The Salesian 2022-23

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SALESIAN

CO L L EG E

THE SALESIAN

2022-2023

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THE SALESIAN

2022-2023

We are a Home

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Education is a Matter of the Heart

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Foreword by the Headmaster

Welcome to this edition of Salesian 2023. At the start of Advent 2022, staff, students and honoured guests of the College attended the premier of the “Life of Sean Devereux” in the College Hall. This documentary on the life of such a great Salesian role model was a real illustration of the excellent life and charism of the Salesian life. His life was a real example of a life following in the footsteps of Don Bosco. In many ways this was more important to the College than the visit from the Independent Schools Inspectors in November. We of course were delighted that the Inspectors found this to be an excellent school in all areas. But that came as no surprise to me. Don Bosco lived a pastoral experience in his first oratory, which serves as a model for us today; it was for the youngsters a home that welcomed, a parish that evangelized, a school that prepared them for life, and a playground where friends could meet and enjoy themselves. As we carry out our mission today, this experience is still the lasting criterion for all our activities and actually is recognised as the source of excellence in our community. As such, the academic year 2022 – 2023 was a joyful celebration of the full life of this College. We are a Salesian Community, deeply rooted in our history whilst stepping forward purposefully into the future.

We are a very busy school and our academic results in 2023 were excellent at A Level and GCSE. Results are important but they are merely the end point and the launch pad for the future. The Salesian year is much more and 2022-23 saw trips within the UK to Portsmouth naval museum, Peak District, Windsor, Somerset, Braywick, Oxford, Lake District, Westminster, and London to name but a few. Then Salesian overseas tours as well, visiting Seville (visiting the Salesian school there); Ski Trip to the French Alps; Paris visit; Physics trip to Cern, Battlefields trip to Belgium, football tour of Lisbon and the USA (where we visited the Salesian school there), History trip to Berlin and golf and tennis trip to the Algarve. The College’s SHARE trip to Zambia probably illustrates the embodiment of Salesian education, especially as this year students from our College returned to the well-established pattern of working with Salesian students from Barcelona in the projects undertaken in Zambia. The real distinguishing feature of our Year 12 is the experience in Lourdes and the students were outstanding in their support of the needs of the children they worked with there this year. These experiences outside of the classroom are the essence of those school day memories of the great learning that happens here. This also ensures that we are a fully-engaged place of work and play. This College has marked the lives of thousands of students through the years in no small part because

We are a Home

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of the caring and loving guidance of the staff and 2022-23 was no different. This year saw the retirement of Mrs Murphy from the Learning Support Department. She was and is a living embodiment of the cheerful and purposeful ethos of a school filled with loving kindness and will be greatly missed.

The College has also enjoyed considerable sporting success with many local, regional and national titles in 2022-23, particularly pleasing was winning the inter-Salesian athletics trophy for the 10th year in succession. Individually students have achieved significant success supported by the College and its staff. Academic awards for Young Enterprise, for Public Speaking, the UK Maths Trust and Physics Olympiads have also given great depth to the students’ learning. Great joy was also to be found in the numerous public performances of music and drama from ‘The Great Gatsby’ to ‘The School of Rock’.

The Salesian ideal is to recognise the needs of others and then do something about it. As well as raising in excess of £20,000 in charitable funds, the students and staff have donated immense numbers of hours. These have included organising events, pilgrimages and charity drives for charities such as the Sean Devereux Children’s Fund, SHARE, the local Foodbank, the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, Step by Step homeless project, HCPT Lourdes Pilgrimage, the Bolty fund and a very broad range of charities from cancer to emergency famine relief.

I would like to thank the parents and the PTA, who unfailingly support the College in events ranging from the Race Night to the great celebration of the rebirth both of the Spring Ball at Walbrook House Hotel and the Summer Fayre. I am very grateful for all the hard work that Betina and her committee have put into the organisation of these events.

Our parents ensure that we are all working together to create this special community.

God Bless

Gerard Owens

Education is a Matter of the Heart

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We are a home …..From the moment they embark on their Salesian journey, we try to make all our students feel at home.

Welcome Year 7 We welcomed our new Year 7 students to Salesian College. The 83 boys came from 44 different feeder schools and were placed within our four tutor groups.

On their first day, the boys were welcomed by the Headmaster at an assembly in the Chapel, who outlined their Salesian journey ahead of them, encouraged them to participate fully in school life, and ended with a sing-along!

Mrs M Morrison – Head of Year 7

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… and Year 12 We welcomed students moving forward from a variety of schools and colleges to our Sixth Form, such as Farnborough Hill, Alton School and The Marist School, as well as many students moving forward from Year 11. On their first day, they met as a year group and received a welcome and introduction to the opportunities ahead of them.

Mr R Maher – Head of Sixth Form

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Welcome to our new Year 7s St Aidan’s

Zachary

Hari

Samuel

Harvey

Edward

Reuben

Noah

Kham Thiha

Haris

Elias

Rhys

Kofi

Oliver

Sam

Kiaan

Joshua

Arthur

Charlie

Nicholas

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St Bede's

Aarit

Sonny

Anishan

Krish

Jack

James

Rinay

George

Henry

Yuvan

Parakram

Praneil

Zachary

George

Malachy

James

Roshan

Prabhnoor

Vivaan

Charlie

Thomas

Frederick

Owen

Rowan

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St Dunstan's

William

Oliver

Dexter

Ansh

Nathan

Alexander

Christian

Ryan

Jake

George

Henry

Stanley

Antonio

Zain

Harry

James

Zachary

Ryan

Thomas

Alex

We are a Home

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St Hugh's

Charles

Angus

Hugo

Zachary

Hurley

Jack

Jaden

Isaac

Charlie

Harry

Benjamin

David

Sebastian

Matthew

Henry

Toby

Aryan

Sanjeev

Hayden

Rex

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College Officers 2023-24 College Leadership

College Officers

St Aidan's Leadership

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St Bede's Leadership

St Dunstan's Leadership

St Hugh's Leadership

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Christmas Dinner and Jumper Day The whole College enjoyed a traditional Christmas dinner, with plenty of crackers, Brussels sprouts and mince pies for all. Spontaneous singing, led by the Headmaster’s hearty rendition of popular Christmas songs, rang through the refectory, while our hungry students were waiting excitedly for their meal. Congratulations and thanks go to our catering team for feeding all. What a scrumptious hot meal they made for us in such a limited amount of time!

Students and staff were encouraged to wear their Christmas jumpers to raise funds for the charity, Save the Children.

A big thanks to those who contributed generously. We raised an incredible £786.31.

Mrs A Phipps - Marketing and Communications Manager

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Star Gazing On 26 January, 100 Year 5 students, and their parents, attended the inaugural Ogden Trust Astronomy Night hosted at Salesian College, Farnborough. The Ogden Trust is a partnership between science teachers from 10 infant, junior, primary and secondary schools in Farnborough and Aldershot.

The students had a great evening, with a carousel of activities incorporating stargazing through telescopes, provided

by The Cody Observatory and Salesian College, a ‘pop-up’ planetarium, and arts and crafts activities.

The 10 telescopes were located at the rear of the College campus and were used to view stars and constellations in the night sky. Following this activity, everyone was offered a hot chocolate to warm them up! The ‘pop-up’ planetarium was a massive hit with all who attended, as they were taken on a journey into outer space, in Farnborough! In the arts and crafts session, run by Salesian College teachers and students, the visitors were given the opportunity to construct their own solar system.

Siobhan Tolcher, Head of Physics at Salesian College said, “It is wonderful to be collaborating with other local schools, and to bring everyone together for such a fantastic event. I hope this event stimulates our budding scientists of the future.”

Mrs A Phipps - Marketing and Communications Manager

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We are a School ......Throughout the academic year, our students participate in a wide variety of learning environments, both in and outside of the classroom.

This may involve local day visits, residentials both in the UK and abroad, external experts coming into school to enhance the learning experience, and participation in competitions.

This all contributes to developing the Salesian ethos and to our excellent exam results.

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Prize Night On the evening of 18 November, we recognised and celebrated the achievements from the previous academic year of students ranging from years 7 to 13. They were presented with Advanced Level and GCSE certificates, as well as special subject prizes and awards for attainment, effort and achievement. Our Guest of Honour this year was Professor John Lydon KC*HS of St Mary’s University, Twickenham.

The Centenary Cup for the Highest Points Achieved at A Level was presented to Toby R who attained 3 A* grades & 1 A grade and is now reading Aerospace Engineering at the University of Bath.

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Prize Night continued Last year’s Year 11 attained 62% of their grades in the range 7-9, which was a new high point for the College. This year, the Headmaster’s Prize for Excellence was shared by the following four students, who achieved the best results at GCSE by attaining a nationally outstanding 10 grade 9s this summer and placed them alongside the very best students in the country: Angelo A, George C, John M and Ruben R. The Alastair Austin Memorial Prize for Overall Effort and Contribution by a First Year Pupil was presented to Samuel Lawrence, and The David Nolan Memorial Prize for Overall Effort and Contribution by a Second Year Pupil was presented to Jem M. The following students received the Fr Alfred Pilbeam Prize for the Dux Boy, an award for one boy in each House who receives the highest number of good marks in the school: St Aidan’s St Bede’s St Dunstan’s St Hugh’s

We are a School

Henry S (9 St Aidan’s) Charles S (8 St Bede’s) Benjamin M (9 St Dunstan’s) Daniel C (9 St Hugh’s)

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Throughout the year, all marks for all students are recorded and contribute to the overall total to determine the winner of the Studies Shield. The 2021-22 winners were St Hugh’s. Winners of the Cockhouse Shield, presented for overall studies and sport combined, was St Dunstan’s. Last year’s House Captains, Toby R (D) & Luca H (H) collected these shields.

Mr A Moore - Senior Deputy Headteacher

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Projects El Día de los Muertos Year 8 Spanish students have learned about "El Día de los Muertos", an Aztec and Christian celebration taking place across Mexico on 1 and 2 of October every year. It is recognised by UNESCO as a way to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members.

Students have produced an altar or "ofrenda", the centrepiece of the celebration, by bringing flowers, candles, catrinas, skulls and chilli con carne.

Mrs I Cardona – MFL Enrichment Coordinator

Cell models Class 7B made some incredible models of cells for their Biology homework.

Mrs A Jordaan – Teacher of Biology

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Volcanoes Year 9 Geographers have been modelling examples of active volcanoes around the world. The boys have given some outstanding presentations to explain the causes and impacts of contrasting eruptions (as well as proving themselves to be excellent bakers!).

Ms Day – Head of Geography

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Competitions Senior Maths Challenge On 4 October, 36 Year 12 and 2 Year 13 mathematicians took on the yearly ‘Senior Maths Challenge’. Armed with only a pencil, rubber and a few sheets of plain paper, they took to answering the 25 questions that promote problem solving methods in Maths. 90 minutes later, a lot of them were leaving the Music Hall with a sense of satisfaction, having completed as much of the paper as possible.

This year we achieved: 1 gold, 7 silver and 13 bronze awards – well done to all those who took part.

Mr R Sutton – Teacher of Maths

Physics Olympiad The best of our physicists attempted the British Physics Olympiad - the biggest and toughest physics competition in the country. Sitting this 2 hour 40 min Olympiad papers was a taxing journey for our young scientists. However, they all did extremely well, with the following results: Y10s: 3 golds, 8 Silvers and 5 Bronze medals! - Online Physics Olympiad 'Junior Challenge' Y11s: 7 Gold, 28 Silvers, 10 Bronze and 5 Commendations 'Intermediate Physics Challenge Online Competition' Y12s: Online: 3 Gold, 3 Silver, 6 Bronze and 1 Commendation - 'Senior Physics Challenge Online Competition' Paper Competition: 1 Gold (Harry L), 1 Silver, 4 Bronze I, 3 Bronze II - 'Senior Physics Challenge' Y13s: Highest Level of Competition - 2 h 40m paper in person. This paper is known as BPhO Round 1 Results: 3 Silvers, 6 Bronze II and 1 Commendation Mr P Williams – Teacher of Physics

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Rotary Young Writers’ Competition We are very proud of Jay M (Year 10 St Hugh’s), who has been crowned the winner of the senior section of the Farnborough District Rotary Young Writers’ Competition. After winning the district heat, Jay’s entry will now progress to the National Final. In addition to Jay’s triumph, we are also proud of George M (Year 7 St Bede’s) and James M (Year 9 St Bede’s), who received highly commended awards in the intermediate group.

Jay and his parents were invited to Reigate to the Rotary Club celebratory meal for the regional winners. After being invited to recite his writing on ‘Peace’, he stated the following: “The Rotarians were really friendly and made my mum and I feel very welcome. I was feeling very nervous about using a microphone and reading my writing out in front of everyone. However, I shouldn’t have worried – they were all really interested and gave me a big clap when I was finished.”

Congratulations to our winners and all students who entered the competition this year.

Mr L Webster - English Enrichment Co-ordinator

Chess Champion Laura Mullins of BAE Systems, Farnborough, presented a cheque of £325 to Daniel S, for winning first place in the Major section of the South Lake Chess Congress held in Barrow In-Furness. This prize marks another significant achievement for him, alongside those that Daniel gained while participating in both national and international chess tournaments. Daniel is hoping to compete in the World Amateur held in Muscat, Oman, later in October, and this cheque from BAE Systems will greatly assist him in this.

Ms K Lindquist - Head of Year 9

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Poetry Live!

Duncan M-B was one of only a handful of national winners in this year's prestigious Poetry Live poetry competition. He has been selected to read his poem at one of the

Duncan's poem: 8 o’clock: A quick, dash to our front door, Clapping spoons, pots, pans Removed from their slumber in a kitchen drawer.

Thank you, NHS! Our heroes, We recognise your heartbreak, sweat, tears.

1 minute past 8: Back inside, pans, pots, spoons, Tucked safely into slumber in the kitchen drawer.

Kettle on, telly on, A unanimous agreement, “I couldn’t do that job, it’s not for me!”

Across the country, in another house, another person, Heating off, telly off.

How can I cope?

White envelopes stare across the room: OVERDUE How can I cope?

HR say pick up an extra shift, Covid patients need attending, is one minute of clapping not enough?

Dining room tears, on-call room tears, ward 18 tears, How can I cope?

Extra shifts, not enough pay But tears won’t wash away the debt in those letters.

Is one minute not enough?

We are a School

Poetry Live events, where he will meet the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, and other notable poets such as Carol Ann Duffy and Daljit Nagra. This is a fantastic achievement! Well done, Duncan!

Mr D Melvin - Head of English

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Salesian Speaks The Inter-House Salesian Speaks Competition was a very enjoyable and memorable experience.

My team, representing St Hugh's, won the competition which consisted of Seb S, Sanjeev V and Isaac H. My teammates and I delivered either a speech, poem or a reading performance from one of our favourite books.

Although we found it a little tense to start with, we gained confidence as soon as we started performing and the result was excellent: St. Hugh's won! We really appreciated being chosen to represent our House, and we all believe that performing in front of our year group and the adjudicators has increased our confidence in public speaking. We are now ready to use our public speaking skills in other public speaking opportunities that will come our way in the College.

Seb S - Year 7

Microsoft Competition Suroj, Year 10, competed in the UK and Ireland MOS Championship and came 4th in his category, which was an outstanding achievement!

Mrs S Batt - Head of Computing

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Christmas Card Competition The Art Department launched the annual Christmas card competition. The Headmaster judged the wonderful array of entries, and the following boys had their designs printed as the College Christmas Card, which were sold at the PTA Christmas Market and the College Carol Concert.

George G 7B Teddy B 8A Jude D 8B Ishan M 8H Edwynn J 8H Arthur H 9A Charlie E 9D Mr S Bannister – Head of Art

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Education is a Matter of the Heart

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Year 10 Dragon’s Den As a result of our very successful Dragon’s Den Day in 2022, the Business Department decided to allow the students in Year 10 to, once again, submit bids for a cash investment into a good business idea. We invited Isabella Davis (an ex-student and a degree graduate working at UBS Bank) to talk about business skills, working on innovative projects and explain the key skills needed to succeed in a pressured environment. We were also lucky to have Pranav S (Y13 Economics student) to manage our Sixth Form Mentors and talk to the students to give some ideas on finding a Unique Selling Point for their pitch to the Dragons.

