Issuu

Sharing the

Winter 2018

Our Lady’s R.C. High School Magazine

Poetic Battlefields Visit to Belgium and France Puts Great War into Context

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

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Best-Ever GSCE Results for Our Lady’s Our Big Trip to the Big Apple Inspirational Figures throughout Black History What’s been happening in PE? Plus much more!

Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter www.olhs-manchester.org.uk

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.

September saw the arrival of our new year 7 students, who joined us fresh-faced, enthusiastic and eager to learn. They have settled in very well and formed lasting friendships during their time at Langdale; a residential experience involving outdoor pursuits, team games and the time and opportunity to get to know the staff and each other. During this term, there has been even more focus than normal on Armistice, particularly with the 100 year anniversary of the end of WW1 occurring this year. The students have spent time learning about this during history lessons and it was a great privilege to welcome a highly-regarded guest speaker into school. Dressed as a WWI Sergeant he presented to the year 8 students as if they were soldiers in his regiment. He spoke with great knowledge about what life was really like in the trenches, sharing fascinating insights about how the postal service from home kept morale up, what items of kit soldiers had to carry, the role of animals as assistants and antagonists and an insight into the 1914 Christmas truce.

On Friday 9 November we honoured all of the fallen and all of those affected by war with a two-minute silence; this was heralded by the emotive sound of a lone bugler playing ‘The Last Post’. The sound carried perfectly in the main foyer and we as a community stood still in recognition and reflection. Christmas is almost upon us now and we have been preparing for this during the season of Advent. Charity is a mainstay of Our Lady’s and fundraising goes on throughout the year but at Christmas we do push a little harder to show kindness to those who are in need. We collected—in partnership with St Clare’s—donations of warm clothing for

Christmas is almost upon us now and we have been preparing for this during the season of Advent. Charity is a mainstay of Our Lady’s and fundraising goes on throughout the year but at Christmas we do push a little harder to show kindness to those who are in need.

the local homeless. A toy donation box in reception was filled up ready to be collected by representatives for the Mission Christmas Appeal, who will distribute them to deprived children in our region. We also host our annual St Clare’s ‘Young at Heart’ luncheon for the elders of the parish. The children cook for and host the party and treat the guests to a really special afternoon of Christmas joy. I find the commitment of our school to supporting the local community to be truly inspiring; it is difficult to put into words how grateful I am for the contribution our staff and students make to the common good. I wish you all a happy and holy Christmas and look forward to welcoming everyone back in the New Year. God bless,

L. Ormsby Headteacher

Editor’s Welcome Message What a wonderful 2018 at Our Lady’s! Our new year 7s have settled in beautifully and enjoyed a Lake District residential; we’ve welcomed back last year’s school leavers to celebrate their outstanding GCSE results and some of our current year 11s have been lucky enough to go on the trip-of-a-lifetime to New York City! Take some time out to catch up with all our news and enjoy a peaceful Christmas break

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Contents Editor’s Welcome Message

Award-Winning Communications Set Us Apart

Best-Ever GSCE Results for Our Lady’s!

Welcome Back Class of 2018!

Laying Down the Law with Manchester Youth Zone

Networking at the Careers Fair

What a Start to Year 7—In the Stunning Lake District!

Our Big Trip to the Big Apple

Honouring 100 Years since the End of the Great War

Poetic Battlefields Visit to Belgium and France Puts Great War into Context

Students Discover Free Cultural Opportunities in Our City 12 A Great Start for our Year 7 Historians

Year 10 Get Down to Business at Manchester United

Year 9 Activity Challenge

Year 9 Enjoy Lunchtime Reading 13 Staff Profile—Miss Ryan

What are they doing now? Rachel Chubsey

Inspirational Figures throughout Black History

In a World Full of Colours, Many Languages Are Spoken

Religious Life of the School

It Was Cakes Aplenty at Our Macmillan Coffee Morning!

Discovering the History of Gingerbread is Tasty Work!

St Malachy’s Light up the Stage in Ancient Greece!

Exploring Victorian Artefacts with Our Primary School Inventors!

Sports Leader Champion Healthy Living at Regional Conference

What’s been happening in PE? 23

Editor: Anna Barker Sports Editor: Adam Jones

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Award-Winning Communications Set Us Apart In the summer we brought you the exciting news that we were a finalist in the Communication Award Category of the Greater Manchester School Awards 2018. Well now we are delighted to announce that we won! We were up against Manchester Health Academy and Davyhulme Primary School who both have excellent communications but the judges felt that Our Lady’s strategic and innovative approach to communications set us apart. School Marketing Manager Mrs Barker, Miss Tkaczuk and students Charlie and Beverlyn (now in year 10) attended the awards lunch ceremony at the Deansgate Hilton Hotel in Manchester. Following lunch Hits Radio Host Mike Toolan took to the stage to present ten different school awards. We received the award in recognition of our crosschannel approach to communications which has successfully raised our positive

profile and resulted in the school being oversubscribed.

All our communications are designed with a clear brand identity that links our user-friendly website, Vision magazine, Magna newspaper, social media pages and offline marketing materials together. Communication between staff, students and home is extremely strong thanks to our software tool Kanexion which links all stakeholders. The students are responsible for their own monthly blog which is very popular. We are delighted to win the Schools Communications Award. Mrs Barker

