HEADTEA HER [S BLOG WHAT’S THE LATEST FROM ST EDE’S?

HEADTEACHER’S BLOG

WHAT’S THE LATEST FROM ST BEDE’S?

Welcome back to St Bede’s It gives me great pleasure to share the first Headteacher’s blog of the year with you. I hope that you

enjoy reading about the events going on in school and the clubs that are all available. A special welcome

to our new parents who will be receiving this blog for the first time. Please feel free to share any great

stories of your child’s achievements outside of school. We are a community that celebrates each other

and enjoys the many talents that are shown in and out of school.

We have settled back into school life and for our returning students, it probably feels like they’ve never

been away! It is great to see a vibrant school that can again enjoy lessons, extra-curricular activities and

the positive relationships that exist across all members of our school. Enjoy the blog and please do get in

touch if you have anything to celebrate or share. Follow us on Twitter (@stbedes1957).

Year 7 Newsletter Miss Caldwell will be producing a fortnightly newsletter to keep Y7 students updated about everything

that is going on in school. Please see the first edition below and wait for your copies to be emailed home

every two weeks.


Get your Maths kicks on Instagram!

Let the making begin It has been great seeing all the pupils in lessons working so well. DT have been working on their isometric

drawing with Mr Gibson. They have learnt how to copy the image, how to scale it up then how to add

shade and tone.


Charley’s chop Do you remember over lockdown when we couldn’t go to the hairdressers? Nobody could get a haircut

and everyone’s hair got super long? Well, Charley Mawtus in year 8 decided to turn a problem into an

opportunity to help someone.

The Little Princess Trust use donated hair to make wigs for children who have lost their own hair due to

medical complications such as cancer treatment or a condition called alopecia. The wigs give them

confidence and the ability to live the lives they enjoyed before getting sick. While the Trust accepts hair

from 25cm long, their greatest need was for hair that was 41cm long. During lockdown, Charlotte’s hair

got very long but rather than rush to the hairdressers as soon as she could, she decided to wait until her

hair was the right length before making her donation.

It took a really long time but on the 1st of September, it was finally time for the chop. 41cm of hair was

cut off and sent to the Little Princess Trust. Although they now have the hair, the wigs still cost money to

make, and that is why she is trying to raise £500 to make a wig out of her hair for someone who needs it.

The Just Giving page goes directly to the Trust if anyone would like to help her reach her target.


Summer school fun


Music @ St Bede’s The music department would like to give a very warm welcome to the new year 7 pupils and their

parents/carers. What a crazy 18 months we have had! Before the very first lockdown in March 2020, the

music department was filled every lunchtime with singing, playing and fun – music filled the whole

school. Over 160 pupils and staff were involved in a music club and music was very alive.

Then……news flash….no singing, no playing woodwind instruments, no choirs…no music. We were

devastated but this didn’t stop us. Please have a listen to our beautiful song that instils our school values

of Faith, Hope and Love. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3JZNmdR4oI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3JZNmdR4oI


Get involved in PE At St Bede’s, our extra-curricular programme is inclusive and caters for all. Please look at the programme

and get yourself involved in an activity to keep yourself fit and healthy.

See the teachers leading the programme to get involved. All abilities and experiences are welcome.

Ethan gets on his bike Ethan Tinsley has been busy over the summer competing in the Hope PMBA Enduro Series in Scotland.

He had an 8 hour round trip just to make it to the race. It was his second national enduro race. The first

one was three weeks ago in Wales. Ethan is now racing against professionals and high-profile YouTubers

that he had enjoyed watching on screen before competing against them!

He came 11th out of 31 in his age category, just 2 minutes behind the winner, and 116th out of 312

overall. He did 30 miles up and down mountains.

In his first race 3 weeks ago, he had a tyre blowout on stage 4 and had to carry his bike down massive

drops for 2 miles. He wouldn’t give up though and got a new tyre fitted and completed stage 5! These are

real GRITTY skills, Ethan, and we’re all very proud of you at St Bede’s!

You can see Ethan in action below.


