Newsletter October 2019

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Dear Parents and Carers HIGHLIGHTS p2 SMSC day p3 Stay safe online p4 Curriculum enrichment p5 Shakespeare p6 Football and Karting p7 Football and flute success p8 Rugby news p9 Year 11 results p10 End of year service p11 CVE Day

stunning results and I acknowledge the significant It has been another produc- part played by supportive tive half term at St parents and carers. I hope Michael’s and I trust your it is reassuring to all parchildren have once again ents to know that our settled into the school rou- young people can achieve tines and are already work- superb results, regardless ing diligently, enjoying life of the teaching group they and thriving in ‘body, mind are in, when pupils, staff, and spirit.’! I hope the con- parents and carers work tents of this newsletter will together in such a united manner. give you a flavour of life at St Michael’s and the range of enriching extra-curricular We are looking forward to seeing Year 11 again on activities and events hapThursday 21 November at pening on a regular basis.

Awards Evening, when Once again we were all ex- GCSE certificates and prizes will be distributed. tremely pleased and proud

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of our Year 11 leavers who gained such outstanding GCSE results. Overall 92% of pupils achieved Grades 9 -4 in both English and mathematics; 88% of all pupils gained at least 5+ standard passes (9-4 grades) including English and Maths, with 75% gaining at least 5+ strong passes (9-5 grades). An amazing 29% of our pupils attained 5+ passes of Grades 9-7 and our Attainment 8 score was 58.2 meaning that the average grade achieved by our pupils is classed as Grade 6 (former Grade B.)

This is an amazing achievement by our former Year 11, who displayed an excellent attitude towards school and who worked with diligence and dedication. I commend the outstanding commitment of both pupils and staff in achieving these

Excellent attendance is one of the key factors contributing to achievement. Please could I take this opportunity to remind you that schools Year 7 are not allowed to authorise Our new Year 7 pupils have absence for holidays in school settled in particularly well time and only in the most and have become accusexceptional circumstances tomed to our routines very will leave of absence be quickly. They have already granted. Please check on the proved themselves to be a school website before bookgroup of positive and ening holidays as the pattern thusiastic young people may change from year to who I know will have very year. Thank you for your suphigh expectations and aspi- port with this matter. rations of themselves during their time here at St Road safety Michael's. I was delighted Astley Road is very busy at to see their enthusiastic the start and finish of school involvement in the Christian and I would like to ask for Values Enrichment Day and your support in ensuring all their commitment to their our pupils are able to access year group charity LEPRA. and exit the school site safeIt was wonderful to see so ly. Please may I remind you many parents and carers of that the school car park our Year 7 pupils attend the should not be used as a turnLearning Information Even- ing area for vehicles. The ing and we look forward to preferred route for all vehiseeing parents and carers cles is down Millfield Road at the Year 7 Tutor’s Conand up Astley Road. If you sultation Evening on Thurs- are collecting your child from day 7 November. school, please consider parking a little way away from Attendance school. We also ask for your

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assistance in reinforcing the importance of road safety and the dangers of using mobile phones and wearing headphones whilst crossing roads.

Staff We are delighted to welcome our new staff; Mrs Sue Rosewell is teaching Design Technology, Mrs Vicki Clarkson Teaching Assistant, assisting particularly with the Maths Department, and Mrs Karen Smith is our part time Cover Supervisor. Mrs Rachel Brunsden has begun her maternity leave and we wish her well. Mrs Lindsey Tait has joined the PE department to cover Mrs Brunsden’s maternity leave.

We would also like to congratulate Miss Stacey Evans on being appointed as Leader in Learning for Online Safety, The Prevent Strategy and Effective use of Social Media in the Workplace. Similarly, we congratulate Mr Keith Tierney, Curriculum Leader for Science on his appointment to work alongside the Senior Leadership Team and lead a learning and teaching project.

Year 11 Consultation Evening I greatly enjoyed meeting many parents and carers at our Year 11 Consultation Evening. Thank you for taking the time to complete the questionnaire as we find your comments useful in our continual school improvement process.

Thank you once again for your support for all we do here at St Michael's. As prospective parents look at this time for a secondary school that is right for their sons and daughters, I know the Christian ethos of this school is a major factor influencing them but so is your recommendation and endorsement. This is very much appreciated!

Yours sincerely J Jenks Headteacher

PUPILS in Year 10 had a diverse day of different activities relating to Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Education as part of the Christian Values Enrichment Day. The day, which commemorated St Michael’s Day, is aimed at allowing pupils reflection time away from the usual taught curriculum, looking at Christian Values such as koinonia, trust, respect, justice and forgiveness.

