Summer Newsletter 2016

ST EDMUND ARROWMSITH CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL WWW.ARROWSMITH.WIGAN .SCH.UK

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: 

We are Waste Busters!

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Prizes at the Portico

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Eddies in Num3ers

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A Faithful Farewell

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A Diamond Day at the Palace

For regular news and events from St. Edmund Arrowsmith, visit our website.

S E A News A Message from the Headteacher S U M M E R

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As I look back on 2015-16, I do so with an immense sense of pride in the whole school community. From the first event I had the privilege of experiencing, the Year 7 Welcome Mass at St Oswald’s, to one of the last, the Year 10 Young Enterprise team winning the north-west final to make it through to the national final, I see pupils and staff working exceptionally hard together to make the school experience at St Edmund Arrowsmith so fulfilling.

Our Year 11 pupils have now completed all their GCSE exams and move on to new challenges at Sixth Form College or in apprenticeships. We recently had three occasions to celebrate their time with us. In May the Leavers’ Mass was celebrated by Fr Gorman and Deacon John in St Oswald’s Church. Just after May half-term we held a Leavers’ Assembly, where pupils reminisced through photos and videos of their five years here and finally, last week we had the culmination of the celebrations at the Leavers’ Ball at Rivington Barn - which was fantastic and provided the highlight of the year. I hope the pupils take with them many happy memories and a genuine desire to have a positive impact on the world. I would like to think the pupils never really leave St Edmund Arrowsmith, as they will always remember their time here and will, hopefully, come back to us many times in the years ahead.

Our preparations for our new Year 7 cohort are complete. Mrs Morgan, Mrs Melling and Miss Harley have conducted visits to all of our partner primary schools and have made all the necessary arrangements for a successful integration into our school in September.

Year 6 Induction Day on 5th July, Let’s Sing! at Robin Park on 6th July and our three-day induction programme 6th – 8th July, all contributed to ensuring that our new pupils already feel a part of our school. We are all looking forward to seeing them on the first day in September, to welcome them into the St Edmund Arrowsmith school community.

After a series of outstanding letters and interviews, we have made our senior prefect appointments for next year. We are very lucky to have so many exceptionally talented, committed and dedicated pupils, which made the selection so difficult. I am delighted to announce that Tony Kemp will be Head Boy, with Adam Smith and Luke McConnell as deputies, Jade Boyle is our Head Girl, and Nadia Barton and Melissa Pace as deputies. We are certain that they will serve the school extremely well in the year ahead.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Wright (30 years) and Mr Farrall (15 years) for all their hard work and dedication to the school. They have made a huge contribution to the school and I wish them every happiness in their well-earned retirement.

Finally, I would like to thank all the staff, parents and governors for the magnificent support you have shown to me this year. I rely on all of you to work together in a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect which creates the nurturing environment that is ‘Eddies’. Our aim is to inspire our pupils to make the world a better place and we can only achieve this by working so successfully together. On behalf of everyone in school we wish you all a happy and relaxing summer holiday.

M J Dumican, Headteacher

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We are Waste Busters!

Did you know that roughly 350,000 tonnes of used clothing gets buried in landfill every year? As a school, we were shocked by this startling statistic and this is why we signed up to the Waste Buster Recycling and Rewards Scheme. Not only will it help reduce the amounts in landfill, but it will ultimately help raise vital funds for our school.

Just after Easter, each form was given a charity bag to fill with items of unwanted clothes, shoes, handbags, ties and belts ready for the big ‘weigh-in.’

The many bags of clothes, waiting for collection

School will receive money based on the total weight of the collected items. So, the more we send in, the more money we make for school.

Thank-you very much to parents, pupils and staff for donating their unwanted items. Particular thanks to Luke McConnell Year 10, Natasha Lambert Year 11, Patrick Hewitt Year 9, Joshua McHenry Year 7 and Lexi Arkwright Year 8 for being the keenest ‘Waste Busters.’

HOT OFF THE PRESS - We are delighted to report that, once weighed, we collected 310kg of good quality clothes, shoes, handbags etc. - the average collection is 250kg. This means that we have generated £124 for school funds or pupil rewards. Quite impressive for a first attempt!

Please be aware that we are going to be repeating this at various times throughout the year so keep saving your unwanted items to help St Edmund Arrowsmith raise vital funds for school. We'll let you know when the next collection date is arranged for.

Some of the pupils and staff who have made a significant contribution to the collection

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Disciplined Debating in a Democracy On Tuesday 19th April, the enthusiastic and ambitious ROAR (Russell Group or Alternative Ready) Year 8 cohort gathered once again. We were all very eager to begin!

ROAR is a project designed to inspire and encourage high-achieving students who are conscientious and willing to achieve and get the most out of their education. This programme was created to raise our individual aspirations and show how we can challenge ourselves to succeed massively in the future.

Firstly, Mr Denton welcomed us with a warm and friendly introduction and gave us a brief summary of what we would be experiencing at the ROAR session. He stressed how the important session would add, enhance and develop our opinions/views on the challenging and controversial subject ‘Humans are destroying the planet.

Discuss.'

Following Mr Denton's introduction we were then joined by our very friendly guests: Mel, Chadwick, Vice Principal of Winstanley College and Charlie, an ex-pupil. They explained that the session was going to be about debating and developing these skills in order to create a strong and balanced argument.

Throughout the evening we were asked to work in groups of four and were asked to debate a variety of important subjects relating to plastics recycling. Each group was given a different topic to discuss and we were required to write a personal debate about: rewards for recycling, an education being provided in schools regarding recycling, punishments the public could face for not recycling and how to change plastic into biodegradable materials.

Each student thought in great detail and all students contributed enthusiastically to the group debates which also required us to listen very carefully to each other!

