Summer Term Newsletter 2022
Message from the Principal The Summer Term at St Jo’s brings with it a plethora of traditional events, with – as I write – the annual Arts Festival, three sports days, two balls and three prizegivings still to complete.
Looking beyond the break, we look forward to welcoming families to key events in the new academic year, including:
The theme for our Arts Festival this year was ‘Our Beautiful World’, which coincided fittingly with various eco initiatives across the College.
• Carol Service (12 December at 6.00pm)
The Sixth Form Summer Ball and Year 11 Prom took place as GCSEs and A-level examinations drew to a close. We are looking forward to very positive results from both cohorts this summer. A reminder, results days are as follows: • A-level, CTEC, BTEC & EPQ (Thursday 18 August) • GCSE (Thursday 25 August) It gives us enormous pleasure to welcome alumni back to the school. On Page 20 you will read about three such visitors, OBs Flo Richmond, Nat Abery and Zoe Asbury, whose stories have inspired current students. Three other OBs, Nick Ilott, Aimee Butcher and Leo Bignell, generously returned to add magic to our Arts Festival programme, and Ella and Joe Hartley Mackenzie came to the Finale, when Joe sang.
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• National Schools Rugby Festival (15 and 16 October) I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents for their commitment to St Jo’s and to our teaching and support staff for their work this academic year. Please note that members of the Senior Leadership Team work across the summer break, as do key support staff, should you have any queries or require any information or support. Wishing you and your family a fantastic summer. Mrs Danielle Clarke Principal
A Word from Mrs Wood Dear Parents, We have enjoyed an action-packed term with a number of special events returning to the Prep School calendar. We were delighted to welcome pupils from a number of primary schools to our Year 4 Gifted and Talented Partnership Day and Prep School Football Tournament, we celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, have been wowed by our pupils’ dramatic performances in ‘Croak’ and ‘Rock Bottom’, we’ve also shared the love of animals at Pets Assembly and have had fun and games at our Summer Fete. What a pleasure it has been to take our pupils on trips once again! A day in Brightlingsea, an afternoon at Needham Lake and a visit to the Mayor of Ipswich have been much enjoyed by pupils. Year 5 and 6 experienced an outdoor and adventurous residential to Shrewsbury and a camp out for Year 4 on the campus - all opportunities to develop further confidence, social skills and independence. Alongside all the big events are the small everyday achievements that must not go unnoticed. All our pupils have continued to make academic progress, which has been celebrated in our comprehensive annual reports. This highlights the dedication of the Prep School Staff who teach an enriched curriculum, allowing all pupils the opportunity to shine. So, I would like to say thank you. Thank you to the staff, pupils and parents for creating the caring, community environment that celebrates every child and allows all of them to be their best. As another year draws to a close, I reflect on the joy the pupils have given me and look forward with excitement to the new school year in September. Mrs Vanessa Wood Vice Principal – Head of Prep School
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High Stepping Grease Kicks Off a Summer of Spectacular Arts Events
‘...the power you're supplying It's electrifying…’ Audiences were thrilled at each of the four sell-out performances of Grease at DanceEast, Ipswich, as the annual St Joseph’s College musical returned with a high energy, foot stomping, hand jiving, crowd pleasing hit show. The young performers, ranging in age from Year 7s to Upper Sixth students, were raring to go – the show having been delayed until the end of the Lent term by fears about Covid – and threw themselves into every chart-topping number with verve and gusto. Accents and mannerisms recreated the greasers and cheerleaders of Rydell High in 1959, with its young people on the cusp of adulthood facing some of life’s big issues. St Jo’s was thrilled to learn that John Travolta, Danny Zuko in the famous film version of the stage musical, was in East Anglia to shoot a film about RAF Lakenheath, and issued him an invitation to drop by. Sadly, he was unable to make it and see Arts Prefect Adam (U6) step into his dancing shoes. Head girl Jemima (U6), who played Sandy, said: ‘It was great to play such an iconic role. The energy and excitement on and off-stage were amazing all week.’ 4
