Newsletter October 2018

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Newsletter

Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College

October 2018

Dear Parents and friends of our college, welcome to our first newsletter of the new academic year. As always it has been an action packed half term. It never ceases to amaze me how much we pack into a day on top of the routine 5 lessons. Already this term there have been trips to Rome and Lille as well as ones much closer to home. These have included a computing/gaming expo, creative writing trips and History visits to the Worcester Cathedral. Please check our Twitter and Facebook feeds to get a flavour of how much goes on here at Blessed Edward’s.

The campaign for fairer funding of schools in Worcestershire will continue after half term. On the 28th September I joined several thousand other headteachers in London to deliver a petition to the Education Secretary Damian Hinds . This work is non political and is crucial to securing parity in funding for Worcestershire. I am also meeting our local MP Robin Walker on the 4th November to discuss funding issues. Thank you to the parents who responded to my letter on this matter last term.

Can I also bring to your attention recent discussions I have been having with local residents and police about parking on Timberdine Avenue. If you are picking up or dropping off students please avoid parking in front of resident’s driveways or on the yellow zig zig markings directly outside the school gates.

Community police officers will continue to monitor traffic on Timberdine Avenue to primarily ensure that students are safe.

In conclusion I hope that you and your family have an enjoyable half term. There are many things to look forward to on our return, one of which will be our preparation for Advent. As always please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about any aspect of college life.

Greg McClarey - Headteacher Safeguarding The college website has been updated. The safeguarding information can be found by clicking on the Students or Parents tab then down to Safeguarding, there is an option to see our safeguarding contacts, policy or websites that might be useful to you. There is a lot of information on there that can be helpful.

I wanted to remind you of our Key Safeguarding Contacts: Miss Mason - Designated Safeguard Lead & LAC Lead Mr McClarey - Deputy Safeguard Lead Mrs Thomas - Deputy Safeguard Lead Mrs Ennis - Deputy Safeguard Lead Mrs Girling - Governor with Safeguarding Responsibility Mr Carney - Chair of Governors Mr McClarey and Mrs Mason - Prevent Single Point of Contact.

Screen time advice for parents : Click here for a larger version of the image on the right Parental controls on devices: https:// www.nspcc.org.uk/ preventing-abuse/ keeping-children-safe/ online-safety/parentalcontrols/ Miss Mason - DSL and LAC Lead

On the 27th September I attended this year’s Open Evening and it was standing room only in the hall! As I walked around the school it became clear why! The children, teachers and support staff working together gave a glimpse of the hive of activity that is Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College.

The diverse and inclusive approach we have for children, their parents and the subjects that we teach, truly make our college stand out among other schools in Worcester.

The talents of both children and teachers were demonstrated in the various groups on show around school. Well done to them all, and a big thank you to all the staff that support these children and give them the confidence to perform, discuss and speak in groups with such confidence and sincerity.

As you will read in the rest of the newsletter there are some great sporting achievements and examples of extracurricular activities. These are further examples of how diverse and inclusive our college is, encouraging our students to achieve their full potential.

On behalf of the Governing body may I thank all the parents of the college for their support in all activities and events. This partnership between parents and school is so important in ensuring the success of our children.

Philip Carney - Chair of Governors Key Dates 5th November – Students Return 5th November – Book of Remembrance Placed in the Chapel 11th November – Remembrance Sunday 12th November – Anti- Bullying Week 14th November – Year 7 Parents’ Evening 16th November – Year 11 Mocks Begin 3rd December – Advent Liturgies Begin 4th December – Year 9 Parents’ Evening 14th December – Advent Reconciliation Services 17th December – Birthday of the Holy Father, Pope Francis 20th December – Carol Service 7pm 21st December – Students Finish for Christmas

Youth SVP present a cheque for £1,000 to the charity, ‘Reaching the Unreached’.

Last month the Youth St Vincent de Paul team took part in a sponsored walk to raise money for Reaching the Unreached which is a charity that helps the poorest of the poor in Southern India. We walked seven miles along the Malvern Hills giving up our Saturday in order to accomplish this task. The walk was long and hard but not one of us complained because we knew that by taking part in this walk we were helping to improve the lives of those who are less privileged than ourselves. We all enjoyed the walk and also collected sponsor money along the way from other generous walkers. Well done to all the students who took part in the walk.