Pupils engage in activities including understanding the Prevent Strategy, being able to articulate extremism and radicalisation; they look at immigration and also British Values.

Emphasis is also placed on their own wellbeing, learning about healthy living and the benefits of sport, body image and self worth, having sessions on yoga and mindfulness, aimed at equipping them with relaxation techniques to look after their mental health.

For further information about the CVE Day, please see the pupils’ reports on page 11.

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The website Internet Matters have published useful ‘step by step’ guides to help parents and carers set up the controls and privacy settings on social networks, apps, devices and websites that may be useful in keeping our children safe whilst online.

Advice for parents

There are various types of parental controls that can be set up, most of which are free to install. However, please remember that although very useful, parental controls should not replace the need for parents to check children’s devices and still advise children about using the internet safely.

Internet Matters website: https:// www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/ THE biennial trip to Berlin, Krakow and Prague is once again proving extremely popular, with more than 50 pupils involved from Years 9 and 10 and more

interested pupils on a waiting list.

Growing in mind and spirit This educational experience also offers pupils the chance to pay their respects to those who suffered and perished at Auschwitz Concentration Camp where our young people get an unforgettable glimpse into the horrors of the Holocaust.

Pupils also have the chance to visit Germany’s capital city, learning about World War 2 and the effects of the Cold War on this city, as well as having relaxation time and opportunities for souvenir shopping.

The visit is organised by Mr Kirkpatrick and will take place in the October half term of 2020.

TOTALLY triumphant triathlete William has raised more than £600 for the Muscular Dystrophy UK Charity!

William, who is in Year 7, along with his brother, travelled to the outskirts of London to take part in a triathlon event which saw athletes running, swimming and biking their way to some serious fund raising!

William and his brother both suffer from muscular dystrophy themselves but showed great determination and resilience taking part in the event, and William even says he is thinking about taking part again next year!

The Muscular Dystrophy Charity help to raise money to fund research into finding treatment and a cure for Charcot Marie Tooth Disease.

Well done William—what a fabulous effort!

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OUR COMPASSIONATE pupils have been relishing the opportunities to serve their community as the Year 9 Curriculum Enrichment programme takes off!

Year 9 Curriculum Enrichment takes off..

Our young gardeners have started to tend our school garden, which is now primed and ready for planting. And a plan for new compost bins is underway, helping our young people to care for their environment and ‘show stewardship!’

Pupils have also been involved in balsam bashing at Cuerden Valley Park and helping with Chorley in Bloom’s Edible Gardens in town.

The residents at Highgrove House Residential Home have also had a visit from Mrs Stansfield’s tutorial, who performed a dance, music and drama display on the theme of King Cotton.

They performed excellently and were very well received by the residents who clapped and sang along with our pupils.

Pupils have also been donating their delicious cakes and biscuits to Chorley United Reformed Church’s Open Kitchen.

Revd Mike Print

Young needleworkers have honed their patchworking skills making a blanket to be sent to charities.

And others have been learning skills such as mending clothes, picking up new ICT techniques and helping to write stories for this newsletter!

The pupils are all taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and expedition skills have also played a part in the programme. Pupils can now pitch tents, cook meals on trangias and read maps and plan routes.

Art and design also play a part in the activities, with these beautiful flowers being created out of recycled plastics, which will be used by Chorley in Bloom at their displays.

Yoga has been the new physical pursuit of the day.

Just some of the activities for Year 9

And we were delighted to welcome local junior doctors to help lead the CPR session during the First Aid lessons.

Similarly we are very grateful to Santander and Tesco for their involvement in the careers sections of the afternoon, to B&Q and Barton Grange Garden Centre for their kind donations and especially to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award staff who are always on hand to assist and advise on this new programme.

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OUR enthusiastic linguists enjoyed a glimpse of life beyond St Michael’s when they attended an A level taster day at Runshaw College.

The talented Year 10s have high aspirations of languages beyond GCSE and they sampled a little of the challenges that may lie ahead for them, taking part in role plays, listening to some A level German and trying their hand at very complex translations.

The pupils went with Curriculum Leader for Languages, Miss Nicholson, who said: ‘Both the Runshaw teacher and I were very impressed with the level of language pupils could understand and produce.

‘The pupils enjoyed the experience and certainly learned a lot from the morning!’

THIS beautiful piece of artwork was created by our prospective pupils in Year 5 and 6 and completed by the Year 10 Textiles Mentors.

Youngsters from local primary schools who attended Open Evening began the project which involved painting more than 200 leaves in autumnal colours.

