Spring 2018

Sharing the

Spring 2018

Our Lady’s R.C. High School Magazine

IN THIS ISSUE: We Will Rock You Adventure Challenge Weekend School Chaplains Talk Charity PE & Sports Round-Up Where Have You Been Caught Reading?

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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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

On behalf of the staff and students of Our Lady’s R.C. High School it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the latest edition of our school magazine.

The job of being headteacher of Our Lady’s is, in a very positive way, all consuming— and certainly never boring. From one day to the next you can never be quite sure what may come across your desk.

This time last year we had just welcomed a group of inspectors from Ofsted who wrote an extremely positive report about our school; they were particularly impressed by the way each member of our school community worked together for a common goal: the unwavering commitment to ensuring each child—regardless of the challenges facing them—fully develops their academic, personal and spiritual potential.

On the anniversary dates of the inspection, a group of students decided they wanted to show off their talents and with the support and guidance of the Expressive Arts department performed the musical ‘We will Rock You’. As an ardent fan of Queen, I thought the standard of performance was excellent and the reviews from both staff and parents were extremely positive. I believe that education should be transformational and this show was a testimony to this; we

saw some normally quiet and reserved children bellow out some of Queen’s classic songs to a packed hall. Enriching a child’s education so they can express themselves in their own unique way is central to the mission of this school and permeates our entire curriculum.

In terms of academic achievement, the school continues to go from strength-tostrength. We have now supported our year 11 students through their mock examinations and it is clear from the outcomes achieved that this summer will be one of celebration for many young people, provided they continue to show the same level of hard work and dedication to their studies.

Sporting achievements bring a strong shared sense of pride to the whole school community. This year alone we have successfully competed in handball, table tennis, indoor athletics, basketball and football competitions. The children involved have represented us well and the dedication and commitment to succeed from the staff and students is very much appreciated.

As a whole school we have been preparing for Easter; there was a mass said in school on Ash Wednesday complete with the distribution of ashes. We then launched both of our Lenten charities; the ‘St Joseph’s Penny’ appeal and the ‘Grow a Fiver’ campaign, both donate all of their proceeds to Caritas. The children have been as resourceful as always in their fundraising ideas and, as well as the usual cake sales, there have been luxury hampers created and raffled off, car washing events and staff versus students sporting events.

I hope that you enjoy this latest edition of Sharing the Vision and would like to wish you all a happy, blessed and Holy Easter.

God bless,

L. Ormsby Headteacher

Editor’s Welcome Message As we approach the Easter break, we can’t quite believe what we’ve already achieved in 2018! The Expressive Arts’ production of ‘We Will Rock You’ is just one of many highlights. As we prepare to say goodbye to some long-standing members of staff, they reflect on their time at Our Lady’s. Some past students also tell us how their school experiences influenced their careers. Enjoy!

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Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

Contents Headteacher’s Welcome Message 2 Editor’s Welcome Message

2

Dance, Dance, Dance!

3

Our Lady’s Girls Aim Higher!

3

Ice Skating Rewards

4

What Languages Do We Speak?

5

Reaching New Heights in Oxford

6

Our Lady’s Adventure Challenge Weekend

7

Magical London

7

Life-Saving Defibrillator Donation

8

Our Lady’s Show Locks of Support for The Little Princess Trust

9

Expressive Arts’ Show-Stopping Performance Rocks!

10

Staff Profile: Mrs Chadwick

12

Staff Profile: Mrs Cosgrove

13

School Chaplains Talk Charity

14

Primary Pupils Please Lend a Voice to The Our Lady’s Choir!

14

Forensic Pupils Put Clues under the Microscope

14

Football-Fan Tom Palmer Shares His Love of Books With a Penalty Shoot-Out Quiz!

15

What Are They Doing Now? Donna Groarke

16

What Are They Doing Now? Sarah Taylor

17

Our Lady’s Sporting Contribution Recognised at Awards Ceremony

18

PE & Sports Roundup

18

Religious Life of the School

19

New to Our Website

20

Where Have You Been Caught Reading?

20

Editor: Anna Barker Sports Editor: Adam Jones Designed and printed by Boss Direct Limited www.bossdirect.co.uk

Sharing The Vision

Dance, Dance, Dance!

In December, 12 dance teams arrived to show off their amazing skills here at Our Lady’s Christmas Dance Festival. What an uplifting event! There was a real mix of dance with Cheer, Street Dance and Irish Dancing on show.

Many thanks go to our PE department and to Mr Banham for their support with the festival. Also, special congratulations are extended to the Our Lady’s dancers and to Sarah Aldcroft for managing the event which was enjoyed by 200 children, teachers and parents.

Karen Ingram, teacher at Charlestown Primary School was very positive about the event, “dance and cheerleading is now so popular at Charlestown that we haven’t got enough cheerleading uniforms. We have 27 children here

today and had to hire a coach!

The children have really enjoyed the afternoon.”

Scott O’Leary, teacher at Holy Trinity Primary School brought his dancers, “they’ve been looking forward to the dance festival for weeks. Dance is really popular at Holy Trinity, the children love it. Dancing engages many of the children that aren’t involved in any of our other sports teams.”

Our Lady’s Girls Aim Higher!

On 31 January some of our girls took part in a special ‘All Girls Can’ workshop run by GM Higher.

The project aims to address the barriers to higher education putting the focus on empowering young girls to maximise their strengths and skills by building their confidence and raising their aspirations.