We only spent a short amount of time preparing our personal opinion and the debate which we were going to propose to the class. When the time came, each of us stood up and offered our argument, giving excellent and significant advantages and disadvantages. Each member of the ROAR group prepared strong arguments and delivered them with a confident and persuasive attitude, also displaying a mature approach to the opinions of others. We all tried hard to include figures and statistics in our debates to make them even stronger.

Finally when we came to vote, there was a very competitive atmosphere as every individual had strong opinions on the different debating discussions. However, when the time came to vote, 'education for recycling' won with 17 votes. This particular group had obviously created a strong, persuasive argument, as they successfully managed to win everybody round with their powerful proposals and debate. Well done!

A special mention must also go to the group who proposed the debate about rewarding recycling and who got 14 votes, as they also presented a very powerful argument to the rest of the group!

The session was thoroughly enjoyed by all and was lots of fun to participate in! We all received a Winstanley College pen as a gift, which was great! Many students said how time had flown by and we can’t wait for the next meeting; an excellent evening enjoyed by all.

by Caitlin Taylor, 8M2 Listening to each others’ points of view

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“This was an experience none of us will forget and will be a great thing to put on our CVs.”

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Prizes at the Portico On Thursday 28th April, four students visited the Portico Library in Manchester to receive awards: Adam Smith, Jordan Cleary (Year 10 students), Ella Vernon and Jasmin Pierce (Year 8 students), all walked away with £30 book tokens and the drive to push on and continue writing reviews and fiction.

As usual, the day consisted of the great British weather – four seasons in one day, so umbrellas and sunglasses were required when travelling. Mr Dumican kindly drove Mrs Payne, Mr Meyer, my fellow

students and I to the Portico Library in Manchester. The one-hour sessions we attended, consisted of questions and answers regarding the stories and reviews we had written. The Y8 girls received their prizes first and spoke to Paul Morris, the children’s author about their journey and chosen book in the ‘mingling’ time. Both Ella and Jasmin were winners in the Reading Prize category.

will be added to the Portico website soon.

Jordan Cleary came 1st in the Sadie Massey Writing Awards with his story and I came 3rd in the same event. I was also a winner of one of the Reading Prizes.

This was an experience none of us will forget and will be a great thing to put on our CVs. We are all now determined make the very most of the next opportunity offered by the Portico. Our new aim is to write an exceptional story and win the Portico’s £10,000 fiction prize!

The senior awards took place later in the afternoon and Jordan and I both spoke in front of the audience about our stories and the inspiration behind them. The winning entries by Adam Smith, 10C2

Mrs Baylis, pictured with the talented writers

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‘Buzzin’!

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Friday 24th June was an important day for our country as the result of the EU Referendum was revealed, but on a much smaller scale, it was an important day for Year 7 and the English Department for it was the date of the Year 7 Spelling Bee Final in the school hall.

Mr Halliwell spoke to Year 7 first about the how spelling is vital for good communication and Mrs Payne gave the perfect example of this when she arrived with a placard saying, “Bad spellers of the world untie!” With the introductions and explanations over, the final could commence.

The buzz about the Year 7 Spelling Bee began several months ago when form tutors and English teachers trained their forms in how to participate in the competition and started to select representatives for their forms. A semi -final took place earlier in the week to identify Year 7’s spelling elite, as did the Last Man Standing Competition, to reveal the best overall speller in Year 7. His identity was only to be revealed at the final.

At the final, tension built in the school hall. Current positions were revealed and Southwell had a strong lead, but Mrs Taylor explained that everything could change depending on the level of spelling difficulty that the teams opted for. Harder spellings earned more points! On stage, competitors waited nervously for their turn.

Several teams had opted for the more difficult two-point words and at times, spellers may have regretted that decision. The countdown clock all added to the pressure and even the audience winced as Mrs Taylor dished out difficult delights from the dictionary. Hispanic, japonica and jamboree (just what is a jamboree?) to name but a few.

After twenty five minutes of intense spelling, the competition was over, but it was now time for the audience to be tested and a conundrum challenged them while the scores were counted.

Mr Dumican took to the stage to announce the winners …and, in traditional reverse-order style, the early leaders Southwell finished in joint 3rd place with Maine. In 2nd place was Barlow with 75 points and Owen were crowned the winners of the Year 7 Spelling Bee, amassing an amazing 84 points. The best overall speller was revealed to be Matthew Duffy from 7G, spelling the three-point word ‘colossal’ correctly to beat off his rivals.

There was a final round of applause to congratulate the winners, commiserate with all of the gallant losing spellers and say thank you to all the staff for their hard work in organising such a wonderful opportunity for Year 7 to improve their spelling and also have some fun along the way.

By Mrs L Payne, Head of English

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Informed and Inspired The chance of getting a place as a Better Reading mentor was slim, and also very difficult for Mrs McLoughlin and Mrs Taylor to decide, following a rigorous application and interview process. In fact, only fifteen out of the thirty-or-so applicants were successful, such was the calibre of pupils applying for the role.

On Tuesday 26th April, we excused ourselves from periods 2-5, as Mrs Holden, a literacy consultant, came in to school and gave us advice and training on how to be a great reading mentor. She taught us how to forge bonds with our mentees, how to listen properly and how to give useful advice and constructive praise. We also watched a video of Mrs Holden, modelling how to mentor; which we found really interesting as it was a great example of how to be a mentor for real. Everything she said made sense to us all and we absorbed as much of her advice as we could before the afternoon session where we would put all of this new knowledge into action.

In the afternoon role-play session, one person was the mentee, another was the mentor and the third person was the observer. We all took turns to play each role, with the observer reporting back to the rest of the class on how the mentor had handled the situation. The mentor and mentee also gave feedback, explaining how they felt during the role-play. We found this to be very useful, as we all learned from the comments that the others were making.

