Christmas End of Term Newsletter 2017
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD
Message from the Principal As I write the introduction to our Christmas Term newsletter, we are in the midst of preparing for the season of Advent, including what will be a beautiful Carol Service at St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh. Through our assemblies and ‘Thoughts for the Week’, we will be exploring the meaning of Advent and Christmas and how this meaning relates to the world in which we all live today. The Christmas Term has been jam-packed with so many opportunities for our students – their achievements and involvement have been, as ever, a delight to observe. A small sample of just some of the term’s highlights are included in this Newsletter for you to read and share with others. Students in Year 11 have completed their mock GCSEs and Years 12 and 13 have sat key tests in lessons with their teachers – we look forward to sharing their results and ensuring that they are on track for their target grades. Strong performance in mock examinations will of course provide a sound platform for success at GCSE and A-level in the August.
As ever, the College says good-bye to a number of staff at the end of an academic term. We wish Mrs Bennett and Mrs Herridge the very best of luck for their future and thank them for her various contributions to the Prep School and Science. A special mention must go to Mr Chandler, who is retiring after an incredible 38 years of loyal service and teaching History at St Joseph’s. We wish him a long and happy retirement – he will be greatly missed. Please ensure that you take a look at our regular Safeguarding and Well-being feature on the back page - this term’s focus is online gaming. Finally, I wish all members of the College’s community a happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year. We very much look forward to seeing all students back at College on Thursday 5 January 2018.
Mrs Danielle Clarke Principal
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Focus on a Teacher Dr Jennifer Stimson Head of Sixth Form I was born in New Zealand and spent my early years surrounded by rugby obsessed kiwis. Perhaps then it is unsurprising, that after one welcoming first term at St Joseph’s, I already feel so at home. After this early life down under, I spent most of my school years at Bedford High School. I have fond memories of my time there and feel grateful for the strong foundations that the school gave me. As a sixth former, my original plan to read Law at university was diverted by the discovery of Economics, and I later headed off to the University of Liverpool to read Economics and Economic History. It was at university that I really developed a taste for learning and ended up staying in education rather longer than originally intended. I moved to specialise in transport economics on an MSc programme at Cranfield School of Management, before being persuaded to stay on for a PhD that focused on choice theory, dipping heavily into the field of behavioural economics.
and Politics in London and Colchester, most recently working as Assistant Head at Colchester Royal Grammar School, where I led the large Sixth Form. I have developed particular expertise in supporting UK and international university applications, including successful Oxbridge applications and US Ivy league applications, and have provided support to other sixth form leads across Essex. Outside of school I enjoy dabbling in local politics, for some years representing my local ward on Ipswich Borough Council. However, after my husband and I adopted two gorgeous daughters, I now have a much more appealing demand on my time. At weekends, I am most likely to be found with my family stomping around the local countryside in an attempt to distract my children from the latest My Little Pony movie or attempting to learn the guitar.
Whilst working on my PhD I also began working for my department as both a researcher and then lecturer. I taught on MSc, MBA and PhD programmes, specialising in quantitative modelling techniques and demand management, as well as supervising a diverse range of thesis students. I enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer on a university outreach programme and the rewarding experience of supporting some enthusiastic sixth formers in Milton Keynes tempted me into school teaching. After returning to studying to gain my secondary PGCE at the Institute of Education, I went on to teach Economics, Business Studies
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Arts Trips and Awards London Days Out Immersed in the Arts for Years 7, 8 and 9…
…while Year 10, 12 and 13 Students Sample the Best of Cambridge
A dedicated Arts day at the start of the academic year provides a platform of creativity for our key stage 3 students. This year, Year 7 visited the National Gallery looking at Middle Eastern Art before venturing to the theatre to watch Aladdin the Musical. Year 8 students, undertaking Arts Award Bronze, used their Arts Educational Day to learn about cultures and diversity within modern art at Tate Modern. In the afternoon the students watched the highly acclaimed Mamma Mia to explore the strand of ‘being part of an audience’.
Fine Art and Photography students from Years 10, 12 and 13 thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Fitzwilliam Museum and Botanical Gardens in Cambridge.
Our Year 9 students explored the Jasper Johns’ exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts to learn more about the iconic pieces from the Pop Art movement. In the afternoon, coinciding with the College’s own musical, Year 9 watched School of Rock. At St Joseph’s College we believe our children learn best when they can work and experience the Arts first hand, authenticity is key to a child’s development.