Greater Manchester Higher is a collaborative network of Higher Education providers from across Greater Manchester who are working together to provide high-quality impartial information, advice and guidance about progression routes to college and university. Throughout the year, they run events and workshops, campus visits,

in-school activities, subject-specific activities, mentoring, summer schools, projects and school-led activities.

All activities and events are free yet invaluable in terms of the positive contribution they make to young people’s lives.

On Thursday 15 February, the girls and their parents were invited to Manchester Metropolitan University to take part in a bespoke campus visit including a tour of the University and a subject taster session. Our Lady’s is delighted to be working in partnership with GM Higher throughout the year and look forward to watching our students thrive through their involvement in this exciting project.

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

Ice Skating Rewards At the end of the last term a group of students who achieved an amazing 100% attendance, 100% punctuality and 0 negative behaviour points were rewarded with a special trip to go to the Ice Skating Rink in Manchester.

Heads of Year took students to either dust off their skates or take to the ice for the very first time. Everyone enjoyed a very fun afternoon out which involved a few acrobatics on the ice, some tumbling in style and Mr Mottershead being scouted for Dancing on Ice (unfortunately he had to turn down the offer due to his school commitments1) Well done to all the students involved who were an absolute credit to the school. Keep up the amazing achievements!

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Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

LANGUAGES

What Languages Do We Speak?

Our Lady’s R.C. High School hosts students from 40 different nationalities. At least 44 different languages are somehow present in our school. 51% of our students were exposed to a language other than English before starting school. A significant number of them are bilingual, partly bilingual, and/or speak a language other than English at home.

At Our Lady’s, we are proud of our linguistic diversity and our international community.

Every year, students who are fluent in a language other than English are given the opportunity to do an additional GCSE in that language if such an exam is available. The percentage of students who achieve a grade between A* and C is extremely high.

English is the predominant language in our school, although the sum of all the other languages represents a greater percentage.

Italian is the foreign language with the highest number of speakers in our school and it represents 10% of the total. Yoruba, French, Polish, Spanish, and Tigrinya are also languages many of our students or

Tigrinya 3% Polish 5%

Spanish 4%

German 1%

French 6%

their families use to communicate. German, Portuguese, and Shona complete the ranking of languages with the largest number of speakers in our school.

Portuguese 1% Shona 1%

English 49%

Yoruba 8%

Italian 10% Sum of all languages with less than 1% 12% Sharing The Vision

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

TRIPS

Reaching New Heights in Oxford On 1 March, ten of our year 10s spent the day at Oxford University with English teacher, Mr Quiligotti. Here’s what year 10 student Adebayo said about the visit…

“I spent the day at the amazing University of Oxford with nine of my peers. By the end of this unique trip we were filled with newfound passion and ambition towards our education.

After eating the well-prepared breakfast provided by the hotel, we set off for the university… well, not quite… Mr Quiligotti had to display his navigation skills in the harsh snow of the ‘spring’ weather.

Nevertheless, we reached our destination and were welcomed by the sheer beauty of the university. Grand buildings stood high and at their base were beautiful lawns (although covered by snow). After “oohs” and “wows” and the umpteenth picture of the day, we got down to business. We were given an intriguing seminar about the university by a former student. Afterwards, we received an insightful tour by a second year history student called Josh. Did you know seven British Prime Ministers have attended Oxford? Josh invited us to take a look at his room which (to my surprise) looked like average teenage accommodation. Next we were shown the library which has access to every book ever published in the UK! After we were shown the dining hall and my first impression was ‘whoa, it looks like we’re in Harry Potter’ until Josh confirmed my speculation; the people who filmed Harry Potter approached Oxford University to use the hall for their scenes—amazing!

We ate lunch with the students who were friendly and far from any Oxford student stereotype! Then it was the final part of the day which was personally my favourite. We had three fascinating lectures on Roman History, Classical Archaeology and Particle Physics—lectures which set our minds on fire.

We reluctantly returned to the coach to head back to Manchester, feeling invigorated by our visit. Before this trip, a place like Oxford always seemed out of reach but by the end I came to the realisation that any young person with passion and perseverance can succeed at Oxford. Then, our imaginations could become a reality.”

What Mr Quiligotti said:

“

Amidst the treacherous conditions, the recent trip to the University of Oxford was one of the most rewarding and inspiring trips I have been on during my time at Our Lady’s. During the day, students learnt about the unique Oxford tutorial system, were taken on a tour of a historic college and finally had the opportunity to listen to three lectures on Ancient Rome, Archaeology in Ancient Greece and Quantum physics.

The students were a credit to the school, asking insightful questions and taking on board all the helpful advice they received throughout the day. I have no doubt that some of the students will be returning to Oxford as students in the future!

”

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Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

Trips

Magical London Students from a variety of year groups enjoyed the magic and wonder of a fun-filled trip to London in December.

Our Lady’s Adventure Challenge Weekend Our Lady’s Year 10 students competed against four other schools in Manchester’s ‘Kath Fry Adventure Challenge’.

The trip to Ghyll Head in the Lake District aimed to develop problem-solving, leadership and team-working skills and challenge the team’s physical abilities. Ten students represented our school, taking part in a night navigation hike, a mountain expedition in the snow and a series of team challenges.

“

I enjoyed building new relationships. It was challenging and I developed new skills that I couldn’t do before! Climbing the mountain in the snow was amazing. I loved the night walk; everyone was scared and had to pull together as a team.

