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Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Headmaster’s Message
During the course of this term we have been focussing on the concept of stewardship and the importance
of this in Catholic social teaching. We have been particularly concerned to reflect on the moral imperative
to pass on better than we have received with regard to the planet as well as our responsibility to look out
for and look after those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
As ever, our students have embraced this idea with sensitivity, intelligence and understanding. As we
close in on Christmas Day I cannot help but draw parallels with the hope embodied in the birth of the baby
Jesus and the hope of a better future embodied in the young people in our school. They really are very
special and we should all be proud of what they achieve and do on a daily basis.
I would like to finish by extending my thanks to all our staff – the teachers, the cleaners, the cooks and
support staff – for all that they do for our school. I would also like to thank all of our parents for your
continued support.
With my very best wishes for a happy, holy and peaceful Christmas.
Sean Maher
KEY DATES
Friday 22nd December Autumn term ends - pupils dismissed at 12.35
Monday 8th January Return to school
Tuesday 9th January Drama Hungary Trip Meeting
Friday 12th January Awards Evening (by invitation only)
Monday 15th January PTA Meeting
Thursday 18th January Year 12 Academic Review Meeting
Friday 19th January Year 8 Disco at Richard Challoner
Monday 22nd January Bikeability
Tuesday 23rd January House Public Speaking Competition
Wednesday 24th January Year 9 Holocaust Memorial Day
Thursday 25th January Year 7S Academic Review Meeting
Friday 26th January EPQ Year 12 Talk
Tuesday 30th January SFX Social Evening
Tuesday 30th January Year 7N Academic Review Meeting
Monday 5th February House Swimming Gala
Wednesday 7th February Battle of the Bands
Thursday 8th -14th February Drama Hungary Tour
Friday 9th February Mufti Day
Monday 12th – 16th February Half Term
Monday 19th - 23rd February Year 13 Mock Exams
Tuesday 20th - 23rd February Year 12 Geography Fieldwork
Tuesday 20th February Year 11 Photographs
Thursday 22nd February Year 8S Academic Review Meeting
Continued ……………………
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
KEY DATES (continued)
Wednesday 28th February - Friday 2nd March Year 9 Battlefields Trip
Monday 5th March PTA Meeting and Staff Development Day
Wednesday 7th - 9th March Year 12 Biology Trip
Wednesday 7th March Year 10 Careers Fair
Thursday 8th March Year 8N Academic Review Meeting
Monday 12th - 16th March Prayer Week
Tuesday 13th March SFX Social Evening
Thursday 15th March Year 10 Academic Review Meeting
Friday 16th March Mufti Day
Tuesday 20th March Parent Forum
Wednesday 21st March House Music
Thursday 22nd March Year 9S Academic Review Meeting
Tuesday 27th March Year 9N Academic Review Meeting
Thursday 29th March Spring term ends - pupils dismissed at 12.35
House Competition Results
House Points Position
More 170 1
Becket 165 2
Augustine 147 3
Dunstan 134 4
Columba 130 5
Fisher 110 6
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Year 7 Engineering Day - November 2017
In November, the Design Technology Department ran their annual “Year 7 Engineering Day” for all
Year 7 students. From bridge building to flying eggs; it was an opportunity for all students to work
in teams, meet new friends and learn about what an engineer is in the real world, whilst using their
Design Technology skills in a practical way. All students seemed to have a fantastic time. We hear
on the grapevine that we may have inspired a few junior engineers!
School Uniform/Winter Coats
If you have any warm coats or school uniform that is no longer of any use, we would be very
grateful for any donations. Please drop them in as soon as possible to the school office.
Mrs A Southall
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Music Department Christmas Bulletin
KS3 Music Concert On Thursday 19th October, a selection of excellent Key Stage 3 performers took to the stage for our second KS3 Concert and what a great selection of performances we had. Providing our younger students with a more intimate venue, performers provided repertoire from graded instrumental pieces and vocal solos to drum solos and synthesised compositions! The level of performance was high but, most importantly, the students enjoyed the opportunity to entertain the audience with the pieces they have been working hard to prepare.
