St Joseph's College Christmas End of Term Newsletter 2015

Christmas End of Term Newsletter 2015

2014 –2017

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AWARD

Message from the Principal I hope you enjoy reading our new termly College Newsletter, which aims to capture some of the key events and successes involving students and staff.

There have been many highlights and developments at St Joseph’s, in the space of a relatively short period of time since September. We have worked hard on communication and, whilst early days, feedback has been positive with regard to the new Parent Portal, weekly emails and text messaging. The College’s new presence on social media has enabled us to showcase and share aspects of our students’ experiences and achievements in a timely manner. We have calendared termly Parent Voice meetings for parents to meet with the College’s Senior Leadership Team to share thoughts and ideas – the next meeting is on Monday 18 January at 4.15pm with the main focus on ‘communication’.

Enclosed with this Newsletter is an evaluation and report on the progress we have made with respect to the aims referenced in our College Development Plan, published to all stakeholders last Christmas. You can find a digital copy of the plan at www.stjos.co.uk. There has been a considerable amount of progress made, which now enables us to focus on the key areas highlighted at the end of the evaluation report.

As I write, we are entering the season of Advent and as a College we are busy preparing for our Christmas events, Carol Services and Nativity Plays. Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 are also very focused and heavily challenged with academic work and preparation for mock examinations at the start of January. These examinations are KEY markers in each student’s academic journey. It is therefore ESSENTIAL that adequate and structured revision takes place over the two and a half week Christmas break. Strong performance in mock examinations in January, will provide a sound platform for success at GCSE, AS and A level in the summer.

As ever, the College says good-bye to a number of staff at the end of a term. Mr Hockley retires in December after an incredible total of 46 years of combined service at St Joseph’s and also at the former school of Oakhill. We wish him a long and happy retirement and thank him for his dedicated years of service and many contributions, including his drive to support local charities and local people in need. We also wish Mr Garrod (Science Technician) well as he starts a new post in London. We welcome Dr Newson who takes up the post of Physics Science technician.

I would like to acknowledge the hard work and support of St Joseph’s staff who ensure that the College’s children and young people are challenged and supported academically and that they are also very well cared for. Mrs Allen, the College’s new Chaplain will be adding an additional layer of pastoral support for students across the College. Please note that there will be a regular Safeguarding and Well-being feature in each of our Newsletters from now on; this term’s focus is E-safety and computer games – you will find it on the back page.

Finally, I do wish all members of this College’s community a happy, peaceful and blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Mrs Danielle Clarke Principal 2

Message from the Chair of Governors As we break for Christmas and the New Year, I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect briefly upon some aspects of the past 12 months at St Joseph’s College.

Pupil numbers at the school are continuing to increase, exam outcomes at both GCSE and A level improved year-on-year, and we have set out an investment programme for facilities across the campus.

Since the summer, we have received planning permission for and completed the enabling works for the creation of a new sixth form centre that should first open its doors in September. In developing the plans for the space, we have been consulting with staff and students to ensure that what is created meets expectations. In January, once again through detailed consultation, we aim to tender the work for a new strand to the school’s development plan relating to the new sixth form – dealing not just with the physical building, but with the overall experience that will be associated with it as a centre for learning, personal development and enrichment.

Furthermore, 2016 will see us developing proposals to move our boarding accommodation into Birkfield House, and so into the very heart of our school. Timescales need yet to be approved and depend upon the underlying improvements in the school continuing. However, the scale of our ambition is clear.

Christmas is a time for coming together, for renewal, for optimism and for celebration. It is a truly special time and, combined with the dawn of a new year, it is a transition period filled with reasons for optimism about the future. So, looking forward at St Joseph’s, the celebration of success and a sense of positivity about our future should be factors that we can share together next year.

Thank you to everyone – students, staff, parents, alumni and friends – and I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and rewarding New Year.

Mr Paul Clement Chair of Governors

Message from the Vice Principal and Head of Prep School The term began with a review of the Senior School’s Code of Conduct and uniform guidelines. Mrs Rothwell, Mrs Hall and Mrs Simmonds, the College’s senior pastoral leaders, worked together to create a system to provide clear expectations for all students which were shared with parents and staff. They also devised a system for correcting students whose standards fell slightly below those expected. We thank all parents who have assisted the College by ensuring their children wear the correct school uniform to and from College, and have the correct sports uniform for lessons, practice sessions and fixtures. There has certainly been a very positive shift in the appearance of our student body as a whole. For a few individuals there is still a little way to go. We particularly appreciate uniform clearly labelled on the inside of each item of clothing. This saves the Parent Teachers’ Association having to trace owners of unmarked items.

The PTA continues to go from strength to strength. The new Christmas Shopping Experience was an event of the highest standards. (See page 20) Thank you all for your generosity in supporting it, and also our Sponsored Walk and Art Auction. We have pledged £1000 toward a new culturally-relevant reading scheme for the youngest children at the Osiligi Obaya Primary School, Kenya. This will add to their stock of (mainly) second-hand English books, many of which are about activities totally alien to the children. We have also pledged a further £1000 towards building a new classroom there. We hope this money will be doubled by a charitable matched-funding scheme, making the fullest use of the money you all raised.

We have a fabulous group of students and supporters currently fundraising to enable them to visit the Osiligi Obaya School next summer. They have been highly entrepreneurial in their efforts to cover their own travel costs, vaccinations, and board and lodging. It is a huge undertaking for each student, so please look out for activities and do all you can to support them. Should you or your business associates wish to support these students, please contact me via Mrs Vata, Prep School Reception.

Dr Martin Hine Vice Principal and Head of the Prep School

Have a very happy Christmas.

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An Overview from the Director of Studies The term seems to have flown by and I can scarcely believe that Christmas is upon us.

There have been so many exciting events and developments this term that picking out just a few it quite a challenge.

Term for me began in mid-August when our outgoing Year 11 and 13 students received such an excellent set of grades. Our current Year 11 and 13 will have to work hard to match such grades but with thorough preparation and determination it can be done. Certainly, looking at the offers that our Year 13 students have from universities, the potential is definitely there.

Of course, we are now half way (yes, half way!) to starting our next set of examinations and a key marker in this cycle will be the mocks in January.

Since their introduction three years ago, they have proved to be a very useful experience for students. Finding time over the break to revise is essential to success.

Early in September our Year 9 students had a wonderful visit to London to develop further the work that they are studying within the Creative and Performing Arts. The fruits of this work is often seen in our concerts, dance show and,

looking ahead for a moment, our musical. This year’s poetry and music evening was a particular highlight for me this term, given the age range of the performers and the breadth of material making up the packed programme. Our Sixth Form students demonstrated an amazing array of talent and the Upper Sixth recital of TS Eliot’s “The Wasteland” was simply stunning. My thanks to Miss Davey and Mrs Bloore for organising such a wonderful evening.