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Sarah-Cate Blake, the Fitzwilliam’s education officer, explained the importance of symbolism, encouraging the students to deconstruct Salvator Rosa’s ‘L'Umana Fragilita’ c. 1656. Balanced with insights into Modern Art and Impressionism, students spent a further hour carrying out practical research. After lunch the group travelled across to the Botanical Gardens to record the wonders of the gardens. Photographers explored ‘in the round’ techniques before moving into the large glasshouses to capture close up footage of rare plants.
Outstanding LAMDA Successes
Artsmark Recognises St Joseph’s With Gold Award
In September St Joseph’s College hosted the second LAMDA examination session of 2017.
Gold! St Joseph's College has again been named a Gold Artsmark School. The assessment panel commended the school’s ‘long-standing commitment to high quality arts and culture provision and the steps taken in its Artsmark journey to review and ensure the arts are enriching other subject areas across the curriculum.’
Students performed in their chosen disciplines including Solo Acting, Duologue Acting, Verse & Prose and Public Speaking. Students from Year 5 up to Year 13 demonstrated their hard work, performing two or three scenes or speeches and answered theory questions set by the examiner. The examiner was very impressed with the standard of the performers and hopes to return to examine at the College again as he thoroughly enjoyed his day with us. He was treated to a variety of scenes and speeches from Jane Eyre to Roald Dahl’s Violet Beauregarde, political speeches to Sweeney Todd! The results reflected the students’ dedication – all were awarded either Merits or Distinctions. Many students who took higher grades gained valuable UCAS points.
It recorded, 'The variety of arts opportunities and support for learners is of the highest quality and the range of external partners is very impressive. Leveraging all this experience to help facilitate a culture shift in other schools looks set to be a big part of St Joseph’s work going forward.’
Arts Scholars Society The Art Scholars Society badge, designed by Leo Bignell (Y10), has been unveiled. Art scholars have been working hard this term preparing work for their inaugural exhibition which will take place in March.
Special mention to Aimee Butcher and Charley Hewitt who have both taken two Gold Medal examinations in 2017; they were awarded Distinctions in both examinations. Thirty UCAS points are awarded for Distinction at Grade 8, so they have each accumulated 60 points from their LAMDA results – 56 points is an A* at A level. What an achievement!
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Rugby Festival 2017 Well Deserved Win for Brighton in Fabulous Festival A windy, but thankfully dry, weekend greeted the players and spectators of the 31st St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival. Teams travelled from across the United Kingdom to attend the tournament that continues to attract the top rugby playing schools – the high standard of play continues to entertain and indeed recent ‘Player of the Tournament’ winners such as Zach Mercer and Marcus Smith have both gone on to be included in full England training camps. This year was no different, with all the usual suspects in attendance and last year’s losing finalist Brighton College returning as favourites. This proved to be the case as they performed relentlessly in attack and defence, emerging as the deserved winners of the De La Salle Trophy. QEGS Wakefield played well all weekend and can consider themselves unlucky not to have been competing for the Trophy on day two, but no doubt winning the Plate competition was of some consolation. St Joseph’s College enjoyed a great start to the competition, winning three out of three on Day One. Expectations were high, but unfortunately, we were on the wrong end of the results in two closely contested games against Merchiston Castle School and RGS Newcastle. The final game of the group was against eventual finalists Millfield School and the home crowd and players were delighted to finish on a high note with a win. The tournament continues to go from strength to strength: the live online match feeds and commentary, the university representatives, Premiership academy scouts, the Old Boys’ and Girls’ matches, the
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standard of officiating, the catering and hospitality etc. None of this would be possible without the hard work and organisation that goes on behind the scenes during the weekend and for months beforehand. Thank you to all those who contributed to ensure that the St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival continues to be one of the sporting highlights of the school rugby calendar. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Mark Patterson. After 14 years’ of service at the school he is heading for pastures new. Whether as a PE teacher, 1st team coach or Director of Sport he has been heavily immersed in many of our Festivals and I know all those who have come into contact with him greatly appreciate all that he has done to help make the event as special as it has been during all his years of involvement. Ben Clements Head of Rugby
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Couple Waltz into Bronze Position Archie Bainbridge (Y4) and his new dance partner, Darcey, competed at the prestigious Blackpool Winter Gardens ISTD Grand Final. Although they have only been dancing together for a matter of weeks, they managed to achieve third place in the country against 42 other couples for their ballroom waltz. It was an amazing event and their dance teachers believe that they both show great promise for the future.