From the sponsor money, we managed to raise £1,000 which will make a big difference to some people’s lives by giving them a sustainable house or building a school for the young people. We are very fortunate in this country that most of us have both those things which we take for granted.

On Monday 16th July 2018, we received a visit from Mrs Marie Yates and Mrs Kath Cosslett, who are part of the SVP team. Kath Coslett was one of the senior SVP members who turned up to the Malvern Walk to give refreshments to us.

Mr John Harwood, Charity Representative from Reaching the Unreached also gave up his time to receive the cheque. John Harwood has been raising money for this charity for many years and he does this mainly by writing the most challenging and engaging quizzes for parishioners in Our Lady Queen of Peace. We thoroughly enjoyed his visit and now have much more knowledge about Reaching the Unreached.

By Ella and Lara – Youth SVP members and Form 9Clitherow Welcome Back Masses All students in Years 8-11 have celebrated Welcome Masses with Fr. Brian and Fr. Stephen at the start of the College year. The services were joyful and uplifting with the Gospel message centred on the theme of serving others.

The choir, ably led by Mrs K. Thomas, Mr. Bryant and Mrs S. Thomas enriched the services with some beautiful hymns and outstanding solo sections sung by our students.

We continue to be very grateful for the wonderful and dedicated liturgical contribution from all of our Chaplains and look forward to their continued spiritual guidance and direction once again this year.

Year 7 had their Welcome Mass at the end of October with Fr. Andrew once they had time to settle in to the college.

Masses are celebrated every Friday lunch time in the chapel with all members of our community welcome to attend.

Mr. McCormack - Deputy Headteacher

EGX Trip – Thursday 20th September Students from Years 9 and 11 went to the NEC to meet games developers and explore the opportunities in the gaming industry. They also got to have some fun and play the latest games. Mr Edmunds, Mrs Jones and myself were of course keen on playing the retro games.

Mr Nicholls - Head of ICT

Poetry Slam Emilia , Year 9, took part in a Poetry Slam at the Lake Fest, Eastnor Castle in August. She entered the adult category, where each of the 12 participants performed their poems on stage. Emilia was the youngest in the competition and was awarded first prize for her poem "Blue". Well done Emilia!

Mrs Bromyard - Librarian Blue He is blue It’s the colour of his tie at work The colour of his messy scrawl That adorns his note books Words filling up the pages As they tell the stories He never has the guts to say out loud It’s the colour of his lips after a long walk Breath white against the air His glasses are blue too Light reflects off them As he reads early in the morning A mug of steaming tea by side

His eyes are blue A light blue that makes the girls blush But his blue eyes never notice (Blue is the colour of his obliviousness) It’s the colour of the sea calling to him The aqua of the pool As he slips in after a long day.

But blue is also the colour of his expression when she speaks The colour of his words As he gathers his things and leaves It’s the colour of the pill he takes before he sleeps The colour of his dreams As he lays in bed Wishing for better days It’s the colour of his tears as he sits outside on the balcony The colour of the storm inside his eyes It’s the colour of his jacket As he rushes past the door late into the night The colour of the steps as he walks down unfamiliar streets Wishing to get lost He is blue The blue is him

by Emilia Year 9

Chaplaincy Commissioning Mass On Thursday 20th September fourteen students along with Mr. McCormack and Mr. James attended the annual Chaplaincy Commissioning Mass at St. Chad’s Cathedral Birmingham.

As part of his address Bishop David publicly acknowledged the liturgical life of the schools within the Archdiocese of Birmingham and thanked all those who contribute to it.

Our own students acted as wonderful ambassadors for our college and we were all happy for the opportunity to praise the excellent work of our own chaplaincy team here at Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College.

Mr McCormack - Deputy Headteacher.

VACANCY Examination Invigilators (Reader/Scribe) Examination Invigilators (Readers/Scribes) are required to join our current team. Duties include supporting students during exams, and assisting the Exam Officer with ensuring the smooth running of internal and external examinations. Experience is not essential as training will be provided.