Upon our return from October half term we had a two-day visit from a Teaching and Learning consultant. The aim of his visit was to give us an insight into our current provision and highlight areas for improvements. We were delighted to receive extremely positive feedback and are now working hard on maintaining such a wonderful provision.

Our new Parent Portal has the ability to develop our homework and assessment, and we will be looking to explore these aspects of it soon. I extend my thanks and congratulations to my staff for such superb work.

Mr Steven Phaup Director of Studies

With best wishes for the Christmas period.

Report from the Bursar This term has gone in the “blink of an eye”, with an enormous amount of work undertaken at and by the College. Highlights have included Phase 1, of “Building for the Future” with the opening of a new Design and Technology Centre, creating a Science and Technology Zone, and increased staff and pupil accommodation in boarding. Building for the Future Phase 2, a new Sixth Form Centre, has been approved by the Board of Governors, with pupil focus groups and an external consultant recruited to support and enable the College to drive this forward. External tenders will be sought in January, with contractors on site no later than March, to ensure the new Sixth Form Centre is open in time for the start of the 2016-17 academic year.

The roll-out of new in-house travel services has been well received, as evidenced by the positive responses to our survey of parents.

Recent parking and traffic flow challenges seem to have been quelled with the implementation of morning parking and traffic marshalling. We are looking to extend this service into the evenings.

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To further enhance our Catering and Cleaning services, we have also recently undertaken a review of the staff structures and introduced the new positions of Junior Sous Chef, Supervisor Catering Assistant, full time Cleaning Supervisor and an Assistant Supervisor, to support the operational management of the school.

We look forward to welcoming Mrs Belle Klein, the Principal’s PA and HR/Compliance Administrator, who will be joining us in January.

We congratulate Mrs Stanmore, who will be moving into the new role of MIS/Examination Administrator at the College.

I am sure you will agree, we have done a huge amount over the last term and we look forward to updating you further in the Lent term, with the next exciting stages in the College’s Building for the Future plans.

On behalf of all the support staff, may I take this opportunity to wish you and your families a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Mrs Debbie Baber Bursar

Focus on a Teacher Throughout school I was always interested in science and sport. I had a keen interest in Biology and chose this as an A level. To go with this I decided to do Chemistry and PE. At GCSE I was found Chemistry really hard, but during A level it started to make sense. I found myself looking at Chemistry courses at university and decide to apply for a Masters of Chemistry degree at the University of Sheffield, which had a year of study in Australia.

I spent the third year of my degree in Brisbane at the University of Queensland. This was an amazing experience as I did a lot of travelling and learnt to scuba dive on the Barrier Reef. I was also there during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and through watching a lot of the games I became a keen supporter of Rugby Union. I was even lucky enough to go to the infamous World Cup final when England won on Aussie turf!!!

During my year in Australia I did some studying and during my second semester I tutored first year undergraduate students in Chemistry. I thoroughly enjoyed my degree but felt that going into research wasn’t for me. So after my experiences in Australia and from being involved in coaching sport form an early age, I decided to look into teacher training courses.

I completed a PGCE at Homerton College, which is part of Cambridge University. As soon as I started the course I knew that this profession was for me. During the year I had the pleasure of working with some

inspirational teachers and I had a lot of fun trying out new and different ways of teaching Science.

I started my teaching career at Farlingaye High School then moved to Deben High, which is now Felixstowe Academy. I moved to St Joseph’s in September 2014 to become Head of Science. I believe I am a teacher of children and throughout my teaching career I have kept strong links with the Faculty of education at Cambridge University.

In the second year of my teaching career I completed a Master’s in Education.

This was hard work but I carried out a lot of research into teaching and learning. As a result I was invited to be part of a team from the University of Cambridge who went out to Kazakhstan to train their top people in education a new teacher training programme. In total I have visited Kazakhstan three times and absolutely loved the place and the people there.

I am really enjoying working at St Jo’s. The Science department is made up of a fantastic bunch of people and I enjoy the sporting side too. As a youngster I played hockey at county level and I still play for Ipswich Ladies now. I have also started to take part in triathlons and completed my first one in October this year.

Miss Lorna Hassell Head of Science

We are delighted to welcome Mrs Tracey Allen, our new College Chaplain, to the staff. Mrs Allen has already met with many students and staff, and is looking forward to meeting parents and enriching the ethos of the College. She will be working with us each Monday and Thursday. Please do take time to seek her out and make her most welcome.

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Live-Streamed Rugby Festival Cements its Place as Premier Schoolboy Event This year’s National Schools Rugby Festival was once again a huge success and still remains the premier 15-a-side schoolboy Festival in the UK. As always, 16 of the strongest schoolboy sides battled it out over two action packed days of rugby with Hampton School crowned 2015 winners, lifting the De La Salle Trophy for the first time in their history.

From a St Joseph’s playing point of view, the results of the 2015 squad will read won 2, drew 2, lost 2; however, it was very much a tale of “if only” and “oh so close”.

The Saturday started with a comfortable three try win against the eleventh hour stand-ins, The Eastern Barbarians. Unfortunately there were two extremely late withdrawals in Whitchurch (from Wales) and Skinners (from Kent). This team was predominantly an U17 team that was put together from local school and club players, backed in difficult circumstances by some very loyal St Jo’s fringe players.

In the second game we were soundly beaten by Hampton School, who turned out to be the stand out team of the weekend, going on to win the Festival whilst conceding only one solitary try.

The third game of the Saturday was a make or break match against Solihull School, with the winners progressing to the cup competition.

As it turned out, the teams could not be separated and the final scoreless draw saw Solihull through as they had scored more tries in the previous two games.

Whilst it was a disappointing end to the day for the squad, some reflection and an evening of swimming and relaxing soon perked the spirits up and the boys were up for attacking the plate competition on Day 2.

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The strength of the plate groups yet again confirmed the high standard of the entire competition with previous tournament winners QEGS Wakefield in the group with St Peter’s, Gloucester and Gordon’s School, Guildford.

Despite coming out of the traps well in the first game against St Peter’s, a couple of lapses in concentration cost the home side dearly and the 12-7 loss left it all to do for the rest of the day if they were to make the plate final.

A few firm words from the coaching team saw St Joseph’s produce both their best performance and result of the weekend against Gordon’s School, ending with a resounding 31-0 win; and with St Peter’s losing to QEGS it brought St Jo’s fate back into their own hands in the last game – very simply, a win would mean making the plate final. Moment of the tournament for me came in this game when St Jo’s diehard and 15 year stalwart Jonny Renshaw crossed the try line!