News from the Prep School Families Welcomed into School Thank you to all the grannies and granddads who joined us at the Prep School for the annual Grandparents’ Morning. The children absolutely loved sharing their lessons and lunchtime with their grannies, nanas, grandpas and pops. Our Prep School parents also received a warm welcome and a good lunch when they took up an invitation to pay a lunchtime visit. We were delighted so many managed to join us.
Children Sample Blitz Spirit Years 3 and 4 thoroughly enjoyed stepping back in time to experience what it was like to be in an air raid shelter during the Blitz in the Second World War. During their morning at the museum they discovered amazing artefacts and fascinating information.
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Two Awards in National Competition Two of our pupils were singled out for awards in the Society of Heads Junior Schools Poetry and Photography Competition 2017, where the theme was ‘The world around ss.’ Ryan Rowlands (Y6) won the National Photography Competition for his age group for a stunning photo of the Welsh countryside and Georgia French (Y6) came third in her age group in the Poetry Competition. A professional photographer judged the photography section and the poetry was adjudicated by members of the Society of Heads Junior Schools Committee. Well done Ryan and Georgia.
Tasty Street Food Event The vibrant colours and tastes of world street food came to Refs when our clever chefs put on a street food festival. Students relished the chance to sample the flavours and scents of far flung market places.
Eighty Merry Christmas! Boxes Dispatched The Lightbulb Moment Our Prep scientists love the new, extracurricular Supernova club. Armed with goggles and white coats, they have been getting to grips with hands-on experiments under the guidance of two secondary-trained science teachers. The class was also held during our inaugural Gifted and Talented Day. Students carried out experiments to prove Hooke’s Law and assess relative densities.
Our Prep School children have been participating in the annual Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal run by the Samaritan's Purse charity. This year they filled, decorated and amassed a staggering 80 boxes. Many thanks to the parents and children who kindly donated these special Christmas presents, now on route to youngsters who might otherwise have received no gift.
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Another Spot of Fundraising Children in Need was celebrated in spotty style across St Joseph’s College. Well done to all who took part and congratulations on the £1,379 raised. Pudsey says Thank you!
Pupils Launch Into Year 6 Year 6 had a two night trip to Kingswood activity centre in Norfolk to launch into the new school year with a bang. The programme included team building exercises and various challenges, including abseiling, high wires and fencing. The pupils worked together to overcome the obstacle of being blindfolded and tackled a giant Twister game. There was also a chance to explore the nearby coastline and dip into some rock pools.
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St Joseph’s Turns Out in Full to Support Kenyan Partner School St Joseph's College turned out in full force and high spirits for a sponsored walk to raise money for the Osiligi Obaya School in Kenya.The celebrations continued back in front of Birkfield House with a balloon launch to mark the school's 80th anniversary. All St Joseph’s students and the majority of teaching staff took part in a non-uniform day and a sponsored walk last month to raise money for the Osiligi Primary School in Olepolos, Kenya. The fantastic sum of just over £8,000 has been donated. Following this, a group of Maasai warriors visited us for supper on Wednesday during a three night stay at the Belstead Brook Hotel, enabling them to tour local Suffolk schools and churches. They returned for breakfast yesterday and performed for Sixth Form assembly, followed by a tour of the school and a second performance at the Prep School. They held two sales of Maasai beadwork in aid of the local community in Olepolos. At the request of the Osiligi Obaya School’s head teacher, a significant part of the sponsorship money has been spent on 15 brand new Chromebooks and these were handed over to the Maasai Warriors to take back with them.
The Mountains Come to Suffolk Entitled ‘The Amazing Americas and Magnificent Mountains’, this term’s cross-curricular topic for Years 5 and 6 was enhanced with an Expedition Day and visit by explorer, Amanda Richmond. The Ipswich teacher who, at the age of 54, became the oldest woman to have climbed Mount Everest, shared her experiences and provided some ‘hands-on’ activities. The children heard how she had battled electrical storms, giant snow plumes and freezing temperatures to scale the 8,850m of the world’s highest mountain. Mrs Richmond has recently travelled widely in North, Central and South America, and shred her adventures in the session entitled ‘Denali - The Highest Point in North America - A Magnificent Mountain’. The pupils’ outdoor adventure skills were further put to the test in our school grounds through a variety of activities, including camp fire building and orienteering.