Mr Good presented the Business Planning section, getting the students to come up with original ideas with SMART objectives and showed them the £350 cash on offer. There was also an emphasis on creating a sustainable business.

This was followed by Mr Joubert’s section on Marketing, focusing on market research and deciding on their marketing mix – the product, its price, forms of promotion and place. After a working lunch, Mrs Nash explained the financial requirements of a bid and students were then asked to decide what size of investment they would want from the Dragons and the projected return on investment. They were also given instructions that their pitch must be informative, to the point and not exceed 2 minutes.

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The following prizes were awarded: • Best financial forecasting – MagWear (a clothing brand using magnetic strips to aid those with motor issues) • Most sustainable business – Little Seedlings (a very sustainable idea to reduce consumption of plastic toys) • Best business plan – Meat Free Muscle (a box deliver service targeted at finding protein from tasty sources) • Best marketing strategy – The ‘EH’ Team (an idea to harness the power of gym equipment to reduce the costs and carbon footprint of an exploding market) • Best Pitch – Millionaires (A very well-presented idea based on sharing car charging ports in domestic homes) • Overall winner – TranspoMate (A highly scalable idea using a car share app that was very well branded) Mr D Good - Head of Business and Economics

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GCSE Art Exhibition On 29 June, the GCSE and A-Level Art Exhibition was on display in the College Hall and showcased the exceptional work produced by our students over their two year Fine Art courses. The variety of styles, skills, materials and techniques that the students had mastered were admired by all parents and staff who attended, and it was great to see our boys returning to the college with their families and reflecting upon their progress and achievements. We wish them all the very best for their futures.

Mr S Bannister - Head of Art

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Education is a Matter of the Heart

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Visitors Year 9 Chemical Weapons Talk Year 9 received a lesson about chemical weapons.

This was to prepare them with knowledge for the forthcoming Battlefields Tour. It was great to interact with genuine artefacts from WW1 and not replicas. The presentation by Callum from the Ministry of Defence was fascinating to outline the slow incline in gas technology in WW1 on both fronts.

Toby Y – Year 9

Spanish Play I really liked the Spanish play because I thought the acting was great and it got everyone involved. I understood the setting and how it made the most of the hall. The volume of the actors was impressive, and they spoke slowly which helped me to understand what they were talking about. My favourite part was when they called up a Year 8 to the stage and talked to him in Spanish. I thought that was funny. I think watching the next Spanish play will be even better when I have an even better understanding of Spanish.

Rhys N - Year 7

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Elevate Year 12 had a presentation from Ben at Elevate to learn important time management skills and techniques.

Mr R Maher – Head of Sixth Form

Year 9 Drone Coding Workshop We were delighted to welcome Hyett Education to the College to run swift coding workshops with Year 9 students to programme drones to complete a series of tasks and aerial manoeuvres. This builds on the coding they did as part of the Year 9 computing studies.

Miss A Hayward - Head of Chemistry

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Macbeth “ … a tale … full of sound and fury” On 2 February, Years 10 and 11 had the opportunity to experience ‘Macbeth’, performed

by Quantum Theatre. We were able to witness a production of the play that lifted the words off the page and brought them to life. The portrayal of the characters was truly fantastic, and helped the audience to grasp the implicit nuances of the characterisation and plot of the play. Furthermore, the methods in which the asides and soliloquies were presented hit home the importance of the thoughts of each of the characters, and it very much felt like they were talking to the audience, while excluding other characters on stage from their thoughts.

Dhruv D said the following about the play: "Yesterday, my understanding of the GCSE play we are studying grew. The characters, portrayed brilliantly by Quantum Theatre, gained a new life."

Arthur H and Hugo M - Year 11

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Comes to Life!

On June 21, the Year 7s had the opportunity of attending a workshop lead by West End Schools. We really enjoyed acting out scenes from the play, which allowed us to explore the main characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives at certain stages in the play. This gave us an opportunity to lose our inhibitions and come to a stronger understanding of the characters’ conflicting views as we acted to the best of our ability. This experience has inspired us as a class to act out more scenes in our class lessons.

Year 7 St Bede’s

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A Christmas Carol Year 9 and 10 students were treated to a performance of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ by the visiting Quantum Theatre Company. We had a refreshing change from lessons and really appreciated the ways the actors managed to capture the spirit of ‘A Christmas Carol’.

Alessandro V, Robert T and Joel W – Year 10

PSHE Thank you to Ollie from OddBalls Foundation for presenting to Year 10 and 11 today about the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer.

Thank you to Rushmoor Borough Council Councillor Craig Card for coming to the College today and answering our students' questions.

Simon Leigh from Addiction Therapy presented a hard-hitting drugs awareness talk to students in Years 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Year 9 had a presentation from Marnie George, Nutritionist at Chartwells, who spoke to the boys about the benefits of healthy eating.

The boys asked some excellent questions and were very well informed about the satiety of different foods.

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© National Children’s Bureau - Registered charity No. 258825. Registered in England and Wales No. ȭȩȦȫȥȫʟ ĥ ʡ Ȧȧ ʠ ʠ Ȭ ȧ ʟ ¤ ¤ ʟ

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Year 11 PHSE PSHE can be quite a hands-on subject, understanding how to cope with and navigate the adult world. One sequence of lessons in Year 11 is about independence: as well as learning about basic first aid and male body image, there is a lesson on cancer and learning how to do self-examinations to check for lumps. We have been fortunate enough in the past to be funded by the PTA to have some model testes to understand how to examine them for signs of testicular cancer.

This year, the PTA generously funded four model breasts, again to help understand how to spot lumps. 11St Hugh’s were the first students to enjoy learning some valuable lessons about early detection of cancer being a key factor in survival rates.

Mr Hartland - Tutor 11 St Hugh’s

Peer Education Project Year 12 students have begun delivering PSHE lessons to Year 7 this half-term.

The Peer Education project is a programme that has been developed by the Mental Health Foundation. The Year 12 Peer Educators have undergone training after school, providing them with the knowledge and expertise, to be able to successfully deliver these sessions to their peers in Year 7. The lessons cover an introduction to mental health, risk and protective factors, the ways to look after our mental health and the way we can support each other.

Each Year 7 student is in the process of completing their own work booklet and will be able to take this home after the sessions have finished. They can always look back over their booklet in the future if they need to.

Well done to the Year 12s for volunteering their time and well done to the Year 7s for being so welcoming.

Mr Dalgas - Assistant Headteacher

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Safe Drive Stay Alive On 22 November, the Lower Sixth went to Basingstoke Anvil to see Safe Drive Stay Alive. This 2 hour event had multiple presenters including paramedics, firefighters, police and survivors all telling their experiences of road accidents involving young drivers.

The intention of course was to make those of us who are starting to learn to drive fully aware of the dangers of not paying full attention when driving and the awful consequences that can come about due to a minor lapse in concentration or from being momentarily distracted.

The stories we heard were hard hitting and made you think about the number of people who are affected by just one single accident. The emergency services have to deal with traumatic scenes on a daily basis, and survivors and their family’s lives can be changed forever. It was interesting to hear all the stories and the messages will stay with me for a long time.

Dom S – Year 12

Education is a Matter of the Heart

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Day Visits Year 7 Geography Our Year 7 Geographers have been studying our local area and have ventured outside the gates to record how the built and natural environment changes. Back in lessons, they presented their findings and explained how the information can be used to build up a picture of the local area.

Ms M Day – Head of Geography

Year 7 visit to Winchester Science Centre On 8 March, Year 7 went to Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium. The heavy snow the night before did not defeat us, and we arrived at the museum mid-morning.

The main reason I enjoyed it so much was because the museum was full of interactive activities, which provided a great learning experience. We also all got a chance to make slime, which was great fun! I particularly enjoyed visiting the Planetarium. We went into the dome, sat in reclining seats, looked up and saw the whole galaxy! The gentleman who talked us through this experience told us some great facts. It was a fantastic day, and I would love to go back again. Huge thanks to the teachers that organised the trip.

Henry S - Year 7

Year 7 Geography Fieldwork Year 7 spent a day investigating how the River Tillingbourne changes from its source in the beautiful Surrey Hills, to near where it joins the River Wey. Students had the chance to see how close the river matched the theories they’d studied in the classroom and use a range of equipment to collect data that was analysed back in the classroom.

Enquiry based learning is central both in and outside of the classroom for Geographers, and the fieldwork offered over the course of the year helps students to develop critical thinking skills.

Ms M Day - Head of Geography

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Year 8 visit to Kew Gardens Kew Gardens was a really good and enjoyable visit. There were lots of different biomes in the Princess of Wales conservatory such as: dry tropics, tropical rainforests and carnivorous plants. We learnt a lot about how plants have adapted to their environments such as: the cactus with its spiky outside rather than leaves to avoid being eaten by predators. The carnivorous plants are adapted to the rainforest as well. They have enzymes at the bottom of them to help digest the flies they eat.

William K – Year 8 St Hugh’s

Year 9 Visit to Fishbourne Roman Villa On 27 June, Year 9 Latin students were rewarded for all their hard work this year, using two lunch time lessons every week to work towards the Level 1 certificate. On arrival, they toured the gardens, seeking archaeological evidence for the stories they have been translating.

After lunch, they took photographs on their iPads of the famous mosaics for a debate on whether the British were 'Conquered or Collaborators'. Finally, they had the rare opportunity to handle authentic artefacts and reenact the life of a Roman legionary by dressing up in replica costumes. A busy day indeed'negotium' not 'otium'.

Miss J O'Brien - Teacher of Classics

Education is a Matter of the Heart

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Year 10 visit to Bletchley Park Year 10 Computer Science students visited the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.

They were given the chance to see original war time computing machines used for code breaking, as well as exploring the history of computing through the 1900s. The students looked at the difference between the first computers and modern computers found in homes today. As well as looking at older machines and having a play with some retro gaming machines, the students attended a series of workshops. They went back in time to an 80s classroom and were given the opportunity to program a BBC computer to play Snake. In addition, they were extended by a code breaking challenge: the class competed against each other to solve a series of ciphers.

Mrs Batt may have got quite competitive too! Overall, a fun day was experienced by all.

Mrs S Batt – Head of Computing

Year 10 Business Studies Visit to Chelsea FC On 13 March, the Year 10 GCSE Business pupils visited Chelsea FC at Stamford Bridge to get to know more about the business of running a football club. Students were taken on a guided tour and enjoyed sitting in the dugout, walking down the players' tunnel and sitting in the media suite. They were also able to ask questions about the players' wages, how the club diversifies into other markets and the fact that is one of the biggest valued franchises in the sporting world. Students listened to a number of brief talks at different stages of the tour, one of which was in the players’ dressing room. It was also interesting to see how much smaller the visiting players changing room was!

The boys applied their understanding of marketing, profit and loss, cash flow and the fundamentals behind the operations management of a very successful enterprise. The guides explained that match day revenues were only a small proportion of the total income stream for the financial year. For example, Chelsea signed the most lucrative commercial deal in their history – a £60 million, 15-year shirt contract with Nike.

There was also a little treat in store for the Chelsea fans, with relatively new signing Cucurella following us on his own family tour. We can now see where that £60m from Nike has gone! Cucurella signed for Premier League club Chelsea on a six-year contract. The fee was reported to be worth an initial £55 million, potentially rising to £62 million in addons, which was a record fee received by Brighton.

The tour ended with a look around the museum (there was more silverware there than at St James’ Park!) and the chance to try their hand at taking a few free kicks.

Overall, it was a great opportunity for our aspiring entrepreneurs to understand more about what make a business a success or failure and the tight margins that impact even the largest brands on the planet.

Thank you to the boys for being so engaged and the staff who helped run the trip - Mrs Perrie, Mr Joubert, Mrs Nash, Mr Gore and Mr Cousins.

Mr D Good - Head of Business & Economics

We are a School

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Design Technology visit to BMW / Mini I found the trip really enjoyable because it was interesting to see the robots constructing the cars and assembling the components incredibly precisely. It was interesting to experience JIT (Just In Time) manufacturing and I liked the layout of the factory, as we could explore the different stages of production. The highlight of the trip was watching the robots assemble all the 450 car components along the production line finishing with the workers driving them away at the end to test their functionality. The robots vastly outnumbered the humans. If I could go to a similar trip, I want to experience another car factory from another brand to compare the construction process. I was amazed by the precision of the robots and their efficiency compared to just humans - some of them could actually self-repair! It was also interesting that they used ostrich feathers to clean the car prior to painting, which was one of the only natural materials used. It was fascinating to know that the automated process was extremely expensive to install once BMW had bought Mini and the manual process turned into an automated one; the buildings we were in cost about 1 billion pounds to construct and included solar panels to gather energy and captured rainwater to enable the painting process. The automated process means that it takes 4 _ hours to create one Mini (one being made every 65 seconds) and these have already been purchased in advance, they were all bespoke with clients choosing different colours, trims, interior, models etc. It was clear that if any robot malfunctions then the efficiency will slow down, resulting in huge expenses. However, this is not too risky because the robots can be fixed relatively quickly (in a couple of minutes) with spare parts. The bigger problem is human error! It was a really fascinating trip and brought to life lots of the learning we have had in DT about manufacturing, materials and the evolution of design from old Minis to new.

Ryan G - Year 10

Trinity College A group of students from Year 10 at Salesian College embarked on a day trip to Trinity College, Oxford University.

During the tour of Trinity College Oxford, the students were able to appreciate the stunning architecture and enjoy lunch on the beautiful rooftop terrace. In addition, the Q&A session with the Oxford law, maths, and history students was very informative, providing insight into the admissions process, life and extra-curricular activities at Oxford. The students were inspired by the passion of the Oxford students for their subjects and their experiences at the university.

The Oxford students discussed their future plans and career aspirations - it was interesting to see how these had changed and developed throughout their time at university.

Moreover, the students also visited the Pitt Rivers Museum, where they had an academic session and learned about historical artefacts from around the world. The academic session broadened their horizons and provided them with an appreciation of the diverse cultures and histories of different parts of the world.

In conclusion, the day trip was a great opportunity for the students to learn about the academic and social aspects of Oxford University, and was also a chance to bond with their classmates and teachers. The trip may have even inspired some students to consider applying to Oxford University in the future, and, if not, has educated them about the social and academic aspects of university life.

Shaurya C and Liam G – Year 10

Education is a Matter of the Heart

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GCSE Astronomy GCSE Astronomy students visited the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

They have really enjoyed their Saturday morning astronomy classes!

Miss S Fenner – Head of Physics

Year 11 GCSE RE Revision Conference On 17 January, all of Year 11 travelled to St John Bosco College in Battersea to attend the annual RE GCSE revision conference. It was a wonderful opportunity for all three Salesian schools in the south of England to come together. We were led through the day by Dr Peter Vardy, who is an outstanding Philosopher and engaging speaker. He led the boys through a series of fast-paced lectures with thought provoking questions linked seamlessly to their GCSE course. The boys were engaged and responsive throughout, and the day finished with a thoughtful debate on the motion, 'the sanctity of life is more important than the quality of life', where many of the students from the three Salesian schools articulated their views with reasoning and thoughtfulness.

Miss C Enright - Head of Religious Studies

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Classics Visit to Ashmolean We began by walking into the Ashmolean Museum shortly after arriving from the train station. As we walked in, a large statue of Apollo was visible, which had originally come from the temple of Zeus at Olympia, a temple which we had already studied in our myth and religion side of the course.

We then went downstairs into a large room containing artefacts from the Mycenaean age, which allowed us to build a clearer picture of how civilisations interacted in this era. There were clear signs of trade of materials, as well as cultural influences on one another such as idols between Mycenae and the Cyclades which both contained similar silhouettes. The visit also gave us scale of the sizes of the artefacts, bringing numbers to real life as we could stand next to pithos jars and frescoes.

Lastly, we made a quick visit to the ancient Egyptian era, where we saw a wall where hieroglyphics and a scene had been carved into a wall. A king presented an offering to a god, who sat on an elevated throne, flanked by three other gods. From this, we could draw similarities to Mycenaean artwork, where characters would also stand or sit in rigid and slightly unnatural ways.

Will H - Year 11

Whitechapel History Visit Year 11 History students visited Whitechapel and were taken on a walking tour to start their revision process for their mocks.