However, in the last match against QEGS, despite a valiant effort by the whole team, we could only manage a 7-7 draw. This meant QEGS had won two and drawn one of their three games and they progressed to play Denstone College in the Plate Final.

Denstone went on to win this final 12-10 with QEGS kicker missing with the last kick of the game to tie things up. In the main final, as already alluded to, Hampton beat RGS High Wycombe 8-5. Despite the scoreline, this was a very comfortable win for Hampton who were unquestionably the best side in this year’s Festival.

As well as the overall individual trophy winners, it has become an annual tradition to present our own three prizes for the St Joseph’s College squad. This year these were as follows: St Joseph’s Best Back of the Tournament – Jacob Dormer St Joseph’s Best Forward of the Tournament – Luke Cerley St Joseph’s Player of the Tournament – Ethan Hughes The live streaming and professional commentary of the matches was another fantastic addition this year and we all look forward to the 30th Anniversary Festival in October 2016 (Saturday 15 and Sunday 16) and adding a few more aspects to the weekend to make it better still!

Finally a massive thank you to all the College staff, from teaching to grounds, catering to admin and everyone in between for their unwavering help and support – it was another brilliant effort by “Team St Jo’s!”

Mr Mark Patterson Director of Student Recruitment and Enrichment

The Rugby Festival’s laid to rest And our boys all did their best.

But never mind and have no fear We’ll come back fighting and win next year.

The kitchen staff, now they were winners Working hard on all those dinners.

The beer tent did a roaring trade, The staff worked hard and profits made.

A celeb was there to cheer his son, But alas for him no trophy won.

Oh how hard the staff all strived To make guests welcome as they arrived.

Next year’s special – or so I’m told – The Festival is 30 years old.

So come on lads, let’s get training Don’t you stop just ‘cause it’s raining.

Make it special, the 30th year So all the world can hear you cheer.

Mr Roy Pryke Caretaker

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Helping Children Near and Far Irresistible cakes were sold at the Prep School for an irresistible good cause: Children in Need 2015. Parents had pulled out all the stops to provide a mouth-watering selection of treats to sell.

Pupils had also made great efforts to come in colourful costumes to mark the day – pirates, princesses and a great many Pudsey Bears. Their donations of £2 for the privilege together with a Pudsey outlined in coins swelled the total for the charity. In all the event raised £473.

Children are also at the heart of the annual collection of Christmas shoeboxes. Again there was a great outpouring of generosity from the St Joseph’s community and dozens of boxes filled with good things are now on route to Zambia.

Astounding Number of Christmas Hampers Delivered Over 40 Years of People in Need Campaign Over several weeks, the Chapel’s altar steps have been gradually disappearing under bags and boxes of good donated for the annual People in Need appeal.

The effort was co-ordinated as usual, but for the final time, by Mr Hockley, who retires this Christmas after almost half a century at St Joseph’s College, man and boy!

He said, “This Christmas saw another 200-plus Christmas food parcels prepared for some of the poorest in our area. It brought the total to almost 10,000 over the years. Thank as ever for the generosity of the pupils, parents and staff of our school. There but for the grace of God go I.” The parcels are distributed to some of the poorest people in Ipswich and the surrounding area, both homeless people and families struggling to make ends meet, for whom Christmas makes life even more of a challenge than usual.

Launched at the start of November, the People in Need campaign asked people week by week to donate tins, packets and bottles. There was also a constant call for mince pies and Christmas puddings – as every parcel contained some treats as well as more basic foodstuffs.

Towards the middle of December the items were moved to the Sixth Form Centre, where students packed them into hampers and wrote a Christmas card for each recipient.

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“We try to make the parcels as large as possible. Very often, the parcel a person receives from us is their only present. To know that someone cares means far more than can be expressed in words. Thank you all for helping to make their Christmas a little brighter,” said Mr Hockley.

Links to Kenya Strengthened as Plans Unfold for Summer School 2016 Pupils of St Joseph’s College strode out on a sponsored walk to raise funds for improving the lives of some of Kenya’s most impoverished youngsters.

Each year the College stages an event to support the Developing World. Generous sponsorship of last year’s Aerobathon enabled St Joseph’s to set up a Summer School at the Osiligi Obaya School in Kenya, which caters for the poorest children in the area.

“We were able to provide a daily meal for the children and resources for the school; including ten Google Chromebooks, playtime games, sports equipment, art and craft materials, musical instruments, as well as teacher resources for many curriculum areas. We hosted a staff meeting and helped create a School Development Plan. We also provided over 200 pairs of school shoes together with many articles of clothing. All were very gratefully received,” said Dr Hine, Vice Principal of St Joseph’s College and Head of the Prep School.

While senior students followed a threemile course around the Belstead Brook area for the Sponsored Walk, the youngest members of the College community played their part and completed a route around the perimeter of the school campus. This was new territory for some of the smallest but a helping hand was readily available.

Plans are already underway for building on the success of this year’s summer school in Kenya.

Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 have been invited to become part of the project in summer 2016. Osiligi Obaya School is situated in the Maasai area and the St Joseph’s College connection was honoured by the only visit to Suffolk this year of the Massai Warriors.

They gave a stirring performance in the Chapel, inviting students and others to join them.

Mr Patterson, Director of Student Recruitment and Enrichment, leapt at the chance.

Calendar Every penny raised from the sale of our 2016 calendar will help our students fulfil their dream of assisting at the summer school at the Osiligi Obaya next summer.

“We have a fabulous group of highly entrepreneurial students working together to raise funds for their own vaccinations, visas, travel and transfers, as well as their board and lodgings. This is a huge undertaking for each student. They are a pleasure to work with,” said Dr Hine.

Anyone wishing to support them further is asked to contact Dr Hine via Mrs Vata in the Pre School Reception (s.vata@stjos.co.uk 01473 694580).

“Thank you again for your generous support for our students’ fund-raising efforts,” he added

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News from the Prep School Fun for All at Ipswich Museum Year 1 and Year 2 had a fantastic day at Ipswich Museum and Art Gallery exploring the classification of animals, which was linked to the Science curriculum. The children enjoyed handling some real animal skulls and pondering what animals they may have come from.

They also visited the Art Gallery and enjoyed learning about African kangas, and how our clothes, and fabric design, can represent the things that we like or that are important to us.

Year 5 and 6 pupils also enjoyed an exciting visit to Ipswich Museum as part of their enrichment activities.

They learnt more about life in Roman Suffolk, the Anglo-Saxon origins of Ipswich and the fossils, rocks and minerals of our region. In the Natural History Galleries, the pupils were amazed by the number, variety and size of the animals and birds on display. Firm favourites were the giant woolly mammoth, the rhino, giraffe, the whale skull and, of course, the enormous lammergeyer – or bearded vulture.