We were delighted to see many parents and other students come out to support our wonderful performers and we greatly look forward to the next one.
Winter Concert Following an excellent KS3 Concert came our Winter Concert; an evening of wonderful talent, reflective performances and extravagant costumes (!). This year, we welcomed almost 400 students, staff and parents through the doors, hearing performances from the Richard Challoner Choir, Function Band, Orchestra and Ukulele Group, to name but a few. As always, the standard of performance was exceptionally high and we were delighted to see a record number of students turning up to not only perform, but also to support their fellow Challoner boys. With more and more incredible musicians coming up through the school, our next big event, Battle of the Bands, will surely be an unmissable event; taking place on Wednesday 7th February, it will not disappoint!
Carol Services Our Choir and Brass Ensemble worked very hard to prepare for our three Carol Services, the first of which was on Wednesday 13th December. With a range of new material from reflective and moving arrangements of Carols, including In the Bleak Midwinter and Bethlehem, down to a rather exciting and energetic arrangement of Deck The Hall, the services were certainly a fitting way to celebrate this festive period.
TO COME:
Dates for the Diary: Battle of the Bands : Wednesday 7th February at 7.00pm – Main School Hall House Music : Wednesday 21st March at 7.00pm – Main School Hall South Pacific : Thursday 19th April – Saturday 21st April at 7:30pm – Main School Hall
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
St Francis Xavier Centre
The new St Francis Xavier Centre (opened in September 2016) welcomed
three new students, as well as new members of staff and it has been a busy
first term back. Miss Norton was appointed the Year 12 Tutor/Teaching
Assistant and Mr Gallagher joined the team as the new Maths/English and
ICT Teacher. There was also a slight change in staff around the school and
we introduced Art as a new
subject.
Millie, Dominic and Hiba (Year 12) joined Celia, Rosie and Ewan (Year
13) and it has been wonderful to see them all settle well into life here
at the school; developing their self-esteem and grow in confidence. In
September we participated in Challoner Day, whereby the whole
school travelled to London for the traditional annual Mass. It was a
great day and the students looked smart in their new uniforms.
The curriculum is varied, from
academic subjects such as Maths,
English and ICT, as well as more
vocational subjects like Gardening,
Animal Care, Life Skills, etc.
Offsite Education
The students have also benefited
from some educational visits
offsite from Wisley’s Garden
Centre learning programme,
Blacklands Farm team building day,
the UK’s largest Career Fair at the
Excel Centre in London and
Kingston town centre. Every term,
the students also plan and organise a student social evening to develop
their social skills and independence and the first one was at Pizza
Express. Every Thursday, Miss Norton and Mr Mander support the students with independent travel training
sessions. Although the Centre is a provision for students with moderate learning needs, students have many
opportunities to access the main school activities; more recently the Year 7 Engineering Day and the Sixth
Form Awards Breakfast.
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
The students have also helped to design the set for the musical ‘Slice of
Saturday Night’ for the BTEC Performing Arts students (Years 12 and 13).
Year 13 Work Experience Placements To help the Year 13 students’ transition into college or employment, the students attend a work placement a minimum of one day per week. They travel independently and Miss Norton visits regularly to support them.
Ewan: West Barnes Library Rosie: Dean City Farm Celia: Castelnau Cafe
External Visitors
We welcome external organisations in to run workshops that will enhance the students learning. Chris, from
‘Flipping Amazing’, spent an afternoon running team activities to promote his job opportunity whereby
students can help run his Crepe stall once a month at Surbiton Market. Paul, from table cricket, has also been
welcomed to introduce a unique new sport for the students to take part in. Finally, we have been collaborating
each week with a neighbouring school called St Philip’s, travelling every Tuesday to take part in upcycling and
they travel every Thursday to participate in a bespoke Art session.
