ISSUE : 13 CHRISTMAS 2017
St Bonaventure’s Magazine
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas ‘Mary & Child’ by Year 12 student Dean Francis
message from the headteacher Dear Friends & Family of St Bonaventure’s, This is a fantastic time of the year and although it is not the major feast season in the liturgical calendar we do know that all people, those of faith and those with none, love Christmas. Catholic Christians have always had Advent, a preparation for the birth of Christ but the extended period of preparation outside of Church is a relatively new occurrence. One good thing is that it gives us more time to focus on the 4 key words of Advent; HOPE The situation in national and international affairs gives us little to feel much hope for at the moment. In the UK Brexit and Austerity are dominating and both impact enormously on all of us in Newham. Brexit has completely taken over Parliament and as such, our MPs have little time to deal with the issues that are affecting their constituents. Austerity has a massive negative impact on many of our families. As a faith community we need to work within local and national politics to ensure that we are able to bring a sense of Hope. Together we can make a difference and bring a heart and soul into the decision making. This is shown in school by the work of Ethan Suppaya who has organised a TELCO team to campaign on behalf of Refugees and Migrants. The team is now organising activities to research the housing issues in Newham. LOVE At this time there has been an increase in the level and frequency of violence among young people in Newham. Our teaching is clear and Jesus told us that the greatest commandment was “To love the God, your Father with all your heart, mind and soul. And love your neighbour as yourself”. In school this is what we expect from all our students and all our staff. It is fantastic to work in a school where this underpins everything that we do and our students understand this. This is one of the reasons why the school is such a lovely place to work. Our boys do make mistakes, they are teenagers, but when they do they accept where they have gone wrong and are always willing to make amends. JOY Our Charity work has started. It is going to be difficult to match last years huge fund of over £22,000 but we can only ever do our best. At the moment we have 3 charities that we are raising for. BCCS receive the sponsored walk money, they support children and families that are suffering emotionally with stress, mental health and bereavement. We could not do without their skills here. The Jimmy Mizen Foundation will receive the Mufti Day money from 14 December, a charity that promotes peace. Also, the Teachers are not giving cards again this year, instead we will give our money to ‘Contact The Elderly’ to support the old that live alone. Charity is a keystone of all religions, giving brings great joy. PEACE I pray that you all experience peace this Christmas. As Martin Luther King Jr said “Be the peace that you wish to see in the world”. We are a large community, if each of us is determined to bring peace to our one little part of the world we will have a big effect, the ripples will spread. On our own we can bring about very little change. Together we can change the world. Smile at a stranger, hug your daughter, show your son that you love him, give generously of money and time be kind to everyone.
CHAPLAIN’S MESSAGE At Christmas we look to Bethlehem where faith gathers us to witness the Incarnation, The Word made Flesh. We reflect on God’s humility and love which comes to us as a child. During this Advent, at Noon each day, we have stopped and prayed the Angelus together to reflect on the role of Our Blessed Mother Mary. Our Lady, by saying ‘Yes’, plays an essential part in the history of Salvation. Like Mary, we ponder this mystery in our hearts. God has become one of us. He is part of a family. Our Saviour wants to teach us about the importance of family life. With Our Blessed Mother Mary and Joseph, Jesus lives a life of family, of community, of love, of prayer, of work and of play. It was a life that prepared Him for His mission. Jesus’ love and humility and his obedience to the will of the Father are an example to us, and the secret of building a strong family life. God gives us newness of life and calls us to holiness, and hopefully we are able to discern our individual vocation in an atmosphere of prayer and trust, which is helped by those around us within our families. It’s always important for our homes and schools to have focal points for prayer and reflection, and during this time of Advent, preparing for the coming of the Messiah, The manger scene teaches us about what is truly important. The centre is Christ. The centre is a baby. The baby is surrounded by loving parents and not much else. Being born in poverty and simplicity is God’s way of speaking to us about what is truly important. A friend of mine used to say: “When I was young, we were very poor, but we didn’t know it.” He did not notice his family’s poverty because there was so much love and joy in his home. As we explain to our young people that “There was no room at the inn,” we teach them to have compassion for the poor, the sick and the suffering. We teach them that we need to share what we have received. When we do that, we are giving gifts to the Christ Child Himself. It might also be an opportunity to tell our children that success is not measured in money but in goodness and love. What will the future bring? Much depends on our families and our ability to form new generations of families firmly committed to following Jesus Christ. To do that, we must love them very much, pray together, spend time together and teach our children how to love by showing them what love is.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas. God bless you all Paul Halliwell.