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2018

Best-Ever GSCE Results for Our Lady’s! There were plenty of smiles at the end of August as our year 11 leavers returned to Our Lady’s to collect their GCSE exam results. This year’s results were particularly significant as they marked the biggest shake up of the exam system for a generation. With it being the first year of the new grading system and with all the changes with the exams, coursework and syllabi, we are all immensely proud of the strong set of results our students achieved. Their outstanding exam results are testament to the commitment they showed to their studies. Despite the demands of a new curriculum and national concerns from school leaders about the impact the new exams system— which includes more demanding content, less coursework and exams at the end of two years—would have on students, our year 11 cohort stepped up to the mark and coped exceptionally well with the changes. In English and Maths the results were amazing, with over 70% of students achieving at least the standard grade 4 pass. Our 9–4 (old A*–C) combined English and Maths pass rate was 64% which exceeds previous years and is a fantastic achievement for our school. It is significantly higher than our previous best of 57%, highlighting how much the school

has developed and how hard the staff and students have worked. 12% of our Class of 2018 achieved five or more of the top grades (9–7) with two students; Fiona Egboko and Sarah Oppong hauling in an impressive 9 GCSEs at either grade 9 or 8. Caitlyn Gatenby-Kelly who achieved lots of grade 7s and 8s said; “I’m really happy. My results are much better than I expected. I’m going to Chadderton sixth form to study for A Levels in biology, chemistry and maths. These grades will help me study to go into medicine. I think I want to be a doctor.” Congratulations to all our students for adapting to the challenges of the new exam system and achieving our best-ever results. We wish each and every one of them the very best for the future.

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Congratulations Class of 2018

Welcome Back Class of 2018! Back in August our year 11 school leavers returned to Our Lady’s to collect their GCSE results and as a school community we were so proud of their exam success. It was lovely to invite them back with their families to celebrate those achievements at our GCSE Certificate Evening on Thursday 8 November. Certificate Evening is always an uplifting event that applauds not only the academic success, but all the contributions our former students made to school life.

is my business”. Mr Brandreth told the teenagers; “We wear the chains we forge in life. Make sure the steps you take in life are good ones.”

The stage was beautifully set and the canteen dressed to impress for a night to remember. The students and their families were greeted with a ‘champagne’ reception—served by our current year 11 prefects—in the foyer and there was great excitement as many caught up for the first time since leaving Our Lady’s. It was then time for the guests to take their seats in the hall before the former students were welcomed in form by form for their special presentation evening.

Mr Brandreth had two special awards to present; the Best Effort Ward went to Agnes Tambala and the Contribution to School Life was given to Sara Aghayere

The very talented ‘Voices of Our Lady’s’ opened proceedings with a rousing rendition of ‘ Hold Back the River’ before Mr Ormsby took to the stage to praise the students for their “off-the-scale results and the collective achievement in the room that no other school in the area has come close to.” He thanked them for the vibrancy they had brought to the school, their phenomenal contribution on the sports field, their leadership skills and the meaningful contribution they have all made to the Our Lady’s community.” Our Chair of Governors, Mr Campbell was then welcomed to the stage to thank and congratulate the students on behalf of all the governors. He said; “It is a pleasure to be here to share in this celebration of your success. Thank you for helping make Our Lady’s a shining example of a catholic education in action. Be proud of what you’ve achieved and look forward to the future with confidence.” Each student was called up onto the stage to shake hands with Mr Campbell before Mr Ormsby presented them with their GCSE certificate. Four of our year 11 BTEC music students performed ‘Take Me Home’ and then it was time for Mr Brandreth, last year’s Head of Year 11 to address his former year group. He asked them not to stay too late celebrating as he needed to cycle home! He then spoke about one of his assemblies about ‘A Christmas Carol’ referencing the character Jacob Marley who says “Mankind

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Mr Ormsby then presented attendance awards with Paschal Asobirionwu receiving the award for three years 100% attendance and Dawit Abraham and Josa Osa Oni both getting an award for four years 100% attendance. Rosemary Warren Gordon was presented with the Bethany Riley Award for five years 100% attendance (Bethany Riley didn’t have a single day off throughout her time at both primary and high school). The final presentation of the evening was Mr Ormsby’s Headteacher Awards which were given to Sarah Oppong and Fiona Egboko as a reflection of the special people they are and in recognition of the fact that between them their grades were the equivalent of 20 A*s in the old grading system. Mr Ormsby finished the presentations by reading a poem encouraging the students to make the most of all the paths now open to them saying; “In the end it is the chances we don’t take we regret… seize those opportunities and have no regrets.” The Voices of Our Lady’s then belted out ‘Wake Me Up’ with fantastic audience participation! Everyone was invited to continue the celebrations in the school canteen where Catering Manager Miss Ashworth and her team laid on a lovely buffet for guests to enjoy. Everyone was in great spirits as they chatted about what they’ve been up to since leaving Our Lady’s. Class of 2018 you excelled yourself and the bar is set very high for our Class of 2019!

Thank you for helping make Our Lady’s a shining example of a catholic education in action. Mr Campbell

Mr Brandreth’s Awards: Best Effort: Agnes Tambala Contribution to School Life: Sara Aghayere Mr Ormsby’s Attendance Awards: 3 years 100% attendance: Paschal Asobirionwu 4 years 100% attendance: Dawit Abraham and Josa Osa Oni The Bethany Riley Award for 5 years 100% attendance: Rosemary Warren Gordon Mr Ormsby’s Headteacher’s Awards Sarah Oppong and Fiona Egboko

CAREERS

Laying Down the Law with Manchester Youth Zone Our Lady’s has joined forces with Manchester Youth Zone (MYZ) over the last half term to explore the various career options in the law sector. Twenty students comprised of year 9s, 10s and 11s visited Manchester Courts where they learnt about the roles involved in our legal system, how our laws work, and pathways into the sector. As well as experiencing court first-hand, the students also completed a simulation in Court 16 with L3 Business students from The Manchester College, where a young lady was put on trial for Cyber Bullying. Our students formed the defence and prosecution teams, the key witnesses and jury! After a most eloquent summing up from both ‘legal teams’, the defendant was indeed found guilty after a very strong case was put forward by the ‘Angela and Edith Agbaji Partnership’.

