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Spring 2019

Our Lady’s R.C. High School Magazine

Audiences Once Again Wowed by OLHS Expressive Arts’ Class Act!

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: Anti-Bullying School Trips Goodbye Mr Gosling Sports News Plus much more!

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

As I sit down to write this, on a particularly blustery and cold evening, I find myself feeling incredibly proud of all the great work that has gone on over the last term here at Our Lady’s. Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to begin and what events to highlight but, for me, the performance of Sister Act has to be right up there. Each year I always seem to say ‘that was the best show yet’, but I do believe that is the case—they just keep getting better and better. The amazing talent on show and the level of professionalism would be in keeping with that of a professional theatre company. There has also been a great deal of success beyond the performing arts, including achievements in sport. Our year 8 and year 9 students are indoor athletics individual county champions in a variety of disciplines, including high jump and hurdles. Year 9 boys are in the Catholic cup football final and year 11 boys are in the semi-finals of the County Cup, Catholic Cup and the all England national championships. The year 11 girls’ football team are in the semi-final of the Manchester cup. A rising star in the game is Maria Edwards; she is our sports woman of the year and has recently captained the England under-16 football squad whilst on an overseas

tournament in the Netherlands, which is a fantastic accomplishment. Our popularity with prospective parents and students continues to grow and, at the time of writing this article, the offers have just been sent out to parents of year 6 children. We are once again oversubscribed and have a waiting list with over one hundred children on it. Whilst it’s disappointing we can’t offer every child a place who wants to come to Our Lady’s, it’s a reflection of the outstanding educational provision we offer and the high regard the local community holds us in. Easter is time of refection and celebration in the Catholic Church. The beginning of Lent involved a Mass for year 7 students on Ash Wednesday followed by the distribution of ashes for all staff and students with Father Dawidowski. The Catholic life of the school underpins all we do here at Our Lady’s and we have had such a lot going on this term. Throughout Lent, our chaplains will lead

reflections during form time; the ‘Grow a Fiver’ fundraiser encourages the children to use their enterprise skills to raise money for St Joseph’s Penny, which is a Caritas welfare charity that works with communities across the Diocese. As we finish for Easter, the whole school will attend Lenten liturgies that will be focused on Jesus, Passion and Resurrection. I would like to thank you all for your support over the last few months. Without inspiring children, parents working in partnership with us and staff showing an exceptional amount of dedication to their jobs, Our Lady’s wouldn’t be the fantastic community it so clearly is. God bless,

L. Ormsby Headteacher

Editor’s Welcome Message As we approach Easter we’re marvelling at the busy term we’ve had. Our Expressive Arts team pulled out all the stops to bring a magnificent production of Sister Act to the stage. We’ve been busy in transition working with local primary schools and discovering which new children will join us in September. Amidst school trips, careers events and sporting activities read about Mr Gosling’s time at Our Lady’s as he leaves to enjoy his retirement in Italy. Happy Easter!

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Contents Editor’s Welcome Message

What ‘Brilliant’ Students We Have!

Dance Team’s Fundraising Bag Pack

Portrait Perfection

Premiere of Play goes Mad for it in Manchester!

Konflux Theatre Plays Safe Online with St Patrick’s Pupils

Making Mayan Masks

Lest we Forget Exhibition

Our Lady’s Conquer The Great Outdoors at Ghyll Head!

Audiences Once Again Wowed by OLHS Expressive Arts’ Class Act!

Sister Act Students Bowled Over by Rewards

On the Career Trail with Mrs Cooke

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors 13 Alessia’s Powerful Anti-Bullying Poster Takes First Prize

Romeo and Juliet with a Contemporary Twist

Using English to Escape!

Year 7 Make a Donkey’s Ear of their Spanish Burritos!

Staff Profile: Mr Gosling, School Business Manager

What are they doing now? Ellis Spencer

Religious Life of the School

Celebrating Our Sporting Achievements

Baking Pi for Mathematical Celebration! 20

What ‘Brilliant’ Students We Have! A group of our talented students secured places on The Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme. ‘The Brilliant Club’ is an educational charity that aims to widen access to highly-selective universities within the UK for students from under-represented backgrounds. The programme involves the recruitment, training and placing of doctoral researchers in non-selective state schools and colleges, providing students from year 6 up to year 12 with the knowledge, skills and ambition to be able to gain a place in a leading university. The Scholars Programme is designed to raise awareness of Higher Education as well as aspiration to attend a highly-selective university. The Brilliant Club introduces students to working on university projects with a PhD supervisor informing them about the various university options open to them. The three stages of the programme aim to increase the participants’ knowledge, skills and confidence. Our Brilliant Club students attended a launch event at The University of Sheffield in October. The launch event included a tour of the campus and a study skills session. They also had the chance to meet and ask questions of current students and to get advice and guidance about university life in special sessions. During

the day the students met their PhD tutor for the programme and had their first tutorial. They then had weekly university tutorialstyle sessions with their PhD student who taught them all about forensic science. With their new-found knowledge they were tasked with completing universitystyle assignments which included writing a 3000 word essay which they submitted in January. Their work was marked using a University grading system; the culmination of the programme being a one-day graduation event. Our successful students were invited to the University of Manchester to meet with Brilliant Club staff, the PhD students they partnered with and members of the university to graduate from the progamme.‌ Miss Haniak facilitated and liaised with the university. She said; “The students did really well with seven out of our 15 year 9s achieving first-class in their final assignment which is a phenomenal achievement!”

