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Summer 2021

Our Lady’s R.C. High School Magazine

IN THIS ISSUE: Inflatables Day Read For Good Virtual Photography

Plus much more!

Our Lady’s R.C. High School Alworth Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester M9 0RP T: 0161 507 9640 E: admin@olsc.manchester.sch.uk

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Dear parents, carers and friends, Once again, I am delighted to introduce our latest version of the Vision magazine, which contains some of the activities, opportunities and achievements that our students have been involved with this term.

Dear all, I often like to begin by thanking parents and carers in our community, and over the course of this year that gratitude has never felt more appropriate. Your unwavering support for our school has made things much so much easier. Despite the restrictions, we have continued to offer our children the best school experience possible. Attendance has been high and the atmosphere in school has been positive throughout. We are currently in the process of interviewing for prefect positions and the students of Year 10 have made the decision very difficult – they are a credit to their families. We have also invited students from all year groups to put themselves forward if they want to be involved in our new Student Council. We want this to be an opportunity for students to contribute in a more significant way to school decision making. Lockdown left many of our children feeling isolated and disenfranchised and I want to actively reverse that and encourage children to share who they are and what they believe in. It is my desire for students to know that their expertise, opinions and ideas are valued in all aspects of school life. The Year 7 students have been working on a Kindness Collective, this been a rolling project, encompassing many different aspects that look at how to be kind and spread kindness. Some of the initiatives they have been involved with are, creating the kindness charter, a set of promises made by

students, form tutors and the Head of Year 7 to encourage and champion kindness. The compliments raffle is an anonymous post box in which students post compliments about each other that are read out during assembly, and the kindness committee is a group of students, nominated by form tutors who have run initiatives in the year group to eradicate social issues and spread love and kindness throughout the year. We would normally welcome our Year 6 students into school during the summer term but this year we are doing so virtually, via video and virtual tours. The rapid acceleration of our technology profile can only serve to benefit our future students as we continue to expand our Google school offer. It is our intention to welcome Year 6 students into school during the summer holidays for a week of activities and the chance to make new friends ahead of starting Year 7. Due to the high demand for places, the plans for an expansion to the current school building are more necessary than ever. The new building will follow the directive of Bishop John Arnold: that we must tackle the current ecological crisis by moving forwards into a sustainable, carbon neutral future. It has been

designed, and will be built, in the most ecofriendly way possible. Work will commence on the project during summer 2021 and I will continue to keep you updated on how things progress. Looking to the new school year, I hope that things will return to a level of normality. Our priorities include a commitment to sustainability and the environment, further development of our use of IT and the Google platform to support learning, and enhancing our curriculum and student voice to address inequality. I am very excited about furthering our ambition to make Our Lady’s a truly inspirational experience for the children we serve. Please enjoy the summer break and I look forward to welcoming everyone back in September. God bless

L. Ormsby Headteacher

Editor’s Welcome Message As we move towards the Summer, it is a good time to reflect on the last term. Our students have worked incredibly hard this year, helping their peers and supporting the mission of the school. Students have produced some exceptional pieces of work and a number of celebrations have taken place as we round up the year here at Our Lady’s. Enjoy!

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2021

Contents

Headteacher’s Welcome

Editor’s Welcome

Read For Good

Inflatables Day

4&5

Creative Confidence

6&7

Virtual Photography

Youth SVP

Where Are They Now?

MFL News - Spanish Food Tasting - Spanish Cities

Makaton Sing and Sign

Intro to University

- News Round Team - Fast Forward Club

- American Breakfasts - Manchester Youth Zone

Religious Life of the School

Outstanding Achievements

Read for Good This term, several students in year 8 participated in the ‘Read for Good’ incentive where they were able to choose whatever they like to read – from comic books to classics, audio books and blogs – in order to raise money to not only get books for our school, but to get books to children currently in hospital. The group raised over £80 for their efforts, a massive achievement. Well done year 8!

- Charities 18 & 19 - Quizmaster Communication - Staff vs Students Dodge Ball

Editor: Kirsty McCarten

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2021

INFLATABLES DAY

Inflatables Day Just before we broke up for the Easter break, students across all year groups were treated to an end of term inflatables day. Students had an hour per year group to enjoy bouncy castles, laser quest and some total wipeout themed inflatables. The sun was out all day and it was a brilliant way to end a term!