At each location, we used the architecture to discuss the 'haves' and the 'have nots' of Victorian Whitechapel, London, to help them understand crime and poverty for their crime and punishment papers.

Mrs A Leforte – Head of History and Politics

Education is a Matter of the Heart

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Poetry Live!

After attending “Poetry Live!” at the Hexagon theatre, Reading, the following Year 11 students’ comments were made about the poets:

“Simon Armitage (current Poet Laureate of the UK) was undoubtedly my favourite, particularly when he performed ‘Mother, any distance’, illustrating the strong maternal bond of a mother and her child. His comments on ‘Remains’ and its portrayal of warfare and PTSD conveyed the emotional rollercoaster after killing a person in a war zone.”

Surya R-C

“I appreciated the very useful context Carol Ann Duffy provided for ‘Photographer’ and the personal connection she had to the photographer in the poem. She also was transparent when answering questions, which enabled the audience to learn of her methods of writing poetry and where she finds her inspiration.”

Dami A

“‘Checking out me history’ by John Agard was the most memorable poem of the day for me. Agard’s use of creole (his mother tongue) in his poem encapsulated his frustration about the Eurocentric History syllabus and the lack of diversity in the History he had to take in the United Kingdom.”

Oli R

“Imtiaz Dharker was my favourite poet, particularly when she read and commented on ‘Tissue’, a poem developing the power in the delicacy and fragility of what tissue paper can hold about life. I really appreciated the strong sense of identity portrayed by the speaker, as she explored the issues of power and conflict in human constructs and the impact it has had on her life.”

Rohan M 11H

“More than anything, it was a great privilege to spend a day listening to poets performing their poetry. For many of us, this will never happen again in our lives.”

Archie E 11B

We are a School

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Physics visit to Royal Holloway Halloween in the Physics world is known as 'Dark Matter Day'! Year 10-13 students attended a lecture at Royal Holloway University of London by Professor Jocelyn Monroe on the detection of dark matter and learned about the detection innovations that the scientific community is looking forward to.

Miss S Fenner – Head of Physics

Biology in Action This provided a fascinating day of lectures in London for our Year 12 biology students. Firstly, Dr Nessa Carey highlighted the powerful future potential of gene editing for medicine and food production.

Lewis Dartnell, an Astrobiologist, explored extremophiles in Yellowstone National Park and in the brine view of icebergs.

Will there be evidence of life on Mars or in the frozen water on Jupiter’s moon, Europa?

Cardiologist Rohin Francis gave us a fascinating insight into one shift at his hospital and explained the different specialisms for careers within cardiovascular medicine.

Life-saving surgical anecdotes inspired the students and were explained using MRI images and videos. The huge benefits of CPR as an early intervention were emphasised, and students were encouraged to seek to learn these life-saving skills themselves.

The day was topped-off with a biology-specific revision skills workshop.

Mrs J Pearson – Teacher of Biology

Education is a Matter of the Heart

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Chemistry in Action A group of Year 12 chemists visited the Emmanuel Centre in London to attend ´Chemistry in Action’. This event captured real life situations to enhance, extend and illustrate aspects of our Chemistry ALevel specification. We were given the chance to listen to speakers from 5 different fields of chemistry: pharmacology; chiral materials; the use of chemistry in wartime; forensic science, and the lanthanides and actinides. The speakers were incredibly engaging and helped open a door into the applications and history behind some of the topics we learn in class. One of the most interesting speeches was on chemistry in wartime, where we were able to see how advances in the sciences during times of conflict caused increased medical knowledge, some of which, from the First World War, is still in use today! It was also exciting to see advances that are being made every day in some fields of chemistry - particularly in material sciences, where lots of inspiration for solutions to our problems stem from the natural world. The event was incredibly informative and a very engaging way to do some learning outside of the A-Level specification.

Duncan M-B - Year 12

Year 12 Visit to Thorpe Park Some of our Year 12 Physics students enjoyed a trip to Thorpe Park! We investigated the g-forces on some rides, including Stealth and how these rides are engineered and the materials used to build them. This ties into the mechanics and materials topics that we cover in A-Level Physics.

Miss S Fenner – Head of Physics

We are a School

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Maths Inspiration Students attended an amazing Maths Inspiration trip at the Hexagon Theatre in Reading! They learned about the maths behind predicting climate change, conservation of angular momentum and the game of poker. It was so inspiring to see the practical applications of maths in the real world!

Angelo A - Year 12

Year 12 Geography visit to Kew Gardens My highlight was seeing all the different biomes at Kew; especially visiting the Princess of Wales Conservatory, where I liked seeing how the Cacti have adapted in arid zones. We also learnt about how Kew Gardens are working with local authorities in Indonesia to try and reverse deforestation to try and regain a more balanced carbon and water cycle.

I'd recommend Kew as a day out for everyone, as it is a great place to walk and is beneficial for mental health/well-being. At the moment, it is a particularly nice time to visit, with blossom at every turn.

Lucy R - Year 12

Portsmouth Historic Docks The Year 12 Historians visited the Historic Dockyards in Portsmouth as part of an introduction to the A level British Experience of Warfare unit. We were joined by Mr Braddock (former Head of History at Salesian), who guided us around HMS Victory and other historical sites. The students had a great experience and even enjoyed an ice cream by the seaside.

Thank you also to Mr Owens and Mr Crean for attending, especially as Mr Crean also celebrated his birthday with us.

Mr Dalgas - Assistant Headteacher

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Oxford University On 23 March, 10 Year 12 students visited the prestigious Oxford University. Upon arrival in Oxford, we had the opportunity to embrace the city as we walked to Trinity College. Here we met Professor George Smith, a Professor of Materials Science and Salesian alumnus, with a plethora of knowledge regarding almost anything about Oxford!

He was able to answer our questions regarding the university and its rigorous admissions process.

Afterwards, we visited the renowned Old Bodleian Library, which is part of an array of 27 Bodleian libraries that span the city. Dating back to 1320, they together are home to over 13 million printed items. Harry Potter fans were pleased to know that scenes from the film series were filmed in the Duke Humfrey’s Library!

Professor Smith then took us on a brief, but riveting, tour of the city, where he informed us of Oxford’s culturally rich history. We then indulged in Trinity College’s palatable lunch, before receiving a tour of the college by Alice, a final year law student. She guided us around the college whilst informing us of what student life at Oxford entails. Before the day ended, we had a presentation on a general overview of Oxford. Lastly, we had the opportunity to have a final Q&A with two final year students and Rob Harrison, the College access officer.

To conclude, this insightful day was thoroughly enjoyed by all, whether it was learning about the university and the city’s heritage, or the university’s rigmarole of admissions. Moreover, we would like to thank Mrs Grover and Mrs Faux for organising and accompanying us on the visit.

Ruben R - Year 12

Year 12 Baylab visit Year 12 Biology and Chemistry students enjoyed participating in a Baylab Forensics workshop at Bayer UK in Reading. Bayer UK is a leader in pharmaceuticals, consumer health and crop science, so it was a great experience to visit their laboratories and complete hands-on practical work with their scientists.

During the day, the students gained a greater understand of genetic material and its use in forensic identification, as well as hands-on experience with a variety of techniques and equipment, including micropipettes, agarose gels and the PCR thermocycler. An excellent opportunity to sample the practical techniques which will be carried out during a university degree or future career in Biochemistry or a Biological Science.

Mrs J Pearson - Assistant Head of Sixth Form / Teacher of Biology

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EPQ Research Day Over 30 Year 13 students visited the University of Westminster as part of their EPQ skills development program.

The students enthused about the research skills developed during the day. Importantly, students learnt how to frame and focus their questions, which is the essential first step in academic enquiry. EPQ is something we recommend to Year 12 students because of the essential undergraduate skills learned, as well providing reduced admission grades for university.

Mrs J Pearson – Assistant Head Sixth Form

Computer Science in Action!

Sixth form Computer Science students went to the Emmanuel Centre to take part in the Computer Science in Action conference. There were a variety of speakers covering topics such as Smart cities, Venetian Algorithms, Type Theory and Mathematical Proofs, Alan Turing and Driverless Cars.

The speakers were fabulous and showed how Computer Science could be extended into many different fields. All students enjoyed the day tremendously and each had a different favourite speaker.

Mrs S Batt – Head of Computing

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Rewards Visits Year 7 Rewards Visit to Wintershall Take: twelve excellent Year 7 students, one minibus, two teachers.

Add: the Greatest Story Ever Told, from annunciation to ascension .

Gently fold in: two donkeys, five sheep, three angels, one mad king, a river, and a cave.

Spice with: witty dialogue, compelling reimaginings of parables and healings, and a crucifixion.

Simmer gently under a kind sun with cooling zephyrs in rolling countryside amongst a dozen other schools and hundreds of children and adults Come home enthused with the blunt honesty of John the Baptist and the hyperbolic wit of Jesus, together with an appreciation that God can work wonders with frail ordinary people: if He can build his church on the rock of a hempen homespun like Peter, then there is hope for us all.

Mr G Hartland

Pine Ridge Golf Course On 28 Jun, a group of boys from Years 7, 8 and 9 were rewarded with an afternoon away from lessons at Pine Ridge Golf Club. After a buffet lunch, they spent time on the driving range. It was a pleasure to accompany these young men, who have worked hard and earned their treat. Kiaan S in Year 7 was pleased to celebrate his birthday in style.

With many thanks to Mr Smith, Ms Morrison, Ms Lindquist, Mr Yates, Mr James and Mr Boyle for accompanying the boys.

Mr M Boyle – Head of Year 8

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Activity Days Year 7 visit to the Hawk Conservancy I wish to leave the heavy ground, Be lighter by a thousand pounds, Flap my arms and be away: Oh, to be a bird of prey!

Benches round an arena, Vultures, kites: displays no finer; Above us, owls and eagles sail: For silent wings I’d gladly pay.

To swoop from endless aerial height And catch the food within my sight; Skimming across shining rays, For silent wings I’d gladly pay.

Photos taken. Far too soon Back we drive, over the moon.

But… Oh to be a bird of prey For silent wings I’d gladly pay.

Instead. We took a hundred folk From Years 7 and 12 – inside the coach; Creeped along the motorway; Oh to be a bird of prey!

Mr G Hartland - Head of Biology

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Year 8 visit to Brooklands Museum I had an amazing day at Brooklands Museum!

As soon as we got there, we were greeted by friendly staff who told us an overview of what the day would be like and what type of vehicles and planes we would be able to see.

I started by getting a tour of the aviation section of the museum, where we saw a variety of planes, including the Concorde. I was amazed by the size of the planes and the amount of detail that went into the design, especially in some of the earlier planes that were used in World War One. Some of the planes on show that I was able to see were: the Hawker Hurricane, the Sopwith Camel, the Harrier and many more!

I then moved on to the motoring part of the museum. I got to see some of the earliest cars made, including the Aston Martin ‘side valve’ Tourer! I also saw some more modern cars such as the BMC 420WF ‘AVGAS’ Refueller.

I then was privileged to be able to have a go in a Formula one car simulator, which was a surreal experience!

Overall, I had a great day at Brooklands Museum and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes cars or planes. The staff at the museum were very friendly and knowledgeable, and were able to answer any questions people had. It was a shame I could only spend a few hours there, because if I could spend the whole day there I definitely would!

Will K - Year 8

Year 9 visit to Thorpe Park All of Year 9 were invited to Thorpe Park for Activity Day, to celebrate the end of the Academic Year. At 9.00, we boarded the coaches and were on our way; everyone was excited! At 10:30, we were finally inside the park and ready for the rides, however, we were not expecting the huge queues which were to come. Highlights of the day included: riding the teacups, giant soft toys, and getting soaked on Tidal Wave. Even the teachers had a great day, with Mr Snook and Mr Prout in particular thoroughly enjoying the rides! At the end of the day, despite the rain, everybody had a great day afternoon going on rides and playing games in the park. We arrived back at school at 15:40 as the fun day came to an end.

Edward N – Year 9

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Residential Year 8 Visit to Paris On 10 June, 56 Year 8 students embarked on an exciting four-day voyage to Paris. After an early start under clear blue skies, we took the Eurotunnel to Calais and made our way down to Paris by coach. We whizzed up the super-fast lift (38 seconds to ascend 56 floors!) to take in the breath-taking views at the top of the Montparnasse Tower, before strolling around the Champs de Mars to see the Eiffel Tower. We ate lunch on a leisurely cruise along the Seine, followed by a visit to the Stade de France stadium for a tour. The next day, we spent a sunny day at Parc Asterix, where much fun was had by all, followed by a quick stop-off at a supermarket for some shopping, French-style. In the evenings, we went bowling, played a lot of football and tasted snails (or at least, those who wanted to did!). On our final day, we were educated in the art of bread-making at a boulangerie, complete with the chance to try our hands at croissantmaking, before making our way home (with a delicious croissant each to take with us). Our 'animateur', Medhi, helped make the stay a linguistically-enriching one by speaking lots of French to the boys. All in all, everyone had an enjoyable and educational time!

Mrs J Shervington - Teacher of French

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Year 7 visit to The Lakes The Lake District trip is an amazing opportunity for Year 7s as, at the start of the year, all the new people in your class are just people who you go to school with, but, after the trip, they become genuine friends. It’s not just the bonding that is amazing about the trip, it’s the fact that you get so many opportunities to learn new skills, such as how to belay a climber, how to kayak, paddle board and so much more. Even when you are not learning new skills, you are still doing new activities and having fun such as Ghyll scrambling which is where you get to go down natural slides and jump off of small waterfalls and for me that was my favourite activity (and I am sure that the rest of the year will agree with me).

We are a School

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Most of the year group stay in the Derwentwater Independent Hostel which is an old mansion that looks onto Derwentwater. It has a huge 16-person dorm that I stayed in with half of St Bede’s and half of St Hugh’s. During our free time at the hostel, there were also evening activities such as football, table tennis, pool and chess tournaments and a Mass lead by Father Pat and some other Year 7 readers.

What have I learnt is that even though at the start of Year 7 everyone seems like strangers, everyone can actually be good friends and you find out their true personalities on the trip and that is why the trip is so important.

Not only was it great getting to know other people in Year 7, it was also good fun spending time with teachers outside of a classroom.

Charlie S - Year 7

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Year 9 Battlefields Year 9 embarked on a pilgrimage to the Western front to learn about the events that took place in World War One between 1914 and 1918. Like many before, students learnt from our four excellent tour guides, which enabled them to gain a much deeper understanding of the experience of conflict in World War One. Day 1 started with a 4.30am meet at College and then saw visits to Hill 60, Passchendaele Museum, Essex Farm and Tyne Cot amongst other Pilgrimages of students along the way. Coach 2 went to Poperinghe Old Military Cemetery to commemorate an old boy of the College, Eugene Jervois, who was one of the first students when the College opened in 1901. Unfortunately, Eugene was killed on 6th November 1914 at the First Battle of Ypres - he was serving for the First Battalion of the Irish Guards. After some chocolate shopping and a nice meal in Ypres, the group experienced the Last Post Ceremony at The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing. Here, nine students, all with relatives who were buried or missing on the Western Front, had the privilege of taking part in the Wreath Laying.

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Day 2 saw visits to the Faubourg d’Amiens in Arras, Vimy Ridge and Neuville St Vaast German Cemetery before concluding our Tour with a special Service of Remembrance, led by Father Sherlock, inside the Ring of Remembrance at the largest French Great War Cemetery at Notre-Dame de Lorette.

Mr C Yates – Assistant Headteacher

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Year 10 Seville Tour Twenty-six Spanish GCSE students spent three days of half-term walking for miles around this beguiling city. We marvelled at the second largest cathedral in the world, ascended the Giralda, watched a flamenco performance, and spent time wandering around the semi-circular Plaza de España and then the Alcázar, a Moorish oasis of airy rooms and exotic gardens. The highlight for most was the morning that we spent at the Colegio Salesiano de Triana, speaking Spanish with our counterparts in a familiar environment. Don Bosco would have approved.

Mr A Smith - Head of MFL

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Year 10 Geography Residential The Year 10 Geography students recently went on a trip to Dorset for their fieldwork section of their GCSE, investigating coasts and the effects of rural deprivation.