Our Lady’s students worked with L3 business students to recreate a trial in courtroom 16 to explore the legal process. This was a wonderful experience for them. The bully was found guilty! Mrs Cooke, Our Lady’s’ Careers Lead

Networking at the Careers Fair On Friday 2 November our year 11s got the chance to contemplate life after Our Lady’s when they met with potential employers and further education providers to participate in a series of mock interviews. Dressed to impress, the students shook off any nerves they were feeling to answer the questions put to them in a self-assured manner. This was their chance to make a first impression and to get a taste of the process they will have to undergo when they leave school to pursue apprenticeships, careers or university courses. In addition to the interviews, every student from year 7 to 11 was given the opportunity to visit the Careers Fair in the school hall so that they could start to consider different career paths. Students from our neighbouring schools Meade Hill and Northridge were also invited along to the event. With more stands and stalls than previous years, the youngsters got the change to network with representatives from large companies and legal firms, smaller local companies, colleges, charities, The Army and The Navy and to ask any questions they had about a range of apprenticeships and careers from construction, training and recruitment to hospitality and sports.

Each stand was issued with some card diamonds to hand to students every time they asked an insightful question. There was a special incentive to interact with the careers providers as the form to collect the most diamonds were rewarded with a form breakfast. Individual prizes were also on offer in a prize draw that the students could enter by collecting information from the stalls to answer the questions set by the careers trail. The day was a valuable experience for the students to gain advice and information directly from employers and education providers. Many of them now feel motivated and have a clearer idea of what is required to pursue their future goals.

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

SCHOOL TRIPS I thought I wasn’t going to make friends. I was a bit nervous about that. This week I’ve met lots of people and made new friends. I’m really excited being at Our Lady’s Elizabeth, year 7

What a Start to Year 7—In the Stunning Lake District! What an amazing trip! This October our year 7 students had a memorable few days in Langdale giving them a chance to enjoy various exciting adventurous activities in a stunning and scenic Lake District setting while they got to know each other bonding over team challenges. Many of the children embraced the opportunity to try new outdoor pursuits such as bush craft, shelter building, fire making in the woods, archery, walking and rocket making. There were plenty of chances to enjoy the beautiful scenery with views over Grasmere and the Lake District mountain range. The weather was kind throughout the week as the groups took an energetic walk to Grasmere Lake, stepping stones into the Rydal Cave. Jet planes, rock skimming and some fantastic stories and jokes provided a great source of entertainment during the walks which were also a brilliant way to get fresh air and exercise.

7s into high school life because they form strong bonds away from the classroom. This year was no exception as the children threw themselves into the activities working together and forming new friendships that will be invaluable and that will no doubt last through their school life at Our Lady’s and beyond.

Our annual Langdale experience is a fantastic way to settle our year

This has been a fabulous trip with students really getting active and involved. Cooperating and working together has been a feature of the whole trip and the Year 7 students have done this really well. I’m very proud of them all; they represented Our Lady’s brilliantly. Miss Jacques, Head of year 7

I thought I’d be nervous, but the sessions have been really exciting. My favourite was walking to the cave. Oliver, year 7

This has been one of our best trips ever! Lots of members of the public commented on their excellent behaviour and friendliness on the walk. We even bumped into an ex student from St Clare’s (now retired)! Mr Schofield

Working as a team has helped all to develop their cooperation and communication skills. There have been tears and laughter and many have matured and developed over a short time! Mrs Langan, year 7 Form Tutor

Research has shown that such activities (outdoor learning and adventurous activities) can boost personal development, improve school attendance and educational attainment, and have a positive effect on health and fitness. In fact outdoor learning touches on almost every hot-topic policy area affecting young people, whether it is closing the achievement gap, reducing obesity or addressing challenging behaviour. Manchester’s Outdoor Learning & Adventurous Activity Strategy

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

School Trips

Our Big Trip to the Big Apple On Monday 22 October, 23 Year 11s and Mr Mottershead, Miss Power and Mrs Newey embarked on the trip-of-a-lifetime to New York City.

The seven-hour Virgin Atlantic flight went smoothly and didn’t shake any excitement away as we touched down at JFK airport early that afternoon, with the New York time zone adding five hours to our day. Mr Mottershead who seemed to be the biggest kid on the trip was particularly excitable! Seeing the sights of New York for the first time brought a stunned silence over our students as billboards bigger than buildings lit up the night as we stepped in to Times Square. We made it to The Hard Rock Café to rest our tired feet and refuel. Although it was late, we managed to stop enroute back to the hotel to watch the street entertainment of dancers and other crazy goings-on you couldn’t imagine seeing on the streets of Manchester. Up bright and early the next morning we set off to an all-American diner for a traditional American breakfast of bagels, muffins, scrambled eggs and American bacon with coffee and orange juice—fuel for a long day of sightseeing ahead. In good-old fashioned American style, we took the subway to our first excursion to catch the ferry over to Ellis Island to visit the icon herself; The Statue of

Liberty. This amazing picturesque statue stands at over 305ft and once up close, it’s difficult to take your eyes off her. We were lucky enough to go for a closer look and walk around Ellis Island. Back on the ferry—after almost losing Elizabeth and Francesca (aka Salt and Pepper) who decided to get off a stop too soon to explore but were caught in time by Mr Mottershead’s eagle eye (bringing the whole port to a standstill)—we headed to ground zero to visit the 9/11 memorials. It’s hard to describe how peaceful it was, despite the hundreds of visitors. As staff, we were so glad our students were able to

visit such a historical place, especially as they weren’t born to see it happen. They appreciated the chance to learn about that day which changed the world. After exploring the 9/11 museum, we had lunch and went back to the hotel for an hours rest, before heading back to Times Square for our evening meal at Bubba Gump’s. If you’ve seen Forest Gump you’ll be familiar with this restaurant dedicated to shrimp. Some of the students tried it and some experienced root beer for their first (and last) time—it’s not to everybody’s taste! Once we had finished our evening meal as a school family, it was time for the first bit of shopping around Times Square where everything is ten times bigger and better than Manchester. All shopped out, it was back to the hotel to sleep after a very long day. Wednesday was a more relaxed morning. After breakfast, the students had two hours of long-awaited shopping time before it was back to our itinerary. We had a nice long walk across New York, away from the city to the National History museum where The Night at the Museum was filmed. Over four floors