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FIELD WORK PHOTOGRAPHERS

Field Work Photographers Two groups of very talented year 10 photographers spent some of the inflatables day discovering what “working in the field” could be like as a photographer. They spent an hour capturing action shots of their fellow students having fun, and even climbed onto some of the inflatables themselves to get the best shot! The photos they produced were fantastic and the students really enjoyed a hands on experience getting to know what a job in photography could entail.

Taken by Taj

Taken by Alicia

Taken by Madison

Taken by Alicia

Taken by Tresor

Taken by Madison

Taken by Tien

Taken by Andrea

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CREATIVE CONFIDENCE

Creative Confidence This term, our Creative Confidence groups have been working on some poetry based around image and identity. The group has made tremendous progress this term. Here’s what our facilitator, Kitty Short, had to say about the students;

Leona Leona made good progress during the Image and Identity sessions. She was able to explore emotions and give examples of these in different scenarios whilst in discussion with other students. Leona became more confident in expressing her individuality and how other people may identify themselves. She also shared her thoughts about how celebrities identified themselves and how this can influence young people.

Mollie Mollie was a quieter member of the group who steadily grew in confidence. Mollie showed her creative side when producing the tree of emotions. This explored the negative and positive emotions that an individual from the LGBTQ community may feel when first revealing their sexual identity. She took control and was eager to complete it becoming a positive and encouraging influence on Leona. Mollie was engaged in the three sessions that she attended.

Abbie Abbie showed maturity when exploring the different ways in which individuals identify themselves and their sexual orientation. She was refreshingly honest on her knowledge and admitted to being confused about certain celebrities.

Ellie I regarded her as a positive role model to the rest of the class. Ellie was engaged and enthusiastic and was willing to step out of her comfort zone, in order to help the other students be more confident about expressing themselves. Ellie showed respect and a maturity beyond her years and it was a privilege to be part of her brief journey.

Watch out for some more amazing poems next term, and a well done to all involved!

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2021

CREATIVE CONFIDENCE

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VIRTUAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Virtual Photography At the beginning of the term, Year 10 Photography students took part in a virtual collaboration with Manchester Creative Education Partnership where students had the opportunity to work with a local photographer, Rebecca Burns. The aim of the session was to inspire students and promote photography beyond KS4. Rebecca gave a brief introduction to her photography practice, explaining how she has carved out her career since leaving school. Students then took part in a 30-minute photography activity called ‘photograph anything’ which generated unique responses to formal elements of light, space and texture. Students were very proud of their outcomes and the positive feedback given by Rebecca. Work was shared virtually on google classroom and google meet, a first for students and the school! Having a real-life example of a photographer working outside of the classroom elevated the subject for many into a career opportunity. Mrs Rathod is extremely proud of the students and we can’t wait to see the amazing pieces of work these students produce in future.

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School YOUTH VSP Trips

Youth SVP Youth SVP is a voluntary Christian organization where students volunteer to offer one-to-one help and support to people in need in the local community. The SVP was founded in 1833 in Paris by a 19 year old student called Frederic Ozanam and his university friends. The aim of the group was to use their Christian values and principles to actively serve people in their community. Today at Our Lady’s we are following the example Frederic Ozanam, and the teachings of Jesus to help and actively serve those in our community who need our help. The Youth SVP group at Our Lady’s consists of dedicated and enthusiastic students in year 7 and year 8 who are committed to making a difference, putting their faith into action. After discussing the meaning and importance of Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, students believed that one way that they could put their faith into action was by caring for our common home, making our parks and streets clear of litter. After a busy afternoon of collecting litter in the yard and field after lunch, students then went into the local area. At the end of the day they came back with 12 full bags of rubbish! As a group the Youth SVP felt very passionately about helping the homeless and

disadvantaged in our community. They discussed a variety of different things that they could do to demonstrate ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and finally decided that one thing that is often overlooked for homeless people are personal care items. The Youth SVP were determined to make a difference! With the help of Mrs Burke, they managed to make 10 care hampers filled to the brim with deodorants, dry shampoo, sanitary products and so much more! When they donated the hampers to Cornerstone’s, the volunteers were touched by the generosity and effort displayed by all at Our Lady’s.

