St Angela’s Newsletter
Easter 2010
Dear Parents & Carers
I hope our newsletter finds you well at this solemn time of the year when your
families once again get to spend quality time together through the Easter holiday period.
As you can see from within, St Angela’s has been a very busy place with many
exciting opportunities for the girls. This term has seen many achievements,
chief amongst which has to be our Section 48 inspection where the school was
judged outstanding thanks to the superb work of the RE department, the support of the whole staff and as ever the fantastic students that we have. This was
a very fitting achievement that has complimented our preparations for Easter at
a time in the school where we encourage students to think about the sacrifice
and reward of the Easter message.
Dress as a character day as part of Book Week, Sport’s Relief, ‘Momentum’ - the
Dance show and the Chamber music concert have all been fantastic events for
the school this term with the latter two being excellent opportunities for all parents to join an evening’s entertainment and celebrate the successes and talents
of St Angela’s girls.
The summer term will be, as ever, incredibly hard working with many students in
year 11 and the sixth form rapidly approaching examinations that will take them
on to their next educational journey. We wish them all well. My thanks to our
fabulous staff for their hard work and to the many staff who are working through
their Easter break with extra sessions for students.
I hope you enjoy this read, and the coming postcard (which is of the school’s
magnolia tree) that will come after easter reminding you of the key dates for
next term.
I wish you all a happy and holy Easter holiday.
Kind Regards
Mark Johnson
Headteacher
Section 48 Inspection
Religious Education judged as Outstanding
On Tuesday 2nd February 2010 inspectors on behalf of the Diocese of Brentwood came
to the school for the day to judge not only the quality of the provision of the Religious
Education at the school but also our provision for the spiritual, moral and social
development of St. Angela’s girls. I am very pleased to inform you that the inspectors
found St. Angela’s to be outstanding under every single category of their inspection.
I would like to thank publically Mr Paul McCarthy and his RE
department (Miss Vasilliou, Miss Kerridge, Miss Afonso and Miss
Buonocore) for their outstanding work in the school and particular
thanks to the student body, who as ever shone so well in reflecting
the spirit of Serviam within the school.
Easter Reflection
One Solitary Life
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty.
Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never visited a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public opinion turned against Him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to His enemies and went through the mockery of a trail.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While He was dying his executioners gambled for His clothing, the only property He had on
earth.
When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries have come and gone, and today He is the central figure of the human
race and the leader of humanity’s progress.
All the armies that have ever marched, all the navies that have ever sailed, all the
parliaments that have ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned put together have not
affected the life of humanity on earth as much as that One Solitary Life
2
The Youth Network Reception. . . . . .
at 11 Downing Street!
It’s not every Monday morning you’ll find yourself outside the security gates of 11 Downing
Street, clutching photographic I-D and surrounded by students and teachers from all over the
country. But here we were, braving March winds on the 22nd of that month and ready to be
welcomed into the home of The Chancellor of The Exchequer himself. Jennifer Labwo (year 13),
Eleanor Angwin (year 12) Miss Pellegrini and I were all here to take part in the celebration that
was the Youth Network Reception. A debate was held around midday, which was followed by
a presentation from the Crown Prosecution service and an award ceremony which rewarded
those organisations who have done the most for bringing Law and debating into education.
Figures of importance from all over the country attended the event; The Attorney General,
Dawn Butler and Jimmy Choo were among some of those to be accepted by a friendly
Maggie Darling into her home.
We had a special viewing of Mr Darling’s formal
sitting room, dining room and study and even had
our picture taken with Maggie Darling. What really
resonated with me about the day however was the
belief many of the adults had in the youth of today and
the encouragement of the idea that we can change
society for the better if we try. We left with an even
stronger feeling about how important politics and the
law is in our lives, and that it’s not just for the Eton elite.
Well
done
to Ms.
It’s not only the students at St. Angela’s who raise money
Peacock and Ms
for charities…
Russell for putting on a
Staff
staff
swish. This entailed
managed to raise
Congratulations to
staff
getting
involved in an
a super £261.84 for CAFOD
Ms Hill who took part
eco-friendly clothes swap.
when they dug into their pockets
in a Santathon! She
In total £175.81 was raised
to
pay for a wonderful Indian meal
for Cancer Research.
managed to raise
home
cooked
by
one
of
our
very
Well done everyone
£210 for Saint Francis
own
catering
staff.
who supported this
Hospice.
event!
