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Summer 2018

Our Lady’s R.C. High School Magazine

Students Crowned Debating Champions at Manchester University

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Introducing our new Head Boy and Head Girl Open Evening Making Memories in Paris Sports News Plus much more!

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

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

This time last year we witnessed a tragic event that took the lives of a significant number of people and threatened to divide and destabilise our city, Manchester. At the time the response of the people of Manchester was overwhelming and instead of dividing us it only served to make us stronger. At Our Lady’s we felt it was important to mark the anniversary of those events in a fitting way. The student chaplaincy team wrote a wonderful lesson plan which was delivered to the whole school at the same time on 22 May. The work involved reflecting on the spiritual, moral, social and cultural responses to the terror attack and discussing issues around these profound topics. This was followed by the children writing their own personal prayers and designing a Manchester bee poster to create a whole school memorial display. Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive and later in the day the school community paused together to honour the nationwide minute’s silence at 2.30pm. This summer we have seen the introduction of a significant number of new GCSEs. There has been an increase in examinations and a much broader and more challenging level of content added to the curriculum. I have to say—even though I always have the very highest expectations of our students—the hard work, commitment and resilience shown by our year 11s has been exceptional and I’m sure the results this summer will reflect that. Our students continue to represent Our Lady’s graciously on the sports field; this year has seen the triumph of our year 9 athletics team. As I write this the athletics season is still underway and the year 9 students have

been excellent throughout, not only have they won the Manchester and county indoor championships but they managed to become Manchester league and cup champions for the first time in Our Lady’s history which is a fantastic achievement for all involved, including the PE department who train, support and encourage every step of the way. I continue to be impressed by the vast array of opportunities we offer Our Lady’s’ students and I’m appreciative of all of the planning and preparation from staff to enhance the experience of the children that we serve. The ‘Voices of Our Lady’s’ choir has been collaborating with St Clare’s primary school choir with impressive results. After showcasing their talent at the Music for Youth Festival in Rochdale they were selected to travel to Birmingham and take part in the national festival. They were also handpicked to attend a choral workshop at the Royal Northern College of Music led by representatives of the youth choir of Great Britain. Mrs Prince, their teacher, has worked tirelessly and it is wonderful to see them getting the national recognition they so richly deserve. During the recent May half-term break a residential trip to Paris for some year 9 students proved to be an excellent experience; the children visited the French capital taking in the sights and

culture, practising their French and enjoying the delights of Disneyland. Our strong exam results, improved Ofsted ratings and profile in the community have, combined with a number of other factors, led to the school becoming heavily oversubscribed. This September we could have filled the year group twice over with families that want their child to attend Our Lady’s. Whilst this is a healthy position for a school to be in, it is disappointing for those families whose children don’t attend their school of choice. With that in mind we have allocated an extra twenty places in year 7 for September 2018, and whilst this isn’t sufficient to satisfy all applicants it does support a number of families and allow us to retain our family ethos. Finally, as always, I would like to thank you for your support in our partnership; without it we wouldn’t be able to deliver on our promise to ensure all children develop to reach their full potential. God bless,

L. Ormsby Headteacher

Editor’s Welcome Message We’ve waved year 11 off (until results day!) and now another academic year draws to a close. What a year, packed full of wonderful experiences for our students. We’ve celebrated sporting success, enjoyed a variety of trips and on-site activities, won a debating challenge and been selected as a finalist in the MEN’s Schools Awards for our communications. Enjoy reading our latest news and have a wonderful summer!

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Contents Editor’s Welcome Message

Students Crowned Debating Champions at Manchester University

Introducing our New Catering Manager—Miss Ashworth

Introducing Our New Head Girl and Head Boy

The Voices of Our Lady’s and St Clare’s Sing Out

Konflux Theatre

An Evening Opening Visitors’ Eyes to the Opportunities at Our Lady’s

Making Memories in Paris

Observing Sculptures in Yorkshire 9 Taking an Enterprising Approach to Family Budgets at PwC

What’s been happening in year 9?

Our Brilliant Students Expand their Knowledge for University 12 Jack Cracks The Code!

All Aboard The Media Bus… Next Stop—Higher Education!

Rising to the Mathematical Challenge!

Medical Mavericks

Letting Off STEAM

VR Bus Takes Students Out of This World

Religious Life of the School

Exploring French Culture at Manchester Met

PE and Sports Roundup

Primary Schools Cycle at Our Lady’s Primary Go Ride Cycling Competition

Active in Health, Active in Mind 19 Dancing to Victory at National Championships

Our Lady’s is a School Communication Award Finalist! 20 Supporting St Joseph’s Penny

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

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COVER STORY…

Students Crowned Debating Champions at Manchester University In June Our Lady’s won a debating competition at Manchester University participating in four complex debates. As a school community we are so proud of this fantastic achievement. Mr Quiligotti accompanied the students to the competition. Here’s what he had to say about their success: “Over the last ten weeks, I have been lucky enough to work with nine incredibly talented year 9 students to help improve their knowledge of politics and debating. The students gave up their time after school to discuss a range of different political philosophies and issues, which culminated in a debating competition at the University of Manchester. During the morning session of the trip, students had to create their own ‘desert island’ society and decide the laws that would be implemented across the island. This required the students to work with children from other schools which they did with great confidence and enthusiasm. In the afternoon, students competed in two debates which focused on homelessness in Manchester and whether the University of

Manchester should implement a positive discrimination policy. In the first round of debates, Our Lady’s was so strong that it was argued by teachers from other schools that it should be an Our Lady’s v Our Lady’s final! However, keen for a sense of competition, we were drawn against Manchester Academy in the final. Despite their nerves, the students approached the situation with great focus and eloquence and were crowned worthy champions! A huge congratulations to an outstanding group of students who had no experience of formal debating before our programme began. It is clear that Our Lady’s is truly developing the leaders of tomorrow.”

