Newman News Feb 2015

7/24/2019 Newman News Feb 2015

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Cameron Crichton, 11 Godfrey

It was with great sadness that we received the news that

Cameron had died on Sunday, 18 January. He was a very

special young man who showed great courage and great

humour throughout his illness and his passing into the care of

Our Lord was always going to be met with a combination of

fond memories and great emotion.

As parents and carers you would have been proud to see

the response of our students. Their rst thoughts were for

Cameron, for each other and for Emma and Bill, Cameron’s

parents. On the Monday morning they sat and exchanged

memories of those things that made them cry alongside

those things that made them laugh. They respected that each

one would meet grief in a different way and they showed the

greatest of respect for Cameron’s memory, reminded by the

message he had left them to get on and be good – or if they

could not be good, be sneaky!

To anyone looking in on the way that our students responded

they would recognise the love of God in all that was said and

done. They are a credit to their faith, they are a credit to each

other, they are a credit to our school and they are a credit to

Cameron.

It is really amazing to think that this young boy had the

maturity to let others walk with him through his illness. In

truth this is a great gift that will stay with those who knew

him for years to come. His friends have learned a great deal

from Cameron, not least the ability to persevere in the face

of great difculty and to do so with great humour. Fr Kevinnoted in his homily at the Mass with Year 11 on the Tuesday

how striking it was that Cameron was able to take control of

such a difcult situation and ensure that life was lived to the

full. He did so with the help of loving parents, your children

and our staff.

Finally, I would like to thank all those people who have

supported the school at this difcult time. To the staff at

Keech Hospice who have been a rock for students and staff

alike, to the local clergy, to our many friends and to Cameron’s

parents who have been so generous in their support of the

children they have come to know so well.

May he rest in peace



Reflect and Prepare For Summer

Welcome to our latest edition of Newman News! It is acelebration of all that is good about Newman and all that isgood about the students we are called to serve.

Mock exams

The Year 11 students can look back on their Mocks with the

usual mixture of good news and bad news. This year we gave

the students their results in exactly the same way as they will

receive them in the summer – the dreaded brown envelope!It was a useful reminder to many that there is more to come,

reassurance to others that they are on the right track and,

for one or two, it was either a terrible shock or a pleasant

surprise!

The reality is that the year group has done very well. They

performed better than last year’s Year 11 at the same stage

and, providing they put in a great deal of effort and revision,

they can be hopeful of fantastic outcomes next summer.

All students in Year 11 should take time to reect on the fact

that they must do all they can to get a C grade in English and

Maths. All sixth form schools and colleges are required toensure students follow Maths and/or English if students did

not achieve a C the rst time round. It is desperate to see

students each year missing the C grade threshold by just one

or two marks when we know they could do better with a

little more work, a few more revision sessions and a bit less

time on Facebook! If you are a parent / carer of a student in

Year 11 who is on that borderline, please do all you can to

encourage your child to take up the extra support on offer.

Many of the students will have further ‘walk-through’ exams

in Maths and English to help them ne tune their exam

skills, particularly the management of time, and to give them

condence in the summer.



Mobile phones

Our usual reminder that rules on mobile phones and mobile

devices has not changed. If they are seen or heard on the

school site at any time they will be conscated and returned

to parents / carers at the end of the half term. This is a well-

established rule in the school and is non-negotiable.

Our mobile phones policy is at the back of each Newman News and also under the parent tab on the school website.

OFSTED actions update

Following the OFSTED inspection in December 2013, the

school was challenged to improve the quality of marking

and feedback to students. In September 2014 the school

introduced a system of Learning Walks to monitor the quality

of marking and the impact of that marking on students’

learning. I am delighted to inform parents that the initial

feedback from this process shows the quality of marking and

feedback is signicantly improved and that it is routinely very

strong across the school.

Mr Joe Richardson Headteacher

http://www.cardinalnewmanschool.net/

http://www.cardinalnewmanschool.net/



Year 8 Retreats

On the 27th November 2014, 8 Hinsley of Cardinal Newman

set off on their annual retreat day. During the day the whole

group took part in many activities involving team work andalso individual thinking.