Royal Albert Hall Taken by Storm Ten Pieces is an award winning BBC initiative which aims to open up the world of classical music to children. Ten pieces of iconic music were chosen to help children nationally learn more about classical music and inspire them in their own creativity.

St Joseph’s Prep School chose to take part and in response to the “Storm” interlude from Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes (1945), a dance was created by pupils of 5JAP and uploaded to the Ten Pieces website. The College was thrilled when it was announced that the dance was one of the four pieces chosen from over 1400 artistic responses for live performance at a schools Prom!

5JAP had created their dance in class supported by Miss Pitcher in the Lent term. Once their success had been announced in the summer term, the boys were then given the opportunity to work in school with a professional choreographer allocated by the BBC on three separate occasions.

Following two days of rehearsals in London, the group performed their dance twice over a weekend in July in front of large audiences at the Royal Albert Hall and to the live music of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

Their performance was described as fluid, confident, and dramatic and the applause they received was astounding. We are very proud of this group of boys, who have achieved not just incredible success on a national level, but also created memories for their families, themselves and the College which will last forever. This was a true once in a lifetime experience!

Thanks must go to the staff who supported and accompanied the boys to London, in particular Mrs Bloore and Miss Davey and a huge thank you to Miss Pitcher for her inspirational work with 5JAP. And still more dancing talent is clear to see each week as children participate in lunchtime tap and ballet classes.

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Prep Pupils Lead Harvest Festival The whole College gathered in Chapel for a Harvest Festival service as bright as autumn sunshine. The altar had been beautifully decorated with produce, pine cones and a model lamb by Mr McGinn, the sacristan.

During the first hymn Year 3 presented gifts of bread. The assembly was led by children of both Year 6 classes and they talked about the history and traditions of celebrating the harvest.

Year 1 and 2 delivered “The Little Red Hen Rap”, complete with gestures and Year 5 pupils took turns to describe the season through “The Autumn Alphabet”. Year 4 led the prayers, using their own words to give thanks for the food on our tables and asking for a fairer share for all around the world.

Explorers Thrill and Inspire Their Audience Year 5 and 6 pupils and their teachers participated in an Expedition Day to enhance this term’s cross-curricular topic, entitled Pioneers and Pinnacles. Two explorers, who have links with our College community, were invited to return and spend the day with us to support our learning by sharing their experiences and providing some ‘hands-on’ activities.

Amanda Richmond, a teacher from Ipswich, became the oldest lady to climb Mount Everest when she did so at the age of 53. She battled electrical storms, giant snow plumes and freezing temperatures to scale the 8,850m mountain, the highest on Earth. She has recently travelled widely in North, Central and South America.

Miss Richmond enthusiastically shared her knowledge and skills as a result of these incredible experiences. She gave an excellent presentation of outstanding photographs and stories about South and Central America. Her appreciation and understanding of and, respect for, the diversity of culture, people and nature within this continent was expertly portrayed - and voraciously received by her audience, both young and old.

Spotlight on Diwali Diwali (or Deepavali, the “festival of lights”) is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn in the northern hemisphere and in spring in the south. It is one of the largest and brightest festivals in India and signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil and hope over despair.

Its celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, and also around temples and other buildings. The children of St Joseph’s Nursery and Reception classes were able to take part in a range of Diwali-connected activities when Dhikshana’s parents, Mr and Mrs Sathishkumar, came into the Prep School to share some traditional activities.

These included making the popular Indian dessert of coconut barfi, exploring mehndi (henna paste used to make intricate designs) and rangoli (Indian folk art) patterns and diya lamps.

We were also delighted to be joined by James Nicholson, who has travelled the world widely in order to climb mountains. His achievements include the Three Peaks, Jabel Shams, Mount Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua. He too expertly shared his incredible experiences and his understanding of the skills which are required to be a successful mountaineer. He explained the mental and physical challenges involved in the planning and executing of such expeditions and how to overcome them, drawing parallels with challenges faced by us all in life.

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Range of Activities Help Pupils Envisage Life in Wartime Year 3 and 4 have been studying the Second World War and their cross-curricular work has taken them from ration book recipes and gas masks to singalongs and Blitz silhouettes. They have put themselves in the shoes of evacuees and created their own boxes of personal treasures.

Many children have brought in family mementos of the wartime years to discuss and put on display. The pupils invited other members of the College community in for a Museum Day to share their new found knowledge and exhibition pieces.

A trip to Clifford Road Air Raid Shelter helped bring the subject to life and afterwards the children wrote some excellent accounts of the experience. They also made their own model Anderson Shelters in Design Technology.

Warm Hospitality Spans the Generations Elderly guests from seven care homes local to St Joseph’s College Ipswich were invited to afternoon tea by pupils of the Prep School and the result was warm and wonderful. In fact, the event was so successful it was agreed to ask the senior citizens back for a Carol Service.

Tea was served in the hall with music and bunting to recreate the 1940s. Pupils of various years had created an impressive selection of sandwiches and cakes – even the hedgerow jam in the sponge cakes had been made by Year 3 during their Food Technology lessons. Some Sixth Form students were on hand to serve cups of tea.

Year 6 boys and girls, whose cross-curricular studies are centring on the Second Word War this term, performed a medley of Run Rabbit Run, an animated Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and We’ll Meet Again, which had their guests singing along and clapping in time. This was followed by community singing.

Dr Martin Hine, Vice Principal and Head of the Prep School, thanked the children and staff for helping to make the event “one of the loveliest we’ve had at the school”.

He told pupils at Prep School assembly the following morning, “The afternoon tea was absolutely brilliant. You made such delicious food and made it look amazing. And the way Year 6 served it! It might have been a wedding reception.”

Before the afternoon tea, grandparents came into school to enjoy lunch with their grandchildren in Refs, and the verdict was the food was great and the atmosphere was delightful.

The boys and girls were very proud to show off the Refectories to the older generation and introduce them to their teachers.

Teamwork Scores Results for Climbers and Chefs Alike Healthy eating is an important part of life at St Joseph’s College but sometimes only highly calorific food will do. That is understood by the pupils of Year 5 and 6, whose work on Pioneers and Pinnacles has taken them to the top of a climbing wall at Stowmarket, meeting a physical and mental challenge head on.

The boys and girls used teamwork to stay safe and support one another’s ascent. Back in school, they also worked in groups to create high energy bars, packed with the sort of ingredients that sustain explorers and mountaineers.

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Prep School Sport

Competitive and Enjoyable Matches for All Years 5 and 6 girls this term are working on their Hockey and have already played several matches against other schools and Years 5 and 6 boys have focussed on Rugby. Matches are played on Wednesday afternoons and parents are always warmly invited in to join us.