“I am now definitely looking forward to being a mentor and putting it all into practice very soon when I meet my Year 7 mentee.�

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The end of the day came far too quickly and, after completing our evaluation questionnaires, we gave a massive thanks to Mrs Holden for passing on her wealth of knowledge to us, so that we can become the best reading mentors that we can possibly be.

I am now definitely looking forward to being a mentor and putting it all into practice very soon when I meet my Year 7 mentee.

By Hannah Sutcliffe, 9S1

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Eddies in Num3ers

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books were borrowed by pupils from the library during the past 12 months!

To the school website last month.

Check us out at: www.arrowsmith.wigan.sch.uk

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We are Little Tree Books...

We are Little Tree Books, a Young Enterprise company representing St Edmund Arrowsmith. Last month, we were placed runners-up in the Greater Manchester finals of the Young Enterprise competition and proceeded to the North West finals. Now, I have great pride to announce that we have won these finals, and will represent the region in London at the UK finals – a success that, whilst well-deserved, is unexpected to the whole company.

Since the Greater Manchester finals on 4th May, our team has worked hard to make sure we have the best possible chance of succeeding, whilst also revising for the mock exams and other class tests that took place just a week after this event. Due to our improved time management, we were all able to achieve and exceed our expected grades, whilst also making progress with the company’s development

“I am extremely proud at how far we have come.

We are proof that hard work pays off, and that teamwork really is essential to success.”

Our first task was to improve the quality of the images in our book, ‘Don’t Hurt Me, I’m Just a Bee’. However, this was no simple task, as it required members of the company with skills in Adobe Photoshop to put in a lot of extra work. Some images had to be redrawn, graphics had to be changed, and text was moved to accommodate for page numbers. Albeit not sounding like too much work, I found my co-workers and myself leaving school at 5:30pm on some days, still with work to do to improve the book. Eventually, the work was complete, and we had a brandnew version of ‘Don’t Hurt Me, I’m Just a Bee’ complete and ready to be printed. We were also now in a position for it to be sold as an eBook on Amazon. But our work was far from over.

Simultaneously, our company had agreed a deal with Nielsen Books for ten, ISBNs. These would allow us to sell to retailers and stores such as Waterstones and WHSmith. There were many forms to fill in and the cost was considerably high, but with the strong faith in our product and the potential that it has, we bought them.

We have also written and finalised the script for our next book, ‘Don’t Hurt Ida, She’s Just a Spider’. With this script, a rough storyboard was produced, and our graphics designer, Hannah Barston, got hard to work illustrating the twenty pages in the book. This task was done quickly, and the result was of high quality. With the illustrations complete, the text had to be added, along with some final touches to the images. Unfortunately this small list of jobs-to-do grew, and one night we only left school at 6:30pm because we were still working hard to perfect everything and ensure the quality of the pages were satisfactory.

Needless to say, our hard work paid off. On Monday 13th June, we received our improved ‘Don’t Hurt Me, I’m Just a Bee’ book, and our new book, ‘Don’t Hurt Ida, She’s Just a Spider’ – courtesy of Gemini Print, just in time for the North West Finals.

On Tuesday 14th June, we left school and travelled to the AJ Bell Stadium, Salford, with twelve of us cramped into a coach, along with our equipment for the stall which occupied the remaining seats. We promptly set up our stall for 1pm – two hours before the judges arrived. This allowed us to get in some last-minute practice for our presentation, go over some important facts, and try to relax.

3pm came and we stood anxiously at our stall, with our artificial grass, book-stands, awards, certificates, decorative beehive, and pull-up displays. We confidently answered the questions asked, and received praise from the judges, as well as the other companies involved. We took shifts on the stall, answering various questions, to make sure we all got involved and contributed to the occasion.

S E A NEWS

We were third to present out of the seven teams, and the mere mention of our name provoked a large round of applause. I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting to be called up to present, excited to represent the company and all the hard work that made us what we are today. Adam Smith, Aleyna Adamson, Joshua Matthews and I stood cramped on the small stage in front of the large audience. Despite my leg slightly shaking, I did not let this affect the presentation and we spoke confidently, clearly, and coherently. We finished to many cheers and rounds of applause, and later on we were complimented for how amazing our presentation was.

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We are Little Tree Books...

The exhilaration of presenting made me numb from any anxiety, but I was still aware of its presence from the slight tingling in my stomach all throughout the remaining four presentations. When the presentations had finished however, the excitement had worn off, and I found myself feeling sick, knowing that this night could be the end of the road for what had been a long journey for Little Tree Books. Despite this, I managed to stomach the delicious pie and chips that was provided!

Our presentation attracted customers, as during the period between the presentations and the results, many people gathered to buy our products – we sold £45 worth of books! Whist this was great news, it was still not enough to calm my nerves.

The results were announced early, meaning there was not long left to find out If we were to continue. I sat, hands crossed, as awards were announced. First of all, awards were handed out for the Centre Leads time and work which they have sacrificed for the Young Enterprise scheme, meaning that Miss Hampson and Glyn Matthews, from Speedy Hire were, quite rightly, given an award. The first few awards congratulated individual members of companies for their hard work and effort, before the fourth award, ‘Retail Excellence’ sponsored

by ASDA, an award recognising excellence in sales technique and results, was introduced. To my surprise, we were announced as the winners of this award. Then, I found myself genuinely smiling, not smiling from anxiety like I had been for the past few hours that night, but smiling because I realised that we had a chance to progress. And sure enough, we did. The ‘Company of the Year’ North West finals award was brought out, and tension (as well as my hopes) rose in the room. Unlike previous rounds, only the winner could continue to the finals. Considering the winners of the Greater Manchester finals had presented that night, we felt the

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pressure and worry that they would continue instead of us, especially due to the quality and work of their product. Much to our delight, we were announced as the winners. We could not help but shout and scream in both surprise and happiness. We boasted fifteen company representatives (with three making their own way to the finals after school) and we somehow managed to fit onto the stage, where we were photographed many times. It was difficult managing to stay still when I had so much energy built up inside and I was welling up with tears from the camera flash (and partly because I was still in disbelief), but somehow I managed. We were then photographed at our stall, before being given a pack informing us of the UK finals.