Some of these activities involved the pupils having a number

of cards in front of them, saying things that we might choose

in our future life such as a nice house, a successful job, or a

happy relationship and they had to order them as to what

they thought would be the most important to them. “It was

very interesting and helped us think about what we need to

aim for in life,” said Mya Phillips (a member of 8 Hinsley).

Other activities involved teamwork elements where a team

of roughly 5 or 6 people would have to untangle themselveswhilst holding hands or move a teddy across the oor only

using a piece of string. “The tasks were sometimes challenging

but we got there eventually!” exclaimed Thomas Ryan, who is

also a member of 8 Hinsley and enjoyed the retreat.

Overall the whole of the tutor group including the teachers

seemed to have a wonderful time with all of the fun games

and activities and we are safe to say that we are all excited for the Year 9 retreat already!

By Ruby Flaherty, Year 8

http://www.cardinalnewmanschool.net/page/?title=Chaplaincy&pid=135



Our Year 10 retreats this year were once again led by the

Northampton Youth Ministr y Ofce (NYMO).

“I have learned that a relationship involvestrust, loyalty and respect. I have also learnedthat different relationships involve variousopinions.”

“I learned what we as teenagers look for inour partners and how to deal with certainsituations. It has also changed the way Iview girls. Group activities were extremelyfun and entertaining but also a great way toget everyone’s ideas out.”

“I have learned that boys and girls havedifferent expectations especially as wegrow up. I learned a lot about the oppositesex and even about my own sex. The day

was very detailed and informative.”

“I have learned about the deeper meaningsof relationships. I have also learned how todeal with dilemmas in relationships.”“I have learned that a relationship involvestrust, loyalty and respect. I have also learnedthat different relationships involve variousopinions.”

“I enjoyed discovering other people’sopinions and finding out my own opinionson relationships.”

Year 10 Retreats

“I learned what we as teenagers look for inour partners and how to deal with certainsituations.”

“It has also changed the way I view girls.Group activities were extremely fun andentertaining but also a great way to get

everyone’s ideas out.”

“I have learned that boys and girls havedifferent expectations especially as wegrow up. I learned a lot about the oppositesex and even about my own sex. The daywas very detailed and informative.”

“I have learned about the deeper meaningsof relationships. I have also learned how to

deal with dilemmas in relationships.”

The Northampton Youth Ministry Ofce (NYMO) oftensupport and lead our retreats. if you would like to know

more about their work in the community and diocese,

please click the NYMO logo above to go directly to their

website.

http://www.nymo.org/



Books to Africa

One of our RE classrooms was full of books destined for the Missionaries of Africa Seminary in Uganda (thanks to

a contact of Mr Businge) along with the container load of

books rescued by Mr Makokha and friends in Maths that are

destined for Kenya (Signed by staff and students).

At CNS we ensure our books go to those who need them

rather than landll and the generosity of staff and students is

an achievement we can celebrate proudly.

Former Student Plays the Lead Role in Powerful Short Film

On Wednesday 4th February Newman Sixth students were

visited by former student Pearl Mahaga who stars as the

lead roll in a powerful new short lm to try to dispell myths

surrounding the stigma of people with HIV.

LIFE IN MY SHOES is an inspiring, and innovative campaign

that has been created by young people living with and affected

by HIV at Body & Soul charity. Their stories were work-

shopped into a scr ipt and have been made into ‘Undefeated’;

a powerful 30-minute lm, giving a rst-hand insight into the

realities and challenges young people living with HIV face in

and out of the classroom.

In order to cast the lm, Life in my Shoes launched a

nationwide competition for young people to audition. Pearl

was selected to play the lead role of Blessing.

Undefeated will be screened as part of a session designed to

teach students more about HIV and explore the issues young

people affected by HIV might face. The session is designed toengage your students in these issues and a panel discussion

with Life in My Shoes Ambassadors. The ambassadors are

people involved in making the lm whose lives have been

affected by HIV.