The Youth SVP have made a huge impact this half term on the lives of those around us demonstrating our School Mission:

“Our favourite part of being involved in the SVP is fulfilling God’s will through helping the community we live in to thrive” Brielle Djeukam

“To know, Love and Serve”.

“To me, the SVP group is important because the activities we do can help to create a better and more united community” Lami Olagunju

“I am so lucky to be part of the SVP group because it is giving me the opportunity to live out Jesus’ teachings about kindness and allow us to live as God’s people” Grace O’Reilly

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“Kindness is an important part of my religion, the SVP allows me to put this into action” Alanah Meredith Palisoc

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Where are they now? Our Lady’s Alumni: Mr. Robert Fullerty Mrs Cooke has been in touch with some of our alumni recently to find out how far they had progressed since leaving Our Lady’s. Here is the response from Robert Fullerty, who left Our Lady’s in 2008! What is your Career Journey from leaving school?

What do you do now and who do you do it for:

I left school and went to college, playing for Hopwood Hall and studying sports science. I originally wanted to be a PE teacher after I had the most enjoyable times during sports at Our Lady’s. Mr Riordan was a great teacher and he showed me a lot of how to act as a young man. Mr burke was great with his approach also, he had a great balance of fun and discipline, a very fair man. I then completed college but didn’t think that University was for me, so I went for an apprenticeship instead. I was fortunate enough to land my apprenticeship with British gas as a service and repair engineer on domestic gas boilers and heating systems. I am now employed by Homeserve, one of the largest companies in the UK. I love my job and have a nice life because of it.

I am a service and repair engineer for Homeserve Plc Ltd. I work on all domestic heating and hot water systems. I work for my family, to help us with everyday life struggles and to make sure we can do what we want in order to live a fulfilled life. What are your professional or personal hopes/aspirations/goals for the future?

Anything you would have changed whilst you were at school?

My hopes and aspirations are to be a good person and always enjoy my life as best as I can, and to be kind and conscientious. Career wise, I am more than happy doing what I am doing, however I would like to climb the ladder to management and even higher if it is possible. Ultimately ~i just want to have a nice life making memories.

I wish I’d have put more effort into my lessons and listened a bit more to the advice I was given by teachers. I know I wasn’t the best student and looking back I can see where I went wrong. You only get one shot at it and your GCSE results stay with you forever and they are what helps you get better job opportunities. I was fortunate enough to still get good enough results but I know I could have done so much better. It is a credit to the teaching staff and with their help and advice that I grew into an adult with some of the values I was taught.

Anything values or messages which have served you well from school? Always try to listen to everyone’s point of view to help make a better more rounded decision. Listen to both sides of an argument. Be kind, helpful and be a good friend. A lot of teachers have spoken to me in school, not always for the right reasons, but they were always open and honest with me and always had my best interests at heart, which is why they teach.

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School MFL NEWS Trips

MFL News Spanish Food Tasting Students in Miss Watkin’s year 7 classes have recently had the chance to try some authentic Spanish food in their lessons! They tried and enjoyed ‘ipatatas bravas, pan y mucho más!’

Spanish cities Year 7 have enjoyed planning and delivering presentations to their classes about Spanish cities. They have researched cities around Spain and delivered a presentation on which ones are better and why, in Spanish! Well done year 7!

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School Trips MAKATON

Makaton Sing and Sign The Makaton Sing and Sign group have gone above and beyond this term. They have shown great achievement in mastering this new communication skill which has empowered each of them to display their individual skills by introducing their own song choice. Here is what our facilitators had to say about each student and their song choice: Gift – Every day by Rebel Rockers

Oliver – This is Me by Keala Settle

All of the students involved have inspired me to constantly challenge them with new material to make sure that their library of Makaton signs is always expanding. Their confidence has soared and their approach to each session is embraced with remarkable enthusiasm and maturity. Thank you for spreading the positivity!

Oliver brought a positive energy to the group and embraced each sing and sign session with an enthusiasm that was infectious.

The additional help has been a massive boost. Thank you Our Lady’s.

Gifts has drawn on her knowledge of signs from the previous sessions and was able to use them in the right context of new songs. She confidently displayed her own unique style with great passion.