Leon Scotti

”

“

The team worked well together, showing maturity and determination. They approached the challenges with cheery enthusiasm and all supported each other as well as the other teams attending. The snowball fight on top of the mountain was great fun! 15cm of snow!

The students represented school brilliantly and were a credit to Our Lady’s.

Mr Schofield

Sharing The Vision

”

The group departed school early on the 5 December, brimming with excitement for the magical adventure that awaited them. Eager to begin their exploration of London the group arrived at the hotel and had time for a quick change of clothes before travelling to the ‘Hard Rock Café’ for a scrumptious two course meal. After being suitably fed, the group made their way to The Lyceum Theatre to watch a spectacular performance of the musical ‘The Lion King’. The performance was simply breathtaking, the opening song was drawdropping; a multitude of spectacular performers paraded down the aisles, complete with the most beautiful costumes and puppetry. The iconic song ‘The Circle of Life’ was sung with such passion and joy. There were scenes of intense sorrow as well as joy and rejoicing. Year 8 student Hannah Ayoola said the Lion King Theatre performance was “the best thing I’ve ever watched”—a viewpoint shared by many of the students.

Day two saw the fun and magic reach new heights, after a great breakfast the students travelled by coach to Harry Potter Studios. The tour began as the doors of The Great Hall swung open to reveal the hall in snowy glory; the students were amazed as they gazed at the ice sculpture and magical Christmas trees. The tour allowed students to see numerous: sets, costumes and examples of graphic design. The highlight was Platform 9 and ¾ which allowed students (and staff) the opportunity to experience a journey to Hogwarts.

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

CHARITIES

Life-Saving Defibrillator Donation Thank you to year 10 Lucas Findley and his dad Steve for coordinating the presentation of our new defibrillator. Steve Findlay, who used to be a student here at Our Lady’s is site manager at Lyndon Scaffolding, one of the construction companies who support the health and safety causes promoted

by Mark Clarke, Director at Clarke Health and Safety Consultants Ltd. Thanks to Steve and Lucas, our school was one of the fortunate recipients.

Sudden cardiac arrest can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or fitness level. A defibrillator is a potentially lifesaving piece of equipment. Simple to use, they allow any first responder to ensure that a person suffering a cardiac arrest has the best chance of survival.

Mark Clarke is also Chairman of the Association of Northern Scaffolding Contractors (ANSC). Each year the company aims to make a charitable donation to worthy causes. This year they have purchased five defibrillators from Red Cross and distributed them across the North West in Manchester, Liverpool and Stoke.

If a defibrillator is used and CPR is performed within three to five minutes, survival chances increase from 6% to 74%.

If treatment is provided within 60 seconds, survival chances reach 90%.

Staff from Cheshire Scaffolds Ltd joined Mrs Ennis our first aid angel and school business manager Mr Gosling at the presentation as Lucas accepted the defibrillator on behalf of Our Lady’s.

”

Mark Clarke

“

It felt great to give something back to my old school Our Lady’s, but the biggest thanks should go to Mark Clarke Health and Safety Consultants and Lyndon Scaffolding Regional Director Jon Cooke for giving me the opportunity to donate to a school of my choice.

”

Learn CPR with our Heartstart courses

Steve Findley

Heartstart courses teach you CPR and other emergency life saving skills. They are free to attend.

A high energy electric shock, given to the heart in some types of cardiac arrest, may restore a more stable rhythm. This is called defibrillation, and it’s an essential lifesaving step in the chain of survival.

There are over 1,700 Heartstart schemes across the UK supported by the British Heart Foundation.

Visit https://www.bhf.org.uk/hearthealth/how-to-save-a-life/how-todo-cpr/heartstart-training to find out about Heartstart training courses near you.

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“

As a Health and Safety Consultant I feel, as we do as a company, that the importance of defibrillators in schools is invaluable. Hopefully they will never be needed, but in some cases and indeed reported cases they are actually life savers. It cannot be stressed enough that these machines really do need to be in all schools.

“

”

British Heart Foundation

Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

Charities

Our Lady’s Show Locks of Support for The Little Princess Trust On 4 March, Louise McCartney from our catering team donated her long locks to the Little Princess Trust. The charity provides real hair wigs for children suffering with hair loss as a result of cancer treatment. They also help children with alopecia and other illnesses that cause hair loss.

There is no charge for the wigs to the family, but each wig costs the charity an average of £500. For a child going through cancer treatment, losing their hair can be deeply upsetting and a wig can give them a real confidence boost and can be treated like their original hair in terms of styling and straightening. The Little Princess Trust relies on vital fundraising to directly help those boys and girls who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses.

The Little Princess Trust was set up in memory of Hannah Tarplee, a delightful, sweetnatured little girl from Hereford who sadly lost her short battle with cancer in June 2005. When chemotherapy caused Hannah to lose her beautiful blonde hair, her parents Wendy and Simon found it difficult to get hold of a suitable child-size wig and so had to have one specially made which was very expensive. Friends and family donated money for Hannah that they hoped she could use for a holiday but sadly that never happened. Using the donations Wendy and Simon set up the charity and so The Little Princess Trust began providing free wigs to children like Hannah. Since 2006 the charity

has continued to go from strength-to-strength thanks to kind-hearted people like Louise donating their own hair and the sponsorship raised.

The charity works with a team of specialist independent suppliers which can provide wigs to children to give the most realistic look and feel, as close as possible to their original hair. They cater for often urgent needs and always respect the sensitivity of the situation.

