Issue 3 : April 2017
Holy Family Catholic School & Sixth Form
Wiseman House Site (Years 9, 10 and 11) Tel. 0208 520 3587 Fax. 0208 520 3594
Inside this Issue:
Walthamstow House Site (Years 7, 8, 12 and 13) Tel. 0208 520 0482 Fax. 0208 520 4658
• Army Science Challenge Workshop • Auschwitz trip • Skiing in Italy • Roman Ruins Found at Holy Family
• Basketball Finals • Waltham Forest Big Clean Up • Aquinas Trust Mass • Haiku Poetry
t @HFCSWaltham | Enquiries - office@holyfamily.waltham.sch.uk | www.holyfamily.waltham.sch.uk 1
Contents 2.
Welcome
9.
Sports Events
3.
Academic & Activites
10. Chaplaincy Corner
4.
Creative Arts
11. Charity Events
4.
School Trips
6.
General & Awards
8.
Special events
Headteacher’s Message Welcome to the Spring Term 2017 edition of Holy Family Magazine. Life in school doesn’t get any less busy, but we like it that way! It’s been an exciting term for us and has seen the beginning of building work on both sites of the school which is really exciting. We’ve had an archaeological dig on the Wiseman site which has revealed elements of history going back through Roman to pre-Roman times, while on the Walthamstow site we’ve had to adjust to the loss of one of our car parks which is the location of our new building. This new accommodation will provide 8 classrooms and a brand-new learning resource centre and promises to be a fantastic addition to the school. Modern construction methods mean that it will be ready for us at the end of August 2017. Our young people are the best advertisement for our school and you will read about the many and varied activities they have been involved in over the past term. We are especially pleased with the performance of our students in competitive sport, with many teams winning competitions and many outstanding individual performers. In addition, you can read about
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some of the trips that have taken students abroad in recent weeks including our bi-annual ski trip, our visit to Euro Disney and our sixth form trip to Auschwitz. For me, one of the highlights of the term was the Aquinas Trust Mass. The Aquinas Trust is a group that includes all the Catholic schools in the Waltham Forest Deanery and we all came together to celebrate Mass on Wednesday 8th March at the parish church of Our Lady and St George’s. It was a wonderful occasion and gave such a strong sense of common purpose and commitment to our shared Catholic faith. We enjoy excellent relationships between all our schools and the sense of shared ethos is truly evident. We hope you enjoy reading our magazine and we wish you all a peaceful and blessed Easter Season. Dr Andy Stone March 2017
Academic & Activities
Army Science Challenge Workshop In February, all of year 8 students were treated to a special Chemistry lesson led by two members of the armed forces.
Two classes at a time were brought into the hall where their knowledge of chemistry was put to the test! The children had to answer difficult questions such as: “How could a knowledge of composite materials help scientists develop a light-weight helmet for treacherous terrain?” In groups, they
were tasked to design a new helmet which could help the troops in their different locations around the world. They also explored ways in which the Army helps soldiers to deliver urgent relief in response to humanitarian crises. Thoroughly enjoyed by all students who took part, it was a chance to consolidate their learning and explore how scientific knowledge is needed in a variety of different Army careers.
You’re Hired! Despite the hard-faced, tough personality that Paul gave on his TV appearances, he was engaging, smiling and ready to get involved.
On Tuesday 6th December, Holy Family students who study business or economics were rewarded for their enthusiasm and effort in lessons with a visit from Paul Sullivan from this year’s Apprentice.
He was asked a plethora of questions ranging from his favourite housemate and how long they had to get ready in the mornings before moving onto more business-centric questions, such as, how he managed to become the only investment banker in London without completing A-levels or a degree. It was a fantastic chance for the students to meet a self-made entrepreneur, especially one who has made it from similar beginnings to themselves. Lots of students felt invigorated, refreshed and willing to start their own businesses.
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Creative Arts
Behind Closed Doors Piolo Castillo, Ethan Edwards, Lauryn JohnWoodburn and Lance Kangethe; devised and performed an original drama, “Behind Closed Doors”, to students, family and friends, and
teachers. The play was devised entirely by the students, as part of their Unit 3 exam. The play explored the complexities of social integration, communication and the heart break endeavour to ‘fit in’ - the frailty of man and how the characters’ past experiences shape whom they are today.