We left school early on Friday morning and drove straight down to Swanage, where we were doing our field work for the day. When we first arrived, we were greeted by our two guides from the hostel were we staying, and who would also be leading our field work. After we had been introduced, we got straight to work, looking at coastal management strategies on Swanage beach. After a hard day’s work, we stopped in Swanage to buy ice cream, which was absolutely delicious, and then headed back to Leeson House, where we were staying, where we were greeted with a delicious hot meal. Once we had finished dinner, we went for a walk along the Jurassic Coast, looking at different features of the cliff.

The next morning, we set off bright and early (after devouring a cooked breakfast) to continue our fieldwork, this time investigating the effect of rural deprivation on the small villages of Langton Matravers and Corfe Castle, which we assessed judging on the number of local services, such as transport links, doctor’s surgeries and shops. In the afternoon, we then went and looked at significant geographical features nearby, such as Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, and ate more ice cream!

On Sunday, the final day of the trip, we visited a nearby outdoor waterpark, which was lots of fun, with lots of jumping and flipping into the water, and general chaos. After that we drove back home, with almost everyone having a short nap in the bus, having been so exhausted from the long weekend of fun.

I would like to thank on behalf of all the students all the staff who went on the trip or who were involved in organising it, including Mr Gore, Dr Toal, Mrs Leforte, Mrs Payne and finally Ms Day, who although was not able to come, played a key role in organising the trip.

Will B - Year 10

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Year 10 Paris Visit We are delighted to share the wonderful experiences we had during our recent Year 10 residential visit to France. On reaching our accommodation in a village just outside Paris, we were greeted by our ‘animateur’, Mehdi. He proved to be an exceptional guide, speaking to us in French and providing valuable insights into the local culture.

On our first full day, we had a fascinating tour of the renowned Stade de France, where we had a guided tour in French. Alex was invited to lead a warm-up session in the training room, then we visited the jail cells and the changing rooms, and afterwards we walked through the tunnel as if we were famous footballers!

We then explored the iconic Champs-Élysées and watched Tami perform some street dancing. He was brilliant! Later, we explored the city further by cruising along the Seine River on a riverboat, admiring the captivating sights such as the Tour Eiffel and the Cathédrale de Notre Dame along the way. Finally, we went up the Tour Montparnasse, from where we had an amazing view of the Parisian skyline. It was fantastic!

The next day, we went to Parc Asterix, a thrilling theme park that provided adrenaline- filled rides, shows and excitement. On the final day, we stopped off at a ‘boulangerie’ in the lovely countryside in Northern France. Here we learned to make French pastry. The baker was a stereotypical French chef… he slammed his wooden stick against his metal table if we didn’t answer his questions in full sentences, and he ridiculed our efforts at making croissants, describing many of our creations as, ‘des croissants Anglais’. We soon realised that he was play acting and was just having a bit of fun with us!

We would like to express our gratitude to all the staff involved in organising this enriching experience. The trip has not only broadened our horizons but also fostered our appreciation for French culture and language.

Sam C and Shauyra C - Year 10

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History Visit to Berlin History students of Year 11 and 12 travelled to Berlin for three days on the weekend of the 10 March. After waking up at 3am, we were on our way. We arrived early Friday morning and went straight into a tour of Potsdam, where the leaders of the Big Three met to discuss how Germany should be divided after WWII. We then visited the Allied Museum, where we saw Checkpoint Charlie, and other famous landmarks such as parts of the Berlin Wall.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday to head straight to Sachsenhausen a concentration camp, it was a sombre experience for all of us especially as it was snowing so we could really imagine how others would have felt during the snow in thin clothes. We saw the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, and the Reichstag, which are all key places in our courses. It was exciting for us all to see places we had spoken about in class and impress Rob and Tim (our Anglia tour guides) with our knowledge. It was also good revision for us.

Finally, on the last day, we visited Alexander Platz, where the June Revolt in 1953 was held, and went to a Stasi Prison, where we were told about the harsh conditions prisoners would have experienced whilst being there. It was stark for us all to realise it was only shut 33 years ago, during our parents' lifetime, and realising we were just lucky to be born later in a different country. We hopped back on the bus and we were on our way home. It was clear that the whole trip had a strong sense of fun as well as History that we can carry forward into our exams and into the classroom.

Thank you to Mrs Leforte for planning and organising the trip. We all had a great time and have made many significant memories.

Amaya F - Year 12

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Geography Tour to Iceland Over the Easter break, GCSE and A-Level Geographers went to Iceland; the land of fire and ice.

We looked at a great variety of geographical landforms which are iconic to Iceland. Shortly after arriving, the group visited the Gunnuhver Hot Springs, to investigate firsthand the unique Icelandic landscape and to experience the smell of sulphur, which we would encounter many times throughout our trip.

On our second day, we travelled to the rift valley, where the North American and Eurasian plates are moving apart, at Thingvellir National Park. One of the most enjoyable parts of the day was at Strokur, where the geysers erupted every 10 minutes, projecting water up to 30 meters. At Gullfoss, we got our first taste of mass tourism as we went to view one of Iceland’s most photographic waterfalls. Gullfoss is a huge waterfall that cascades over three steps as it winds through a u-shaped valley. It was fascinating to see how tectonics, glaciers and water have shaped this unique landscape over thousands of years. It was interesting to hear how much the landscape was being shaped by climate change, as in a mere 200 years the glacier we saw will be no more.

On Friday, we visited a glacier at Soheimajokull and learnt how it has shaped the landscape and how climate change is causing it to retreat by 100m a year. The black beach at Vik, with the towering basalt columns, was breathtakingly beautiful. At the geothermal energy plant, we got to see the engineering behind the scenes and learn more about the ground-breaking work on Carbon Capture Storage, which was very useful for my A-Level studies. We got to enjoy the geothermal swimming pools that are found all over Iceland and experience of the Icelandic changing rooms which presented an interesting cultural contrast. To end the trip, we watched the production of ‘How to be Icelandic in 60 minutes’, which was thoroughly entertaining.

Aran - Year 13

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Year 12 Biology Residential

Thirteen biologists went to the Field Study Centre at Juniper Hall. This has access to a range of habitats from open grassland to mature woodland. Biodiversity studies in the woodland were conducted, similar to those found in exam questions, and analysed using statistics and A level details. In the evening, live traps were set up to provide a safe dry place for small mammals to spend the night away from the rain. The next day our traps were opened, and whilst many were empty, three small mammals had enjoyed the provided hospitality: two wood mice and a vole.

For the rest of Saturday, students were taken to the Tillingbourne River. Swollen by recent rains to a new depth of 30 cm - just deep enough to tip into unsuspecting wellies - this provides habitats to a range of insect larvae from caddis fly to beautiful demoiselles. Kick sampling linked with a range of measurement tools allowed the students to complete this activity for their core practical assessments.

Mr G Hartland – Head of Biology

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Sixth Form visit to New York Over the October half-term break, Business, Economics and Politics students visited New York to experience the thrills and spills of the Big Apple. Students experienced a busy schedule, with a mixture of tourist adventures as well as unique experiences. Highlights included visits to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which afforded the students an opportunity to understand the historical aspects of NYC.

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Students also enjoyed a tour of the United Nations grounds and got to meet and ask questions to the Director of Business Transformation, Beth Magne-Watts.

Beth, who works with the UN under-secretaries at a senior level, was grilled by the group on diversity and gender equality within the UN, current global issues around climate change and the Ukraine crisis. In addition, she discussed how her career path, which has taken her all over the world, has allowed her to meet interesting people, and how she has had to take on some very big challenges head on.

From a downtown perspective, Wall Street and Ground Zero did not disappoint, and a visual merchandising trip around iconic stores like Macy’s, Hershey’s and many of the top end brands on 5th Avenue illustrated the importance of a high street presence for the big brands in the Big Apple (yes, the group had some time for shopping!). Students were also immersed in the culture of NYC, taking walking tours around the financial district, Brooklyn Bridge and meeting some interesting characters on the subway and the Staten Island ferry to get a feel for NYC after dark.

Mr D Good – Head of Economics and Business Studies

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A Level Geography visit to Dorset

The Year 12 Geographers had the opportunity to explore and collect data in a variety of coastal landscapes; ranging from the low energy sand dunes of Studland to the high energy Kimmeridge Bay and Durdle Door. The aims of the trip included carrying out physical and human fieldwork techniques so students can have a choice when choosing their NEA topics.

Ms M Day – Head of Geography

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World Book Day 2023

This year’s World Book Day celebrations were spread over two days, the 1 and 2 March. On the first day was the World Book Day quiz. Many people, ranging from Years 7-9, came and participated. The energy in the room was intense, as everyone rushed to write down their answers. The questions included things such as, “What book does this character come from?” or “Which author wrote the series…”

Eventually, it came down to a tiebreaker between three teams, Dramatic Reverb, Flying Penguins and Banana Republic. As always, one person from each team had to come up and answer the tiebreaker questions, the first one being, “Which author wrote the book, ‘Millions’?” which was quickly answered by Dramatic Reverb with, ‘Frank Cottrell-Boyce,’ taking first place. The second question was, “Which of the main characters in Holes does not commit a crime?” but neither contestants could answer, so another question was asked, “Who does George make his marvellous medicine for?” Banana Republic just barely answered first with, ‘Grandma,’ taking second place. First and second place were awarded with prizes of sweets and photos were taken of the winners, concluding the first day of celebrations.

On the second day was the ‘Literary Pairs’, an event where all of the teachers wear brightly coloured labels and some even dress up. Students then go around school during break or lunch seeing who is who and then finding the character with whom they are paired. My personal favourites were Mr Webster, dressed as Macbeth, Mr Sutton, dressed as the Phantom, and Mrs Batt, dressed as Maid Marian. In conclusion, the events of World Book Day this year were really fun and I look forward to next year.

Thomas M - Year 8

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Physics visit to CERN The trip to Geneva in Switzerland to see the CERN Large Hadron Collider was an amazing experience, where we, as potential future physicists, got to see the work of some of the greatest scientists and researchers in our time. The trip didn't just focus on the experimental work at CERN, but we got to immerse ourselves in the culture of Geneva, through shopping, history at science museums, and seeing the famous fountain, the Jet D'Eau. It was an amazing experience that inspired me and made me appreciate the amount of work that goes into understanding our universe. I want to thank the Physics Department for allowing me to go on this trip.

Marcus S - Physics Captain

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Drama Enrichment

On 15 March, the VI Form Drama Enrichment team visited some local primary schools to deliver a workshop for their Year 6 class, based around this year's College Production of School of Rock. Between two groups, we went to St. Patrick's Catholic Primary, St. Peter's C of E Junior School, and South Farnborough Junior School. Part of this workshop included games like 'Splat' and 'Busy Bees', games with which the children engaged really well; they especially enjoyed the Squashies as a reward for winning! Then, after we had broken the ice, we did some characterisation workshops, focusing on facial expressions, gestures and body language and how they can manipulate those things to create a convincing character. We applied these to characters from School of Rock, finishing off by teaching them a dance from the show. This outreach program will conclude next week when some representatives from each of these schools come to the College to have a tour of the set and perform this dance on the stage!

Following on from our outreach trips last week, we invited small groups of students from South Farnborough Juniors, St. Patrick's and St. Peter's to the College to give them a behind-the-scenes look at the set, music and backstage elements of our school production. They got to see how the lights worked, how the set changes happened and even got to play the instruments. The visit concluded with visitors performing the dance they had learned last week on the stage under lights and, before they left, Archie S held a head-banging competition to see who could rock the hardest!

As some of these young people came back in the evening to see the show on its final preview night, they were able to tell their friends all about the behindthe-scenes workings of School of Rock and just how much hard work and effort goes into a show like this. I hope to see some of them up on the stage in five or six years' time, when they are our age!

Joe L - Year 13

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Careers Careers Week During the week commencing 26 September, our academic departments at the College taught lessons connecting their subjects with potential careers.

Careers in the curriculum describes a range of interventions which allows students to encounter career learning as part of their everyday school curriculum.

Visit to Frimley Park Hospital Students interested in Medicine were given the opportunity to visit the Simulation and Digital Suite at Frimley Park Hospital.

After a warm welcome at the Postgraduate Education Centre by Vanessa and the personnel at the Cafe, students were invited to the Simulation room where Paul Wilder presented on healthcare simulation and then facilitated, along with Dr. Kuchnska, live medical scenarios where students had to perform CPR, surgical procedures on laparoscopic part task trainers, intubations, general diagnose, anaesthetic manoeuvres on airway head trainers and many other hands-on emergency techniques on their main high-fidelity patient manikins.

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Morrisby profile All students in Year 11 have carried out the annual Morrisby Profile which is a matched series of timed cognitive aptitude tests.

The current version is screenbased, and five different aptitudes are assessed: verbal, numerical, abstract, spatial and mechanical. The outcome of the experience is to inspire young people to take the best career journey for them and raising aspirations. The Morrisby test exists to help every student take on a rewarding career journey that suits their abilities, personality and ambition.

Year 13 Mock Interviews On 29 November the College hosted the Year 13 Practice Interview Evening given by a team of employers from different fields of expertise.

This event complies with the Gatsby benchmarks 2, 3, 5 and 6, providing excellence to our Careers programme. Our Y13 students found their interviews both enjoyable and hugely beneficial and appreciated the opportunity to practise their interviewing skills prior to university or work interviews.

Following the interviews was a high-spirited networking session with food and drink prepared by our kitchen team. We cannot wait for another year to host such an invaluable opportunity for our students.

Thank you very much to our team of professionals and Lorna Dane Consulting Ltd. for a fantastic evening.

Mrs I Cardona – Head of Careers

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Work Experience Week All Year 10 students at the College went on Work Experience Week from 26 to 30 June. The majority of our students had an in-person experience with companies and a small proportion had the experience virtually, on-line, with structured programmes and videoconferences as well as projects facilitated by companies via the digital platform Springpod.

In-person experiences were amazing by providing wonderful opportunities of work skills development, practice and demonstration. Students had a variety of activities to complete, presentations and meetings to attend. Students’ targets were listening, speaking, problem solving, staying positive, aiming high, leadership and teamwork. Feedback received from employers and pupils has been brilliant.

Following a Review Day on 4 July, students agreed that they developed communication, leadership, independence, teamwork and problem-solving skills during the week, and it had an impact on aiming high ambitions, gaining greater focus and confidence in their ability and future prospects. Some students were offered summer jobs and one of them had been selected to take part in work experience as part of 60 pupils out of 4,000 applicants in the UK. Some students worked at Google HQ in London and had an informative experience on different areas, but also on work and life balance.

It has been a very successful week in many areas, and we are most grateful to our teachers for visiting the boys while in work experience and to the following companies for providing such inspiring experiences.

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Companies providing work experience this year were: W Management, Fleet Physiotherapy, Marriott & Co, 2 Simple Ltd, Stephen Hofmeyr, Bays Brewery, Crawley Ridge Junior School, St. James C of E Primary School, Forays Homes, Google, Wavestone, Fard Co Solicitors, Orchid Welleness Ltd, Blackwater Pharmacy, LFM, Williams Racing F1, Scorpio Productions, Ludgrove School, Pennyhill Park, Prior hill infant School, Collins Aerospace, Surrey Sports Park Ltd, The Ure Museum of greek Archaeology, Yateley Manor Preparatory School, Springpod, NHS, Ark/Tec, University of Bristol, Chase Cricket, Trinity Tutors, Holiday Inn, Archi Soft Ltd, Auriol Wines, Windsor Castle, DAZN, Hartley Wintney Golf Club, Gate One Consulting, Jenner House Surgery, dbramante, The Sweet Shop, North Camp Surgery, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, Night Sky Consulting Ltd, Roke, 3VB, Trenches Law, Virgin Media Ltd, Satixfy ltd, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Ocean Tee Ltd, Krispy Kreme Ltd, St Polycarps School, Styles & Partners, Simmons Butcher, Proseed Capital, Zebon Copse Dental Practice, Peepal Mortgages, Great Outdoors, Financial Times, Preptech UK, Hoops Velo, Kite Academy Trust, Advance Performance, Hampshire Accountants Lts, Specsavers, Aerobility, Kerr & Watson Ltd, EnSilica Plc, Radio Jackie RS Surbiton, Miller & Bradley, Berlin Hart Gmbh, Velmead Junior School, Trident Honda Ottershaw, Hill biscuits Ltd, Hopitaux de Paris (Paris), JP Morgan, BP, Brooklyn Gardens, BAE Systems, PAWS, Crimson Ltd, Newlyns Farm Shop, The Marist School, Martins VM, Microsoft.

