St Chad's Bridge Magazine - Christmas 2017

CHRISTMAS 2017

Let’s Go to The Movies!

Tongling No.3 Visit!

CONTENTS In this issue...

THREE FOUR SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FIFTEEN

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY EDUCATIONAL VISITS VISIT FROM BISHOP MARK STEM MASTERCLASS

FUNDRAISING EVENTS TONGLING NO.3 HIGH SCHOOL OPEN EVENING SHOE BOX APPEAL THE KING’S BLUE CHRISTMAS LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES CHRISTMAS SERVICE TIMES

S We were both chosen to represent St Chad’s at the Runcorn Remembrance Service on Sunday November 12th 2017.

As pupils of St Chad’s we are both very honoured and grateful to represent the school and are thankful for this opportunity.

The service began at 3pm at the Cenotaph and it was both emotional and eye-opening to see the whole community attend and pay their respects to those who gave their today for our tomorrow.

The poppy wreath was beautiful and we laid it with deepest respect. Other wreaths were laid and we were called upon to say a reading.

The atmosphere was full of hope and togetherness.

We feel so proud to have represented St. Chad’s and we will never forget the experience.

Written by Shannon & Emily Year 8.

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YEAR 7 COLOMENDY Year 7 had been eagerly looking forward to their first residential trip at St Chad’s at the Colomendy Kingswood Outdoor Adventure Centre in North Wales.

Pupils participated in a wide range of activities designed to test their courage, leadership, teamwork, resilience and determination.

On the Friday night pupils enjoyed songs, jokes and riddles and toasted marshmallows around the glow of the camp fire deep in the woods. The rest of the weekend saw pupils testing their nerve with giant zip wires, abseiling, climbing and caving to name a few.

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Staff were so impressed with the positivity among the group and their enthusiasm to work together, support each other, and give every nail biting activity a try, even if it meant having to overcome their fears.

The weekend was a huge success with fears conquered, friendships forged and many memories created.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the pupils that made it such a great weekend, and also the staff that gave up their weekend to support the trip.

CHESTER UNIVERSITY A group of Year 11 pupils went on a trip to Chester University on Monday 4th December 2017.

They took part in a range of workshops about life at University and , really enjoyed a lecture from an English Language Professor.

Pupils thoroughly enjoyed this experience and as always their excellent behaviour was a credit to our school.

St Chad’s Geography department recently took two teams to the annual Geographical Association “Worldwise Quiz” at Chester University. This is a regional quiz and it saw twelve year 8’s pit their wits against 24 teams from a variety of schools from the North-West and North Wales . The questions were based on the format of a pub quiz with a variety of different rounds testing the pupils overall knowledge of a wide range of geographical topics from map skills, globalisation and glaciation to identifying geographical images from Google Earth.

As you might expect the competition was of a very high standard and the quiz extremely challenging but students acquainted themselves brilliantly and responded to the challenge with great enthusiasm and determination. Both teams finished in a credible position which was even more satisfying as the majority of teams were made up of year 9 geographers. This is one of the ways that the geography team is raising the profile of the subject further in the school following being awarded the Geography Quality Mark from the Geographical Association last year.

Many thanks to the students involved and Mrs. Holebrook and Mr. Duckers from the Geography department who accompanied the pupils on the visit.

Look out for more activities being organised by the geography department soon!

A VISIT FROM BISHOP MARK DAVIES On Wednesday 22nd November 2017 Bishop Mark visited us at St Chad’s.

The Bishop was greeted by our Head Girls, Lauren Shearer and Laura Lynn and Head Boys Callum Snell and Ben Robinson.

The event began in the Chapel and our fantastic choir sang two hymns. As always those present were astounded at the music we heard and the Bishop commented that the choir are indeed ‘cathedral standard’.

The Bishop then visited three classes in the RE department and commented on how calm and focused the students were. A Year 7 class asked the Bishop questions about his role and some students remembered meeting the Bishop previously in their primary schools.

The tour continued to music, food technology, the sixth form café and the Emmaus centre.

Again the Bishop commented on the peaceful nature of the school.

The Bishop met staff at break time and then also met all the newly appointed prefects and members of the school council.

Following on from lunch the Bishop departed and thanked us for a fantastic visit.

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STEM MASTERCLASSES The year 6 STEM Masterclasses ran for six weeks in the Autumn term. Students came from different primary schools including Halton Lodge, All Saints, St. Martins and Victoria Road.