OUR talented dramatists had a ‘tempestuous’ time when they travelled to Manchester for a Shakespeare workshop.

On Tuesday 8 October an excited group of St Michael’s performers went to the Z-Arts centre in Manchester to take part in the workshop aimed at helping them prepare for their upcoming performance of ‘Henry V’ at the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival.

Growing in mind and spirit

Thirty three students from school joined with other pupils from the Fallibroome Academy to develop skills that will help them to entertain their audience in November. The pupils were taught to ‘Land the Line,’ ‘Share your stories’ and not ‘Kiss or Kill.’ They also worked on creating individual personalities for their characters.

The pupils performed the dramatic opening of their play to the students from Fallibroome and received their praise with enthusiasm.

Then they listened to Ferdinand and Miranda sing the love song that will go into Fallibroome’s production of ‘The Tempest.’

Organiser, Miss Forrest, said: ‘Our pupils said that they had had a fantastic time and enjoyed making new friends with like-minded young people. They also felt that they learnt important practical skills that will superpower their performances in the future.’

She added: ‘They now have three working weeks to complete their retelling of the life of Henry V, before it is ready to be presented to an expectant audience.’

If anyone would like to support our pupils on the night of the November 15 then tickets are available from the Z-Arts box office on 0161 226 1912.

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TOP footballers Ella and Abi are raising funds to travel to Texas to play against some top American teams.

Growing in body and spirit

The girls both play for Preston North End and recently took part in a 25 mile bike ride around the Guild Wheel to help pay for their trip which is set to take place over the Easter holidays.

They are also taking part in a 10km walk through Blackpool illuminations in November.

The girls will be playing against the highest ranking academy soccer teams in America and staying with families. There is a chance that this experience could lead to scholarship opportunities for attending American universities and colleges in the future!

Ella, who has been playing with the Preston team for five years, said: ‘I’m most excited about just playing football, staying with a new family and having this new experience.

‘I love playing football because it’s just stress free and fun!’

KEEN karters have been travelling far and wide across the country taking part in the NATSKA championships this half term.

Pupils attended a competition in Lincolnshire, where team members Leo in Class 7 took 2nd place, Sam took 4th and Dan 6th, Beth and James in Class 14 gained 4th and 6th respectively. Jamie took 8th in Class 12 and again our new Year 7 class 11 drivers continued to impress, with Ben, Harry and Nathan all performing well. It was also another solid outing for Evan starting from the back of the grid in his final race as a novice.

Karters also enjoyed a successful weekend in Lydd, Kent. Leo and Harrison made it a St Michael’s 1st and 2nd in Class 7, Beth came 3rd in Class 14 and Year 7 pupil Evan achieved an excellent 10th starting as a novice from the back of the grid. All drove superbly and made the long trip worthwhile.

Karters also travelled to Northamptonshire, where the five Year 7's, Nathan, Harry, Ben, Oliver and Evan all made good starts to their karting careers. Jamie came 3rd and Beth 4th in their new classes and there were 3rd and 6th places for Leo and Sam in Class 7.

Parents are welcome to browse the school's Moodle at http:// moodle.saint-michaels.lanc.sch.uk Click on Parent Zone > Log in as Guest User > Agree Site Policy > and there you are! Parents do not need a username for the public areas of Moodle.

The areas accessible to parents include weekly prayers, worship, weekly listings of clubs, revision advice, technical support and occasional questionnaires to give feedback on events.

Pupils can visit Moodle Club in H7 on any day of the week at lunchtime throughout the year for advice, support in accessing home learning, and the resolution of password concerns.

Do direct any enquiries about moodle to moodle@saint-michaels.lancs.sch.uk S A I N T M I C H A E L ’ S N E W S

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Forty five young players took part in their first football fixture, which saw our Year 7 pupils compete against Holy Cross in a Round Robin format.

Growing in body and spirit

Difficult decisions had to be made selecting the team that then took on Parklands in the Chorley Schools Cup. In a 7 goal thriller, St Michael’s won in extra time after a 3-3 in normal time.

PE teacher, Mr Kohler, said: ‘The extra time winner caused large celebrations but St Michael’s were graceful in their victory at the end of the fixture offering handshakes and three cheers.

‘There were lots of goals but notable performances from Max Fisher, Jacob Cummings and Kai Gore.’

The team then played in the semi-final against Bishop Rawstorne, where they unfortunately lost 2-1.

In the first round of the English School Competition, our team travelled to Accrington on an incredibly wet Friday afternoon. However, in an excellent team performance from all players, our Year 7s ground out a 1-0 away win against a tough opponent.