Thank you very much for hosting our students and we very much hope you can be part of our Careers Fair on 29 September 2023.

Mrs I Cardona - Head of Careers

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Presenters Dr James Martin, former Salesian student, gave a brilliant talk to Sixth Form students interested in medicine, about all aspects in applying for medical school. Some of the aspects explored were the application process, what to expect from medical school, life as a junior doctor, personal statement, qualities of a good doctor and interview tips. We are immensely grateful for Dr Martin’s time and for his generous advice and expertise.

We have been fortunate to have Miss Nieto Agraz, Industrial Engineer, who has delivered a talk about Social Robotics to Year 10 and 11 students as well as to other interested pupils in the Lower School. Some of the aspects covered were what social robotics is, social robots in education, medicine and at home, emphasising their use and applications in society. Students have had the opportunity to listen to her personal path and to some excellent advice to the ones wishing to pursue a career in Robotics.

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Salesian Inspires: Entrepreneurism Our Year 10 students experienced an amazing presentation given by Dr. Toby Sucharov, parent and governor, on entrepreneurism. We were privileged to be enlightened by Dr Sucharov, highlighting the four key areas of being an entrepreneur amongst other useful insights on the topic. Our huge thanks for his contribution to the Career programme during this busy time.

Digital Disruption & Diversity As part of the Salesian Inspires careers presentations, Year 9 were given a fascinating insight into Digital Disruption and Diversity from the Reverend Deacon Paul Evans, Vice President, Software Development (Mastercard). They learned about the need for digital skills in the workplace; that diversity improves productivity and how technology is being developed to be more inclusive.

Pharmacy Rachel Mackay, Associate Director of Pharmacy & Medicines Optimisation, Pharmacy Workforce Lead, in the NHS Surrey, gave an informative presentation about the wonderful world of Pharmacy. Amongst other important aspects, Mrs Mackay mentioned reasons for wishing to study Pharmacy, training, her personal career journey, opportunities, salary and the importance of a good strategy which connects Pharmacy and the different areas of Healthcare. It was a clear and excellent talk attended by many students. A huge thank you to Mrs Mackay for her time and expertise.

Mrs I Cardona – Head of Careers

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Celebration Days Year 11 had a fabulous day at Chessington World of Adventures, with the opportunity to 'relax' on the adrenaline inducing rides, and the time to take in some of the sideshows and zoo.

Meanwhile, we said farewell to Year 13 with mass and a drinks reception, followed by fun and games on the College fields.

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Exam Results 2023 GCSEs We were also extremely proud and excited to receive some outstanding GCSE results in August. This cohort has faced a disrupted secondary school experience and much has been written in the national press about the lower grades awarded this summer with a return to ‘pre-pandemic’ grading. Students at Salesian College have, however, surpassed previous levels of attainment with 80% of students achieving grades 9-7.

97.2% of students achieved at least ten grades 9-4 each including English and Maths!

87% of all grades were 5-9 70% of all grades were 6-9

The top performing student this year was Dami A. achieving the perfect score of 10 top grades (10x9). Close behind were Dhruv D. with 9x9 and 1x8 grades and Surya R. (7x9,3x8) and Rohan M. (7x9,3x8,1x7). Charles P. (7x9,4x8) and George J. (7x9,2x8,1x6), Alberto C. (6x9,3x8,2x7), Charles E. (4x9,4x8,2x7), Archie E. (4x9,3x8,3x7) and Hugo M. (4x9,3x8,3x7) completed the ‘top ten’ students, who only reflect the pinnacle of the work of all of those students who have done very well and who should be very pleased and proud of their achievements.

Mr A Moore – Senior Deputy Headteacher

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A Level The College once again celebrated excellent A level results, with a 100% pass rate for the eighth consecutive year and 87% of grades awarded in the A*-C range. The academic achievement of the students further builds on the enviable reputation that the College enjoys as one of the highest achieving coeducational sixth form providers in Hampshire.

This summer’s Year 13 cohort saw 51% of the students achieve A*-B in three or more A Levels. Of particular note is that a quarter of Year 13 students achieved three or more A* or A grades each. First amongst these was George G. who attained four A* grades and takes up his place at the University of Leeds to read Mechanical Engineering. Also worthy of particular mention are Max M. with 2 A* and 2 A grades (Maths, Warwick) and last year’s College Captain, William L. who, alongside Jessica D. (Chemistry & Maths, Durham), Sophie M.(Politics & Economics, Bath), Ben S. (Maths, York) and Isaac T. (Biotechnology, Manchester) each attained 3 A* grades. Also in the top grades was William S. with 3 A and 1 B grade (Computer Science, Birmingham) and William E. (English & Philosophy, Leeds), Lucy E. (Neuroscience, Bristol) and Alex G. (Business Economics, Loughborough) who all achieved 2 A* and 1 A grade.

Thomas B. (History, Cambridge), Eve J. (History & Politics, Nottingham), Andrew P. (Computer Science, Loughborough), Aniella R. (Natural Sciences, Durham) and Zack T. (Computer Science, Durham) each attained 1 A* & 2 A grades. A good number more students achieved at least grades AAA or equivalent, and all of these, along with the vast majority of their colleagues, will be taking up places at an impressive range of top universities this autumn.

Mr A Moore – Senior Deputy Headteacher

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We are a church …where Gospel values and the presence of God in our lives is shared, understood, accepted and lived out in daily life.

Mass for the Feast of St John Bosco In January, we gathered as a community to celebrate the Feast of St John Bosco. Our Year 7 students took the lead admirably in our Mass with Seb S, Hurley C, Ansh B, Zain R and William A leading us in an introduction to the life of Don Bosco. They reminded us of the legacy that he has left throughout the world, particularly the inspiration he had on the life of Sean Devereux. We were delighted to be joined for Mass by Mr Mark Chatterton, a former student and one of Sean's school friends. Mr Chatterton is a Trustee of the Sean Devereux Children's Fund, and he was presented with a cheque by our Year 7s from their Run For Sean that they took part in before Christmas. Our Mass then began with the entrance hymn 'Here I am Lord' and Fr Pat, as ever, enthusiastically celebrated the Mass with us all. He was ably supported by our Sixth Form Liturgy coordinators, Joe L and Angelo A who organised and prepared our altar servers, William C, Liam G and Fraser C. Year 7 students then supported Fr Pat in the Liturgy of the Word as Josh S delivered the First Reading, with Elias McK reading the Responsorial Psalm and Alleluia. The bidding prayers were offered by George M, Henry S, Praneil G, Tom S and Prabhnoor S. A significant day for the College and for Salesians all over the world as we pause to remember the influence that Don Bosco has had on us all.

We are a Church

Mass of Dedication At the beginning of every academic year, we gather as a school community to celebrate our Mass of Dedication for the new school year. This is a joyous occasion as we look forward to the opportunities and experiences that we will all share with each other in the year to come. Fr Pat encouraged us to reflect on the ways in which we will dedicate ourselves to the year ahead, ensuring we all give of our very best at all times.

Our Mass ended with a rousing rendition of the School Song and a message for us all to fully embrace the opportunities we will have this year and to always give of our very best; for ourselves and each other.

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Mass of Remembrance On 11 November, we came together to remember those who had made the ultimate sacrifice in conflict. We were honoured to be joined for the service by Bishop of the Forces, The Right Reverend Paul Mason. Our service of Remembrance began as staff and students gathered on the playground to a rousing rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ played by Mr Rudolph on the bagpipes. Theo D in Year 8 played The Last Post as we joined with the nation in two minutes of silence to reflect on the lives of the fallen. The silence was broken

by Theo playing Reveille. Our service of Remembrance continued as the Headmaster, Will and Charlotte, our School Captain and Head Girl, processed for the laying and blessing of the wreath. Mr Owens then read the Roll of Honour of former Salesian students who lost their lives in World War One. Bishop Paul and Fr Pat guided us through the celebration of the Eucharist, ably supported by altar servers, Fraser C, Deacon M and William C. The choir and orchestra provided a beautifully sombre expression of reflection throughout, including a moving solo performance by Alex M during communion. Our readers, Will H, Henry C, Alex C, Harry M, Daniel R, Will F and Tobi A were excellent examples to the rest of the school.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception On 8 December, we gathered to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a day in the Catholic Church when Mary being born without original sin is remembered. This is also a most significant day for the Salesian family as it is believed to be the day, in 1841, that Don Bosco's vision of working with the young first came to fruition through his meeting with Bartholomew Garelli as he was preparing to say Mass. After Mr Owens reminded us of the importance of this feast day for our

Salesian community, we reflected, through the words of our newly appointed CAFOD Young Leaders, on how we can all lead our lives in the service of those around us.

We were delighted to be joined by Fr Peter Brealey, a past pupil and College governor, as he and Fr Pat led us through the celebration of the Eucharist. As ever, they were ably supported by altar servers Dexter A, William A and Henry L-B and our excellent readers, Joel K, Jonas S, Sam L, Fraser G and Nikolai W.

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Mass of Thanksgiving As a College community, we gathered to celebrate Mass and to give thanks as the academic year draws to a close.

Our School Vice-Captains, Euan and Ruben, alongside Deputy Head Girl, Rachel, led us in the first reading and responsorial psalm. We also heard from students in Years 7-12 who had been nominated by their Heads of Year to recognise their fantastic contribution to the College this year: Hayden W in Year 7; Jonas S in Year 8; Danny F in Year 9; Nick F C; in Year 10 and Sam B in Year 12. We are grateful to Vincent Q and Fraser C who also worked hard in preparing the Year 8 altar servers as they supported Fr Pat during the Mass. All students involved in the celebration of the Eucharist were excellent and a credit to the school.

As we reflected on the year that has been, Fr Pat in his homily, reminded us of the importance of giving thanks; of being grateful for what we have and the experiences we have shared together this year. He encouraged us all to be ambassadors for Christ, to see the Kingdom of God on earth as we continue the mission of Don Bosco.

Our Mass ended with a rousing rendition of Jerusalem before we enjoyed a photo montage that looked back over the many wonderful memories that have been made this year.

All students and staff look forward to a very well-deserved rest over the summer holidays and it is with genuine fondness that we look forward to making more memories next year.

The Stations of the Cross Our CAFOD young leaders led the school community through the stations of the cross, with a unique twist.

This year, the Stations of The Cross featured real-life testimonies from CAFOD partners in Bangladesh to highlight how we can apply the message of Christ’s passion to our own daily lives.

The event was a wonderful opportunity for the students and staff to reflect on deepen their understanding of the

We are a Church

message of the stations of the cross the real-life impact of CAFOD's work in Bangladesh. The testimonies were a reminder of the importance of compassion, solidarity, and the need to work towards a more just and equitable world.

Angelo A - Year 12

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Festival of Christmas Readings and Carols At the end of the autumn term, we came together in the main hall for the annual Festival of Christmas Readings and Carols. It was a fabulous festive evening, with classic carols such as 'Once in Royal David's City', 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', along with 'O Come all Ye Faithful' enjoyed by all. We were also entertained by The Bosco Brothers’ barber shop renditions of 'Little Drummer Boy' and 'Good News', as well as The Savio Brothers singing 'Star of Bethlehem'. The haunting Mexican 'A La Nanita Nana', performed acapella by Charlotte and Archie, two of our talented A level music students, held the audience captive in its simplicity. Our students from all year groups delivered the readings and were all word perfect.

Mrs A Phipps - Marketing and Communications Manager

Mary Help of Christians On 11 May, the College community gathered to celebrate the important Salesian feast day of Mary Help of Christians.

For many years, this has been known by our Year 12 students as the 'Lourdes Mass' as this is their opportunity to bring the spirit of their Easter HCPT pilgrimage to Lourdes back to the rest of the school, whilst remembering the influence of Mary.

Our Mass began with an introduction from Eve M, Euan B, Ruben R, Freddie W and Rufus V as they talked about their experience of Lourdes at Easter with HCPT. They were able to demonstrate to the rest of the school a snapshot of what they did on the pilgrimage, from serving the pilgrims at the torchlight procession and Trust Mass, to helping the family groups push

wheelchairs or face paint. The sentiment was relayed with accuracy; that the spirit of Lourdes is one of fun and service to others.

Our Year 12 students took the lead throughout the Mass, alongside Fr Pat with our altar servers, Angelo A, Vincent Q and Nick R accompanied by our banner carriers, Harry B and Jack B. The readings were led by Rachel S, Nuria B, Jan S, Andrei C and Maddie T. The school hall was filled with joyous music led by Mr Cassidy and lead singers, Duncan M-B and Adam C. Our Mass culminated in traditional Lourdes fashion with an enthusiastic rendition of 'My Lighthouse' and 'Rise and Shine'. It is hoped that the younger students now have a greater insight into what a pilgrimage to Lourdes is like and can look forward to their turn in Year 12!

Miss C Enright - Head of Religious Studies

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Run For Sean On 13 October, all of Year 7 changed into either P.E. kit or fancy dress. We had two people come as Spider-Man and a camouflaged bush, but the best costume had to be the huge inflatable dinosaur. It was a fun run, so we had people walking, jogging and some were going for a personal best. Before the run, Mark Chatterton (one of Sean’s closest friends) told us about the Sean Devereux Charity and started the race.

We had a memorable evening running with our friends and hopefully we will raise a lot of money for the charity. The total raised from this event was £3404.

Elias M - Year 7

Walk For Sean A huge thank you to everyone who braved a chilly spring day to complete the Walk for Sean on Sunday 5 March. At the time of writing, this important fundraiser has raised £3333 and we are confident of more sponsorship/donations to come. As a rough guide, £3333 can help to give a year’s education to more than 30 children in Liberia.

Once again, it was a great family day as over 100 people (plus almost as many dogs) walked a 5km route that started at the Sean Devereux 6th Form Centre in the College. It was lovely and very fitting that Brother Michael Delmer, Sean’s Headteacher and biographer, fired the ‘starting pistol’ for the Walk that marked the 30th Anniversary of Sean’s death. We were also really pleased that members of Sean’s immediate family, Maureen, Theresa and Rosie could join us on the day. It was also great to see Patrick Manion, now 97 years old, who travelled with his son to support the work on the day. He is pictured in a photograph with Maureen Devereux, Sean’s mother.

Such an event could not happen without the help of many people: • To those who undertook the ‘30 for 30’ challenge • To our patron, Raquel Cassidy, who walked the walk on the day • To all the school staff who helped set up and took part in the walk • To the young volunteer team of 15 student marshals who kept us safe on the day • To the Salesian PTA who gave up their Sunday afternoon to provide much appreciated refreshments • To Laura Chatterton for her photos • To all walkers, sponsors, donors and other volunteers.

What an achievement, and one that really honours Sean’s legacy! Thank you to staff, students and parents at the College for your continued support. Please see the website for details for updates and details of future events. www.seandevereux.org.uk Mr N Crean - Sean Devereux Trustee

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Sean Devereux – A Light that Never Dies The evening of 26 November saw the long-awaited premiere of the ‘Life of Sean Devereux’ documentary film.

Despite the cold chill outside, the chairs of the school hall were filled with the cheer of Salesians reunited.

Commissioned by the Salesian Provincial, Fr Gerry Briody, and directed and produced by Fr Roman Sikou SDB and Michael Krol, from the Polish and Ukrainian province, the film was a comprehensive recount of Sean's life; from his formation as a student at Salesian College Farnborough to his tremendous aid work in Liberia and latterly in Somalia with UNICEF, where he was tragically assassinated in 1993. The film was truly powerful, with the most salient sections being the countless testimonies from those whose life has been impacted by the selfless work of ‘Mr Sean’ and conversations with his mother, Maureen Devereux, and sisters. Several students and staff from our school are also featured in the film, which will be made available to all Salesian schools throughout the world in 2023. Many thanks to those involved in the production which will ensure that Sean’s life can continue to be an inspiration to many, both in the UK and abroad.