Abbi – A Million Dreams from The Greatest Showman Abbi has made an exceptional progress this term. She embraces all genres of music and is able to grasp the signs with ease in her own unique style. Stevie – Lovely by Billie Elish and Khalid Stevie has blossomed with confidence this term. She performed the Makaton signs with clear and precise hand gestures, showing great communication skills and has a natural gift for recalling signs. Aisha – Roar by Katy Perry Aisha has developed her own unique style of communicating the Makaton signs and can confidently lead the group in the Sing and Sign sessions.

Parent Voice Mrs Holland As a parent with a child starting high school is daunting enough but when Our Lady’s joined forces with Makaton and Fast Forward Club it makes school life so much more fun. Abbi was asked if she wanted to take part in Makaton it was a no brainier really. Makaton helps Abbi express music through Sign Language, even teachers from Abbi’s junior school look forward to the videos going on social media each week.

Abbi I have really enjoyed Makaton as I get to help children with complex needs. I have also really enjoyed going to Fast Forward club as I get to work on my struggles from my Maths lessons.

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INTRO TO UNIVERSITY

Intro to University This term, year 7 entered a day in the life of University! It was a pleasure having the University of Manchester on site this term to train our year 7 students and supply them with the understanding of how the journey into university can be. The students learnt about themselves, identifying their personal skills and qualities. They were encouraged to relate a positive understanding of themselves to an ability to cope effectively with challenge and change, taking responsibility for their own actions and decisions. Students ended the sessions by setting targets for their own development. The workshops have enabled the students to acknowledge the challenging workload and homework approaches experienced at secondary school. Students identified their own study style and preferences and developed positive personalised and effective approaches to study in line with these preferences, touching on attitudes to learning, time-management, presentation and research methods.

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Here’s what our facilitators from Manchester University had to say; “This workshop enables students to acknowledge and cope with the changing workload as they move into secondary school and beyond. They identified their own study style and preferences in order to develop positive, personalised and effective approaches to study in line with these. The workshop introduced students to plagiarism, time management skills and available research methods, and allowed students to gain practice in these areas.” We hope that the year 7’s will be able to use these research methods moving forward to continue to produce fantastic pieces of work and homework.

NEWS ROUND

News Round A huge welcome to the new round team – Yekta, Dalena, Mia Evie-Mae, Davina and Akim. Year 7 forms went Head to Head each week this term on quiz challenges, with each quiz being on a new topic each week based around the news of the world. Forms used Kahoot! To play trivia games in minutes. Some topics included mental health, the Royals, Covid 19

and some historic, tragic news from around the world like the sinking of the Titanic and the Tsunami in Japan. The forms were extremely competitive in the hopes to take the trophy each week. Well done to everyone for taking part!

Fast Forward Club The Fast Forward Club has had a positive impact this term in raising pupils’ self-esteem and helped reduce maths anxiety in the classroom. Students are able to consolidate and strengthen their knowledge of the work covered in their maths lessons that week and it has provided students with an opportunity to talk about the maths with their peers, whilst also allowing mentors and staff to address any misconceptions quickly. Students have really enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere as well as being super competitive when battling each other in an end of session quiz! The year 7’s have put in so much hard work and the year 10 students have supported them extremely well. We look forward to see what the club brings in the future!

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AMERICAN BREAKFASTS

American Breakfasts This term, students across the school have been encouraged to work on their attendance and punctuality to keep it at a great standard. Being punctual shows respect for others and their time, sets first impressions and is a great character trait that will play an important role in student’s future successes. Each week, forms competed against each other to have the best attendance and punctuality, with winning forms enjoying some English and

American style breakfasts! The most punctual and improved five students across the school will also go into a prize draw at the end of the term to win some amazing prizes. In June, all students with excellent attendance and punctuality were entered into a draw, with Jennifer in year 7 winning an apple watch. Keep up the great work everyone!

Manchester Youth Zone This term, a group of year 8 students travelled to Manchester Youth Zone to further explore their talents. Together, they made macaroni cheese in the large-scale kitchen and produced some fantastic soaps in the work house. Well done girls!