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Prep School Sport Physical education lessons have taken a new slant in the Prep school this year. In September the Prep staff welcomed John Parsons from Create PE for a brilliant day of professional development and the foundation was set for PE lessons that focused on core values to develop personal, social, cognitive, creative and physical skills to support health and wellbeing. The children have really enjoyed the challenges of the lessons and are building the skills to support their games programme and their own metacognition. Years 3 and 4 have had a busy term of games and activities. The girls have focused on netball as their major sport while the boys have focused on football. There have been tournaments, fixtures and some brilliant individual and team performances. The U9A footballers were particularly successful at the South Suffolk schools’ tournament where they went unbeaten all afternoon. Alongside the major sports there have also been competitions and tournaments for swimming, cross country, indoor athletics and squash. Years 5 and 6 have been as busy as ever, with Y6 children starting the term with an amazing outdoor and adventurous activities week in Norfolk. The skills they developed have fed into an amazing sporting term, including hockey, rugby, table tennis, squash, cross country, indoor athletics, football and swimming. The U11 hockey girls have gelled into a really cohesive squad and the comradery is evident through their commitment and support of each other. The girls have worked on the very good passing skills which have enabled them to outplay several teams and set up goal scoring opportunities. Our policy is to encourage all our U11 age girls to put themselves forward to play at least one home and away match and they have all taken this opportunity this term. Well done girls.
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The U11A and B rugby teams have seen every boy in Year 6 represent the College at fixtures and tournaments. The As played really well at Culford and have had some fantastic matches with the player of the match title being won by eight different boys so far this year. Talent is growing every week and that number is expected to rise. The U10As have worked tirelessly this year. Their commitment and progress has been impressive. They capped the season off brilliantly with their best performance, away at King’s School, Ely.
Cross Country A large squad of children have been training regularly and enjoying the amazing autumn weather. The U11 team has run in two events – at RHS and St Felix – and represented a big challenge to their competitors. Grace Bestley and Isaac Smith showed their ability at the RHS inter school U12 level, coming in as our fastest runners in this event. The U11 and U10 squad ran at St Felix with great results too.
Table Tennis The boys and girls both qualified from their heats to the County finals, where competition was stiff. There was some brilliant play in both competitions: the girls performed fantastically and finished fifth in the County while the boys won bronze medals. Well done to all involved.
Swimming The College swimming team enjoyed a hugely enthusiastic and competitive event at Ipswich High School recently. The U11 team was particularly strong and the U9 team swam really well, with our club swimmers showing their strength.
Clubs have been bulging at the seams again this term. There have been opportunities for children to play mixed hockey, netball, rugby, football, table tennis, badminton and cross country. The athletes have all shown great commitment to extra training and match opportunities. We have been able to reward their tenacity with plenty of fun matches and focused sessions. Many of our children also compete in our major sports at the weekends representing external cubs. If you would like any details for these extra opportunities, please speak to a member of the sports staff.
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Apprenticeships and Innovation at BT Three of our Year 13 students attended the First BT Degree Apprenticeship Day at Adastral Park, where they learned about the many hundreds of degree level apprentices the company employs each year. They heard about the skills and grades required to work for our oldest and most innovative telecommunications firm. Max Barnard, Rolan Yamakado and Max Richmond were stunned by the various superb technical demonstrations on show. Our students got the chance to sit at the desk from which BT Sport is often presented. A great insight into a forward thinking company for our Upper Sixth!
News from the Senior School
Senior Choir Wins Suffolk Title For the second year running, College Choir has won the senior choir class at the Suffolk Festival of Performing Arts, scoring a very high Distinction mark of 88. The adjudicator, extremely fulsome in her praise, wrote 'A very poised opening with really effective use of the first phrase. Such a lovely sound and commitment to the lyrics! Good balance and great sense of singing as one voice. This was such a musical performance. You captured the style beautifully with good dynamic contrasts. A superb choir – well done!’
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Mr Layton, Director of Music, said he was very proud of all the students and grateful for all their hard work and enthusiasm. The Prep School choirs (Young Voices and St Jo’s Voices) also gave excellent performances. Another musical highlight of the term was the Autumn Concert, when students of all ages played and sang, both as soloists and in ensembles. A huge thank you, too, to our generous audience; more than £240 was raised for Children in Need.
Mathematician Sets the Bar Sky High
Varied and Inspirational Speakers
Reagan Hao, who has just joined the Upper Sixth, continues his incredible Mathematics journey with an A* in Maths A-level – a year early.