The forty-minute drive home consisted of cheering, celebrating, and elation, despite how exhausted we all were.

I am extremely proud at how far we have come. We are proof that hard work pays off, and that teamwork really is essential to success. The road ahead was foggy, but our determination has cleared the fog and success is just on the horizon. We have achieved more than we could have ever hoped to achieve, and after everything we have been through, we know that any obstacle ahead of us can certainly be tackled. We have a short deadline of completing everything for the UK finals by Monday 20th June - the day that we finally get the McDonald’s Miss Hampson promised us. The UK finals will take place from Wednesday 6th July 2016 – Friday 8th July 2016, and we anticipate we will be on BBC Breakfast, representing the North West, and St. Edmund Arrowsmith. We hope to return from that trip with awards in hand, and if that is the case, we will be going to Switzerland for the European finals. We will keep you posted.

by Tony Kemp, 10M1

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Crime Awareness On Friday 22nd April 2016, we were lucky enough to welcome the CELLS team into our school. We were given timetables which told us where to go throughout the day, and spent this exciting few hours learning lifelong skills which would benefit us all in the future.

After registration, the team gave us an entertaining introduction explaining who they are, why they came and how you shouldn’t judge someone by how they look. Each of the team who came have either been to prison in the past or had experience with crime and its consequences.

“I think the CELLS team really helped me understand prison and what happens inside more. Before they came in, I only knew rumours about prison. I also understand how it affects more than just the person involved with the crime.”

The first lesson for my group was “Family Perspective” and was held in the gym. I feel that, considering the amount of people who were taking part in this event, it was organised and made the most of the time we had. In Family Perspective, we learnt about who crime effects and how it will affect your future, even though you may have been very young when you committed even the smallest of crimes. We had to make brisk decisions on whether certain situations count as robbery, or not. It came as a shock to us that situations that many of us thought deserved no punishment, were in fact crimes, which demand punishment – perhaps even jail. This can obviously devastate someone’s whole family in many ways.

Next, we spent an hour in the main hall learning about "Gun Gang and Knife crime".

Here we found out about the consequences of carrying a knife, gangs, the best way to deal with tricky situations and the penalties. “There are no upsides of being in a gang, it is all downsides.” One man said he had been in prison nineteen times, and had been stabbed over 70 times. This shocked us all, and the stories we were told were eyeopening and extraordinary.

Emily Grimshaw-Brown in 9L1 had this to say about the session: “I found the gun gang and knife crime session very informative and helpful. It explained all about not just the concept but the consequences of carrying guns and knives with you. They even showed us images of these consequences, although they did look gruesome! However, they were beneficial to us all because it shows what can happen.”

In my opinion, the most horrific, yet crucial part of the day was finding the truth about prison life. There was a realistic outside mobile unit which demonstrated the cramped cells and the dark sweat boxes where people would sit for hours on end. In prison, you have no rights.

"You aren’t a human, you are a captured animal".

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Crime Awareness

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In Mr Bateman’s drama studio, we found out more about the dangerous people you are forced to live with and the torture and the violence. You are never safe, and could get hurt at any moment. There isn’t even sympathy for pregnant women. This makes us all realise how lucky we are, and that you shouldn’t believe anyone who says prison is anywhere near ‘okay’. We are lucky enough to have an identity, to have family and friends, to have education in St Edmund Arrowsmith and to have choices in life and a say in things.

Alicia Davies in 9A2 commented on the prison-life session: “I think the CELLS team really helped me understand prison and what happens inside more. Before they came in, I only knew rumours about prison. I also understand how it affects more than just the person involved with the crime.”

Before we went for dinner, we had a very informative “Drugs and Alcohol” session, which told us about the mistakes some people have made, where drugs and alcohol have changed their lives forever. The stories we were told were truly inspiring, and I don’t think any of us would dream of making the mistakes some people have made.

We can only take this opportunity and treat it as a lesson to ourselves. Now we know the risks of taking drugs, even just the once. Families were destroyed and are still being destroyed today.

To finish with, we learnt about "Joint Enterprise and Victim Impact". This was very significant because barely any of us knew what either of these things were, but by lunch we had a new way of thinking. Hearing the story of Connor and his suicide, we were left heartbroken but so lucky to be there with the CELLS team. I didn’t believe we would learn so much, but the day was incredible and I hope their messages spread to others.

by Amalea Grundy, 9L1

Pupils listen in rapt attention to the CELLS team

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Nail-biting Climax to Eddies Lit Quiz Many students in Year 9 were surprised when, one morning during form, tutors handed out a 50question quiz. On the sheet, there were questions about every kind of book and soon everyone was engrossed, scribbling furiously in an attempt to answer as many as possible.

Pupils ponder the questions in the semi-final

This was the beginning trials for the Year 9 Literature Quiz. Quizzes were handed in and the four highest scorers from each form went through to the semi-finals, which took place the following Friday in the library. The semi-finals would narrow down the four contestants from each form to just two. These two would then join together with the pair from the other form in their House to create six house teams, with four pupils in each. The semi-final was split into five rounds, each with a different literature-related theme. Everyone who took part agreed that it was quite difficult, and although everyone tried their best, there were only so many places available. Everyone who got through to the final was told that they were allowed to invite one person along for some much-needed moral support.

