St. Ambrose Barlow Weekly Newsletter Vol.2 Issue 2

FAITH IN YOU

LOVE IN LEARNING

HOPE IN BETTER

this week in our school . . .

Volume 2 Issue 2 September 23rd, 2016

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ST AMBROSE BARLOW RC HIGH SCHOOL & SIXTH FORM

news round-up . another great week Giselle Having worked last week with English National Ballet a group of students and pupils headed to the Palace Theatre to watch the ballet performed in all its glory and spendour. Miss Furey led the trip.

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8B assembly The theme of this week’s assemblies was the International Day of Peace which took place on September 21st. Form 8b (Miss Higson) created an impressive presentation where every member of the form took part and some pupils led from the front. They finished with a powerful and thoughtprovoking prayer.

Foyer redesign One of the many changes to the school building was completed this week with the installation of glass screen in the foyer. This is designed both as an enhancement to the area as a way of creating a more welcoming space and as place to display our statement of vision and mission. For the time being we have put our visual minutes version there.

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6th form blackpool trip Our programme of enrichment for 6th form is developing further each week and we have plans for all sorts of exciting developments. This week a large group headed off to Blackpool to photograph the town as part of their course and to experience the famous illuminations. A number of art staff led the trip and they were joined by PE teacher and sometime artist, Mr. Burns.

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DEVELOPING oracy reflections on our new approach Our whole school Oracy strategy is a key part of the development of the school this year. Its main focus is Year 7 and each week we will provide an update on our work here to help parents and carers understand the learning better. Please do not hesitate to get in touch and/ or follow-up the work at home.

On Monday of this week pupils led an assembly on the power of oracy that finished with a short and prayerful reflection from Marianne Williamson that is often attributed to Nelson Mandela. You can read this towards the back of the newsletter.

In the first two weeks of lessons our stimulus for talk was…

The Dot by Peter H Reynolds “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”

Vashti says she can’t draw. Her teachers think she can. She knows that there’s a creative spirit in everyone, and where there’s a dot, there’s a way…

We considered how…

• The golden frame of the first dot and the gallery sharing of Vasti’s work was similar to our Oracy lessons and Speech day – we are raising the profile of talk to make sure everyone uses their talk for their learning

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If the teacher had shouted at Vashti to tell her off, set a detention and phoned her mum...

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The golden frame/signing it as a metaphor for our speech day

The 3 Ms of Listening 1. ME listening • Attention is focused entirely on themselves • You think about a solution before they have finished talking • You may judge someone/or analyse what they have • You are me listening when you are bored, distracted 2. MICRO-listening • Focus entirely on what the person says verbally (100% focused) • You should be able to remember everything the person has said 3. MACRO –listening • A large net absorbing everything • Consider their tone, energy, facial expression, silence, emotion • You notice what they are and are not expressing (mood) The 3 Magic Keys to Good Listening 1. Focusing • Give the person who is speaking the centre of attention.

• Maintain eye contact with the speaker.

• Do not interrupt, tell your own story or give opinions without being asked 2. Accepting • Nod or smile.

• Show that you understand.

• You may not always agree with the speaker but listen with interest and respect.

3. Drawing Out • If you ask good questions the speaker will feel free to express her/himself and you’ll learn

What the Teachers Said: Mrs Norris: Great enthusiasm & willingness to take on the new ideas & put them into immediate practice. Discussed how it was difficult to be a macro listener all the time, but when we revert to 'me' listening, we should try to selfregulate. Students loved the story & the ideas of resilience & confidence building. We also had great fun trying the different groupings & are determined to nail the onion formation next week!

Miss Chalk: I found that my class were super at listening to each other in a wide range of groupings.

Ask them what “the onion” looks like! They were also very impressive at accepting – one of the magic keys to good listening.

Mrs Tulloch: I was bowled over by how enthusiastic and happy all the year 7 students were. I loved hearing our students’ reflections. The best comment said by many was ‘Vashti has inspired the boy and one day the boy will inspire someone else, the story is a circle.’

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calendar what’s on

Year 7 Road Safety Performance

TUE 27

Open Evenings

oct 6

WED 28

THU 29

MON 26

oct 20

nov 26

FRI 30 SAT 01

COMING UP THIS WEEK

ATTENDANCE We aim for 100% attendance for all of our students and have set 96% as satisfactory attendance for this year. Attendance is monitored period-by-period and statistics are published each week. Excellent attendance guarantees excellent learning.