UNDEFEATED (cert.15) is a story of youth, hatred, courage

and pace in an inner city London school. Filmed on location at

the Bridge Academy in Hackney it follows the day in the life of

a young girl struggling to survive in a world intent on holdingher back. She dreams of stillness, but has a secret that has

forced her to run her whole life. When the school secretary

exposes her secret, she has to face her fears, her future, her

friends and herself.

Many thanks to Pearl and Emily for visiting us and to MrDavies for organising the event.

Head of Newman Sixth Mrs Hickman and Newman Sixthstudents pose with former student Pearl after the screeningof ‘Undefeated’ (Cert.15)



Go Green Week

Staff and students at Cardinal Newman Catholic School were

greeted by the sight, but very little sound, of the latest visionar y technology in electric, hybrid and low emissions vehicle design

to celebrate ‘Go Green Week’ which took place last week.

A rare and exclusive appearance of the bold BMW i8 hybrid

supercar, which goes from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds but can do

135miles per gallon, and the all-electric BMW i3 was given to

Year 9 and 10 students.

The display provided by Specialist Cars formed part of

some unique Geography and Science lessons aimed at

raising awareness to climate change and opting for greener

alternatives.

The vehicles had plenty of staff on hand to demonstrate

to students the technology that is helping to reduce urban

pollution and encourage less dependence on fossil fuels

which students have been learning about in lessons this week.

(a) The BMW i8 and i3 (b) Students and Headteacher Mr Richardson withthe highly advanced BMW i8 supercar (c)

BMW i expert Matt Elliot explains the i8 features to Owen who won aride in the i8!

Staff also had the chance to sample a pure electric vehicle in

the hope of switching from the pump to the plug! HeadteacherMr Joe Richardson and student Owen Ryan, who won the

Specialist Cars competition for a ride along, sampled the

amazing i8 with BMWi Expert Matt Elliot.

After his test drive in the i8 Mr Richardson said:

“It was a joy to be a part of Go Green week. I can assure those

who are interested, that - if you have a spare £112,000 - the i8

is wonderful to drive and is a remarkable piece of engineering!

It was an amazing opportunity for the students at the school

to see the very best examples of green technologies and we

are grateful to the team at Specialist Cars for bringing the cars

to our school. (Of course, I did not mind too much having to drive the car to be in a position to report back on how it

performs!)”.

We would like to thank the staff from Specialist Cars fortheir help and support during Go Green Week.

b

a

c



Year 11 Art Students are Inspired at the National Gallery, London



Newman Sixth Students Welcome Holocaust Survivor

On Friday 23rd January Newman Sixth Year 12 and 13students heard a testimony from Holocaust survivor, John

Dobai, as part of a visit organised by the Holocaust Educational

Trust (HET).

The session was to enable students to better understand the

nature of the Holocaust and to explore its lessons in more

depth. The visit is part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s

extensive all year round Outreach Programme, which is

available to schools across the UK.

About John Dobai

John was born in 1934 in Budapest, Hungary. His parents,

concerned about what they had heard about the Nazis in

Germany, decided to convert to Roman Catholicism. In June

1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union and Hungar y soon

became involved. John’s father was called up to serve but

was sent home three weeks later as people of Jewish origin

were no longer allowed to be in the army. Six months after

returning home, he was called up for slave labour. In March

1944 Hungary was occupied by the Nazis and anti-Semitic

laws were immediately introduced. John was no longer

allowed to attend school.

Jews from across Hungary were being deported but

those in Budapest were protected from deportation by

the government. After a brief stay in the countryside,

John returned to Budapest to stay with his mother and in

September 1944 they were both taken to the train station to

be deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His father had just been

released from slave labour and heard that a Swedish diplomat,

Raoul Wallenberg, was handing out visas and he managed to

get hold of three. Wallenberg had also bought a number of

houses in Budapest and declared them Swedish territory so

that they could be used as safe houses for Jews.

The Dobai family moved into one but in November 1944 theNazis decided that these were not, in fact, Swedish territory.