We were delighted to welcome Brigadier David Neal, in overall charge of the Military Police, as our Birkfield Speaker. His parting advice to students was learn to touch type, buy some good quality clothing (especially shoes), learn a language, keep fit and never think they were “too cool for school".
He previously secured the very rare A* Maths GCSE hat trick: A* Mathematics (Methods), A* in Mathematics (Applications) and an A* in Further Mathematics (Level 2 certificate). He also gained Gold in the UK Mathematics Challenge. No pressure then for a fifth A* in the A-level Further Maths he’s studying this year. Reagan, a Senior Prefect and a keen Rugby player, is in his third year at St Joseph’s College and is also studying for A-levels in Physics and Chemistry.
Oliver Lilburn OB explained to students how his resilience and positive outlook to life had helped him bounce back from a serious stroke in 2011 at St Joseph’s and how he had since taught himself to walk and talk again... before going on to achieve a degree in Marketing and a good job in the City. He amused his audience by sharing Rocky's advice to his young son: “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it…" But Oli didn't let it; he's a bit of Stallone and delivered a truly inspirational lunchtime lecture! Marty and Tracy Ward, whose two sons attended the College, sought support from students for their project to renovate the courts of Roundwood Tennis Club, which back on to our grounds… but they were after votes not money. The Wards are hoping to use recycled plastic for the renovation and this might well be the first time the material has been used for tennis. Our students offered to support this good local cause in any way possible. Mr Richard Caseley OB (84-91), who went on to take a First In Civil Engineering from Sheffield University and an MBA from Cranfield, extolled the virtues and flexibility of a career in engineering. Now a management consultant, he advised students to do something they enjoyed and not to be afraid of changing careers a few times in their working lives.
Peace Poster Wins Plaudits Lions International Peace Poster winner, Xavier Baker-Woods (Y8) is going through to the regional finals for his stunning work on child soldiers. Nice work Xavi!
OB Nicholas Wildman came in to speak to a group of Sixth Form Business Students and entertained them whilst teaching them about the power of excellent customer service within the hospitality industry. General Manager at The George in Colchester, Mr Wildman said the St Joseph's environment and the guidance he received here made him the person he is today.
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Taking Care of Business in Fine Style From an original entry of 500 schools and colleges across the country, the St Joseph’s College team won the regional heat of business competition BASE 2017, beating tough competition – especially from Suffolk One – to progress to the National Final. There, the winning 43 regional teams were split into eight syndicates. Each team was given the same business case study to review and asked to recommend and justify an appropriate strategy. Teams were judged on how they worked collectively, how roles were allocated and then finally on a five minute presentation to a panel of well-established professionals, including managers from Rolls-Royce and Deloitte. The SJC team finished top in its syndicate of five, so overall finishing
First Steps in First Aid As part of the Year 7 PSHEE programme students were given First Aid training with our Matron, Sister Debenham, and Mrs Turner. Students learned basic life-saving skills such as CPR. This was followed up in their PSHEE lessons, where students did further training in order to gain their First Aid certificate.
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joint third with a highly commended award from the judges. They also won an insight session with Ernst & Young, one of the big four accountancy firms in the UK. Five of the team members were U6 students: Edison Marshall and Chowa Chanda went on to achieve A* grades in Business Studies at A-level. The team captain, Alex Wykes, gained outstanding A* grades in all bar one of his subjects, and there were also very strong performances by Benjamin Chalmers and David Codjoe. Sixth member of the winning squad was Zoe Asbury, now in the Upper Sixth. The team was supported by Mr Edwards and Mr Kemsley.
Model Homework Handed In
Ali Flies Out To Help Benin Christian Support
Year 8 students found the half term task of designing a game incorporating magnets very attractive and devised some excellent examples!
Over the half term holidays I took part in a support programme in Benin, a country on the West Coast of Africa.
Mr Crack was particularly impressed with the work of Reese Hayman, Ethan Willetts and Memo Topal as their designs used electromagnets, which is part of the course the class had not yet studied in any detail. ‘Reese’s work on the hydraulics for his pick-up game (with cranes) was especially impressive; he also made the surprisingly powerful electromagnets, used to pick up small bolts,’ he said. ‘Ethan and Memo showed great ingenuity in using magnets for their Labyrinth game, the design of the tilting mechanism, which tilts in two separate axes showed great design skills and attention to detail. Their prototype is already a fully working game.’ Bravo Year 8 on producing excellent Spanish holiday homework on the Day of the Dead. Ms Strong said 'I was so impressed by their research and also the time and effort they must have put in to make their work so eye-catching as well... all work handed in was of the standard to be displayed.'