3
IN StAngela’s,
Everyone is a Reader }
{
Book Week is an opportunity for staff and students to celebrate our love of reading in
fun ways and inspire us to read more. Activities took place across the whole school and
included whole school reading time, looking at good science and bad science in fiction
books, creating MFL miniature books, making book markers decorated with cubist art and
lots of competitions. As part of our World Book Day celebrations the whole school dropped
pens and bunsen burners and everyone had a very pleasurable reading session and the
TLC held a lunch time Book Quiz. Children’s author Echo Freer visited the school and spent
time with lower school students talking to them about her books.
The highlight of the Book Week celebration was a very enjoyable Book Character Day
when staff and students dressed as a character from a book.
St Angela’s Book Week
1st to 5th March 2010
Many thanks to Betty
Luk for organising a
calligraphy class as part
of book week.The library
monitors loved it!
Ms Suc Diamond
4
Book Character Day
The highlight of the Book Week
celebration was a very enjoyable Book
Character Day when staff and students
dressed as a character from a book.
Reading Leaders
During the spring term, year 10 have been
putting their training as Reading Leaders in to
practice and have been supporting year 7 on
a Wednesday morning during registration. You
can spot them with their red badges around the
school! Students have been trained in helping
younger readers using a range of resources
and skills. The training was delivered by Reading
Matters who are supported by the National
Literacy Trust. The students have been very well
received but the year 7 tutors and the year 7
themselves who have enjoyed having the year
10 students with them, acting as positive reading
role models. This further goes to support our
mantra - In St. Angela’s, everyone’s a reader!
5
PE
S
W
E
N
Dance Leaders work with
CandoCo Dance
Company
As part of their Dance Leader’s Award the
Year 10s have to complete a topic about
choreographing a piece of dance. To achieve
this, this year’s DLA girls were lucky enough to work with
CandoCo Dance Company for the day.
CandoCo have worked with St. Angela’s before and we
are currently in the middle of a schools project with them.
They are a dance company which work inclusively with both
disabled and non-disabled dancers.
For the DLA workshop, CandoCo worked with the girls
on creating a piece based on the use of words as stimulus for
movement. In this case they used song lyrics.
The girls came up with some very creative work which they
developed into group dances to create more interesting
choreography. The girls enjoyed the day and all performed well
enoughto pass their required Dance Leader’s Award module. Well
done to all of them!
Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne
A group of dance students and staff travelled to
Sadler’s Wells Theatre on a snowy winters evening
to watch Bourne’s modern version of this classical
ballet. Here, the swans were replaced by male
dancers who take on the strong, powerful and
aggressive characteristics of swans. This was
Bourne’s sixth revival for a London audience and
the humour, clever choreography and emotional
content are still apparent.
Four year 7s were amongst the party that evening
and the idea to create St. Angela’s own version of
the 4 little swans was considered. At dance club,
our own version of this classic was created and
performed for the Momentum Dance Concert.
6
During Sports Relief Week
the girls of St. Angela’s
participated in a range
of activities in order to
raise money for charity.
During PE lessons girls took
part in the Lands End to John
O’Groats Challenge, trying
to travel 603 miles by taking part in a range of
activities including cycling, jogging, skipping
and hula hooping. Each girl paid a small amount
to participate in the events – by the end of the
week it was clear that 603 miles would easily be
achieved –our final mileage totalling a massive
813! Along with the in class activities girls also
paid to watch the staff football team do battle
in the Sports Hall, it was an exciting game and
the girls got to cheer on their favourite players
and marvel at the skill shown by all the players!
Collections also took place during the Dance
Shows on both Wednesday and Thursday
evening. The total
amount raised reached
£340 which was a great
achievement and the
money will be going to a
very worth while cause.
Well done to everyone
that took part!
Angelica Balekrishnan
Year 10.
Year 7 7-a-side Football
Borough Champions!
On Tuesday 23rd February 2010 our Year 7
Football team took part in the Newham
Borough 7-a-side tournament at Kingsford
School. The girls faced five other schools,
all of whom played well. The team had a
particularly exciting match with Forest Gate
who won the 5-a-side tournament earlier in
the season. But this time, St. Angela’s were
too much for them and after winning all of
our games the girls brought home the trophy
(seen held by the captain Milene Gama Vaz)
as well as individual gold medals! Well done
to the whole team; Dionne, Brogan, Milene,
Sabrina, Moesha, Chelsea, Sophie, Iani, and
Danielle.