‘Flipping Amazing’ Table Cricket St Philip’s & SFX students
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Year 9 Fair 2017
On Friday 1st December, Year 9 ran a Fair in the main hall, for the rest of the school to come and enjoy. We
randomly allocated a country to each Form Group, to give a unique theme for each group of stalls; Italy,
America, Mexico, Germany, UK and France. Leading up to the big event, Year 9 were preparing the
important information like prices, prizes, decorations and lots of food, including burgers, milkshakes,
nachos, and various games created by the students themselves. We are very grateful for all the help that
family, friends and staff gave to us in order for our stalls to run so successfully. In total, the Fair raised
£987.30 for our chosen charity, Water Aid. Thank you to everyone who supported the event!
Science Update
The Science Department was pleased to host a visit by the Imperial College, who were sponsored by the Royal
Society of Chemistry to deliver the ‘Spectroscopy in a Suitcase’ Workshop. Forty three students benefited from
the hands-on experience of IR, NMR and Mass Spectrometry, as we invited Holy Cross Year 12 and 13 students
to join us. The feedback from students was all positive, as they were able to “bring to life an otherwise
theoretical topic by testing actual samples and generating data”. The Chemistry Teachers were equally
impressed with the advances in technology that enabled industrial technology to be miniaturised and brought
into a classroom to enrich the learning of students.
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Art & Design Department
A very busy and successful term in the Art & Design Department has included trips to Tate Modern
and Tate Britain, CCW portfolio support, work on the sets and props for the drama and musical
productions, as well as our annual Big Draw and House Art Competition. The House Art Competition,
without doubt, has been the highlight of the term. The competition saw all Houses compete and
pupils from year 7 through to year 13 work creatively together to produce some outstanding and
imaginative work. It was also great so see so many parents and siblings, and I’m sure anyone who
was there will agree that it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. We hope you can join us next year!
Well done to Year 11 who have now completed 60% of their course and begin their Externally Set
Assignment in January. The Spring term also has lots to look forward to and we will be running
workshops for KS4 and KS5 pupils, Year 11 will complete their GCSE exam and we are hoping to run
an Art Club for KS3 (a letter will be sent out to confirm). Full steam ahead in the Art & Design
Department!
Senior Maths Team Challenge
Callum Marriott, Joshua Mann, Robin Barrington and Agnel Abraham competed in the Senior Team
Challenge at Epsom College and came 13th out of 30 schools, including many selective private
schools.
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Senior Maths Challenge (Year 12 and 13)
Best in Year 12
Arun Saini
Best in Year 13
Joshua Mann
Gold Certificate Silver Certificates Bronze Certificates
Joshua Mann Callum Marriott Meiling Zheng
Fintan Creedon Maaz Malik
Raphael Santiago Agnel Abraham
Arun Saini Akalini Navaneethakrishnan
Robin Barrington Alistair Stockley
Lawrence Bell Wilhem Aquino
Adrian Soosaipillai Conor Greene
Olek Misiewicz
Ramanan Thiruganasund
Matthew Thomson
Oliver Chen
Danny Guglielmi
Max Rainbow
Daniel Mooney
Connor Stumpf
David Walsh
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Drama Department
Every time I write for these bulletins, updating you all on the Drama Department, I seem to inform you that the term has been one of the busiest we have ever known; this time around won’t be any different I’m afraid. From early September until its opening night on the 29th November, an extremely talented cast, comprising of actors from our examination classes in Year 11 and Year 13, were rehearsing William Shakespeare’s ‘Richard III’. Drama productions should always be enjoyable for the students who take part in them, but they should also provide them with a challenge and an opportunity to stretch themselves and work beyond, outside their comfort zones. This production certainly ticked all of those boxes and the students met the challenge head on. As I mentioned in my programme notes, there aren’t many schools that produce Shakespeare productions, let alone ones (even with lots of cutting) that run to 2 hours and 20 minutes! Although we perform as a company and value the role of every actor and technician when bringing a play to the stage, it would be remiss of me not to mention how impressive Louis Regan (Year 13) was in the eponymous role of Richard, Duke of Gloucester. The cast should be exceptionally proud of their achievements and we are looking forward to a well-earned break before venturing to Budapest in the February half-term to do it all over again. On Wednesday 13th December, Malden Manor’s Year 5 students came over the road for a Shakespeare workshop on Macbeth. It is always wonderful to share our fantastic facilities with schools in the local area and the students were extremely impressed and seemed to enjoy the workshop. They will be performing in the studio for the second year in a row on 17th January 2018. Our KS3 Drama Club, run by Miss Jones and ably supported by some of our Year 11 Drama mentors, has been running on Friday afternoons in the main studio. We are regularly attracting high numbers; so much so, that we are planning on casting two 30 minute plays in the new year; so watch this space! On behalf of myself, Miss Durdle, Mr Zoladkiewicz and Miss Jones, I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we hope to see you for Mr Zoladkiewicz’ s production of ‘Frankenstein’ in February. See you in 2018!
