term.
National Silver Medallists Congratulations to our fabulous U14 girls who reached the National Schools Squash Finals. After an incredibly nail-biting battle they came away with silver medals. A huge well done to Amelie Clarke, Gigi Gebhard, Emma Logan, Sophie Singer and Zoe Tanner.
Netball
Gymnastics
Our U19 netballers are currently 6th in the AOC league. In local netball leagues our placing are as follows:
Emma Wilkinson (Y8) was placed fifth in the National Schools gymnastics floor final which took place in March.
U19s undefeated and currently sitting in 1st place.
Charlie Harvey-Lloyd (Y9) also did well at the British Championships despite his back injury. He was only able to compete on four of the six apparatus but came fifth in the rings and seventh on high bar.
U16s currently in 1st place. U15s currently in 5th place. U14s currently in last place. U13As currently in joint 3rd place. U13Bs currently in 3rd place. U12As currently in 4th place.
Quicksticks Outstanding effort was shown by our Year 9 and Year 10 girls, supported by our Upper Sixth students, as young leaders organising, leading and refereeing the primary hockey Quicksticks competitions.
U12Bs currently in 6th place
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Staff in the Spotlight Mrs Rebecca Gordon-Cocker Receptionist/Attendance Co-ordinator
I grew up in fabulous Cambridgeshire, with many of my extended family living close by. We had frequent get togethers which were always full of fun and laughter. Many weekends were spent having exciting adventures on our family’s boat, travelling up and down the area’s glorious rivers. My father’s work brought us to Suffolk in the 1980s. From a young age I developed a passion for sports, in particular gymnastics, rugby tag, netball and even hula-hooping and I was fortunate to receive various trophies. I was very happy at East Bergholt High School – my proudest memories include representing the school at various sports, in particular netball, for which I was selected to play up a year. After finishing my GCSEs, I went on to study Business and Finance, which set me up fantastically to start my working career. My husband James and I share a love of travel and before getting married and having children we visited as many countries as we could, including Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Egypt, Dubai, Cuba and Kenya. We hope to continue our travelling adventures and see much more of the world, but perhaps when our children are older! I began my career working for a local architectural company and gained a wealth of experience as the MD’s secretary and also running the company accounts and payroll. After five years I
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decided it was the right time to broaden my horizons and utilise my business qualification. I had a flare for sales and an ambition to progress further, and I joined a leading blue-chip organisation, global recruitment experts Hays Plc. I received some of the best training and development available in the industry and after a period of working in London, I was given the chance to manage my own team and soon after to open a brand-new office in Ipswich. I grasped this opportunity and developed my new team into an award-winning multi-brand office. However, after the birth of my third child, I decided it was the right time for a change - I needed to improve my work life balance. I was very fortunate to be offered the role of receptionist and attendance coordinator at St Joseph’s. I am very blessed in my children, Alex (11), Ethan (9) and Isaac (6). We are a very active family; the boys just love their sports and they keep me and James extremely busy supporting them with all their activities. My weekends are consumed with watching them play football for their local teams, one of which my husband manages, and cricket through the summer months. St Joseph’s really is such a special place to work. I am now in my sixth year and I am really enjoying being part of the wonderful community and watching the students flourish through their senior school years.
Raising the Roof with Ruthie – Roll Up, Roll Up! We are so lucky to have among our community West End and Broadway star Ruthie Henshall. For a third time, Ruthie has stepped forward and offered to perform a fund-raising evening for St Joseph’s College. In the past, monies raised went to the Osiligi Charity in Kenya. This time Ruthie will be pulling in the crowds for our Raising the Roof appeal in aid of our Chapel refurbishment. The gorgeous – if presently faulty! – chapel roof is reminiscent of a circus Big Top and a trip to a retro circus is the theme of the evening. Save the date - Thursday 23 May – to join our star, a ringmaster, clowns, jugglers and tumblers for the greatest show on earth. Tickets will cost £45 and include a tapas supper. There will be a licensed bar and a spectacular auction. VIP tickets will also be available. To reserve your tickets, see the Public Events page of the website or St Joseph’s College Facebook page. We would be extremely grateful for donations of auction lots. If you have anything to donate please contact Reception.
So St Jo’s January saw the launch of So St Jo’s, which began with the first of our monthly coffee mornings (last Friday of the month from 8.30am) in the Birkfield Lounge. The group has also hosted its first event, an extremely popular Family Bingo evening. See SoStJos Facebook page to find out more. Please make yourself known – it really is a case of the more the merrier.
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Old Birkfeldians Francis Yates OB, who left St Joseph’s in 2013, returned to the College to talk to students about the benefits of studying STEM subjects. He also gave us a fascinating insight into the power of Artificial Intelligence now and in the future. Another Birkfield speaker this term was OB Lauren Garnham (2017), who enlightened us about superb volunteering opportunities abroad and specifically her amazing adventures with @SLVglobal in Bali. As a school that prides itself on the strength of its Creative and Performing Arts, St Joseph’s was thrilled to have The CTC represented at the Careers Fair. Bridie Horne OB, Head of Musical Theatre, proved very popular with students considering careers on – or behind – the stage.