Indoor Canoeing – Ergo Challenge: Year 7 to 11
12th February 2010
Today, year 7, took part in the Ergo challenge
indoor canoeing event, as an endurance
trial. This consisted of students being to put to
the test by using their upper body strength to
move the machinery in a canoeing motion,
whilst on a time limit of 60 seconds. The
students were judged on how many strokes
they did in this time, and the best of their year
group stepped up to a 5 minute challenge.
The time they were set to beat was a total
of 196 strokes - a real stimulus for the young
participants to achieve. Kia Commodore
of 7 Angelou received the highest in year
7 with 171 strokes. She said: “I’m really
excited, but still a bit nervous as there is a lot
of pressure on me.” The best time for the 5
minute challenge was 788 strokes! Everyone
took part and were all very tired and achy
afterwards. We all agreed
that it took great stamina and arm strength
to complete the task. It was a really fun,
different and energetic way to spend the
2 hour lesson. One of the PE teachers, Miss
L.Lebby said, “It is important that the girls try
this challenge as it is a good fitness analysis
and it gets the girls motivated.” One of
the participants reflected, “It was a very
enjoyable event, but I wish I could have
done more.”
Everyone supported each other as they
took the assessment and there was a very
lively and joyous atmosphere. There were
many smiles and laughter in the sports hall.
It was a nice way to spend the day and it
was surprisingly calming. It was a cheerful
experience, and overall, it was a pretty
good day.
By Sophie Martin & Luchia Fortune-Ely
Inter-Form Sporting Competitions
During the school year, pupils from Years 7
to 11 have participated in six competitions:
Football; Cross-Country; Basketball; Badminton;
Dance and Volleyball. There is only one
competition left to take place and this is in
Softball. The year 11 competition is on Thursday
22nd April and the years 7 to 10 competition is on
Thursday 6th May. Trophies will be awarded at the
end of the school year.
7
Working in the City
The Business Studies department took 10 lucky
year 11 girls out for two afternoons in February/
March to visit city organisations. The aim
was to learn about city careers, particularly
financial careers. Our first hosts were BDO, the
Chartered Accountancy firm. We enjoyed a
fantastic lunch in opulent surroundings and
had the opportunity to meet several BDO
employees and find out all about their jobs.
The City of London Corporation hosted the
second visit. The students particularly enjoyed
a share trading game in which they beat the
teachers’ team! The students really enjoyed
both days and are even keener on financial
careers than before.
Finals Day of The Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition
Saturday 13th March
We arrived at the Oxford union at about 9 am, having been awake since
about 5.30. Already we were tired, but the adrenaline of what lay ahead
of us was starting to kick in. Time passed quickly, and before we knew it,
we were preparing the first of four motions given to us. It was very fitting;
proposing the banning of private schools! With us being one of the only
state schools at this competition, we felt like we had the upper hand and
a more balanced view. Nerves really
got to us, but as the day progressed, we
relaxed into the swing of things. Instead
of feeling nervous, we decided to just
have as much fun as possible.
The best thing about debating
competitions is also the strangest. You
spend 45 minutes trying to beat and
intimidate your opponents and as soon
as you leave the room, you talk to them!
They always end up being really nice
and you end up making lots of friends!
Debating competitions are definitely an
experience, and this one was probably
the best there has been. Not only were
the debates interesting and fun in the final, the setting was fantastic. My
partner (Mia Smith, year 10) and I even got to debate in the actual hall of
the Oxford Union, where former presidents have spoken.
The day went really quickly, but nonetheless, it was fantastic! And the free
dominos pizza at the end of the day wasn’t bad at all! ;-) Eleanor Angwin Year 12
8
ARTS
NEW
Tate Britain ‘Verbal eyes’ project
A busy time for the Art
Department this term, as two
year 7 classes took part in a
joint project with St Antony’s year
5 students and Tate Britain. The
students worked with two artists from
Tate Britain called Danielle and Divina. They were
a little different than the artists the students had
heard of before as they didn’t create paintings
or sculptures, but created situations where the
audience were the artists. Both schools visited Tate
Britain and looked at traditional paintings and
sculptures; they then had to discuss how the art
work made them feel. The students then choose
songs that reminded them of the paintings.
Back at school the two schools came together
to form a choir. The songs they choose were put
together to form a medley by gipta sss, a singing
teacher from ‘Sing Up’ an organisation set up
to support singing in schools. The students then
worked across the two schools learning the songs
and making their own art work to support the
singing. They explored the idea of traditional craft
skills to make kneeler cushions using appliqué
techniques.