St Bede’s GRITTY Summer School 2021

The GRITTY summer school was a great opportunity for pupils in Year 6 to be introduced to St Bede’s

school. The weather was fantastic and the Year 6 pupils were able to spend time with new friends,

develop an understanding of GRITTY skills and become familiar with their new school environment.

During the week, the students enjoyed many fun activities that involved project-based learning in Maths,

Science and English. These included CSI forensic science, bridge building, rocket building, speech writing,

Maths escape room, problem solving, and Iodine clocks.

Pupils from Year 7, 8 and 9 also attended the GRITTY summer school.

There were also daily enrichment activities that included, building eco/sustainable bee hotels, GRITTY

Artwork, Music and Drama sessions, remote control buggy challenge, Go-Kart racing, Soft Archery and

Nerf Tin Can Alley, PE games and the very popular inflatable assault course.

Pupil Comments What have you learnt about GRITTY this week?

• What it means and stands for – Ryan

• To be independent – Olivia

• Not to give up, keep trying and be motivated - Nuala

• That you can achieve them during the week and I will – Jose

• That I shouldn’t give up and be resilient - Jessica

• I have learned that independence is when you do something on your own without help – Emily

• The GRITTY skill gives a good development mindset - Vincent

• Limpets/Scallops are tenacious- Charlotte

• I like the G in GRITTY because it stands for growth mindset! - Oliver

• Limpets are tenacious- Kate and Emma

• I learnt how to make a papier mache volcano - Oliver

• Mr Holt is good at Go-Karts - Bobby

How have you shown GRITTY skills and attitudes this week?

• By being positive and making new friends – Ryan

• I have acted different every day getting better at being kind - Olivia

• Yes, by being committed to my work - Nuala

• By helping out - Jose

• Yes, I have, I’ve been independent, respectful and brave and I’ve made many friends - Jessica

• I have done several tasks on my own and had nobody to help me - Emily

• I wrote a speech independently - Vincent


• I made the tallest spaghetti tower - Charlotte

• When I was playing football and I was on the floor and went back up again because I

remembered growth mindset- Oliver

• Trying hard - Emma

• I have shown tenacity by coming back to learn more - Oliver

• I have been Independent - Bobby

• I beat Mr Holt on the Go Karts - Grace

• I have been shown it is my world - Hannah

What activities have you enjoyed?

• I have enjoyed Science because of the experiments – Ryan

• Baking because I love food and it was fun - Olivia

• Baking because it was quite challenging - Nuala

• I have enjoyed rounders because the teachers and the year 9s made it an enjoyable sport and

time – Jose

• I have enjoyed science since we got to do experiments and have fun! - Jessica

• I have enjoyed science because I enjoyed looking through microscopes - Emily

• The iodine clock was very fun - Vincent

• The bouncy castle - Charlotte

• Football, science, bouncy castle and English - Oliver

• Rockets, marshmallows and spaghetti, activities - Kate

• Marshmallows and spaghetti tower build/I could eat the marshmallow - Emma

• I have enjoyed many things but my favourite was the go karts because I won a lot - Oliver

• Bouncy castle because it’s fun - Bobby

• Go Karts because I am the best - Grace

• Bouncy Castle, watched Mr Holt lose - Hannah

Any Further Comments?

• I am excited for September – Ryan

• I loved the summer school – Olivia

• I think I will really enjoy St. Bedes - Nuala

• Thank you for making me have a fun experience at our summer camp – Jose

• St. Bedes Is amazing and I can tell that I’ll fit in. Science is my favourite subject - Jessica

• I loved my time here and it is a great school. Thank you to all the teachers who taught me- Emily

• GRITTY Summer school gives a good look into school life - Vincent

• Would come again - Emma

• Mr Holt is not the king of Go-Karts - Grace

• Mr Holt is a loser in Go Karts - Hannah


Comments from Parents

• ‘The girls were ‘buzzing’ when they came home yesterday, they really enjoyed their first day of

GRITTY Summer School, sounds like they had a lot of fun and more to come. So, a big thanks to

you and the other staff who’ve taken a week out of their holidays to organise and supervise’.