Editor: Anna Barker

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Dance Team’s Fundraising Bag Pack In February the Our Lady’s Dancers from years 7-11 went to help customers at Asda in Harpurhey by packing their shopping bags. They were supervised by their dance teacher Miss Aldcroft and some of their parents. This aim of the bag pack was to raise money for the dance teams to enter the UKCA Spring Nationals and the UKCA high Schools Nationals in May and June this year. Miss Aldcroft said; “The girls worked hard packing shopping bags between 10am and 4pm and we got lots of good feedback from the customers about how lovely and polite they are. We are proud of you!” We’ll bring you news of their dance competition performances in the next edition.

Portrait Perfection Year 8 art students have been learning the art of portraiture with some terrific responses.

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Primary Transition

Premiere of Play goes Mad for it in Manchester! Having worked in partnership with Konflux Theatre in Education for some time now, we were delighted when they chose Our Lady’s as the venue to launch their brand new ‘Play in a Day’—My City. Rob Beckett, writer and facilitator at Konflux, who visits us regularly to run workshops, wrote this new play himself following extensive research about Manchester. The ‘My City’ play is a great way for the children to explore the local culture, history and heritage. The ‘Mad for it, Manchester’ play explores how Manchester got its name and when it was granted city status. To premiere the play, we invited year 5 pupils from local primary schools St Malachy’s and St Patrick’s. Rob started the day by introducing himself to the children and explaining that they would be the first to perform in this play. The session began with some warm-up exercises so that the children from the two different schools could get to know each other and become more comfortable working together. The warm-up exercises involved the pupils working in small groups on freeze frames based on Manchester themes such as ‘Cottonopolis’, factories, culture and the frequent rain in the city! The children soon started to relax and embrace the task at hand. Rob needed the group to listen to the words he wanted them to say and remember them. This is the basis for Konflux Theatre’s Play in a Day which requires the children to listen, focus and concentrate. Not only does the workshop increase their confidence and team-building skills, but they also increase their knowledge of the theme of the play. Over the course of the day—as they were learning their lines and remembering their positions— the children picked up facts about the history of Manchester, the English Civil War, how

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careers in the city began in the wool and cotton industries and how that differs to career paths in modern day Manchester. The Play in a Day workshops are designed for up to 30 KS2 or 3 pupils. At the end of the session the children have the opportunity to share a performance to an audience of their choice. St Malachy’s and St Patrick’s rose to the challenge of remembering the play in just one day, ready for a performance to their teachers and an audience of Our Lady’s students in the afternoon. Miss Tkaczuk said; “Manchester is a thriving, vibrant and colourful city, steeped in history

and the new ‘Play In A Day’—‘Manchester— My City’ captures the spirit from all those centuries ago to the present day as we travelled backwards and forwards through the centuries. So much information and so many facts learnt in such a fun way. One of my favourite parts was when ’Manchester rose like a phoenix from the flames’. That is the true spirit of Manchester…” Konflux Theatre currently has ‘My City’ scripts written for Manchester, Hull and Coventry but can write them for any city. To find out more visit their website: www.konfluxtheatre.co.uk

Another fabulous day at Our Lady’s who hosted St Malachy’s and St Patrick’s Primary schools. The children never cease to amaze me in their achievement throughout the day. The children approached our signature ‘Play in a Day’ workshop with enthusiasm and vitality, making the launch of our new piece ‘My City’ most memorable. Fun-filled learning was aplenty, as the children explored and gained an in-depth insight into their own city’s heritage and culture. Rob Beckett

Primary Transition

Konflux Theatre Plays Safe Online with St Patrick’s Pupils Safer Internet Day 2019 was celebrated globally in February with the theme ‘Together for a better Internet’. Schools and organisations across the country got involved to help inspire a national conversation about using technology responsibly, respectfully, critically and creatively. Miss Tkaczuk, Mrs Barker and three of our year 7 students went along to St Patrick’s Primary School for a special workshop run by Rob Beckett from Konflux Theatre in Education for the year 5 pupils. ‘Caught in the Web’—staying safe online—is an interactive workshop designed to get children thinking about their online safety thorough discussion, teamwork, games and interactive exercises. After an introduction from Rob the session started with a game some of the children were already familiar with from the ‘Play in a Day’ workshops— ‘Stop and Play’. Rob opened up discussion with the children to highlight the many benefits and wonders of the internet whilst also taking into account the things they should be aware of to stay safe online. He asked the children the steps they should take to stay safe online. They told him you should never accept ‘follower’ requests from people that you don’t know, you shouldn’t give out your personal details and if you have a social media account you should always make it private. The children then took part in the ‘Tangled Web’ game which involved throwing a ball of string to each other. Whoever caught the string had to say their name and a piece of personal information that you should never share online. They then kept hold of a piece of string but threw the ball to someone else in the circle so that by the end of the game they had created a tangled web. A talk about social media considered the benefits of the different platforms for sharing information but Rob also encouraged the children to consider the potential impact on their future of posting online as once you post something it is there forever. Even if you delete it, someone may already have shared it or copied it. The children worked in groups, supported by the Our Lady’s students to create ‘Freeze Frames’ to represent different social media platforms.