Mrs Clarke, the Principal, and Mrs Lee, International Liaison Officer, welcomed Jennifer Yuen OB back to St Joseph’s, which she attended as a sixth form student 2001-2003. Jennifer, who returned to become a Miss Hong Kong finalist that year, is now a mother of two and working as colour therapist & make-up artist. Like most alumni, she was very nostalgic, commenting ‘I had the happiest time in my life studying here even though I was a teenager far away from home.’
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On the eve of captaining Northampton Saints to the Premiership title, Lewis Ludlam OB returned to St Joseph’s College to be interviewed by the BBC for its regional news programme. Lewis helped out with a spot of coaching and joined students for lunch. Afterwards he caught up with his mum, Netball coach, Mrs Ludlam, and sister Safia (L6) in the Sports Hall.
Two more OB rugby stars have been making us proud. In the Six Nations, Samson Ma’asi played for the England U20s and in their match v Scotland he shared the field with Marshall Sykes OB. Just like old times.
Pictured are Will Tillett OB, Lewis Jeffery OB, Samson Masai OB, Callum Jeffery (U6) and Jack Tillett (U6).
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Boarding News
Spring in Boarding As was sung in our amazing College musical, Hairspray, ‘When you follow your own beat, there is no limit to how far you can go’. This has certainly been the case for our boarders this term. We are so very proud of each and every one of them as they have challenged themselves in many different ways, not least standing on a stage and singing their hearts out in a most professional performance to a theatre full of their peers. Our Sixth Form students have travelled far and wide to Oxford, Bath and London for interviews for university places and to Chelmsford to undertake the gruelling IELTS examination in academic English. This has been interspersed with huge amounts of fun both in and out of the boarding houses.
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This term we have been very active and have bounced in the trampoline park, jumped around at NinjaTag and competed in the highly competitive inter house netball tournament. The boys and girls have also whizzed around the circuit whilst go karting. We have also been learning from cultures within the boarding houses as we shared mutual celebrations for Chinese New Year and Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day), marking the start of Lent. We are looking forward to celebrating Batabano, the national Cayman festival, which is a salute to Cayman's turtling heritage. Comic Relief was well supported throughout the College and our Sixth Form boarders played their part in baking with Mrs Simpson-Jacobs and Mrs Frost for the Red Nose Day bake sale. In other exciting news, we are pleased to announce that work has begun on the refurbishment of bathrooms within Boarding, which promises upgraded facilities for both houses. The boarders have been very patient whilst the work is undertaken with some temporary facilities in place in the interim to complement those bathrooms that are still open. Finally, we are incredibly proud of the whole Boarding community for their efforts during our recent ISI inspection. The full report will be released in due course, but it is known the inspectors spoke very highly of all the students that they met and the passionate way in which they spoke about St Joseph’s College.
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County Lines Children as young as 12 are being put in danger by criminals taking advantage of their vulnerability. The criminal exploitation known as ‘county lines’ involves gangs and organized crime networks exploiting children to sell drugs. Often these children are made to travel across counties, and they use dedicated mobile phone lines to supply drugs.
How many young people are affected by 'county lines'? No one really knows how many young people across the country are being forced to take part, but The Children’s Commissioner estimates there are at least 46,000 children in England who are involved in gang activity. It is estimated that around 4,000 teenagers in London alone are being coerced through child criminal exploitation. The young people exploited through 'county lines' can often be seen by professionals as criminals, but the Children’s Society wants these vulnerable children to be recognised as victims of trafficking and exploitation and to receive support to deal with the trauma they have been through.
How are children being exploited? Gangs are deliberately targeting vulnerable children – those who are homeless, living in care homes or trapped in poverty. These children are unsafe, unloved, or unable to cope, and the gangs take advantage of this. These gangs groom, threaten or trick children into trafficking their drugs for them. They might threaten a young person physically, or they might threaten the young person’s family members. The gangs might also offer something in return for the young person’s cooperation – it could be money, food, alcohol, clothes and jewellery, or improved status – but the giving of these gifts will usually be manipulated so that the child feels they are in debt to their exploiter. In whatever way they become trapped in county lines, the young people involved feel as though they have no choice but to continue doing what the gangs want.
What are the signs of criminal exploitation and county lines? • Returning home late, staying out all night or going missing • Being found in areas away from home • Increasing drug use, or being found to have large amounts of drugs on them • Being secretive about who they are talking to and where they are going • Unexplained absences from school, college, training or work • Unexplained money, phone(s), clothes or jewellery • Increasingly disruptive or aggressive behaviour • Using sexual, drug-related or violent language you wouldn’t expect them to know • Coming home with injuries or looking particularly dishevelled • Having hotel cards or keys to unknown places.
No child should feel alone If you think a young person you know could be in danger call 999. If you have non-urgent information to share with the police, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If you are concerned about a child’s welfare, contact your local social care department. The Children’s Society has a guide for parents who may be concerned about their child.
www.childrenssociety.org.uk 24