The Sean Devereux Children’s Fund charity was set up in honour of Sean by his parents and supports young people, especially in Liberia, with health and education projects. A scholarship programme supports over 200 students a year in Liberia to help boys and girls access secondary education, for 50p per day (£15 per month) and be able to qualify and give back to their communities in all sorts of much needed occupations, including healthcare and engineering. If you would like further details about the Scholarship programme, please click on the website link below and consider supporting this scheme: https://www.seandevereux.org.uk/sponsoring-children The SDCF is entirely managed by volunteers in the UK, ensuring that your contributions directly reach the children of Africa.

Mr N Crean - Sean Devereux Trustee

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Lourdes Pilgrimage – Easter 2023 For nearly thirty years, Salesian College (Group 711) have worked together as part of HCPT’s Central Services, offering support to family groups in Lourdes, working in all types of ways. HCPT (Hosanna House and Children's Pilgrimage Trust) is a volunteer-based charitable organisation founded in response to Our Lady's invitation to go on pilgrimage to Lourdes. Their aim is to enable those who may need help, especially the young, to experience pilgrimage, and they do this in small caring groups, seeking to share, with joy, the gift of God's love.

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The activities our students were involved in supporting HCPT and the family groups included, leading arts and crafts sessions, face painting, playing musical instruments, hosting themed parties and playing games. They also took part in talent shows, pushing wheelchairs or leading football games on the prairie, singing in the choir, or singing and animating to the family groups as they boarded their coaches for their daily excursions, holding banners and symbols in the Trust Mass and during the Blessed Sacrament procession. Many went on excursions to the animal park, the caves, to the mountains at Gavarnie, or to the beach (even in the rain)! Not all activities were exciting; sometimes they were called upon to help with unloading/packing coaches or holding ropes to assist with crowd control during the Torchlight Procession. These may have been less exciting roles, but they were equally important, and our students recognised how valuable their help was. Our students bought into the concept of why we were in Lourdes. We were not there primarily for ourselves; we were there to serve others and to bring joy to the lives of sick or disabled children or vulnerable adults, where sadly this joy was often lacking in their lives back in the UK. I would like to thank all the staff who gave up some of their valuable holiday to accompany our young men and women on their pilgrimage. Without their support, this trip would not be possible. I would also like to thank Mrs Bourke, Mrs Jackson and the Administration Team for their incredible hard work organising from behind the scenes.

Mr P Dalgas - Assistant Headteacher

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CAFOD Young Leaders Sixth Form CAFOD Young Leaders Team travelled into London, to represent the Portsmouth Diocese, for a celebration day along with two other schools from the Southwark Dioceses. This was arranged to showcase and celebrate the work that we, and the other schools, had done over the past academic year in support of CAFOD’s aid campaigns. We all gave brief presentations on how the year had unfolded for us at our respective schools, including details of our individual projects and what we’d learnt from the experience of being a Young Leader as a whole. This was alongside some planning for the year ahead and the transition to the new group of Year 12 students that will be taking on our roles. We were then awarded with certificates to commemorate our achievements in fundraising and campaigning, and had the opportunity to meet Christine Allen, the Director of CAFOD.

George G - Year 13

CAFOD Cow Week The CAFOD Young Leaders held an array of events to raise money to give people in low-income countries a chance to earn a living by giving them a cow. We managed to raise over £1000, and we could not have done this without any of you who helped make this possible. To incentivise forms to raise money, we told them that the form that donated the most money would get to keep a large cardboard cut-out of a cow, and today, after many recounts and only pennies in it, the CAFOD leadership team can gladly announce 9A and 10H won the cow. Thank you to everyone who has participated, you have given people who are less well off a chance - a chance that everybody, no matter who you are, deserves. Congratulations to 9A and 10H for winning the cow!

Freddie W - Year 12

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The Salesian Community in Farnborough 2022-2023 St John Bosco House was built to provide a comfortable residence for elderly Salesian priests and brothers who spent their lives working for young people in schools, parishes and youth clubs. Every day the Salesians living in Valdocco House join them for meals and they pray and celebrate Mass together in the chapel upstairs.

The academic year began on a sad note with the funeral of Fr Donohoe, buried in Ship Lane Cemetery near Fr Jerstice, Fr McGuinness, Fr O’Riordan, and dozens of Salesians who once taught in the College. Sean Devereux’s grave is also close by. We thank God for their wonderful witness of faith and dedicated service. May they rest in peace!

Br Joe Adams went to Rome to attend the canonisation of St Artemide Zatti, a Salesian brother who worked for the sick in Argentina, first as a pharmacist and then running a hospital.

We all attended the premiere of the Sean Devereux film. Fr Gildásio Mendes, General Councillor for Social Communications, stayed with us overnight and we attended his Mass in the College Hall the following morning.

Our Province Retreat this year was held in Annecy, in the area where St Francis de Sales was born, ministered as bishop, and wrote his spiritual masterpieces. Those who could not travel to France made their retreat in Farnborough together with four young African Salesians studying for the priesthood in this country.

Another joyful occasion was the ordination of Fr Steven Lloyd, a past pupil of our school in Bootle. We thank God that he is still calling young men to serve the young as Salesian priests.

In the summer we were privileged to welcome Br Steven Koso, a young Salesian missionary from North East India, who stayed with us while waiting for a visa to go to Istanbul.

At the end of the year, we were joined by Fr Anthony Lobo and Fr Tony Fernandes, taking over the parish of Our Lady and St Dominic from Fr Tony Sultana. This brings the number of priests and brothers to twelve.

Salesians at the Chateau de Thorens near the birthplace of St Francis de Salesa

St John Bosco House with its new sign Br Joe Adams attending the canonisation of St Artemide Zatti (screenshot)

The community with recently appointed staff from the College Some of the community on an outing to Blackbushe airport

Br Stephen Koso working in the grounds

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Retreats Year 7 Retreat All of Year 7 enjoyed their first form retreats as they ventured to the local parish Church, Our Lady Help of Christians.

Here, they were able to spend time getting to know each other, to reflect on their first half-term at Salesian College, and ultimately to have fun! They were joined each day by Sixth Form members of their House. Everyone was very grateful to our Year 12 and Year 13 students for giving of their time, and the Year 7s were able to learn from them and their experiences. Each form reflected on their values and began looking ahead to their futures, even writing a letter to themselves to open in Year 11!

A fitting end to a wonderful first half-term for our Year 7s.

Miss C Enright – Head of Religious Studies

Year 8 Retreat Two coachloads of enthusiastic pupils from Salesian College arrived at St Cassian’s retreat centre in Kintbury. We received a warm welcome from the staff who were there to look after us during the day.

They told us about the history of Jean-Baptiste de La Salle; a French priest who dedicated his life to the education of poor children in France. We found this particularly interesting to learn how this was similar to our own Salesian community.

During the day, we had a chance to reflect on ourselves and the people we hoped to be, thinking about how we could improve our attitudes to those around us for the better. We also had many opportunities to use our problem-solving skills. Examples of this were when we had to build a puzzle without talking to each other and later work together to use planks and rope to move along the ground in harmony – not easy for some of us!

Joshua G and Sam L – Year 8

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Year 9 Retreat For our Year 9 retreat day 2023, we looked at the Holocaust, which is the main topic of our current RE lessons. This has been a mind broadening and very educational experience to say the least.

Firstly, we arrived at College in non-school uniform, a common practice for retreat days for any year group. We were directed to the chapel by Miss Enright, who gave us a briefing about the activities we would be participating in on the day. She told us who we were grouped with and we set off for our own different tasks. Firstly, my group were given a talk by a Salesian old boy named Alasdair Richardson about his research into the Salesians during the Holocaust, which included learning about the Salesian priests who were killed at Auschwitz. Our next workshop was with Mrs Leforte on the value of testimonies in preparation for our speaker in the afternoon. After break, we reunited in the Chapel to watch a video on how Steven Spielberg created the Shoah foundation during the production of his film Schindler’s list and reflected on the importance of Holocaust education. Our final session was with Mr Bannister. He made us aware of different aspects of the Holocaust, whether it was the camps or the chambers, displayed through art and literature. He also told us about how his grandfather was one of the first men to ever liberate a concentration camp. A truly remarkable story.

After lunch we had the privilege of listening to the testimony of Mrs Cirla Lewis MBE, who told us about what she experienced as a Jew during the Holocaust. She answered many questions that we had and it felt like such an honour to be in the presence of someone who has lived through something so horrible and was willing to tell the younger generation what she had experienced. I even thanked her personally for giving up her free time to talk to us.

The retreat really was the most mind broadening day of my life.

Finley B - Year 9

Year 10 Retreat Year 10 enjoyed a positive start to the new half-term as they travelled to St Cassian's centre in Kintbury for their retreat day. The boys were led through their day of reflection by the team of volunteers who have travelled to Berkshire from as far afield as Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia and Brazil, as well as Nottingham, Bournemouth and Leeds! The enthusiasm and humour of the team was excellent, and the boys enjoyed a range of activities that enabled to them to think about their communication skills as well as how to improve their ability to listen and be kind.

A particular focus was made on the labels we wear, usually unconsciously, and the role that social media plays in this regard. The group were asked to reflect on their experiences of labels and, through loving kindness, consider how they could see the good in people. They were reminded of the Proverb 'anyone can find the dirt in someone, be the one to find the gold'. There was an atmosphere of real positivity as the boys exchanged uplifting labels that they see in each other, and they were reminded to take this with them beyond the retreat day.

The organised activities were inevitably punctuated with plenty of time outside playing football, basketball and tennis!

The year group were a credit to the school, with the Kintbury team commenting throughout the day how impressed they were with the attitude and contribution from them all.

Miss C Enright – Head of Religious Studies

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Year 11 Retreat On the 31 March, the entirety of Year 11 was invited to a day of reflection at Farnham Castle. The stunning and historic location was the backdrop for us to reminisce about our 5 year journey at Salesian College and look forward to the future. Initially, students alongside Dr Toal, Mrs Murphy, Mr Maher, Mr Bunyan (Head of Year 11) and the form tutor team (Mr Hartland, Ms Enright, Ms Callanan and Ms Payne) enjoyed watching a montage of memories from our Year 7 days. We were then given back our letters we wrote on our first retreat day in Year 7; this was entertaining as it showed how much we had grown in those 5 years before we then wrote back to our younger selves with the advice and life lessons we had learnt.

Following this, in our groups, we collated a list of songs that evoke the memories of our Salesian journey to look back on the highs and lows. A highlight of the retreat was when we anonymously wrote positive messages to each other to build up confidence and self-worth. The exercise was done splendidly and brought out true positivity and a sense of brotherhood between us. A lunch break with an excellent array of sandwiches, crisps and drinks awaited us with the entire group taking photos outside the scenic site shortly after. The final part of the trip allowed us to look forward to deciding what our character should be like in the future, rather than just focusing on the academic for a change.

The retreat was an unforgettable conclusion to our final full term at the school and was crucial to do before a decisive period of our lives. As a representative of the year group, we would like to thank Miss Enright for organising the retreat and Mr Owens for allowing us to go to a lovely site. Furthermore, Mr Bunyan and the form tutors must be thanked for their dedication and hard work for the past 2 years and the school for giving us the opportunity to be in such a caring environment with excellent staff.

Dami A - Year 11

Year 13 Retreat Year 13 students enjoyed a retreat at Waverley Abbey trust, which is a wonderful venue in the grounds of the ruins of the 11th century Abbey. Students reflected on their time at the college and the values that they have developed, in order to take these forward in life. The day was also about spending time with each other, valuing friendships and promoting a sense of well-being, which is so necessary in the lives of young people. Our reflections were aided by the Gospel and David Brooks’ book ‘On Building Character’.

Importantly, the day was an inclusive event which was accessible to all students regardless of their place in the journey of faith. Perhaps most importantly, the retreat day ended with a country walk under blue skies returning to College from Tilford village green.

Thanks for all students and colleagues who shared this valuable day and relaxing day.

Mr R Maher - Head of Sixth Form

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Charity Our charity work at Salesian College is driven by our values and principles that, “as followers of Christ, we are stewards of our lives”. We are accountable for how we live life and how well we manage the blessings, resources, capabilities and gifts that we have. We believe that we have a duty and responsibility to share what we have and who we are with others to reflect our Christian identity. This is often manifest best and with dignity through works of service and charity for the benefit of others.

Often what our young people and staff offer up in their charitable work is their time, commitment and dedication to helping those less fortunate than ourselves. We have been delighted to see more recently; our young people have taken up this mantle themselves. With a desire to help many different charitable causes and initiatives that they have become passionate about, with a strong willingness to support. Our young people have become more confident to approach staff with their ideas and desire to help and staff have guided them through the process, offering their support along the way.

In particular, the College recognises the work of Jayden in 9A who has continued to be a champion of many charitable causes. He has once again this year given up much of his free time to run various fundraising initiatives. In addition, we would like to recognise the work of the CAFOD Young Leaders for their excellent work this year, as well as the SHARE Team. We hope all of these students and the charitable work they have done, the assemblies they have led, and the fundraising they have organised, continue to inspire their fellow peers with a desire to also become involved in charitable work. Our students aspire to be ambassadors of our Salesian identity by ensuring such identity is celebrated in the work we do and not only the words we use.

We would also like to thank all parents, alumni and friends of the College for your continued charitable support, hard work and generous donations, which have helped staff and students to reach their fundraising goals. As a community, we have managed to raise over £30,000 for charity this year!

Here is a list of the many charities we have supported this year: Step by Step, Share Porridge Club, Crisis at Christmas, Sean Devereux Children’s Fund, CAFOD, HCPT, Macmillan Cancer, Cancer Research, Earthquake Appeal for Turkey & Syria, St John’s Ambulance, Alzheimer’s Society, Save the Children, Epilepsy Foundation, Amnesty International, The Vine Centre Community Kitchen Aldershot, The Bolty Foundation Brain Tumour Charity, Cask Research Foundation, Frimley Health Charity and many more…

Gerard Owens - Headmaster

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Salesian Walk On 4 December, a party of intrepid Salesians set off from Tilford to explore this corner of the Surrey Hills AONB. The walk was part of a number of events and initiatives to raise much-needed funds for Mrs Mweete’s porridge club in Mazabuka, Zambia. A number of the group have visited this amazing project and it is our hope the boys and their families will continue to be wonderful advocates for its on-going success. As ever, all the walkers returned to base commenting on a thoroughly enjoyable walk and even better company. Seasonal gingerbread for all (courtesy of my daughter) rounded things off nicely.

Mr Gore - Teacher of Geography

Frimley Health Charity During break, we have run multiple snack sales to fundraise for a charity that helps to support Frimley Park Hospital and its facilities. We chose to support this charity due to the NHS’ current hospital difficulties in the current unprecedented medical crisis, which we feel is crucial to attend to. Our contributions will help to make it more possible for new hospital projects to be started and progressed further than they otherwise could. The hospital will be more able to better the lives of patients, staff, and visitors at Frimley Park Hospital by investing in the newest cutting-edge equipment and assisting to create serene environments to help alleviate stress felt by many vulnerable patients.

Leon T and Shaurya C, Year 10

Macmillian Cake Sale On 27 April, 12SBA organised a cake sale to fundraise for Macmillan.

Thank you to everyone who contributed cakes and purchased on the day. Your generosity resulted in £303 raised for this wonderful charity.

Mrs S Batt – Year 12

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The Vine Centre We were delighted to once again support The Vine Centre in Aldershot through our Harvest collection for their Community Cupboard. This initiative enables families to gain access to donated or leftover food, along with meal planning , budgeting and skills development.

Mrs A Townsend - Charity Coordinator

Sixth Form Sleep Out On the last night of the winter term, a brave group of over 50 members of the Sixth Form slept outside to raise awareness of the plight of homeless young people in the area. As has been the case for many years, they were collecting sponsorship for Aldershot-based charity, Step By Step who provide support and shelter for young people. Our students have collectively raised over £25,000 over the years for this excellent cause, and this latest group will be adding to that total.

It was a bitterly cold night, but the camaraderie shown and the warming brazier meant spirits were kept high. The staff and students enjoyed an enthusiastic sing along by the fire with marshmallows before making themselves as comfortable as possible for the night. Sleeping bags, blankets and lots of layers kept most comfortable enough as they occupied doorways, benches and corners around the College site. As dawn broke, the group was able to enjoy a well-deserved cooked breakfast in the refectory before joining the rest of the College for the carol service to bring term to an end. Well done, everyone!