Louise has already donated her hair over three years ago. She waited until it had grown lovely and long again to cut it off and once again support The Little Princess Trust. Louise isn’t the only person at Our Lady’s who has kindly donated her hair.

Year 8 student Katarina Longhini cut off her waist length hair to donate to The Little Princess Trust on 27 January. Katarina who had been growing her hair for over a year said: “My Mum encouraged me to grow my hair because she said it was beautiful and unique. I wanted to get it cut but because it was so long but I didn’t want the hair to just end up in the bin. My Mum found the charity on Facebook who give free wigs to children who have lost their hair. I decided to donate my hair to The Little Princess Trust because I care and wanted to help make these children feel better about themselves.”

Katarina donated 27cm of her hair and wants to encourage her fellow students to think about doing the same if they are ever getting their long hair cut.

Sharing The Vision

“

I care and wanted to help make these children feel better about themselves.

Katarina Longhini

”

She received a certificate from The Little Princess Trust and was told that last year the charity made 1200 wigs from donations just like hers. Louise and Katarina are in good company as Kate Middleton has also donated her locks to the Little Princess Trust and if you’re going for the chop, they would encourage you to do the same.

To donate or find out more: info@littleprincesses.org.uk www.littleprincesses.org.uk 01432 352 359 Please upload your hair photos to: engb.facebook.com/officiallittleprincesstrust/ twitter.com/IPtrustuk

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

SCHOOL PLAY

Expressive Arts’ Show-Stopping Performance Rocks!

Over three nights, our talented Expressive Arts students took to the stage and thoroughly entertained an audience of staff, parents, students and the local community with their performance of ‘We Will Rock You’.

On Thursday 1 February I was lucky enough to watch their musical production based on Ben Elton and Queen’s hit West End show.

Each cast member revealed a confidence and professionalism beyond their years in a production that would give any West End show a run for its money.

As the young actors took to the stage with its vibrant pop art backdrop, the opening number was ‘Radio Gaga’ which

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set the scene for the energetic musical extravaganza about to unfold. ‘We Will Rock You’ tells the story of a world 300 years in the future where mainstream, commercial conformity reigns and rock music is practically extinct. With no government, ‘GlobalSoft’ reigns in a Ga Ga world. Only the Bohemians still believe in free thought and are fighting to restore fashion and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks and acts the same. Musical

instruments and music production are strictly forbidden and as for rock music, what’s that? Social outcast Galileo, played by Leander McPherson, rebels against the regime declaring; “I want to make music” before launching into ‘I want to break free’ during which he treated the audience to an impressive air-guitar interlude. Also wanting to express herself in a homogenous world is Scaramouche, Galileo’s female counterpart, played by Caitlin Lockwood. She is taunted

Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

School Play by the Gaga Girls who don’t like the way she dresses giving Caitlin the early opportunity to showcase her impressive vocal range in, ‘Somebody to Love’.

Patrycja Wierkin wowed the audience with a real stage presence in her role as Killer Queen and certainly had the powerful voice to back up her ‘killer’ acting performance. Ciaran Lockwood was brilliant as her put-upon lead cop and general dogsbody, Koshoggi. With his love interest, Scaramouche, Galileo joins forces with the Bohemians, Meatloaf and Britney Spears to escape the clutches of the GaGa cops, led by Koshoggi (who are trying to arrest them for the Killer Queen) to overthrow GlobalSoft and restore freedom. Along the way they meet Pop, a nostalgic Hippy Bohemian—played humorously by last year’s leading man Abraham Oladapo— who guides them in their quest. Comedic conversations about the song lyrics added to the entertainment value throughout the production.

With a quick succession of Queen hits, the audience were enthralled, both by the standard of singing and by the incredible choreography of the dancers throughout all the big musical numbers with ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ being accompanied by cool, relaxed danced moves fitting of the lyrics. All singing performances were delivered with confidence which is always rewarding to see when even those with slightly weaker voices give it their all. There were some really standout renditions from Caitlin, Patrycja and Abraham. ‘It’s a Kind of Magic’ lived up to its name as did all the other slick and polished songs belted out throughout the production.

Following a highly animated first half, the second half didn’t lose the momentum, vibrantly opening with ‘One Vision’ to a new psychedelic backdrop on screen. There was a magnificently orchestrated scene between Killer Queen and Koshoggi where

he’s trying to tell her the dreamer and his girl have escaped the Heartbreak Hotel’ and she reminds him she’s ‘dynamite with a laser beam’ before proceeding to take him down in a cleverly choreographed execution of ‘Another One Bites the Dust.’ Abraham also really came into his own with brilliantly hilarious script moments from Pop. His comedy performance and pronunciation as he got nostalgic for a bygone age had the audience roaring with laughter. There was also much mirth at the sight of Pop, Galileo and Scaramouche sharing one tiny bicycle in a quest to save rock and roll!

Produced by Head of Drama, Terry Banham and choreographed by Sarah Aldcroft, a committed team of staff and students worked hard to bring this vibrant, energetic musical to life, much to the appreciation of the audiences who attended each show.

Mr Banham said: “The amazing vocals of Caitlin Lockwood (Scaramouche) and Leander McPherson (Galileo), the sass from Patrycja Wierkin (Killer Queen), the hilarious deadpan performance of Ciaran Lockwood (Commander Kashoggi), great rock and ballad performances from Mia LockettDuffy (Meatloaf) and Joel Sule (Britney Spears), an outstanding comedy and vocal performance from last year’s leading man Abraham Oladapo (Pop), chorus singers and dancers who nailed the moves and provided the oh-so-important backing vocals to the Queen hits, all came together spectacularly to produce this outstanding show.”