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

School Trips of American history we witnessed first-hand how the Native Americans managed to survive without the everyday essentials we have today. Being able to go through the different walks of life was a highlight of the museum tour. On the very top floor was a 43ft frame of a dinosaur (which was the largest mammal to ever walk this earth) and alongside it was a documentary of the dig to show where and how it was found. It was fascinating to see this unbelievably huge skeletal frame which was so big its head and neck were poking out of the door! Next Mr Mottershead took us down 5th Ave where the expensive high street shops are; walking past Tiffany’s, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and the famous Trump Towers, Sir then led us to our next destination—The Rockefeller Centre. Standing at the bottom looking up, it was crazy to think that we were about to make our way up this iconic building. Flying up 67 floors in 43 seconds to reach the Top of the Rock, we went out and saw the beautiful city from a birds-eye view. Up in the clouds at over 1000f, we had a breath-taking 360 degree view of busy the city we’d just walked around. Back down to earth, it was off to our evening meal at a lovely Italian in Times Square for our last evening together. Somehow we found the energy to go and have fun at the Rockefeller Centre ice rink as a nice surprise for all the students. What a magical experience skating around at night outside one of the tallest buildings in this outstanding city having nothing but fun. The teachers discovered their inner child to join in with the year 11s and also stay on their feet,

unlike Elizabeth Anibi and Leon Scotti, who spent more time sat on the ice! Not to mention Adam Makin who brought the whole ice rink to a standstill when he almost went through the side boards with a massive bang. Escaping serious injuries, we got back on to solid ground and headed back to the hotel. As it was our last night (and wth high demand from Breanna), the request to experience a yellow taxi ride was agreed. With Miss Power being a New York natural at flagging down taxis, many of us managed to drive through the city in the famous yellow taxis back to the hotel; although Daniel, Adam and Leon thought they would keep it British and order an Uber! Even though we’d walked over 35,000 steps, the energy was high in the Our Lady’s camp and the fact it was our last night didn’t dampen the New York hype. Thursday was our final day in New York—a ‘relaxing’ day of shopping and leisurely strolling around New York, Central Park and Times Square although going in the many shops was probably more tiring and hard work than all the walking around and excursions! But the students were happy

New York was astounding. I thank Miss Power, Mrs Newey and Mr Mottershead for taking care of us and for their commitment to this trip. I wish every student can have a chance of going to NYC as it was worth every dime. I tried new things and saw many famous sites of attraction which I most definitely wish to see again. Thank you Our Lady’s.

New York was an amazing trip that was important to me as it was my first ever trip out of the country. The teachers packed as much as possible in so it was definitely worth the money. Even staying in the hostel was fun as it was something we weren’t all used to and it was a different and new experience. Thank you Miss Power, Mrs Newey and Mr Mottershead.

Francesca Ezennolim

Mia Taylor

New York 2018 is one of the alltime best trips that Our Lady’s has been lucky enough to experience. Thank you to the parents for allowing their sons/daughters to go to New York and for our year 11s who worked incredibly hard in the build up to the trip and for their impeccable behaviour and conduct whilst out there; they did our school and Mr Mottershead extremely proud. All the planning and hard work was worth it and it is so rewarding to hear that you all had an amazing time. Miss Power with their souvenirs for loved ones and once fed, a very tired 25 members of Our Lady’s boarded the plane back to Manchester. After a short delay many of us were asleep and before we knew it, we’d landed safely back in Manchester to the traditional English weather—as soon as we boarded the coach back to school it started to rain!

Miss Power

The New York trip will always be part of my memories as one of the best life experiences. There was always something new to experience so thank you. Adam Makin

This was one of the most substantial and fun trips I have ever been on. Everywhere you looked you couldn’t help but be in awe of the museums and industrial city. These few days felt like weeks thanks to the many activities our kind teachers have organised for us. My favourite was ice skating in front of the Rockefeller Centre, which was a surprise. Definitely on my list of unforgettable voyages! Szaffi Jarbath

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

WORLD WAR ONE COMMEMORATIONS

Honouring 100 Years since the End of the Great War On 11 November 2018 it was 100 years since the Armistice was signed in November 1918, bringing an end to the First World War. Appropriately the Armistice Day centenary coincided with Remembrance Sunday (which is always held on the second Sunday in November) so the day took on even greater significance. At Our Lady’s we have shown our respects to those who served in, lived through and lost their lives in the Great War. Year 8 completed History enrichment with Miss Warwick which gave them the chance to explore the First World War and remembrance as part of the 100 year centenary celebrations taking place at school. Students were able to visualise the life of a British infantry soldier through the examination of artefacts, including a range of primary and secondary sources, brought to life by the engaging Tony Davies. Tony is a World War One historical interpreter, historian, author and speaker. A retired policeman, Tony now educates young people about the tribulations faced by ordinary soldiers during the war. Our students enjoyed Tony’s interactive session where he vividly brought his stories of war to life. Tony said; “Thank you for inviting me Our Lady’s. The students really engaged in the talk and asked some interesting and insightful questions.” Our students have also worked on a beautiful display outside the school Chapel and on the Friday before Remembrance Sunday we were visited by a bugler who performed a moving rendition of ‘The Last Post’. As part of our Remembrance activities we created a display to reflect on the events of the wars. In lessons, students produced some thoughtful work. For our two minute silence, our Chaplaincy team stood alongside all members of our school community for the Last Post. Huge thanks to Ms Nicholson and Ms Warwick for supporting these activities. #LestWeForget

Thank you for inviting me Our Lady’s. The students really engaged in the talk and asked some interesting and insightful questions. Tony Davies, World War One historical interpreter