School Trips
The Imperial War Museum On the 8th of December, we took a trip to the Imperial War Museum in Elephant and Castle to visit the First World War exhibit as part of our course. It was interesting to see many things that the public wouldn’t have seen, such as the enemy uniforms, as well as diary entries written by German soldiers and civilians. To feel sympathy for men who would have been attacking our own country’s troops would have been unheard of during war time, but now, in the modern world, it is easier to see, understand, and feel for ‘the enemy’. The Holocaust exhibition, which we also visited, was equally as interesting, as well as extremely moving. The horrors resonated with us. Overall, the trip was really beneficial - thank you to Ms Cowburn and the English Department for giving us this opportunity. Simon Attang - Year 13
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Skiing in the Italian Alps Over half term, we had the opportunity to bring 31 pupils to the Aosta Valley, in the Italian Alps for an awesome skiing experience. With only 3 pupils who had skied previously, it was an opportunity
for 28 pupils to learn a new skill—one which wouldn’t be available in the familiar surroundings of Walthamstow. All of the students were thrilled to start skiing and at the end of the day were wondering why they had subjected themselves to such a tiring experience. Over the week, we had lots of fun après-ski with activities such as; Bowling, Snow Adventure Parks, Authentic Italian Gelato and of course, Pizza. Over the week, each student improved their skiing skills. Our pupils were a credit to Holy Family, often setting an example to others on the slope on how to act (especially when queuing for chair lifts!), and all the teachers had the opportunity to enjoy the slopes as well.
Auschwitz Trip On Thursday 2nd February, 16 students from Year 12 and 13 embarked on a trip to Poland to learn more about the horrors of the Holocaust. The purpose of the trip was to enhance students’ understanding of the Holocaust as it is the topic of the History Year 13 coursework.
It was a thoroughly engaging and thought provoking trip where students visited many different sites nearby. Upon arrival students took part in a 2 hour walking tour of the old Jewish quarter of Krakow in the southern part of the city, called Kazimierz. Here we discovered that for centuries a large Jewish population had lived alongside Christian communities but were expelled under Nazi occupation in 1939. There are now only 150 Jews living in Krakow and some of the original synagogues are still standing for people to visit as a museum. A lot of the tour was based on the film Schindler’s List where many scenes were filmed. For lunch, we sampled a local delicacy (pictured) which was delicious! Following the tour, we headed in to the main square and visited the cathedral where Pope John Paul ll was archbishop before becoming Pope.
The main purpose of the trip was to visit Auschwitz, the most famous concentration camp run by the Nazi party. Students had a 4 hour tour of Birkenau I and II where they were able to visualise what they had heard in the classroom. Many students were moved by the horrific events they heard and of the atrocities that took place. Throughout the trip, students were exceptionally well behaved and were a credit to Holy Family. They all really enjoyed themselves and learnt an awful lot.
Holy Family goes to Hogwarts Last week, the Media department took our year 12 students to the Warner Brothers studio tour for Harry Potter. The whole tour and studios had been transformed for Hogwarts at Christmas. Whilst there, students had a guided tour and two workshops on script writing and camera angles. Students developed vital knowledge that will be used in their coursework production.
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General & Awards: performance of Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR Team, who are competing in the Americas’ Cup World Series.
Faraday Challenge Success Twelve year 8 students attended The IET Faraday Challenge day, in partnership with the Jack Petchey Foundation, held at Walthamstow School for Girls on Enrichment day.
Their challenge was to use micro bit technology to develop two products which could help improve the
Jack Petchey Award Winners Tyrell was chosen as a youth health champion due to his commitment to research, educate and help his peers with mental health issues. Tyrell has been an enthusiastic member of the Youth Health Champion team and already has produced and helped present an anti-bullying assembly for all year groups. Tyrell has also become a fencing leader, which involves attending the fencing club every Monday and working with younger students to help them grow in confidence with their fencing skills. Girls to this he now assists with the year 7 & 8 girls football team. He has assisted with the coaching, refereeing and team selection. Tyrell has gone out of his way in a busy school year to help others, especially younger students and has
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Our students created 2 teams and were against 4 teams from Walthamstow School for Girls. Teams were given a 10-minute training on coding and had to work without any help from staff for the rest of the day. Teams assigned themselves roles, identified problems faced by the racing team, generated and developed design ideas, created their products whilst sticking within their budgets and presented their products. Our facilitator for the day, Kiera, said that Holy Family won due to their team work, attention to detail and ability to match the majority of the success criteria. The winning team were each awarded with a £10 Amazon voucher and certificate, they have also been invited to attend a celebration event in July at The IET: Savoy Place. Holy Family have been given a trophy to go with our growing collection.
shared his knowledge and skills with consideration and care. He has shown himself to be truly worthy of the Jack Petchey Award. Emmanuel in year 12 was chosen as our Jack Petchey Award winner due to his constant positive nature. A joy to teach in all his subjects, Emmanuel never gives less than 100% effort and commitment to his studies, often staying late and furthering his own knowledge. His contributions are not purely academic and Emmanuel is an active participant in several extra-curricular clubs and often raises money in his own time for charities. His latest fund-raising event was a sponsored run around our playground, raising money for the amount of laps he completed. Emmanuel is a joy to have around our school and when he moves onto greater accomplish in years to come, he will be sorely missed at Holy Family. When he completes his studies here. Keep up the great work Emmanuel.