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School Trips RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE SCHOOL

Religious Life of the School We take great pride in the number of extra-curricular activities which support our school mission: “To know, Love and Serve God”. In these strange and challenging times, we have continued to develop the religious life of the school but in a more creative way. After the lockdown ended, and students returned to school, the Chaplains have begun to lead and create reflections for form groups in the Chapel. The theme has been on ‘Feminism’ and the staff feedback has been really responsive, saying that the students who were leading were articulate and lived their spirituality. Currently they are in the process of creating liturgies for the rest of this academic year through to September, as well as writing an Action plan. The Chaplains led a beautiful liturgy for Easter based on the stations of the cross, and with the help of Miss White and Mr Banham, we recorded their voices to show and present during a virtual liturgy for all year groups. Once again, our students were reflective.

Throughout the month of May, students created Marian shrines around school, with the prayers on the form power points reflective on the role model that Mary is and the importance that she has for our school community as our Patron. Students were encouraged to walk a mile, with Mrs Burke, whilst saying the rosary. Our Youth SVP group, was established and have done two missions so far – litter picking in our local community, and toiletry hampers have been delivered to Cornerstones. The students have been a credit to our school community, and Miss White and Mrs Scoular have been incredibly proud, as they support with the religious life. Read more about the Youth SVP group on page 9!

Heads of Years have been leading weekly assemblies virtually and all students receive an SMSC (Social, moral, spiritual and cultural) link every Monday to reflect alongside, as part of prayer and worship and wellbeing. Forms have then be leading assemblies based on the themes for each week, allowing students to get involved and take ownership for prayer, worship and spirituality. Please follow the RE Instagram page @olhs¬_religiouseducation

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School Trips ACHIEVEMENTS OUTSTANDING

Outstanding Achievements This term, members of staff have been nominating students in year 7 who they felt qualified for the Outstanding Contribution to Lesson award. Here are some of our winners;

Danielle Adora Science

Ricquane Johnson Art

Joy Omeike Science

For continued dedication.

Being really eager to get better in art, helpful and polite. Outstanding in all aspects.

You are always willing to contribute in class using high level scientific terminology

Mary Jo Breen

Fabein Cunnigham PE

Kendry Ludovino Science Outstanding continual effort

Alanah Palisoc Music For working really hard on her violin lessons and generally being a ‘good egg’ who is friendly, polite and courteous. Outstanding in all aspects to learning and for having the determination to succeed with your education.

Always saying good morning to me every day, and always investing 100% concentration and focus into her work.

A great boxer with bags of potential!

Evie May Shaw Always willing to help, mature and is always exceptionally polite.

As well as these fantastic winners, Miss Watkins has been running a weekly inter-form competition to see what forms will be nominated “the kindest form”. Miss Watkins also nominated some students form her year group for their own “outstanding contribution” awards for being brilliant students in all aspects of school life.

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CHARITIES

Charities Once again the technology department have been working hard to raise money for various charities in our local area and country. Last term, staff and students took part in creating heart maps and messages using sign language, centred on the theme “Lots of Love” in order to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Students also sold cakes, played doge ball, had a beans and toast lunch and ran inter-form competitions, tuck shops and raffles in order to raise an amazing £410 for CARITAS – St Joseph’s Penny. Staff and students also entered cakes that were auctioned off to other staff members at various prices. This term, year 8 are selling ice lollies and participating in a sponsored “Miles for Mary” in support of MIND for Mental Health Awareness as well as collecting items to support our youth SVP group in giving to Cornerstone. Well done and thank you to all involved.

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School Trips CHARITIES

Quizmaster communication The Game show hosting workshop has been running this term and helps build confidence through creativity. Year 8 students had the chance to get involved with a variety of roles including host, assistant and competitors. The show aims to let students explore and develop their presentation skills as well as encouraging speaking and listening. Students debated on topical issues relevant to issues important to them, which helped them respect other people’s opinions and viewpoints. The workshops allowed the students to

comfortably make eye contact with an audience and confidently explain the rules and sequence the events of the game. Through improvisation, the students built momentum and created atmosphere through their own unique style of delivery. The opportunity to think on their own two feet allowed them to push them out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves as individuals Well done to Lily, Raeya, Natania , Ruby, Mariana & Darcey

“I am so proud of the girls they are on a continued journey growing in confidence and developing some great leadership & communication skills” I see great potential in every single one of you. Believe in yourself and the rest will follow. – Mrs Newey

Dodgeball Last term we held a charity Students vs Staff dodgeball match in order to raise money for St Joseph’s Penny. A great time was had by all and a big thank you goes out to all students and staff that took part.

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COMING SOON!

Have a great Summer break see you all in September!

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