Mr Quiligotti

W E L C O M E Introducing Our New Head Girl and Head Boy Following an election process the new head girl and boy have been selected. They will take up their new roles when they return as year 11s in September. Here, Sifora and Filip introduce themselves: “Hi, I’m Sifora the new Head Girl here at Our Lady’s. During my time as head girl, I hope that I can help and represent the school in any way possible. I am extremely involved in any school activities that I am able to take part in such as the dance teams and any school concert we hold. Therefore I am determined to have a positive impact on the school and to stay involved where I can until I leave.” “Hi, my name’s Filip and I’m the new Head Boy at Our Lady’s. I was born in Poland and I have been living here in England for 11 years. One of my biggest hobbies is playing video games and talking to my friends. I’m proud to be head boy for Our Lady’s and I want to improve it as much as I can before I leave in year 11.”

STAFF PROFILE

Introducing our New Catering Manager—Miss Ashworth What is your role at Our Lady’s? Catering Manager. What were you doing before you started at Our Lady’s? I was Catering Manager at Fujitsu in Manchester for 10 ½ years. 1st job 30 years ago—Hotel Piccadilly Manchester—10 years. Director’s Chef for Royal & Sun Alliance. Catering Manager at Royal Mail Manchester. What were your first impressions of Our Lady’s? Very friendly place. Lovely students who are very polite. The staff have made me feel very welcome. What do you enjoy most about your job? Making sure the students enjoy their food. What does a typical day for Miss Ashworth look like? I wake up at 3:30am. Get to work for 5:20am.

Start preparing the food for breakfast and lunch for the students and any buffets and hospitality that is required for the school.

Winning various Salon Culinaire Cooking Competitions around the country including Hotelympia.

I finish work at around 2pm and go home for a nice cup of tea and maybe a G&T later on!

Being involved in The Children In Need call centre taking pledges for the charity and providing the food for the event.

I usually go to sleep early as I have to be up early for work. What are the most challenging aspects of the role? Having been in the catering industry for many years I am used to the challenges that running a very busy kitchen brings. It’s all about being organised and working as a team. What are your hobbies outside of school? I love Manchester United Football Club. I enjoy watching golf and also driving the buggy when my partner Gary plays. I like dining out at various restaurants in Manchester with my Mam Angela and Brother Anthony at weekends. I enjoy art and interior design. What is your greatest achievement? Making Sir Matt Busby’s Official 80th Birthday Cake. Making the Cake for the opening of Child Line in Manchester.

Favourite film or show? I don’t watch films. Favourite song? ‘You’ve Got The Love’—Candy Statton & The Source. ‘Let’s Get Brutal’—Nitro Deluxe Greatest moment? Meeting Sir Matt Busby & Brian Robson. Person you would most like to meet and why? Ryan Giggs—(he’s my favourite) Do you have any unfulfilled ambitions? To do a parachute jump.

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PRIMARY TRANSITION

From Infectious Fun to Wartime Trenches— It’s all in a Day’s Work for Konflux Theatre!

The Voices of Our Lady’s and St Clare’s Sing Out Music for Youth is a national youth arts charity providing free, life-changing performance and progression opportunities to under-21s across the UK, regardless of their background. They encourage youngsters to participate in high-quality musical activities nurturing the next generation of musical talent. Here at Our Lady’s Mrs Prince runs a choir in partnership with our local primary school, St Clare’s. Accompanied by Mrs Prince and Miss Durbin, ‘The ‘Voices of Our Lady’s and St Clare’s’ took part in the annual Music for Youth Regional Festival Series 2018 at Rochdale Town Hall in March working with music mentors and receiving advice on how to develop as a group. Out of over 1,200 groups of around 40,000 young musicians, performing as part of the annual series in over 50 festivals across the country, we’re delighted to announce that we’ve been selected to take part in the Festival Fringe in Birmingham on Wednesday 4 July 2018!

I liked watching the other schools and it was also very eye-opening seeing the different styles of music sung by others. Leander, year 9

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There will be various performance slots on stages across the city centre (Birmingham Town Hall, the Festival Tent, Victoria Square and Brindley Place Bandstand). ‘The Voices of Our Lady’s and St Clare’s’ will also take part in a choral workshop led by representatives from the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and there will be pop-up performances and a variety of hands-on sessions for all abilities. What a fabulous achievement from our choral partnership and an exciting opportunity for all the children to showcase their talents, meet other musicians and gain valuable feedback. Watch this space—we’ll bring you all the news in our next issue.

Musically magnificent; we enjoyed collaborating with the talented children of St Clare’s Andreja, year 9

It’s no easy task learning a play in a day, yet our primary school visitors never let us down, always rising to the challenge. Led by Rob Beckett from Konflux Theatre in Education year 5 pupils form St Clare’s Primary School explored the impact of the bubonic plague in London in 1665. Bringing the Black Death to life in the Our Lady’s school hall, the children’s confidence grew throughout the session as they used different exercises to remember their lines and develop their acting skills. The pupils discovered why the plague spread so quickly and killed so many. Well done year 5 for working so hard towards your final performance. The fun was infectious! Year 5 pupils from St Thomas of Canterbury delivered another powerful performance when they recreated World War One in their interactive and informative ‘Play in a Day’. By the time Rob had put them through their paces in preparation for their performance the audience felt as though they were there in the wartime trenches! It is truly incredible that in just one day they managed to put together a lively and realistic presentation of life during the war. Exploring events such as young men signing up to fight and conscientious objectors refusing to do so, the children’s portrayal was exciting and thought-provoking. Well done St Thomas of Canterbury for your brilliant teamwork and confident delivery! Our Lady’s is looking forward to working with Konflux theatre again next year to see what else can be achieved in just one day. www.konfluxtheatre.co.uk