The students performed their art work to parents
and year 3 and 4 students at St Antony’s. Mr
Johnson also attended the assembly and was
very impressed with how hard the students had
worked.
On May 22nd the Tate will hold a family day where
both schools will attend and perform their singing
in front of the paintings. The cushions will also be
displayed in the Tate gallery on the day.
9
Momentum
Momentum Dance Concert
Momentum Dance Concert represented the
diversity of dancers at St. Angela’s. A variety of
dance genres were performed, including jazz,
ballet, tap, street, contemporary and of course
Irish dancing, particularly for those who came to
watch the evening show on St. Patrick’s Day.
Over the course of the term dancers from years 7
to 12 came together with one goal, to entertain
and put on a great show for their audience!
Some of the dancers had the opportunity to
work with dance artists from renowned dance
companies such as Shobana Jeyasingh
Dance Company and Stan Won’t Dance. The
dancers performed to over 300 primary school
children, which also included performances
from Yr 2 and Yr 4 students from St. Francis
and St. Anthony’s respectively, as part of
the PE departments outreach work in our feeder
primary schools. The Momentum dancers went
on to perform in two shows open to family and
friends.
All dancers rose to the challenge to create a
fantastic concert, which showcased not only,
GCSE and A level dance coursework but also
dances created by different years at dance
club and for the inter-form dance competition
earlier in the term. Congratulations to all involved
and many thanks to all staff who supported the
Momentum Dance Concert throughout the three
performances.
10
Cricket News
Cirque Du Soleil
Congratulations to the year 7
& 8 cricket team who made it
through to the Essex Inter Indoor
Cricket finals, which was held at
the Essex’s county indoor centre
at Chelmsford. The girls played
well demonstrating improvements
in their fielding and batting
techniques.
They acquitted
themselves well but lost out to
a team, which contained two
county players and were placed
third overall. Well done to Camille
Francis (Captain), Siobhan Lynch,
Maria Delgardo, Amber Byrne,
Jacinta Agbeko, Dorthea Darby
and Tinolua Aknew. Earlier in the
year, Siobhan Lynch and Camille
Francis were also selected
to represent Newham in the
Cricket London Youth Games.
Good luck to the cricket team
who will also be competing
in the Newham league after
the Easter holidays.
Literally translating as ‘circus of the sun’ there is no
other way you can really describe what has been
labelled the ‘best circus in the world’ by most critics.
It’s vast, it’s bright and the audience noticeably
feed off its energy. VAREKAI follows a rainforest
world of colour and noise. We found this Amazon
amidst the grand setting of the Royal Albert Hall
one Friday afternoon.
The performance can only be described as a
spectacle; two hours unnoticeably lost in pure circus
magic. Although completely modernised, and not
held in a big top, Cirque Du Soleil still manages to
capture the slightly Russian, heart-in-mouth circus
charm.
The spectrum of talent exhibited was so huge it
would be a challenge to recall every act, but the
acrobats, trapezing and juggling were amongst the
most memorable.
I recommend Varekai as an experience you will
never forget, where everyone is a clown, vibrancy is
key and anything is possible. Varekai was watched
by a variety of PE students from years 7 to 11.
By Tara Kearney
Duke of Edinburgh News
Year 10, 11 and 12 students have been busy
this term preparing for Bronze and Silver Duke
of Edinburgh Awards. There has been training
every Friday evening and all students are
busy with new Skills, Physical activities and
Volunteering. On February 6th over 35 students
and 9 teachers headed into the woods of
Epping Forest to practice their navigation
skills and map reading. Some got lost, some
encountered dogs and horses but all had a
good day. The Silver candidates successfully completed
their practice expedition to the South Downs
from 20th-22nd March. On the first day weather
conditions were miserable but as the weekend
progressed weather, navigation, cooking skills
and spirits improved. Well done to everyone
involved!
Next term the Silver assessed expedition and
the Bronze expeditions will take place.
11
NCE
E
I
SC WS
NE
Engineering Week
Classes down the Science
corridor were a little
louder than usual this halfterm as students celebrated
Science and Engineering
week. Students in year ten,
eleven and the sixth form spiced
up their revision by recording a Science themed
video performance to enter the ‘Science’s got
Talent’ LMLE completion. Students logged on
to watch and vote for their favourite out of
some memorable performances!
(Left to Right); Ola, Oryomi, Lemanni, Chi Chi and
Tunmi perform ‘Bonding (not premium)’ (Ola and Tunmi
productions Ltd.)