Following on from the huge success of last year’s production of Les Miserables, this

What the Director said:

“

Full of incredibly challenging music with 31 Queen hits, We Will Rock you isn’t an easy show to do well so I’m incredibly proud of our cast and crew who absolutely rocked it. Thank you from the production team and all at school for your hard work, dedication and talent. Until next year!

Mr Banham, Head of Drama

Sharing The Vision

”

year’s show lived up to expectations with each performance receiving rave reviews.

Once again, the audience were left thinking is there no end to the talent at Our Lady’s?

Next year Mr Banham and his committed production team are confident they’ll show that when it comes to talent, Our Lady’s has it in abundance!

Review written by Anna Barker

Rave Audience Reviews

“

I enjoyed the show very much. As always, so many talented children. What’s next on the agenda?

”

Sheila Garvey

“

Brilliant show as usual.

I expect nothing less from Our Lady’s wonderfully talented children and staff. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done to all involved.

Susan Kane

“ ”

”

Fabulous. As always.

Carole Denevon

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

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STAFF PROFILES

Mrs Chadwick As we prepare to wave goodbye to our much-loved catering manager, Mary Chadwick, she tells us about the job that’s kept her busy for over two decades…

What is your role at Our Lady’s?

I am the catering manager and I am responsible for everything that happens in the kitchen. So if anything goes wrong it’s down to me. I am happy to say it doesn’t happen often (fingers crossed).

How long have you worked at Our Lady’s?

23 years… since February 1995, a long time.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Every day is different, but I do enjoy seeing the year 11 pupils who have grown up from the quiet or not so quiet little year 7 to young adults ready to face new challenges and knowing that I have shared their days along the way.

What does a typical day for Mrs Chadwick look like?

I start early. I get up at 4.50am every morning and get into school at 6.15am when most of you are still in bed. Deliveries start arriving at 6.30am which have to be checked. I also start the breakfast and from then onwards it’s cooking, cleaning and the dreaded paper work (spreadsheets) –don’t tell Mr Gosling I said that!

How have things changed in the role since you started?

At first the kitchen was run by Manchester Fayre. We could be sent at a moment’s notice to another school to help out. Many times I was sent to schools on the south side of Manchester when someone was off sick. I have a very bad sense of direction and I kept getting lost so after a while they stopped sending me. Now we just work for Our Lady’s.

Funniest (embarrassing) moment in school?

One of the combi ovens went on fire.

Someone said “do you smell burning” and Page 12

we had biscuits in at the time. I did a stupid thing and opened the door and ‘whish’, up went the biscuits and flames were coming out the door. Luckily I was able to shut the door. There was black smoke everywhere, alarms going off and everybody had to evacuate. We later found out that the temperature sensor on the oven was faulty but we did have some dishy men in uniform in the kitchen!

What are your hobbies outside of school?

I read a lot, mostly fiction. I love a real gritty book that grabs me from the first couple of pages and you know you just have to finish it.

Favourite author?

Lee Child. I have read all the Jack Reacher books. I am currently reading The Snowman

by Jo Nesbo. I believe they have made a film of it but I never go to see a film of a book that I have read. I buy all my books from charity shops and take them back—it’s my contribution to recycling and is a lot cheaper.

Favourite film or show?

Mary Poppins. It’s such a really good family film. I have left instructions that ‘Let’s go fly a Kite’ is played at my funeral.

Favourite song?

‘You’re My Best Friend’ by Don Williams. I was lucky to see him in concert a couple of times and he was fantastic. The song was played at our wedding and Brian (husband) always has it played at family events—he is an old romantic.

Best day?

The day I met my husband Brian; he’s been at my side every day through good times

and bad times. He has worked hard to provide for his family and I know that I am a better person for having him at my side.

Person you would most like to meet and why?

Rosa Parks, a shy young woman who refused to give up her seat for a white man in 1955. It takes courage to stand up for your beliefs especially in a country with such racism and hatred at that time. I read her biography and it was fascinating.

What will you miss most about working at Our Lady’s?

The people and the daily interaction with pupils and staff. I have made many friends and I will miss them all for different reasons.

What are you most looking forward to when you leave?

For the first couple of weeks just to do whatever—I want no plans. Then we are going to travel along the west coast of the UK. I definitely want to go to Scotland and do some walking. I have bought Julia Bradbury’s books of walks and some of Wainwright’s books. I have booked a horse riding holiday for Brian’s 70th birthday along the west coast of Ireland in June so I will also visit family when we are over there.

Good luck Mary. Enjoy your travels.

You’ll be missed!

Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

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STAFF PROFILES

Mrs Cosgrove Mrs Cosgrove, our school cook is also retiring from the kitchen.

What is your role at Our Lady’s?

Cook.

How long have you worked at Our Lady’s?

22 years.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Watching the staff and children enjoying the food I have cooked.

What are you most looking forward to when you leave?

Spending quality time with my husband.

Good luck Mrs Cosgrove. Enjoy your retirement.

What does a typical day for Mrs Cosgrove look like?

Very hectic and busy, but enjoyable.

How have things changed in the role since you started?

It’s a lot harder now because we cook for two schools.

Funniest (embarrassing) moment in school?

When Mr Dolan (headteacher at the time) held his hands up like a lollipop man and stopped the children so I could drive my car out of the carpark!