They began emptying the houses and shooting the Jews but

on 13th January 1945 the Russian army liberated John and

his family.

The family moved to England in 1948 and today John is married

with two daughters and three grandchildren. He continues to

talk in schools and universities about his experiences during

the Holocaust.

Sixth Form students are familiar with the history of the

holocaust with some students visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau to

enhance their learning. The testimony by a survivor adds a

human aspect to enhance the students’ understanding of the

event.

By Mr King

Head of Religious Education, Peter Fahy said:

“It is a privilege for us to welcome John Dobai to our

school and his testimony will remain a powerful reminder

of the horrors so many experienced. We are grateful to the

Holocaust Educational Trust for co-ordinating the visit and we

hope that by hearing John’s testimony, it will encourage our

students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make

a positive difference in their own lives.”

Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust

Educational Trust, added:

“At the Trust, we impart the history of the Holocaust to

young people, to ensure that we honour the memory of those whose lives were lost and take forward the lessons

taught by those who survived.”

“After a brief stay in the countryside,John returned to Budapest to stay withhis mother and in September 1944 theywere both taken to the train station to be

deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.”



Poetry by Heart

Last December ve brave souls took part in the school poetry

recitation competition in Cardinal Newman School. They all

did a fantastic job. Each contestant had to recite two poems

from memory in front of Mr. Ritchie, Mrs. Thorrington, Ms.

Dowdeswell and me, Mr. Garvey. Tough crowd.

I would like to say a special thanks to all the contestants: Tyrese

Lungay, Anastasia Christodoulou, Isabel Aruna, and Natasha

Morris. The outright winner of the school stage was Isabel

Aruna, who now goes on to compete in the Bedfordshire and

Hertfordshire nals in Bedford Library on Saturday, February7th.

Also thanks to Mrs. Thorrington and Ms. Dowdeswell for their

judging skills and to Mr. Ritchie for his support throughout the

competition. Best of luck to Isabel in Febraury!

By Mr Garvey

We are delighted to announce that Isabel Aruna in Year13came in 2nd at the Area Finals. Well done!

Would you like to share your professional journey from when you left CNS?

Pupils relate much more to presenters who once satin the same classrooms and have now gone on to usetheir education for inspiring and varied professions and

established careers.

If you would like to do a presentation to inspire pupilswe would love to hear from you. Please contact AdamKing, our Marketing and PR Ofcer:-

[email protected]



CNS Engineers of the Future Visit Warwick University

What an eye-opener, the trip organised by Nikki Partridge

proved to be a day that was thoroughly enjoyed by both staff

and students.

Warwick University is located in an idyllic environment just

outside Coventry city centre, giving an overall feel of serenity

as you enter into the campus, whilst being close to the hubbub

of a busy city.

The day had been organised very well, in terms of interest

and time. The tours were led by engineering students giving

true insights into life at the University, their ambitions and

aspirations; their enthusiasm for their eld of study was

admirable.

We had a circus of tours and talks ranging from a talk given

by a student who had recently qualied and was working for

Severn Trent Water Company, students who had taken the

apprenticeship route, a tour around students’ current projectsand nally a presentation from nal year students about a

project they were currently working on.

These activities allowed our students to understand the depth

of engineering and the exibility of changing within the different

disciplines of engineering, e.g. from civil to automotive, after

their rst year of the degree. The talk given by the apprentice

students was both inspiring and encouraging, enabling our

students to contemplate alternative routes into careers and

attaining degrees.

The tour of the engineering work area was phenomenal; our

students got to see rst-hand how expensive machines were

used in the manufacturing of engineering components. The

presentation at the end was based around a nal year project

and gave an insight into how students had designed and were

now manufacturing a submarine powered by a human.

All in all a fantastic experience, with special thanks to Warwick

University for their gracious hospitality and to Nikki for her

efforts in organising such a worthwhile trip.

By Mrs Shah



Performance of Woyzeck

Year 11 and 13 went to see Splendid production’s adaptation

of Woyzeck at RADA studios in December . Year 11 are now

devising their exam group pieces based on themes from this

Buchner play.