After the Christmas break we will no longer be sending text messages. All communication will be through the School Gateway App.You can access School Gateway online or via the app 24/7. Getting started is easy. Simply enter your mobile number and email address and the system automatically generates a login code. www.schoolgateway.com
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Let us also learn from the example of Our Blessed Mother, whose obedience to the will of our Heavenly Father, and model of discipleship and love, changed the world forever. The star is over the manger. Let us go the Bethlehem to glimpse God’s love in the face of a child in a loving family. May God bless you and your loved ones during this Season of Advent. Mr Connolly Chaplain
PRESENTATION EVENING FOR THE BOYS OF SUMMER 2017 September 14 saw our Class of 2017 Year 11 boys returning for one last reunion for our annual Presentation Evening when certificates were distributed. We were proud to welcome back one of our alumni as our Guest of Honour, former Headboy, Ashley Singh, who presented the awards and was happy to chat to his former teachers and his peers.
CELEBRATION
Parents, students and teachers mingled on what was a lovely end to a busy, stressful year and recognition for all their hard work in the GCSE exams and their five years as Bon's boys. Students who have stayed on in our Year 12 were there and reunited with boys who have gone on to other 6th Form providers. It was like the good old days for the evening and a wonderful chance to catch up.
TSA NEWS
RAISING MONEY IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS
It has been an incredibly fruitful term for the Agnus Dei Teaching Alliance.
Miss Nair helped her Business Studies Year 13 students organise a football tournament as part of their assignment at the beginning of October.
We have seen our alliance grow in strength with more alliance members taking part in our training programmes, we have also appointed a further three Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs). We are actively supporting three secondary schools to reach their potential and are looking forward to welcoming our new trainee teachers in 2018 for their second placement.
They sold snacks and raised almost ÂŁ79 for CAFOD.
CHARITY
AGNUS DEI
We have seen the launch of our Teacher Subject Specialism Training in MFL and our new trainee teachers from our partnership with St Mary's are settling in well. We have hosted training for a number of providers, including The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Dove Cosmetics and NCTM Maths Hub.
We are looking forward to an exciting 2018 with new training opportunities, greater outreach and renewed partnerships. Katie Smith Director of Agnus Dei TSA
ST BONAVENTURE’S MAGAZINE : PAGE 3
AWAY DAY HELPS NEW STUDENT COUNCIL TO BOND The new student council participated in an exciting trip on November 7 to Gilwell Park in Chingford where they took part in a variety of activities and challenges. After a short journey in the minibus, the group arrived at the stunning scenery of the park where they were greeted and whisked off to a conference room to begin.
STUDENT COUNCIL
The newly-elected representatives were briefed by former NUS President, Liam Burns, who helped them to understand what it truly meant to be a student council member. One thing that soon became clear was the initial silence as everyone sat down which was probably due to the age gap between students. After listening to Liam, they began to learn it’s important to understand how deeply and how widely an issue is taken and that focusing on multiple problems at the same time will lead to nothing being done and gathering knowledge from one another. As well as that, names were learnt using an adjective. For example: if your name begins with L, you had to find an adjective with L, (Lively Liam). This was a fun getting-to-know-you exercise and an ice-breaker.