Impossible to credit every memorable performance, but a special shout out to Mariam (U6), also an Arts Prefect, who was truly outstanding as Rizzo, Maria (Y11), Zoe (Y11), William (L6), Oscar and Callum (both U6). Congratulations to the whole ensemble – you brought a lot of joy. Back at the College the Arts form a core part of the offering. That truly comes to the fore during the annual Arts Festival, which reaches across the school from Infants to Old Birkfeldians and encompasses a huge breadth of specialities. The theme this year was Our Beautiful World. A simple list of the workshops available to students demonstrates how far-reaching the Festival has become: dance, life drawing, fashion - upcycling, henna, drama improvisation, junk percussion, face painting, photography and song writing. Add to these a plethora of opportunities to perform and exhibit work: Prep School Junior production (Rock Bottom), Summer Concert, pavement art, a dance and fashion show, Milk and Cookies exhibition, a Celebration of Language, plus Stars in their Eyes and an all comers’ al fresco Finale. 5
News from the Prep School Loving the Seaside, the Sea and All The Creatures in It Our children can’t resist the seaside and didn't they have a lovely time the day they went to Brightlingsea? Our Prep pupils are serious environmentalists, too, and came prepared to carry out a litter picking session. The day’s other activities - aside from simply having fun - included building sandcastles, painting pottery and writing poems. Some fabulous pieces of work were created for the Prep School Eco-Committee’s Marine Art competition. The children were invited to create a piece of artwork featuring a marine animal, using the medium of their choice. They were also prompted to incorporate recycled materials if they chose, to highlight the negative impact that litter can have on marine life.
Happy Campers Year 4 girls and boys pitched their tents for a night under the stars. They loved life under canvas and working on their campcraft skills, including making traditional Peruvian gods' eyes.
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Queen’s Jubilee Celebrated in Style The Prep Jubilee Tea Party got off to a fantastic start with a hat competition and judging was no easy matter. Everyone had gone to a lot of trouble to create headwear fit for a royal garden party. Staff laid on the next best thing - a street partystyle celebration with cucumber sandwiches, strawberries, fairy cakes and pop. There were old fashioned party games, tweaked to suit the Queen’s Jubilee, and a rousing rendition of the national anthem.
Croak, Croak! We were beguiled by our Reception, Y1 and Y2 performers in Croak, the story of a tadpole’s journey to mature frog and the friends who helped him along the way.
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Mayor Entertains Prep School Councillors Our Prep School Council members were treated as honoured guests when they visited the Mayor's Parlour. They met the new Mayor of Ipswich, Cllr John Cook, and learnt about his role. A magnificent afternoon tea was enjoyed. The children particularly liked examining a range of artefacts, including a ceremonial sword and mace. The day before the visit they had listened to a talk by Mr Stuart McDonald OB, who is not only Head of Property at Ipswich Borough Council, but also Year 5 teacher, Mrs Gardiner’s brother. They discovered what his role for the council entails and came up with exciting ideas of their own about urban regeneration and appropriate new uses for existing buildings, which they were ready to share with the Mayor.
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Just Like That
All Things Bright and Beautiful
Members of the Infant Science Club were challenged to defy gravity for one of their experiments. There were successes and failures to learn from, but, most importantly, everyone had a wonderful time trying to recreate the magic.
Animals delighted to be with their children; children excited to bring their pets to school. What isn’t there to like about our wonderful Pet Assembly, back this term and better than ever!
Fun in the Sun on ActionPacked Residential Trip Condover Hall in Shropshire proved to be an outstanding success for our Year 5 and 6 boys and girls, hungry for adventure and ready to throw themselves into every challenge the activity centre could muster. In the grounds surrounding the beautiful Elizabethan manor house, our Prep pupils learned kayaking and fencing. They tested themselves and one another on the sensory trail and overcame their fear of heights on the high ropes. Climbing, abseiling and zip lining added still more adrenaline-inducing fun. Without a doubt, some sunny summer memories of a lifetime were made.