They then discussed how to report any concerns they may have while online. Suggestions included telling parents or a teacher, calling Child Line and taking a screen-shot of the thing worrying them. The pupils talked about YouTube Activity and how they should only be looking at ageappropriate content.

aren’t always who they say they are— they could be ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’— and worked on a short role play exercise with gamers accepting someone to join their game believing them to be a child of their age. The important message was that you should NEVER communicate with people you don’t know when playing games online.

Rob got the children to remember lines to perform a short piece about staying safe online with one of the lines offering the sensible advice; “Be sure to seek help from parent controls so they can download parental control.”

After the workshop we were invited into the year 5 class room to watch a PowerPoint presentation delivered by the St Patrick’s digital leaders. Despite it being the pupils’ first presentation of this kind they gave a very mature and professional talk about online safety and got some constructive feedback from their classmates.

The session got the children thinking about how online behaviour can be isolating with bullying being a deliberate and constant action designed to upset and exclude. They also talked about the fact that people online

Thank you to St Patrick’s and Rob Beckett for a wonderful morning.

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Primary Transition

Making Mayan Masks As part of our diverse transition programme, in February, year 5 pupils from St Thomas of Canterbury visited us for a History lesson about the Mayans with Miss Day. Mayan masks were representations of Mayan gods and were used for many different reasons in the Mayan Classic Period from 250 to 900 AD, such as in weddings and other festivals. They were also used as part of a very sacred funeral ritual and were placed over the face of an important ruler when he died. Masks were made out of jade and different types of mosaics for the most special of occasions. The children discovered interesting facts about Mayan culture and civilisation and then got creative making their own masks considering how the Mayans wore different colours to represent death, battle and celebration! They used specific colours to represent different things—red: warriors, blue: heaven, green: harvest, yellow: love. They also used feathers and jewels to represent wealth and status. Some of the children even added special symbols which relate to the Gods of rain, harvest, the earth and maize! It was a productive session resulting in some well-considered and colourful creations.

I was very impressed by everything the year 5s already knew about the Mayans, including their lives in Mesoamerica, their favourite game ‘pok-ta-pok’ (football) and their favourite foods: avocado, sweet potato, cocoa beans, chilli peppers, tomatoes. Miss Day

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School Trips

Lest we Forget Exhibition On Tuesday 5 of February Mrs Gallagher, Miss Day and Mr Derrig took 38 year 8 students to visit the Imperial War Museum North at Salford Quays. During the day they were treated to exhibitions in the main museum hall and a special ‘Lest We Forget’ exhibition focusing on commemoration and remembrance of the First World War. The group saw artefacts from many wars during the 20th century—including the First World War, Second World War, the Cold War and the War on Terror. Artefacts included artillery guns, machine guns, letters, diaries, teddies, gas masks, uniforms, propaganda posters and much more. In the special exhibition they read the arguments for and against commemoration and remembrance. They also learnt about the tombs of the unknown soldiers, the repatriation of soldiers’ bodies, soldiers’ stories from across the world and saw artists’ impressions of war.

as they slept and woke for weeks on end. It was an absolute pleasure and honour to meet David and hear his personal testimony of war. It reinforces how important it is for people to share their experiences of the wars before it is too late.” The students, Mrs Gallagher and Miss Day felt very honoured to have met such an inspirational, real-life hero. They had a fantastic time at the museum and are looking forward to contributing all of their new-found knowledge in their upcoming history lessons.

In my opinion it was an extraordinary trip. It was mind-blowing the fact that we were able to see so many real weapons. I would definitely go again if I got the chance. Raymond Wang F1

Luckily for the students, a veteran WW2 soldier was also at the museum telling his story. He was 93 and his name was David Teacher MBE. David Teacher was among the first soldiers to land in Normandy during D-Day on Juno beach in WW2 when he drove his three-tonne truck off a landing craft and onto the French beach. His truck was full of supplies and he spent the next three months there, dug in and facing German bombardment. He went on to fight in many battles in WW2. Miss Day said “It was absolutely fascinating to see the evolution of warfare and the personal stories intertwined with such horrendous acts. I spoke to David for a while with students who asked him what he found the most difficult during his time at war. He said the most horrendous thing was the smell of the dead bodies, which did not clear for days; the loss of his friends during the battles he fought in and the freezing cold weather conditions which sometimes they were forced to fight in. He recalled one battle in which he fought for six weeks, in terrible snowy conditions, in only his summer uniform! He spoke of how their supplies got stuck and couldn’t get to them, which led to men being freezing cold

I learnt a lot about why we should not forget. I learnt about the white poppy and red poppies. I also learnt about Wilfred Owen, an English poet who suffered shell-shock and was killed at age 25. I also searched for information about ‘a dead man’s penny’. I found that it was a message from the King given to the families of soldiers who had died on a big penny. Did you know the Menin Gate is a special memorial dedicated to those who died and were unknown? Jennifer Okoroafor F5