Crazy science experiments, thought provoking poetry on global warming, and an
unforgettable rap about phlogiston can all be found on the LMLE. The top ten were shown in
assembly, but the voting lines are still open to all year groups and staff so get on line and check
them out!
Fish Club
Mr Moore and Mr Baker created fish club for
all years. Since being created, the popularity
has grown, almost as much as the pregnant
Guppy’s belly! As a live bearer, she does not
lay eggs and is currently three weeks pregnant.
The group has monitored temperature, pH and
levels of ammonia to ensure optimum conditions
for all the fish. Strange additions include the
blind cave fish, which over millions of years
has lost the need for eyes,
and thus doesn’t have
any. New members are
always welcome.
Chantelle Locsin - 8
Science at St Antony’s
Science teachers teamed up with staff at St Antony’s to provide
a science afternoon on 24th March. Year 6 pupils were given
a chemistry, physics and biology lesson where they had the
opportunity to use some of our specialised equipment. The
purpose of the team up was to get students excited about
science and life at St Angelas. The vast majority of Year 6s
will be attending St Angelas or St Bonaventure’s and so this
session hopefully worked towards easing the transition period.
The chance to ask questions about life in secondary school
was also readily taken up. The success of the afternoon was
proven by hearing a number of pupils saying ‘’I can’t wait to
go to St Angelas’’... Even one of the boys!
12
World of Insurance
In March, 15 Sixth Form students
took part in an Insurance
workshop held in the school’s
Teaching and Learning Centre.
The workshop was presented
by representatives from the
Chartered Institute of Insurance.
The workshop included live
debates and tasks offering
students an enjoyable insight
into the world of Insurance and
to consider it as a career choice.
Students looked at why we
need insurance, the professional
qualifications and got the
opportunity to ask questions
about working in the city. All
students enjoyed the workshop
with some students obtaining
contacts for potential work
experience.
The retreats in RE
The RE department had their hands full with the retreats this term. As spirituality is central to the
development of a St. Angela’s girl, it was imperative that the retreats were well thought out,
meaningful and within the context of their daily lives. We chose 2 themes: You are beautiful (with
year 7 and year 10) and Carry your Cross (year 8).
The year 7 and year 10 retreats took place in the last half term. The theme ‘You are beautiful’ was an
instant hit with our girls, year 7 and year 10 alike. Although the activities varied, the general interest
in ‘inward’ and ‘outward’ beauty remained captivating to our audience. The girls participated
with great gusto, were vociferous in their opinions, open minded in their outlook and creative in
their activities. We incorporated fun activities for everyone – we had music, dance, drama, film
clips, discussions, prayers sessions etc. It was very clear that both year groups had a lovely time.
Furthermore, we were inspected by Ofsted whilst going through our year 10 retreats and were
graded outstanding – what a wonderful endorsement for the spirituality of every St. Angela’s girl!
During this half term, we went through our year 8 retreats themed ‘Carry your Cross’. We chose our
theme in keeping with the season of lent. The retreats were held in the chapel. This was a first for the
RE department as we usually hold our retreats in St. Clare’s Hall (St. Antony’s). I personally thought
that having the retreats in the chapel was a wonderful idea as it emphasized that the chapel is the
heart of St. Angela’s. Once again, the girls had a lovely time. The retreat was very reflective and
tried to answer questions like – Why do we have so many problems in our lives? Does God think we
are bad people and is trying to punish us with all these problems? Once again, all thoughts and
ideas were supported with music, dance, drama, film clips, discussions, prayers sessions etc. The
retreat hopefully made the season of lent all the more meaningful.
The girls, through their evaluations and reflections told us that they loved the retreats and really
enjoyed themselves. They (mostly) behaved beautifully and St. Angela would be very proud of
them. We, in the RE department are very happy to have served them. The pleasure was all ours.
SERVIAM.
C. Afonso
13
Let’s Get Cooking
at St Angela’s
The ‘Let’s get cooking’ initiative got off to a
brilliant start on Wednesday January 27th with
St Angela’s hosting the Newham all schools
challenge in Brescia hall. Ten schools (primary
and secondary) participated. The day started
with Angelique Tennant, Nervon Gentles-Ilechie,
Dorthea Darby and Jaell Goncalves from St
Angela’s learning how to be safe food handlers,
use sharp equipment correctly and understand
the practical skills needed to cook delicious food
from scratch. Students were introduced to using
fresh wholesome fruit and vegetables through
games and a taste competition. The first half
of the day was full of competitive activity with
schools competing to show that their food has
that ‘wow’ factor by creating that all important
advert for their product. All foods made were
shared with the other schools. For the lunch time
meal, all students were encouraged to sample
Work Experience In Germany
At the start of the year Ms Ostheim
mentioned to us that we would get the
opportunity to work in Germany for a week.