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Politics
On Friday, 8th December, the Law and Politics Year 12 students took the annual trip to Parliament and the
Supreme Court. We were treated to a thorough and comprehensive tour around the Palace of Westminster
and were even lucky enough to hear the Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, speak in
a debate in the House of Lords on the role of religion in education. We also got to enter the House of
Commons Chamber and the division lobbies. Sadly, we were not permitted to take any photos in the House
or even sit on the seats, but we got a real sense of what it must be like to be an MP at a parliamentary
debate. In the lobby of Parliament itself, we saw former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont and
even got to talk briefly to Lady Warsi, the first Muslim female Cabinet Minister under David Cameron. To
finish our tour, we had an interactive educational workshop on electoral systems, which the students
enjoyed enormously (and got to wear novelty hats).
Our trip continued across Parliament Square to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, where we had
a self-guided tour. The security here appeared to be even stricter than at Parliament. The Supreme Court is
the highest court of appeal in the UK and is also the final court of appeal for some British Overseas
Territories like St Helena, the Falkland Islands and Tristan De Cunha. The Supreme Court has also been in
the news this year for having upheld Gina Miller’s challenge to the government on activating Article 50 (to
begin negotiations on leaving the EU) without first having a vote in Parliament.
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
School Sport
Well done and thank you to the pupils and staff that have been involved with school sport in this incredibly
busy autumn term. We have competed in over 120 fixtures in local, regional and national competitions, in a
range of sports from cross-country, the usual team sports, to table-tennis and badminton. Results of particular
note include the Year 8 Rugby squad, only losing to Trinity School in the Surrey Schools’ Rugby Festival, and
the Sixth Form Basketball team reaching the semi-final of the Surrey Cup. I would also like to wish Mr Gregory
and the Year 7 football team good luck in the last 32 of the National Football Championships; they are due to
play Ravensbourne School, near Bromley in Kent, away on Friday 12th January 2018.
We have had a number of pupils representing regional teams in various sports and have been particularly well
represented in the Surrey Football squads.
In January, Saturday fixtures change from Rugby to Football, with a busy schedule viewable via the link on the
school website, as are the historic results.
Merry Christmas from the Sports Department; enjoy a rest and return fully fit for a great Spring term.
Christmas Bulletin
December 2017
Help Support Kingston Education Project Anstee Bridge
Kingston’s Anstee Bridge Choir features on a new charity album by a number of choirs from around the country, including Britain’s Got Talent finalists, the Missing People Choir. ‘Stand Together’ is available to pre-order on Amazon and will be released on 15th December. The single, ‘We All Stand Together’, is out now and available to buy as a download: http://smarturl.it/WeAllStandTogether
Proceeds from sales will be shared between the choirs’ organisations.
Anstee Bridge is a project run by Achieving for Children, that helps young people aged 15-16 to build confidence and resilience and re-engage with education through creativity. You can find out more at ansteebridge.co.uk