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School Trips

Our Lady’s Conquer The Great Outdoors at Ghyll Head! A fantastic team of Our Lady’s most adventurous year 10 students took part in the Kath Fry Adventure Challenge weekend at the Ghyll Head Adventure Centre in January. The challenge weekend was a competitive event with a series of point-scoring adventurous challenges designed to test all. The aim of the weekend was to: ●● Raise self-esteem and build confidence in meeting and working with new people ●● Develop problem solving, leadership and team-working skills ●● Increase physical skills ●● To broaden outlook and experience Student teams attended from the Coop Academy North, Manchester Health Academy, Abraham Moss, Burnage, Parrs Wood and Our Lady’s. The event itself started on the Friday evening with groups taking part in a night navigation exercise. “It was completely pitch black with absolutely no light. There was snow and ice on the ground. We all had head torches and a map and had to navigate round a course as a team

with no adults helping. Our team was well organised and we didn’t get lost, which was a good job, it was really cold”, said Talha. The following day, the team was tasked with climbing Loughrigg, an icy, snowy lakeland mountain, followed by an indoor challenge— preparing a raw egg to be thrown off a 20 metre climbing wall, using paper, plastic and sticky tape. “Our egg was well protected and looked great—but it was the only one to break! It needed a parachute to slow it down”, said Uki. Sunday’s team challenge extravaganza was a range of cognitive and physical challenges that included a canoe challenge called ‘Titanic—will it sink?’ that involved lashing two big metal canoes together with wood and rope and paddling across Windermere Lake. In addition there was a climbing wall challenge and another called ‘junky pipes’.

This was a vertical pipe with lots of holes in that needed filling with freezing water from a stream, with the team covering holes and generally getting very wet. “We plugged the pipe’s holes with twigs, our hands, fingers and even noses. There were lots of holes. We got soaked. We managed to fill the pipe with freezing stream water and get the floating ball out. It was a good team effort”, said Charlie. The team succeeded in all of the challenges and performed well. They did Our Lady’s proud.

It was a fantastic weekend and we worked really well together as a team. The activities were all challenging and exciting and it was good to meet students from other schools. The Our Lady’s team was definitely the most friendly and sociable team. We had a great time Hope, year 10

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Expressive Arts

Audiences Once Again Wowed by OLHS Expressive Arts’ Class Act! Review by Anna Barker

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, our Expressive Arts department wowed us with their superbly uplifting production of Sister Act! Having heard glowing reviews after the opening night on Wednesday 23 January, I took my seat for the show the following night with high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed. Music and laughter filled our school hall from start to finish and the audience left with huge smiles on their faces. So, what’s it all about? When spirited club singer Deloris Van Cartier witnesses her mobster beau, Curtis kill a police informant, she is hidden in a convent by the cops for

her protection. Masquerading as a nun she has to adjust to life as Sister Mary Clarence and takes charge of the convent choir. In her own inimitable style, Deloris proceeds to shake up the quiet lives of the resident sisters. In an effort to keep her out of trouble, they assign Deloris to the convent’s choir, an ensemble that she soon turns into a vibrant and soulful act that gains widespread attention that will ultimately lead to her undercover location being blown.

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Expressive Arts We learn that Leander McPherson’s character ‘Steady Eddie’ feels insignificant. He dreams of being Deloris’ hero. He may feel small in the narrative—referring to himself as the blur in the background—but he has a big voice which he showcased beautifully in his performance of ‘I could be that guy’.

As soon as Joy Donne-Dieu opened the show as disco queen and aspiring star Deloris Van Cartier, her confident, sassy stage presence set the scene for an uplifting and entertaining evening. Her rousing opening number of ‘Take me to Heaven’ established the funky 70s vibe and gave the audience their first taster of her incredible singing voice.” Mother Superior, played by last year’s ‘Killer Queen’ Patrycja Wierkin delivered a standout performance, thoroughly immersing herself in the character. She is serious, uptight and determined to keep her sisters away from the outside world. The audience were treated to fabulous humour throughout the show with quick quips such as this exchange; Deloris: “Is there a smoking section?” Mother Superior; “Yes dear. And you’re heading for it”—all delivered with perfect comic timing. Another lovely scene was when a couple of the nuns tentatively accompany Deloris to the bar across the road. The Bartender asks; “Sister, are you lost?” to which Deloris replies “I was, but now I am found!”

Don’t under-estimate the power of the sisterhood! Read our rave reviews: Well done to all involved in tonight’s opening night. Some fabulous singing and a very enjoyable performance…obviously the result of lots of hard work from students and staff. Good luck with the rest of the shows. Theresa Riley

When Curtis realises that the cops have Deloris, he declares that he knows her ‘inside out’ which led seamlessly into an assured singing performance from year 10 Abraham who owed the stage in a way that wouldn’t seem out of place in the West End. He had the cocky and controlling characterisation off to a tee! The incredible cast put in superb performances from the lead roles to the supporting cast, hitting all the right notes with the help of the soulful sisters. Each nun brought her character to life with Andreja Bielskyte rocking the mic with a fabulous comedy rap performance! Sunday services become a whole lot more upbeat under Deloris’ direction, much to Mother Superiors consternation—she believes the Monseigneur is ruining the church. He assures her that people are loving the newstyle Sunday services and so the positive newspaper reviews roll in. As the singing sisters’ star grows, so Deloris is uncovered. Steady Eddie takes her to hide at his place and sings to her about exactly how fantastic he thinks she is! Feeling empowered Deloris decides she’s going to walk out of the

Last night I watched your show, Sister Act. The standard of performance and singing was outstanding and the children involved are a credit to your school. It warmed a cold winter evening. This is not the first show I have seen at your school and I can say the standards just get better and better. You are nurturing stars of the future. Congratulations to all involved with this excellent show. Mr P J Cooper

What a brilliant show. This is the third year myself and two friends have come to see your shows and they get better and better each year. You all deserved your standing ovations. Can’t wait for the next one. Thank you to everyone involved for a fabulous evening.