In PE they have been introduced to mixed Table Tennis, Handball and Indoor Athletics. In Games Years 3 and 4 have concentrated on Football for boys and Netball for girls, with matches taking place mainly on Mondays. In PE the groups are mixed within their year group: Year 3 and 4 have been learning about orange/red Tennis and Handball.

At infant level, the focus is on developing skills: running, jumping, throwing, catching, dodging, balancing etc.

From a lunchtime Table Tennis club we selected two teams to represent the College at the Ipswich Table Tennis Championships. One of the teams came second in the competition and progressed to the Suffolk Championships. Here the boys were even more successful and finished Suffolk runners up for 2015. Congratulations to Connor and James Holdcroft, Ted Newborn and Eddie Patterson.

At the U9A Football tournament at Littlegarth School, the team got off to the best of starts with a very comfortable 2-0 win against St Margaret’s Prep. We then faced Alleyn Court Schooland lost 2-0. Against Holmwood House we regained some of our confidence to win 1-0. We dominated our final group game against Littlegarth B team but the match ended 0-0.

In the semi-final we faced Littlegarth A and played probably our best football of the day. The game went to penalties: we scored the first two and Isaac Bolton-Smith saved both of the Littlegarth attempts to put the team through to the final.

Facing Alleyn Court once more, the team started nervously and conceded two quick goals. The game became much more balanced, but AC were the rightful winners and St Joseph’s deserved their runners up medals.

Congratulations to the whole team on a most successful tournament: Isaac Bolton-Smith, Frank Hughes, Jack Hussey, Isaac Smith, Edward Lloyd, Stanley Purser, Ben Charpentier and Alfie Carr

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Wonderful Netball Season

U9B Football Tournament at Littlegarth School Against Finborough School, we began with an own goal but then dominated play, pulling the score back to 1-1 .In the second game we faced a much sterner challenge from Holmwood House A team but managed a very creditable 0-0 draw. Our third game, against Littlegarth, would have graced the final; the two teams battled out a very entertaining 3-3 draw.

We won the semi-final of the plate 3-0 against St Margaret’s and in the final v Holmwood House again produced some fine football. Excellent defending from Owen and Benedict allowed the rest of the team to push forward and the relentless pressure allowed us to score two great goals to win.

Congratulations to the whole team: Benedict Rosher, Jensen Cooke, Lewis Hall, Alexander Taylor, William Rawlins, Mason Murphy, Oliver Connelly, Ryan Rowlands and Owen Goulding

Rugby The U11 Rugby team have had a really hard season but have continued to work hard on their skills and tacking and have made some excellent progress.

The U10 boys have gone from strength to strength. The undoubted pace of lots of the players is now coupled with improved ground work, handling and support play. They all regularly attend Rugby Club after school where they work hard.

Results

U11 St Felix 10-35L Holmwood 0-30L Moreton Hall 0-15L Town Close 0-20L Ipswich Prep 0-20L King’s Ely 5-30L St Margaret’s 85-0W Finborough 15-30L 14

U10 25-5W 20-10W

5-0W 60-10W 15-30W

Year 3 girls Bonnie Bolton, Lotta Koepf and Evie Wicks made their debut for the College in competitive matches. The Year 4 girls have built upon their previous year’s learning and have been extremely successful in their match play with only one loss throughout the season. Most of the girls have made a commitment to attending the co-curricular Netball Club each week in addition to their Games lessons. There has been strong attacking and defensive play with competitive performances from Catherine Gillard, Emma Logan, Grace Bestley, Hannah McNicholas, Xanthe Baker-Woods and Sophie Schwer.

Freya Ollason and Freya Milner-Moore have also been working on their shooting skills to utilise opportunities in match play. The A team squad enjoyed experiencing the full rotations of High Five netball at a recent festival where the girls were undefeated. The B team have also enjoyed successes in home matches with Georgia French and Louise Keeley proving to be great additions. I look forward to seeing these girls develop their skills further ready for full seven-a-side netball.

Cross Country The children have given a great account of themselves in cross country training and fixtures again this term. Scarlett Deasy’s fantastic run at the RHS cross country was a particular highlight and we wish her the best in the next round. There are several budding runners in the lower age groups, some of whom have been inspired to join athletics clubs in the local area to further their training. We look forward to the Suffolk schools’ event at the RHS next term and the Peace Mile run in Chantry Park. Thank you to Mrs Bennett for joining the team and running the club each Wednesday.

U11 Hockey We have been delighted by the steady success of the A and B teams this year. The commitment and breadth of skill has been clear as both teams have won and drawn (and occasionally lost) games against some really strong opponents. The girls have actively translated what they have learned in games lessons to match situations. Many of this age group also support their match play by attending local hockey clubs at the weekend. The partnership between defenders Caitlyn Wright and Jessica Logan, Nelle Goulding and Caitlin McNicholas has been effective in defending the St Joseph’s goal match after match. Behind these girls Dolly Henshall-Howar and Katie Roberts have been very promising in goal, proving to be agile and courageous Goal Keepers.

Mid field players Gracie Fielden, Amelie Clarke, Emma Koepf and Katie Rolph have worked hard on their fitness and skill level often producing outstanding performances, defending and feeding the ball through to our forward players. Emma Wilkinson has worked hard on her skill level, as has Elizabeth Grylls and both of these girls have been very versatile in joining both A and B teams when they are able to.

Our forward players, Olivia Hussey, Scarlett Deasy and Elizabeth Grylls, have placed themselves in good scoring positions. The strength and diversity of the shots they can make has really improved during the season. We really look forward to more success next year.

Mr Mark Davies, Head of Prep Boys’ Sport Mrs Hayley Bestley, Joint Head of Prep Girls’ Sport Mrs Elska Hughes, Joint Head of Prep Girls’ Sport

Adjudicators Wowed by Performances of Speakers, Actors and Musicians St Joseph’s College students shone at the Suffolk Festival of Performing Arts in the Speech and Drama section. Held over three days, the Festival culminated in the presentation of the Suffolk Festival Senior Drama Champion Cup, which was awarded to Aimee Butcher (Year 11).

All participants received expert feedback from the professional adjudicator who not only praised them for their hard work, effort and wonderful performances, but gave constructive criticism on how to make improvements. Students from Year 5 to Year 11 represented the College and for some it was their first experience of performing at a festival and receiving feedback.

Well done to George Moss, Laura Eaden, Anna Simpson-Jacobs, Dolly Henshall Howar, Toby Hewitt, Joel Sheldon, Olivia Morley, Elsa Pratt, Oliver Fraser, Emily Berry, Amelia-Jane Crossley, Aimee and Charley Hewitt.