What are your hobbies outside of school?

Reading and walking.

Favourite film or show?

You’ve Got Mail.

Favourite song?

Three Times a Lady.

Greatest moment?

Getting married and having my two children.

Person you would most like to meet and why?

The Pope because I respect him.

What will you miss most about working at Our Lady’s?

The staff and children.

Sharing The Vision

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

PRIMARY TRANSITION

School Chaplains Talk Charity On 25 January the year 5 and 6 chaplains from St Patricks joined us for a workshop led by our year 9 chaplains Charlie and Talha to discuss how and why Catholics should support the work of charities.

The children also considered what they could give up for Lent and how they could donate any money they save from doing so to enrich the lives of others. The workshop was a great success provoking some thoughtful and intelligent debate. We hope the children were inspired by the session to make a sacrifice during the season of Lent.

Primary Pupils Please Lend a Voice to The Our Lady’s Choir!

We will soon be getting our school choir back up-and-running and are looking to recruit children from our local primary schools to lend their voices to this musical project.

In return for becoming an Our Lady’s chorister, children will receive free vocal lessons. For more information or to get involved, please contact Miss Durbin on 0161 507 9004 or email j.durbin@olsc.manchester.sch.uk

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Forensic Pupils Put Clues under the Microscope The year 5 pupils from St Chad’s R.C. Primary and St Thomas of Canterbury R.C. Primary school are the latest children to try their hand at forensic science investigation as visitors to our ever-popular SPI Club.

Faced with the important task of solving a serious crime they had to identify their culprit from three suspects by assessing the forensics against their police statements. Despite the seriousness of the matter, the children had great fun analysing scene-of-the-crime evidence including fingerprints, footprints, ink and soil samples. Good work year 5!

Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

YEAR GROUPS

Football-Fan Tom Palmer Shares His Love of Books With a Penalty Shoot-Out Quiz!

On 16 January our year 7s thoroughly enjoyed a visit from children’s author Tom Palmer. Tom’s publications include three Puffin children’s football series and he travels all over the UK performing his immensely popular football games to hundreds of children every week.

Tom told the students that he was a reluctant reader growing up and explained that his Mum’s concern about his progress at school led her to encourage him to read newspaper and magazine articles related to his hobby of football. He then developed a love of reading that changed his life. Suddenly he wanted to know everything about books.

With a new-found enthusiasm for reading, Tom went to night school to do A levels when he was 21 followed by a degree in European Literature when he was 24, a course he describes as “brilliant!” After graduating, Tom went to work in a bookshop, then a library and then managed book festivals.

After a few years he was lucky enough to have one of his football books for children accepted by Puffin.

Tom told the year 7s: “I didn’t realise normal people like me could become authors until I worked in a library and a bookshop and met authors myself.”

Tom has been writing stories for 30 years and has been published for the last ten years. His popular children’s books include the series ‘Football Academy’ and ‘Defenders’ as well as books based on the themes of World War One, ghosts and international espionage. He gets the inspiration for his stories from newspaper articles and real-life events; “Football is full of crime. I read about it the newspapers.

When a story grips me I know it’s one I can use in a book.”

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Tom researches his characters to make them believable and visits the places where his books are set—when he was writing ‘Ghost Stadium’ he even stayed overnight in a football stadium and for another story he visited the engine room on a ship.

The students took part in Tom’s interactive reading quiz to compete for a place in the penalty shoot-out. Tom, a Leeds supporter, encouraged discussion about current affairs, sports and literature. The children also had the opportunity to ask Tom questions about his favourite authors and how he was inspired to turn his dream of becoming an author into a writing career. When the quiz and Q&A session were over, the students who had correctly answered Tom’s questions got to compete in the penalty shoot-out with a prize for the winner.

We’re sure Tom’s personal story of how he turned things around to become a published author will motivate the years 7s to continue with their independent reading and will have inspired some budding young novelists.

Thanks Tom.

Tom said:

“

My visit to Our Lady’s was brilliant. The year 7s asked some amazingly intelligent and sometimes direct questions, meaning the school stood out as one of the best I’ve done for ages. Thank you Our Lady’s for a really satisfying visit.

”

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW?

TH EN

Donna Groarke (now known as Donna Werner), Maths Teacher

Donna Werner nee Groake was inspired to become a maths teacher following her education at Our Lady’s…

When did you attend Our Lady’s?

I attended Our Lady’s RC High School from September 1993 to July 1998.

Who was your favourite teacher?

Mrs Smith—Deputy Head teacher and Teacher of mathematics. During my time at OLHS she was a real inspiration and a person I could talk to if I was struggling with anything. If it wasn’t for her support within school, I’m not sure where I’d be now and I have her to thank for ensuring I sat and passed all of my GCSEs when I could have quite easily chosen another path.

What subject did you enjoy most and why?

In my childhood, my Grandad would always write me some “sums” to complete so that’s where my enjoyment of mathematics began.

Answers are either right or wrong and there are logical steps to get to a solution.

I appreciate people either love it or hate it (similar to Marmite) but I believe everyone has some aspect of mathematics that they excel at and they just have to find their talent.

What is your happiest memory of Our Lady’s?

There really are lots of memories to choose from. I made lots of friends and went on various trips. Mr Dolan—Head teacher and Sister Philomena stand out in my mind.

Mr Dolan used to challenge himself to learn all the pupils’ names in year 7 in a set time period and then if he didn’t know your name, he would give you a Mars bar.