One of the first activities was to remove a fake bomb from a circle marked by a small fence. No-one was allowed to enter the circle and all they were given were two ropes and each other. At this point they still didn’t know each other very well but the bonding soon started. At first, the older students took the lead and were thinking of ideas before the nervous younger ones eventually became involved. They worked together to achieve their goal as multiple people needed to hold each side of the rope. In an amazingly quick time it was removed and then the student council members began talking to those out of their year group. The last activity took place indoors where the council members had to climb a ladder and no ordinary ladder, but a massive one, where every step you climbed, the spaces inbetween got bigger. As three of the members climbed, the others helped by pulling a rope connected to the climber, helping the advance in this challenge. Luckily, everyone managed to reach the top, with the help of the whole crew. The trip was an amazing experience and helped to develop confidence and trust between the student council which led them to truly learn what it means to represent St Bon’s. Tommy Hugaas and Matteo Bedoya Vinasco School Council Publicity Coordinators
A WARM WELCOME AWAITED NEW BOYS AT MASS
YEAR 7
Andrew Barnardo from Gideons International came in to school on Friday, September 29, to distribute the English standard version of the bible to new Year 7 students at a special Welcome Mass at St Antony's. Andrew comes every year to hand out the pocket sized Gideon bibles and each student received one at the end of mass. Mr Halliwell added: "I would like to thank Andrew for coming every year and doing this for our students. I love it when I see the older students, our 15 and 16 year olds who still walk around school every day with their Gideons in their blazer pockets having collected them from Andrew years before. I know these young students will treasure them too.”
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SEAN BECOMES FIRST 6TH FORM WINNER IN NEW SCHEME
ZIG-A-ZIG AAHH St Bonaventure’s School Therapy Pet, Ziggy the Labradoodle, looks hard at work with his cuppa and school magazine and ready for his day to begin.
Sean Rolle became the first 6th Form student to be given a Jack Petchey award as part of the new additional bronze scheme we have been allocated by the Foundation.
The 7-month-old pooch is a hit with students and was bought and trained with money secured with a Jack Petchey small grant.
Sean, who is 17, took part in NCS - the National Citizenship Service - this summer and loved it so much he decided to take part in their autumn scheme too. The scheme helps 16 and 17 year olds develop greater confidence and responsibility and brings together people from a variety of backgrounds. Sean arranged football matches and tournaments and collected sponsors to help raise money for the Christmas party. Mr Halliwell went on to explain: “Sean is an all round gentleman in every sense of the word, he is kindhearted and quiet and honourable too so when I heard he was going out of his way to help raise money to help make this Christmas party special for local pensioners I knew he deserved to be recognised. In all his time at St Bonaventure’s, Sean has been a model student and is well loved by his teachers and his peers.”
He became a member of staff in July and lives with Humanities teacher, Mr Volkelt Igoe. A school spokeswoman added: “Ziggy helps with students with anger management as well as promoting greater self esteem by lifting moods, helping calm students and focusing social interaction. His presence in school has made a real difference.”
WHOLE SCHOOL
JACK PETCHEY SCHEME
Sean was presented with the award by Mr Halliwell on November 20, for his enthusiasm helping raise money for a Christmas party and all the trimmings including a disco with Santa at a Plaistow old people’s care home, Lea Court, which will bring a lot of happiness to the residents.
He gets involved in all aspects of school life and took part in the traditional annual sponsored walk that has taken place for decades around West Ham Park....a busman’s holiday to a dog like Ziggy!
Director of 6th Form, Wayne Templeman, added: “Sean is in Year 12 and is studying Sports Science and German and is a worthy winner of this award.”
AFTER SCHOOL CLUB
KARATE CLASS KICKS OFF WELL Mr Fouabi's Friday after school karate club had its official grading back in September when belts were distributed. The event represented the crowning of a whole year of hard training and Mr Fouabi reported that he was very pleased with the students' determination and dedication to the discipline. The new year started on a high with lots of excited boys all keen to start the year in the right frame of mind.
ST BONAVENTURE’S MAGAZINE : PAGE 5
GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE
The whole school participated in the Armistice Day celebrations on the friary lawn with members of the student leadership team representing our school at East Ham cenotaph also as we do every year.