Variable hours of work during examination periods throughout the year.

For more information, please contact Emma Duell, Exams Officer Email: eduell@blessededward.co.uk 01905 361 869 Many thanks.

Mrs Duell

Book Launch Students from our College were delighted to share a special day with our Patron of Reading, Kevin Brooke, as he launched his latest book "Max and Luchia" at the Hive, Worcester on 23rd September. The students read a short piece either from their favourite books or something they had written themselves. They all read exceptionally well, in front of a large audience. Kevin was full of praise for everyone of them. Many parents stayed to celebrate the book launch too, which included homemade cakes! Kevin generously gave all the participants a signed copy of his book.

The readers were Ellie Lauren Scarlett Emilia Jake Mrs Bromyard - Librarian Photos by Jodie Stilgoe Year 7 Worcester Heritage Walk As part of the transition curriculum in Year 7 we explore the basic historical skills that are needed to study History effectively, specifically the study of Chronology and Historical Enquiry. Year 7 History students were given the opportunity to discover the sights of Worcester in their annual Heritage Walk. By looking at a variety of different buildings and sites in Worcester the students were able to put together a picture of how Worcester might have looked during different historical periods.

We walked down Friar Street and saw how medieval buildings were constructed and how the size of the buildings might reflect the status of the Humanities Trips owners. The Berkley Hospital and Huntingdon Hall gave us an Year 7 - Worcester Heritage Walks (see understanding of how the poor were cared for at a time before there were main article) benefits or an NHS. Looking at the Guildhall and King Charles House we Year 7 - All Year 7 students have were able to develop a clear picture of the relationship between different participated in a Land Use Walk to the monarchs and Worcester’s part in the English Civil war. river where they have found out how Mr S Jessop - Head of Humanities things have changed over time and why different sites are used in different ways.

Year 8 - 100 students attended a Tudor Experience day at the Cathedral where they found out more about life for everyday people in Tudor times.

Year 9 - 120 students visited the Bristol Slavery Museum & Zoo as part of their study of the Atlantic Slave Trade in History and Rainforests in Geography.

Year 10 - 20 History students were give the opportunity to visit the Fields of Battle: Land of Peace Exhibition in Cathedral Place as part of the Year 10 History study of the First World War. They attended a talk by the photographer, Mike Sheil who spent 10 years with this exhibition that has toured during the 5 year centenary period.

Science Models There is a verse in Mathew 5:16 that states ‘In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’.

This verse certainly resonates when we look in Science at the positive attitude and dedication that our new Year 7’s have shown in recent weeks. They have been studying the topics of both ‘’Cells’’ and ‘Particles and Atoms’’.

For each of these topics they were asked to produce a model as one of their homeworks. As you can see from the selection shown in the photographs they were certainly impressive. By putting them on display and letting you see them in this newsletter the pupils are ‘letting you see their good works’. There is a diversity of approach and media reflecting the individuality of the pupils, something that a homework like this allows to shine through. We are truly grateful for their time and effort.

Mrs Deane - Science Teacher

French Exchange Just weeks after welcoming our exchange partners in September, pupils on the French exchange had a wonderful opportunity to go back to Lille to experience life in French families, to visit our partner school, to kiss new friends on the cheek and say Bonjour"! We spent time in the school and visited the ancient cities of Lille and Arras. Many parents and pupils on our side of the exchange told me they'd had an enriching time, and our French hosts said they were delighted by their visitors. Some hope to meet up again with their exchange partners!

Mr Xia - MFL Teacher

International Mathematical Olympiad Well done to Jennifer, Caitlin, Amelia and Aleksandra for completing the Maths Olympiad, we are eagerly awaiting your scores!

100% Attendance Awards

Well done to the 100% attendance winners Natalie Year 8, Nathan Year 11, Alex Year 10 and Ella Year 9. They won either a kindle or an amazon voucher for their fantastic attendance for last year.