Primary Transition

An Evening Opening Visitors’ Eyes to the Opportunities at Our Lady’s Our Lady’s may be oversubscribed for September 2018, but we’re not about to rest on our laurels. On Thursday 5 July, we welcomed prospective students and their parents/carers to showcase what awaits them if they choose our school when the time comes to make the transition from primary to high school. Last year our open evening attendance quadrupled from the previous year and we always take on visitor feedback to ensure we host a welcoming and informative event so we were excited about meeting more new faces this year. Mr Ormsby welcomed everyone with an introductory talk before handing over to the newly appointed Head Boy, Filip Debal and Head Girl Sefora Gebreselasie, who introduced themselves and spoke about their experiences as Our Lady’s’ students. It was wonderful to see the school so busy with families exploring the different departments to enjoy the various activities on offer. The iPad that was up for grabs gave the children an extra incentive to visit every subject area to get their school tour card stamped. Once in the different departments there were an engaging range of hands-on activities to enjoy.

The English department were based in the library with a Harry Potter theme for the evening which gave visitors the chance to dress up and have some pictures in the photo booth. Children enjoyed writing on ‘aged’ paper, amongst other activities. In Modern Foreign Languages there was the chance to taste foods including traditional French and Spanish dishes like Spanish Omelette, meats and cheeses. Children also enjoyed making keyrings and decorating balloons with multi-lingual greetings. Team

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Primary Transition

RE had spray paints and other materials available for the children to make their own decorations related to Christianity and Hinduism. Artefacts from the medieval and Neolithic eras were on display in the History department where a hands-on approach was taken to explore the objects and match them up to the activities they were used for. Objects included helmets and arrow heads and our visitors were able to handle the materials. All this exploring was hungry work so in between interactive experiences, visitors could pop to the school canteen. Our new catering manager, Miss Ashworth and her team were

on hand with refreshments and a tasty range of dishes inspired by different cultures and nationalities. Thank you to everyone who joined us for another successful evening. We hope you enjoyed the event and we look forward to welcoming you back to Our Lady’s in the future. If you were unable to join us at our Open Evening and would like an opportunity to look around school and speak to staff, please contact Sally Royle (PA to the Headteacher) on 0161 507 9670 or email s.royle@olsc.manchester.sch.uk

Great evening, great staff, great students and great food. We were all proud of Filip and Sefora, our new head boy and head girl who spoke eloquently and with passion about Our Lady’s. Our Ofsted report is right— this is a good school! Lee Haughton, Senior Assistant Headteacher

Our Lady’s is a great high school for people who want to learn about God. It is an amazing high school and I learned things I never knew. Rebekah, year 4 E-Act Academy

It was a privilege to visit the school. It has a good, friendly environment and we met friendly staff and students. What a wellorganised open evening. Parent visitor

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SCHOOL TRIPS

Making Memories in Paris Review by Miss Bramley

In the early hours of Friday 25 May, 32 students from years 8 and 9 headed for Paris. Even though it was 4 o’clock in the morning, there was lots of excitable energy! After a 15-hour coach journey, we arrived at our hotel in Disneyland Paris for a late dinner before bed, ready for an early start in the morning.

Saturday 26 May Following an early breakfast of croissants, croissants and more croissants, we were dropped off in the centre of Paris, adjacent to the Arc de Triomphe, in the glorious sunshine. We took a stroll down the most prestigious avenue in Paris, the Champs Elysees, before making our way into the Tuileries Garden, taking in the picturesque scenes and peaceful atmosphere.

After finding a nice spot for lunch, we boarded the coach to make our way to the Notre Dame Cathedral. As a group, we felt very lucky to have the opportunity to visit this amazing cathedral with its astonishing statues, artwork and unique features. Our next experience was a visit to one of the second tallest buildings in France. Flying up 53 floors in a lift in just 38 seconds, we travelled

to the top of the Tour Montparnasse, where we were able to experience the best panoramic view of the whole of Paris from 210m (690 ft.). The views of the city were outstanding and a pinnacle point was how the Eiffel Tower stood out across the whole city. Once back down to ground level, it was off to experience some French cuisine in a Creperie. As we moved around Paris in our groups, students (and teachers) became competitive in their quest to be the best. Miss Nicholson and her A Team had tough competition from Miss Bramley’s French Babes (ooh la la). With Miss O’Boyle naming her group ‘The Boyles’ she was straight out of the running leaving Mr Quiligotti’s ‘Polish Magic’ and Miss Power’s ‘Power Angels’ the other tough competition. Once we had eaten, it was back to our hotel to recharge ready for another busy day.

Sunday 27 May

Croissants! Our first stop of the day was the museum, Cite des Sciences where the students were entertained for hours by the many different attractions. They explored mathematic theories, created music with their feet on a giant piano, played with special-effects make up and took a look behind the scenes of special effects by following all the stages involved in creating a film—to name just a few activities.

After a fun-packed morning, we headed to the golden arches for lunch—McDonalds! Then it was back on the coach to one of the most monumental attractions in the world, the Eiffel Tower. Although we did not venture up the tower, the students were able to wander around it to appreciate the architecture and grand size of it.

The following morning we were up bright and early. Guess what was for breakfast?

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School Trips Once we’d finished taking selfies and group pictures, we walked to the Bataux Parisians for the River Siene boat tour. In the glorious Sunday afternoon Paris sunshine, everyone was eagerly topping up on sun cream as the boat departed down the river. The light breeze added to a truly breathtaking atmosphere as we appreciated the sights along the river. During the river cruise everyone developed a hearty appetite so we were ecstatic to arrive at the Hard Rock Café for burgers. With full stomachs and tired children, we left the restaurant to go back to the hotel.