Ms Gilroy, Ms McVeigh and Ms Jones took these group of Year 11 art students to the iconic National Portrait Gallery recently. Ms Gilroy said they all had a wonderful time and on their way home a charity collector at Embankment station made a point of approaching her to tell her how generous and fantastic our boys were as many of them had put money in her tin whilst lots of busy commuters rushed by. She was very touched and said she saw the true spirit of Christmas that day. Bon's boys at their best.
Every student wore a poppy and our chaplain, Mr Connolly, organised for a specially-made wreath to be placed at the Marian statue in school whilst Mr Halliwell took the student council in the minibus to Central Park. Headboy and Headgirl of the 6th Form, Stephen and Elizabeth, laid a wreath. ART
WHOLE SCHOOL
LEST WE FORGET
AWARD IS MUSIC TO FRANZ' EARS Talented 14 year old musician, Franz Torres, was given the October Jack Petchey award as he has been a godsend and a real help to the Music Department recently.
BIG ISSUES FOR YEAR 9 STUDENTS TO THINK ABOUT The Year 9 TELCO team met with Emmanuel and Uncle Sam at the beginning of term to discuss their plans for this year.
Headteacher, Mr Halliwell, went on to explain: "He possesses remarkable piano skills and plays beautifully. Being in the spotlight hasn't fazed him at all and he always performs perfectly. I can see how his confidence has grown and lots of parents and visitors have commented how lovely it is to see a student carrying out such an important role and so brilliantly too. "He needs to be recognised as I really don't know what we would have done without him lately. We were in a bit of a pickle and he has helped us and the Music Department out immensely and I am really grateful." Franz is 14 and in Year 10. He attended St Edward's Catholic Primary School before joining St Bonaventure's. Franz will now receive ÂŁ250 as part of his award and will take a group of friends paint balling.
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Ethan, Tyler, Chinedu, Dellon and Jesse were praised for their maturity and clear thinking about local issues. They are now going to conduct a listening campaign with Year 9 to see what issue they will take forward.
TELCO
JACK PETCHEY SCHEME
Franz is a confident performer who has had no hesitation helping out and providing the musical accompaniment at all high profile events, masses and assemblies both in school and at church whenever he was needed this term.
At the moment they are considering housing issues, safety in Newham, mental health, citizenship and the Refugees Welcome campaign. Mr Lewis said: "The boys were a real credit to the school and impressed the TELCO representatives. They have grown in confidence since they began work last year, I am very proud of them."
AWESOME AUTUMN by Mr Jarvis WORK EXPERIENCE
One to watch
Whilst most of us spent the October half term relaxing some of our 6th Form students used the opportunity to gain valuable work experience.
Old Bonaventurian Nilesh Dosa popped back into school on November 23 to chat to a group of 6th Form students about his icanyoucantoo programme which is a high quality mentoring programme.
Mohammed Kibriah from 13 Gregory secured work experience with Barts Health Trust at the Royal London Hospital Clinical Bio Chemistry Department and The National Audit Office Access Accountancy had Kiran Sweeney from 13 Forest and 13 Colman’s Anthony Suriyakanthan working to gain experience.
Nilesh made the prestigious Brummell Magazine “2017 Ones to Watch” list as a “Rising Star of The City” for his mentoring work. His career as a chartered accountant spans assurance, banking, consulting and now advisory for EY helping leading companies with their future business direction. The launch and welcome event for our mentees took place in November hosted by St Bonaventure’s 6th form where Nilesh introduced the programme to students from our 6th Form and St Angela's and spoke about the importance of networking with employers in order to make it in the City. Going forwards the project will include visits to EY's Canary Wharf offices covering such topics as:
Aaron Landicho will work with Creative Mentor network, Pitch It, with Iris Advertising Agency on a 16 week programme that involves after school mentoring. What fantastic opportunities for them all.
Realising Opportunities
CAREERS
Seven Year 12 students have been successful in getting a place on the Realising Opportunities Russell Group Universities Project. This includes mentoring and taster lectures provided by 14 of the Russell group Universities with selected schools. The Universities are: Birmingham, Exeter, Goldsmiths, Kings, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Sussex, UCL, Warwick and York Each student is linked to an undergraduate mentor at one of the above Universities studying the degree subject they aspire to. They also complete an academic assignment and attend a National RO Student Conference in March. Those completing RO (Realising Opportunities) get alternative UCAS degree offers at Russell Group Universities - 2 A level grades lower than the standard offer.