News from the Senior School Special congratulations to Anna Simpson-Jacobs in Own Verse (11 years and under), 1st with Distinction.

Olivia Morley in Solo Prose Reading (12-13years), 3rd.

Joel Sheldon in Sight Reading (10-11years), 1st with Distinction.

Amelia-Jane Crossley and Emily Berry in Duologues (14-15 years), 3rd.

Elsa Pratt in Speech Repertoire (12-13 years), 2nd.

Charley Hewitt in Speech Repertoire (14-15 years), 3rd.

Aimee Butcher in Speech Repertoire (14-15 years), 1st with Outstanding and winner of the Randal Bevan Speech Repertoire Cup. Charley Hewitt in Solo Shakespeare Speech (14-15 years), 2nd with Distinction.

Aimee Butcher in Solo Shakespeare Speech (14-15 years), 3rd.

Elsa Pratt in Solo Modern Drama (12-13 years), 1st with Distinction.

Charley Hewitt – Solo Modern Drama (14-15 years), 2nd with Distinction.

Aimee Butcher in Solo Modern Drama (14-15 years), 1st with Outstanding and winner of the Anne Harris-Norman Award.

The St Joseph’s College motto was certainly ringing in the students’ ears as every performer strived to be their best. Congratulations to you all!

Mrs Cheryl Pethybridge LAMDA Tutor

Music and Poetry Evening The St Joseph’s community shared a wonderful evening of poetry, prose and music. An eclectic mix of genres and styles, the evening was full of warmth, humour and at times great emotion. Highlights were Harry Taylor’s awe inspiring performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Euan Chalmers singing “Fear no more the heat ‘o the sun”. Anna and Sofie Simpson-Jacobs performance was absolutely adorable, with their Dad accompanying on guitar and voice, and Sofie adding harmonica solos. Poetry ranged from “The Gruffalo’s Wean” to T S Elliot’s “The Wasteland”. As ever, this was an intimate evening which demonstrated the talents of so many.

Once again there are many musical successes to celebrate too. The standard of performance across the festival was high, and classes were fought competitively.

Congratulations to Archie Will 5JAP (trumpet), Erin Morgan 9LBA (flute), Toby Hewitt 6EHU (voice), Finlay Bloore 6DSE (piano and voice), Kato Lam U6CBR (piano), Wilfred Kemsley 9MDS, Aimee Butcher 11LHS, Lia Taylor 10JSO and Charley Hewitt 11ABL (all voice). Class winners were Finlay Bloore (Unaccompanied Traditional Song 12yrs and under), Archie Will (Brass), Charley Hewitt (Old Time Music Hall). Special awards were also presented to Archie Will (Most Promising Brass Player), and Wilf Kemsley (Most Promising Vocalist) at the Gala concert on Sunday 1st Nov. Congratulations to all of our fabulous young performers!

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Art – Home and Away Art Club produced some stunning entries for the Lions Clubs International Peace Poster competition, which was judged by the District Governor for the Lions, Mr Tony Martin.

Freya Purser (Year 7) was named the winner for her vibrant creation, deemed to have fulfilled the brief beautifully. Freya’s work will now be judged amongst other Suffolk winners to decide who goes through to the national final. Good luck Freya!

Year 9 art students have taken their Pop Art explorations to a new dimension by creating Roy Lichtenstein inspired works of art on each other’s faces! Students worked in pairs and used face paints to decorate carefully their partner’s face, transforming it into a walking piece of art.

The Arts & Culture Tour to Amsterdam was a roaring success.

The group stayed in a hotel overlooking the well-known I AMSTERDAM slogan – a three dimensional version of the city logo – in the Vondelpark.

Winning Snappers Receive Masterclass by Photographers with Decades of Experience Winners of the St Joseph’s College SNAP photographic competition 2015 enjoyed a workshop given by members of the Ipswich & District Photographic Club. It was a technical workshop aimed at helping the talented young photographers to take their pictures to the next level. The winners included both St Joseph’s College students and external entrants.

Thank you to our long serving partner of SNAP, the IDPC and Barry Freeman ARPS DPAGB APAGB, whose continued support has been overwhelming. A special thank you in particular to Roy Essery DPAGB who delivered an incredible insight into the realm of photography and who also kindly brought in his own work to share with the winners.

To view the winners’ photographic prints please use this link: http://www.idps.org.uk/SNAP2015/index.html

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The Van Gogh Museum, home to the largest Van Gogh collection in the world, was also on the itinerary, where a special exhibition focusing on the parallels between Van Gogh and Munch provided an incredible insight into their visions on life and art.

Solemn Remembrance Service The Oxygen of Publicity Thank you to all students, staff and parents who helped us show off for Serious Times Honouring love and life lost, pupils and staff laid their poppies at the foot of the altar during the Remembrance Service. The poppies will be kept and strewn again next year.

It was a moving occasion attended by pupils from Years 3 to 13. It followed the familiar pattern, with time honoured hymns – “I Vow to Thee My Country” and “Abide with Me” – but was lent freshness by the young voices giving the readings and leading the prayers.

St Joseph’s College at its very best for Open Morning. There were a great many activities and displays on offer around the campus, including music provided by children from Prep School to Sixth Form.

Young visitors had much to whet their appetites and the demonstrations in Science were particularly popular. Who wouldn’t enjoy the chance of manually inflating a set of pig’s lungs or creating a rainbow in a test tube?

Deputy Head Boy Thomas Emery (U6) laid the College’s poppy wreath and Noah Wood (Year 9) played Reveille following the two minutes’ silence.

Crowding in to Break a World Record The World’s Biggest Maths and Science lesson involved more than 10,000 students in 14 countries across the globe simultaneously learning about DNA – a topic covering both subject areas.

Among them were 72 Year 6 and Year 7 St Joseph’s pupils, who enjoyed the opportunity of working together.

This was a further collaboration between the Senior and Prep School Mathematics and Science Departments, following others including last year’s very successful Mathematics Roadshow.

Colourful Artwork and Bakery to Mark Day of the Dead Year 8 students have been working hard on their Art work to investigate and celebrate the traditional Mexican festival of ‘Day of the Dead’ or ‘Dia de los Muertos’.

A special mention and well done to Lily Fielden, Lauren Roberts, Charlie Parsons, Leo Bignell, Josh Leatherdale and Jess Oakes for their spectacular homework pieces, in the form of delicious cakes; shoes and shoebox installations. Well done all!

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Senior School Sport

Runners-up in the Suffolk Table Tennis Under 16 championship.