• ‘Our son and daughter are really enjoying the “Gritty School” they come home and are

enthusiastic in telling us what they’ve done each day. Please pass on our thanks and appreciation

to those teachers and staff that are running such a successful event’.

• ‘I would like to say a huge thank you to you and all the staff involved in organizing and running

the summer school this week’.

• ‘My daughters Maya and Rosie loved every minute of it’.

‘Rosie has made lots of new friends this week and cannot wait to join Saint Bede’s in September’.

‘I hope all the staff enjoy a well-earned summer break’.

‘Many, many thanks to you all for all your hard work throughout the year’.

What things have you learnt about on the Media Camp?

• Filming and how to be a better actress

• How to film and film angles

• How the media /film industry works and how movies and stuff are made

• Camera angles, how movies are made, what to look for in trailers and more

• How to develop my ideas and explain/pitch them in front of people

How has the Media camp help you understand the job opportunities in Media and Drama?

• It has varied the jobs and showed ways to break into the industry

• It has helped me think about more ways I could utilise my media and drama skills to find a

career, I have thought more about different careers

How did the session help with your understanding of Media and Film Studies?

• Sheridan was friendly and gave good advice and constructive criticism when asked for. He helped

me realise my stronger ideas and also helped me think more about how to develop them.

• Mr Belger’s sessions were helpful because they got me ready for Sheridan’s. He gave me tools

like different shot types and ways to market something so that I could incorporate them into my

ideas in Sheridan's sessions

• It was good, we learned much more about the media side which will be good for GCSES

Rate the Media Camp on a scale 1-5 5 being excellent and 1 being poor

• Average score 4.9


A word from our chaplain, Jacinta

Make Talk Your Goal Programme for Wellbeing. There is nothing more important to us as a school than the wellbeing of our pupils. We recognise that

good mental health and wellbeing are fundamental to our children leading happy, safe and fulfilled lives.

Young people who feel happy, healthy and heard tend to be more focused, enjoy better relationships and

learn more.

Given that positive wellbeing is linked to future happiness and allows pupils to achieve better

academically, we recognise the importance of a coordinated, sustainable programme of wellbeing

support at St Bede’s.

Whilst the wellbeing of all our pupils is a priority, statistics regarding the mental health of young men

nationally is particularly alarming. Men account for just 35% of referrals for mental health support. As a

school, we understand the importance of working together to ‘normalise’ boys talking about feelings and

emotions and removing perceived barriers or ingrained stigmas which might prevent this.

In order to address this, we are delighted to announce our St Bede’s ‘Make Talk Your Goal’ programme .

Working collaboratively with ex Liverpool and England Goalkeeper and nationally renowned mental

health ambassador, Chris Kirkland, we have coordinated a pioneering new approach to engaging boys in a

wellbeing programme. Our programme offers boys a range of opportunities and activities which allow

them to talk freely, connect with others and develop healthy coping strategies. Each and every pupil at St


Bede’s is unique and treated as an individual. We have therefore ensured that the programme offers a

range of activities and interventions which will appeal to all pupils and hopefully maximise engagement.

The programme launched in July and was led by a group of St Bede’s pupils who are ambassadors for the

programme. Their enthusiasm and drive to make this a success is quite exceptional. We envisage that as


positive role models they will effectively promote the positive messages in the programme and

encourage other boys to become involved. Over the coming months, a programme of keynote speakers,

activities and specialised intervention strategies will be rolled out across school with the aim of involving

as many boys as possible. We look forward to sharing details of this exciting and hugely beneficial

programme with you.

Parental involvement in the programme is key to its success. Not simply because parents and carers are

best placed to identify concerns, but also because evidence shows boys in particular, confide in parents

first. We hope to work closely with parents and also look forward to their involvement in various

activities. If you require any information about this programme please do not hesitate to contact the

school.

