OCTOBER 2014

Welcome to our Kenyan visitors!

‘From the moment I arrived at the school I have been impressed by

the positive attitude of your staff and your students. The school is a joy to work in with an atmosphere conducive to work of the highest

standard.’ - a visitor to St.Chad’s this week.

CONTENTSHeadteacher’s Message

Kenya Visit

Confucius Institute Day!

Sports News

Ten Ten Theatre

Gold Duke of Edinburgh

Career Academy

Science News

Titanic Diary

Other News

In this issue...

FOUR FIVE

SIXEIGHT

NINETEN

ELEVENTWELVE

FOURTEEN

THREE

what happened in the summer and have ‘hit the ground’ running to ensure that we do everything we can to meet this year’s equally challenging targets. We will keep parents and carers fully informed of progress towards targets and how, in the same way you support us over uniform and behaviour, you can support your child in ensuring they are making good progress at St.Chad’s.

We have also ‘hit the ground running’ in the way our school events have already started happening. The Open Evening was packed and I heard nothing but positive comments about the school. We have also been privileged again to be visited by our friends from St.Mary’s in Nyeri, Kenya. These visits are a vital part of what we are about as a school and I am sure have a massive impact on the way St.Chad’s students look at the world around them. As we said ‘Kwaheri!’ (goodbye) to the boys and staff of St.Mary’s we look forward to the day we can visit them again.

Thank you for your support.

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A MESSAGE FROMOUR HEADTEACHER...

I wrote in the Summer Bridge that I hoped we would have a sunny summer break and as I write this we continue to have the very warm and dry ‘Indian’ summer that we have enjoyed since the start of the new academic year! The excellent weather has contributed to what has been a very positive start to the new year. The students have returned looking smarter than ever and again I am grateful to parents and carers for the way they support us in ensuring our standards are so high. We had a visitor in school last week who told one of the Maintenance Team that they had not realised there was a private school in Runcorn, so impressed he was of the standards of uniform and behaviour at St.Chad’s! We had very similar comments from the Ofsted team that inspected us in September but, as The Bridge goes to press before the Ofsted report is due, I can not give parents/carers any specific details of the final judgements in the report. I will ensure copies are sent to our community as soon as they are available.

I know Ofsted were just as disappointed with the school’s GCSE results this year as I was and they will be critical of this in their report on St.Chad’s. Our targets for this year were just as challenging as 2013 where we produced record achievement. However, at the time I was writing the Summer Bridge there were ominous press releases from the government and exam boards that schools were to expect what they termed ‘volatility’ in the 2014 results. This was due to a number of factors; the ending of coursework, no early-entry exams, raising of key grade boundaries etc. This impacted on schools across the country, including St.Chad’s, and it gives me no pleasure that some other schools’ results dropped more than ours. We have evaluated

KENYAVISIT

At St. Chad’s we share a close partnership with St. Mary’s High School in Nyeri, Kenya. We were recently blessed with a visit from Brother Kombe (head teacher), Mr. Njae (teacher of maths), Mr. Nyoike (teacher of agriculture), Bonface, Brian, Jefferson and Joseph. The partnership that we enjoy was started by former teachers from St. Chad’s ten years ago. The late Brother Dominic Jordan was instrumental in ensuring that strong foundations were laid so that staff and students could be involved in educational exchanges to the UK and to Kenya.

Whilst in the UK, staff spent time observing lessons and meeting with key subject staff to discuss different approaches to teaching and learning. The students enjoyed following a sixth form timetable that complemented their interests and have made friends for life with many of our sixth formers.

In addition to time in class, the visit was cram-packed with enrichment activities enjoyed alongside St. Chad’s students. During the visit we were lucky enough to visit Liverpool, London and the Mayor of Halton. We particularly enjoyed our whistle stop tour of the major sites of London with our year 10 and 11 students (pictured). A real highlight for the staff and students of St. Mary’s was meeting Corporal Patrick Ngatia. Patrick is an ex student of St. Mary’s who applied to serve in the British Army as Kenya is a commonwealth state. Patrick typifies the standard set by St. Mary’s and St. Chad’s in terms of encouraging students to aim for their dreams. Patrick has been on two tours of Afghanistan and he is currently posted as Royal Guard. Following our brief meeting, we enjoyed a short visit to the Museum of Natural

History. All students, both from St. Chad’s and St. Mary’s, were in awe of the gargantuan brachiosaurus that occupies the main hall ofthe museum.