During my time there I helped out in an orphanage where we undertook many different activities, including taking the children to the beach, teaching them the game of rugby, playing football and teaching them to swim, as well as many more. This was an eye-opening experience as I created many new friendships and saw at first hand some of the troubles that these children go through. In addition to the orphanage we also helped out in the local hospital. I gained hands on experience of medical care. What I saw there can hardly be put into words but some of the injuries and diseases I encountered were horrific. Lastly, we supported as many families as we could, giving them food, shelter and whatever they needed. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and would be very appreciative of any further support that anybody can offer towards this charity and the great work that the BCS team do. Ali Clack (Y)
Democratic Process Played Out Democracy was seen in action when Year 11 helped Mrs Willis to count ballot forms to submit to the Youth Parliament. Operations were overseen by Luke Barrett (Y11) – who is a member of the Youth Parliament for Suffolk Coastal.
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Senior School Sport Rugby The 1st XV have proven difficult to beat and many of the players have benefitted from the experiences of the summer tour to South Africa. Excellent performances in the pre-season tournament in Macclesfield have continued and the majority of results being wins in our friendly fixtures. They progressed through to the third of the U18 Schools’ Cup with excellent victories against Framlingham and Norwich School, before falling just short against Northampton School for Boys. We are competing in the British Colleges League for the first time, winning our first fixture against Henley College. The 2nd XV won all but one of their fixtures, highlighting the strength in depth of senior rugby. The U16 squad, despite mixed success, have put in several strong performances with close score lines in most matches.
Extra-curricular summary The U16 girls’ football team has won all its matches so far and has reached the third round of the Suffolk Cup. Well done to Eloise Ward on her selection as captain of the Suffolk U14 girls. Also well done to the cross country team. Several of our outstanding runners have been selected for the County finals. Special mentions to Scarlett Deasy, Imogen Bowyer and Conner Holdcroft, all in the top 15. The U13 squash team won their first round of the National Cup against Benenden School. And, finally, congratulations to Natalie Mashonganyika, Jessica Logan, Emma Logan, Olivia James and Caitlyn Wright who have been selected for County netball squads.
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The consistent U15 rugby squad have won the majority of their weekend fixtures and, after beating RHS and New Hall School, have progressed to the fourth round of the U15 Schools’ Cup. Their training in Biarritz during half term seems to have enhanced both individual skills and team morale. The U14 and U13 squads have had tough seasons so far but have shown excellent resilience and a desire to improve while representing the College. The U12 squad have had an outstanding season to date. They are unbeaten in their friendly fixtures and were unfortunate to lose by only one try in the final of the Finborough Tournament.
Suffolk School Games competitions We have teams representing the College in the following – Table tennis: Successes in U13 and U16 age groups. Our U13A, U13B and U16A teams qualified from the Ipswich and South Suffolk competition and the U13A and U16A teams were crowned Suffolk champions. They progress to the Zone final at Grantham in January. Badminton: The U16 team has qualified for the county final and we look forward to seeing if the U14 team can follow in their footsteps. Football: The U16 squad is through to the third round of the Suffolk County Cup after a bye and win against Stowmarket High. Volleyball: Supported by Miss Jesenaiova, we were able to enter U15 and U17 teams for the first time in the competition. It was a great opportunity for students to try the sport and a fantastic experience. Golf: There has been a good uptake to the golf on offer during senior games and Mr Edwards took a team over to compete in the HMS competition at Woburn. We didn’t win, but a great time was had on a lovely course. Cricket: Preparation for next season is well underway. Players from various age groups have been involved in one-to-one sessions and indoor practices, including ‘strength and conditioning’ programmes. Our girls have been competing in Netball, Hockey, Football, Volleyball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Squash and Swimming. The U19 Netball team have qualified in second place in the County tournament and will play in the regional finals in January. They are also competing in the British Colleges Netball League where they are currently in third position.