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Prep School Sport Years 3-6 have worked exceptionally hard In cricket to improve their batting, bowling, striking and fielding. Our Under 11s started the cricket season against Finborough School and have continued to play well throughout the year, culminating in convincing wins at the end of the season. The Year 3 and 4 girls have impressed all year, developing fantastic striking and fielding skills. Congratulations to Years 1 and 2 on winning the School Games cricket tournament, a brilliant achievement. Mr Dixon has been really impressed with the way in the team has developed, especially considering very few of the students had played in a competitive hardball match before this season. One highlight of the season for the Prep School was the honour of hosting our inaugural 7-a-side football tournament. Huge congratulations to the girls for their achievement in becoming the first team to win the girls’ competition and congratulations to the boys, who finished a fantastic third in their event. Special thanks to Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Searle for their time and help with the organisation and logistics for the tournament, which was a resounding success. Everyone has been eagerly looking forward to Sports Day, during which all students from Years 1-6 will compete for their house in track and field events as well as cricket. Finally, School Games Mark, a government-led awards scheme to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community, has awarded St Joseph's College Prep School the Gold standard. Go #teamstjos.
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Focus on a Teacher Mrs Steed Teacher of Art For as long as I can remember, Art has been my passion. I remember countless hours as a child making my own Art projects in my room, always drawing, fascinated by the world around me. I went to a café once, when I was a child, which had a painting by Salvador Dali on the wall - at that moment I was engrossed in the art world. Art is in my DNA; my Swiss great grandfather and grandmother were Artists and I would often spend summers with my grandmother watercolour painting in the garden. Before becoming a teacher, life was very different. After my completion of my Art degree from the Norwich School of Art (BA Hons Illustration), I travelled the world for a year, exploring Australia, America, Asia and Tahiti. I gained a lot from this, to experience such different cultures was fascinating. After my travels, I lived and worked in Westminster, London as a PA to several Central Government Directors for Capita. I attended meetings in the MOJ and MOD buildings and got involved with the project management side of things. This was hectic yet exciting, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I moved back to Suffolk and worked as a TA and as a key worker in a wonderful SEN department in a middle school. I undertook my PGCE teacher training, which was incredibly challenging, but it led me to where I needed to be. I have
worked at St Joseph’s College for seven years now. What I love about teaching here are the students. Not a day goes by at work where I don’t laugh or have wonderful meaningful conversations with our incredible young people. I am passionate about teaching and about my subject. I truly believe Art is good for the soul and young people should be given the time and space to express themselves without fear of judgement. Aside from teaching, what keeps me very busy are my two young children - Primrose, 4 and Ruby, 2. They are ferociously energetic and spirited, they both love Art and sport so we spend most of our time painting and playing football. I love spending time in the forest, walking, painting and recently have become addicted to Wim Hoff’s cold water therapy! In the words of Sylvia Plath, ‘the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt’. I truly believe that you need to be your authentic self, trust your instincts, don’t try to please others and know your worth.
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News from the Senior School Research Project Findings Shared with Staff and Fellow Students Once again our Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) students demonstrated a breadth of interests in their fascinating research work, which they shared with visitors to a busy exhibition in the Sixth Form Centre. This year’s topics included antibiotic resistance; the background of parent killers, the Menendez brothers; the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; CEO pay; growing up in the care system; family and educational outcomes; the Royal Family; and how First World War veterans affected the introduction of universal suffrage. Well done and good luck to all candidates.
Youth Advisor to the Family Court Year 11 student Hazel has become a youth representative for Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. Independent of social services and the courts, Cafcass looks at what is in the best interest of children involved in family law cases. Hazel will be one of a number of representative young voices, listening and advising. This is an amazing achievement by Hazel, who has just completed her GCSEs - we wish her all the best in both endeavours!
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Please Mind the Gap The Charlie Charlie 1 enrichment activity saw Years 7 and 8 accomplishing some problem solving. They were tasked with passing an item over a deep chasm. Year 8 broke the record, managing to span a gap of 2.9m using an unusual backward bending approach! But congratulations all round for ingenuity and enthusiasm.