Our entire school culture is based around love, faith and hope which we believe is the foundation of our

faith and personal wellbeing. We are therefore committed to ensuring that these Gospel values are at the

heart of our ‘Make Talk Your Goal’ programme.

St Anne’s Welcome Weekend Parents and pupils of St Bede’s are warmly invited to St Anne’s Welcome Weekend, 11th and 12th

September at St Anne’s Church.

The weekend has been organised to celebrate Jubilees and other anniversaries which we were unable to

celebrate over the past months. We hope it will be a lovely way to welcome all parishioners, family,

friends and neighbours back to St Anne’s.

Saturday 11th September

12 noon- An outdoor Mass (please bring chairs if possible) followed by a “bring your own” picnic on the

Bowling Green.

1-5pm – music, information stalls and some activities and tours.

Sunday 12th September

10.30 am - Welcome back Mass followed by hotpot lunch (please book for catering purposes -

01695572168)

We look forward to seeing you over the weekend.

St Anne’s PPC.

Year 7 Welcome Day We are looking forward to our Year 7 Welcome Day on the 17th September. Our wonderful new Year 7

pupils will take part in a series of workshops and activities which always prove both enjoyable and very

productive.

Getting to know each other is an essential part of the day, so pupils will take part in fun team building

activities and drama workshops which will allow them to deepen friendships already made and get

talking to other pupils they have not yet met. By the end of the sessions, new friendships will be forged

and the list of names to remember will have become a lot longer!


At 2pm, we will celebrate a beautiful Year 7 Welcome Mass led by Father Godric. Under normal

circumstances, parents and carers would be invited to attend, unfortunately due to current

circumstances we are unable to extend this invitation. We will of course ensure that pictures of this

lovely day are shared with you.

MFL News

MFL News

Welcome to our new year 7 pupils who are learning German this year!

Welcome back to our older pupils, and to Frau Williams, our Curriculum Leader of MFL! Frau Williams has

been on maternity leave after the birth of baby Eden, and is back – refreshed and raring to go! Madame

Waterhouse is also back with us to continue working with small groups of pupils on their MFL speaking

skills. Our pupils absolutely love going out to practise with her!


Tour de France 2021

Before we broke

up for summer,

pupils got to pick

out of a hat the name

of a cyclist in this

year’s Tour de

France (to take part in a draw for first second and third

place).

Our prizes go to:

Izzy Snowden in year 10 for picking the overall winner - Tadej Pogacar (cyclist for team UAE EMIRATES)

Keira Price year 10 for picking second place - Jonas Vingegaard (JUMBO VISMA)

Lucy Martin year 10 for selecting the third place Richard Carapaz (INEOS GRENADIERS)

Bravo, les filles!

As for the Women’s Tour - La Course - Demi Vollering(Team SD Worx) won overall. This edition was held

on the morning of stage 1 of the men's Tour de France.

Next year the 9th edition of La Course will gain a lot more publicity when it is ramped up to will be a

multiple day stage-race, set to take place after the Tour de France. Effectually, the race will be the Tour

de France for women, but it is not known yet whether it will be called the Tour de France.

Allez les filles!

Language Ambassadors

We have hit the ground running with our Language Ambassors in MFL who are already busy preparing for

new and interactive ways to celebrate the European Day of Languages on Friday 24th September. They

have some exciting things to share with pupils in form time and

exclusive content for our Instagram account, so make sure you are

following us! @stbedesormskirkmfl

If you would like to be a Language Ambassador, please chat to your

subject teacher about the kinds of events and activities they are involved in and the level of commitment

required.

Calling all Year 11 pupils:

https://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/demi-vollering/

https://www.cyclingnews.com/la-course-by-le-tour-de-france/


Our after school sessions have already started on Tuesdays, afterschool. They will be held with your

subject teacher in their room. There are snacks! Please come along as soon and as often as you can!

Need a little extra help?

Come along to our Lunchtime drop-in sessions on Monday and Thursday lunchtimes. Whether you need

2 minutes or 20 minutes, come along! Everyone welcome!