Emily Grimshaw-Brown said: “I thoroughly enjoyed being a spectator for the literature quiz. I think that it was a really good thing for everyone and I liked the fact that you didn’t have to be in a particular English set to be able to participate; it gave everyone a fair chance at being able to compete. I also liked the idea that everyone who was participating in the quiz was allowed to bring someone to watch and also how the spectators could also participate in their own ‘mini quiz’.”

Teachers marking the answer papers

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The following Tuesday, tension filled the school hall as the nervous finalists began to file in and take their seats. After several minutes of anxious fumbling and seatswapping, Mrs Woods, the organising English teacher, gave a brief welcome speech and the finals began.

Within minutes, everyone was racking their brains and whispered discussions broke out, as people agreed and argued in hushed tones. Everyone was very competitive and at the halfway point scores were very close, with just two points separating 1st and 2nd place.

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Nail-biting Climax to Eddies Lit Quiz

The quiz in full flow Eventually, after an hour of intense quizzing and excitement, it was time to add up the scores and reveal the winners. It was, once again, unbelievably close, with 9C on 26 points, narrowly beating 9L, who scored 25.5. Both teams received prizes and achievement points were given to all who took part.

Georgia Hardman, who took part in the quiz, said: “When I found out I had got through to the semi-finals of the quiz I was incredibly happy and excited. The semi-finals were intense but I still enjoyed the experience. The rounds had questions with the themes of: Opening Lines, Harry Potter, Shakespeare and Modern Literature, amongst others. We found out straight after the semis whether we had made it through. I again was overjoyed when I was informed I was in the final. The actual final was intense all the way through, however our team (James Forshaw, Rachel McGuire and Gracie O’Gorman and I) still managed to share a few laughs throughout. Well done to everyone who competed. ”

by Krystyna Szczerba, 9C1

Hmmmmm...is it Dumbledore or is it Voldemort?

Another action

n-packed term!

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The car, which can be controlled by the mind

An Exciting Glimpse into the Future St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School took delivery of some new technology this week when Headteacher Mark Dumican was presented with some state-of-the-art devices kindly donated to the school by Tim Wood of Woodwards Solicitors, Haydock.

The devices were demonstrated by Chris Burgess of CBISEducation, who manufacture the systems, to our Head of Computing, Ben Whitfield and students Jessica

“It’s a pleasure being able to give something back to our local community and great that we could help St Edmund Arrowsmith.”

Hollett and Harriet Olurankinse. They include a robotic arm and a wireless remote controlled car which can be programmed to carry out tasks using software developed by the company using Raspberry Pi computers. However, most excitingly, they also include a head set which can detect brain waves and use them to control the other devices.

Mr Whitfield tried this out by first controlling a shape on a screen and then moving to the bigger challenge of using his mind

to control the car. “It is incredible”, he said “Once I had practised the movements, I just had to think about which direction I wanted the car to go and it did it!”

Students Jessica and Harriet also had a go at this and were equally impressed. “How can it do that?” they said, “It was amazing.”

Chris Burgess said “It’s great to be working with St Edmund Arrowsmith and we look forward to helping them, and their primary schools, integrate this into the curriculum.”

Harriet and Mr Whitfield, having a go!

Tim Wood, Woodwards Solicitors

Mr Dumican thanks Tim Wood for his kind generosity to the school Head teacher Mark Dumican expressed his thanks to Woodwards for their kind donation: “We really appreciate the generosity Tim has shown and have no doubt the kit will make a great difference to the Computing and Technology departments.” Tim Wood also commented: “It’s a pleasure being able to give something back to our local community and great that we could help St Edmund Arrowsmith.”

by Mr S Farrall, ICT teacher

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Portico Prize Secures Author Visit

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Pupils from St Edmund Arrowsmith were among the winners of the 2016 Sadie Massey Portico Reading and Writing competitions. As part of the prize our school was given the amazing opportunity of working with a published children’s author.

On 14th June, Mrs Graham's 8E1 and Mrs Doolan’s 7Y2 English classes worked with the award-winning author and English teacher Martin Griffin (pen-name, Fletcher Moss). It was a lively, exciting and interesting experience which everyone enjoyed.

The first thing Martin spoke to us was about when he was a child and what he wanted to be when he was older. He wanted to be an author but many people discouraged him and suggested other careers. Martin told us to not to let other people tell you what you can and can't do and to always follow your dreams.

Next, he told us how he comes up with his story ideas. Martin uses a game that he likes to call Person, Place, Problem. We had to pick three numbers between one and twenty. The first number would give us the person in our story, the second number would gives us the place in our story and the third would give us our problem. He then showed us three grids, all with twenty squares on. We had to match up the number we chose with the correct grid and whatever it said would be our person, place or problem. The outcome was usually hilarious and strange. Our next challenge was to try and make a storyline using the person, place and problem we had. This boosted creativity and showed that if you have enough imagination, you can write something amazing.

Finally, Martin read the first few pages of his new book, Lifers. It was thrilling, action-filled and left the whole class wanting to read on. The storyline of the book was actually created using the Person, Place, Problem scenario. It is recommended if you enjoy thriller or action books. It really is a page-turner.

In conclusion, the workshop was inspiring, enjoyable and very amusing. Rachel Thorpe, 8C2 said: "It was really useful and fun to play the Person, Place, Problem game and I learnt how to write amazing stories. It was funny listening to everyone's stories." Everyone who took part enjoyed it and we would all love to do it again. Thank-you to Adam Smith, Jordan Cleary, Ella Vernon and Jasmine Pierce who were the competition winners, as it was their hard work and talent which provided us with this amazing opportunity!

by Abigail Donlon 8C1

Pupils enjoy creating their story

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Pupils file into church

A Faithful Farewell At St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, five years goes by with the blink of an eye. It seems as though one moment you’re laying out your brand new uniform the night before your first day and the next you’re taking part in your final mass with school and wondering where on earth all those years went. There’s a sense of

finality in the Leaver’s Mass; a sense of finality that I’m not sure anybody is quite ready to face.