Waltham Forest Big Clean Up The Borough had invited all organisations to get involved in the annual borough clean-up campaign. Year 7 and 8 students had a very tiring but satisfying day cleaning up around the school premises. The prefects were really excited about tidying the area and fascinated with the things we found.
Roman Ruins found on Wiseman site If you follow us on twitter you’ll have seen some pictures of the archaeological dig that is taking place. A number of interesting artefacts have been discovered including a 3rd century Roman coin. Some students, along with the history teachers, have been able to participate in elements of the work including cleaning up some of the items that have been found.
Some of the pictures illustrate this well. Group one shows how much we picked at the back of our school, including 2 chairs, tubs, an old vacuum cleaner, bits of carpet, etc. They also wanted to clear a fridge, cupboard and tyres we found, but I had to stop them there ...
The archaeologists think that they have unearthed the remains of a Roman farmstead on the Temple Field site. It may have two phases of construction, one dating to the immediate post-conquest period (just after 43AD) and one dating to c. 350AD. They have found hypocaust tile, which was used for underfloor heating, suggesting that either it was quite a high-status building, or that there was a bath house nearby, as the material was not in situ. The building would have been constructed of a timber frame with wattle and daub walls. It seems to be extensive, covering most of the area that has been opened up. They have also found a possible Iron Age roundhouse directly below the building. This may form part of a wider settlement focused to the north of the church.
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Special events
assembly in February. Both Neil and Ernie experienced difficult childhoods and as young people spiralled into a life of crime. But today, their lives have been transformed by following the word of God.
From Violence to Peace We were pleased to welcome Neil McCann and Ernie Toppin to Year 8
Neil’s cautionary tale – the story of an angry violent young man, with no hope and no future - was designed to stimulate and hopefully forewarn young people in a way that was thought provoking and uplifting. We thank Neil and Ernie for sharing their stories with our students.
STEM Supreme On Wednesday 9th January, Some of the Year 8 and 9 children were invited to represent our school in a full day activities related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths. It was facilitated by TEENTECH and over 500 students from other schools across England, Scientist and Engineers took part in this mind-blowing day! The activities took place in the vast Arsenal Stadium.
The Car Race This was a race where you had to complete 5 laps. There were prizes for the fastest partner. Faustina 8E, Elishka 8E, Natalia 8A and Aleena 8R won earphones for their race. In addition, they were all given gift bags which included: pens, pencils, USB, pencil case, mints, note book and key chains. There was an overall prize for the FASTEST 3 PLAYERS out of the 500 children. Guess what? Aleena Cherian 8R had come second in this competition and won a prize. Hopefully this visit will reinvigorate all students and help them achieve the best they possibly can in all aspects of life. Who knows? Maybe we have a future engineer or scientist in our school!
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It was a massive place and easy to get lost. During the first session, we were taken to the activity stations and there were plethora activities stations to choose from.
We thank Ms Corlett and Ms Minnock for preparing the music and the choir Ms Henry and the drama group for the Nativity story mime. We also thank the readers and those students who helped in many ways to make the Carol Service Mrs Feltham such a success and of course Ms Howard and Ms Feltham for the refreshments.
The Annual Carol Service The annual Carol Service was held on 20th December. With music, readings and drama, it was an excellent start to the Christmas season.
Students had prepared hampers to be presented to the Christian Kitchen, and we would once again like to thank parents for their generosity. As you can see, there was a huge number of hampers and we were warmly thanked by Norman from Christian Kitchen.
Sports Events:
Basketball Finals In February, we had three basketball borough finals, with the year 8 boys facing Lammas and the year 9 girls and year 11 boys facing local rivals Frederick Bremer. Year 9 and Year 11 had the opportunity to play at the Copperbox, in the Olympic Park. Our year 9 girls’ talents shone through at the Olympic venue of the Copperbox as they came out winners against Frederick Bremer. A valiantly earned win, the girls showed true grit and determination to keep scoring and not be overwhelmed by the arena they were in. A special mention for the MVP of the match, Faye Curley, as she scored a magnificent 12 points and received her own MVP trophy. Congratulations year 9 on becoming Waltham Forest Champions! Another fantastic win for our year 11 basketball team who seem to be unstoppable in the borough. In the same arena of the illustrious Copperbox, the year 11 team fought hard and made Bremer play their game. A commanding victory was ensured by the intelligent play of the MVP Darren Ainembabazi (11A). Relentless in his command of the attack, he was pivotal in all of Holy Family’s scoring. Dictating play and ensuring his teammates were receiving the ball in the right places at the right times meant that the victory was never in question. He also scored a few himself, including his favourite move; some long-range three pointers. Congratulations to all our sporting heroes. We are as proud of you as you are to represent the school name and badge. We hope we can continue this sporting success!