Last week’s top forms were:

7B & 7J 8F 9C 10C & 10L 11D

99.7% 100% 96.7% 96.7% 99.3%

Attendance and its impact on learning 10 days absence means 95% attendance 19 days absence means 90% attendance 29 days absence means 85% attendance 38 days absence means 80% attendance 47 days absence means 75% attendance Please note: If your child is off school you need to contact student services the same day on 0161 921 1589/1551. If the school has not been contacted within five days, the absences will automatically be unauthorised. Ten unauthorised marks may lead to a fixed penalty notice being served.

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welcoming our new year seven pupils Our annual Mass of Welcome for Year 7 pupils was celebrated this week. It was a truly community affair and was led by our newest pupils. Plenty of Year 7s took to the floor to provide readings, bidding prayers, reflections and music. The concelebrants were Canon McBride and Father Williams, and in attendance were staff from our family of primary schools, many staff and a hall-full of parents, carers and family members. Towards the end of the Mass Martin McDonagh read a reflection on the school’s new Mission Statement that complements the staff reflection published in the newsletter last week. Thank you very much to everyone who attended and made the Mass so memorable and such a positive start for the Year 7s.

St Ambrose Barlow made the ultimate sacrifice. He gave up his life as a sign of how much he loved God. So when teachers talk to us about learning from his example, sometimes we panic and think, “What?

Have I got to be ready to die to be a good Catholic?”

We know there are people around the world dying for their faith, but in the UK it isn’t something I have to think about. But that doesn’t mean the life of St Ambrose Barlow has nothing to teach us. At St Ambrose Barlow Catholic High School we want to learn from the example of our Patron Saint. When he chose to stay in England despite the King banning Catholic priests - St Ambrose showed courage. When he continued to be a Catholic priest even when he was released from prison – St Ambrose showed determination. When he tried to convert other people to Catholicism – St Ambrose showed his love for God and a desire to give this faith to others. These are the qualities we want to develop during our time at this school. Our school mission statement explains exactly what this school wants to give to its pupils and how we can be more like St Ambrose Barlow.

Faith in You At St Ambrose the staff believe in us, that each person in this school matters because God made us. God made us and has a plan for us. That each person has gifts and talents that make them totally unique and like no other person who exists or has ever existed.

Therefore each person here has a duty to the best

they can be. If we do not give our best then we are depriving the world of us. St Ambrose Barlow knew he had something to give that no one else could, he knew that he couldn’t shy away from his role as a Catholic priest because he had to set an example to the people of Manchester that faith in God isn’t something to hide, but something to be proud of. Their faith in us and our faith in God means we should never hide who we are and who we were born to be.

Love in Learning At St Ambrose the staff want us to enjoy learning, finding out new things, getting stuck into new challenges and finding the skills you didn’t know you had. But we also believe that this learning should take place in an environment of love. That every member of staff and every pupil has a duty to show love to each other. Every day staff pour their love into our lessons, the conversations they have with us between lessons and into the extra hours they give up to help us achieve more. Learning at St Ambrose is a good experience because we have the courage to ask questions without fear, the courage to say what we believe without worrying what others think. St Ambrose Barlow had courage beyond all things, the courage to do what was unpopular, the courage to put other people before himself, the courage to say yes to God even when it would lead him into danger.

Hope in Better At St Ambrose we have hope that our future can be brighter because of the skills we learn at school.

These skills will widen our horizons and lead us to greatness. Our teachers hope that we can make other people’s lives better because we are learning to copy Jesus’ example by showing kindness to others.

They hope that the world can be a better place because we will dedicate our lives to becoming change makers. St Ambrose hoped for a better life for the Catholics of England, that they could worship in freedom and so he dedicated his life and his death to being a change maker, to improve the lives of others.

Ambrose hoped for a better life for the Catholics of England, that they could worship in freedom and so he dedicated his life and his death to being a change maker, to improve the lives of others.

Let the feast day of St Ambrose Barlow remind you of what this school promises you; faith in you, love in learning and hope in better.

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Weekly Reflection: Let Your Light Shine Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

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FAITH IN YOU

LOVE IN LEARNING

HOPE IN BETTER

ST AMBROSE BARLOW RC HIGH SCHOOL & SIXTH FORM www.stambrosebarlowswinton.org 37 Ash Drive Swinton Salford M27 9QP 0161 921 1570 @SABSalford Headteacher: Ben Davis 8