The Leaver’s Mass was an occasion wrought with emotion as there was a certain acknowledgement from all people (students and staff) involved that this would be this year’s Year 11s last full service with Eddies. After five years of regular masses, it’s certainly understandable that it may be

overwhelming to realise that this is the final one.

For the choir, whose members had virtually stayed the exact same since Year 7, it was a bittersweet service that saw the end of a musical era in the school. The soloists and, of course, the rest of the choir all received countless

The mass began with the hundreds of Year 11s filing into St Oswald’s Church for the final time as a complete year group. As the entrance hymn began and the voices of the choir seemed to bleed

into one, the aforementioned sense of finality seemed to sweep across the room. The formalities of mass provided a comfortable unity as individuals joined together in worship with a shared sense of purpose that contradicted the different paths that each would take upon leaving school in the next few weeks.

The altar, suitably decorated for the occasion

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compliments at the end of the mass that I am sure they will carry with them for many years. Those that took part in the readings and offertory acted out their roles perfectly, allowing the service to run smoothly and without fault.

Father John, once again,

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For all of that hard work because we’re played his part in the mass perfectly and his homily on the ‘Parable of the Talents’ was truly relevant to all in attendance – what with the upcoming exams and all. He spoke a lot about not exactly how people should not be afraid to show their talents and open themselves up to vulnerability the easiest because it is through our talents and vulnerabilities that we are able to develop as people. He spoke of how exams are just one of the trials and tribulations that we will face throughout life people to and he gave many words of encouragement to the young people hanging off his every word.

During our time at ‘Eddies’, I am sure everyone can agree that our ‘talents’ have been cultivated by the dedicated teachers that we have been blessed to have and have aided in our manage in the development in becoming the young adults we are today. world - I Mrs Wright, the Head of Year, read what can only be described as a raw poem that delved into would just like the ideas of growing up and what it is like to witness children become young adults. There is a certain admiration to be had for a woman who knows how to do her job (Mrs Wright’s being to say a big the challenge of aiding in the development of inherently good human beings) and who does it very well. I certainly don’t think that we Year 11s would be as delightful as we are if it weren’t thank you to for Mrs Wright’s close watch and guidance throughout the years. For all of that hard work because we’re not exactly the easiest people to manage in the world - I would just like to say a Mrs Wright on big thank you on the behalf of Year 11. behalf of the Now I ask, what would an occasion like the Leaver’s Mass be without an inspirational speech by Mr Dumican himself? Barely an occasion at all if we were completely honest with ourselves. Mr whole of Dumican ended the mass prudently with words from Mother Teresa that, I am sure, will Year 11 resonate with us all throughout life as Mother Teresa, and her gifts of courage and compassion, has resonated with Mr Dumican throughout his own life. We were reminded of the vocation to kindness that fulfils our lives as Christians in the wake of our passage from secondary school to a more uncertain and overbearingly adult future.

The Leaver’s Mass serves as a sign of the end of an era but also the beginning of the next leg of the journey. At the Leaver’s Mass we received a faithful farewell and, after all the school has given to us, it’s the best farewell we could have asked for as we begin the next step in our lives.

By Samantha Fairhurst, 11S

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A Diamond Day at the Palace Headteacher, Mark Dumican and I were lucky enough to be invited to the Duke of Edinburgh Gold presentations on 16th May. It is the 60th-year celebration of the award and a garden party was held at Buckingham Palace to present all of the young people who have completed their gold award with their certificates and to present all of the licensed centres with their plaques to display in school.

Ronan Keating meets Prince Phillip

“The day was excellent, and it was a real honour to represent the school; a true once -in-a-life-time experience.”

In the palace grounds, with the coveted certificate

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Our day started off by meeting at London Euston. Mr Dumican had been into morning briefing at school, (dedication!) then swiftly boarded a train to get him down to London as fast as he could. We immediately made our way over to Westminster Cathedral. I have never been to the cathedral before, however Mark makes it a 'must see' every time he visits the capital.

We looked around the magnificent building, soaking up the history, and also made time for our own personal prayer. Mark then alluded me to what he describes as one of London's 'best kept secrets' - we went up the Westminster Cathedral Tower to observe London from one of its highest viewpoints. From each side of the tower, it was amazing to spot landmarks such as Westminster Abbey, The London Eye, Big Ben, Wembley Stadium; all of the views were truly breathtaking.

After a leisurely walk through London, we headed over to Buckingham Palace.

It still seems surreal now, looking up at the palace, looking through the tall gates and seeing the Queen’s guards standing motionless with the vast sea of red gravel in-between. It dawned on me that very soon we were going to be on the other side of those gates! As we made our way through security and walked round the front of the palace, we soon found ourselves in the magnificent grounds of the palace itself.

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Waiting to go through the palace gates

We found our group, which was allocated geographically, and were with young people and teachers from schools in and around the North West. We were greeted by the uplifting sounds of the national anthem and were then welcomed by Prince Phillip, Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex.

We had a guest speaker for our group who was to present the awards and plaques along with the Countess of Wessex (Sophie). Our guest speaker was Roz Savage. Roz is the first woman to row solo across all three oceans and was awarded the title of National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year. She gave a great talk about her challenges and the obstacles she faced; she was truly inspirational. Roz then presented each of the gold award winners and the licensed organisations with their awards and plaques.

Other guest speakers who attended the garden party included Ronan Keating, Anna Friel, Jon Culshaw, Ben Cohen, Kristina Rihanoff, Larry Lamb, Jane Torville, Anton Du Beke and Jennie Bond, to name but a few - all who had been selected by Prince Phillip himself.