---Mr McClarey also had hot chocolate and cookies with the other attendance draw winners at breaktime on 19th October. Well done to Elvin, Lana and Aneesha (picture below)

Mole Day The 23rd October is an auspicious date in the Chemistry Calendar as it is International Mole Day. A mole in Chemistry is defined as the mass of a substance containing the same number of fundamental units as there are atoms in exactly 12.000g of carbon. The number of fundamental units is referred to as Avogadro’s number which is 6.02 x 1023. You might be able to work out from this number why the 23rd of October is chosen as Mole Day. My Chemistry class celebrated International Mole Day in style. Thanks especially to Felicity, James and Katie who created some wonderful chemistry themed cakes.

Mr McClarey - Headteacher

Year 11 Health and Relationships Day All Year 11 students experienced a fun-filled day of talks, discussions and activities on Wednesday 24th October on the themes of healthy living and relationships.

Young people today and especially those in Year 11 are faced with many pressures and choices that they have to make personally, socially and academically. We aimed to provide our Year 11 students with the opportunity to take a step out of the busy preparation for exams and spend some time focussing on their mental, emotional and physical health and well-being.

Here at Blessed Edward’s we believe that any teaching about love, relationships and health in a Catholic school must be rooted in the Catholic Church’s teachings about what it means to live well in relationships with others and be presented within a positive framework of Christian virtue. All of the sessions explored issues facing young people sensitively and underpinned by our College values.

The different topics explored ranged from fertility awareness and sexual health, to healthy eating, reducing stress and mental health and well-being. Students encountered visiting speakers and fitness professionals and the activities included Yoga, boxing and Clubbercise.

It was a most enjoyable and informative day with a very enthusiastic response by the students and leaders involved.

Mrs S Thomas - Deputy Headteacher

Mind Focus Training

Yoga

Clubbersice

Youth Games Fantastic day with our Catholic feeder Primaries and the Cherry Orchard cluster in the Sports hall Athletics qualifying competition for the Youth Games.

Our winners were St Joseph’s Worcester for both the girls and boys competitions and Cherry Orchard won their cluster competition in both the girls and boys.

The day would not have happened without the help of the fantastic Year 8 girls, they were a great success stepping up as coaches, officials, team managers and cheerleaders! Lots of lovely comments about their attitude, enthusiasm and maturity so a huge well done girls!

Miss Ingram - PE Teacher Swim Relays Squad 2018 Year 7&8 Girls and Boys both won the Medley and Freestyle relays.

Year 9&10 Girls and Boys both came 2nd to Kings in their Medley and Freestyle relays. We are just waiting to hear if they qualify for Nationals in November.

Great start to the season, and some debuts from the Year 7s!

Chloe , Natalija, Bethan, Molly, Jack , Will, Kian, David, Pat, Ronan, Jack, George, Lauren, Ciara, Jas & Meg. Miss Ingram - PE Teacher Year 9 Netball The Year 9 Netball Squad played in the District tournament on Monday 22nd October and demonstrated what determination and resilience truly looks like. They worked hard against RGS and narrowly missed out to Kings leaving them in 3rd place, beating Tudor and Christopher Whiteheads to give them the top state school title. Well done girls and great captaincy duties from Lauren.

Miss Ingram - PE Teacher

District Tournament The Year 11 Netball Squad took part in their last District Tournament on Wednesday 10th October.

There was some really tough competition, but the girls played really well finishing in 4th position.

Mrs Barrett - PE Teacher

Girls Can! Worcester Girls Can and Here Girls Can are localised versions of the national 'This Girl Can' campaign and are designed to get women and girls moving, regardless of shape, size or ability. In March 2018, our school along with other sport and leisure providers, engaged over 400 girls in the campaign over 4 days. As part of the campaign, we case studied an excellent example of the changes that can be made to girls' PE to help increase participation.

The great news is we have been awarded as one of the lead schools for next years campaign 4-10 March 2019, in which we are designing extensive curricular and extra curricular activities. We are trying to squeeze in as many activities in to the week to give our girls the opportunity to have fun and try something new. We are in collaboration with 7 other schools across Worcestershire so watch this space and our social media pages for updates and more information. Exciting !!!

PE Department