In each of the after school sessions they had to work individually and as a team to investigate aspects of science. Sessions included testing the pen ink from the confession note using chromatography and flame test’s to see what substance left the foot prints to find out who killed Mr Burns from the Simpsons; studying some sedimentary rocks and the fossils they can contain, then extracting the carbon dioxide from fossilised shells of marine organisms which the dinosaurs breathed out millions of years ago, and tested it using limewater; Eggs in space – creating a support package; investigating how surface area affects the rate of a reaction and how a fire can be

expunged.

Teachers who took the sessions said that pupil’s showed a passion for developing science knowledge and enthusiasm for its application. Parents commented on the wow factor as students learnt how a fire extinguisher works.

Picture above shows the students that graduated in the 2017 Masterclasses.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS...

MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING Macmillan’s goal is to make sure no one faces cancer alone. They provide medical, emotional, practical and financial support, as well as campaigning for better cancer care. Cancer affects more than just those facing it, so Macmillan are there for friends and family too.

At the beginning of October, staff and students held a coffee morning in support of this very worthy cause. The morning was a great success, everyone donated generously and in total we raised £78.98.

Many thanks to everyone who came and contributed to support this wonderful charity.

SARCOMA UK Grace and Rhianna from Year 10 have been doing charity work in raising awareness and funds for Sarcoma UK. Sadly Grace lost her Aunty Catherine in October 2013 to Epitheliold Sarcoma, on 12th July Catherine would have been celebrating her 40th Birthday, so as a family they decided to mark this special birthday by supporting Sarcoma UK. This year Sarcoma Awareness Week was 3-9 July 2017 and the theme was The Big Picnic. On Saturday 8th July Grace and Rhianna held The Big Picnic in their garden to raise awareness and much needed funds for the charity. It was an amazing afternoon and they had over 100 people turn up for sandwiches, cakes, fruit kebabs, tea, coffee, raffles, tombola, name the teddy, number of sweets in the jar and flip the bottle. The girls were overwhelmed at how generous people were – they raised over £950.00 in three hours!

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This is a fantastic achievement and both the girls worked extremely hard. They are great role models for our school and have made an excellent contribution to charity which will support the needs of others! Well done girls and keep up the hard work!

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VISIT FROM TONGLING

In November we welcomed our Chinese Partner School’s delegation from Tongling No. 3 High School, to celebrate 15 years of our successful partnership. We are very proud of the link we have with Tongling No.3 High School. Students at St Chad’s can take GCSE and A-level exams in Mandarin Chinese and over the years have been extremely successful. The school was awarded Confucius Classroom status in 2010, in recognition of the work done here, promoting the teaching and learning of Mandarin, and due to strength of the link with Tongling. In the last 15 years, St Chad’s and Tongling have been participating in school exchanges, which have deepened their relationship further.

During these visits, despite the obvious cultural differences, pupils and staff from both schools have learnt how to cooperate and make each other welcome in their own institutions. Firm friendships have been established and there is an atmosphere of mutual trust, understanding and respect. The link has the full support of both Headteachers and the senior members of staff, which results in a very successful and continuing partnership.

Upon Tongling’s arrival, the delegation were

welcomed by the Headteacher Mr Paziuk, with a warming speech at their welcome event, attended by all students learning Chinese and staff. The delegation were given a tour of the school and were fascinated by the lessons that they observed. They visited the Town Hall and were elated to meet the Mayor of Halton, who also warmly welcomed them and gifted them with the Halton Borough’s Coat of Arms. For a taste of British culture, the delegation visited Dunham Massey where they thoroughly enjoyed its historic setting and stunning scenery.

The China programme is extremely successful, and continues going from strength to strength.

This provides a unique experience for students, as learning is not confined to the classroom; it instils in them an interest in the culture and literature associated with Chinese, and reiterates the strong belief in the opportunities that studying languages presents.

St Chad’s are honoured to celebrate such a longstanding partnership with Tongling No. 3 High School and are looking forward to future visits and exchanges over the next 15 years!

OPEN EVENING 2017 The school was a hive of activity offering parents and their children the opportunity to interact with subject leaders and staff and to ask their burning questions. Visitors were able to get involved in scientific experiments, make ‘green slime’ and test gravity by dropping objects in a controlled environment.