· · · · · ·
Careers with EY and the world of financial and professional services CV advice from EY employees Do’s + Dont’s of interviews including mock interviews Opportunity to deliver presentations to EY panels Help applying for EY higher Business Apprenticeships or with UCAS applications Guest speakers including international sports professionals
Nilesh was joined at the launch by Joshua Akinsowon, who left St Bonaventure’s Year 13 last year. He is now working as an apprentice for EY on their Higher Business Apprenticeship which includes study for chartered accountancy qualifications. Joshua spoke about how the mentoring he took part in with Nilesh last year was transformational in helping him through the highly competitive selection process to achieve the EY apprenticeship. He explained that it not only gave him the insights he needed but also the belief. He recommended “icanyoucantoo” to this year’s mentees. Nilesh is seen here with Joshua and Mr Templeman.
Last year all of our Year 13s taking part received fantastic RO UCAS offers. This year our successful RO students are: Fatima Abukar Musanna Akter Halim Dalton Bally Sanjidah Khatun Marvin Lartey Anthonethe Nwosu Klaudio Prela
ST BONAVENTURE’S MAGAZINE : PAGE 7
NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR ETHAN
CELEBRATION
We are proud to announce that Year 9 student, Ethan Suppaya, was announced as the winner of the St Jospephine Bakhita Award at the Celebrating Young People Awards in Leicester Square, London, on November 23. The awards are an opportunity for the Catholic community to celebrate the enthusiasm, commitment and incredible difference young people like Ethan make to the lives of countless people inspired by Catholic social teaching. Ethan, who’s 13, was shortlisted along with a group of students from St Gregory the Great School in Oxford, students from Bellrive Catholic College in Liverpool, Bishop Milner in Dudley, Ursuline High School in Wimbledon and Loreto Grammar School in Altrincham.
was announced there was an audible gasp from his delighted family who were in the audience along with Mr Lewis and Mr and Mrs Halliwell. Ethan went on stage to collect his crystal award and pose for photographs and everyone agreed the award was well deserved for his work in school helping to promote and protect the dignity of refugees and migrant families. Mr Halliwell was there to see Ethan pick up his award and added: “Pope Francis has stated that every human being is lovingly and beautifully made in God’s image and likeness and that the other principles flow from this. Ethan is the epitome of kindness and always shows love for his fellow man. What a beautiful quality to possess.” Archbishop Malcolm McMahon was there to congratulate the winners.
The competition was tough as all the students were nominated for doing outstanding work in their school communities and when Ethan
The awards are sponsored by Million Minutes.
FARADAY DAY Students from Year 8 took part in an IET Faraday Challenge Day (FCD) on October 19, sponsored by The Jack Petchey Foundation. The students became real-life engineers for a day when they researched, designed and built solutions to real engineering problems as part of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Faraday Challenge Day.
STEM
169 events are taking place across the UK to host 2017-18 IET Faraday Challenge Days. Up to six teams of local school students will compete at each event to find the best solution to an engineering-related challenge. The events are be free of charge and set up by IET staff and volunteers. This year’s challenge is in association with THORPE PARK Resort but the brief for these young engineers is shrouded in secrecy to avoid unfair preparation and research. Teams must race against the clock to solve a real-life engineering problem, putting their engineering and technology knowledge and skills to the test.
The Institute of Engineering and Technology’s Faraday Challenge. Engineering can be creative, exciting, hands-on or office based; the diversity is amazing. I’m looking forward to seeing how the teams do and I hope this brings the best out of all those involved.” The events aim to encourage more young people to study and consider exciting and rewarding careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) by using creativity, innovation and problem-solving skills. Each team member in the winning group will be awarded a prize and a trophy for their school. The top five teams from across the UK will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the national final at THORPE PARK Resort in 2018 to compete for a cash prize of up to £1,000 for their school. The Faraday Challenge Days are part of a wider Faraday education programme, made up of a whole host of teaching resources and activities to inspire and attract the engineers of tomorrow. Our school went head to head with students from Forest Gate Community School and won the challenge.