Mr Kohler said: ‘The only goal of the match was scored by Lucas James, with a simple tap in at the back post with 15 minutes to go.

‘James’s anticipation for a loose ball was this difference between the teams and this goal sealed the victory for St Michael’s.

‘Our next round fixture will see us travel to Manchester again for what is sure to be another tough away fixture against The Coop Academy.

‘Well done to all boys who have represented Year 7 at football so far this term.’

FANTASTIC flautist Daniel was both surprised and delighted when he learnt he was the recipient of an award!

Daniel received a letter through the post telling him he had been honoured for the extremely high distinction grade he achieved in his Grade 8 flute exam when he was 14.

The now Year 11 pupil said it was a ‘complete surprise’ to receive the letter, which also contained a monetary prize, congratulating him for being one of the highest achieving players for the year ending April 2019.

The award was the Horatio Memorial Prize and also means his name will be featured in an online Annual Review each year.

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Daniel has been playing the flute for nine years and is our extremely talented Year 11 Principal Musician.

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RUGBY continues to entice large numbers of our sporting youngsters as pupils in all year groups take on teams across the region.

St Michael’s hosted the Chorley Schools’ Rugby Tournaments for Years 7 to 11 in early October, with the teams from Years 9, 10 and 11 achieving third place in their league.

Growing in body and spirit

Our Year 8s competed fantastically well in a tough tournament and our Year 7s enjoyed their muddy afternoon with all but two players playing Rugby League for their first time.

PE teacher, Mr Kohler, said, ‘It was great to see so many pupils representing St Michael’s for the first time. Well done to all competing at these festivals.’

Training for these year groups is on Tuesdays after school.

Year 10 rugby

The Year 10 team have had a tough start to the year with a fixture against Fred Longworth School. With strong performances from Louie O’Donnell and Jack Roberts and outstanding displays from the forwards, a 30-24 win saw the boys through an incredibly close game.

The Year 10 team then played against Westleigh School in Round One of the Wigan Emerging Schools competition.

Mr Kohler said: ‘Despite a 16-10 loss, the Year 10s were involved in an incredibly brutal and bone shuddering fixture which tested resilience and mental strength in every player.

‘With St Michael’s in the lead for the majority of the match, a late try from Westleigh sealed their victory after extra time loomed with the score at 10-10 for a considerable time.

‘The Wigan Competitions are tough and are designed to test our rugby boys against some major rugby playing schools.

‘The boys stepped up the to challenge and they didn’t back down once. The task now is to play at that level every fixture here in Chorley.’

TWO amazing artists have been awarded with producing the Artwork of the Month!

Kate Hiller and Katie Taylor’s work have been chosen for the way the pupils have used the materials creatively and sensitively.

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For updates and reminders or just to keep in touch... why not follow us: @SaintMichaelsCE

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By Arwen Minton and Natalie Su Dedicated and hardworking former Year 11s received their results on August 22 for completing their GCSEs.

Year 9 have been writing stories as part of their new Curriculum Enrichment programme. The following pages contain the stories they have researched and written themselves. Researching and writing stories and learning about photography is contributing to their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award ‘skill’ section.

Former Year 11s receive their results with joy as the 2019 results show a phenomenal ‘Attainment 8’ figure of 58. This means that the average grade achieved by a pupil at St Michael’s is a grade 6 (B).

Growing in mind and spirit

It’s the event all former Year sults Day!

11s were waiting for: Re-

‘I am very proud of each pupil’s performance.

These results are truly transformational and will provide them with an excellent foundation for a successful future,’ said Headteacher, Mrs Jenks.

Mrs Jenks is truly proud of her pupils for their performances, moreover, she congratulates each student for their outstanding work. She believes that their opportunity will benefit them for their future. _______________________________________________________

By Katie Johnson and Anna Livingstone On August 22 Year 11 opened the envelope that would reveal their future.

After five years of studying, the results were finally in the hands of the pupils themselves.

A lot of these results were expected by teachers but a lot of these results were higher than expected which is a really great achievement for the pupils of St Michael’s!

We asked some teachers for their comments about the exam results.

Mr Fraser said: ‘Results were very good and the pupils worked very well.’

Mrs Thompson said: ‘The results were mostly 9s and 8s and I am very proud of that.’

These results are really good and keep improving every year at St Michael’s. The pupils should be proud of what they have achieved and so should the teachers of the results in 2019. ________________________________________________________

By Isaac, Oliver and James On August 22 the Year 11s got their results. These will help them get far in life when they leave St Michael’s and go to college.