Bonface, Brian, Jefferson and Joseph found the museum tour very helpful as they are soon to sit examinations in biology. All form four students at St. Mary’s will soon be sitting finals (equivalent of A Levels) in late October. We wish the staff and students good luck with their forthcoming examinations.St. Mary’s is more than a school. St. Mary’s is a home for over 700 boys, many of which do not have any living relatives or have been abandoned or abused. The school provides wrap-around care for many students who, without St. Mary’s, would not have any hope. The students at St. Mary’s know that the only way to improve their situation is to get educated. As you may or may not know, there is no free education after primary level in Kenya; if a family has no funds, the child receives no education. Brian and Bonface found themselves in a position where they had no parental support. I won’t go into details because their story is personal to them. It is for them to tell.

If you would like to know more about the work that St. Mary’s does, details (including sponsorship programmes) can be found on their website at http://www.stmaryslasalle.org/. Additionally, if you would like to hear what the boys had to say about their visit, this can be heard here http://www.vimeo.com/stchadsschool/kenyavisit2014

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE DAY!

As a Confucius Classroom school, a centre of excellence for the teaching of Mandarin Chinese, we celebrated the first Confucius Institute Day on 26th September.

Our Year 9 students joined a Skype conversation with a Chinese High School in Beijing. Both sets of students were confidently communicating in their foreign languages.

This was an excellent opportunity for our students to experience language coming to life. We are delighted to have held this fantastic celebration.

SPORTS NEWS

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On Wednesday 1st October a group of year 8 and 9 students travelled to Manchester Sports City to take part in the World Marathon Challenge. The World Marathon Challenge is a simultaneous relay in which teams from across the globe race against each other over the full marathon distance of 26.2 miles. As a team St Chad’s students completed 211 laps of a 200m track aiming to beat the world record marathon time of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 57 seconds set by Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in September this year. The team completed the challenge with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 30 seconds; just 93 seconds over Kimetto’s astonishing world record, taking the silver medal at the Manchester headline event. Their impressive time also places them well within the top 20

teams in the world for the 2014 event, as they currently sit 16th in the overall results table. This is also a St Chad’s record for the Marathon Challenge, which the school has been part of for the last three years. A huge congratulations to all the St Chad’s Marathon Challenge team! Check out the results at www.competitioncentre.net

WORLD MARATHON CHALLENGE

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WHEELCHAIR HANDBALLOn the 29th September a wheelchair handball team from St. Chad’s Catholic and Church of England School attended Greenbank community sports centre in Liverpool for a local competition. A number of local schools were represented at the tournament and the competition was tough. St. Chad’s played beautifully as a team and worked together to manage to finish in top spot. Despite the competitive element there was a definite sense of camaraderie amongst the schools and it was a privilege to observe the students acting in such a mature and responsible way.

One act of particular significance occurred shortly after arriving. We were informed that

Cavendish School had not brought enough players with them to compete. In a selfless sporting act of kindness St. Chad’s student Carla Holmes volunteered herself to play for them and put in a tremendous performance, contributing to Cavendish School finishing in second place.

Co- ordinator of disability sports at St. Chad’s Mr Blackburn is delighted by the recent developmental success of wheelchair sports in school and values it as more positive steps towards the school’s vision of becoming a hub for disability sports within the community.

On Thursday 18th September the sixth form were lucky enough to take part in a thought- provoking performance about the nature of human trafficking. The performance was also seen later that evening by members of our local parish community.

The session began with an introduction relating to the cost of human life and students were keen to participate from the start, offering thoughtful opinions on what is a difficult social and moral issue.

The production highlighted one of the most serious human rights violations to exist in our world today. It gave the sixth form students an insight into the plight of a young Romanian woman who was exploited through trafficking and brought to this country.

Students were also educated about the existence of ‘sweat shops’ where young children are forced to work for little money and the connections to some of our retail shops. Students were encouraged to download a letter from the Ten Ten website and petition their most visited retailer to end the use of child labour.

Our Diocesan educational advisor, Mrs Pat Barker also attended the performance and was very complimentary about the educational impact this sort of activity has on widening the understanding and knowledge of young people.

The performance ended with all attendees bowing their head in a prayer to end this type of human violation.

The theme is now being investigated further within General RE lessons.

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C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s to our Gold DofE candidates, who s u c c e s s f u l l y completed their practice expedition last week! For four days and three nights the Gold DofE participants from our sixth form dealt with; blisters, huge rucksacks, soggy

tents, insufficient food, aching backs and very warm weather. It became quite apparent to these pupils that Gold DofE is a tough challenge, which demands firmness of character and presence of mind from participants.

There were moans of malcontent and the occasional teary eye, but our pupils proved

themselves to have indefatigable spirit and made it to end. After walking an average of 17km per day, carrying rucksacks weighing about 30lbs, all participants were physically drained but elated to have proved themselves redoubtable adventurers!It fills me with immense pride to see young people rise against adversity and surpass their limitations, which they imagine to be unconquerable, whilst on expedition.

Completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, at any level, is an amazing achievement but Gold really is a huge accomplishment. I am sure that these pupils will complete their Gold Award next summer with fewer tears and even more self-confidence.

Well done to all of you!

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Having recently attended workshops provided by PWC in Manchester our 6th Form students are now set up for their internship interviews at Sci-Tech, Daresbury where they will hopefully become paid employees for a three-week duration.

We recently received a heart-warming email from a past student explaining how she felt being part of Career Academy had boosted her career chances. It said:

I just wanted to say thank you again for Career Academy, as after results day I was offered…… a four year apprenticeship with Astra Zeneca as an electronic engineer that will fund college and eventually a degree. One of the reasons they took me on was because of my experience at Daresbury

We wish our present Year 13 students luck on their apprenticeships!

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PROGRESS FLIGHT PATHThe key to making progress is to understand where you are and where you are heading. That is why we are launching a new initiative this term to enable all students in Key Stage 3 to develop a better understanding of how they can improve the progress they are making in all subjects.

Each pupil will be given their own individual Progress Flight Path which will inform them about where they are and the potential they have to reach levels of progress which will lead to successful GCSE results in Key Stage 4. By tracking their own progress in assessments in each of their own subjects pupils will have more ownership of their learning and be able to build in their own challenges. To provide a suitable incentive to work hard to make progress and reach their potential pupils will have opportunities to gain more Vivo points from our Vivo system which was successfully launched last year.

To achieve their full potential and make the necessary progress towards its pupils will need the support of all those who contribute to their learning - parents or guardians, teachers and support staff.

We look forward to positive outcomes for all pupils in the near future.

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SCIENCE NEWS...

As always, in science, we are striving to excite our students with new, challenging learning opportunities. Year 8 students are currently studying atomic structure. The students regularly pass the wall of the science block and look up at the image and ask, “what’s that?” The image is that of an atom.

The students have been learning about how our ideas of what matter is made of have changed throughout the years. Previously, our Year 8 students knew that all matter is made of particles. Now they know how to differentiate between different atoms by constructing atomic models; the basis of chemistry. The

concept can often be quite difficult, but our students have risen to the challenge. We model the concept on a large scale outdoors, so that students can actually take on the role of different sub-atomic particles. The photograph shows 8b2, who were modelling and atom of ...well, that would be telling!

In other news, our Year 9 students have been learning about genetics. Students can ably predict the inheritance of eye colour, certain genetic disorders and the whisker length of sea lions. Looking at whisker length in sea lions might seem a little bizarre, but recent research has indicated that a sea lion’s whiskers allow them to sense fish in the water. As science is constantly evolving, we like to keep our students up to date with current research.

In the near future, we will again be inviting parents to a KS3-4 science evening, where we will share with parents some tips on how to support and guide our young people to even greater levels of success in the future.

PROGRESS FLIGHT PATH

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Our year seven cross-curricular group recently embarked on their first topic: the Titanic. For one time only, the classroom was transformed into the murky waters of the deep Atlantic Ocean. We dove the two and a half miles down to the ghostly wreck site. The students have worked together as a class to produce a diary detailing the journey, using adjectives and adverbs to great effect. Now that the students are hooked, they will learn about the stories behind the ship and its passengers. We will keep you posted! Enjoy reading our class diary.

Monday 15th SeptemberIt is the night before I meet Titanic. I am sat in my cabin alone. I can hear the waves crashing against the porthole. I’m not going to lie, I feel terrified. Tomorrow I will dive the two and a half miles down into the deep, dark Atlantic Ocean. I’ve been told that the windows on the submarine are twenty five centimetres thick. The pressure of all that water being above my head makes me wonder why I am doing this. Why am I doing this? The danger is worth the risk. Titanic was the biggest and most luxurious ship of her day. The gigantic, beautiful ship will be a spectacle to see. I just hope I can get some sleep tonight.

Tuesday 16th SeptemberI woke this morning to the sound of my alarm going off at 05:30 am. My eyes were glued together. Anxiously, I put one foot out of bed

onto the cold, smooth floor of the cabin. I stood up but my legs were like jelly. Today was the day I finally saw the Titanic. Only a handful of people have ever seen the wreck for themselves. I felt honoured to have the chance to see her. Hurriedly, I put on my clothes and ran to the mess hall for breakfast. The sloppy, runny egg made me feel sick. The food in my stomach churned around like clothes in a washing machine.