With thanks to Mrs Morrison, Mr Smith, Mr Bannister and Mr Priest for their support.

Mr R Maher - Head of Sixth Form

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SHARE Fridge Magnets On the Third Sunday of Lent, four Year 12 students visited local Catholic parishes to sell fridge magnets in aid of the Porridge club in Mazabuka, Zambia. They raised over £2000. As part of the fundraising for this project, through ‘SHARE’ (Charity number: 1197901), Angelo designed fridge magnets carrying the message ‘Remember your Lenten Promise’. The selling price of £10 roughly equates to the cost of providing porridge for one child for an entire year.

Milly and Angelo gave appeals at Our Lady Help of Christians parish in Farnborough and sold the magnets after the Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses.

Eve and Vincent did the same at the parish of Saint Edmund in Godalming. On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, they will be visiting Holy Angels in Ash and Saint Bede’s in Basingstoke.

They are very grateful to all the parish priests for allowing them to speak at the Masses. If you would like to obtain one of the fridge magnets, they can be purchased at https:// salesianshare.company.site/ The SHARE magnet appeal has proven to be a huge success; expanding the charity beyond the school community as well as raising awareness of SHARE’s work. Not only have we surpassed our £6000 target, meaning that we can continue to provide a substantial nutritious meal to the vulnerable children of the City of Joy, but we have also made numerous contacts with benefactors and organisations that will enable the charity to grow and help us on our mission of relieving poverty through education. If you wish to donate or purchase a magnet, they are still available to purchase at https://salesianshare.company.site Father Pat Sherlock SDB

Diwali In October 2022, the Hindu community has been celebrating Diwali. Roshan, Rinay, Vivaan and Prabhnoor joined the staff in their briefing to tell them a little about this festival. The festival of Diwali is dedicated to the victory of Rama over Ravana. We made a PowerPoint about how Hindus celebrate Diwali and what it is about, which we then presented to the staff. We brought in some delicious Indian sweets, which we make for our Diwali celebrations. We love celebrating Diwali and we enjoyed having the opportunity to make our presentation to the staff.

Krish B – Year 7

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St Hugh’s Run With Your Son On 23 February, the annual St Hugh's ‘Run With Your Son’ took place in King George V Park. Most of 7 St Hugh's, a handful of outstanding young men from older year groups, as well as Mark F, St Hugh's House Captain, Head Girl Evie M and several parents and siblings participated. They were running to help of the Porridge Club in Mazabuka, Zambia: a donation of £10 will provide porridge to give enough energy for one student to attend school for a year. Please donate if you can.

Many thanks to the staff who supported the event, without whom it would not have been possible.

Mr A Smith – Head of Spanish

Primary School Visitors It was wonderful to welcome Year 5 students from St Peter’s CofE Junior School to our Chapel to explore their RE syllabus to identify the artifacts you find in a Catholic Church.

Fr P Sherlock SDB

Footy and Family Fun The first summer half-term ended with our annual Footy & Family Fun evening at the College fields. Under warm sunshine, all were entertained by the Sixth Form band, whilst younger children enjoyed the inflatable assault course and other stalls. The 3G pitch hosted mixed age group football competitions, culminating with a Staff Vs Sixth Form game - perhaps better luck next year, boys!!! The final sum is yet to be confirmed, but somewhere in the region of £1000 was raised for the SHARE Scholarship Fund, which supports outstanding students in Zambia. My sincere thanks to all who participated and worked so hard to make this event a success.

Mr S Gore – Teacher of Geography

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Zambia At the end of June, 16 intrepid Sixth form students and 3 staff headed on an adventure to Zambia. We stayed in the City of Joy orphanage in Mazabuka – an orphanage primarily focussed on helping girls orphaned by AIDS. As well as the current members of the City of Joy, we also met many girls who had left the orphanage and were being supported by the Share ‘Building Bridges’ program which helps them on the next steps of education. Our students brought many donations from the UK which were given to the local community and girls who had left the City of Joy. Our students worked on improving the City of Joy – fixing up several sports grounds and painting a mural. During our time in Mazabuka we also participated in many sporting events with local teams and conducted interviews with potential students for the Scholarship program.

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We visited local schools including teaching lessons in Luyobolola School which is also home to our funded Porridge club. The students taught a variety of lessons from Maths to Karate to an excitable bunch of children. Students also helped run the Porridge club and saw how our Fridge Magnet campaign helps fill young stomachs daily. We also visited the Flamboyant Special School visiting lessons and dancing, singing and painting with the students. We saw how the school used donations to become self-sufficient with schemes such as breeding chickens and setting up a fishing lake. As part of our visit, we toured to Livingstone for a few days relaxation and visited the breathtaking Victoria Falls as well as a land and boat safari in Botswawa. Our group saw so many different sights throughout this time and the excitement was palpable.

The trip was an adventure of a lifetime and a great time for reflection. Our students did us proud with their ‘can do’ attitude and the mature way they conducted themselves. It was a pleasure to spend quality time with the students and it was definitely an unforgettable trip for all.

Mrs Batt - Sixth Form Tutor

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We are a playground …..We actively encourage all our students to participate in a rich and varied enrichment programme, to develop themselves and friendships that will last a lifetime, along with wonderful memories and experiences.

Year 7 Braywick Year 7 had a great team-bonding day at the Braywick Nature Reserve. The day included a guided walk around the trees, building a campfire and toasting marshmallows, as well as den building.

Mrs M Morrison Head of Year 7

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Year 12 Leadership Weekend The Lower Sixth students enjoyed a weekend in the Peak District and had the opportunity to make new friends and take part in team-building activities. They challenged themselves physically with abseiling, climbing and scrambling, and also mentally to solve various puzzles. During their time away, students had the opportunity to reflect on the journey that brought them to Salesian and think about how they want to progress over the coming two years. A good time was had by all and the sun shone for us throughout the weekend.

Mrs J Pearson – Assistant Head Sixth Form

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Music Concerts A group of Salesian musicians from Years 8, 11 and 13 travelled to our local primary schools to give them a taste of what music at Salesian College is all about. We played them a wide range of instruments including a jazz quartet, ukulele, cello, bassoon, snare drum, guitar and piano.

Mrs S Price – Teacher of Music

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Stem Club The Year 7 STEM Club has had a wide variety of exciting activities, such as a tomato race, making ice cream, and dissecting an eyeball!

Mr P Williams – Teacher of Physics

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The Great Gatsby In November, we saw a new event hit the Drama calendar – the Upper School Autumn Play. This year we chose The Great Gatsby to get things off to a roaring (20s) start!

In this stripped back production, performed on thrust staging, the actors can build a strong relationship with the audience and draw them into the world of the play. Sitting so close to the performance has really highlighted their talent and range as actors.

This has also been Mr Macvean’s directing debut, and what a great job he has done. He was assisted by Deputy Head Boy, Joseph L, as Assistant Director. Joseph has also opted to use this venture as his EPQ project, which examines the process of taking a play from ‘page to stage’. Joseph has been a huge part of this project and we could not have done it without his never-ending passion for Drama.

Miss C Fleet – Head of Drama

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Salesian Showcase On 2 December, an audience gathered in the hall to celebrate the beginning of the festive period and to watch some excellent acts performing. The atmosphere was buzzing, and everyone left completely blown away by how slick the evening was and how diverse and well-rehearsed the performers were. We had a huge, eclectic, mix of acts, from performers of poetry, rock bands covering Christmas songs and a political comedy sketch based in a hospital. The evening was a real hit, and, alongside having a great time, the audience also raised over £800 for local homeless charity, Step by Step.

Mrs A Townsend - Teacher of Drama

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‘The School of Rock’ The costumes have been hung up, the lights have cooled, the dust has begun to settle on the stage. Sadly, our wonderful cast from ‘The School of Rock’ have retired for another year.

The cast and crew put in amazing performances from Year 7 all the way to Year 13, and what a talented bunch they are! The Drama Department email has been brimming with wonderful comments from parents and some of the staff are still in shock at seeing how gifted our students are on that stage – some of them having never done a performance before!

Backstage, the Salesian spirit was in full force with students singing, dancing and hugging. This is the real success of the show; it brings those together from all age groups. They make friends for life. Our own Drama alum Joseph Dodd returned this year to help support the show – they just cannot stay away! This is the power of the performing arts; it unites!

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A huge amount of effort goes into all aspects of the show, and there are far too many people to thank individually here but know every single one gave it their all. To all those who came to support, we hope you ‘rocked’ out and had as much fun as they did on the stage.

Recordings of both Friday and Saturday night will soon be made available, as will the photos. No doubt these will be tremendous reminders of the fantastic memories made.

Now the question on everyone’s lips is… what will you do next year…!?

Miss C Fleet - Head of Drama

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Visits Noughts and Crosses We took our first trip of the year to the theatre to see ‘Noughts and Crosses’ in Richmond with students in Years 10 and 11, who study this as their set text.

Mr L Webster - Teacher of English

The Girl from the North Country Our first Sixth Form English Literature Theatre Trip of the academic year was to the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, to see The Girl From the North Country. This musical, set in the heartland of America in 1934, reveals a heart-breaking story about family and love and interweaves the legendary songs of Bob Dylan to accentuate the plight of wayward souls, who come together as a group in a time-weathered guesthouse.

Joseph L and Dhruv C - Year 13

My Neighbour Totoro On 24 November, all Year 7 and the Japanese students went to see "My Neighbour Totoro" at the Barbican Theatre. The play was an amazing production from Joe Hisaishi and The Royal Shakespeare Company presenting Studio Ghibli. We all enjoyed the extraordinary Totoro, a creature from the woods and main character of this enchanting story, which explores the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination. A huge thank you to all staff involved.

Hari C, 7 A said, "It was fascinating, particularly all of the moving doors and spinning discs and there were some amazing puppets."

Mrs I Cardona - MFL Enrichment Coordinator

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Hamilton Visit Fifty Politics, History and Drama students, accompanied by staff, enjoyed a visit to the matinee performance of Hamilton over the Easter holidays.

It is an inspirational production and certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the most popular theatre productions currently being performed in London.

Hamilton tells the story of one the Founding Fathers of America, Alexander Hamilton. This story is not just about revolution, but it is a revolution itself. Its use of hip-hop, rap, rhythm and blues as part of the musical, along with the inclusiveness of its cast, is what sets this show apart from others.

Mr N Crean - Teacher of History

Windsor Christmas Market and Ice Skating On 30 November, during enrichment we were given the opportunity to go to Windsor on Ice. Prior to ice skating we were given the chance to go Christmas shopping in the town centre, filling us with the Christmas spirit. When ice skating, it would be fair to say not all of us were the most graceful on the ice, but, despite this, spirits remained high however cold we were on the ice. All in all, the trip was amazing and we thank the teachers for the experience.

Alex H, Year 13

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Duke Of Edinburgh Award (DofE) Over 70 students from Year 10 spent the weekend navigating their way around the Surrey Hills!

They were absolutely fantastic at following the routes they planned, brilliantly made camp, and cooked a wide variety of gourmet delights! Well done to all!

Practice Expedition Day 1: We met at the starting point at around 9:00 and left around 10:30. We eventually came to a lake, where we met Mr Prout at the checkpoint, and then we sat down at a bench for lunch. We could all agree that the scenery was superb, and our expedition was full of fascinating conversations and sharing our snacks with each other. We arrived at the campsite much later, at 05:00, and we were led to where we’d set up our tents. After holding a pole for half an hour, I was relieved when the correct way to set up the tent was finally settled on by my campmates, and we were able to relax!

In the evening, I was able to cook curry and rice for dinner that everyone enjoyed and was envied by the many passers-by! We cleaned up our dishes and later settled down for an uncomfortable sleep on the hard ground in physical and mental preparation for the trek they had the next day.

Liam G Day 2: As I awoke at 04:30 to the sound of birds chirping on the second day, I looked forward to our breakfast - pancakes. A member of our group even brought along some maple syrup for them. The next task was packing up our tents and Trangias. We set off at 09:00 with high spirits to our first checkpoint. Our walk on the second day saw us trek across MOD restricted access land and we heard in the distance the military drills. We continued on our walk, and we approached Elstead - our next checkpoint. Finally, we climbed the hill to the car park where we had started the day before.

James P-M

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Overall, a fantastic weekend where our students demonstrated excellent navigation skills, planning, communication, menu preparation and (mostly) good cooking! It was an absolute pleasure to spend the weekend in the company of so many engaged young people who represented Salesian in an outstanding manner. Well done to everyone!

Ms K Lindquist - Duke of Edinburgh Manager

Assessed Expedition On 1 July, 74 Year 10 students gathered in Albury, with rucksacks packed and ready to start their Qualifying Expedition. The groups demonstrated they had appropriate kit, and had packed their rucksacks very well. They left the sports ground with confidence and energy, ready for their journey to the campsite. All of the teams did very well navigating along their routes on the first day, and even when some were misplaced, they managed to re-orientate themselves back to their planned route. All teams arrived at camp in good spirits and in good time. They pitched their tents and cooked a range of interesting evening meals; the most impressive menus being Trangia pizza and curry. The campsite was a hive of energy and sociability with new friendships made, games played, and rap battles won! After a good night’s sleep, camp was packed up well, and breakfast cooked; particularly impressive were the fluffy, American style pancakes cooked to order!

The teams left the campsite ready for their second day of adventuring, and despite a few injuries, all made excellent progress and navigated well to the finish line. It was a brilliant weekend and an absolute pleasure to spend it with so many fantastic young people. Many congratulations to all of the expedition participants for completing their expedition successfully.

Ms K Lindquist - Duke of Edinburgh Programme Manager

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Creative Arts Festival The Lower School Creative Arts Concert was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the wide-ranging ‘Salesianic’ talents. The evening began with a spectacular performance of John Williams’ ‘Star Wars’ Theme given by orchestra. This was followed by solos and ensembles in every genre from Beethoven and Fauré, to Gerry Lee Lewis and Bruno Mars.

There was some welcome variety from LAMDA students, who showcased monologues and even public speaking.

Overall, The Creative Arts Festival delighted us once again, showing that Salesians have an array of talents in the performing arts.

Rohit P – 8H

The upper school Creative Arts performance evening had a very diverse set list, which included many acts from pianists and a violinist through to a metal band, leaving no genre untouched! A special mention for William Bowen in Year 10, who opened the second half with his first public performance on the bagpipes. It was a special evening for Year 11s and the Upper Sixth, as it was their last performance in the school, and this was reflected in the mood of the concert (especially in the touching finale, ‘Hey Jude’). It was a fun and entertaining night.

Jacob C – Year 11

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Gamelan Workshop In this amazing workshop, we were learning to play a Balinese Gamelan Anklun, led by leading expert, Andy Channing. We all got to play the different Gamelan instruments and I think it is safe to say that we genuinely really enjoyed this different experience. It was great fun and we all started to understand what the Gamelan is and the joys of playing it. Our instructor was amazing and he made sure we all knew what we were doing to make the piece as good as it could be. It was fascinating playing instruments that we had never even heard of before. We all learnt different parts and at the end we all joined together to play a proper song. Spectacular!

George G – Year 7

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Sports Hampshire Schools Table Tennis finals Congratulations to the U13 and U16 table tennis teams who played in the Hampshire Schools Table Tennis finals in Basingstoke. The U16 team played really well, winning 4 out of 5 matches and only losing narrowly to Bishop Challoner in their final game.

They finished as overall Runner-up from the six school finalists. Well done to Isaac, Javier, Ben, William and Charlie. The U13 team, who won 4 and drew 1 of their five matches, were overall Hampshire Winners. They now go forward to the South-East finals in January.

Congratulations to Elias, Oliver, Will and Adrian.

Basketball The basketball teams have been on excellent form this season. Our Year 8 and 10 teams are both District Champions and cup final winners - in fact both teams have not lost a game all season! Year 9 were runners up in their league and cup final. What a great season! Well done, boys!

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Cross Country In Cross Country, the College continues to have a very strong reputation. The Junior Squad finished 7th in the English Schools Qualifiers, and the Intermediate Squad third overall. In the Senior District Competition, the junior team finished second, and the Senior Team crowned as champions with Rafferty H coming first and Ben E third! The senior boys team were again first at the ISA cross country competition.