There were opportunities to get involved in quizzes and competitions, to practise Chinese calligraphy and lantern-making and to sample French cuisine and the food that is served in the canteen on a daily basis. Students from St. Chad’s also took the opportunity to showcase their talents in music, dance and sport.

Prospective parents and carers were delighted to see their children being welcomed by many of our current pupils who spoke about the school’s life, the wealth of opportunities and the well-rounded education delivered at the school during a guided tour.

Feedback from the evening was very positive from all concerned.

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Mrs Burke, Deputy Headteacher, said:

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It is always busy at Open Evening, and it’s such a pleasure to see old and new faces with many generations of families coming through St Chad’s

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St Chad’s held its annual Open Evening on Thursday 21st September 2017 and we were delighted to welcome so many year 5 and 6 pupils with their families to the school.

Parents and pupils have also been able to visit the school on our three Open Mornings this half-term. These visits give parents and pupils the opportunity to go on a tour of the school and to observe activities and lessons during the working school day.

There will be more opportunities to visit the school during an open morning next halfterm.

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ROTARY SHOEBOX APPEAL For the past few weeks pupils and staff have been working hard organising shoe boxes to send to children in the Ukraine as part of the Rotary Shoebox Appeal.

Pupils from years 7 to 13 have this year managed to complete a staggering 150 boxes which is an excellent achievement as a school. More importantly though, this will make a massive difference to those less fortunate than ourselves and who without this gift, may receive nothing on Christmas Day. A big thank you to all the pupils, parents and staff who contributed to the Shoebox appeal, your support was greatly appreciated.

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THE KING’S BLUE CHRISTMAS To finish our 40th Anniversary celebrations in style we once again hosted an evening with Elvis Presley.

Emma Mutch, Elisha Horton, Ashleigh Warrener, Nicoll Lamb and Neve Carroll supported by members of staff.

Talented sixth former Calum Snell donned his Elvis costumes for rousing renditions of old favourites such as “Hound Dog” and “Suspicious Minds” and even found time for some festive classics. Calum is a very convincing Elvis and soon had the audience on their feet singing and dancing to the music.

In true Elvis style Calum was supported by dancers from the sixth form who choreographed the dance routines themselves.

Well done to everyone involved!

The proceeds from the ticket sales and from the raffle, which was held on the night, all went to one of the local charities that the school supports, Halton Haven. This was at the request of the students involved and they raised a phenomenal £438.69!

The whole evening was organised and performed by Calum Snell, Emma Hogg, 12

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After three months of hard work, on the 29th November our dance show ‘Let’s Go To The Movies’ was showcased to a sold out audience.

opportunity and couldn’t wait to get started!

We are so proud of all the students that were involved and we are inspired by their commitment and hard work.

We stayed behind every night with each year group, who worked incredibly hard to make the show the best it could be and we are so grateful to everybody who was involved, from the students to the staff – who we couldn’t have done it without. We wanted to put on a show since we started sixth form, after being in the school dance shows during our time in high school. The opportunity to do so came about through doing our Extended Project Qualification, where we jumped at the

The show was everything that we hoped it would be and was a great success at raising money for Halton Haven, the total being over £650.

Thank you to everyone involved.

Written by Emma Hogg, Elisha Horton and Emma Mutch.

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CHRISTMAS SERVICES St. Edward’s:

Sunday 24th December Monday 25th December

Vigil Mass at 6.30pm Daytime Mass at 10.00am

Holy Spirit:

Sunday 24th December Tuesday 26th December

Vigil Mass at 4.30pm Feast of St. Stephen at 10.00am

St. Michael’s: Sunday 24th December

Monday 25th December

Holy Communion 8.30am Holy Communion 10.00am Midnight Communion 11.30pm Holy Communion 8.45am Family Communion 10.00am

St. Berteline’s: Sunday 24th December

Monday 25th December

All age Holy Communion 9.30am Christingle 4.00pm Midnight Communion 11.30pm Christmas Celebration 9.30am

Runcorn All Saint’s:

Sunday 24th December Monday 25th December Sunday 31st December

Christmas Communion 11.30pm Carols for the Family 10.00am New Years Eve Communion 11.15am

Holy Trinity:

Sunday 24th December Sunday 31st December

Communion Service 10.00am New Years Eve Communion 9.30am

St Chad’s Catholic & Church of England High School Grangeway, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 5YH Email: admin@st-chads.halton.sch.uk Tel: 01928 564106 Fax: 01928 572902 www.st-chads.co.uk