Year 11 Unit 2 Exam

The Unit 2 Performance Exam is booked on the 25th March

2015. In preparation for this, students will need to plan arehearsal schedule including rehearsals outside of lessons.

There will be a Controlled Assessment period from 9th-25th

March- students must be present for these rehearsals.

Presenting Spacious House,Welcoming Friend Project.

To celebrate St Patrick’s Day and the diversity of our

community, CNS Year 10 Drama students are performing at

the Luton Library Theatre alongside Luton Futures Schools.

Rehearsals began last week, with the pupils devising their

own piece of work based on the theme ‘Immigration’.

Using their own life experiences and scripts by writers from

other cultures, our pupils are creating a powerful piece on

the varying perceptions of immigration throughout the last

century.

In addition to performing on a professional stage, our pupils

will be having the very rare and exciting opportunity to work

with theatre company ‘Complicite’.

The performances will be open to the general public on the11th and 12th of March. Tickets will soon be on release, so do

come along to support our school and our community.

Theatre Arts Spring Show

The Drama Department are producing the rst Spring Show

to celebrate and showcase the Performing Arts Talent withinour School. The Show will be held on Thursday 12th March at

6:30pm. Tickets will be available from the Finance Ofce at a

cost of £3 Adults, £2 concessions from Monday 9th February

15.

Blood Brothers

This trip is now sold out. Please see trip details below

• Date: 26th February 2015

• Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre• Departure: 5:30pm

For a look at our calendar please click on the mobile

phone above.Please note that events on the calendar are a guide only

School Calendar

http://www.cardinalnewmanschool.net/calendar/?pid=3&calid=1



Othello

On Wednesday 28th February, Year 10, 12 and 13 were

lucky enough to travel to the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith

to watch ‘Frantic Assemblys’ interpretation of Shakespeare’s

Othello.

The show was a brutal and gripping thriller-tragedy full of

paranoia, jealousy and murder. The cast used a lot of physical

theatre, meaning that the performance contained a lot of

movement and ght sequences, which made for a tension-

lled performance for us as an audience. We were totally

gripped by the action throughout the show, and had a truly

fantastic experience.

We look forward to having more great experiences of ‘Frantic

Assembly’ productions in the future and are excited to use

their ideas and techniques in our own performances. We

would also like to thank the Drama teachers for organisingsuch a great trip for us, despite the stresses that arranging

these trips cause.

By Tom Backhouse, Year 12



Year 9 Trenches Competition

The History department would like to congratulate all the Year

9 students who took part in the recent Trench competition.

Once again there was a high standard of creative ideas and

independent research. Many of the students highlighted the

signicance of the centenary, including information about the

poppies, the Christmas truce (football matches), and the

unknown soldier memorial in Westminster Abbey. Particular

congratulations go to the following students:Calum Flaherty and Liam McAree, Kamila Majchrzyk and

Karolina Michalak, Niamh Kelly & Ellie Thompson , Jason Foye

& James Churcher, Isabelle Sadlier & Conor Thompson, Mikotaj

Marcjan & Eoin Burke, Rebecca Murphy, Cameron Mullane

By Miss Thoulass



Girls’ Town Basketball Tournaments

So far we have played in the U16 and U14 Tournaments. In

both Tournaments our girls have done us proud by beingsmartly turned out and modelling the excellent behaviour and

sportsmanship that we expect.

We have not had any training sessions for Basketball this year

due to staff commitments to other sports on the school

calendar however we did manage to base some of our indoor

lessons on Basketball in the lead up to xtures.

The U16’s tried really hard but were defeated on baskets

scored in several of their matches. They played well as a team

but found the full court press difcult to deal with in terms

of their tness.

The U14’s fared better coming joint 3rd with three other

schools. Their best match was against Lea Manor who were

tipped to be the winners but our team performed well

managing to man to man mark so effectively that Lea Manor

had few chances. Congratulations to Julia Nowak who was

scouted for the U15 Girls County Basketball Team and invited

to go and train with them.