Holly Margerison-Smith, IET Faraday Education Manager, said: “Students who take part in the Faraday Challenge Days this year will experience working as an engineer through hands-on and practical engagement with real-life challenges relating to THORPE PARK Resort. The Challenge Days will give them an insight into the life of a real engineer, the variety a career in engineering can offer and just how exciting and creative engineering is. “There is huge demand for new engineers and technicians and we’re confident that this will challenge young people’s perceptions of engineers and inspire the next generation.” Dawn Childs, Merlin Group Engineering Director, said: “Having developed my engineering career in several large organisations, it’s clear that there’s a growing skills gap in roles where education in STEM subjects are vital. I’m pleased to see that Merlin attractions led by THORPE PARK Resort, is inspiring potential future engineers through
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The winning team consisted of: Tommy Hugaas,Nicholas Kandrasenka, Marcelle Rubio,John Sanchez, Clarence Veras and Joaquín Ramirez.
CABINET CONTEMPLATION
Our 2016/2017 Jack Petchey Award winners collected their golden medallions and represented our school beautifully at a special ceremony at the magnificent O2 Cineworld complex on September 25.
In November, Year 10 History students took the opportunity to explore the secrets of the Cabinet War Rooms, tucked below the streets of Whitehall.
The event was attended by all Newham Schools involved in the scheme and it was a great opportunity for families of our 9 winners and Leader Award winner, Mr Volkelt-Igoe to celebrate their achievements. School Publicity Officer, Mrs Halliwell collected a plaque on behalf of the school "for excellence in operating the scheme." We are the first school to receive this accolade and it's now on display in Reception."
HISTORY
JACK PETCHEY SCHEME
AND THE AWARD GOES TO...
These basement offices were deployed during War War II to house the Prime Minister of the day, Winston Churchill, his Cabinet, military strategists and a whole range of other staff 24 hours a day for the duration of the war - a lengthy six years. These cramped and oppressive conditions served as the nerve centre of Britain’s war effort and were vital in our success. The students got to consider how they would have coped in such an environment and contemplated the sacrifices and contributions made by so many for the cause of freedom. The students enjoyed the day and came away with a far better understanding of what those dark, uncertain days must have been like. Ms McNulty
STEM
TRIO OF STEM STUDENTS GET ONTO PROGRAMME Three of our Year 10 young scientists found out in November that they had been allocated a place on the prestigious STEM Potential programme. Chibuike Agu, Kairon Concepcion and Gabriel Akinsanya who are all 14 are all currently studying for the triple science award in their GCSE examinations. Their science teacher, Dr Alizadeh, helped them apply for the programme and they were all invited to attend a special launch event at Imperial College London on November 29 when they discovered more about what’s expected of them and the many workshops they will be attending. Dr Alizadeh went on to explain: “The first workshop took place on Saturday, December 2, at the South Kensington campus and the boys were excited and said they were really looking forward to expanding their knowledge.” She added: “They are all very enthusiastic and have shown a love of science and technology and I know they will thrive on this two year programme.”
Imperial College’s STEM Potential supports up to 90 students in their Key Stage 4 and 5 studies via lectures, subject-specific workshops and a summer school for Year 10 students. All three St Bon’s students hope to follow careers in the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and will attend university experience taster days and they will gain a better understanding of subjects they may wish to study at A-level. Headteacher Mr Halliwell added: “To have three of our boys get on to this programme is marvellous as I know how incredibly difficult it is but they must have impressed the panel and I’m grateful to Dr Alizadeh for supporting them throughout.”
ST BONAVENTURE’S MAGAZINE : PAGE 9
LONDON IN THE AUTUMN JUST BEAUTIFUL FOR AN EXCHANGE
PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE On a bright October day, 50 fortunate Year 7 students got to spend the morning at the stunning Palace of Westminster where they experienced British democracy and law making in action.