Hockey We started the hockey season with a pre-season training session followed by a bar-b-q, where we welcomed Mrs Logan and Miss Lilburn to our PE staff. After a couple of weeks’ training, we began competitive fixtures against the usual local schools. It was a season of mixed results for all sides, from U12s through to the 1st XI. To highlight a few of the matches, U12s have had some fantastic results; including winning the U12s Hockey tournament at home and their win against Ipswich School; Jemima Bestley and Eloise Ward have been outstanding for them throughout the season and have consistently performed.

The U13s have made vast improvements throughout the season and have played some excellent hockey, losing out in only a few of their games. Special mentions to Poppy Vata, Olivia Hughes and Lily Fielden, all selected for Suffolk hockey trials. The U14s have looked strong throughout the season and won their tournament against local clubs.

The U15s secured some great wins against St Felix and IHS, Ellie Cook has been especially influential for her team this year and Mai Easton has secured top goal scorer throughout all ages this season.

The U16s have had a very mixed season but a highlight was their performance in the County Schools tournament, only losing out marginally to Framlingham College and Woodbridge. The 1st XI have fought very hard throughout and have been rather unlucky in some of their matches but have shown huge potential, Olivia Locke and India Goodman have been significant in the team’s success. Highlights of the season were the 1-1 draw against New Hall and the 3-3 draw against the Old Birkfieldiens in October.

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Netball

Badminton

In the School Sports Magazine Netball Cup, we were drawn against some strong Essex school sides and unfortunately we were knocked out in the U12, U13 and U15 competitions. Our U14, U16 and U19 netball teams competed in the Suffolk Schools tournaments. The U14 and U19 teams both came fourth, narrowly missing out on a place on the county finals. We are looking forward to the netball season really starting now as the teams are showing such potential in training.

Following badminton fixtures v Felsted, the Under 16 boys’ team competed in the County championship and were crowned champions.

The team of Alex Rolph, Hayden Rolph, Alex Coan and Harry Williams were excellent throughout and deserved their victory. Alex Rolph continues to climb the national rankings and the rest of the team are hot on his heels.

Individual Successes

The U14 and U16 Boys’ badminton teams will compete in the finals of the Suffolk Schools competition in January.

Olivia Locke and India Goodman have been selected for the U17 Regional Hockey squad. Safia Ludlum has been selected for the U14 Mavericks Netball Academy Squad. Imogen Cerely and Jemima Bestley have been selected for the U12 Suffolk development netball academy.

Ellie Cook has been selected for the Essex ladies Cricket side and Mai Easton has been selected for the Suffolk U15 Cricket squad.

Dominic Takes Two Gold Medals at National Level Alongside the outstanding rugby performances from the boys there have been some great displays from the minor sports supported by the College. Dominic Bigsby (Year 10) has excelled in gymnastics. From the hub of Pipers Vale, Dominic has competed nationally and this month won gold medals at the Great British championships for vault and floor. The Year 9 and 10 boys were lucky enough to see Dominic’s final week of preparation during their visit to Pipers Vale and after an afternoon’s coaching a number of potential stars were unearthed.

The rackets sports have been well represented as well. Following badminton fixtures v Felsted the Under 16 boys’ team competed in the County championship and were crowned champions. The team of Alex Rolph, Hayden Rolph, Alex Coan and Harry Williams were excellent throughout and deserved their victory. Alex Rolph continues to climb the national rankings and the rest of the team are hot on his heels.

The Under 13 table tennis team were also crowned county champions.

Gabriel Hawley captained the team brilliantly and led from the front.

The lunchtime clubs clearly paid of as the skill level of all the boys was outstanding.

Table Tennis Huge congratulations go to the Under 13 Boys’ Table Tennis team, crowned Suffolk county champions. Gabriel Hawley captained the team brilliantly and led from the front. The lunchtime clubs clearly paid off as the skill level of all the boys was outstanding. They secured their place in the regional finals in Lincolnshire in January.

The U19s came second in the county finals. The U14s came second in their tournament but are also through to the county finals. The U16 Girls were runners-up in their county final.

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Christmas Term Cheer from the PTA

So far this academic year, we have worked hard, and had a lot of fun, running a series of successful events for the entire College community. Kicking off the term, 10 teams took part in our annual quiz and curry night, helping us to raise just under £550. Congratulations to our winning team – Gang of Four plus 1.

Interested in taking part in our next quiz? It’s sooner than you may think…add Friday 26 February 2016 to your diary now!

Following the quiz we got down to planning for the Rugby Festival, including our second hockey tournament, helping to raise money towards a hockey dugout to pair up with the one already entirely funded by the PTA. Pupils, parents, friends and family turned out to give us enough players for four 7-a-side teams. This tournament raised £189, which has been added to the £182 raised during the family game at our summer fayre back in June. Fancy playing again? Join us on Friday 18 March 2016…more details to follow.

We were also on hand over the Rugby Festival weekend, running the kids’ zone, including bouncy castles, face painting and a tuck shop.

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Our Christmas Shopping Experience, all new for 2015, was a resounding success, raising around £2,000 for the College, as well as supporting local businesses. Transforming the Refs into a bustling seasonal market, over 40 stallholders displayed their wares, including Christmas cards and decorations, jewellery, gifts, home furnishings, food and more.

Many of the College community helped us to make the event enjoyable, including children from the St Joseph’s Voices Prep School choir and soloist singers from the Senior School.

The year would not be complete without our annual Prep School Christmas Fayre, which this year took place on Monday 14 December. Santa was on hand to pass out presents to all the girls and boys, while the children, family and friends all enjoyed the fun and festive cheer.

We would like to take this opportunity once again to thank everyone who has supported us, donating time, prizes and money to help us run these enjoyable events. All of the funds we raise are channelled back into the College, providing equipment to supplement learning for students from Nursery right through to Sixth Form.

PTA AGM – Coming Up Soon While we are already planning for another busy Lent term, we are also setting the wheels in motion for our AGM, taking place on Monday 18 January. You do not need to be a member of the PTA to attend, and we really do need parents outside of the committee to come along. Please do join us at the AGM to find out more about what we do and what is coming up.

Visit Our Refurbished Second Hand Uniform Shop Whether you need a replacement blazer or some extra sports kit, our recently refurbished second hand uniform shop is well worth a look. We have a wide range of good quality stock available for students of all ages, including over 70 blazers, as well as coats, trousers, skirts, shirts, jumpers and sports shoes.

The shop is now open each Monday (8.15am until 9.15am) and Friday (3.30pm until 4.30pm). With all items costing just a third of the Coes’ price, it is well worth popping in to see if we can help…

It is also a great opportunity to catch up with some of the friendly PTA team.

Mrs Vicky Fox PTA

Dates for Your Diaries Monday 18 January 2016 Annual General Meeting Friday 26 February 2016 Mexican Quiz Night Friday 18 March 2016 Family Hockey Match Wednesday 23 March 2016 Annual Prep School Easter Egg Hunt

Get In Touch If you would like to help us with our events next term, or if you would like to find out about joining the PTA, please do get in touch. You can email us at PTA@stjos.co.uk or grab any one of the committee members as you see us around the College – we are always keen to tell you more about what we do!