New York, New York So Good They Named It Twice Less the Big Apple and more the giant pretzel for Ronnie (Y11), one of the party of lucky students on our stupendous Arts and Culture trip to New York. Visits to the Empire State Building, Brooklyn, Liberty and Ellis Islands, the Twin Towers Memorial and the Museum of Modern Art kept the visitors enthralled, while traditional New York culinary specialities maintained energy levels.
Students Come Face to Face with Euler’s Formula Inspired by the upcoming Arts Week, Year 7 students explored 3D shapes. In particular, they were aiming to discover Euler's Formula that links the number of faces, edges and vertices. Earlier in the term our Junior Maths Challenge participants were presented with their certificates, including Gold awards for Emilia (Y8), Kezia (Y7) and Joseph (Y7). An extra round of applause, please, for Kezia, whose result was the best in school!
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First World War Battlefields Trip to Ypres and the Somme The History Department led a trip to the First World War battlefields of Ypres and the Somme for Year 10 and Year 12 history students. The first day was spent in and around Ypres, and provided students with a visual awareness and expert contextual analysis of the terrain and conditions that the soldiers fought in. The second day followed a wounded soldier’s journey from the front line at Hill 60 to the casualty clearing station at Lijssenthoek, near Poperinges. In the vicinity of the Somme, the party visited Sheffield Park, Beaumont Hamel, Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval trenches, Vimy Ridge and their information centres, which include significant material on particular units of the GCSE First World War course. For Year 10, a visit to the site of the Island of Ireland Peace Park and the grave of the constitutional nationalist Willie Redmond was also especially interesting and a taster of the A-level History course.
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For our Year 12 students, who study Britain and Ireland 1791-1921, the significance of the first day of the Battle of the Somme was considered along with the participation of Irish units through the war. The trip was beneficial, too, for those Year 12 historians choosing to study an aspect of the First World War for their A-level coursework. Adding another angle to the visit, our History staff were joined on the trip by Mr Harris, Head Caretaker, and Mr Atkinson, Transport Manager, both of whom are themselves ex-servicemen. This was a hugely popular trip, providing all students with valuable experiences that will be useful both inside and outside of the classroom, including poignant moments contemplating the appalling loss of young lives, some of whom were ancestors of our students.
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Senior School Sport
Netball The inaugural St College Netball Festival had some big shoes to follow in our fantastic annual Rugby Festival, but the groundwork has been laid. We welcomed six teams for what turned out to be a truly wonderful day, with beautiful weather and the added bonus of ex-New Zealand player Jo Trip among those attending. Our first team started the day well, but injuries and how the order of play fell for us meant a long break followed by two games back-to-back, which proved crucial to our outcomes. In the Plate competition St Joseph's College showed true grit and determination, displaying exactly the kind of netball we favour and deservedly winning the final. Two of the teams in our group for the first part of the day, Norwich School and Brighton College, ended up battling it out in the Cup final in their third meeting of the day, with Brighton winning the Cup. The day was a real success, including providing a wonderful opportunity for our Upper Sixth girls to represent the College for a final time. A huge well done to all who contributed.
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In Netball provision, we can proudly say that we have been highly successful in achieving excellent results across the board this term; all of our teams secured A and B leagues for next year. All Lower School teams finished in top three spots. Additionally, this was the first time we were able to enter a second senior team into a league - where they finished fourth. Our first team finished very creditably in second place in their regional AOC league. We have also seen students take on more responsibility in Netball, more specifically in their umpiring. Lauren (L6) is now undertaking her umpiring qualification and umpiring in the South Suffolk Netball league weekly and our Year 10s, Nyah, Freya, Sophia, Gabrielle and Ava, have taken part in a leadership course for prep school netball festivals.