Well done to all players.By Miss Gazeley

Luton Schools Cross-Country

Championships 2015 – How the boysgot on!

On Tuesday 14th January the Newman boys’ cross country

team headed to Stockwood Park for the Luton Schools’

Cross Country championships. There were mixed

emotions heading down to the park, the weather was

sunny (still cold but sunny), but in the end all runners did

really well with the boys winning the overall championship,

against Stopsley in second and Ashcroft in third.

The Year 7s were in the rst race of the day. The course

for them was one large lap. The team came second in

Luton with 132 points. The leading runner for Newman

was Tanashe Ruzane coming 2nd in the race. Well done to all of you!

The combined Year 8 and 9 boys featured in the second

race of the day. The team did really well coming 1st out of

the schools in Luton. The leading runnners for Newman

all came in the top ten with Dominic Eames (5th), Sam

Oyeleye (6th), Jason Pitta (7th) and Seun Akintola (8th).

The nal race of the day featured the Year 10 and 11 boys

combined. The weather had been nice for the previous

races but it then took a turn for the worse! The clouds

came in and it poured from the high heavens! Despite the

weather the team still came rst. The team had a really low

total of 55 points. Luke King led the boys in, coming rst

place to become the Luton Schools’ champion, followed

by Frankie Storey in 4th place, Aidan Fennelly (6th) and

Charlie Coots (7th).

Well done to all the students who ran and especially to all

the runners who nished in the top 10. This means that

they can now represent Luton in the Bedfordshire Schools’

Cross Country Championships in February. A nal thank

you to all the runners who helped Cardinal Newman win

the Luton Schools’ Cross Country Champs!!

By Luke King, Year 10

Double Luton Champions

Massive congratulations to the Year 8 Basketball and Indoor

Hockey team for becoming Luton Schools’ Champions. The

talent, determination and attitude by all pupils was exemplar.

I am looking forward to taking the Year 8 Gir ls to the County

Tournament on the 27th February.



Our Annual Christmas Carol Service on December 15thwas the perfect way to start the celebration of the arrival of

Our Lord. This year Newman warmly welcomed the wider

community to our service and shared refreshments by Friends

of Newman afterwards.

Christmas Carol Service

Newman Sixth Presentation Evening

Parents, students and staff celebrated the academic

achievements of our AS Level students at their ofcial

Presentation Evening on 16th December 2014.

The evening was opened by Headteacher Mr Joe Richardson

who introduced our key speaker, former student and young

Apprentice TV contestant Amy Corrigan.

Entertainment was provided by talented N6th students

Monica Nyazika and Patrick Ballantyne.

Friends of NewmanThroughout the year Friends of Newman together with the

School Council are raising money for a much needed new

cycle park.

We are encouraging more students to cycle to school but

appreciate that some may be reluctant to leave their bicycles

in our current facilitiy which is in a poor state of repair.

Friends of Newman raise money by selling refreshments and

cakes at our school event evenings, if you are available to

volunteer please contact Adam King by email

[email protected] you for your continued ongoing support



A polite reminder to all parents that new items of uniform should be

purchased from our new provider:

Prestige Design & Workwear LimitedUnit 2 Barton Industrial EstateFaldo Road

Barton Le ClayBedfordshireMK45 4Rhttp://www.prestigedesignww.co.uk/live/

01582 883222

Please can I ask that all parents help us maintain the quality of

uniform by noting the following points?

Coats for the colder weather should be just that – a proper coat not

a hoody, cardigan sweat top, denim jacket etc and baseball caps have

never been a par t of our uniform. Any student bringing these items

into school knows that they can expect to have them conscated.

Coats should also be plain black or navy.

Trainers should only be worn during sporting activities. They shouldnot be worn on the journey to or from school or in the school

building. I have asked staff to see that pupils in trainers change

into their shoes but if individuals persist in breaking the rule about

trainers, they can expect to have them conscated. I will ring the

parents of pupils who only have trainers with them and ask if they

can go home and change. Sore feet, swollen ankles and blisters are

not acceptable reasons for not wearing proper shoes!