BRITISH VALUES
This year's German exchange went really smoothly Miss Hillan reported with lots of friendships rekindled and new ones made.
First off they took a coach to the seaside and had fish and chips on Brighton Beach and visited the Royal Pavilion.
After a guided tour of the opulent corridors of power and hearing many stories of historical intrigue and secrets along the way, the students were led into the Chamber of the House of Lords and then the House of Commons, both of which they commented were smaller than appear on television. As they left, they even got to inspect Prime Minister Theresa May’s pigeon hole where important messages are left for her. The second part of the morning was taking part in their own debate in a specially constructed mock House of Commons. Choosing the topical subject of personal safety, the students selected Government and Opposition Leaders and a Speaker and embarked upon a lively discussion of a law to implement. So loud were the cries of “Aye, Aye” and “Nay, Nay”, Ms Hoy, Ms Norman and Ms McNulty, who accompanied the group, were fearful the Prime Minister might be disturbed and make a complaint. Ms Mc Nulty
A day out to Greenwich Observatory and Greenwich Park was on the cards and a trip down the Thames to Westminster Pier. They even had time to squeeze in a theatre trip to the West End to see the hit Broadway show, 'School of Rock' by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
SIR DAVID PLANTS A TREE IN MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED MUM
Organiser, Ms Hillan, was really pleased and added: " It turned out to be another successful exchange that saw some great friendships made where the students got a greater understanding of each other’s language.”
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ALUMNI
Old Bonaventurian, Sir David Amess, came into school this month to plant an olive tree and place a plaque in honour of his mum who died last year aged 104 years old. Sir David, who is an MP for Southend West, stays in regular contact with St Bonaventure's and thought it would be a fitting tribute for a tree to be placed on the friary lawn in memory of his dear mum, Maud, who was a local parishioner at St Antony's for many, many years. Sir David, 65, lived in Plaistow when he attended St Bon's and says he has many fond memories of his time spent as a schoolboy here.
MR BARTON MATHS LEADS MASTERCLASS
TRAINEE TEACHERS UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF ESTEEM
Agnus Dei Teaching School Alliance hosted a very special masterclass at the beginning of October when respected guest speaker, maths blogger and podcaster, Craig Barton of Barton Maths, who tweets under the monicker @Mrbartonmaths, came in to speak to a packed room of maths teachers and share his expert knowledge.
The Agnus Dei Teaching School Alliance hosted the Dove Self Esteem Project on October 18 in Cardinal Manning Hall in a bid to encourage healthy body confidence and positive self esteem in youngsters. Twenty trainee teachers from across London and Essex from the alliance and beyond heard all about how body confidence affects up to 70% of adolescents and they heard how low self esteem impacted on their wellbeing on a daily basis.
His down to earth approach and years of knowledge has made him popular up and down the country with students and teachers alike and he has helped thousands of people to get a better understanding of maths.
Mr Barton has been a maths teacher for the last 12 years, working at Range High School in Formby on Merseyside and Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton. For the last 7 years he has been the Secondary Maths Adviser to TES, the largest professional network of teachers in the world. The role involves curating and reviewing some of the amazing resources written by generous and talented maths teachers globally, as well as writing newsletters, building collections, and running @TESMaths Twitter. He regularly runs workshops, delivers keynote addresses and works with maths departments both in the UK and overseas.
JACK PETCHEY SCHEME
Director of Agnus Dei, Mrs Smith, was delighted to welcome Mr Barton to St Bonaventure’s and host the forum.
BRITISH VALUES
AGNUS DEI
The workshop provided an excellent forum for discussion of issues affecting schools as well as sharing best practise and being at the forefront of information and news of the Maths Hubs Programme.