Cricket
Football
There has been wide participation in Cricket and a huge number of individual successes throughout the season, including performances for the College and whilst representing at county level. Our newly-appointed Head Girl, Amelie (L6) had a season to remember, with a match winning fivewicket haul whilst playing in the National Counties Competition for Suffolk cricket against Northants Ladies CCC. For the College, she also went on to score her maiden hundred with a 102 against Culford just a few weeks later. This was a significant moment for cricket at St Jo's as she became the first female student to make it onto the cricket honours board and receive a prestigious St Joseph's College cricket cap. Isaac (L6) also had a great season, scoring 146 runs against Norwich School and then following this up with 120 against Brentwood School, both of which were fantastic performances. Further notable performances have come from Oscar (Y9), Daisy (Y9) and Henry (Y10), who have all taken five wickets in a match whilst representing the College this year.
We would like to say a big well done to all of our students over the course of the 2021-2022 season. They have worked hard across the year representing St Joseph's, their own grassroots clubs outside of the College and at national level. Special mention to:
To close what has been a brilliant summer of cricket, the boys' 1st XI travelled to Stowe School - one of the most picturesque places to play cricket in the country - for a two-day fixture. The College also hosted its annual six-a-side festivals throughout our Cricket Week, during which almost 100 pupils engaged.
Equestrian team
Independent Schools FA Boys Squads: U17 - Ashdon U15 - Jackson Independent Schools FA Girls Squads: U18 - Zynia & Eloise U16 - Kaci England Schools FA Girls Squad: U16 - Kaci England Women Call Ups: National Talent Camp U15 - Kaci U18 - Sarah Euro's U19s (Standby) - Summer
The team’s qualified riders travelled to Hickstead for the National County Show Jumping Final. Only one team and individual from each county is allowed, so St Joseph's was representing Suffolk schools. The riders who qualified at Forest Edge in Norfolk were Matthew, Imogen, Evie and Scarlett (who rode as a substitute for Imogen LF, who was unable to attend.) They did extremely well in the preliminary round, qualifying for the final eight jump off in which they finished fifth. Freya went on to compete in the bigger class for an individual place, our only rider to qualify as an individual. She again went clear and into the top eight to compete against the clock in the final, in which she placed seventh. 17
Staff in the Spotlight Mr Kemsley Student Futures Advisor Hello, I am Mr Kemsley and I am the College's Student Futures Advisor. I have been working here since 2016 - six years that have absolutely flown by. I'm originally from Suffolk. My formative years were spent on the family farm near Southwold and I boarded at a local school near here. Without naming it , I can say we did not have much sporting success against St Joseph's who, like now, had very strong rugby and cricket first teams in the mid-80s. I graduated from Newcastle University and then lived and worked in London for 30 years, holding a string of varied and senior roles in the HR and recruitment arenas. I had my own business for a while but also worked for large quoted PLCs like Capita & Hays and the market-leading public sector search firm, Gatenby Sanderson. In 2016 I found myself between jobs after a private equity backed management buy out and while licking my wounds a chance conversation with another St Joseph’s parent alerted me to the newly-created futures role here at the College. At the time, my two boys were just finishing off in Year 9 & 10. I knew a lot about the recruitment world but my expertise of supporting and liaising with teenagers was gathered in the main just by being a plain old parent.
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It's been a roller coaster ride during which I have formally qualified as a Careers Advisor and genuinely enjoyed all my interactions with literally 100s of parents and students. I get huge satisfaction from seeing students going on to great future destinations - often due in a small part because of advice imparted or a visit or trip, or by a speaker arranged by myself. St Joseph's College is blessed with hugely talented and employable young men and women, whom I and many others have the privilege of guiding towards future success. I really feel everyone has finally got used to my gruff voice after six years and recognises that I will do all I can to support our wonderful students now and in the future.
Summer Self Care The summer holidays offer an opportunity to recharge, but some young people may find themselves struggling without the structure and support network of school.
The Anna Freud Centre reports that despite more being known about children’s mental health than ever before, mental health disorders are continuing to rise.