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Cycling Club Interest in cycling at the Holy Family has increased over the last few years and our cycling club has enjoyed the activity in various guises since its inception. During the summer term, we enjoy group rides into Epping Forest which we are able to access within half a mile of the school.
to teach levels 1,2 & 3 of the nationally recognised Road Safety Award.
We can then remain off-road for a number of miles, honing our bike handling skills over a variety of terrains. On shorter evenings, we can focus on our road safety craft on the streets around our school as we now have a member of staff who is qualified
During a recent practised day, a group of ten students, having practiced group riding skills on the playground beforehand, cycled all the way up the tea hut in High Beech and back entirely off-road - no mean feat for any rider.
As the evenings get shorter during the winter we focus skills on bicycle maintenance and bike handling skill indoors.
Chaplaincy Corner:
Faith, Friends & Fun Students from the Year 9 Justice & Peace group have been on retreat at Walsingham House, the Diocesan youth retreat house on Canvey Island.
Michael Georgiou and Denise Grierson, Our chaplaincy team said “Our trip to Walsingham House was a delightful experience as we became closer to God through prayer. We got involved in organising our own Mass and experienced meditation. Also, we designed our own super heroes in our groups, giving them powers to heal the world. We gave them names and brought them to life by performing a drama.” “This retreat was a blast … every minute of the day was fun as we found out different things about each other. This was an unforgettable experience.”
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Annual Aquinas Trust Mass The Aquinas Trust Mass on Wednesday saw a packed Our Lady and St George’s Church full of young people from the eight schools of the Aquinas Trust. These schools are Holy Family, Trinity, Our Lady and St George’s Primary, St Patrick’s Primary, St Mary’s Primary, St Joseph’s Infants, St Joseph’s Juniors and St John’s RC Special School. It was great to celebrate Mass together and we all agreed that there was a real feeling of unity and being part of a collective of schools all involved in Catholic education in our part of north-east London. Thanks to Fr Maurice, Fr Jim and Fr Kevin for concelebrating the Mass and to all staff and pupils who took part.
Charity events
Food For The Homeless Earlier this term students had noticed that occasionally food left over at the end of lunch was being placed in the bins. They spoke to Mr. O’Neill and subsequently unsold sandwiches and baguettes which are close to the sell by date are now regularly delivered to a homeless shelter. The picture shows Dr Stone handing left over food to a local centre for the homeless.
Lent Fast Day On Friday 10th March during their food technology lesson, Year 10 students made three types of soup – Vegetable, Spicy Tomato and Red Pepper, Chilli and Lime. They also made bread rolls. Ms Litchfield, Head of Design and Technology (who also kindly donated the ingredients) said: “Although not part of the curriculum, this was great experience for the students.” This took place on the lower site, and
students from Years 7 and 8 were invited to join the chaplain for a simple lunch. Students were given the opportunity to donate. However, the main object was to raise awareness of communities around the world who have little food and to pray for them. Even so, £30 was raised during lunchtime. It was a great opportunity for Year 10 students to put faith into action by contributing to our simple lunch and to take such an active role in Lent Fast Day, putting true meaning into the season of Lent.
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Haiku Poetry by Year 8 During the Year 8 retreat on the 8th February, students showed their creative writing talents by producing Haiku, seventeen syllable Japanese-style poems. A Haiku should sum up a single moment or idea in a few well-chosen words. Below is a selection of some of the best poems as judge d by Mr Myers. The theme of these Haikus is Nature.
Moon The glistening moon, Shining over all of us, Gone in the morning. Angelica Sabarias 8I
Fire Fire burning brightly, The destructive red flower Beauty of chaos. Asa Ayo-Osayande 8A
Wolves Like Bees Like Earth Bees can sting harshly, Wolves can pounce fiercely like bombs The Earth guards them all. Jennifer Ganesharajah 8S
Flower The flower so bright, Full of goods and nature’s love Truly so fragile. Natalia Piecuch 8P
Tiger A complete silence, The tiger lets out its roar Silence once again. Joe Hajj Moussa 8A
Snow The snow falls through time, Pure bliss fills the hidden street Never seen or touched. Giorgia Logan
Sun Dominating above, The sun lights the sky like a Candle in the dark. Rohan Farquar 8I
The Moon Waxing and waning, The moon glistens in the sky, Shining brightly there! Esther McCormack 8S
Snow Snow, white, blank and soft, Like Eskimos kissing you In cold Winter night. Gabriel Lagrata 8E
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