Monday 28 May Monday was the day many had waited for—Disneyland Paris! We got the shuttle bus from the hotel for the short journey there. After security checks and a brief from the teachers on the meeting points and park safety, students were free to explore and experience the wonderful world of Walt Disney. Many dared to go on the thrilling rides such as Hollywood Tower of Terror and Star Wars Hyperspace while others preferred to stay on the ground on rides like Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy and Peter Pan’s Flight. It was a truly beautiful day until the weather took a turn and the heavens opened! Everyone took cover and watched the thunder, lighting and torrential rain descend upon the park. It was an exciting ordeal and once everyone met up at the meeting point, we made our way back to the hotel to dry off. Although we missed the fireworks, it was a fantastic day that many will keep in their memory forever.

Tuesday 29 May On the final morning in Paris, students were once again treated to croissants for breakfast. Bags were packed and rooms were checked before we boarded the coach to return home to Manchester. On behalf of everyone who went on the trip, a special thanks goes to Miss Brophy for organising such a fantastic few days in Paris which took a lot of hard work and dedication. Also, a huge thank you to Miss Nicholson, Miss Power, Miss Bramley, Mr Quiligotti and Miss O’Boyle for taking time out of their half term to assist in the smooth running of the trip.

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Overall the trip was a massive success; the students all had a great time and were a credit to our school. The teachers had an amazing time too especially in Disney where we could release our inner child. I’d like thank them for giving up five days of their half term. We all owe a HUGE thank you to Miss Brophy who planned the trip but couldn’t join us; it was a brilliant trip and well worth the long hours and lack of sleep. Miss Power

It was an amazing trip. I really enjoyed myself. It was an opportunity for everyone to become closer and form new friendships.

Observing Sculptures in Yorkshire In April, the year 10 art class visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park. “We collected sketchbooks, drawing equipment and plenty of drinks excited by the pleasantly warm day ahead. I already knew what to expect from the enormous artistic display that the Yorkshire Sculpture Park offers. Nevertheless, I couldn’t wait to see the intricate sculptures in a different light. The atmosphere at the park changes with the weather. I have observed it in the rain which made the whole experience intense and dark. This time I anticipated the sculptures to have a lively feel to them, thanks to the bright, sunny weather. We walked through fields and woods, within which we discovered a countless variety of works of art. The park is situated in the rolling Yorkshire countryside and has a peaceful atmosphere. There is wildlife everywhere and fields full of sheep.

I really enjoyed going into the science museum as you could find out about educational things. I also enjoyed walking around Paris and Disneyland.

Some works were abstract, some plain and some bizarre! I found many of the exhibits I had seen before had gone and in their place where new instillations. It was extremely enjoyable and opened up our eyes and challenged our thoughts on what art is and how it should be presented. Throughout the day we were given tasks that helped document the day on a visual level—lots of sketching, photography and we were introduced to reduction drawings which were really challenging. I am sure everyone took something valuable from the trip. It has strengthened bonds between students and staff through the conversations provoked by the pieces we have seen together.”

Uki, year 9

Szaffi, year 10

Maja, year 9

YEAR GROUPS What the Students Said

I enjoyed meeting different people and learning what they did and how they proceeded in life. It was also fun learning stuff that I didn’t know at first such as the company one works for must provide a phone for its workers. Samuel

The trip was an enjoyable and valuable learning experience. It gave me confidence in becoming an adult. I also learnt valuable lessons like the difference between credit and debit cards. Elidana

Taking an Enterprising Approach to Family Budgets at PwC On 11 May some of our year 9 students attended an Enabling Enterprise Day at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their incredible brand new offices in Spinningfields. This has become an annual trip for Our Lady’s and one that always inspires and enthuses our students. This year was no exception. Working with PwC volunteers with various jobs including auditing and accounting, the year 9s started by introducing themselves and questioning the volunteers about their jobs. The PwC staff were impressed by the variety of the students’ questions which included asking about the best and worst aspects of their jobs and what they would be doing if they weren’t working at PwC. It was then time to tackle the day’s tasks starting with a discussion about the importance of budgeting and the value of everyday items. The group considered the various items and whether they were a luxury or a necessity. They were then tasked with acting as financial advisers for a family who were facing a tightening budget due to a variety of scenarios such as the arrival of a new baby, the purchase of a new car and saving for their children’s university future.

They discussed the pros and cons of each option available to the family and how they might save in their budget to account for these options. Each group then had to feedback to the others. They were praised for their presentation skills. The team of Sam, Talha and Sandra won due their inclusion of the audience during their presentation and their use of comedy. Once again it was a thoroughly enjoyable and enterprising day.

The trip was amazing; it helped to develop our knowledge in debit and credit cards. A big thank you to PWC for organising this enterprise for us. Talha

I really liked the activities and the food was really good and I have learnt a lot about banking money and how to save money and spend money wisely in a difficult situation. Latipha

It was a great experience! I am definitely ready for my future. Annelisa

The day was fun and mentally challenging; it was fun exploring real-life issues in groups. Andreja

I enjoyed the trip as it was eyeopening and educated us about business and mortgages. Tayo

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Year Groups

What’s been happening in year 9? Year 9 have had a busy year; with a variety of different opportunities and excursions… Since the start of the year, we have been focused on studying for GCSEs. To help support the year group, we have been involved in many projects, events and workshops with Greater Manchester Higher; a collaborative network of Higher Education providers who offer high-quality impartial information, advice and guidance about progression routes to college and university. This started with a ‘Buzz Session’ workshop, in which students discussed the skills and traits applied to specific careers looking at inspirational people from all walks of life to identify what skills link with jobs and careers. This led into sessions called ‘Medical Mavericks’; students had the opportunity to learn how medical equipment works and to use it for themselves! This gave them firsthand experience of a career in the medical profession. Some of our year 9 girls took part in the ‘All Girls Can’ project, which aims to address the barriers to Higher Education. The focus has been on empowering young girl’s strengths, skills and confidence with many trips allowing them to look at different career paths. In February the girls and their parents attended a workshop at Manchester Metropolitan which included a bespoke campus visit, tailored specifically to answer any questions on Higher Education and bust some myths. The girls then visited Jaguar Land Rover and were given a behind-the-scenes tour by Jaguar’s own engineers. They walked along the assembly line and saw how a Great British modern manufacturing facility operates with women taking on some of the roles.