Whilst still feeling sick, I prepared for the descent. The thought of twelve hours in a metal tomb made me feel more than a little worried. I climbed into the submarine with Alexander, the captain. The heavy, steel door slammed shut. Now it was only us and the sound of the sonar; bleep, bleep, bleep. Hours passed slowly. With the constant bleeping, I thought I was going to go insane. We were one mile down. Sweat ran down my face like lava running down the slopes of a volcano. I had to work hard to control my breathing, because I did not want to panic; I had nowhere to go. Two miles down and my clothes were drenched. Was it really worth all this worry?

Suddenly, we could see something on the computer screen. Lights from the submarine lit up the water like a firework lights up the night sky. We had reached two and half miles depth. The grey sea bed stretched out endlessly before us. We were alone in the world. Worryingly, the

TITANICdiary

thick windows groaned loudly. We would be crushed by the weight of an ocean of water if the window was to break. I remembered what my science teacher said in school: “liquids are much closer to being a solid than a gas, because the particles are so close together.”

I told myself that the glass was thick and strong. Carefully, we crept over the seabed in search of clues. The first clue came as we spotted a china dish lying in the silt. How could a precious, delicate thing like a china dish survive the sinking? Time passed by and we spotted other objects strewn across the sea bed and the sadness started to hit me.

The reality started to sink in. 2,200 people were on Titanic. 1,500 went into the cold, cruel water that night. Only five of those survived. Five lives spared. I was no longer thinking about myself.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Out of the illuminated, murky water,

she suddenly emerged; the tragic, ghostly sight of the world’s once largest ship. We approached the bow and we could see that rust hung like icicles from the railings. We cut through the water slowly like a prowling shark.

As we climbed up and over the bow, I stared and imagined Captain Smith stood in the wheel house, as the ship went down. I stared thoughtfully at the ship. Time seemed to stand still.

In the final precious minutes of the dive, I thought of Titanic not just as a ship made of steel and timber, but as a living thing. She went down on that sad, fateful night and took the stories of the people who went with her. I want to know more about the hopes, dreams and fears of these ghosts of the abyss. I paid my respects by taking a moment of silence, before I began the long, silent journey back up to life… to the surface.

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IN OTHER NEWSIn Other News...Each year staff and pupils come together to support the Macmillan coffee morning.

Staff have their morning break in the Food Technology room instead of the staffroom and contribute cakes and make a donation.Year 10 GCSE Catering students bake and decorate cakes as part of their course for the event.The SVP group organise a cake sale for Key Stage 3 pupils to donate to and the 6th form donate and have cakes in their common room.

This year we raised £240 .Special thanks to Lily for providing the tea and coffee ,the staff who baked and donated,the SVP group and to the pupils who bought cakes.

MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING LANGUAGE LEADERS...

It has been a busy start to the school year for our Language Leaders.

In September we launched the programme for Year 10 pupils, who are currently preparing a host of activities for our language workshop day, which will be taking place on Friday November 21st. On that day, we will be welcoming Year 6 pupils from many of our partner primary schools to take part in a range of exciting language-learning activities, including a French café, games and quizzes, a science challenge, and a French theatre performance.

Leaders from Years 10 and 11 helped to welcome visitors to our Open Evening on October 2nd, (pictured) by serving French food and drink and talking to parents and prospective students about language learning at St. Chad’s Language College.

Year 11 students have almost completed their programme, and are preparing their final log of activities in order to be awarded their Language Leaders Certificates.

St Chad’s Mentor Mark Jones is spending every Friday visiting local primary partner schools promoting Healthy Living and Fitness. He has been supported in delivering the six week programme by Kath Dursley, transition mentor and Matty Marnell, sports leader.

So far Mark has spent time working with Yr 6 pupils at St. Martin’s and St. Clement’s. During each visit Mark and the pupils have been having fun whilst participating in circuit work, team building activities as well as developing their communication and numeracy skills. Youngsters have been recording their scores weekly and have seen their general fitness improve. As well as having fun and using their mathematical skills, the pupils are developing their social skills.

Mark said, “It has been great to see the youngsters learning about health and nutrition whilst having fun”.

Mr McNulty, Head of Year 6 at St Martin’s said:

Over the past 4 weeks the children in Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed their time with the St Chad’s staff. The most important feedback I have received talked about the level of trust they were shown. It has been an absolute pleasure.

PRIMARY HEALTH & FITNESS

Mary Kilcoyne from the Catholic Children’s Society recently sent this positive

feedback about our school choir who sang at Sister Teresa’s retirement mass:

Dear Mr Keeley

Thank you so much for offering your choir. In the first place they were a delight. There were so many lovely comments from staff and guests about their performance, the quality of their singing and their joy. Please extend my thanks to Miss Smith too. It was a great experience and top comment was for the Rutter piece.

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