Girls’ Hockey Competing in the county tournament, the 1st XI played against some very strong teams, especially Framingham College. They finished fourth. The girls have had a strong season with a fantastic win against RHS. Well done to Dena Glading and Mai Easton on their selection into Suffolk hockey. The U15 team have had a hard season. The girls have worked tirelessly throughout and had some great link up play, and their work rate cannot be faulted. There have been some great team performances by the U14s, with the girls winning three of their four matches. Highlight of the season was the match against RHS, which was an end-to-end game with our girls coming out on top. Well done to Eloise Ward on her selection into the Suffolk hockey team. The U13 A and B teams have been very successful, winning the majority of their matches. They have played in two tournaments and also had the experience of playing their first full pitch game, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Well done to Jessica Logan, Rosie Dane, Caitlyn Wright for their County selection. The U12 A and B teams have been busy, with the U12A wining two, drawing 2 and losing 1. A particular highlight was the draw against Ipswich High, which was an end-to-end game, featuring some excellent saves from Georgia Campbell Dunne. The girls have demonstrated some excellent hockey this season and put what they have learnt in lessons into practice.
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PTA Round Up Shout Out For Support The PTA has had a great term organizing a range of both new and well-loved events for the whole College community. Our inaugural Harvest Moon Barn Dance was a great opportunity to welcome a number of new families to St Joseph’s College and the Late Summer Fete was greatly enjoyed by our Prep School children. Christmas activities are also well under way. These events are just a few of the Christmas term’s fun-filled, family-friendly fundraisers, helping to retain the College’s warm ethos while raising extra money for equipment and resources to enhance the learning experiences of students across St Joseph’s College and we need your support to make them happen.
Annual General Meeting – Tuesday 16 January 2017 The PTA AGM is set for 3pm on Tuesday 16 January 2018 and new committee members are urgently required to enable the PTA to continue. Together, we provide a series of engaging and social events while raising funds for a range of fantastic equipment and activities to enrich our students’ academic lives. Now, your support is especially vital. This is because, in recent times, the PTA has lacked adequate parental support to manage its traditional range of events. These events play a vital role in maintaining the St Joseph’s College family-feel, enabling parents to
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engage with other parents, staff and students for a common end. Without adequate numbers of volunteers, the PTA will no longer be viable. If you, or a member of your extended family, would be interested in volunteering as part of a group to manage, organise and run these events, which all prove extremely popular with the children, please contact Dr Hine via the College reception, or email PTA@stjos.co.uk to discuss this further.
Dates for the Diary... School production, School of Rock, Dance East 31 – 2 February ......................................................................................... Bread, sourDough and yeast workshop 27 January ......................................................................................... Men in the kitchen/beginners 24 February ......................................................................................... Prep School Music Competition 8 March, 2:00pm ......................................................................................... Rugby Festival Sponsor and Friends Evening 14 March, 6:30pm ......................................................................................... Art Scholars Exhibition All day 16 March
Spring Concert 21 March, 6:00pm ......................................................................................... Fashion Reboot 23 March, 6:30pm ......................................................................................... Moroccan workshop 24 March ......................................................................................... Modern British Gastro 28 April ......................................................................................... Summer Spanish Tapas 19 May ......................................................................................... St Joseph’s College Summer ball, Cookhouse 30th June
Old Birkfeldians Before I introduce myself, I would like to wish Jo Davey our former Old Birkfeldian Alumni all the best. She made an amazing start to relaunch the OB’s community and is very much missed here at the college. Jo is currently working at a local school teaching Drama. I am the events and alumni coordinator here at the college, my role varies from organising Summer Balls to our prestigious annual Rugby Festival. I have three children at the college, one in the senior school and two in the prep school. We, as a family love being part of the community at St Joseph’s College. Thank you to those of you who took part in the OB’s hockey and rugby match on the friday evening of the rugby festival, It was really well supported and great atmosphere. This year the over 23’s took the cup winning 17-15. The wood stone pizza oven seemed to go down well also. Meeting many of you at this year’s Rugby Festival was lovely and I hope to get a chance to meet more of you at some point in the near future to find out about how you are getting on since your time at the College. St Joseph’s is and always has been a community, which all our alumni make possible through your constant support and buzzing involvement with the College. Many of our events held here at the college are a great way to catch up with old pals that you may not get to see that regularly. The College aims to develop and strengthen the Old Birkfelidian community, building on current ties with alumni. Our Birkfield Society has benefitted through a fabulous entourage of Old Birkfeldians returning to the College to deliver talks on their life post-St Joseph’s and their time at the College. If you know of anyone who came to St Jo’s then please encourage them to registar at OB@stjos.co.uk, we would love to hear from them. Lucy Bolton Events and Alumni Coordinator
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Boarding News Boarders’ Mental and Physical Well-being Nurtured The academic year has started with a real buzz as we welcomed many new boarders into our community from across the globe. Our first trip of the year was to Cambridge, with a punting tour along the Backs. This was an excellent opportunity not only to embrace English culture but to build new friendships. We had an excellent day and left the city inspired by the historic university buildings. This term we have recruited the very experienced Mrs Rothwell to join our support team as an EAL tutor. She comes into school two afternoons a week and some Saturdays and holidays to undertake small group work or one-to-one sessions to support English language learners with their core skills, subject specific work or examination preparation. Results have been immediate and very positive and it is
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an exciting new arm to the support that boarders receive with their academics. Well-being is an important topic and here at St Joseph’s students and staff are encouraged to address all areas of their lives in order to ensure the best possible outcomes. Alongside assemblies in school on mental well-being we have been encouraging students to build positive relationships and live a healthy lifestyle. In September the boarders headed off to Go Ape for an outstanding afternoon of adventurous activity and team building. We were very proud of how individuals within the group really challenged themselves to step outside their comfort zone. The support of peers was fundamental in them achieving this.