Sister Philomena ran the tuck shop in the mathematics block and there was definitely no messing about with her.

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W

O

N What did you do when you left school?

Following OLHS, I attended Loreto College where I studied A-Levels in sociology, psychology and general studies along with a B-TEC in mathematics. I then completed a B.Ed. in secondary mathematics at MMU. When did you become a maths teacher?

I qualified in July 2003 and started work in the September of the same year.

Have you always wanted to go into teaching?

I knew that I wanted to teach when I was in year 9 and had originally thought I’d become a primary school teacher. When I did my A-Levels, I realised that I didn’t enjoy the art course so I switched to sociology instead. This meant that I was studying one national curriculum subject instead of the two required for primary and it is then that I decided to do secondary teaching.

What have been your biggest professional challenges?

In my third year of teaching I was acting head of department for two terms. I was thrown in at the deep end and it was a steep learning curve. I learned a lot about managing staff, being a middle leader, budgeting for the department and submitting GCSE entries. It was at times quite stressful and time management was vital in getting everything done.

Every year, the pupils in Year 11 provide a different sort of challenge. They are under a tremendous amount of pressure in the lead up to their GCSEs. It can be really frustrating as their class teacher when homework is missing or they haven’t followed a revision plan that you’ve set up because they have “other priorities”. Getting the message across that the things we do are there to help them achieve their potential can be difficult and for some it doesn’t click whereas for others, they run with it and achieve grades above and beyond what they expected.

Do you have any advice for any students at Our Lady’s who’d like to pursue a teaching career?

On my way to work, I drive past a college where several pupils I have previously taught, attend. I feel honoured to know that I have assisted them on their journey to be whatever they want to be. Teaching is a really rewarding profession but it is demanding. There is a lot of work to be done after school such as marking, planning and report writing which many people do not realise and you never really switch off although the holidays do make up for some of it. I am now in my 15th year and although I have considered other careers, I can’t seem to find one that I would rather do. Every day is completely different and it is definitely a vocation. Only go into teaching if you really do want to teach!

Sharing The Vision

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

What Are They Doing Now?

Sarah Taylor Sarah Taylor (33) used to attend Our Lady’s. She has recently opened her own beauty salon in Sale.

Anna Barker caught up with her at Salon Girl Code…

When did you attend Our Lady’s?

1996-2000. It was nice growing up in a school where all the teachers knew my brother and sister. My sister was academic and my brother could be a bit of a tearaway.

I was somewhere in the middle!

Who was your favourite teacher?

Mr Dolan, the headteacher. He was fair.

He wasn’t always nice, but managed to be authoritative in a nice way. He would reward effort. He had a good sense of humour and taught RE which I enjoyed.

What subject did you enjoy most and why?

Art and drama. I liked the creativity in these subjects; something that has stayed with me throughout my career. I did a lot of nail art when I set out. I entered a nail art competition and won £500. The theme was summertime so the make-up and everything had to tie in with the theme. You had to do a magazine cover. Winning that was one of my proudest moments.

What is your happiest memory of Our Lady’s?

Finding out my results. I went off the rails for a while and was hanging around with the wrong crowd. I had some personal problems so had about six weeks off school. I had to attend a meeting to see if I was allowed back in. After going through that I was so pleased with my results. I got an A in art, two Bs and six Cs. What did you do when you left school?

I went to do beauty therapy at Bury College.

I knew from age 11 that I wanted to do beauty but I went to work with my sister in the Cooperative Bank for good money. I was doing beauty on the side, but if you’re not working in the industry regularly it is hard to keep up with trends. When I moved to Sale seven years ago I trained in things like nail art.

When did you open Girl Code?

I started with a salon in the garage at my house. It was perfect for starting out as I didn’t have any overheads and I was new to Sharing The Vision

the area so needed to build a client base.

Then I had a bad day at work when I was renting a room somewhere so I looked on Rightmove for premises. I had always wanted to do it, but from that point it just happened so quickly.

Have you always wanted to open your own business?

Yes, I always wanted to. I knew from when I was in school that I wanted to have a beauty business, but then I got quite distracted at school. I knew it would happen one day.

What has been the hardest thing?

The business side of things; I started with really good staff who still work with me, but finding new staff has been one of the most difficult things. I have built up a strong reputation so I need staff who I can leave to it so I can have a holiday or a day off. But as the owner, it’s in my interests to work hard and when you’re paying people by the hour it can be hard to get the commitment. I’m a perfectionist and want to find staff with the same passion and enthusiasm as me. It was hard, but I’ve recruited good staff now.

had the passion for beauty from an early age. My advice is when you get work experience don’t see it as a week off school but make the most of the opportunity. Try to pursue work experience in areas that interest you and take the initiative to approach people for weekend work. It’s a good way to find out what you enjoy.

Thank you Sarah Taylor. We hope you have inspired our students to work through any difficulties to pursue their dreams.

GIRLCODE, 64 Cross Street, Sale. Call 0161 425 6659 to book an appointment.

Follow on Facebook @salongirlcode

Do you have any advice for any students at Our Lady’s who’d like to manage their own business when they leave school?

It was easier for me than it is for kids who don’t know what they want to do, because I

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

SPORTS NEWS

PE & Sports Roundup Our Lady’s Sporting Contribution Recognised at Awards Ceremony Our Lady’s was nominated for the ‘Contribution to Sport and Physical Activity in Education Award 2017’ and made the shortlist for the Manchester Sports Awards.