The Year 11s did very well on their exams and made us all proud. As they opened their envelopes a burst of excitement filled their body as they got their brilliant GCSE results.

The current Year 11s are now trying to repeat what they did this year so they can go to college and succeed for the rest of their lives.

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By Lillie Newsham and Abbie Cooper ST MICHAEL’S pupils were treated to a brilliant end of year service based on becoming a more eco friendly school.

On July 25 all years gathered in the hall to listen to the end of year service. So many years worked hard to put this service together.

Year 8 created t-shirts based on the theme of being eco friendly. They also created instruments for scrap materials and, while most of them played instruments, some of them did a dance to open the worship.

The Dance Academy created dances based on carbon neutral travel and plastics in the ocean and the Drama Council created a sustainable cooking show, monologues, raps about fashion and extinction rebellion protests.

Some of the textiles pupils went to a charity shop or brought clothes from home and made them fashionable, adapting them to the daily fashion.

We asked Alyssa McCaffrey in Year 8 a few questions about the end of year service.

She said: ‘It took a few weeks to create the opening dance to the worship and Mrs Burgess and Mrs Walsh both helped. The part I enjoyed the most was making the dance.’

We then asked her what Christian values did she use in this worship. She told us: ‘Trust, because of the big lift at the end and she had to trust the people that were lifting her not to drop her; endurance, because the dance was hard and you needed a lot of stamina!’

We asked Rebecca Hickson what she thought about the end of year service.

She replied: ‘I enjoyed the end of year service. It showed us that we should consider helping the environment more.’________________________________________________________________________ Written by Isabella Stott, Katie George and Becca Hickson The school ended the summer term in July 2019 with a service challenging us to do more to help the environment and become better stewards of the planet we live on.

All pupils enjoyed the service and they were able to reflect on their choices that could potentially affect the environment.

The Year 8s performed a dance about the environment and how the world is getting covered in plastic.

They also made t-shirts about the environment that they wore during the dance.

James in Year 8 said: ‘I enjoyed the dance and think it was very unique. It conveyed an important message about the environment.’

The Drama Council performed a sustainable cooking show, did a rap about the fashion industry and read monologues about extinction and rebellion protests. _________________________________________________

By Emma Barton and Ella Hubberstey

ON July 25 in St Michael’s there was a extraordinary end of year service, including dances, dramas, songs, and speeches. It was all about how St Michael’s could help the environment and how individually pupils can become even better stewards of the world we live in.

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In the service there was a lot of different forms of talent and art. There were dances performed by the Dance Academy, dramas from the Drama Council and Year 8 created t-shirts based on recycling, made drums and percussion instruments from recycled metals; Year 9 made a tutorial pact to try to do one thing (such as having a meat free day once a week, only using re-usable bottles, not using one-use plastics, buying package free shampoo, body wash and cosmetics).

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On September 26 we had our first Christian Values Enrichment Day to celebrate St Michael’s Day. Here is what our pupils wrote about their day.

Growing in body, mind and spirit

YEAR 7: THE STORY of St Michael was brought to life for Year 7 pupils during their Christian Values Enrichment Day this half term. Year 7 investigate the theme of ‘Good versus Evil’ exploring Christian values including trust, faith and service.

They created prayer trees, performed role plays and made extravagant costumes depicting the day’s theme, before ‘strutting their stuff’ on the sports hall catwalk for the judges.

By Lewis Towers and Alex Holmes

YEAR 8: Human Rights Day: Year 8 pupils spent the day exploring the theme of human rights through various arts activities. They looked at the Christian value of justice and the day began with the showing of a short film telling the story of Charlotte Salomon, a German Jewish painter who died in a concentration camp in 1943.

Year 9: Pupils in Year 9 enriched themselves on their STEM day. The did engineering, maths and design on this day.

Year 10: Had a day looking at Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural activities. (see page 2 for details) ___________________________________________________

By Joe Savage and Daniel Morris Year 11 had an amazing day at Alton Towers.

This is what the Pupil Manager for Year 11, Mrs McCaffrey, thought of the day at Alton Towers.

‘The weather was sunny but they had some downpours. Also the Year 11s were very well behaved.’

A Year 11 student said: ‘It was a very good day although the weather wasn’t great. My favourite ride was Oblivion.’

The whole of Year 11 enjoyed their day at Alton Towers and wish to go again.

All of the years cannot wait until their next enrichment day further on in the school calendar.

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Saint Michael’s News Saint Michael's CE High School, Astley Road, Chorley,