Talented Former Pupil

One of our past pupils has recently graduated from the University of Chester with a 2:1 Joint Honours

degree in French and German. We are so proud of her, and she has written us something for our blog

about her experiences abroad. What an inspiration she is!

‘Hello! My name is Niamh and I left St Bede’s in 2014. It was here at school where I found my passion

for languages. Since leaving school I have had opportunities to experience living and working abroad

during this time I have gained a degree in French and German.

Summer 2019 was my first adventure of living and exploring a new country; even though it was very

nerve wracking it was extremely exciting. I was given the opportunity to work at The Technische

Universität Braunschweig in Germany, where I worked alongside the languages department organising

events such as their own Brexit debate and helping plan lectures making us feel part of the team. Not

only did I make many new German friends, I lived with a German family and another friend from

university which I found highly beneficial as they helped us fit into the German community and helped

improve our German as we had no choice but to speak German with them!

As part of my degree, I also spent the academic year as an English language assistant in a Lycée on the

outskirts of Paris. This was an incredible experience as I was living the dream in Paris. I only worked 12

hours a week so there was plenty of time to experience different things. Exploring Paris was at the top

of my list and in no time I didn’t feel like a tourist but a Parisian by gaining confidence speaking French

and embracing the culture by socialising with teachers at the school. My working week was only 12

hours so there was plenty of time to explore France and hop on trains and coaches to neighbouring

countries such as Belgium where of course I had to taste proper Belgian waffles!! Another favourite

activity of mine was of course taking trips to the magical Disney land Paris days out, they never got

boring! Being away from home was sometimes hard but I was never lonely as I lived with three other

assistants from Mexico, Italy and Tunisia. We would have culture evenings when we would make food

from our countries, and Génesis from Mexico made the best Guacamole! I’m so lucky to now have

friends around the world who I’m sure I will visit in the future!

Currently I am an au pair for the second summer in a town on lake Annecy called Talloires. I’m living

again with a family who own a hotel on the lake so there are many opportunities to speak French with

the staff, eat real French cuisine my favourite being Raclette and explore what the region has to offer!

My host family are the best and became my second family and the children’s big sister. I have made

unforgettable memories with them, such as paragliding, afternoon trips up the mountains in the

camper van to have our goûter, holidays to Lake Leman and more to come this summer! During my

free time I have made lifelong friends, with whom I have visited many interesting places such as Lyon


and Geneva, hiked up mountains to see the view of the lake or our favourite simple activity of taking

trips to the beaches for picnics, swimming in the lake and doing water sports.

All my experiences helped me grow as a person and gain so much confidence to speak French and

German and live in another country. I have done things that I would never thought I could do. Once

you start you can’t stop. I have so many plans for next the year before doing teacher training such as

working a ski season in the alps. I hope this have given you an insight into the things you can do and

achieve with languages ’


Keep following us on INSTAGRAM, and please comment on our posts. We love hearing from pupils and

parents.

Amazing Art @ St Bede’s It is so lovely to see all our pupils back in school after the long summer break. We’d especially like to

welcome all the new Year 7 pupils.

Year 9 – One Point Perspective


Year 11 – Clay bowls inspired by Clare Wakefield and Natural forms.


Year 11 have also been working on their Clare Wakefield artist copy.


Year 11 have also been taking photos of dried teasels, poppy head and Alliums so they can create an

Angie Lewin inspired lino cut. They will then manipulate the photos on Photopea. We can’t wait to see

the final outcome.


Follow us on Instagram for a good look at the pupils work close up.

sbchs.art

Let us know your news! If you are involved in any exciting activities or you have stories of St Bede’s from years gone by please

contact school and we can celebrate this in our fortnightly blog. Also if you have a relative or friend who

you would like our school community to pray for let us know via [email protected].

God bless,

Mr P Denton, Headteacher

mailto:[email protected]

HEADTEA HER [S BLOG WHAT’S THE LATEST FROM ST EDE’S?

Documents

Transcript of HEADTEA HER [S BLOG WHAT’S THE LATEST FROM ST EDE’S?