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

World War One Commemorations

Poetic Battlefields Visit to Belgium and France Puts Great War into Context 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War One. Two of our year 11 students were lucky enough to be selected to travel to Belgium and France to visit the World War One battlefields. Accompanied by Mr Brandreth, Robert Oseh and Adebayo Ade also visited cemeteries around the region and were able to put the experiences of those who fought for their country into context. Mr Brandreth said “The boys discovered the grave of a man who lived on Moston Lane and died during the Somme; which made the whole experience more tangible.” 100 years ago the guns fell silent to mark the end of World War One. Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 11 November 2018, is a day for the nation to remember those who sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom. It was made all the more poignant this year as the 100 year anniversary fell on a Sunday so the Remembrance Day commemorations to honour all those who lost their lives were taking place on the actual Centenary. The purpose of the visit was to commemorate the great British war poet Wilfred Owen who served in the Manchester Regiment, and who died on Sunday 4 November 1918—exactly a year before the visit. Owen, a second lieutenant was killed in action as he led a raiding party across the Sambre-Oise Canal in northern France on 4 November 1918, just a week before the Armistice was signed and the First World War brought to a close. His mother received the news by telegram on Armistice Day as the church bells of Shrewsbury rang out in celebration of victory. The boys and Mr Brandreth attended a special commemorative ceremony where French and English people alike stood sideby-side to read out Wilfred Owen’s poems at his graveside. The poems capture the death and destruction of the battlefield in unflinching detail—bootless soldiers trudging exhausted through mud, choking on mustard gas and dying tangled in briars of barbed wire. Having immersed themselves in the experiences of the young men who fought in the Great War the boys returned to school feeling thankful and reflective.

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Robert said; “This trip has been a real adventure that I am happy I embarked on. For us to have got an opportunity like this really makes me happy as we got to reflect over the lives that were lost and the brutality of the war. I feel I have established a rapport with all those men who lost their lives. What I find so significant about the trip that really touched my heart was the newfound troops and soldiers that volunteered to help and play their own part. I am very grateful to all the tourist guides and teachers that contributed to helping us.” Adebayo Adedeji said; “It has been a real privilege to be given an opportunity to witness the great sacrifices made by the soldiers. I believe that it is important to carry on their legacy and make sure their memory lives on. The most important part was realising that these were just average working citizens thrust into a war. For them to take a big step into fighting for their country is truly admirable. Men and women alike working together for the greater good.” Talking about the boys’ incredible experience, Robert’s Mum said; “Martin Luther King Jnr once said, ‘We are not makers of history. We are made by history.’ Telling the accounts of history is great but experiencing the trails of history is far greater and nothing can be truer than this for my son Robert Oseh, Adebayo and Mr Brandreth. The tale of World War One is one that has been told for 100 years

now. Even though there is nothing honourable in war, it is on the flipside a tale of courage, bravery, dedication and service—qualities that Wilfred Owen embodied. The opportunity for Robert and Adebayo to participate in the commemorative service in his honour, visit the key battlefields and cemeteries and relive these experiences is one that brings them closer to the tale and instils the values of patriotism and service to the nation. As parents we could not be more proud. Thank you to the staff at Our Lady’s.”

YEAR GROUPS

Students Discover Free Cultural Opportunities in Our City This October half term years 10 and 11 set out on a challenge to broaden their horizons, develop their cultural capital, and increase their awareness of the depth and breadth of cultural opportunities open to them in and around the city of Manchester. The Brief: How many of the fascinating, free-to-enter events taking place across Manchester’s many museums, galleries, libraries and other exhibition spaces can you visit over the course of a week? Students travelled all over Greater Manchester: meeting WW2 veterans at the Imperial War Museum, learning about computer game design at the University of Salford, witnessing live demonstrations of cotton mill machinery at the Museum of Science and Industry, and much more. As proof of having attended, students were asked to either take a selfie or write a review of their experience. We were inundated with entries of both kinds—some students having managed

to visit all thirteen locations listed in their brochures. Many students reported having been previously unaware that these places were free to enter and announced their intention to visit them again in the future. The winners in year 10 were Benita Obiora and Uki Edokpolor. Runners up were Annalisa Egwele, Sandra

Ehigie and Deborah Ekhator. The overall challenge winner for year 11 was Success Amos Omanor, with runners up Jane Osa Oni, Shannon Robinson and Kaja Wojtkowska.

A Great Start for our Year 7 Historians Well done to year 7 for a fantastic start to history at high school. We have had some fantastic homework contributions so far including some brilliant real models of Stonehenge for our studies on Neolithic History.

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Year Groups

Year 9 Activity Challenge

Year 10 Get Down to Business at Manchester United

During half term, many year 9 students also completed Miss Beard’s ‘Challenge’ booklet. They had to visit as many places in the booklet as they could, such as Manchester Central Library, the Science and Industry Museum and the Imperial War Museum North. They thoroughly enjoyed visiting with their friends and family and took lots of pictures and even wrote a description of what they experienced. The winner was Whitney Okpiahio.

In November Miss Weetman and Mrs Newey took some year 10 students to Old Trafford to learn how Manchester United’s business model works, how they use different techniques within their marketing strategies and how this impacts on them as a brand. They were also treated to a look around the museum and a tour of the stadium which they thoroughly enjoyed.

I thought it was really good as we saw the whole stadium and we got lots of pictures! Julia Dabal

Year 9 Enjoy Lunchtime Reading

I thought it was amazing as we got to learn a lot about the background information and what happens at Manchester United. Kellece Olisa

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Every Friday lunch time we have a Reading Club for our year 9 students. A variety of books are available to read across all subject areas so come along with your friends and take advantage of the additional reading opportunity. The more you read, the more you know, the more you know the more you grow! So discover the pleasure and power of reading, lose yourself in a book and you’ll be surprised by all the new things you learn.

