NOTES FROM Stonyhurst
From the HeadMaster
Dear Stonyhurst Families
It was a wonderful weekend to welcome so many visitors to Stonyhurst The sun shone and signs of spring are everywhere. We are delighted that the pupils can get out and enjoy the campus with many choosing walks, rounds of golf, going for a run or just going out to visit the swans as a way to unwind after a busy week of work.
GCSE, A level and IB mocks have now concluded and so pupils will be receiving feedback in these weeks about what has gone well and what they next need to work on. Our Syntaxians have gone, as per the tradition, from their green tweed blazers to their blue and black blazers as a signifier of the first steps of their journey into Higher Line In the coming weeks they will have Higher Line interviews and will be focusing on option choices ahead of their Parents' Conference on 1 March. Poetry is also shifting up a gear as our focus for Higher Line at the moment is academic excellence, focusing particularly on their use of study time and creating an atmosphere of mutual support and collaboration as they head into their final year. Rhetoric is setting an excellent tone for the school. They are excellent role models and we could not be prouder of them. We cannot wait to celebrate this remarkable playroom, and indeed all the playrooms, at Great Academies. Please do ensure you book early for this via the ticket link when it comes out. In the meantime, save the dates 22nd, 23rd and 24th May
We were delighted with the Provincial Visitation of Fr Peter SJ on Thursday. He spoke to the whole school in Mass on Thursday about the importance and significance of the Silence Gallery as a means of reflection, humility and silence in our otherwise busy lives. This could not have been timed better for our focus on making space and time for spirituality, academia, reflection and personal growth in our lives.
We wish you a wonderful week,
With best wishes
Provincial Visitation
We were delighted to welcome the Provincial of Jesuits in Britain, Fr Peter Gallagher, to Stonyhurst on Thursday.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us via livestream for Mass. If you did not have the opportunity to do so, you can rewatch it through the link here
El Colegio Seminario from Uruguay
For the past two weeks, we have had the pleasure of hosting pupils from Colegio Seminario in Uruguay.
Over 28 incredible pupils travelled all the way from Uruguay to join us, creating unforgettable memories as they bonded with our pupils, joined lessons, and explored on exciting trips.
True to our Jesuit values, they embraced every moment, even leading a beautiful Mass in Spanish for our entire Stonyhurst community.
Until next time - Hasta siempre
Several of our Rhetoric UCAS applicants have received offers from the following extremely competitive Russell Group universities including:
University of Birmingham
University of Edinburgh
University of Leeds
University of Oxford
University of Bristol
University of Exeter
University of Manchester
UCL
University of Cambridge
Imperial College London
Newcastle University
University of Warwick
Durham University
Kings College London
The University of Nottingham
University of York
Many of our international Rhetoricians either have applied or are in the process of applying to competitive courses in the Netherlands (Maastricht, Delft, University of Amsterdam), Italy (Bocconi, Cattolica, and Luiss), Spain (IE, ICADE, and CUNEF) and Switzerland (St Gallen) and several who applied before Christmas have already received offers
Careers
Our aspiring degree apprentices have been attending interviews and assessment days with degree apprenticeship providers including BAE, Rolls Royce, Coca-Cola, GE Aviation, and Airbus.
Poets are attending individual meetings with a member of the Careers Dept this term LawSoc (Law degree applicants), Medsoc (medicine, dentistry, and veterinary applicants), and Oxbridge meetings for Poets are ongoing The Careers department has been helping Poets secure work experience in a variety of career areas including dentistry, marketing, and finance through our OS and parent network Many thanks for their continued support. The week before half term, Syntaxians will meet with a member of higher line staff to discuss their potential HL subject choices. This meeting combined with mock and Unifrog interest test results, taster lessons, and chats to teachers and older pupils will help them make an informed decision.