I just want to say thanks to Terry (Banham), crew and cast for an amazing show. It was one of the best. We have such talented students in the school and look forward to the one next year.

Mary Brown

Miss Sharkey

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courthouse and get herself an agent. She’s setting out for the glitz, glamour and to make her dreams come true. Joy lit up the stage in a colourful performance where Deloris asserts the fact that she’s going to become a superstar! The stage positively rocked with the musical finale of ‘Take me to Heaven and the appreciative audience showed their support for the wonderfully entertaining evening they had just been treated to. Mr Banham said: “There were some stellar comedy and vocal performances but special mention must go to Patrycja Wierkin who was divine as Mother Superior showing a maturity beyond her years along with outstanding poise and timing—a complete transformation from Killer Queen last year. And to Joy Donne-Dieu, our Deloris. From initial audition to final performance Joy was committed, sassy and full of the confidence required to be this diva. Her vocals are out of this world and her acting was brilliant. Well done to everyone from the lighting and sound professionals to orchestra pit players to staff supporting backstage… we couldn’t have done it without you! What are we doing next year? Watch this space!” Thank you OLHS Expressive Arts for a wonderfully entertaining evening. It was quite simply 70s-style musical theatre at its best.

Sister Act Students Bowled Over by Rewards Our expressive arts students really did work their metaphorical socks off to pull together the incredible production of Sister Act. To thank them for their hard work, commitment and amazing performance, Mr Banham organised a bowling trip which was a chance to relax and enjoy themselves.

Careers

On the Career Trail with Mrs Cooke Mrs Cooke, our careers lead ensures Our Lady’s’ ongoing commitment to careers guidance is supported by as many work-based and educational visits as possible throughout the school year. We are in the fortunate position of being championed in this important work by our partnerships with GM Higher and Manchester Youth Zone. Together Finance have been delivering specialist finance for over 40 years using their expertise to consider individual circumstances to find a way to help, offering a range of financial products.

workout in the gym, a swim in the pool or enjoying one of our many events hosted in our own auditorium. Middleton Arena is here for all. I’ve been in the leisure industry for over ten years in one form or another and I feel it is an amazing industry for the younger generation to work towards. There are so many different opportunities including lifeguard, receptionist, fitness instructor to manager—to name a few. Fitness is such an essential part of everyday life. You get the chance to help people achieve their goals from losing weight to learning to swim. Leisure allows you to become a healthier, happier version of yourself so why not look at all the things leisure can offer you and what you can offer leisure?”

The students had a tour of the company, met the company director, and visited the cyber security department and the IT department. They also met the law team and the product team who talked about the different mortgages and financial products they offer. Thanks to Together and Manchester Youth Zone for supporting another insightful careers visit.

Thank you to Liam and all the Middleton Arena staff for a very enlightening day. Our students left feeling motivated and more informed about job options in the leisure industry.

Early Years Eureka! In January some of our year 9s and a year 10 enjoyed an informative careers trip supported by GM Higher to find out more about career options in Early Years such as the different roles available and the qualifications needed to access the sector. They made Play Dough exploring how children’s hand and eye skills develop and looked at care values in Health and Social Care which they study at school. There was also time for the group to stop off at the Eureka Museum in Halifax to explore the interactive science exhibition with activities such as experimenting with sound.

MoneyPlus In January some of our year 9 students visited Money Plus, one of the UK’s leading debt solution companies. They discovered more about the business, enjoyed a tour of the company and picked up some important advice about financial planning and money management.

Working Together A year 9 and 10 visit to Together Financial Services in Cheadle this February for a workbased session was kindly facilitated by our partner Manchester Youth Zone.

Learning More about Leisure The leisure industry is one that many of our students are keen to pursue a career in when they leave Our Lady’s so a group of our year 9 and 10 students enjoyed a recent tour of Middleton Arena in February, hosted by the arena manager Liam Beard. The boys were keen to find out about career routes and progression paths into this thriving sector and the visit offered a valuable insight as to how the centre is managed. After having a good look around the arena, the students had the chance to chat to personal trainers about what their job involves.   Liam said; “Middleton Arena is located in the heart of the community. Whether it’s a

Engineering a Visit to Leeds In February ten of our year 10 students visited Leeds University. The visit was sponsored by GM Higher to support aspiration in youngsters. The group included budding engineers, a theoretical physicist, a couple of would-be pharmacists and an aspiring music producer. With a couple of the students undecided about what they’d like to do when they leave school, the visit was a good opportunity to get a taste of university life. The students enjoyed a tour around campus before getting on with some civil engineering group work and a construction project. Ethan, Sam Smith and Sam Oyolay and Daniel’s group won the civil engineering ‘design and build’ task. The group also got the chance to visit Leeds museum in the afternoon before returning to school.