College Alumni News Old Birkfeldian Poppy Davidson is editor of Taste East Anglia, a “foodie” magazine distributed in and featuring the whole of East Anglia. The magazine is seasonal and the Winter edition will be just her third volume.

Poppy told us, “Since leaving St Joseph’s, I was employed as a Regulars Editor of a global magazine and then transferred to Business Development of a broadfeatured local magazine. Whilst at St Joseph’s College it was compulsory to study Food Technology until Year 9, and although I didn’t take this subject through to GCSE, it did instil into me the basics of food education and cookery, which is obviously a very important life skill and am now very grateful that it was mandatory.

“A real love of mine at St Joseph’s was photography and fortunately this subject was offered all the way through to GCSE. During my time at St Joseph’s I had three images accepted by a publishing company and printed as postcards.

“I think that perhaps the fact that I enjoy eating out, having the basic knowledge of food and how to prepare meals and the ability to present and photograph food has been the basis for me to start such a project. Working for myself at such a young age has been a difficult learning curve and I am sure that I still have a lot to learn but St Joseph’s College did encourage determination.”

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Boarding News Upgrades Boost Boarders’ Home Comforts Boarding has seen some exciting developments this year as the new College Development Plan highlighted the exciting long term vision for the Boarding community. However, with plans for a new build in the future the team still looked at how provision could be improved for our current boarders. With this in mind over the summer holidays the Mews common room, games room and TV lounge were all refurbished and an extensive set of sofas bought for our boarders to relax on, once they have finished their study! In addition, over the term the Mews showers have been on a cycle to be upgraded to electric showers to ensure an improved experience.

We have welcomed many new students into our community this year along with three new GAP graduates, Miss Lilburn, Mr Griffith and Mr Woodley. We have all been very busy with lots of events planned into the calendar. A large group of boarders headed off to Alton Water on a sunny Sunday afternoon in October and enjoyed a leisurely four-and-half mile cycle ride. Students were surrounded by beautiful scenery and lots of fresh air and they welcomed the café pit-stop at the end to recharge their batteries.

We have been sharing lots of cultural information in boarding this term. Our Chinese boarders started this information exchange by the celebrations of the Moon Festival. Our students shared the special moon cake and enjoyed sitting on picnic blankets under the stars among friends. When November came about, our overseas students asked why they kept hearing fireworks and so our UK boarders gave an impromptu history lesson on Guy Fawkes and the attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. This culminated in an exciting trip to Long Melford’s “Big Night Out” event. We all enjoyed an amazing fireworks display and students took advantage of the fairground rides to seek some thrills.

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Towards the end of the term our Sixth Form overseas students welcomed students from Year 11 and Sixth Form to a wonderful Birkfield Society event looking at Culture. There were students cooking and tasting traditional Chinese food, drinking the tastiest tea, being taught some Kung Fu, playing Mah Jong, creating origami delights, trying their hand at Chinese writing and my personal favourite, a rendition from Amy Zhu playing the traditional Chinese instrument Guqin. The social areas were filled with laughter and conversation.

The highlight to our term which kicks us off in the Christmas spirit is our trip to the Wolsey Theatre to watch the rock and roll pantomime “The Sword in the Stone”. Everybody laughed with delight at the dame and her antics, were in awe at the musical skills of the whole

cast and got up on their feet for a dance and a sing! The following day we had fun decorating the houses and switching on the Christmas lights. Young and old couldn’t help but feel jolly!

Our boarders have many talents and we enjoyed supporting them perform in an array of events form lunchtime concerts, debates, basketball matches and the Dance Show. We have had multicultural group cooking in the kitchen, fun and laughter in the lounge and – who could resist – even a game of Twister to let off some steam!

Come and join our Boarding community to experience life in St Jo’s for yourself!

Mrs Gina Rowlands Head of Boarding

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Keeping Your Child Safe Would you allow your child to watch an 18 rated film? Well, did you know that computer games are also categorised, using the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) rating system?

PEGI has 5 age categories Suitable for ages 3 and older. May contain mild violence in an appropriate context for younger children, but no explicit language is allowed.

Suitable for ages 16 and older. May contain explicit violence, strong language, sexual references or content, gambling, or drug use (encouragement)

Suitable for ages 7 and older. May contain mild, cartoon violence, sports or elements that can be frightening to younger children

Suitable for ages 18 and older. May contain graphic violence, including violence towards defenceless people and multiple, motiveless killings, strong language, strong sexual content, gambling, drug use (glamorisation), or discrimination

Suitable for ages 12 and older. May contain violence in a fantasy setting, coarse language, mild sexual references or innuendo, or gambling

CONTENT DESCRIPTOR

ICON

CORRESPONDING AGE RATINGS

EXPLANATION

Online

Contains an online game mode (so from 3 your child may connect online with other players anywhere in the world)

Fear / Horror

May contain scenes that are considered too disturbing or frightening to younger players.

Violence

May contain scenes of people getting injured or dying, often by use of weapons. Also may contain gore and bloodletting.

Sex

May contain references to sexual attraction or sexual intercourse. Also may contain nudity and characters dressed in suggestive clothing.

Bad Language

May contain profanity, sexual innuendo, threats, slurs and epithets.

Gambling

May contain elements that encourage or teach gambling.

Drugs

May contain references to illegal drugs or a fictional substance that has parallels to real-life illegal drugs (in use, possession or sale).

Discrimination

May contain cruelty or harassment based on race, ethnicity, gender or sexual preferences.

PEGI Content Descriptor Some games that are available as Apps on tablets and phones appeal to younger children. It is always worth reading reviews before allowing your child to download the App, many of which are free or only cost a few pounds. Note the reviews about the cuddly looking bear opposite:

Five Nights at Freddy’s age 12+ Parents need to know Five Nights at Freddy’s is a horror game that uses tension and jump scares in place of blood and guts -- and, as a result, is a lot scarier than many other titles. The sense of being trapped and defenceless in a small office quickly becomes real -- and when the animatronic characters jump out at you, you’ll jump (and maybe scream). This makes the game much too intense for younger kids -- and teens should know what they’re getting into.

Let’s face it: On paper Five Nights at Freddy’s shouldn’t be this terrifying.

But once you lose (and you will), you can rule out going to sleep for a little while, no matter how old you are.

It masterfully uses atmosphere and tension to psych you out as you play.

You’ll feel vulnerable and helpless, and when the creepily smiling characters pop up and the music spikes, you’ll jump out of your seat.