Lower grammarians have been attending a series of Unifrog Careers workshops with their tutors during PSHE to help them make an informed choice about their GCSE subjects
Lancashire Schools Table Tennis
We celebrated some brilliant success in the Lancashire Schools Table Tennis Tournament.
Year 7 (Figures) pupil, Prosper, won the U13 Girls tournament and will represent Lancashire at the Nationals in April.
A special mention to Luke who made the U16 Boys semi-finals, as well as Brian & Chelsea who were our U13 Boys & Girls runners-ups!
Well done to all - youve made Stonyhurst proud!
The Stonyhurst College Revision Camp offers our Poetry, Syntax and Rhetoric pupils the opportunity to revise in a quiet, supervised, and tech-free environment. Self-study sessions will take place in the college library, with a member of staff for support.
GCSE, A-Level, or IB exams.
When: Week 1 - 31st March - 4th April
Week 2 - 7th April - 11th April
Time: 9am - 4pm, daily
Cost: £50 per day or £200 per week/£300 for 2 weeks
Optional Extra - GCSE Maths Tuition available 7th - 11th April ONLY. 2 hours each morning.
Price £100 for 10 hours tuition
Limited places for each year group – a firstcome, first-served policy is operated.
Reserve your place today to make the most of this structured revision opportunity
The biggest event of the Stonyhurst calendar is soon upon us. With the addition of Aloysius House this academic year, the programme for the weekend is busier than ever.
The event will start on the evening of Thursday 22nd May from 6pm with events for Rhetoric pupils and families, and a Concert for Figures, Rudiments, and Lower Grammar.
On Friday there will be a Mass at 9:30am for Aloysius House and Lower Grammar families, followed by prizegiving at 11am. At 12pm the Headmaster will address all Stonyhurst families before the CCF parade which will be followed by Sports Day from 2pm. The day will end with a concert which will commence at 8pm. There will be many events throughout the day that you and your families will be able to participate in from exhibitions to drinks receptions and performances
On the Saturday the Rhetoric Leavers;’ Mass will start from 9:30am followed by a Prizegiving Ceremony for Grammar, Syntax, Poetry and Rhetoric pupils
Half term will begin after the prizegiving ceremony at 1pm on Saturday 24th May. After which the Rhetoric Ball will take place at 7pm
Aloysius House and Lower Grammar families need not attend on Saturday but are welcome if they have older siblings.
A more detailed programme will be sent out shortly.
Recognition and Awards
Aloysius House Awards
Caine, Sebastian, Tony and Raife - For their Interline Cricket heroics
Carlota, Minnah, Rose, Bethany, Oliver, and Zach - For their wonderful stories describing the journey to the centre of the Earth.
Toby - For being very thoughtful and organising a series of games for the other boarders to play on a no tech evening at SMH Boarding.
Tara, Ryan, and Alejandro - For their excellent work on Niagara Falls.
Finn - For his outstanding performance in Drama
Lower Line Recognition
Alex - For always displaying good manners and showing an improved approach to routine in boarding.
Zachary - For performing Kulisewiecz's "Choral z piekla dna" in assembly on Holocaust Memorial Day
Andres, Allyson, Victoria, William, Elizabeth, Alfie, Caspar, Harriet, Jemima, Michaela, Alfie, Joe, Bergamo, Luke, Koki, Lucas, Trina, Martha, Thomas, Pablo, Tymur, Indie, Nathan, Emeka, Jessica, Dumebi, Moin, Ava, George, Orlaith, Imogen, Ben, Lucy, Luca, Laurie, Leo, Oscar, and Nicole - For their exemplary behaviour.
Higher Line Recognition
Harry - For a fantastic essay with academic referencing submitted to the IEA for the monetary policy essay competition.
Harry, Harriet, Clare, and Mairead - For reading in the Provincial Mass.
Daisy, Jacob, and Hima - For their fantastic effort in English Mocks
Elliot - For performing Kulisewiecz's "Choral z piekla dna" in assembly on Holocaust Memorial Day.