The day was excellent, and it was a real honour to represent the school; a true once-in-a-life-time experience. To be at Buckingham Palace and celebrating 60 years of the DofE award, and to be part of the appreciation of the hard work that both the young people, organisers and organisations do, was simply brilliant. It really validated why we give the pupils of St Edmund Arrowsmith the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award year after year.

by Dave Morgan, Head of P.E.

Roz Savage with Mr Dumican & Mr Morgan

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Year 8 Graduation The Year 8 ROAR participants gathered in the school hall on the evening of Tuesday 24th May at our Graduation Ceremony, where we had the opportunity to display our presentations to parents, teaching staff and local college representatives, showing off everything that we had learned throughout the experience.

Mr Denton commented that all the students had prepared for the evening independently and without prompt or reminders. Many students stayed after school until the evening commenced at 6:30pm. In addition to lots of hard work and preparations, we enjoyed the chance to eat and socialise together, reflecting on the many new friendships we have made during the ROAR process.

Matthew’s excellent display

We were grateful for the attendance of representatives from Carmel College, St John Rigby College and Winstanley College, who set up their own display tables, viewed our presentations, whilst also answering questions from both students and parents throughout the evening. As parents began to arrive, we prepared ourselves to answer questions about our individual presentations and our 1000-word essays entitled, ‘Mankind is Destroying the Planet: Discuss’. Mr Denton encouraged parents to look around all the displays and ask the students as many questions as they liked. It was clear that many, many hours had been spent on the displays and essays. The main hall transformed into a learning oasis, showing the impact that mankind has on our environment. Some students had made large backdrops for their tables, some used computing tablets and some had interactive activities. All the displays were informative and thought-provoking.

The ROAR teachers had taken the time to write and deliver a personal comment about each of us, which we really appreciated.

Students put their heart and soul into producing outstanding displays

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Another of the thought -provoking presentations

The evening was very well attended, so ROAR students had lots of opportunity to explain presentations and share some of their ROAR experiences. Some tables had queues at times and as it was a warm evening we needed to drink lots of water so we did not lose our voices whilst talking so much! Students reported that the ROAR experience had been hard work, a commitment of extra hours every week, but very enjoyable, with reflections that they got out of it even more than they had put in. Many students also commented on the benefit of learning and socialising with students from the opposite half of the year, who they would not usually be in any classes with. It was clear from student comments that the ROAR subject of the impact that mankind has on the environment had encouraged many of them to increase their consideration of taking geography as an option next year.

At the end of the evening everyone sat down for the graduation presentations. We all enjoyed a video of memories from our time in ROAR so far. Head of Year 8, Mr Jones and Mr Denton jointly handed out the individual graduation certificates with a grade mark and copies of our essays accompanied with feedback. The ROAR teachers had taken the time to write and deliver a personal comment about each of us, which we really appreciated. We were reminded that this is not the end of our ROAR journey and there will be more opportunities to get together during our remaining three years in school. This will hopefully include a trip to a Russell Group university in September. It was a proud moment for students, teachers, parents and the college representatives who delivered talks to use throughout the process; a time to think about how all the hard work we do now in school will benefit us in the future, with the emphasis on the options and choices it will give us to follow what we are passionate about.

Thank-you to Mr Denton, Mrs Leonard, Mr Gribbon, Mr Jones , Mr Dumican and Miss Myler, our parents and the college representatives, for the support and guidance given to us during this time. Finally, a special thank-you to all the participants for the hard work, determination and fun we had whilst taking part in the Russell Group or Alternative Ready Programme.

By Rachel Thorpe, 8C2

Rachel, with her informative display

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New Head Boy & Head Girl I am Tony Kemp and I am the new Head Boy. It felt like only yesterday that I made the transition to high school, and I find it difficult to believe that I am approaching my fifth and final year, plus the fact that I am currently doing my GCSEs! When I first started in Year 7, I was a boy ridden with anxiety – feeling worried for ‘big school’ and the amount of homework and responsibilities it would entail. However, after the first week or so, I settled in, and my worries were put to rest.

“I feel ready,

and that everything I have done up until this point has prepared me for the responsibility.”

Since then, I have grown and developed many skills, and they have made me completely unrecognisable to my younger, Year 7 self. This year alone, I have undertaken many roles, such as being a peer mentor, maths mentor, and a reading mentor. In October 2015, I participated in the school production, The Wizard of Oz, as the Head General and a farmhand. Also, I am involved with Chaplaincy and IMPACT; helping to promote the importance of our school’s Catholic faith by reading at masses and helping at charity events. I have also been trained to be a Eucharistic Minister. As well as this, I have been part of the Year Council, speaking on behalf of my form to discuss the changes that they would like to happen in school. I am also Sales Director for Little Tree Books, a Young Enterprise company representing the school. I have also volunteered as a prefect at after-school events, such as parents’ evenings. In other years, I have contributed to the BBC School Report, ‘The Big Draw’, and represented the school at the Portico Library and in the UKMT Maths challenge. All of these opportunities have contributed to my confidence and ability to work independently, but also as part of a team, and have equipped me with the necessary skills to undertake this important leadership role of Head Boy. I am overwhelmed by the fact that I was chosen to be Head Boy. In a year filled with a lot of boys and girls dedicated to the school and who applied to be Head Boy, (twenty-eight applied!) - I was so shocked that I was the one to be selected.

Whilst I understand this role will be a lot of work and will require time and devotion, I feel ready, and that everything I have done up until this point has prepared me for the responsibility. For the next twelve months, I envision that my role will be to improve the school even further by listening to the suggestions of everyone and putting them in motion wherever possible, whilst still representing the school and its Catholic ethos.