STAFF PROFILE

Staff Profile—Miss Ryan What is your role at Our Lady’s? I am one of the Assistant Headteachers. What do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy how varied every day is and discovering new ideas that will support me in ensuring that our students learn and prosper. What does a typical day for Miss Ryan look like? A typical day involves me inwardly, and often externally, groaning that I have to wake up early (I am not a ‘morning person’, drinking copious cups of tea and applying my make up in car. This is followed by morning meetings and then lessons. At lunchtime, I am on duty in the library, which has to be the best duty point in the school. After school I plan my lessons. In the evenings, I would like to say that I go to the gym but I don’t, I see family and friends. What is your favourite book? It is a cliché but also very true, too many to choose from. However, if pressed I would say Pride and Prejudice and the Harry Potter collection. Elizabeth Bennet is an inspiring, outspoken character who demonstrates that determination and intelligence are imperative. The Harry Potter series illustrates that good friendship and loyalty are the most important qualities that a person can have. How do you encourage your students to do more reading? By sharing books that I have read with them and ensuring that the library is well-stocked to allow our students access to the most recently published and popular books. Funniest (embarrassing) moment in school? There are countless from when I was significantly younger but my most poignant has to be when a popular member of staff was leaving to go another school, a big group of us cried and ate countless packets of crisps.

What are your hobbies outside of school?

Favourite film or show?

Again, very predictable, but then I am a walking cliché. I love to watch historical programmes, particularly about the Tudor period. I love watching a period drama. I enjoy eating and drinking with my friends and family.

The BBC TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and I also love Arthur Christmas.

What is your greatest achievement? Being part of the many members of staff who helped to improve this school and made it, along with the students, the amazing place that it is now.

Person you would most like to meet and why? J.K. Rowling. I would love to read through all of her many notebooks that she planned the magical world of Harry Potter in. Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions? I would love to learn to play the violin.

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

STUDENT PROFILE

What are they doing now? Rachel Chubsey When did you attend Our Lady’s? I attended Our Lady’s from 2002 to 2007. Who was your favourite teacher? All of my teachers were great! But I probably had three favourites (I can’t pick one). Mr Crolla was my English teacher and his classes were always fun, he made lots of jokes but got the job done. He also taught me how to play the guitar! Miss Sweeney was my PE teacher. I loved PE and I was also on the school netball team and Miss Sweeney was always very supportive. She was also my form tutor for many years. Mrs Buckley was my RE teacher, again another subject I really enjoyed. Her classes were always very fun and she had a fab way of explaining difficult concepts. What subject did you enjoy most and why? Again it’s difficult to pick just one because my favourites were English and Science. I loved reading books so English suited me, I particularly enjoyed reading A Streetcar Named Desire and Flowers for Algernon. I enjoyed science especially biology and practical sessions! It was a talk in year 11 about careers in science that started to make me think about my future career. What is your happiest memory of Our Lady’s? One of my earliest memories was going on a week trip to the Briars Retreat in year 7. This was a fantastic week meeting all the new people in my year. I remember days hiking and a really cool treasure hunt. Plus sharing

a room with my best friends and having a sleepover every night was great! What did you do when you left school? When I left school I went on to complete my A levels at Holy Cross 6th Form College. There I did English Literature, Biology, Graphics and Dance, and got involved with the college productions of Westside Story and Les Miserables. Have you always wanted to go into medicine? When I was very young I always wanted to be a teacher, probably because I had been inspired by so many great ones. Once I started college and attended a talk about medicine it got me thinking about pursuing a career in medicine. Unfortunately I had picked the wrong subjects at A level to apply for medicine so I had to apply for a foundation year at University first. On completion I was able to move on to medicine. Funnily enough I’m now in a teaching role for a year working as a Clinical Teaching Fellow teaching medical students. So I got to be a teacher after all! What has been your biggest achievement in your career so far? I have a few things I am proud of, firstly graduating and becoming a doctor. It was a very enjoyable time at university but also very challenging. My Graduation Day was one of the best days ever! During my time at Medical School I took a year out to complete a Master’s Degree in Anatomical Science. Through this I completed a research project where I created a Radiological Scoring system for Massive Pulmonary Embolisms (basically using CT scans to look at blood clots in the lungs and say how bad they were). I was also lucky enough to be invited to present this work in Edinburgh at the World Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons annual meeting. This was an amazing experience and one that I am extremely proud of. What have been your biggest professional challenges? Being a doctor is super enjoyable and very rewarding, but it can also be challenging and stressful especially when things don’t go to plan. As a healthcare professional you are expected to make everyone better but sometimes that doesn’t happen. It can be heart-breaking to lose a patient despite trying

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

your best but unfortunately it’s part of the job. Trying to make these situations positive is tough. However if I can comfort someone on the worst day of their lives it makes me very proud to do the job I do. What do you enjoy doing away from work? When I’m not at work I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, especially attending music concerts and festivals. I play the clarinet in the hospital orchestra and have done for the past four years. I occasionally try my hand at baking, especially when I’m inspired by Bake Off! It’s really important to have good quality relaxation time as the stress of the job can really take it out of you. Do you have any advice for any students at Our Lady’s who’d like to pursue a career in medicine? Go for it! When I was younger I was under the impression that only men could be doctors, and as I got older I thought only really clever people could be doctors. I’m not either of those things but I worked hard. Medicine is tough but super-rewarding. Start planning entry to university now and have a look at the things universities look for. I found out quite late, and whilst it didn’t stop me I had to complete an extra year at university before starting medicine. GCSEs do matter! In order to get into medicine you’ll need GCSEs in core subjects like maths and english. Choose wisely when picking A-levels, again science subjects are usually required. Most importantly believe in yourself! There’s nothing that you can’t achieve once you set your mind to it. Ignore the bullies and the people who put you down and focus on yourself. Do the things you enjoy, try a sport or pick up a musical instrument. Being a doctor is more about being a well-rounded person than being top of the class! Good luck!