Finally, all of our teams performed well at the Junior District Championships.

Swimming The ISA regional championships at Surrey Sports Park saw the squad bring home 27 medals. Of special mention goes to Benjamin O & Elliot B who became U12 & U13 breaststroke champions and the Year 8 medley relay team who won gold.

The Year 9 and 10 medley relay squad took gold, and silver in the freestyle relay, Charlie C in the senior squad took gold in the butterfly.

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Football Football continues to be a very successful sport at the College, with over 250 students at the College representing teams from Year 7 to 13. In total, 168 games were played. These games have seen 437 goals with one young man scoring 4 of these. There were 91 wins and 17 draws, with 19 hat tricks scored during the season.

Year 7 teams had a busy season with 38 games played.

The A and B squads competed in the district leagues finishing 2nd & 4th respectively with 61% of the year group representing the college in a competitive fixture!

The Year 8 squads played 30 games across the season, winning 19 and drawing 4, with 116 goals hitting the back of the net! This team made it to the final of the District Cup Final against All Hallows, which saw them crowned back-to-back league and cup champions. Goals from Adrian (2) and a couple of late superb saves from Hugo ensured a 2-1 win.

The Year 9 ‘A’ & ‘B’ squads played 25 games with 16 wins and a draw. The ‘A’ squad finished runners up in the district league, narrowly pipped to the title, before also losing out narrowly in the district cup semi-final losing 2-0 to Frogmore. In the County Cup final against John Hanson School, the team won 2-0. The whole team put in a superb performance to ensure the victory. No other school in Hampshire has achieved a District and County Cup double this season!

The Year 10 squads played 25 games and got to the District cup semi-final before penalty heartache, losing 9-8 on penalties to Bohunt. Year 11 had a great start, but injuries had a big impact on their overall success this season.

Netball Our team competed in S1 and they acquitted themselves well finishing mid-table. In total, 14 girls represented the College at netball this season.

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Rugby The College has enjoyed a positive rugby season: 60 matches were played in total of which 29 were won and 3 drawn. In the process, 1340 points were scored. Year 7 A and B team developed well over the season and will go into next year in a much-improved position. Year 8 had a very tough season, with the B team in particular showing improvement week by week. Year 9 won 6 out of 8 matches with big points contributions during the season from William H (90) & Jamie S (55). Year 10 won 6 out of 10 matches but were plagued by injuries.

The senior squad played Super 8s and won the final in spectacular fashion, beating St James 48 – 19. In the Spring, we entered the 7s, and the U16s won the Hampshire Vase Final to become champions!

Cricket Cricket this season has seen over 50 games played, with games midweek in the league and on Saturdays.

Year 7A and B teams have enjoyed success and participation, with 7A winning the district league and getting to the county cup semi-final. 7B have enjoyed midweek games and some excellent and encouraging performances.

Year 8A cricket have had a strong season. They won the district league, winning all of their games, and just missed out on the County Cup, where they played a strong PGS in the final. Year 8 made 1723 off 20 overs, with Archie S making 64 and Fraser G making 52 not out. A fantastic opening partnership of 100 set the platform for a competitive score. However, PGS were able to chase it down with two overs to spare, with one of their students scoring 90 not out. 8B have been involved in some midweek games, which allowed many boys the opportunity to represent the college, as well as develop their abilities within the game.

Year 9 also won their district league… Can you see a pattern occurring?! Boys continue to enjoy representing the College at cricket and all sports, with the Year 9 squad reaching the quarter-final of the county cup.

Year 10 have enjoyed a powerful season in the league, winning all their games, with Josh G striking the ball everywhere with an average of 60 and strike rate of 250+. In the county cup, they did well, before losing to PGS in the quarter-final. We even managed to squeeze in a couple of senior games before exam season!

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Tennis Tennis has had a big presence in the summer term with all year groups seeing out a full season of fixtures. Boys have been involved with the district league notching up 11 wins from 15 games. 27 boys have represented the College across Y7-10 with more competing for places during regular weekly training at school with staff and tennis coach James Vass.

Golf Well done to all the players who took part in these annual Championships which have been taking place for over forty years. The Army Golf Club provided a challenging and excellent course for all our players as ever. The results on the day were as follows: Winner & College Champion Edward Bostock Runner –Up Ethan Viljoen 3rd Place Ali Verderame Winner (net scores) Ali Verderame Runner – up Sam Brown 3rd Place Euan Beecham Junior Championships (years 7-9) Winner & College Champion Nikolai Wilding (78: best round of the day) Runner –Up Rupert Berry 3rd Place Keeyan FitzPatrick Winner (net scores) Keeyan FitzPatrick Runner – up Rupert Berry 3rd Place Reuben Copson Nearest to the Pin (8th hole) Keeyan FitzPatrick Longest Drive (9th hole) Alex Kacary (295 yards drive!)

To all the golfers in school, make sure you enjoy playing some rounds over the summer holidays and we look forward to you taking part in golf events next year.

Mr N Crean - Teacher of History / PE

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Athletics On a very wet Friday, our athletics team set off to Battersea Park for the Annual InterSalesian Athletics Championships. All of our boys were a credit to the College and came home with numerous gold, silver and bronze medals. After a few days of waiting, we were delighted to be awarded the Beckett Shield for the highest aggregate score at the championships for the 10th year in a row.

ISA National Athletics At the ISA National Athletics Championships the boys put on a brilliant show.

Year 7 Reuben 5th in 800m Year 8/9 Archie 2nd in Javelin Year 8/9 Theo 2nd in Triple Jump Year 8/9 Deacon 2nd in 300m Year 8/9 Rosko 1st in High Jump Year 8/9 George 5th in Hurdles Year 10/11 Isaac 2nd in Shot Year 10/11 Lewis 5th in Hurdles Year 10/11 Tom 1st in Triple Jump Year 10/11 Will 4th in 800m Year 10/11 Rafferty 3rd in 1500m At Junior District Athletics, both squads finish runners-up in the team events and lots of excellent performances from the boys.

The Senior District Athletics squads accumulated their highest ever points total, but narrowly missed out as overall champions.

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Sports Day

Sports Day was hosted on 15 June on a glorious day of sunshine! Whilst the conditions made hydration key and suncream vitally important, the students and staff enjoyed a superb afternoon of performance and showed how strong and vibrant the Salesian community is. Parents were welcomed and they turned up in their numbers to enjoy the activities, socialisation and the odd trip to the ice cream van!

There were a record breaking 60 track races incorporating all students to give them a chance to experience track competition, with record breaking numbers across the field events too. What this created was a Sports Day, which, as always at Salesian College, was embraced by all those involved. It was described by a parent to me as 'a festival of sport and togetherness' and I fully endorse this, as what we always look to create is a platform to enjoy the many opportunities that the College can offer.

In total there were 13 records broken, some that have been in the Sports Day Programme for years! The record breakers were: • Senior Girls 100m Eve M breaking Megan H record from 2022 with a time of 14.34 • Senior Girls Long Jump Eve M breaking Megan H & Molly B record from 2022 with a jump of 4.24m, worth noting there were 3 competitors who broke the old record!

• Senior Girls Shot Annabel L broke Megan G’s record with a throw of 7.80, • Senior Girls High Jump Robyn S set a record of 1.30m • Senior Girls Triple Jump Robyn S set a record of 8.20m • Year 10 100m Alex F tied Chuka I record of 11.43 from 2022 • Year 10 200m Alex F shattered the record set in 2000 of 23.40 with a time of 23.22

• Year 10 1500m Rafferty H took Ben E record set last year with a rapid time of 4.25.13 • Year 10 Triple Jump Thomas K broke the record set by Alex K with a new record of 12.43m • Year 10 High Jump Thomas K broke the record set by Eddie R in 2007 with a leap of 1.66m • Year 9 High Jump Rosko H took down a record set in 2007 with a leap of 1.67m • Year 9 Triple Jump Max B broke a 7 year record with a new record of 11.22m • Year 8 High Jump saw Archie S set a new record of 1.47m, taking Tom M record set in 2022 of 1.46m

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The House results were as follows: Year 7 1st Hugh's 2nd Aidan's 3rd Dunstan's 4th Bede's

Year 10 1st Hugh's 2nd Aidan's 3rd Bede's 4th Dunstan's

Year 8 1st Aidan's 2nd Dunstan's 3rd Bede's 4th Hugh's

Senior (Boys & Girls) 1st Aidan's 2nd Hugh's 3rd Dunstan's 4th Bede's

Year 9 1st Aidan's 2nd Hugh's 3rd Bede's 4th Aidan's

Overall Lester Shield 1st Hugh's - first time since 2001!

2nd Aidan's 3rd Dunstan's 4th Bede's

Mr Cousins - Head of PE

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Inter House Sports 2022 - 2023 FOOTBALL Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Overall

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St Hugh’s St Hugh’s St Bede’s St Bede’s St Hugh’s

ATHLETICS Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Senior Overall

St Hugh’s St Aidan’s St Aidan’s St Hugh’s St Aidan’s St Hugh’s

HANDBALL Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Overall

St Bede’s St Dunstan’s St Hugh’s St Hugh’s

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CROSS COUNTRY Year 7 St Aidan’s Year 8 St Dunstan’s Year 9 St Aidan’s Overall St Aidan’s

RUGBY Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Overall

St Hugh’s St Hugh’s St Hugh’s St Hugh’s

SOFTBALL Year 7 Year 9

St Hugh’s St Aidan’s

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Sports Awards It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Darren Harrison as the guest of honour to our Sports Awards evening on 4 July. Darren is a world-champion kickboxer who has provided training for our Sixth Form students during Wednesday afternoon enrichment sessions.

During the course of the evening, 312 colours were awarded.

Some headline statistics: Basketball: 35 games played, with 26 wins. Year 8 winning the league and cup double for the second year in succession. Year 10 have won every game in the league and cup since Year 7!

Rugby: 60 matches played, 29 won and 3 drawn. U16 won the Hampshire 7s vase Football: 250 students at the College have represented teams from Year 7 to 13. In total, 168 games were played, 437 goals (with one young man scoring 47 of these). There were 91 wins and 17 draws, with 19 hat tricks scored during the season. Year 8 became League Champions for the second year in a row, and won the District Cup, and Year 9 won the County Cup. Cricket: Year 7A have played 12 games, winning 8, drawing 1. Along the way, they got to the county cup semi-final and remained unbeaten in winning the district league.

Athletics: Winners of Inter-Salesian Beckett Shield for 10th Year in succession, winners of the London West ISA athletics championship, along with numerous

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record breakers at events around the country.

Netball MVP: Megan H Honeywill Trophy: Rupert B Dawson Trophy: Austen B Lombardi Trophy: George L and Jay M Old Salesians Bosco Cup: Aubrey C Stokes Cup: Tom B and George G Father McGuiness Trophy: Charlie C Brother Dariusz Cup: William R Sportswoman of the Year: Annabel B Robert Stella Trophy: Harry E Patrick Wilson Trophy: Finlay H Gareth Cousins Cup: Joel K Ben Tucker Trophy: Oliver B

Mr G Cousins - Head of PE

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Football Tour to Lisbon It was a great honour to lead 64 students, 6 staff and 3 coaches to Lisbon over February half-term. After beating Storm Eunice last year and a bumpy flight, the flight this time was peaceful, and we landed in Lisbon to blue skies and 64 highly excited students looking forward to their football tour.

The students were first class throughout and the hotel manager commented that they were the best behaved group they had ever had. High praise indeed!

The students were spilt into 4 squads, with each team playing 2 games against Portuguese opposition. They had 3 training sessions, one at Benfica Academy, and also took in a match in Liga Portugal between Sporting Lisbon and Porto at Jose Alvalade Stadium, which was an incredible experience for all.

The tour ended with end of tour awards, with Charlie C (U13A), Kolya K (U13B), Alex C (U14A) 7 Henry C (U14B) winning player of the tour awards with Noah P, Rafferty B, Rosko H and Prabanchan S winning the outstanding tourists awards for their conduct on the tour. Whilst these 8 boys won the awards, 64 students excelled. Adrian O won the golden boot with 5 goals in 2 games as he nears the 100 goal mark for the College. Special mention to Toby T, who

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broke his arm on day 2, but he soldiered on and was a great presence amongst the group with his positivity and smile.

Thanks to the parents for handing over the boys to us for 5 days, and to the staff and coaches for giving up their halfterm on a thoroughly memorable and enjoyable tour.

Mr G Cousins - Head of PE

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Ski Trip Day 1 started at 10:00am, meeting at Salesian College. We arrived at the hotel in Les Deux Alpes at 10:00pm, where we found out we had the entire hotel to ourselves!

After getting our equipment, we were separated into our groups and headed up the mountain. Each day, we skied for 2 hours before lunch – which we had back at the hotel – and then another 2 hours after lunch. We continued with this pattern for all 6 days, participating in many different fun activities in the afternoons and evening. These included things such as laser tag, quiz night, bingo, movie nights and relaxation time when we could use the dart board and pool table.

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Most evenings, we even had the chance to go out into town and spend some money in the shops. On Thursday, we had the chance to dress up in costumes to wear out on the slopes. After we had finished skiing on Friday afternoon, we gave gifts to our instructors and they presented us with our ESF achievement certificates ranging from one of the lowest levels for those that hadn’t skied before to the highest level of achievement for seasoned skiers like us.

All in all, it was an incredible experience for everyone and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m sure many of us are looking forward to going on the trip again next year.

Sam Y and Cameron B - 9 St Hugh’s

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USA Football Tour 32 students and 4 staff travelled to USA in July for a soccer tour to Los Angeles and San Diego. In total, the two squads played 5 games each and enjoyed a wonderful time away. Some of the many highlights in Los Angeles included visiting and playing Don Bosco Tech in LA, big match experience at the home of MLS champions LAFC, training and matches at LA Galaxy, a tour of Hollywood and Six Flags Theme Park. The fun and action kept coming with the brilliant Mission Bay in San Diego being a most enjoyable location to enjoy the sea breeze and further games, experiences and much needed relaxation. Part of any tour is the relationships built between students and teachers in an environment outside of the classroom, and it was fair to say 32 students were a pleasure to have touring with team Salesian in USA! Mr Cousins – Head of PE

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PTA activities I would like to add my thanks for the incredible work of the PTA, who continue to be admirably led by Betina. Together, they have organised some fantastic events for our students this year, such as the Year 7 & 8 Disco, which for two years has had record numbers attending. In addition, the Christmas Fayre was another very successful event, where the Salesian Community could celebrate and prepare for Christmas, as well as support a number of our nominated school charities. The students have been very grateful for the Krispy Kreme Donut events, which often were a sell out!

Furthermore, parents have been hugely grateful for the effort that goes into running the second hand uniform shop.

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The PTA has also supported the College, serving refreshments at events such as the College Production, Sports Day, Sports Awards, our new Year 7 parents information evening, Quiz Night, the Feeder Football Tournaments, The Salesian Showcase, The Festival of Carols and Readings and countless more. I am also delighted that the Spring Ball and the Summer Fayre have been reintroduced to our calendar. These events bring the Salesian Community together in a relaxing and fun atmosphere, raising money for the PTA and other worthwhile causes. I wish to also extend my thanks to all the parents and students for supporting the PTA. As a result of your support, the PTA has helped to purchase new equipment for the students, including footballs, basketballs, table tennis bats and balls, new picnic benches, cricket stumps, a laser cutter for Design & Technology, a new projector for the Drama Studio and countless other items for departments across the College. The new equipment the PTA has purchased this year has further enhanced our students’ learning, their engagement and their enjoyment!

Thank you again for all that you do.

Gerard Owens - Headmaster

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New equipment the PTA has purchased • Flow Meters for Geography • Camera for the hall • 3 concrete picnic benches • 2 wooden picnic benches • Prize Night Donation • Table tennis bats, balls, footballs for all year groups • Basketball nets • Projector and trolley unit for Drama • Laser Cutter for Design Technology • Female breasts for PSHE • Games for DBC

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Events • Christmas Fayre • Donut sale • Raffle • Prize Draw • Festive Prize Draw • Year 7 & 8 Disco • The Production

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E D U C AT I N G F O R L I F E

119 Reading Road Farnborough GU14 6PA T. (01252) 893000 E. office@salesiancollege.com W. www.salesiancollege.com

www.salesiancollege.com