By Tony Kemp, 10M1

When I first moved to St Edmund Arrowsmith, I was amazed by how big the school was and how many pupils there were, but everyone from teachers, to older pupils to my peers, made the transition enjoyable and made me feel welcome and part of the community. The teachers made lessons fun and enjoyable and I got to experience every moment with my friends from primary as well as the many new ones that I made.

The school offered me so many opportunities: opportunities for everyone, from sports teams and academic clubs, to religious groups, all of which have been great to participate in. In Year 7 I tried out for the hockey team and have been captain ever since, as well as joining other sports teams such as netball, football and

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New Head Boy & Head Girl rounders. I am also a member of IMPACT, Chaplaincy, Peer Mentoring, The Book Club and have been a member of School Council twice. All of these groups gave me the opportunity to meet new people who have similar interests to me and are a way that I can give back to a school that has given so much to me. Our school works hard to raise money for many charities and during my time at this school I have raised a total of £700 as an individual.

Being chosen as the new Head Girl is such a privilege and I am highly honoured to take on such a prestigious role within our school. I know that there will be many challenges ahead but I am happy to face them all head-on with the support of the rest of the senior prefect team.

In my role as Head Girl, I aim to make other pupils’ time at our school as enjoyable as possible, by devoting my time and effort into listening to their views, ideas or issues, and trying my best to fix them. I hope to follow in the footsteps of previous Head Girls and impact on everyone and every aspect of school life in a positive way, as well as to inspire other pupils to be the best that they can be.

By Jade Boyle, 10C2

Jade and Tony—New Head Girl and Head Boy

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We’re on the way!

Fun on the French Trip On 26th May, 47 pupils along with seven members of staff began our journey to France. Setting off in the dark at 12:30am, we finally arrived at Dover Port to embark on the ferry at 6:30am. After we arrived in Calais, we had a further three hours on the coach and

later spent our first afternoon at a shopping centre. We had a few hours to eat lunch and look around the shops, before we got back on the coach to drive excitedly to our first accommodation, The Chanteloup Hotel.

On the first full day in Paris, we had an early start. We had to be at breakfast for a very

early 7:30am and later set off for a tour of Paris. A tour guide joined us on the coach and told us all about the fascinating history of Paris. We visited the Eiffel Tower, The Cathedral de NotreDame and the Louvre.

We then had lunch at a raclette restaurant, which we thoroughly enjoyed! We had jacket potatoes and were able

to put on whatever fillings we wanted, reheating them on the raclette. It was loads of fun! Next we also had a lovely boat cruise along the River Seine.

Euro Disney. We spent half of the day in the Disney Studio Park and the other half in Disneyland. After a funfilled and action-packed day, we left the centre of Paris and travelled up north.

Our second accommodation was a hostel-like home called Chateau d'Ebblinghem,

where we spent the remainder of our trip.

On day three we visited a traditional French bakery where we learned how old traditions of baking are being kept alive. We were educated on how French bakeries used to bake their bread and how this bakery

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

Having a raclette meal

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Sunday was our favourite day of all because we visited

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continues to use this same method. It was really fascinating.

We also visited a popular aquarium named the Nausicaä Aquarium in Boulogne, where we spent the rest of the day.

There were numerous species that we encountered around the aquarium and we all took lots of photos. Later that day we went bowling, with everyone joining in and having a great time. We all enjoyed this day so much and wanted to do it all over again.

Our last day was spent in Belgium, visiting the Langemark German Military Cemetery and the Tyne Cot Cemetery. This was where we spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on what happened during WWI and WWII. We also visited a Belgian chocolate shop in Ypres where we all bought lots of chocolate to take home. To conclude the trip we had a fancy dress party, where we dressed up as whoever we wanted, danced to some music and had a contest to see who had the best costume. This was a brilliant evening!

Wednesday was a sad day; we all had such a good time and didn’t want to go home. We had another long journey ahead of us, but before we set off we had a small award ceremony. Pupils got awards for being kind by sharing sweets and different things like that. Unfortunately, we were stuck in traffic on the way home which made the journey even longer!

Despite the non-stop rain we encountered, we had an amazing time in France, but I think we can say that we were all glad to be back home to the sunshine we had left behind in England!

By Keva Doherty and Anabel D’Souza

Having fun at the fancy dress party

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Summer Reflection on Mercy

In December, Pope Francis launched the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. In school, our IMPACT groups have focussed on five of the corporal acts of mercy and have worked hard this year to raise money and to provide support for their chosen charities. All pupils have a mercy card courtesy of the Design Technology department which may be used for reflection and on occasion, to ask for mercy for transgressions committed in the classroom!

However, we are only half way through this Year of Mercy and as we approach the summer holidays I would like to reflect on what mercy can mean for us as individuals. The dictionary defines mercy as “compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” Quite often, we do not show ourselves enough mercy. How many hours have you wasted this year dwelling on an event and berating yourself for what you did or did not do? St Francis de Salles wrote, “Be patient with all things, but most of all with yourself.”

The summer holidays are an important time of year for pupils and staff alike. It is a time to rest and rejuvenate, a time to reflect on the past year and then set our sights on the challenges that lie ahead in a new year group, with new pupils or for our Year 11 leavers, carving a new place for themselves in the world. When reflecting over the last year, remember to be merciful with yourself and when you set your sights on the next academic year, set yourself achievable goals.

Both Jewish and Christian traditions believe that rest is important, and scripture commands a day of rest be observed. Or, to put it another way, a day of recreation. If we split the word in two, we get re-creation. By resting, we are made new, recreated and ready to face life again. Make the most of your time away from school, and return refreshed and ready for a new start.

Prayer for the Summer Holidays Thank you, Lord, for holidays.

For time to do what we like.

Help us to make the most of it, and to think of others as well as ourselves.

May we return afterwards Refreshed and renewed.

Amen.

By Mrs C Landor, Second in R.E. department

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