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Anti-Bullying

Anti-Bullying Ambassadors When we returned to school after Christmas some of our year 10 students attended antibullying training at All Saints Catholic College in Tameside. The current focus is to earn anti-bullying ambassador badges and work towards a Diana Award. As a school that feels strongly about changing mind-set and supporting whole school policies and procedures to eradicate bullying we are encouraging our anti-bullying ambassadors to become the living legacy to Princess Diana’s belief that young people have the power to change the world for the better. Our anti-bullying ambassadors are committed to inspiring positive change in the lives of vulnerable young people through the power of mentoring. The ambassadors are currently focusing on getting their ‘Community Badge’ working in partnership with the expressive arts department on a piece of drama that is extremely moving. They will be delivering this to local primaries in the catchment area and other sister high schools so watch this space…

Alessia’s Powerful Anti-Bullying Poster Takes First Prize Every year the Manchester Healthy Schools Team runs the anti-bullying poster competition as part of Anti-Bullying Week. Each year Anti-Bullying Week has a key theme and this year’s theme was to ‘Choose Respect’ both face-to-face and online. Entrants were required to design a poster based on their interpretation of this theme. The posters were then judged by a panel from Manchester Healthy Schools who were tasked with choosing a first, second and third place for both primary and high schools. From over 100 entries we are delighted that year 9’s Alessia Ebohon’s poster was selected as First Place Secondary School

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winner by the judging panel. Therefore, her poster will now be printed and displayed across Manchester high schools as the face of the anti-bullying campaign for the remainder of the year to help spread the important anti-bullying message. Emma Pilling, Health Improvement Practitioner Specialist for the Manchester Healthy Schools Programme said; “We were delighted with the number of entries that we received this year and felt that Alessia’s poster in particular stood out from

the rest as we were in awe at the quality of artwork produced and the effort that had gone into producing the poster. We felt that Alessia’s poster represented our chosen theme well and covered all aspects of bullying. The poster was extremely powerful and it gives the exact message that we are trying to get across to young people about different types of bullying, being mindful of words and actions and in particular highlighting how bullying affects people.” Well done Alessia.

English

Romeo and Juliet with a Contemporary Twist In February a group of year 10 and 11 students enjoyed a performance of Romeo and Juliet with a modern twist at the Grange Theatre in Oldam (linked to Oldham College).

Shakespeare’s classic story of conflict, family feuds, hatred, sacrifice, and above all, love, was transformed in a contemporary production. The Montagues are an affluent black family and major financial supporters of Manchester City Football Club. By contrast, the Capulets are a white family heavily involved in Manchester United Football Club. Both families have been feuding for years. Events take an unexpected turn when the sole heir to the Montague family Romeo, falls in love with the only daughter of the Capulet’s, Juliet. The short performance was designed to help students visualise the key scenes to relate better to their reading and elements of comparing and contrasting. After watching it the group worked with the cast to recreate key scenes and discussed

how to make Shakespearean language more understandable. They also had the opportunity to ask the cast members about their journey into higher education in a Q&A session.

Using English to Escape! On Valentine’s Day a selected group of year 11 students went on a trip to Grange Arts Theatre in Oldham to participate in an English Escape room. They were required to use their English language skills to discover the mystery of where the poet had disappeared to. The students found it useful in paying more attention to texts and clues which will transfer well into their English Language GCSEs as they are required to pay close attention to the information provided in the sources.

The show was great! It was very different and engaging. I liked that we were allowed to get involved.

It was an amazing experience that greatly contributed to the expansion of my knowledge. I now have a greater and deeper understanding of Romeo and Juliet.

Fernando, year 10

Patrycja, year 11

All involved had a fantastic day with Miss Bramley and Mrs Newey and found the activity challenging, fun and at times scary, with Ronald in year 11 stating, “It scared the English out of me!”

SHARING THE VISION | SPRING 2019

Languages

Year 7 Make a Donkey’s Ear of their Spanish Burritos! It is said that an army marches on its stomach and we appreciate students are more productive and ready to learn after a good breakfast. So in Modern Foreign Languages Mrs Langan and Mr Sierra did some Spanish cooking with a group of year 7 students before we broke up for Christmas. They made breakfast burritos and had just as much fun making them as eating them. The word burrito is a diminutive form of Spanish burro, meaning “little donkey.” It has been suggested that a burrito looks a bit like a donkey’s ear! Whatever it resembles, as you can see a breakfast burrito provokes a surprisingly happy reaction! We’re looking forward to lots more fun activities in MFL in 2019.

SHARING THE VISION | SPRING 2019

Staff & Student Profiles

O D

Staff Profile: Mr Gosling, School Business Manager As we break up for Easter we say goodbye to the man who has managed our school business operations for over 15 years. Mr Gosling will be missed by us all. Here he looks back over his time at Our Lady’s… themselves and become role models for the students. What does a typical day for Mr Gosling look like? A 7am start followed by form time with year 8s checking they’re awake. Lunch duty in the dining room can be entertaining. Yes, there are regular things I have to do but no two days are the same. There’s so much variety. Somebody once described the SBM role as “keeping all the plates spinning”. So true! How have things changed in the role since you started? What is your role at Our Lady’s? Managing the finances to make sure that tax payers’ money is put to good use for the best possible education for our youngsters whose education, safety and happiness is paramount. I’m part of many teams— Leadership, operations and safeguarding. Between us, it’s our job to provide the best facilities for students and staff to flourish— basically it’s anything but teach. How long have you worked at Our Lady’s? I started here in 2004, having made a career change after 27 years in the banking world. It was a great opportunity to challenge myself with establishing a brand new role. 100% the right decision. What do you enjoy most about your job? I’m very lucky—I really enjoy what I do. The daily interaction with the students keeps me on my toes and keeps me well entertained on occasions; seeing them develop and achieve their potential in readiness for their futures. I have to say the same goes for my colleagues too; especially new teachers who establish