Feeling slightly anxious but excited we
said “yes!!” and put it at the back of our
minds, for we had to focus, it was the first
term of year 13! That was soon to change
when time flew by so quickly and we both
realised that we had to leave in over two
weeks.
The idea of travelling to a different country
on our own, staying with a family that we
had never met before, working there and
to make matters worse we would both be
staying in completely different towns was
the quite frightening.
We must admit though it was the best
decision we could have ever made. It
turned out to be the best experience of our
lives. We were able to have conversations
in fluent German, travel to work on our
own, teach primary school children English,
take in the beautiful scenery, embrace the
German culture as well as make friends for
life. Not forgetting that we shopped till we
dropped! We did not want to leave, there
were a lot of tears at the airport.
Thank you Ms Ostheim for this tolle Möglichkeit.
Ich hoffe andere Personen warden auch
diese Möglickeit bekommen!
the appetising and nutritious selection of foods.
We were most impressed and must say that the
food was enjoyed by students and teachers
alike.
Dolores Appiagyei-Danka and Michelle
Soosaithasan xxx
The day ended with students making two
products to take home to share with their family.
The students from St Angela’s won a prize for
working well as a team and being fantastic
hosts, all participants cheered that it was a
fantastic day, which they enjoyed thoroughly.
The next day our students reported that their
parents were really impressed with the food
that they tasted.
The Design & Technology Food department was
involved in a further initiative to encourage year
7 students and their parents to enjoy cooking
and eating healthy meals together. All year 7
students were given a free ’Real Meals: simple
cooking that tastes great’ cookery book.
Design and Technology Department
14
Year 12 students visiting our
partner school in Berlin
During their visit to Berlin the students did not only visit
museums, went to the cinema and the theatre but
also had a fabulous time when visiting our partner
school. After an interesting discussion with the
German students they were rewarded with a buffet
lunch prepared by their hosts.
Geography
Year 10 visited Walton on the Naze this term
to study coastal features, processes and
management. Students really enjoyed their day
and found it very educational. They studied
the rate of erosion at The Naze and area of
unprotected coastline made up of London Clay
and Red Crag that is suffering from rotational
slumping. They also assessed the suitability of
different management techniques such as groynes,
sea wall, revetments, and rip rap that have been
used to protect the coastline. It was great to put
into practice theories learnt in the classroom.
Health & Social Care On Tour
What do you think of when you think of Norfolk? Pretty villages and historic churches? Unspoilt
beaches? Or sweaty Health and Social Care students exercising and shedding the pounds
whilst being mistaken for a touring dance troupe!
The 2010 trip to Norfolk had a twofold purpose:
Firstly, to enhance the students’ knowledge and
understanding of a healthy lifestyle via LIVING IT, rather
than just writing about it whilst munching chicken and
chips!
The students’ fitness levels were tested to their limits by
the range of sporting activities, including badminton,
golf, football, salsa dancing and tennis that they
encountered. At least one group of students now realise
that the route to a ‘six pack’ does not lie within the
confines of a Nintendo Wii!
Secondly, to remove the students from their familiar
environments and challenge their perceptions of life.
The students were perfectly behaved and model
citizens, happily passing the time of the day with the assorted hordes of retired accountants
and bankers who constituted the rest of the residents. After everyone had ascertained that
we weren’t part of the entertainment, our students added a (much needed!) dash of energy
and enthusiasm to the sedate surroundings that they were in and their perfect manners even
led the Head Chef ( a dour Ramseyesque figure no less!) to compliment the students on their
behaviour on behalf of the whole staff.
So, on both accounts the trip was a
resounding success. These trips are
difficult to organise and are very hard
(24 hour a day) work whilst you’re
there- so, are they worth it?
Judge by the expressions in the
photographs and let me know what
you think.
Bernard Jones
Coming Up . . . . . .
Future Music Concerts:
June - Chamber Concert
6th July - Choir singing at the O2 Arena
(Licence to thrill)
9th July - Summer Music Concert
15
CATHOLIc collect for easter Sunday
God our Father,
by raising Christ your Son
you conquered the power of death
and opened for us the way to eternal life.
Let our celebration today raise us up
and renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.