Self-care is about the things we can do to look after our own mental health
• One in eight children aged between 5 and 19 has at least one diagnostic mental health problem.
Analysis by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families has found that young people who are struggling are usually told to see a professional. They don’t often get much advice about how they could help themselves.
• Fewer than 35% of children with mental health problems get any help.
In response, the Centre has created #SelfCareSummer packs for primary and secondary schools. These packs feature a range of creative activities based on self-care strategies that other young people have found useful in helping them stay mentally healthy.
• Around 60% of children in care are reported to have an emotional or health problem. • Young people who identify as LGBTQ+ are two-and-a-half times more likely to report a mental health problem than those who identify as heterosexual.
They also signpost young people and their families to additional support, including the AFC crisis messenger text service. It is important, too, that staff look after their mental health and wellbeing over the holidays, which is why the centre has created a self-care toolkit for education staff, with tips and resources to support them in looking after their own wellbeing. If you are a young person looking for immediate support visit our Urgent Help page: www.annafreud.org 19
Community News
Root and Branch Improvement to the College’s Biodiversity Promised Biology teacher Mr Rowland walked the walk to more than match his talking the talk on biodiversity and improvements to the arboriculture of our campus, with a marathon run on the first day of the Jubilee bank holiday weekend. ‘It took me four days to feel sort of normal again after the big 70-kilometre run. Having burned 10,000 calories on the day, I was mainly eating for three days to regain my energy levels. I did manage to go out for a run on the following Tuesday and felt pretty good - so I can now get straight back into training for an even bigger run! ‘We managed to raise over £600 to go towards buying the 70 trees we want to plant in the school grounds. It is a lot of money and we are very grateful to everyone who contributed. The money will make a big difference to increasing biodiversity around the College. It is enough to pay for a small orchard of heritage fruit trees which we will plant in the Christmas term when the ground is not so dry as it is now.’ He added. ‘We will also look to do some more fundraising events so we can buy the rest of the trees and plants we need to complete the eco-project. Who knows, I may even do a one hundred mile run to inspire more people to donate some money for the cause. Watch this space!’
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Wise Words to Students From Those Who've Trodden the Career Path Before Them Flo Richmond OB spoke to Sixth Formers about the hugely successful apprentice accounting roles she has undertaken since leaving St Joseph's. Fully qualified, ambitious and successful, Flo represented one of the commendable alternative career options available to those who perhaps feel that full-time university is not right for them. One of our Upper Sixth students has already applied to the firm Flo trained with since the visit. We were touched by Flo's tribute to the brilliant foundations for the future she received at the College. We believe that is still very much the case across the board and particularly in our wonderful Sixth Form! It was a pleasure to welcome so many Year 10 families to the campus for our Futures Evening in June. Useful advice was shared about GCSEs, Sixth Form and the exciting events ahead. We were especially proud to welcome back former Head Boy Nat Abery, now a qualified accountant, who studied at York University before pursuing a career with Deloitte. Nat gave the young people present some very sound and motivational guidance. There was great advice, too, from Zoe Asbury OB, who excelled at St Joseph’s, achieving an A and three A* grades at A–level. Zoe then took up a prestigious apprenticeship with Unilever.
Dream Find for Old Birkfeldian Detectorist ‘We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and X never, ever marks the spot.’ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade In fact, St Joseph’s answer to Indiana Jones, detectorist George Ridgway OB used satellite images of land formations to trace Roman roads and meticulous calculations to find the spot and uncover what is believed to be the largest precious metal hoard discovered in Britain, dating from the reign of the Emperor Claudius I. There beneath a Suffolk field he unearthed two Roman brooches and 748 Roman and Iron Age gold and silver coins, just as his hero, Dr Indiana Jones, located antiquities of surpassing importance. Since leaving St Joseph’s College in 2008, Mr Ridgway went on to study Sport and Exercise Science at university before joining the family butchery business. His side-line as an adventurer is nothing new. He caught the treasure hunting bug as a very young boy and began dressing as his hero, Dr Jones. He taught himself the skill of whip cracking and is frequently accompanied by his black lab, Indy. He was given his first metal detector at the age of 13, a present from Grandma. Speaking to a local newspaper after the find became known, Mr Ridgway said, ‘It was unbelievable really because I actually grew up next to a Roman road. I have always been passionate about Roman history.’