HISTORY

Inspirational Figures throughout Black History In October we celebrated the contribution of black men and women throughout history to mark Black History Month. Our students worked in their own time to research inspirational black figures and find out more about the important contributions they have made. With the information they had gathered they produced informative and colourful posters about those who had particularly interested them. The history department were extremely impressed by the time, effort and research that went into producing this work. Everyone worked very hard but we had some overall winners: First place—Annelisa Egwele, year 10 Second place—Favour Ebohon, year 8 and Tracy Odidika, year 10 Third place—Whitney Okpiahio and Jenny Ogbonmwan, both year 9

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

LANGUAGES

In a World Full of Colours, Many Languages are Spoken Languages Day took place on 28 September—our annual celebration of all the languages we know and love at Our Lady’s! This year started with a brief French lesson for all staff and we were all encouraged to speak in a different language throughout the day! Staff also dressed in different colours to represent the flags of countries throughout the world. Students took part in a ‘Treasure Hunt’ quiz where they had to find languagerelated clues around school. Hermann Daha in year 8 was the lucky winner of an Amazon voucher! Students enjoyed making flag keyrings at lunch time as well as tucking into the usual, amazing international cuisine in the canteen! The day ended with year 8 students taking part in lessons in Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. A great day was had by all! Well done to our Support Team, Technology and PE who have won the best dressed prizes from Languages Day!

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE SCHOOL

Religious Life of the School As part of the Religious life of the school, we take great pride in a number of extra-curricular activities which support our school mission: “To know, Love and Serve God”

This academic year began with us welcoming our year 7 students with a special family assembly and mass. The children also took part in an RE morning around the theme of community. Year 7 will continue to have masses throughout the year and there will also be many opportunities for them to visit our local parish church, St Clare’s. Our Student Chaplains are flourishing in their important school roles. They have already led assemblies and form time reflections and are a wonderful support with the religious life of the school. Year 9 and 10 visited and took part in a fabulous retreat to Savio House in Bollington. The theme was ‘Values’ and students participated in all the activities wonderfully and were a huge credit to the school. As part of our new GCSE course, students study Judaism in depth. We were fortunate to have a guest speaker Milena Grenfell Barnes, who was on the last Kindertransport. What a moving experience as she spoke incredibly honestly and shared her experiences with the students. Every year we support various charities and in the run-up to Christmas this work and our donations take on even more poignancy

as we think about those less fortunate than ourselves. Throughout Advent, all our year groups have been involved in a number of fundraising activities, from making hampers for the Lalley Centre and supporting the Hits Radio Christmas Toy appeal.

Christmas and look forward to bringing you all our news in 2019. Follow our Chaplaincy twitter page: OurLadysChaplains@OLChaplains

During Advent prayers and reflections were focused on the birth of Jesus Christ, with the Advent liturgies incorporating this theme. Students used and reflected on the Cafod Advent calendar, looking at social justice around the world. The School Council will be further implementing ideas and suggestions on behalf of their peers. Students applied to the Council stating their manifestos, and the successful candidates are a great addition. Each council member is allocated to a faculty area to have continued discussions with faculty leaders about such areas as teaching and learning, homework and to share their ideas and opinions. What a busy year so far! We wish you all a peaceful and joyous

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

CHARITIES

It Was Cakes Aplenty at Our Macmillan Coffee Morning! When the request for cake donations for our annual Macmillan Coffee Morning went out we weren’t expecting to be inundated with as many cakes as we received! Our year 7 forms embraced the competition to see which form could bake or donate the most cakes with enthusiasm; and so the cakes kept arriving on the morning of 4 October! Year 7 student, Chloe Butler and her Mum—who is owner of local business ‘Cupcake Baby’—arrived with an impressive Macmillan Coffee Mug cake which they had made together. Down in technology our year 11 forms were busy making cakes for their ‘Bake Off’ competition which were then either put into the cake auction or sold during the morning. School Catering Manager Andrea Ashworth had the task of judging the Year 11 Bake off. She said: “The students created some beautiful-looking and delicious cakes. The standard was so high I had a difficult job picking a winner. W7 got 12 out of 12 but it was a close-run competition.” Raffle prizes donated by local businesses included a £50 cookery gift voucher for Food Sorcery in Didsbury, a variety of gifts including a LED desk lamp, wireless speaker/ power bank from promotional merchandise company Brand Addition, a box of cupcakes from Hey Little Cupcake and a box of cupcakes from Zara Cupcakes. Tesco Blackley once again showed their support donating a variety of cakes for the event. Coffee morning visitors could place secret bids for their favourite cake in the cake auction which raised £65. Parents joined staff and students to enjoy tea, coffee and cakes served by Our Lady’s students. Games included ‘Guess the number of sprinkles on the cake’ and ‘Stick the cherry on the gateau’; causing much amusement as the students were blindfolded with a tie to play! Sarah Peet Macmillan Fundraising Manager for Greater Manchester joined us for the event. She said: “It was a pleasure to

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

support the coffee morning at Our Lady’s. I was truly overwhelmed by the amount of cakes that were donated and couldn’t resist the chocolate orange brownie which was delicious.” One in two of us will face cancer at some point in our lives and Macmillan understands the support people need to live life. From the moment of diagnosis they offer support wherever needed treating people as individuals not patients. The money raised nationally from ‘The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ helps to fund the vital support Macmillan offers. Overall, our coffee morning raised over £400 for Macmillan. Sarah Peet explained: “The money you raise will go a long way to helping Macmillan deliver more services locally to help everyone with cancer live a life as fully as they can. Thank you for hosting a World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.”

We’d like to thank all the local businesses, parents and our wonderful students for all their generous donations. And thank you to Sarah Peet for joining us to explain how the money we donate will make such a difference to families living with cancer. Anyone for cake?

Need to talk? Call Macmillan free on

0808 808 00 00

PRIMARY TRANSITION

Discovering the History of Gingerbread is Tasty Work! Groups of year 4 pupils from our local primary school St Clare’s went home with more than a biscuit when they visited Our Lady’s to decorate gingerbread!

Thanks to Miss Tkaczuk’s informative session they now know all about the history of gingerbread too! When the talk was over the children set to work to make their biscuits look beautiful. Despite the temptation of all the sweets and icing they worked hard to complete their designs before tasting anything. The end results were a colourful array of gingerbread people so it was a hard task for Miss Eavers to pick a winner. A few prizes were handed out before the children were finally allowed to tuck in and sample their handiwork!