The girls also visited Manchester Crown Court and spent the morning looking at different jobs through role play. These trips have highlighted the various paths the girls need to take to achieve the career that they want proving they

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can be anything they choose to be. The Key 103 bus visited the year group for interactive sessions exploring higher education options. The students found this an extremely valuable and fun experience. More recently Steam Co. have been in to work with year 9. They are a non-profit organisation who visit schools to inspire Art and creativity. Nick who led the sessions has embarked on a #summerofloveart tour. He’s a very motivational and inspirational person, with a true enthusiasm to help young people to be more creative. The students really engaged in the activity of designing and making a rocket before letting them off by an air pressure pump. The RE department invited inspirational speaker John Pridmore to come and talk to the year group. John is an ex-London gangster, now turned Christian. John is also an Author and has a book about his life called, From Gangland to Promised Land. He spoke of how his life changed after accepting God’s love into it. John now travels the country spreading the word and love of God to students from all walks of life. John’s speech was not only moving but fascinating and truly inspirational. Our students are extremely proud and grateful of John’s visit.

Jump), Daniel Ol (Long Jump), Fawaz (Shot Put). Mrs Newey and Mrs Butler organised a business and enterprise initiative called Dragons’ Den. It follows the structure of the TV show. This year it was kept exclusive to year 9. There were students from the Manchester University who were on board to help and direct our students to create business ideas that could be implemented in school. The groups had to come up with a business plan, have a marketing strategy and work with a budget. They all conducted themselves in such a professional manner and were a credit to the year group. It was a very proud moment to watch them working on something they were so passionate about. However, there has to be a winner and this year it was… ’Tuck In’ who planned and created a tuck shop which involves stationary being sold too. I can’t wait to see your idea in school. Congratulations! Without the hard work of Mrs Newey and Mrs Butler this event wouldn’t have taken place so thank you.

At this time in our world, I feel we are in so much need of God’s Mercy. There is great pain and hurt in people’s lives and it is hard to be the Light. John Pridmore On a sporting front, our year 9 boy’s athletics team have had a brilliant season recently winning the Manchester League and the Manchester Championships in great style (as well as the Manchester and County indoor championships). To add to these successes the following students were selected to represent Manchester in a County trial which could eventually lead to them competing in the ‘All England Championships’. To be selected for this out of hundreds of athletes, is indeed a marvellous achievement! Huge congratulations to all the boys: Gabriel (100m), Joshua (200m), Kobby (300m), Muhammed (800m), Daniel (High

(As we go to press) we are studying hard for the end of year exams. Good luck to everyone and I hope your results show the hard work you have put in. Finally, I would like to thank all parents, carers and grandparents for all the continued support you have shown us this year. Enjoy your summer.

Mr Edwards, Head of Year 9

YEAR GROUPS

Jack Cracks The Code! Console.Code aims to educate and empower young people by providing them with logical problem-solving skills through coding and computer science, tackling stereotypes about the digital industry in the local community and highlighting that coding isn’t just for one gender group.

Our Brilliant Students Expand their Knowledge for University The Brilliant Club is an award-winning charity committed to increasing the number of children from under-represented backgrounds progressing to highly-selective universities. They achieve this by mobilising the PhD community to share its academic expertise with state schools. The Scholars Programme employs doctoral and post-doctoral researchers on a part-time basis to deliver programmes of academic enrichment to small groups of students. Some of our year 9 students have been lucky enough to join the programme benefitting from a combination of university trips, in-school tutorials and online resources. They are learning about the knowledge, skills and ambition needed to progress to highlyselective universities. Ria from year 9 talks about her brilliant experience so far… “Hi, I’m Ria from year 9 and one of the students who joined the Scholar Programme; The Brilliant Club. In my opinion the Brilliant Club gave me an amazing opportunity to develop my writing and researching skills. It also introduced me to the way college and university students work as the things we did were ‘out of the box’ and different to our GCSE curriculum. The topic we studied was ‘Climate Change’. Our question was ‘How to reduce climate change in your community’ and we needed to write a 2000 word assignment about it. As it was an assignment for A Level students we had a certain way to write including introduction, abstract and conclusion. We had a session every week where we learned about climate change, its causes and how to decrease it. At the end we used all that information to write our assignment. It was really educating and it inspired me to write more in the future. I also experienced how university teachers mark coursework. Next October we will be visiting Cambridge University which will be lots of fun.”

I had lots of fun in The Brilliant Club sessions learning about climate change. I have also learnt how to write in university. Next academic year we will also be visiting Cambridge University which will be so much fun, exploring the university with my friends. Latipha, year 9

Jack Hoskisson in year 8 started attending their training sessions with his best friend Byron where all participants—a mix of boys and girls from different backgrounds—have the opportunity to experiment with the resources before competing for prizes. Console.Code ensures that their sessions are based on non-mathematical tasks that can be achieved regardless of ability in maths and science. Here, Jack talks about his Console.Code experience: “I can’t take all the credit. Byron, who is my best friend since Primary School, had the initial idea to create Battle Bots. I went along with his idea which turned into our project. It was hard as neither of us had done much coding before, but we stuck with it and did out best and we had a lot of help from Aaron, who was the person running our twice weekly Console.Code sessions and Josh who also Miss Woosey Jack’s ICT assisted us at Console.Code. In teacher said the end we did it, but the most Jack is in one of my important thing was that we year 8 classes and he loves did it together and we had fun. programming; so much so We used python to code it and typed the coding in Raspberry that he and his friend joined Pi and we used CamJam EduKit a programming club called 3 to create the bots. We also Console.Code outside of had a go at creating our own school and have done web page using JavaScript.