On my first day, Mrs Dervin (ex-head teacher) showed me to an empty desk and basically said. “There you go—get on with it”. The Business Manager role was new to schools with the idea of releasing valuable teacher time from operational demands to focus on children’s education. The school has improved in so many ways. One of my proudest projects has been the close involvement in the development of the new school building between 2007-09, although it was sad to see the old school disappear. That said, parts of the building were moving down the slope, so it might have fallen over on its own anyway! Funniest (embarrassing) moment in school?

sense of humour—evidenced by supporting Manchester City’s roller coaster since the late 1960s—that may explain my hairline! Favourite author? I can’t say that I have one. Mr Haughton reminds us all with his regular book reviews that I should read more. I have to admit I’m more of a sudoku/numbers person; that said, I enjoy a good read when I’m on holiday. I enjoy the Dan Brown books—I’ve visited many of the book locations in Florence and Rome. I also enjoyed Jeffrey Archer’s series known as The Clifton Chronicles—politics and espionage. Best literary achievement? Finishing my first ever 700 page book—I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. I’m currently reading Geraint Thomas’ book about winning the Tour de France. Favourite film or show? I do like a good war film. Saving Private Ryan or recently Hacksaw Ridge. A show? Les Mis still gets to me. I also like local smaller theatres with performances such as An Inspector Calls. Taste in music? It ranges from heavy rock Rush, Alter Bridge, Pink Floyd to Puccini & Verdi’s open air

There’s been a few, but most recently, being caught on CCTV when a year 7 was teaching me how to do ‘The Floss’. Dad-dancing at its worst found its way on to far too many screens for my liking. What are your hobbies outside of school? Family, friends, football and food; especially anything Italian. When I was interviewed for the job, I remember saying that I have a

SHARING THE VISION | SPRING 2019

Staff & Student Profiles operas—La Boheme got us hooked. While we’ve been learning elementary Italian, we’ve come to enjoy the voices of Laura Pausini and Andrea Bocelli. Best days? Wedding day (a long time ago), the birth of our three children, graduation days for them as well as my wife—all into teaching. Sorry, I can’t resist this one—City winning the Premier League 93:20 13th May 2012, 44 years after watching the previous title won in black and white! What will you miss most about working at Our Lady’s? The education that the students have given me! A wry smile when a youngster doesn’t get one of my ‘dad-jokes’. Working with the fabulous team behind the scenes, not forgetting the governors who are so committed to our community and giving so freely of their time. I’ll miss the summer holiday building projects’ deadlines to get it all done in time for the Headteacher’s walk round before reopening—not! Over the years, the school productions have just got better and better. Seeing the talent flourish has been brilliant. I’ll also miss the school catering manager, Miss Ashworth’s amazing school dinners—especially her cheese and onion pie. Do you have any advice for our new business manager? Mrs Torr is a business manager already, so she knows what’s needed. It’s so important to have an understanding of students’ needs and ideas as that makes for a successful school. Tell us about your retirement plans. I have a few quotes in my office, one of them being by Walt Disney: “If you can dream it, you can do it”. I’ve used this to encourage and mentor students over the years, but now it’s my turn to put in into practice. My wife and I have been regular visitors to Italy for many years and we’ve always dreamed of retiring there—so that’s exactly what we’re planning to do. What are you most looking forward to when you leave? A change in the pace of life. I used to do a cycling commute, so I’m keen to get back on the bike. Hearing about Our Lady’s continued success and one day being recognised for the outstanding school that it is. Good luck Mr Gosling. Enjoy your Italian adventures and remember to send us a postcard!

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What are they doing now? Ellis Spencer When did you attend Our Lady’s? September 2008–2013 Who was your favourite teacher? Miss Ryan and Mrs Crossman What subject did you enjoy most and why? I enjoyed P.E. the most because I was always active from a young age. The competitive side was always within me which led me to pursue my passion for all sports. I would always try my best at every opportunity or activity that was thrown at me. What is your happiest memory of Our Lady’s? My happiest memory was going to watch Manchester United play Manchester City in the League with the football team— United won that match with a winner from Wayne Rooney. It finished 3–1 (4–3 on aggregate). What did you do when you left school? I went to Bury College for two years to study a BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sports & Exercise. Then I went on complete an undergraduate degree in Sport & Exercise Science at Bolton University. During that time, I was working as a Duty Officer at Our Lady’s Sport Centre part-time. Recently, I have acquired a new position as a Health & Fitness Manager at DW Fitness First (Huddersfield). I also do a circuit class on a Wednesday evening for active lifestyles. Have you always wanted a career in sports and fitness? From a young age it was the passion. What has been your biggest achievement so far? Graduating successfully at university as it has made me get a job I have a passion for. What have been your biggest professional challenges?