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Primary Transition

St Malachy’s Light up the Stage in Ancient Greece! Continuing our strong partnership with Konflux Theatre in Education, in September year 5 visitors from St Malachy’s explored ‘Ancient Greece; the Cradle of Civilisation’ with Rob, Konflux’s Educational Facilitator. Rob supported the children through rehearsals for their ‘Play in a Day’ taking them back to a time where men were men but no one dared argue with the women of Sparta.

attend St Malachy’s. In an exciting journey through classical Greece they thoroughly entertained the audience with their enthusiastic portrayal.

Over the course of the day the pupils discovered that Ancient Greece was home to the greatest thinkers, philosophers, writers and athletes of the time. There was Alexander the Great, the young general who sulked if he didn’t get his own way, Herodotus the Historian (who thought he was John Travolta) and Archimedes the mathematician who discovered displacement theory and accidentally invented streaking!

It’s no easy task learning the script for a play in a day so well done St Malachy’s for rising to the challenge.

The stage was then set for ‘Greece is the Word’ as the children performed to their teachers, some of the Our Lady’s staff and some of our year 7 students who used to

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Primary Transition

Exploring Victorian Artefacts with Our Primary School Inventors! In November we welcomed two groups of year 5 pupils from St Thomas of Canterbury to Our Lady’s to discover more about the Victorian times. Our interactive history sessions focused on the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) and the age of the inventions. They were welcomed to ‘The Great Exhibition’ of 1851 in the Crystal Palace by Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert. The children enjoyed watching ‘Horrible Histories’ and using their senses to discover real-life artefacts from the time provided by Miss Day and her Victorian artefact box! We looked at artefacts including a model of the SS Great Britain, Victorian toys and games, newspapers from the time, stone hot water bottles and carpet beaters. Next, we turned our attention to inventors and inventions. Working in groups the children created fantastic presentations and posters to promote their inventions. They took on the persona of famous inventors like George Jennings (inventor of the flushing toilet), George Stephenson (inventor of the Manchester to Liverpool railway), William Rontgen (inventor of the x-ray) and Isambard Brunel (inventor of SS Great Britain and steel ships). Miss Day said; “I was so impressed by how much the year 5s knew about the Victorian times. The children taught me and Miss Tkaczuk a few things! The posters and presentations were absolutely fantastic, with lots of hard work and effort put into them. Some even presented to the class and used humour and advertising techniques to persuade us that their inventions were the best. We can’t wait for the next visit to the History Department for transition. It was great fun and brilliant to see some budding historians in the making!”

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

SPORTS NEWS

What’s been happening in PE? Our students continue to put in an impressive sporting performance and we’re ending 2018 riding high on our competition success.

Sports Leaders Champion Healthy Living at Regional Conference On Wednesday 14 November a group of Our Lady’s top Sports Leaders attended a ‘Healthy Lifestyle Champions National Conference’ in Birmingham organised by Youth Sports Trust. Mr Schofield and Miss O’Boyle accompanied the group of year 10 students who trained to become Health Champions. The training included gaining an understanding on how to motivate and create an interesting programme for people that are less likely to be physically active. Our Lady’s was selected to be one of only a small number of schools delivering nationally.

to learning. The students had a great day, developing their creativity, leadership and communication skills. They are now empowered to design and deliver a fantastic new school sport and physical activity experience in school.”

Rachael McKenzie, World Thai Boxing Champion, opened the day. She told her motivational story of how she didn’t give up on her dreams and kept on going until she became a world class fighter. Throughout her career Rachael has had to overcome prejudice from those who do not believe women should compete in a contact sport. Through her success and perseverance Rachael has helped to improve the profile and opportunities for female Thai-boxers.

It was a long day but I enjoyed having to discuss our programme with people from other schools across the UK. It made me realise that Our Lady’s is a great school.

The academic year got off to a great start in PE. During our first weeks in September our year 10s competed in the Manchester Handball championships. It was a fantastic accomplishment all round with the girls finishing third and our boys winning their competition outright. Not to be outdone, in Athletics our year 7 boys team became Manchester quad -kids champions with our girls team finishing third. Congratulations to our year 8 boys who finished the season off by becoming Manchester Athletics league champions. Well done everyone. Here’s to more sporting success in the new year. The boys handball champions pictured below: Muhammad Rizvi, Daniel Okungbowa Bikoro, Jakub Koloszko, Josh Sannoh, Elvis Aguh, Martins Adonry and Kobby Kodua.

Year 10 student Travis said;

Miss O’Boyle said; “Our fantastic group of students learnt a lot from the day. This will have a positive impact back in school.” Mr Schofield said; “Our aim with this activity is to raise aspirations, reduce inactivity and improve physical wellbeing. The programme will improve student behaviour and attitudes

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018

Parenting Teens

Ten-week support course starting in January 2019 To support parents/carers with any difficulties they may be experiencing with their teenage child.

Come along and meet other parents/carers experiencing the same issues. Get advice and support strategies in areas including: ⦁ Communicating and negotiating effectively with your teenager ⦁ Setting clear limits and boundaries

Our Lady’s RC High School, Alworth Road, Blackley Every Wednesday morning, 9.30am-11.30am First session will be held on Wednesday 16 January, then every Wednesday with the last session on Wednesday 27 March NB: We ask that parents attend at least 80% of the sessions.

⦁ Saying what you mean, and meaning what you say ⦁ Supporting your child with transition, behaviour and attendance ⦁ Supporting your child’s learning ⦁ Setting goals for your future learning and work (The completion of this course can support your entry into other courses and qualification run by Manchester Adult Education). Sessions will be led by trained course leaders from Manchester Adult Education and supported by the Family Support Team at Our Lady’s High School.

For more information, please call 0161 507 9640 to speak to Leah Slack or Ruth Jones (Family Support Team).

Wednesday 23 January Thursday 24 January Friday 25 January Performances start at 7pm Tickets: £4 adults, £2.50 Students/Concessions For ticket sales and enquiries call 0161 507 9640

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from everyone at Our Lady’s Find us on Facebook

SHARING THE VISION | WINTER 2018