really well. He completed

We both really enjoyed our a presentation recently and time with Aaron and the his Mum is extremely proud Console.Code group, making of him, as am I. His coding these battle bots and we also in class has come on got to show off our creations in tenfold. Well done Jack. a final presentation for all the parents, in front of a speciallyselected panel of judges. Byron and I came third and we each won our own Raspberry Pi. The judges thought we had shown a clear understanding of the applications used, along with a passion for what we had created. Console.Code introduced me to lots of different technical and digital stuff which we all had a chance of trying out and learning, before making our project decisions. Alisio won first prize for his computer game, which was created around the maze idea with power-ups and power-downs and a race to the middle square. Timmy, didn’t win for his three-player game around the idea of Pac-Man, but Timmy had previously won a VR headset on our first day together for remembering everyone’s names. I had blast doing absolutely everything and made new friends. And Aaron was a big help and even better friend and he made our time at Console.Code a one-of-a-kind experience.” For more information on Console.Code’s interactive programming sessions visit www.consolecode.co.uk.

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

Year Groups

All Aboard The Media Bus… Next Stop—Higher Education! Year 9 enjoyed a fun, interactive experience on the Key 103 Media Bus in May. The bus was visiting schools and colleges across Manchester in collaboration with Greater Manchester Higher who work with universities and further education colleges to provide quality outreach activities. Over the course of the morning, the students worked in small groups with Key 103 and GM Higher staff to develop engaging radio commercials about the benefits of higher education. During the session they discussed the various options available to them when they leave school and important decisions that they will have to make. Working on this theme as a group they had the chance to produce their own radio advertisement with some very entertaining and informative results! The task required excellent communication and team work skills and the students also picked up

some technical radio production tips from their Key 103 mentor. It was everything to play for as every group to take part in the school tour was being entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a pair of tickets each to Key 103 Live with some exciting international artists lined up. This definitely brought out the competitive spirit in the groups!

Greater Manchester Higher works closely with Key 103 Bus in raising aspirations for students from year 9-11 to go on to higher education. Students from year 9 have enjoyed their day creating their own radio advert for higher education. The students were very creative, formulating their ideas in different ways; from ‘chat show’ to creating the next episode of a series programme! It was great to be part of their day, supporting their understanding of key factors surrounding higher education, such as finance, accommodation, course choices and much more! Nawshin Khan, Graduate Adviser for Manchester Hub

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

STEM

Rising to the Mathematical Challenge! The UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics. The UKMT is the UK’s biggest national Maths challenge, which saw Our Lady’s students competing against 4500 other schools! The UKMT Team Challenges promote mathematical dexterity, teamwork and communication skills and are designed to encourage students’ interest in maths. They also give students the opportunity to compete against other schools in their region.

Harshitha also represented Our Lady’s at the UKMT Team Challenge at the University of Manchester where they did us proud.

The following students have achieved success in the Junior Maths Challenge:

Are you ready for the Challenge?

The challenges are aimed at top set students, however anyone can take part so if you are in year 7 to year 10 and are interested in seeing what all the fuss is about just let your Maths teacher know.

Silver Award: Tresor, Ben, Savy

Junior Mathematical Challenge 2017, Question 4:

Bronze Award: Brianna, Philip, Wisdom, Joel, Celiece, Rebecca, Harshitha

A download is 95% complete. What fraction is yet to be downloaded?

The following pupils have achieved success in the Intermediate Maths Challenge:

A: 1/2 B: 1/5 C: 1/9 D: 1/10 E: 1/20

Silver Award: Natnal, Madonna

Junior Mathematical Challenge 2017, Question 15:

Bronze Award: Jessica, Vanely, Deborah, Daniel, Alicia, Adebayo, Michelle

What is the remainder when the square of 49 is divided by the square root of 49?

An extra special well done to Natnal who made Our Lady’s history by beating all year 9 AND 10s to get through to the Grey Kangaroo Challenge! Snit, Deborah, Ben and

A: 0 B: 2 C: 3 D: 4 E: 7

Miss Brophy, the children’s maths teacher said:

Each year our students continue to blow me away with their enthusiasm and resilience in these tricky challenges. Natnal will go down in Our Lady’s history for being the first student to ever get through to a Kangaroo challenge, and receive a personal invite to attend an exciting workshop in Liverpool. I am extremely proud of every single student who took part and I look forward to seeing what they can achieve next year.

Medical Mavericks When it comes to STEM enrichment opportunities we’re always looking for exciting new ways to demonstrate to our students the wide range of prospects open to them when they leave us at the end of year 11. Year 9 discovered just how many career opportunities are available within the NHS when they took part in a special ‘Careers in Health’ workshop. The interactive session was run by Medical Mavericks who brought along real-life medical equipment so the students could enjoy a hands-on experience including taking blood from a fake arm, looking inside their bodies with the help of an Ultrasound, recording and printing their ECG and looking at the bar of their eye with an iPhone retina scanner. The students filled out their own medical observation sheets to record their findings. The aim of the Medical Mavericks workshops is to highlight to young people the amazing range of careers within the NHS which are accessible with grades 9-4 at GCSE. With a wider knowledge of the jobs on offer to them in the healthcare sector our students were definitely inspired by what they learned and it is likely that the NHS will have some enthusiast new recruits when they leave school!

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

STEM

Letting Off STEAM STEAM Co. are working with Manchester School of Art and as a result visited Our Lady’s for a thrilling ‘Rocket Kids’ session culminating in an explosive rocket launch! STEAM Co. is a not-for-profit organisation community initiative empowering children to think creatively across the STEAM skills of Science, Tech, Engineering, Art and Maths.