Shoes should also be black and a SENSIBLE design. High heels, boots

and imsy ballerina pump styles are not practical and do a lot of

damage to growing feet.

Please ensure that your son / daughter’s SCHOOL BAG is large

enough to actually carry a book? This may seem obvious but there

has been an increase in students carrying fashionable items that

are really of no use to them when it comes to having the correct

equipment for lessons and carrying homework home.

Finally, can I ask that parents follow the ofcial school dress code and

disregard information from their son or daughter about variations on

the style of school trousers or skir ts that are acceptable? This is not

true and only results in students being sent home to change or buy

the correct uniform before returning. Skinny black trousers and very

short, tight skirts are not acceptable.

SECOND HAND UNIFORMThe Friends of Newman have a supply of clean second handuniform in good condition and sell it to parents at very reasonableprices at Parent Consultation Days and Open Evenings. In thesedifcult times of nancial constraint we all appreciate a bargain

and this is a very good way of keeping growing children dressed inproper uniform. If any parents have any uniform that their childrenhave grown out of that is in good condition please send it toschool to Mrs Aizlewood at the main school reception.

MOBILE PHONESThe message that mobile phones are not allowed in school is given

out to students and parents very regularly. It is a frequent addition

to Newman News, we have issued separate letters and all parentsreceived a Home-School Agreement to sign which explains that

mobile phones must not be brought into school.

Our reasons for this rule are simple:-

Phones are not necessary. In emergencies students can use the

phones in Senior Leadership Team Ofces or Head of Year phones.

Parents who need to get in touch with their children can pass on

urgent messages via the school ofce.

Phones are frequently stolen – staff are not able to put in hours of

detective work to discover who has stolen a mobile phone.

Phones do not protect students from harm. The police have advised

us that students using mobile phones are far more likely to be

attacked than students without them.

Phones disrupt lessons. No matter how many times parents might

tell their children to leave the phone turned off in their bags, they

never do!

This rule is not new. Mobile phones have never been allowed in

school and if staff see them they will conscate them. This involves

locking them away in the school ofce until the next half term or

end of term holiday.

They will only be returned if a parent collects the phone at the end

of the term/half term in ofce hours.

We realise this inconveniences students and also parents but this is a

very impor tant rule as mobile phones are so disruptive to school life.

Please make sure that your child does not ignore this rule as we

cannot make any exceptions no matter what the circumstances. It

would not be fair and totally undermines the discipline policy. I am

afraid that recently staff have been bombarded with phone calls –

sometimes abusive, where parents have tried to get an exemption

from this school policy for their child and demanded that their child’s

phone is returned before the holiday period.

Therefore the Chair of Governors, Mrs Moloney, and I have repeated

the rule about mobile phones in this copy of Newman News in the

hope that everyone will follow the policy without expecting special

treatment. I am afraid that while we are always happy to talk to

parents about their children, staff will no longer meet with parents

or discuss the conscation of mobile phones with parents over the

phone. There can be no exibility on this issue and it is unfair to take

up a teacher’s time in this way.

Many thanks to all the families who have supported us on this issue

and on all other issues of school discipline.

UPDATING CONTACT DETAILSAny parent who has not made his/her mobile phone number known

to the school or whose number has changed recently should contact

the school through the child’s tutor to make the necessary changes

as soon as possible.

Thank you for your co-operation with our policies. A full copy ofour policies can be found on our website.

SCHOOL POLICY UPDATES

Would you like to advertise in Newman News?

Newman News is a fantastic way to advertise your business.Each edition of our newsletter is viewed by over 1000readers! Five editions are published each academic yearand now feature hyperlinks that will take readers directly toyour website or social media page.

Each advert block is 92mm x 74mm and can be purchased

from £30.Terms and conditions will apply. Artwork must be provided

by your company.

Please contact our Finance Ofce on the main school phone

number.

http://www.cardinalnewmanschool.net/page/?title=Policies&pid=20

http://www.cardinalnewmanschool.net/page/?title=Policies&pid=20

Documents

Newman News Feb 2015