My biggest professional challenge has been to run my gym smoothly whilst dealing with day-to-day errands that come with the responsibility of my job role. Errands such as pool and spa testing, freelance instructor payments, health and safety checks, key-holding responsibility in addition to my role as Health & Fitness Manager (i.e. managing instructors, personal trainers, gym floor and class timetable). What do you enjoy doing away from work? I enjoy training in the gym in addition to football training on a Wednesday evening for fitness purposes. I’m a massive Manchester United fan so watching every game is a priority. Finally, spending time with friends and family tops the rest of what I enjoy doing out of work. Do you have any advice for our year 11 students about their choices when they leave Our Lady’s? Stay focused on your goals that you have set. Your ambitions are closer than you think. It’s not “if you can” it’s “when you can”. Don’t follow others to what they want to achieve, we all follow our own paths eventually. What are your plans for the future? My plan for the future is to eventually study a Masters in Strength and Conditioning to then use my knowledge, responsibility and experience to work with elite level athletes either in the UK or the USA.

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” Worship Prayer and worship has been going on during form time, with the level of assemblies being led and written being truly inspirational, so a huge thanks to all the staff and students involved. More recently the Chaplains have led thought-provoking assemblies on ‘respect’ and our GIFT Team/Chaplains have been attached to forms to support with prayers, as students think about themes such as love, values and compassion. Chaplains have led a year 9 RE morning on the theme of our local community and rules in society. This incorporated looking at the police and their roles in our world. Students looked at some case studies and debated the main themes. Valentine’s Day was soon with us and Mrs Burke and her team sold beautiful roses and

gift boxes to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. These were hand delivered by students and they loved their messages. After half term, Monica Oliver from CAFOD came into school to speak to the Chaplaincy/ GIFT team about their fundraising and how our staff and students can continue to help this fabulous charity with the important work that they do.

Lenten Reflection During Lent our focus was on the Passion of Jesus, remembering his death and Resurrection. It began on Ash Wednesday with a mass for year 7 and ashes were distributed at lunchtime, by our local clergy Father Glover and Father Dariusz. Our Lenten liturgies included music and drama to allow students the chance for reflection.

Year 8 enjoyed a retreat to Savio House in March. It is always a rewarding experience and they were incredibly excited about the visit (photo below). We will bring you the full write-up with some fabulous pictures and accounts in the next edition. Throughout Lent, the students of Our Lady’s set about becoming entrepreneurs to raise money for St Joseph’s Penny. Through the ‘Grow a Fiver’ initiative, forms were asked to double and quadruple their money doing a variety of different activities. It is always interesting to see the money-growing ideas they come up with. Thank you to Ms Riaz for her help. We hope that you all have a good Lenten Season, reflecting on our Lord. Follow our Chaplaincy twitter page: OurLadysChaplains@OLChaplains

SHARING THE VISION | SPRING 2019

Sports News

Celebrating Our Sporting Achievements Our school sportspeople never fail to impress. Here’s Mr Burke’s round-up of their achievements this term… In Athletics our year 8/9 boys’ team came third in both the Manchester and County indoor athletics Championships with Gold winning performances from the following boys: 200 Metres: Osaretin Ekhoragbon 300 Metres: Wesley Frimpong 60 Metres Hurdles: Ayo Shennowo Our year 7 boys came fourth in both the Manchester and County Championships with Ogbewie Onaghise becoming county champion in the high jump. In Badminton, Martyna Irzykowska finished third in the singles competition. In football our year 9 boys are in the Catholic Cup final which is on 20 March. Our year 11 girls are in the semi-final of the Manchester cup and the year 11 boys are in the semi-finals of the County Cup, the Catholic Cup and the All England National Championships. Let’s hope they can keep the momentum going and perhaps reach a few more finals. Maria Edwards, our Sports Woman of the Year, has also captained the England under-16 football squad whilst on an overseas tournament in the Netherlands. A

marvellous achievement and thoroughly deserved. Also, two of our year 11 boys have secured two year contract deals with professional football clubs. Robert Oseh (Oldham) and Rigobert Madzura (Accrington Stanley) have both been rewarded for their excellent ability in the sport. On 4 March we hosted the Manchester Volleyball Championships at Our Lady’s and are delighted to report that all four of our teams won. Our Duke of Edinburgh Award has started with 32 girls and boys from years 9 and 10 all trying to achieve the Bronze award. Finally, our community links have also been strengthened. A group of our year 10 sports leaders taught a variety of sports lessons to St Clare’s RC Primary school year 4 pupils. All students and staff involved were a credit to their respective schools. Deo Gratias.

SHARING THE VISION | SPRING 2019

Maths

Baking Pi for Mathematical Celebration! Pi Day is celebrated on 14 March every year. This day was created to celebrate the mathematical constant π. It falls on 3/14 since three, one and four are the first three digits of Pi. The maths department had great fun celebrating Pi Day with a range of activities for the students that included a Pi-themed baking competition that both staff and students were invited to enter! Maths teacher Miss Clarke said: “Pi day at Our Lady’s felt like 3.14.15 at 9:26:53! The atmosphere around school has been absolutely phenomenal and it has been a real joy to see so many students and staff

discussing the wonderful number that is Pi. We celebrated the day with lots of different activities, namely: a memorising contest, a Pithemed bake off and a Pi riddle competition. The students have really embraced this celebration—so much so that we had to turn people away from the lecture theatre due to lack of seating for the competition! Happy Pi day everyone and Happy Birthday, Albert Einstein!”

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SHARING THE VISION | SPRING 2019