VR Bus Takes Students Out of This World

STEAM Co.’s co-founder Nick Corston who delivered the session was inspired by the bestselling book and movie ‘Rocket Boys’ by Homer Hickam which tells the story of four boys growing up in a dead-end coal mining town in the USA in the 50s who see the first Sputnik and, with the encouragement of a teacher and mother, go on to make rockets and work for NASA. After telling the students Homer’s story, bringing it up to date with Elon Musk and rocket science to connect back to the curriculum he wowed them with a real rocket firing to about 500 foot with a parachute recover system. The students then had the chance to design and make their own rockets which they let off using an air pressure pump. The final showpiece was when Nick let off a rocket fueled by dynamite! The rocket reached the dizzy heights of 700 metres into the air, travelling at approximately 175 meters per second proving that when art meets science it’s a great way to let off STEAM!

I have a background in technology, creativity and communication, but really I’m just a dad, concerned about our children’s and all our futures. I parked my career to co-found STEAM Co. to provide the inspiration and resources to power communities to inspire children with creativity across the STEAM skills. Nick Corston, STEAM Co.’s Co-Founder

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

As part of a mission to spark curiosity and life-long learning, Samsung has been working in partnership with the Science Museum Group, taking Tim Peake’s Soyuz TMA-19M capsule up and down the country, visiting schools and colleges to bring the wonder of space travel to life.

WOW, what an experience! Inspired by the bestselling book and movie ‘Rocket Boys’ by Homer Hickam which tells the story of four boys growing up in a dead-end coal mining town who with the encouragement from a teacher and mother, go on to make rockets and work for NASA. Nick Corston delivered a session based around higher education and enterprise and the way it was presented was effective towards all students. Alongside the powerful stories, we experienced what it was like to launch a rocket and observe how high they would fly and where they would land especially our paper rockets we made. Moreover, the storytelling alongside the experiment bought smiles and hopefully someone from Our Lady’s will one day be successfully working for NASA or be inspired by a book they have read.

There was great excitement at Our Lady’s when the Samsung VR bus pulled up outside school to visit our year 8s as part of the national schools outreach programme aimed at engaging young people in STEM subjects. Working with the Science Museum Group to create an ‘out-ofthis-world’ virtual reality experience the Tim Peake VR bus is specially adapted and designed to look like the International Space Station (ISS). The students enjoyed a space training programme with the incredible opportunity to experience space descent in virtual reality ready for their descent back to Earth in Sir Tim Peaks Soyuz module from the ISS. Following the fully-interactive space experience we hope we’ve inspired the next generation of space travellers to reach for the stars!

Charlie O’Brien, year 9

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”

At the start of the new term, the Student Chaplains were busy preparing form reflections on forgiveness and Lent. Father Dariusz came in to year 8 classes to talk about the importance of repentance in preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Year 9 and 10 students attended a two-day retreat to Savio House in Bollington. The focus was on the theme of water. The students were magnificent and took part in all the activities on offer to them. Thanks to Mr Edwards, and Miss McKarten for supporting the retreat. A number of our year 9 students along with Ms Weetman, were invited to Salford Cathedral to be involved in CARITAS training to become Ambassadors. The training included discussion on how faith in action can be developed at school. Students were then commissioned on behalf of the Bishop, to incorporate social justice in school. They have written an Action Plan to show how this is to be achieved. They are also hoping to create a Prayer Garden, which can be used by staff and students throughout the liturgical year. During Lent money was raised in form time for Caritas St Joseph Penny and Grow a Fiver. The form groups decided how to raise the money and a fabulous total of £700 was split then between the Lalley Centre and Caritas Lenten ‘St Joseph’s Penny’.

As part of our Student Chaplaincy, we welcomed two visitors. Alison Carnell from the charity ‘LEPRA’, talked about the spread of leprosy around the world. Monica Oliver from ‘CAFOD’ shared ideas and examples of how poverty exists and how awareness and support to eradicate it could be developed in school. Students were involved on both occasions in sharing their opinions on poverty and gave great examples of how they could implement supporting each group in school. The Easter Liturgies involved a number of our Student Chaplains. The theme revolved around the various events of Holy week, and saw students re-enacting the scenes from disciples and eye witness perspectives. Thanks to Mr Banham and the students for their support. On 22 May staff and students remembered the anniversary of the attack at the MEN Arena in Manchester. During lesson two on that day; the Student Chaplains had created resources for all students to use, to reflect upon the tragic events. The outcomes of the task, was for students to design a bee and a prayer to be used to create a mural in school. Some really beautiful and powerful messages were created. Thank you to all staff and students.

As we say farewell to our year 11 cohort, Father Tierney will be coming into school to celebrate Mass. Students will receive a set of rosary beads which will have been blessed, as they start the next chapter in their journey of faith. Good luck and God bless year 11. Each House group have been given a specific focus in raising awareness for a variety of different charities. This continues throughout the year. The year 8 House Charity is ‘MIND’ and Mental Health Awareness week was Wed 16 May—Tue 22 May 2018. £65 was raised by selling cakes, ribbons and ice lollies. The year 10 House Charity is ‘Francis House’ and on the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel (16 July), students and staff will be involved in fundraising. A huge thank you to Mrs Burke for arranging these fundraising events throughout the year, and Ms Riaz for arranging Grow a Fiver. As we draw to the end of a busy year, we will be welcoming Father Glover into school on 6 July for the year 7 Celebration Mass. This is an opportunity to reflect on a superb year showing off their achievements and talents. The final preparations will be the end of year Liturgy again, focussing on our students’ gifts and talents and looking to the new academic year. Many thanks for everyone’s continued support with the religious life of the school. We look forward to sharing events and achievements next year. Follow our Chaplaincy twitter page: OurLadysChaplains@OLChaplains

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

LANGUAGES

Exploring French Culture at Manchester Met On a sunny Tuesday in May, a group of year 9 French students went out to Manchester Metropolitan University to develop their understanding of French culture, and to find out more about studying Modern Languages after GCSE. After a short talk on post-GCSE pathways and career opportunities for people who have studied languages (learning that there are lots more ways to use languages than ‘just’ in teaching and translation!) they had the opportunity to learn from native French speakers about the culture of France and other French-speaking countries. In the afternoon, they explored the wider cultural opportunities available as part of the study of Modern Languages through two workshops on Arabic writing and sushi-making! It was fantastic to see the group interacting with ‘real-life’ French speakers and getting stuck into new activities. Thanks very much to Ms. Tkaczuk for organising.