They discovered ways to help students gain body confidence and reach their full potential as low body confidence and anxieties over appearance prevents youngsters being the best they can be as well as affecting their health, friendships and performance at school. Unrealistic ‘ideal’ body images are strewn across social media, television and magazines which can cause distress to a lot teens. The Dove project promotes strategies to help deal with this relatively new phenomenon. Agnus Dei Director, Katie Smith, added: “At the end of the morning’s session, everyone said they felt more confident addressing the important issue of self esteem. In this image conscious age, making teenagers feel better about themselves and giving them the tools to be able to feel comfortable about the way they look is very important and a skill that modern teachers will need more and more.”
DANIEL IMPRESSES STAFF AND WINS AWARD The November Jack Petchey award was given to a Year 10 student, Daniel Barimah, who’s in 10 Wall. Mr McCormack nominated him for the progress he has made this year. Mr McCormack added: “I have been impressed with his positive attitude and commitment to learning this year. He’s had a real turnaround and is doing brilliantly.” Daniel has decided to buy badminton racquets for the PE Department with his award money.
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IMPORTANT DATES January 2
Staff training day. School closed to students
January 3
Students return at 8.45am. Year 13 Mock exams begin
January 5
Whole school mass 12 noon
January 11
Year 10 Parents' Evening 6pm
Fourteen-year-old St Bonaventure’s student, Simon Omotoso, proved to be a Good Samaritan on Monday, September 25, after he went to the aid of a poorly passenger on the District Line during rush hour.
January 25
6th Form Open Evening for Year 11 students 6pm- 8.30pm School closes early at 12.30pm to prepare for this event
The drama unfolded as Simon and a group of students were on a school trip on their way to the Science Museum in Kensington for a UK Maths Challenge celebrations with teachers.
January 26
Late start at 9.45am for everyone
January 30
Parental drop-in session 4pm-5.30pm
January 31
Whole school Mufti Day for CAFOD
February 8
Year 12 Parents' Evening
February 9
Year 8 Skills Day
February 12-16
School closed for half term
February 28
Deadline for 6th Form applications
March 1
Year 9 Options' Evening 6pm-8pm
March 20
Parental drop-in session 4pm-5.30pm
March 27
Year 8 Parents' Evening 6pm-8pm
March 29
Easter Assembly. Students finish at 12.30pm for Easter
The newly formed school council met to discuss their agenda for the academic year when they met in Mr Halliwell’s office on October 17. Headboy Samuel and his team that is made up of Year 7’s James and Nathan, Year 8 students Matteo and Tommy, Year 9’s Rajiv and Stephens, Year 10’s Chibuke and Kelvin and Year 11 representative, Tony. Mr Connolly and Ms McNulty guided the students through their first meeting and settled nerves and made them feel welcome. We look forward to hearing their plans and ideas.
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The packed train was in the vicinity of Westminster/St James’ Park Westbound at about 4.30pm when Simon noticed a smartly dressed middle aged man starting to shake and become visibly distressed before collapsing to the floor. Simon and a woman passenger immediately went to his aid. Simon remained calm and pulled the emergency cord to alert the driver of what was happening and to request assistance. They helped the man to a sitting position and reassured him. It was discovered that the man had had an epileptic seizure.
JACK PETCHEY SCHEME
INAUGURAL SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING
STUDENT LEADERSHIP TEAM
SIMON HELPS OUT TUBE PASSENGER AND RECEIVES AWARD
Once help arrived, the man was taken for medical treatment and the train was allowed to continue its journey. The school party arrived at the museum on time too. Back in school, Simon’s teachers, Ms Finlay and Ms Corriette told the Headteacher how proud they were of him for his actions. They reported that there were many adults on the train who could have intervened but it was young Simon who took the initiative. On September 29, Simon was presented with the first Jack Petchey Award of the year in St Bonaventure’s for helping out and showing great maturity and for having a cool head in a crisis. Headteacher, Paul Halliwell, added: “I didn’t hesitate to put Simon’s name forward for this award as what he did showed great love for his fellow man. He instinctively got involved and helped a distressed man in need and I can’t tell you how happy and proud that makes me feel.” Simon says he will use his £250 award money from the Jack Petchey Foundation for the literacy cohort of Viva Voce students to spend on a special laser tag outing.