The award recognises a school that has demonstrated a positive contribution to sports and physical activities. It focuses on the impact on pupils that attend the school.

This includes how pupils have been inspired to engage in school sports, and what benefits this had (including competition success).

Despite coming third, a great time was had by all at the glitzy awards ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel Deansgate where Mr Burke accepted the award. Who knows, maybe 2018 will be our winning year!

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Athletics

Football

Our year 7 boys competed in their first ever indoor athletics event and became Manchester champions in the process. There were some notable performances from the team with Kevin Iyoha, 60 metres A sprint, Byron Haughton, 60 metres B sprint and Miguel Gikundiro High Jump all gaining Gold medals. After finishing first our team qualified for the County championships held at Sportcity with Miguel Gikundiro becoming High Jump County champion and the team finishing a very respectable third.

Our football teams continue to do well in the local and national competitions. Our year 9s, 10s and 11s are through to at least one quarter final each so we are hoping for some success when the competitions finish in March. At the beginning of February our year 8s were competing in the quarter final of the National schools trophy. After a long trip to East Northumberland the team fought hard throughout the game but eventually lost 4-3 on penalties. The team had experienced a great journey and did really well to get to the later stages of the competition but it just wasn’t to be this time. However, they do have the semi-final of the 11-a-side County plate and the final of the 9-a-side County Plate to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Other Sports

Our year 9 boys also competed in the indoor athletics championships and became the first team from Our Lady’s to complete the double of the Manchester and County championships in the same season. Again there were some excellent performances with the team winning medals in eight out of the nine events. The team pictured below were: Dominikas Radziukynas, Martins Adonry, Fawaz Amusat, Kobby Kodua, Daniel Okungbowa Bikoro, Muhammad Rizvi, Daniel Olowookere, Josh Sannoh, Napthali Kyei and Gabriel Ngimbi.

In other sports, our table tennis under-14s took part in the Manchester championships with our boys gaining silver medals and in the Manchester Championships for Handball. After some hard-fought games in poor weather conditions, our year 10 girls gained bronze medals and our boys gained silver.

Inter-form Competitions Our inter-form competitions continued this term with all year groups getting the chance to win medals in a variety of competitions.

It was great to see so many taking part to try and help their forms be successful and a couple of the indoor football winning teams are pictured below from F5 and K6.

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE SCHOOL As part of the Religious life of the school, we take great pride in a number of extracurricular activities which support our school mission: “To know, Love and Serve God”.

Christmas Liturgy

Chaplains RE Morning

Ash Wednesday

Before we broke up for Christmas we celebrated with a fantastic liturgy written and led by pupils. Mr Banham and a group of pupils led a mime surrounding the real meaning of Christmas—looking after each other. The pupils were spectacular, and three of our Year 10 pupils sang in front of the school. It truly reflected the Christ in Christmas.

Prayer and worship have been taking place during form time. A huge thank you must go to our staff and students for the standard of assemblies which they have written and led which have been truly inspirational. Our chaplains led a year 8 RE morning on the theme of belonging and community. Students were asked to reflect on the key ideals of what makes a community and even played people bingo. They were reflective as they discussed some of the ‘Big Questions‘ in a mature manner.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the season of Lent, and Father Glover joined us to celebrate mass and distribute ashes to Year 7. Father Dariusz from St Clare’s’ also joined us at a liturgy and gave ashes to the rest of our school community. The chaplaincy team have continued to lead and prepare reflections throughout Lent to form groups.

CAFOD Visit At the beginning of February, Briege Savilles from CAFOD, visited school to speak to our gift team/student chaplains surrounding new ways of raising awareness and fundraising for the charity. Students discussed and shared their views about poverty and what we could do at school to make a positive difference to those who need support.

Savio House Year 9 and 10 pupils are looking forward to their visit to Savio House in Bollington, taking part in a retreat and reflection. Look out for the photos in the next edition.

Follow our Chaplaincy Twitter page: @OLChaplains Sharing The Vision

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SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening, Thursday 5 July 2018, 4.30pm–8pm

New to Our Website The Our Lady’s school website is a comprehensive source of information about our school and we are always thinking of new sections to add value to our visitor experience.

Our fantastic ‘Hot Off the Press’ page allows you to revisit all the school stories that have made it into the newspapers so keep visiting to read all our latest media coverage.

And that’s not all! Have you ever wondered what our students think about life and education at Our Lady’s? Well now you can find out in the new Student Blog. We hope you continue to enjoy your website experience. If there’s anything you’d like to see on the website you can email your suggestions to a.barker@olsc.manchester.sch.uk with the subject: Website Suggestions.

Where Have You Been Caught Reading?

Our ‘Caught Reading’ campaign has been launched to share our love of books and further strengthen our reading culture, encouraging independent reading. It’s a great way to motivate our students to develop a passion for reading that can so often be side-lined by devices in today’s modern age.

You can support our campaign by emailing a photo of you reading in an unusual or creative location to

a.barker@olsc.manchester.sch.uk with the subject line ‘I’ve been Caught Reading…’

We’d also like to hear about your favourite authors, the books you love and who or what has encouraged your love of reading.

To inspire you, take a look at Miss Tkaczuk— caught reading Harry Potter and The Cursed Child as she was waiting to perform at Halifax Ukrainian Club recently. It’s clearly a captivating read!

SAVE THE DATE: Our Lady’s Open Evening Thursday 5 July 2018 4.30pm–8pm Page 20

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