The College Basketball Team has gone from strength to strength and is currently unbeaten. Led by Joel Sou as the captain, we have successfully played and beaten RHS, Stowmarket High School and Northgate High School. The weekly training sessions have been fruitful and the team is excited about the upcoming Suffolk Tournament in February. Should any day student be interested in training with the team, training sessions are held on a Thursday between 7-9pm in the Sports Hall, led by a professional coach. Both The Mews and Goldrood boarding houses have their own identities and are led in a warm and structured manner by Mrs Crowe and Mrs Smith. However, one thing both houses have in common is their love for Christmas! Mrs Smith has decked the halls with tinsel and lights to give it a fun feel and the students had immense fun decorating the Christmas tree – some doing this for the first time. Mrs Crowe has shown the students how to make their own snowflakes and Goldrood has a classic white Christmas look that cannot help but put a smile on your face as you return from school. We kicked off the Christmas theme with a trip to the Wolsey Theatre – all 117 of us – to watch this year’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto, Red Riding Hood. There was dancing in the aisles, singing from our seats and laughter all around, particularly at Dame Millicent Merry. Our festive period ended with a Boarding Christmas party where the big red man, Father Christmas, made an appearance to deliver our Secret Santa presents in person. All in all we have had a very successful term and we are all looking forward to a well-earned rest and then welcoming back everyone within our community, along with some new joiners, to start 2018 as we mean to go on, being respectful, confident and aspiring to be our best.
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Online Safety
Online games can be great fun for children, but there are several risks involved, which you can reduce with the correct approach. A survey* commissioned by Get Safe Online revealed the following statistics: • 51% worry about their kids’ safety • 37% feel they have no control over their kids’ online gaming • 24% are unaware of the security risks to their kids from online gaming • 25% know their kids have disclosed personal information while online gaming • 34% say their kids have spoken to someone they don’t know while online gaming • 16% say their child has been bullied or verbally abused The risks The risks arise largely from the vast number of people both in the UK and abroad who are also playing, the minimal restrictions involved and the fact that they are not face-to-face. Because of this, your child cannot be sure who they are playing against and chatting to … or what their motives are. Sadly, being taken advantage of by strangers with sexual, abusive, fraudulent or other criminal motives is becoming more commonplace. The risks are increased as more and more games are being played on mobile devices rather than the 'family computer', giving you less opportunity to check up on what your children are doing online. Other risks include: • Your child playing games with an inappropriate age rating. • Your child running up bills on your credit card – if they have access to it. • Spending hours at a time on online games to the exclusion of exercise, socialising and schoolwork.
Keep your child's online gaming safe • Have open and honest conversations with your children about their online gaming and the risks involved • Educate your children about the dangers of revealing private information such as their email address, home address, family members or financial details. • Explain that not everybody is who they seem or claim to be, and their motives may be dishonourable. • Tell your children not to respond to bullying or other abuse, and to report it to you straight away. • Join your children in online gaming from time to time and randomly. This will give you an idea of the games they’re playing and who they connect with. • Set and monitor limits for the amount of daily or weekly time your children spend online gaming. • Check age ratings of games to ensure your children aren’t accessing inappropriate content. It’s 18 for a reason! • Never give your child your payment card details as extras can be very costly. For answers to typical questions parents and players have about video game age ratings and advice on how to play games responsibly, visit askaboutgames.com A parent's guide to keeping children safe when playing games online: www.everybodyplays.co.uk/parents-guide-to-games *OnePoll survey conducted for Get Safe Online over seven days in June 2015, interviewing 2,000 parents of 5–18 year-olds