‘Finding one coin was unbelievable and then I just had handfuls of silver denarii. I remember holding them in my hand and thinking: “I have done it. I have achieved my childhood dream. I’ve found a roman hoard.”’ ‘It was amazing – adrenaline was surging through my body.’ The British Museum’s curator of Iron Age and Roman coin hoards, Dr Eleanor Ghey, reported, ‘I would say that it is the currently the largest precious metal hoard found in Britain that dates from the reign of Claudius I (AD41-54).’ The coins are thought to be valued at tens of thousands of pounds, which Mr Ridgway will share in a 50-50 split with the unnamed landowner. Colchester + Ipswich Museums are expected to acquire the collection. The story is recounted in an episode of Channel 4’s Great British History Hunters. channel4.com/programmes/ great-british-history-hunters 21
Boarding News
Work, work, busy, busy… and breathe! The Summer Term presents an interesting juxtaposition of the seriousness of the exam season with opportunities for fun with the onset of improved weather, and in boarding we have been making the most of both! The return to exams has been tricky for all students after Covid. However, lack of experience of examinations hasn’t prevented the hard work being done. Boarding bedrooms are wall-papered with revision notes and mind maps. Flash cards filled with definitions are everywhere and we have seen a renewed focus at formal study hours, encouraged by Miss Jesenaiova and the whole boarding team. It has been particularly heart-warming to see a community pull together to help each other, with regular demonstration of integration between different nationalities in the common aim of getting through the revision period. This community spirit has helped all the students through the process and we have been proud of the stamina they have shown during the extended period of assessment. We hope the results in August will reward them well for their significant efforts.
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Study can be most successful when balanced with regular breaks and staff are keen to encourage students out of their rooms. Boarding has been represented well in cricket and tennis. Much informal sport has also taken place, with ever present football on the pitch near Goldrood House, lots of basketball and a frenzy of activity using the volleyball nets in recent weeks too - often with a sport of our own, foot volleyball! Plentiful sunshine has provided the perfect setting for beachside activities, with the traditional pursuit of crabbing at Felixstowe and fun on the pier. Students also enjoyed travelling a little further around the Suffolk coastline to view the sculpture show at Saxmundham and visit Dulwich. For our thrill seekers, highlight of the term was a visit to Thorpe Park. More recently, we have also been to Thetford for paintballing. The latter proved a real talking point amongst students, with stories of clever tactics and daring moves being regaled on their return from their big day out with Mrs Rowlands.
Many students chose to remain in boarding over May half term to maximise their revision. The break coincided with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, when street parties took place up and down the country. The boarding community also participated in this piece of British history with a street-style party of our own in Mews. Tables were arranged outside and traditional cake stands were laden with treats for a fun but formal afternoon tea. The Queen herself made an appearance - in cardboard cut-out form! The arrival of short-term students from Italy, Spain and France added renewed energy to the boarding houses. However, all too soon students begin the process of packing for their summer break. This year the goodbyes will be big, as we say goodbye to both our delightful Year 13 students and also our much-loved Miss Ward. All are certain to go on to great things. The students hold some impressive university offers, including places for Law, Business, Economics, Ecology, Mathematics and a wide range of science subjects. Miss Ward will also go on to great things, with a promotion at her new school, a girls' grammar in Kent. We wish all our leavers the very best of luck and hope they keep in touch. You will always be part of the St Joseph’s family. 23
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Senior and Sixth Form Open Day Saturday 17 September 2022 Senior School – Friday Snapshot 30 September 2022 7 October 2022 4 November 2022 Prep School – Friday Snapshot 11 November 2022 2 December 2022 To register please visit stjos.co.uk or email admissions@stjos.co.uk
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