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

SPORTS NEWS

PE and Sports Roundup In Football, our year 8 boys won their division of the Manchester Premier League, as did our very successful year 11 team. Our year 10s are in the Catholic Cup final, which is yet to be played. The Duke of Edinburgh award reached its conclusion this term. This involves students showing great dedication, undergoing gruelling tests and experiencing severe weather conditions as they take on the challenges necessary to be successful. We

are pleased to say that 28 of our students gained the Bronze award this year. In Athletics, whilst the season is still going on, our year 9s have been excellent throughout. This year, not only have they won the Manchester And County Indoor Championships, but they managed to become Manchester League and Cup champions. There were some excellent performances from the team:

Collins, Kobby (Silver), Tariq, Daniel (Bronze), Napthali, Daniel, Daniel (Gold), Muhammad (Bronze), Fawaz (Gold), Glory, Josh (Silver) Martins(Gold) and Gabriel (Gold).

Inter-form competitions Our Inter-form competitions continued this term with Benchball taking centre stage. It was great to see so many students taking part to try and help their forms be successful.

Primary Schools Cycle at Our Lady’s Primary Go Ride Cycling Competition Well done to all the Primary Schools taking part in the Our Lady’s Go Ride Cycling Competition. Run by British Cycling, this event saw 40 pupils from six primary schools pedalling hard in three races; the scratch race, the elimination race and the team relay. Holy Trinity and Abbey Hey won the competition and progress to represent the North Manchester Schools at the Manchester Finals.

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

Sports News

Active in Health, Active in Mind Our Lady’s has been selected by the Youth Sports Trust to deliver a National Pilot, working to see how regular vigorous exercise can have an impact on positive mental well-being. Students have been attending regular training sessions with personal trainers Ellis and Holly, with some lucky students taking part in gym sessions with ex-student and personal trainer Javeno. Sophie Cox, the Great Britain Olympic Judo player has also been supporting our programme. She has trained mentors to assist in sessions and also visited us at school to work with year 8 girls on basic judo skills. In another session Sophie introduced our students to Judo and a fun game where players have to try to tag the opponents’ knees. Sophie showed her impressive collection medals including her World Championship title medal and led discussion about the qualities you need to develop in order to achieve.

Josh, one of the students to participate showed his speedy footwork, really enjoyed the session and is keen to take up a martial art as a result of his experience. The students were really engaged and are all keen to try new activities.

Dancing to Victory at National Championships Our Lady’s dance and cheerleading teams have been training since September 2018 on their new routines for their competitions in 2019. Each dancer auditioned for the team and they have been training once or twice a week since then, including in the school holidays. Their first competition was Sunday 20 May at Belle Vue Sports Village. Our fantastic Dance teams saw 55 girls represent Our Lady’s at the UKCA National Cheerleading Championships. With determination and passion they demonstrated their talent and athleticism yet again with superb results. The teams competed against dance clubs (Our Lady’s was the only school to enter) from across the country. Congratulations to all our dancers on the fantastic results: Our Lady’s Stars: Senior Pom Dance CHAMPIONS Our Lady’s Lil’ Bombs: 2nd Junior Urban Cheer Level 1 Our Lady’s Dynamite: 2nd Senior Urban Cheer Level 1 Miss Aldcroft said: “We had help from parents and ex-students and it was a very enjoyable day. I am extremely proud of their hard work and commitment and I’m really looking forward to seeing them perform in their next Competition at the UKCA Schools Nationals which is held at the Velodrome in Manchester on Sunday 24 June.” The teams have since performed at the UK Schools Nationals on 24 June. Despite tough competition from other high schools, they walked away with three first place trophies!

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018

Our Lady’s is a School Communication Award Finalist! We’re excited to announce Our Lady’s has been selected as a 2018 finalist in the School Communication Award, as part of the Greater Manchester Schools Awards in conjunction with The Manchester College.

Supporting St Joseph’s Penny Our Lady’s raised £300 in support of the 2018 St Joseph’s Penny Appeal. This money will help support those in need in our Diocese. Well done everyone.

Thank you to everyone who reads and shares our communications. We really enjoy communicating all our news, engaging with the community and getting your invaluable feedback. The awards celebrate school success stories across a range of categories recognising the achievements of schools all around Manchester. As the Vision Magazine goes to print we will be attending the awards at the Manchester Hilton Hotel when the winner will be revealed so we’ll be sure to bring you all the news!

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Our Lady’s R.C. High School’s

Summer School Our Lady’s Summer School Programme for partner primary schools will help to boost the skills and confidence of all attending as they move from primary into secondary school in September. Your child must be due to start in year 7 at Our Lady’s to be eligible. When? Monday 13 to Friday 17 August 2018 Time? 9.30am–3.00pm each day Where? Our Lady’s R.C. High School What? A full week of fun activities Learn: Booster classes in Maths and English Play: Sports, arts and craft, technology, dance, drama, games and puzzles If you have any questions please contact Paul Schofield or Hania Tkaczuk.

Call: 0161 507 9640 Email: admin@olsc.manchester.sch.uk Visit: www.olhs-manchester.org.uk

SHARING THE VISION | SUMMER 2018